Blonde & Blue (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #4)(35)

The rest of the drive to Lena’s was suffered in strained silence. I tried to focus on pulling natural energy into me. From the breeze through my open window to the tree-filled park we passed, it wasn’t enough. The moon was washed out by the city. It offered me nothing.

Arys reached across the seat to take my hand. The power of the undead washed over me, and I fell back against the seat with relief.

Power like ours had a few drawbacks, including my mortal body; Arys was able to take more than I could. I was grateful that even as he recovered from the attack, he was able to breathe that healing energy into me.

My apprehension grew when we turned on to Lena’s street. No amount of preparation would be enough for what we were about to see.

“Nobody’s here,” Arys announced as we turned into the parking lot. “They were though.”

Kale’s car sat in the visitor parking. I almost fell out of the car in my haste. On unsteady legs, I ran as fast as my weakened body would carry me to the lobby door.

It was open, the lock broken. I abandoned the notion of using the elevator and took the stairs two at a time. Shaz and Jez easily overtook me, and I was forced to accept how badly I’d been injured. When Arys and I reached Lena’s suite, Shaz was standing in the doorway. I could hear Jez inside, her voice high and panicked.

The look on Shaz’ face said it all. “It’s bad, Lex.”

Though I’d expected that, his confirmation made my heart sink. I had to see for myself. The air inside the small apartment was stuffy and smelled of blood and death. Immediately, the harsh negativity of the energy inside crawled along my flesh as if seeking a way in. It hurt and my shield was weak against it. I was raw in places that had no physical location. The pain echoed like a scream inside my mind.

Rounding the corner from the kitchen to the living room, I jerked to a halt when I took in the scene before me. Kale was on his knees on the floor, his head in his hands. Jez knelt beside him, but her emerald eyes were transfixed on Lena’s crumpled form across the room.

She was dead. They’d torn her throat out after slowly bleeding her from every limb. It hadn’t been a quick death or even a recent one. She’d clearly been dead for a day already, long before tonight. A pool of old, black blood stained the carpet beneath her. Her limbs were bound. A gag in her mouth had muffled her screams. Her eyes were wide open, frozen in terror.

I thought back to all the times I’d come here for guidance or a visit while she forced tea and baked goods on me. How could I have let this happen?

Tears stung my eyes, crimson drops that blurred my vision. “I shouldn’t have left her alone. I should have been here.”

“Lex, this isn’t your fault.” Shaz spoke softly.

I shook my head, unable to speak. I never would have guessed that killing Harley would lead to this. It wasn’t fair. Lena had nothing to do with any of it. She was innocent, endangered by association with me. That knowledge weighed heavily, like the weight of the world on my shoulders.

“They pulled one over on you. They killed her long before tonight.” Kale looked up at me with pain etched in the depths of his eyes. “One of us should have been here. I should have known.”

He looked at Lena’s still form, and I saw my own self-blame reflected in his gaze. Kale thought this was his fault. He was wrong.

“We didn’t know.” I was afraid to speak too loud. The faded essence of witch power lingered in the atmosphere, as if she should still be here.

We could do nothing more. I stared into the living room for a long time, wishing I could do something. I couldn’t even close her eyes or cover her up; it was best to touch nothing.

Only my loved ones presence kept me standing. I wanted to sink to my knees beside Lena and sob like a little girl. I felt like a worm on a hook. Sooner or later, we would have another confrontation with Maxwell and Claire. How many more people were going to die because of my actions?

Jez pulled Kale to his feet. Misery clung to him, bitter in its intensity. I didn’t want to leave. It felt like I was abandoning Lena, leaving her there alone. I had no choice.

When everyone had left the apartment, I used a dish towel to pick up the phone and punch in 911. The operator’s voice came on the line, asking what the emergency was. It wouldn’t take them long to dispatch when no response came. I left without looking back. Burying the pain deep inside, I concentrated on what I was going to do to Maxwell and his crew when I got the chance.

“The cops are on their way,” I announced when I joined them in the lobby. “We should head back to The Kiss for now.”

“I’ll go with Kale,” Jez swiped a hand through her tears.

Arys was unusually quiet during the ride back to The Wicked Kiss. The vampire that never apologized for his actions was sitting in silence, lost in regret. I stared out the passenger window, watching in the side mirror as Kale’s black car navigated the city streets behind us, until a changing light left the others behind.

It ate at me, the knowledge that Lena had been dead before I’d ever laid eyes on Maxwell and Claire. It made me sick. “We can’t let them get away with this, Arys. They have to suffer for what they did to Lena.”

His voice was low and menacing. “They’ll be kissing sunrise when we’re done with them.”

* * * *

Sunrise was quickly approaching. I stood behind the bar, a bottle of whiskey raised to my lips. It did nothing to fill the hole I felt inside.