Blonde & Blue (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #4)(28)

Zoey wasn’t much of a drinker. However, Jez and Ky had drunk enough for all of us by the time an hour had passed. Weres could safely hold a lot more liquor than humans. Still, Ky and Jez were giggling like drunken lunatics.

I was happy to sit there and let the massive amounts of human energy wash over me. I was so used to shutting it out, but now that I had better control, I was able to filter out any negativity and just enjoy the lively sensation of so much human energy packed into one place. If I focused, I could hear the sound of hundreds of hearts beating. The noise quickly became overwhelming, exceeding the fine line between enough and too much.

“Let’s get this party started. It’s time to shake your sweet bits, ladies.” Jez tossed back another shot and got to her feet. “Come on. That means everyone.”

I exchanged a look with Zoey who rolled her crystalline blue eyes. I shrugged and let Jez drag me out of the booth. Once she got going, there was no stopping her. It was a challenge just to keep up.

We made our way to the dance floor and were quickly intercepted by a group of guys looking for some female company. Jez wasn’t so great at polite rejection, so I kept her moving, leaving Ky and Zoey to deal with the guys. I smiled to myself when Kylarai actually paused to talk to them. I knew it was too much to hope she’d take it further than that, but it was a nice start.

“So what do you think?” Jez leaned in close, casting a glance back at Ky. “Do you think she’s starting to have fun?”

“It looks like it. I wish there was more I could do for her.”

“You’re doing all you can. Being there for her is the most important thing you can do right now. It will get better with time.”

Would it? I thought about Raoul. He broke my heart years ago, and I felt like I would never truly be rid of the heartbreak. I think many people have that one person, the one they can never escape, regardless of time and distance. I prayed Julian wasn’t Kylarai’s. She deserved better than that.

Lost in thought, I forced myself to feel the rhythm of the music and dance with Jez. By the time Kylarai and Zoey joined us, I was fighting the ghosts of my past. Zoey made it that much harder. She was Raoul’s daughter. She had killed him in front of me. Now, almost a year later, here we were, dancing and sharing concern for our friend. It was almost too screwed up to believe.

Seeing a genuine smile on Kylarai’s face made it easy to forget about how f**ked up my life was. Tonight was all about her. Everything was going great. At least it was, until a pushy guy decided he wanted to be part of our group, and he wasn’t taking no for an answer.

It started when he approached Zoey. She quickly shot him down with little more than a look. Refusing to take a hint, he made a pathetic attempt to grind with her on the dance floor. She gave him a light shove and a warning glare. It did little to deter the drunken fool.

He laughed her off, as if she couldn’t possibly be serious. I watched the scenario play out, ready to intervene if necessary.

“Look ass**le, I’m not f**king interested. Got it?” Zoey went from calm to seething before I could blink. It alarmed me.

Her admirer appeared confused. The rest of us kept dancing as if we weren’t paying attention, but clearly all three of us were taking note of everything. My biggest concern was Zoey throwing a punch and getting us tossed out. She wasn’t a full Were. She was a hybrid. Still, she was stronger than the average human, and I knew she could lay this guy out cold. The woman was a damn murderer; this guy had chosen the wrong girl to harass.

“Come on now, baby. Don’t be so uptight. It’s all good. Let me show you what a real man can do for you.” The idiot just didn’t know when to give up.

I looked to Jez, half expecting her to get up in the guy’s face; she was bad for that. Instead, she seemed to be on the same wavelength as me: avoiding conflict would be best tonight.

Jez motioned to the entry. “I know of a great place to dance a few blocks from here. Let’s just take off.”

It seemed to be the safest bet. It would be useless to interact with this guy any further. I didn’t want that kind of trouble. Now if only trouble felt the same way about me.

We had almost reached Ky’s Escalade when trouble caught up to us. This guy didn’t seem to know his persistence had turned to obstinate ignorance.

“Give me one chance to rock your world,” he slurred as he lumbered toward us.

“Is this guy for f**king real?” Jez laughed at the absurdity of it all.

I had a sick feeling in my gut. Zoey’s energy was hot with rage. I fully expected her to verbally tear him a new one, so I was stunned when she lost it completely.

In a flash Zoey was on top of him. She knocked him to the ground and began to land blows that hurt me to watch. I hesitated for just a moment. When I saw that her eyes had gone wolf, and she snarled down at him with fangs, my heart almost stopped.

“Zoey, don’t!” I grabbed her from behind. Without taking her eyes off her prey, she elbowed me hard enough to knock me on my ass. I gasped for air, winded by the blow.

“What the f**k?” The sight of fangs bared inches from his face had our drunken friend sounding stone cold sober and terrified.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion when Zoey bit into his throat. Kylarai gave a little shriek, and I began to panic. As a hybrid, Zoey’s wolf was trapped inside her. If it got out, she’d be trapped in wolf form again. I’d freed her of it once, but I didn’t know if I could do it again.