Izabella

I backed away from him and his all too seductive smile. I had the coin, and it had to be enough. I wasn’t willing to fight Bill for the artifact, especially now that I knew what it was and what it could possibly do. He was right, adding more shifters to the world was not the brightest idea.

The coin disappeared into my pocket and I closed the vault behind me, removing my equipment, and sealing Bill inside. He got in there on his own. He could certainly get out.

My clothes shifted with my skin pigmentation and disappeared along with me, becoming translucent and liquid. The vent right above the vault door was to maintain temperature for the thermal cameras, but It was also a weakness I easily exploited. I stretched the four feet above me, removed the small vent, then worked my way inside of it, bringing my small bag of tools with me.

Once I was out of the building, I tripped the bypass on the cameras and let the loop return to normal. The bypass would melt and evaporate. It was expensive magic, but worth it when jobs like these would keep me comfortable for several years at a time.

What happened next with my employer was magic and literally a miracle I wanted to speak with Bill about. I was excited and also nervous. If he could target someone without seeing them, then he’s powerful, whether it was magic alone or not. That combination was dangerous. I liked using magic, but I didn’t want to be on the receiving end of it at any cost.

I dressed to entice answers out of him. I wore a spaghetti strap red dress, with a fitted bodice, and a flared skirt, with shoes that matched. I approached Bill’s door at eight sharp. He answered before I even had a chance to knock.

“Well, hello. I’m glad you made it.”

“Are you?”

“Well, yes, though it was possible you’d stand me up. I would have been disappointed, but not surprised.” He opened the door and waved his hand in the direction of the living room which had candles and two glasses of wine waiting on the coffee table. He closed the door and followed me.

“Do a lot of people do that to you?” I asked as I took a seat on the couch and picked up the glass of wine. It was mostly a gesture since drinking it without some kind of straw could be painful. The lip barrier helped, but alcohol dissolved it quickly.

“No, not recently. I used to date a Biologist. His research took him to another university. He’d spend hours focused on something in his lab and I’d often have to pack up dinner and take it to him.” He sat next to me and picked up his glass.

It made sense that a professor would date another professor. It made me curious about his relationship though, and why it ended. It had to have lasted more than a few months if he was bringing his partner lunch.

“Why didn’t you go with him?”

“After a few years, I decided to tell him what I was. I had thought we were at a point that it wouldn’t have mattered and I was wrong.” He took a large swallow of wine, as if to chase the memory away.

“So, Professor, do you go speed dating often?” I asked.

“No, no. That was Shelby’s idea. She and I have worked in the same department for years and she knew about Nathan.” He paused for a moment. “This is not the conversation I’d thought we’d be having.”

“Me either. Shall I change the topic?” I set my glass down.

“Please.”

“How did you wipe my employer’s memory without affecting me?”

“Ah, now that’s a topic I expected,” He looked amused. “You, being a thief, having come in contact with me, a demon with an affinity for theft, now have a certain immunity. I knew you wouldn’t be affected, so I had no problem giving you the coin. When your employer touched it, the spell was triggered. They won’t come looking for the artifact again, if they even remember it. The spell will be triggered every time someone touches the coin and thinks about the artifact.”

“Is that artifact the only dangerous thing you keep in your vault?” I was surprised more people hadn’t come after him, especially if there were more than one item that could be snatched from that location.

“I decline to answer that.”

I shook my head and felt a smirk come to my lips. “You are infuriating as much as you are exceedingly handsome.”

“Was that an odd way of calling me ugly?”

“No. More to point out that you are a paradox. A delightful, frustrating, paradox.”

“Oh, well, I could take care of the frustrating part at least.” He set down his glass and leaned toward me. My lips found his, and before he could pull away, I deepened the kiss, hungry for the intimacy. It burned in the best way possible.

I shifted on the couch which sent him to his knees on the floor. He still managed to engage in our heavy lip-lock. His hands drifted up under my dress and I realized, much to my delight, that his palms weren’t moist. My legs wouldn’t show the usual skin burns from sweaty palms. It was a nice change.

His hands wrapped around to my ass and then pulled me toward him as the move forced my legs open wider and I felt him pressed into me from shoulder to groin.

We were on the verge of more when a buzzer sounded. We kissed a few more times as the stove rang out with another angry bee noise.

“Damn,” He pulled back and his hazel eyes grew dark as he warred with his desire versus the responsibility of dealing with the angry buzzing. “I need to see to that, or dinner will be burnt.”

“Go, I’m not leaving.”

He kissed me one more time then moved with alacrity to rescue dinner.