Page 40 of Married to the Devil

And now to discover what other secrets Lorenzo left behind.

13

BEN

“Areyou sure you’re okay with this?” I ask.

“Of course I’m okay. This is part of my job.” But Stella frowns. Her eyes scan the rest of the patrons of the restaurant who are working very hard at seeming like they are ignoring her presence. I would have asked for more security help when she requested for me to set up this meeting, but we are still in the Firefly which has general security positioned at the front doors.

The restaurant is off to the side of the lobby and continues the copper and black design aesthetic that I’m sure is the reason for the building’s name.

“Certainly. I’m sure you always showed up for work twenty minutes early,” I prod. She’s been distracted all morning, and I don’t know if it’s from something she learned during the morning meeting I wasn’t invited to or from last night.

I swallow at the memory of Stoneheart scenting me with his knowing smirk.

“You seem unsettled.” I know I am. My thoughts and suspicions of what the gargoyle is planning caused me to toss and turn in bed. The dreams they inspired were…complicatedand not something I can think about around a bunch of shifters who may pick up how my body would respond.

If it was only Stoneheart’s appearance or confidence, it would be easy to ignore my reaction, but the dark undercurrent when he speaks to me, thedangerof him, forces my survival instincts to take notice. There’s always the possibility that if I don’t give him the attention he’s seeking, that he’d take me by the throat and force the issue…and a traitorous part of my soul wants that.

Which is an unforgivable distraction.

I focus on the present. Stella is why I’m here, and she relies on me. If I can’t perform my function of caring for her, we’ll be separated, and that’s very quickly becoming an unacceptable option.

Even as it is an inevitable one.

Stella sighs. “I don’t know what to expect from my aunt.”

That douses my cycling worries about last night. Before I let myself get embarrassed, I get to work. “Oh, of course. I can help with that.”

I pull up the information I have on Ariel Leonid and skim it quickly. “Well, she’s fifty-four and runs various nonprofits in the territory. No children or mate. She publicly supports your reign of the territory.”

I’m aware of how little I’m offering her, and I curse my distraction. I should have done a full write-up before this, but Stella only asked me to set up this meeting this morning.

Stella nods. “I guess that’s all good to know. Thank you.”

“Those aren’t the details you’re looking for,” I say, and her smile is soft but appreciative. Ariel Leonid was around when Stella’s mother, Elena Elderflower, was thrown from this territory in disgrace. Did she have a hand in the events?

“Thanks for looking, though,” she says. “I think I’m just going to have to meet her to answer what I really want to know.”

She continues to fidget and cast me looks out of the corner of her eye as if looking for a change in topic while we wait.

“Is that all you’re worried about?” I ask.

“We can’t necessarily speak about certain tabs a demon does or doesn’t have at the moment.” Her cheeks are a pretty pink when she lowers her voice.

Ah.So last night is on her mind. My cheeks burn. “That’s a shame because I’m dying to hear your input on the topic.”

Stella turns to me, and her lips part. She wants to talk about it. I cast my gaze around again. The booth we were given would be well within the realm of privacy if it were surrounded by humans, but for shifters, not so much.

I keep my words careful. “If there’s some way to clear the air so you can focus on your meeting, it may make it easier for you.”

And I’m definitely not advising that so I can get more answers.

“He expressed interest.” Her eyes rest on me.Interest in me.

My mouth dries and brows lift. “I thought maybe I was misreading things.”

“He wants your abilities for the territory.”

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