Blonde & Blue (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #4)(9)

“Fucking son of a bitch! You were right, Alexa. Julian is nothing but a piece of shit.” Her words broke as she spoke through tears. A few more sob-filled curses followed, but I got the gist of it.

“What happened, sweetie? Are you ok?”

She sniffed and took a long, shuddery breath. “I’m not sure. I just caught him with another woman in his apartment. I’m just heading home now. I think I broke my hand punching the bastard out.”

“Shit. I’ll meet you at your place. Just try to calm down. I’m sorry, Ky.”

It was bittersweet news. Julian was a jerk; Kylarai could do better than him. But, the last thing I wanted was to see my dear friend hurt. I shook my head, knowing how protective Shaz was of Ky. Not to mention Kale, Kylarai’s ex; he’d sworn to make Julian sorry if he ever hurt Ky.

Stony Plain lay just a few minutes down the highway from the city. It didn’t take long to reach the small town we called home. I went straight to Kylarai’s, bracing myself. I would be there for her no matter what, regardless of whether I’d approved of her relationship or not.

She was sitting outside on the front step when I got there. Cradling one arm tightly to her body, she sat beneath the glow of the porch light with her head in her good hand. She looked up when I came up the walk. Her face was tear-stained, and her grey eyes were red-rimmed. My heart broke for her.

“I feel like such an idiot. There must have been so many signs. How could I fall for that shit? I’m a f**king divorce lawyer for God’s sake. I know all about the cheating type. Fuck!” A fresh wash of tears streamed down her face, and I felt guilty.

I’d known Julian was cheating on her. Shaz and I had caught him with another woman while out one night. I gave Julian the chance to tell her first. He didn’t. I’d asked him about it recently, and he’d had little to say. I should have told her, but she knew I hated him. I didn’t want to be the one to split them up. It wasn’t my place.

“Aw, Ky. I know there’s nothing I can say. This is one of the worst kinds of hurt. I wish you didn’t have to go through it.”

“You all hated him so much, even Shaz. And, I didn’t have a clue. Maybe I’m just desperate and willing to settle.” She winced in pain.

“You are not desperate. Don’t talk like that. He’s the bad guy here. Not you.”

I reached gently to take her arm, and she surrendered it to me. Her hand was bloody and bruised black. It looked incredibly swollen. I assumed several small bones were broken.

“I should get Arys to heal this, if that’s ok with you.” I reached for my phone and hit the speed dial for Arys. “That’s going to start healing soon. The bones could set wrong.”

We had a connection in the city for stuff like this. Werewolves just can’t go to human doctors. Our rate of healing and our often extensive injuries would be enough to draw the wrong kind of attention.

“Can’t you do it?” Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.

I glanced at the blood staining her knuckles. It smelled strong. Pure werewolf. “I wish I could, Ky. I think Arys is the safer bet on this one.” With remnants of Kale’s influence clinging to the inside of my head like cobwebs, I didn’t want to take any chances. Healing wasn’t quite my forte, either. It was one area where I lacked confidence.

I kept the call to Arys short and to the point. He was just as clipped when promising to be there soon before hanging up without another word. Strange.

The front door opened, and Ky’s roommate, Zoey, stood there looking down at us where we sat on the step. “I thought I heard you out here. What’s going on?”

Zoey and I shared a knowing look. She hadn’t been Julian’s biggest fan either. Kylarai recited the events of her night to Zoey and me. Though she continued to sniff and swear, the tears were slowing.

“Do you want me to separate that boy’s balls from his body?” Zoey offered hopefully. “I swear, I wouldn’t mind.”

Kylarai attempted a halfhearted smile and shook her head. “No. If anyone gets to do that, it’s going to be me.”

“How’s his face?” I asked, wishing I could see it for myself.

“I’m pretty sure I broke his nose. Still, it’s not enough.”

I shook my head thoughtfully. No, it wasn’t enough. To this day I regretted that I’d never been able to make Raoul, the first man to break my heart, suffer the way I had for what he’d done. And now, he was dead.

The three of us sat huddled together with Kylarai in the middle. She leaned into me, and I stroked a hand through her chestnut-brown locks. Her scent was flowery with an underlying hint of wolf. She smelled like home.

It didn’t take long for Arys to arrive. I was mildly surprised to see that Shaz was with him. Ky groaned when she saw Shaz. I couldn’t say I blamed her. The only reason Shaz hadn’t run Julian out of town by now was because Ky had asked him not to.

I gave Shaz a look, warning him not to say anything now that could wait until later. Other than the quiet, knowing fury burning in his jade eyes, he was calm. I moved so that Arys could take my spot on the step. He and Kylarai didn’t bother to exchange pleasantries. It wasn’t required, and they had a somewhat strained acquaintanceship as it was.

“It’ll be easier if I can touch you.” Arys was gentle as he held Kylarai’s damaged hand.