Darker (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #6)(29)

My cheeks flushed hot. I stared out the window, wishing I could forget the entire thing.

‘I won’t be forgetting.’ Arys’s unbidden thought added to my unease.

‘Can we talk about this later? I’m safe now. I’m going home.’

‘I’ll meet you there.’ He slipped away, closing the mental door between us before I could either agree or refuse.

“Wait, are you saying he tried to…?” Jez was aghast, leaving the question unfinished. “Son of a bitch. I knew we shouldn’t have left you alone.”

Willow showed no surprise. “Are you alright?”

“Is it still a violation if you like it?” I asked bitterly. “I’m fine. I’m not sure I can say the same for Kale. Arys knows and he’s pissed.” I waved a hand, dismissing the subject. “Did you guys find anything after we split up? Because I saw something I can’t ignore.”

As Jez drove through the city, I held a tissue to my bleeding neck and told them about the people that the FPA kept in the basement. They in turn told me about the lab they had discovered deep within the maze of halls, where gruesome experiments were being performed on live supernaturals and humans.

“I’ve never seen anything so f**king scary.” Jez shook her head, remembering. “They’re up to no good in there. It’s like the shit that nut job conspiracy theorists talk about. Everyone thinks they’re full of crap, but they’re not.”

As she spoke, I went cold inside; I was relieved that I’d only had to contend with Kale. It took a lot to truly scare me, but the things Jez went on to describe were deeply disturbing. Some experiments caused human and supernatural mutations with grotesque malformations; others seemingly compared disease or poison progression between mortal species, leaving the limp victims slowly dying. One restrained vamp even had an assortment of shifter limbs grafted onto his body.

Did they take samples from Juliet? My ill feeling grew. It was no wonder the spirits in there were so restless.

“Humans playing God,” said Willow. “It happens all the time. Still, it’s worse when the demons do it. In every generation humans try in one way or another to harness the power of the supernatural for their own gain. It never works out well for them.”

He didn’t elaborate and I didn’t ask. That conversation would have to wait for another time, preferably one with copious amounts of alcohol. After what I discovered in Veryl’s file on me, I’d be having a chat with Shya soon. Until then, I didn’t want to entertain thoughts of what the demons might be doing.

“I don’t know what to do about that place,” I muttered. “I don’t feel right just leaving all those people locked up in there.”

Jez’s tight smile was sympathetic. “If you keep going in there, one of these times you won’t come out.”

* * * *

The plentiful scents of the forest were a great comfort. I paused to sniff at the earth, savoring the many things it told me about the creatures that called this place home. A doe and her young had passed through earlier. The rich foliage emanated purity. It washed away the remnants of the city and its obnoxious sounds and odors.

Sunrise was an hour away. I hadn’t wasted any time vacating the city and heading for home. I was in need of some time to myself, in my town where I could run free in the surrounding forest. I made it to my house before Arys did and took the opportunity to abandon my human form and the life that went with it, if just for a while. Maybe I was avoiding him, but the freedom I found in being wolf was comparable to none. I needed it.

I loped through the trees and brush trying to shake the things that plagued me. I wouldn’t let myself replay what had happened with Kale. He had victimized me. I’d both loved and hated it. I knew better than to trust the monsters, even those who claimed to love me. Love didn’t stop a vampire from being what they were. If anything, it made it worse.

Slowing my pace, I slipped into a copse of trees that had come to be one of my favorite places. In amongst the trees was a small pond. The sound of crickets and croaking frogs greeted me. An owl peered down at me from his perch in a nearby spruce. We shared a look, a brief acknowledgment of our mutual acceptance and respect. Nature got it right. What the hell was wrong with everyone else?

I padded over to the pond and sat beside it. My tongue lolling out, I gazed into the water at the tiny creatures that called it home. My ears twitched, picking up the many sounds of the forest right before night retreated to allow the dawn. I felt safe. I belonged here. There was just one thing missing.

I raised my nose to the sky and howled. The sound echoed in the stillness. I waited, knowing I wouldn’t hear the reply I ached for but hoping anyway.

Shaz should have been by my side. I longed to see his white fur shine just a little brighter in the moonlight. He didn’t even know about the new house. I was happy to have my own little piece of forest near my backyard, but I wanted to share it with him.

I stayed there beside the pond until I felt Arys’s insistent nudge in my head. ‘Get your furry ass back here, Alexa. You can’t avoid me forever.’

‘I can try.’ I let a glimmer of amusement show; I enjoyed antagonizing him.

‘I’m waiting for you.’

As much as I would have loved to welcome the sunrise there amid the calm and comfort of my forest home, my lover called, and I could only avoid him for so long. I headed for home both eager and reluctant to see Arys.