Sinister Pretty (Alexa O'Brien Huntress Book 11)

by Trina M. Lee

  “After you,” Falon said, waving a hand for me to go first.

  Although I knew better than to trust the fallen angel, I didn’t believe he’d set me up. Still, I was wary when I crossed the threshold.

  A demon I didn’t recognize held the door for us to pass through before promptly closing and locking it with both a deadbolt and an old world magic phrase. He pointed at my dagger. “Put that away.”

  Finding the place littered with demons, I didn’t hesitate. Sliding the dagger into its sheath on my hip, I stared in horrified, awestruck wonder. It was some kind of demon clubhouse. But no, upon closer inspection I realized there were a few vampires present, a werewolf, and two humans.

  “What is this place?” I asked Falon who ushered me along.

  Many sets of eyes followed as he led me toward the back of the building. The interior was in markedly better shape than the exterior, though it still had a very bare-bones feel.

  “It’s your local Rotary Club.” He glanced down at me from his much taller frame. “Only those with business here know about it, so keep your trap shut.”

  Demons watched us pass. Though nobody attempted anything, they made me jittery. I felt like a lamb in a den of wolves, and I wasn’t used to not being the wolf.

  Small groups gathered around tables, each divided by a partial wall to create the illusion of privacy. Much to my surprise, a small bar off to one side in the middle of the place served up drinks, including freshly squeezed human, if my nose were accurate.

  Against the back wall, at a table for four, sat Nova, the incubus demon who’d crassly tried to score a night with Arys and me. Next to him was a woman I didn’t yet know, a vampire. Falon led me right to them. He pulled out a chair across from them and plopped down, gesturing for me to do the same. Such a gentleman.

  Long black hair rested on Nova’s shoulders. He wore a dark suit and absolutely oozed sex-charged energy.

  The vampiress next to him seemed unfazed. Her short raven-dark hair was stylishly cut, spiky in the back with longer pieces falling into her black-lined blue eyes. In a leather jacket and jeans, she captured the essence of badass perfectly.

  Falon made with the introductions. “This is Nova. Don’t let him get any closer than you have to. And this here is Smudge. She’s probably the only vampire in existence I can stand.” Waving a hand in my direction, he added, “This is the infamous Alexa. Trust me, there’s more to her than this tiny package would lead you to believe.”

  The scathing glare I cast Falon was met with a smile that made me want to knock his perfect teeth out. Turning to the others, I met Nova’s flirtatious gaze. “We’ve met. I do hope there won’t be any inappropriate offers this time.” To Smudge, I nodded. “Don’t believe a word Falon says about me.”

  She smiled, revealing dainty fangs. It had to be the only dainty thing about her. “Ditto.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Falon’s scowl. He looked at Nova, then me before leaning back in his seat.

  The incubus demon on the other hand, leaned forward in his. “I guess that depends what you consider inappropriate.”

  A wave of his power slapped me, and I stiffened against the onslaught of pure eroticism but didn’t shield against it, which would only encourage him.

  “Can we get down to business?” Falon cut in. “Some of us have other places to be.”

  Nova chuckled. “Right. Of course you do.” To me he said, “How much do you know about the people Veryl worked for?”

  “Not a damn thing,” I answered honestly, my curiosity growing by the second. “I assumed he worked for Shya. Beyond that, I know nothing.”

  “Sounds like something Shya would want you to believe,” Smudge said, hands clasped on the table. Her long, tapered fingers were adorned with rings that drew my gaze. “You did us all a favor by taking him out of the game for a while.”

  For a while. Of course there would be no getting rid of him for good.

  “So you’ve never heard of The Circle of the Veil?” Nova inquired, a serious expression replacing his goofball grin. At my headshake, he continued, “But you did know Veryl worked to conceal the existence of the supernatural. You were part of that.”

  “Yes.” I nodded, wondering where this was going.

  “Would you like to take Veryl’s place among us?”

  Shocked I sat there staring stupidly at the demon. I hadn’t even known what Veryl did half the time. I knew he had a lot of secrets, and somehow he always had a lot of info about a lot of people.

  “Can you elaborate?” I asked, certain I must resemble a deer caught in headlights.

  Smudge broke in, explaining in a clear, matter of fact tone. “The Circle of the Veil keeps our existence from mass exposure to the human world. Veryl served as the Keeper of Edmonton’s vampire and werewolf population. Among other things that somehow strayed into his jurisdiction.” She paused to give me a moment to process.

  The whole Circle thing was somewhat surprising. And also not.

  “I assume you’re part of the demon faction,” I said to Nova who nodded. To Smudge, I asked, “So what role do you play?”

  “I’m a Watchdog. I keep an eye on things.” She didn’t offer much else, leaving me to wonder.

  Mulling it over, I recalled my first meeting with Shya. He’d mentioned that we were working to maintain an order that had been established over thousands of years. It made perfect sense to me that our existence should be concealed from the general public. It was for their own good as well as ours.

  “Veryl worked with Shya,” I said, pondering out loud. “Why a vampire with a demon? Is that standard?”

  Nova nodded and flashed me that damn lecherous smile again. “It is. Helps to cover all bases and keep the lines of communication open. Only the angels work alone, for obvious reasons, being all holier than thou and all that shit. Don’t worry, Alexa. I won’t be the one working closely with you. Although I do wish I were.”

  “Do I even want to know?” I didn’t. I could feel that what he would say next was not something I wanted to hear.

  “It’ll be me,” Falon broke in with a scowl. “If you accept, you’ll be the one I’m stuck working with.”

  With his scarlet gaze dancing between the two of us, Nova laughed. “I do hope it won’t be a conflict of interest.”

  Ugh, how did he know? How horribly embarrassing.

  “No,” I said quickly, too quickly. “Of course not.”

  Falon continued, covering his own embarrassment by being an asshole. “That means you’d have to stop carrying on like you have been. Your recent indiscretions are a perfect example of why we do what we do. No more slaughter fests like your recent visit to that VIP lounge with your dark half. You are one of the last Hounds, need I remind you?”

  He’d been saying that to me since I first turned, when he’d caught Kale and me at the beginning of our murder spree. Had Falon known all this time that I would be approached to replace Veryl?

  I shot him a venomous glare. “Well, you haven’t yet this week, so yeah, I suppose so.”

  Nova regarded us with amusement.

  Smudge rolled her eyes and muttered something indecipherable, but I was pretty sure it had been aimed at Falon. “So do you accept?” She cut to the chase. “You’ll take Veryl’s place? You can organize your own team, bring the leopard back or whomever you like. As long as you trust them implicitly.”

  Everything in me demanded I do it. It just felt right. It had to be done, and I wanted the role. I’d failed at helping Brinley. My do-gooder attempts had blown up in my face because I’d acted like what I was. A vampire. A werewolf. Taking Veryl’s role would allow me to be all of that.

  Working with Falon might prove to be the real downfall of this arrangement. I assumed he thought the same.

  “I’d like to accept,” I began. “There’s just one thing. The FPA is blackmailing me into working with them. For now I need to play along. That could be problematic.”

  Smudge and Nova exchanged a l
ook.

  “Perfect,” she said. “You can play double agent.”

  “I can do that.” Not for a moment did I question screwing Briggs over.

  “Keep in mind, we don’t all share the same reasons for doing what we do. And some of our kind would prefer exposure.” Smudge tossed her hair, flinging the long piece out of her eyes. “Some join The Circle to protect humans. Others do it to control them. Always know where you stand. It helps.”

  With a nod I sat back and crossed my arms, chewing my lip as my mind played with this new information. Replacing Veryl? I could hardly fathom what that would mean going forward.

  “Run things from your nightclub if you want.” Nova surged ahead now that he had my agreement. “It will be easier for you to keep your activity quiet. If we need to see you, we’ll come there.”

  “I take assignments from you then?” Keeping the skepticism out of my tone proved difficult. I didn’t know Nova from a hole in the ground, but I had little interest in getting to know any demon too well.

  Mischief frolicked through his sensual stare. The way he leered at me made me wonder how long it had been since he’d been with a succubus. The raw hunger in his eyes led me to think it had been a long time for Nova. Surely he didn’t think I’d be interested.

  “Assignments will find their way to you. Unless you’d prefer that I deliver them personally. That can be arranged.” Nova’s fangy grin seemed to charge the atmosphere all on its own.

  Smudge openly laughed, a mocking sound projected right in his face. “Dude, seriously? You can do that shit on your own time. I’m not in the mood to watch you strike out. It’s just uncomfortable for all of us.”

  I was beginning to like Smudge. Her blunt response to the demon was admirable.

  Falon sat silent beside me. He hadn’t moved a muscle, but he’d grown tense. Knowing him better than I’d like to admit, I could feel it.

  Nova shrugged, unaffected by Smudge’s mockery. Still he stared at me and went so far as to give me an exploratory metaphysical nudge. It was rude, personal, and felt like a wonderful dream. The demon’s thrall was leaps and bounds more intense than Arys’s or mine. And that was really saying something.

  Because I wasn’t content to sit there and take an unwelcome prodding, I pushed back. Just enough to send the message that I had no interest in being his willing plaything.

  Nova nudged Smudge with his elbow. “You mean to tell me that you’re not the least bit curious about Alexa and her scandalous reputation?”

  Smudge nudged him back, throwing her elbow with a lot more force. She smiled apologetically to me and shook her head. “No class at all, this guy. Not that I’d expect any.”

  “Are we done here?” Feigning boredom with the conversation, Falon shifted in his chair, eager to leave.

  “Feel free to leave whenever you like,” Nova replied, not bothering to hide his disdain. “You’re no longer needed here.”

  Again I sensed Falon’s tension though he hadn’t moved or spoken. Leaning forward he pinned the demon with an icy stare. “I still have business with Alexa, not that it’s any of yours.”

  Nova winked. “I’ll bet you do.”

  “It’s strictly business.” Falon spoke through clenched teeth. Something about the incubus demon really got under his skin.

  “No need to lie. I know how difficult it is to resist our kind, and I certainly don’t blame you.” With a snicker, Nova asked, “Hey, Alexa, what is it that draws you to this guy? You like the loners? Maybe it’s the whole romantic notion of a fallen angel? Or is he just that good of a lay?”

  I was not the least bit impressed with Nova’s intrusive questioning. He seemed so pleased with himself. No wonder Falon disliked him so much.

  Having no intent to answer honestly, I still considered the question. The simplest answer would be power. The more complex answer would be something like… brokenness, desperation, deliverance.

  I glanced at Falon, who regarded me with the haughty expression I’d grown to expect, awaiting my response. Winter invaded my thoughts, and I looked away, fearing that he would see.

  “He’s just that fucking good,” I replied, hating that this was even a discussion but hoping to shut it down fast.

  An oily smile crossed Nova’s face. He knew I was messing with him. “Well, if you ever want to find out how good it can get, I’ll be happy to show you.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” What else could I say? Being propositioned by an incubus demon with a near irresistible thrall was both tempting and infuriating.

  Smudge stood. “Holy shit, I hate demons. Always on a power trip.” She cast a sneer in Nova’s direction. “I’m out of here. We’ll be in touch, Alexa. It was nice to finally meet you.”

  “Uptight fucking vampire,” Nova muttered after her. He waved a hand at us dismissively. “I guess we’re done here.”

  Needing to release some tension, I wasted no time in getting the hell out of there. Ignoring every demon I passed, eyes fixed firmly on the exit, I did my best to walk and not run.

  Falon followed at a more leisurely pace. Once we were outside in the quiet, he eyed me until it started to piss me off. He seemed to be trying to decide what to say. Finally he simply said, “Thank you. Nova doesn’t need to know anything about us.”

  His wounds refused to scar. He didn’t want the demon to know how broken he really was, how much damage Winter had done.

  Uncertain whether I liked this new insight into the cocky angel, I replied, “No, he doesn’t. It’s nobody’s damn business.”

  Falon walked over to my car and leaned on the hood. “I did some digging like you asked. About Jez. I found something.”

  A trickle of fear ran through me. “And?”

  “Her father promised her to the dark before she was born. He knew he’d be locked away for fathering a child with a mortal. He intended for her to succeed him, pick up where he left off.” Falon paused, waiting for the questions he knew I’d throw at him.

  “But what about free will? The nephilim are supposed to choose. How could he promise her to the dark?” This was bad news. My stomach twisted at the thought of Jez being forced to turn dark.

  Falon shrugged, shaking his silver head. “He used a ritual to dedicate her to the dark. Jez still has free will; she doesn’t have to serve the dark, but a piece of it lives inside her. A piece of him. It will affect her, influence her. And it’s not going anywhere any time soon.”

  Should I tell her this or keep it to myself? She might be pissed if she knew I’d sent Falon to dig into her history. Still, she needed to know. Trying to bury her darkness and pretend it didn’t exist would only come back to haunt her.

  I gnawed my bottom lip, stopping when I caught Falon watching intently. “Well, thanks for finding out. I guess I owe you.”

  “You do. I’m going to enjoy it.” He grinned, looking far too satisfied.

  I stifled a groan. “I’m going to regret that, huh?”

  “We’ll see.”

  Pulling my keys from my pocket with a jingle, I hit the button to unlock the door. This entire night had blown my mind. I didn’t know if I were ready to step into Veryl’s shoes.

  Falon didn’t budge from his place against the hood. “I honestly never thought the powers that be would pair me with you. Kind of makes me wonder what their angle is.”

  “Powers that be? And who is that exactly?”

  Falon lazily lifted a shoulder. “Nobody really knows. Orders get handed down through several levels of The Circle. Angels? Demons? Rumor has it that a small panel made up of both forms the highest faction in the hierarchy. Could be just about anyone.”

  “And you think they purposely stuck us together?” I laughed, trying to imagine a panel of light and dark beings with a common goal choosing Falon and me to work together. How absurd.

  “It could be a coincidence, but it doesn’t feel like one.” He watched me walk around to the driver’s door. “Should be amusing though. I suppose.”

  “Oh yeah
,” I scoffed. “It’s going to be a blast. I wonder how long it will take me to claw your eyes out.”

  His sexy chuckle sent a shiver down my spine. “Care to make it interesting? We could place a wager on that.”

  Hand on the car door, I scrutinized the fallen angel, wondering again why I just couldn’t quit him. “And owe you something else? Hell no.” That familiar hunger tightened my stomach and brought a rush of heat to my groin.

  Seeing the fire in my eyes, Falon shoved off the hood and approached me with a salacious smirk. “Leaving now?” He nodded toward my hand on the door. “Before you’ve purged all of that anguish and rage.”

  In a painstakingly slow movement, Falon lifted a hand and captured a lock of my hair. He twisted it around a finger, never breaking eye contact. He wasn’t even touching me directly, and yet the yearning surged inside me, demanding release.

  With a sigh of defeat, I jerked a thumb toward the spacious backseat. “Get in.”

  If being a creature of both light and dark didn’t make me crazy all on its own, working with Falon surely would.

  EPILOGUE

  “Holy shit, Queen V, your touch is like fucking dynamite. You should bottle that shit and sell it. You’d make a killing.”

  I slapped Ebyn’s hands away from my breasts before shaking a warning finger in his face. “Rules, Ebyn. Gotta follow them if you want to play my game.”

  Disappointment passed over his face. It didn’t last long. He was too far under my thrall to be truly upset. He stared up at me as I straddled him, eyes glazed with a drug-like haze, pumping out heady werewolf desire.

  We were on the couch in what was now my office at The Wicked Kiss. In the week since I’d been approached by The Circle of the Veil, I’d taken the bed out of Harley’s old room and replaced it with a desk and couch.

  I’d also added a new willing victim to my incredibly short list. Ebyn Tyler had come in two nights ago, eager for another taste of what he’d experienced in the FPA building. My initial reaction had been to deny him and kick his ass out of my club. Upon second thought, I’d decided Ebyn might make the perfect willing victim. He was a good looking, virile man with werewolf blood running through his veins.