Once Bitten (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #1)(61)

“I just found her. Nobody’s here. Not anymore anyway. I know I’m a jackass for saying this but, will you come?”

I met Arys’s calm gaze and found no answer within it. “Alright.” I white-knuckled the wheel. “We’ll be there in twenty minutes. Hang tight.”

“We?” Despite his fear, that one didn’t slip past him.

“Yeah, Arys is with me. And I’m not walking in there without him.” I was hoping he didn’t mind that I’d volunteered him.

“Fine, whatever. Just come. I’m calling some of the guys for added security. See you soon?”

“Yeah, see you soon.” I turned my phone off with a beep and focused on the dark road.

“And you’re perfectly certain that this werewolf isn’t offing all of these women himself?” I could hear the grin in the vampire’s tone.

“Well, I was. I mean, I really don’t think that he is. You don’t mind coming with?”

He dragged out the silence to make me sweat. I thought he was declining until I sensed him reach for me in the dark. I didn’t wave him away. I was worried, and I let myself take comfort in his touch. His fingers lingered softly on the small bite inside my elbow.

“Anything you need, Alexa, I’m there.”

Chapter Fifteen

When we pulled onto Raoul’s street, two of our pack, Zak and Julian, approached the door. They were best buds who clashed over every little thing. Raoul glanced outside suspiciously before he rushed them inside. He paused when he noticed the Charger crawling along the block.

Without burnouts or tire squealing, I parked three doors down. I shivered when the breeze hit my damp clothing. Arys ambled casually as he followed me up the walk.

“Hey,” I said before we reached the door. “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this, but nobody in this house needs to know all of the ways we’re connected.”

Raoul wasn’t quite sure what to think of me as it was. If he knew that I had full access to Arys’s power, he’d probably tell me that he could handle impending doom all on his own. Or, would he? Raoul knew he needed help, or he wouldn’t have called, not this time. Raoul’s face was visible from the window, and he looked like a nervous hen rather than the bold wolf.

“So, you don’t want them to know we’re sleeping together and can share power like a vampire and wolf hybrid that even Hollywood couldn’t dream up. Got it.” He flashed me a sly wink and pinched my ass.

“No, no, no.” I held up a hand. “We are not sleeping together. We slept together. Past tense. And, funny comment coming from a guy who turned me down less than an hour ago.”

“Right.” Head cocked to the side, he studied me pensively. I didn’t like it. “That was different. You needed your hunger quenched. Your desire was under influence. When you come to me under your own free will because of your own feminine wants, that will be different.”

“Oh,” I scoffed. “Like it was my own free will the last and only time?” It had seemed pretty power influenced to me.

“Wasn’t it?” He asked with a grin that spoke volumes of wickedness. Before I could reply, he rang the doorbell, which left me to choke on my retort.

The scent of death struck me, and my heart rate increased. Arys glanced at me with a puzzled expression. I wondered what he was sensing that I might not be. There was a negative energy lingering around the place that screamed of hate and vengeance.

I swallowed hard. Inside, I would look at Belle’s dead body. There was certainly no love lost between us, but this was not what I wanted.

“Thank you for coming.” Raoul attempted to play nice but eyed the vampire skeptically. “I wouldn’t have if I were you. Not after the way I treated you last time.”

I waved off his apology before the moment got more awkward. Blood and violence coated the atmosphere inside the house with a thick, uncomfortable energy, and I wrinkled my nose in distaste. One of my own lay dead.

When Arys followed me inside, both Julian and Zak did a double take. Few Weres liked dealing with the notorious vampire. He was known for his ability to make life unpleasant for others when the urge struck him. Not one of them offered him a hand in greeting.

“So what the hell happened exactly?” I looked around, but the elaborate sitting room hadn’t changed since I’d been there last.

“You guys want to man the front and back doors?” Raoul’s dark eyes flicked back and forth between the Zak and Julian. “I’m going to show Alexa upstairs.”

I swallowed hard and stared at Raoul. The most powerful werewolf in our pack was pale and shaky. Even a human could have smelled his fear. He knew what was really going on here, and I vowed to get it out of him before I left.

He led the way upstairs. The air was thick with Belle’s blood. My stomach tightened, and I fought the urge to cover my mouth to avoid tasting the air.

“I swear, Alexa, I just left her for a few minutes.” Raoul hesitated outside the door to the master bedroom. “The only evidence that someone else had been in the room was the open window. We’d had it closed.”

It had been a long time since I’d been in Raoul’s bedroom. Thankfully, this was no time for embarrassing memories.

To my absolute astonishment, Arys stepped forward and laid a hand gently on Raoul’s shoulder. “Don’t feel like you have to go in there again. We can take it from here.”