A warning growl rumbled in Kaillen’s chest, and the vampire wisely whipped his attention away.
So embarrassing.
“Do you still sense Jakub?” Barnabas asked Kaillen.
“Not in the way I normally do after I’ve tracked someone.” Kaillen frowned but worked his hand up my spine, and my entire body melted toward him, tingles of desire pooling between my thighs.
“So he could be dead?” Fallon cocked his head.
“Possibly, but like both of you, I wouldn’t consider this job done without proof,” Kaillen replied.
I nodded, even though I felt like jelly. Since I was damned near having an orgasm at an outdoor café, I forced myself upright and away from my mate’s alluring touch. “So now what?”
“Now we wait,” Barnabas replied.
My eyebrows shot up. “Wait?”
“It’s what we would be forced to do if this was a hired job.” The vamp inched back on his chair as a ray of sunlight hit his ankle. “I’ve had jobs that I’ve been hired for take years to resolve when unfortunate situations happen such as the one last night. Without proof of death, I can’t demand payment, so I wait. Sooner or later, the living always show back up, and when they do, I swoop in.” He grinned wickedly.
“Do you do the same?” I asked Fallon.
He inclined his head.
I worried my lower lip, not liking the idea of waiting, but without any further leads of what had happened to Jakub, what other choice did we really have?
I could activate the curse. I could see if I’m linked to Jakub.
But I brushed those thoughts off. That was too risky right now. Kaillen was right.
“Do you think there’s any way we can find out more about the tattoos while we wait?” I asked Kaillen. “Tessa was going to charm one of the SF members at her safe house and ask him to do research in the SF’s libraries. Maybe I could also ask her to see if they can find anything about the tattoos.”
He nodded. “It’s worth a try.”
“So, back to earth?” Fallon asked.
I shook my head. “No, Jakub’s wanted on earth. That’s why he’s here. My guess is, if he’s still alive, he’s still here somewhere in the fae lands.”
Fallon shrugged. “So we’ll stay here and see if we can flush him out.”
“Exactly,” I agreed.
That jasmine and night aroma emanated from my mate again. I could hardly blame Kaillen for feeling protective.
The four of us stood to leave, and while I hated not knowing what had happened to Jakub, we had at least learned one thing—the constellation tattoos glowed, which told us they not only identified Jakub’s crew but also served a magical purpose.
But what purpose? Exactly what kind of magic did those tattoos harness?
Chapter 22
After I wrote a letter to Tessa, asking her to request that Archie also look into glowing constellation tattoos during his library research, I sent it via a fae courier to the SF so they could deliver it to my sister. Following that, we retreated to our room at the inn, and I plopped onto the bed, frustration making me irritable.
“So what do we do now?” I asked Kaillen. “Jakub fled earth because he’s a wanted man, yet if he’s still alive and part of the European mafia, he probably has an endless supply of supernaturals working for him, so who knows how long he’ll be on the run.”
The mattress dipped when Kaillen settled beside me. “We’ll figure this out.”
“When? In weeks? Months? Years? How long will it be before he tries to abduct me again, if he’s even alive? This is beyond infuriating. I’m currently running for my life, I’ve abandoned my store, I haven’t spoken to or seen my best friend in days, Tessa’s hanging out in a desert, and for what?”
“Something tells me you’re angry and frustrated.”
“Did you pick up on that?” A small smile curved my lips at his teasing tone.
“A bit. It might have been the word infuriating, and the anger that’s coming from the mate bond.”
“Oh, right. I don’t even have to tell you now. You can feel it.”
“Something all mated males are thankful for.” When I cocked my head, he added, “Women can be difficult creatures to read at the best of times, but when your mate’s upset, it can be even more perplexing. I think that’s why nature gave mated males the bond. That way, we can understand you better so it’s easier to please you.”
I snorted. “Please me?”
“Yes, please you. Don’t you feel that for me?”
I frowned, realizing we were getting off track, but I was too curious to stop this tangent now. “Kind of? I don’t know. I want you happy, but I don’t feel the need to please you.”
“Hmm.” A discontented rumble came from him.
“Is that what you feel for me?” I asked incredulously.
“Perhaps.”
I burst out laughing. “Why do you look so upset about that?”
“Because it’s not something I’m used to feeling.” He pinched my side. “Before, I didn’t care if I pleased a woman or not, outside of the bedroom.”
My nostrils flared.
“Sorry, TMI.” He touched me soothingly, that ashy scent rising from him.
Calming, I wrinkled my nose. “Sounds like you were an ass.”
“I could be. Until you.” He chucked me under the chin.
Even though a warm feeling slid through me at the thought that I was a special snowflake to the hunter, that returning sense of disappointment also followed. The dude loved me because of his wolf. If not for his furry companion, he probably would have been an ass to me too. I knew I seriously needed to get over that, but I also knew that it was probably going to bug me for the foreseeable future.
“Anyway,” I said with a sigh. “Back to the matter at hand. How shall we catch and destroy Jakub-Dipshit?”
“Ah, that violent side of yours that I love so much is making an appearance again.” His brow furrowed. “That’s a good question. I may be able to track him again, but without anything that he owned or touched, it will be harder.”
“What do your hunter senses feel now?”
“Not much. It was hard enough last night to find him, but now I don’t have a lead. Before, we knew that he was heading toward Culasberee, so my senses sharpened once we were in his vicinity. If I’m going to find him again, I’ll have to collect a few ingredients to scry for him since I don’t have anything he owned.”
My curiosity grew since it was the most Kaillen had ever spoken about his ability to hunt. “Where do you get your ingredients?”
“I have a few distributor contacts.”
“That sounds time consuming.” I knew all too well how hard it could be to procure needed items for spells, hexes, potions, and whatnot.
“It can be.”
“So if you get those items, how long would it take to scry?”
“Can’t say. It all depends on how strong I can make the connection again.”
“Is there a possibility you won’t be able to find him?”
A line appeared between his eyes when his brows pinched together. “That’s always a possibility.”
Nibbling my lip, I frowned too. What had seemed like a guaranteed capture last night was beginning to seem less and less likely. “So now what?”
“I think it’s best if we wait for Fallon and Barnabas to return before going to collect supplies. I wouldn’t put it past Jakub to amass an army to claim you . . . if he’s still alive.” Golden light flared in his eyes, and that protective scent rose from him again.