Blonde & Blue (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #4)(10)

Zoey sat stiffly, her discomfort with Arys plain, but she watched him with curiosity. Ky wiped at the remains of her tears with her free hand. I could feel the tension in Shaz’ stiff posture. I followed his gaze to Kylarai. He wasn’t happy. I loved him for caring as much as he did.

“Shaz, please. Don’t do anything to Julian.” Kylarai pleaded. “He’s not worth it.”

I felt it when Arys pushed healing energy into Ky. She gasped but remained still. Arys’ fingers lightly brushed the surface of her bruised skin. She would be pain-free within minutes. Arys was a master at healing.

“You know what, Ky?” Shaz paced on the neatly cut lawn. “I won’t do anything to him yet, though God only knows why you care. Guys like him deserve a lot more than an ass-kicking. He’s definitely getting at least that much.”

“I just don’t want to think about it now. I need to get some sleep.” Her eyes widened, and she looked at Arys. “What in the hell?”

Arys’ power had a sensual quality. I hid a smile, knowing she was reacting to him against her will. Kylarai didn’t like the power that Arys and I had. It made her uneasy, but right now, it was for her own good.

“Take it easy for a few hours. You’ll be fine.” Arys released Kylarai’s hand, and she stared at it in wonder.

“Thank you, Arys.”

He rose and came to me. I noted how he “casually” scanned the street, and it gave me a shock. What did he think was out there?

“We need to go. I don’t think anyone followed you, but I don’t want to chance leading the wrong person to Ky’s house. She has nothing to do with this. Better to keep it that way.”

I stared at him in silence, unsure how to respond. He was freaking me out. The darkness suddenly seemed threatening, and I wanted to go home.

Zoey’s slight rasp broke the quiet. “Are you guys in some kind of trouble?”

“Nothing that can’t be dealt with.” Arys sounded confident.

Kylarai met my eyes, and I knew what she was thinking. Just as I had kept my mouth shut about being right about Julian, she did the same. She didn’t trust Arys and knew our bond made me a target for power seekers. I couldn’t hold it against her, but I hoped like hell she wouldn’t get a reason to feel justified in that distrust.

“Call me tomorrow, Ky. Get some rest and try to feel better.” I paused to give her a hug before waving to Zoey as Arys ushered me down the driveway.

I paused when we reached my car, but he wouldn’t give me a chance to speak. “Get in your car. Drive home. We’ll follow you.”

I looked past him to Shaz’ Chevy parked on the street. Shaz lingered nearby, waiting to leave. Swallowing hard, I opened my car door and dropped into the driver’s seat. I’d find out everything in a matter of minutes. The five-minute drive home would be just enough time to work myself into a nice state of panic.

Chapter Four

My hands shook despite the coffee cup I clutched. I took a deep breath, trying to stay rational. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I felt like I’d stumbled into someone else’s life. Surely, this couldn’t be mine.

“This is more than I think I can handle tonight. How long have you known about this?” I stared into the mug of creamy coffee, wishing I could find comfort in it like I used to.

Arys sat across from me, his posture stiff despite his attempt at casual. He wasn’t fooling me. “A few weeks. I didn’t want to say anything to you two until I knew for sure. I should have stayed in Vegas long enough to tie up loose ends.”

“You said that you’d taken care of everything there. Didn’t you leave someone in charge?” I was grasping at straws, and I knew it.

“He’s dead.” Arys ran a hand through his hair and dropped his gaze to the floor. “By getting involved in Harley’s Vegas business, I f**ked with his involvement in a blood ring. I was too caught up in everything surrounding his death and the conflict here. I knew about this. I just didn’t think these guys would take it this far.”

Shaz paced around the room, clenching his jaw. He hadn’t said much since we got to my place. “So what it really boils down to is that the power you’re packing can’t protect you from everything. You put Alexa in danger.”

“Harley’s death put Alexa in danger. And you too, pup.” Arys’ gaze followed Shaz’ motions. “Do you understand what I’m really telling you here? Yes, I was the one who went to Vegas and messed with his business, but you two took him out. And, that left a hole in this blood ring. These guys lost a partner and a supplier, not to mention the most powerful vampire in Vegas. They’ll be looking for payback.”

I tensed when I felt Shaz’ wolf rise to the surface. This was a serious situation. We were all in deep shit. Losing it on each other wasn’t going to solve anything though.

“A supplier? How bad is it?” Shaz stopped mere feet from Arys and stared down at the vampire.

“It’s bad.” Arys met Shaz’ eyes evenly. “These guys deal in serious fetish kills. Children, virgins, pregnant women … you name it, they have it. It ain’t pretty.”

My stomach turned as revolting images flooded my thoughts. “God, that’s so friggin’ disgusting.”

“So now what?” Shaz glanced from Arys to me, worry heavy in his gaze. “What exactly do they want?”