Blonde & Blue (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #4)(23)

The touch of his tongue felt hot against my wounded flesh. He groaned and pulled away. It had all happened so fast. I was left feeling faint from the head spinning rush.

I tugged my skirt back into place and turned to face Arys. He easily concealed himself back inside his ass-hugging blue jeans. I stared at him, dumbfounded.

“What the hell was that?” It wasn’t a complaint. My hand shook when I retrieved my drink from the table. That had been an intense encounter.

“It was a spontaneous urge that I couldn’t ignore.” He grinned and licked my blood from his fangs and lips. “That was pretty hot for a quickie.”

Considering how badly my legs trembled, I had to agree. “That was a little tongue tying. But, let’s not make a habit of it. This is not the place for that.”

“What’s wrong? Don’t want the customers to catch you enjoying the place as much as they do?” Arys slipped his tongue into my mouth. Tasting my own blood on him was strangely intoxicating.

“How do I let you talk me into this stuff?” It had been so easy to give in to Arys’ whims. The man was the epitome of sex. The rush of having public sex, in The Wicked Kiss of all places, was dizzying and also more than a little risky. The wrong person could have caught us and created an awkward situation. To Arys, that was half the fun.

“There was no talking you into anything. It’s not like you protested.” He buried his face in my hair and inhaled my scent.

It stung when he ran his tongue over the bite mark. I sighed. “Why the mark? It’ll heal by morning.”

“Let’s call it a vampire thing. It’s this place. Too many vampires and any one of them could be one of our uninvited guests.”

“I’m pretty sure that every vampire here, welcome or not, knows I’m yours.”

Arys scanned the interior of the club, his gaze watchful and deadly. “Let’s hope so.”

“I hate that you’re expecting something to happen. I’m tired of looking over my shoulder all the time.” I emptied my whiskey glass, savoring the warmth that spread through my limbs.

“Better get used to it, sweetheart, especially now that you’re on a first name basis with your demon bossman.”

“That’s reassuring, Arys. Thanks.” I ignored his smirk. “I’m going to the restroom. Keep an eye on things, will you?”

Every step I took felt light and floaty, like I walked on a cloud. The energy riding me was intense. It felt like I could have spread my arms and taken flight. What a rush!

After retrieving my purse from behind the bar, I headed to the ladies’ room. I got halfway there before realizing I’d left my cell phone in the car. Instantly I felt naked. I continued to the restroom, a growing sense of technological addiction eating at me.

A petite brunette stood at the sink, holding a bloody paper towel to her neck. Panic shone in her eyes when she saw me.

“Are you alright?” I asked as the scent of her blood hit me like a slap in the face.

She met my gaze in the mirror and shook her head. “I don’t know. There’s a lot of blood.”

“Can I see?” She was right about the blood. It quickly soaked through the paper towel. I drew her hand away from the wound and cursed inwardly. It was an ugly bite. It looked like the vampire who had bit her didn’t know what the hell he was doing. If he was killing on the streets that wouldn’t matter much. Here in my club, it was unacceptable.

“I don’t feel so good.” She was pale and unsteady on her feet. “I’m scared.”

The bloodlust didn’t sneak up inside me - it burst forth with a ravenous hunger that had me all claws and fangs. She took one look at my eyes, all wolf, paired with my four massive fangs, and she started to shriek. I didn’t mean to snarl and snap at her. The scent of fear mingled with blood, and my control slipped.

“Help! Oh my God, somebody help me!” She fought hard, but her strength had already been sapped. Nobody would hear her cries.

“I don’t want to hurt you! Please, you’ve got to calm down!” Blood gushed from the ragged wound in her throat. My every instinct screamed for me to take her down and bury my face in the crimson nectar. I was restraining myself so hard my entire body shook. I couldn’t take the temptation. The need was bringing me to my knees.

She threw herself toward the door in a vain attempt to escape me. I reacted without thought, blocking her exit. The growl that echoed through the washroom sounded like someone else.

The struggle was brief. She didn’t have the strength. Loss of blood was her undoing, and she fell in a dead faint at my feet. My original intent had been to help her. Now all I wanted to do was taste her. I lost all sense of time and reality. Like a drunken blackout, I was going through the motions without conscious awareness. Her blood was on my hands and in my mouth. I would have killed her if Arys hadn’t felt me snap.

Everything was a blur as he intruded upon the scene. The breath was crushed from me when he threw me against the far wall. I slid to the floor but was quickly on my feet. I was stunned by the energy wall he put between us.

“I knew this would happen. It always takes you. There is no fighting the bloodlust once it’s in you.” He crouched beside the woman, but his eyes were on me.

“Think you can hold me?” I taunted, testing the resistance of his barrier. Sharing power didn’t mean we couldn’t turn that power on each other. Our bond was a double-edged sword. In a true face off, Arys would be my greatest foe simply because he was a part of me.