Heart of the Demon (17 page)

She watched him walk out of the coffee shop, trying with little success to ignore the furious vibe coming off Finn and the
equal desire to wipe her face clean of Stefan’s touch, the latter without success. “I’m going to the ladies’ room,” she said
and stood up. “I’ll be right back.”

Finn sat back in his chair and fixed his gaze on the hallway Keira had just walked down before going into the women’s restroom.
What the hell was she doing, touching Liuz? Letting him touch her? Did she actually like the slimy little bastard?

Finn wanted to punch someone. Since he couldn’t punch Liuz, he might have to go find a demon who was breaking the rules and
pound his head. But first he’d find out from Keira if she was serious about Liuz. Because if she was, he’d subtract himself
from the equation. Or, better yet, wait until after the rift machine was disabled and subtract Liuz from the equation. Permanently.

He’d never been one who enjoyed math, but this was one problem he could solve. Three minus one equaled two. If Finn calculated
correctly, he and Keira would be the two left standing.

Deciding he’d get something to drink while he waited for Keira and wondering why it took women so damn long to pee, he went
up to the counter and stared at the menu board. There were dozens of tea-based drinks and even more coffees. Finally he looked
at the young barista and said, “Give me a Coke.”

“Regular or diet?” she asked.

He grimaced. He didn’t drink that diet crap. “Regular.”

“What size?”

Oh, for God’s sake. When had ordering a drink gotten to be such a pain in the ass? He had a feeling he wouldn’t be here very
long, because Keira wasn’t going to like the conversation he planned to have with her and would probably walk out. Since he
couldn’t carry a drink with him on his bike, he said, “Give me a small.”

He paid for the soda and as he turned away from the counter, Keira approached the table. She took her seat and wrapped her
hands around her probably lukewarm coffee. He set his soda on the table. “You want me to get you a fresher one?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No, this is fine.” She took a sip. “I like it cold.”

“Okay.” Finn sat down and stretched his legs out beneath the table. “So, you’re fine with all of this?”

She frowned. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

He shifted in his seat, looping his arm over the back of his chair. “I thought you had gotten out of this kind of life. I
thought
you’d changed.”

A muscle twitched in her jaw. He’d scored a hit. She took a sip of coffee and didn’t meet his eyes. “Sometimes we can’t have
what we want.”

“Really?” He leaned forward and braced his elbows on the table. “All you have to do is say no, Keira. Say no and walk away.”

“Didn’t they give you the same warning I got? There’s no saying no, there’s no walking away.” She lifted her eyes to his.
“I’m in this now. My choice.”

“But why?” Dissatisfied with her explanation, and remembering that she had never really answered this question when he’d asked
it before, he asked again, “Why in the hell did you get involved with this group?”

“Finn, look,” Keira said with a shake of her head, “we’ve been over this before. I have my reasons, and I’m sorry but they’re
none of your business.”

“Is it Liuz?” he asked.

“What do you mean?” Another frown furled her brows.

“Do you have feelings for him?” Finn asked. When she didn’t respond right away, he decided to be more direct. “Do you want
him, Keira? Is that it? You want to be with him, have sex with him.”

Something flared in her eyes, but had gone too fast for him to decipher. Annoyance wafted off her with a slight aroma of burned
toast. “If I do, again, it’s none of your business. It’s not like we agreed to be exclusive.”

 “Didn’t we?” Finn narrowed his eyes. “I seem to recall some talk of caring about each other. But, hey, maybe it’s that you
want Stefan more than me. Is that it? You want him?” Before she could respond, he said, “You know what? It doesn’t matter.
It doesn’t. Because he can’t have you.” For all his intensity, he kept his voice low so that the people around them couldn’t
overhear their conversation, but he had to get this out. “You belong with me, even if you don’t want to admit it.”

“Finn—”

“You have no idea how dangerous he is, Keira.” He had to be careful how he phrased this. She couldn’t know how it was he knew
exactly how dangerous Stefan Liuz was. “I know you know how crazy it makes me when he touches you. And not only because I’m
jealous.” There. He’d admitted it. “But also because the closer you get to him, the deeper into his world you’ll get. I only
want to protect you.”

“Finn.” She paused and stared out the window. Her tongue swept out to moisten her bottom lip, and she met his eyes. “I do
care about you, and I’m glad you feel the same way about me. I want to explain, but I can’t. As there are times when you can’t
tell me everything, this is one of those times for me. I hope you understand.” She reached out and placed her hand over his
where it rested on the table. “Please be careful. It’s obvious Stefan is interested in me, and if he thinks you’re in his
way, he might try to eliminate the obstacle.” Her eyes went dark with worry. “I don’t want anything to happen to you because
of me. I couldn’t live with myself.”

He turned his hand over and lightly clasped hers, feeling the coolness of her skin against his. “Nothing’s gonna happen to
me.”

“I hope not.” She stared at their hands a moment and then drew away. “We need to do what Stefan wants. Let’s just go to the
bank and get this done.” Without waiting for his response, she walked toward the door.

Finn heaved a sigh and hauled himself to his feet. Damn it. She was so intent on following Liuz she might get them both killed.
He caught up to her a few steps outside the coffee shop and took her arm. “What’s the plan?”

“I don’t suppose you have an account at this bank?” she asked with a hopeful look.

“Nope.” Finn stood with her at the crosswalk, waiting for the signal to change. “How do we do this?”

“Stefan is right,” she said, either not seeing or ignoring his grimace. “You need to be prepared to act as a distraction,
but I think I’ll be able to, ah, sweet talk the manager into giving me the money.”

The pedestrian sign flicked to
WALK
, and they crossed the street. As they headed down the sidewalk toward the bank, Finn said, “I can’t hang out inside the bank.
Somebody’s bound to notice.”

She shot him a dry look. “No kidding.” They reached the front of the bank and stopped. Keira put her hand on Finn’s arm. “Let
me go in first. In a few minutes, you come in and get a good look around—quickly and unobtrusively—and then tell someone you
want to open an account. If I come out with a bagful of money, you can always abort the account opening and tell them you
changed your mind.”

“Like that’s not suspicious.”

“People do it all the time,” she said with a wave of her hand.

“And if you don’t come out with a bagful of money?”

She met his gaze. “Then get the hell out of there, boyo.” She took a deep breath. “Are you ready?”

“No, but I suppose that doesn’t matter. What Stefan wants, Stefan gets,” he singsonged.

“Men,” she muttered. “Even ones thousands of years old can still act like whiney little babes.” She sighed and entered the
bank.

Finn waited several minutes, as instructed, then went through the door. Once inside, he stopped at the center counter and
reached for a deposit slip. He took a pen from a plastic container and started to fill out the slip while glancing around
the bank. There were no security guards on duty that he could see. However, cameras were in several locations, and as far
as he could see there weren’t any blind spots.

After a few moments, he approached the desk of a loan officer. “Excuse me,” he said.

A pretty young woman looked up from her computer screen and smiled. “Yes, sir?”

He returned the smile. “I’d like to open an account.”

She stood and came around the desk. “I think Ida in new accounts can help you out there. Here, I’ll take you over to her.”
Her last few words came out breathy, and her face grew pink as she kept glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

It wasn’t that big a bank, he figured he could have found the new accounts desk all by himself, but he obligingly followed
along behind her. She stopped by another desk. The woman behind this desk, gaze fixed on her computer monitor while she tapped
away at the keyboard, wasn’t as young or as pretty.

“This gentleman would like to open a new account,” the loan officer said.

“Have a seat,” Ida responded in a deep, harsh voice. She didn’t look up or smile.

Finn knew he’d have his work cut out for him trying to charm this one.

She coughed and typed a few more words onto the keyboard.

He could smell the cigarette smoke oozing from her skin and clothes even without using his preternatural olfactory abilities.

“I’ll pull up the application.” She finally looked up at him from over the frames of her glasses. “Please, have a seat.”

He sat. From here he could see Keira inside the bank manager’s office. She was seated across the desk from him, her hand outstretched,
covering his. The guy had a besotted look on his face and Finn had the fleeting thought that they were lucky the manager was
a man. Though with her empathic abilities, Keira would be able to affect a female the same way.

As he watched, she stood and moved around to the manager’s side of the desk. She moved her palm to his cheek and held it there,
talking to him the whole while. Finn couldn’t make out what she was saying, not even by employing the use of shapeshifter
hearing, but whatever it was, it produced results. The manager gave a nod and stood. He walked over to a credenza and opened
a drawer. When he turned around, he held a canvas money pouch in his hand. He smiled at Keira and murmured something to her.
She smiled back and sat down in the guest chair. When she saw Finn, she tilted her head ever so slightly, giving him the signal
that all was well. So far.

Ida started asking him questions for the application, things like his name and address. He looked at her and answered, giving
her truthful information because he figured it would be easy enough for authorities to figure out who he was by pulling surveillance
video.

“Opening this account does require that I see some form of picture ID,” Ida said.

About that time Keira walked out of the manager’s office, a wide smile on her face and the canvas pouch in her hand. The pouch
was ridiculously small to be able to hold so much cash. He knew each bundle of hundred-dollar bills equaled five thousand dollars and was only about half an inch thick. The bag was only about five or six inches wide.
Still, one would expect a hundred thousand dollars to be bigger.

She shook hands with the manager and walked out of the bank.

Finn looked at Ida and adopted a chagrined expression while he patted his pockets. “I don’t believe this.” He gave a low chuckle
and shrugged his shoulders. “I must have left my wallet at home.” He flipped his wrist to check his watch and said, “I won’t
be able to return before you close, so would you just delete that? I’ll come back another time.”

Her sigh came out on a gust of aggravation. “Of course, Mr. Evnissyen. Come back any time.”

Finn smiled and left the bank. Keira was waiting for him by her car.

“I’d almost forgotten how much fun this is,” she said. Her eyes danced with blue sparks of excitement. “I mean, the sleight
of hand at jewelry stores is one thing, but this, really laying it on and grifting money out of people, it’s something else
entirely.” She laughed and looped her arm through his, hugging it to her side.

Her enthusiasm had totally chased away the curmudgeon mode she’d been in before. While he liked to see her happy, her reaction
was just what he’d been afraid of. Grifting, for her, was like a drug—one job was too many, and a dozen wasn’t enough. He
needed to see what kind of space her head was in, see if maybe he could talk some sense into her. Though she’d been right
earlier when she’d said there was no walking away. If he was successful in encouraging her to leave the group, he’d damned
well make sure it was safe for her to do so.

“Hey!” She leaned against her car and stroked a finger down his chest. “Why don’t we go to my place and celebrate?”

This was the Keira he was used to, a woman confident in her appeal and not afraid to show her passion. “Sure,” he said. If
he was at her place, he’d have her alone and they could have a private chat. Among other things. He nodded toward the money
bag she held. “Aren’t we supposed to get that to Stefan?”

“And we will.” She went up on tiptoes and pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth. “Just not right away.”

He put his arms around her waist and tugged her closer. “What kind of celebration did you have in mind?”

She winked at him. “You’ll find out when you get there, boyo.” She planted her mouth on his, giving him a kiss that stole
his breath and started a fire burning low in his belly. When she drew away, both of them breathed heavily. She smiled and
whispered, “Don’t take too long.” She hopped into her car and drove away, still with that huge smile on her face.

Finn strode to his bike and pulled out into traffic. He’d thought perhaps she’d been distancing herself from him, but maybe
he’d been wrong.

Of course, he didn’t know exactly how she planned to celebrate her achievement. It was hard to tell with her. She might want
to break out cake and ice cream. Maybe some champagne.

In which case his hopes would be dashed and he’d be wrong again.

K
eira went into her house and waited, hand on doorknob, until Finn sauntered past her. Then she closed and locked the door.
Taking his hand, she led him back to her bedroom. She set the money bag on the dresser by the door and stared at him.

By all that was holy, she felt like she was on fire. Her blood sang, her skin tingled, her thoughts scattered except for one.

She wanted this man like she’d wanted no other.

With a small smile, she turned on a lamp on the table in the corner of the room. Soft light brightened the room. It was enough
to be able to see clearly, yet it was still romantic in tone. Her queen-size bed with its green patchwork quilt looked lonely.
She planned to remedy that quite soon.

Keira walked back over to Finn, kicking off her shoes as she went. Stopping in front of him, she let her gaze wander over
his body and appreciated, not for the first time, what a strong, virile male he was.

As she slid her hands down his back and then up and across his broad shoulders, she felt the warmth of his skin beneath his
clothing. Clothing that was in the way. She wanted the feel of him beneath her fingertips. Skin on skin.

She’d never before been so utterly consumed by a man. Oh, she’d had sex before and it was one of her favorite things to do,
but this all-encompassing need was something new. Different. So different that it frightened her a little. What was it about
this man, this demon, that moved her so?

She lifted her eyes to his, seeing how passion darkened his blue eyes, and knew what was different. She loved this man. With
his arrogance and his hardness, she’d experienced such gentleness from him that she knew he had it in him to be kind, softer
than he let on. She was certain what she felt was love.

Yet she saw no reciprocity in his gaze. Lust was there, to be sure. Plenty of lust. But no love. She knew it was a bad idea
to feel this way. Stupid, even. But there it was.

While it might be a bad idea, love itself was never bad. She loved Finn, and she would do what she could to keep him from
harm.

Right now, though, she wanted him naked and in her bed. And she would take the lead on their coming together. She wanted to
entice him. Not through any glamour, but through emotion. Through her love, perhaps he could find it in himself to do more
than “care” for her. She wanted him to love her back.

Keira pushed his leather jacket off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. Then she set her fingers to the buttons of
his shirt. She slid that off his shoulders, too, and it joined the jacket. Unable to resist the allure of his musculature,
she traced her fingers up his biceps, over his collarbone and across his pectorals. She thumbed his tight little nipples,
eliciting a sharply drawn breath from him.

Leaning forward, she pressed a kiss into the hollow of his throat, then on his Adam’s apple, pausing only to draw back to
study the tattoo that spread from the right side of his neck down onto his shoulder. “Why do you have this?” she asked.

“It’s a holdover from my rebellious youth,” he murmured.

“Really?”

“No.” He chuckled. “I got this in a ritual my people performed. When a boy reaches manhood, he is given a marking.” He brought
his hand over and briefly touched the side of his neck. “It identifies our demon and our place in demon society.” He dropped
his hand back to his side.

She traced part of the tattoo, smiling when he tilted his head, his eyes closing at her touch. “This line?” she asked.

“That one marks the place where I was born. Everything above it is a replica of my grandfather’s tattoo. My mother’s father,”
he clarified before she could ask.

She gave a short nod and ran her fingers over more of the black lines. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “It just looks like a bunch
of squiggly lines to me.”

He grinned and looked down at her. “That’s all they are, but they have meaning. Or rather they had meaning a couple thousand
years ago. Today, not so much.”

“Whether or not they have meaning, it’s still sexy.” She placed her lips against his neck. His pulse beat against her mouth,
and soon hers matched its rhythm.

Keira brought her hands to Finn’s head, cradling it in her palms, and gently urged him toward her. Their lips met, breaths
mingled. This was what she’d been craving. The feel of him under her hands, beneath her mouth.

She skimmed her tongue across the seam of his mouth and he opened for her. She slipped inside, softly caressing his tongue
with hers, enticing him to follow her when she retreated. He gathered her closer, his big palms flat against her back. She
moved her hands to his shoulders, curling her fingers into his firm muscles, testing his strength. When his mouth moved down
her neck, she sighed and tilted her head to give him better access. His hot breath against her skin, the feel of his erection
pressing against her belly…it was all going too fast.
She
was going too fast. She wanted this to be about him.

With a soft sigh she pushed him back and moved her hands to his belt buckle. “I want to touch you.” Holding his gaze with
her own, she whispered, “I want to taste you.” She unbuckled his belt, feeling his stomach muscles jump as the backs of her
fingers brushed against his skin.

She went to her knees in front of him. Unzipping his jeans with care, she pushed them down his legs. Beneath his gray boxer
briefs, his cock lay as a thick wedge along his thigh. She tugged his underwear gently down his legs, freeing his erection.
He stepped out of his clothes and kicked them to the side.

Keira wrapped one hand around his shaft and touched the fat tip with a light flick of her tongue. He jerked and let out a
harsh moan. She liked his reaction, so she repeated her motion. Another groan made her smile with feminine delight.

With her left hand she palmed his balls, rolling them over her fingers, lightly massaging them. The muscles in his thighs
grew taut, a fine trembling setting up in his legs as he fought for control.

She aimed to make him see that all the control here was hers. Standing, she urged him backward until his knees hit the edge
of the mattress. With a light shove, she pushed him onto the bed and stood between his spread legs.

“God, Keira, you’re killing me.” When Finn’s heated gaze, full of yellow demon fire, fell on her, it was like the entire world
held its breath.

“Oh, now, I don’t want you dead, not by a long shot.” She reached up and began to unbutton her blouse. His eyes tracked her
movement, heating even more when the upper slopes of her breasts were revealed. “I very much prefer you alive. And moaning.
In my bed.” She slipped out of her blouse and did a slow shimmy out of her slacks. That left her in a barely there red satin
bra and matching lacy panties.

The way his eyes lit up made her decide to leave her underwear on a bit longer. She slid her hands up his thighs, enjoying
the feel of his hair-roughened skin against her sensitive palms. When she bent to take him in her mouth, her long tresses
cascaded over his body, brushing against his flat abdomen and eliciting another moan from Finn. As soon as her lips closed
over the head of his cock, his hips jerked, driving more of him into her mouth.

He muttered an apology that she waved away with one hand. She twirled her tongue over him, tapped on the sensitive underside,
and stroked over the weeping tip. All the while she caressed his inner thighs, coming close but never quite touching his sac.

Without warning he surged up, grasping her waist to toss her onto the bed. He came down over her, wedging his knee between
her thighs. As he stroked her hair away from her face, she grinned up at him. “You men never like foreplay,” she mock complained.

“Yeah, well, we’re simple creatures. It doesn’t take much to get our motors revving at full speed. You don’t want me putting
that engine in gear without you along for the ride, do you?”

She gave him a pout. “I was in the driver’s seat, Finn. How much more ‘along for the ride’ could I have been?”

“I don’t mind you driving,” he said. With economical movements he removed the rest of her clothing and came back down between
her thighs. She could feel his hard length against the folds of her sex. He gave her that slow smile of his, the one that
started in his eyes and landed on his lips. “But I prefer you to be fully engaged, if you know what I mean.” He tested her
readiness with one hand.

It was her turn to gasp and moan as he stroked two fingers into her sheath. In, then out. In. Out. He set a rhythm that had
her hips rising and falling to his touch.

He brought his mouth back to hers, his kiss slow and deep. Carnal excitement raced through her, making her toes curl, legs
sliding restlessly across the coolness of the quilt beneath her. His chest lifted with a deep, sharp intake of breath and
the kiss turned hungry. Urgent with a need that was almost desperate, the pressure of his mouth just this side of painful.

His hands urged her thighs farther apart, then he was pressing inside her, one slow, tormenting inch at a time. She shoved
her hips up, trying to make him go faster, but he only laughed and kept up his maddeningly slow pace. Finally his pelvis rested
against hers. As he began to move he braced himself on one arm. His other hand came between her thighs to circle and stroke
her clit.

Her arousal ratcheted up another notch. Soon the room filled with the sounds of their breathing, rasping and heavy, joined
by the slap of flesh against flesh, sharp cries and harsh groans.

Keira felt her sensual tension rise to a fever pitch, stretching taut like a rubber band, before it snapped, throwing her
into a maelstrom of ecstasy. Her entire body clenched and shuddered, and she cried out and clutched onto Finn.

He held her while she thrashed beneath him, his jaw tight with the control he exerted over his own pleasure. As soon as she
quieted, he gripped her hips, fitted himself to her more solidly and began pistoning into her. Hard. Fast. His eyes gleamed
with yellow demon intensity, and she felt a renewed quickening of her body.

She thrust her hips up to meet his downward plunge and reached around him to grip his tight buttocks. His movements came even
faster, then he let out a shout as his completion emptied him.

He collapsed on top of her, his breathing harsh and heavy, his cock giving a final few twitches inside her. When he started
to move away she stopped him, wrapping her arms and legs around him. “Don’t move yet.” She gave a soft sigh. “I want to stay
like this for a while.”

“Like this?” he asked in a deep voice and canted his hips forward, driving his still semierect cock deeper into her sheath.

Her breath hitched. “Yes,” she breathed. “Just like this.”

They were silent several moments until the laws of physiology took over and his softened shaft slipped out of her body. “All
good things must come to an end,” he murmured and turned onto his back. Despite admitting to herself that she was in love
with this man, she couldn’t tell him. Not yet. Not while she was so uncertain about so many things—his role in the rogue group,
the old way of life he’d seemed to embrace all too eagerly. Would he give it up for her? Would he ever be free of Lucifer
even after the group was finished? If he didn’t, if he stayed on as Lucifer’s enforcer, could she accept that?

Once the job was done, would they have something strong enough to keep them together?

He lay there a few minutes and then sat up and put his feet on the floor. With his back to her, he said, “As much as I’d like
to stay, we have to get that money to Liuz.”

She wanted to say,
To hell with the money. To hell with Stefan
. But he was right. She’d forgotten herself in Finn’s arms and had blanked out on the bag of cash sitting on her dresser.
The sooner they got this to Liuz, the better. And she would try to get him to show her where the rift machine was so she could
go and destroy it. They were running out of time.

She’d hold on to the confession of love she dearly wanted to make and hope once she was able to tell Finn exactly how she
felt, it wouldn’t be for naught.

Of all the prets in the world, how had it fallen to her to save the whole damned world?