As first impressions went, I liked him.
I got nothing but good vibes coming off him, instinct telling me there was no cause for concern. Besides, if he and Dathal had history and were still happy to see each other, then clearly Dathal trusted him too. And that was good enough for me.
As soon as Lady Sarhin and Chylath disappeared back through the gateway, Nick rounded on Dathal.
“So… you and Chylath?”
I was impressed he kept his voice neutral, considering the scents I was picking up.
Dathal’s lips twitched. “What about us?”
“You were together?” Nick had his arms folded, curiosity winning out at the moment.
“We fucked, if that’s what you mean.” He grinned, walking to stand in front of him. “Are you jealous?”
Uncrossing his arms, Nick sighed, then mumbled, “Little bit.”
Dathal laughed, looking delighted. “And I’m going to be working oh so closely with him.”
This time Nick rolled his eyes and huffed. “I’m so glad you find my emotions amusing.”
Cupping Nick’s jaw, Dathal waited until he looked at him. “It’s funny because it’s like a role reversal of when we first met.” He kissed him quickly before stepping back. “At least I didn’t fuck your cousin.”
Nick groaned, but let his smile chase away the frown he’d been wearing. “Fine. Point taken.”
“As fun as this is,” I said, clapping my hands together, “I have other things to do today than watch your weird form of foreplay.”
Nick blushed, but Dathal was as completely unbothered as usual. “You headed back to the station?” he asked. “I could come with you.”
“Eventually. I want to stop by Blake Tehlin’s house and check in with him.” After what happened with Melhak and the rogue fae guards, Blake had returned to the Fae Realm while his house was cleaned and returned to the condition he’d left it in. He’d only been back for a little over a week.
Dathal’s expression sobered immediately. “In that case, I’d like to come with you.”
“Of course. It’ll be good to have another fae with us.”
“If Dathal’s going with you, is it all right if I meet you back at the station?” Mase asked. “I have a couple of pack-related things to sort out with Rys.”
“Yeah, no problem.” Trying not to sound too eager, I added, “You still okay for a drink after work?”
I half expected him to say no, now that we were away from the office, but he didn’t. “Sure.”
“Perfect.” I patted him on the shoulder. “See you later.”
We parted ways with Nick and Mase, and I slipped into the driver’s seat to take us to Blake Tehlin’s house.
The whole way there I went through various scenarios of how to get Mase to try and use his newfound magic on the bartender at Stella’s without having to tell him why.
By the time we pulled onto Blake’s drive, I still had nothing.
Awesome.
