Death Wish (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #5)(43)

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A few days had passed since the fire. I had been lying low at Arys’s house, pondering possible outcomes of both the Lilah predicament and the FPA investigation. If the FPA discovered Kale and I had killed Abigail Irving, what was I going to do about it?

There was also the matter of Kale’s disappearance. I had yet to hear from him. He had been known to lock himself away with random women at The Wicked Kiss for days at a time, but this was different. I could feel it.

After leaving the remains of my house, I ventured out on a two-hour trip to the store. I was exhausted and looked forward to the escape I would find in sleep, but I needed to start reorganizing my life. New underwear was a good place to start.

Arys had been faced with the reminder that, though I was nocturnal, I was still a daywalker. He’d paced the house like a cat in a cage, spouting several reasons why I shouldn’t go out alone even though the sun was up. Vampires and demons were trapped as long as the sun was in the sky. Lilah posed no threat.

I returned to Arys’s house in the early afternoon. Dropping my bags in the kitchen, I abandoned them and headed for the bedroom. It wasn’t going to be easy to stay with him. I adored every moment I spent with the man, but I was used to having my own space. A pang of sadness had me feeling sorry for myself. I missed my house.

Arys was buried beneath a mass of bright red sheets. It was too hot for anything heavier. His brow was creased in a frown, and he clutched the pillow tight in one hand. I hadn’t been having the greatest dreams lately either.

I stripped down nude and climbed between the sheets. My dark vampire lay next to me, deep in the strange slumber of the undead. I stroked a hand absently through his silken hair, hoping to find comfort in touching him.

The window was so well covered that it was impossible to tell visually that the sun was up. I stared around the dark room, seeing nothing, my thoughts on overdrive. I contemplated what I should do with the remnants of the house. Selling the property and moving on was the best option, yet letting go of it was too hard to imagine.

I waited for sleep, begged for it. I slipped into that hazy in-between state and floated in limbo. Soon enough, I descended into a deep slumber, then my phone rang, jarring me awake. Arys stirred, and I rushed to silence it. I was hopeful that it would be Kale.

“Alexa, I’d like to see you tonight.” Shya was the last person I had expected. He didn’t waste time on phony pleasantries. “Midnight.”

“This is about Lilah, isn’t it?” A glance at the time on my phone indicated I had two hours until midnight. I didn’t feel like I’d slept that long.

“Should it be?”

“No?” I wanted a chance to talk to him about Lilah but didn’t think this was it.

He directed me to an old abandoned church a few miles down the road from his sprawling modern home. It sounded sketchy to me.

“Oh and Alexa,” Shya stopped me before I could hang up. “Don’t be late. Kale is depending on you.”

He ended the call before I could respond. Well that answered one question. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Fuck.”

Arys rolled over and opened his eyes. “What did you do now?”

I couldn’t even be offended, so I growled and punched a pillow before hurling it against the wall.

“I made the mistake of giving a shit about the dreamwalker. I didn’t do anything though. Not really. I think Kale did something. I just don’t know what yet. Something has Shya’s panties in a twist.”

“You underestimate the power you have over any man who is in love with you.” Arys held tight to his favorite pillow in case I planned to snatch it, too. “Clearly he intervened on your behalf. The fool. He’s just dragging you down with him.”

I scoffed. “If I have that much of an effect on a man, then why is Shaz so detached lately?” It was unrelated. I wasn’t sure why I said it.

Arys put his head in my lap and gazed up at me. “Shaz is confused and afraid. And, if he didn’t love you the way he does, he wouldn’t be either of those things. He’s got to process what his role in this really is. Now,” he sat up and threw off the blankets, exposing his glorious nudity, “let’s get ready to go.”

My gaze was riveted to him. Arys was beautiful. It was hard not to stare stupidly. “You’re coming with me?”

“I’m not letting you go alone. That bastard demon is going to use Sinclair against you. Sorry, Alexa, but I don’t think you always see so straight when it comes to him.”

I buried my head beneath my pillow. Hiding my burning cheeks didn’t alleviate the shameful truth. “Sometimes I really want to kick your ass.” My muffled words brought a laugh from Arys.

“Come on, pretty wolf. Get up and get dressed. Unless you want to have a quickie first?”

His laughter grew when I threw my pillow at his head. Smacking it aside, Arys grabbed me around the waist and pulled me against him. His skin was faintly cool but warmed at my touch. He nipped playfully at my neck, and I sighed.

“What makes you so amazing? I mean, everything with Kale… how do you accept it like that? Like it’s so easy.”

Arys raised his head to look at me. His expression took on an intensity that held me transfixed. “I’ve spent over a century knowing I’d likely never know you. I’ve been waiting for you for a hundred years. Being with you is surreal. We were created as one. The moments that bring jealousy and pain, they’re temporary. We are forever.”