could reveal everything to you, but as I said, I'm not in the protection business. Besides, I've run my mouth too much already.” She made a face. “There are agents on both sides who frown upon interference."
"So why are you helping me, then?"
The voluptuous shop owner seemed to float on the hardwood floor as she closed the distance between them. She reached out and cupped Silvana's face in her hands. Her penetrating blue eyes silently probed the depths of Silvana's soul. The sensation should have been frightening, but aside from a slight apprehension that still lingered from being so close to Rafael, Silvana didn't feel a thing.
Madame Periwinkle shook her head. “I shouldn't. Heaven knows it would be good for all Fairy Godmothers if I just minded my own business, but I can't seem to help myself. Mortals and their love lives intrigue me. You're all so ... fragile. So easily hurt, so vulnerable. And so susceptible to manipulation from all manner of beings who seek to possess you."
A frisson of genuine fear snaked up Silvana's spine. “I get the feeling we're not talking about mortals in general anymore. You mean I'm easy to manipulate, don't you? And that's what Rafael's trying to do.” She swallowed the lump that rose in her throat. “I'm letting him, aren't I? It's because I want him to do all those deliciously savage things to me that he can enter my dreams and mess with my life."
Madam Periwinkle pursed her red lips, intensifying the dramatic sculpt of her cheekbones in the process, and dropped her hands. Gentle concern shadowed her theatrical expression. “Be careful, all right? That's all I'm saying."
Frustration coiled in Silvana's gut. “How am I supposed to do that if you won't help me—"
"You need something that'll let you sleep without worrying about external influences, yes?"
Silvana sucked in a breath, startled. “Yes. Do you have something that might work?"
The broad smile returned to Madam Periwinkle's beautiful face. “I've got just the thing."
"I should tell you I've already tried over-the-counter medicine, warm milk, and every manner of relaxation music known to man."
Madam Periwinkle turned back toward the array of shelves and rose on the tips of her toes to reach the highest one. She searched the top shelf, and apparently not finding what she was looking for, made her way to the back of the store. “I know it's here somewhere."
Silvana watched the energetic shop owner dig through a variety of small boxes and drawers. After a couple of minutes, the woman smacked her forehead with an open palm, drifted toward the front of the store, and reached into the dark depths of a small cupboard Silvana hadn't even noticed until that very moment.
"Aha!” A victorious grin lit up Madame Periwinkle's face as she spun around to face Silvana. “I knew I still had it."
Silvana's jaw dropped open as she stared at the longest, thickest, most detailed dildo she'd ever seen. Only, it didn't appear to be made of plastic, rubber, silicone, or any other material used to create sex toys. If she didn't know better, she'd think it was pure...
"Chocolate,” she whispered.
Madam Periwinkle waved the dildo in the air like a magic wand before presenting it to Silvana on outstretched palms. “This will do the trick. Just remember, when it disappears, its powers do too. Oh, and if you're worried about hygiene or health concerns, don't be. This bad boy's inherent magic cleanses itself—and you."
Silvana reached out a tentative hand and brushed her fingertips along the sleekly-contoured head of the sculpted cock. She trailed them down farther, over the ridged veins to the space where a tight sac would normally be.
Her mouth watered. She could practically taste the flavor of rich, dark chocolate combined with the musky tang of male seed. “You're sure this will help?"
Madam Periwinkle nodded. The playful grin vanished. She straightened her spine, suddenly all business. “That'll be twenty-four