by W. J. May
I blinked, and he had already crossed the small space between us. Strong hands steadied me, and I looked up, into his clear blue eyes. The emotion in their depths spoke louder than the words that he’d never let himself say. One hand gently stroked the side of my battered face before he wrapped his arms around me.
Shaz! I had to pull away before Shaz made this strange moment completely awkward. He should burst through the door any moment now.
“Stop resisting me.” Arys’s lips were warm as they moved against my ear. “We belong to one another. Why deny that?”
Before I could voice my protests to that declaration, he kissed me with an intensity that burned through my body. Our two energies were strangely one, and a comforting calm filled me. Already my strength returned in a relaxing ebb and flow.
I could taste Catherine’s blood on his tongue as it traced a moist line along my lower lip before dipping back inside my mouth. Things tightened low in my body, and I wanted to beg him to take me right there. Knowing how irrational that was, I still had to remind myself that I’d just killed his ex-lover as well as a human being.
A part of me was so pissed at him, and I struggled to allow it to come to the surface. I had to chase him away from me.
I succeeded in breaking the kiss. My hand on his chest kept a small space between our bodies. “Don’t do this right now. I need to be angry with you.”
“No, you need to tell me why you killed a man before you came here tonight.”
The cuts marking his face looked red and angry, and I reached tentatively to brush my fingertips over them. He closed his eyes and leaned into my touch.
“I couldn’t deny the bloodlust,” I whispered. When he looked at me again, his expression was pained. “A young couple were arguing. He was trying to force her-.”
My voice broke and tears pricked the back of my eyes. David’s strangled screams echoed inside my head, and I reached to cover my ears in a vain attempt to shut out the noise.
“Hey, it’s ok.” Arys’s voice was softer than I had ever heard it, and I hated him for his tenderness even as tears rolled down my cheeks in two crimson lines.
He reached out with a gentle finger to catch them before bringing the bloody drops to his lips. “The fucker deserved everything he got then. Don’t feel bad about dispatching a sorry piece of crap like that.”
I shook my head and took a small step back. “That kind of kill, it isn’t my life. You’ve done something to me that I don’t know how to live with.”
The rear exit door to Lucy’s creaked open then, and Shaz appeared, silent and white against the night. He made no move to come closer when he saw the strange tension and Arys’s crestfallen features.
I half expected Arys to blame me, again, for the slaughter of Mrs. Olson’s dog, but he said nothing. Instead, he nodded and let his hands drop as if just noticing that he still reached for me.
“Then tomorrow night, we visit your witch friend together and learn how to live with it.” He made no question of it.
He turned to Shaz and beckoned him to where we stood. “She needs you now. I believe you will be of more use to her than I am.”
Arys turned to go but paused to kick at what remained of Catherine’s quickly dispersing ashes. I made no attempt to stop him. I had nothing left to say. I had blamed him for all of it, and he hadn’t argued.
Shaz came to stand behind me and pulled me into his warm, living embrace.
“Are you ok, Lex?”
I was at a loss for words. I was physically injured, but the worst of my agony was mental and emotional. I turned in Shaz’s arms, to face him as I attempted to tell him what had happened to me that evening. A rush of emotion overcame me.
“Don’t try to explain right now.” He tucked my head under his chin and attempted to stroke my tangled, filthy hair. “Just let me hold you.”
With the hem of his t-shirt balled in my fists, I buried my face in the warm, familiar curve of his neck and fought back bloody tears.
Chapter Fourteen
Kylarai was ticked at me. No, she was pissed. She cussed me out good. I heard how very stupid I was in more ways than one. I should have talked to her after slaughtering the human. I should have let Shaz keep me out of Arys and Catherine’s fight. I should have done anything except what I did. It really was a shame that she hadn’t had children of her own.
She would forgive me. Shaz on the other hand…I wasn’t so sure.
Shaz and I had sat in the parking lot. Through my tears, I had told him everything. He had listened quietly, nodding and patting my hand as needed. Not once did I find the judgment that I deserved in his eyes. He had already forgiven me for everything.
Apparently, one mother hen wasn’t enough to keep me straight. When Kylarai got tired of chiding, I called Lena. Without telling her that I’d eaten a human, I told her enough to have her insisting that I stop by her apartment. She even agreed to help Arys.
By evening, I was a nervous wreck.
“I can’t believe you’re taking him to Lena’s. Do you think that’s safe?” Kylarai tapped her long, manicured nails on the kitchen table, where I sat looking into my portable makeup mirror. “And, why do you need to look so good anyway? I thought it was just a onetime thing with you guys.”
I glanced up at her. She wore a long, sandy brown suede skirt with a blue V-neck sweater. “What are you all dressed up for? Or should I say, who?”
“Don’t even try that change the subject crap on me. Answer my questions.” She tossed her trendy bob and smiled. “I have a date. With Tom from my office.”
I wasn’t one for Weres playing human with real humans romantically, but I’d be damned before I’d burst her bubble. “That’s great Ky. Why is this the first I’m hearing about Tom?”
“Because, I turned him down the first three times he asked me out. And, you still haven’t set me up with that sexy vampire you work with.” She leaned across the table and picked through my open makeup case. “So, how did Shaz take all of this killing a would-be rapist and dusting your vampire lover’s ex thing?”
“Like a trooper.” I paused to apply mascara to my eyelashes after lining my dark brown eyes with smoky black eyeliner. “Actually, every time I screw up, every time I think I’ve driven the final wedge between us, he proves me wrong.”
Kylarai studied me as I picked a glop of mascara from one lash. “That’s because he’s in love with you.” When I looked up she added, “Note that I said love, not lust.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. I don’t deserve him. Believe me, I know.”
“You really don’t.” She chuckled and played anxiously with one of her dangly hoop earrings. “More coffee?”
“No thanks.” I’d had enough coffee in the past day to last me a lifetime.
Ky got up to refill her mug, and I noticed her energy felt as nervous as I was. I smiled to myself. It was kind of cute seeing her all aflutter like a schoolgirl. Maybe I should have set her up with Kale when she’d first hinted at it ages ago.
“Is Arys picking you up tonight?” She asked casually.
“No. I don’t trust him to drive. I’m picking him up in half an hour. When is Tom coming?”
“Any time now.” She glanced at the wall clock that read ten minutes to eight. “This is the first time I’ve been out with a man in ages. I can’t remember how to play the dating game.”
“I don’t think I ever did. But, since I have a date with Shaz coming up, I’d better crack open an issue of Cosmo and get informed.” I shook my head at my reflection and rubbed some red lip-gloss on. “I don’t know how I got so lucky.”
“Did you take that lip gloss from my bathroom?” Ky leaned closer in order to read the label. I pulled away in a gesture of mock defense.
“No. Back off, lady. If you want the lip gloss, all you’ve got to do is ask.”
We laughed together, then froze when the doorbell rang. Her grey eyes grew wide, and she sputtered a sip of coffee as she launched into action. She grabbed her purse, stuc
k a breath mint in her mouth, and threw her coffee cup into the sink.
“Damn, I’m nervous. Wish me luck.” She hurried toward the front door but called over her shoulder. “Be careful tonight. Don’t let that vampire ruin you for somebody more deserving.”
“I love you, too, Ky. Have a good time.” I smiled as I carefully ignored her pointed statement. I didn’t feel the need to add any words of caution. I knew she could take care of herself.
When the soft clicking of her heels in the driveway had faded, I ambled to my bedroom. I just stared into the closet for a solid five minutes. I was leery of sending Arys mixed signals so I steered clear of any cleavage baring halters or tank tops. Instead, I chose a pale blue Aerosmith baby tee and paired it up with my favorite blue jeans and black leather ankle boots. After running a brush through my long hair, I decided to leave it down and natural. With a spritz of my favorite vanilla perfume, I was ready.
Well, physically, I was ready. Mentally, a piece of me never wanted to face Arys again. I wasn’t sure I could resist him every time he made an advance toward me. Kylarai had been right. I was power hungry, and Arys was a prime source. Together we were dangerous, but we posed the greatest risk to Shaz, and I couldn’t accept that.
With one last glance in the mirror, I checked that my make-up hid my bruising. My cover up was doing a good job with the lingering bruise on my chin. The majority of my abrasions and bruises had healed as I slept, and the remainder looked acceptable.
On my way to Arys’s, I got a good case of the jitters, complete with shaky hands on the wheel. Worries that I couldn’t banish plagued me as I drove. I expected the twenty-minute drive from Arys’s to Lena’s to be uncomfortable closeness and unwelcome discussion.
I’d worried about forcing myself to ring the bell, but Arys stood on his front deck chatting with Mrs. Olson while feigning to sip lemonade. A big wave in my direction told me to stay put. Just as well, I couldn’t look that little, old lady in the eye knowing what really happened to her dog.
Arys quickly wrapped up his visit. He beamed a fangless smile at the tiny lady as she turned to go. I noticed the small bundle tucked under her arm, and a tiny puppy poked its head out of the blanket.
My heart melted. I couldn’t believe that the vampire had done such an unselfish act for another. I was touched, and I resisted the urge to break open my head and forcibly remove the part of me that reacted so strongly to him.
“You disgust me.” The words spilled from between my lips before he’d even closed the car door.
“What? Why?” His eyebrows raised high in surprise. “Because I bought Mrs. Olson a puppy? We both know that Benny can never be replaced, but she’s alone. She needs a companion.”
What in the hell was wrong with me? I’d done so much worse than kill a neighborhood pet, and here I was persecuting the vampire.
“I’m sorry. I’m just a little on edge today. I didn’t sleep very well.” Or very much. I’d been haunted by the attack dream again.
“I hope the wolf pup was able to comfort you last night. I felt he may be more calming.” Arys reached over to grasp my hand briefly in his. His fingertips were cool. He hadn’t fed recently.
“Bullshit. You didn’t want me to leave with him, and you know it.” A few sparks leapt about our joined hands, but they were minimal and did not grow further.
“True. But, I know that he loves you in ways unheard of to both you and I. And, that means more than my personal jealousy.”
An admittance of genuine caring from the vampire? It astounded me to realize how little I really thought of him. And really, who the hell was I to judge? I threw the car in gear and pulled away from the curb.
I wasn’t completely naive. I wasn’t falling for the amazing, sweet guy gimmick. The next twenty minutes were going to involve a lot of swatting.
He took advantage of a minor traffic distraction and slid his hand across the furry seat covers to brush the sliver of skin showing on my lower back. I struggled to pull the back of my t-shirt down but couldn’t because of the angle of my seat.
“You just can’t sit still, can you?” he asked.
He flashed me a cocky grin and reached up to hit the button that opens the sunroof. It irritated me that he helped himself to my controls. I wasn’t surprised when he reached for the radio next.
“It looks more like you can’t sit still,” I said pointedly. We were at a red light, so I gave him a nice, hard glare.
He made a slow melodramatic show of switching the radio station. “You should calm down, Alexa. Your anger is giving me a hard on.”
“What?” My eyes dropped to his lap. I looked away quickly, but it was too late. He’d already seen me do it.
“You heard me. You’re mad at yourself, and you want to be pissed at me. But you can’t, can you?” He poked me in the side, and I flinched.
“Ow, careful. I took a pretty good fall last night. And stop distracting the driver.”
“Tell me what I want to hear.” His velvet smooth voice dropped lower, and I felt it caress me.
“And what might that be?” I stared straight ahead, anything to avoid eye contact, and silently pleaded for the light to turn green.
“That you don’t blame me any more than I blame you. That it takes two to tango and all that jazz.” I saw his casual shrug in my peripheral vision.
Green, finally! I hit the gas pedal, and the Hemi roared. I left a tail-gaiter behind me in the dust. Shoulder checking, I moved over two lanes of traffic as we merged on to the highway.
“Does it mean so much to you? That I believe you didn’t manipulate me into bed because you’re a power hungry player who doesn’t know when to stop.”
“Yes,” he said, “It does. I think you greatly underestimate the respect that I have for you.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. I took a deep breath and focused on the warm summer air as it whipped my hair around my face. The air smelled faintly of rain, and I expected a shower before the night was through.
After five minutes of strained silence, Arys leaned forward and popped open the glove box. My mind raced a mile a minute. I didn’t think I’d stashed anything personal in there.
“Arys,” I said sharply and swatted his arm. “Get out of there. I don’t come to your house and rummage through the drawers.”
“Be my guest,” he replied and held up a portion of a joint. “I didn’t know you were into the mellow stuff. I didn’t taste it in your blood.”
My eyes widened in surprise at his find. “I’m not. I haven’t smoked the stuff since I was sixteen. That’s got to be Shaz’s. Make sure there isn’t any more, will you?”
I noticed a small, European sports car racing up behind me, and I maneuvered over to allow him free rein of the fast lane. Regardless of my night vision, I’d prefer not to bite it in a car crash.
When the little European model had sped by, I glanced over at Arys. In his hand, illuminated by the glove box light, was a speeding ticket I’d received a few weeks prior.
“You’re quite the little bad ass, huh Alexa? I knew it.”
“Would you put that back?” I sputtered, grateful the dim interior hid my embarrassed blush.
He gave me a wink and a grin that I felt to the soles of my feet. By the time we reached Lena’s condo, I was in a hurry to escape the close proximity of the car.
Even as he followed me dutifully into the lobby, I could feel the weight of his hunger like a target on my back. She buzzed us in. The elevator felt too confined, and I practically leapt out when we reached the fourth floor. He merely smiled and gestured for me to lead the way.
Lena greeted me, as I knew she would, with open arms and a warm, friendly environment. “Alexa!” She pulled me into a tight squeeze. “It’s nice to have you over.”
“Thank you so much for seeing us on such short notice. I can’t tell you how bad I feel for intruding on your evening.”
“It’s no intrusion at all, my dear.” She waved us inside. The gold bracelets on he
r wrist jangled loudly. “I’m more than happy to help you as much as I possibly can.”
Lena wore her characteristic braid down her back and more jewelry than I could ever wear at once. A long denim skirt and a tie dye t-shirt reminiscent of the 60s completed her vintage flower child look.
The small condo apartment was cozy and meticulously clean. The air had a false but refreshing pine scent. She led us into the living room where we sat on an old sofa with a patchwork quilt laid over the back.
After rushing back and forth to the kitchen and refusing my help, Lena had laid out an elaborate tray of tea, coffee and baked goods.
With an apologetic smile, she turned to Arys. “I’m afraid I must apologize, dear. I have nothing to offer that would feed your appetite.”
“Think nothing of it. I appreciate your desire to make me feel welcome.” With an aged grace that I both envied and despised, Arys captured Lena’s small hand within his own and raised it to his lips in a grand gesture. I fought hard not to sigh in exasperation and roll my eyes.
“Oh my,” Lena giggled and turned to me with a smile. “Now what exactly can I do for you?”
I recounted everything for her, editing the details of David’s murder but including the rest. She nodded as I spoke but said nothing. When I finished, she drew in a long breath and looked carefully at each of us in turn. When her eyes landed on Arys, my heart rate began to climb.
“It’s not so different from the blood bond forged between vampires when one creates another. You’ve allowed your passion to draw you into a true sharing of power.” Lena’s features were pinched in thought. “Like I told you before Alexa, sometimes this is the natural order of things, as hard as it might be to believe, it’s meant to happen. A bond like this lasts to the death.”
Negative energy swirled around us, and I noticed Arys suddenly stiffen. I tried to shake off the unease that filled me.
“So a onetime fling is a lifelong hassle?” I almost choked on the words as they spilled out.
Lena rounded on me with a look that had me backing up in my seat. “Hearing those words from you is like a slap in my face. I taught you better than that. You know not to take your powers lightly. I know you do.”
