by Trina M. Lee
Harley shifted slightly, and I felt the pressure on my insides increase. What in the frickin’ hell was he trying to do to me? Did I really want to know?
He was clearly waiting for me to take my shot. I didn’t want him to absorb it again. I needed to catch him off guard somehow. Before I could make a firm decision, the sound of silent paws breaking into a run reached us, and Shaz leaped through the doorway with a snap of jaws.
Shaz was a blur of white as he launched through the air, crashing into Harley with both front paws solidly against the vampire’s chest. They went down hard, Shaz atop Harley snarling and snapping. It all happened so fast my eyes could barely keep up with what I was seeing.
I hadn’t expected Shaz to appear in wolf form but he’d clearly been thinking ahead.
Blood sprayed in a crimson fountain, and I rushed forward to see that it came from Harley’s torn throat. Shaz hadn’t been messing around. Shaz’ fangs were still deeply embedded as Harley thrashed beneath him, beating uselessly at his attacker.
Shaz ripped away enough flesh to expose bone and other not so pleasant things. It wouldn’t be enough to kill a vampire, though it had successfully disabled him. I had to finish Harley now before he gathered his wits and defended himself.
A sickening gurgle came from Harley as he attempted to speak. His eyes were wide and wild, landing on me with accusation in their dark depths. I nodded and smiled grimly.
Arys was so much to me, part of me in so many ways. Yet, when it came to doing what needed to be done, Shaz and I fit like two pieces of a puzzle. I knew then that no matter what happened, if I were to rise one day as a vampire because of my blood bond with Arys, I would always be a wolf first.
The power that crackled through me surged with a renewed strength now that Harley’s hold on me had been broken. I looked down at the flailing vampire, watching as Shaz bit deep and released him just to bite again. The pitiful blows Harley landed against my white wolf grew weaker. I felt it when he reached for the energy he held, forcing it into Shaz with a sudden jolt that caused him to jump back with a yelp.
I stepped closer then, placing a booted foot across Harley’s destroyed throat. I leaned down and lightly touched a hand to either side of his face. I knew how to finish him. I met his eyes with an unwavering gaze. I felt the shift within me that indicated I now looked out through eerie blue eyes rather than my own brown ones. I let the power wash over me into the struggling vampire at my feet, and I watched as it stormed through him with only one intent.
The buzzing in my ears grew louder though my effort became eased, fluid and natural. He tried to use his power on me; I felt nothing. I was in command now, and nothing he threw at me broke through the steady feed I had going.
In my mind, I saw Harley’s destruction. I saw his heart burst and his body turn to ash. Then, it happened.
Blood began to pour forth from Harley’s mouth and his black eyes became red with it. Elation flooded me, bringing a genuine smile to my face. Harley’s hands grabbed at me, but he was weak. It was futile. The moment his heart burst, I could feel it as if I’d squeezed it with my bare hands. I pulled back on my assault. He was going now, and I wanted to take as much of his remaining power as I could before he was ashes.
It was too late. Before I could focus on draining what was left of him, his body shuddered and then exploded beneath me into flames. I jumped back, shocked and curious. I’d never seen that before when killing a vampire.
The fire quickly simmered down until nothing remained but a smoldering pile of ash and bone. My eyes met Shaz’, and he came to me, nuzzling my hand with his wet nose. I slumped down to the floor and leaned heavily against him.
We did it. Harley Kayson was good and dead. Yet, as I stared at the remains of my dark vampire’s sire, a chill stole over me, and I prayed that I wouldn’t live to regret this night.
Chapter Eighteen
Searing pain shot through my skull, blurring my vision as I struggled to stay upright.
I reached out, grasping at the wall, finding nothing to hold onto. Shaz had gone on ahead to where he’d left his clothes after we’d chased out Harley’s intended victim and closed the door to his room. I was alone in the hall as the excruciating pain overwhelmed me.
The faintest murmur of sound reached me from the closest room, and I fought down the urge to shriek, not wanting to draw attention after what we’d just done.
It was Arys. His ice-cold power chilled me to the bone as he battered at my mental block. Good news traveled fast. Shit!
I had no choice but to drop the mental barrier. Fighting him could prove deadly, judging by the insane amount of pain he was inflicting on me with his insistence. I let the wall between us drop and was instantly assaulted by a flurry of angry emotion.
‘What have you done?’ Arys’ voice slammed into my brain with enough force to leave me gasping for breath. His evident fury was scorching hot.
‘I did what had to be done. What you would never do.’ I wasn’t so ignorant as to be fearless. I knew Arys was capable of destroying me but I refused to apologize for this. I had given both Harley and Arys a chance, and instead of playing nice, they’d opted to run rampant like they had in the good ol’ days. Well, those days were over.
‘Why? How? How did you do this?’ Arys’ thoughts were coming hard and fast. His confusion was clear, and the emotional pain he tried to withhold from me instilled the first pang of guilt.
‘You know how I did it. I had the power to do so, and I did it. It had to be done. I’m sorry, Arys.’
He was gone. I half expected some kind of slamming door inside my mind, but he slipped away without a painful exit. My eyes filled with tears, but I wouldn’t let them fall. Blinking them back, I held my head high and continued down the hall.
I figured that he was now on his way. I had to gather myself, get my head together before he showed. It wouldn’t be long.
Shaz met me at the end of the hall, near the doorway that led back into the main bar.
He was just tugging his t-shirt over his head. Blood stained his face, Harley’s blood. The first thought that flashed through my mind was that I wanted to lick the crimson smears, to taste Harley as Shaz had. I wouldn’t do it though.
Our eyes met, and Shaz’ victorious smile fell. “He already knows, doesn’t he?”
I nodded, forcing myself to breathe deeply. “Yeah. He must have felt it. He gave me a hell of a headache by smashing his way into my mind. I can only assume he’s on his way. Better be ready.”
“I’m not going to let him hurt you, Lex.” Shaz’ jaw clenched, and there was a fire burning behind his green eyes. After killing Harley, he was ready for anything.
Absolutely fearless.
“You’re going to back off and keep your cool.” I meant business, and I wanted Shaz to know it. “I’ll deal with Arys. He’s going to be livid. You getting in his face will make things go from bad to totally ape shit. Please … trust me on this.”
Shaz stared at me, a hard, stubborn glint in his eyes. He didn’t want to let me call the shots here, but he had no choice. Arys was my area of expertise, not his.
“I won’t be far. And, I won’t hesitate to intervene.”
That was as good as I was going to get from him. It would have to be enough. I didn’t have much time. I needed to warn Jez and Kale. Arys would most likely only have a beef with me. As long as he left my friends alone, I could handle him.
“Stay near Harley’s room,” I told Shaz. “I don’t want anyone finding what’s left of him. I need to find out how many employees knew who they were working for.”
I left Shaz in the back hall with his arms crossed and his gaze narrowed. I wasn’t enjoying this any more than he was. The bartender glanced up at me when I came back through the velvet curtain, but he quickly turned his attention back to the drink he was mixing.
Kale and Jez had their eyes on me the moment I came into view. Kale looked anxious while Jez simply looked expectant as she sipped from a bright blue c
ocktail.
“Done deal?” She asked when I slipped into the booth seat beside her.
“Yes. And no. He’s dead alright, a pile of ashes. I expect Arys to show any time now.” A waitress paused near our table, asking if we’d like anything else. Jez ordered another fruity drink, and I ordered a triple shot of Jack Daniels on the rocks. I needed it.
When the waitress had moved on to the next table, I continued. “I’ll handle Arys.
But Kale, I need to know who all knows Harley here. And, how many knew that he was the big boss man behind this circus?”
Kale’s contrasting eyes strayed from the main entry to the black curtain and back again. His nervous energy teased my senses, as it often did.
“Anyone human wouldn’t know, and if they did it would only be because he’d fed from them. I’d guess that only a few people know. He wasn’t here much until the last few months.”
Harley was primarily a Vegas vamp. He’d only abandoned sin city to come here and get a taste of me. His mistake.
“Alright, good. Try to get your hands on the books, find out how people get paid here and where it comes from. You’re in charge now, and if anyone has a problem with that, there are legal documents to back that up. And, if that’s not good enough for them, we take them out.” I wasn’t going to take any shit from anyone who got the dumb idea into his or her thick skull to defend Harley’s death, not even Arys.
Kale nodded once, his expression deadly serious. I felt reassured, knowing I was leaving The Wicked Kiss in the right hands. This place had been spawning vampires, murdering donors and Lord only knew what else. I wasn’t entirely sure how the club would give me leverage in the future, but I knew it would. If nothing else, maintaining control of it would give Kale and even me a little added security.
The waitress returned with our drinks, and I took a long swallow. The strong whiskey burned a path down my throat, and I savored the sensation. The tingle of the alcohol in my bloodstream was welcome, but it wasn’t as calming as I’d hoped.
“Are you afraid?” Jez asked, startling me with her question. “I mean, aren’t you concerned about Arys? The guy is always ready to tear off heads. Do you think your bond is strong enough? Stronger than his bond with Harley?”
I took another sip from my glass, listening to the clink of the ice cubes. “I really don’t know. I guess I’ll find out.”
“And, if things get out of control, if he tries to hurt you? What do you want us to do?” Her brilliant green cat eyes studied me. I saw how she noted my every move, from the anxious way that I tossed my ponytail to the needy way I gripped my glass of JD.
I wasn’t sure how to answer her question. I didn’t want to drag anyone else into this, especially if Arys came in here with murderous intentions.
“I don’t know. Let me handle it. If he tries to kill me or something, jump in. But, don’t do anything to put yourself at risk. I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that. I warned him this would happen. He didn’t listen.”
I felt restless and nervous. I couldn’t sit still, so when I’d finished my drink, I excused myself and went up to the bar for another. I barely even tasted the golden liquid as I drained a second glass of whiskey. My heart thrummed in my ears, and my senses were on full alert, waiting to feel that cold presence steal into the building.
I felt it internally first. A chill crept through me, and I glanced around, combating the fear that threatened. I wasn’t afraid of Arys. I wasn’t, dammit!
Though he couldn’t cloak himself from me completely, he did a damn good job of it.
I turned to step away from the bar, and he was just suddenly there, looming before me.
His blue eyes instantly put me on guard. The irises bled across the whites, obliterating them. Wolf eyes. My personal power shone in him like a beacon in the darkness. It was both breathtaking and horrifying.
I opened my mouth as if to speak, to plead with him for understanding. However, my breath was choked off when he grabbed me around the throat with one strong hand, slamming me back against the bar.
Arys brought his face close to mine, our cheeks pressed together as he snarled one word. “Why?”
The bartender behind us carried on his business as if he saw this kind of thing every night, which he likely did. I could feel the eyes of both Jez and Kale on us, but thankfully, neither moved to intervene. I said a silent prayer that Shaz wouldn’t appear from his place in the back hallway just yet.
I shook my head furiously from side to side, cursing myself when blood tears welled up in my eyes. Arys bared his fangs and repeated the word, though I didn’t think he really expected an answer. His hand on my throat shook with rage, but I sensed something else beneath the surface of his being. Pain.
He pulled back enough to fix with me a furious gaze. He loosened his hold enough so that I could breathe but made no move to release me.
“Come on Arys, you know why. Don’t tell me you never saw it coming.”
“I guess I should have. This isn’t the first time you’ve betrayed me recently.”
Cocking his head to one side, he looked me over from head to toe and breathed deeply of my scent. “I suppose some of this is my fault. If I wasn’t such a sucker for you, the unnatural wolf power and that magic pussy, maybe it wouldn’t have come to this.”
The wolf inside me rose to the surface, and I bared fangs that were far deadlier than his. I blinked away the crimson tears and gripping his wrist, jerked his hand from my throat with enough force to bring a smile to his sensual lips. He wanted me to fight back.
I knew this. Yet, it was my instinct. I couldn’t deny the need to defend myself. I was nobody’s bitch.
“Remember who you’re talking to,” I snapped. “I’m not a vampire junkie that exists solely for your pleasure, Arys. I was ready and willing to kill the man that made me what I am. I was denied. That didn’t mean I couldn’t kill the one that made you what you are.
Deal with it.”
Arys held his hands up in mock surrender, smirking in a self-righteous manner that made me itch to slap him. Despite his evil, villain-style grin, he was seriously pissed off.
I could feel it oozing from him like molten acid. I wouldn’t get out of this without a few nasty burns. So be it.
“Forgive me. I forgot that I was dealing with the spoiled little werewolf that seems to think killing her own kind doesn’t make her a hypocrite. How thoughtless of me.”
I was fuming, and he knew it. In fact, he loved it. I curled my clawed hands as if to make a fist but I couldn’t. I succeeded only in cutting into the palms of my hands.
“And, just what is my kind?” I struggled to keep my voice calm. Draining the last of my glass, I motioned to the bartender for a refill. “I’m more than a werewolf and yet not quite a vampire. Got any answers? Oh, that’s right. No. You don’t. You like it better when I’m in the dark and easily manipulated.”
I tossed a few bills on the bar and accepted the refilled glass, not once taking my eyes from Arys. I knew better than to turn away from a vampire carrying a grudge.
In a blur of speed, his arm shot out, grabbing my empty hand. There was no gentleness to him when he brought it to his mouth and slowly licked the bloody cuts in my palm. My wolf was ready to tear him to pieces, but the woman inside me still quivered at his seductive touch. And, I hated him for it.
“Where is he?” Arys’ tone was ice cold.
“You mean what’s left of Harley? In his room. Unless he’s been vacuumed up by now. Then he’s right where he belongs. In the trash out back.”
With a growl, Arys tightly gripped my wrist and dragged me through the velvet curtain. Shaz was pacing at the far end of the hall outside Harley’s door. His head came up fast when he sensed us coming. I shook my head and gave him a look, hoping he’d understand and stay calm.
Arys stormed past him, shoving through the closed door. He came to a dead stop near Harley’s ashes still holding tightly to me. I watched as he took in the room, the burn in the carp
et and what remained of his sire. I felt the first pang of guilt try to take hold of me, and I pulled away from him.
For some reason, I felt the need to explain, to make things better. The pain Arys fought back cut through me like a knife. I felt overwhelmed by his emotion, as if my heart were breaking, too. I’d never considered that killing Harley would emotionally wound me through our bond. Hurting Arys hadn’t been part of this. It was about eliminating someone that had to be stopped.
“Arys … I didn’t do this to hurt you. This was about him, not you. I’m sorry.”
He spun to face me, so fast it surprised me, and I stumbled back a step. The bastard actually shoved me so that my back hit the wall behind me, knocking the breath from me.
Shaz was instantly there, swinging at the bold vampire. With the flick of his wrist, Arys took him down with a blast of power, not once looking at Shaz as he did so.
“Don’t!” I shrieked. “This is between us. You leave him out of this unless you want to end up just like your precious sire.”
I hated myself as soon as the words spilled from me, but I couldn’t take them back.
I’d uttered the worst threat possible, said something that cut too deep to heal with a word.
As Arys and I faced off, staring into one another not as lovers now but as enemies, I had to ask myself, what had I become?
Arys’ expression didn’t change but something inside him did. I felt it.
“You’re threatening to destroy me, too, Alexa? If I was going to kill your wolf, I would have done so months ago. Do you even know me at all?”
My lower lip trembled, and I bit it hard, tasting blood. “I thought I did. Before all of this nonsense started. Now, I don’t know what to think.”
Shaz picked himself up but remained at a distance, watching pensively. The room was thick with tension and unspoken words. I didn’t know what to say. I just wanted to make everything ok again.
Arys had me pressed against the wall, his body holding mine firmly. It was both threatening and sexual, causing my wolf to protest in confusion. Since I didn’t know what to say or do, I rambled like an idiot.
