Heart of the Demon - By Cynthia Garner Page 0,41

p.m. In the basement, as before. You’ll get another QR code sent to your phone.” He put one hand on her shoulder and lightly squeezed. “This you don’t want to be late for.”

“I won’t be.” She stood. “Thank you, Javier. I appreciate you introducing me to the group.”

He got to his feet and stared into her eyes. “You don’t act so appreciative, bonita.”

Damn it. She took his hand in hers and pushed with her empathy, creating a sense of well-being and that same sense of satisfaction she’d imparted before they’d come into the room. “I would show you in a more substantial way if I could. I just can’t afford to be weakened right now. I’m sure you understand.”

He withdrew his hands. “I do understand.” He held her gaze a moment longer, somber and disappointed before a small twinkle appeared in his eyes. “That doesn’t mean I have to like it, does it?”

She gave him an answering smile though what she really felt like doing was giving the little shite a swift kick in the arse. “No, it doesn’t.” She opened the door. “I’ll see you around.”

“Count on it,” he murmured.

Half an hour later Keira stood barefoot on the small patch of grass in her backyard. As she absorbed energy from the Earth, she felt her body relaxing, her spirit calming. With a sigh she sank onto the grass and lay on her back, eyes closed against the early evening sun. When darkness arrived she might come back out here naked, but for now having the Earth against her heels, palms, and the back of her head would have to do.

In order to prepare for the upcoming rogue meeting, she decided she would take it easy over the next forty-eight hours. She needed all the energy she could muster, especially since she’d been commanded to stay afterward to meet with Stefan.

Her skin went cold again at that thought. Surely if he suspected she was a fraud he wouldn’t bother to have her sit through a meeting. So what the hell could he want?

Two days later Keira took a seat in the last row and watched as other preternaturals entered the room. The last time she’d attended a meeting she’d ended up sitting in one of the middle rows, so she hadn’t been able to see everyone. Now, from back here, she had a great view. And she was on the outer aisle, so if she needed to she had the ability to stand up and lean against the wall. She could always explain that she didn’t like sitting for prolonged periods of time, which wasn’t untrue.

She watched a variety of prets come into the room, and a few seconds later Finn strolled in.

Finn. At this meeting. He was dressed as he usually was, in a soft black T-shirt that showed off his muscular torso, black leather jacket, worn blue jeans that hugged his hard thighs, and heavy shit-kicker boots encasing his large feet.

Shock ran through her all the way to the tips of her neon green toenails. Yet she wondered why she was surprised to see him here. He had always seemed like such a What’s in it for me? kind of guy, so she assumed he had some other agenda than the one the group followed. What, she couldn’t say.

Disappointment followed on the heels of her shock. She believed Finn could be so much more than what he was if he’d only allow himself to try. If the rumors were true, and she suspected they were based on his attitude, then he was Lucifer’s son. Much of Finn’s behavior reminded her of a son bucking up against his father’s authority. If theirs was a difficult father-son relationship, it would explain so much.

It could also explain what he was doing here. If Lucifer was against integration of demonkind into the other pret groups, which he’d certainly seemed to be, then this could be another way that Finn had to stick it to the man.

She watched as he made his way across the room. He started down the aisle on the opposite side of the room from her. She knew exactly when he saw her. He stopped cold and a funny expression crossed his face. She couldn’t decide if it was astonishment, disappointment, or distress. Maybe it was all three for he certainly seemed gobsmacked to see her. He began to walk the rest of the way down the aisle, his intention to reach her clear in his manner, but Stefan

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