Darker (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #6)(11)

“Let’s get one thing straight right now. Nobody touches Juliet.” My words came out a growl. “How can you possibly think it’s a good idea to help Lilah break her curse? What’s going on with you, Arys?”

A muscle twitched in his jaw. Despite his calm appearance, I knew he was fighting his short temper. Heated arguments were a regular part of our relationship. As twin flames, we were guaranteed to have conflict with one another. At times it was sexy, lending fire to a rough bout of lovemaking. Nevertheless, it could get ugly, driving a wedge between two beings who were destined to share everything. We were each other’s greatest strength and most formidable weakness.

“I just want to keep you alive, my beautiful wolf. I’m seeking the best way to do that without incurring the wrath of a demon goddess.”

“There’s more to it than that, I know you. What is it you’re not saying?”

“Nothing,” he insisted. “You are my priority. Keeping you safe is what matters most to me. Especially with the wolf pup out of town.”

I turned away so he wouldn’t see the emotion fill my eyes. Arys’s pet name for Shaz had stuck despite Shaz’s protests. Eventually he’d simply accepted it. Damn I missed my white wolf. I swallowed hard and crushed the swell of feelings, forcing them back down where they belonged.

“I’m not doing it, and I’m not going along with anything Shya has planned, either. It’s never what it seems no matter what he makes you think,” I said, shaking my head.

Arys watched me with uncertainty, ultimately deciding the risk was worth taking. “What if I’d like to go along with it?”

My jaw dropped. “Has everybody taken a big f**king dose of insanity tonight?”

“It’s risky, but playing nice with Shya might give us an advantage that we wouldn’t have if we told him to f**k off. It’s a strategic move, one that could keep us from having our asses handed to us by a nut job demon goddess.”

He had that look in his eyes, the glint of assurance when he knew he was right. I wasn’t folding this time. As often as Arys was right during these disputes, this time he was dead wrong.

“Hell no,” I murmured. “I don’t know what’s going on in your head, Arys, but it’s scaring me.”

Much to my surprise, he averted his gaze, suddenly unwilling to give me his famous stare-down. I was sure it wasn’t because he had no fight left in him. Arys was always spoiling for a good fight. A sick sensation gripped me.

I slid the patio door open and stepped outside for some air. The confines of the house were making my wolf crazy. That in turn would eventually drive Arys crazy. Plus, I needed a moment to think this through.

There was no sound, no sense of movement, but I knew when Arys stood behind me. I anticipated his touch when he placed a hand on my waist. His mouth was hot on the back of my neck. He emanated the heat he’d stolen from his victim tonight.

“Please, trust me?” Low and smooth, his voice made my knees weak. “I only want what’s best for both of us, but especially for you. I can’t bear to lose you now.”

I turned to face him, gazing up into blue eyes filled with concern. “Where is this coming from, Arys? Paranoia has never been quite your style.”

Again he glanced away, staring into the darkness beyond the glow of the patio light. I barely resisted the urge to shake him.

“You’re powerful,” he said. “Not invincible. I’ve watched you taunt death enough times to know that it’s only a matter of time until it comes for you.”

“You made sure I’d rise as a vampire after death. You called my mortality a burden to be cast off. Now, you’re afraid it will actually happen. What’s your deal?” I touched his face, gently guiding his gaze back to mine. “Is it because you think you’ll be the one to do it?”

His lips were warm against my skin as he kissed the side of my face. “It’s because I know it. And, so do you.”

A chill crept through me. I’d felt my own death in Arys’s hands many times, most often when passion drove us into a frenzy of bloodletting and power-fueled sex. I had never voiced this to him. Since discovering that a witch had shown him my death at his hand long before I’d even been born, I intended never to share my sense of foreboding.

“Then why are you concerned with Lilah? She won’t be the one. No big deal then.” I sought to downplay his worry. My hollow voice betrayed me.

Arys stiffened. He captured my hand in his and gave it a desperate, almost painful squeeze. Anger crashed forth from him, dousing his energy in flames. Power sparked in our joined hands, a flash of blue and gold.

“It’s not just about Lilah. I know you asked Shaz and Kylarai to kill you when you rise as a vampire. I knew you’d regret the blood bond, I just didn’t think it would be so soon.”

I was stunned, but I also felt a little betrayed. Kylarai would never have shared my secret request with Arys. How could Shaz do this to me?

“But, I didn’t,” I protested. “That was only if I were to lose all control, if the bloodlust were to consume me to a point where I wasn’t myself anymore. It was a safety net.”

With a storm brewing in his eyes, Arys jerked back from my touch. “You don’t trust me. Do you think I would let you face that alone? Do you have any idea how I’ve wrestled with the guilt of binding you that way? To hear you’ve asked your wolves for a way out… that hurts.”