by Trina M. Lee
I did not like the commanding tone he used. Who the hell did he think he was to demand from me?
“Come on, Justin, lay off.” Kale reached to draw me closer in a protective gesture.
The hallway was stifling, and I began to crave some fresh air. Justin glared at Kale, and I sensed the unspoken challenge. With an exasperated sigh, I held up a hand, forming a perfect psi ball with little more than a thought. It glowed with swirling traces of my gold and Arys’ midnight blue energy.
Justin’s eyes widened, but his lady friend didn’t react. Only humans with an incredible sixth sense can see energy. I’d been one of them once. It was much the same with Weres. Vampires were the exception, as increased psychic abilities came as part of the package, though it varied by vampire.
I made no further motion, simply showing him the ball and then allowing it to drop.
Kale stiffened as the vampire and wolf energy buzzed around us. Together, it created something much bigger than either Arys or I was on our own.
“You shouldn’t have done that.” Kale breathed the words in my ear. His nervous glance at the occupied rooms around us set my heart to racing as I realized how stupid what I’d just done was.
“Arys Knight,” Justin said, nodding as if he’d known all along and had just wanted confirmation. “You’re prettier than he let on. I can see why he’s been trying to keep your identity quiet. I wouldn’t let a tasty little thing like you become common knowledge either.”
Was that supposed to be flattering? And, how in the hell did all these vampires know one another? Small world.
“Um, thanks.” I frowned, unable to humor him.
“We really need to go.” Kale jerked into action, pulling me with him as he pushed open the door to the parking lot beyond. “Justin, have a lovely night.”
The bigger vampire watched us pensively but didn’t attempt to stop us. The look he wore was so curious, so eager that I felt the grip of panic tighten my chest. Was I safe from these vampires because of my bond with Arys? Or, was I in more danger than I realized?
I gulped in the fresh night air, feeling like I had just escaped prison. “How do these vampires know who I am? I’m sure I don’t have a reputation that precedes me.” If there was a slight tremor in my voice, it wasn’t a coincidence.
The parking lot was empty of people. The tow truck hadn’t come for Kale’s car yet.
The street noise carried to us as we walked toward it from the back of the building. I was so relieved to be out of there.
“That’s debatable, but I think you underestimate your vampire, Alexa. To you, he may come off as some small town vamp lurking in the alleys behind your local hangout.
But here in the city, he’s a bigger player than I think you’re aware of.” He looked at me almost apologetically, and it made me feel naïve. I had no idea what Arys was up to when away from me, but I had a feeling that I was in the dark on a lot.
“How so?” When he headed towards his car, I steered him away with a gentle hand, back toward the front street. “It’ll be towed. I’m taking you home. And, I didn’t know you and Arys ran in the same circle. Neither of you mentioned knowing the other before last summer.”
He made a noise of exasperation. “There was nothing to mention. Arys is notorious in this city for being the kind of guy you tiptoe around if you don’t want to get killed. He has a tendency of making sure everyone weaker than him knows it.”
That I could certainly believe. “So, who isn’t weaker than Arys?” His cocky attitude was nothing new to me, but it sounded like a recipe for trouble.
Kale fixed me with a serious gaze that betrayed the monster behind his eyes. “For a long time, very few. Since he has been bound to you, nobody.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Really?” We walked around to the front of The Wicked Kiss where we cut down half a block and waited for the traffic lights to change. “Why does that give me a bad feeling?”
The crosswalk light lit up, and we crossed to where my red beast of a car sat. I was itching to talk to Arys now. He was going to get us into deep shit.
“If it makes you feel any better, it’s not like he can hide it from the rest of us. Neither of you can. I was aware of it the moment I was in your presence after you forged your bond.” Kale paused to watch the tow truck that turned into the lot of the vampire club. I could see the concern etched on his fine features. “I don’t think it endangers you as much as it strengthens you.”
I was starting to think that my world wasn’t as broad as it needed to be. I didn’t know nearly enough about the goings on of vampire society despite my romantic and metaphysical entanglement with one. The fact that I was also bonded to nature as well as deeply involved with my fellow werewolf, Shaz Richardson, was keeping me immersed in the world of Were to the point of ignorance.
I unlocked the Charger and climbed in, Kale mirroring my action on the other side.
Worry nagged at the back of my mind. I’d been an idiot to think Arys and I had something we could keep under wraps like a superhero disguise.
Kale was quiet during the drive across the city to his south side home. I turned the radio up to break the silence because I really wasn’t sure what to say. We’d just come to a stop at a red light when he spoke, startling me in the quiet.
“The things that she made me do, Lex; I can’t stop flashing back to it. To how good it felt even as I hated myself for loving it.” His fingers gripped the door handle, and he stared out his window, but I don’t think he was seeing what lay beyond it. “All I can think about is stalking a pretty young thing, letting the hunger build to the breaking point, the need for release. It’s been so many years since I’ve savored the power of life filling that void deep down. But, sometimes it feels like just yesterday that I bled someone from a vein in every body part while they begged me to stop. And damn, it was good.”
I risked a glance at him but couldn’t see the expression he wore. Memories could be a powerful thing. Arys’ memories had caused me to attack Shaz. They had a tendency to turn up in my dreams more often than I’d like.
I cleared my throat, a nervous anxiety growing in my stomach. “Maybe you should talk to Veryl. Maybe he can help you deal with this.”
He laughed bitterly. “Veryl is the last person to go to when it comes to not being ruthless. The guy is a madman. He’s already told me what a fool I am for frequenting a place like the Kiss.”
Then maybe you should just kill someone and get it over with before you lose your mind, I thought. I refused to give voice to the thought though, knowing it was the predator in me talking, not the humanity.
I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not that Veryl was currently out of town, along with a few others that we work with. They'd gone to look into some strange activity in a neighboring city, leaving us to pick up the slack and keep each other out of trouble.
Hopefully.
“How do you keep from losing it in a place like The Wicked Kiss?”
“With plenty of practice and a few prayers,” he sighed and picked at a loose string on the seat cover. “I’d be lying if I said nobody has ended up dead in that place.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t go there for awhile. Why not pick off a few of the johns that pick up the teenage prostitutes or something? It’s not like they’re doing society any favors.” It sounded harsh, but it’s true.
“I know, but I’m not sure I could stop there. The things that bitch did to me; it goes so much deeper than killing. It’s all about the joy, the satisfaction of the terror and the screams.” Though he continued to stare out the window, I could tell by his tone that he now wore a smile as he spoke. “Oh, the screams, I think that’s got to be the part I miss the most.”
The first trace of true fear settled into the pit of my stomach. The lilt to his voice oozed desire for bloodshed and death. Goosebumps broke out on my skin, and I took a deep, calming breath.
“Kale? Are you alright?” I hated asking. It seemed like the perfect opportunity for him to
say something I didn’t want to hear.
A long silence was followed by his voice, low and wickedly smooth. “Did you know your blood smells like pine and earth? And, feels like power? More power than any werewolf should ever have.”
If I thought I was already anxious, I was full blown alarmed now. I turned into his neighborhood, desperately trying to maintain my cool. Every instinct I had told me to pull over and get out of the car.
“Power that I’m not afraid to use.” I murmured the warning as the small hairs along the back of my neck bristled.
“The best victims are the ones that fight the hardest.” He turned to me then, his pupils so huge his eyes appeared to have no color but black. “Please, don’t tempt me.
Everything in me is aching to feel that hot, wolf energy roll over me. All it would take is one bite.”
I met his eyes defiantly. I had no choice. There was no way I was playing the victim.
“Don’t make me kick your ass, Kale.”
“I think you might have to.” The scent of fear filled the interior of the car. Kale was afraid of himself. If he lost control, this was going to go from bad to worse.
Another two blocks, and we’d be at his house. Could we make it that far without killing each other?
“Don’t.” My voice was sharp with warning, laced with the gruffness of wolf. “You didn’t come this far to be taken out by a friend, did you?”
The last thing I wanted to do was hurt Kale. But, knowing that he was thinking about hurting me made me ready to do so. We rounded a bend in the road. I could see his house looming dark and foreboding at the end of the street.
“That sounds like a challenge to me,” he replied viciously, and I knew that I’d lost him.
Before I could reply or react, he’d crossed the small space between us. His breath was hot against my face, and as I struggled to avoid him, the car swerved from one side of the road to the other, tires squealing. I let out a small cry and threw up a hand to ward him off while trying to control the car with the other.
He fought for my throat; his fingers dug into the arm I held between us. I slammed on the brakes, bringing the Charger to a screeching halt. The moment I tapped into it, the energy rose and, I concentrated on forcing him back with it. There wasn’t enough space in the car for a full on attack, and I had no choice but to be physical as well.
Because I was wedged between the steering wheel and my seat, I couldn’t move much. He was fighting to bare my throat while I shoved against his chest with all that I had.
“Kale, stop! You don’t want to do this.” I succeeded in landing a blow to the side of his face, but he never flinched.
His eyes were large and black as sin as they focused in on the pulse leaping beneath my flesh. With both hands tightly squeezing my upper arms, he jerked me roughly to him. The gearshift dug into my hip, and a frustrated growl erupted from me.
In a swift motion, he’d stripped me of the leather choker and tossed it aside. My panic grew as I started to think this might really be it for me. My seatbelt held me trapped, but it also prevented him from dragging me out of my seat.
My mind tried to make sense of the flurry of scents and sensations. Like I’d done with Shawn in the bar, I concentrated and tossed just enough energy to paste him against the passenger door. Once he was off me, I focused the power on keeping him right where he was while fumbling with my seatbelt.
In his blood-crazed state, he took everything I threw at him. When he grasped my wrist and jerked me hard, I grabbed my door handle uselessly with my free hand. Before I could stop him, he brought bared fangs to my wrist, and I watched in horror as he sunk them into my vein.
It hurt, and there was no pleasure in the sting of his needle sharp teeth buried within me. The touch of his tongue brought a snarl from me as he probed the wound. Instinct took over, and I swung my free fist, connecting with his temple.
When I couldn’t free my bleeding wrist, the adrenaline pumped hard and fast. The fifth blow I landed was perfect, and the vampire finally slumped over in his seat, unconscious.
I was examining my injured arm when the tow truck pulled up to the house with Kale’s classic Chevy.
Chapter Three
The adrenaline rush had me shaking, and the cool October wind bit at my skin. I leaned against the hood of my car, trying to catch my breath.
After the tow truck driver had unloaded Kale’s car and left, I’d wasted no time in vacating the confines of my car. I wrapped my wrist in a piece of gauze from the first aid kit I kept in the trunk. The bleeding had stopped, but the pain throbbed all the way to my elbow.
An SUV drove past me and parked in the neighbor’s driveway. I ignored the driver’s curious look.
Wrestling the dead weight of the vampire inside his house had proved much harder than I’d assumed. Despite having the strength of several humans, I had a hard time getting him to the front door without dropping him on his skull.
A nice bruise had blossomed on Kale’s temple where I’d hit him. It wouldn’t last long, but I felt bad regardless.
He was starting to come around when I dumped him in his pitch-black basement bedroom. He would be safe. I wasted no time flying up the stairs and out the door before he was fully conscious, just in case.
It didn’t take long to reach the main highway that would take me to Stony Plain, the small town outside of Edmonton that I was proud to call home. Deep breaths and good tunes on the radio helped me relax, but there was an unease that would not leave me.
Kale was someone I pictured to be in control, a keep-it-together kind of guy. What he’d done tonight had completely destroyed that illusion, exposing the true struggle beneath that cool persona.
When the classic hair-metal station switched to the next song, a sense of panic gripped my heart. The Cinderella song that came through the speakers now held more meaning than it ever should have. In the last three months, I’d been turning the station when the rock band came on. For some reason, I found myself wanting to leave it on now.
It made me think of Raoul, my former Alpha and lover. I don’t like things that make me think about him. It still hurt like a bitch that he had wronged me in so many ways and I hadn’t gotten the chance to even the score. And, the fact that Raoul was dead didn’t make us even because I hadn’t been the one to kill him.
Though I hated him to the depths of my soul, I knew that it was rooted in the love I’d carried for him during my teen years. My inability to get over his rejection was what continued to burn me deep inside.
Everything he had left me in his will continued to sit untouched. I didn’t know what to do with it. His house, car and more than two million dollars in savings were legally mine after the police called an end to the manhunt for Raoul. I’d been maintaining the house but ignoring the money that I did not want any part of. I knew I had choices to make regarding both.
I punched the button on the radio, switching it to Sonic, the local rock station. I growled, frustrated.
After a few good modern rock songs, I’d reached the edge of town, and the weight of my dark mood had lifted. Even though I dreaded having to tell Ky about Kale's freak out, I was psyched to see Shaz, my white wolf, my mate. A few days had passed since the last time we ran together, and I longed for it.
The sight of his little blue Cobalt in my driveway gave me a tingle in the pit of my stomach. I couldn’t wait to get inside and lay one on him. His presence would also make talking to Kylarai go smoother.
I’d barely gotten the door open in the entryway when the light turned on. Both Shaz and Ky stood there with expectant expressions. Her grey eyes were incredibly anxious while Shaz looked concerned and ready to be angry at a moment’s notice. In baggy skater-style jeans and a plain white t-shirt, he still rocked my world.
“Start talking,” Kylarai held a hand out for my shoulder bag as I bent to untie my boots. The white bandage on my wrist caught her attention then, and she let out a little gasp. “What happened to you?”
Kic
king my boots off, I sighed and gave them a weak smile. “Let’s go in the kitchen, and I’ll tell you. I need a drink.”
They exchanged a look but followed me down the hall to the kitchen. I went the long way rather than cut through the living room. A couple of deep breaths and a glass of red wine was what I needed.
After one long, savory mouthful of my favorite wine, I pressed a warm kiss to Shaz’
inviting lips. I had to resist the urge to linger. I could feel Ky’s eyes on me like a weight.
I held up my wrist and said, “Kale did this.” As Kylarai’s eyes grew wide, I rushed on, “But, let me start at the beginning before either of you react.”
In between sips of wine, I told them about my trip to The Wicked Kiss. I made sure not to leave anything out, including the creepy vibe and scary shrieks from the room next door. They listened attentively throughout as I recounted my evening.
“And, then he just lost it in the car. I could feel him slipping, but it happened so fast.
I could barely fight him off and keep the car on the road.” I looked back and forth between the two of them. Ky chewed a fingernail, and though Shaz appeared calm, I could see the storm brewing behind his jade green eyes. “But, Kale’s ok. And, I’m ok, so
… everything is cool. Really it is.”
They looked at each other as if deciding who would respond first. Kylarai looked totally ill when she spoke, her voice light and breathy. “Are you really ok? I knew I should have gone with you. Maybe I should go to him.”
“You definitely should but wait. If not until tomorrow, then at least until the sun rises. Kale’s running on junkie mode. He could be really dangerous, Ky.” I met her gaze evenly, hoping she’d see the severity of the situation.
She shook her head, her dark brown bob bouncing. Tears welled up in her round eyes. “I’m not sure I can deal with this, Alexa. The last man in my life to suffer from addiction turned me into a punching bag until I tore his throat out. I can’t face that world again.”
Shaz stirred but said nothing. He patiently waited for his turn to voice an opinion.
