Trina M. Lee

by Alexa O'Brien Huntress Series Book 1-4 Box Set (Retail)

  I couldn’t help but think about Harley’s assault. Being blood bonded to Arys may have prevented the entire scenario. Since it had first come up, I didn’t pay it much thought. Now, I knew it was something I seriously had to consider. It was all I could think about.

  The scent of fresh coffee reached me as soon as I left the bathroom. Shaz must have known how bad I’d be needing a caffeine fix. I wandered down the stairs, listening to the sound of two male voices low in discussion. I shook my head in amazement when I detected no trace of animosity in either.

  They each looked at me when I re-entered the guest bedroom. Shaz leaned against the dresser with a coffee cup in hand and another on top of the dresser, which he quickly handed over. Arys lounged on the end of the bed. I gave them each a suspicious glance as I accepted the cup of steaming hot java. Precious caffeine.

  I was nervous, and try as I might, I couldn’t it from either of them. Did they share a smirk, or was that just my mind running away with me? The approach of dawn instilled an anxiety in me like no other.

  “How are you feeling, Alexa? You look pale.” Arys’s lips twisted as he tried to hide a smile. “And you smell like frightened prey.”

  “Thanks.” I flashed him a middle finger before sipping from my coffee. “I wonder why that might be.”

  “If you’re worried about the sleeping arrangements, I have no problem crashing in the living room.” Shaz looked dead serious, but the glint in his eye indicated that he was teasing.

  I tilted my head to one side, appraising him studiously. “Is that what you would prefer, my love?”

  The blush that colored his cheeks and sped up his heart rate made me laugh. I raised an eyebrow though when he boldly stated, “Of course not.”

  “Then I guess we’d better get settled in.” Arys beamed a sexy smile at me, and my pulse hammered in my veins. He’d abandoned his suit jacket and shirt and began to unfasten his pants. I was left standing there staring at Shaz. I’m sure our anxious expressions matched.

  I wanted to ask him again if he was sure about this, but before I could, he raised a finger in warning. “Let’s just get some sleep, ok? Whatever you’re about to say, don’t say it.”

  Arys smirked but said nothing. I nodded. I got it. Shaz didn’t want to make this any weirder than it was by talking about it. And, after what happened outside Lucy’s Lounge, this shouldn’t be all that panic inducing.

  “Fine,” I said. “But, if you feel uncomfortable-,”

  Shaz grasped my hand and pulled me along with him towards the bed, almost causing my coffee to spill. The wicked grin plastered on Arys’s face revealed fangs and sent a shock of excitement to my nether regions. Shaz nudged me from behind, causing me to notice that I’d stopped moving. I took a shaky step, feeling like my legs would buckle before I made it any further.

  “Is there a reason why you’re looking at me like you’ve just caught a snack unawares?” I gave Arys a dirty look when his smile became a sexy laugh.

  “Possibly. Is there a reason why you look like a nervous virgin on her wedding night?”

  “Perhaps.” I approached the bed, setting my coffee down on the nightstand while double-checking that my robe was tightly secured. “Don’t try any funny stuff, mister. If you freak Shaz out-,”

  Arys reached out in blur of motion, grabbing me and pulling me down on the bed with him. He rolled me so that I was beneath him, his bare chest pressed to the front of my robe. I gave a little squeal as he did so.

  “Is it really Shaz you’re worried about? Or is it you?” He nibbled my bottom lip ever so lightly. “Because something tells me that your wolf is probably more game than you realize.”

  Shaz coughed lightly, drawing our attention to him. He stood beside the bed, a strange smile playing along his lips. “Actually,” he began, his expression growing serious. “I do have something I want to say, to both of you.”

  Uh oh, I thought. Here it comes. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting from Shaz, but it was not at all what came next. Setting his coffee down on the night table, he sat gingerly on the edge of the bed. Arys let me up so that I could face Shaz, my heart in my throat as I expected some kind of bad news. Clearing his throat, Shaz took a deep breath and ran a hand nervously through his hair.

  “Lex, I think that you should let Arys blood bond you.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Shaz paused, allowing the meaning of his words to sink in. My jaw dropped, and I gawked at him incredulously. “Have you lost your mind? Is this a joke? No, forget I asked. You have to have lost your mind.”

  He gave me a small smile, as if he’d expected my reaction. “No joke, babe. I’m dead serious. You’re clearly not safe anymore, and it will protect you from Harley and anyone else like him.”

  I turned on Arys, glaring hard. “Was this your idea? Manipulate Shaz into your way of thinking so you can make me more of a vampire than I already am?”

  “Of course not!” Arys’s blue eyes widened, and he drew back, shock written all over his face. “I didn’t know what the hell he was going to say.”

  “Lex,” Shaz gave an exasperated sigh and reached to take my hand in his. “This is all me. Look, I know that there is a side of you that is all wolf and all mine. I cherish it more than I could ever express. But, we all know there is a part of you that has never been human or wolf. A part that is closer to vampire than anything else. It just makes sense.”

  “It would join her to me forever,” Arys interjected, forcing Shaz to meet his piercing gaze. “Beyond death, she would rise again. Do you understand that, wolf?”

  Shaz looked down at the floor, and I noticed that his lower lip trembled ever so slightly. My heart broke and I gravitated closer to him. He fixed Arys with intense green wolf eyes. “I do. That’s why I’m saying this.” To me, he added, “It’s your choice. Imagine what could have happened tonight if Harley had been the one. I just … I fear for you.”

  Arys shifted uncomfortably, and I knew that he agreed, despite what he had said before about not wanting to be the one to take my mortality away. I looked back and forth between the two of them. It became clear to me why neither of them wanted to tell me what they’d talked about the night I was attacked in the park. They had talked about this very moment. Without me.

  It stung in strange places. Not that I planned to admit it to them. I avoided eye contact with either man by picking compulsively at the fluffy bedspread. Of course, I couldn’t really hold it against them for discussing my well-being. But, I was anyway, just a little.

  I didn’t want to be bound to Harley, but the real question was about my mortality. There was definitely an advantage to being able to die twice, but to live as a vampire, for God knows how long, could I face that? Did I want to?

  When Arys looked at me, I saw fear lurking in the depths of his ocean eyes. “I don’t want to influence your decision in any way. It has to be entirely up to you. I’m afraid that Harley will never give up his infatuation with having you for himself. Not if he feels he’s entitled to you.”

  I couldn’t help but remember the sensation of Harley’s hands upon me and then his fangs. I had been unable to defend myself. I’d been helpless, and as I recalled how it had felt, I knew I could never allow Harley or anyone else to put me in that position again.

  He had enlightened me to one thing though, I had to get more comfortable with my power and learn how to use it to the fullest extent. Harley had so much on me in that regard.

  “Would you really want that, Arys? To be blood bound to me until one of us finally bites it?”

  It was a crude way of saying things, but I was an anxious ball of nerves. I hadn’t realized I could be faced with a choice like this, at least, not so soon. After tonight with Harley, I couldn’t escape making a decision.

  Arys’s voice was softer than I’d ever heard it. “You know I do.”

  Shaz sat stiffly beside us. He didn’t seem at all put off by the vampire’s admittance. Worry and love emanated from him, and again, I wonde
red how I had gotten so lucky to have someone like him in my life.

  I could see Harley in my mind, his fangs sunk into my white wolf. Shaz was Alpha now, and I knew he was everything that meant and more. I had to accept that Shaz was as much a part of the supernatural and its dangers as I was. Doing this would be good for all of us. It wasn’t just about me.

  “I said what I had to say. I didn’t mean to upset you.” Shaz pulled me close, pressing the warmest kiss to my lips. The love that filled me was unlike anything I’d ever known, and the power of it brought tears to my eyes. A few spilled over before I could blink them away, and I quickly wiped at them.

  “I’m not upset. I’m just overwhelmed by the affection you have for me.” I smiled and kissed him back with the intensity of what I was feeling. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. Ever since Harley told me there would be others coming for me … I think I should do it. Now. Tonight.”

  Arys looked up sharply, a combination of fear and relief in his eyes. “Are you sure? You should take some time to think it through.”

  Shaking my head, I forced back any second thoughts before they could infect me. “He won’t stop, and there will be others. We started this Arys, and we have to maintain it. I want to do what I have to, to protect ourselves and everyone in our lives. Let’s do it … now.”

  Arys was a total fit of nerves, and I couldn’t help but vibe off him. His energy tickled me so that I wanted to scratch, but the feeling went beyond the physical surface of my skin.

  I frowned in uncertainty. “Arys? This choice is yours, too. You don’t have to do this if you’re having doubts. We’re only bound by power. We don’t have to come full circle and make it blood and body as well.” It wasn’t like Arys to show this type of anxiety. He was always so cool and pulled together.

  “Oh, I’m not having any doubts.” The surprised expression on his handsome face had me shaking my head in wonder. “I’ve never wanted any creature the way I want you, Alexa. It’s my control I’m worried about. I don’t want to kill you.”

  I couldn’t have been any more astounded. Shocked didn’t begin to describe what his words made me feel. I had no control over the sudden increase in my heart rate. “Excuse me?”

  His face was a mask of anguish. “The blood bond is so much deeper than anything we’ve ever done before. It’s called the wicked kiss for a reason, Alexa. I don’t trust myself to stop if I take it too far.” He gazed down into my eyes, and I saw the predator in him, the one I had seen every time I looked at him before we’d become intimate.

  Was I so blinded by lust and power that I had failed to remember that he was a vampire? A killer. When had I stopped fearing him?

  “Why are you afraid?” Arys asked with concern in his voice, but there was a new hunger in his eyes. Shaz was silent, but I knew he was watching us with a keen awareness.

  “I’m not.” I had to force myself to meet his eyes. “I mean, I don’t know. I think I just realized that even though there’s something between us, you’re still a vampire.”

  He chuckled, a soothing sound that manipulated my fear into excitement. “That’s what you love about me. The ruthless killer … the darkness. You need that in a lover, because it’s what you are.”

  His comment left me unsettled. Shaz stirred uneasily, and I flushed, hating the side of me that went beyond a natural predator. Capturing my hand in his larger warm one, Shaz turned to Arys. “Once you do this, there is no way that he can bind her. Right?”

  The vampire stared at Shaz until he appeared uncomfortable. Then he gave a slight nod. “She will be mine, and no other vampire can bind her.”

  “Why do I sense a ‘but’ coming?” I asked, watching Arys. His strange mood piqued my interest.

  “But,” he flashed a smile at me that made my knees weak. “You will still be a mortal werewolf with more power than you know what to do with, and therefore, still a target. And, don’t forget, my love; we will be bonded on every level, not just metaphysically. Mind and body will also be bound in many ways, some of which are unknown to me. I’ve never bound any mortal.”

  I touched Shaz’s face, forcing him to meet my eyes. “Are you completely sure of how you feel about this?”

  “No,” he admitted, chewing nervously on his lower lip. “It’s not easy for me to be part of this, but this isn’t about making me comfortable. This is about what’s best for you. And, as much as it does kill me a little, I’m a nervous wreck knowing the kind of danger you’re in.” He glared in Arys’s direction then, and I realized he blamed him for Harley’s intentions. Of course he did.

  Arys returned the dark look with one that was carefully neutral. So, their fragile understanding had dissolved. That didn’t take long. Was it wrong that I preferred that?

  My discomfort grew when neither of them broke eye contact. The negative energy grew thick with animosity. As if this wasn’t already difficult enough.

  “Is there something that you’d like to say, Shaz?” Arys’s voice was low, menacing.

  Shaz gave his platinum head a shake. “It’s already been said.”

  “This is never going to end, is it?” I asked, looking back and forth between them.

  With a toss of his head, Shaz assumed a casual expression. Feigned nonchalance wasn’t one of his strong suits, and I wasn’t buying it. “It’s all good, Lex. This is about you, not us.”

  Arys sat back against the headboard with his arms crossed, glowering at nobody in particular. “Don’t let me kill her,” he said suddenly. “I’ve never had to stop myself before. I’ve never wanted to. This won’t be easy.”

  The silence was heavy, and the atmosphere, thick with tension. Shaz looked at me so hard with so much emotion in his jade eyes that I started to come apart inside. He would go to the ends of the earth for me. I felt it, without a doubt when he replied, “Not a problem. I assume that means I can do whatever it takes, if it comes to that.”

  Shaz gave me a wink and a grin, which was missed by Arys, who frowned. “Of course. No cheap shots, wolf.”

  I was calmer than I should have been with the stimulating sensation of each man’s high-strung energy assaulting my senses. This was something I had to do. I grew more certain of it with every passing moment.

  Arys moved quickly, jerking me up against his hard chest. I gasped and adrenaline crashed through my veins. “Listen closely to her heart,” Arys told Shaz. “It will be your guide. Don’t let it grow too faint before you stop me. She can take more than a human, but it’s hard to say how much more. She’s already lost a fair amount of blood.” He peered at both of us through those midnight eyes. The hunger already filled him as the bloodlust fought for control.

  Shaz flashed him a dirty look. “I’m not going to let her die. Not unless you intend to kill me first.”

  Oh, that was just what I wanted to hear before putting myself completely into their hands. I needed to be able to trust both of them to hold it together. “Do you think you guys could lip each other off after we do this, when I’m not dead?”

  “Sorry, Lex.” Shaz shifted so that he was closer to us, almost touching. His pure werewolf energy was calming.

  I looked up at Arys, expecting him to ease me into this. I had no second thoughts. I just wanted it over. When he gazed down upon me, I felt more like food than I ever had before, including when walking into The Wicked Kiss. The anticipation of feasting upon my blood was quickly stripping his control away. It was that awareness that instilled the first trace of true terror within me.

  I struggled to control my breathing as the adrenaline flooded me. Fear would drive him harder and faster, and yet, knowing that made me that much more afraid.

  “Ready?” One word, one chance to turn back. At my stiff nod, he tilted my head to reveal the smooth, unbitten side of my neck. Physically, I felt pretty good after my encounter with Harley though I was reluctant to find out how much more I could take.

  Had I expected Arys to hesitate? Possibly. What I hadn’t expected was the rough w
ay he grasped my upper arms, holding me immobile. I couldn’t even open my mouth to complain before his mouth was on my skin, his fangs plunging deep.

  My blood spilled, and a strangled cry filled the room that I vaguely knew was me. It was nothing like it had ever been when he’d fed from me during our lovemaking. This was pure agony. Every vein and artery in my body seemed to seize as he pulled my blood into him. I went cold inside, the chill forming in my core spread throughout my limbs.

  I never could have imagined what being Arys’s victim truly meant. Not until that moment. With his razor sharp fangs buried in my flesh and the intent to drain me, I had never feared him so thoroughly.

  I heard Shaz’s voice, but it sounded fuzzy and far away. He didn’t make the mistake of intervening, instead watching helplessly as my vampire lover sucked me dry right before his very eyes.

  Arys held me tightly to him. A low groan reverberated in his throat as he pulled hard at the wound. A jolt of searing hot pain burned through me, and as instinct kicked in, I struggled against him. He forced me back so that I lay flat on the bed and ground his fangs deeper until I thought that the pain would surely kill me before the blood loss did.

  When he withdrew his fangs to let the blood rush freely against his tongue, I convulsed and shuddered amidst the sudden pull of power blanketing us. It rose up like a thunderstorm, crashing over us. Even as he stole my life source, our bond was as strong as ever.

  The room began to spin, and I had to close my eyes as a wave of nausea threatened me. Every second brought me closer to certain death. I could feel it. Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea after all.

  The audible beat of my heart grew louder in my ears until it was all I could hear. Though I physically struggled uselessly beneath Arys, our power seemed to dance all around us. I knew Shaz was reacting to it when he reached to touch us both. One hand gripped Arys’s forearm, ready to drag him off me. The other stroked a few long blonde tendrils that streamed out on the bed spread behind me.