by Trina M. Lee
The three of us sat around the kitchen table at my place. I was finally starting to get used to thinking of it as mine. I’d Lysoled the hell out of the table, but I still blushed when I thought about what Arys and I had done there. It was our little secret.
“So, if you don’t want us to talk you out of this foolery, why are you telling us about it?” Kylarai asked, pointing at me accusingly with her fork. “So we can start writing your eulogy?”
“Nope.” I sipped my coffee and beamed a brilliant smile at Ky, receiving a half-assed glare in response. “I just wanted to tell you. You guys are my best friend and my mate. Would you really rather I not tell you? Just for the record, I’m not asking you to back me. I wouldn’t do that.”
“You couldn’t ask me not to,” Shaz spoke up, pinning me with a steely jade stare.
His dessert plate sat empty before him. His crossed arms and stiff posture was only a slight indication of the wolf that paced within him.
I nodded knowingly. “I’d expected as much from you.” I had to smile. I adored my white wolf.
“If you’re really determined to kill Harley, really kill him, then I’m going to be there.
That fucker bit me. If you’re going in to finish him, I want a piece of the action. And, as much as I hate to say this, I have to: What about Arys?”
I’d been pretty sure that Shaz wouldn’t protest the destruction of the vampire who’d been a royal pain in the ass since his arrival in town. The night Harley and Shaz had tangled was still crystal clear in my memory. When I saw Harley sink those deadly fangs into Shaz, I’d lost it. That’s when I had my shot. I could have killed him then. If Arys hadn’t stopped me… But, he wouldn’t this time.
“Arys doesn’t know. And, he’s not going to. Not until it’s already been done.” I took another bite of cake, paying extra close attention to how creamy and smooth it was as it virtually melted in my mouth. I didn’t take the time to appreciate things like this anymore. Such a shame.
“Wait,” Kylarai leaned forward on the table, her fork forgotten. “Isn’t there some risk to Arys by killing Harley? They’re bound. And more importantly, won’t he be super pissed?”
“It’s not going to take Arys out, too, if that’s what you mean. But, it’s highly likely that he’ll sense it the moment Harley goes. If he’s pissed, well, too bad. My every instinct tells me I have to do this. Arys stopped me once and regretted it. He’ll get over it. And, if he doesn’t, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”
Kylarai shook her head in disapproval, her brunette ponytail bouncing. “You’re in over your head, Lex. Harley owns The Wicked Kiss. What do you expect to happen with the nightclub? Not to mention the employees and clientele.”
“Well,” I drew the one word out, looking back and forth between the two of them.
“That’s where the money Raoul left to me comes in handy. It’s also where you come in Ky. If you’re willing.”
I explained my plan to have Kale take over as owner, with me as a silent partner.
Shaz nodded his approval while Kylarai continued to look grim.
“What do you want me to do?” She looked as if she expected me to drop a bomb on her.
“Nothing too drastic. Just hook me up with a lawyer that can make Kale’s take-over legal on paper.”
She pursed her lips and regarded me with a thoughtful expression. I waited patiently, my fork suspended in midair. I was hoping she could pull the legal strings. It was certainly not my domain of expertise.
“My office doesn’t handle that kind of thing.” With a sigh, she relented and added,
“But, there is this one guy, a werewolf, in the city. I met him once at a convention. I could ask him about it.”
I beamed at her, delighted. “That’s all I ask. Thank you, Ky. I really appreciate this.”
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t mention it. But, do you really think it’s a good idea to have Kale running that circus? He has enough issues, don’t you think?”
“I don’t think there is a better person for the job. He knows everything about that place. If anything, it will be good for him.” To Shaz I said, “I have a job for you, too, but it’s your call. When all is said and done, I’d like you to work some kind of security there.
I need people I can trust monitoring who and what is coming and going in that place.”
“Count on it. I have nothing keeping me at Lucy’s Lounge. And, I’m eager to get my hands dirty.” A devilish grin spread across his features, reminding me that the boy I once knew was long gone.
“Not too dirty, I hope.”
“So when do we do this? Take out Harley.”
Shaz looked far too eager, but I couldn’t really blame him. He had his reasons almost as much as I did.
“Tomorrow night. I want it done fast, before either he or Arys have a chance to find out I’m planning it. It’s not always easy to keep Arys out of my head. I don’t want to risk him blowing this.”
Silence fell as we all mulled it over. I shoved my plate away, too full and too anxious to take another bite.
Ky stood up and began clearing the table even though I tried to make her leave the dishes. “So, have you thought about what you will do if Arys is at the Kiss when you arrive, or if he shows up?”
I hesitated. I knew it was a possibility, but I hadn’t planned for it. Ky was right. That could fuck up the entire scenario. Before I could open my mouth to reply, Shaz gave a short laugh.
“I’ll run interference. Arys won’t be a problem.”
“Oh no.” I shook my head vehemently. “The two of you brawling is not going to help me kill Harley. Bad idea.”
“You can trust me, Lex. I won’t start anything that can get out of control. I’ll just throw a few distractions at him.”
“No. I need you. I’ll have Jez come along in case he shows up. That’ll go over much better.”
Shaz frowned. I knew he wanted to protest, but he dropped the subject altogether, much to my relief. The discussion quickly died down. There was little more to say on the issue.
When Kylarai suggested a run outside of town, my wolf practically leaped for joy.
Not only was it the best way to free both my body and mind, it also gave me a chance to sniff out Zoey. If I could track her down, I had every intention of finding out if I had it in me to get her back into a physical body.
* * * *
When the following night arrived, I was ready. I stared out the window, watching the sunset. I kept expecting the nerves to hit me, but I was rock steady. I’d woken up a few hours earlier ready to face the evening, maybe even a little eager. By the time this was over, Arys and I would finally discover where we stood with one another. I reached into the pocket of my tight black jeans, lightly toying with the keys to Raoul’s Jaguar. It had sat in the garage for several months. Tonight I would be driving it to The Wicked Kiss. It would enable me to arrive a little more incognito than my bold red Charger would. I didn’t want to announce my presence any sooner than necessary.
I’d dressed for a fight: slim fitting jeans that I could still move well in and a sporty tank top. With my hair pulled back in a ponytail that reached my elbow, I felt good, ready to kick some ass. However, I didn’t intend to get any more physical with Harley than I had to. I’d spent hours before bed working on my focus and honing my control. Harley’s coaching had helped incredibly with envisioning my power and guiding it. He’d sealed his own fate in a way.
The banging and clanking of dishes in the kitchen reached me as Shaz moved about cleaning up after dinner. I’d had no appetite though I’d tried to eat. When this was all over, I’d likely be ready to devour a four-course meal.
One of my biggest concerns had been dealt with, all thanks to Kylarai. I had such amazing friends. She’d been able to reach her contact in the city and not only had he asked her to dinner, he’d also been more than willing to make Kale’s ownership legal.
She’d agreed to the dinner as a means of saying thank you. I was crossing
my fingers that it may lead to more, as long as he wasn’t a dirt bag like Julian.
If everything were going as planned, Jez would be getting to the Kiss any time now.
She was going to play the role of vampire junkie and hang off Kale as if she was his donor of the night. As long as Arys didn’t show up, she wouldn’t have to do anything else. I was keeping my fingers crossed. Could I be so lucky?
I paced impatiently as the sun vanished from sight and darkness fell. When Shaz came in and wrapped his arms around me, I found it hard to relax into his embrace. He smelled faintly of steak and shampoo, scents that I associated with home and comfort.
The sooner we got this over with, the sooner I could snuggle up with those lovely smells and entwine his warm body with mine.
I sighed and rubbed a hand along his arm. “Are you ready to get this show on the road?”
“I’m way ahead of you.”
The drive to the blood-junkie nightclub seemed to take less time than I remembered.
I wasn’t afraid or nervous, but I wasn’t in a rush either. Shaz kept up a steady stream of small talk as I drove in silence. I think he was unsure of my mental state. I’d been quiet since waking, lost in the zone, where I needed to be to do this.
I glanced over at Shaz, admiring him despite my mind’s preoccupation. His white blonde hair was tousled, appearing even whiter in contrast to his brilliant green wolf eyes.
He was feeling the predator within, strong and commanding. He was dressed all in black, but casual wear, easy to move in.
I swore at the Jaguar when I accidentally ground the gears while shifting. My car had an internal clutch; I wasn’t used to this manual clutch work. Listening to the pricey car’s protests, I smiled, envisioning Raoul’s fury if he could see what I was doing to his prized automobile.
I pulled into the parking lot of The Wicked Kiss with an unintentional squeal of tires.
It was empty except for two barely legal women strutting their way inside in breakneck stilettos. I knew it didn’t take long for vampire donors to become vampire wannabes.
This place had spawned more than enough foolish donors turned vampire. I couldn’t wait to bring that to a stop.
We parked and headed for the door. We were going in through the front. I concentrated hard on shielding my energy. I didn’t want Harley to sense me until I was ready to blow him apart. I couldn’t assume it would be as easy as I was picturing it. I was keeping my fingers crossed though. Good Lord, please don’t let this backfire on me.
The bouncer at the door didn’t stop me, knowing better by now. The woman taking cover charge gaped at me when I breezed by with Shaz at my side, but the bouncer waved away her protest.
A wave of relief washed over me when I spied Kale and Jez sitting at his usual table.
I was torn, uncertain if I should approach them or not. Shaz took the lead and strolled casually over to them, so I followed along with a lingering glance at the patrons littering the place.
“He hasn’t come out front yet tonight.” Kale skipped the greeting and launched into the important stuff. “He usually does after he’s had his fill of eager youth. Then he leaves and goes God knows where. This is the best chance you’ll get all night.”
“Good, I’m going in then.” To Shaz I said, “Wait here. Give me ten minutes or so before following. If we both burst in on him, it’ll get ugly faster than I’d like.”
“Alexa.” Shaz shook his head at me, clearly not liking my plan. “Are you sure you’re up to this?”
“Of course. Don’t question me now, Shaz. I don’t need you planting doubts in my head.” I was primed and ready; I didn’t want to hear anything that could ruin my state of mind.
Jez listened to our exchange, but her eyes were constantly moving, watching the building carefully. She gave me a dismissive wave, telling me just to go. She was right; I shouldn’t waste time standing around. I kissed Shaz quickly before heading for the black curtain behind the bar.
I didn’t allow thoughts to form. I focused on putting one foot in front of the other and nothing else as I moved fast with silence and stealth. I tapped the power inside me, calling it forth in full force. Where it had once quickly overwhelmed me, it now felt right as it flowed through me with a heady mix of vampire and werewolf. Though I wasn’t one-hundred-percent sure I could control it if it went wild, I was willing to find out.
A few girls lingered in the hall outside a closed door, eyeing me curiously as I swept past. My sensitive ears picked up one girl’s whispered comment that my hair color had to be from a box. It so wasn’t. She’s lucky I couldn’t be bothered to flip over such petty, trivial shit.
The few lights in the dim hallway flicked as I strode past. One of them blinked out completely. My excitement grew as I drew closer to Harley’s door at the end of the long hall. My mind played out visions of blasting the door right off its hinges. The thought was encouraging, and I could only imagine the look on Harley’s face were I to do it.
I was half-assed toying with the idea of trying it, pleased with myself, when the door swung open just as I reached it. My big plan died as Harley stared at me with a combination of intrigue and annoyance on his rugged face.
All I knew was that I couldn’t allow him to get a word out or move a muscle. I envisioned the spiraling psi ball in my hand and let it fly all in the space of a heartbeat. It exploded against his chest with a bright gold flash. The impact took him off his feet, throwing him against the far wall.
I didn’t give him a chance to get up, hitting him again and again with blasts of power that burned my hands with their intensity. Smoke rose up from Harley’s body, and I focused hard, envisioning him bursting into flames. It didn’t happen.
He got to his feet in one smooth leap, coming at me with a monstrous glint in his eyes. His hand vibrated as he called his power. I threw up an energy circle around me for protection, hoping it was enough.
“I wondered how long it would take before you tried something this stupid,” he snarled at me; his face, an ugly mask of twisted features and hate.
He let the power he held fly, and it hit my barrier hard enough to shake it seriously.
Thankfully, it held, but it wouldn’t hold for long if he kept battering it like that. I was ready to retaliate, but in order to do so, I had to drop my circle.
“I’m not here to exchange words with you. You’ve overstayed your welcome in my city.”
I dropped my circle and sent another metaphysical attack his way. In the same breadth of time, he did as well. The two opposing shots collided in a thunderous shower of sparks. The sound it made was deafening, and I resisted the urge to cover my ears.
I was faintly aware of the young woman cowering on the edge of Harley’s bed. Clad in only a skimpy nighty, she clutched a blanket to her and watched us with terror in her eyes. I’d probably saved her from a horrific death by arriving when I had. I didn’t expect a word of thanks though.
Harley didn’t throw another blast as I expected. Instead, his eyes glazed over, and he stared at me with an eerie intent. I wasn’t sure what to do, fumbling to stay in control and commanding of the power that rode me. He was working up to something, and it would be ugly.
I took advantage of his inaction, again launching a psi ball the size of my head directly at him. My guts twisted with a sick sensation when he caught it in his hand, absorbing my power into him. Oh, fuck.
“You’re an awful student, Alexa.” He grinned, his steady stare never wavering. “All offense and no thought. Instincts may guide you as a wolf, but now you’re playing a vampire’s game. Poorly, I might add.”
A burning pain started in my core, spreading quickly throughout my limbs. I wasn’t sure what his intention was, but it hurt. I tried to concentrate on the pain, to shove it out of me. It wasn’t working. The pain continued to increase until my legs shook, and my knees grew weak.
“Oh, fuck you,” I gasped out, at a loss for words. Whatever he was doing, it was going to kill me if I didn’t
stop him.
Harley scoffed. “Such class you have. You make it easy to do this without regret. By the time I’m done with you, there won’t be enough of you left to rise again as a vampire.”
I struggled to gather my power close around me, to form another attack. As my pain grew, my hold on my power slipped away. How could I have been so self-assured to underestimate him like this? I would have felt like a fool if I hadn’t been stricken with fear as my breath restricted. My chest tightened, and I gasped for air.
I’d really believed I could rampage in here and take him out. The bastard had lived several of my lifetimes. I was out of my league.
My wolf fought to break free of my human shell, insisting it was the only way. I didn’t want to shift, fearing it would put me at a disadvantage. I wouldn’t have the same access to my metaphysical abilities. However, focusing on the beast pacing inside me eased the pain Harley was inflicting. I could do this. I wasn’t down for the count yet.
I managed to draw a shaky breath. I wondered why he hadn’t finished me already.
Either he wanted to drag this out, or he couldn’t do it as easily as he made it appear.
It was all about my focus and guiding the energy to do what I wanted it to do, classic energy manipulation with a supernatural touch. I could do this. I had to. Harley’s smug face smirking at me drove my fury, in turn driving my strength. I stayed on my feet and fought back the pain’s threat on my concentration. I could take a little pain. I had before.
“Why haven’t you killed me already?”
“What? And rush through the fun part?”
A low growl spilled through my lips, my fangs were suddenly there, long and dangerous. A psi ball formed in hands that were tipped with vicious claws. If metaphysical means weren’t going to work, I’d have to settle for tearing him apart the good, old-fashioned way.
