Stunner

by Trina M. Lee

  Driven by the kind of hate that could only have been born of what was once love, I headed into the night. I had no destination in mind. My goal right then was simple. Escape.

  Chapter Three

  I wrinkled my nose in distaste at the bitter swill in my glass. Compared to the quality stuff at Raoul’s, the local bar selection was seriously lacking. I choked down the cheap stuff and gestured to the bartender that I wanted another.

  Lucy’s Lounge was a small town bar that tried desperately to project a big city image. It didn’t work. Rock music boomed through the building. The bar divided the place into two sections. A dance floor on one side and pool tables on the other. A small staircase led to an upper floor that I rarely saw in use.

  I sat at the bar fueling up on whiskey. I wanted so badly to go back in time an hour and kick the crap out of Raoul. It was better that I left when I did. I knew that. Still, I couldn’t shake the need for a good fight. I could have headed into the city to hunt down a vampire up to no good but after the incident with Octavia the week before, I wasn’t keen on doing that without some backup.

  A nice drunken haze was settling in. I was going to have a hell of a hangover but it would be worth it. The liquor stung the cut on my lip with each sip I took. It did little to dampen my anger. Raoul was impossible to deal with. Yet we were the Alpha male and female of our pack. When our stint as lovers ended, that had not.

  I grumbled obscenities to myself, ignoring the rest of the patrons. They were having fun, partying and drinking with loud music and laughter as their background noise. Some of them started having a little too much fun.

  It didn’t take long for the laughter to become shouts as two guys began to brawl. I planned to ignore it since it had nothing to do with me. At least it didn’t until one guy shoved the other right into me.

  The impact jostled me, causing my drink to spill into my lap. Fucking fantastic. I spun around on my bar stool to fix the idiots with my best glower. I wasn’t expecting the beer bottle that came flying my way next.

  Instinct took over. I threw my hands up to block the bottle. An erratic burst of power accompanied the motion. The bottle exploded against the bar next to me. The guy who had thrown it took the slap of my power and went down hard several feet away. He was drunk and there was a lot of commotion. Nobody present could visually see the energy I’d thrown. He would never know what hit him.

  The guy that had fallen next to me struggled to get up. He grasped my stool to haul himself up, effectively dumping me off in the process. My temper surged past the breaking point and I snapped.

  Grabbing him by the throat, I dragged him in close so I could fix him with a deadly stare. “I really hope you’re working up a good apology right now.”

  His dazed expression didn’t convey understanding. He stank of booze and his eyes were bloodshot and red rimmed. I felt my wolf rise up inside me and I fought to keep it from showing in my eyes. The guy sputtered something incomprehensible. I shoved him away, hard enough to get his arms flailing as he went down on his ass.

  The dude that threw the bottle was suddenly there, in my face, shouting a stream of curses. Apparently he was ticked that I had gotten involved in his pseudo macho fight moment. I had no patience or desire to listen to him. I let loose with a mean right hook, catching him in the jaw. I nailed the sweet spot and he dropped, out cold.

  I felt like I was just getting started. A glance around revealed that the fight was over. If the bouncers moving in fast were any indication, my time at Lucy’s was up for the night.

  “We’re going to have to ask you to leave, Alexa.” One of the bouncers shrugged apologetically and gestured to the door.

  “Even though that asshole threw a beer bottle at me?” I was instantly on the defensive. Could I not just have a normal evening without some shithead ruining it for me?

  “This is the third time you’ve clocked a guy in here in the last few months.” The bouncer shook his head and hid a grin. “I’m not saying who started what. I just have to ask you to leave. I’m kicking those guys out too.”

  Since my night had come to a premature end, I gave the bouncers a sarcastic salute and headed for the door. Maybe the walk home would do me some good. I could get some air and clear my head.

  The moment I stepped outside I felt it. A cool wind swept through me, bringing with it the promise of power. Vampire power.

  I tensed but my steps never faltered. He must have followed me here. I’d been too quick to assume that getting tossed out of the bar would be the last of my troubles for the night. The sinister caress of the power I felt nearby had me on guard. Maybe I was going to get a good fight tonight after all.

  The parking lot was empty. Traffic in town had died down hours ago. I hesitated on the edge of the lot for just a second before crossing the street. He was following me. I could feel it. But did he know that I could sense him? It was bizarre the way I felt his energy as if it was inside me rather than flowing around me.

  A shiver crept up my spine. I could feel those midnight blue eyes upon me. So this was a game of cat and mouse to him. If he thought he could catch me off guard, he was mistaken.

  He drew closer though I had yet to see him. Like most vampires he was adept at clinging to the shadows and stepping without a sound. I should have been afraid and maybe on some level I was but mostly I was just curious.

  I kept up a steady pace for several blocks. When nothing happened I wasn’t sure if I should be annoyed or downright creeped out. Impatient and unwilling to let him make the first move, I reached out metaphysically, concentrating on his heavy energy. By reaching out to him I was issuing a silent challenge. You want me, come and get me.

  I reached the Brown Street apartments and the little park nestled beside them. It was as good a place as any to lure him out. I sure as hell wasn’t going to let him follow me all the way home.

  A small copse of trees accompanied a few benches and a swing set. I walked the perimeter of the park. I had no intention of sitting down. I wasn’t going to make this easy for him.

  Because I expected him to draw the game out until I was ready to crack, I was completely surprised when he stepped out of the dark in front of me. I jerked to a halt, a few choice curse words on my lips.

  I didn’t give him a chance to move or speak. I hit him with a blast of wild energy that exploded against his chest with a spark of my yellow gold power. I wasn’t going to make the mistake of letting him get the drop on me.

  Arys stumbled back a step but otherwise took the blow with little problem. He held his hands up in surrender and shook his head.

  “What the hell was that for?” He was incredulous though a smile tugged at his lips.

  “Are you kidding me?” I snapped. “You’re the one following me. What the hell do you want? I’ve reached my capacity for men’s bullshit tonight, if you don’t mind.”

  Arys chuckled but there was a seriousness in his eyes that didn’t match his laughter. His midnight eyes followed me from head to toe and back up again. I raised a brow, glaring my hardest.

  “You’re a real fighter, aren’t you? Calm down, lovely wolf. I’m not here to get a face full of claws. Or another bitch slap of a psi ball. I just want to talk.”

  He stood there in jeans, a t-shirt and a leather jacket looking gorgeous and deadly. His black hair was stylishly messy, taunting me to run my hands through it. There was a seductive vibe to his energy. I was starting to think it was just a natural part of him. No vampire should have that kind of sex appeal.

  “I don’t trust you and I sure don’t like you creeping around my town. Start talking before I get impatient. I may not have as much power as you do but I have a hell of a mean right hook.” I swallowed my apprehension but I didn’t relax my ready stance.

  “Is that how you welcome someone who is new to town?” He raised a dark brow, studying me more intently than I was comfortable with. “And besides, you have no reason not to trust me. I let you go, didn’t I?”

  I knew it. I s
hould have stayed home in bed tonight. “New to town? No. Just no. There is an entire city of people for you to pick off just ten minutes down the highway. You are not coming here to terrorize my small town.”

  Arys watched me with thinly veiled amusement. “I assure you, there is only one person in this town I want a taste of.” He laughed when I scowled, flashing fangs in the dim glow of a nearby streetlight. “I bought a house here. Looks like I’ll be around a while. It’s quiet. And good to have a place outside the city. The wolves run this town. I know that. Which is why I’m here. To proclaim my intent to live peacefully among you and your pack.”

  It smacked of suspicious. I let my feelings show on my face with a skeptical frown. “I hope you don’t think I’m stupid enough to believe that. I don’t know what you’re up to, but I’ll be ready when you slip up.”

  “Goddamn it, you’re sexy. I bet you’re this feisty in the sack too, aren’t you?”

  After the strange encounter with him during the Octavia incident, I didn’t know what to make of this vampire. He had a reputation that preceded him though it was impossible to know how much of it was based on fact. Sure he may have let me go that night and he was damn fine to look at, but there’s no way he could be trusted. The guy practically oozed a snake-like charm.

  “Oh I’m feisty alright. But I’m not an idiot. If you want to kill me, I’d rather you just get it over with. Don’t make this a game.” My wolf rose up inside me, feeling threatened. My four fangs filled my mouth, two on the top and two on the bottom. My eyes were wolf. I could feel the beast inside, ready to break free and tear him apart.

  The smile vanished from Arys’s face. His cool energy grew cold as ice and goosebumps broke out on my skin in response. It tickled me inside, in places unseen.

  “If I wanted you dead, I wouldn’t have saved your ass the other night. You were a fool to walk into that place alone. If I hadn’t been there…” he trailed off, letting that thought go unfinished.

  “Why would you care whether I live or die?” I challenged. “I’m pretty sure I don’t have a lot of fans in the vampire community. So what gives? What could you possibly want with me?”

  I never saw him move. With inhuman ease, he was suddenly much closer than I wanted him to be. I stood my ground and stared into his eyes but I was ready to run. I could handle most vampires one on one. But Arys Knight wasn’t most vampires.

  “You really don’t have a clue, do you?” In a bold move, he grabbed my hand, sliding his fingers in between mine. “You feel that. I know you do.”

  My eyes widened and my breath caught. Power sparked in our joined hands, sending a jolt of electricity racing up my arm. His power wasn’t an assault. Like last time, it sought to join mine, to become something bigger.

  “Why are you doing this?” I gasped. He wasn’t trying to harm me but it didn’t alleviate my fear.

  “I’m not doing a damn thing, beautiful. This is not within my control. Have you ever experienced this before?”

  “No, and I don’t want to experience it now.” I attempted to pull my hand away but he held tight. I was growing increasingly aware of Arys’s closeness. My stomach tightened and a strange tingle crawled through me, leaving me flushed.

  Arys’s gaze strayed to my cut lip. His tone dropped lower, smooth with menace. “Who smacked you around tonight?”

  I tried to duck my head, to hide the injury from his sight. “It doesn’t matter. I can take care of myself. Really.”

  “Oh, right. That was made very apparent the other night when you were bound and bleeding.” His tone dripped sarcasm. “I must have missed the part where you busted out the heroics and saved your own ass.”

  My temper flared and with it, the power flowing between us grew hot. I shoved away from him and this time he released me. With the connection broken, the power fell away and for just a second, it felt like something was missing.

  “I think we’re done here.” I’d had enough of this cocky vampire. Not only was he freaking me out, he was starting to piss me off.

  He caught my arm and spun me back around to face him. My angry protest died unspoken when he kissed me. The silver ring in his bottom lip was smooth and cold. He didn’t waste any time slipping his tongue between my lips. There was a possessiveness to his kiss that thrilled me against my will. I expected my wolf to rise up in a fury that this arrogant stranger was so daring. Instead it lay quiet inside me, curious and more than a little intrigued.

  Damn if I wasn’t kissing him back. What the hell is wrong with me? I should be kicking his ass, or trying to, not making time with him like a swooning schoolgirl. Oh hell, my pulse was pounding. I fell head over heels into him, losing myself in his intoxicating allure.

  Everything about him was so new and different. It was refreshing and I longed for more. That’s what brought me crashing back to my senses. Something inside Arys reached for me and something in me responded.

  With a frustrated growl, I broke off the kiss. “This is not happening. I’m starting to think the only reason I’m alive is because you want something from me. And you wouldn’t be the first man tonight to try to get it. I refuse to be his whore and I sure as hell am not going to be yours.”

  Arys nodded knowingly but he didn’t try to stop me when I put distance between us. A fire smoldered in his eyes when he said, “Any man that makes you feel like a whore isn’t worthy of you. And if he’s the one that smacked you, then I can only hope to get my hands on him.”

  I bristled at his protective tone. “Oh, please. You don’t know me and you don’t know a damn thing about me. Let’s keep it that way.”

  “I know you better than you think.” Arys watched calmly as I took slow but steady steps backwards, edging away.

  I heard the truth in his words and it terrified me. I didn’t know him, didn’t think I wanted to. Yet there was no denying the eerie feeling that something within me did recognize him.

  I needed to escape. I wasn’t comfortable with what I was feeling. I had to leave before the taste of him on my lips enticed me to go back for more. The attraction to him was more than my reaction to his sinful good looks. It went deeper than that and I wasn’t keen on finding out why.

  “You need to leave me alone, Arys,” I warned. “And you need to leave town.”

  I turned my back on him, my feet moving fast across the soft, thick grass. As I put more space between us, the clouds in my head began to dissipate. Arys was mesmerizing. He was downright intoxicating and that made him dangerous.

  “Not gonna happen, Alexa,” he called after me. “I’m not going anywhere. And if you want to make me, then I invite you to try. In fact, I look forward to it.”

  Without turning to look at him, I held up a hand, flipping him the bird. His low, sexy chuckle followed me across the park. A shiver slipped down my spine. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to ignore the tiny voice in my head that demanded I go back to him.

  Dangerous, I told myself. So very dangerous. The truth was that nobody had made me feel alive the way Arys had with just one kiss. His touch held the promise of power bigger than I could imagine. It felt so right. Therefore, it had to be wrong.

  I felt his eyes upon me long after I left the park behind and reached the end of the street. Arys had never been on my hit list. But now he was on my radar. Goddamn vampires.

  Turn the page to read chapter one from the first book in the Alexa O’Brien Huntress Series:

  ONCE BITTEN

  By Trina M. Lee

  Now available from Dark Mountain Books

  Chapter One

  The taste of blood brought my wolf to the surface. I snarled up into the face of the vampire and braced for another blow. I welcomed it. The need for a good fight had my adrenaline pumping.

  My bloody lip was quickly forgotten when the jackass grabbed me by the throat and banged my head against the ground. Light exploded behind my eyes. I brought an elbow up into his face before he could do it again. The crunch that followed was satisfying.

&nbs
p; “You like to play, don’t you, wolf?” With a backhand, he knocked the stake from my grasp and I watched with dismay as it rolled across the parking lot.

  I followed up with a kick that effectively threw him off me. In a leap I was on my feet, braced and ready for him. In my mind, he was already dead. It was just a matter of when I tired of this dance. At the moment I was enjoying myself. His psychic attributes were weak, almost non-existent. So he was a full on physical guy. A good brawl was just what I needed on a hot July night.

  I liked to keep things fair. I’d let it stay physical unless he got me in a bad position. Knowing he slaughtered Edmonton’s homeless like they were cattle fed my eagerness for a nice, bloody beat down.

  Patrick Morgan had been on my hit list for weeks. My partner, Jez St. Claire, had accompanied me on this hunt. I kept expecting her to jump in and help me out but she had yet to appear from her place in the shadows.

  I rushed him, faking a punch but sweeping his legs out from beneath him with a kick instead. It didn’t keep him down longer than a split second. He recovered fast and came at me with fangs bared. As if he really believed he’d get a chance to use them.

  Just before he hit me, I threw my weight forward and leaned down low, effectively tossing him over my shoulder. I leaped on him fast, straddling him as I rained down blow after blow. I settled for dropping punches into his face. It wouldn’t kill him but hurting him sure felt good.

  “How many hits in the face do you think you can take before there is nothing left to look at?” I sneered with a bitter laugh. “My arms aren’t even tired yet. I can go until sunrise.”

  Twisting his body suddenly, he threw me off, following through with a few well placed hits. I was going to be a mess of bruises after this. The struggle for dominance ensued. We each fought to gain leverage over the other. It was starting to feel like a hair pulling, bitch slapping kind of fight. I needed to take it to the next level.