a human only on earth a quarter of a century. He was just a kid.
Janie nodded. “Yeah, I agree. You need a guy with some mileage . . . experience matters.”
Lily turned in slow motion to eye the psychic. “You’re much too young to be so wise. Tell me you haven’t been dabbling with some guy with mileage.”
Janie grinned. “Don’t ask questions if you don’t want the answers.”
Yeah, right. The poor woman never had a moment to herself. “Someday you’ll find your bliss, Janie.” Lily straightened her shoulders. “Now, let’s finish our drinks and go catch a movie.”
Hilde frowned. “No sex?”
“No. I’m a prophet, for Pete’s sake. I can’t sleep with one of these boys under thirty years old.” Lily sighed. Dignity was her middle name, darn it.
Hilde pushed her beer way. “Seriously. No sex?”
“Now, that would be a shame.” One of the men from the pool area slid around the corner, his wide shoulders blocking the nearest light. “Sex with strangers can be exhilarating.”
Hilde’s smile lit up her green eyes. “Exactly.” Scooting from the booth, she all but shoved the man in. “This is Lily, and she’s trying to ‘get back out there’ after ending a relationship a long time ago.”
The man held out a hand. “Peter Dunphy, and I know what you mean.”
Janie slid from the booth and gave Lily a look. “We’ll go play darts. I expect to see his license if you decide to leave with him.” The woman followed Hilde.
Lily’s mouth dropped open. She shook her head, “I, ah—”
Peter captured her hand and shook. “It’s all right, Lily. No judgment here.” He yanked on his silk tie and loosened the top. “I like your bar.”
“This is my first time here.” If Peter didn’t stop ogling her chest, she might have to kick him. “This doesn’t seem like your kind of place.”
“We finished signing a deal around the corner, and this seemed like a good place to let off some steam. I’m a financial broker.” His voice lowered on the last as if the statement should impress her.
“That’s nice.” Lily tried to signal her friends. Time to leave.
“What do you do?” Peter asked her breasts.
“Well, they just sit there mainly.” Lily waited until his gaze rose to her face. “I, on the other hand, am a counselor.” Which was true. “But I have an early morning tomorrow and need to get going.”
“Early morning? What are you, twenty-five?” Peter leaned in close, charm in his smile.
Three-hundred and twenty-five, actually. “I feel much older.”
He frowned and brushed her hair from her face. “You look like a princess with those blue eyes and white- blond hair. And you smell like . . . what is that?”
Strawberries, or so she’d been told. She allowed her empathic abilities to open just a bit and then drew away from the darkness in her new companion. Kindness lived nowhere in the man.
“Strawberries,” he mused. His eyes darkened. “I’d love to taste you. How about we get out of here?”
Caution straightened her shoulders, and she plastered on her smoothest smile. “I appreciate your offer, but I must be going.” She moved to scoot from the booth.
His hand wrapped around her wrist. “Don’t tease. I heard you earlier—and I know what you want. A girl like you from a place like this? You could even earn some money if you make me really happy. You gave the token refusal, and now we’re going to leave.”
Lily centered her mind. This was so bad.
Janie Kayrs instantly appeared at the table. “Is everything all right?” She glanced pointedly at Peter’s restraining hand.
“Just fine.” Lily shook loose. “Though I’m ready to go.”
Peter grabbed her upper arm. “You’re not leaving.” He glared at Janie. “Get out of the way, or you’re going to get hurt.”
Janie slid one leg back. “Let go of my friend. Now.”
Lily’s heart roared into gear. God. This was going to be disastrous. She bunched her free hand into a fist and nailed Peter in the Adam’s apple. His eyes widened, he released her, and then he grabbed his throat.
Janie tugged her from the booth. “Let’s go.”
They turned and ran into Peter’s friends. The closest one glanced at his choking buddy and then frowned at Lily. “You hit him?”
“She sure did.” Janie instantly side-kicked one guy, following up with a punch to the gut.
Lily went for the groin shot, knocking the guy down.
A third man ran from the pool area, and Hilde smacked a beer bottle down on his head. “Whoo-hoo,” she yelped as he fell.
Oh, things just couldn’t get worse. Lily grabbed Janie’s arm. “Run, now.”
Peter launched from the booth and captured Lily from behind. Bugger that. She’d trained for three hundred years and might accidentally hurt the guy.
The front door opened, and the situation went from disastrous to pure hell. Lily stiffened, her eyes widening as two men stalked into the bar. Tension spiraled through the room, and furious multicolored eyes met hers.
“Caleb,” she whispered.
He was even bigger than she remembered. Well over six feet, broad, and dangerous as hell, the Realm rebel filled the doorway. His blond hair hung to his shoulders, and those odd eyes promised death.
He took in the scene with one glance, focusing on the male currently holding Lily against her will. He stepped forward, only to have the king grab his arm.
“They’re human,” Dage muttered.
“I don’t give a shit.” Three steps into the room, and Caleb focused on the guy behind her. “Let go, or I’ll take your head off.”
Peter released Lily and paused, as if trying to decide whether or not to take him on. Good sense apparently took over, and he angled to the side to haul his buddies up. “She said she wanted to get laid—I was just trying to help. Let’s go.” They scurried from the tavern.
Caleb didn’t move, yet somehow his gaze landed on her. “What in the hell are you wearing?”
“None of your business.” She’d give anything to retrieve her sweater from Hilde.
The king sighed, his focus on his niece. “What are you doing in a bar without bodyguards?”
Janie pressed both hands against her hips. “You
“No.” Dage shuffled his feet in the peanut shells. “We have a tracker on Hilde.” He winced and glanced at the forty-something woman. “Sorry, but we figured you’d venture out at some point.”
Hilde pursed her lips, thought, and then shrugged. “Yes. Good call.”
Lily lifted her chin and tried to find some dignity. “I believe it’s time we went on our way.”
Caleb pivoted and blocked her path. The scent of male and wildness washed over her along with his heat. She’d forgotten his heat.
“Dage, we’ll be along later. Prophet business and all of that.” Caleb didn’t move as he spoke. His eyes dared her to contradict him.
“You sure?” Dage asked, reaching for Hilde’s arm.
“Yes.” Caleb gestured Lily back into the booth. “We need to talk.”
She thought about protesting, but truly, she’d caused enough of a scene for one night. So she retook her seat.
Dage escorted Hilde and Janie out of the tavern. Anybody who’d watched the scuffle went back to their business.
Caleb’s gaze raked Lily’s top, her breasts, and rose to her face, effectively pinning her in place. Red spiraled across his rugged cheekbones, and his nostrils flared. “So. Rumor has it you want to get laid.”
