Only Vampires Cry Blood (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #3)(16)

“Let's go before I chicken out and change my mind.” I opened the door of the Camaro and got out, gazing at the large, dark nightclub across the street.

When would Harley sense me? Did he already know I was here? A flurry of questions seared my thoughts, antagonizing myself with doubt. Maybe this was just too stupid for words, and I should leave before something happened that I would regret.

We were halfway across the street when Kale asked, “Where is Arys tonight? He wouldn't come here, would he?”

His question got my heart racing even though I knew the answer. “No. He'd never come here. At least, I hope to God he wouldn't. And anyway, I would sense him instantly.”

“Then he would also sense you. No?”

Once we stood in front of the all-you-can-drink vampire club, I stopped and fixed Kale with the best evil eye I could muster. “Why the hell are you trying so hard to change my mind? You're the one that offered to come. Do you know how damn hard it was to keep Shaz from coming? If he doesn't hear from me within an hour, he's on his way. We have to do this fast. So what's your deal, Kale? You don't have to do this. I can go alone.”

“Like hell you will.” He looked down at me from his much taller frame, his eyes penetrating deep. I began to feel uncomfortable when I caught the unmistakable gleam of something disturbing in his gaze. Emotion.

Turning away suddenly, he stalked ahead of me, leading the way to the back of the club. “I just don't want to see you get hurt, Alexa, physically or otherwise. You mean a lot to me. Take that however you like. Let's get this over with.”

I stared after him, completely dumbfounded. Um, what? I hurried after him, trying to make sense of what I'd just heard. So, maybe I'd like to play with Kale on a metaphysical level but that was strictly driven by urges I'd obtained through Arys. Yeah, that was my story, and I was clinging to it. So, what was Kale's excuse?

I cared for Kale as I cared for any of my friends. Yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that, despite the talk we'd had a few months back, he was developing feelings for me, feelings that had nothing to do with vampire instincts and power cravings. Was I wrong on that? I hoped so.

Pausing at the back door, Kale waited for my nod before pulling it open. Despite shielding hard, the eerie energy inside was strong enough to send a shiver down my spine. My stomach dropped, and I swallowed back a wave of nausea. Damn, I was nervous.

We entered a long hallway that stretched out ahead. Either side was lined with numbered doors, much like the hallway of an apartment building. I'd only been there twice in the past, but I'd never forget the place.

The front of the building was a regular nightclub, or as regular as it could possibly be. It looked like a regular bar, but it was mainly a place for donors to get snapped up by hungry vampires. The back was where all of the action happened. I'd naïvely believed the place was running on a give and take procedure. I should have known better. Vampires are rarely satisfied with a taste. There was more going on here than most would have ever guessed.

“I wonder where he is,” I whispered as we made our way quietly down the hall.

One of these rooms was Kale's. I'd had to drag him out of here once, after his break up with Kylarai. He'd taken it hard and had come here for days to drown his sorrows in a three-day blood and sex fest. I could have happily lived without seeing that side of him.

The fact that he bit me that night didn't help either.

“What if he's not here? Then what?”

I looked at Kale with horror. I hadn't considered that. “Well … then I'll leave a message for him.”

We came to the halfway point in the hall where it opened into a small foyer. The door leading to the bar was on one side. The rest of the foyer was mainly a seating area with a few human objects like a water cooler and cigarette machine.

I stopped and dropped my shields. Others could sense me much easier, but I needed to find him. Closing my eyes, I thought of that butterscotch sweet energy, letting the memory enfold me. Then, I felt him. He was in the club alright. In fact, if I wasn't mistaken, he was coming our way.

“He's coming!” I took a few steps away from the door leading to the club. He had to have felt me by now.

“Your heart is pounding so hard, I can hear it.” Kale nudged me, moving to stand closer. “Relax.”

I took a deep breath as dizzying adrenaline flooded me. The door before us opened, and it took all of my strength not to instinctively throw up an energy barrier around Kale and me. I couldn't tap any power unless Harley gave me a reason. Being the first to do so wouldn't go over well, not if I wanted to walk out of there alive.

Harley Kayson strode through the door with a grin on his handsome face and a tall blonde at his side. Our eyes met, and my insides shriveled. He looked much too happy to see me. Here we go.

“Alexa O'Brien. I thought I sensed your delicious presence.” Stopping a few feet away, Harley made an obvious show of looking me up and down. “Most definitely surprising. Please tell me that it's pleasure that brings you here rather than business.”

I couldn't help the memory that surfaced at the sound of his voice. I could still feel the sensation of his fangs buried inside me. My cheeks grew hot. I had hated myself for responding to him without resistance. The last time I'd seen him, he was on his knees pleading with Arys, for me.