by Karen Lynch
Violet tossed her hair over her shoulder, her blue highlights almost the same shade as her dress. “I told you Va’sha has a specific dress code, and they’re very selective about who they let in.”
“Can’t I just flash my Agency ID at them?” I whined through chattering teeth.
“Where’s the fun in that?” She grinned slyly and struck a pose that hiked up her short skirt even more.
A minute later, a dark-haired faerie in a black shirt bearing the nightclub’s logo walked down the line, pointing at some of the people there. When he reached us, his eyes slowly swept up Violet’s body from the painted toenails peeking out of her silver stilettos to her glossy hair.
“You,” he said, pointing at her.
She took my arm and tugged me forward. “And my friend.”
He took in my red mini dress with the plunging V-neck bodice and strapless heels that made my bare legs feel impossibly long. His gaze lingered on my hair, which Violet had insisted I leave down tonight, save for the small section on either side that I’d pinned back. Smoky eyes and red lips completed the look.
Desire blazed in his eyes, and a sensual smile curved his lips. “Definitely you.”
“I have a feeling you’re going to be quite popular tonight,” Violet joked under her breath as we stepped out of the line.
People grumbled when Violet and I followed the faerie to the door, but I was too happy to be getting out of the cold to pay them much attention. We entered the club where a woman took our jackets and phones. Va’sha was a popular spot for celebrities, and it did what it could to protect their privacy. No cameras or recording equipment were allowed inside, and the paparazzi were banned.
A male faerie waited to usher us up a flight of stairs to the main floor of the club as if we were VIP guests. Violet took it all in stride, which made me suspect this was normal in Fae clubs.
“What do you think?” she asked when we reached the top of the stairs.
I looked around the night club, which was dimly lit by red and blue lights in the high ceiling. In the center of the room was a small, round dance floor that could barely accommodate the dozen or so couples on it. On either side of the floor was a curved wooden balustrade that separated the seating area from the dancers.
At the far end of the club was a bar, backlit by shelves of liquor. In a corner to the left of the bar was a raised DJ platform, and on the right were the stairs to the upper floor, most likely the VIP section, judging by the closed gate at the top of the stairs. A popular Hip-Hop song filled the club, but the volume was low enough to talk over. Faeries didn’t like loud music, and Va’sha was a place where faeries and humans came to hook up.
“It’s nice.” I craned my neck to see the occupants of the tables and booths, but from here it was impossible. I suspected that was by design.
A flurry of activity near the upper floor railing drew my attention. I looked up at a group of male faeries and human women, that included a famous pop singer, an A-list actor, and Prince Rhys. Violet hadn’t been kidding when she’d said Va’sha was the place to be.
I should have known the Seelie prince would be here since it was well-publicized that he loved the New York party scene. I wasn’t thrilled about being in the same club as any of the Seelie guard, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it.
A cold breeze wafted across the bare skin of my back, and I took Violet’s arm to lead her toward the bar.
She waved at the dance floor. “Let’s dance.”
“You do remember that I’m here to do a job.”
“You said she won’t be here until after midnight. And you know what they say about all work and no play.” She pouted prettily. “Come on, Jess. Let’s play a little.”
I held up a finger. “One dance.”
“Two,” she countered as she grabbed my hand and tugged me onto the crowded dance floor.
Three dances later, breathless and laughing, I dragged my protesting friend from the floor.
“But I love this song,” she complained. “One more dance, pretty please.”
I checked my watch. “She’ll be here soon, and I’m thirsty.”
“I’ll dance with you,” said a female voice.
We turned to see a dark-haired faerie in a white dress made of a material so fine you could make out every curve of her body. She spared me a quick smile, but she had eyes for only Violet, who looked like she was in love. Or in lust. With Violet I could never be sure.
Violet blushed. “I’d love to.”
“Have fun,” I said as the faerie took her hand and led her away. Violet went so meekly I would have suspected a glamour if I hadn’t made sure she was wearing a talisman tonight.
Heading to the bar, I ordered a sparkling water and drank it while I scanned the club for my target. A few male faeries smiled my way, but none of them approached me, which was a pleasant surprise. Violet had warned me my hair would attract a lot of attention, and I’d almost worn a wig tonight. I guessed that in a place like this with so many beautiful women, one redhead didn’t stand out much.
I finished my water and turned to do a walk about when a male faerie with long, dark hair stepped up beside me. “Hi. I’m Dain. May I buy you a drink?”
“No, thanks.”
He laid a hand on mine to stop me from leaving. “Perhaps you’d care to join me upstairs in the VIP area. Prince Rhys is in attendance tonight, and I can get an introduction for you.”
I extracted my hand from beneath his. “I’m waiting for my friend to come back.”
“The beautiful girl I saw you dancing with? She is welcome to join us.”
“We’d rather stay down here,” I said, even though I knew Violet would kill to get invited up to the VIP section. What she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her, and she looked pretty happy where she was.
He blinked as if he hadn’t heard me correctly. “You don’t want to go to the VIP area and meet the prince?”
It was on the tip of my tongue to say I’d already met Prince Rhys when a voice I knew all too well spoke from behind us.
“Jesse?”
Dain and I turned at the same time to face Lukas, who stood a few feet away, looking like he’d walked straight out of Modern Fae magazine. He wore black trousers, a white top, and a charcoal blazer with the sleeves pulled up to reveal his strong forearms. My heart beat erratically at the scorching heat in his stare threatening to turn my little red dress to cinders.
Lukas’s expression changed in an instant, making me wonder if I had imagined it. His brows knitted in the beginning of a scowl, and I could almost feel the chill emanating from him when he turned his gaze on the faerie at my side.
Dain stepped away from me. “Your Highness. I didn’t realize. I’ll be on my way.”
I stared after him as he nearly ran away from us. What the heck was that about?
“What are you doing at Va’sha?” Lukas asked.
I swung my gaze back to his. “Is there a reason I shouldn’t be here?”
“You don’t go to nightclubs like this.”
“Don’t I?”
He looked surprised by my cool response, and I had no idea why. I’d made it clear at his place, three days ago, that we were not friends. I’d had information he needed, and he had the power and resources to deal with the threat to my family. It was a business arrangement, and unless he had some news for me, we had nothing to talk about.
Someone let out a wolf whistle. I looked up as Conlan and Faolin came to stand on either side of Lukas.
“Jesse, you are a vision.” Conlan made a show of ogling me, and for a moment, it felt like old times.
“Thank you.”
He slanted a look at Lukas. “And here we thought tonight was going to be boring.”
That reminded me we were at a club where faeries came to hook up with humans. I glanced around at the beautiful women nearby checking out Lukas, and I felt a tiny stab of something that was definitely not jealousy.
I stepped away from the bar. “I
need to get to work.”
“Work?” Lukas echoed.
“Yes. I’m actually here on a job.” And now he knows you have no life. Nice.
Conlan waved at my outfit. “If this is the new female bounty hunter uniform, I wholeheartedly approve.”
Lukas scowled, and I wasn’t sure if it was meant for Conlan or me. “What kind of job brings you to Va’sha?”
“A nymph.”
I didn’t need to say more. Everyone knew that if you wanted to catch a nymph, you had to go where they liked to play, somewhere with lots of beautiful humans open to a Fae sexual encounter. In a place like this, there were very few people who wouldn’t want to be a nymph’s plaything for a night.
For the most part, nymphs were harmless, and the Agency didn’t bother with them. The one I was tasked with capturing wasn’t only seducing people. She was targeting wealthy men and women whom she enthralled to gain access to their hefty bank accounts. Her victims woke up the next day to the nasty discovery that their accounts had been cleaned out during the night.
Nymphs were normally classified as a level Three job, but this one had been bumped up to a Four. Levi had confided in me that her most recent victim was the son of an unnamed US Senator, who had called the Agency and threw a fit over her son’s missing five-million-dollar trust fund. Ouch. I could only imagine what that call to his mother had been like the morning after.
One corner of Conlan’s mouth lifted. “Are you the hunter or the bait?”
“Both.”
He looked me up and down again and shook his head. “Lucky nymph.”
“How do you know the nymph is at this club?” Lukas asked.
“Her last two victims were picked up here.”
A nymph didn’t change her hunting ground once she found one she liked, and she wouldn’t be too worried about being recognized by one of her previous conquests. Her kind was one of the most elusive Fae races because they could alter their appearance at will. One day they could be a slender brunette, and the next a voluptuous blonde. In their real form, they were so plain and unidentifiable you would never guess they were faeries.
Conlan eyed me inquisitively. “And how do you plan to single out a nymph among all these beautiful women?”
“That would be a trade secret.” My fingers flexed around my red clutch, which was much heavier than it looked. “I should get to it. Have a nice night.”
I’d barely taken five steps away from them when someone walked in front of me, blocking my path. I looked up at the smiling face of Prince Rhys. Behind him were the same five guards I’d seen with him at the Ralston. Their hard expressions said they didn’t share their prince’s pleasure at seeing me.
“Jesse James, I thought that was you I saw from upstairs,” he said as if we were old friends. “You look simply ravishing in that dress. I almost didn’t recognize you, but there is no mistaking this beautiful hair.”
Taken off guard, I was slow to react when he raised a hand to touch one of the tendrils resting against my cheek. The next thing I knew, there was a warm wall of muscle at my back, and I was flanked by Conlan and Faolin. In front of me, the Seelie prince’s guard closed ranks around him.
“Rhys,” Lukas said coolly. He was so close I could feel the rumble of the words in his chest. I hated the tiny thrill that went through me while, at the same time, I found his presence reassuring.
“Vaerik.” Prince Rhys’s smile didn’t falter as he let his hand drop to his side. “I had no idea you were acquainted with the lovely Miss James.”
“I could say the same of you,” Lukas replied.
Prince Rhys gave me a secretive smile. “We ran into each other at my hotel recently. She leaves a lasting impression.”
Lukas stiffened. “Your hotel?”
“Violet and I were there on a job,” I said, even though I owed him no explanation.
“Ah, the pretty blue-haired girl.” Prince Rhys looked around. “Is she here with you?”
“She’s dancing.”
He scanned the dance floor, and amusement sparkled in his eyes. “I see your friend has met Lorelle.”
I turned my head to find Violet and the female faerie making out in the middle of the other dancers. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen Violet with another girl, but she’d never been quite so into it.
“Jesse,” Prince Rhys began. “May I call you Jesse?”
“I…” I didn’t want to be on a first name basis with the Seelie prince, but I couldn’t insult him either. “Yes.”
“I’d be honored if you and your friend would join me upstairs for a drink. You can tell me more about your bounty hunting.”
Lukas made a sound that was almost a growl. “She’s not your type, Rhys.”
I stepped away so I could turn to glare at him. He was right, but where did he get off thinking he could speak for me? He hadn’t had that right even when we were friends. “You have no idea what my type is.”
Prince Rhys’s hand touched my back, and I realized what I’d done. I had all but said I was interested in him, which I wasn’t.
“I think Jesse can decide for herself whose company she would like to keep,” he said to Lukas.
“Actually…” I began.
“I’m sure she can,” Lukas replied, not looking at me. “But she hasn’t seen the best of our kind lately.”
I stared at his hard, unreadable expression. Was he referring to the Seelie royal guard or his own treatment of me?
Prince Rhys withdrew his hand from my back. “Are you implying something, Vaerik? My intentions toward Jesse are nothing but honorable. Can you say the same?”
Lukas’s eyes glittered dangerously. “Seelie and honor are not words I would use together.”
I held up a hand. “Okay, I’m going to –”
“This from an Unseelie prince,” Prince Rhys taunted.
I snapped my fingers between them. “Excuse me.”
Both pairs of eyes fixed on me.
“Now that we’ve established you two aren’t the only people in the room, I’m going to say my goodbyes. If you princes want to fight over who has the biggest crown, have at it.”
I spun and stalked to where I’d last seen Violet. Behind me, Conlan let out a burst of laughter, but I was too annoyed to share his amusement. I understood there was animosity between the two courts, and Lukas had every right to be angry after what Faris had suffered. But I refused to be pulled into their argument, and I resented them talking over me like I wasn’t even there.
Violet and Lorelle were standing on the other side of the dance floor, deep in conversation, when I reached them. Lorelle’s hand was on Violet’s waist, and the faerie looked as infatuated as my friend. I hated to interrupt them, but Violet had insisted on helping me on this job.
Lorelle put her hand under Violet’s chin and tilted her face up for a kiss. “Call me.”
“Tomorrow,” Violet promised breathlessly.
I watched my friend as she stared longingly after the departing faerie. “I didn’t mean to drive her away.”
“You didn’t. I told her I was here to help you on a job.” Violet gave me a sly smile. “She thinks female bounty hunters are hot, and I might have played up my role a tiny bit.”
“Then let’s not disappoint her.”
Violet gave me an expectant look. “Are you finally going to tell me how we are supposed to find this nymph?”
I smirked. “I think you are ready to learn my secrets.”
“I know all your secrets.” She put her hands on her hips when I didn’t respond immediately. “Right?”
“All except the work-related ones,” I lied.
Guilt pricked me when I thought about the goddess stone in my hair. I hadn’t told anyone about it, including her, and it felt like a betrayal of our friendship. But I knew she would overreact and freak out, and that wouldn’t help either of us.
What I really wanted was to tell my mom and dad about it. I trusted no one’s counsel more than theirs, and I missed the
ir guidance. But I was heeding their doctor’s advice to not upset them, which was why I still hadn’t told them about my bounty hunting. The secrets were piling up, and I had no idea how I was going to come clean when they were ready to hear it.
“Did I see you talking to Lukas?” Violet asked as I opened my clutch. “When did you two get chummy again?”
“We’re not.” I took a pair of eyeglasses from the purse and put them on. “What do you think?”
“They have no lenses.” She moved closer and frowned. “What is with the funky frames? They look like they were made in kindergarten art class.”
“Hey! I’ll have you know I spent four hours making these last night.”
She snorted. “Don’t quit your day job.”
I removed the glasses and held them up between us. The frames were wrapped in shiny red and gold pieces that I’d painstakingly glued in place. “See these? They’re drakkan scales. Gus has been shedding them all over the apartment.” I ran a finger over the scales. “Did you know that Fae glamours don’t work around drakkans?”
“How do you know that?”
“Faris told me.” I put the glasses on again. “It’s not exactly a well-known fact, so that’s between us.”
Violet nodded. “But do you know if the scales will work without Gus?”
“I don’t, but I’m about to find out.”
We began walking through the dimly lit seating area on one side of the club, searching for the nymph who should be there by now. I scanned the faces around us, ignoring the interested looks that came my way, while Violet gushed about Lorelle.
Reaching the bar, I was relieved not to see Lukas or Prince Rhys there. We crossed to the other side of the club, and my eyes went to the cluster of people standing near some couches in the corner. I moved around them and felt a zing of excitement when I saw a man and two women sitting on one of the couches.
One of the women, a twenty-something brunette in a shimmering gold dress, had a too-bright quality about her, like an overexposed photo. When I squinted, her form blurred, and it was like looking at two overlapping shapes.
