Page 30 of Wake the Dream

“I can kick a little ass if I’m pressed,” Illaria finally agreed.

“Oh, I know you can! I’ve read your file, remember?”

He’d meant the statement in jest. And hated the way the spark of hope in her eyes extinguished. “Yeah, of course.”

She kept her head ducked down in the backseat of his car as he approached Claw for the second time. It looked no better now than it had when he left. He hadn’t expected it to.

“Stay down,” he muttered from the corner of his mouth. “Don’t let her see you.”

“I know what to do” came the Fae’s hissed response. Along with the silent demand for him to do his share. To get the information they needed for the next step of the investigation.

He shouldn’t have given in to her demands. He should have stayed strong even when his lips still throbbed from their kiss and he remembered the way she tasted. Magic and moonlight. Sweetness and surrender. Ugh, he would give anything to have one more taste of her.

No, those thoughts would have to wait.

Showtime.

Kieran stepped out of the car and again wished he’d remembered to change his shoes. The laces of his sneakers pressed down on him and ached with each step.

Shula waited for him inside with, supposedly, new information for him. The tape from the microphone tugged at his chest hair. He hoped to find something new on this scouting mission because otherwise he’d have to deal with a pissed-off Fae currently crouched and hiding in his car, telling him what a colossal waste of time this had been.

He’d rather face a firing squad.

Kieran pulled at the door handle and stepped into the darkness. A small light drew him closer to the bar, where a familiar head stared at him. Her hair had been done in two side poufs just above her ears, golden chains weaving throughout to draw attention to her dusky features.

“I wasn’t sure you’d show up.” Her voice, low and rich, echoed off the bar rafters.

“Yeah, well, some things came up at work but I made it here as soon as possible.” He kept his hands behind his back to keep from fiddling with the rather itchy tape on his chest. Hopefully, Illaria would be able to hear the conversation without any of the static, so he could act naturally enough to not tip off the fire spirit in front of him.

Shula looked like she’d rather be anywhere else. Even stuck in a dentist’s chair. She compulsively scrubbed at a spot on the dirty countertop. A spot Kieran would bet money didn’t exist.

“I wasn’t entirely honest with you earlier,” she stated hesitantly.

“I had a feeling. Especially when you called me again saying you wanted to talk. I’m glad you reached out to me.”

“My conscience wouldn’t let me get away with the lies. Yelena was my friend.”

Kieran snagged the one word in her sentence that gave him pause. “Was?”

Shula finally raised her gaze to his and he noticed the red rims around her eyes. They didn’t stand out significantly against her cinnamon skin, but he noticed them nonetheless. Having never interacted with a fire elemental before, he didn’t want to assume they were a natural part of her anatomy. Especially since they were remarkably similar in appearance to when an old female friend from his childhood had broken up with her boyfriend and spent the entire night crying.

“Shula,” Kieran said cajolingly when he sensed she was holding back, “you need to tell me so we can find Yelena. You used past tense when describing her. Please explain to me why you switched. The last time we spoke, you said she’d gone off but you weren’t sure where.”

Her breath hitched. “I said that because I haven’t seen her. She never goes for more than a day without talking to me. She’s always on her damn phone.”

“But you have no concrete evidence that she is...” He swallowed his words and hoped Illaria didn’t freak out. “No longer among the living?”

He swore the microphone vibrated. Surely it wasn’t reacting to a certain fairy screaming her head off?

Shula rubbed at her eyes. “No, I have no evidence.”

“So please, tell me what happened.” Kieran sat down at the bar and crossed one leg over the opposite knee. Leaning his elbows on the scarred surface, he fumbled trying to get his notebook out of his pocket without moving too much. Every time he moved, the damn tape tore at his chest hair. “I can’t help her without you. She needs you. She has a family worried about her, and anything you tell me today will help me find Yelena that much faster. Please.”

Sensing the situation, Kieran reached over and took hold of Shula’s hand, stilling her manic movement. The touch brought sensations of her life. He felt them deep inside, the knowledge accompanied by a strange burning feeling. Not altogether uncomfortable. More like holding his hand too close to a candle. It started slow, a mild heat, until the longer he held, the more his nerves began to scream.

I should have stopped her.

The words were inside his head in soft dulcet tones. He got the distinct impression of guilt and a hint of frustration, more than a little regret, and he released his hold to break the contact.

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