Chapter 8

It wasn't hard to track him down. One trip to the police station—and a little persuasion magic—pointed me to the traveling circus that was, fortunately, still in town.

Was it the most ethical move? No, but I wasn't above little tricks to achieve my goal. And my current goal was a certain pretty man.

The Black Cat Circus targeted humans in their marketing, but one sniff and I knew the place was swarming with magical beings. Among the smells was the faint scent of delectable honey. Sperm whale shifters didn't have the best noses, but it was like all my senses were tuned to this smell.

I followed the scent, and it took me through the entire carnival until I found him.

He was sitting behind an easel, working with what looked like charcoal. I couldn't see his art from my angle, but based on all the people waiting for him, I assumed he was skilled at his craft. My assumption was further backed by all the happy smiles of people as they left with the drawing in their hands.

The artist was focused on his work. His eyes would briefly flick to his models but were mostly pasted to the sheet in front of him. I wondered what it would feel like to have that intense gaze focused on me. I craved it, wishing I could be the model of his art, needing to know how he'd portray me on paper.

A part of me screamed to march up and demand his attention, but I didn't want to disturb him either. My solution was to stay there watching as he worked. The line moved quickly, but his pace never slowed.

I fell into a trance with him as he worked on one drawing after another. His slender fingers were stained with the charcoal stick he used as they flew over the easel.

Soon, the line disappeared, and I found myself in front of him, requesting my own drawing.

"May I have the honors?" I asked, gesturing to one of the stools he'd set up for the models.

He nodded dazedly, and fuck if he wasn't the cutest thing ever. I took a seat, so that I wasn't looming over him, and held out a hand for a shake. "My name's Tidun. I'm glad we got to bump into each other again."

Of course, I wasn't going to tell him I was looking for him. The man would think I was a stalker! An annoying voice in the back of my head said that my actions were pretty stalker-ish, but I firmly ignored it. This man might intrigue me, but if he wasn't interested, I wouldn't force it. At least that was what I was going to tell myself. I just had to pray this interest ran both ways.

"Conall," he replied after a beat and accepted my hand. And fuck me, the electric shot that sparked when our hands touched. This time, Conall seemed to feel it too as he jolted his hand back and rubbed it.

"Sorry, it must be the static electricity," I said. Conall peeked up through his long lashes and shot me a shy smile.

"Must be." He paused, then said, "I'm glad we bumped into each other again. I've been thinking about you."

"Yeah? I was waiting for your call, but it never came." His slightly flushed face turned a darker shade of pink, and he turned to focus on his drawing, using the easel to block my view of him. His actions were more alluring than they should be, and I was starting to wonder if there was a problem with my brain. Sure, I wasn't very picky with my men, but this feeling toward Conall was more complicated than a simple attraction should be.

He smelled human, but now I was wondering if he was a powerful wizard who'd hidden his scent and somehow cast a love spell on me. But then he spoke, and he sounded so shy and innocent that all thoughts of him using underhanded tricks on me flew straight out of my mind.

"I accidentally gave your business card to the police without jotting down your number first. So it wasn't that I didn't want to call you—I did! I just..." The words flew out at first before slowing down and drifting off. He used the back of his hand to wipe under his chin, leaving behind a charcoal stain.

My body moved before I could stop myself. I reached out and used my thumb to swipe at the spot. "I'm sorry I left you to deal with the police. And I meant it when I said I wanted to repay you, so how about dinner? Say tonight after you finish work?"

He froze, his hand pausing in mid-stroke against his paper.

Shit.

Was I too forward by asking him to dinner? I probably shouldn't have touched him without his permission either. Maybe doing both at the same time was a bit of an overkill.

Nervous and overthinking wasn't me. I knew what I wanted and went after it, and if the other person declined, it was their loss.

But this time was different. I cared about what Conall thought, and the possibility that he might reject me felt like being body slammed by a dolphin. They were puny against my whale form, but against my human form? Those sadistic mother fuckers might as well be loose cannons.

"I'd love to," Conall blurted out, and just like that, the gut-wrenching pain eased, turning into a fluttery lightness.

I rubbed my stomach, wondering if I'd eaten something spoiled. The rubbing didn't help. In fact, as I stared at Conalls glowing smile, the tingling in my stomach continued. I had to look away or risk hurling my guts out.

It was better when I didn't have to look straight at him, but then the intense urge to see him had me looking back, and so the cycle continued. If my stomach decided to play whirlpool every time I looked at Conall, then I was just gonna have to get used to it because I couldn't not look at him.

"And done."

Conall put down his charcoal, wiped his hands with a rag, then picked up his drawing. His smile radiated happiness and pride as he handed me the sheet of paper.

I thought he was cute before, but it was nothing compared to this look of confidence he had about his work. And that only solidified my plan to praise his art, even if it looked like dogshit. I'd do anything to keep him looking like that.

"Shit, you actually drew this?" I exclaimed when I laid eyes on what had to be a mirror in black and white because what stared back at me on the sheet of paper had to be my reflection.

I didn't even have to fudge the truth because Conall was pure talent. It was no wonder he had such a long line waiting for him. "This is amazing! And I can't believe it took you less than ten minutes."

"Wow, I can't wait to get ours next!" a girl squealed. I glanced back to find a few couples waiting their turn. I hadn't even noticed anyone coming up behind me, which was mildlyconcerning.

"I can't imagine what you could do if you had more time," I said, facing Conall again.

"Maybe we can arrange a longer session?" He gave me a flirty smile that went straight to my groin. Whoever said angels were pure hadn't met Conall, because this black-haired angel had me wanting to indulge in sin with him over and over again.

"I'd like that," I said before I wasinterrupted by a throat clearing. The couple behind me stared at us,impatience in their eyes.

"My shift ends in an hour. I'll meet you in front of the big tent?" he said, shooting me an apologetic expression. My annoyance quickly faded when I remembered our date later. I would get to see him again, so I pushed down the irrational urge to snap at the people behind me just for interrupting my time with him. A violent man who'd go around punching his clients was not the kind of impression I wanted to leave behind.

"I can't wait," I said, lowering my voice to a deep grumble and leaning close to him so that only he could hear. The blush that graced his face was going to be in the forefront of my thoughts until I could see him in person again.