Page 24 of Don't Bait Me (Nora Jacobs 3)

Laagh’s eyes flick to Parker. “Are you truly Terrance’sclan?”

Parker nods solemnly, and I bob my head up and down enthusiastically. “He claimed him on Thanksgiving,” I say. “Oliver Harrington, too. Do you know him? Really adorable sorcerer. Works for the FUA. They’ll both be moving into the den soon.”

Laagh’s jaw drops open. “A troll, a fey of unknown origin, a vampire,anda sorcerer?”

I chuckle. “We’re an unconventional family but a family all the same.”

Laagh doesn’t respond to this. I don’t think he has any idea what to say. He just continues to stare in disbelief for a minute. Eventually, he shakes himself from his stupor. “I will gather the info and leave a list with Terrance.”

His gaze skims over Parker almost as if he finds Parker lacking or insignificant, and then he holds his hand out to me. “I am in your debt, Ms. Jacobs. If there is ever anything you need, I hope you’ll come to me.”

His face softens, and I recognize the look in his eyes. I don’t want to shake his hand, but he’s holding it out to me, and it would be so rude to ignore it. When I offer my hand, he takes it in both of his and bows low over it until his forehead hits the back of my hand. I cringe at his thoughts.

Such a beautiful creature. And so strong. She shouldn’t be wasting herself on a vampire. She could be with any fey she wanted. I wish she would choose me. Perhaps I could spend more time with her working on this murder case. I could make her see that it’s better to be with her own kind.

I pull my hand back and force a smile, reminding myself that his attraction isn’t entirely his fault. I don’t like his disdain for vampires, though, and that surprises me considering my fear of them as a whole. Maybe it’s just because Parker is a vampire and I hate to think of anyone not liking or not respecting him.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t any help tonight. I’m normally not so useless.” I feel terrible that this trip was a waste. Especially when he seemed so desperate before and so hopeful that I could help him. “I promise I’ll keep trying. Let me know if you hear of anything else that could be helpful.”

Laagh’s face perks up. “I will. Perhaps we could discuss the list of victims together over dinner?”

He’s definitely asking me out. I force another tight smile as I step back. Parker’s arm comes around me, and even though it’s a completely possessive gesture, I’m grateful for his presence. “Nora and I already have dinner plans,” he says in a low voice. The warning in it is clear.

Laagh’s eyes flash with malice toward the vampire so fast it sparks fear in me. Parker responds to the glare with a hiss, and his eyes turn red. This got out of hand quickly. “Okay, enough!” I shout. I place my hand on Parker’s chest and force him to take a step back. I frown at him, then give Laagh a stern stare. “Thank you for the invitation, but I am already in a relationship.”Or three…“Parker and I will do whatever we can, and I will let you know what we figure out.”

Holding on to Parker because he’s still extremely pissed, I start to drag him away by the arm. We get halfway to the car when Laagh calls out, “You’re fey, Nora. You shouldn’t be wasting yourself on a filthy bloodsucker. He’s not good enough for you.”

There’s no way I’m responding to that. “Good night, Laagh.”

Parker and I are silent while we leave Laagh’s neighborhood. I’m upset over Laagh’s reaction to me, but I don’t know why. I shouldn’t be surprised. It’s nothing I haven’t gotten from men my entire life. But still. With all the men I know now who treat me more like a normal woman, I guess I just thought it was getting a little better. How stupid of me.

Parker’s soft voice breaks the silence, pulling me from my morose thoughts. “Are you hungry? Would you like to go get dinner?”

I’m suddenly feeling tired, depressed, and disappointed after that useless trip to the crime scene, where all I managed to do was put Laagh under my spell. “Honestly?” I sound as exhausted as I feel. “I’d rather just go home.”

Parker slides a glance my way, his face smooth as if he’s trying to mask his thoughts from me. After a moment, he gives me a small nod. “All right. Do I need to take you back to the club to get your car?”

I shake my head. “I drove in with Terrance.”

Parker nods to this and heads toward home. We fall into another awkward silence. I stare out the passenger window, trying to sort out the jumbled mess of feelings inside me that are spinning out of control for reasons I can’t explain.

When we pull up to the bridge, Parker throws his car into park and turns in his seat to face me. “I’m sorry I lost my temper,” he murmurs softly. “I shouldn’t have. I just really hated the way he looked at you. Please forgive me.”

The apology startles me. I hadn’t even thought about him getting angry. His reaction had seemed natural. “It’s fine. I get it. He was out of line. I’m not mad, I’m just…” I meet his gaze with a sigh. “I hate what I am—what I do to people. I don’t think Laagh would ever have spoken to you the way he did if I hadn’t entranced him.”

Parker scoffs quietly. “You’d be surprised. Most fey are very elitist. They think they’re better than everyone and have no problem saying so. Especially when it comes to vampires. Most of the races don’t care for us much.”

He may have a point. The first time I met Laagh, I was stuck in a cage next to his when I’d been kidnapped, and he hadn’t thought much of me as a human, that’s for sure. He’d been rude and insulting without caring in the least about my feelings. “I suppose you’re right, but still. He wasn’t acting like himself. Not really. Not by the end. I did that to him. I put him under a spell and made him behave out of character.”

“It’s not your fault.”

Agree to disagree. At my frustrated sigh, Parker exits the car and runs around to open my door for me. He helps me out of the car and walks me the few feet to my door. We stop there for a moment, an awkward pause settling between us, as if we’ve just been on a date and aren’t sure how to end it.

Parker reaches up to tuck my hair behind my ear. “Try not to be too discouraged. Things will get better. They already are. It’s getting easier for me.”

I gulp. I have a feeling I know what he means, but I still ask. “What is?”

“Touching you. Controlling myself. Not losing my head around you.”

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