Alexa O'Brien 05 - Death Wish

by Trina M. Lee

  I clung to him as I sucked air into my lungs. There was a hum in my ears, and tingles shot through my limbs. The bite on my neck throbbed in time with my racing pulse.

  “Are you ok, love?” Arys pressed the side of his face to mine. “That was intense. Too intense for you.”

  My voice was raspy with the wolf. “I’ll be alright. I might get a hell of a headache though.”

  Arys rolled over beside me but stayed close, pressed to my side. After tugging the bloodstained pillow from beneath my head, he pulled me into the safe confines of his embrace. I snuggled in against him, my head on his chest while he lazily stroked a hand through my disheveled hair.

  “That’s been happening to you a lot lately. The nosebleeds and headaches. I don’t like it.”

  I wiggled my fingers, watching as the claws retracted. There was blood on my fingertips. “I’m fine, Arys.” I felt better already. Besides, he was in worry mode lately; I wasn’t going to feed it.

  He wanted to say something more. I could feel it. After a long moment of contemplation, he gave in and spit it out.

  “I don’t think it’s fine. I think it’s starting to become more than you can handle.” His hold on me tightened possessively. “It’s dangerous.”

  I swallowed hard, willing myself to relax. My mortal body had been the subject of concern before, regarding the power we shared. My body bound me to the earth and to the wolf, but his undead energy was never meant for a living being. Together Arys and I were life and death, a nearly unheard of combination.

  The full extent of what we were capable of was still unknown to me. I’d already decided that I wasn’t ready to become a vampire. It would happen upon my death, something I planned to avoid as long as possible.

  “Hey, what happened to enjoying the afterglow?” I asked, setting his worry aside.

  He grinned, but I could see that it was forced. My intent wasn’t to downplay his concerns. I simply didn’t want to think about them right then. After a violent, messy expression of love, I wanted nothing more than to allow the illusive peace that came after to sweep me away. Reality could wait.

  Chapter Eight

  I didn’t come to the office much anymore. Since I’d killed the man who had run it, I’d had little reason to return. Back when I’d been hunting idiot vampires that drew the wrong kind of attention with their kills, this had been grand central, where we all came to regroup and to unwind.

  Now, it was just a building that housed many memories. The kitchen was where I’d found Jez in a pool of her own blood the night Kale attacked her. My office down the hall was where Kale and I had succumbed to temptation for the first time. And, the main office at the very end of that corridor was where I’d killed my former boss, Veryl Armstrong.

  I closed the front door hard when I came in, announcing my arrival. Noise from the kitchen greeted me. Lilah looked up suddenly, mild surprise creasing her brow.

  “Alexa. Hi. How’s it going?” She asked, closing a cupboard so fast it slammed.

  I found it odd that she hadn’t sensed me before I’d come inside. I was getting better at cloaking my energy. Good to know. If Lilah couldn’t detect me, would Shya? I’d have to find out.

  Lilah was a demon, one I didn’t know nearly enough about. All I did know was that she was some kind of big bad in the underworld. Or, she had been. A curse held her trapped in a corporeal form, a vampire. Her demon power was limited, but it was still deadly. I’d seen her vanquish other demons with merely a word.

  “It could be worse.” I shrugged. “You?”

  “Ditto.”

  “I just came in to get the rest of my things since I’m not spending much time here anymore.” I headed down the hall to my office, aware of her silent steps behind me. A chill crept up my spine. I resisted the urge to turn around.

  “Falon told me what happened last night. Close call.” Lilah hung back in the doorway, leaning against the frame. Her long copper colored hair fell in waves over her shoulders. Dressed all in black, her hair looked more like fire than usual.

  I opened a desk drawer and started pulling out pens and notepads. “Not close enough for whoever was asinine enough to take that shot.”

  “They don’t know who they’re messing with.” Lilah flashed me an encouraging smile.

  “So I take it you haven’t heard anything about who it may be?” I was acutely aware of her pale orange eyes on me as I tossed small desk items into my shoulder bag.

  She paused, considering my question. “I have heard there’s a werewolf asking a lot of questions about you.”

  I dropped my gaze to the desk drawer as I scooped out office supplies. What could Lilah possibly know about Juliet? “So I’ve heard.”

  “Let me know if you need any help tracking her down. I’ve got eyes and ears all over this city.” Her expression was stone cold. Her smile had vanished.

  “Thank you. I appreciate that.” I had no intention of letting on that I was way ahead of her. If she didn’t know it was my sister, I wasn’t about to enlighten her. I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more she wanted to say. I was curious but not enough to prod her.

  I gathered up the knickknacks scattered about on the desk: a small stone wolf statue, a magic eight ball that had been a gag gift from Kale and a shiny green chunk of jade. Lena had given me the jade, along with many other crystals and charms over the years. I rubbed a finger over its smooth surface before dropping it into my bag.

  I made sure to grab all personal effects from the room. Even the smallest bobby pin couldn’t be left behind. Demons could do very scary things with personal belongings.

  It was going to be easy to leave the office behind. My place here had ended the moment I’d killed Veryl. Things were changing. I was changing. Gone were the simple days when my biggest kill was a careless vampire or a twisted werewolf.

  As I exited my office for what was likely the final time, Lilah moved to let me pass and took her last chance to spit out whatever was on her mind. “Hey, Alexa, when you came here that night to kill Veryl, did you take anything from his office?”

  I froze. I had a split second to decide between a lie and the truth. “Yes. I grabbed some files from his computer.” The truth came out steady and strong. I had nothing to hide. The way I saw it, I had a right to any further information Veryl had stashed on me.

  “Oh.” Relief flooded her features. It was gone before I could make sense of it. “That’s all? Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely.” Now my curiosity was piqued. “Is something missing that shouldn’t be?”

  She shook her head quickly, her tight smile plastered back in place. “Not missing. Most likely hidden.”

  A lot of things could be said about Veryl, but nobody could ever say that the bastard wasn’t clever. He knew his time was running out, and he’d planned ahead. What could he have hid that would have Lilah so worried?

  “Would you like some help?” I asked, ignoring the text message alert that rang out from my bag.

  “I’ve got this. But, thanks anyway. You should be kicking some vampire ass for info. I don’t want to keep you from that.” With a grin that didn’t quite reach her coppery eyes, Lilah turned to go. “Have a good night.”

  I watched her disappear down the hall into Veryl’s old office. The door closed behind her, loud in the sudden quiet. I dug my phone out, finding a message from Jez with photos asking me which outfit looked better.

  I sent her a fast reply though my mind was otherwise occupied. Whatever Veryl had hidden from Lilah, it had to be important. My curiosity was insatiable. I wanted to know what it was.

  My cell phone rang in my hand, scaring the crap out of me with the theme from The Twilight Zone. Arys had obviously been messing with my phone again. It was better than last week’s Rick Astley song. Nothing like being rickrolled by a vampire. Real funny.

  Shya’s fatally smooth voice greeted me. “Alexa, would you mind coming by tonight? I have something for you.”

  “Is th
is something I actually want?”

  “It’s something you need to see. If you don’t want it, you can walk away.”

  “Fine.”

  I had planned to stop by The Wicked Kiss despite Arys’s order to stay away. I never was very good at taking orders from him. Thanks to the demon, Arys would get his way regardless of my personal rebellion.

  * * * *

  An ear-splitting shriek echoed throughout the house. I winced, resisting the urge to cover my sensitive ears. Watching a demon be tortured wasn’t my idea of a good time.

  The sound of flesh sizzling was followed by another scream. Holy water on demon skin was clearly not pleasant. I cringed inwardly and paced away from the ugly scene. The scent of sulfur was thick on the air. It was starting to give me a headache.

  Shya stood off to the side, overseeing the proceedings. He was careful to avoid any potential splash back. Falon, the asshole extraordinaire, was taking a little too much joy in wielding the bottle of blessed water.

  The entire fiasco had nothing to do with me. I still wasn’t sure why I was there. Shya seemed to take perverse pleasure in making me witness these events. I glanced at him, noting the intensity in his red eyes as he stared at the man tied to a chair in the middle of his living room. It wasn’t really just a man; it was a demon. Whatever he’d done to piss off Shya, it must have been big.

  A peal of wicked laughter poured from Shya, and my skin crawled in response. Average height and build with a shock of blue-black hair, on the surface Shya was very much a fine-looking Japanese man. Lies. He wore that face, but he was a demon, and those red eyes ensured I never forgot that.

  “I knew you’d slip up,” he spoke to the man struggling in the chair. “You’ve gotten lazy. You can’t be trusted anymore. It’s time to send you back.”

  “No!” came the frantic response. With eyes wide and the stink of burnt flesh wafting from him, the bound demon panicked. “Torture me, tear my limbs off. I don’t care. Anything! I can’t go back!”

  I lingered as far from the action as possible. The wall at my back was glass from floor to ceiling. I wished I could simply step through to the other side and escape the stifling atmosphere. A fire burned in the hearth adjacent to me. Nobody else seemed to find it uncomfortable, but on a hot July night, the fire was ridiculous.

  “One job, Brook. I asked you to keep tabs on one person, and you failed. I have no further use for you.” Shya held up a hand, holding off Falon’s assault while he glared daggers at their hostage. “You’ve become a liability.”

  “I’ll do anything. Please! You know how he is. It wasn’t my fault!” The demon’s eyes were solid black as he gazed up at Shya pleadingly. The desperation and fear emanated from him in thick waves that assaulted my finely tuned senses. Demon energy was heavy and oppressive. I wasn’t a fan.

  “What do you think?” Shya turned to Falon with an inquisitive expression.

  Falon’s silver wings stretched out behind him. A pure angel had white wings, but he was tainted. From shoulder to floor, they were still massive and gorgeous, far more beautiful than the black wings Shya possessed. Currently, Shya’s were absent from sight, either by sheer illusion or demon magic, I didn’t know.

  Falon fixed Brook with a hard stare as he fondled the bottle of holy water. “Send his ass back to hell.”

  I stiffened at the malice in his tone. Everything that came out of Falon’s mouth made me shocked that he’d ever been an angel. He was his own special brand of evil.

  “Oh come on, Shya,” Brook begged. “You can’t let a goddamn fence rider decide my fate. He’s not one of us.” His anxious gaze landed on me where I stood trying to be invisible. “Might as well let the werewolf choose if you’re going to let an undecided angel do it.”

  There was a sudden commotion as Falon advanced on Brook. Forcing a drop of holy water into his open mouth, Falon stepped back with grim satisfaction, watching the smoke rise from the face of the wailing demon. The whole scenario sickened me.

  Shya turned to me with a look I couldn’t quite interpret. “That’s not a bad idea.”

  “Oh, no.” I shook my head vigorously. “I can’t do that. Please, don’t bring me into this.”

  Fear clawed its way up my throat, choking off my words. Shya scared the living hell out of me, but I was digging in my heels on this one. Just weeks ago I’d watched Shya and Falon kill a preacher. Whatever they were up to, I wanted no part of it.

  “Look at her shaking like a frightened little girl,” Falon scoffed. “You can’t be serious, Shya. She’s here for one thing, and this isn’t it.”

  I was not shaking. Falon’s derogatory attitude had me biting back an ugly retort. I did agree though. I wasn’t here for this.

  Shya looked amused. “Fair enough. This has taken long enough. We have other business to get to.” To Brook he said, “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood today. Consider this your last chance. Next time you let me down, I’ll see you burning in the pit where you belong.”

  Brook sank back in his chair in relief, the heavy silver bindings on his wrists jingled with his movements. Silver didn’t work on vampires or werewolves the way Hollywood would have one think. It did, however, work on demons.

  Falon took his sweet time freeing the demon from his bonds, but I began to breathe a little easier. Shya’s large modern home was sweltering, and I couldn’t wait to leave. I didn’t know if he really lived there or if it was merely a prop, but it was a nice place. Pricey. A second floor overlooked the main floor where we stood. The high ceilings and wide, open rooms made the place feel huge.

  No sooner was Brook freed than he sprung out of the chair and unfurled his big black wings. His face bore the marks of the holy water. Battered and burnt, he glowered at Falon before disappearing in a burst of black smoke. The stench of sulfur choked me.

  “Go,” Shya ordered Falon, his head inclined slightly toward a door on the opposite side of the living room. “Get the wolf.”

  “Wolf?” I sputtered. “What’s going on?”

  I hadn’t sensed anyone else in the house with us, but the moment that door swung open, I could feel it. Something wasn’t right with Shya’s basement. A chill crept up my spine. Instinctively, I wanted to flee the house. Whatever Shya had going on down there, it was bad.

  A series of bangs and curses rose from the stairwell. Falon appeared in the doorway with a bloody, beaten man. He smelled like wolf, but I didn’t recognize him. Falon dragged him across the room and flung him at my feet.

  Shya ambled up beside me, his arms crossed over his chest. Eyeing me, he nodded toward the man on the floor.

  “We’ve got a little problem here. This wolf has made some serious trouble recently. Enough trouble to get him killed. But, since he claims that you’re the one who turned him, that decision falls into your hands.”

  Shocked didn’t begin to describe my reaction. “What? I’ve never turned anybody.”

  “That’s a lie.” The man knelt before me, sullen and angry. “You attacked me on the street. Some guy pulled you off me and I ran.”

  Oh, shit. It hit me like a bitch slap in the face. I remembered him. That night Arys had found me at The Wicked Kiss after he’d warned me to stay away. It had been more than a warning. He’d outright threatened me, but I’d gone there anyway to seek answers from the one person I knew who had them, Harley. Arys and I had a shouting match in the parking lot before I’d ended up at a bar drowning my sorrows and ultimately losing control on a stranger outside. And, here he was.

  “You’re right. That was me.” I stared down at his face, trying to see it in my memory. I couldn’t. He looked back at me boldly, refusing to show fear. “I’m sorry.”

  His left eye was swollen, and his clothes were bloodstained. Falon had given him a good ass kicking. That lit a flame of anger inside me. If he was my wolf then he was mine to punish. Where did a fallen angel get off laying hands on my wolf?

  “What happened to him?” I directed the question to Shya, but I locked eyes wi
th Falon. “What did he do to earn himself a beating before I even knew about him?”

  “He went to the human authorities with his story. He begged for their help.” With a shake of his head, Shya looked at the wolf with utter disdain. “My man on the inside turned him over to me, but not before he wolfed out on two cops. I would have killed him immediately if he hadn’t said your name.”

  “How do you know my name?” I was uneasy. Wolfing out on cops was not something to brush off.

  The wolf looked between Shya and me uncertainly. “Everyone knows who you are. It wasn’t hard to get some information on you once I started digging around. I knew what you looked like.”

  “Why the hell would you go to the police?” I demanded, my voice rising. I was having a hard time grasping all this. I wasn’t sure how much more I could take tonight. To Shya, I said, “And why the hell do you have a fire burning? It’s July.”

  Shya merely smiled, a vicious grin that shone with amusement. I kept my attention on the wolf before me. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This was definitely not what I’d expected to find here tonight.

  “I didn’t want to hurt anybody. I thought they could help me before I did something I’d regret for the rest of my life. It was stupid. I get that. I just wanted help.”

  He was unapologetic, but I saw desperation in his eyes. He had learned the hard way.

  I couldn’t fault the guy for panicking and seeking a way out. I hated to ask, but I had to know. “Shya, what happened with the cops who saw?”

  “They’ve been dealt with. They don’t remember seeing a thing. However, if such an incident had occurred in front of a whole crowd, it wouldn’t have been such an easy fix. Mind control and memory manipulation does have its limits.”

  I stood there in the agonizing heat, trying to think through the onslaught of questions forming. Shya watched me expectantly.