Lukas Rand quirked an eyebrow at me, and from this vantage, I wasn’t sure if he was amused or annoyed. Based on my previous encounter with him, I was putting my money on the latter.
“And she’s back,” crowed his jokester friend. “Why is it that the ladies only throw themselves at your feet, Lukas?”
The faerie in question gave his companion a small smile that made my stomach do funny things, even though the smile hadn’t been directed at me. Damn faeries and their amped-up pheromones.
Rolling to my back, I sat up, still holding the frightened hama. I cradled it in one hand and used the other hand to fix my glasses, which had gone askew.
I let out a startled squeak when hands slipped beneath my arms and lifted me to my feet as if I weighed nothing. I spun to face Lukas Rand. His face was back to being impassive, but I thought I saw a gleam of amusement in his dark eyes.
“Thank –” My words ended in a squawk when he suddenly pulled me against his chest. Something brushed against my back, and there was a thud of a body hitting the floor where I’d been standing a moment before.
“Kerr, Iian, take care of this,” said his authoritative voice above the shouts and crashing sounds from the fight. Though the words were clipped, the voice was like warm honey, and I could feel the vibrations in his chest when he spoke. That combined with his tantalizing male scent made me feel a little lightheaded and more aware of him than I’d ever been of another man.
He’s not a man, I reminded myself. He was a faerie, and everything about him was alluring to humans. Apparently, I wasn’t immune to it either, and that revelation was like a bucket of cold water in my face.
I pushed back from him, and the steely arm holding me fell away. Avoiding his eyes, I turned toward the fight and watched two of his blond companions, who looked so much alike they had to be brothers, wading through the brawlers and pulling them apart. Some yelled in protest, but their complaints were quickly silenced when they saw who was interrupting their fight. Whoever Lukas Rand and his men were, they were well-known among other faeries, and no one was willing to challenge them.
“Lukas,” called Orend Teg. I glanced to my left to see the unhappy bar owner striding toward us. Teg took in the destruction, and his scowl turned almost scary.
“Thank you for stepping in,” he said to Lukas when he reached us. “I haven’t had a fight in here in ages. What set them off?”
“I think I have a good idea,” Lukas replied dryly.
There was a brief silence, and then Teg spoke, a note of exasperation in his voice. “Miss James, why am I not surprised to find you in the middle of this?”
I raised my chin. “Hey, this is not my fault. I was about to leave when one of your fine patrons tried to glamour me. I was only defending myself.”
“Who?” Lukas and Teg demanded at the same time. I wasn’t sure which one of them looked more pissed off.
I looked around the bar for the other faerie. “His name is Korre, but I don’t see him. He must have left. There was another faerie named Daoine who can back me up.”
Teg’s eyes were cold and flinty as he showed me a side of him I hadn’t seen in his office. “I know of Korre. He started coming in a few months ago. Rest assured, he will be dealt with.”
I shivered at the hardness in his tone. The fact that Teg didn’t question whether or not my story was true spoke volumes. He must have a reason to believe Korre capable of such a thing. Something told me the bar owner would not be relying on the Agency to handle this.
“As for you, Miss James, I think it would be best if you left as well,” Teg said.
“You’re kicking me out?” I asked incredulously. “But I did nothing wrong.”
The coldness left his eyes. “I know. If anyone is at fault, it’s me for being too distracted to realize you would draw certain attention. With everyone worked up from the fight, it would be safer for you if you left.”
I opened my mouth to ask what he meant by that, but someone collided with my back and threw their arms around my waist.
“Don’t ever do that to me again,” Violet shrilled. “My heart nearly stopped when you disappeared into that mess.”
I patted her hands, which were clasped tightly at my midsection. “I’m okay. Or I will be when you stop squeezing the life out of me.”
“Sorry!” She released me and came to stand beside me, where she let out a tiny gasp. I slanted a look at her to see her gaping at Lukas Rand and his friends with something akin to awe.
Kerr and Iian chose that moment to return to the group of faeries, which was getting far too crowded for my liking. I smiled at no one in particular as I grasped my friend’s elbow. “We’ll be leaving now. It’s been real.”
“But…but…” Violet sputtered as I started to pull her away.
I stopped suddenly and turned back to them. The closest one to me was Teg, and I thrust the hama into his hands. “Can you see that he gets back to his owner? Thanks.” Ignoring his shocked expression, I left, pulling Violet after me.
“But I don’t want to go,” she wailed as we passed a couple of elves nursing their bruised jaws.
Her protests fell on deaf ears, and the closer we got to the exit, the less fuss she made. I pushed open the door and drew in a deep breath of cold air, glad to be away from this place. If I was lucky, I’d never have to come back.
We were a dozen steps from the building when the door opened behind us. I looked over my shoulder and saw a dark-haired faerie step outside. I didn’t recognize him, but the intense way he looked at me made my skin crawl. I thought back to Teg’s comment about me drawing the wrong attention, and my stomach knotted in apprehension.
“Come on,” I said to Violet in a low voice, and we started toward the Jeep. The last thing we needed tonight was another unwanted faerie encounter.
I stifled a small scream when a tall figure suddenly appeared at my side. I relaxed slightly when I saw it was Lukas Rand’s wisecracking friend.
“What are you doing?” I asked him.
“Making sure you get home safely.”
“Yes, please,” Violet said eagerly.
“That’s not necessary. My car is parked just down the street.” I pointed at the Jeep less than ten car lengths away.
He nodded. “Then I will walk you to your vehicle.”
I eyed him suspiciously and resumed walking. “Why? What’s it to you if I get home safely or not?”
“Are you this distrusting of everyone or just faeries?”
“Mostly of strangers who follow me from bars.” I gave him a pointed look.
He laughed. “Fair enough. I’m Conlan, and to answer your question, I don’t get many opportunities to be chivalrous. Plus, I like anyone who can go toe-to-toe with Faolin.”
“I wouldn’t exactly call tossing a few insults going toe-to-toe.”
“Then you don’t know Faolin,” he said. “Men wet their pants when he gets that look in his eyes.”
“Good thing I’m not a man then.”
We stopped at the Jeep, and I unlocked the doors. Violet climbed in, but I paused with my hand on the handle and looked at Conlan. “Can I ask you something?”
He gave me a cocky little grin. “Is it my phone number?”