Blonde & Blue (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #4)(18)

I was flushed with excitement. Blood spilled from beneath Kale’s lips as he fed, and I stared, transfixed. A frustrated growl spilled from me. I felt myself slipping during that last moment of clarity before the bloodlust claimed me. I moved without thought, crossing the space between me and Kale. I needed to taste her.

Kale surrendered her to me, anticipation gleaming in his eerie gaze. The fight had gone out of Abigail. Kale had drained her quickly. She hung limp in my grasp. Her heart was slowing. Without hesitation, I ran my tongue over the bleeding punctures in her throat. A roar of thunder echoed inside my head, and fireworks danced in my vision. Blood coated my lips and tongue, but it wasn’t enough.

I bit deep, my top fangs slid through her flesh with an ease that made me groan. The wound was ragged, and the blood pumped faster. My wolf fangs didn’t pierce as neat and clean as vampire fangs. Right then, all I cared about was the intoxicating crimson nectar and taking everything our victim had left to give.

I could feel Kale’s eyes on me. He lingered, close without crossing into my personal space. I knew he wanted to touch me.

Abigail was lifeless when I let her slide to the floor. The urge to howl and drop to all fours was strong. My body vibrated with the rush of the power and the pleasure of the kill. There was nothing like that final moment, when my victim became mine.

“If you kiss me, I’ll knock your ass out.” I uttered the warning through fangs.

Kale regarded me with a neutral expression. I couldn’t read his face, but I didn’t need to. I knew what he was thinking because I was thinking it, too. Every time we were in a situation like this, we pushed the limits. How many times could I dance this close to the flames before I set myself ablaze?

“Alexa, just go. I’ll deal with this.”

“What?” I was flustered, trying to see clearly through the haze in my head.

“You heard me. Take off. It’s probably best if you do anyway.” Kale gave me a long, lingering look. “Unless you really want to stay.”

“Why do you give up so easy?” I snarled. “You don’t even pretend to resist anymore! If I lost control, nothing would keep us from doing something we’d regret. Why should I have to always be the one saying no for the both of us?”

Kale stepped in close, forcing me to look up to meet his eyes. “Then say yes, and end the hunger that torments us both.”

Staring at the blood that stained his lower lip, wanting desperately to run my tongue over it, logic quickly failed me. It physically hurt to resist the urge. I had to get out of the house; it brimmed with too much power, which exerted far too much influence.

“You know it’s not that simple.”

I hurried outside to gulp in the fresh night air. The energy that had built up in my core burned like a fire just getting started. But, escaping the strange concoction of power inside the house instantly lifted a weight from me.

“It is that simple.” Kale followed me outside but kept a safe distance. “I have done nothing but hold back for months. It’s liberating to finally have you know how I feel. You can hide behind the power and blame that if you want to, but you want me, too. It’s not always about the power. Eventually, you’re going to have to admit it.”

I cringed inwardly. Did it show on my face? God, I hoped not. “I’m not ready to do that.”

He nodded knowingly, but something remained unsettled in his eyes. It unnerved me. “Go home, Alexa.”

It bothered me that he was trying to get rid of me though I knew why. “We’ll talk tomorrow?”

He gave me a tight-lipped smile and a brief nod, then turned to re-enter the house. I stood there in the backyard for a minute, wrestling with myself. Conflicted and wired on my kill, I abandoned the notion of picking apart what had just transpired and headed for my car.

Chapter Seven

It was starting to feel like I’d never left The Wicked Kiss. The moment I walked through the door, I asked myself why I bothered. Would things be any different whether I was there or not? Judging by Kale’s dead whores the other night, the answer to that was ‘no.’

I could feel Arys’ presence. I hated that he’d been hanging around so much. It made me think he knew something that I didn’t. Knowing him, he did. I assumed he was there because of the Vegas vampires, but I still wasn’t sure how concerned I should be about them. Everything Arys had to say about them scared the shit out of me. However, I’d been hit with a lot in recent days, and I could only handle one thing at a time, as it occurred.

It was early yet, barely midnight. The club was busy but not yet crowded. I could still make my way through without having to toss people out of my path. Nothing was amiss, yet. My senses were blazing as I tried to take in everything and everyone. The overwhelming sensation was incredibly uncomfortable at times, but it was better than being caught off guard by the wrong person.

I headed for the back hall with unabashed intentions. The hallway was deadly quiet. I hated that. The silence was unnerving because I knew several of those rooms were occupied. Kale’s however, was not. I didn’t know where he was, but he wasn’t at The Kiss, and that was a good enough excuse for me to snoop around. The door was locked. Just as well. I didn’t need or want to go inside. I could sense that nobody was inside, corpses included. That was all I needed to know.

The sound of metal grinding on metal drew my gaze to the parking lot exit at the end of the hall. Arys strolled through the door looking pleased with himself. His energy was running hot, and I gasped when it mingled with mine, merging together the way two separate bodies of water become one.