“I wouldn’t,” he murmured back, thumb sweeping once against my palm, “but you might.”
“Me?” I gasped.
“Definitely not me.” He cracked a smile, as if he were really entertained by himself before dropping his voice even lower. “Remember, the code phrase should be hidden in casual conversation among our three targets. I think it’s the warlock.”
I pursed my lips and studied the warlock and the fae closer this time.
The fae had an overconfident smirk on his lips while the warlock looked frustrated.
“Tell him now,” the warlock snapped.
The courier nodded and rushed out of the bar.
“You don’t know who I am,” the fae told the woman he spoke to. “That’s the only reason you won’t agree to the bargain, but I’m telling you, I have some information you might want to hear.”
“Not interested,” she sighed.
“I know the mission. I’ll get closer to make sure we aren’t missing anything,” I said sweetly, peeling away from his side and drifting through the crowd toward our fae target, letting my instincts guide me.
The fae’s gaze slid to me. I moved as if I were bait, drawing his attention from the other supernatural he’d been chatting up with ease.
The woman had taken her chance to leave, so I slipped into her seat across from the fae.
“Hi, I’m Sally,” I purred, fluttering my eyelashes at him. “What’s your poison?”
The fae’s blazing red eyes raked down to my cleavage and stayed there. “Anything you’d offer.”
“I’m not inclined to offer anything without some kind of encouragement.” I leaned forward, letting my breasts spill out of the sweetheart neckline of this fancy cocktail dress.
“Encouragement? After you just let my contract scurry away?” Flames licked up his fingers as he tapped themon the table. “Regardless, I’m very motivated to give you encouragement, Sally. Especially if you make a bargain with me. What do you want from this contract?”
“I’m a collector of information, if you will,” I explained.
His eyes didn’t meet mine. They were still glued to my breasts. This patron was a creep.
“I have some information.” He smiled slyly. “Any you could possibly want.”
“What were you going to tell her?” I pursed my lips into a pout.
“Make a contract with me, and I’ll tell you,” he whispered lustfully.
“My mate isnotmaking a contract with a fae.” Dimitri’s hand gripped my wrist and tugged me up and into his chest. I was suffocated by cinnamon and nutmeg and a feeling of home as I caught myself on his pecs. “I’ll give you an ultimatum. Tell us the information, and I won’t kill you.”
“Well, that’s no fun.” The fae sighed, moving his gaze from my boobs to Dimitri’s eyes before freezing.
“Tell us the information you were going to tell that woman,” Dimitri compelled him.
“Ice bleeds,” he croaked.
Dimitri broke eye contact and guided me away from the fae and toward the warlock instead, who was scribbling something on a napkin.
He lowered his head to my ear. “Try not to enjoy this too much.”
“Enjoy a creepy fae staring at my boobs? I didn’t. Oh, and jealousy doesn’t suit you,” I whispered.
“Neither does betrayal,” he said, voice velvet over a knife. “For this simulation, you’re my mate. Act like it. Let’s both stick to what we’re good at and get the code words.”
My heart swelled as I nodded. “Okay, but I feel like those were the code words.”
