“I’m…uh…sure it is.” Heat rose in my face.
He leaned forward to rest his arms on the desk. “Curious, Jesse?”
“No, I’m not, Mr. Teg.”
His smile widened. “I think I like you, Jesse James.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “You’re still not getting into my pants.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “Okay, Miss James. Tell me why you think your parents paid me a visit?”
Feeling like I was back on solid ground, I said, “They’re hunting a goren dealer who has been seen here.”
“Someone dealing in my bar? I think not.”
“Do you know every person who comes into your bar?” I asked.
“I don’t need to,” he replied confidently. “My wards prevent anyone from entering with drugs or weapons.”
“That’s good to know.” I was glad that I’d decided not to come here armed.
“By any chance, did your parents tell you the name of this dealer?”
“No, just that he’s an elf. I don’t think they know his name.” I didn’t really care about the dealer’s identity. As much as I didn’t want someone peddling Fae drugs to humans, all I cared about was finding my parents. “Is it possible my parents were here and didn’t ask to see you?”
Teg shrugged. “It’s possible, but I can’t see them taking the time to come here without talking to me.”
My shoulders slumped. He was right. My parents were thorough in their job, and they never did anything halfway. But if they hadn’t come here after talking to Tennin, where had they gone? I’d hoped to find something at the bar to lead me to them, and I had no idea where to go from here.
A knock came at the door, and Teg called for them to come in.
The door opened, and a pretty, fuchsia-haired young woman entered. She wore jeans and a tight black T-shirt with the bar’s name across her chest, and she had piercings in her nose and eyebrow. She stared at me with open curiosity before she addressed her boss. “You have visitors.”
“Who is it?”
“Rand and his men.”
“Tell Rand I’ll see him in five minutes.” Teg rubbed his jaw, his good humor gone.
“If he’ll wait that long,” the woman muttered and left.
Teg gave me a look of regret. “I hate to end our little visit, but Cynthia is right. Lukas Rand is not someone you keep waiting.”
I nodded as if I knew who that was. “Thank you for taking the time to talk to me.”
“Anytime, Miss James. Happy hunting, and try to stay out of trouble. Although, something tells me the world of bounty hunting will never be the same.”
Dejected, I left his office and went to look for Violet. I had a feeling I’d find her on the dais, so I scanned that section as I walked toward the bar.
“Oof!” I uttered when I made contact with a hard body. I stumbled backward and might have fallen if a pair of hands hadn’t grabbed my arms to steady me.
The man released me, and I backed up a step to see who I’d plowed into. My breath caught when I looked up into cold, midnight-blue eyes beneath brows that were drawn down in a scowl. The man’s hard gaze held me like a deer in a car’s headlights, until a deep chuckle to my left startled me back to my senses. My eyes roamed over the face before me, taking in its perfect masculine lines and sensual mouth, and I knew immediately that this was no man at all.
“I can’t tell if she’s mesmerized by your pretty face or scared witless,” joked the male on my left.
Tearing my eyes from the faerie in front of me, I glared at his companion. The other faerie – also dark-haired and handsome but in a decidedly better mood – smirked at me in response.
My gaze swung back to the one I’d collided with. As with all Court faeries, he was well over six feet tall, but unlike most, he wore his hair short, and he had an air of power about him that made my stomach dip. It was dark and dangerous, and it told me this was one faerie I didn’t want to mess with. There was also something vaguely familiar about him, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
I took another step back and saw three unsmiling blond faeries forming a semicircle behind him. Like him, they all had short hair, which made them stand out. The five of them made a formidable group, and I got the distinct impression they weren’t here for a drink.
“Excuse me,” I said, moving to go around them.
“Teg likes his girls young,” one of the faeries said scornfully, bringing me up short.
I scowled at them, unsure who had spoken. “Just because I’m in his bar doesn’t mean I’m one of his girls.”
A blond faerie with a crew cut and the greenest eyes I’d ever seen, curled his lip in a sneer. “Whatever you say.”
“You’re here, too,” I said sweetly and maybe a little recklessly. “I guess that makes you his boy.”
The faerie stiffened, and I heard a few gasps from nearby. I glanced around to see the faeries within hearing distance watching us with shocked expressions. Some even looked a little scared.
The joker in the group let out a laugh. “Damn, Faolin, you got served.” He slung an arm across my shoulders. “I think I’m in love.”
“Hey, hands off.” I ducked out from under his arm. Several strands had come loose from my ponytail, and I tucked them behind my ears, feeling disheveled and annoyed. I had too much on my mind to deal with a bunch of arrogant faeries lacking basic manners.
I looked up to find the faerie I’d run into watching me with cool curiosity. Even though he hadn’t spoken, his position at the center of the group told me he was their leader. I would have bet he was Lukas Rand, the one Teg had said didn’t like to be kept waiting.
“Well, this has been fun,” I said in a cheerful voice that dripped sarcasm. “Have a nice night, gentlemen.”
None of them spoke this time as I walked away. Putting them out of my mind, I searched the faces of the women on the dais, looking for Violet. I caught sight of her deep in conversation with two female faeries at a table toward the back, and I headed in her direction.
I reached the steps to the raised section, but before I could climb them, a blond Court faerie stepped in front of me, blocking my path. My first thought was that one of Lukas Rand’s group had followed me. Then I realized this one had long hair. His flirtatious smile and the interested gleam in his eyes told me he had more pleasurable pursuits in mind.
“I haven’t seen you around here before,” he said in a low, husky voice.
I smiled politely. “That’s because I’ve never been here before.”
His eyes widened in delight. “Is that so? Then you must let me buy you a drink in honor of your first visit to Teg’s.”
“Thank you, but I’m just going to get my friend so we can leave.” I craned my neck to look around him, but I couldn’t see Violet from this location.
He made a pouty face. “But the night has barely begun. Surely, you and your friend don’t want to leave so soon.”
“Maybe she needs the right enticement to stay, Korre,” said a male voice from behind me.
The faerie in front of me stared at someone over my head, his mouth tightening in displeasure.