Sinister Pretty (Alexa O'Brien Huntress Book 11)

by Trina M. Lee

  It’d been said that twin flames couldn’t exist without one another. Death often claimed them together. Remaining here without Arys… I couldn’t wrap my mind around the thought. Perhaps I shouldn’t fault Harley for ending up as he had. In his position, I’d embrace the madness too.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  I sat in my car outside The Spirit Room, staring at my phone. Kale had left a voice message, which I had yet to listen to. Stalling, I took the time to call Kylarai to check in with her on how Allie’s first shift had gone.

  It was a relief to hear that she’d done just fine. I wished I could’ve been there. Helping the wayward youth escape a hard life on the streets meant more to me than anything else I’d achieved. Not that it tipped the balance compared to all the shitty things I’d done.

  A brief conversation with Jez had left me feeling uneasy. She sounded happy. Too happy. After recapping my night with Shya and assuring her I was fine, I’d asked how things had gone with the ritual after I’d blacked out. She insisted she was great, carefree thanks to Willow. On her way to a meeting with a new P.I. client, she’d cut the conversation short with, “Call Kale back, dammit. He’s worried sick about you.”

  My worry focused on her. I didn’t like what I’d seen. Trapping the darkness inside Jez was a Band-Aid. It might hold things together on the surface, but for how long? The dark seed planted inside her remained. Even Willow, with all of his power, could not change that part of her. Could he?

  So there I sat outside The Spirit Room, the local rock bar where Arrow could often be found. The dark nephilim knew Jez, and he was part of that world, a world I knew nothing about. We had gotten off on the wrong foot, but I hoped he would answer a few questions for me. Seeing as I couldn’t simply summon Falon for a fix, I needed to keep myself busy.

  With a sigh, I hit the button to play my voicemail, tense as I waited to hear Kale’s voice.

  “Alexa, call me back as soon as you can,” he said, voice thick with worry. “Jez won’t tell me shit other than that you’re still alive. I need to know you’re ok.”

  Short and to the point, yet loaded with so much he didn’t say. I could feel it though. Across the distance.

  I played the message one more time, closing my eyes as I listened to his voice. Then, before I could play it again, I made myself delete it.

  My hands shook as I tucked my phone back into my bag and exited the Charger. No longer too weak to function or walk, yet nowhere near full strength, I carefully made my way inside. Would Falon know? Surely he would sense it somehow. All I knew was that, if anyone else figured it out, like the FPA, I would be in trouble.

  Walking around during a Canadian winter in comfy yoga pants and a Severus Snape t-shirt made me look a bit crazy, but the cold didn’t affect me as it did humans. I entered the building and almost headed for the bar out of habit. Dammit.

  It didn’t take long to spot Arrow at a table with his friends. They were all watching the stage where Crimson Sin held almost everyone captivated. It came as a relief to see Jett, the purple-haired werewolf, singing her heart out. Somehow she’d escaped being sent to the FPA lockup.

  As I made my way through the already packed nightclub, I studied Arrow, finding his gaze transfixed on the guitarist. It reminded me of how she’d also caught the attention of Salem. Surely, she must be one of them. It would explain the higher frequency of her energy. The nephilim came off as human other than that strange frequency. Interesting.

  Arrow dragged his gaze from the stage when I reached the table. Hazel eyes rimmed in smudged black liner looked me over, and he scowled. “What now, Alexa?”

  “I need to talk to you. About Jez.” I glanced around the table at his friends, finding them all to be fully human except for the cutie with the blue mohawk. He gave off that same strange, slightly-off vibe Arrow had. Just how many angels and demons were running around creating forbidden offspring?

  Arrow tugged on the beanie hat that hid most of his shoulder-length black hair. “Fuck, Alexa, I swear I have not been selling to Jez if that’s why you came to bust my balls.”

  “It isn’t.” Refusing to elaborate in front of his friends, I held his gaze, issuing a silent threat.

  Holding my stare as he tipped a beer bottle to his lips, Arrow drained the last of it, let out a nasty burp, and stood. “Fine. Make it fast.”

  One of his buddies openly smirked as we walked away, like a kid who laughs when his friend gets in shit with the teacher. Arrow led the way to the quietest corner of the bar, as far from the stage as we could get. I found it telling that he’d rather shout over the music than go outside with me alone.

  “Ok, what do you want?” Leaning against the wall, arms crossed, Arrow did his best to look bored.

  Like the egomaniac he seemed to be, he wore his own band’s t-shirt with low slung jeans and a spiked wrist cuff. He seemed to have a perpetual sneer, sexy in a cocky way but also irritating at the same time. It made me want to slap it off his face.

  “What do you know about binding the powers of a nephilim?” I asked, getting close enough to speak without shouting while trying to keep a safe distance between us. My bloodlust proved unpredictable in any weakened state.

  “Not as much as you probably think I do.” He shrugged. “Why? Did Jez try a binding?”

  I nodded, glancing about to ensure nobody lingered close enough to eavesdrop. “She had a demon do it. But something doesn’t feel right about this. I can’t help but think it’s dangerous.”

  “It is,” he agreed, dropping his attitude. “I know of one nephilim whose powers were bound by the angels as a means of hiding his identity. It didn’t last. The binding wore down and his power manifested.”

  “Shit.” My worst fears were being confirmed.

  Arrow’s energy tickled my senses. The more I focused on it, the more pronounced the angelic element became. My hunger encouraged me, promising that a taste wouldn’t be so bad. He belonged to the dark though. More demonic than angelic. No. No fucking way. Although Falon sure as hell didn’t belong to the light.

  The sudden surge of bloodlust had me shoving away from him, seeking a safe distance. But no such thing existed.

  He raised a brow but remained unmoved. “Why does Jez want to bind it anyway?”

  “She’s afraid,” I said, distracted by his more-than-human vibe. “Her power is dark. She doesn’t want that. So much for being able to choose.”

  Since Falon seemed unavailable, perhaps Arrow would do. Although that would be somewhat like comparing light beer to tequila. Still, a little had to be better than nothing.

  Dammit, no.

  “She didn’t get to choose? That’s not how it works.” His face softened, and Arrow glanced across the bar to the stage. “Choice is vital. It’s a gift. If she wants to be light, she should be. Who could take that away from her?”

  I might have been racked with an inner voice demanding I bleed him, but I didn’t miss the way he looked at the Crimson Sin guitarist. Wistful almost, a little smitten. I didn’t bother to tell him that Jez didn’t want to be light either. She just wanted none of it.

  “Are we still talking about Jez?” I snickered, unable to resist the jibe.

  “We’re done here.” Embarrassed at having been caught, Arrow glared daggers at me. He shoved by me in an attempt to walk away. “Shouldn’t antagonize me, vampire bitch.”

  There was that name again.

  With a burst of speed that sapped at my meager strength, I pasted Arrow against the wall. A hand on his chest, I held him pinned. “What did I tell you about calling me that, Arrow? Pretty sure I promised you a knee in the groin and a fist in the face. I’ll settle for something less painful. You’ll probably even enjoy it.”

  Eyeing the pulse in his neck, I bared fangs. The internal struggle continued. Do it or don’t do it. I just needed it so fucking bad. I was weak. Too weak. And Arrow was as close to what I needed as I could get.

  Planting both hands on either side of his head, I pressed close, lett
ing my energy dance with his. He stiffened, chin jutting up in arrogance. The cocky set to his jaw didn’t stop his eyes from dilating or his pulse from increasing in tempo.

  “Think I’m just gonna let you bleed me? See, I’m not really keen on playing submissive. I like to be the one in charge.” A twist of his wrist and shadows seeped from the darkened corner to swirl around our legs.

  A shadow tightened around my ankle.

  I fell hard into the bloodlust’s manipulative pull. Weakness stripped my control, undoing the progress I’d made over recent weeks in mere moments.

  I dragged my tongue over the pulse in Arrow’s neck. Cocaine ran hot through his blood. I could smell it. Narcotics were usually a deal breaker. I wasn’t a fan of the short-lived but still palpable effects, but most users didn’t have the power he had.

  Yet Arrow slumped against the wall, defeated, and the shadows fell away. Even in my weakened state, he couldn’t resist my allure.

  “You have something I want, Arrow.” I nipped at his flesh, basking in his arousal. Hell yes, that was what I wanted. “Trust me, it’s not personal.”

  “I thought you wanted to talk about Jez. That’s why you came, isn’t it? I don’t think you really want me.” He was smarter than he looked. But not smart enough to know when to shut up. “I may be the one who chose darkness, but you’re more demon than I’ll ever be.” He raised a hand to touch me, then clenched it into a fist, fighting the thrall. The scent of desire revealed the impending loss of the internal battle he fought.

  “I love a good fight,” I said against his ear. “Makes victory that much sweeter. Please, keep resisting.”

  “Fuck, I knew you were crazy.” His hands were on my hips as he lost the war with himself. “I bet you fuck like it too, don’t you?”

  “Damn right she does.” Behind me, the air rippled. Falon grabbed my wrist and twisted my arm behind my back, spinning me away from Arrow. Jerking his head toward the table where Arrow’s friends sat, he said, “Beat it. I’ll handle this.”

  Flustered but relieved and then angry, Arrow shoved away, throwing a few obscenities back at me as he went. Things were going to be so much harder next time I needed info from him after that little slip. Oops.

  Falon pasted me to the wall in the spot Arrow had just vacated. He was so much stronger than Arrow. My back hit the wall and I winced. I didn’t have it in me to push back against him, physically or otherwise.

  “You want me? No need to settle for a mediocre replacement. Your call is like a constant scream inside my head.” That silver gaze drifted over me, lingering on my bruised face. “Someone got the jump on you. What happened?”

  “Shya happened. And don’t enjoy it too much. I’ll be back to myself in no time.” There was no hiding my crappy condition from Falon.

  A spark of delight lit up his face. He enjoyed this. Dick. “That’s what you need me for, correct? Tell me what happened with Shya.”

  The hunger that had targeted Arrow was more than happy to devour Falon instead. He was what I really wanted after all, what I needed to replenish the strength Shya had ripped from me.

  “After.” With a finger, I beckoned him to close the few inches remaining between us.

  Falon brushed his lips against mine. “For the record, if I didn’t have your siren call screaming in my head, I’d let you suffer.”

  I nodded, willing to agree with whatever he said to get what I ached for. “Duly noted.”

  “I could get you to do just about anything right now, couldn’t I?” He pulled back when I moved to kiss him. “Maybe even beg? I’d be a fool not to have fun with this.” What a surprise, Falon wanted to take advantage of the situation.

  Impatient and ravenous, I didn’t want to play his game. “You’d also be a fool to have too much fun with it.”

  The same force I’d used to pull Arrow under didn’t pack much punch with Falon. My meager attempt to enthrall him was met with a headshake and mockery. “You’re definitely not in a position to call the shots. Shya really did a number on you, huh?” Brow arched in devious contemplation, Falon caught each of my wrists in one hand and pinned them above my head. “I’m going to enjoy being in charge while I can.”

  I couldn’t deny that I had a tendency to take the lead during our encounters. I knew what I wanted and how to get it. Not to mention, I didn’t respect him enough to treat him as an equal. He was prey and I preferred he knew it.

  “Don’t get used to it.” I gasped when his free hand slipped between my legs. “We can’t do this here.”

  “Why not?” Falon glanced around, nodding toward a young couple engaged in a serious make-out session up against one of the support pillars scattered about the building. “They’re doing it. Pretty sure most people just come here to get drunk and fuck.”

  Couldn’t argue that. Still, I tried. “We aren’t most people.”

  “Exactly. So we can do whatever the hell we like.” In a deft move, Falon slid his hand inside my pants, bypassing my underwear. Mouth pressed to my ear, he murmured, “And I know you like this.”

  Adrenaline raced through my veins. Whatever I’d been about to utter next choked off, lodged in my throat. A breathy groan was all I could muster. Certainly not a denial.

  So well, he knew how to touch me. We’d learned much about each other in a short time. I kind of hated that. But I didn’t hate the way he stirred my lust to life, taunting my hunger for him.

  Two fingers slipped inside me, teasing me with the promise of what was to come. My body responded to him, and I hated myself a little for that. Of all people to form a power addiction to, why did it have to be Falon?

  With my arms pinned above my head and his body trapping mine, he held me at his mercy. And Falon didn’t strike me as the merciful type.

  “I’m going to make you come.” His breath, hot against my ear, sent tingles down my spine. “Right here.”

  I cast a frantic glance about, but nobody paid much attention to us. Falon’s body hid what he was doing, for the most part, and everyone was drinking, making out, or rocking out at the stage. Even Arrow had disappeared.

  “You know that’s not how this works,” I said, breathy and weak. “I have to take from you. It’s got to be mutual pleasure.”

  “Trust me, I’m getting pleasure out of this.” His throaty chuckle had me squirming, but there was no escaping him. “It’s your turn to play the submissive.”

  That got a small laugh from me. “You’ve never played the submissive and you know it.”

  “Perhaps not, but you’re a control freak, Alexa.” Desire pulsed in his immortal energy. With a playful touch, he teased me, driving my impatience and my excitement higher. “So let me remind you that I cannot and will not be controlled.”

  Seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling some shame over having given in to this unholy urge. I felt like I understood Falon so much better now that Shya had spilled his secret. His insistence on proving his refusal to be used, the need to ensure I knew how much he hated me, and the part of him that just wanted to feel again. It all made sense.

  I hated Shya and his sick joy in telling me.

  I could never tell Falon I knew. He wouldn’t take it well. Already I’d seen how the mere mention of Winter set him off. I had to be one of the last people he’d ever want to know.

  Deciding to play along, I smiled up at him. “By all means, do what you have to do.”

  If looks could kill.

  “Sometimes I just want to shake you until your teeth rattle,” he muttered with a sexy sneer.

  “Only sometimes?” My snark became a moan as he rubbed me in all the right places.

  In mere moments, he brought me to a quivering climax. His gaze transfixed on my face, he watched me. Wicked intentions lurked in his eyes.

  Impatient for carnal activity that didn’t belong in a public place, I tugged against Falon’s hold on my wrists. “Get me out of here and fuck me properly.”

  He considered my demand so long I thought he might just refuse
. His lips were demanding on mine as he kissed me. Hungry, edgy, forceful.

  Releasing me from his restrictive hold, he gestured to the door. “Let’s go.”

  * * * *

  Twenty minutes later Falon had me bent over a table in a swanky hotel room. He clutched a handful of my hair as he thrust into me from behind. I gripped the table, trying hard to keep my claws back so I wouldn’t have to pay for damages to the damn thing.

  My head spun. The room nearly burst at the seams with the power we commanded. The sex-drenched atmosphere was soaked in Falon’s desire. Rife with the product of our passion, I dove in head first, ready and willing to drown in him.

  With every stroke of his body inside mine, I felt more alive. Stronger. Drawing on Falon’s anomalous energy meant finding the strength I needed in one source, someone I couldn’t kill. Didn’t have to kill. Such liberation in that. Such remorse as well.

  Falon’s free hand traced a slow line down my back before settling on the curve of my ass. I’d allow his preferred position for a few more minutes. I got it; really, I did. I’d rather not look at him either while we screwed.

  However, as my strength returned so did my ability to take back a semblance of the control he so enjoyed. I reached back to grasp his hand, the only warning he would get. Instead of waiting for me to battle control from him, Falon spun me around to face him and all but flung me on the table. He stepped between my legs and banged me the way he knew I wanted him to. In our short time together, we’d learned to read one another with little communication necessary.

  I slid my arms around his neck and drew him against me. Knowing better than to go for a full bite, I dragged my fangs over the surface of the hollow near his collarbone. The wound shed just a few drops of mind-altering blood before healing. That was all I needed.

  Stars exploded behind my eyes. Pure joy lived in Falon’s blood.