Death Wish (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #5)(55)

I did not succeed in getting the tight smile from Shaz I’d been hoping for. Arys raised a dark brow as if considering my idea. “It’s not a bad plan,” he said with a wink. “Something to consider.”

Shaz looked from Arys to me, his gaze trained on my neck. I swallowed hard. I knew what was coming. Instead of directing his inquiry to me, he spoke to Arys.

“Those bites, they’re not from you, are they?”

“No. We’ve had a bit of an interesting night ourselves, pup.” Arys made a sweeping gesture, indicating that I should take over.

“We’ve had a hell of a night, Shaz.” I showed him the dragon burnt into my flesh and recounted the earlier events of the evening.

Shaz listened patiently while I spoke. While describing the demon sacrifice I’d witnessed, Coby shuddered and muttered, “Sweet Jesus.” It was a scary new world for him, for me as well, as far as demon sacrifices go. I wouldn’t forget this night any time soon.

“So you allowed this to happen, Lex?” Holding my wrist, Shaz examined the ugly demon brand. His disgust was thinly veiled. “You accepted it for Kale. I don’t even know what to say to that. Frankly, the only word that comes to mind is stupid.”

The bitterness that dripped from his words was alarming. I jerked my hand from his grasp, recoiling in shock. His judgment stung.

“That’s harsh, Shaz. But, thanks for letting me know what you really think.” I turned to leave, calling back over my shoulder. “It wasn’t so long ago that you were begging me to spare the life of your forbidden lover, or have you forgotten already?”

I had fully expected Arys to read me the riot act about my decision to save Kale. I had not expected Shaz to be so ruthless and hypocritical. They acted like abandoning Kale to Shya’s personal punishment was the obvious, easy choice to make. Kale and I may have crossed the line in our friendship, but he didn’t deserve to die because of it. And, I would not allow either of them to make me out to be the bad guy for sparing him.

* * * *

The scent of burgers on the barbecue was mouthwatering. The sun dipped low over the horizon in a burst of pink and orange decorating the western sky. It was gorgeous, and I marveled at the myriad colors. I savored every sunrise and sunset these days.

The low murmur of male voices came from the deck where Shaz and Coby manned the barbecue. After the insanity of the previous night, I was in great need of a normal evening. Things had been strained between Shaz and me since I had stormed off last night. Despite the obvious awkward tension, we were doing our best to fake smiles in all the right places and pretend that we weren’t falling apart.

“He’s cute.” Kylarai leaned in close to breathe the words, her grey eyes on Coby. “But, does he ever talk?”

We sat side by side in lounge chairs on the lawn below the patio where Shaz and Coby stood. Watching the sunset, we sipped strawberry daiquiris and anticipated Shaz’s amazing burgers.

“Not really. Although, we didn’t have much of a chance to talk the night my house burned down. He wolfed out in town last night. It’s been hard for him.”

“Aw, how tragic.” The little smile playing about Kylarai’s lips was nice to see. Since Julian’s death about a month back, she’d been slowly overcoming her grief. She needed time to heal, of course, but seeing her smile was both a gift and a relief.

Tonight was the perfect night for a barbecue and a run. I couldn’t wait to shed my human skin and be wolf. After spending the majority of my time surrounded by vampires, it was heavenly to be here with my wolves. It felt like home.

I gazed longingly past the fence to the farmer’s field beyond. Just a short jaunt across it was the tree line, the entrance to the forest that we called home. Kylarai’s house was perfectly situated on the edge of town, the ideal place for a werewolf to have the best of both worlds.

After debating with myself over whether I was too lazy to get up and get a refill or not, I left the comfort of the lounge chair and climbed the deck stairs to the kitchen door. Shaz followed me in, sliding the door shut behind us. I gave him a quizzical look as I opened the fridge to hunt down the daiquiri pitcher.

“What’s up?”

“Coby is a pretty nice guy once he gets talking. Very reluctant with the wolf stuff.” Shaz leaned on the counter, watching me. “I think he’ll be fine. He just needs to accept that he’s a wolf now. It’s always denial and resistance in the beginning.”

I nodded, pouring the delicious strawberry concoction into my glass. “Coby can handle it. The fact that he’s still sane works in his favor.”

Shaz’s gaze was drawn to the faint vampire bites on my neck, and my stomach turned. I looked away, but it was too late. I caught the judgment in his eyes before he could hide it. Falon, Juliet, and now Shaz, I was getting pretty tired of that expression.

I forced a smile and turned to go back outside. Shaz stepped in front of me, blocking my path. He pulled me against him, and his musky wolf scent filled me. Holding me close, he nuzzled me, rubbing his face softly alongside mine. Though genuinely affectionate, his actions displayed dominance. Without saying a word, Shaz had made it clear that he was the Alpha male and that he considered me to be his. I felt his wolf’s claim over me, and I bristled.

He didn’t want last night to come between us, but our dilemma just wasn’t that simple.