Forget About Midnight (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #9)(86)

‘You loved it.’ It wasn’t an accusation. I just knew that it was the kind of thing that would get Arys going. I wished I’d been there to see it.

‘I wish you’d been there too,’ he said. ‘That’s how it should be. The three of us. It still can be.’

He sounded so sure. It still baffled me that Arys was so willing to embrace what Shaz and I shared. They were both far better than I would have been in either of their positions.

‘I’m not so sure about that anymore.’ I thought, more to myself than to Arys.

‘Give it time.’

I rested my head on Shaz’s shoulder and watched the building. Together we sat in silence, enjoying just being in each other’s presence. I couldn’t believe it had taken so much death, separation, and misunderstanding to bring us to this much needed moment.

Arys slipped away in silence, giving Shaz and I our moment of wolfy comfort. I could still feel him there, just on the other side of that door between our minds, ready if I needed to reach out to him.

It was impossible to relax. Tense and alert, I stared hard at the building, daring Briggs to come out. I was relieved when Jez arrived before that happened. She jumped out of her Jeep and into the passenger seat of Shaz’s car with a bundle of clothing in hand.

“Wow,” she said when her gaze landed on me. “Who would’ve thought your wolf could still go in the sun? Un-f*cking-believable.”

Shaz nodded and ran a hand through his hair, as he always did when stressed. “This isn’t something that should be common knowledge.”

“Hell no. You’re one of a kind, Lex. Probably the first vampire on the planet to walk in the sun and not die.” Jez’s ponytail bounced in time with her animated chatter. Funny statement coming from someone who was one of a kind herself.

“It’s a definite advantage,” Shaz mused. “But there is risk involved. Wolves can’t just run the streets without attracting attention.”

Jez stared at the FPA parking lot, a wary expression on her face. “True. But it sure comes in handy on a day like today.”

I listened to the two of them make conversation, twitching my ears and smacking the seat with my tail when they looked to me for participation. It felt like forever before Briggs appeared in the parking lot.

He was accompanied by a few agents who stalked over to examine the pile of clothing I’d left behind. We watched them search for any remnants of dust and ash. Briggs examined the area. He looked pissed and puzzled, like he couldn’t figure it out. Idiots.

“I’m surprised he didn’t stay to watch you burn.” There was total disgust in Jez’s voice. “*.”

I agreed wholeheartedly. Briggs had the balls to throw me into the sun but not the stomach to watch me burn. I wondered what kind of story he planned to tell Juliet to explain my demise. Wherever she was, he had made sure she’d be out of the way so he could feed me a lie that would get me into that building. Once he’d gotten a sample of my blood, he’d had no reason to keep me around if I wouldn’t conform to his rules. Whatever he planned to do with that sample, it wasn’t going to be good.

Briggs waved a hand in an angry gesture and grabbed the agent closest to him. He shook the guy and shouted something we couldn’t hear from where we were. Then he stormed away, to a dark-grey Mercedes in the parking lot.

“Think you can tail this guy unnoticed?” Jez asked Shaz, who already had the car running and in gear. “He probably knows how to spot a tail.”

Shaz’s hands were tight on the wheel, ready. “I’ve got this.”

The Mercedes pulled out of the lot with a squeal of tires. Shaz hit the gas to follow, and I fell against the backseat. My wolf form wasn’t quite so car friendly.

Shaz’s car was perfect for tailing someone through the city. It was small, blue, and looked like every other compact car on the road. It blended in well with the morning rush hour traffic.

As we followed the Fed home, Jez shouted what she likely thought were helpful commands. “Take that lane. Watch out for that guy. I think he’s exiting up ahead.”

Always patient, Shaz took it all in stride, maneuvering the car smoothly through traffic so Briggs was always within his sight while keeping a safe distance.

Much to my surprise, Briggs led us into a neighborhood I’d been to before. It was a swanky area filled with million dollar homes, the same neighborhood Lilah had lived in. I was curious if Briggs knew a demon queen had been one of his neighbors. Or perhaps he’d known that when selecting the place.

“He’s going to pull a weapon the second he sees us,” Shaz warned, stopping the car down the block from the house Briggs pulled up to.

“Then we make sure he doesn’t see us.” Jez pulled a dagger out of her boot, and I pawed at the side of her seat. No weapons. I wanted Briggs alive. She read my expression and reluctantly put the dagger away. “I’ll go first. Alexa can come with me. You back us up.”

Shaz nodded, trusting her plan. Excitement seized me as I followed Jez out of the car. The thrill of the hunt drove my every step.

We moved toward the lavish house Briggs had disappeared into. It wasn’t as big as some of the other homes on the street; however, it was just as pretentious. Raising my nose, I scented the air. Car exhaust and the scent of dog in the yard next door, both normal, safe aromas. Nothing stood out to me as suspicious. My vampire senses were more pronounced now, post mortem. They’d been subdued before. Still, I could feel that my access to my power was confined in wolf form, as it always had been. I couldn’t be fully wolf and vampire at the same time. Some might see that as a disadvantage, but to me, it felt right.