Death Wish (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #5)(42)

I ignored him, unwilling to acknowledge his gloating. I pulled the door open, half expecting to find Falon on the other side. He was long gone.

“Oh, we’ll have our showdown,” I said, waiting for Jez to exit the building first. I glanced back at Lilah. “If you’re as big a bad ass as everyone thinks you are, you’ll stop with the hits and take me on yourself. Either way, I’m coming back for you.”

Jez hovered just outside, waiting anxiously for me to join her. I could feel Arys’s obvious relief, but I didn’t see how putting off the inevitable was a good thing. I wanted it over.

I was about to let the door slam shut when Lilah’s next words stopped me in my tracks. For the first time since I arrived, her tone changed.

“Family is a funny thing, isn’t it, Alexa? One minute they’re dead, and then low and behold… alive after all.”

Slowly, I turned to face her. I’d never fought so hard to keep my feelings from showing in my eyes. With a carefully constructed blank look, I pinned her with a dead stare.

“Your point?”

“It would be a shame if something happened to your sweet little sister. You’ve barely had time to catch up.” She openly taunted me, knowing like every damn demon somehow knows, the right trigger.

I snapped. Human thought was gone. Rationale deserted me. The wolf burst forth in a territorial explosion of fangs and claws. Jez grabbed for me, but she was too late.

I lunged, hitting Lilah square on in the chest. We went down, sprawling with me on top of her. I succeeded in wrapping my hands around her throat. Before I could slam her head against the floor, she planted a foot on my stomach and sent me flying. I flipped over her, landing flat on my back in the hallway.

It crushed the breath from me, but I barely noticed. I was on my feet, lashing out with a blast of power before I could stop myself. A burst of swirling blue and gold exploded against Lilah. In the same moment, I was airborne, knocked off my feet by Arys.

He stood between the two of us, projecting an energy barrier meant to keep us apart. I already knew that with enough concentration I could break it. Could Lilah?

With a cold, calculating stare she scanned each one of us in turn. I half expected her to take a shot at Arys, but she was wary of him. Still maintaining her calm and cool exterior, Lilah spun on her heel and stalked out.

She paused at the door and set her deep orange gaze on me. Regret shone in her eyes. “I really didn’t want it to have to be this way.”

I watched her go, feeling a swell of mixed emotion rise within me. Not only did I have to stay two steps ahead of Lilah, now I also had to keep her from getting to Juliet. Dammit. Why couldn’t it have been someone else? Why Lilah?

What made it worse was that I really believed her. It wasn’t personal. There was something about Arys and I that threatened her. Why exactly, I didn’t know. I intended to find out.

Chapter Thirteen

The early morning sun was blindingly bright. Even with sunglasses, it was too much for my sensitive eyes. I squinted behind my shades, listening as a fireman explained the extent of the damage to my house.

The frame was still standing. It was strong enough for me to go inside and look around, but otherwise, there wasn’t much left to salvage. Oh well. At least I still had the property.

I nodded to indicate that I was ready to enter what was left of my home. The fireman led the way, and I followed with my hopes up. I didn’t expect much to have survived the fire, but I was keeping my fingers crossed on a few items.

The stench of smoke was thick. My lungs grew heavy as I tried to take shallow breaths. Everything was covered in a thick layer of soot. Every single surface was layered in black.

I walked through the house feeling numb. Numb was good. I had reached my emotional capacity for the week.

Everything was ruined. The television was a melted mass of crap along with every other electronic and appliance on the main floor. The framed picture of Shaz and me was shattered on the floor, burnt to oblivion. Logically, I knew the photo could be reprinted. Still, I couldn’t help but feel like it was a bad omen.

My bedroom was what I wanted to see the most. I hurried down the stairs as fast as I could safely go. My clothes were soot-stained garbage. I didn’t care about that. What I really needed to see was the locked box I kept in the bottom drawer of my dresser. I yanked the charred drawer open, fearful the box would be ruined or missing.

It was right where I’d left it. I easily found the key on the ring with my car keys. I could have wept with relief when I saw everything inside it safe and untouched.

I ran my fingers over the smooth surface of Kale’s cross. I was ecstatic to see it was ok. Alongside it was the small velvet bag that contained an amulet from Lena. Through the bag, I could feel it, a little piece of stone that vibrated with deep earth energy, calling to my wolf.

I relocked the box and shoved it into my shoulder bag. Other than the picture of Shaz and me, these two things meant the most. Everything else could be replaced.

A brief look in the garage revealed a Jaguar that stunk to high heaven of smoke. A detail job might not be enough. Raoul’s car spent a lot of time in the garage; I didn’t drive it much. It had still smelled like him. His scent had clung to the interior, sealed inside because the doors so rarely opened. I hated that I liked it. That scent was gone now, burnt away with the rest of what had once belonged to Raoul.

A conversation with the fireman revealed that they couldn’t determine where or how the fire had started. I knew, of course. Supernatural fire wasn’t so easy to trace. He gave me some information about what my options would likely be in this situation. Rebuild the house starting with the salvageable framework still standing or tear it down and sell the property. I needed some time to think about it.