Freak Show (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #7)(3)

“I have as much a right to be here as you do. We won’t be around long, so just stay out of our way.” Arys released his hold on Roscoe so they stood nose to nose.

“You know Jenner will want more than that. Why are you here?” Roscoe took a step back, an action that spoke volumes. The same vampire may have sired them, but Arys had dominance here.

Jenner…that name rang a bell though I couldn’t put a face to it. When I killed Harley, I hadn’t entertained the idea that I might have to face the vampires tied to him. It had been hard enough to face Arys. Nervous, I wished for a moment that we’d vacationed somewhere else, where nobody knew who I was.

“Tell Jenner he should be on his knees praying every night that I don’t show my face in his club while I’m here. If he wants trouble, I’ll bring him trouble.” The atmosphere hummed with the intensity of Arys’s growing ire.

Nobody in the bar paid him any attention. They were all too caught up in their own evasion of reality to notice or care that two men glared at one another like dogs about to fight.

Roscoe slid a glance my way. “You shouldn’t have brought her here.”

“Why? Are you afraid of her? You probably should be.”

“Look, Arys, I have no issue with you, but I’m Jenner’s right hand. I’m just here to deliver a message: Get out of town or be driven out.” Roscoe shrugged, and his long brown hair fell over one eye. “Sorry. Gotta keep tabs on the city. Security, you know.”

Arys caught my eye, and a mischievous grin lit up his face. “Be sure to remind Jenner that Alexa is the one who killed Harley. He should have considered that very carefully before he sent the welcome wagon with a threat.”

Oh geez. My stomach flip-flopped, and I almost choked on my next sip of booze. Shaz regarded both vampires with curious interest. He didn’t need to have Arys’s memories to tell there was some serious history between them. Jez ran a finger around the edge of her glass, watching with trepidation as her hopes for a carefree party week shattered with the inevitable vampire pissing contest.

Roscoe took one last perusal of our table. He lingered on Shaz as the two of them had a predatory stare down. When he finally dragged his gaze back to Arys, he said, “If I were you, I’d hop the first flight out of here after sunset.”

“That’s not going to happen.” Crossing his arms, Arys gave a halfhearted shrug.

“If you’re here to move on Harley’s turf—”

Arys cut in. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Roscoe clamped his mouth shut. A glare made his tough features downright scary. He nodded curtly and shoved past Arys, exiting the bar.

I sighed and downed the rest of my drink in one swallow. Might as well keep ’em coming. If this was an indication of how the rest of the trip would go, I might need to stay drunk to get through it without having a nervous breakdown.

I flew fourteen hundred miles to have a few days to myself. So much for that.

Chapter Two

I shoved the door to our suite open, happy to be away from the hotel buzz below. I needed a quiet, safe place to gather my thoughts and interrogate Arys.

Jez had booked us two attached rooms in the Augustus Tower. The first door opened into a small foyer where Jez’s room lay to the left and ours was straight ahead. We walked through both suites, checking out everything from the tubs to the minibar.

Immediately, I noticed a problem. I stood in the center of the living and dining room combo, taking in the warm colors and flat screen TV. Arys took our things to the bedroom while I tried to find a way to give voice to the issue.

“So, um, Jez?” I began awkwardly. “When you booked these rooms, did you realize there is only one bed in our suite?”

She popped back into our room after dropping her bags in her suite. “Uh, shit. I’m sorry, guys. I didn’t think. I just assumed. Wow, I feel like an ass.”

Shaz and I exchanged a look. He shrugged it off, but I knew he was as uncomfortable as I was. “It’s no big deal,” he said. “I can crash on the couch.”

“You don’t have to do that. There are two beds in my room but no separate living room, which is why I gave you guys this room.” Jez helped herself to a beer from the minibar.

“Hey,” I scolded. “You only get twenty seconds to put that back before we get charged for it.”

“Um, what’s your point?” She shot me an incredulous look and popped the top on the beer. “Wanna trade rooms? Or someone can crash in my room with me.”

Arys reappeared wearing a devilish smile that revealed sharp fangs. His gaze slid from me to Shaz. “Or the two of you could get naked and get over this weird shit you’ve got going on.”

“Arys,” I scolded at the same time Jez quipped, “That’s what I said.”

I was mortified. The blood drained from my face. I wanted to drop through the floor to the suite below.

Shaz grabbed his bags and headed for the door. “It’s cool. I’ll take the extra bed in Jez’s room.”

I turned on Arys, shaking a finger at him. “Why the hell did you say that? Shaz and I can do this on our own in our own time. Without your help.”

Arys snickered and grabbed my finger, pretending to bite it. “I guarantee you the wolf pup will be back in our bed by the end of this week.”