The lump in her throat nearly choked her. “Nothing. You’re fine, but don’t go around pretending to be something you’re not. Trust me, Sebastian.”

“Freddy,” the kid croaked. “My name is Freddy. Not Sebastian. I thought that sounded more like a creature of the night.”

The huge blond guy’s mouth dropped open and then shut quickly.

Oh, this was so bad. She’d tried hard not to leave a trail. Fake name, fake email address, and she’d even moved around to use different library computers and IP addresses—in different towns. What kind of laws had she broken? As far as she knew, there weren’t prisons for immortals, so what did that leave? Death for treason?

Not that she wasn’t dying anyway.

The blond, his black eyes taking in the entire room, quickly stepped up to the bar and flashed a badge. “U.S. Government. We only want those two for federal crimes.”

“Whew,” one of the kids in the back sighed.

The bartender shrugged, still drying off a beer glass with a dirty towel. “Take ’em.”

Freddy lifted his hands. “I haven’t done anything. Really. The chick is nuts. She thought I was a vampire, and she wanted to buy blood, so I figured, why not? Freaky sex might be fun.”

“Shut. Up.” Adare manacled Freddy’s neck with one hand, cutting off all sound. Without taking his gaze off Grace, he flicked his wrist and tossed Freddy toward the blond. “Nick? Take him, please.”

The please, for some reason, sent shivers down Grace’s back. Her legs weakened, but she lifted her chin, facing Adare. It had been nearly three years since they’d crossed paths, and he appeared even better looking than she remembered. Meaner and bigger, too. A pissed-off expression on him was normal, but this one was new. All heat and fury. “I’ll get going, too,” she said, taking another step back.

Nick caught Freddy and leaned to the side, holding the human like a rag doll. “Adare? Do you know this female?”

Adare slowly nodded, his focus stronger than any hold. “She’s my mate.”

“I am not,” she retorted.

“Yes. You. Are.” Adare’s face was as impenetrable as rock, even as the words rolled out with that brogue.

Nick’s light eyebrows rose. He looked around the bar, and apparently satisfied that nobody was going to attack, returned his focus to Adare. “What’s your mate doing trying to buy vampire blood in Colorado?” he whispered.

It sounded ridiculous. Heat spread up Grace’s chest to her face, causing her cheeks to pound.

Adare’s gaze followed the heat, making her even warmer. “We’re about to get an answer to that question.” He held out one broad hand, no leniency on his hard face. “Let’s do this somewhere else.”

It was an order, not a question.