“It’s a long story,” Kaillen cut in. He’d ordered a steak and was already halfway through it. It had to be at least fifty-six ounces, but since his bites were the size of my fist, he was powering through it. “But yes, that’s the reason I have a mark, although I’m sure it’s a story Tala doesn’t want to tell right now,” he added gruffly when Barnabas opened his mouth again.

The scent of jasmine and night wafted up from Kaillen, and when I caught how he was glaring at Barnabas and Fallon, daring them to ask anything further, my stomach dipped.

I looked down, so I wouldn’t do something stupid or mushy. But a warm feeling still gushed through me at how quickly Kaillen always acted to protect me. Few people had ever done that, because usually, it was the other way around. Me protecting Tessa. Me helping our employees. Me smoothing things over with our customers. Prisha sometimes showed feelings of protection over me, but it was different with her. She was a woman who commiserated with me more than anything. She never had a look of such violence on her face as Kaillen did now.

Using my knife, I cut more bites of the white meat, anything to distract myself from this quaking feeling of whatever it was growing in my chest. Because I was so used to being the strong one who never faltered, it had never occurred to me that with a partner like Kaillen, the responsibility could go both ways.

A tug came from the bond, as if questioning. I sent a soothing caress back to him, one of thankfulness and . . . love.

An immense burst of satisfaction flowed from him into me.

I cleared my throat and blinked rapidly. “Anyway, back to Jakub.” I gave Kaillen a shy smile.

My mate placed his hand on my lower back—just a simple touch. A simple gesture as if to say, I’m here. The bond pulled at me again, and I cleared my throat for the second time. Keep it together.

I finished the fae bird, then faced his friends clear-eyed, thank the gods. “Was it just me, or did any of you notice that the tattoos on everyone’s necks were glowing last night?”

“I saw that too,” Kaillen replied.

“Same,” Fallon chimed in.

“I also observed such an occurrence,” Barnabas added.

“But why would they glow?”

Kaillen frowned. “Magic would do that.”

“So the tattoos are spelled?” Fallon asked.

“That’s what I’m thinking too,” I replied.

“Spelled to do what?” Barnabas asked.

I shook my head. “No clue.” Frustration again bubbled up inside me. “Since we can’t know for certain why those tattoos glow, I guess the next question would be, how do we find out if Jakub died or not?”

Barnabas eyed Kaillen who’d also just finished his plate.

The hunter relaxed into his chair, his hand still on my lower back, only now he was making lazy circles, massaging and soothing my muscles and OMG . . . I was growing aroused.

I squirmed in my seat, and a smile tugged on my mate’s lips as his friends’ nostrils flared. Fallon politely kept his gaze off of me, but Barnabas gave me a knowing side-eye.

A warning growl rumbled in Kaillen’s chest, and the vampire wisely whipped his attention away.

So embarrassing.

“Do you still sense Jakub?” Barnabas asked Kaillen.

“Not in the way I normally do after I’ve tracked someone.” Kaillen frowned but worked his hand up my spine, and my entire body melted toward him, tingles of desire pooling between my thighs.

“So he could be dead?” Fallon cocked his head.

“Possibly, but like both of you, I wouldn’t consider this job done without proof,” Kaillen replied.

I nodded, even though I felt like jelly. Since I was damned near having an orgasm at an outdoor café, I forced myself upright and away from my mate’s alluring touch. “So now what?”

“Now we wait,” Barnabas replied.

My eyebrows shot up. “Wait?”

“It’s what we would be forced to do if this was a hired job.” The vamp inched back on his chair as a ray of sunlight hit his ankle. “I’ve had jobs that I’ve been hired for take years to resolve when unfortunate situations happen such as the one last night. Without proof of death, I can’t demand payment, so I wait. Sooner or later, the living always show back up, and when they do, I swoop in.” He grinned wickedly.

“Do you do the same?” I asked Fallon.

He inclined his head.

I worried my lower lip, not liking the idea of waiting, but without any further leads of what had happened to Jakub, what other choice did we really have?

I could activate the curse. I could see if I’m linked to Jakub.

But I brushed those thoughts off. That was too risky right now. Kaillen was right.

“Do you think there’s any way we can find out more about the tattoos while we wait?” I asked Kaillen. “Tessa was going to charm one of the SF members at her safe house and ask him to do research in the SF’s libraries. Maybe I could also ask her to see if they can find anything about the tattoos.”

He nodded. “It’s worth a try.”

“So, back to earth?” Fallon asked.

I shook my head. “No, Jakub’s wanted on earth. That’s why he’s here. My guess is, if he’s still alive, he’s still here somewhere in the fae lands.”

Fallon shrugged. “So we’ll stay here and see if we can flush him out.”

“Exactly,” I agreed.

That jasmine and night aroma emanated from my mate again. I could hardly blame Kaillen for feeling protective.

The four of us stood to leave, and while I hated not knowing what had happened to Jakub, we had at least learned one thing—the constellation tattoos glowed, which told us they not only identified Jakub’s crew but also served a magical purpose.

But what purpose? Exactly what kind of magic did those tattoos harness?

OceanofPDF.com

Chapter 22

After I wrote a letter to Tessa, asking her to request that Archie also look into glowing constellation tattoos during his library research, I sent it via a fae courier to the SF so they could deliver it to my sister. Following that, we retreated to our room at the inn, and I plopped onto the bed, frustration making me irritable.

“So what do we do now?” I asked Kaillen. “Jakub fled earth because he’s a wanted man, yet if he’s still alive and part of the European mafia, he probably has an endless supply of supernaturals working for him, so who knows how long he’ll be on the run.”

The mattress dipped when Kaillen settled beside me. “We’ll figure this out.”

“When? In weeks? Months? Years? How long will it be before he tries to abduct me again, if he’s even alive? This is beyond infuriating. I’m currently running for my life, I’ve abandoned my store, I haven’t spoken to or seen my best friend in days, Tessa’s hanging out in a desert, and for what?”

“Something tells me you’re angry and frustrated.”

“Did you pick up on that?” A small smile curved my lips at his teasing tone.

“A bit. It might have been the word infuriating, and the anger that’s coming from the mate bond.”

“Oh, right. I don’t even have to tell you now. You can feel it.”

“Something all mated males are thankful for.” When I cocked my head, he added, “Women can be difficult creatures to read at the best of times, but when your mate’s upset, it can be even more perplexing. I think that’s why nature gave mated males the bond. That way, we can understand you better so it’s easier to please you.”

I snorted. “Please me?”

“Yes, please you. Don’t you feel that for me?”

I frowned, realizing we were getting off track, but I was too curious to stop this tangent now. “Kind of? I don’t know. I want you happy, but I don’t feel the need to please you.”