Once Bitten (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #1)(25)

Julie Price’s husband stared at Ky dumbfounded before he launched into action. He came at her fast, and I watched his eyes go from enraged to stunned as she easily caught his fist. With an audible crack, she twisted his wrist until he cried out.

“Is there a problem here?” A low, velvety voice came from behind me. The vampire had found me after all.

Price’s two buddies wasted no time in fleeing. I guess they didn’t want to have their faces rearranged by a girl, much less Arys. Price howled his pain but backed away at Arys’s approach.

They fled under the watchful gaze of the vampire. I was amused and annoyed at the same time. I wanted them to be running from me, not Arys.

“Well, I guess we’ll just be getting a cab then,” I said, turning towards the street. Arys grabbed my arm and spun me back to face him. His eyes were serious and seemed to dare me to argue as he touched a hand gently to my stinging cheek.

“Correction. We will walk Kylarai to a cab. You and I have some unfinished business to attend to.”

“You know this perfect timing stuff - riding in to save the helpless damsel in distress - is really getting old.”

“You know I don’t think you’re helpless.”

“Then why the sudden appearance every time some ass**le with his dick in a knot makes trouble for me?”

Silence. He just stared at me with those deep blue orbs.

“Ok, Alexa, I’m out of here,” Kylarai called from twenty feet away where a cab was pulling to a stop near the curb. “You coming with?”

I wanted to say yes and leave with Ky whether Arys liked it or not, but that was only to spite him, not because I didn’t want to stay.

“No. I’m not.” I didn’t take my eyes off of the vampire. A devilish grin slowly spread along his handsome features. “Leave a message on my cell when you get home so I know you made it ok.”

“I’ll see you at home, Alexa. Be careful.” The teasing look in her eyes said she meant the vampire.

When she closed the cab door, I was alone with my whiskey-encouraged, moon-inspired decision and a power-hungry vampire.

Chapter Seven

With Arys, I didn’t have a sole intention in mind. I wasn’t on the prowl for someone to relieve me of moon-related desires, and I wasn’t lonely. What kept me walking beside him went deeper than either of those things: Power.

I declined his offer to get a cab. Instead, I insisted we walk the few blocks to his bachelor bungalow under the wide-open sky. I needed to feel the moon on my skin and the night in my veins.

We walked along a bike path and forced some aimless small talk. Energy shifted keenly between us as we ambled through the warm summer night. I could smell the common town jack rabbits in the empty playground across the street. The town was quiet.

I expected to feel awkward or uncertain as we drew closer to Arys’s house. Instead, anticipation thrilled me, and my inner beast waited eagerly. As a heady glow enveloped me, my senses heightened to a painfully delicious extent. The faint evening breeze encouraged my wolf and called me to run.

I longed to touch Arys, to open that strange door between us. I ached to know what we were playing with. I yearned for a taste of his superhuman power, but the driving force wasn’t really me. This was something bigger than the sum of our power, greater than the two of us combined.

We’d barely locked his front door when he pressed me against the wall. His body felt warm and ready next to mine. I’d resisted the urge to give in so many times already, but now I just let go. I needed to know the outcome of submitting to Arys’s pull instead of fighting.

He allowed me no time to take in my surroundings. At his aggressive touch, my wolf leapt to meet him and a wave of adrenaline crashed through me. As his lips touched mine, our powers collided. Energy rushed around us, white noise that grew by the second. His soft tongue sought mine, and I knew that his need was as great as my own.

Arys tangled one hand in my hair, tugging urgently at my clothing with the other. His touch was possessive and rough. I gasped when he caressed my bare skin, stroking a bold path down my abdomen.

“Arys wait,” I breathed. My lips fought to form the word. I wanted to move further into the house, away from the entryway. I had yet to take my shoes off.

“I know you want me, Alexa. I can feel your wolf calling to me.” He buried his face in my hair, and I felt fangs graze the sensitive skin along the side of my neck.

I shoved him off me and kicked my chunky wedge heels off. “Let’s go inside.”

He stared at me like a hormone-fueled teenager who couldn’t understand the word no.

Even as I sauntered into the heart of the house, the power tried to persuade me to reconnect the broken touch. I didn’t get very far before Arys pulled me back into his arms. A gentle breeze of electricity stirred around us as I lost myself in him. The energy built with each touch and encouraged the next.

In the back of my mind, I wondered what exactly it was that we were conjuring up. Maybe we should stop. I made to pull away, but Arys kissed me. The passion sent a fire racing through my soul. I wanted to take him, right there in the living room. Instead, he led me to the bedroom.

The king size bed was in the middle of the room. With its lavish, fluffy pillows and deep comforter, Arys’s bed looked like a marshmallow just waiting for me to dive in. I was disappointed when he steered me away, but desire and instinct drove me. I focused solely on the vampire that made my blood boil. I needed him to put out the fire that we’d ignited.