Rafe simply tilts his bloody head to one side, staring at her with unblinking eyes.
Then, abruptly, the woman drops to the ground and begins to pluck at the tufts of grass.
“Oh my god! Grass! This is what grass feels like!” she exclaims, a wide, beguiling smile on her face.
It somehow transforms her from simply beautiful to…ethereal. Stunning. Breathtaking.
Fuck.
“Here! Feel!” She holds a blade in Zaid’s direction, who simply gapes at her, unsure of what to say or do.
I understand his dilemma. On one hand, she saved his life. On the other…
“Who the fuck are you?” Everett repeats, exasperation tinging his tone.
“Thea.” Still sitting, she extends a hand for the surly shifter to shake.
He doesn’t.
But I, unlike my neanderthal brother, have manners.
“Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Thea,” I say, leaning over her proffered hand to press my lips against her skin.
“So that’s what a kiss feels like,” she murmurs, her gaze fixed on where my lips touched her.
A flush crawls up her neck and seeps into her cheeks.
Has this stunning woman never been kissed before?
I feel my cock stir to attention at the prospect of her being untouched. Innocent.
“Thea.” Everett says her name like it’s a curse word, though if Thea hears the derision in his voice, she doesn’t show it.
She simply turns to him and smiles, waiting for him to continue his interrogation.
“What are you doing here? Were you following us? Did you send those hellhounds after all those people?”
The smile fades from her face, and her nose crinkles in a way I almost find…adorable.
Ugh.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
“Um. I’m here because I was doing a job, same as you, apparently. No, I wasn’t following you. Not really. I only stalked you for, like, five minutes, tops. And finally, no. I did not send those hellhounds after anyone. That would lead to more work for me.”
“She’s telling the truth,” Rafe says quietly, his head still canted at an odd angle as he studies her.
As a member of the fae community, Rafe is incapable of telling a lie. And as a blood fae, he can detect whether or not anyone else is lying. He says their blood has a “tell”...whatever that means. I think he’s full of shit, but I wouldn’t dare call him out on it. The last person who challenged Rafael ended up in thirty-seven different pieces.
I don’t necessarily like the way Rafe is staring at the girl now.
That unwavering intensity… I’ve only seen it a few times before.
And every time, the person who captured his attention ended up dead.
“If you weren’t following us, then why are you here?” Everett demands, his jaw twitching.
“I told you.” Thea stares at him like he’s daft. “I’m working.”
