Curse And Craving

17

“YOU SHOULDN'T BE HERE.” I let out a startled gasp at the unexpected voice. Seated in shadow against a far wall of the empty club was Ronan's quiet friend, Michael. Although he had been present most of the night while we all danced and laughed, he had been more of an observer rather than a participant. He seemed more at home here in the dark by himself than in the middle of the crowded dance floor. He wore jeans and a T-shirt and sat back in an assessing manner. Strewn before him were stacks of papers on the table, and a trail of smoke wafted into the air from his glowing cigarette. “So I’ve been told, but I’m here anyway. I'd like to talk to Lochlan.” “How’s your friend?” he asked, his words barely audible. “She’s going to be okay, but if we’re going to avoid something like that happening again, we need some answers.” “You sure about that?” His eyes traveled slowly down the length of me before returning to my face. “I think you’re in way over your head.” My jaw clenched tight because I knew he was right. “Do I really have a choice?” I ground out in frustration. “It's not like I wanted these Faerie creatures to come after me.” As soon as I said the word Faerie, his body went inhumanly still. All nonchalance evaporated from his features, leaving in its place menacing intensity. “Be very careful, Rebecca. The creature in that alley is not even remotely the most dangerous thing out there.” If I hadn’t known better, I’d have thought he might have been referencing himself. Well, s**t. Now I was really freaked out. His hand slowly lifted to point toward the back hallway. “He's in the office.” Just get your answers. Figure out how to take off the damn necklace and get the hell out of Dodge. Yes. I could do that. I sucked in a deep breath of stale, smoke-laced air and forced my feet to walk farther into the lion’s den. The office door was open, enabling me to stand in the doorway and study the contrary club owner before clearing my throat to gain his attention. “I need to talk to you.” Lochlan’s eyes flitted briefly to mine before dropping back to his computer screen as if I wasn’t there. “About what?” he finally murmured. I took his words as an invitation and helped myself to one of the chairs across from his desk. “I need information.” “Don’t we all.” “I’m pretty sure you know a hell of a lot more about what’s going on than I do.” I was usually very even-tempered, but Lochlan had a way of lighting a fire under me. He finally sat back and wove his fingers together in front of him. “Fine, what would you like to know?” “The Draug, is it a Faerie?” “It is, but that doesn’t do us any good unless we know why it came after you. I don’t suppose you’ve had any revelations in that department?” “No, I haven’t,” I shot back. Lochlan grinned with more canine visible than would be considered polite. “Now who’s keeping secrets?” I wasn’t willing to go there, so I ignored his jab. “The Draug called you 'hunter.' What did he mean by that?” Leaning forward, he considered me, resting his elbows on the desk and steepling his fingers. He was quiet for so long that I was just about to get up and leave when his rumbling voice filled the room. “My organization keeps tabs on Fae activity. Ireland and sometimes Scotland happen to be the only places on earth with the ability to support portals from Faery. While those portals should be closed, every now and then, one is opened and something comes through. In this case, the Draug is an exceptionally dangerous Faery and cannot roam free. We will hunt him down. That is what we do. We are hunters.” His eyes studied my face, gauging my reaction. “Like some kind of secret border patrol agency? Do you work for the government?” I had a bad habit of asking more than one question at once. My mom used to chastise me to slow down and let a person answer before I peppered them with another question. But when I was emotional, it was hard to remember. “We have ties to the government, but we're an independently run organization. That's as much as I'm willing to tell you about us.” His brow arched decisively. “It seems odd to have a law enforcement agency running a bar.” “Normally, things are quiet. The club affords a level of entertainment. Plus, the Fae are drawn to human emotion and s****l energy. A gathering of drunk, horny humans is the perfect environment for keeping a pulse on Fae activity.” “What do you mean they're drawn to human emotion and s****l energy?” “They feed off it.” “What does that even mean? Like when little kids get hyper and feed off each other, making each other even more hyper?” “No. It’s a complicated answer. There are different kinds of Fae with different forms of magic. All magic must be fueled by energy, but the source of that energy varies depending on the type of magic.” “If they feed off s****l energy, does that mean they have s*x with humans to feed from them?” His eyes flashed, and he went eerily still. “Some do, yes.” An image of the vampire woman’s beautiful projection came to mind. Did she trick unsuspecting men into having s*x with her in order to feed? Why did she have fangs? How exactly did the feeding take place? The foreign concept left me overwhelmed with questions. “Until you’re willing to explore why the creature sought you out, I’d suggest you stay indoors at night. It’s not foolproof, but it’ll help.” “That would be convenient if you were wanting to keep tabs on me.” The hair on my arms stood on end as the temperature in the room seemed to plummet. “I suppose I should encourage you to go out dancing and f**k around as if your life wasn’t in danger.” The words were spit out harshly, and I had no doubt as to their intent. “What is your problem with Ronan?” It wasn’t like Ronan had known I’d be attacked. At least, I didn’t think so. Surely not. “I don’t need to give you an explanation. You can take my warning or leave it, your choice.” Not particularly helpful, but he has a point. “If you don’t like him, why do you still work with him?” He stood and peered down at me, a clear power move. “It's my turn to ask questions. Have you ever seen any Fae before coming to Ireland?” If I was going to get answers from him, it would probably be wise to offer him something in return. So long as he didn’t ask about the necklace, I’d indulge his inquiry. “Not that I remember. I’m not sure if I ever came across any, or if I’m just now able to see them.” His chin dropped in acknowledgment. “Aside from the Draug, what else have you encountered?” “The first thing was this little greenish man on my kitchen table.” “Sounds like a Brownie, harmless. They aren’t technically supposed to be here, but they’re not necessarily uncommon. Were there more?” I explained my incident with the vampire creature.