Forget About Midnight (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #9)(92)

“So it looks like it’s official,” Shaz said. “I’m joining the Doghead pack.”

I turned to find him smiling. This was fantastic news. When I’d hooked him up with Dayne, Shaz had been pissed. It was a relief that he had considered it after all.

“That’s so great, Shaz.” Reaching across the small car, I patted his leg. I was excited for him. “Is there some official initiation or something? When do you get that badass tattoo?”

He laughed and put his hand on top of mine, holding it against his thigh. “I’m not sure yet. Soon though, I imagine.”

“That’s a relief. I really want you to have a pack. You’re too sweet to do the lone wolf thing. You’ve got a lot to offer. Doghead doesn’t know how lucky it is to have you.” His hand was warm on mine, reminding me that my warmth was now stolen. Joining Doghead was going to divide us even further. For the first time, we would no longer call the same pack home. Even though it was what I wanted for him, it hurt.

“I wish you could join too,” he said, suddenly solemn. “You’re still a wolf. Dayne would be doing himself a favor.”

Shaz’s greatest attribute was also one of his biggest flaws. He wanted so badly to see the good in everyone, well almost everyone, and it led him to overlook certain facts. Like the fact that I would cause more problems for Dayne than I’d solve. I was simply too much vampire to belong to a pack now.

“You’re too sweet. You’re also delusional.” I laughed, trying to keep the conversation from taking a dark turn. That would come later, when Briggs’s video started finding its way to those I loved.

The Spirit Room was busy, as usual. The local rock scene was lively. Music pumped from the building, drawing leather-clad rockers in droves. We moved among them, pushing our way through the drunken music lovers.

I scanned the crowd for Jez’s golden hair. There was no sign of her. I did, however, catch sight of her dealer, Arrow.

With Shaz at my side, I stalked across the room to where the dark nephilim sat around a table with his friends. He saw me coming, and a devious grin crossed his face. I grabbed his arm and jerked him out of his chair before pasting him up against a nearby pillar.

“Was Jez in here tonight? Have you been selling to her?”

Arrow regarded me with a lazy grin, as if my mere presence bored him. “I haven’t seen Jez in days. If she doesn’t buy from me, she’ll buy somewhere else. At least I sell the good shit.”

I slammed him against the pillar a second time, forcing a grunt from him. He wasn’t afraid though, so abusing the cocky ass wasn’t going to get me anywhere. Shaz stood off to one side, watching me with brow furrowed. Arrow’s friends watched as well. None of them appeared surprised that he was being abused by a pissed off vampire.

“You better hope like hell that she doesn’t OD on your good shit again. Or I’ll be coming for you.” I bared fangs and released him, stepping back before I took things too far. “She might just be a repeat sale to you, but she’s like a sister to me.”

Arrow straightened his jacket, trying to rub the crease marks from my hands out. He peered at me through black liner-rimmed hazel eyes. The narcotics I could smell in his blood were also evident in his bloodshot, dilated gaze.

“Jez is more than cash to me, ok? She and I are the same. I don’t take that lightly.”

I studied him, finding it impossible to take the drug-dealing rocker seriously. Arrow believed Jez’s demon paternity made them kindred? Maybe in his drug-addled brain it did, but to me it smacked of bullshit.

Arrow got lucky then because someone else caught my eye. Someone I wanted to have a few words with more than I wanted to waste any more time with him. Gabriel had just walked in. He sensed me at the same time I felt his strange energy. Our eyes met, and he froze. If he ran it would be the last thing he ever did.

I walked away from Arrow, ignoring his muttered, “Crazy bitch,” as I went. Gabriel, accepting that this encounter had to happen sometime, headed straight for me.

“Better cool it, Lex.” Shaz touched my elbow, and his serene energy calmed me, reminding me that acting first and speaking second wasn’t always best.

All it took was the memory of Gabriel fighting on Shya’s behalf to burst that bubble of calm. “Are you kidding me? He hurt you, Shaz. He could’ve done worse.”

“I know that. Don’t think that I wouldn’t love to pound on him a little. But he’s a kid, and he’s misguided. Don’t you remember what it was like when we were that age?” Shaz gave my arm an affectionate squeeze. “You have a chance to show him that he has choices. You both have choices.”

I was torn between two mindsets: the rational wolf who wanted to heed his advice and the irrational vampire who wanted to scoff at it and hand out a beating to Gabriel. Since I couldn’t choose a side, I decided to play it by ear.

“Alexa, I was hoping we’d get a chance to talk.” Gabriel spoke first, ruining my smack-down moment. “Can we go outside?”

Exchanging a look with Shaz, I shrugged. Might as well hear the kid out before I did anything rash. We followed the long-haired, lanky vampire outside and down the street, away from the crowd around the door.

Gabriel held both hands up in surrender. The power that wafted around him like a scent cloud was familiar, sharing elements of my own. Where it differed was the murky essence of black magic that stained him like a spill that would never come out. He’d been a black magic witch before becoming a vampire, a deadly combination.