Heart of the Demon

chapter Six



Over the next few days Keira came to realize there were more jewelers on Scottsdale Road than she would have thought possible. Without having a specific name it was very improbable that she’d find the one who was going to provide Stefan with the gold filament. Not that she was ready to give up, not yet. She was merely ready to move on to plan B as soon as she thought it up.

She stared down at a row of sapphire rings without really seeing them. This was the tenth store she’d been in, and everything was starting to blur together. She looked up at the salesman and gave him a smile. “I’m sorry, I just don’t see anything that catches my eye.”

She knew that wasn’t what he’d wanted to hear, but his polite expression never changed. “That’s all the sapphires we have, I’m afraid.”

And yet again she’d struck out. “Well, thank you,” she said with another smile. She left the store and headed toward her car. Then her stomach growled, and she thought maybe she should stop and get something to eat before trekking on to the next shop.

Thankfully there was a small café near the jewelry store. It was brightly lit with mostly small tables for two, a few tables for four, and stools at the counter. Against the far wall were three booths that were all occupied at the moment. She took a seat at a table near the back, sighing with relief to be able to sit down. While she liked expensive jewelry as much as the next woman and enjoyed spending hour after hour looking at diamonds, rubies, and sapphires, she didn’t like pretending to be interested in buying something while she watched and listened to what was going on around her. It was too much like scoping out a place in order to run a scam.

It didn’t make her feel good about herself at all, even as she reminded herself she was doing it for a good reason. It still seemed too much like what she’d done in her old life.

That’s not who you are anymore.

Though she was beginning to think perhaps she should embrace that part of herself instead of fighting it. If she continued to feel so conflicted about this job, this mission she was on, eventually someone would pick up on that. Maybe, for this short period of time, she should become who she’d been before.

For the greater good.

If she did, could she get back to where she was right now? She was very much afraid the old habits were too deeply ingrained, and they’d overtake her again. If she didn’t do this, how successful would she be?

A young man dressed crisply in a long-sleeved white shirt, black tie, and black pants with a small green apron tied around his waist approached her table. He placed a small menu in front of her with a smile. “Can I get you something to drink?”

Keira returned the smile. “I’ll take an iced tea, please.”

“One iced tea coming up.” He grinned. “I’ll come back in a few minutes to take your order.”

After he walked away, Keira pulled the menu closer. She was so hungry, every last thing on the menu looked delicious.

The waiter came back a few minutes later with her tea. “Are you ready to order?” he asked.

“I’ll take the bacon cheeseburger with fries. Oh, and a side salad.” She wasn’t particularly fond of salads. It was only in the last fifty years or so that humans had started using them as something other than a garnish. But she’d ordered the salad so she wouldn’t feel as guilty about the burger and fries. She still had more jewelry stores to hit this afternoon, and the heightened stress alone would work off most of the extra calories she was getting ready to ingest.

“How do you want your burger cooked?”

“Medium, please.”

“That’s mostly done with a thin strip of pink in the center?”

Keira nodded.

The server gathered up the menu. “I’ll put your order in right away.” After giving her another dimple-producing smile, he walked away.

She sat back and glanced around the small restaurant. There was a woman with a young child a few tables over, and a couple of older men sitting on stools at the counter toward the front. A smartly dressed woman and a man in a suit sat at one of the booths against the wall, and men in ties sat at the other booths. They all seemed to be business people on their lunch breaks.

By their scent, everyone here except her was human. Maybe it was all of Stefan’s rhetoric still rolling through her head, but all of a sudden she felt outnumbered and hemmed in. At least one more pret would be nice. She pulled her phone closer, debated a moment, and then sent off a quick text to Finn, asking him to join her if he could.

She looked around, read the menu again, looked around some more, and wished she’d thought to bring a book with her. Ten minutes later the server approached with her food. After ascertaining she didn’t need anything else for the moment, he went over to another table.

Keira checked her phone; Finn still hadn’t responded to her text. She thought about sending him another message but pushed her phone away. He was probably busy, and she wasn’t going to beg. She heard the door open but didn’t look to see who was coming or going.

Footsteps sounded behind her, then Finn plopped down in the chair beside Keira. His hair curled against the collar of his shirt. Long sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, showing off his hair-roughened forearms. His grin crinkled the corner of his gorgeous blue eyes. Bloody hell. He looked good enough to eat.

“Hey, there, stranger. I got your text.” He leaned over and placed a soft kiss at the corner of her mouth, his breath warm and sweet against her skin. “Where’ve you been keeping yourself lately?”

She inhaled, holding the fresh scent of him in her lungs a moment. She couldn’t tell him what she’d really been up to. With a nonchalant shrug, she said, “I’ve been around. I’ve been doing some shopping today.”

“For what?” His eyes twinkled with good nature and curiosity.

“Oh, this and that. Jewelry mostly.” She picked up her iced tea glass and took a sip, and grimaced when she realized she hadn’t put any sweetener in it.

As she reached for the small container of sweetener packets, his sensual lips pursed. He clearly didn’t care for her evasiveness, but he didn’t push it. When the server approached and asked for his order, Finn said, “I’ll have a burger, rare, and fries. With a cola. Thanks.”

After the waiter left the table, Finn snagged one of her fries. When he reached for another one, Keira fisted her fork and made a move to stab his hand. “Hey!” he protested. His grin told her he knew she hadn’t seriously been ready to hurt him. “Look, you’re the one who invited me to lunch, remember? You’re not going to make me wait until my order comes out, are you? I’m starving.”

She pondered a moment to tease him. “Fine,” she finally said. “But when you get your food, you have to share with me.” She cut her burger in half.

He grabbed the portion closest to him and took a big bite, giving an appreciative groan that made Keira grin, though she almost mimicked him after tasting her hamburger for the first time. The bite of mustard was tamed by the creaminess of mayonnaise, and the crispy savory taste of the bacon complemented the slightly sweet beef of the burger.

“They put a little brown sugar in the meat,” Finn said as if he’d read her mind. “You wouldn’t think that combination would taste good, but it does.”

The server returned and handed Finn his soda. He took a sip and snagged another of Keira’s fries. After a minute or so, he wiped his hands on his napkin and took one of the hands Keira had wrapped around her glass. He gently toyed with her fingers before lacing them with his. “I’ve missed you,” he said, his voice husky and deep.

She tightened her fingers around his. “Have you?” Her own voice came out in a throaty rasp.

He gave a nod. “Even if you are being cagey,” he said, a slight smile playing around his mouth. “I understand women need to be mysterious. Especially one like you.”

Her brows shot up. “One like me? What does that mean?”

“I don’t mean anything bad by it.” He brought her hand to his mouth and pressed a warm kiss to her knuckles. His cerulean eyes darkened with the beginnings of desire. “Means you’re full of surprises, and I like surprises.”

The server approached with Finn’s order. Finn released her hand and sat back. After they both assured the server they didn’t need anything else, he walked away.

Keeping to their deal, Finn halved his burger and then picked up his half and finished it off. When she realized how much she was enjoying watching him eat, she shook her head. She was acting like a besotted teenager. While she didn’t begrudge herself a friendship with Finn—and maybe something a little more, like friends with benefits—she still hadn’t changed her mind about getting emotionally involved with him. Even though she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to give her heart to him. To have him love her back.

To have a family again.

If they wanted it badly enough, she knew they could make it work. She wasn’t sure, though, that they could move beyond their pasts with all their hurts and disappointments to build a future together.

Right now, if she let him get too close, he’d be more likely to figure out she was up to something, and she wasn’t ready for that. She didn’t like lying to him, because friends didn’t do that to each other.

She focused on her own food and made sure to keep their conversation light, because Finn was one sharp cookie. Not much got past him, and without knowing where he stood on things she didn’t want to clue him in on what she was up to.

Finished with his meal, he wiped his mouth on the paper napkin and crumpled it, tossing it onto his plate. “Damn, that was good.” He glanced around. “Coming here was a great idea.”

“Thanks. I’m glad you could join me.” She’d eaten all of her salad and had made it through all of her fries and had only a bite or two of burger left, but she was close to being stuffed. She had to stop now, or she’d have to be rolled out the door. She crisscrossed her silverware on her plate to signal the waiter she was done.

“You’re not gonna finish that?” Finn asked.

She shook her head. “I’m full.”

“Hmm.” He shoved his plate out of the way and slid hers in front of him. He finished off the food and then leaned back, patting his stomach. “No sense in letting it go to waste.”

“No, instead we’ll let it go to your waist,” she murmured.

He grinned. “Demon metabolism,” he boasted with another pat on his flat belly. “Plus my job keeps me pretty active.”

“I imagine so,” she said. She’d never really liked thinking about exactly what his job as Lucifer’s enforcer entailed. But since he’d brought it up…“Chasing down rogue demons and killing them must use up a lot of energy.”

“I don’t always kill them,” he muttered, his eyes flashing with yellow sparks of annoyance. “Sometimes I do, if the situation warrants it. I’ve never killed anyone who didn’t deserve to die.”

She kept her voice low. “If killing is wrong in the first place, how do you justify taking someone’s life?” She leaned her elbows on the table and held his gaze.

He heaved a sigh. “I’m not going to get into a debate about capital punishment with you, Keira,” he rejoined, his own voice soft and deep. “I know some fey are tree huggers, some of you more literally than others, but you’re also preternaturals, and you know you can’t judge prets by the same rules you use for humans. We can’t build prisons for the deadliest pret criminals. It’s too dangerous to keep them alive. That’s one thing the council’s gotten right.” He signaled the waiter. “Anyway, I don’t kill demons who keep their aggression within the pret community. Well, unless they’ve implemented an unsanctioned blood feud against another clan. Usually, it’s only those who harm humans who pay the penalty with their lives.”

She knew what he was saying had basis in fact. In order to keep peace with humanity, prets had to pay a higher price for their transgressions. Otherwise people like Senator Martin and the judicial committee would get their way and the wholesale tagging of preternaturals, maybe even internment camps. And that was unacceptable. Most of them hadn’t asked to be here, and many of them, her included, had done their best to live good, decent lives since they’d arrived on Earth. They tried to make the most of a bad situation.

“Fair enough,” she said quietly. “I’m not judging.”

His eyes narrowed. “Sounded to me like you were.”

Maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea to invite him to lunch. She was feeling raw, off her game, because she was right back in the old life she’d tried so hard to leave behind. Even if it was the right thing to do, she couldn’t feel completely right about it. And it was making her a tad cranky.

Reaching out, she placed her hand on his forearm where it rested on the table. His muscles flexed beneath her fingers but he didn’t otherwise move. “I’m not judging,” she stressed. “I guess this is one area where we’ll just have to agree to disagree.”

“Do you really think that a demon who’s gone rogue, one who has gotten a taste for human blood or flesh, can really be kept locked behind bars for the rest of his life?” Finn took a sip of his soda. “The stress of being in prison tends to shorten folks’ lifespan by a few years, so for most humans a life sentence might, at best, be fifty or sixty years. For a pret,” he shook his head, “you’re talking hundreds, even thousands, of years.”

“I realize that, but—”

“Do you remember how being imprisoned felt, Keira?” He flipped his hand over and wrapped it around her fingers. His skin was warm and rough. “When you were in the other dimension and were brought to the Detention Center for trial, do you remember what that was like?”

“Of course,” she responded in a quiet voice. It was a memory that would never leave her. Even with over three thousand years between her and the event, it remained as sharp in her mind as ever. The shock, the fear, the guilt, it was all still part of her.

As was the shock, fear, and guilt at taking over an innocent’s life here on Earth, a woman who’d been a wife and mother. A queen. Granted, she had been queen of one of numerous Bronze Age tribes that inhabited Ireland back then, but she’d been a queen nevertheless. And while the queen no longer had control of her own body, her personality—her soul—had become woven with Keira’s to make her the woman she was today.

A woman who wanted to do better. To be better.

He shifted on his seat. “Imagine what being imprisoned for thousands of years would be like. Think of what that could do to someone’s psyche.”

She couldn’t picture it. She thought someone locked away, no freedom of choice, would indeed have damage to their emotional well-being. It would make her insane, that was certain.

As the waiter came to the table, Finn let go of her hand. He lifted his hip and pulled out his wallet. After looking over the bill, he fished out two twenties. He handed them to the young man with a murmured “Keep the change.”

“I didn’t invite you to lunch so you’d pick up the tab,” Keira said. She looked at the waiter and held out one hand. “May I see the bill, please? I’d like to pay my half.”

“I’ve got it, Keira.” Finn motioned the server to leave. The young man walked away and Finn said, “Let me be chivalrous for once, okay? I don’t get that many opportunities.”

She sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. “Fine. Far be it from me to insist on my independence at the cost of your male ego.” She smiled to soften her teasing. “Thank you.”

His answering smile reflected in his eyes. “My pleasure.” He leaned closer and cupped his palm around the nape of her neck. His thumb rubbed lightly against the base of her head. The warmth and weight of his hand against her skin made her feel feminine and cherished. “So,” he said softly, snagging her gaze with his, “will I see you later?”

She’d promised Javier she’d meet him at the club this evening—he’d said he had a message for her from Stefan—but she couldn’t tell Finn that. He hadn’t been too pleased to see her go off with the vampire before. He certainly wouldn’t understand it now, and she couldn’t explain why she was doing it.

“I have plans tonight,” she murmured and tried to keep from moaning at his touch. Despite her efforts she couldn’t keep herself from tilting her head to give him better access to muscles that were tight from stress. But it was more than that. She loved his touch, the feel of his strong fingers kneading her flesh. Taking a deep breath, she straightened and looked him in the eyes. “Finn, what are we doing?”

He cocked a brow. “I’m giving you a little neck massage, and you seem to be enjoying it.”

“I am, but that’s not what I meant.” She reluctantly pulled away. She couldn’t think straight with his hands on her. “Where are things going with us?”

She half expected him to prevaricate, to say something like Where do you want things to go? Instead, he studied her, his eyes dark, intent, and interested. He leaned toward her and brought his hand to her face, cupping her jaw. Her heart quickened as she waited for his reply.

His phone buzzed. “Hang on a sec.” He pulled his hand away and fished his phone from the pocket of his jeans. It vibrated again before he pressed a button and stared down at the screen. His face twisted into a scowl. “Damn it.” Looking up at her, he said, “I’m sorry, I have to go.” He held up his phone. “Duty calls.” He pushed his chair back and stood. “But I guarantee we’ll finish this conversation soon.” He bent and cupped her face in one broad palm, and pressed his mouth to hers, a long, lingering melding of lips that stole her breath as they always did. He straightened, letting his hand linger against her jaw a moment before his mouth twisted with regret and he turned away.

Keira watched him walk out, wondering what the text was about to put such a dark look on his face. Of course, with secrets of her own, she couldn’t begrudge him his. With a sigh she took her napkin off her lap and placed it on the table, then stood and headed toward the door. She had more jewelers to hang out with this afternoon.

Joy.