Junkyard Queen (Alexa O'Brien Huntress Book 12)

by Trina M. Lee

  Fangs bared, clawed hands clenched into fists that cut his palms, Shaz rounded on me. “Don’t pretend you’re not overjoyed. You never wanted him to leave.”

  Somewhere inside I knew the raging power fueled Shaz’s fury. My power. Yet still my temper flared. “You think I want him here?” I shouted. “He came here to die, Shaz. And I have to be the one to kill him. How can you possibly believe any part of me finds joy in that?”

  Arys flinched, a small crack in his poker face. So he did realize how much I would suffer if I had to release Kale that way. “Let’s discuss this back at Alexa’s house.” He exuded a gentle push of power meant to calm and sedate. “This isn’t the place.”

  “Stop trying to manipulate me. I can feel it, you know. Better now than I ever could before.” Shaz took a threatening step toward Arys. “Don’t act like you don’t want to kill the motherfucker for stepping foot back in this city. I know you do.”

  “He’s been here for what, an hour? Two? Now that we know why he’s here, let’s take this calm and easy. Shall we?” Keeping up the flow of relaxing energy, Arys took slow, tentative steps toward Shaz.

  I watched with breath held, afraid. My power ran amok through my white wolf and devastated him from the inside out. It was starting to become undeniably clear that I was destroying the men who loved me. Maybe it wasn’t my fault that the FPA had targeted Shaz. But if he’d walked away from me when he had the chance, he wouldn’t have my mania rampaging through him.

  “Back off, Arys.” Shaz squared off, ready for him. Tightly wound, he was ready to snap at any moment.

  With a shake of his head, Arys continued to advance on the agitated wolf. “No can do, pup. Your anger stirred up the power you have. Now you understand the battle we wage nightly. But you need to calm down. You’re losing control. Don’t do something you’ll regret.”

  “Regret?” Shaz threw back his head and laughed. “Is that supposed to be part of this? Because I’d never know it watching the two of you.”

  Whoa. Now he was taking this too far.

  Arys’s jaw twitched, one of his tells. Shaz was starting to piss him off. “If you don’t calm down you’re going to experience a world of regret.”

  “So what fucking else is new?”

  A boom followed as Shaz flung up his hands. The power burst wide. Scattered force shot through the parking lot like a lightning bolt. It struck the group of smokers who went down like bowling pins. One of them screamed. I turned to go to them, but Jenner beat me to it, leaving me to deal with Shaz.

  A trickle of blood dripped from Shaz’s nose. His eyes were wild, all wolf. Chest heaving, he hummed with a deadly power beyond his control. Without warning he fell to his knees.

  I rushed forward, but Arys held me back with a raised hand. I waited, wanting to do something but not knowing what.

  Arys knelt before Shaz. “Do you trust me?”

  A wry grin tugged at Shaz’s mouth, but he couldn’t muster it fully. “You’re kidding, right?”

  Undeterred, smooth as sin, Arys repeated, “Shaz, do you trust me?”

  Suddenly deflated, Shaz’s shoulders sagged. “Yes.”

  Motions slow and cautious, Arys gently wiped the blood from Shaz’s nose. His hand lingered, touching Shaz’s cheek. Shaz pressed into the caress.

  Knowing I witnessed the unfolding of something significant, I tensed, wary of making any noise or movement.

  Arys leaned in and just barely grazed his lips across Shaz’s. When our wolf didn’t pull away, he kissed him full on. To my surprise there was little hesitation on Shaz’s part. Not only did he accept Arys’s kiss, he returned it.

  After running his hands down Shaz’s arms, Arys grasped his hands, entwining their fingers together. A breeze picked up as Arys called on his power. He drew on the excess running rampant through Shaz, pulling it into himself. Using their connection Arys managed to ground Shaz, bringing his high-strung energy back to a manageable level. Watching this happen left me in awe, mostly because the kiss was crazy hot.

  How could I not react? It was in our nature. A fire started between my legs. The cold night air did nothing to cool me.

  Naturally Shaz fell under the thrall. It was to be expected. Hell, I practically fell under it just watching. Letting go of Arys’s hand, he slid fingers through the vampire’s inky mess of hair.

  A brief glimpse of Shaz’s tongue delving into Arys’s mouth, and I had to grip the edge of the car to keep on my feet. Could one melt into a literal puddle of arousal? Because if so, it was about to happen.

  But Arys, despite his many faults, was too good a guy to let the kiss continue now that Shaz had calmed. He pulled away, brow furrowed in disappointment.

  Confusion settled over Shaz’s flushed face for a few moments while his head cleared. Then understanding dawned.

  Arys and I both tensed, expecting a punch or terse remark.

  Instead Shaz stood up and ran his hand through his hair the way he always did when stressed. “Thanks. I feel better.” Sliding a guilt-ridden glance my way, he added, “I’m sorry, Lex. That wasn’t me talking. You know that, right?”

  I nodded, all too familiar with the struggle to control such power. “I do. I get it.” However, no matter how great our regret, things said and done under the influence of our power could never be taken back.

  “I could’ve hurt someone.” Shaz stared across the lot to where Jenner reassured those who’d taken the hit. They appeared to be fine.

  “We’ll fix this,” Arys promised, putting some distance between the two of them.

  I eyed him closely. Although he wasn’t the type to lose total control at the drop of a hat, I didn’t feel he could be trusted with wolves. And Shaz was his favorite. That little taste of him had to be messing with Arys’s head.

  It messed with mine, and I hadn’t been directly involved.

  “I’ll get that taken care of.” Shaz pointed at the big ass dent in the side of my car. “I know Kale coming back here isn’t easy for you, especially considering the circumstances. I’m really sorry.”

  “Quit apologizing. It doesn’t matter.” I had yet to process Kale’s return myself, and I had no interest in picking through it with these two.

  Knowing me well, Shaz dropped the subject. It would come up later. Hopefully I’d be better prepared to handle it then.

  “I actually came by for another reason,” he said, worry creasing his brow. “It’s Dayne. He’s hunting tonight.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  “That stupid bastard. Did he tell you this?” I’d have to deal with the drama of Kale’s arrival another time, which was just fine by me. Dayne just became priority number one.

  “Owen did, but he wanted to keep it just between us,” Shaz said. “He knows Dayne’s gone off the deep end, and Hanna won’t say or do shit. She’s just happy he’s alive.”

  Hanna could use a good ass kicking herself. Far too dependent on Dayne, she couldn’t function without him. Now she sat back and did nothing while he attacked and turned innocent people on the streets.

  “He won’t be for much longer if he keeps this up. The Circle wants me to deal with him. I can’t let him do this.” I glanced over as Jenner walked up. “Arys, you and Jenner might as well catch up. I’m taking Shaz with me to find Dayne. And by catch up I mean don’t kill anybody.”

  Still reeling from his kiss with Shaz, Arys edged toward my car. “Are you sure you don’t need me? I could go for a piece of Dayne.”

  “I don’t doubt it.” As much as I didn’t want to address my deal with Jenner, I figured now was as good a time as any. Because not enough shit had yet hit the fan. “Jenner, now might be a good time to discuss that little arrangement with Arys.”

  Jenner’s eyes widened, then narrowed as he saw the corner I’d backed him into.

  Leaving the two vampires to their own devices, I got into the car. Shaz joined me, and after a phone call to Owen, he learned that Dayne might be prowling the River Valley. Made sense. It was a chunk of nat
ure complete with forest and walking trails right in the middle of the city. And even at night the trails would be occupied to some extent.

  We made the River Valley in just a few minutes. The whole way, tense silence filled the car, broken only by the radio. We left the car and made our way to the trails.

  Amidst the trees, Shaz broke the stillness. “I know I’ve already apologized, Lex, but I feel like an asshole knowing that you never planned to tell us how the curse could be broken. You’d rather suffer than see any of us die, much less have to choose who. Having Kale make that choice for you, for all of us, it proves he’s better than I thought.”

  I waved a hand, sweeping the whole thing away. “It doesn’t matter now. I don’t want to think about it anymore. Let’s just find Dayne. I owe him an ass kicking.”

  A nod of his platinum head and Shaz snapped into hunter mode, surveying the night. He sniffed the air and scanned the vicinity, tracking his new Alpha.

  It shouldn’t have to be this way, but Dayne had made his choice.

  I reached out with eyes closed, sensing the various forms of energy that made up the environment. The thatch of forest surrounding us was its own lively life force. That vital earth energy spanned deeper than I could reach. It spoke to my wolf, inviting her to surface and run free. Oh, how I wanted to.

  When I focused hard I could feel every supernatural creature in the city outside of angels and demons. Searching around us I felt shifter energy. “This way.” I turned at a nearby fork in the path.

  “Really starting to regret this tattoo,” Shaz confessed, mirthless. “At this rate there won’t be a pack left to justify it.”

  The crescent moon on the side of his neck had certainly been a commitment, but the pack had a talented artist. It stood out in vivid contrast to his fair hair. “It’s sexy. So there’s always that.” I laughed, trying to inject some humor into the situation.

  Shaz moved with predatory grace beside me on the freshly cleared asphalt path. The trails extended a great distance. However, I didn’t think Dayne was far off. He’d likely stick to the paved main path rather than the wooded trails if he hunted those passing through.

  “You know, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if you took over what’s left of the pack.” Shaz let out his breath in a whoosh. “Shit, that’s so horrible of me to say.”

  Unexpected, that was for sure. Not quite horrible. “Wow,” I teased. “That kiss must’ve really rattled your brain.”

  He scoffed, but I could sense the sudden racing of his pulse. “Oh please, Arys isn’t nearly as good as he likes to think he is.”

  Now there was a bald-faced lie if I’d ever heard one. “He is and we both know it.”

  In the trace of light from the night sky, I saw the haunted expression that crossed Shaz’s face. “It doesn’t mean anything. You know that. It was just a kiss.”

  It was my turn to scoff. “With Arys it’s never just a kiss.”

  “What are you getting at, Lex?” Shaz glanced at me with a head tilt. “It feels like you’re poking at me for a reason.”

  I mulled that over. Well, he wasn’t entirely wrong. “You and Arys have this bond now, a connection that you shut me out from. Just kind of baffling. The two of you are very love/hate.”

  “Hell yeah, we are. Confuses the shit out of me sometimes.” Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Shaz stared at the ground as we walked. “It was just a kiss though. Arys and me… That’s never going to happen.”

  “I know. But in some ways, it already has.” Arys would be all over my wolf if it were possible, but Shaz had no interest in a sexual relationship with him. “Is it because of the whole gender thing or… I mean, there are things you two share that are far more intimate than sex.”

  What a strange and delicate topic. But if it kept the focus off my problems, then all the better. Being out here hunting Dayne came as a great reprieve from the stresses of Willow and Kale.

  A soft laugh shook Shaz’s shoulders. “Mostly it’s because he’s an asshole. Ok, you’re right, we’ve shared many intimate moments, but it’s you that ties us together. Without you, he and I have nothing.”

  I pondered the various aspects of the bonds the three of us shared. Arys and I were two halves of the same whole. Would it be so strange to wonder if what drew Shaz to me also drew him to Arys? Could it possibly be about something other than the power?

  We came to another split in the path. Straight, right, or left. A moment of focus and I determined it to be right.

  “He sees you as a lover.” I wondered too late if perhaps I should’ve kept that to myself. “What he gets from you, Shaz, it goes that deep.”

  “I wish I could argue that, but I don’t think I can.” Shaz raised his nose to the air and sniffed. “Kylarai said something once that got me thinking. If you and I are soul mates, that would make Arys my soul mate as well. Funny theory, huh?” Shaz’s voice held no humor. Rather, he sounded disturbed by the idea.

  Yet maybe Ky was onto something. Twin flames were not soul mates but the same entity, split at the core. Soul mates were two separate beings meant to be together. Or so they say. Maybe it was a valid theory. Or possibly it was nothing more than mere speculation and utter bullshit. Probably better not to know.

  Before I could decide how to respond, Shaz jerked to a stop. The telltale scent of blood tickled my nose. Following the scent we broke into a run. Human blood had spilled. We were too late. Dayne had already attacked.

  The scent led us off the main trail to a side trail that appeared to be barely used. The snow crunched under foot as I raced ahead. Shaz kept pace with me, falling only a little behind due to his need for breath.

  I rounded a slight bend in the trail and almost stumbled in my haste to stop.

  Dayne, having detected our approach, stood there with bloodied fangs and defiance on his rugged face. “Who invited you?” He sneered.

  Huddled on the ground clutching an arm was a young, dark-headed male, not much older than Ash. Dayne wanted them young and strong.

  “You were warned,” I gave him just enough berth to feel secure but not so much that I couldn’t grab him. “This is the last time.”

  Mouth pressed into a thin, angry line, Dayne scowled when Shaz came into view. “Did you come to kill me? Cuz that’s the only way you’ll stop me from rebuilding my pack.”

  “If I have to I will. I’m sorry about what happened to them, but this is not the right way.” I gestured to the cowering young man who stared in horror at the fang marks in his forearm.

  “It’s the only way.” Unwilling to back down, Dayne clenched his fists, bracing for a fight. “Either of you turn without being bitten or scratched? ’Course not. That’s how this works.”

  “Dayne—”

  “I’ve been pack Alpha in this city for three decades. If you want to change that, sweetheart, you’ll have to kill me. Just ain’t no other way.” Dayne spread his arms, inviting death.

  Stubborn as a fucking mule. Killing Dayne would solve a few problems in itself, but it’d create new ones.

  I had a different idea. “Unless I fight you for it. For the pack. Me and you. As wolf. No vampire power involved. No fight to the death. Just a good old-fashioned ass kicking.”

  I could practically feel Shaz’s jaw drop. Going a few rounds with Dayne wasn’t high on my list of interests. However, I’d prefer not to kill him. Not that the grumpy old wolf had given me many reasons to spare him. Mostly I thought of Hanna and Owen. They loved him. I’d do this for them.

  Dayne just stared at me like I’d offended him so greatly he didn’t know whether to guffaw in my face or slap it. “I knew you were a ballsy bitch, but I didn’t think you were stupid.” Oh good, nice to see he chose to take the high road. “You’re not a wolf. Why would I ever lower myself by fighting you?”

  “Because you don’t want to die,” I offered. “The FPA grabbed the last wolf you turned. They used him as a lab rat and killed him. Is that what you want? To keep supplying them with test subjects?” />
  Dayne took a few ominous steps toward me. “What I want is for you to stay the fuck out of my business. I can handle my own shit.”

  “You can’t.” I stepped forward, ready to meet Dayne head on if need be, and beside me Shaz tensed, ready to defend me against his Alpha. “What happened with the FPA proves it. We need to help each other if we’re to stay a step ahead of those fuckers. Being bullheaded is only going to endanger what’s left of your pack.”

  Filled with violence his cold-blue wolf eyes assessed me. Dayne bared fangs. “You want a piece of me? Bring it on. Otherwise, fuck off.”

  I sensed someone approaching. Dayne and Shaz turned in unison to peer into the thicket of trees.

  “You should listen to her.” Juliet’s crystalline voice rang out, announcing her arrival. She stepped onto the path with gun in hand. Two meaty agents flanked her. “You’ll never stay a step ahead of justice if you can’t all play nice together.”

  Just fucking great.

  “What are you doing here?” I demanded, more than a little ticked off to see her. This was my hunt.

  Juliet took in the scene, gaze lingering on the crouched young man. He’d gone into shock. No longer looking at any of us, he shook and mumbled incoherently to himself.

  “My job,” she quipped. “And you?”

  “Ditto. Seeing as I arrived first and there’s really nothing for you to do here, you might as well leave.” The trouble with siblings, there was no faking with them. No bluffing. Because they knew you. If she insisted on challenging me, there would be a fight.

  Her gun aimed at Dayne, Juliet pursed her lips. “Not gonna happen, Lexi. He’s taken this too far. Time to put him down.”

  “Do you think I came to have a tea party?” I barked. “I’m dealing with it. This is not FPA business.”

  Dayne lost interest in me. Turning that gruff glower on my sister, he challenged her, beckoning with both hands. “Gonna shoot me, sweet pea? Let’s have it then. Your people have done enough damage to my pack already. Sad to see a wolf on the wrong side.”