Freak Show (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #7)(26)

I studied him in small glances so he wouldn’t notice. He hadn’t been back long, but after a month in the wilderness, spending much of his time as wolf, Shaz had come back with some serious attitude. Of course, he’d always been confrontational with Arys.

“Game of strategy, huh?” Jenner’s laughter rang with satisfaction. Slapping his cards down on the table, he snickered. “You’ve lost your touch, my friend.”

A straight flush mocked us from the tabletop. I watched with growing horror as Arys’s chances of winning grew smaller. He stared in disbelief. Jenner was kicking his ass. If Arys didn’t win a few hands, it was over.

Jenner toyed with his chips, picking up a stack and letting it slide through his fingers. The sound they made grated on my senses, an endless clink that quickly got under my skin.

“Maybe it’s karma,” Jenner offered, sliding the chips faster, louder. “You f**ked me over, and now it’s your turn, Arys. Let’s end this.”

“Yeah, why not?” Shaz chimed in. “Some of us don’t have precious time to waste.”

Arys met my gaze. Other than the muscle twitching in his clenched jaw, he was unreadable. I half expected him to touch my mind, to say something. He didn’t.

Instead, Jenner asked me, “What do you think, sweetheart? Feeling lucky?” Confidence oozed from him.

I ignored him and his cocky smile. Intimidating me wasn’t necessary. I was already afraid. However, I was also ready to fight. The wolf paced inside me, certain she’d get her shot at Jenner yet.

Everyone stared at me, awaiting my response. My head swam from the booze and blood. The noise and lights assaulting my senses had begun to dull. All things considered, I was feeling pretty good.

To Arys I said, “Do whatever you gotta do, babe,” staying committed to our united front.

Arys flung ten grand in chips down, a challenge adorning his handsome face. I didn’t know what cards the dealer had dealt him, but he seemed happy with it. Waiting for Jenner to decide if he was bluffing had me on pins and needles. Unable to stay seated, I paced the length of the table. Jenner’s eyes flashed in irritation so I shot him a snide smile. Perspiration greased my palms. Calming breaths did nothing to help.

They played a few more hands with neither vampire sustaining much damage. Then, the cards stopped in a long pause as decisions were made.

I didn’t have the patience for this shit. The waitress brought me another whiskey, which I eagerly snatched. A cloud of perfume surrounded her, taunting me with a hint of musk and human. Our fingers touched as I accepted the drink, and my gaze fell to her neck.

“Can I offer you anything else?” She asked, tilting her head to reveal two bites hidden beneath her hair. Jenner must pay these people damn good.

“No,” I snapped, more forcefully than intended. “Thank you.”

It took a moment to regain my composure. The heady atmosphere of the club made it difficult. Talking myself down from the ledge became a lot easier when Jenner’s triumphant shout broke through my thoughts.

“Victory has never felt so f**king good!” he crowed.

The cards said it all. Arys stared in stony silence at the pair of kings in his hand. They were shitty cards, especially compared to Jenner’s flush. Arys’s arrogance had been the driving force behind his decision to settle it this way. He had never really believed he would lose.

It was over. Jenner had his vengeance victory. Hooray for vendettas.

Chapter Seven

I wanted to be surprised. Really, I did. But I wasn’t.

“Fina-f*cking-lly,” Shaz muttered. Tipping his beer to his lips, he settled back into his seat with an uncharacteristically sly smile. “What a boring way to settle a score.”

My jaw dropped. Where the hell was this attitude coming from?

“The excitement starts now.” Like a kid on Christmas, Jenner was unable to contain his glee. His fang-flashing smile was so wide I thought his head might split in two. Icy blue gaze locked on Shaz, he cackled, “In fact, it can start with you.”

“Alright, Jenner, you made your point.” Arys tried quickly to intervene. “I owe you. Fair enough. Leave him out of it.”

“You married my fiancée! And killed her. Your wolves killed Harley.” The dangerous vibe seeping from Jenner had the little hairs on my arms standing on end. Pointing a finger at Shaz, he barked, “You’re going in the ring.”

I stood back and watched the vampires dissolve into slinging barbs and threats. Chairs abandoned and power raging, they took turns promising one another a slow, painful death.

Searching the crowd for Jez, I spotted her near the stage with Sloane. The two of them were draped all over each other, giggling and talking. I didn’t trust Sloane’s intentions, but I had no time for that now.

“Boys, boys, boys,” I tsked, stepping in between the raging vampires. “There’s got to be a better solution.”

Despite the knot forming in my stomach, I stayed calm, refusing to let my emotions show. Putting Shaz in the fight cage was cruel in the worst way. It couldn’t happen. There was no way I could allow that. As my mind raced, struggling to come up with an amicable alternative, Shaz blew that plan to hell.

“I’d be happy to show you how I tore Harley’s throat out,” he proclaimed, slamming his beer bottle onto the poker table. He sneered at Jenner. “I wasn’t afraid of Harley, and I’m not afraid of you. Put me in the ring.”