Page 26 of Crave Me

But she was doing it in the most seductive way possible.

And it was distracting the hell out of me.

Something I could not afford to feel as I sat at the table with Kaspian, Kieran, Slater, Nolan, and the two phantoms Kieran had brought with him.

Nyx had been offered a chair, but she’d opted to float around the room after saying a polite “No, thank you,my king.”

She didn’t seem to be one who could sit still for long, and now she was busy evaluating every corner of the old restaurant. Every now and then, she’d giggle at a portrait on the wall before moving on to the next.

Kaspian kept glancing at her, his lips curling down. “She’s easily amused.”

“She said she’s been here before, but in another realm,” I replied, the words ones she’d whispered to me upon entering the building.Oh, I love this restaurant. Excellent choice,my king. “She’s… reminiscing,” I added, my gaze narrowing in her direction.

“Another realm?” he repeated.

I considered how to reply, as there were several of us at the table, but I decided to go with the truth. “She’s been traveling realities with a medallion that she says she’s lost. That’s how she arrived here.”

“And you believe her?” Kieran asked, his tone emotionless.

My dealings with the vampire-fae hybrid were limited, but he’d impressed me a few weeks ago during the meeting with the other Houses, and my opinion of him had continued to evolve in a positive manner throughout this whole division of territory.

And now he was earning my respect for an entirely new reason—his ability to discuss business without giving anything away.

That trait would serve him well in his new role.

“I do,” I finally answered him. “Because I can taste the truth on her.”

I didn’t elaborate on what that meant, and the fact that he didn’t ask told me he already knew about my ability. Perhaps his step-uncle, Elias, had told him.

I didn’t widely publicize my talent, but a close few knew about it. Particularly those who had ever possessed a need for my ability.

And anyone I’d ever lent it to—typically via a truth serum created with my venom—kept the trait a secret. Because they were allies.

It seemed Kieran might become one of those.

“I also believe that she didn’t cause the explosion,” I continued. “She pulled everyone out of the rubble.”

Which had explained how all the bodies had been left haphazardly on the street rather than buried beneath the building’s remains.

She hadn’t exactly left them in the most comfortable of positions, suggesting she’d been in a hurry to save them all.

That behavior didn’t add up with also being the one who had caused the initial destruction. Just like her showing up at the scene didn’t strike me as the behavior of a guilty person.

Unless she was after something and using her powers to trick me in some way.

In which case, I’d kill her.

But I couldn’t imagine what she’d want from me.

“Then who blew up the bar?” Kieran asked, his voice still lacking in emotion.

“A question that still needs to be answered.” Because if it wasn’t Nyx, then someone had attacked that pub for unknown reasons.

Magic gone bad?

A bar fight that had ended in an explosion?

Something else entirely?