by Trina M. Lee
In my peripheral vision, I saw Beard Guy try to make a run for it. Jez shoved him back with a fierceness that had her green eyes blazing. She didn’t stop until he stayed down on the floor where she put him.
Ben blinked at me through bleary eyes and smiled as if I were a product of his drug-clouded imagination. “Man, what are you? This is a fucking trip.”
What are you? Ah, that question. I was so sick of hearing it. “It doesn’t matter what I am. You’re not going to live long enough to think twice about it anyway. Tell me where Allie is.” I slammed him against the table a few more times, sending glasses, remote controls, and an ashtray to the floor.
The man on the couch wrung his hands. He stared at me with wide eyes while mumbling expletives to himself.
“Well, goddamn, if you aren’t a vampire,” Ben rambled on. “And here I thought the stories about this city were bullshit. I guess that means you’re going to kill me.”
Kale entered the house then, taking everything in with a glance. He and Jez exchanged words, though I was focused only on the pathetic excuse for a human being splayed on the table.
“Oh, I’m definitely going to kill you,” I snarled. “It’s up to you how fast or slow that happens.”
Kale took over Jez’s position in the front hall while she ran from room to room looking for the girl. I could feel him watching me. His presence poured fuel on the flames of my blood-hungry fury.
“Kane sent you, didn’t he? I knew he was up to something, but I guess he really got the drop on me this time.” Ben’s cackle conveyed to me that he wasn’t taking his impending death seriously enough.
Unable to control my sudden rage, I slammed Ben’s head several times against the table, stopping only when I saw blood stain the wood beneath. The guy on the couch came undone. He leapt up with a yelp, glancing around for escape. Not on my watch.
I pointed a claw-tipped finger at him. “Sit down. Now. What are you doing here? The truth.”
His ass hit the couch before I could tell him again. Nervous energy poured from him. He was clean though, no drugs in his system that I could detect. I just found my prized prey for the evening.
“I came by to pay Ben some money I owed him. That’s all. I don’t want any part of this.” He held both hands up as if that would help. His clean-cut, average, everyday guy appearance didn’t fit how I imagined a child predator to look. Of course I didn’t quite fit the description of the average inhuman serial killer either.
“Owed him money for what?” Kale asked, drawing both our gazes to where he leaned in the doorway. Beard Guy was still sitting on the floor where Jez had put him.
The guy on the couch stared at each of us in turn. I waited for him to tell a lie so I could pound the truth out of him, but he chose to fess up. “I had to give him his cut from what I made off some of his girls. He couldn’t keep up with the demand so I took some of the girls off his hands.”
“You were pimping for him?” Disgust made my tone a wolfish snarl that had the guy flinching.
Ben cackled, happy to bring someone down with him. “Bet you didn’t see this one coming, eh, Johnny boy? Sorry ’bout your luck.”
Johnny sat quaking on the couch. Apparently he hadn’t thought such activity would catch up to him. I was happy to prove otherwise.
“Uh, Alexa.” Jez reappeared in the front hall. She looked uneasy. She wasn’t alone. Allie stood awkwardly at her side, head down, staring at the floor. She was battered and bruised.
If I hadn’t been riding a power-driven urge to slaughter, my heart would have broken. The relief at seeing the young girl was crushing.
“Take her out to the Jeep,” I said. “Call Kane and tell him we have her. Make sure she’s ok.”
I tossed my phone to Jez so she could look up Brinley Kane’s number. When she disappeared outside with the girl, I shot Kale an inviting smile and unleashed my barely restrained need to kill.
“Oh, that girl ain’t ever gonna be ok again.” Ben’s disturbing remark brought my full attention back to him. He knew it was over, had probably expected to die a violent death. His acceptance made him arrogant, as if this were his choice.
“Kale,” I said, my voice low and thick with wolf. “Nobody leaves this house alive. Don’t make it too quick.”
That was all it took to start a small massacre that began with torture. A clawed hand aimed at a man’s groin could turn even the toughest asshole into a sniveling little creep. Ben screamed. I smiled. And the slaughter was on.
I slashed claws across his throat, reveling in the sight of the blood that gushed from the wound. I left Ben sprawled on the table to bleed out and turned to the nervous Johnny who sat frozen on the couch.
Without warning I climbed onto his lap to straddle him, using a push of sensual power to draw him in. He stiffened, like he was fighting it. The fight faded from him fast though when I reached to touch him. A caress down his jaw was all it took to put him under my thrall.
Johnny’s eyes glazed over, and he looked at me like I was a double rainbow after a storm. In no time the atmosphere was heavy with his lust. It was just too easy.
I grasped his wrist and brought it close, breathing in the scent of blood beneath the surface of his skin. I took my time dragging my tongue over the beating pulse, driving his desire higher until it satisfied my hunger for it. Knowing I was going to end this with a kill had me quivering in eager excitement. It was hard to draw it out for just the right moment.
“You like to take what you want from those weaker than you? Unable to fight back?” I heard Kale say as he slammed Beard Guy against the wall repeatedly. “Well, so do I.”
I paused to watch Kale tear into his victim. There was nothing gentle about it. It was pure aggression. He bit, and blood sprayed. Beard Guy screamed and flailed, his panic giving Kale the fear he longed for in a kill.
Johnny followed my gaze. His jaw dropped open. His lips moved, but no sound came out. Fearful tremors shook him.
I guided his gaze back to mine. “I don’t even wish I could be sorry about this,” I murmured, brushing my lips over his earlobe and down his neck.
“Please,” Johnny said, using the last of his willpower to beg. “I’ll never do it again. I’m out. I swear.”
“You’re right. You will never do it again.”
With careful manipulations I coaxed him to the highest point of arousal. His begging stopped, and he succumbed to my influence. When he was at the breaking point and almost crying for relief, I decided I’d dragged it out enough.
I bit him with a vicious hunger. Devouring his life force through energy and blood took me to a place of bliss, the one place where I lost and found myself at the same time.
I left Johnny slumped over on the couch, dead. A glance at Ben revealed that he too was dead. Blood pooled beneath him on the table. The sight of him got no reaction from me, not even satisfaction.
A thud drew my gaze to Kale. He’d dropped the bearded guy on the floor. Kale and I shared a look. At first it was just a look, then it was more, loaded with unspoken pleas and promises.
Those mismatched eyes captivated me, brown and blue wonders that gave me a glimpse of his soul. I could only see that soul so easily because he’d given me a piece of it. Our goodbye would be tonight. First thing after sunset tomorrow, he’d be on a flight to another country, another city. Without me.
Kale came toward me, slow, as if each step were painful. “Alexa, I—”
“Don’t,” I cut him off, unable to listen. Whatever he was going to say would hurt. I couldn’t take it. “Just… hold me.”
Without another word, he nodded, taking me in his arms. We stood there, ignoring the bodies around us, just clinging to each other as the hourglass began to run empty. I breathed in the scent of leather that was all Kale and squeezed my eyes shut.
“I don’t want to do this,” I whispered. “I can’t do the goodbye thing.”
He pressed his face into my hair. “We don’t have to. It’s not really goodbye. More
like, see ya later.”
I smiled, but it hurt. “Yeah, that doesn’t work for me either.”
I tried to memorize the way it felt to be pressed against him, the warmth of his skin, the pressure in his embrace. It would have to live in my memory now.
A noise in the doorway drew our attention to Jez. She stood there looking apologetic. “Sorry to interrupt, but Brinley is here. He wants to talk to you, Lex.”
“Sure, we’ll be right out. Don’t let him come in here.” Pulling away from Kale was hard. I wiped a hand over my face to ensure there was no blood staining it. Then I followed Jez outside before I could change my mind.
Stepping out of the house let me leave the broken part of me back inside. My stride was steady and determined. Brinley Kane stood beside the Jeep with Jez. Allie was safely inside the warm vehicle.
“Thank you for getting her out of there.” Brinley stuck out his hand, grasping mine before I could extend it. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me to know that she’s safe.”
He looked frazzled. Dark circles beneath his eyes and his disheveled, dark hair indicated that he hadn’t been sleeping much. The concern he felt for the kids he worked with was evident. This was the real deal for him. His calling. It was inspiring to see someone so invested in what they did, like it really affected his very soul.
“So what happens with her now?” I asked. My gaze strayed to the Jeep where Allie sat staring out the window in the other direction.
“I’ll take her to a youth shelter that can spare her a bed for a few days,” Brinley said. “It’s not much, but it’s a start. It’ll give her a chance to think about her options.”
From a pimp’s house to a shelter. It didn’t seem fair. How did anyone let their kid end up this way? Not that I was judging, just genuinely wondering what led to this point.
“How high are the chances that she’ll end up with some other dirtbag?” I saw no reason to sugar coat it. Leaving a hard life was tough. Sometimes there was safety in staying simply because it meant not having to brave change.
The light in Brinley’s dark eyes dimmed. “Unfortunately, chances of that are high. But I’m going to do all I can to steer her away from that. I’d like to get her back into school, but I can’t force anything.”
“If there’s anything else we can do, don’t hesitate to ask.” Jez laid a friendly hand on Brinley’s arm. “I mean it.”
Brinley smiled his gratitude before glancing toward the house where Kale was just emerging. “So, what happened? Is Ben…? Do I even want to know?”
I shook my head, meeting Brinley’s gaze. “No, you don’t want to know. Are there a lot like him?”
A tragic sort of expression flitted across his face. “More than you think. But the worst part is the johns. There is only supply because there is demand. The johns, however, they’re a lot harder to deal with.”
Jez and I exchanged a look. “I’m pretty sure we could deal with some of them,” she said. “If there’s anyone in particular, get us as much info as you can, and we’ll take it from there.”
Brinley shook his head in disbelief. A mirthless bark of laughter broke the quiet. “I can’t even believe I’m doing this. Working with a vampire and a…” he trailed off, eyeing up Jez.
“Shapeshifter,” she supplied, grinning when his jaw dropped in surprise. “Leopard to be precise. Although to be fair, Lex is a shifter too. She’s just one of those lucky hybrid types.”
I frowned, wondering if Jez was conveniently forgetting that she too was a hybrid. I was really not looking forward to the talk we needed to have.
“Well, thank you. Both of you.” Brinley nodded toward Kale who stood back by the house. “And your friend. I’m grateful for your help. But I should get Allie to the shelter. They’re expecting her.”
I opened the door of the Jeep where Allie was sitting and smiled. “Hey, kiddo. How are you doing?”
Staring at me in total silence, she shrugged, expressionless. I reached into the glove box and fished around for a pen. Then using a receipt Jez had crumpled in her cup holder, I scribbled my number on the back of it.
“Here.” I pressed it into Allie’s hand. “If anyone ever hurts you again or you’re in any kind of trouble at all, call me. I’ll come.”
Without so much as a nod, she accepted the paper, tucking it into a pocket. Then I stepped back to let her get out, and she joined Brinley on the sidewalk, standing close. Though she barely made eye contact with anyone, it was clear that she trusted him. That made me trust him too.
“Keep in touch,” I told Brinley as he waved and began to walk away. “I’d be more than happy to help you out again.”
“Thank you. I will definitely take you up on that. You have no idea how grateful I am.”
Jez and I watched him go. He led Allie down the block to a grey SUV.
“Next time,” Jez said. “I get to help kill the disgusting fucks that hurt kids.”
Next time Kale wouldn’t be here to help. It would be just the two of us.
“I hate that there has to be a next time,” I mused, running my tongue over a fang. “But I’m kind of looking forward to it.”
Chapter Seventeen
The drive back to The Wicked Kiss was spent listening to Jez bitch about being left out of the fun. She kept the chatter going by ranting about the sick fucks in that house and how much she wished she’d been able to make them suffer.
Kale and I exchanged a smile. Once Jez got fired up about something, there was no stopping her until she’d burnt herself out.
“Helping Brinley will be good for you both,” Kale said. “It’ll keep you girls fighting the good fight.”
“Lord knows Alexa needs it,” Jez quipped. “No offense.”
“There’s no argument here.” I shrugged and gazed out the window at the passing scenery, seeking a welcome reminder that I was meant for more than mindless slaughter. If I could find an outlet for the bloodlust that allowed me to deliver a little justice while appeasing the hunger, it could go a long way in keeping me from losing myself entirely.
Kale leaned forward between the seats and put a hand on Jez’s shoulder. “Would you mind taking me to my house? I have a lot to do before I leave. Packing and whatnot.”
Jez frowned. “What about your car? It’s at The Wicked Kiss. And we’re almost there.”
“Yeah, about that.” Kale dug his car keys out of a pocket. He grabbed my hand and pressed them into my palm. “I thought maybe you could take care of it while I’m gone.”
I turned in my seat as much as the seatbelt would allow. There were no words for what I was feeling. This horrible sensation crawled up my spine, and anxiety punched me in the stomach.
“Kale… are you sure you trust me with it?” I forced a smile, trying to make light of something that was unbearably heavy. “I might be tempted to do something reckless, like you know, actually drive it.”
He chuckled, but like me, the humor didn’t reach his eyes. “There is nobody else I would trust with it.”
“Hey,” Jez protested, pulling into a parking lot so she could turn around and head back the way we’d come. “No fair.”
Ignoring her, Kale added, “Besides, it’s proof to you both that I have every intention of coming back. I’d never leave it here if I didn’t.”
I nodded and had to drop my gaze. Deep breaths did little to calm me. My body just didn’t work that way any more. Or perhaps it was just one of my many flaws. I was too emotional for my own good.
“Shit, Kale. Do you really have to do this?” Jez’s voice had lost its hard edge. Her tough girl image had faded once she realized that goodbye was upon us.
Kale’s heavy sigh hurt me to hear. Knowing that this was hurting him as much as it was hurting me should have been comforting, but it wasn’t. It made it harder.
“Yeah, Jez. I really do. Trust me, I’m not loving it either. But it feels like the right thing to do.”
“Well… fuck you for being so damn responsible.” There was
no venom in her voice despite the words. She stared straight ahead, fingers tight on the wheel. Kale patted her shoulder, and she shrugged him off. Some of us didn’t do this emotional shit so well.
Every block flew by too fast. The closer we got to Kale’s house, the more panicked I became. At one point he put his head in his hands and said with a ragged groan, “God, Alexa. You feel like you’re going to explode.”
“Sorry,” I murmured. My energy was frazzled, buzzing at a high frequency, too high. It had the potential to be dangerous.
I clutched the keys to his Camaro so hard they dug into my palm. I felt nothing, not even when they drew blood. Once I noticed, I quickly stuffed them into my jacket. I can’t do this.
I caught Jez looking at me as if she’d heard my thought and shared it. I was so grateful to have her. We wouldn’t get through this without each other. Kale meant so damn much to each of us. How would we move past this? It had been the three of us for so long. Except that it hadn’t. Not really. Life always got in the way.
A knot formed in my throat when we turned onto Kale’s street. It was quiet, inactive. I couldn’t decide if I needed to scream, cry, or detach entirely and just be numb.
“Jez, I’ll be leaving the house keys under the back step. If you don’t mind keeping an eye on the place, that’d be great.” Kale stared at the floor, unable to look at either one of us.
Jez scoffed, trying to lighten the mood. “So she gets to cruise in your car, and I get to dust your house. Don’t think I didn’t notice the favoritism there.”
He laughed then, and I managed to smile if only because the sound warmed me. How would I handle not hearing that precious sound?
“All right,” Kale said, flinging open his door. “Let’s get this over with. I’m not good at this shit.”
We all got out of the Jeep, and Kale started by grabbing Jez in a giant hug that forced tears from her eyes. A streak of mascara made its way down her cheek. Just watching her hold tight to him caused tiny pinpricks behind my eyes.
