Page 29 of Don't Bait Me (Nora Jacobs 3)

“Wait.” Why does this sound like a date? There’s no way I’m going to have drinks with him. “Why don’t you just—”

“Eleven p.m. Don’t be late.” I don’t even know what to say. “And Miss Jacobs?”

I’m so flabbergasted I can’t seem to find my voice to refuse him. “Huh?”

He chuckles again. “I look forward to meeting you.”

The line goes dead before I can protest.

Parker is not happywhen he arrives with all of his stuff, and I explain to him what happened. He broods about it all evening and hardly says a word to me on the drive to Underworld. When we reach the club, Terrance is already there and doing his favorite job—manning the entrance. “Parker. Nora. What brings you here? I thought you were going to look into the families of the victims tonight.”

“That’s what we’re doing,” I say, exasperated.

Parker shoots me a glare. “She set up a date with Illren Kovros.”

Terrance stiffens and glares at me also. “You agreed to a date withIllrenKovros?”

I throw my hands in the air and groan. “It’s not adate.And I didn’t set it up. It was more like he demanded I meet him and hung up before I could argue.”

“You don’t understand,” Parker snaps. “Illren Kovros is dangerous. He’s a mercenary. A killer for hire. A damn good one, according to his reputation.”

Fear grips me as I pit this new information against the impression I got from him on the phone earlier. It’s easy to imagine the man I spoke to as a killer. The blood drains from my face as a horrible thought occurs to me. “You don’t think he’s the one we’re looking for?”

Parker and Terrance share a worried glance. That neither of them immediately refutes the idea has me trembling. “Maybe we shouldn’t meet with him. There are other people from the list that we could talk to. Maybe we should visit the goblins instead.”

Terrance shakes his head. “You’ve already agreed to meet with him. You can’t insult him by standing him up.”

“I’m not sure I everagreed,” I grumble. “And what if he’s the killer?” I nearly shout this question. Several people in the line waiting to get in the club shoot me curious glances. I lower my voice and hiss, “I can’t meet with a murderer.”

Parker sighs. “We have no choice. You donotwant to insult Illren Kovros.”

“But—”

“Terrance and I will be there,” Parker says, ushering me in the door.

Terrance says something to the bouncer standing beside him and follows us inside. “Rook and Wulf are here, too,” he adds. “We’ll all be with you. Even if Illren is the killer, he wouldn’t try anything with all of us here.”

“And you’ll know if he means you harm,” Parker says. “Your gift will tell you that much. All you’ll have to do is say the word at the first hint of danger, and we will take care of him.”

He has a point. They both do. I’ll know right away if this Illren guy means to harm me in any way. And who would mess with a woman accompanied by a vampire, two alpha wolf shifters, and a troll? “He did say he has information he thinks could be helpful. May as well see what he has to say.”

We head for the bar in the main room. It’s a weeknight, so the club isn’t very busy. Wulf greets us with a smile that falls off his face when he takes in our moods. “What’s wrong?”

“Hopefully nothing,” Parker says. “We’re meeting with a fey mercenary about a couple of the killings. He seems particularly interested in Nora. We have no reason to suspect trouble, but we’re not taking chances.”

Wulf nods to this and pulls a walkie-talkie off his belt. “Rook. Get up here. Nora needs some backup.”

It doesn’t take Rook long to appear, and after he’s filled in on the situation, I slide onto a barstool and try to take slow, calming breaths. I’m starting to get twitchy from anticipation. It’s five minutes till eleven. “So where do I find this guy, anyway? Do any of you know what he looks like?”

“I believe you’re looking for me,” a quiet voice says from too close behind me.

By some miracle, I manage not to jump out of my skin, but I do shiver. Illren sounds even more dangerous in person than he did on the phone.

I steel my nerves as I turn to face the man, but I still gasp softly when I see him. He’s beautiful—as gorgeous as Ren, and Ren’s a damn incubus. This man is a different kind of good-looking than Ren, though. He’s frightening in his beauty. His features are perfectly symmetrical and slightly feminine, but somehow he still looks powerful and dangerous. His eyes, an otherworldly violet, tell a dark story of intelligence and secrets. He’s got long, shiny black hair that’s pulled back from his face, showcasing his pointed ears. It falls past his shoulders and has a slightly wild, windswept look to it much like my hair does since my original glamour broke. If I could sum his looks up in one word, I’d use the termlethal.

“Illren Kovros?” I ask, willing my voice to sound steady and confident.

Illren dips his head in acknowledgement while keeping his eyes locked on me.

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