Death Wish (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #5)(41)

Now? When had I become a threat to Lilah?

‘Right around the time you gained power over vampires.’ Arys’s voice echoed in my thoughts. It startled me. I’d forgotten he was there.

I kept my attention on Lilah, acknowledging Arys with a thought but answering her.

“Then why the hell won’t you try to take me out yourself instead of having others do it for you?” I was seething. Knowing I had placed a level of trust in her over the years made me feel like a fool. She had saved my ass in the past just to turn on me now. I would never understand demons.

“It’s been interesting to see how you pull off staying alive each time. You’re a worthy opponent.” She dodged my question, answering it by doing so. Something was stopping her from killing me herself. Or, more likely, someone.

I found it interesting that Falon was so quiet. It wasn’t like him to refrain from tossing in his opinion. His silence spoke loud and clear, telling me that his loyalties lie with Shya first and foremost, regardless of who he took as a lover. Whatever Lilah’s issue with me was, Shya wasn’t part of it.

The wolf rose up inside me to stare out at the demon. I was quaking inside, my power running hot and ready to be unleashed in a torrent. “You have no idea what an opponent I can be.”

We stared into one another, each seeking out an unseen weakness in the other, anything to gain the edge without making a move. I was ready for her, braced for the heavy slap of demon tainted vampire power, but it never came. She wouldn’t do it.

With a rustle of feathers, Falon disappeared, vacating before things got ugly. This way he could honestly tell Shya that he wasn’t involved. I was tense, hoping Lilah would do something, anything to end this now.

“Let’s just get this over with,” I suggested, gesturing for her to take a shot at me. “You want me dead. Well, I’m standing right in front of you.”

Lilah smiled, a small wistful tug of her lips that was gone as quickly as it had come. “I may be many things, but a fool isn’t one of them. As long as Shya wants you alive, I can’t be the one to kill you. Which just makes this that much more difficult.”

“Are you kidding me?” I snapped. “Demon politics have you sending idiot vampires after me when we could just finish this here and now?”

She shrugged. So cold and unfeeling. She was likely the only vampire in existence that had never been human.

“I underestimated you. I won’t make that mistake again. Like I said, this isn’t personal. I have an agenda, and I refuse to allow you or Shya to interfere with that.”

I had never wanted to see Shya more than I did right then. My hand strayed to the dagger at my hip, the one he had given me. It would kill a vampire with barest nick of the blade. It would work on Lilah. She may not be willing to throw a shot, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t take one.

Lilah’s gaze flicked to the Dragon Claw. “I may not have authority to kill you outright, but I can and will defend myself.”

She wanted me to make the first move. That’s all it would take to bypass whatever was keeping her from doing it.

I advanced on her, the Dragon Claw humming with power in my grasp. “Good to know.”

Arys’s warning echoed in my thoughts. ‘Don’t do it, Alexa. It’s never so simple with demons. She’ll lead you into a trap. Get out of there.’

‘If I don’t deal with this now, her hitmen will keep coming.’

‘You can’t simply act with someone like her. You must plan.’

Lilah watched me expectantly, an eager gleam in her eyes. All I had to do was make a move, the wrong one, and she would kill me. It was her loophole. If I brought it on myself, she was home free. As badly as I wanted to plunge my dagger into her chest, I knew it would be a mistake.

I held myself back despite the wolf’s insistence that I eliminate the threat. As long as she couldn’t initiate a fight, we were at a stalemate. There was no threat.

So, rather than attack Lilah, I decided to feel her out. Reaching out metaphysically, I touched her power, sensing the depths of it. It was rude and invasive but in no way an attack.

Right away, I felt the cloying hand of demon power clinging to her like a second skin. It felt murky and dark, absolute black. However, it was missing the deep abyss-like draw that Shya’s power possessed. Lilah’s was limited, confined by the barrier of her curse. I could feel it there, an invisible force binding her powers, and beneath it was the cool but familiar sensation of vampire.

Lilah could be a threat. No doubt about it, she had the ability to be lethal. I’d seen her drop a demon with just a command, but I wasn’t a demon. I was a mortal and a threat. I had the advantage. I just had to find a way to keep it.

She was far too calm and casual for this situation. I couldn’t handle her demeanor. She wanted me dead, and dammit, that was personal. I wanted her to be mad, to show hatred or spit a venomous word my way. The fact that she didn’t find me worthy of any passion or emotion stirred a fire deep inside me. I wanted to destroy her.

A bored expression marred her face. She crossed her arms and gave me a look like one might give an annoying, yappy little dog. “Is that it? No showdown after all? Pity.”

I stepped back toward the door. Arys was right. I needed time to think this over. Acting rashly would get me killed.

‘Stop the presses! Alexa O’Brien has just admitted to herself that her lover is right about something. That’s newsworthy.’ Arys’s self-assured chuckle filled my thoughts.