"There's moàT privatre to you asking for my help than my rep," he said, looking from his dad to Caine.
Lucifer cleared his throat, drawing Finn's gaze. "The chameleon abilities you got from your mother will prove useful."
Finn raised his eyebrows. "You told him?" he asked, amazed that his father would tell an outsider a closely guarded secret that not even all demons knew.
"I trust him."
Finn studied Caine. He didn't know him, not really. He'd had some dealings with Caine in the past, and the vampire struck him as … intense. Dedicated and single-minded in his pursuit of justice. And someone capable of taking secrets to his grave.
"As I understand it," the vampire said, "you can take on the abilities of any preternatural. So you can enhance your hearing to the level of a werewolf's, or your sense of smell, right?"
Finn nodded. "There's a little more to it than that, though. For a short period of time I can actually become that preternatural."
"Meaning … "
"If I mimic a werewolf, I can shift into a wolf. Or if I want to imitate a vampire … " He paused and got to his feet. "Here, let me show you."
It had been a while since Finn had impersonated a vamp. He studied Caine, took a deep breath to get his scent, then closed his eyes to concentrate on summoning his chameleon demon abilities. There was a burst of heat deep inside, then his body cooled down. His jaw began to ache and his canine teeth lengthened into fangs. When he opened his eyes, it was to see Caine staring at him in shock.
The vampire stood and walked over to him. "What the hell … " He stopped and drew in a deep breath. "Damn. You even smell like a vampire." He glanced at Lucifer. "This is definitely a skill we can use."
Lucifer gave a sly smile. "Indeed."
Finn let go of the pretense and became his normal self again. He dropped back down into his chair and exhaled. Since he was only part chameleon, he was unable to hold onto a deception as easily as a full-blooded chameleon could and even that little bit had taxed his energy. Not that he'd ever admit out loud that he was tired.
"Come on, Finn." Caine shoved his hands in his pockets. "We need you."
Finn thought about it a moment then, looking at his father, said, "I'll tell you what. You free me from my enforcer duties, and I'll do this."
"Done."
Finn's brow furrowed. He hadn't expected it to be that easy. It hadn't been when he'd asked before. He knew this was some serious shit for his father to so readily agree to his demand. "Fine." Finn looked at Caine. "Tell me what you want me to do."