Only Vampires Cry Blood (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #3)(53)

Jez’ words caused me to see Arys again in my mind. That visual of him and Harley in the Kiss, each of them feeding off that woman as they pleasured her, it was enough to make me ill. The worst of it was a part of me wanted to be in her place. I could barely admit it to myself, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to say it to Jez.

I splashed some cold water on my face, hoping it would bring me to my senses. It didn’t. I had to go back out there. I knew it, and so did he. If he gained the upper hand, it would be because I gave it to him. That couldn’t happen.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to draw strength from Jez’ supportive smile and exited the washroom. Arys’ spot at his table was empty. I should be so lucky. I almost breathed a sigh of relief, until his cold, dark power touched me a moment before he grabbed me from behind.

“What the f**k are you doing?” I tried to jerk away, but he held firmly onto my upper arm.

Jez glanced uncertainly from me to Arys, and I gave her a dismissive look so she didn’t feel obligated to hang around for this confrontation. She would have attempted to claw his eyes out if I’d asked it of her but maybe next time. She beat a hasty retreat back to our table, leaving me alone with the vampire that had changed everything for me.

“What? No kiss?” Arys asked, his smug grin stirring both positive and negative responses in me.

“You have a lot of f**king nerve,” I growled the words at him. I fought so hard to resist our power as it joined as one. Being one with him made it so much harder to feed the anger I held for him. “What game are you trying to play here, Arys? Because I am not in the mood.”

His grin slowly faded, and a shadow lurked behind his eyes. He let go of my arm, but I got the feeling he wasn't going to let me walk away. The desire to do so was fading, but thanks to the whiskey, my irritation was lively.

“I guess that’s for you to tell me, Alexa. You’re the one that started all of this.”

“Oh, here we go again.” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared. “Fuck that. I’m not wasting my breath arguing about this anymore. You got your way. Isn't that enough?”

His jaw clenched. I waited for him to dispute that. He was smart enough not to.

“I had my reasons, and you know that. I was worried about you. Why can't you accept that?”

“Don’t bother. I don't even want to talk about it. Now, you come in here all Joe Casual and act like nothing ever happened. Well you hurt me, Arys. You denied me something and got what you wanted. I don't think we have much more to say on the matter.”

“We have a lot more to say on it,” he snapped with a flash of fangs. “You made a deal with Harley. A deal that he still expects you to hold to. You promised him blood for answers, and he wants it.”

I was shocked. In my mind, that deal was a total wash. I never expected Harley to assume otherwise.

“What? Fuck that! After your temper tantrum in the parking lot, I didn't think there was a deal anymore.” Narrowing my eyes, I added, “I assumed I wasn't allowed to follow through with that.”

He rolled his eyes at me and swore. I took pleasure in his anger. I wanted him to be as upset as I was.

“You made the deal with him, not me. I just protested it.” Arys ran a hand through his messy black hair, and that simple action alerted me to how deeply all of this affected him. His jittery energy was also a pretty clear tip.

“That was a protest?” I scoffed. “Oh my, well to me it looked like you were in bed with the very man you want me to stay away from, along with another woman. Perhaps I don't recall correctly.”

There, it was out. My cheeks burned, and my temper flared. Our power reacted to my fury, growing hot and violent. I concentrated on breathing. I had to maintain control. This was a public place, and things could get ugly fast if I lost it.

Arys visibly shook with the effort it took him to restrain his own reaction to the rage in our shared power. “Calm the f**k down, Alexa. We can deal with this rationally.”

“Oh really?” There was no stopping me now that I was fired up. The whiskey only fueled my anger. “Rational like you did? I didn't find your reaction to be so f**king rational, Arys.”

“I didn't f**k them if that’s what you think,” he said, his voice soft despite the power blazing through each of us. “It was just a little power and blood play. Nothing more.”

What more was there? I felt sick. I flashed back to a time several months ago where I'd told Shaz my relationship with Arys wasn't about emotion but about power. He’d looked at me as if I’d grown two heads. Now, I knew exactly how he'd felt.

I took an unconscious step back from Arys, needing to put space between us. My head spun, and I couldn't tell if it was from the booze, the power or both.

“Power and blood … that’s what it’s always about.” I struggled to get the words out.

The urge to flee him gripped me. “Why don't you just go back to Harley and play then?

You looked right at home there anyway.”

Arys’ temper flared then, and he stepped forward to grab me by both arms, dragging me so close our bodies touched. He growled down into my face, his lips just barely brushing mine.

“Say what you will, but don’t you dare deny that you didn’t want to be part of what you saw there that night. Why else would you throw yourself at Kale for a little nip and play?”