Once Bitten (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #1)(18)

I frowned in response but quickly shrugged it off. He wanted to play tough guy, which was only expected. In most situations, he likely was the most powerful creature present, but this time he was going to be sadly mistaken.

“Of course.” Kale smiled through the threat, and I had to give him credit for not reacting with an outburst of temper like I tend to do.

The two vampires took a moment to stare into each other like two cowboys about to do a quick draw. I sat there feeling inferior because I wasn’t being recognized as a threat. But, that would end all too soon, just a matter of waiting for the right moment.

Greg scraped his chair against the floor to create a squeal that hurt my sensitive ears. He gestured toward the exit. “If you would just follow me.” We followed him, and I had the sinking feeling that this was going to get messy. The confined elevator proved extremely uncomfortable. An Asian family of four squeezed in after us so that I was virtually crushed between Kale and Greg. I tried my best to lean away from the ingratiating bastard.

We stepped off on the fourteenth floor and made our way to room 1423. I was more than surprised at what lay on the other side of the door. The hotel room was magnificent. Red carpet led from the doorway past a white marble hot tub to a round bed encircled by a white curtain. Mirrors lined every wall but one, creating the illusion that the room was much bigger than it was. It made the perfect honeymoon suite, although I would have enjoyed it more had there not been a pale, young woman tied to a chair near the window.

I hesitated at the doorway. A chill crept up my spine, and I unconsciously began to gather energy in the center of my being. Kale swept past me as if he had been dealing human slaves forever, which was disturbing in itself.

“Do you have a preference between men or women? Race? Anything?” Greg spoke casually, as if he were asking if we preferred red or white wine.

“Healthy and still beating,” Kale chuckled wickedly, and I found myself looking at him with wide eyes. Greg joined in his laughter and swept an arm in the woman’s direction.

“Do you want this one? You can take her with you tonight. She won’t make any trouble. Will you honey?” He asked her. When she didn’t acknowledge him, he gave her a resounding slap across the face.

I willed myself to rein in the anger that threatened to rip free of my control. Not yet. Soon.

“Yeah, we’ll take her. What else can you get for us?” Kale casually strolled around the room and pulled back the bed curtain to admire the fine bedding. “Nice room choice.”

His gaze focused on the white sheets and duvet, and I could almost see the wheels turning in his head. The room was incredibly white. How could we possibly keep this clean?

“Thanks. It’s my favorite here.” Greg pulled his wallet from his back pocket and produced a small sheet of paper that included a price and quantity list. “This is what we’re running right now for this city. It should be more than adequate to feed your…” He risked a glance at me. “…appetites.”

Kale accepted the paper. He read over it carefully and nodded every so often. In a motion faster than I could blink, he moved to pin the other vampire to the wall.

With an arm wedged against Greg’s throat, Kale growled, “Tell me who you’re working for, and I’ll consider allowing you to walk out of here in one piece.”

Greg’s slightly chubby face seemed to swell with rage as he stared into Kale’s wild eyes. He attempted a smirk despite the arm crushing his windpipe. “You’ve got to be kidding me, pal.”

The girl tied to the chair made a small whimper low in her throat as she eyed us, unsure if we were her saviors or simply new masters. I approached the two vampires but kept a safe distance.

“Do I look like I’m kidding?” Kale’s fist met the other vampire’s face with a loud crack.

I didn’t react, except to wince on the inside. The scent of blood quickly thickened the air. My stomach tightened, and the energy that I’d gathered seemed to grow hot.

Before Greg could respond, Kale followed up with another solid blow to the vampire’s midsection. He grunted yet laughed again.

“Who do you think you’re kidding? Do you really think I’d allow you two to back me into a corner like this without some kind of backup?” He attempted to wipe away the blood that streamed down his chin from his nose.

“If you don’t start talking, I’m going to let my lady friend have some fun with your manly bits. And, I can safely say that she will be the only one enjoying it.” Kale’s tone dropped low, and the menace pulled another whimper from the victim in the chair.

Greg’s expression faltered as he fixed his eyes on me. My lips spread slowly in a sadistic grin, and I gave him a wink. “Ready to play with me, Greg?”

“You wouldn’t,” he choked out, but his eyes clearly said that I just might. I was a werewolf after all, and a little bit of blood and gore was nothing new to me.

I held up a hand so he could watch as my long fingernails lengthened into five razor sharp claws. My smile grew even broader around the four fangs that filled my mouth, two on both the bottom and the top.

Vampires don’t fear werewolves, in general, since we each have our own very respectable attributes. However, poor Greg was alive with fear. As he filled the room with terror, he fed the energy that I had gathered within me.

“Are you going to start talking, or is Alexa going to start tearing you to bits?” If Kale’s eyes were any indication, he was feeling the effects of the fear as well. His pupils were so large that his eyes were solid black.