Freak Show (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #7)(37)

Leaving Arys and Shaz behind felt all kinds of wrong.

I pressed a hand to my neck. The bleeding had stopped. Arranging my hair to hide the wounds would have to do.

Carefully, we made our way down The Strip toward Caesars. We blended easily into the thick, human street traffic. Traffic was heavy on the street as well as the sidewalks and pedways. At times, the bodies were crammed together like the mosh pit at a rock concert. Blasting them all out of my way would have taken just a thought with well-guided intentions. It was hard to swallow the urge and maintain a firm hold on my patience.

It felt like ages before we finally crossed the pedway from the Bellagio hotel to Caesars and broke free of the throng. Caesars Palace loomed large before us. It stood against the Vegas night sky, boasting of beauty, intrigue and adventure.

As we walked, I spoke quickly, giving Jez a basic rundown on what she’d missed.

“You weren’t really going to let Jenner get you off, were you?” She asked, her voice loud enough to draw the attention of a few passersby.

I gaped at her. “That’s what you focused on out of everything I told you?”

“Well, yeah. You’ve never had two vampires before. That’s gotta be a rush.” She held the hotel door open, allowing me to go first. “Wait, you haven’t been with two vampires, have you? Because I’d be pissed if you kept something that juicy to yourself.”

The icy blast of the air conditioning was a refreshing slap in the face, a sharp contrast to the desert heat outside. We entered the busy lobby where people milled about, checking in and taking photos in front of the fountain with people dressed up as Caesar and Cleopatra.

We veered left, past the twenty-four hour bar and the Starbucks, to the elevator that would take us to our room. I kept my head down, hoping to go unnoticed with my bloodstained attire and fresh wounds.

“No, I have definitely not been with two vampires at the same time. And I was not going to let Jenner get any farther than he did.” It felt like a lie, so I changed the subject, embarrassed at how affected I was by my own succubus power. It was a real double-edged sword. “How are you feeling? I need you alert.”

“Uh huh,” she nodded knowingly, giving me a pointed look. “You smell like lies. You wanted them both, you filthy little energy sucker.”

“Jez!”

“I feel fine. In fact, I’m ready for another round.”

The elevator door slid open, and we almost collided with a family of four in their haste to pile in. I rushed by a little girl who peered up at me with wide-eyed wonder. I tucked my injured wrist close to my body and averted my gaze.

“I don’t think you’re taking this seriously, Jez,” I said when we were safely inside the hotel room. “Things got bad back there. Really bad.”

I sat on the couch and then stood up again. Putting my head in my hands, I closed my eyes and focused on Arys. ‘Tell me you’re all right.’

It was easy to slip into his head. Though he didn’t directly acknowledge my presence, he knew I was there. I saw the destruction and chaos through his eyes.

He was in the arena, backed into a corner with Jenner, Shaz and several Wicked Kiss vampires. Tense, with fists clenched, Arys had a lot more fight left in him. But the intruding vampires had the upper hand, because they had Sloane.

She was on her knees between several of them, with more than enough strong hands to subdue her. Blood dripped from her nose. It took a lot to hurt a vampire. They hadn’t wasted their time giving her a beating. I wondered if they’d found her or if she’d gone to them.

“Now Jenner, I know this one here is your favorite. So be a good boy and offer me a deal I can’t refuse. Or we’d be happy to finish what we started with your little casino here.” This came from a mean looking vampire who stood apart from the rest, establishing himself as the leader. He was tall and slender with a gaunt face. Hard set, dark eyes shone with ruthlessness. A gun glinted in his hand. It appeared to have been modified, most likely to make it deadly to vampires. The average handgun is little danger to the supernatural.

“Let’s sit down and talk about this, Linden,” Jenner pleaded, trying to sound like he wasn’t. “It wasn’t necessary for you to come in here and trash my livelihood.”

“Funny. That didn’t sound like an offer. You can do better than that.” Linden’s vicious stare swung to Arys. It felt like he could see me there, behind Arys’s eyes. “And you…man am I glad to see you. You have one more wolf for me, yes? Where is she?”

Arys smiled, chuckling as if he had a great secret he wasn’t about to share. “It’s a busy city. She could be anywhere. I’m sure she’s planning your death right about now.”

Linden gave a slight nod to one of his guys who raised a crossbow and fired. The bolt struck Arys in the arm he raised to block. I felt the pain as if it were my own, though he didn’t so much as flinch.

Arys’s fingertips burned with ready power. Linden’s man reloaded the crossbow and trained it on Shaz.

“Go ahead,” Linden said. “We’ll wait while you take your shot. Then I’ll have your wolf crippled.”

Panic thrilled through me, spilling into Arys through my thoughts. He considered doing it, certain he could take them all out. They had muscle but no real power.

He relented, dropping his hold on the power he’d tapped. I knew he’d done it for me. His decision earned him a crack in the head with a crossbow from the closest weapon-wielding vamp.