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Instead of passing him the sword, I put my hand in his, flattening my palm against his rough skin. He jerked with surprise but didn’t pull away.
“Look at me,” I instructed.
I hadn’t tried to enthrall someone since I’d leveled up in the Tribunal. Prior to that, I’d only been able to do it once before—to Nolan—and I wasn’t sure it would work again. But I was more powerful now, and my new power had to mean something. Trying my luck with a fae was a big risk, since some of them could fend off the thrall. In spite of appearances, though, I didn’t think Butch was a strong enough fae to repel being enthralled.
As anticipated, he met my eyes willingly, and a shiver of excitement rocketed through me. I needed to keep my cool long enough to gain access to the club.
“You’ve been expecting me,” I told him.
“I’ve been expecting you,” Butch repeated mechanically. I didn’t have the finesse with the thrall like Holden did. My victim sounded robotic. With Holden you’d never know he was behind the wheel, his control was just that seamless.
“I pose no threat to anyone here.”
His eyes were glassy, but he nodded his agreement.
Butch grunted something I didn’t understand and disappeared through the club’s entrance. A few minutes later he returned with an identical guard by his side.
“Mr. Hamilton says he’ll see you.”
“Well that’s mighty kind of him.”
He made a growling sound, and I figured it was in my best interest to stop pushing my luck. That he was still under the thrall after being separated from me was enough of a miracle. I didn’t want to lose the advantage now. Butch jerked his head, indicating I should follow him, then made his way back into the bar, and I stayed hot on his trail, not willing to miss my window of opportunity.
Usually it was a lot easier to cross a packed dance floor when a huge man was parting the human seas for you. Unfortunately, it seemed I’d used up my luck getting past the front door. We were halfway to the VIP section when a bony hand latched onto my wrist, yanking me away from Butch, who continued walking, oblivious to my absence.
“What the—?”
I wrenched my arm free and spun around to face my assailant, but my words froze in my mouth. My heartbeat tripped, and I wanted to look away, but found myself unable to avert my gaze.
The fae woman was astonishing to behold. She had alabaster skin and snow-white hair that glimmered in the low light, radiating as if lit from within. Her eyes were wide and too round to be mistaken for human, and her bow-shaped lips curved down in a grimace. As I continued to stare at her I could have sworn the shape of wings appeared at her back.
I blinked, and the wings vanished.
“Where did you get that?” she demanded, her gaze looking beyond me, fixed on the weapon at my back.
Touching the sword to confirm it hadn’t been replaced with something more sinister, it was my turn to look concerned. “I bought it.”
“Impossible. No one would part with that for useless human coin. I will ask you again, where did you get it?”
Now she was irritating me. “I bought it.”
Moving faster than I was prepared for, she skirted around me and grabbed the sword. I was about to retaliate, when she let out a pained shriek and released the weapon, staring at her hands. I stepped backwards in case she planned to make another grab for it.
“What have you done?” she snarled.
I don’t care how beautiful some fae can be. When they’re angry, they are singlehandedly the scariest creatures on this plane or any other. Her shrill voice made goose bumps explode over my arms. I shuddered.
“You’ve soiled it,” she said.
“It’s a sword. If I didn’t get it a little dirty now and then, I wouldn’t be using it right.”
A tall, lean man with identical coloring to the wee fae woman appeared from the crowd and stood next to her, then told me, “You should go. Now.”
“What the hell is she talking about?”
He stared at the sword, placing a comforting arm around the woman’s shoulder. “You received a precious gift,” he said with a sigh, “and you have besmirched it.”
God, the fae were all whack jobs. I’d bought the sword from a tourist shop in Koreatown. There was nothing special about it.
