Page 21 of Wake the Dream

Probably not.

Although if he found Illaria there waiting for him, he wouldn’t be surprised.

“You think I smell. What a joke. Are your senses overloaded from the sex you’re having with that fairy?”

Pembroke snickered, and Kieran couldn’t help the audible groan. “It’s called doing a job. Maybe you should try it sometime.”

Unwilling to wait for a response, he kept his head down and ignored the rest of his coworkers whenever one of them said—well, anything else. Only a few of them followed Pembroke’s lead, poking fun at his extra gift, at his sense of fashion, at anything they could think up in their tiny pea brains.

It didn’t matter. His gift had told him a few things about Daniel, including the man’s guilt—it felt like acid reflux—at not responding when Yelena sent him a message on the night she disappeared. He’d saved the photo, sure, then lost himself in thoughts of the nymph he saw on the side. At least it had given Kieran a good starting direction.

His gut told him to follow the photo. So, he grabbed a granola bar from his desk drawer, stuffed it in his mouth and bit the damn thing in half, taste buds exploding with chocolate and peanuts, then ran out the door a second time that day. The excitement caused his steps to quicken, his sneakers tighter than ever. He’d really have to invest in a good pair of quality boots. Maybe Pembroke was on to something.

Sliding into the front seat and cranking the key, Kieran took a moment to drag out his phone. Two missed calls from Illaria in the short time he’d been gone. Yikes. He’d probably need to get back to her sooner rather than later unless he wanted to risk her tailing him across oblivion. He could only imagine what the sparks of her temper would do once they met a fire spirit.

Mind filled with visions of a literal explosion, he typed the name of the club into his GPS to make sure he didn’t make a wrong turn.

He’d only set foot in Claw once before. It wasn’t the type of place, in his mind, that a sane human went if they wanted to feel safe. It was a gamble to start there without backup. He had no guarantee Shula would be there, either, as he had no knowledge of her shifts.

The best he could find was her social media, and using a backdoor code a gypsy had once granted the Hedgehill police department, he broke into her profile to gain whatever he could find about her. His slight guilt at the act was nowhere near the level he’d gotten off of Daniel.

Kieran found more selfies than one person should have physically been able to take. Including plenty of photos from outside the club.

His gut urged him onward. No distinct feeling, but aknowingsettling above his pelvic bone. He had long since learned to trust his instincts, as they’d kept him alive on more than one occasion.

Still, he paused in the parking lot, taking in the façade of the club and matching it to his memory of Daniel’s computer screen.

Yelena had been here two nights ago. In this physical location. And hopefully, the last person to see her on that night was here now. Otherwise he’d have to do a little more digging, which could really put a damper on his enthusiasm. He hated when leads turned bust. Especially considering how exuberant he’d been an hour earlier.

Stretching his arms above his head, Kieran blinked in the cool afternoon light, knowing the parking lot would be full in a few hours. Claw was the type of place where its patrons came out after dark and every employee had to be screened for discretion. There were just some creatures who were unable to keep their mouths closed, in more ways than one.

He’d hate to be there alone without his gift, unable to sense the real world around him and get mixed up with the unsavory characters frequenting the bar stools.

Kieran’s legs moved stiffly, his neck worse, and his stomach protesting the lack of real sustenance outside of the granola bar. He approached the door, wrapped his hand around the knob and tugged. It swung open easily, a result of too many patrons frequently passing through. He stepped into the darkness and it took his eyes a moment to adjust to the gloom.

Yup, exactly as he remembered it, although it had been years since the dare that first brought him through the door. A dive bar of the lower caliber, it catered to the patrons of the night who wanted nothing more than a warm body and a cold drink. Or perhaps a cold body and a warm drink. He didn’t judge.

It had dust and grime in spades. High bistro tables sat in the dusk of flickering fluorescent overhead bulbs. No windows broke up the severe concrete walls. Better to block out the sun or the moon, any kind of heavenly body reflecting light.

Past midnight, this place would echo with the cheers and moans of sin, packed to four walls with lowlifes and pleasure seekers. Right now, Kieran found it unbearably hot and reeking of stale booze.

“Hello?” His call echoed to the rear wall and bounced back to him.

Keeping his hands in his pockets, Kieran took a look around the place, making mental notes of details. Only one way in and out in this room: through the front door. There were no clear exit signs, and three more doors broke up the cinder blocks—two for bathrooms, or so he assumed, and one to kitchens or offices. He’d have to investigate further.

He shifted, angling his body to peer over the scarred bar top, when a female voice sounded next to his ear. “You find anything of note?”

Holy fuck!

It was only sheer willpower that kept Kieran from starting, the way the woman behind him had clearly wanted him to. Heart pounding and blood pumping like water in a log flume, he turned around with infinite slowness and came peeper to peeper with a pair of brown eyes. Red irises. The combination should have shocked him if he hadn’t been expecting something extraordinary.

“Nothing yet.”

Leaning back, he placed his elbows on the bar and stared at Shula. She stood with her hands on her hips and her head cocked to the side in a picture of innocence they both clearly knew she didn’t possess.

“I’m looking for you, actually,” he said softly, striving to match her playful grin. At last, his heart slowed back to normal and his gut stopped churning.

One eyebrow arched into the fuzzy mop of curls piled atop her head and disappeared. Her caramel-colored skin took on a glow in the hazy light coming from overhead. This was a woman who didn’t need an enchantment to be beautiful. She knew how to work her features, how to clothe her body for the most impact. Judging by the amount of skin she showed with the bright halter top and painted-on jeans, she also knew how to work the crowd for the best tips.

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