Axel grinned. “You left Kari out front. You know she loves me.”
I snorted. Everyone loved Axel. I didn’t know how he’d managed to fuck more than half the staff here and yet still remain friends with them all.
Actually, that was a lie.
I was a walking example of it. Axel was honest to the point of bluntness and yet so charming it was impossible to not love him.
As Axel came in and took the seat next to Mase, my traitorous gaze drifted behind him to the half-opened door.
“I didn’t bring him.”
“Who?”
They both laughed at me.
“Fuck off,” I muttered, cheeks heating. “What are you doing here anyway?” I asked Axel.
“Since we’re not going through the gateway until Monday now, I came to see if you needed any help either getting ready for tonight or behind the bar later?”
“You could’ve just as easily called.”
He shrugged. “I could’ve, but I also promised Dathal I’d buy him something to wear for tonight.”
“Did he not bring clothes with him?”
Axel snorted. “Of course he did, but nothing suitable for clubbing.”
Dathal had worn trousers and a shirt to the police station. I remembered because the material of his trousers had felt soft under my fingers, and it had also hugged his arse like a glove. The shirt he’d worn had implied a firm body hidden underneath it, and I’d had a hard time not staring at the way it pulled across his shoulders.
“He only has a limited amount of clothes for over here,” Axel explained. “And there isn’t really a need for tight jeans and sexy tops in his usual line of work.”
I was immediately torn between asking what sort of clothes they did wear in the Fae Realm and picturing Dathal in a pair of skinny jeans and… well… not a lot else.
“So, do you?” Axel prompted.
I’d totally lost track of what we were talking about. “Do I what?”
“Need help getting ready for tonight or behind the bar later?”
Oh, that.
I shook my head. “Thanks for the offer, but surprisingly, I think I’m all set on both counts.”
“Okay. I guess we’ll just turn up and have a good time then.”
I expected Axel to leave to go shopping or whatever he had planned, but both he and Mase sat there, staring at me expectantly. “What?”
They shared a glance, and I sat back in my chair, sensing I wouldn’t like where this conversation was going.
“About Dathal…” Axel started.
“What about him?” I didn’t mean to, but I felt myself getting defensive. If I still had my magic, it’d be crackling under my skin by now, matching my mood.
Axel scrunched up his nose, not something I’d ever seen him do before, and it looked so out of place in conjunction with his black T-shirt, black jeans, and biker boots that I had the sudden urge to laugh. “He’s my cousin and I love him, but he’s only here until they discover who’s refining and selling the Blue Alhuirn.”
“What’s any of that got to do with me?”
“He likes you.”
