by Trina M. Lee
A black SUV with darkened windows pulled up. The agents began loading the body into the back. I wondered if they would give the murdered human a proper burial. They had refused to allow it for my dead wolf several weeks ago. Instead he had likely ended up in the creepy lab back at FPA HQ.
Bitterness choked me. I hated that my sister believed in her cause. It was something I would never accept.
“I’d better go,” she said, giving my hand a pat. “Thanks for coming by. I appreciate it. Let’s do coffee soon.”
I watched her get into a black sedan with another agent and drive away. After waiting to ensure they didn’t return, I ambled back over to where the body had lain. A trace of blood still stained the air, a bittersweet odor that brought with it many memories acquired in the past year. Very few of them were pleasant.
As I stood there, analyzing the tone of the residual energy, I got the keen sensation of being watched. I whirled around just in time for the air to ripple behind me. I drew the Dragon Claw with inhuman speed and swung.
The sound of metal on metal was loud in the still park. My dagger crashed against the sword Falon held ready for the blow. I felt the reverberation all the way down my arm to my shoulder.
With teeth clenched, I backed away, putting a few feet between us. “Are you stalking me, asshole?”
“Not at all, shit for brains,” he quipped without missing a beat. “I’d rather have my liver eaten by vultures in hell for all eternity than willingly follow you around.”
“Since when do you ever do anything willingly?” I fired back. “You’re so far up Shya’s ass, I can’t tell where he ends and you begin.”
The fallen angel glared in silence, and I felt victorious. The majestic spread of his silver wings and those fierce silver eyes didn’t scare me anymore. Not even the glowing sword sparked fear within me, though it was intriguing. I saw Falon for what he was: a has-been riding the coattails of a good-for-nothing demon.
He recovered quickly. Sliding the sword back into the scabbard on his hip, he smirked. “If you’d like to know, I was here watching your sister.”
My sense of victory fled immediately as dread settled in to take its place. “Is that right? Might that have anything to do with the body she just carted off?”
“It might.” The smile adorning his unnaturally handsome face turned absolutely malevolent.
I met his gaze head on, refusing to be intimidated. “Care to elaborate?” I asked. “Or are you just wasting my time?”
“Just making sure the good people at the FPA are occupied with their vampire hunt. Can’t have them sniffing around where they aren’t wanted.”
“Yeah, that really gets annoying, huh?”
He ignored my jibe and moved to examine the grass where the body had been. He bent to touch the dry, crispy park floor. Then he smiled to himself before throwing a dark glare my way.
I turned and headed toward my car without a word or a glance back. The dagger was still gripped firmly in my hand.
“Hey, Alexa,” Falon called, the lilt of a laugh in his smooth tone. “When is your twin flame due home? I’d hate for him to miss what’s coming.”
My body stiffened, and each step felt like my feet were encased in lead. I stopped and turned back to look at him. “That was a really pathetic attempt at getting under my skin, Falon. You need to work on that. Better luck next time.” I resumed walking, painfully aware of his gaze upon me as I went.
His chuckle was a low murmur on the night air. It made my skin prickle. It took great strength to keep moving without looking over my shoulder.
Chapter Three
I hightailed it away from Borden Park with a squeal of tires. Falon was one of the last people I wanted to be around. The most unnerving part was knowing he could lurk anywhere unseen in an incorporeal form. Even inside the car with me.
With a noise of disgust, I drummed a finger on the wheel in time with the radio. Slow, deep breaths helped to calm the rising storm threatening to wreak havoc on my mind.
What I wanted to do was go home for a bath and a drink. Instead I headed back to The Wicked Kiss to make sure the doors were closed after last call. Things had been rowdier than usual since I got home. I was convinced that had something to do with Kale and what went on there while I was away. People were pushing the boundaries there, him included.
The parking lot was almost empty. Good. I wouldn’t have to kick too many people out then. Kale’s old Camaro was still there, which was a bad sign he’d be banging and bleeding some lucky woman all day. Jez’s Jeep was gone, and a pang of worry struck me.
Something was amiss. The metaphysical remnants of death lingered to touch me with cold, clammy hands. I was alert and ready as I made my way across the parking lot. With the doors closed, no light spilled out to cast a warm glow. That didn’t prevent me from seeing the body sitting propped against the front entry.
It stank of blood and violence. It was a woman with multiple puncture wounds, heavy red lipstick, and long black hair. I turned to survey my surroundings before kneeling beside her. I didn’t sense anyone else out there with me. Only the true immortals could hide their presence, the angels and demons. This kill wasn’t one of theirs.
With a frustrated sigh, I reached to touch her. Cold, lifeless, and tainted with a honey sweet vibe I’d know anywhere. Kale. My first thought was that he’d dumped her here, but that didn’t fit his MO. It was definitely suspicious. Even more so was the scrap of paper balled up in her hand. I tugged it out, careful not to tear it. In the pale lighting of the nearest streetlight, I was able to make out the words: Long live the queen.
“What the fuck?” I muttered. It was a threat, a shitty one at that. But the fact that it was on Kale’s victim made me suspect that it wasn’t only for me. I was curious to see what Kale had to say about this. Too bad for him if he didn’t want to talk to me.
The body couldn’t have been dropped long ago. The club hadn’t been closed more than an hour. I shoved the door open and sent the first vampire I came across outside to get rid of it.
“Where’s Kale?” I barked at anyone within earshot.
The place was relatively empty other than the staff and a few lingering regulars. After last call, the back rooms filled up quickly. Kale was back there already. Again. Shit.
My gaze passed over Willow’s empty barstool. I briefly wondered where he’d been all night. More often than not he was parked at the bar drinking tequila.
“In the back,” Justin said with a thumb jerk toward the rear. “I’m taking off now. Need anything before I go?”
I scrutinized the big man. “Do you know anything about the body outside? Looks like one of Kale’s blood whores.”
“Not a damn thing. Sorry.” He rubbed a hand across his short, black hair. A frown creased his brow. “Do you want me to hang around a bit longer?”
I considered it. Justin was a big, intimidating guy. He had once scared the crap out of me. I did feel safer with him around. “No, thank you. Go do your own thing. It’s all good.”
“Call me if you need me, Alexa. I mean it.”
It was nice to have people I could rely on. They were growing fewer in number. I flashed him an appreciative smile and waved as he left.
I stared around at the remaining patrons. Suspicions flooded my mind. I didn’t trust a damn one of them. The city’s underworld was talking. The vampire queen rumors were flying, and evidently they were being blown out of proportion.
I felt torn. I had questions for Kale, but I could hardly burst in on him while he was between the legs of another mortal conquest. That could end in many ways, none of them good. My other alternative was to go home and deal with it tomorrow night. It didn’t feel right. Like I wouldn’t be taking the situation seriously enough. I could spend the last few hours of the night seeking the one who dumped the body, or I could wait for a better time.
My gaze landed on the back hall entryway. I thought about Kale back there, bleeding some pretty thing. It taunted me. Would i
t be so bad to just knock on the door?
Yes. Yes it would.
Fuck it. He was part of this problem. He too had remarked on this vampire queen nonsense. In fact, he had said I was in denial about the whole thing. It wasn’t denial; it was reluctance.
I marched back there to confront him. Even as I drew closer to Kale’s room, I wished for a voice of reason to bring me to a halt. Letting myself be alone with him in the back was asking for trouble. But if he wanted to see a pissed off vampire queen, he would. Every damn vampire in this city would. They were going to drive me to it.
I let my fist fall heavy against Kale’s door before I could reconsider. I was tired of feeling like the outcast, the one every vampire saw as a threat. Never had I purposely flexed my power among them. That was about to change.
“Kale, open the fucking door,” I hissed through clenched teeth. “I’m not leaving until you tell me what you know about the dead woman outside. The one who came out of this room earlier tonight. Open up!”
There was silence inside the room. I could feel him in there. If he was hoping I’d go away, he was going to be disappointed when I kicked the door down. After a minute I heard rustling inside, moments before the door cracked open. Kale positioned himself in the opening, preventing me from seeing beyond him. His hair was a tousled mess, and his shirt was open, drawing my gaze to his bare chest.
“What part of keeping your distance do you not understand, Alexa?” he asked, wearing a bored expression.
Before I realized what I was doing, I hauled off and slapped him. My hand stung, but it was worth it to smack that smug look off his face.
“Hate me all you want to, Kale, but don’t make the mistake of disrespecting me.” I shoved the crumpled paper at him, taking advantage of our proximity to send an aggressive jolt of power through him. “I found this on the dead body of a woman you were with tonight. Wanna tell me what you know about it?”
He rubbed a hand over his cheek and grinned. The crazy vamp seemed to be enjoying my temper. He glanced at the paper and shrugged. “I don’t know what this is about.” Kale shook his head and started to close the door.
I kicked the door out of his grasp. It slammed against the wall and bounced back. A naked woman with mousy-brown hair huddled in Kale’s bed beneath the blanket, staring fearfully at us.
“Don’t screw with me. Something is going on around here, and you know what it is.” I kept my feet planted firmly in the hall. If I crossed the threshold, there was no telling what would happen.
Kale regarded me as if I were a child throwing a temper tantrum. Crossing his arms, he stared down at me with intrigue and chuckled. “You get bored by yourself, don’t you? Look, I’m sorry Arys isn’t here to entertain you and Shaz is off…wherever…but I’m done with being your third choice. Whatever you’re going on about can wait until tomorrow.”
Stunned didn’t quite cover it. I stood there in total shock, fighting hard to hide my reaction to the burn that his scorching words had delivered. It hurt to see how his resentment toward me had grown. But I understood why. What I was about to do next wasn’t going to win me back any points in his books.
I was tired of being the one that didn’t fit, the one who walked in several worlds and belonged to none. The wolves didn’t want me. The vampires didn’t respect me. I was done being threatened and misunderstood. This city was going to find out who I was. I just hoped we were all ready for that.
Looking into Kale’s eyes, I saw a hardness there I wasn’t used to. Worst of all, I saw a spark of hatred.
I hit him with my power, grabbed hold of his life force and brought him to his knees. My intent wasn’t to kill but to hurt. His energy bent easily, responding to my manipulations. Kale made a pained noise but did an admirable job of keeping his composure.
“The only respect I seem to get from vampires these days comes when I have them on their knees,” I said with a slow, angry smile. “Now why do you think that might be?”
The power rose fast, quickly overflowing into the atmosphere around us. I was aware of the vampire essence in the building. It was time to send my own damn message, even if I had to use Kale to do it.
Concentrating hard, I could feel every vampire in the city. Drawing on my bond with Arys, I mustered all the power I could and slammed it into every vampire I sensed, starting with the one right in front of me. I was sorry about those who didn’t deserve it, like Justin. Still, it had to be done.
I had done this once before in a moment of extreme rage brought on by seeing Shaz with the vampiress he’d gotten involved with. The force flowed through me, crashing over each vampire in my mind’s eyes like an ocean wave. I felt it hit each target in a massive ripple effect.
It would have been satisfying if it didn’t hurt so damn much. Pain racked my brain as my mortal body acted as a channel to so much supernatural power. Every time I did this, it came easier than the last time, but it hurt a hell of a lot more too. It was breaking me down.
It was a swift assault, hard and fast, a warning rather than a true attack. The message was clear. If they wanted to challenge me, they would lose. I released my hold on the energy and stumbled. Shoving myself backwards, I hit the wall across from Kale’s door and struggled to stay upright. Blood ran steadily from my nose to stain my shirt.
Kale lay on the floor in the doorway, spitting blood and glaring daggers at me. I wiped my nose with the back of my hand, smearing blood across my face. Wicked laughter bubbled up inside me.
“Sorry, sweet thing,” I said between gasps for breath. “I’m done with secrets and assholes.”
I shoved away from the wall and, swaying like a drunk, made my way toward the exit sign glowing at the end of the hall. The high of the power rush was dizzying, leaving me feeling disoriented. It wasn’t usually this bad.
“The truth always comes out, Kale,” I called over my shoulder. “You want me to stay away from you? Consider it done. But I will find out what it is you’re not telling me.”
Perhaps I would feel bad about this later. But hell, I owed him one.
Vampires and secrets. Story of my life.
I almost collapsed on the pavement outside. Once safely inside my car, I sat there with my head back, staring up through the sunroof.
‘Want to tell me what that was?’ Arys’s melodic tone whispered through my mind. ‘Is everything ok?’
Of course he had felt my little stunt. In an attempt to practice what I preached, I was honest. ‘No. It’s not. It’s been a shitty night. Nothing I can’t handle though. Don’t feel like you have to rush home.’
‘Then what was with the power play?’ His skepticism came through just fine. I even knew the look he’d be giving me if he were here.
‘I needed to send a message. Pretty sure I accomplished that. I’ll tell you everything when you get home. Promise.’ Truth be told, I missed Arys like crazy. And he’d only been gone two days. We were made to be together, and I felt it in the worst way with fourteen-hundred miles between us.
‘I’ll be there tomorrow night. It’s killing me to be away from you.’ His admittance was colored with annoyance. ‘I’m not coming back to Vegas again until you can come with me.’
I shared his irritation. Shya grounding me to the city was not something I’d anticipated. ‘How’s everything there?’ I needed to know things were under control there. Our visit to Sin City hadn’t gone without incident.
His amusement came through strong and clear. ‘All is calm for now. I don’t expect that to last long, but for now everyone is trying to keep a low profile. Until I leave again anyway.’ After a few sappy exchanges and declarations of love, Arys slipped away to resume whatever he’d been doing. It likely involved blood.
I started the car, taking a moment to enjoy the sound of the Hemi engine. When my vision ceased to swim, I pulled out of the parking lot and headed for home. The short stretch of highway between Edmonton and Stony Plain was a blur. By the time I reached the limits of my small hometown, I realized I’d been
driving on autopilot.
That little stunt had taken more out of me than I’d expected. I felt weakened and needed a pick me up. Days had passed since I’d taken blood, and I suddenly craved it with a burning hot intensity. When I turned into my driveway to find Shaz’s blue Cobalt, the bloodlust went from serious to deadly.
Shaz had spent the evening bonding with Coby, a new wolf in town and my best friend’s fiancé. The two had become fast friends, which pleased me greatly. Coby needed the guidance of an experienced wolf. I’d been the one to turn him, but I wasn’t the right one to guide him. Shaz, a male wolf and former Alpha of the local pack, was better suited to that job.
An unholy urgency had me out of the car and into the house in seconds. The scent of wolf mingled with a vanilla candle, teasing my control. I tracked Shaz’s scent upstairs to my bedroom where he had just emerged from the shower.
“Hot damn, my timing couldn’t be better,” I said, my voice a breathy whisper.
He took one look at the blood on my face, and his jaw dropped. “What happened to you?”
I was already tearing my clothes off. I needed him now. My dagger landed on the floor in a pile with my clothing and shoulder bag. “Just a little nosebleed,” I said, distracted by the heady Were blood pumping through his veins. “I need a little nip. Do you mind?”
Shaz looked me over and desire sparked to life in his jade green eyes. “Not at all.”
I tore his towel off and tossed it. There was no time to admire his fine physique. The bloodlust was in the driver’s seat, and I was merely a passenger. With both hands on his chest, I shoved him down on the bed. I buried my face in his throat, breathing deeply of his scent.
It hit me like a punch in the stomach. The bloodlust twisted into something deeper and darker than what it already was. It wasn’t just blood I wanted but the vibrant energy of his desire for me. Sex and fear produced the most potent, satisfying energy. It was an essential part of the feed.
