The hand below my breasts flattened.
“What in the hell does that mean?” I demanded.
“A byproduct of saving your life. I can easily find you anywhere.”
My mouth dropped open. “Are you freaking serious?”
Caden didn’t respond, and he didn’t need to, because it made sense, how he popped up where I was and how he said he’d know if I went back to The Court.
“Jesus,” I muttered. “That’s creepy.”
He chuckled, and that annoyed me even more.
“It’s not funny. And it’s something you should’ve probably given me a heads up on.”
“I didn’t because I figured you’d have this response.”
I placed my hand on the arm that circled my waist. “You need to let go of me.”
“And you need to explain to me why you’re here.”
“Yeah, like that’s going to happen now.”
“You need to understand what you saw at my place. I wasn’t expecting you.”
“That much was obvious.”
He made a noise that sounded an awful lot like a growl. “I was using her for information on Aric.”
“Really? Because I’m pretty sure she’s supposed to be dead.”
“What?” He pressed his head to the side of mine, and his warm breath danced along my cheek, sending a shiver down my spine. “You need to elaborate on that statement.”
“Do I really need to?”
“Yes.” His thumb moved along my ribs and then the underswell of my breast. “You do.”
My throat dried as my idiotic, lonely body reacted to the slight touch. A different kind of ache settled in my chest. “She was at Flux. She was Tobias’s scout.”
“I didn’t see her when I showed up,” he was quick to say. “She didn’t even know I was there, but she was seconds from recognizing you, and that would have been bad, sunshine.”
“Don’t change the subject.” My breath hitched as I felt my nipples harden.
“She wasn’t there, but I knew she had ties to Aric.”
“Am I supposed to believe you?” I demanded. “Really?”
The arm around my waist flexed as his head shifted ever so slightly. His mouth was against my ear. “Have I ever given you reason to not believe me?”
I opened my mouth, but snapped it shut. He hadn’t given me reason to think he’d lie. At least as far as I knew.
“I was using her to find out where Aric is laying low at,” he continued, and with each word he spoke, his lips brushed the shell of my ear. “She was about as useful as the bullet holes drilled into me yesterday.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. Seems like she was pretty useful to you.”
“No.” His lips touched the spot below my ear. “She was not. Not a damn thing happened between us.”
I stared straight ahead, finding myself watching a young man kiss a girl standing next to him.
“Our bodies are closer right now than she and I were,” he went on as the couple clutched at one another. “I’m not going to lie to you. She wanted this.” The arm at my waist jerked tighter. “She didn’t get it.”
Closing my eyes, I drew in a shallow breath. “It doesn’t matter if she did.”
“Yes, it does.”
“I don’t care.”
“That’s a lie.”
“No, it’s not.” I turned my head toward his. The edges of his hair tickled my cheek. “I don’t care if you did whatever with her. I just care that you’re not working with her—working with them.”
“If I was working with them then I’m doing a really bad job at it.”
“Or a really good job.”
He tilted his head down and those damn lips grazed my cheek. “The one person I am working with, or at least trying to, is you.”
“The old and plain one?” I shot back before I could stop myself.
“You are neither of those two things.” He rested his forehead against my cheek. “And you know that.”
My heart launched itself into my throat. “I’m not old.”
“No, you’re not.” It felt like he smiled against my cheek. “And you’re not plain. You’re the furthest from that.”
I didn’t respond as I closed my eyes. I could admit to myself in that moment that perhaps I had jumped to some pretty wild conclusions when it came to him working with the Winter fae or doing something shady in that aspect and my… personal issues needed to stay personal.
“I remembered something this morning. I’d seen a reference to those type of eyes before—the all-black eyes that Elliot had.” The grip around my waist loosened enough that I was able to pull free and put much-needed space between us. I faced him and saw that he was dressed the way he was when I’d been to his place. “It was referenced in one of the Order journals.”
Everything about his expression was alert and focused. “What did you find out?”
He listened intently as I quickly gave him the breakdown, everything from a substance similar to Devil’s Breath to who I suspected might own this place.
When I was finished, the line of his jaw had hardened. “I don’t know what substance could be used, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist and I know who owns this place. It’s not—” His gaze flicked over my shoulder and a sudden glint filled his eyes. “We’ve got company.”
Caden gripped my hand, hauling me against him. I opened my mouth, but he all but shoved my face in his chest.
“Hi there.” Caden’s deep voice rumbled through me. “Is this a welcoming party?”
I placed my hands on his waist, listening.
“We want no trouble,” someone said.
Caden’s large hand dug into my hair, holding my head in place. “I would assume not.”
“Neal wants to speak with you.”
“Is that so?” There wasn’t a response, but Caden then said, “She stays with me.”
“He just wants to speak with you.”
“And I don’t care what he wants,” Caden replied. “She stays with me.”
There was a pause and then, “Follow us.”
Caden shifted so his arm was around my shoulder, but his hand was still at the back of my head, keeping my face hidden. I caught a glimpse of two big males wearing dark shirts. I couldn’t see enough of them to figure out if they were fae or not.
We were led to the back of the bar, through a narrow hall and then a door was opened.
“He’ll be with you momentarily,” one of the males said and then the door closed behind us.
Caden’s hand slipped off the back of my head, and I got my first good look at the room. There was a booth and several unopened boxes along the other side of the wall.
“Should we be worried?” I asked, running my hand along the iron cuff.
He turned, eyeing the booth. “Not we. You.”
“What?”
“The owner? He’s not exactly a friend of mine nor is he a fan of your kind.” He knocked back a strand of hair that had fallen forward, grazing his cheek. “And I’m not talking about you being with the Order. He’s not a huge fan of humans.”