I flicked him a look. A human coming onto a Sidhe? That was pretty daring, even for a guy as overtly good looking as this one. ‘I do have good taste,’ I told him. ‘And that’s why I’m not interested.’

He affected an expression of mock hurt. ‘Why so hasty?’ His gaze drifted down my body. Irritatingly, my dress had begun to wiggle back up my thighs again. It was like the damn thing had a mind of its own. ‘Nice legs. When do they open?’

Oh, he so did not want to go there. I fixed him with my coldest look and brushed my index finger against his lips. ‘Nice mouth. When does it shut?’

A spark flared in his eyes. ‘Wonderful! I like my women feisty.’

When was the last time a man was called feisty? I resisted the urge to put him down further; I was here for a reason and, while I needed him to back off, I didn’t want to appear too haughty. I couldn’t see any Sidhe in the bar but that didn’t mean there weren’t already others here who were in some way related to Byron. ‘Thank you,’ I murmured, softening my smile. ‘But I’m really not looking for anything other than some peace to enjoy my drink.’ I tapped the side of my glass for emphasis and turned away.

He stood there for another moment or two as I prayed he’d piss off. Eventually he got the message.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I sipped my drink and covertly checked the time. It was still early evening but I was feeling the effects of my sleepless night. It would be really nice if Byron could show up right about now. If he waited until later – or, worse, if he didn’t make an appearance at all – I was liable to end up snoozing on the bar before I could put any of my plans into action.

‘You alright there?’ the bartender asked.

I nodded, looking him over. He was human but wearing the Fairlie Clan badge. That was unsurprising considering the Fairlies owned this hotel. No Sidhe – even a lower-class member – would be caught dead serving drinks. It was typical for the Clans to press others into service to do the jobs they had no desire to do themselves. The bartender might have pledged allegiance to the Fairlies but that didn’t mean he was blindly loyal to them.

I dropped a tenner and raised my eyebrows. He glanced from the money to me and back again. ‘What can I do for you?’ he asked finally.

I kept my tone casual. ‘You got many Sidhe staying here this weekend?’

He shrugged, sliding his hand over the note and palming it with professional ease. ‘Quite a few. They usually end up down here. Which Clan are you?’