Darker (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #6)(34)

“Shit,” I cursed. “Any idea where he may be?”

“At the moment? No. But, I know his buddy’s band is playing a gig tonight at The Spirit Room. I think there’s a good chance he’ll be there.” There was hesitation on the line. “Would you mind coming with me to check it out? I know you have more pressing things to deal with. No worries if you can’t make it.”

I didn’t have to consider it for long. Gabriel was practically a kid but a powerful one. Shya wanted him; therefore, I wanted to make sure Shya never got him. Plus, I still had to put the squeeze on Gabriel myself. He had a vision when he touched me, and I damn well wanted to know what it was.

“I can make it. No problem. What time should I meet you there?”

When I hung up, Arys was giving me the look that meant he was going to shadow me all night while ridiculing my decision.

“Don’t start with me, Arys.” I held up a hand, cutting him off before he could speak the words that accompanied the look.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” The look he shot me oozed the sarcasm his tone did not convey. “Just be careful, ok? I know you want to save the kid, but don’t forget you need some saving yourself.”

I laughed scathingly; I wasn’t willingly playing the victim. Between Lilah’s sick attempt to force my hand and Kale’s blatant abuse, I was done with it.

“Wrong. Maybe it’s time for everybody else to need a little saving from me,” I snarled, angry with no one in particular but angry just the same. “I’m sick of pretending I’m not one of the monsters. Maybe it’s time to start acting like one.”

A frown blended with a scowl to adorn Arys’s face in a dark expression. “Careful what you say, love. We both know you don’t mean that.”

“Like hell I don’t.”

Arys left the table, coming to pull me into his arms. I tensed at first out of sheer stubbornness, but I could never resist him. Sinking into the comfort of his embrace, I sought something deeper, something permanent. There was no such thing. We lived moment to moment, and I had to be grateful for that. I was, but looking ahead, fearing what had yet to come and might never come, it was breaking me down. I would face Lilah when the time was right. Until then I intended to protect people like Gabriel from the demons and the FPA.

“Come on,” he guided me toward the stairs. “Let’s go to bed. You need to sleep once in a while.”

“You go ahead.” I cast a longing glance at the laptop. “I’ll be up in a few minutes. Promise.”

Arys’s gaze strayed warily to the computer. “Alright. Don’t be long. Or, I’ll come down here and carry you off over my shoulder. Caveman style.”

I waited until he’d gone up to my bedroom to grab the laptop off the table and slip out onto the patio. Settling myself in a chair where I could watch the birds, I opened up a file and began to read about Kale’s sadistic mental state when Veryl first recruited him. It hit too close for comfort, so I put it away for another day and opened a different folder instead.

I shielded my eyes from the bright morning rays. The sun didn’t burn me as it would a vampire, but I was incredibly sensitive to it. Though I genuinely enjoyed its brightness and warmth, I couldn’t handle it for long.

Veryl had done an impressive job compiling info on all of us. I was a little awed by his collection of tidbits on people who had outlived me by centuries. It would take time to peruse it all thoroughly. Since Arys was waiting for me, I skimmed through, marking parts to return to later.

I would have loved to spend all day reading the dirt Veryl kept on everybody, but fatigue was setting in. The events of my night caught up to me, and I yawned, exhausted. I had places to be later, and if I wanted to be of any use to Gabriel, I needed to sleep.

* * * *

A restless slumber had me tossing and turning. Every time I started to slip beneath the surface into unconsciousness, I would feel Kale’s hands on me again. I’d awake with a jolt, safe in the confines of my darkened bedroom.

I lay there with Arys stretched out beside me. If the frown etched on his face was an indication, Arys’s dreams were also less than pleasant. Closing my eyes, I snuggled in against him.

My thoughts strayed to Veryl’s files. There was a lot to go through yet. So far, I had learned that Shya had promised Lilah protection if she would help him keep his demons in line. What I wanted to know was protection from whom?

The night she had given me the Dragon Claw, she told me Veryl was blackmailing her. His threats to expose her to someone had fueled her need to see him dead. That was where I came in. I had been the one to kill Veryl, and I wondered if I would regret it.

If I kill him, everything he has on me leaks to the people I want it kept from. That’s what she said, her reason why I had to kill Veryl. So, Lilah did have a weakness. I just had to find out who it was. There’s no time like the present. I started to sit up, and Arys’s arms went around me, his grip tight.

“Don’t even think about it,” he muttered into his pillow. “There’s at least three hours until sunset. Go back to sleep.”

“I can’t. I was just going to do some reading.”

“No.”

I lay back down and huffed, a dramatic exhalation of breath. “It’s important. About Lilah.”

“No.” Arys pulled me closer, burying his face in my neck. “It can wait a few more hours.”