Read Online Heart of the Demon by Cynthia Garner - Free Book Online Page A

hear it.”
    Finn glanced toward the kitchen. “Uh, I thought Caine didn’t want anyone but the three of us and his wife to know—”
    “I don’t keep things from Betty.” Lucifer’s face hardened with displeasure. “Besides, the day I let a vampire tell me what
     to do is the day you put me six feet under.”
    Apparently his father trusted Tobias Caine, respected him even, but wasn’t willing to let go of the natural hatred that existed
     between vampires and demons. As far as Finn could tell, it stemmed from before any of them had come through the rift, and
     no one could or would tell him exactly where it all had started. “Fine,” he said. “It’s your call.” At his father’s nod, Finn
     filled him in, a feeling of satisfaction growing within him at the expression of pride on his father’s face. “I was about
     ready to walk up to Caine’s nemesis and introduce myself,” Finn finished. “But it finally looks like our original plan is
     going to work after all.”
    “This calls for a celebration.” Lucifer turned his head toward the kitchen. “Sweetheart, is there any cheesecake left?”
    “You want to celebrate with cheesecake?” And here Finn thought he knew his dad, but the old devil pulled something new out
     of his bag of tricks.
    Lucifer glanced his way. “It’s good cheesecake.”
    “Uh-huh.”
    “ Very good cheesecake.”
    Betty walked out of the kitchen and stopped under the arched entrance to the living room. “What kind do you want?”
    “You have more than one kind?” Finn saw the sugar gluttony in his father’s eyes. “Of course you do.”
    “I like cheesecake,” Lucifer said with an arch glance his way. “I’ll have a piece of both,” he said in a softer tone to his
     girlfriend.
    “And both would be?” Finn looked at Betty.
    “Caramel apple and white chocolate raspberry.”
    “You made them?”
    Betty trilled a laugh. “Oh, hell no. I can’t cook worth a damn.”
    Finn opted for the caramel apple.
    Betty served them and took a seat next to Lucifer on the sofa. She curled her legs to one side and leaned against his shoulder,
     one hand curled around his inner elbow.
    It struck Finn, not for the first time, how this woman, a succubus, could be so attentive and attached to his father yet spare
     barely a thought for her own daughter, Nix, Caine’s new wife. And now that Nix was part vampire, the mother-daughter relationship
     was even more strained.
    He supposed it was none of his business, though he was still curious. Certainly Nix didn’t want him poking his nose into her
     relationship with her mother. And he couldn’t care less how Betty treated him. As long as his father was happy with her, that
     was all that mattered.
    As Finn dug into his piece of cake, Lucifer said, “I hear you and the new fey woman are on friendly terms with each other.”
    “Which fey woman would that be?” Finn scraped the last bits of cheesecake from his plate and set it on the table next to his
     chair.
    “Keira Something-or-Other.”
    “O’Brien.” Finn crossed his legs, resting one ankle against the opposite knee. He didn’t like the dismissive way his father
     said her name, but he kept that hidden. Now wasn’t the time to get his father riled up. After he was released from duty, well,
     that was a different story. “Her name is Keira O’Brien.”
    Lucifer gave a nod and took another bite of cheesecake. He pointed his fork at Finn and said, “Don’t let your dick get in
     the way of the job.”
    “Have I ever?”
    His father stared at him a moment and then shook his head.
    “I won’t now, either.” Finn stood and looked at Betty. “Thanks for the cheesecake.” To his dad he said, “I’ll keep you posted.”
     He said his good-byes and made his way back to his bike, his emotions churning. First his father seemed proud of the job he
     was doing, then he felt the need to tell him how to do it.
    Finn couldn’t wait for this final assignment to be over.

Chapter