Once Bitten (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #1)(76)

I had to laugh. He knew Raoul almost as well as I did. The back of my neck was stiff, and I just wanted this all to be over. Both Zoey and Raoul needed a supernatural psych ward. Did such a thing even exist? From what I knew of Veryl, he liked to take out the trash, not put it in a care facility.

The sun had set a while ago, yet the faintest pink glow remained in the western sky. Heavy metal music pumped out of the Charger, and I frowned. She was so bad for that. Jez had slid the sunroof all the way open, and I glanced nervously at the circling seagulls overhead. My footsteps quickened, my boot heels clicking loudly as I hurried to the car. I was not at all surprised to find her chatting up some ginger haired girl in the truck next to us.

Shaking my head, I used my hair to hide my smile as I climbed into the driver’s seat and turned down the speaker volume. As Jez fished in her purse for her card, the girl’s boyfriend, or so I assumed, returned with two coffees and a bag of muffins.

“Just in case.” I heard her say as she handed the card through the open window.

“You’re unbelievable.” I tucked a gold chunk of hair behind one ear and started the engine.

“Why, thank you, Alexa. To what do I owe such a fine compliment?” A few stray strands of wavy hair had come loose to frame her heart shaped face.

“You put guys like Arys to shame.” I tsked and looked over both shoulders before backing out of the narrow parking space.

“Good,” she quipped.

I directed her hand away from the volume knob and signaled into traffic. She gave my hand a light slap, exactly the way a cat would, not quite enough to hurt but enough to exhibit her displeasure. Since she gave up on the volume, I didn’t slap her back like I wanted.

“How can I not put them to shame? Most of them really don’t know the first thing about women: How to understand them, or what to do with them.” She pulled out a box of nicotine patches from her purse.

“So you always say.” I glanced at the box in her hands while waiting for a red light to change. “Finally trying to quit?”

She strained against the confines of her seatbelt in an attempt to turn partially around. Fumbling with the waistband of her leggings, she peeled them down enough for me to see the milky white of her left butt cheek. I didn’t notice the clear patch until she hooked a long nail under the edge and removed it. I did notice that Jez enjoyed going commando.

“Try me, Alexa, just once. You’ll give up both of your men in a heartbeat. And yes, quitting again. Every time I turn around, Veryl’s wagging a finger in my face.” She slapped the new patch on to her ass and settled back in her seat.

My heart sped with an anxious beat. I’d heard her come on many times before, but she’d referred to both Shaz and Arys as my men.

“They are not both my men,” I said tersely.

The guy in the next lane revved his engine, and I recognized the truck with the girl from the parking lot. Not wanting to encourage him, I eased off and allowed him to race ahead. “And why do you put it on your ass? Does it absorb into your bloodstream any better?”

“Which one of them isn’t your man? Hmmm?” She winked a cat eye at me when I glanced her way. “No, it’s just a good place to keep it out of sight.”

I sighed. Technically, neither of them was mine but figuratively? I had to acknowledge the territorial claim I felt over each of them. I suck. I knew Shaz felt that Arys didn’t deserve any piece of me, but I felt that I didn’t deserve Shaz. He deserved so much more than what I could give him, but as long as he wanted me, I had no intention of cutting him loose.

I followed Golf Course Road through town towards Raoul’s neighborhood. I wanted to check out some of the alleys and side streets. Hopefully, we wouldn’t pass his Jaguar anywhere.

“If I were you,” Jez began, as she reclined her seat, “I’d enjoy it. Two fine looking creatures that want to ravage you, how can you go wrong?”

“One of those creatures is a self-absorbed vampire and the other is someone sensitive and sweet that I don’t want to hurt. This can blow up in my face, Jez. Stop thinking with your…” I realized what I’d been about to say and censored myself with a chuckle. She laughed, a musical sound like the tinkling of wind chimes. “What I meant is that the physical and especially metaphysical fun can lead to some real emotional distress. It already has.”

“Well, you have a very strong energy. Honestly, I’m surprised that you don’t have more power hungry wannabe lovers as it is.”

As Jez spoke, her eyes lit on me with a weight that I could feel. She studied me intensely for a long, drawn out moment, and I saw her lick her full red lips. I didn’t truly think Jez was into me. We’re friends first and foremost. The flirty “try me once and never go back” was a running joke she had with many of her straight lady friends. However, did I think she might be attracted to me as a power source? I did now.

“Well, one is more than enough. At least with Shaz, there’s a real foundation.” I huffed impatiently at the guy in front of me. Could he possibly turn any slower?

“I like him. He seems like a good guy. And Lord knows, you could use one.” She picked at one of her perfectly manicured nails, oblivious to the frown I wore.

Unsure if I should feel insulted or not, I said nothing. I scanned the streets and sidewalks, scrutinizing everyone we passed.