by Trina M. Lee
Whether it was the coffee, the fresh air through the open window or the calming talk with Kale, I was starting to feel stronger, more in control of myself. His dark power still taunted me, but it was a tease, not a need.
“It sounds like I should be coming to you for the answers I need rather than Harley.
Your insight never fails.”
“Oh, I don't know about that. I think I'm the last person you need to be placing your faith in. I can barely control myself half the time.” He chuckled, but it lacked humor.
“You see everything for what it is, so clearly. I wish I could see past the fog and tangled webs. It feels like I'm walking in circles, always coming back to the same point as if I never made any progress at all.” I sipped at the hot coffee, focusing on the taste as it warmed my insides, such a simple pleasure that had nothing to do with bloodlust or vampire power.
Kale nodded in agreement, and a comfortable silence fell. There was barely an hour until sunrise. He'd have to head for home soon, and so would I. As much as I would love to bury my head in the sand and feel sorry for myself, I had other things to deal with, like unwelcome wolves hunting down my dead lover's daughter.
The sound of his leather jacket moving was familiar and comforting when he reached for my hand. I tensed, ready to pull away, but nothing happened. The slightest sensation of heat could be felt through my palm, but the energy lay quiet and still. He squeezed my hand gently, reassuringly, before letting go.
“See,” he said. “Not every action has to be about the power inside. With the right frame of mind, it just is what it is.”
Why did I get the feeling that meant more than he was letting on? My woman's intuition warned me to tread carefully. Kale's touch had been warm and soothing. I found myself wondering if I'd be thinking along the same lines if Jez or Ky had squeezed my hand. I doubted it.
“Thank you, Kale. For dragging my ass off that guy and for listening. You're easy to talk to, and it always really helps.” I smiled at him in the dimly lit interior.
His heavy gaze was shadowed, but he returned my smile with a grin that revealed fangs. “Hey, no worries. That's what friends are for.”
I knew right then that there was something more, something he wasn't saying. It didn't matter. Nothing was going to ruin this relaxed moment. In the past half hour or so I'd spent with Kale, I had gone from raging animal to unsettled but collected.
“We can head back to my car now,” I offered before draining the last drop of coffee from my disposable cup. “You don't want to cut it too close getting home before dawn.”
“You're sure?”
“Of course. I can't rely on you to listen to my woes if you're a pile of ash and dust.
Oh God, the thought is horrid. Let's go.”
Our conversation was light and casual as we drove, but I knew the calm illusion would shatter when I was alone with my thoughts again. Shaz would no doubt be curled up in my bed when I got home. Though I wasn't looking forward to repeating my tale of woe, I couldn't wait to wrap myself around him.
As much as I adored Kale, I was glad when I was finally back inside the safe, secure confines of my own vehicle. I had spent the entire night with one vampire after another, and it had been damn exhausting in every possible way. I ached for Shaz' heavenly scent of pine and wolf, needing to reacquaint myself with the power of the earth.
The power of the undead may live within me, but I was alive. Perhaps it was time that I stop letting the current of life sweep me along and really start living.
Chapter Nine
“There is no way that I'm not smashing that guy right in the face when I see him.”
There was a spark of fury in Shaz' jade green eyes. He'd been ranting and raving about Arys since I filled him in on the details of the night before.
He'd been sound asleep in my bed when I got home at the crack of dawn that morning. All I wanted to do was slip in between the sheets with him and slumber. We'd woken some time after noon, and over coffee, I told him everything about my visit to Harley and the resulting run in with Arys.
I sighed and gave my head a shake. I smiled though. I loved that he wanted to protect me. However, I did not want to see Shaz and Arys come to blows again. There's no way it would end as well as it had the first time.
“I love hearing you say that,” I laughed softly. “But, I also know that Arys is really hurting. He's so confused. And, I can't help but feel like a super bitch. If I were him, I wouldn't want me anywhere near Harley, either.”
“You deserve answers, Lex. I don't love the idea of you walking right into a potential trap either, but I trust your judgment. And, I love you. I want you to be able to master the things inside you before they take over who you are.” He tossed a sincere look my way as he moved about my bedroom, getting ready for work.
My heart dropped, and I was reminded that the bond between Arys and I had a direct impact on Shaz, too. He was the calm, cool and collected type. He preferred to approach things with an open mind and realistic attitude. Because he didn't give in to emotional outbursts the way Arys and I were both prone to doing, it was easy to miss how deeply it all affected him. He just didn't show it the same way.
I stretched out in my bed, watching appreciatively as he strode around the room in all of his fine, naked glory. Shaz was my stronghold in life. I heavily relied on him to keep me grounded, to touch the wolf inside me and draw me away from the darkness. Did he know that it was only because of him that I was still sane?
“You're the only thing that keeps me here, you know? I would have been lost long ago without you.” I gazed up at him from where I lay, wanting him to see the truth in my eyes. “I'd actually probably be dead without you.” I chuckled at that. It was sadly true.
Shaz raised an eyebrow. He held a pair of jeans forgotten in one hand. “Where did that come from?”
“Nowhere,” I shrugged and hugged my pillow. “I just wanted you to know. You're always so steady and strong. I know that I wouldn't be the same person that I am now without you.”
“You don't give yourself enough credit.” He slid his muscular legs into his jeans and came to sit next to me on the bed. “You're stronger than you think you are. I just help you to remember that, but it's all you.”
“No way,” I said, sitting up straighter in the bed. “Don't sell yourself short, babe. My strength has many sources, and you are one of them.”
He leaned in to nuzzle me gently before capturing my lips for a breath-taking kiss.
Why did he have to work a night job? I just wanted to drag him back into bed with me.
“Likewise,” he whispered against my lips. “Being with you has made me realize many things about myself. Like how strong I can be when the woman I love needs me. I'd do anything for you, Lex.”
“Like skip work?” I teased.
“Except that.” He kissed the tip of my nose, an affectionate gesture that made me giggle. “I do have news for you though. I told them I won't be working full time at Lucy's Lounge anymore. I'm going part time.”
“Really? What brought that on?”
“Well…you mostly. I'm sick of spending all of my nights trapped behind the bar while you're out there dealing with what’s actually important. We need more time together, as humans and as wolves.” He got up to fetch a Lucy's Lounge staff t-shirt from the bottom drawer of my dresser as the wheels in my brain began to turn.
He was right. I knew that without a doubt. I craved more wolf time and likely needed it if I wanted to keep the vampire-locked-within controllable. Shaz was here often. He was keeping clothes and personal supplies here already. Would it be a mistake to suggest that he just move in?
The house had belonged to Raoul. He'd welcomed both Shaz and I into his little town pack. Shaz had every right to move back in here, too. He'd once called it home. Why not?
While it seemed like the perfect plan, I feared rushing it. Those types of life changes should be considered carefully, and right before he had to walk out the door
to work was clearly a shitty time to bring it up. I would though, when we had the right moment. It was a big house with more than enough room for both of us.
“I totally agree with you. I feel like I don't get enough of you. Having you by my side at that motel the other night felt so right. Natural.” It thrilled me to hear Shaz say he needed more of me. It was much needed reassurance to my battered ego.
The conflict with Arys had left me raw in places. Focusing my attention on what I was first and foremost, a werewolf, was important right now. Sure, I'd been born gifted as a human but nothing compared to the things I could do now. Turning my attention to the original predator in me felt good, just thinking about it. I was suddenly dying to go for a run.
“You and me both, baby.” Shaz slid the black t-shirt over his body, hiding his firm abs from view. His platinum hair was amazingly white in contrast. “I'll always have your back. And, with those jackasses at the motel sniffing around, more than ever I feel like it's time to make a change.”
“I adore you,” I said softly. Watching his eyes light up in response filled me with a warm glow.
Rising from the bed, I went to him wearing nothing but the silk sheet wrapped around me. He groaned, but it was accompanied by his sexy grin that I loved so much.
“You're making it really hard for me to care about getting to work on time. I'm supposed to open tonight.” He accepted me into his warm embrace, and I snuggled in close. Every time he held me like this, I wanted time to stop.
Before Shaz made it out the door to his car, he had a series of battles between his desire and the ticking clock. Promising that, on his first night away from Lucy's, we would shut the world out and just be, he kissed me with longing. When I shoved him out the door to work, he was already running five minutes late.
It was still early, barely suppertime. The sun had almost finished its descent in the western sky. A pale orange glow was all that remained along the horizon.
I couldn't shake the need to see Arys, to make him listen to me. After the way he'd spent his night, I was hoping he'd gotten it out of his system. Maybe he'd be more open to discussion. I had this nauseous twinge in the pit of my stomach that wouldn't go away until we dealt with this. The thought of ongoing conflict with him held a heaviness that weighed on my mind and my soul.
After hitting up a shower, I rushed around to get ready in the hopes that I would catch Arys before he left his house for the night. I didn't bother with any makeup other than some lip-gloss and a stroke of blush. Since forming the blood bond with Arys, I'd grown considerably pale. It made me a little self-conscious.
My hair was damp, and I left it loose. Slipping into a pair of black leggings with a matching halter-top, I felt both comfortable and practical. The slightest bit of snow fell outside the window so I brought a jacket that was a combination of faux leather and fur.
The moment my butt hit the seat of my car, I was wracked with nerves.
Doubt plagued me as I drove, and more than once I was tempted to change my course. No. We had to get to the bottom of this. In the privacy of Arys' house was better than a parking lot outside The Wicked Kiss.
The radio captured my attention when the DJ gave a news update about bodies that had been found near downtown in the city. The details were minimal but the word
“massacred” was enough for me. I’d bet money that Arys had something to do with it. It wasn’t like him to leave a body where it could be so easily found. This was all kinds of bad.
Arys lived in a quiet neighborhood that was primarily populated by older citizens.
He felt that it allowed him to stay low key and be left alone. His neighbors didn't pay him much attention other than Mrs. Olson, whom he was strangely protective over. I attributed that to the fact that he'd slaughtered her dog in a fit of werewolf rage he'd acquired from me. He still felt guilty about the whole thing.
The moment I drove up in front of his house, I knew that he wasn't inside. It made no sense. The sun had just disappeared from the sky. He couldn't have left already, not without being fried to ashes, and I would have felt that. No. He hadn't even come home.
That realization was startling. If Arys hadn't come home in time for sunrise, then where the hell was he?
I went up to the door and rang the bell anyway. I could feel the emptiness of the house. It created a hollow ache inside me. Where was my dark vampire?
Returning to the car, I tried to talk myself out of what I was about to do. Something warned me away, but I refused to listen. I was going to tap Arys' mind. It couldn't show me anything worse than it had last night, could it?
I turned the car on so that the heater blasted warm air all around me. Then I turned my focus inward and projected it to Arys. I fully expected that disorienting sensation I always got when I fell into his mind. It never came.
Instead, it was as if a brick wall barred my entrance. I felt the slightest resistance at the edges, as if I could shove my way through with enough force. It would take more than I had in me. The bastard had blocked me out. That hurt. He was hiding something, obviously.
The fury that filled me was scorching. It seared a path throughout my entire body until I was resonating with red-hot energy that ached to maim and destroy.
I put the car in gear and hit the gas. The Charger slid on the ice and snow but quickly regained traction. I took deep breaths, trying to calm down before I did something really stupid. I felt like I couldn't breathe, like I might start hyperventilating. Panic accompanied the rush of power that crashed through me like a lightning storm. I had to get some air.
Thinking it might be a good idea to park near one of the walking paths and take a stroll to calm down, I turned down Brown Street. There was parking space right beside the path that ran beneath the train tracks. I could be alone there to get control of myself.
The emotions and thoughts attacking me was more than I could take. The sting of Arys'
rejection hurt on every level. How could he do this?
As I made a right onto Oatway Drive and then another onto Brown Street, I noticed the car behind me did the same. Could it be that I was being tailed? Putting it to the test, I took a few other turns, some without signaling and the car behind followed suit. Great, just what I needed.
I couldn't make out the driver with the glare of his headlights in my rear view mirror, but I didn't have to. With the angry energy soaring high in me, I could feel his werewolf aura, just one, and it wasn’t the Alpha, either. So, he'd sent one of his lackeys to tail me.
How pathetic was that?
That was fine with me. I was ready to unleash the pain and rage I was feeling all over someone deserving. He would do just fine. It hadn't taken them long to make their way from the city to my small town. They were going to find out that I was more than a little wolf with big words. I was happy to start with this guy.
I drove along at the speed limit, watching him attempt to follow me without getting too close. I was purposely leading him to the outskirts of town. Since he wasn't from Stony, I doubted he realized that I was taking him straight to the old graveyard that very rarely had visitors these days. One of the town walking paths led to the edge of town and cut off. It was just beyond that point that I pulled over at random.
He continued past me, but I knew he was looking for a spot to ditch his car. Getting out of the Charger, I locked the doors and crossed to the walking path. I could see the end of it and the cemetery ahead, nestled in amongst an old abandoned house and a patch of trees. I couldn't see his car, but I knew he wasn't far. He had to be watching me.
I walked casually, as if I had a purpose. Alive with power that fed off my emotional upheaval, my fingernails lengthened into savage claws. My fangs appeared next, and I knew that my eyes were all wolf. I didn't think they'd be Arys' vampire blue, but I wasn't entirely sure. All I cared about was luring my prey into that graveyard and adding him to the bodies there.
I reached the end of the walking path before I felt him. He was coming. I didn't
dare turn to look for him, knowing it would alert him to the fact that I knew he was following me. Instead, I sauntered along as if I didn't have a care in the world, if only that were true.
A secondary road separated the walking path from the cemetery. There wasn't a car in sight. I crossed into the graveyard, reaching out with my mind to feel for his heady werewolf energy. He wasn't far behind. I wasn't sure why he was following me, and it almost bothered me that I wouldn't get to find out. This was going to be a fast kill; I needed it. I ached for the moment that his blood would flow.
As soon as I stepped into the cemetery, I was hit with a swarm of different sensations. Apparently, not everyone buried within it was at rest. That wasn't my area of expertise though.
I walked slowly through the headstones, reading the names and dates while waiting for the fool wolf to draw closer. It was taking all of my self-control not to spin around and rush him.
Pausing at an elaborate grave with an angel atop the headstone, I closed my eyes and let the power take over. I was confused and more than a little pissed off. This was all just too easy. The idiot didn't have a clue I'd just lured him into a trap. He'd never make it back to his Alpha alive.
Yes, that's right. Just a little bit closer. He moved with stealth, almost silent. His scent was lost on the chilly night air. I felt him as if he were inside me. Every move he made I was able to anticipate before he made it. Closer, just a little bit closer.
When he approached from behind me, I was ready. Catching his hand before it could land on my shoulder, I snapped his wrist before I'd even turned around to face him.
Lashing out with a kick in his gut, he bounced off the headstone opposite us. Part of me expected the cold chill of the undead power to rise inside me, and I was more than pleasantly surprised when I burned only with pure, hot werewolf.
The temptation to reach for my metaphysical side was numb, almost non-existent. I just wanted to feel him struggle and listen to him scream while I tore him to pieces. I leaped on him with claws extended. He went down easy beneath me, letting out a yelp when he hit the hard packed earth and grass.
