Underneath a Dark Moon (Twisted Dark #3)

Chapter Fifteen: Chasing Leads

 "You sure the info is right?" I looked at the list before I tucked it away as I glanced at the Fae. There was no way I was going to spend my time chasing down useless information, especially while Lacey was with me. It didn't take an idiot to see that she still wasn't quite over whatever it was she had reacted to the night before.

"Honey, I have the Gift of Sight. Everything I give out is accurate." She shifted on her feet, batting her eyelashes at me as she moved in closer. She reached out and grasped the hem of my t-shirt. "Now, I know the witch you are looking for. She has a very... stellar reputation in making people pay for ratting her out. How can you make it worth my while?" Her tone turned sultry as she slid closer to me, reaching up and smoothing a delicate feeling hand up my chest.

I grabbed it tightly before slowly putting it back by her side. I gave her a tight smile. "By not killing you." I wasn't in the mood. If it had been before Lacey I would have been all over her. She was curvy, sexy, and willing but her touch currently made my skin crawl. "And paying you gold." I reached into my pocket and pulled out the coin purse, shaking out several of the gold pieces.

She tsked lightly, giving a small sound of disappointment. "Shame." She looked up at me as she held out her hand. "I could have sucked your spine out through your cock." She raised an eyebrow and wet her lips with her tongue and I dropped the coins into her palm.

"Thanks but I like my spine where it is." I tucked the coin purse back into my pocket and looked around, trying to see if anyone had watched our interaction. When I was satisfied that no one had paid attention I looked back towards the Fae.

"The offer is always there if you find yourself back in the Emporium... without the baggage." She glanced towards where Lacey was standing next to a grey brick building and a heavy rumble exited my chest. She had no right to call attention to the small witch.

"Watch yourself, Fae." The words came out gruff and nearly growled as I felt every muscle stiffen in anticipation for eliminating a potential threat. No one was going to harm Lacey, or even think about it, without me dealing with them quickly and effectively.

"That female is trouble and you are going to be strung along like a lost dog as you chase after her." She sniffled slightly before she brushed her hair from her shoulder, showing off her deep cleavage. I didn't even glance down to admire it as I stared at her intently. She knew nothing about anything. No female strung me along. "If you want some... easier quarry, I'll be waiting." She reached up and trailed her fingers down my chest with a faint shudder of pleasure as her eyes fluttered.

She looked up at me, her bright green eyes giving me a sultry look. "I am gifted with the seeing, werewolf. If you bed that witch, it will destroy your life as you know it. Choose your path wisely but in my opinion, the past should stay in the past. Not everything needs a repeat. Except, perhaps you in my bed." With that she moved around me and sauntered away without a glance backwards. tried to quell the faint growls that rumbled my chest still with my agitation.

Shut female up

Protect witchling

My instinct scratched across my skin and I shivered underneath it as I narrowed my eyes at the back of her head. It would be easy to push her just enough that she would stop speaking entirely. I knew I could bend her far enough that she would never speak about me or the witch again and I actually itched to do that. The thoughts were disturbing. I never had an urge to hurt a female before and I didn't particularly like it now.

I forced myself to turn away and head back towards where I had left the little witchling. She was huddled in her jacket, looking miserable and like hell. A strange feeling rose up in my chest as I took in her pallor and how dull her eyes seemed as she stared at the cobblestones. I wanted to track down that bartender and beat him within an inch of his life. She wasn't doing well and it was his fault. I didn't want to accuse him of spiking her drink but invigorating potions were one of the least common potions to contain ingredients that would cause an allergic reaction. Either something was off in it or her drink was spiked by someone with something that did not settle well with her.

She didn't seem to be actually looking at anything, her eyes nearly glazed over as I came closer. She seemed actually lost in her own little world and I pulled out the list again, looking over the town names that Cherri had given me. Each of them were areas of confirmed sightings of Lacey's sister and the werewolf. We needed to check each of the places on the list to ensure each sighting was accurate and that we weren't wasting our time. However in order to check out each of the places we needed a way to get there.

"Do you have your bag of tricks with you, witchling?" I looked at Lacey and she jumped, her eyes snapping to me as they widened in surprise. She didn't respond and I gestured to the bag hanging off of her shoulder. "We have some info about some sightings and we need some magick tricks." It was the only way we could get through the list, it was eight towns long but they were spaced too far part to drive it in a day.

Her cheeks flushed red and she looked away quickly before she slid the bag off of her shoulder. She was hesitant with me, as if she was unsure of how to act around me after last night and I wanted to smirk at her. I liked her best when she was shy, when her cheeks reddened and her blush travelled down her neck and to her chest. There was something about her blushing for me that made a strange feeling rise up in me. I had never felt smugly possessive over a female before and I wasn't sure what to think about it.

I knew last night that I was getting in too deep with her but something in me didn't care about it. All I knew is that I wanted to have her, that I wanted to have her wrapped around me tightly as she moaned in my ear. It was like she had gotten herself underneath my skin and the only way to get her out was to have my fill of her.

"Do you need a portal spell orb?" At the quiet question I nodded, watching her as she dug in the backpack. She pulled out an orb and glanced up at me, her cheeks turning that pink I so liked. "This should work. You break it and you say where you want to go. There are several per-determined portal spell orbs in here too. I'm not sure why." Her voice trailed off and she glanced at me again and I took the orb from her hand, frowning slightly as how cold her skin was against mine.

"You okay? Do we need to head back to the motel?" If she needed to lie down for a bit we would head back to the motel for her. I knew I could leave her there and head out on my own if I needed to, in fact I almost preferred it. If she was at the motel then I knew she was safe and where she couldn't get into trouble.

"No. I'm fine." She shook her head quickly as she stood up taller, pulling her shoulders back. Despite how she was trying to bolster herself it didn't stop how pale she was or how it contrasted the bags underneath her eyes. She set her jaw as if daring me to oppose her, to send her off regardless of what she said. I was tempted to do just that but she looked so set in her ways that I knew she might do something ridiculous like wander off.

"Alright then." I looked at the list and dropped the glass orb onto the cobblestones. It shattered and seemed to turn to dust as a blue light swirled into the air. "Havenbrook." I stated it as clearly as I could and I watched as a portal opened up, a town center showing through it. "Let's go, witchling." I glanced at Lacey and she shouldered the bag as she nodded. I couldn't help myself as I reached out and placed my hand on her lower back, walking with her through the portal.

I knew I was getting too attached to her, reacting too intensely with her but I couldn't stop myself. There was something deep inside me that I didn't want to acknowledge that felt connected to her. As if there was a part of her that belonged to me and a part of me that belonged to her.

If you bed that witch, it will destroy your life as you know it.

I ground my teeth together knowing I should heed Cherri's warning but there was no feeling of regret or want to listen to what she said within me. I was going to have the witch and according to the Seer Fae, it was going to ruin me. But as Lacey leaned towards me, into my touch and my side, I couldn't find it in me to care.