Frowning, I continued to study the guy. For the life of me, I couldn’t read him. Everything about him was a blank slate. Even with his amber eyes focused on me again, he was a closed book.

I had a feeling that if it came down to combat, he would be on top of me with a knife to my throat before I could even summon my magic.

A small smile curved my lips. Perfect. He was exactly the kind of hunter I needed.

I drummed my fingers against my thigh. “So, about hiring you—”

“Why did you try to stop those half-demons outside?”

His abrupt one-eighty in conversation took me so completely by surprise that I didn’t reply. Prisha nudged me. Oh, right. I’d completely forgotten my bestie was even there.

I crossed my arms, realigning my thoughts. “I tried to stop them because I thought they were going to kill you.”

A sardonic smile lifted his lips. Ha! So the hunter did have emotions, but apparently, he thought I was full of shit. Huh. I shifted my weight onto my other foot, my arms still crossed tightly over my chest. “Is that comical?”

“You actually expect me to believe that you didn’t know who I was? Or that you were capable of saving me from three fully grown half-demons? If you’d interfered, you would have been killed, so you’re lucky that those three lost interest in your game. And by the way, if that was your way of trying to get my attention so you could hire me for a job, it was pretty pathetic.”

Oh, so there it was. He thought my momentary quest to be the hero had all been an act, or a game, or a way to impress him, or perhaps all three.

Never mind that Prisha and I had been genuine in our desire to save him, even though he’d obviously not needed our help. But how was I to know that he was the Fire Wolf? He certainly hadn’t looked like a hunter when he’d been pinned against a wall, all bloody and helpless.

But given how his smoldering amber eyes were looking at me like he wouldn’t believe me no matter what I said, I didn’t even try to defend myself. ’Cause guess what, Prince of the St. Louis Underbelly? I don’t need to prove myself to you. I just need to hire you.

He continued watching me, as if waiting for me to attempt a defense. Instead, I just shrugged. “You can believe what you want—I don’t really give a shit—but if I happen upon someone getting beaten and ganged up on in the Shadow Zone again, I’ll remember your sage words and cower in the street corner like the good little weakling that I am.”

His smile disappeared, and his eyes burned red for the merest second.

Oops. I hadn’t meant to go that far, but really? Egotistical jocks were my pet peeve.

Still . . . Me and my sharp mouth were going to fuck this up. Seriously, Tala. Can’t you just be a soft feminine witch for one damned night? You probably just blew your chance at saving Tess.

On pins and needles, I waited for him to wave me away like an annoying fly. I wasn’t the only one waiting for that since Prisha whispered under her breath, “You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?”

“I know,” I muttered.

But instead of banishing me from his kingdom, the Fire Wolf took another drink of his half-gone beverage. When he finished his swallow, he placed his drink down and leveled me with an unflinching stare.

My insides flipped at the look in his eyes. Of course, it didn’t help that the Fire Wolf had turned all of his attention on me. All of it. Damn . . .

His nostrils flared. I knew he’d just caught my aroused scent, something a werewolf was perfectly capable of.

Brilliant. Now I was not only acting like a complete idiot, but I was also acting like a true groupie.

Well done, Tala. At this point, you might as well offer a blowjob since you’re no different than every other female in this joint.

“Okay, I’ll play along.” He leaned back and draped an arm casually over the booth. The movement begged one’s attention to shift to his slabbed chest, but I managed to restrain myself. “So you had no idea who I was and you were merely trying to help. Is that what you’re saying?”

I shifted from foot to foot. My vagina and I were seriously going to have a conversation when this night was over. “Yes.”

He waved his arm around the room. “In case you haven’t noticed, nobody here helps anybody. This is an every-man-for-himself kind of place.”

Even though my eyes kept trying to stray to the muscles visible through his shirt, I somehow managed to reply, “And in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve never been here before, so I’m not exactly up to date on the rules. Is there a manual somewhere I could look at?”

His eyes grew hooded, those flames making an appearance again.

Prisha kicked me.

I groaned internally, but the Fire Wolf obviously brought out my snappy side. In my defense, I was a bit stressed out, and I was getting sick of him not giving me a straight answer.

The memory of Tessa’s fear when she’d been taken washed over me. It’d been hours since she’d been abducted. We were wasting time. I needed to hire this egotistical fucker, or head back to the SF and hand my life over to them.

A gyrating body bumped into me causing me to accidentally step into the dead zone. The Fire Wolf looked at my feet, then back up at me.

I took a step back and decided to give this one more shot—no bullshit, no sarcasm, just an adult conversation. “Look, I’m truly here because I need to hire you. My sister was abducted this afternoon, and the Supernatural Forces won’t help me. You’re my only hope.”

He cocked his head, and for the first time a crack of curiosity shone in his amber-colored eyes. “Why won’t the Supernatural Forces help you?”

“Long story.”

“But that’s what they do. They’re the protectors of citizens—the knights in shining armor—to someone such as yourself.”

“Such as myself? And who would that be?”

He smirked. “A well-off supernatural female who works nine to five, pays her taxes, follows the law, and never ventures to places like this.” He waved his hand again at the erotic display behind us.

Wow, judgmental much? Although, he wasn’t actually wrong about the nine to five and taxes . . .

I arched an eyebrow. “And paying taxes is a bad thing? Seriously, what does that even matter?”

His expression grew blank again, and that brief flash of curiosity disappeared. “You should try the SF again and stop wasting my time. I can’t imagine they’d actually turn you away.”

Wasting his time? Wasting his time? I took a step into the dead zone, not even caring when fire crept into his irises. “But they did turn me down. My sister has a long history with the SF, and they don’t believe me that she was abducted. That’s why I’m here. Time is ticking. I need someone to hunt her down before it’s too late.”

He lounged back in his seat again, and I knew that I was losing him.

Although, considering what I saw in my peripheral vision, perhaps it was because I wasn’t the only woman in the dead zone anymore. Fairy-who-liked-pogoing-on-guys-dicks was back, except this time she’d brought a friend.

Lovely. It was like the vagina rebellion. Prince of the St. Louis Underbelly’s personal space was being thoroughly invaded.

The Fire Wolf flicked them an irritated glare. They both stood off to my side, caressing and kissing one another. Of course, the fairy and her friend were mostly naked save for a strip of fabric that apparently counted as underwear. It was as if they were hoping their erotic display would entice Mr.-King-Here-On-His-Throne to come down to join the lowly peasants.

I snorted. Good luck. He probably only fucked vaginas coated in gold.

“Did I miss something?” I said briskly when Pogo Fairy snaked a finger up her friend’s thigh to her nether region.

The Fire Wolf picked up his drink again.