Blonde & Blue (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #4)(58)

I growled beneath my breath, hating that she’d caught me on that one. “It’s not the same. The supply in my business is willing, not forced.”

“I beg to differ. Willing victims are there because they want something, too. That’s how it works. Supply and demand. In your case, the supply also demands.” She made a face at her glass but continued to drink from it.

“Why do you need us? You’re not powerful enough to earn your own place? You need me to do it for you.” I was hoping to keep her talking until Arys found us. I could feel him there in my mind, a silent presence offering me strength and comfort.

“Werewolves are a hot commodity, and the werewolves that murdered Harley, even more so.” Claire crossed one leg over the other, flashing a glimpse of thigh to the room through the slit in her skirt. “And, whatever you really are, people want a piece of it.”

I looked at Shaz, finding assurance. “I’m a werewolf, Claire. Don’t try to define me beyond that.”

Maxwell scoffed. “A werewolf with enough power to be a hell of a trouble maker. It’s your own actions that brought us here. If you hadn’t interfered in the first place, we’d still be in Sin City grabbing tourists and virgins.”

“Virgins in Sin City,” I muttered. “Lovely paradox.”

Claire waved a hand dismissively at us. “If anything, she did us a favor by killing Harley. It saved us from having to do it.”

I groaned inwardly. I never would have dreamed that Harley’s death would come back to haunt me like this. By wiping out one damn vampire, I had endangered myself and many others. It was a harsh truth to swallow.

Maxwell grumbled and shot Claire a dark look. “Enough talk, Claire. It’s clear that we’ll have to convince Ms. O’Brien to play along. The hard way.”

The blood drained from my face, and I felt faint. I’d rather be dead than be part of what he’d described. Shaz was staring at the floor. I was sure he was waiting for the right moment to make a move, but I prayed he wouldn’t do anything to get himself killed.

Claire shocked me by leaning in close, invading my personal space. She breathed deeply of my scent. “She smells good alright, but she’s not pure werewolf. I think I’d rather keep her for myself.” Before I could cuss her out for talking about me like I wasn’t there, she drifted back over to Shaz.

The urge to pull on power through Arys was strong, but I knew it would be a mistake if I couldn’t pull enough to take on Maxwell. He had weakened me. I was mortal, and he was not. The odds were not in my favor.

When Claire leaned in to sniff Shaz, he pulled away with pure disgust etched on his face. She huffed, clearly offended even though she was the one holding us against our will. She swallowed the contents in her glass, watching him as she licked the rim. In a blur of motion, she grabbed Shaz’ injured wrist and bit deep.

He didn’t even flinch. I came up off the couch with a snarl, instinct driving me. Drawing on Arys, I lashed out at Maxwell with a blast intended to keep him from stopping me. I just wanted Claire. The other three vampires sprang into action. One of them dragged me down to the floor where I fought to be free of him.

Maxwell’s snicker as he watched was infuriating. It took all three vampires to hold me. I was forced to watch as Claire held her empty glass so that Shaz’ blood would flow into it. She spared me a smile.

“You f**king bitch!” I spat. “I can’t wait to tear your throat out.”

Though my wolf raged, my inner vampire was surprisingly calm. My power immediately sought out a source, finding the three vampires holding me immobile. I grasped their energy and pulled hard on it. I could have drained all three of them like I’d done with the vampire at The Kiss if Maxwell hadn’t been so quick to react.

I threw up a circle just in time to block his expected attack. However, I was momentarily stuck. I wasn’t at full strength. Either a physical or a psychic attack on Claire would compromise my circle and make me vulnerable.

“Clever.” Maxwell eyed me with a renewed interest. “So, you have a few tricks up your sleeve for a self-professed werewolf. Too much trouble.”

“She’s going to give us what we want. If she doesn’t, we’ll take it out on her little friend here.” Claire’s eyes sparkled with malevolence. She ran a hand through Shaz’ hair with excessive force and raised the glass to her lips. Her pupils dilated as she tasted the blood of my mate. “You certainly are a divine thing. I could just take you home and keep you as a pet.”

Watching her touch him made me crazy. Shaz pulled away from her, but she held tight to his hair, earning a growl from him which she ignored. After finishing the wolf blood in her glass, she roughly jerked his wrist to her mouth and ran her tongue over the bite. Her eyes were glazed as the heady werewolf blood affected her.

“Play along, Alexa. Let’s make a deal, and we can all go our separate ways.” Maxwell spoke to me, but he watched Claire with perverted intrigue.

“I have nothing to give you.” I also watched Claire, waiting for the right moment. I couldn’t stay trapped inside my circle. I had to do something.

“Help us get what we want. Nobody else you love has to die.”

“If you want me so bad, you’ll have to take me against my will.”

A burst of power shattered my circle. Maxwell grinned. “We just did.”