Forget About Midnight (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #9)(91)

“Don’t be too hasty,” Shya said before I could take a step toward the door. “Have you seen Gabriel recently?”

“Trust me, if I had, I’d have probably killed him.” Crossing my arms, I braced, ready for whatever Shya was working up to.

“He’s proving difficult to reason with since his change. He’s refused to do any spell work with me. I’m trying to remain civil with him, but I’m quickly running out of patience.” Shya spoke as if he was discussing a problematic teenager, which he was, but this teenager was now a monster with a f*ck ton of power.

I stared at Shya, wondering what kind of reaction he was expecting from me. “So what? Not my problem. Your vampire, your problem.”

I turned to go, knowing it was risky to turn my back on the demon. His displeasure stained the atmosphere with a heavy negative vibe.

“If I recall correctly, Gabriel is birthed from your bloodline. I know you and Arys can influence him.” The unspoken threat made Shya’s words darker than they should’ve been.

Pausing in the foyer entry, I turned back to find his expression stony and ice cold. “We won’t be doing that.”

We stared at each other. It was in that moment that I knew I would never be rid of Shya. He would always want something from me or those close to me. As ridiculous as it was to consider working with Falon, I didn’t feel that I had much choice.

Shya’s eyes flashed with anger. He didn’t handle it well when he didn’t get his way. “Tread carefully, Hound. You may have stopped me from accessing Lilah’s power, but I am still here, as are you. It would be wise to avoid pissing me off.”

“Or what? You can’t do shit to me, Shya. If you kill me, then I won’t be around for you to torment. You don’t have the advantage anymore.” As the words left my mouth, I realized the truth of them.

Tempting final death at the demon’s hand wasn’t what I wanted, but I knew that he couldn’t do it if he wanted anything from me. I was a rarity, more so than he’d ever be. Killing me would be folly on his part. And as he’d already informed me, he wanted to make me do some suffering in my undead life.

He seemed to ponder this. Then he laughed. “Ah, Alexa, it’s always so nice chatting with you.”

I frowned and tried not to roll my eyes. “Can’t say I share that sentiment.”

“Setbacks only deter the weak. I am not weak. You think you’ve won, but your death was wasted. In time, you will see that.” He waved a dismissive hand at me and turned to Briggs.

Without hesitation I bolted from the house, leaving Briggs alone with the demon. I expected to feel another echo of potential remorse. I felt nothing.

Shya was taking this all too well. It was a farce. He had experienced a setback, and he was plotting a way to rise above it. Heartbreak had made him absolutely mad. Lilah’s constant rejection of his affections had set him on a path that he wouldn’t be swayed from. He was right. My death had caused a delay for him, but it was temporary. To ensure that I had not given my mortal life in vain, I had to prevent him from overcoming the setback in his plans, no matter what it took. Even if that meant making Falon an ally.

“Aren’t you tired? Have you even slept since…?” Shaz trailed off, not wanting to say it. Since I died. Since I became a vampire.

“A little. Sleeping isn’t high on my to-do list right now. The dreams are bad. I wake up screaming a lot.” Not wanting to go down that path, I changed the subject. “Besides, I’m not tired much.”

It was hard to run down my energy enough to need rest when I was so frequently feeding on someone. After the day I spent with Briggs, I was wired, like I’d sipped strong coffee all afternoon. But Briggs was much tastier than coffee. I sighed at the thought. I missed coffee.

I also missed Kale. Now that I was in Shaz’s car as we headed back into the city, I had a moment of calm to just stare out the window and gather my thoughts. Knowing Kale was going to see that video bummed me out. But knowing that Shaz was going to get it worried me. He didn’t deserve to have to look at that.

Shaz glanced over at me. I could feel his gaze in the dark of the car. “Lex, I think you need to spend some time with Arys. I know your head is a mess right now, but his is too. He needs to know you can forgive him.” When I didn’t reply right away, he asked, “Can you forgive him?”

“I want to. I do. I will. Eventually.” This was not a conversation I wanted to have. If the two of them were constantly nagging me about the other, I’d have to start avoiding them both. “Where is he anyway? I’m surprised he didn’t come with you.”

“He said that you and me need some time together.”

Of course he did. That sounded like Arys. After tonight, maybe neither of them would still be interested in repairing our damaged relationships.

No, I knew that wasn’t true. It would take more than what happened with Falon to drive Arys away. I knew that because I knew him. His memories lived inside me. He knew the allure of what it was to be a vampire, to hunger for blood, life, and power. I didn’t expect him to be thrilled, but I was sure I could count on him to support me still.

Arys deserved nothing less than the same grace and unending love that he extended to me. So I had to forgive him. I wanted to close the gap between us, somehow.

We headed for The Spirit Room, the rock bar that Jez hit up when she was looking to score drugs. We talked as we drove, mostly idle chatter meant to banish the awkward silence that tried to settle.