Well, that wasn’t it, but I’d let him go with that assumption.
“Anyway, she’s in the neutral lands, a few hours south of Fenmoor. I’ll text you the coordinates.”
10
Briar? I Hardly Know Her
Ipulled up to the dive bar out in the middle of nowhere close to midnight, with forty-eight hours left in my contract. The building was old, with weathered, wooden siding and flickering neon signs.
A faded, crooked sign hung above the door—Selene’s Howl.
There were only a few cars in the dirt parking lot, and I found hers immediately. If the scent alone hadn’t given it away, the remnants of cat hair would have.
She was here.
I could hardly contain my excitement as I bent down to tie my shoe by her tire, slipping a small charm on the wheel well liner. Then I stood up, ran my fingers through my hair, and entered through the swinging doors.
A few scraggly-looking alphas who’d seen better days glanced up, giving me wary looks as I made my way to the bar.
My heart was beating so loudly I was sure everyone in the place could hear it. Sage’s scent, now fresh and straight from the source, invaded my senses, rendering all the rut potion I’d taken completely null and void. This close, I could detect more of the individual notes of her natural perfume—orange and a hint of rose.
A woman pushed through the doors to the kitchen from behind, carrying a sixth pan full of sliced limes.
A thick, powerful glamour covered her body, but I saw through it immediately.
Sage.
My bounty.
The woman I’d been looking for.
My…
My voice caught in my throat, and suddenly I didn’t even know what to say. Despite the wavy aura of the glamour, I could pick up on every aspect of her natural beauty that shined through. Her curly, chestnut brown hair and emerald eyes. Her skin, paler than in her pictures, was dotted with fading freckles.
She looked thinner too, but her hourglass figure was still visible under all her clothes. She was covered head to toe, wearing a cardigan over a sleeveless turtleneck paired with jeans. It looked hot, not only for the weather but for the kind of job she was doing. I’d worked in a few bars for a while after striking it out on my own, and even for a demon from Ignareth, I’d been a sweaty, hot mess most nights.
Her eyes widened as she saw me, breathing in deeply as her pupils dilated. She opened her mouth to speak, but then another customer called her over.
“Briar! Can I get another one?” He shook his empty glass, and she turned to look at him, a smile growing on her face.
How had I never noticed the adorable dimple in her cheek in all her photos before?
“I’ll be right there, Ephraim!”
Her voice…
It was like a feather running across my skin, causing goosebumps to erupt all over my body. Soft, lovely, calm… the kind of voice who’d whimper my name lovingly while I…
“What can I get you?”
The fantasy of me bending Sage over this bar and taking her from behind popped like a bubble, and I focused on the real, flesh-and-blood woman now looking at me.
“… Appletini.”
Her eyes sparkled in amusement. “Really? I haven’t made one of those before.”
Some of the other guys in the bar snickered, but I didn’t care. It was fucking delicious. “It’s really easy,” I said. Something about getting to teach Sage my favorite drink made the alpha in me purr from excitement. “Three parts vodka, one part apple liqueur, and a little lemon juice. Apple slice for the rim if you got ‘em.”
