Shadow Play

24

“Fine, let’s get some answers. Yes, the draug is a Faerie, but the important question is, why was the draug after you, Rebecca? Is he even the first Fae you've seen? Those are not questions I can answer, but I bet you can.” My lips pressed together involuntarily, giving him the confirmation he needed, but just to be clear he added, “Now who’s keeping secrets?” I wasn’t ready to share with him my suspicions about the necklace so I redirected our conversation. “The draug called you 'hunter', what did he mean by that? Does that just have to do with the Huntsman or is there more to it?” He leaned forward considering me, resting his elbows on the desk and steepled his fingers. He was quiet for so long, I was just about to get up and leave, thinking he wasn’t going to answer my question, when he spoke. “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 and, 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 be allowed to roam free. We'll hunt him down, that is what we do, we are hunters.” His eyes scanned my face, gauging my reaction. “Are you guys part of 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, and that's as much as I'm willing to tell you about us.” His brow arched in warning with his last statement. “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 of each other, make each other even more hyper?” “No. It’s a complicated answer—there are all kinds of Fae and each has different interests and tastes. They absorb energy from the emotions, it fuels the magic.” “If they feed off of s****l energy, does that mean they have s*x with humans to feed off of them?” His eyes flashed and he was suddenly eerily still. “Some do, yes.” An image of the vampire woman’s beautiful projection came to mind. “Is it consensual? Does it hurt the humans?” “Just like human s*x, there are times it's consensual, and it can be quite pleasurable for everyone involved, but there are also times that it isn’t. You seem awfully interested in Fae s*x—thinking of branching out?” “I just want to know what the dangers are. I've seen how strong the Fae are and how savage they can be, but if there's also a danger of them trying to feed off of me, I'd like to know in advance.” “Such a naïve little girl.” “What's that supposed to mean?" “You can't even see through Ronan's games, let alone defend yourself against those Fae that would use their powers to seduce you.” His words were unsettling. How was I supposed to defend myself against magic? “Why do you seem to hate Ronan so much?” He slowly rose to his feet and with his palms on the desk, he leaned toward me with a sneer on his face, eyes blazing. “How I feel about Ronan is none of your business. I've known him for longer than you could imagine, seen the depravity he’s capable of. I've warned you once about him and I'm not in the habit of repeating myself, if you fall for his bullshit, that's not my problem.” “If you feel that way, why do you still work with him?” He stood to his full height and peered down at me. “It's my turn to ask questions. Have you ever seen any Fae before coming to Ireland?” “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 acknowledgement. “Aside from the draug, what else have you seen?” “The first thing was this little greenish man on my kitchen table collecting crumbs.” “Sounds like a brownie, harmless, and although they are not technically supposed to be here, they are not necessarily uncommon. Is there more?” I dove into explaining my incident with the vampire creature. Just thinking about her made me want to crawl into bed and never come out. I wrapped my arms around myself protectively as I spoke. “You encountered her out on the street, by yourself?” “Well, there were other people farther down the ends of the street, but where we were, it was just us.” “You observed her openly, and she made no attempt to harm you?” His eyes narrowed. “I told you, I was standing against the wall and she didn't see me, maybe she was like a T-Rex and could only see movement—I have no idea.” “I seriously doubt that, Rebecca. What you are describing, that creature, is absolutely ruthless. Had she known that she was being watched, especially by someone as defenseless as yourself, you would have been dead in minutes. What aren't you telling me? Or do you even know?” His arms crossed in his interrogation pose and his insinuation had me rising to my feet in self-defense. “I don't know what you're implying. She. Didn't. See. Me. That's all there is to it.” The air once again charged with intensity as he came around the desk to stand before me. “Don’t get your hackles raised with me, I might push back,” he growled in my face. I threw my hands up the air, eyes skyward in a plea for patience. “I'm not keeping anything from you! I have no idea why she didn't kill me!” I yelled in his face. Before I knew what happened, he had grabbed my hands and spun me around, pulling my back to his chest with my hands held tightly between us. And then, as if everything wasn't weird enough, he smelled me. Not like a small, discrete sniff, but a full-blown scenting of my hair and neck. It was so unexpected and foreign but somehow also erotic and despite knowing I should have been appalled, my breath hitched and then released on a ragged sigh. He paused before swinging me back around to face him.