Page 56 of Demons Dig Donuts

Mr. Heiss scowled.

“—and his little toy.”

Indy scowled too.

In solidarity and all that.

The front door of the pinecone house swung open as they approached, and Nyp, who was on the porch, swept his head down into a dramatic bow. “Misingno! Hello! Salutations! Please. We have great need of you.”

Misingno was tall, broad, and thick. He was honestly scrumptious, his body pushing the seams of his funny bathing suit. It was one of those old Victorian ones that covered everything, and it was hot pink. His skin was a warm shade of brown, his short hair dark and curly, and his eyes bright. He had a strong jawline and a smile like a Cheshire cat framed by a thick mustache. As he looked over them all, the colors of his eyes shifted.

Green.

Blue.

Gold.

It was honestly mesmerizing.

“Oh, hey.” Misingno waved. “What’s up?”

“My new friends have need of you!” Nyp gave another big bow.

Misingno gazed over toward Mr. Heiss and Indy. He didn’t seem to notice Dill. He waved again and flashed a big smile. “Hola.”

Indy waved back slowly.

While his personal interactions with fae were blissfully rare, he was well aware of how dangerous they were. Fae were masters of wordplay and could turn one misspoken syllable into an eternity of torture for their own amusement. He knew he had to be on guard and choose his every word carefully.

“So, uh. Whatcha need?” Misingno asked with a friendly little grin.

“Jobbuko sap,” Indy replied slowly.

“Cool. I got some of that.” Misingno inexplicably had a chocolate popsicle. He gave it a big lick. “What are you gonna pay?”

Indy hummed. “What is the price?”

“What are you offering?”

Fuck.

Indy gave Mr. Heiss’s arm a squeeze.

Some help with dealing with a fae would be so super cool right now.

“You will take nothing that harms him,” Mr. Heiss said sternly, his demonic form bleeding through his disguise. “This mortal is mine. Whatever you desire of him, you must—”

“I like pain,” Misingno said as he strolled down the stairs, coming right up to them. “Not in the fun, sexy way, but mmm, the memory kind. And yours smells especially delicious.” His shifting eyes danced over Mr. Heiss as he licked his popsicle. “How about… a trade?”

“No,” Mr. Heiss replied immediately. His horns broke through his mask, his eyes flamed up, and his tail cracked across the sand.

Fuck.

Misingno grinned, and his teeth turned into rows of sharp pointy fangs. His eyes became black pools, and the entire world quivered as if it was no longer solid but instead made of oil simmering in a hot pan.

Nyp was backing away, glancing over his shoulder toward the doorway they’d come through.

Well, double fuck.