Trina M. Lee

by Alexa O'Brien Huntress Series Book 1-4 Box Set (Retail)

  “Don’t even think it.”

  Arys watched our little exchange with mild amusement. I think it intrigued him, the aggressive side of Shaz that rarely surfaced. I seemed to be seeing a lot of it lately. But, what could I really do? Put up a fight and tell him he wasn’t going? That wouldn’t end in my favor.

  I sighed, the exasperation authentic. “I don’t want you going after that wolf. But, I won’t try to stop you. You’re both big boys.”

  Relief washed over Shaz, and it was so obvious he’d been expecting a fight that I felt foolish. Arys glanced between us, turning toward the exit. “Shall we then?”

  A lock of platinum hair fell in Shaz’s eyes as he pulled me close. With a quick kiss, he whispered, “I love you.” Before I could reply, he had turned to follow the vampire, striding smoothly for the door.

  I watched them go, wishing I could call him back. Why was this so hard? I wasn’t used to having someone willing to step in on my behalf, let alone two of them. As long as they refrained from turning on each other, maybe, just maybe, they would be ok.

  Chapter Eleven

  Pouting made me feel like a child, yet I felt justified in doing so. It greatly wounded both my pride and my ego to have my two lovers hunt down the werewolf that had attacked me. I should have been able to handle it myself. And, the fact that they had gone together, united in a cause, had me beside myself with discomfort.

  The midday sun beat down through my window, warming my toes where it fell upon them. I was waking up to the local lunchtime news with a coffee in hand and worry at the forefront of my mind. Tonight was the night of the full moon. Shaz and Julian were going to fight it out, and Kylarai and I would have to watch. The thought froze me with fear.

  It hadn’t taken Arys and Shaz long to find the Were that attacked me. Within an hour, I’d gotten a call from Shaz telling me to come out to the parking lot. He had been too blood covered to risk walking inside.

  They’d found the wolf easily, still near the park. He had been smart enough to stay where there was little light and zero human activity. Perhaps he had simply been regrouping before he came after me again. I didn’t get a lot of details. All I knew was that Shaz wore a loopy grin from ear to ear, and Arys looked sated, like a dog with a bone.

  Perhaps what threw me the most was the relaxed atmosphere between the two of them. They weren’t being friendly in any way, but they showed less of the animosity I had seen recently. Killing together had somehow united them. Was I supposed to be reassured by that?

  Though neither of them had wanted to leave my side, I had insisted on going home alone. I was shaken and uneasy and greatly in need of some alone time. I knew Arys well enough to know that no matter what, he was still feeling the need to be a bigger bad than my white wolf. And, Shaz, if anything, was playing nice because it was easier than constantly bickering. Despite killing together, their casual complacency was somehow more worrisome than when they’d been throwing punches.

  The weather forecast called for a surprisingly warm day for this time of year. This close to Halloween, there were rarely soaring temperatures. It would make for a nice night.

  Sighing, I set my coffee mug down and stretched thoroughly before hitting the bathroom. Thankfully, Julian’s SUV had been gone by the time I’d gotten home. I’d almost cried upon getting a detailed view of my damaged driver’s door. That nasty wolf had smacked it good, denting it in so that it crumpled beneath his weight. I would likely need a whole new door. Son of a bitch.

  I kept my clothing simple, knowing I’d be shedding it later in favor of fur and four feet. Tight black leggings and a plain white tank top were both comfortable and practical. As usual, I left my long hair down so that it fell past my elbows and abandoned the idea of makeup. It wouldn’t be necessary tonight.

  The sound of Kylarai shuffling around in the kitchen reached me, and for a brief moment, I wondered if I should tell her about Kale. It seemed irrelevant, but it also seemed wrong to hide it. Was not telling the same thing as hiding? After all, she had decided that she couldn’t share her life with him. He was my friend, and what we’d shared was ours, regardless of how messed up it was.

  Shoving the thought aside, I retrieved my mug and went to the kitchen for more caffeine. I was completely expecting Ky’s apologetic smile, which she turned on me at full blast. I waved it off before she could even speak.

  “Don’t apologize for having Julian here, Ky. This is your house, too.” Grabbing the coffee pot, I pulled it out of the machine too hard, and a few drops fell to sizzle on the burner. I beamed a smile at her so that she wouldn’t feel guilty.

  She shrugged and looked guilty anyway. “I know, Lex, but it’s a bad situation. I never considered the possible outcome of him being here. And, tonight is going to be a gong show.”

  I noted the way her face fell when she said that. Apparently, Julian hadn’t changed his mind either. “I know. I didn’t sleep worth a damn last night. Of course, the attempt on my life in the park may have had something to do with that.”

  Tossing two slices of whole wheat bread into the toaster, I pulled the strawberry jam out of the refrigerator. Turning to the cutlery drawer, I was disappointed to find that there were no clean butter knives.

  “What are you talking about?” Ky whirled around to fix me with a mothering look. “What happened?”

  I began to wash a knife off in the sink since the dishwasher was still stacked with dirty dishes from the previous day. “Kale and I took out a she-wolf a couple nights ago. Her mate came looking for me, and somehow managed to find me last night. He got me pretty good. Arys and Shaz went after him, and he is no longer a problem.”

  “Wow,” Kylarai remarked, her warm grey eyes watching my movements as I dried the knife and tapped my fingers on the counter in front of the toaster. “That’s outrageous. You always have the craziest nights.”

  I had to do a double take when I heard the longing in her voice. Was sweet, good girl Kylarai getting tired of the same old day to day?

  “Yeah well, now, I have to pay for door repairs to my car and somehow accept the fact that Shaz and Arys teamed up to save me.” I made a quotation sign on the words “save me” in the air with my fingers.

  She nodded and watched me thoughtfully. I could almost guess what was running through her mind. Her features were drawn, and if I didn’t know her so well, I would say that she was closed off. I could see through that. She was afraid.

  “Are you worried?” She asked me suddenly, confirming my suspicions. “I mean, about tonight. Do you think it’s going to get out of hand?”

  I didn’t know what she wanted to hear so I told her the truth. “Oh yeah. I can’t remember the last time I dreaded something as much as I dread tonight.”

  “I tried to talk Julian out of it, but he wouldn’t even let me finish an entire sentence. He can’t wait to fight it out with Shaz. It turns my stomach to think about it.”

  My toast popped, and I turned away to spread jam on it, glad that she couldn’t see the frown I wore. “I know. It kills me that I have to accept Shaz as the man that he is and not the boy that he was when I first met him. So much has changed.” There was a forlorn note to my voice that I hadn’t anticipated. It felt all wrong.

  Kylarai surprised me by laughing. “That boy you speak of has been a man a lot longer than you give him credit for. If anything, what he did for you last night should prove that.”

  My cheeks warmed as I bit into a piece of warm, strawberry toast. I thought of the previous evening, how he had gently cleansed my wounds, willing to heed my pleas as I begged him not to go after that wolf. It had been against his instinct to ignore that urge, and he was willing to do it for me. Until Arys came along…

  Whether I liked it or not, Shaz was the most dominant male wolf in this town. He had to prove it, and I had to play my role as his mate and back him.

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m just not sure how far I should let it go before I stop it. If we let them determine that, it won’t end u
ntil somebody’s dead.”

  Ky made a noise of disgust. “Men! Can’t live with them, and you just can’t kill them.”

  “Says who?” I winked and munched away on my toast. I paused, just then noticing her dressy attire. “Are you working today? On the full moon?”

  “I have some papers that have to be delivered in person for a client. I won’t be gone long.” She began to put away some of the coffee accessories, a nervous habit on her part, one she could do without. “And don’t tell me that I work too much. If I don’t keep busy, I’ll be a nervous wreck all day.”

  I smiled in response, keeping my opinion to myself. I was nobody to talk about work. At least her job wasn’t going to get her killed. There was a likely chance that mine could, if my personal life didn’t catch up to me first.

  I glanced at the clock. Shaz would be coming by later. We would be heading out to the forest behind my house together. In the meantime, I had a few mundane tasks to take care of. The large H on the kitchen calendar caught my eye, a reminder that Halloween was just days away. If we all made it to the party at Lucy’s Lounge intact, it would be a miracle. I was actually looking forward to getting out and having some fun.

  After Kylarai left, I gathered my laundry together and threw it in the machine. Whenever I wanted to do chores, I knew my anxiety level was up. I had to give both Kale and Jez a call before it got dark. Jez didn’t run with us wolves often, but she would tonight. I’d asked her to come and back me up. I didn’t entirely trust either myself or some of my fellow wolves.

  Kale wouldn’t be up for hours yet. I wanted to bust his chops for not knowing our target had a mate. The gashes down my back had scabbed over nicely but still pulled and stung as I moved. Shifting later would be less than pleasant but would aid the healing process.

  Picking up the phone, I punched in Jez’s number and waited. I hung up when it went to voicemail. She would see that I’d called. Wishing that I could stop time and knowing it would never happen, I turned my attention to my jewelry box for costume accessories. Hopefully, forcing myself to show interest in what I was going to wear for Halloween would take my mind off the fast approach of nightfall.

  I stared into my closet, eyeing the Little Red Riding Hood outfit that Jez had found for me. Whereas a few days ago, I wasn’t feeling all that confident about wearing it, now I just hoped that I would still get the chance. Everything that could go wrong lately had. And, I could only wonder what else lay ahead. I couldn’t escape the feeling that the worst was yet to come.

  * * * *

  “I’m telling you, Lex, there is nothing more to say about last night. We found him, fought him and killed him.” Shaz shrugged like it was all in a day’s work. He had been in an incredibly chipper mood since he’d arrived. His energy was blazing with a feverish heat as he mentally readied himself for a fight.

  “So by that, I can assume that you dropped him and Arys bled him.”

  “I insisted. I thought it might make a difference, for you and the bloodlust.”

  Maybe that was why Shaz had been so quiet about the details of their shared kill. He’d seen Arys feed. It was nothing if not disturbing. I wanted to keep pestering for details simply because I hadn’t been there and it bothered me. It wasn’t worth it, though, in light of what was coming.

  I literally had to bite my tongue to keep from begging Shaz to reconsider this scrap with Julian. The determined look on his face made it clear I’d be wasting my breath. The sun had set. Jez was on her way, and Shaz was antsy to get moving. His continued glances out the kitchen window into the backyard had my guts twisting into knots.

  I didn’t miss the way his green eyes followed me as I moved restlessly around the dining room table. When the doorbell rang, I literally jumped as my skin prickled with anxious energy. I called out for Jez to let herself into the house. Rubbing my arms did nothing to ease the sensations of Shaz’s feisty energy, and I frowned when he reached out to grasp my hands.

  “Would you stop twitching out? What’s up with you?” His eyes searched mine, concern etched in their jade depths. “Your eyes are brown, and you don’t feel vampy.”

  “You know damn well what’s up with me, Shaz. I’m freaking out because I don’t want you to do this. And, I know that’s not going to stop you. So, I’m just trying to keep my mouth shut and get this night over with.”

  The sound of the door reached us, and Jez called hello from the front entry. Shaz pulled me closer, his warm hands running up my cold arms to entangle in my hair. “You know why I have to do this. You would do the same.” He pressed a tender kiss against my forehead, and I sighed as my wolf rose to the surface in response to his, flooding my body with heat.

  “Please, just don’t do anything stupid.” I whispered the words, leaning in to lay my head against his chest. “I need you, wolf boy.”

  “I’m not going anywhere, babe. You’ll see. And then, don’t you dare doubt me again.” He followed up with a sound smack on my behind as Jez entered the kitchen.

  She raised an eyebrow and shook her head, causing her long golden waves to shimmer and bounce. “Save it for later, you two. I’m no voyeur.”

  Shaz chuckled, and I shot her a playful glare. “Help yourself to anything in the fridge if you need a drink or something,” I offered, attempting to be the accommodating host.

  “No thanks, I’m all good.” Her cat eyes slid from me to Shaz as she studied us. “I’m ready to head out whenever you are.”

  She moved to the sliding glass door, her slender frame lithe and graceful. Looking out on the bright moon, she cast a coy glance over her shoulder at me. I watched as the green of her eyes spread to obliterate the whites. When she smiled, she revealed four dainty fangs, sharp as razors. Like mine, she had both two on the top and the bottom.

  It was clear that I was the only one not at all ready to head out into the night and the forest within it. Influenced by Jez’s intense Were energy, the wolf was strong in Shaz, and he gazed at me with wolf eyes that blazed with fire. The power of their beasts taunted me, luring me in despite my attempt to resist it. It’s what I was, and my resistance didn’t last long.

  With the hot, searing power of my wolf forcing my limits, I turned to Jez, nodding for her to open the sliding door. As we made our way into the backyard to disrobe, I told myself to keep a level head. Though no bloodlust afflicted me, anything could set off Arys’s undead power, waking it from where it slumbered so quietly inside me. I had to maintain control because Shaz was going to lose it. One of us had to keep it together.

  I had barely descended the patio steps when Jez went to her knees, having quickly stripped off her clothes. In a heartbeat, she was a shockingly gorgeous leopard. With a shake of her body, she loosened up her muscles, stretching and flashing me a look that told me to hurry up and ditch the human body.

  Shaz had removed his t-shirt, and the moonlight danced along his finely sculpted body. Before I could reach to pull my shirt over my head, he turned to me, his hand closing on my wrist possessively.

  “You know how much I adore you, right?” He waited for me to answer, his gaze heavy and intense.

  “Of course.” I nodded, aware of Jez padding silently over to the gate to give us space.

  “Then please, trust me. Don’t stop this until it’s truly over.” He gave me a hard look, knowing me far too well. “I mean it, Alexa. Let me finish this.”

  His use of my whole name indicated his seriousness, and I didn’t like the monster I saw lurking behind those jade orbs. “I stop it when my instinct tells me to. I can’t promise anything other than that.”

  Silently, I fixed him with a look that dared him to argue. Taking a deep breath, he sighed and pulled me into his arms so that I was pressed against him. “You really are a pain in the ass sometimes.” His hand stroked my hair, and I snuggled into his comforting warmth. His scent stirred parts of me that had never been human. I wanted nothing more than to wrap myself around his naked body. Unfortunately, now was not the time.

&
nbsp; Jez scratched lightly at the gate, a quiet indication of her impatience. I ignored her and kissed my white wolf with all of the emotion and wild need I held inside. Slipping my tongue between his lips, I hid a satisfied smile when he moaned softly.

  The taste and scent of him filled my senses to overflowing, and I gasped when he bit my lower lip. The moist heat of his tongue followed to soothe the delicious pain. It was a dominant move, one that both antagonized and enticed. The need to be wolf coursed through me, and I broke off the kiss when my fingernails became claws.

  “Let’s get this over with,” I murmured, slipping out of my clothing and tossing it on the deck stairs. By the time I turned to face him again, he was already wolf, stark white and beautiful against the backdrop of the moonlit night.

  I fell to my knees and embraced the change, enjoying the flash of pain that was always followed by a sensual kind of pleasure. After stretching languidly, I went to Shaz’s side, closing my eyes in enjoyment as he nuzzled me. When Jez’s spotted form took off across the field, heading for the tree line, I didn’t attempt to keep up. She could easily outrun us.

  I smirked to myself, imagining the look on the faces of the other werewolves when she broke through the trees into the clearing where they would be gathered. Upon further thought, that could lead to trouble. I quickened my pace until I was at a full out run. Shaz ran at my side, his playful nature absent with his darker intentions.

  It took just a few minutes for us to enter the forest, cutting through the trees with a natural rhythm that allowed us to move without being caught by twigs or fallen logs. I felt him at my side and at times just behind me, a shadow that moved perfectly in synch with me. The dread in my core continued to build.

  Upon breaking through the trees into the clearing, Jez’s golden fur caught my eye immediately. Less than a dozen werewolves filled the clearing, most of them in wolf form. Kylarai and Julian sat among them, together. Part of me felt betrayed by that, though I knew it wasn’t my place to feel that way. She should have been with us, not him. Even though it was a show of support to her new lover, she was selling us out in a way.