MAX
“Here?”Mase eyed the outside of Stella’s with a fair amount of trepidation. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in there before.”
We watched a couple of shifters stagger out and three more go inside.
“Am I even allowed in there?” he whispered.
I laughed. “Yes, it’s a paranormal bar, and last time I checked you were part-fae.” I leant closer to him. “And you know they can still hear you when you whisper, right?”
“Yes,” he muttered, but still made no move to go inside. “When you said a drink after work, I was picturing something more along the line of Cassie’s.”
“What’s wrong with here?” Stella’s might be in need of a little TLC on the outside, but despite its appearance, the atmosphere inside was warm and welcoming. If it wasn’t for what we’d witnessed in the back room, I’d be looking forward to going inside. Not that I could let any of that show.
Mase turned to me, eyebrow raised.
I grinned at him. “Give it a chance.” He sighed but went to walk towards the door. I grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop. “Don’t forget that nothing we say in there will be private.”
His shrewd gaze flicked from me to Jake, then back again. “This has something to do with what I told you earlier, right?”
I see-sawed my hand. “Possibly.”
“Something you can’t talk about.”
We were alone on the pavement outside the pub, and I hadn’t caught the scent of anyone familiar but that didn’t mean unfriendly ears weren’t listening in on our conversation. “We’re just here to have a drink and wind down after a long day at work. If that newly discovered fae side of yours should kick in…” I shrugged. “So be it.”
Mase studied me for a beat longer but thankfully didn’t comment. Hopefully we were on the same wavelength now, though I suspected I was going to have to provide him with some sort of explanation when we were finally somewhere private. Which would be fun!
“We ready?” Jake asked, gesturing to the pub.
Mase nodded. “Yep. More than.”
Inside was busier than I’d expected for four thirty on a Thursday afternoon, but plenty of free stools sat in front of the bar, and that’s where Jake led us.
“Hi, guys.” The guy behind the bar greeted us with a wide smile and a lengthy once-over. “What can I get you to drink?”
According to my research, his name was Oscar Lynth, a level three witch. Technically speaking, I shouldn’t have sought that information without cause, but time was running out now. I figured the risk was worth it.
Oscar had worked at Stella’s for the past year and a half and had been rostered to work the night Jake’s dad had ended up unconscious on the back room floor. He’d been strangely absent when Jake and I had arrived, and Xen hadn’t ever mentioned anyone else being present.
We gave him our drink orders, and with little else to do, sat back to watch him pour two pints of Amstel and fetch a bottle of Peroni from the fridge. As off-the-record investigations went, this was one of the more pleasurable ones I’d done.
Oscar’s bright red hair fell slightly over his forehead as he worked. The way his shirt stretched over his biceps told me he was probably pretty fit under his uniform of a black T-shirt and jeans.
A sharp kick to my shin had me glaring sideways, meeting Jake’s unimpressed stare.
“What?” I mouthed, feigning confusion and fighting hard not to smile because Jake getting all growly and jealous was something I was totally on board with. Even if it was in the middle of a bar full of shifters. My wolf approved and I sat a little straighter, lips twitching as I lost the battle and grinned.
“Wanker,” he muttered, but I didn’t miss the way his gaze followed Oscar as he bent over to open the fridge.
So I returned the favour and kicked him back.
“Really?” Mase hissed, looking between the two of us.
I scoffed. “Like you haven’t snuck a peek.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
Lies. Mase might be soulbonded to my possessive alpha cousin, but that didn’t mean he was immune to noticing hot men. Oscar returned before I could call him out on it.
