Page 11 of Curses & Keys (Curses & Gods #1)

JAMISON

S he dismissed me. Infuriating woman. What is she hiding?

Her lies are like honey, sweet and thick, and every time I speak to her, I hear them echoing in my head.

I can’t help it. It’s one of my most enraging traits, or so the women I’ve dated have told me.

I smile grimly. When you grow up with a father like mine, you learn to separate fact from fiction. Truth from lies.

When Hawthorne texted me earlier to let me know he was in place at the university, he also confirmed the crate was arriving in the afternoon and said he would be there for the opening.

I was completely comfortable with that play.

After all, he’s been working for the security council a long time, and his elemental Elven powers are similar to mine in strength.

It’s not as if sensing a magical key is advanced magic.

Yet, I still found myself in the car and on the way to the university. I tried to convince myself it was due to my obsessive need to control the situation, but I simply couldn’t stop myself. The urge to see if the spark between myself and Dr. Phaedra Galanis was real…was too hard to ignore.

The moment I stepped into the classroom and saw her standing there, raven hair cascading down her back, I knew.

Alluring. Sexy. Complicated. My magic hums around her.

Everything about her is a challenge, and there is nothing I love more.

At first, I thought to observe from the door and slip out, but the urge to be next to her overrode my common sense.

Moving closer, her unique scent surrounded me, and I knew I couldn’t leave without speaking to her.

But the best part … she knew who I was without turning her head, and when she finally looked at me, I saw the reaction in the depths of her eyes, and it was real.

Need. Desire. Probably one of the few honest things about her is her attraction to me.

Everything else is hidden behind the sweet lies that spill from those full pink lips.

Hawthorne’s eyes danced between the two of us the entire time, and I practically ground my teeth to the nub thinking about the explanation I was going to have to give him later.

I refuse to lie to my team. While my job requires me to withhold information, I only lie if it’s absolutely necessary and never to them.

The four of us are a tight-knit group. As a team, we’ve been together for the last two hundred years.

Gatlin and I met first. We served on several missions together, and when I was appointed to lead the security division, he formally requested a transfer to my team.

I’m lucky to have him. He’s a brilliant tactician and the most loyal of friends.

Plus, his protective nature means he takes care of all of us.

Hawthorne had zero experience with security.

I was working a case and needed to identify the obscure poison used to kill an elf.

He was the expert brought in to help. Not only did he figure out the plant used to create the poison, but he also helped identify the suspect.

Bloody brilliant. He fit seamlessly with us, so I offered him a position.

The work intrigued him, and he joined my team shortly after.

I was walking home from one of my father’s dinner parties when I met Mathias.

He was in an alley fighting off ten of Nolan’s most feared vampire guards.

He’d already taken out three of them, but I couldn’t let him have all the fun.

After finishing off the rest, we quickly became friends, but it took another year for me to convince him to join the team.

Parking the car, I take the elevator to the condo we’re leasing on the same floor as hers.

When I walk in, Mathias has a computer and a bank of monitors set up in the living room.

Every inch of her condo has been bugged, except for the bathroom, of course.

He flips through each angle to show me while I fill him in on the afternoon.

Hawthorne’s background was a perfect fit for the university. A few phone calls, and he was eagerly invited to be a visiting professor. Not only will he be close to her during the day, but he’ll also live here in her building, along with Mathias.

Never seen and rarely heard, Mathias will monitor her movements via his computer. Our fourth member, Gatlin, is currently securing a position at the gym she frequents. Since I’m the only one she’s met, it made sense for the others to go undercover.

“I’m heading to Connecticut tonight to set up the surveillance team on Dr. Kline and his assistant, Sia.

They received their shipment yesterday. I’ll ask to check the contents against the listing in the catalog,” I inform him.

“So far, only the contents of Phaedra’s container don’t match.

She suggested it was a setup. It’s one of the few times she sounded as if she was telling the truth, but one truth doesn’t make her innocent. ”

Mathias arches a dark brow. “You seem a little agitated. It’s unlike you.

” His eyes wander to the locket hanging from the corner of one of the monitors.

It’s the same one Phaedra found for him in the storage room at the museum.

“There were a lot of valuable pieces in that room. The key is purposeful and potentially magical. We need to look for a bigger picture.”

“We’re flying in the dark, I know. All we can do is chase the leads we have in front of us.”

“The auction is tomorrow,” Mathias reminds me, his hands busy on the keyboard. “Phoenix and Medusa are in London and will manage security for it.”

The two teams I picked for the auction are a good mix of elegant style and lethality. My father, along with the rest of the council, likes security to blend into the background, especially for prestigious events. Naturally, I prefer the council’s safety over image.

“She’s home,” Mathias says softly, pointing to the screen. Dark eyes slide to mine with a mocking glint in them. “She’s not your usual type.”

I scoff, but I’m unable to turn away. The stunning woman on the screen has my full attention.

“What type? The only women I date are the ones my father forces me to escort from one event to the other. This is a temporary attraction. She’s a suspect.

Anything between us would be foolish.” I need to keep my distance.

“By the way, I managed to set up a couple of cameras in her office. They should be available to you.” While Mathias confirms access, I watch her sit down at a small desk and open her laptop. “Can you get a better angle?”

Mathias switches cameras, but the glare from the sun on her screen prevents us from seeing what is on it. With a tap, he tries another angle, but it’s too far to the side. He returns to the first camera.

About twenty minutes later, the sun shifts enough for us to see her screen. Mathias, with his sharp vampire eyesight, chuckles when he sees what’s on it. One click of his mouse, and the camera zooms in closer for me to see.

She’s researching Hawthorne. “Do you think she’s suspicious of him?”

Mathias’ dark chuckle has me looking at him. “I think she’s interested in him.”

I say nothing. Is she really attracted to Hawthorne?

Aristocratic supernaturals in London consider him a highly sought after bachelor, although reclusive.

And Phaedra’s exactly his type. Smart. Interesting.

His field of study is similar to hers. They probably speak in the same obscure academic terms.

My jaw tightens as I clench my teeth. Wonder what she’ll think when she realizes they’re neighbors? It’s too late to move him. The university has him at this address.

“Find Gatlin and me a place to live that’s close enough for all of us to meet regularly.

” If she sees our entire team coming out of this condo, she’ll get suspicious.

“I’m going to Yale to check the contents and make sure the surveillance team is in place, then on to London to secure the items from the auction and report to the council. I’ll return in a few days.”

My eyes slide to the woman sitting at the table, staring into the computer with a smile on her face. She definitely finds Hawthorne interesting.

“See what you can dig up on Dr. Galanis. It’s rare someone goes unnoticed in our society, especially someone as beautiful and accomplished as her. Something is making my gut churn,” I order Mathias.

He tilts his head at the screen, eyes sparking with interest. “Few can truly hide in this modern world. I’ll get right on it.”

I scowl at the look of intrigue on his face and head out the door. Time to go to work.

Connecticut is a bloody shitshow. Sia, Kline’s assistant, was found dead beside the crate an hour before I arrived.

Based on the footage, she was killed by humans.

Contents are strewn everywhere. Apparently, she surprised the thief, and he wasn’t alone.

Like the attack on Mathias, the group of five humans was well-armed and prepared to fight a demon.

Cameras show they didn’t take anything. Sia was killed for nothing.

Dr. Kline glares at me in fury but answers all of my questions. He’s adamant Sia didn’t know anything about a magical key, or she would have told him. In the demon world, he’s her superior, and she has little ability to act without his permission.

Doran Kline thrusts a hand through his hair.

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s fucking archaic, I know, but demons aren’t known for their democracy.

Satan’s a bit of a dictator, if you haven’t heard.

” He slams his fist on a nearby table. “Damn it. Sia didn’t deserve to die.

She sure as hell didn’t deserve to die at the hands of humans.

” His lip curls as he says the last word.

“Satan is going to push more demons through the portal in retaliation, which is the last thing any of us needs.”

His eyes sweep the room. “Did they take anything?”

I hand him the catalog with no explanation. “You tell me.”

Kline walks around the small room, ticking off each of the items in the catalog.

He bends down and traces over the shattered pieces of a vase.

“This was a six hundred-year-old Ming vase. It was to be the prize of our collection. Worth an estimated twenty-one million.” His eyes turn red.

“Whatever they’re after, it’s not money. ” He returns the catalog to me.

“The catalog lists a set of keys, but we didn’t sign off on any keys. I’m not sure why they would be on there. Regardless, if they were in the crate, they’re not here now,” he informs me, his eyes still on the broken vase. “When can I get a team in here to salvage the contents?”

“Our forensics team will be done by tomorrow,” I assure him. “Where should we send Sia’s body?”

He shrugs. “It will be ash by the end of the day. Demons return to our creator, one way or another. There’s no escaping the devil, Jamison.” A wicked smile spreads across his face. “If there’s nothing else, I need to leave and pick up my children.”

Mostly truths, but there’s also a hint of nervousness. “You’re good to go. If you think of anything that could help us, give me a call.”

He takes one last look at Sia and the vase, then heads out the door.

I call over Cian, head of the surveillance team who will be stationed here. “I want to know everything about him.” The blue lines of the vase are bright in the dim room. “Pay close attention to his finances.”

I could repair the vase, but I don’t. Some things aren’t meant to live forever. As a mage, I probably understand that more than most supernaturals. Our life span is typically shorter than the other races but not always. Sia’s sightless eyes stare at me from the floor. She deserved better.