Page 128 of Mage Massacres

My mage stood behind the small bar, his shirtless torso catching me off guard yet again. It didn’t matter how many times I ran my fingers over the rippling muscles; they still made my brain short circuit.

“Do you want—What’s wrong?”

I shook my head. “Nothing. Just admiring the view. Wondering if you’re naked.”

His brows pinched together slightly, his expression somewhere between smug and concerned. He walked out from behind the bar, pointing to the khakis barely hanging onto his hips. My gaze trailed over the unsnapped button to the lowered zipper before he moved back to finish his task.

With a whiskey bottle clasped in his hand, he poured the amber liquor into two waiting glasses. He strolled to the sofa, nodding for me to sit as he passed me a drink.

“Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I can’t remember,” I admitted, swirling the whiskey in mesmerizing circles.

Palmer frowned as his brows furrowed further. “What do you mean?”

“I had a nightmare, but I can’t recall anything.”

“And that has you this worried because?” he prompted, tugging me against his side.

“I always remember, Palmer,” I repeated. “Something felt off, and now it’s gone. I don’t know what it was.”

He observed me for a moment, but I was over the concern. There were heavier things on our plate, so I would write it off as stress.

Today.

If it happened again, then I’d revisit the issue.

I waved my hand, brushing it away. “Who was on the phone?”

He grimaced. “Millie’s mate, Farris, but the other guy is with him. They called Murphy first. He wasn’t eager to hear what the wraith had to say.”

“Oh?” I questioned, quirking a brow.

Palmer chuckled. “Murph told him to choke on a bag of ghost dicks.”

“Classy.”

He shrugged. “I wanted to say the same thing, but I don’t want to take the chance away from Millie. I’d rather her tell them to fuck off or grovel. Whichever she chooses, I’ll stand by her.”

“Farris has played with her heart long enough,” I whispered. “Why now?”

“They want to see her. That’s all Farris asked.”

“That’s not our decision to make. She has tried to speak with him, reason with him, and he didn’t want to hear her.”

He rubbed at his jaw, and I twisted my upper body to see him better.

“What? Why are you doing that?”

With his hand covering half of his mouth, he scrunched his nose. “I might have an ulterior motive for bringing them here.”

I motioned for him to continue, but he only stared at me. “Go on. Out with it.”

“Farris is a private investigator,” he reminded me. “Zephyr is his partner.”

“Like boyfriend kind of partner or—”

“Business,” he clarified. “They work together.”