Page 84 of Don't Bait Me (Nora Jacobs 3)

The boy freezes. He’s so far away, and I’m not sure I can look him directly in the eye, but it doesn’t seem to matter. I’ve pushed so much power out that I’ve snared him from all the way across the room. He stands still, his arm extended, thumb on the detonator of the bomb, but he doesn’t push the button. His eyes are glued to me, and he’s leaning forward as if he wants to come closer.

“Drop the detonator,” I order.

The boy does as he’s told.

I wait for Illren to take him down, but my assassin doesn’t make a move. “Where’s Illren?” I murmur to the wolves next to me.

No one responds.

I’m afraid to stop looking at the boy, but my eyes flick to my right, and I gasp. Rook and Wulf are both under my spell as well. I look around him and nearly fall over in a dead faint. Every man in the room is enthralled. And the women are looking around, confused and in shock.

“Shit.”

This is bad. This is so, so, so bad. There’s no hiding what I am after this. And everyone in this room is going to be pissed at me when they realize what I’ve done. The urge to flee is strong, but I push my panic aside and focus. First things first, I need to get that bomb off that boy as quickly as possible. I’m not sure how long my power will hold. I’m not sure how I did it in the first place.

“Parker,” I whisper.

He looks up at me through glassy eyes. “Yes, Nora?”

I swallow back guilt. I never want to see him so vacant again. “Could you please go get that bomb off that boy?”

Parker nods. “Of course.”

“Quickly, please.”

Parker, with speed only a vampire could accomplish, wades through the crowd. His movement seems to pull the females from their shock. They start throwing out question after question. Some are pulling on the arms of the men beside them or waving their hands in front of their faces.

Slowly, one at a time, the men start coming out of their trances. My heart rate kicks up as panic starts to sweep the room. It doesn’t take long for everyone to start looking at me. The wordsirenis whispered many times.

My breathing speeds up. “Shit, shit, shit!”

A hand comes down softly on my shoulder, making me jump out of my skin. A small squeak escapes me. And when all of my focus is lost, the rest of the men in the room are released from my spell.

“It’s okay, Nora,” Rook whispers. “We’ll deal with it, but first we need to get that kid taken care of and get you out of here safely.”

I take a breath. He’s right. What’s done is done. We need to deal with it, but one problem at a time.

Parker comes back carrying a vest packed with plastic explosives. I cringe away from it, but Parker doesn’t seem to have a problem holding it. “Don’t worry,” he says, seeing my discomfort. “I’ve disconnected the detonator.”

I eye the bomb warily. “Still. Let’s get it out of here.”

Illren comes up next, with the boy unconscious in his arms. “Is he dead?” I ask.

Illren smirks. “Just taking a nap. I don’t kill children if I don’t have to.”

Well. The guy has limits. That’s comforting. “All right. Let’s get him to the FUA and get him locked up.”

We start to move, but the crowd is still standing there, watching us. There’s a strange mix of awe and anger. “I’m sorry!” I say.

“Don’t, Nora,” Terrance grumbles. “You’ll only make it worse. Let’s just get you out of here. He turns to the crowd and in his booming voice shouts, “I’m sorry for the trouble. Drinks are on the house the rest of the night.”

He then says something into his walkie-talkie, and the music turns back on. Slowly, people start to get distracted, some heading to the bar and others to the dance floor. Others head for the exit. I don’t blame them. I’m more than ready to go home after all the drama.

Terrance escorts our small group safely to the employee parking lot behind the club, but then he and Wulf stay behind. It’s busy tonight, and they’ve got damage control to do. Illren, to my horror, stuffs the unconscious hunter into the trunk of his car. Parker opens the back door for me, and Rook slides in next to me while Parker climbs into the passenger seat with the bomb.

For a moment, we all just sit there, absorbing what just happened.

“That could have gone better,” Illren murmurs, starting up the engine.

“I’m sorry,” I croak. “I have no idea how that happened. It was subconscious. I just reacted.”

Rook takes my hand in his. It’s shaking. “It’s all right, Nora. We knew people would discover you eventually.”

“Learning what I am and feeling the effects of my power are completely different. I just bewitched every man in that room.”

Illren glances at me in the rearview mirror. “And Terrance made the booze free. Most of them will probably get drunk enough to not remember it in the morning.”

Parker turns in his seat and looks over his shoulder at me. “Try not to worry too much. Most of the people there tonight were fey, and the fey tend to revere sirens. Whatever backlash this creates, we’ll figure it out, and we’ll deal with it. Together. We’re a strong clan, Nora. Very strong. We can handle whatever comes next.”

Parker’s face softens, and he gives me a smile. Rook tucks me into his side and hugs me tightly. Illren simply nods, as if confirming everything Parker said. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. They’re right. Parker’s right. We’re a strong clan. Whatever happens next, we’ll deal with it. Together.

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