by Trina M. Lee
Shaz slipped between a tight group of trees, and I followed, careful not to bend or break any branches. I found him there, in human form, sitting naked beside a small pond.
“This is where she goes when she needs to get away,” he said softly. He sat with his knees drawn up, hiding his nudity. “It’s dried up some since summer, but it’s still beautiful.”
“It really is.” I sat beside him on the dry grass, giving him enough space so as not to feel uncomfortable. Studying the pond, I was disappointed that summer had passed. The coming winter promised to steal the life away from this place. “I’d like to see it in the summer. Perhaps we can come back.”
Shaz pushed a hand through his hair several times. It was a sign that he was feeling emotional, for whatever reason. “Sure. We can do that.”
He seemed to have a hard time looking at me. I tried to lighten the mood. “What’s wrong, pup? Would you feel better if I got naked too?”
“Please, don’t.” His laughter cut through the night, echoing all around us. “It’s just your eyes. They’re wolf. I haven’t seen that in a while.”
Shaz had been the first one to see Alexa’s wolf in me. That night had been one of the worst. Not only had I lost control, something that so rarely happened now, but I’d killed my lovely neighbor’s dog in a fit of werewolf-induced rage.
“It’s not always this strong,” I said. “You must know that what you share with her will always be more profound than what I share with her. You have something special there.”
Picking a twig off the ground, he began to scratch in the dirt. “We do. I know that. I’m not sure I’d call it profound though.”
I watched as he dragged the small stick through the dirt, drawing a poorly formed heart. “Shaz, the two of you share something that is filled with wonder and beauty. What she and I have is all about blood and death. Don’t underestimate what you are together.”
A wan smile graced his lips. “You know for such a supreme jackass, you can be a pretty decent guy.”
“I know.”
He flicked the twig at me. It bounced off my arm to disappear into the yellow grass. I pointed at the clumsy heart he’d carved into the dirt beside him. “Did you know that style of heart has some pretty strange origins? According to some sources, you just drew a little ball sack. Or possibly a lady’s ass.”
“See what I mean? Jackass.” Shaz’s soft laughter was infectious. It likely wouldn’t be long until we were throwing punches at each other again. This was nice though. It was worth savoring.
We sat in a comfortable silence, each lost in the isolation of our own thoughts. In the still of the forest night, sitting with a man I’d once warred with, I wondered if perhaps it should be me returning to Las Vegas with Jenner.
“I arranged for Kale to go back to Vegas with Jenner,” I said suddenly, the confession dropped from my lips like a toxin I needed to spit out. “It’s his choice, although I may have laid it on thick when I suggested it would be best for Alexa.”
Shaz’s sharp laugh broke the stillness, startling a bird overhead. It took flight, its wings beating rapidly as it fled.
“Is that guilt I hear?” he asked with obvious amusement. “I never thought I’d see the day. So you do have it in you.”
“If you tell anyone, I’ll have to kill you.” I grinned. The unfortunate part was that my guilt was fed entirely by the fact that I didn’t feel bad about making such arrangements for Sinclair.
“Would it make you feel like less of an asshole if I told you that I like the sound of that plan?” His laugh turned bitter. “He brings out the worst in her. I wouldn’t be sorry to see him go.”
“She’s going to kick my ass.”
“Oh, hell yeah, she will.”
“Thanks, pup. That helps.”
Shaz punched me in the shoulder. “Now that you’ve told me about it, I’ll go down with you.”
It wasn’t funny, but all we could do was laugh. This was a dark time for all of us. Alexa was strong. She would come out the other side of this. If separating her from Kale was what it took, then so be it. I could live with her wrath if it meant saving what was left of her sanity.
I wasn’t disillusioned enough to believe that I had the answers she needed. There was nothing I could teach her about being a hybrid. There was no secret to be revealed that would make this any easier. However, I knew firsthand the blissful agony of being a new vampire. I would see her through this.
“We’d better head back,” Shaz said, eyeing the sky.
I nodded my agreement and rose to follow him. He shifted back to wolf, bumped his head against my hand and trotted through the trees, back the way we’d come. For just a moment I considered reaching out to Alexa through the mental connection we shared. I didn’t, choosing instead to leave it to her to make that move when she was ready.
Shaz was a white streak up ahead, pausing occasionally to glance back at me. I took my time though I could have matched his pace. Leaving the forest left me feeling melancholy.
I had to laugh to myself. If Alexa could see Shaz and me now, it would blow her mind. It might be best that she couldn’t. There was no telling how long this camaraderie would last.
Difficult times had come upon us. It was the worst it had ever been. Chances were good that it was far from over.
Two demons MIA. A federal agency with a deadly agenda. An unwelcome premonition from a witch turned vampire. And that was just the beginning. Shit was about to go down. Again. I had to admit, I was kind of looking forward to it.
Check out TrinaMLee.com for news and information on the next book in the Alexa O’Brien Huntress series, Forget About Midnight.
About the Author
Trina writes urban fantasy that is dark and gritty with a twist of romance and horror but which 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, fierce teenage daughter and three annoying but super cute cats. She has a Venus Fly Trap that loves baby talk and a Dodge Charger named Delilah.
Trina loves to hear from readers so don’t hesitate to drop her a line.
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SMASHED
Copyright 2014 by Trina M. Lee
Smashwords Edition
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
Manufactured in the United States of America.
Editor
B. Leigh Hogan
Cover Artist
Michael Hart
Published by
Dark Mountain Books
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.
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