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Naomi frowned. “I didn’t know that.”

“Thankfully he’s a patient and perseverant man who doesn’t give up on those he cares for. The point is that I was like you once upon a time—I walked into every relationship expecting it to go south. Expect more , Naomi. You deserve more. Reach for it.”

“You act like Luka’s offered me more and I threw the offer back in his face. He hasn’t.”

“But he might. I’ve been assured by multiple people that you have his focus in a way no other woman has.”

Naomi’s pulse spiked. “What people?”

“I don’t name my sources.” Tia’s gaze briefly lowered to Naomi’s throat. “You’ve worn that brand for weeks now. It hasn’t faded the tiniest bit. And my guess is that it’s not the only one on your body. Ah, I’m right.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to—your expression answered for you. If there comes a point where he suggests taking things up a notch, don’t reflexively back away.”

Her mother talked as if it would be a natural thing for him to make such an offer.

Talked like Luka would easily grow to want something permanent, but could he really give so much of himself to another person?

Naomi wasn’t sure. She didn’t know if someone like him could ever really belong to anyone.

Her demon had the same doubts. Luka was just so solitary, so self-contained. And his mental walls were pure steel. There’d be no sneaking past them, chipping at them, or poking holes in them. He’d have to willingly lower them for her, and she wasn’t certain he ever deliberately would.

“Your secrets are by no means small, but that doesn’t mean he won’t accept them,” Tia added.

Naomi swallowed hard. “What if he can’t, though? What if he found out and then couldn’t look at me the same way?”

“Then we set him on fire. What else?”

A snicker popped out of her. “Yeah, what else. Now, if you’re finished, I have shopping to do with Tobe. Get your shit so we can go.”

“Only if you promise to think on all I’ve said.”

“I’ll think on all you’ve said.” It would be hard not to.

Once her mom had grabbed her purse, Naomi switched off the lamp and then moved the curtain aside so they could both exit the room.

“Will it help if I say it in a different language?” she heard Tobe ask, his tone clipped.

Looking at the cashier desk, she noted he was having some sort of confrontation with a thin guy with a ponytail who wore rather flamboyant clothing.

“Will that make the words finally penetrate?” Tobe went on.

“You’re being unreasonable,” the stranger replied. “I’m only asking for a fucking name!”

“And I’ve told you too many times to count that you’re never going to get it,” Tobe pretty much growled. “If you’d just respected their wishes, they wouldn’t have gotten annoyed by your persistence and then dropped you. This situation is of your own making.”

Her scalp prickling in suspicion, Naomi telepathed her psi-mate. Oh my God, is that Stefan?

Tobe’s mind bumped hers. Yes.

Naomi stilled. “Unreal,” she hissed low.

Tia frowned. “What is it?” Her voice was equally quiet.

Naomi leaned into her and whispered, “See that guy Tobe is talking to? That’s Stefan Brandt, the demon who hired a PI to ID me.”

Tia’s eyes widened a little. “Do you think he followed Tobe here?”

“Maybe. Either that or he spotted him when passing by and decided to take the opportunity to come talk to him.” She and Tia headed down the hall toward the desk.

“I passed on my apologies through you,” Stefan was saying.

“Only after threatening me didn’t work,” Tobe reminded him. “Then you had a damn PI bug my anchor. Do you really think I’m inclined to do anything for you at this point?”

“I called Phillips off,” Stefan claimed.

“Bull shit . He quit after Luka Belinsky threatened him.”

Stefan’s eyes flickered. Yeah, the PI had quit all right.

The pair stopped arguing as Tia and Naomi neared them. Stefan’s exasperation-filled gaze shifted to them but just as quickly returned to Tobe. He opened his mouth to speak . . . but didn’t get the chance.

Tia got right up into his space. “Well, hello there, I’m Madam Tia. You’re here for a reading, I’m guessing.”

Stefan’s brow furrowed. “Uh . . .”

“Unfortunately, the shop is about to close. But I suppose I can give you a free mini reading.” She took his hand and turned it over.

Running her finger along a line on his palm, she hummed.

“You’ve had many relationships. Nothing lasting or serious.

That will change, though. I can’t see when she comes into your life, I just know that she will. ”

He tried stifling a smile that revealed he was a pure skeptic—something that Tia wouldn’t fail to notice.

She tapped his palm. “See the way this line is curved and sloped? That tells me you are creative.” Her eyes fogged over. “I see brushes in your hand. Paintbrushes. A studio with a window that has beautiful stained glass.”

He double-blinked, his lips parting.

Naomi almost grinned. Tia was good at making people mentally reveal things.

All she’d do was throw out a comment that would make them conjure up memories or scenes or images in their mind.

Like now, when she’d told Stefan she saw him holding paintbrushes.

He had unconsciously pictured his studio.

According to Tobe, the guy did paint, he just wasn’t all that great at it.

Tia hummed again thoughtfully. “You can be stubborn. Perhaps a little materialistic, though you can certainly afford to indulge that side of yourself.” Her brow creased in concern.

“I see a change there, though. You’ve lost .

. . something. I don’t know what, but it’s impacting your career.

The money well may dry up if you’re not careful. ”

His jaw tightened, and Naomi fought the urge to laugh. A quick look at Tobe confirmed he was experiencing that same urge.

“And here we have your life line. I—” Tia gasped abruptly, her expression turning horrified.

He glanced down at where she held his hand. “Uh, ow.”

She loosened her grip. “I’m sorry, it’s . . . You need to get off the path you’re on.”

He went rigid. “Excuse me?”

“You’re seeking something. An answer. A person, maybe?” She grabbed his upper arm, a sense of urgency plastered over her face. “You must stop. If you do not, death will find you .”

Honest to God, she sounded so convincing that even Naomi got the chills. Her inner demon thought the whole thing was hilarious.

Stefan pulled his arm free, eyeing her uncertainly. “I have to go.” He spared Tobe one last very unhappy look and then scampered.

Naomi looked at her mother, who was dusting her palms together. “You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”

“Loved it,” said Tia.

“ I loved it.” Tobe bowed to the woman. “That was quite a performance. Brav-the-fuck-o.”

“Whose name does he want?” Yuliya asked. “He was so careful with his word choices that I couldn’t understand exactly who or what he was talking about.”

Well of course Stefan had been careful. He wouldn’t want the world to know that he used a ghost artist.

“Just one of my contacts,” Tobe answered vaguely.

Naomi turned to him. “How long was he here?”

“He walked in shortly after you.” He’s getting desperate, Nome , Tobe telepathically added. I’d admire his tenacity if it wasn’t aimed my way.

Do you think he followed you here?

Not sure. “Can we go do some jewelry shopping now? My grandmother has so many brooches it’ll be hard to find her one that she doesn’t already own. It ain’t gonna be a quick process.”

“We can go,” Naomi told him. “Just as soon as you put back whatever merchandise you pocketed.”

He put a hand to his chest. “You think I’d steal from my anchor’s mom?”

“I think you’d steal from your mom, so why not mine? Besides, you do it without even noticing a lot of the time.”

Tia sighed. “It’s like a compulsion with imps. I think many of them are kleptomaniacs, because they don’t even need half the shit they take. Tobe, either hand back what you swiped or lube yourself up to prepare for a thorough body search.”

With a curse, he patted himself down, producing a spell candle, a mini figurine of a saint, a dreamcatcher keyring, and a tarot deck—all of which he seemed to conjure out of thin air.

Yuliya’s jaw dropped. “But you were right in front of me the whole time you were here. How did I not notice you take anything ?”

“He’s just that good,” Naomi told her.

Tobe smirked. “Yeah, I’m that good.”