Only Vampires Cry Blood (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #3)(54)

I was stunned. My mouth went dry, and my mind blank. Arys glanced at the faded mark on my neck from Kale’s bite and waited expectantly. I couldn't form words.

When at last I could spit something out, it sounded feeble. “I needed you, and he was there. It was a poor attempt at seeking comfort. I don't know what I was thinking.”

“Sure. Whatever you need to tell yourself. You wanted it, whether it was him or me, you wanted it.”

I thought back to that night. I’d been hurting, but I had also been aching for that all consuming feeling of being touched by a vampire. Arys’ betrayal had caused that ache, and he couldn't convince me otherwise.

“I needed you,” I repeated. “You shut me out. I felt abandoned. Don’t twist this.”

Before Arys could reply, the air rippled with the energy of an Alpha wolf ready for a fight. Shaz appeared at our side, his eyes all wolf. My alarm grew when I took in his feisty energy.

“Are you ok, Lex?” Shaz didn't bother to look at Arys. His eyes were focused on me, the way the vampire held me immobile.

Arys bared fangs at Shaz but said nothing. I nodded quickly, terrified that if I didn't convince him I was ok, things would get ugly fast. “I’m fine. Please, Shaz, don’t worry.

We’re just talking.”

“Yeah,” Arys added. “Just chatting it out, pup. No need to get all snarly and ready to attack.”

“Fuck you,” Shaz spat the words at Arys. He was looking for a fight. “If you f**k with Alexa, you f**k with me.”

Arys’ smile was cold and pure evil. “My pleasure, wolf.”

“No! None of this shit today!” I jerked away from Arys so hard his nails left deep scratches in my arms. “No male pissing contests over this shit. I’m sick of it.”

“Alexa,” Shaz said softly, reaching for me. I stepped out of reach, my mind swirling with confusion.

Arys stood there with his fists clenched. The power emanating from him was running high with the need to spill blood. I felt it, too. Instead of feeding it further, I turned my back on both of them and walked out.

The difference between the two of them was apparent when Arys that caught up to me in the parking lot. Shaz knew when to let me be. He respected my need for time alone. Arys couldn't swallow his pride long enough to let me walk away from him.

“So that’s it?” He shouted, blocking my way. “You just get pissy and walk away?”

It was damn hard not to blast him with a shot of power. I was beyond infuriated.

“You walked away from me first, outside the Kiss. Remember? How does it feel?”

“That was different.” He took a step to block me when I moved to dodge him.

“Of course it was. Because it was you. Run back to your master and tell him I won’t be holding up any deal. You can both burn in hell for all I care.” I didn't mean it. As the words passed my lips I regretted them, but I was mad and couldn't let myself care in the moment.

Pain flashed through Arys’ eyes, but the icy, evil gaze he often wore when he killed quickly replaced it. I suddenly ached to touch him, to kiss him and tell him I didn’t mean it.

“Arys, I-,”

“Don’t!” He interrupted, holding his hands up so that I wouldn't touch him. “Just f**king forget it. Forget everything.”

Everything? What the hell did that mean? “Everything? Don’t be delusional, Arys.

We are bonded until death. So unless you plan to kill me twice, don't say shit like that.”

The glare he turned on me then froze me right to the tips of my toes. The blood drained from my face, and I was truly afraid of him then. Maybe that had been the wrong thing to say. I recalled his thought then, the one that he’d projected to me about how he desired my death.

I was chilled to the bone, knowing that he was thinking about that very thing, too.

After everything, would Arys be the one to kill me?

The silence grew thick with tension as I waited for him to either speak or attack.

After a long drawn out few minutes, he gave an exasperated sigh. “You know that would likely result in the death of both of us, which right now, is very tempting. Look, I went to Harley because I needed to know what he really had in store for you. Though it may not have looked that way, my actions were to protect you. You made a deal with the devil, Alexa, and he won’t let you get out of it. Be careful.”

I shook my head, trying to grasp what he was saying. “I don't understand why you had to take a trip down memory lane. I'm sorry, I don’t, and I doubt I ever will. You claim to hate Harley so much, but I know that’s not true. You can’t have both of us.”

“Coming from the woman that has two lovers, that’s a pretty hypocritical stand to take,” Arys said as the air crackled all around us with unused power.

“Is that what you want?” I asked because I needed to, not because I really wanted to know. “To resume your relationship with Harley?”

“No.” His answer was firm. I wanted to believe him. “You don't seem to realize that I’m caught in the middle, torn between the two of you. Maybe he can't blood bond you now, but he can do many other things. He’s manipulative, and he hasn’t hung around town this long without a good reason.”

“I want to drive him out,” I said, hoping the admittance wouldn’t come back to bite me in the ass. “Since he came, things have gone from weird to seriously f**ked up. He has to go.”