Heart of the Demon

by Cynthia Garner

  She ignored the disgruntled look Finn shot her way. She knew what Stefan saw when he looked at them. Finn was tall, broad, and aggressive, wearing his usual T-shirt, jeans, heavy boots, and leather coat. She was slender, gentle in demeanor, and wore a designer dress with shoes that cost as much as his coat had, if not more.

  “Hmm. You may be right.” Liuz stared at Keira. “You’re a creative type, right? Let it slip that you’re an artist designing your own ring. The store owner will eat that shit up.” He pulled a familiar envelope out of the inner pocket of his suit coat and handed it to Keira. “At least three diamonds this time, please.”

  “Of course,” she murmured.

  “Go. Now.”

  “Now?” Keira stared at him. “I was able to do the other job with little notice, but with two of us it takes some planning. I need to know where the cameras are, what kind of security they have—”

  “That’s what he’s there for,” Stefan said, nodding toward Finn. “Let him act a little suspiciously, which should draw their focus away from you.” He took her hand in his again and this time brought it to his mouth. He pressed his lips to her knuckles. “I have faith in you,” he whispered. His pupils had dilated and she sensed a wave of pheromones directed her way. She should use this to her advantage, and if she wasn’t so completely disgusted by him, she would.

  “We should be on our way, then,” Finn said, and gently wrapped his fingers around her upper arm. His action moved her hand away from Stefan’s mouth.

  The vampire straightened, his hard gaze going to Finn. “Yes, you should get moving,” he said, though the look on his face promised retribution for Finn’s continued lack of obeisance.

  As they walked out of the room and down the hallway toward the stairs and the exit, Keira jerked her arm out of his grasp. “What is wrong with you?” she demanded.

  Finn didn’t respond until they were out in the parking lot. “What do you mean?”

  “You know perfectly well what I mean.” She stared at him, frowning. “Why are you being so adversarial with Stefan?”

  “Oh, you’re on a first-name basis with him, are you?” Finn shoved his hands in his pockets. His eyes glittered with demon gold and bad humor.

  “I’m informal that way,” she murmured. Then she laughed. “There’s no need for you to be getting your knickers in a twist, boyo. You’re the one for me. And anyway, stop changing the subject.” She headed toward her car. “You keep trying to alienate him, and you’re going to get your head handed to you.”

  “On a platter, no doubt.” He sauntered after her.

  She stopped beside her car and took a bracing breath. “I mean it, Finn. Stop provoking him.”

  “You worried about me?”

  He said it with humor lightening his face, and she responded in all seriousness. “Yes, I am. He’s dangerous. Look, let me go in first and get settled with a tray of diamonds. Then you can come in being your sly, shifty self and distract them.”

  He cleared his throat. “I’m not shifty.”

  She noticed he didn’t deny being sly, and laughed at his dry glance. She sobered and said, “Well, just try to look as if you’re about to nick something. That’ll make you look right shifty enough.” She used the remote to unlock her car. “Why don’t you meet me at the jewelers?” she suggested. “That way if something goes wrong, we have a chance of at least one of us getting away.”

  “All right,” he answered easily enough. “I’ll see you there.” He grinned. “I’ll practice looking shifty on my way over.”

  Keira shook her head at his playfulness. She got in her car and watched Finn walk back to his motorcycle a few rows over. He was multilayered, that was certain. And the most exasperating man she’d ever met. He was going to drive her to drink before this was all over. She only hoped they could salvage something from whatever they had between them once he found out she was a spy for the council. Or, at least, for the new council president.

  Caladh as head of the council. That would change the dynamics of things around here, for the better, she hoped. Only time would tell.

  She blew out a breath and started the car. It was time to pull another job. This time with Finn.

  The thought filled her with a mixture of excitement and dread. But mostly dread. These days she didn’t get him. She really had no idea what to expect. One minute he was a lover, the next a stranger. She felt like she was caught in a landslide, unable to find her footing. Which meant she should keep her distance as much as possible until this whole thing was over.

  She parked in front of the store and watched Finn direct his motorcycle to the small alley that ran between the jewelry store and the adjacent building. She waited until he reached the front facade of the store before she got out of her car. He paused, his head bent as he looked at his cell phone. “If you get into trouble in there,” he murmured barely loud enough for her to hear, “just call out my name.”

  “Right-o.” Keira drew in a bracing breath and entered the store.

  After the manager seated her at a small table, he went into the back to retrieve some of their raw diamonds. Keira took the time he was gone to palm a couple of the fake stones she’d brought with her. When the manager returned, he carried a tray covered with a square piece of black velvet and sat across from her. He uncovered the tray and pushed several of the stones across the surface, putting distance between each of the diamonds.

  She leaned over to look at them. Glancing up at him, she said, “May I?” with one hand reaching toward a diamond.

  “Oh, by all means.” He smiled. “You really can’t get a good sense of the stone unless you hold it.”

  “No, you can’t,” she agreed. Again, she would replace the real stone with a fake that was the same approximate size and weight. As she picked up one she thought might work, from behind her she heard Finn mutter a swear word.

  Then in a louder voice he said, “This is all worthless crap. I thought you were reputable jewelers here.”

  “Sir,” the saleswoman said, “I assure you these are the highest quality stones in these settings. Perhaps you’d rather see something in platinum instead of gold?”

  Finn capitulated but within thirty seconds had become belligerent again.

  Keira glanced over her shoulder to see him standing there, arms akimbo while the biggest scowl she’d ever seen hung on his face. “Oh, dear.” She turned back toward the manager. “Perhaps I should come back at another time,” she said and started to place the diamond back on the tray.

  “Please, give me a moment.” The manager sent her a harried look and stood, motioning to the saleswoman who was dealing with Finn.

  Keira let the fake diamond slide between her fingers and put it on the tray, keeping the real diamond hidden in her palm. She dropped the real stone into the hand she rested in her lap. While the manager stood in front of her, talking to his employee, Keira went through the motions of looking through the other stones. She picked up a few and set them back down without making an attempt to swap them. When Finn started up his noise again, the saleswoman hurried back to try to appease him, the manager watching the scene. Keira made one last swap, holding the real diamonds in the palm of her left hand while she prodded at the ones remaining on the tray with her right index finger.

  “Do you see one that will work for what you want?” the manager asked.

  She pointed to one of the fake ones she’d just deposited on the tray. “This one, perhaps.” She looked up at the manager and pushed at him with her empathic abilities. She filled him with a sense of goodwill and well-being, and anticipation of making a big sale. She stood, dropping the real diamonds into her clutch purse while she fastened the clasp. Between the glamour and her adroitness at sleight of hand, the man never saw it.

  “I won’t be shopping here again,” Finn exclaimed and stomped out of the store.

  “Thank God,” the manager muttered. Then his face turned pink and he apologized. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “It’s
quite all right,” Keira responded. “It does take all sorts to make the world go ’round, doesn’t it?”

  “It certainly does,” he agreed.

  Keira glanced at the tray again and then lifted her gaze to the manager’s face. “Thank you for your time. I hope to be back soon.”

  “It was my pleasure, miss. Shall I set this aside for you?” he asked, the hopes for a fat commission swimming in his eyes.

  She pretended to think it over. “Ah, no, I don’t think so,” she finally said. “I’d hate for someone else to lose out on a great stone while I try to make up my mind. If we’re meant to be together, it will be available when I come back.” What a load of claptrap, but he seemed to buy it.

  “Well, now, you come back anytime.”

  “Thank you, I will.” When Keira went outside to her car, she saw Finn leaning against the side of the building, a big smirk on his face.

  “Was I shifty enough?” he asked.

  She shook her head and then shot him a grin. “You were bloody perfect, actually.”

  His answering smile tightened her belly. “Good,” he said. He sobered. “I guess you should get those to Stefan.”

  She gave a nod and got into her car. With the lift of a hand she waved farewell and drove away. She only hoped that Stefan would be satisfied and it would be the last time she had to do something like this.

  Finn pulled out into traffic and marveled at how adept Keira was at grifting. Man, she must have been something to see back in the day when she was doing it for a living. Her sweet face looked so sincere, so innocent, so lovely that any man with a heartbeat would have a hard time believing she could be as devious as she was.

  He still had a hard time with the fact that she was doing this. He knew it was irrational, but he felt personally betrayed by her actions. Like if he couldn’t look up to her, use her as a role model for striving to be more than he was, then what was the point in any of it?

  He knew she remained upset with him for being in the rogue group. Which, now that he thought about it, made him pause. He knew at one point she had wanted him to be more than an enforcer. But if they were both on the same side in this new fight, what did it matter? He would have thought she’d be happy to have him as an ally.

  And yet, as much as he’d like to tell her what was going on he couldn’t confide in Keira only to have her betray him. He knew he had to completely win over the delusional Liuz’s trust in enough time to find the rift machine and destroy it. If he didn’t, not only would it mean the mission would fail, but it would most likely cost him his life. And maybe even hers, because Liuz might not believe Finn had acted alone.

  He knew not calling her after they’d made love had caused her to draw back, to put emotional distance between them. She’d seemed genuinely concerned about him, and he still couldn’t tamp down the jealousy he felt every time he thought of her interactions with Liuz. She’d let him hold her hand, had even seemed to enjoy his touch. What the hell was she doing? Was it possible her role in the group wasn’t what it seemed, like his? Though for the life of him he couldn’t come up with one reason that she’d be playing Stefan, except that it was what grifters did. They played with people’s emotions.

  He exhaled. Whatever her motivation, he could only be responsible for his actions. He hoped, once his deception came to light, she forgave him and would give him another chance.

  Chapter Fourteen

  I want you to do another job for me.” Stefan Liuz lounged on the small sofa in the private room at Devil’s Domain. His dark gaze centered on Keira, he tapped two fingers against the arm of the sofa as he waited for her response.

  “Another job?” She pressed back against the opposite end of the sofa, trying to keep distance between her and the vampire. She’d allowed herself to relax over the past week, convinced Liuz was done using her after that last job. She should have known better.

  “Yes.” His eyes took on an excited glitter. “Another grift, of course, to use your considerable skills. Only this time I’m going with you.”

  “You?” Keira pressed her lips together and tapped into her empathic abilities. She didn’t like the thought of him going anywhere with her, let alone hanging out while she pulled off a job. “Um—”

  “I’ll pose as your fiancé while we shop for engagement rings. You must admit you and I make a much more believable pair than you and Evnissyen.” He smiled, looking pleased with his plan. “What do you think?”

  She made her smile widen. “I think it’s great.” With the way he was looking at her, like a dirty old man offering candy to a kid, she knew where this was heading. Her dread grew. Maybe she could talk him out of it, or at least postpone it until two days from now when it wouldn’t matter anymore. “But the rift is in two days,” she said. “Can’t this wait? People are jumpy enough as it is.”

  “Are you afraid?” He leaned forward and stretched his arm along the back of the small couch. His hand dangled inches from her shoulder.

  She didn’t see why she shouldn’t admit to a certain amount of trepidation. “Are you saying that with tensions running as high as they are I shouldn’t be?” she countered.

  He gave a careless shrug. “Really, what can they do to us?”

  “Remember villagers with pitchforks and fire?” she muttered. “They can do plenty, I’m thinking.”

  Stefan chortled and shook his head. “Humans are like toothless dogs, Keira. They’re all bark and no bite.”

  “What about other preternaturals? The council?”

  He made a scornful noise. “After tomorrow neither humans nor the council will be in charge. They’ll have to follow our rules, not the other way around.”

  She bit back a sigh. He was so full of blarney she hardly knew where to begin. With a frown, she said, “I thought there weren’t going to be any rules. That’s what anarchy is all about, isn’t it? Or have I misunderstood completely?”

  His eyes narrowed. His suspiciousness smoldered between them like a steaming pile of crap.

  She hastened to add, “I’m not trying to be a smartass, Stefan. I just don’t understand how humans, let alone council members, are going to be required to follow rules in an anarchistic society.”

  “Later they’ll have to follow our rules,” he murmured, his narrowed gaze focused on her face. “Unfortunately anarchies rarely last long, but every democracy needs a good overthrowing from time to time.” He paused, moved his hand to her shoulder. Through the silken material of her dress, he stroked his fingers along her collarbone. “Let’s talk about something else for now.”

  She forced herself to plaster a soft smile on her face and not shrink from his touch. She found him to be repulsive and utterly without morals. In her life before the rift she would have had no issue with being in cahoots with someone like him. Now, though, she could barely stand to be in the same room.

  Let alone allow him to touch her. And she was very much afraid he had a lot more touching he wanted to be doing. Knowing that as a vampire he’d be able to sniff out her emotional state, literally, she turned her empathic ability inward to mask her true feelings. She wasn’t quite sure how or why it worked. At one point she’d thought maybe it was a coping mechanism she and others like her had in order to be able to deal with being bombarded with emotions all day long. Whenever she began to feel overwhelmed she could calm herself, much like throwing a warm, comforting blanket over her psyche.

  Knowing she couldn’t alienate him this close to her goal, Keira reached up and placed her hand over his where it rested against her collarbone. As a grifter she’d often had to fake interest in another person, but none of her marks had been as loathsome as this one.

  She tipped her chin down and peeked up at him like a coquette. “What would you be wanting to talk about, then?” she asked, making sure to pour on the Irish.

  “You. And me.” He turned his hand to grip her fingers and brought them down to rest on his knee.

  She studied his hand. It was on the small side with slim finger
s tipped by fingernails that badly needed a trim. She couldn’t help but compare Stefan’s hands to Finn’s broad hands with their long, square-tipped fingers. Stefan definitely came out the loser in the match.

  “You must know I’m attracted to you,” he went on. “I’d like us to get better acquainted.” His grin was one that no doubt had won women over before, but Keira could barely stomach it. By all the gods in all the universes, why was this little cockroach so interested in her?

  She wrapped herself with a cloak of affability and interest. “Oh, I’d like that, too.” She gave him a wide smile.

  He slowly leaned toward her and lifted one hand to cup her chin. Keira forced herself to hold still, though her skin began to itch where he touched her. He brought his face close to her ear. “I need a strong woman like you by my side, Keira. A woman who understands me, who can assist me.” His warm breath stirred the hair by her ear, tickling her. She remained still. “You have amazing skills, skills I can use.” He drew back slightly and stared down into her eyes. He moved his hand, stroking his fingers down her cheek. “Soft,” he whispered. “So soft.”

  His lips pressed against her temple before he drew back again. She closed her eyes so she wouldn’t have to look at the man. She was fairly certain she was holding on to her cloak well enough to fool him. She wasn’t so certain her distaste wouldn’t show in her eyes.

  When he took her hand in his, she opened her eyes. He brought it to his mouth and pressed a kiss to her open palm. She fought back a shudder of revulsion and instead pushed out with her abilities, sending forth a sense of contentment and sexual interest. He moved his mouth to her inner wrist, and she focused on keeping her heart rate as steady as possible. Though any change in tempo he most likely would interpret as due to sexual interest.

  He’d be dead wrong. She dearly wanted to pull her hand out of his grip but didn’t want to upset his contented mood. She’d seen how quickly a vampire could go from satisfied to furious before, and she didn’t want to be on the receiving end of any nastiness. But when he kissed her wrist again and then nicked it with his fangs, she gasped and jerked her hand away.