Chapter Thirty-Seven
PISCES
The bartender sets a glass down in front of me, the foamy beer sloshing a bit onto the wooden bar top. I bring the glass to my lips, letting the cold hoppy beer glide down my throat with a few swallows.
I head back over to the table the others are at and slide in next to Benny.
I’m starting to notice my siren’s hunger eddying in the depths of my stomach.
I take another drink of my beer, hoping it’ll somehow curb that appetite, even though I know it won’t help.
But for now, a warmth settles into my bones and that’s good enough.
Benny side-eyes me as he listens to Shaun and Simon bicker about whether we should switch over to some new microphone inputs for the drum kit. “You okay?” he asks me.
I have the urge to lay my head on his shoulder. But I just wrap my hands around the glass. “No, I’m not. Someone out there is using me to target women. And it feels like there’s nothing I can do.”
“We posted on our socials to be wary of anyone pretending to be us, both online and off,” Benny points out.
It was the first thing Simon did after Grim and his gang of undercover fae cops finally took the body and stopped accusing me of murder.
My mind is reeling from both the murders and that the Phantoms are undercover investigators that have been keeping tabs on me.
I really don’t like that guy.
“It doesn’t feel like it’s enough.”
My gaze snaps up to the door of the pub, where Bliss, her aunt, and the members of Goddess’ Trance—minus their drummer—file in, taking a table across the room from us.
Her eyes meet mine as she takes the end seat in the booth, but she doesn’t stay there long. She looks to the group, muttering something, then walks over to me—to us, I correct myself.
“How are you doing?” she asks, stopping in front of our booth. I slide over and motion for her to sit. To my surprise, and pleasure, she does.
Her smell wafts over me, and I glance at the white ribbon in her hair, tying up half of it into a ponytail, a few wisps framing her face.
My eyes drop to her glossy lips.
“Okay, I guess,” I say, throwing Benny a look to stop him from correcting me.
Shaun and Simon stop their bickering and greet Bliss, sliding the basket of chips her way in offering.
She takes one, biting into it, and I can’t help myself watch as she chews.
“You alright?” Simon asks. “It’s been a really weird day.”
“I’m okay,” she replies with a small smile. “I can’t believe everything that’s happened.”
“Well, on a positive note, you killed it. We told Niamh about your performance. She was stoked,” Simon informs her. “Then she promptly fell back asleep. Evan, on the other hand, is up and playing video games instead of resting, because he’s an idiot. How’s Tubbs doing?”
She grins. “Tubbs is good. Also playing video games. He even tried to come out to the bar with us, but Taser and Blake finally talked him out of it.”
“Bliss!” Grim calls as he strides into the bar. I mentally curse the man. He’s probably a good guy. But I still don’t like him.
“What’s wrong?” she asks. I can see Amelia and the others tense in their booth as they watch.
“We went to the flat Dead Hearts was staying at. Looks like Jordan cleared out, but the rest of the band was still there.”
Grim pulls up a chair, making himself at home. He spreads his legs wide—which I roll my eyes at—and his knee knocks against Bliss’. It’s not his job to comfort her. It’s not yours either, a snide voice in my head shoots back.
Grim eats a couple chips.
It’s getting really hard to keep my siren teeth beneath my gums. A tiny part of me wants to eat this guy. Okay, maybe a big part.
“How are you going to track him down?” I ask, my voice accusatory, as if it’s Grim’s fault that Jordan got away.
“Well, he’s probably gone into hiding if he’s smart.” Bliss lets out a snort at that. Grim continues, “But we think we have a shot at getting a lead on him.”
“Sounds promising,” Shaun drawls.
“How?” Bliss asks, ignoring Shaun’s quip, her eyes wide with apprehension. She definitely doesn’t want her possible murderer ex-boyfriend on the loose. I don’t either. If he so much as dares to attack her again, he is going to be getting very, very intimate with my siren teeth.
“Jinx Belcross is still here. We have enough evidence to arrest him for the hexes. We could potentially strike a deal. A reduced sentence if he gives up his friend.”
“He won’t,” Bliss says, her shoulders slumping. “They’re too loyal to each other, like brothers.”
“Okay,” Grim says slowly, ignoring the rest of us to focus solely on Bliss. “Plan B, then. You use your powers on him to get him to give up Jordan.”
“Fuck that,” I say immediately. “He helped almost kill her.”
Bliss’ gaze cuts to mine, a look of annoyance crossing her face. “It’s not up to you,” she says, though her voice doesn’t have the bite I think she intended.
“We’ll be there with you. You’ll be perfectly safe.” Grim says all this to Bliss, but he looks at me at the last part.
“No,” I say again, though Bliss is right. It’s not up to me.
Bliss stands up and I groan.
“I’ll do it. I don’t want him or Jordan to hurt anyone else.”
By this point all of Bliss’ friends and family surround our booth. They overheard, and Amelia is now berating Grim for even suggesting Bliss be in harm’s way. I agree wholeheartedly with her.
Taser, though, cuts a path to Bliss. “If you’re going to do this, you need to top off.”
I stand and push my way in between them, about to snarl at Taser. I rein in the impulse just barely and turn to Bliss. “You can use me.”
Bliss takes a deep breath and blows it out through her nose. Slowly she says, “Would everyone just take a step back and stop trying to tell me what to do?”
No, I want to say, but I stop myself. What do I even care? Sure, I don’t want Bliss harmed because she’s a good, decent fae. The same way I don’t want to see Jordan hurt any more humans. But why am I going so far to make sure she’s safe? We aren’t even really friends, are we?
I don’t even like her, I remind myself. She’s self-absorbed and only seems to want to get closer to Wrath, not the guy under the mask.
Is that true? Fuck, my mind is really not on my side right now. But I realize that inner voice is right. She’s not conceited like I originally thought. She’s caring and strong and beautiful. And completely out of your league.
She looks to Taser. “Stop back seat feeding me. And you—” she points to me and I stiffen, lowering my head in shame, “—stop pissing all over the place and marking territory that isn’t yours to mark.
” She sets her sights on Grim. “Honestly, the best person to get Jinx to talk would be Amelia. She’s stronger than me. But I’m going with her.”
Amelia starts to nod but stops at the last part. “No, you aren’t. In fact, I think Liz should take you and Reese back home.”
“You too?” Bliss asks, looking a little hurt. “Why is everyone acting like I’m five?”
Reese comes to stand next to her, hooking her arm through Bliss’. “Everyone knows you’re not a child, but Bliss, you haven’t been feeding regularly. I think everyone’s just worried.”
I want to tell her to feed from me. I want to see her with that glow again.
Bliss shakes her head at her friend. “No, I’m going with Amelia. I’m part of the reason that Jordan is doing whatever it is he’s doing. I need to help.”
Amelia makes to argue, but Liz steps in. “Let her make her own choices.”
Grim clears his throat, bringing everyone’s attention back to him. “You’ll both be safe. We’ll be there with you and he will be restrained.”
I grind my teeth in frustration and catch Amelia’s gaze. She looks at me with a brow raised, as if to ask what the fuck I’m going to do about it.
I step in front of Bliss so Grim gets my full attention. “I’m going with, and if that fucker touches one single strand of her hair, I’m going to rip. Him. Apart.” I enunciate each word so he understands it’s not an empty threat, and I have the teeth to back it up.
Grim swallows, looking up at me. I tower over him by a few inches, and I’m in his face. He takes a step back and nods. “Fine,” is all he says.
We waited at the bar until Grim had given us the all clear. His team arrested Jinx and detained the rest of Dead Hearts to interrogate and see if they knew anything about Jordan’s attacks or Jinx’s hexing. Maybe they were even involved, but that’s for them to figure out.
Plan A didn’t work, as Bliss predicted, so it’s time to try it the succubus way. I’m focusing on making sure Bliss stays out of harm’s way, and to a degree, Amelia as well. Even though Evan wouldn’t admit it, he wouldn’t want any harm coming to his bondmate.
Bliss and Amelia stride in through the front door to Dead Hearts’ flat. Shaun, Benny, Taser, and I flank them.
Taser and I are both here for Bliss. And once again I’m aching for her to cut these other men loose. I’m starting to wonder if I’m just getting addicted to her because she’s a succubus. Maybe the more I’m around her, the more I’m going to crave her. That has to be it, right?
Grim’s already there, organizing with his team. He already explained earlier that it would take too long to take Jinx to a fae facility to be interrogated, and time is of the essence. We don’t know Jordan’s motive for sure, so it’s likely he could keep killing.
Bliss and Amelia eye where Jinx is seated at the dining room table, hands stretched out on the table, handcuffed with power-suppressing shackles. The same ones Grim wanted to strap on me. The girls keep a wide berth between themselves and the table, inspecting the room.
I move to follow and Grim shoots an arm out to stop me. I don’t say anything, just arch a brow at him, snarling.
“You know you two are doomed, right?” Grim asks, his voice hard.
“Right, and you aren’t?” I shoot back mockingly.
“There’s a Born fae out there that she’s going to fall madly in love with. So whatever it is between you two isn’t going to last.”
“There isn’t anything between us. She’s a succubus. I let her feed off me, that’s it.” I give him a sidelong glance. “Seems like maybe there’s something between you, though. Or at least on one side.” I smirk. I can’t help it. And he started it.
Grim sighs, choosing his next words carefully. “Look, I’m just realizing how frustrated I am that she and I will never be anything more. I don’t want you to get hurt when one minute she’s with you and the next she sees a Born fae with a rune in his eye and falls madly in lo—”
“What?” I push his arm away from me. “A rune? In his eye?”
Grim looks at me as if I’m an idiot. “Yeah, that’s how Born fae identify their mates. They each have a rune in their eye that only the other can see. It’s behind the iris, in the white of the eyes.”
My stomach bottoms out.
In all my limited time of being a Made fae, I’ve never found out that’s how it all works.
“Only their mate can see it?” I ask, my thoughts whizzing around in my head.
How have I never known this part? I knew there was a ceremony that activated the bond, but never how it was identified.
“So when Evan and Amelia looked at each other the other day and realized they were mates, it was because they both saw a rune in the other’s eye? ”
“They’re mates?” Grim asks, momentarily surprised, but his expression turns exasperated quickly. “Yes, then they would have seen runes,” Grim says in a rush. “What about this are you not getting?”
“Just to be clear, both fae see it?”
“Yes. By the stars, man, what is the problem?” Pinkie interjects, having been listening in the whole time.
I fall out of step with them, and they both turn and look at me as if I’m insane. But I just roll my shoulders and firmly continue on. Because now I’m fucking pissed.