Page 50 of Savage Guardian

She nodded thoughtfully. “Do you have questions for me?”

“I think we have everything we need from you,mo chridhe. I don’t want to make you relive that over again,” he said, not missing the way she tensed, then flushed deeper at his endearment. He hadn’t meant to say it, it had just come out. But it felt right.

“Okay,” she murmured, her eyes trained to his face. Whisky orbs burning with something Hawk wanted to feed.

The clattering of heels hurrying down the corridor sounded through the room right before a flurry of blonde bombshell, in teeny-tiny shirt, towering heels, and a crop top tumbled into the room. Did the woman walk nowhere?

“I’m here! I’m here!” Carrie announced breathlessly. Then, when she was recovered enough to take stock of where she was, her eyes grew as big as saucers. Hungry, appreciative saucers.

“Oh my,” she cooed. “So much gorgeousness in one room….”

Fang chuckled, Grimm scowled, Hell Hound smirked, Trouble remained blank-faced, and Odin didn’t even blink. Hawk, however, fought the urge to roll his eyes.

“Welcome, Ms. James. Have a seat.” Odin didn’t even bother with the same pleasantries he’d done with Fae. The man was never a bullshitter.

Carrie didn’t even look at her sister before flouncing over to the seat next to Hawk and plopping onto it, like her legs could no longer keep her aloft.

Huffing, Carrie chirped, “Sorry for my sloppiness. There just wasn’t time to get ready, what with losing my beauty sleep. A woman like me doesn’t need much, but I have to keep my energy up, ya know? Got lots of shopping to do so I can look perfect for my fans, ya know?”

Nothing about making music or preparing for her concert.

“Did you sleep much last night?” Fae asked, showing remarkable concern for a woman who hadn’t even acknowledged her presence in the room.

Carrie jerked her gaze to her sister and clucked. “Oh. Fae. Is this where you came last night?”

Sensing that was a loaded question, Hawk interjected, “We’re glad to see you’re okay after your ordeal yesterday. It couldn’t have been easy discovering what happened to Mr. Dalton.”Laying it on thick, jackass.

Beside him, Carrie leaned into him, her breasts pushing up against his bicep. He wanted to climb out of his skin to escape her touch, but he remained where he was. Across the table, Fae made a choking sound.

“Something wrong, sis?” Carrie asked, making Fae flinch. There was definitely something there, and he’d ask her about that later.

“Has Detective Benson been by to talk with you yet?” Grimm asked, moving the meeting along, no doubt wanting to get out of that room just as much as Hawk and Odin, who was eager to get back to his woman.

“He came by first thing, waking me up. I couldn’t tell him anything, though. Fae knows all the stuff about the online threats and J.P.’s blog and stuff. I’m just the face, ya know. She’s the brains.”

Fae glared at her sister, but remained silent, her expression telling enough. Too bad Hawk couldn’t interpret what it was saying.

“And that FBI guy came by this morning, much too early too, ya know,” Carrie reported, flipping her hair over her shoulder, her eyes heated and moving from man to man around the table. Like she was choosing which one to eat for breakfast.

Again, the thought that this woman could be the same one who wrote such beautifully romantic lyrics forThe Ocean Songwas discordant. Perpendicular. They didn’t match. Incongruent. Wrong.

“FBI guy?” Grimm grumbled, arching an eyebrow in inquiry.

“Do you mean Special Agent Tyler?” Fae asked, her expression pensive.

Carrie nodded, crunching up her face in a way that could have been cute if she weren’tCarrie. Nothing about Carrie James was cute.

Fae is cute. Adorable. Fucking enchanting, like the fairy creatures she’s named after.

Fairy creatures…. A fairy queen.

His brain caught on a thought that flittered away just as Carrie answered, “Yeah, that’s the guy.”

“What did he want?” Odin asked, his deep voice brooking no hesitation.

Carrie, face growing pale, stammered, “He-he wanted to talk to Fae. Said there were some things he wanted to ask her.”

“Did he tell you what those things were?” Hawk asked, his patience growing thinner by the breath.

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