“Ooookay… that doesn’t boost a guy’s confidence or anything.”
A nervous laugh escaped me. “You’re a handsome man, Schwint. No need to be insecure.”
“Oh, I know! I’ve been around the block enough to know the glory that is me.” It was nice to hear some of the fun in his voice again. “However, I also know I’m nowhere near demon caliber.”
I didn’t deny it. It would be pointless. “Neither am I.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that. And don’t think I didn’t notice the avoidance of the real topic there. Very unsmooth.” He let out a soft chuckle.
“Are you really sure you want to talk about Brett on our first date?”
“Good point! Not a good plan bringing up gorgeous demonic ex-boyfriends.” He motioned to one of the signs above the highway. “Take that next exit. I think I can get us there by a shortcut. As much as fairies love a party, I doubt they will outlast this clusterfuck of a traffic jam.”
“Okay.” I looked in the passenger mirror in time to see another open space and darted over, earning me a blaring honk from the SUV I’d cut off.
“So, your parents were able to handle you being at the Square all right?”
Turning to him, I gave him an exasperated face. “You are really picking light and flirty conversation for our first date, aren’t you?”
“Oh, I thought you wanted me to stay away from light and flirty.” He cleared his throat with a couple of exaggerated coughs, then dropped his voice to a deep, raspy tone. “I’d love to tell you where my fingers are going to be this evening when your cock is snaking down my throat.”
My cheeks ignited, but I ignored his insinuation. “Considering they’d just heard their only son had been spending time at a place known to be crawling with the dregs of our society, I’d say they did pretty well.”
“So, you don’t wanna hear my fingers’ plan, huh?”
I kept my eyes averted.
“Works for me. My fingers would rather keep it a surprise.” He waited for a reaction, which I refused to give. “You really are quite beautiful when you’re blushing. So, your folks are okay with you going out tonight, even though you told them about the Square?”
I guffawed. “I’m twenty-six! And I own my own home. I hardly need my parents’ permission to go on a date.”
“Well, you are a little sheltered. Just making sure.”
“Ass.” I grinned at him. “And my parents trust me. Which amazes me after the past few months, but they do. The only thing that really worries them is the warlock that keeps talking to me.”
Schwint’s brow furrowed. “A guy from the Square that’s asking you for a date or something? You pick yourself up a stalker?”
“Not hardly!” I couldn’t suppress a laugh at the thought of the owner of the voice fostering a secret crush. “Just a voice that keeps taunting me, from the Square.”
“A voice? In your head?”
I nodded.
“Huh. That’s new. I haven’t heard about that being a side effect of anything at the Square.”
“Yeah, still not really sure what it all means. I’ve talked to one of the nymphs about it. She’s the one that told me it was another warlock.”
“I’ve heard about the nymphs. I’d love to meet them sometime. In some ways, they remind me of us fairies—all about nature and such, but much more serious.”
It was a strange comparison, one that kind of threw me off. “Yeah, I honestly can’t imagine two more different species.” The exit came up, and I pulled the truck onto the exit ramp. I could see past the cop cars, and the traffic jam didn’t seem any better farther up. “What do you mean you’re both into nature?” Even as I asked, I felt like an idiot. Of course fairies were about nature. I wasn’t that sheltered. Being on a date must be making me nervous. Schwint was making me nervous.
Surprisingly, he didn’t make fun of me for my stupid question. “It’s where we get our powers, from nature. I guess part of the difference is that we get our power from nature, and the nymphs are part of nature’s power. I’ve never really understood why the nymphs are connected to witches. It seems like they should be connected to us instead.”
I didn’t have an answer for that. Not a real one, at any rate. I’d heard there was quite a bit of resentment from other species at the symbiotic relationship we held with the nymphs. “Well, our powers are based in nature as well. Typically, we excel at one area of nature over the others. That’s why we tend to be more connected to one of the nymphs more than the other three.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that. That’s part of what I don’t get. We, fairies, are connected to all parts of nature equally. We can access all the elements. And technically, you get your power from your demonic ancestors—not nature itself, at least not originally.”
I couldn’t argue with the demon aspect. I remembered hearing that about fairies. But I’d also heard that while they had the most magic of any species, or the greatest range, they weren’t nearly as powerful as witches—at least most of us. I didn’t think that would be a good thing to bring up. We’d already talked about exes and family issues on the first date. Three might not be a charm in this case. “I don’t really understand how it all works myself.”
