by Trina M. Lee
Grabbing Brook by the front of his jacket, Willow jerked him up and snarled into his face. I couldn’t hear what they said, but I didn’t have to. It was pretty clear. Willow was using Brook to send a message, a warning. He was ready for anyone stupid enough to come for him.
Both hands splayed, Willow hit the demon with a precisely aimed attack that took Brook down hard and fast. Blood gushed from his nose and mouth. Clutching his chest, he pitched over onto his face and disappeared.
Sent back to the other side in seconds.
“Now that was impressive.” Jenner gaped in Willow’s direction in jaw-dropped wonder. “What in God’s name have you two done?”
Yeah, Willow would be just fine.
EPILOGUE
“So understandably he was scared shitless. I don’t think he’ll be a problem going forward.” Shaz sipped a beer, leaning away from Arys who threatened to tap the bottom of the bottle.
The three of us sat in a booth, Arys and I listening attentively as Shaz filled us in on Rylan Chow. The wolves had found him right where Wyatt said he’d be. After being manhandled and terrified by hunters, Rylan was more than willing to do anything Shaz asked of him.
I’d expressed my concern about letting him join the Doghead pack. He’d posted videos online of my fight with Dayne. That video had brought the hunters to town. He’d already proven a liability.
However, Shaz insisted we give him a chance. He believed that being a victim of his own stupidity made Rylan see firsthand why we kept our secret.
“One chance.” Arys lounged against the comfy booth seat, an arm slung over my shoulders. “I wouldn’t give him even that, but it’s your pack. Your call.”
A nod of his platinum head, Shaz looked to me. “Alexa? As a Circle member I think you probably get final say, but I’d like to give him the opportunity to prove himself.”
I already knew Falon would have sided with Arys in eliminating Rylan as a potential future problem. My sister had done all she could to have the video scrubbed from the internet. It hadn’t gotten far before the government had gotten involved. Still, the guy had lured hunters to our city.
But I was willing to give Shaz the benefit of the doubt. “One chance. If he blows it…” I shrugged.
“If he blows it, I’ll deal with him myself,” Shaz promised.
On my scale of priorities Rylan Chow had fallen to the bottom. Leaving that whole situation in Shaz’s hands freed me up to devote more mental space to the true danger.
Time.
We didn’t have much. Willow had bought us some, but that had run out. Sitting there with Arys, my head on his shoulder, I could feel the rise of his hunger. For my blood, my death. And for Shaz. The solace Arys found in him.
The loss of our keystone haunted us. Losing that anchor had sent us spinning into a storm of destruction and chaos. It hurt like nothing I’d never known, slashing at the root of all I was. That wound would forever bleed until it killed us.
I’d made up my mind to find a way to change that. I’d taken an idea planted by Falon and made it my own, keeping it close to my heart. The fallen angel didn’t know it yet, but he’d lit a much needed fire under my ass. Not that I’d ever admit as much to him.
“So… Las Vegas.” Arys never had been much for the graceful lead in. Right to it. “You know we have to go. Jenner won’t go back without me.”
I bristled, readying for an argument.
He surprised me by adding, “But you’re right, Alexa. We have to fix us first.”
I turned slightly to meet his gaze. “There’s one for the record books. How many times have you said I’m right? Are we up to two? Maybe three?”
“Don’t get used to it.” He eyed my jugular before dragging his gaze away. He nudged Shaz who sat on my other side. “What do you think, pup? Up for another trip to Sin City?”
Shaz laughed and took another swig of beer. “I can’t very well let the two of you go have all the fun without me. But yeah, let’s work on this first.” He waved a finger at Arys and me. “If we’re going back to Vegas, then the A-team needs to be ready to throw down. None of this doomsday crap.”
His silly nickname for Arys and me made me giggle. I reached for him, and he slid closer, sandwiching me between them. Shaz proved that he didn’t need magic to keep us anchored. He still kept us from self-destructing on the spot. The peacemaker had always been within him. That hadn’t changed.
In a smooth motion that had me captivated, Arys reached to run a finger over Shaz’s jaw. The smallest touch and then it was over, but it lit a fire in all three of us. Watching them share a look, I wondered how Shaz would feel if he knew what Arys had confessed to me.
I snuggled between them, revelling in the strength and comfort I gained from each man. Until Arys kissed my jugular with a groan and had to tear himself away. As precarious as our bond had always been, never had it been quite so fragile.
With great dismay I left the two of them in the booth and walked the perimeter of the building. Under the guise of checking out the patrons to ensure all was well, I put distance between Arys and me.
It killed me.
I made my way to the back hall. We needed a new beginning, for Arys and me and all that we were meant to become. We had to let go of the past and learn to bear the scars it left behind.
Starting here. Room number thirteen. Kale’s room.
Slowly I pushed open the door. The scent of cologne and leather crushed the flimsy walls I’d erected around the shattered remains of my heart. The piece that had belonged to him alone ached, raw from mourning.
Taking a deep breath of that sweet aroma, I closed the door and sat on the end of the bed. And sighed.
“I will not do you wrong,” I promised, the empty room silent in response. “And I will always love you.”
I grabbed a pillow and hugged it to me. Closing my eyes I let myself breathe in his scent, firmly embedding it in every fiber of my being. I might have had to let Kale go, but I didn’t have to forget him.
But part of letting him go meant getting rid of his room. So even though it pained me with every step, I set the pillow down and left the room for the last time. The first staff member I came across, I asked to have it fully cleaned. Willow could take it if he should feel so inclined.
Moving forward hurt so much more than staying in place. It was intimidating. Overwhelming. And vitally necessary.
Change came for all of us eventually. But not everyone rose to the challenge. Jez would. I had no doubt about that. And Willow. He’d become the master of change.
I stared across the room to where Arys and Shaz sat, heads close together so they could hear each other over the music. My heart overflowed with a myriad of pain and hope, loss and love.
It might take me to hell and back, but I would save us or go down fighting to the bitter end. Never would I give in to the dark destiny that awaited Arys and me. Perhaps it had destroyed those who had come before us. I refused to believe there was no other way.
Queen of Light and Dark.
The odds were stacked against us. But they always had been. That had never changed.
But I had.
~~~~
Alexa’s story continues in Alexa O’Brien Huntress Book 14, Apocalyptic.
~~~~
AUTHOR’S NOTE
This was one of the hardest books I’ve ever had to write. I know some of you may be cursing me right now but please know that nothing about this book came easy. I suffered long before I ever started to write it, when I tried desperately to talk Kale out of it. But he remained unmoved. For those of you who loved Kale, I suffer with you, and I thank you for loving such a deeply flawed creation.
I couldn’t ask for better readers. I adore you more than you will probably ever know. Thanks for being so dedicated and faithful in taking this journey with me. Here’s to many more adventures together.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Trina writes urban fantasy that is dark and gritty with a twist of romance and horror but w
hich is ultimately about people in dark places discovering who they are and what they’re made of.
A lover of rock music, vampires and muscle cars, Trina is a dreamer who always secretly wanted to be a rockstar. She lives in Alberta, Canada with her bass player husband, ukulele playing daughter and three annoying but super cute cats.
Trina loves to hear from readers so don’t hesitate to drop her a line.
Website
TrinaMLee.net
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Table of Contents
(Untitled)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(Untitled)
Definition:
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
EPILOGUE
AUTHOR’S NOTE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR