Darker (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #6)(10)

I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. The motion made me think of Shaz. I would have given almost anything for him to be here right now.

“Then what do we do?” I asked, exasperated. “Your last brilliant idea didn’t work out so well.”

“We ready ourselves for what may come,” Shya paused to look at each of us in turn. “And, we keep her from getting her hands on you.”

“We?” I scoffed. “I don’t think so, Shya. Your sudden interest in apologies and teamwork comes solely from your desire to save your own ass. You f**ked up and you know it. Binding Lilah didn’t give you any more control over her than you had before. All it did was piss her off, and now, she’s gunning for us. If she gets my blood somehow and breaks the curse, it’s all over for you. You must be scared shitless.”

I allowed myself a grin, feeling for the first time that I had leverage where the demon was concerned. I figured it was temporary so I’d enjoy it while I could.

Shya’s eyes narrowed, but he appeared otherwise unruffled. “I’m aware of how this appears. We have no choice but to trust one another for now. I promise you, I will do nothing to harm you. You have my word.”

Was he for real? I’d never trust Shya again. A glance at Arys’s reaction made me do a double take. I knew that set to his jaw and that curious glint in his eyes. Was he falling for Shya’s smooth-talking charm?

“I’m not making any agreements with you.” I let Shya see the wolf in my eyes, demanding he take me seriously. “You screwed me. Now, you’re on your own.”

“You’re one of my best assassins. You’re good because you really believe you’re taking scum off the streets. Keeping yourself safe and taking Lilah out would be doing humanity a favor.” Shya was persistent; he clearly wasn’t used to being denied. “You are the protector of mankind, aren’t you?”

“Since when do you care about humanity?” I frowned, shaking my head and ignoring his reference to the meaning of my name. “You’re a demon. Don’t insult my intelligence.”

Anger flashed in Shya’s red eyes. A pulse of searing energy rolled over me.

“I’ll level with you, Alexa,” he snapped suddenly. “The human world is an amusement park for demons. We control them by keeping them oblivious to what’s really going on around them. People like you and Sinclair help me do that here. I have an agenda, as do you. We all have our own reasons for doing what we do, but don’t you dare make the mistake of thinking your reasons are not selfish.”

Shya stood abruptly. The atmosphere around him was unbearably hot. With a scowl, he sneered, “If you decide stopping Lilah is more important than your personal vendetta, you know how to find me.”

* * * *

“No.” My voice echoed throughout the silent house. “A thousand times, no.”

“It’s not such a bad idea, Alexa. Think it through. As long as Lilah is cursed, she’s desperate to get her hands on you. Right now, Shya has more power than she does. And, so do we. Partnering with him on this is in everyone’s best interest.”

“That,” I snarled, my fists clenched, “is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Arys gave me one of those looks I hated involving a slight roll of the eyes and a quirk of his lips that indicated he found me absurd. From his place on the couch, he watched me pace the open length of the living room to the adjoined kitchen and back again. He patted the cushion beside him, a gesture I ignored.

I didn’t want to pace around the house arguing with Arys. I wanted to tear off my clothes and race across the backyard on four legs. I’d moved into the new house on the edge of town just two weeks ago. It still didn’t feel quite like home, but I liked it. The location was perfect for a wolf. Jez insisted on a housewarming party, but in light of recent events, there was no telling when that would actually happen.

“I don’t trust him, and I don’t want to play nice with the same demon that tried to sell me out to Lilah.” I gazed at the patio off the kitchen, aching to escape the confines of the house and run. “I’m shocked you’d ever suggest such a thing. Shya’s just pissed that she refused him. Don’t you find it suspicious that he’s trying to include us in this?”

“I’m not suggesting we blindly follow Shya into anything, but playing along seems like the safest way to deal with this for now. Lilah’s going to continue putting the squeeze on you.”

“She wants my blood to break her curse. Shya can’t protect me from that. Not when she’s targeting others.”

Arys studied me, an unnerving darkness in his eyes. “She just needs a Hound of God. It doesn’t have to be you.”

I stopped dead mid-pace. Unease crawled up my spine like a giant spider. “You better not be saying what I think you’re saying. Tread carefully, vampire.”

With an unapologetic shrug, Arys said, “Have you wondered yet if it’s just you? Little sister might be a Hound, too.”

My initial reaction was territorial rage. What he was suggesting was so wrong, so vile, so… Arys. I was momentarily flustered by a tangle of angry words snagged on the tip of my tongue.

Juliet couldn’t be a Hound. It couldn’t be a running bloodline unless Raoul was one, too. As far as I knew, we were chosen, not made. Either way, I’d die before I’d let anyone harm my sister.