Free Demon's Kiss by MAGGIE SHAYNE

he meant it to be that way. Light blue eyes, almost shockingly pale.
    Jack looked at her, smiled slyly, shook his head slowly. “Damn, she is a pretty thing, isn’t she?” He stuck his arm between the bars of her cage and made smacking sounds with his lips, like calling a pet. “Come here, hon. Let me feel that silky hair, hmm?”
    She backed up to the far wall, her eyes wide and darting from Jack to Briar. Of the two, it was the female she most feared.
    â€œFine,” Jack said. “Your loss, babe.” Then he turned to Briar. “So what is it you wanted to show me?”
    â€œShe’s not human.”
    â€œNo, not anymore. Not since Gregor changed her.”
    Briar shook her head. “Not even before. She’s a shape-shifter. Spent half her time as an animal.”
    Jack grinned. “Right. Briar, have you been feeding on crack addicts tonight or what?”
    â€œGregor knows. That’s why he wanted her. He had me stake out the places where she tends to show up when she’s in human form and tell him her habits, so he could follow her. He set a trap, caught her in it when she was an animal, then waited for her to shift back and transformed her.”
    Slowly Jack’s smile died. “He didn’t make you do it for him? You know, he didn’t have you suck her blood and then make her drink yours…?”
    â€œNo,” she said with a disgusted look.
    Jack pushed a hand through his long hair and shook his head. “Damn, that would’ve been hot.”
    â€œShe’s a shape-shifter. Are you even getting this?”
    He shrugged, then looked at Vixen. Then, frowning, he really looked at her. His brows drew together. “Vixen. And that hair. And those eyes.” He glanced at Briar again. “You saying she’s some kind of a fox?”
    â€œPull your hair back, Vixen. Show him.”
    Vixen lowered her head, but not in shame, for she knew no such thing as shame. But she hated defeat. She hated obeying the girl with the blackest heart in all the world. Still, she pulled her hair back, and Jack looked, and then his brows shot up.
    â€œAre her ears slightly…pointed?”
    â€œMmm-hmm. And now she’s going to try to shift back into her animal form. If she can still do it, she can be of invaluable help to Gregor. I mean, can you imagine the places she could get into where we couldn’t fit? Hell, we could set her loose inside a bank, then have her shift back and let us in after closing.”
    â€œGregor’s got more money than God already.”
    â€œYou can never be too rich,” Briar said. “You ready, Vixen?”
    â€œI think so.”
    â€œThen do it.”
    Vixen nodded and sank down onto the floor. She lay down on her side and pulled her long, copper hair around her face. She closed her eyes and pretended to will her form to change. But in fact, she wasn’t willing it at all. She didn’t know if she could change, but she wasn’t going to do it just for them. Especially not for Briar. She had to wait, because she wasn’t sure she could fit between the bars. So she had to wait.
    She lay there for several minutes.
    â€œDammit, Vixen, do it,” Briar snapped.
    â€œI’m trying….”
    â€œThis is bullshit. She ain’t a damn fox.”
    â€œShe is, I’m telling you. Do it, Vixen!”
    Vixen said nothing, just lay there, trembling, because she could feel Briar’s anger, and when that one got angry, it didn’t go well.
    â€œYou are gonna be so fucking sorry,” Briar whispered.
    Vixen heard the keys in her cell door. Yes. Finally. Vixen focused. She honed her energy and saw herself in her mind’s eye as a fox, running free, and then she felt her body shrinking, growing smaller, vanishing into her long protective hair, until the hair was her tail, curled around her body like a warm coat and covering her face.
    She’d changed. Just as Briar swung