Stolen Heart - By Bennett, Sawyer Page 0,13
her mouth.
“You do this a lot, huh?” Somehow, that didn’t surprise him and it didn’t set well with him. He wasn’t a prude by any means but the thought of Annika pulling the sexy librarian act on another man had him fuming. That act was too special…too unique. It should have been for him alone.
“Oh, it comes in quite handy.”
Kieran didn’t say anything and clenched his teeth. He wasn’t sure he’d get an answer out of her, and frankly, did it really matter? They had wonderful chemistry in the bed so could he really be mad about last night? Maybe a change in tact would work.
“Why did you take a shower rather than just spell cleanse yourself?”
Annika merely shrugged her shoulders as she continued to eat. “When in Rome…”
“So by your accounts then, every inhabitant of The First Dimension goes about pulling glamours to trick unsuspecting people?”
Annika swallowed her food and set her fork down. Her jaw was clenched. That clearly hit a nerve. “I won’t apologize for what I did if that’s what you’re looking for.”
“I’m not asking for an apology. I’m just asking why.”
Annika wiped her mouth with her napkin and threw it on her plate. She settled back in her chair, stretching her legs out in front of her.
“I’m an empath.”
“You can read people’s emotions, right?”
“That’s right. So when word was sent you wanted to meet with me, I wanted to check you out first, to figure out if you had any ulterior motives.”
“So you spied on me?”
“Essentially. But again, not going to apologize. I wanted to know who I was dealing with and what your intent was.”
Kieran let that settle on him for a minute. He couldn’t blame her. She had left Vyronas a long time ago, an outcast to her family. She went to great lengths to cut ties to that world. Then someone from Vyronas shows up wanting to talk to her. He could see how it might make her a little nervous. He’d let it go.
“Okay, let’s forget why you pulled the wool over my eyes last night and let’s concentrate on the proposition I have for you.”
Annika poured herself a glass of orange juice and then stood up from the table. She walked over to the L-shaped couch and sat down, curling her legs up underneath of her. “I’m listening, big guy.”
Kieran stood up from the table and walked into the living area. He didn’t take a seat but put his hands in his pockets and stood in front of her. “I’m not sure how much you know about what has happened in Vyronas over the last several years…”
“I’m aware of the war that was waged by Ava Clairmont to regain her throne. I still have contacts with people from our AltVeritas.”
Kieran nodded. That would make his story a lot shorter.
“Then you would not be surprised to know that Ava Clairmont prizes the protection of our world above all else. A magical object that she imbued with the power of protection has been stolen. I’ve been asked to retrieve it.”
Annika did nothing more than watch Kieran with a bland expression on her face. She wasn’t showing real interest, but she wasn’t showing any real disinterest either.
Taking another small sip of her juice, Annika asked, “So why are you telling me this?”
“Because I want to enlist your help to retrieve the object.”
Kieran was watching her closely and he saw a flicker of surprise in her eyes, and then it was gone. Back in place was the bland expression.
“I’m flattered, but why me?” She sounded bored.
“You demonstrated well enough last night why your skills would be useful. Your ability to glamour will get us into places we wouldn’t ordinarily be able to access.”
Annika’s gaze drifted off to the window overlooking the skyline. She was silent for several long seconds, and he assumed she was processing what he had just told her. He started gearing himself up for the negotiation of her price.
He had no clue what motivated her or what her needs were, but he was willing to pay a hefty price to get her cooperation. The Clairmonts were sinfully rich and it was easy enough to exchange Ava’s wealth into American dollars if that was needed to convince Annika to help. Whatever she said next would give him a clue as to how she could be bought.
Annika finished off the juice in her glass and set it at the table. She stood up from the couch and looked at Kieran. “I really appreciate