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That got Shan’s attention, finally. “I’m the boss, so my job is to be bossy.”
“I think it’s just your personality,” I said.
Turning my attention to Caspian, I leaned across the bar. The movement squeezed my breasts together, giving him a view of my cleavage and straight down into my top. If I wasn’t mistaken, there was a bit of drool spilling from the side of his mouth. His Alpha scent got heavier, filling with those sensual notes. It was hard to ignore my response to that, but I managed, keeping a sly smirk on my face. “I guess you’d better do what he wants if you don’t want to be punished. I was thinking… how do you feel about going on a date with me? Wednesday night?”
It took a second for my words to sink in, his attention more focused on my figure. When he realized what I’d asked, he was visibly confused. “Wait, what?”
“A date. With me.”
“You don’t even like me.”
Now it was my turn to be confused, waving off a customer who tried to flag me down. I would deal with that later. We weren’t busy. Lor would be fine getting their drink too. “What are you talking about?”
His skin flushed and he stepped back, distancing himself. Shan didn’t let him move far, one arm draping across his shoulders. “I mean, I’m trying to convince you to like me, but I didn’t think you did yet. You wouldn’t let me escort you home after you were attacked and you’ve never really…” he trailed off.
“Caspian means that you haven’t been welcoming,” Shan said.
“I wouldn’t say that!”
“No, you wouldn’t. But it’s the truth.”
They had a point. I’d assumed Caspian had seen through my mask as easily as Shan did. My reactions to them were clear as day, covered up with sarcasm and passive aggressive comments. The scent of my arousal didn’t get out of hand this frequently around anyone else. “Would you be welcoming to two strangers probing you for information?” I didn’t mean for the question to come out defensive, but it did.
“I wouldn’t classify our interactions as ‘probing you for information’,” Shan said. “The first time we met, we hardly asked you anything and you responded like this. After, we were merely asking questions any official would ask. Do you have something you’re hiding that made it feel like a probe to you?”
Glaring, I turned around to the bar and poured some vodka into a shot glass, discreetly tipping it back. Technically, drinking alcohol wasn’t allowed while on the job, but Mattie allowed us some leniency when the fast-paced environment overwhelmed us. Not like we had to bow to the Null’s governmental rules about drinking on the job. Liquid courage might steady me enough to get out of this without giving up all my secrets. “My annoyance had more to do with your lack of identification and less to do with any secrets I may have. In fact, I still don’t know who you work for. You haven’t bothered to tell me. That’s not very trustworthy of you. You’ve given me no reason to believe you’re an official at all.”
Caspian opened his mouth as if to explain their job to me, but Shan glared down at him and he snapped it closed. “You don’t need to know about our positions or where we are employed. We informed your boss of the full extent of the situation and our involvement.”
“Look, the date was an olive branch,” I said, looking to Cas. “A peace offering. I’m into you, you’re into me. Well, Caspian and I. Not you, Shan. Either way, I figured we could get together and see if we can trust each other, as difficult as that is. Clearly, I was wrong.”
“This has nothing to do with trust and everything to do with the limits of our job,” Shan said.
“I view it differently.”
We ended up locked in a stare down, neither of us willing to give in. Caspian was the one to break the silence, pushing Shan back so he was standing between us. “Look, sweetness, I’m sorry we can’t be super open about what we do for work. If you’re into me, though, we should definitely go on a date. It’s a start. We can get to know each other and I’ll tell you what I can.”
He’d lost the vulnerability I’d seen when I’d first asked him out, exuding confidence and cocky energy. It was like he flipped a switch. Usually he played the part of the incubus, lusted after by all. What he’d shown just now reminded me of his status as a half-breed, hated by many. Fae and demons never got along, and neither of the communities would easily accept him. He craved affection, probably just as much as my Omega side did.
I was half tempted to go back on my offer for a date, considering Shan’s hostility, but my situation hadn’t changed. My heat was barrelling towards me with unmatched speed. My body lusted for theirs and my curious mind wanted to unravel all their secrets, whether or not they helped me.
It was them or another Alpha, and at least I liked them so far. There had rarely been Alphas I’d liked, with very few exceptions. Only one other man in recent history stuck out, but that was never meant to be. He’d found out about me too soon and I’d sent him away, sans a few integral memories of our time together. “Fine,” I said. “Tomorrow night, we’ll meet here. Nine o’clock? Oh, and Shan’s not fucking coming.”
“I wouldn’t dream of inviting him, not when I have the chance to have you all to myself.”
“Perfect. Now get away from my bar. You’re distracting me. I’m sure you have work to do if you’re not supposed to be drinking.”
Shan rolled his eyes but pulled Caspian away from me. They vanished up to the VIP balcony, pulling Mattie aside and leaving Thereon to entertain Gemma. The Omega had originally seemed like he was showing interest in Gemma only because Mattie was, but even from a distance, we could tell that was changing. He was falling for her now. As soon as his Alpha was pulled away, Thereon gestured the pretty Beta bartender over to him. From here, I couldn’t hear his words, but the pout on his face indicated he was claiming boredom. Gemma laughed, but sat down beside him.
A big part of me wanted something like that. Slow developing affection, born out of pure motives and with no level of necessity behind it. My situation with the two investigators was volatile. I felt them getting closer and closer to my secrets, while I simultaneously felt further from theirs. Who would find out the truth first? And who would be more pissed off when they did?
My shift passed in a haze of leering men and alternative rock music, the theme of the evening. When I finished closing down the bar, everything tidy, I slipped out the back door before Mattie confronted me about my outfit.
The back alley was dark and dingy as always, shadows hiding stray cats and the mice they hunted for. An angel magic infused knife burned heavy against my thigh, hidden beneath the scant cover of my skirt. I wore my wand at my waist, attached to a gold chain. Stroking it with my fingertips, I kept the expertly carved wood at the ready. With my situation, it was impossible to be too careful, and my wand would help to focus the effects of some of my stronger spells. If I couldn’t touch my target, the assistance was necessary.
As I walked, my steps were purposeful but not rushing. I gave no hint that I was aware of my surroundings, not with glances around me or anything else. By now, I’d honed my senses and could tell when I was being followed without the person tailing me realizing I’d figured it out. Eyes burned into my back tonight, my skin hot from the attention, so I turned in the direction opposite my apartment. If I walked far enough, in a roundabout path, I would lose them eventually. A few sensing spells thrown out in the general vicinity of my area didn’t pick up anything out of the ordinary. I had to assume whomever was following me was doing so from a distance. I wouldn’t risk a broader spell, not when it would be harder to hide my magical signature and would hint at my true magic capacity.
From Club Chaos to my apartment was normally a fifteen minute walk. An hour into my trek, I hadn’t lost my tail yet. He must know I knew he was there by now. The roundabout path I was taking made no sense even for a mid-day leisure walk. Forget about a walk at three in the damn morning. In certain areas, there was no one around, and I’d still felt him but not seen him.
