by W. J. May
“I’m sorry,” she shouted to be heard over the bar noise. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Mustering the best, forced smile that I could, I replied with a lame, “That’s ok.”
“I wanted to thank you.” Her eyes were downcast, and the scent of fear and anxiety trickled from her. I was keenly aware of her heart accelerating, the blood rushing inside her, just waiting for that perfect puncture to release it. Goddamn it Arys, I thought briefly. You’ve made me a monster.
I considered playing dumb. How in the hell could she recognize me? It had been dark, and I hadn’t looked this human.
Oh, God help me. I’m such a fool. I should have killed her, too. The thought came unbidden, and I knew that it wasn’t mine. However, I had to acknowledge that the vampires’ logic kept them touted as fictional. They have to be ruthless to stay alive.
“Oh, that’s alright.” I felt more awkward staring into her beaming smile than I had sitting with Arys and Shaz earlier. I was at a loss for words. My eyes went over her head, searching for Jez’s shock of gold hair in the crowd.
“No really. I probably shouldn’t have approached you, but I didn’t want to risk losing my only chance to thank you. He made my life a living nightmare. I was ready to kill myself.”
I had to give her credit for being wise enough to avoid saying David’s name. There was obviously no use trying to convince her that she hadn’t seen something she knew damn well she had.
“Anyway,” she continued, suddenly in a rush to finish. “I can’t tell you what you’ve done for me. I don’t regret a thing about any of it. And, whoever or whatever you are is no business of mine. My lips are sealed.” Her eyes took on that wide solemn look of a child making a sincere promise.
My smile felt small and tight, but it reached my eyes. I had to appreciate her guts. I can’t say that I would have approached the person that had grown claws and fangs before eating my boyfriend. Courage was an admirable trait, though it could be stupid.
I offered her a hand. “I’m glad you’re alright.”
“I’m Amanda.” Could her smile possibly get any wider? “It’s nice to meet you.”
I didn’t like the spark in her eyes. I’d seen humans like this. My supernatural power and allure enticed her. This was often temporary but could be potentially dangerous. Fanaticism is a form of insanity.
“Likewise.” I spotted Jez who was making her way to a group of college girls shooting pool. From where I stood, I could see the electric blue cocktail in her hand. “Look Amanda, I’m sorry but I need to get going. Have a really good night, ok?”
I excused myself before the strange moment could drag on any longer. I hoped she didn’t take it the wrong way when I hightailed it across the club to Jez.
Yeah, I felt like an asshole, but really, what could I possibly say to the girl? Thanks for not telling the cops that I ate your boyfriend? The bastard turned my stomach anyway. Besides, the scent of her blood was giving me a cramp.
“I saw that you found a pretty thing to chat up so I wanted to have some fun, too.” Jez raised her glass in greeting, downing half in one sip. “No sign of our target. Think we should move on?”
I pulled my cell phone from my pocket and found one missed call from Raoul, which likely meant that he was looking for Zoey, too.
“Yeah, we’ll go as soon as you’re….” My words broke off. Her glass was empty. “Ok then. We’ll go now.” That was fine by me. I wanted to get out of there before Amanda thought to approach me again.
“Raoul called about ten minutes ago,” I told her when we were back in the car heading down the near empty main strip. “I think he’s looking for her.”
“No voicemail?” Jez looked longingly out the window as we passed the 7/11. She was thinking about cigarettes.
“Nope.”
“Then, it couldn’t have been that important.”
Typical of the small town, those who were not out for the evening were at home in relaxed comfort or already sleeping soundly. Most of the homes we passed were dark or dimly lit. I got back on to the main drag and followed it to my end of town. Once, that section of town had been the rich part, but over the years, it melded into the other old parts of town. Main Street, no longer the main drag, is a tiny business street and older than dirt. Buildings with painted murals give it the impression of being part of an old movie backdrop.
“What a cute house,” Jez commented as she perused the houses with real estate signs on the front lawn. “This looks like a great place to live. So cozy.”
“Yeah, well, it used to be. It’s growing a little too fast for my tastes, but it’s still home.”
The last thing I wanted to see my little town turn into was a city with a condo on every block. They were already beginning to make an appearance on the outer edges of town where the land had been sold for development. We were just minutes away from two cities, was it necessary that we be one?
A town like Stony is perfect for new Weres. Put one in the busy city center on their first full moon and see what happens. Not pretty. As long as I have the field out my back door linking me to the forest, everything is all good. If they developed it into a Starbucks and a shopping center, I was moving to a rural location on the double.
I turned into The Glens, the neighborhood with the street that ran adjacent to mine off the field. We still saw no sign of Zoey anywhere. When I got out, to get up close and personal with the area, I could sense the remnants of the hybrid energy that Arys had tuned me into, but it was long faded.
She hadn’t been here recently, and I couldn’t tell where she’d gone since. I growled in frustration and scanned the field from this angle. I tried to picture Shaz and I as both Zoey and Arys might have seen us, but I couldn’t do it.
“That’s a pretty negative energy, even for a hybrid,” Jez said, following my gaze to the empty field.
As a full-blooded Were, she could feel supernatural energy stronger than the average shifter though she wasn’t adept at manipulating it.
“You known a lot of hybrids in your time, Jez?” I slid a sidelong glance at her, curious now.
“A couple.” She shrugged as if it was no big deal. “I didn’t know either of them very well, but I can safely say they weren’t the happiest of people.” Her gaze drew distant. “A suicide and an accidental overdose. I guess it’s not the easiest existence.”
An image of Belle’s brutalized corpse flashed behind my eyes, and any sympathy that I might have felt for Zoey vanished. Her personal vendetta with Raoul was strikingly similar to my own, but I wasn’t willing to murder over it. She had no excuse.
“That’s terrible.” I breathed. “I almost wonder if Zoey is doing all of this so that someone will take her out and end her misery.”
Jez studied me. I met her cat eyes evenly. “Do you think it’s a good idea for you to be so wrapped up in this? I mean, a hunt shouldn’t be personal. You know?” Her tone was carefully neutral, but I bristled at her judgment anyway.
“No, I guess I could just go home in time to catch some good late night TV and paint my toenails. That would take care of everything.” The sarcasm in my tone came out far heavier than I’d intended. I had to bite back a further snappy remark that came unbidden, dancing on the tip of my tongue. “I’m sorry, Jez. I’m stressing out. This growing damn vampire bloodlust doesn’t make it any easier.” I tried for an apologetic smile and lifted my hands in surrender. “That’s no reason to be a bitch, I know. Pun intended.”
“You are so lucky that I don’t just kick your ass right here.” Her crossed arms and narrowed eyes betrayed the joking tone she forced into her words. If she’d been leopard right then, that gold and black tail would have been twitching like mad.
“I know.” Even though I said it, we both knew that a real fight between us would be a pretty tight match that would never happen. Sure, we had faced off for fun, but we never went beyond sparring, thankfully. I couldn’t imagine anything really causing us to stand against each other in a tr
ue fight to the finish.
When my phone rang, we both jumped. A bad feeling settled into the pit of my stomach, and I went cold. My palms were damp when I answered my phone.
Arys was on the line rather than Kylarai. Adrenaline coursed through me when he said calmly, “Alexa, you better come to Squires Sports Bar. Kylarai’s been stabbed, and Raoul’s half breed is on the run.”
“What happened? Is Ky ok?”
Jez and I dropped our minor bitch session. I turned back toward the car, and Jez was already a step ahead of me.
“Just get over here.”
The phone went dead in my ear as Arys hung up. I had the car on the road in seconds with a screech of tires.
“Kylarai’s hurt. They found Zoey.” I mumbled to Jez who nodded as if she already knew. “I don’t know how bad it is.”
Squires Sports Bar is a billiards bar near the highway. It’s a place to catch the latest hockey game and consume pizza and wings. It definitely wasn’t a regular part of my evening experiences.
“I didn’t think she would turn up in public so obviously. She must be asking for it.”
“Me neither. Arys said she’s on the run. We have to hurry.”
The five-minute drive felt like forever, and I gave a little cry of frustration when we approached the train tracks on Golf Course Road. A slow moving train effectively blocked the two closest crossing points. To access the one near Raoul’s neighborhood, I’d have to make a U-turn and cut around town in a partial circle. The trip would be faster if we waited it out, but waiting is not one of my strong points.
“Just relax, wolf girl,” Jez murmured with her voice low and soothing, a cat’s soft purr. “It’ll be less than a minute.”
She reached over and gently stroked the back of my hand with one finger. It wasn’t a human urge, but our animal instinct to comfort another. Despite our difference in animal form, Jez and I had forged a pack bond.
The thought that Kylarai was hurt because of Raoul’s dirty little secret had my gut clenching. I was scared and pissed. Then, suddenly, the sweet copper scent of leopard blood was at the forefront of my senses. I fought the rising bloodlust as it fed on my fury.
“Fuck!” I slammed my hand angrily against the wheel. “I’ve got to get out of here.”
I made a motion as if to take off my seatbelt, and Jez grabbed my wrist. “Where in the hell do you think you’re going? The end of the train is right there.”
When I threw the car into park and opened the door, she held firm. I panicked, and anxiety choked me. I couldn’t fight Arys’s demons and help Kylarai. The close confines of the car smothered me in the alluring scent of blood pumping from a healthy leopard heart. I was sick with worry that Jez may have to kick my ass yet.
“Close the door and drive, Alexa.” Her voice was icy cold, as if she was aware that she was dealing with something more than me.
The end of the train passed. Two vehicles came from the other side of the tracks, and I shut the door rather than risk losing it. Resigned, I shifted into gear.
“I’m losing my mind, Jez. Don’t hold it against me. It’s that damn vampire. I can’t get him out of me.” One hand gripped the steering wheel until my fingers tingled, while the other hit the button for the automatic window.
“I slaughtered a man two nights ago,” I rambled on, staring intently at the road. “A human. He was abusing his girlfriend, and the hunger hit me. I lost it.”
When Jez spoke, her tone was carefully neutral. However, not a drop of fear rolled off her. “We do that all the time, Lex. We take out the trash.”
“The supernatural trash though, the ones with a chance to fight back. This guy, he didn’t even see it coming.” I laughed bitterly. My anguish did nothing to ease the cramp in my guts. “His girlfriend did though. That pretty little thing chatting me up in the bar was his girlfriend, thanking me for setting her free. She lied to the cops, you know.”
Jez’s sudden chuckle startled me, and I looked at her. “Shit, it doesn’t matter what monster you are, humans will always be the worst of the bunch.” When I lifted an eyebrow and shook my head, she added, “Take a look around. Everything humans do is destructive and for their own selfish gain.”
“Hey now,” I admonished. “Just because you weren’t born human doesn’t mean none of us were. But yes, for the most part, I agree.”
As we talked, I focused on the scent of Were rather than the scent of Were blood, an important difference. The hunger that chewed at my guts simmered down to a nagging but dull roar. Interesting.
As we got closer to the sports bar, my temper returned. I was outrageously angry with Arys for allowing this to happen. We were supposed to maintain our weaknesses, not inflict them on one another.
A dark figure moved in the shadowed parking lot across the street from the sports hangout. I recognized Arys when he stepped into the beam of a streetlight. He motioned for us to pull behind the building to the back alley where we’d be out of sight from those passing by.
Jez called Kale, read the street address off a sign and snapped her phone shut. Kylarai’s white Escalade sat with the rear facing us with both doors open on the driver’s side.
Arys jogged up as I cut the engine. Time seemed to stop and crossing the short distance between our vehicles felt like slow motion.
Kylarai slumped against the back seat with one hand pressed tightly to her side. Blood seeped between her fingers. She was fully conscious, but her small smile did nothing to ease her pained expression.
“Oh, she’s Raoul’s kid, alright.” Her voice came out strained. I reached to touch her but stopped short as the scent of her blood hit me. “Who else would throw such a low blow?”
“Don’t talk, sweetie,” Jez crooned as she crouched in the dirt beside the big Cadillac. “Let’s have a look.”
The interior light was dim, but I saw the oozing gash when Jez gingerly lifted the hem of Kylarai’s shirt. The scent beat down my control, and I whirled on Arys so fast that I almost lost my balance.
“Tell me what happened. And when you’re done, you can explain why you let this happen to me tonight.”
His dark brows drew together, and he looked down his narrow nose at me with a cool stare. Perhaps he felt the bloodlust less intensely than I did. Due to his power and age, he should, but Arys was the insatiable type. I couldn’t determine what he was feeling.
“We found Zoey Roberts inside the sports bar. She took off the moment she realized we were there. Kylarai chased her down in the parking lot, and the crazy bitch pulled a blade.” He sniffed lightly at Ky’s powerful werewolf blood.
Every one of my cells raged at me to lash out at him, but the vicious shadow dancing behind his eyes held me in check.
“I couldn’t go after her without leaving Ky behind,” he continued, his gaze unwavering. “So I let her go. But, Ky sure put the attack on her first. Once the knife was pulled, all bets were off.”
“So Zoey’s injured too?” I felt hopeful.
Going easy on her was no longer on my agenda. She blew it. Raoul’s plea to keep her alive meant nothing to me now. With the way I was feeling, Zoey would be jealous of poor dismembered David when I was through with her.
“Oh yeah,” Arys laughed low and smooth, tickling my insides. “Ky got in a few good digs. She didn’t try to play nice. Wherever Zoey is headed, she is bleeding and roughed up. We can track her.”
I understood now and felt absolutely moronic. “That’s why you haven’t fed? So that you can track her easier?”
“Of course.” He looked at me like I was asinine for asking, and I shot him a dirty look. “I’m a vampire. It’s all about the hunt and the kill for me. Appeasing the hunger eliminates the driving force of the hunt. You’re a predator; you should know.”
I did know but not the way he meant. My predatory urges were more inclined to slaughter anything nasty that walked with a human form rather than the deer and bunnies of the world. Kill Bambi and Thumper? No thanks. However, supply me with a psychoti
c vampire or child abuser, and I’ll gut them with a smile on my face. My predator had a logic that Arys’s bloodlust did not.
I turned back to Kylarai. She patiently allowed Jez to bind the wound with shreds of Ky’s shirt. The blood was slowing. She should be fine.
“I offered to try healing her injury but she wasn’t comfortable with that.” Arys shrugged as if it made little sense to him. It made sense to me. Kylarai wasn’t comfortable with vampire power in general.
“So, what are you waiting for?” I directed my words at Arys as Kale and Shaz rounded the back of the building in Jez’s Liberty. “Get tracking Zoey.”
“Not without you.” Arys squinted against the headlights and raised a hand to shield his eyes. “We can track her on foot while they attend to Kylarai. They can meet up with us once we’ve found her.”
My gaze went to Ky. Her grey eyes sparkled with determination, but her jaw clenched in pain. “Go get that bitch, Alexa. I’ll be fine. Go now before she gets much farther.”
Shaz and Kale climbed out of the Jeep. Shaz ran to join us around Ky.
“Did you call Fox?” I asked at the same moment Shaz said, “Fox is on his way.” I had to smile, just a little.
“Great. Have him head to my house. Kale, please go with Kylarai and Shaz-,”
“Don’t tell me to go with them. I’m not sitting this one out.” Shaz gave me a look that I knew well, the one that dared me to tell him otherwise.
“Fine, but I’m going on foot with Arys. Zoey is bleeding, and we can track her. Drive my car and keep your phone handy. Head to Raoul’s. I think she might go there.” I didn’t give anyone further chance to contest my instructions. I wanted to get moving while the blood hunger was still within my grasp rather than the other way around.
Jez stood up from tying the strips of cloth around Kylarai’s middle, tight across the healing wound. “I’ll follow Shaz with my car so Kale can jump in here with Kylarai. See you on the other side.” I nodded and gave her arm a friendly squeeze.
Shaz accepted the keys that I placed in his hand. The buzz of his wolf prickled my skin unexpectedly. He was wound tighter than a guitar string.