7. Jess

"…and then we index the metadata." I lifted my glass for a sip, but it was empty. Crap. How long had I been explaining indexing? "Sorry. I've been talking your ear off. Tell me about yourself. Have you worked here long?"

"Don't apologize, it's fascinating." He looked like he meant it. "Been here about eight months. I've always worked as a bartender, but I finally bought my own place."

"You own this bar?"

He nodded.

Gravod was a great listener. He was also really good at deflecting. I felt certain that I knew, instinctively somehow, when he was lying or telling half-truths. Like about always being a bartender. That was a lie.

He was genuinely interested in my job, though. The questions he asked were insightful and intelligent. But I thought he'd slipped a few times, like when he said, "ancient records that survive are precious artifacts."

You mean like the records in your hellfire demon realm? Hard to keep paper from burning up there?

I was mentally filling the holes in his story. He'd told me he wasn't from here, without specifying where he moved from, and I gathered that he traveled a lot. From the way he greeted the guys who ordered at the bar, I believed they all knew each other. And I suspected that he was, in fact, their captain. Or had been. It was the way they deferred to him, even when they were ordering drinks.

Captain of what, I had no idea. Military? Merchant marine? Pirate?

It didn't really fit with my demon theory.

My guesses about what was going on were based entirely on my reading habits. I wracked my brain for all the books I'd read about fae and supernaturals who could "glamour" their appearance. A disguise made of magic and persuasion. Fae could have horns, right?

This was why I needed to talk to Char. She'd been here. She'd seen some of the same things I had. And she was a writer. I knew she'd have ideas.

Fuck.What if I was hallucinating? Annabelle hadn't noticed anything unusual.

None of this made sense.

Gravod wiped down the bar in front of me, drawing my attention to the flex of his forearms. I was starting to feel like I needed him to tell me something real, something personal. Something to ground me when everything else was so strange.

"Tell me about your family. Do they live around here?"

"One sister, younger. My parents are retired. What about yours?"

He didn't say where they lived, but I let it go.

"I'm an only child, no family around. My mom died when I was twenty, my dad when I was twenty-six. Both cancer."

I felt a sting of loss whenever I thought about them, smoothed over now by time, but always there.

"I'm sorry. I wish you didn't have to go through that." He started to reach out to me, then clenched his fist and let it fall to the bar.

"Thanks. Yeah, I miss them."

I didn't usually mention my parents on the first date. Was that what this was? Bringing up death made people uncomfortable. It put them on the spot to say the right thing.

But I felt like I could say anything to Gravod. Yes, he was being secretive. But his reactions to things I told him were genuine. Readable. He was sorry I had suffered, angry even. It settled something in me, made me feel cared for.

Maybe it was the conversation, or the drink, or Gravod's cologne, but I was willing to overlook...everything else. Each look he gave me felt like a caress against my sensitive skin, and the thought of him actually touching me made me breathless.

He leaned in over the bar, so close I could feel the air stir with his breath and the heat coming off his body.

"Want another drink?"

I nodded and watched him pour and shake. His silver eyes were on me as he licked his lips, and I could have sworn his tongue was unnaturally pointed at the tip. My pussy throbbed.

It was physical, that was all. I could do a one-night stand. It wasn't like I was looking for a boyfriend, not after Kevin.

Okay. Some little bit of rational thought told me that doing it with a horned, silver-eyed, sharp-tongued…whatever…might be kind of desperate and ill advised. That little bit grew bigger when I sipped the new drink and started telling him about Kevin.

"And then he sent an email implying I had too many staff members." I cursed under my breath, angry all over again.

"Where does he live?"

"Um…"

Gravod had a decidedly bloodthirsty look in his shiny eyes. I didn't like Kevin, but sending this guy after him seemed like a bad idea.

Annabelle saved me from answering when she leaned over and tugged my arm. Mathol had gone back to his table, and I assumed she was going to join him and his friends. They'd been laughing together a lot. He was broad and muscular, like a linebacker. Almost as hot as Gravod.

"Hey," she whispered. "I think I'm going home."

Gravod pretended to look busy behind the bar while I whispered back. I had the feeling he could still hear us.

"You aren't going after some of that?" I gave a slight head tilt toward Mathol's table.

Annabelle smiled and shook her head. "He's a sweetheart, but I got the impression he's spoken for." Her expression turned serious. "What's your game plan?"

I stared at her for a second, choosing my words carefully.

"Do you not see or sense anything weird with the guys here?"

She casually scanned the place. "I'll admit, there's something… I kind of have a tingly feeling. But it's more like…anticipation? I'm not feeling worried here. I'd like to come back again." Her eyebrows went up. "I do have this odd urge to help them with marketing." She shook herself.

"Well, you are good at it."

"Yeah, I'm swamped right now with clients." She sighed and looked around again. "Maybe I could handle one more. They could use some extra business."

This was the moment. I needed to make a decision. Stay or go.

Gravod made it for me.

"If you ladies are heading out, I can walk you to your cars."

Annabelle turned a huge smile on him. "That's so sweet, thanks."

I fought down a growl. What the fuck was wrong with me?

He nodded at her, but his eyes were locked on mine. "I'll close out your cards."

As soon as he turned his back to us, Annabelle stage-whispered at me. "Be sure to get his number." She winked, and I rolled my eyes.

I was definitely getting his number.

This was good, I told myself. Smarter. Better to leave now, before I did something crazy.

My heart didn't agree, though. It twinged with a pitiful ache at the idea of being away from him again.

"Mathol," Gravod called out as he put down our bills. Mathol practically jumped up and ran to the bar. "Man the bar while I'm out. I haven't seen Thylor or Ryoch."

Oh yeah, the redhead. I'd almost forgotten.

There was a tension in the air that hadn't been there before. It suddenly seemed a little dangerous. But something about Gravod radiated safety. Like he'd take care of me, protect me.

Or I was very horny and deluded.

Remember Kevin. You thought he was noble once.

Mathol straightened and nodded before walking around to the other side of the bar. He all but saluted.

Gravod came around to our side. His stride was graceful, almost stealthy, and when he stood in front of us, my mind blanked. He was so close, so tall. Six-seven? The top of my head reached his collarbone.

I found myself staring at the exposed skin there. Skin that I could sense was a deep red, even though my eyes told me it wasn't.

If Annabelle thought it was strange that Mathol was taking orders from Gravod, or noticed the air of danger, she didn't show it. I took a deep breath, pulling in more of that musky cologne, and felt calmer. My doubts quieted for a second.

Gravod led the way to the door, opening it and looking around the quiet parking lot before making space for us to come out. I paused just outside, but Annabelle seemed oblivious. She walked ahead to her car.

"Good night, Jess. Text me later." She grinned and waved, pulling out of the lot a minute later without a second glance.

It was only the two of us now, alone. We stood side by side, mostly in shadow, a few paces from the light of the sign over the bar. My body heated at the possibility that Gravod might touch me. But he just loomed next to me, like a wall.

A few moments passed. Doubt crept back in, and I wondered if I should ask for his number after all. Maybe he wasn't interested. I took a couple of steps toward my car.

An iron grip circled my waist. All the breath left my lungs as I was lifted off the ground, brought tight against Gravod's hard body. I was about to shout in protest, but then I craned my neck up to look at his face.

His eyes were glowing, and he brought a finger to his lips. I followed his line of sight across the parking lot to a stand of trees, keeping my mouth shut while my pulse raced.

Surprise and indignation at being grabbed were replaced by a combination of fear and…arousal. No guy had ever acted protective like this around me. Apparently, I was into it.

I couldn't see anything past the darkness. His grip on me loosened a fraction, and I whispered up to him.

"What is it?"

"Owl. Just caught a mouse."

"You can see that?"

His hand around my stomach flexed, and I was abruptly aware of the feeling of his strong arm banded around me. The wide spread of his fingers. All he had to do was move his hand up or down a few inches… My body gave an involuntary arch into his grip, and he tightened it in response.

"I have excellent eyesight." His voice rumbled through his chest against my back, and I trembled at the sensation.

Excellent eyesight, right. Because he's not human, Jess.Fresh air was a bitch.

I cleared my throat. "Oh. Well, I better be going now."

As soon as I said it, I wanted to take it back.

He slowly released his hold on me, and I almost stumbled when he finally let go. The loss of his touch left me unsteady, as though I needed it for all my body parts to function.

Higher-level thinking was beyond me at this point. The only thought in my head was to get back into his arms. I turned to face him, and his hands cupped my cheeks.

"So beautiful," he whispered.

My heart tripped at the reverent tone of his voice. Gravod lowered his mouth to mine, and I closed my eyes. It was as though time stopped.

His plush lips were firm, demanding. My skin tingled, and my body melted against his. I opened my mouth and finally, finally tasted him. Masculine spice and musk invaded my senses.

And his tongue. He started with tentative, shallow flicks that teased mine, and then he pushed in farther. Soon, I was almost choking on him.

My eyes sprang open, and my heart sped up with panic. Too much. Then another taste filled my mouth, almost lemony, and I relaxed. I was aware of his tongue teasing the back of my throat, but I didn't gag. Instead, the sensation made my pussy clench. I moaned, tilting my hips to grind against the hard bulge in his pants.

More.I wanted him deeper. I wanted to feel him everywhere. And it seemed like I did. His touch was around my waist, in my hair. Somehow, I even felt him circling my breasts with a finger.

My hands skimmed up his chest, stroking his washboard abs and defined muscles through his shirt. It was what I expected. But when I dug my fingers into his hair, I only felt scalp. No horns. It seemed…wrong.

Had I really just imagined them?

I forced myself to end the kiss and pull back, shivering slightly from the feeling of electricity in my veins. Then I froze.

Something whipped out from behind him and disappeared. Like a fucking tail.

The creature in front of me was one big lie. I'd dated a guy who wasn't what he seemed, and look how that turned out. I refused to go down that path again.

"Tell me what you are and what's going on."

Gravod's eyes widened. This was his chance to be honest, to gain my trust. I couldn't be with a liar, always wondering what was real and what wasn't. I knew my heart couldn't take that.

"I don't know what you're talking about."