“I’m not an item to be bargained with. Especially for power and prestige you don’t have the balls to earn on your own. If anyone deserves Harley’s place, it’s me. I want to know about Arys. Tell me why you said I was the one he’s been waiting for. What does that mean?”
‘Alexa.’ Arys’s tense silence was shattered by the vicious warning in the back of my mind.
Intrigue swam in Maxwell’s inky gaze. “Let me go, and we can talk this out like the professionals we are. I’m sure we can strike a deal of some kind.”
“The only deal on the table is how fast I kill you.” I snapped, baring fangs at him. Instinct demanded I kill him. Small talk and bargaining was for vampires. I was wolf, and I wanted his death.
“What’s wrong, Alexa? Is Arys keeping secrets from you?” A gloating grin lit up Maxwell’s pinched features. “Help me get what I want, and I’ll tell you anything I know.”
Infuriated by his cocky attitude, I slammed my power through him. He grunted, stiffening as it burned within his core. I felt his sudden alarm as he tried to grasp my power and strip it from me. That wasn’t going to work this time. I was prepared for that.
I lashed out at him again, forcing him to go into defense mode. As long as he was focused on protecting himself, he wouldn’t have adequate strength to take me down. I followed up with a knee to the groin. Cheap shot? Maybe. Effective? Yes.
He grunted, and a small whimper escaped him. “Look bitch, this is bullshit. I’m not going to trade blows with you. If you’re going to kill me, then do it.”
“So you’re only content to beat me and torture my mate? If I fight back, you lose interest? That’s fucking pathetic.”
“I didn’t come here to torture anybody. What can I say? One thing led to another.” His expression grew cold, and he regarded me with hate shining in his eyes.
The dagger blade was dangerously close to piercing the skin of his throat. Part of me wanted to take his head off. Maybe it wasn’t worth it to attempt to get information from him. Maybe this was a confrontation better reserved for Arys.
“Last chance to tell me something I want to hear.” My hand shook in my effort to keep from slicing into him.
“Would that help? If I tell you that Arys knew you were out there somewhere, his metaphysical other half. That he was informed of your coming over a hundred years ago? And what it would mean for him? Would a little elaboration make you willing to give me what I want?”
Stunned didn’t even begin to describe what I was feeling. It was hard, but I maintained a steady poker face. “No. If you were worthy of taking Harley’s place in Vegas, you wouldn’t need me.”
“Your loss.” Unable to affect me, Maxwell targeted Shaz.
The yelp that my white wolf emitted hurt to hear. I concentrated to keep from turning my back on Maxwell to go to him. Brogan’s soft tread could be heard on the hardwood floor as she ran to him. I wasn’t going to get my answers. Not today.
I plunged the Dragon Claw into Maxwell’s guts with pleasure. My only regret was that it had been too soon. For a moment he simply stared at me like I was an idiot for missing the heart. I held tight to the handle and watched as realization sank in.
Panic caused his eyes to widen, and he reached for the dagger, clawing at my hand. It was too late. It happened slower than it had with the young one. His body began to collapse in on itself as he crumbled to dust. His mouth moved, but no sound came out. Jerking the dagger free, I stepped back and watched him fall to pieces at my feet.
Warmth spread from the dagger’s handle up my arm as it thrummed with demon magic. It was dizzying and a little frightening. I gazed at what was left of Maxwell and wished I’d made him suffer. Dead wasn’t good enough after what he’d done to us and to Lena.
Shaz padded over to me. He was fine but winded. Brogan stood hugging herself near the doorway.
“Stay here,” I told her before following the sound of commotion in the living room at the back of the house. She gave a slight nod, her gaze transfixed on what remained of the vampire.
A gunshot rang out, deafening in the confines of the house. Two fierce snarls followed. I ran down the hall and skidded to a stop when I almost tripped over Zak’s fallen form. His sides heaved as he struggled for air. Blood seeped from an ugly wound in his chest.
Kylarai and Julian were engaged in a face-off with Claire, who shook violently as she grasped the shotgun. It came as no surprise that a farm family would keep a gun around. If Claire had had any real power, she wouldn’t have needed it.
She whirled to face me, the barrel of the gun drifting from me to the two wolves baring deadly fangs at her. A pile of dust in the corner indicated what was left of the remaining lackey. I’d have never guessed that a woman with a gun would have been the biggest threat we’d face here.
“Back the fuck off!” Claire’s voice was high and desperate. She waved the gun wildly, and I braced, expecting an erratic shot to go off. She didn’t know how to use that thing.
I held up a hand and concentrated on tranquil energy, hoping to calm her. “Take it easy, Claire. We don’t all have to die here.”
“Tell that to your wolves. I’m not letting those bastards tear me apart. I won’t die like that!” She swung the gun back to Ky and Julian, aiming at Julian’s face. Whatever they’d done to kill her vampire minion, it must have been ugly for her to react this way.
I felt Shaz tense beside me as if bracing to leap. I angled my body to block him. We faced supernatural threats every night of our lives. It was not going to be a friggin’ gun that killed him.
“Come on, Claire. You’ve lived how many lifetimes, and now you want to go down fighting with a gun as your defense?”
In my head came Arys’s worry. ‘Let her go, Alexa. She’s not worth taking a bullet.’
I ignored him. He was right, but I couldn’t let her just leave, not after what she did to Shaz and Lena. If I hit her hard and fast with a solid strike, it might be enough to disable her before she could get off another shot.
‘Are you willing to lose Kylarai or Shaz over this? Don’t take stupid risks.’ Arys was growing angry. I was relieved that he wasn’t physically present to fight me for control of the situation. ‘You don’t have control of the situation! You have a wolf dying on the floor.’
‘Stop distracting me!’
Claire emanated fear, a tantalizing scent that instilled the need for the kill in every one of us. I had to make a move quickly. I couldn’t be certain that I could take her down faster than she could pull the trigger again. Arys was right. It wasn’t worth any of our lives if I tried and failed.
Before I could make a decision, Julian snapped. He lunged, his strong hind legs launching him swiftly straight at her. The gun sounded, and he dropped in a heavy thud that shook the floor beneath my feet. It all happened faster than I could blink. My hands vibrated with the power I held ready. Taking advantage of Claire’s momentary distraction, I hit her with enough metaphysical force to drop an elephant.
It was more than I’d anticipated. It flowed through me like a wave that could be neither seen nor touched, forcing me to my knees. I could feel Arys behind the massive wallop, guiding it when I ceased to have control. For a split second my skull felt like it might blow. The pressure eased, and blood dripped from my nose.
Claire hurtled through the air to crash through the draped window in an explosion of glass. I scrambled to my feet and rushed to the gaping hole. The wail that came from her was horrifying, so inhuman I quaked. Yet, watching her burn was harder than hearing her die.
Her skin sizzled audibly, blackening at the sun’s lethal touch, but death didn’t come immediately. The sickening stench of burning flesh was overwhelming. My stomach turned, and I fought the urge to vomit.
I turned away, unable to watch anymore. A quick look at Julian’s destroyed face was worse. He was dead. I couldn’t save him. Tearing my gaze from the brown wolf’s corpse, I rushed to Zak, finding him struggling to hold on.
‘Help me,�
�� I begged Arys. The high level of power we’d raised would be enough to heal Zak, I knew it. I just didn’t have the mental clarity and calm needed to do it. Killing was easy. Healing was hard. One might think it should be the other way around.
Kylarai’s high-pitched whine was mournful, and my heart broke for her. Scumbag or not, she’d loved Julian. Shaz went to her, nuzzling her face with wolf kisses. I focused on tuning out everything but Zak and what he needed from me.
‘Concentrate.’ Arys’s guidance was stern but gentle. ‘Make him all that you see, all that you feel. Envision the brokenness inside him. Push the energy into him as you would in an attack but direct it. Give it a purpose. You can do this.’
He fell silent, leaving me to save my wolf on my own. I didn’t ask much of my pack. I did all that I could to leave them out of stuff like this. They’d proven their loyalty by being there when needed, even Julian. My wolf rose to the surface, straining for release, seeking a way to comfort her own. It hurt to deny the need to shift. Right now, I had to be the vampire.
Closing my eyes, I held my hands over Zak’s wound, close but not touching. The harsh sensation of pain rolled off him. I could feel him slipping away.
Tuning out my surroundings was near impossible, but once I fell into him, aligning Zak’s broken energy with my own, it came together much smoother than I expected. I honed in on the wound, seeing it in my mind. With a deep sigh, I pushed my positive, vibrant energy into Zak, seeing his wound as healed. I held that vision as the current connecting us grew strong and warm.
I felt disoriented, as if the room was spinning and I didn’t know which way was up. A roar of white noise filled my ears. It was exhilarating.
The power fell away, and I opened my eyes to find Zak lying naked beside me on the floor. He’d shifted back to human form. The wound in his chest was healed, only a faint trace of pink scar tissue remained. A handful of buckshot lay beside him.
He blinked up at me with glazed eyes. “Alexa?”
I exhaled slowly, realizing at some point I’d held my breath. I felt drained. Good thing I’d killed Maxwell when I had because I didn’t have the energy to take him on now.
“Come on.” I helped Zak to his feet, supporting his weight when he leaned heavily on me. “Let’s get you out of here.”
I didn’t want him to see Julian. They were best friends. Zak had been through enough. I cast a glance back at Shaz and Kylarai. Shaz was nudging her along, urging her to follow me out. She resisted, her gaze locked on the body of her fallen former lover. After a few moments, I heard her paws pad along behind me.
Brogan looked up in shock when we appeared. She took in the naked werewolf at my side and averted her gaze. I would have laughed if the situation hadn’t been so somber. Werewolves got used to being naked around other people. It came with the territory.
Once I got Zak settled in the backseat of Shaz’s blue Cobalt, I turned to go back to the house, but Zak grabbed my arm and held on. “Alexa. What happened? Did Julian make it out?”
His jaw was clenched, and he studied me knowingly. I wasn’t going to insult him by lying or sugar-coating the truth.
“He’s dead, Zak. I’m sorry.”
With the barest of nods, he turned away from me and began to pull his clothes on. I tossed the Dragon Claw into the trunk of my car before turning to Kylarai who was doing her best to hide her tears as she slipped into a long blue summer dress. I felt awful for her.
Before I could say as much, she waved me off. “I’m not ready to talk about it, Alexa. Sorry.” Falling heavily onto the passenger seat of Shaz’s car, she stared out the window at the field beyond.
“Hey, don’t look so defeated.” Shaz was a hell of a vision. His face was bruised, and he winced in pain as he tugged a black t-shirt over his head. “Julian was an idiot to attack her the way he did. What happened to him wasn’t your fault, Lex.”
“I’m not sure they’d agree with you.” I ran a hand over his bare ribs as he pulled the shirt down. “Are you ok? You didn’t break anything, did you?”
“A cracked rib, I think. No worries. Really. It’ll be fine.” He captured my hand in his own and gave it an affectionate squeeze. “So what do we do with the remains? I imagine the bodies of the home owners are in there somewhere, too.”
I nodded absently, studying the property. “There’s got to be some gasoline in the shed or the garage. You guys take off, and I’ll deal with the rest.” My voice dropped to a breathy whisper. “And please, don’t leave Kylarai alone, no matter what she says. Stay with her a while.”
“Of course.” Shaz kissed me softly, a brief but tender touch. I was reminded instantly why he meant so much to me. Too much to let anything, even The Wicked Kiss, come between us. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, babe.”
I watched until his car disappeared from sight. Then I turned to Brogan who stood uncertainly near my car. “So, how do you feel about arson?”
Chapter Nineteen
I stood outside The Wicked Kiss for a long time before mustering the nerve to go inside. I smelled faintly of smoke from the fire, and my hair was a mess. Neither of those were good enough reasons to put this off.
The club was deadly quiet, foreign. I rarely saw it empty and silent. The back hall felt eerily calm. I could feel the energy of those occupying the rooms. There weren’t many of them.
Following the hall to room thirteen, I grew increasingly edgy with each step. Was he sleeping? Would he feel my presence? My pulse quickened. Steady breaths.
After taking care of things at the farmhouse, Arys had silently slipped away, closing the mental door between us. I was grateful for that because it saved me from having to do it. I knew he was upset with me for pumping Maxwell for information. However, I could only deal with one vampire at a time.
I hesitated outside Kale’s door. I could feel him in there. What if he was sleeping? Maybe it was better not to disturb him. I reached out to knock, but before I could, the door swung open.
Kale stood in the doorway, casually dressed in track pants and a plain white t-shirt, a rare look for him. I liked it. He regarded me with an expression of relief and intrigue. I gazed into his mismatched eyes and felt myself falling.
Tearing my gaze away, I glanced nervously at the floor, my feet and finally past him into the room. “Did I come at a bad time?”
“Not at all.” He swung the door open wider and stepped back to allow me in. “Come on in.”
“I think we need to talk.”
“How did everything go? I assume by the soot in your hair and the fire in your eyes that you kicked some ass.”
“I guess you could say that. I lost a wolf. Julian, to be precise.”
Kale swung the door shut, locking it as if he expected an interruption. “Can’t say I’m sorry to hear that. How’s Kylarai taking it?”
“Not so well.” I stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. I could either sit on the bed, bad idea, or at the small bistro table in the corner. I chose to stand.
“Well, I’m glad the rest of you made it out ok. I was worried.” The depths of his concern was there in his eyes. He’d been afraid for me. It warmed my insides in a silly, high school crush kind of way. It was so wrong.
I tried to lighten the mood by laughing off his worry. “Hey, I told you I’d be fine. You shouldn’t underestimate me.”
“Never.” A lazy grin lit up his face. “I give you more credit than you know.”
A strange silence descended. I studied the diamond pattern on his black and grey bedding, the tile on the ceiling and the plush carpet beneath our feet. Anything to avoid eye contact.
“Kale, we have to talk about this. I’m not even sure where to start. Since the other night … in the rain … I’ve been so confused. What I get from you I can’t find in anyone else. But, what we share is weakness, and we both know misery loves company.” I fumbled with the words, wishing they would come out perfect. “It’s selfish of me to seek comfort in you when I can’t retu
rn what it is you give me.”
He seemed to contemplate what I was trying to say. Leaning back against the door, he crossed his arms and pinned me with a piercing stare. “You are my weakness, Alexa. It isn’t the bloodlust or the thrill of the kill. That’s all part of what I am. It has been for centuries. The appetites of the vampire are not a weakness. If anything they are strengths to be mastered. It’s you that brings me to my knees.”
I groaned and paced the length of the small room. I glanced at the bed, knowing that he’d taken many human women there, for their body and their blood. I was glad our encounter hadn’t been in this room.
“Is it me? Or, are you drawn to the power that makes me its bitch?” It was a challenging question, a potentially loaded one. I had the distinct feeling that I wasn’t going to get the answer I wanted.
“How can you ask me that? Of course it’s you. The power is part of you, part of your thrall. I won’t deny that. But, if this was based only on power, I’d be throwing myself at Arys.” Kale spat Arys’s name like it was something bitter in his mouth. “Somewhere along the way, over the years we’ve been friends, I fell for you. Hard. But, that’s not what you want to hear, is it?”
No amount of distracted gazing around the room could keep our eyes from locking. The look he gave me was direct, daring me to tell the harsh truth.
“Kale, this is difficult for me. I do feel something for you. I’m just not sure I can call it love. I have two men in my life that I constantly feel torn between. This,” I motioned between the two of us. “This just isn’t right. It can’t be.”
“Why? Because Arys got to you first? That means you can’t possibly love me too? Correct me if I’m wrong, but from what I’ve seen over the past year, he has been less than great for you. Or, maybe I just think that because I’m the one you run to every damn time he lets you down.”
That stung because it was true. Guilt washed over me, and I bit my lower lip until I tasted blood. “Alright. That’s fair. I won’t argue that. Arys and I do have issues. Big ones. But doesn’t everyone? This is about you and me right now.”
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