Only Vampires Cry Blood (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #3)(32)

Our joined hands provided the link I needed. I'd hurt Harley before. I could have killed him if Arys hadn't stopped me. He trusted me, too. The knowledge was sobering.

Focusing on our physical connection, I pushed power into him with the intent to hurt, just enough juice to warn him that I wasn't a willing victim. I wasn't there to play.

He reacted by jerking me hard against him so that I stumbled. My legs were like jelly. I was surprised that they held me at all. The sharp points of his teeth pressed into my flesh, and I waited for that second when they would plunge through the surface. With a groan, Harley gave me a push, releasing me entirely.

“Go on, Alexa. Get out of here now before I do something you'll regret later.” His eyes were wild and solid black. “Next time you come, don't make the same mistake. You weaken yourself and affect the will of every metaphysical being around you by doing so.

And God, how I ache to hurt you right now.”

Harley was as unpredictable as a rabid dog. I knew that, so I ignored the wicked voice in my head that wanted to dare him to try to hurt me. His power was so much like Arys' and my own, yet it wasn't. His wasn't a part of me. We weren't bound. It was like the slightest taste of forbidden candy; how could I not want more?

Taunting him into losing control was the last thing my rational mind wanted. The rest of me could just shut up and suffer. I had learned something in my brief visit. My own physical state was directly tied to the metaphysical. And, it could affect others. That could be useful if I could manipulate it at will. It was something I certainly planned to keep in mind.

Harley stepped away from the door, crossing to the farthest side of the room. I hadn't been aware of the extent of the effect I was having on him. I should have though. Kale’s hungry, needy power called the same way to me. It was dreadfully hard to resist.

I refused to think of anything else but putting one foot in front of the other. The sound of the blood pulsing through me was loud in my ears. I threw my energy into blocking out the tantalizing energy coming from each closed door that I passed. Maybe doing this in a vampire bar was a bad idea. Then again, maybe The Kiss was the perfect place to gain the stronghold I needed.

No sooner had I stepped outside into the crisp night air than I felt the cool presence I'd know anywhere. I fought the urge to glance around. I kept moving, each step bringing me closer to my car.

There he was, leaning against my Charger, arms crossed and absolute fury all over his perfect face. Arys looked up expectantly at my approach. His eyes brimmed with rage and something else … pain. I was speechless when he said, “I hope it was worth it.”

Chapter Eight

“Arys, I-,”

“Don't try to explain this away! You knew how I felt about you coming here, and you didn't give a damn.” He shoved away from the car so that he stood close enough to touch. I had to crane my neck to look up at him. “I never thought that you were this selfish.”

My mouth dropped open, and my temper began to simmer. I was many things, and selfish may be one of them at times. But, who the hell was he to talk?

“That's not fair,” I replied, struggling to keep my voice calm. If we both got yelling, it would get out of control fast. “I came to you, Arys! I told you what I needed. I'm trying to find a way to live with myself, with your power running around inside me, trying to control everything I feel and do. Why can't you understand that?”

“And why can't you understand why just the thought of you being here with him terrifies me so much?” He shouted the words at me, and I took a step back. He didn't like that, and he closed the space I'd made by grabbing my upper arms.

Arys' energy was pushed to the breaking point along with his temper. It scalded me both inside and out at his touch. My wolf went on full alert, and suddenly I was growling up at him with eyes blazing and fangs bared. Clawed fingers prevented me from forming fists to clock him one.

“Maybe we don’t quite understand one another here, but losing it isn't going to help.”

I tried again for some kind of rationale despite my wolf's territorial desire to claw his eyes out. “Can you just back off and calm down?”

“No.” He shook his head vehemently. “Not until you abandon this dumb ass idea of consorting with Harley.”

I was positively infuriated. Nobody had ever gotten away with speaking to me like this, except for Raoul. The thought made me livid. I tried to shake him off, but Arys held tight. It almost hurt.

“I am not consorting with him! How the hell can you say that to me?”

“I know him, Alexa! He doesn't do anything without getting something in return.

What did you promise him?” Arys' voice dropped low with menace, instilling fear deep in me. “Sharing you with the wolf pup is one thing. I know he's your other half. But, Harley is my past and my business. You don't want to do this.”

My body vibrated with the overwhelming power as our two individual energies combined the way it only could with Arys. That was not something I was prepared to deal with.

“I'm not stupid enough to make promises to a fiend like him. Give me a little credit.

All he wants is extra firepower if he gets himself in any trouble. I told him that I'm not doing anything I don't agree with. Now could you calm the f**k down?”

With my words came a flash of power that knocked Arys back a step, breaking his hold on me. I wasn't so caught up in my defensive anger to miss the fact that I was immensely stronger with him than when we were apart.