by Trina M. Lee
We couldn’t afford to take that chance. The FPA would handle things on their end, and we would handle them on ours. It was a shame we couldn’t work together since, at the heart of it all, we shared one purpose.
My sister needed some time to cool off. Once she’d gone from boiling to a simmer, I’d reach out to her again. We had a great opportunity before us. Together she and I could actually maintain order within this city. If only she would see that I was not her enemy.
Ultimately I needed to keep tabs on the government op, especially the lab.
As much as I loved Juliet and wanted to reach a compromise, I had greater concerns. Like the fragile peace between Arys and me. Since the dissolution of our keystone, we burned hotter and brighter, quicker to anger and just as fast to screw each other senseless in a desperate attempt to release the fury. The ups and downs were a mind fuck all their own.
Twin flames went mad and then they self-destructed.
As I wandered from table to table, asking about Rylan, I wondered if it would be possible to have Shaz restored as our keystone? Could someone else do it? Could Falon? But even if he could, would he?
“I got nothing,” Jez said when we met up back outside.
I nodded. “Same.”
Smudge gave a toss of her head, shaking the long back bangs from her eyes. “Amateurs. He hit the road.”
“So he’s on the run,” I mused. “Think he left town?”
“Nope. In cases like this they rarely do. He’s got to know he’ll shift eventually. If he’s as stubborn as I suspect he is, he’ll try to film it.” Shoving her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket, Smudge looked from Jez to me. “You’ll have to hunt him. By smell. Energy. Whatever. Something has to turn up.”
Jez and I exchanged a glance. “Yeah,” I said. “We can do that.”
“Alrighty then. I’ve got to take off. Got a little digging to do on the other side of town.” With a smile and, dare I say, as close to a blush as a vampire can get, Smudge nudged Jez’s shoulder. “Call me.” Smudge had made it just a few feet before she spun back around. “Oh, hey, Alexa. Before I forget. Do not let Nova know that you have that talisman. Or anyone else for that matter. But especially him.”
“No problem,” I said. “I won’t have it for long.”
She gave me a thumbs up and sauntered into the night.
The Talisman of the Dark, the amulet Willow had used in his ritual, was among the deadliest magical relics in the world. Currently it was back in Brogan’s possession, locked inside a spelled box. We would be handing it over to Serene as soon as we could arrange it.
Nova, a collector and seller of such wares, naturally would want it for himself. Not happening on my watch.
“So where do you want to start?” Jez asked, though she seemed distracted with watching Smudge walk away.
“His apartment, I guess. Seems as good a place as any. See if we can track his scent from there.”
We meandered over to Jez’s Jeep, taking our time. Not because there was any time to waste but simply because rushing wouldn’t make a difference. Wherever he was, we’d find him.
Jez started the engine and held her hands over the vent as the heat blasted out. Our northern climate wasn’t all that leopard friendly. She never talked about leaving though. Home was home, even if it happened to have a winter to rival that of the Game of Thrones world.
“So,” I asked, “how’ve you been? You know, since Willow…” There was no way of easing into such a delicate topic.
The dissolution of Willow’s power had affected everything, as he’d said it would. That included the binding he’d done to trap the dark force Jez had inherited from her demon father. She stared out the windshield at a guy wearing a staff t-shirt huddled outside smoking a cigarette. “The nightmares are back but otherwise I’m ok.”
Our gazes locked and without words we shared an unspoken worry for her future. Neither of us seemed willing to give voice to it, but there would be time for that later.
She pulled the Jeep into traffic and turned up the radio, switching to a station with some feel-good oldies.
In an effort to encourage a positive vibe, I steered the conversation in a more upbeat direction. “What’s new in the world of girl crushes and watchdog vampires? Looked pretty blushy-smiley to me.” Poking fun at Jez was a nice change of pace. It tended to be the other way around.
Batting her lashes in a coy manner, she chuckled. “It’s good. Taking it slow, like I said. Nothing has happened. At all. But I love it. It feels good to take that important time to get to know her.” Seeing as Jez had a rep among our friend group as a womanizer to put any man to shame, this was a turnaround for her.
“Smudge seems like a badass,” I commented, gazing out the window as the city flew by. “As soon as I saw her shut Nova down during our meeting, I knew she was one of the good ones.”
“She really is. You should’ve seen her slap this guy around at one of the pubs we went into. She asked him for some dirt on one of his buddies. He wouldn’t give. She grabbed him by the throat and slammed him down on the bar.” Jez’s bubble of laughter filled the Jeep.
I listened as she went on, telling me all about how Smudge coaxed info out of the reluctant snitch. Hearing the joyful inflection in Jez’s tone set me at ease. I needed a good laugh with my girl.
Despite the turmoil, it felt great to be hunting together. Some of my favorite memories were outings with Jez. Low drama. High energy. We kicked a lot of ass.
No newbie werewolf would be threatening the safety of those under my protection. I hadn’t taken on a demon, my dear friend, to prove myself as queen just to allow some rogue to fuck it up. Sure being queen of a city built on a demon’s empire might be akin to claiming oneself ruler of a cesspool of debauchery and mayhem, but so be it. This was my damn cesspool.
Some of my hardest nights lay ahead. And I would face them. Somehow. But I wouldn’t face them alone. And that was the source of my real power.
I never had to face those nights alone.
~~~~
Alexa’s story continues in Alexa O’Brien Huntress Book 13, Coda.
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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.
Trina loves to hear from readers so don’t hesitate to drop her a line.
Website
TrinaMLee.net
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Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
EPILOGUE
> ABOUT THE AUTHOR