Once Bitten

by Trina M. Lee

  Silently, he nodded. We lay there wrapped in the comfort of each other until the sun began to sink in the western sky.

  Chapter Eighteen

  After two more vigorous rounds of intense lovemaking and a shower thrown in the mix, I was ready to go hybrid hunting.

  I had invited Shaz into the shower, since getting clean was more fun with two. When we’d finally emerged from the shower, we were dripping wet and had goose bumps appearing in all the right places. After some aggressive bathroom sex, we had moved back to the bed and slowly, deliciously loved each other again.

  Enough time had passed for it all to sink in. As Shaz took me again in his selfless, loving embrace, I found myself near tears again.

  I pried myself, reluctantly from the sanctity of his rare love. I wanted nothing more than to shut the world out and stay in bed enjoying him all night. I was stricken with fear that I may never get another moment like this one. Suddenly, Raoul and his mentally-ill daughter didn’t feel like my problem.

  However, nobody else was going to clean up this mess.

  So, when ten o’clock rolled around, Shaz and I were waiting at the Tim Horton’s coffee shop, a few blocks from Lucy’s. Kylarai arrived minutes after us, and we waited on Jez and Kale who had both graciously donated some of their evening to my pathetic little cause. Ky and Shaz each sat across from me at the small table. I watched traffic as I sipped the heavenly strong coffee.

  I left a message for Arys but didn’t really expect him to show up. Part of me was downright terrified that he would; I’d be stuck in the awkward hell of having him, Shaz and me in close proximity.

  I’d gotten lucky that evening, no pun intended. Jez hadn’t been free until last minute, when her latest flavor of the week girlfriend had cancelled due to work. Apparently, the girl was on call at the hospital where she worked as a nurse. Since Kale now owed me for that little brush with the demon, he had no excuses.

  While Shaz and Ky made small talk, I feigned ignorance to my and Shaz’ mingled scent. There was no fooling a werewolf’s sense of smell. Detecting our intimacy took barely a sniff, but knowing Kylarai, she was thinking that it was about damn time already.

  “Don’t you think so, Alexa?” Kylarai asked with one eyebrow raised. I had a feeling the question had been repeated.

  “Sorry.” I shook my head and took a swig of the perfectly brewed coffee. “Don’t I think so, what?”

  “I knew you weren’t listening.” To Shaz, she added, “Maybe you guys should have stayed in bed. I think it’s all she can think about.”

  My cheeks warmed instantly in a blush, but Shaz turned cherry red, which made me feel better. I kicked Ky lightly beneath the table, and she responded with a smirk.

  “Anyway,” I said. “What were you asking me?”

  “I was just commenting on how fast Raoul’s mental state will decline if you take out his kid. He’s going to freaking lose it.”

  “If he ever had it.” I commented.

  Actually, Raoul’s sanity was a nagging sore spot. He believed Zoey was savable despite her killing spree. I didn’t tell him about this little excursion.

  “He’d just as soon kill me before he’d let me lay a fang on her.” I dug around in my purse and produced the photo of Zoey, with her haunting, sparkling eyes, and I passed it to Ky before I could feel guilty.

  “She’s a pretty thing.” She forgot her coffee as she stared at the picture.

  Shaz leaned over to get a good look. “She looks a lot like Raoul.”

  His expression darkened as he glanced behind me. He pointed, as I felt the approach of the cool, undead presence that I knew so well.

  Adrenaline surged through me, and my heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t hide anything from the vampire; he would know instantly about the romp with Shaz, and despite the fact that he had encouraged me, I was afraid that he would be less than enthused.

  Considering the timing of the flings, I was bordering on tramp territory, as far as my own personal standards went.

  Those blue vampire eyes landed on me, and the look sent such a rush through me. I felt short of breath.

  Across from me, Shaz reacted to my increased heart rate by brushing his leg against mine under the table. As wrong as it was, the urge to pull away from him was strong, and I fought to resist it.

  Arys sat next to me, across from Kylarai and Shaz. I’d expected him to do something to embarrass me, but I was disappointed and thankfully so.

  “Nice to see you, Kylarai.” He greeted her with a grin and the briefest flash of fang;

  she just nodded and smiled.

  That small glimpse was enough to thrill me in places beyond physical touch. I quickly felt guilty and tried my best to hide behind my coffee cup.

  He then nodded to Shaz, and I froze. “How’s it going?”

  My jaw clenched, and my breath sucked in as I waited for Shaz’ response.

  “Great,” he said with a smile that was more forced than Ky’s had been. “You?”

  Their attempt at casual should have been normal, but it smacked of phony. I got a sick feeling that they’d discussed me at some point without my knowledge. Had they both just been waiting for this awkward moment, fully aware that it would arrive?

  Arys turned to me and smiled like a hungry cat. His voice dropped low enough to soothe when he said, “I’ve got to warn you, I haven’t fed tonight. Let me know if it becomes too much for you.”

  I had felt the slightest hint of bloodlust when I’d first opened my eyes at noon, but Shaz’ earthy Were energy had shifted the focus of my energy. Only now, within touching distance of that cool blue aura, did I feel that sickly twinge in the pit of my stomach.

  I rushed to think of something to say. Awkward silences are the worst.

  “Could you feel it when I shifted last night?” I glanced furtively around to make sure no one was obviously eavesdropping. I was incredibly aware of the heat in Shaz’ energy;

  he hated this thing with Arys, and I couldn’t blame him.

  “You know, I can’t say that I know the exact moment, but when I went to bed this morning, I swear I saw you in my dreams, two enchanting wolves with the scent of pine and rain in their fur.” His tone dropped as he spoke, and my heart dropped along with it.

  Shaz looked perplexed, and Kylarai made no effort to hide her raised eyebrow.

  “That was real.” I didn’t know what else to say. He’d seen us in his subconscious. I’d had strange dreams, too, though they had been random flashes of Arys’ memories. I was annoyed that he’d earned extra insight through our link.

  He nodded his acceptance of the reality. “You were beautiful.” Those deep ocean eyes looked into me, and I fought down the energy that threatened to keep rising. Just as the moment became awkward, he looked at Shaz and said, “Both of you. Together. I’ve never been so envious of any creature.”

  That was carefully worded, suspiciously so. I couldn’t help but wonder if there had been a double meaning to it. I’d felt him in my mind. Just how much had he seen?

  “Thank you,” Shaz said softly. I was painfully aware that something unspoken was passing between them; Arys was conceding that Shaz had something on him. I didn’t like it one bit.

  As I floundered for words, Kylarai cleared her throat, and all three of us looked at her. I hoped that neither of the guys noticed the grateful smile I shot her.

  “So, what’s our plan? We find her, and then what?” Kylarai downed the last of her iced cappuccino and fixed me with her grey eyes.

  I slapped at a mosquito that had strayed inside. “Honestly? I’m not entirely sure. I’d kind of hoped we could hand her over to Veryl. He might have a safe place to keep her.”

  “Like imprison her?” Kylarai’s tone said that she found the idea ridiculous.

  “I don’t know what else to do right now.” A strand of hair kept escaping from behind my ear, and I huffed in irritation.

  “Kill her.” Arys spoke matter of fact, and though I agreed, death wasn’t my first
choice at this point.

  “No. Nobody is killing her unless there is absolutely no other way. I want to talk to her.”

  “Where’s Raoul tonight?” Kylarai grew thoughtful, judging my reaction.

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I ignored his call earlier.” He hadn’t left a message, so I felt justified in my choice to screen his call.

  “So, he has no idea that we’re hunting his daughter tonight?” Shaz sat up straighter in his chair; his features pinched in disapproval. “Oh Lex, that’s not cool.”

  I couldn’t resist looking to Arys; I wanted him to validate my choice. His gaze bore into me, and I felt my power reach for him.

  Like the humans in the coffee shop around us, neither Kylarai nor Shaz would see the power, but they’d be able to feel it. The growing power struggled to break free of our control; maybe Arys should have fed after all.

  “If Raoul knew, he would never let us find her.” Kylarai pointed out. “He’s really just afraid for himself. Typical selfish bastard.” Her tune had certainly changed lately.

  She turned around and stared at the line; she didn’t get up for more coffee. “Let’s just grab her and take it from there. If worse comes to worst, we can just give her to Dracula, here.” She gestured at Arys who smiled. “He can make short work of her in no time, and she’ll die with a smile on her face.”

  That plan was ideal, but a shock of jealousy slammed through me at the thought of my dark vampire holding Zoey so intimately. Geez, what was with me?

  Shaz gave Kylarai a disapproving look, but she just shrugged. The two of them often disagreed at random. Shaz couldn’t understand how Kylarai could go from being the nicest person around to a ruthless, no nonsense killer. She on the other hand understood that he had yet to come to that point; that remaining innocence was part of Shaz’ charm.

  He wasn’t completely naïve; he simply couldn’t relate to what Kylarai and I had lived through. Every one of us walked a very different road, but at the end of the day, we were still pack.

  “Nobody is going to bleed her, except for maybe me. I might be on her hit list, and it may come to that.” I gave everyone at the table a look that said I meant business, though I doubted anyone took me seriously.

  Jez’ white Liberty passed by on the highway just beyond the parking lot. I watched distractedly while she pulled into the Travelodge parking lot next door. Kale’s dark haired silhouette was clearly visible in the passenger seat. My tension eased simply knowing that we could get moving and stop sitting in an awkward little circle.

  “Let’s just meet them out there.” I waved to the Liberty through the large window, grabbed a coffee that I’d bought for Jez, and turned to lead the way out.

  “Excuse me,” I murmured as I squeezed between two ladies in line for coffee; they glared at me as if I was trying to cut in line.

  Outside, my shoulders eased; I realized how tense I’d been. I had to force myself not to run across the drive-thru to the hotel in a desperate attempt to put space between Arys and I. The pull was so strong that I wondered if he was encouraging it purposely. I blamed it on his hunger. If that was part of some pissing contest between him and Shaz, I planned to be seriously ticked.

  At the hotel, Jez reached for her coffee before she shut the Jeep’s door. “Thank you. Damn girl, you can read my mind. I swear.” She winked and licked her ruby red lips before sipping from the steaming cup.

  She looked smoking hot in her tight black leggings and corset-style black tank. The golden hair piled on top of her head sparkled under the artificial lights. A glance down at my blue jeans, black ankle boots and basic black halter-top made me feel drab in comparison. It must be her golden hair. My ash blonde was not nearly so brilliant in contrast. Next to Kylarai and Jez, I felt like the girl next door; I’m attractive, but they are striking.

  “I really appreciate you giving up your night off. I hope it’s not a waste of everybody’s time, but I need to deal with Zoey before she decides to deal with me.”

  I resisted the urge to take a step back when Jez leaned in close to breathe my scent.

  “Oh, you naughty girl,” she purred as she glanced at Kale, who was greeting my small crew with the best fake polite act that I’d ever seen him pull off. “You finally did it.” She grinned and winked slyly. I shot her a warning look that went ignored.

  I waited patiently while everyone exchanged pleasantries, and the two vampires sized one another up. They’d met before but only briefly. The fact that Kale and I were strictly platonic seemed to be enough for Arys. His good behavior was surprising; so, he could be civilized and abandon the tough guy routine on occasion.

  “What’s your plan for nailing this target, Alexa?” Kale stepped up beside me; his mismatched eyes stood out in startling contrast against the black of his long suede jacket.

  “I’m hearing that this is a no kill hunt. Could you possibly be more boring?”

  He smiled when he said it, so I took it as a serious question made to look like a joke.

  I flashed him a big smile and waved my hand in an “oh you” faux flirty gesture.

  “Please, stop. You’re going to make my ego positively huge with these sugary sweet compliments. And yes, for now, it’s a hunt and detain. I’ll sort out the killing stuff as we go.”

  I perused the five people who waited for my clearly thought out plan. Other than tracking Zoe down, I didn’t really have concrete details.

  “I guess we’ll split up.” I shrugged in response to their expectant expressions. “Three groups of two should make it easy to cover the whole town. Zoe’s energy feels hybrid but she smells human.”

  “So pairing a Were with a vampire would make sense,” Kylarai spoke up. She gave Kale a roving once over. The first time that she’d met him at my office, she’d told me that she found him hauntingly beautiful with those eyes.

  I nodded and surveyed the possibilities. I shouldn’t be paired with Arys; I wasn’t willing to gamble with being alone with him right now. His allure was too strong. Our energy worked on its own science. It didn’t give a damn who I loved or why; it just wanted more of our power.

  Kale’s differently colored eyes darted between me and Arys; he sensed the bond between us. I wanted to ask if he could see the aural colors, or if all vampires were unable, but this was hardly the time.

  I didn’t have to look at Shaz; he hoped to come with me. However, the testosteroneladen air spoke of envy.

  To keep my focus on business, I didn’t want to go with either Shaz or Arys. I considered pairing the two of them together, but that didn’t sit well with me, either.

  Frankly, I didn’t trust the vampire alone with my wolf. In the end, I smiled apologetically at Kylarai.

  “I’ll go with Jez. Shaz can go with Kale, which leaves Ky and Arys. Is that cool?”

  After they all nodded, Ky somewhat begrudgingly, I continued. “Since Ky brought her Escalade, we have enough vehicles to easily cover the whole town.” I turned to Jez, indicating Shaz and Kale. “Do you want to give them my car or yours?”

  “Yours is newer,” she shrugged; her eyes followed a leggy blonde exiting the Travelodge. “They can take mine.”

  Kale made a scoffing sound, as she tossed the keys to him, before flipping her off.

  I delegated everybody to a different section of town and stressed again to take Zoey alive. “Kill her, if it’s you or her, but I think we should all be capable of overpowering her.”

  In my hurry to get moving, I almost forgot about the photograph. When everyone had taken a good look and exchanged cell phone numbers, we were ready to move.

  “What if we run into Raoul?” Shaz asked softly. He was so quiet that I couldn’t be sure if he was upset or his usual, soft-spoken self.

  “Try to avoid him I guess. Call me if you do see him. If we don’t find Zoe within a few hours, we’ll call it quits.”

  As everyone turned to go, Arys told me, “Be careful.”

  He surprised me when he kissed my hand in a way th
at made my blood run hot. A slip of his tongue on that soft stretch of skin between my pinky and ring finger made me shiver.

  I was painfully aware of the wide-eyed horror etched on Shaz’ face before he successfully forced neutral expression. I forcefully pulled my hand from Arys’ and gave him an absolute death glare for his trouble.

  “You, too.” I did my best not to scream when he smiled in satisfaction and turned on his heel towards Kylarai’s Cadillac.

  Shaz quickly turned to the Jeep where Kale sat fiddling with the radio knobs. I grabbed Shaz’ elbow and forced him to face me. Kylarai kept walking, and Jez took my offered keys before sprinting to catch up with her for the walk to the vehicles.

  “Please, don’t let him get to you. It’s just in his nature. He’s used to getting what he wants.”

  Shaz ducked his head so that his white blonde hair hid his eyes. “I know. It just makes me crazy knowing he’s bound to you.”

  “I know. But it’s metaphysical, not emotional.” I raised his chin up so that he met my eyes. “As good as all of that power feels, it isn’t love. You need to believe that.”

  “Don’t worry about me, Alexa.” He glanced at Kale, waiting in Jez’ Jeep. “I’m not as fragile as you seem to think I am.”

  “This isn’t about being fragile. This is about me needing you to know that, no matter what happens with Arys, he’s not the one.” My voice caught, and I felt pinpricks at the back of my eyes.

  Did he know what I was trying to say? I couldn’t possibly guess how deep this thing went with Arys, but I searched Shaz’ eyes for some kind of confirmation that he loved me regardless.

  As he pulled me to him in a soft yet strong embrace, I basked in the wolf scent of him, reluctant to let go.

  “I’m not walking away from this, Alexa.” He breathed into my hair. “Not now.”

  The emotion in his voice tugged at my heart, and I pulled back to look into his youthful face. His smile warmed me in places the vampire’s cool touch just couldn’t reach. It was all Shaz.

  “Alright,” he leaned in for a fast press of his lips to mine before turning to the Jeep where Kale feigned interest in a family parking their motor home across the lot. “We better go find Raoul’s offspring and tidy up another one of his messes.”