Freak Show (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #7)(86)

A binding to keep me in town? What kind of f**kery was that? I sank slowly down on the arm of the couch. Shya wanted me close bad enough to bind me. The heavy meaning of that action set bats loose inside me. My insides turned. It could only mean one thing. The time was near when he would use my death as planned to open the seal that held the scroll he so desperately sought. Had he found it already then?

A knot of panic choked me. The dream now held meaning. For a year, I’d known that I would one day rise as a vampire. Now it felt real. Things were changing and fast. Had the dream merely been a frightened projection of my subconscious, or was it a vision of what was to come?

Chapter Twenty

A house full of werewolves can make for an interesting party. The engagement party for Kylarai and Coby was off to a great start. Being there with them was easily the highlight of my whole week.

The heavenly aroma of barbecued meat tantalized my senses. It mingled with the scent of coffee, liquor and wolf. Gifts were stacked in the living room despite Ky’s insistence that nobody bring any. Mine was among them, a gift certificate to a local home decor store where I knew Kylarai loved to shop.

The entire town pack was there. It had been awkward to walk into Kylarai’s house, knowing what they all thought of me. Thankfully, our differences were set aside for the night. We were there to celebrate a friend. That’s all that mattered.

“Are you going to run with us tonight?” Shaz leaned in close, gracing me with his musky wolf scent.

“As long as nobody has a problem with that.”

Shaz pulled me in close for a nuzzle. “Well, I’m Alpha, and I say that anyone with a problem can take it up with me.”

I eyed the wolves of my former pack, expecting animosity but finding none. Being kicked out of my own pack had been damn hard, though I knew it was best for everyone. For the most part my former pack was polite, greeting me as I passed, asking how I was. We all knew it was just for show. Facing them all like this made it feel very fresh.

If I’d been any one of them, I would have felt the same way. I was a liability. No longer able to promise them safety, it just made sense that I had to go. Still, I had never been a lone wolf. Until now.

A cool blast of air entered through the open patio door. People went back and forth from the house to the yard, voices raised in joyful chatter. Everyone had hugs and words of encouragement for the happy couple. I awaited my own moment with them.

I sipped from a glass of whiskey on the rocks. Falon’s words flashed back to me as I savored the burn. He was right. My time for human vices was running out. I might as well make the most of it. Abandoning the notion of sipping, I slammed back the drink and rose to get another.

“Thank you for coming.” Coby’s gentle tone grabbed my attention.

He was standing in the kitchen, leaning on the partition that separated the small cooking area from the dining room. Short brown hair and a scruffy five o’clock shadow made him ruggedly handsome. His hazel eyes showed his gentle nature. Still a new wolf, turned by me during a fit of vampiric hunger, Coby had been adjusting well in recent weeks.

Setting my drink on the counter, I threw my arms around him in a warm hug. “I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. I’m so happy for you both.”

He tensed at first, then relaxed and slipped his arms around me. The embrace was brief but warm and meaningful. He and I would always be linked in some way. His forgiveness of my attack meant a lot to me.

“Alexa, I want to thank you, for everything. But especially for Kylarai. Your encouragement really helped me get the balls to ask her out in the first place.” He smiled, a sheepish grin that exuded joy. “I’ve never been much of a love at first sight kind of guy. Not until now.”

“I couldn’t hand pick a better man for Kylarai than you.” It was true. Ky had been hungry for love, seeking it in humans and even Kale. Her last relationship had ended badly. The fact that she even had the guts to try again spoke volumes.

Coby glanced around, ensuring nobody was paying us any attention. “Look, I know things are gonna get bad for you. Kylarai has shared a lot with me; I hope you don’t mind. I just want you to know that I’m here for you. If you need me to back you up, on anything, don’t hesitate to say the word.”

I could have cried. We were not incredibly close by any means. For a while, I’d fully expected Coby to harbor a grudge toward me. So this proclamation gave me the warm and fuzzies in a big way. There were no words for what I was feeling. In a house filled with wolves who had cast me out, here was the only one with a good reason to do so, offering me friendship.

I hugged him again, so tight he made a pained sound. “Thank you,” I whispered, turning away before I could tear up. He slipped outside to tend the barbecue, leaving me alone.

Shouts and laughter filled the house. It was a heartwarming sound. I stood in the kitchen drinking whiskey and reveling in the sound and smell of so many wolves. It brought forth the beast within, keeping the bloodlust buried.

“Why are you hiding in here by yourself?” Kylarai appeared with an empty appetizer plate in hand. She gave me a once over and set the plate down. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Really. Congratulations, again. I’m so happy for you.” I pulled her in for a hug, savoring her familiar scent of wolf and flowers.

“Thank you. Now tell me what’s wrong.” She turned to the fridge and began to pile more appetizers onto the plate, but her grey eyes were on me. “Don’t bullshit me either. You guys don’t call me a mother hen for nothing.”