“I told you it would only take two days before you’d be begging me to fuck you.”
My mouth fell open and my face heated with both anger and embarrassment. I tried to pull away—didn’t get anywhere. “You’re an ass! You’re a sneaky, arrogant, conniving son of a…”
Mitch interrupted my tirade by kissing me, but then his body began to shake and when the laughter burst from his mouth in a loud rumble, our lips separated.
“Did I mention that you’re a jerk?”
“Babe,” was his only reply. I decided I didn’t like him calling me babe and was about to tell him so when he kissed me again. That kiss lasted a lot longer and there was absolutely no laughter involved. Matter of fact, it was about as serious as you could get and made me forget about the many reasons I was pissed at him. Guess that had been the point.
Mitch didn’t mention Jenna again so I didn’t bring her up. It was good to see him back to the man I’d come to know, even though that man could be annoying as hell. I didn’t want to say anything that would take him back to that dark place inside himself. I knew his demons were still with him and likely would be for a long time to come, but I hoped that talking about what had happened—sharing the burden of it—had gone at least some way to lightening it.
We had sex twice more before I went back to my own room to get ready to go to the bar. After the third bout, Mitch brought up a topic of conversation that we really should have discussed before the first. We were still lying in bed, our limbs tangled together, and Mitch was playing with a strand of my hair, pulling on the curl and watching it spring back into place.
“I hate to mention the obvious,” he murmured, “but you realise we didn’t use protection, right?”
Actually I hadn’t. I mean, okay, it was kind of obvious after he’d pointed it out, but at the time, the subject hadn’t even entered my mind. I couldn’t believe I’d been so irresponsible. I was never irresponsible! Well, maybe when it came to hunting. Sometimes I jumped in feet first without thinking things through, but I’d never been irresponsible about something like this. Never. I was on the pill, but that was beside the point.
Mitch’s body stilled. “Ash?” he prompted when I didn’t reply.
“I’m on the pill,” I informed him. I felt his body relax at the same time that he let out a long sigh against my neck.
“Thank God.”
I don’t know why, but his relief made my stomach clench uncomfortably. I hadn’t thought about what sleeping with Mitch would mean. I hadn’t expected him to declare his undying love for me, but I guess, deep down, I’d hoped it would mean more than just sex. That was plain stupid. Mitch had never once said he wanted more and he didn’t strike me as the type of guy who wanted a relationship. I’d guessed that from the very moment we’d met when he’d made it clear he wanted to sleep with me. Hell, I didn’t want a relationship either, so why did the thought of never seeing him again after we were done with this job fill me with such dread?
Chapter Six
We got to the bar at just after eight. I’d never been anywhere which was frequented mostly by Fae so I didn’t know what to expect. As it turned out, it was just like any other bar. Everyone in the room looked as human as the actual humans in the room. The bar was busy. The Fae were in disguise, hiding their true appearances, but I could tell there were a lot of them present. Their magic thrummed in the air and when a couple of them passed by me, brushing against my arm, it felt like I’d taken a blast from a stun gun. A jolt of electricity snaked up my arm each time I came into contact with a Fae and I had to work hard at hiding my discomfort.
Mitch stayed glued to my side and led me through the room with a hand on my lower back. His presence was oddly comforting and that annoyed me. I didn’t want to be comfortable with Mitch. I didn’t want to get too used to having him around. It would only make it that much more difficult when we went our separate ways—something I’d resigned myself to in the hour we’d spent apart before coming to the bar. I’d been alone before, for all of my adult life in fact, and I could be alone again.
“You see him anywhere?” I asked in an aside. I knew that the Fae were capable of taking on any appearance they chose, but in my experience, most of them tended to stick to the same human façade.
Mitch took a glance around the room, checking out the clientele, then shook his head. “He’s not in here, but there’s another room out back. Let’s get a drink while we wait. The bartender, Marty owns the place. If he’s here, Marty will know about it. He doesn’t miss a trick.”
I nodded and headed for the bar, scanning the room as I went. An old-fashioned jukebox sat in the corner of the room and loud rock music blasted from its speakers. While we waited in line to get served, I watched the bartender work. He was about five-ten in height with long, greying hair, pulled back into a ponytail. He had a solid, stocky build and was wearing dark blue jeans and a black, nondescript T-shirt. There was nothing extraordinary about his appearance, but I could tell he was an incredibly powerful Fae. I could feel the thrum of his magic from our position of maybe ten feet away. He’d glanced at us when we’d approached and if the frown on his face when he’d set eyes on Mitch was anything to go by, he didn’t like him. When he’d finished with his customers, he walked over to us and leaned across the bar, eyes focused solely on Mitch.
“I don’t want any trouble tonight,” he said by way of greeting. “If you’ve come here to make any, you can leave now, save me the hassle of tossing you out.”
I turned to look at Mitch, wondering what kind of trouble he’d caused the last time he’d visited. He didn’t appear at all that perturbed by Marty’s warning. If anything he looked calm, overly so.
“Is that anyway to greet an old friend?” Mitch replied wryly. “It’s good to see you again, Marty. How you doing?”
The Fae snorted. “Cut the shit, Mitch. I was doing fine. And then you showed up. You’re a major pain in my ass. What have you come to bug me about this time?”
Mitch chuckled, nodding to me. “My partner Ash and I are here on Council business.”
It was the second time Mitch had described me as his partner and I liked hearing it, although it was yet another thing I probably shouldn’t get used to. I turned to study Marty. The surprise on his face was clear. His mouth fell open and his eyes widened.
“Council business, you say? You hunting again? Thought you’d quit that shit years ago.”
Mitch ignored the questions and said, “We need a word with Avery. He in tonight?”
Marty’s expression darkened considerably and I felt an extra thrum of magic in the air. The Fae stood up to his full height and his gaze flicked to me before returning to Mitch.
“Might be. What do you want with him?”
“Got a proposition for him. Be obliged if you’d let him know we’re here.”
Marty sighed, briefly glancing at me again before he turned and picked up a phone behind the bar. He punched in what looked like a three-digit extension number then spoke a few words into the receiver. When he hung up, he spun and put his hands on his hips.
“He’s out back. Go on through. But I’m warning you, Mitch, if you start anything…”
“You’ll get no trouble from us,” Mitch reiterated. “We just want to talk to him.”
Marty gave a sharp jerk of his head. “Make it quick. Expecting some Phookas to drop by later and you know how rowdy they can get.”
Mitch gave him a chin lift then headed to a door which was situated to the left of the bar. The sign on it read Employees Only.
“Guess we’re not getting that drink,” I muttered, following closely behind.
The door opened into a small corridor with a door to the right and two to the left. They were all closed. Straight ahead was a fourth door. Mitch headed for it but paused before opening it.
“Stay alert,” he instructed. “The atmosphere in here can be intense. And remember not to look any Fae in the eye, especially not Avery. Most of the Fae who come here don’t l
ike hunters, and all of them are wary of outsiders, so they won’t like us being here. Follow my lead. Avery can be…troublesome.”
Before I could reply, Mitch pushed open the door and the blast of magic which hit me knocked me back a couple of steps. Mitch reached out to steady me then slipped into the room. I followed him inside and closed the door behind me. This was clearly the real Fae bar. I knew without having to get close that everyone in the room was Fae because none of them had cloaked themselves with a human appearance. I tried not to stare, but I’d never seen so many different species of Fae together in one place. Hell, I’d never seen that many Fae before period. There was an abundance of elves and dwarves present but also many of the rarer species of Fae. There were sprites, nymphs, even a couple of hobgoblins scattered around.
This room was over three times as large as the one out front and it was filled to capacity. The volume of talking and laughing was almost deafening and I realised it had to be shrouded in some sort of enchantment to prevent the noise from leaking out so that humans would never discover it. Mitch paused and looked around and I could tell that all eyes were on us before I looked. Some of the Fae were openly glaring while others shot us furtive glances. I wasn’t afraid exactly and I didn’t sense any dangerous vibes, but I most definitely didn’t feel welcome.
“That’s Avery over there,” Mitch said, nodding to a small, round table in the corner of the room. “He’s alone.”
“Good, let’s get this over with.” I didn’t want to spend any more time in the bar than I had to.
As if he was reading my mind, Mitch took hold of my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “You’re doing great, Ash. I know how uncomfortable this place can make you feel.” He smiled sweetly and my belly fluttered. I could deal with a cocky Mitch, a quiet Mitch, even a pissed-off Mitch, but I did not know what to do with a sweet Mitch. I knew one thing for sure—I liked it. I wondered absently how many other facets there were to his personality.
As we approached the table, Avery looked up and I got my first look at the Seelie Court prince. He was an elf and like all elves, he was incredibly handsome. His skin was so white it was practically translucent and he had long, white-blond hair. But instead of the clean, shiny and immaculately groomed hair that other elves had, Avery’s was hanging limply past his shoulders, unclean and unkempt. He had dark circles around his eyes and even though I tried not to look in them, I couldn’t stop myself from taking a quick peek. They were bloodshot. His shoulders were hunched forward as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his back. He was a pitiful sight. I looked at Mitch to see him frowning down at the prince, equally perturbed by Avery’s appearance and demeanour.
Avery turned his weary gaze on Mitch and sighed. “Marty said you wanted to talk to me. Make it quick, I’m about to get drunk and I don’t want to waste valuable drinking time.”
“You mind?” Mitch nodded to two empty chairs at the table.
Avery shrugged, picked up one of three full pewter tankards of beer from the table and downed the lot.
Mitch pulled out a chair and nodded for me to sit in it before taking his own seat. In the time it took us to sit down, Avery was already halfway through his second pint.
Mitch cut to the chase. “We know you have a grimoire in your possession. We want it.”
Avery slammed the tankard down, sloshing beer over the table, then snarled. His face contorted with rage. “You can’t have it!”
I glared at Mitch, but he wasn’t looking at me. It was obvious we needed to be more diplomatic.
“It’s important that we get that book, Avery,” I said, drawing his attention to me. “Demons all over the country are trying to get their hands on the grimoires. Is there some reason you’re unwilling to part with it?”
Avery tilted his head to the side. “You look like her,” he remarked right before pain sliced through his face. “You have the same eyes.”
“Who do I look like?”
“Donella.” The name came out on a sigh.
I chanced a glance at Mitch. He shrugged. Turning my attention back to Avery, I asked, “Who’s Donella?”
“She agreed to marry me,” he said wistfully. “But my mother forbade it. Said she isn’t good enough for a prince.”
“Can’t you go against her wishes?”
Avery shook his head. “You don’t go against Orlaith. From birth, I was promised to Shaylee, a princess from the ice-world dimension, but I don’t want to marry her. Donella and I have been seeing each other in secret for two hundred years, but my mother found out about our relationship.”
Mitch leant forward in his seat. “Is that why Orlaith banished you from the Seelie Court?”
“When I told her I’d never marry Shaylee, she flew into a rage. She kidnapped Donella and had her imprisoned. She threatened to kill her if I didn’t do as she wanted, and she would kill her, I know she would. The grimoire was one of my mother’s most prized possessions, so I stole it and told her she can have it back when she releases Donella. She refused and banished me from the Seelie Court. The spell she has cast prevents me from entering there with my magic. I’ve tried. I can’t even get in through a portal. It’s like trying to walk through a brick wall. My mother said I can return to the Seelie Court if I give her the grimoire. But I’ll only give her the book when she lets Donella go. Stalemate. My mother is stubborn. I’ve seen her hold a grudge for several millennia. So you see, I can’t give you the grimoire. It’s the only thing that keeps Donella alive.”
“Do you want to go back to the Seelie Court?” Mitch asked.
Avery snarled again, but this time it wasn’t directed at Mitch or I. “I hate it there. My mother tries to control my every move. I only stayed as long as I did for Donella. If she was with me, I would be happy to live out here in the human world, at the sanctuary.”
“I’m afraid that might not be possible,” I said. “It seems you’ve made some enemies in the sanctuary here in Fort Worth. They want you to leave.”
Avery’s eyes flashed with anger. “Those damn dwarves,” he spat, glancing furiously around the room. “Do they know who I am? I should kill every last one of them!”
A powerful blast of magic shot out of Avery and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. I had no doubt he could good make good on his threat. “Uh, there might be an alternative to that plan,” I reasoned.
Avery studied me as if he was trying to work me out. I made sure not to look in his eyes.
“What are you suggesting, hunter?”
“Would Donella be happy to live here in the human world with you?”
Avery nodded. “Of course. She hates it in the Seelie Court as much as I do.”
When I looked across at Mitch, he nodded for me to continue.
“We can help you,” I said clearly. I knew that Avery would understand the consequences of that offer and the firm press of his lips confirmed it. “If we rescue Donella from the Fairy Realm and bring her to you, will you give us the book and move permanently to one of the other sanctuaries?”
“If you help me,” Avery replied, his face filled with hope, “if you do that for me, I will give you the book gladly. I would be happy to live anywhere as long as Donella is by my side.”
* * * *
After Mitch and I exited the bar, I paused on the sidewalk outside and turned to face him. “Do you think I did the right thing back there?”
He nodded. “It was the only option. It’s not going to be easy to get Donella out of the Fairy Realm, especially if the queen keeps her under guard, but we’ll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it. Nothing is impossible. We’ll go to the sanctuary tomorrow to meet with Durin and Brokk. If they believe we’re able to make good on our promise to get rid of Avery, I’m sure they’ll get us into the Fairy Realm.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Come on, let’s head back.” Mitch took hold of my hand and tugged me along behind him. “We need to get some rest. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a long
day. We should relax tonight. I’m sure we can come up with a good way to unwind.” He waggled his eyebrows and I frowned in response.
I meant to tell him that I didn’t want anything to do with his particular brand of unwinding, but what came out of my mouth was, “We need to find an all-night drugstore.”
Mitch’s eyebrows rose. “For what?”
“For condoms.”
“I thought you said you were on the pill.”
“I am, Mitch, but I’d rather not take the chance.” I couldn’t believe we were having this conversation. It wouldn’t be in my best interests to sleep with him again.
Mitch stopped in his tracks and rounded on me, placing his hands on my shoulders. “Babe, be reasonable. I’ve already fucked you three times. And when I did that my dick was bare and it felt fucking incredible. Now I know it felt incredible to you too because not only did you come all over my cock, you screamed your head off when you were coming. And lemme tell you something else, now that I know how sweet that pussy of yours is, how wet you get for me and what it feels like to have your muscles clenching around my cock when you come, I’m not fucking you any way other than bare.”
I glared at him and folded my arms, growing more pissed off by the second. “You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, I’m very serious, babe.”
“Stop calling me that,” I shot back. “I’m not your babe, Mitch. I’m not your anything. Actually, you know what? What happened between us was a mistake. It shouldn’t have happened at all. It was irresponsible.” I edged away from him and the slight distance gave me clarity. I couldn’t sleep with Mitch again. It would make me feel even closer to him and it was already going to be difficult to say goodbye when the job came to an end and we went our separate ways. I nodded to myself, mind made up. I was on a roll now and there was no stopping me. “I’m sorry, Mitch, but it’s not going to happen again. It can’t.”
A knowing smile curved his lips. “I guarantee I’ll be fucking you again and not just once, repeatedly. And when I do,” he continued, stalking forward until he was inches away from me, our breath mingling. “I’m gonna get another taste of that sweet pussy of yours, I’m gonna make you scream out my name again and then, when you’re as wet as I now know you can get, I’m gonna slide my dick in you until it’s as deep as it’ll go and, babe, it’s gonna be bare.”
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