September Moon (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #8)(23)

The activity at The Wicked Kiss had always been excessive, but these days it was especially wild. Patrons were pushing the boundaries, breaking the rules. As I watched a couple dry humping on the dance floor, I shook my head and sighed. I still didn’t know what went on there while I’d been away in Vegas, but I was pretty sure Kale had hosted one hell of a party.

Before I could ponder ways to find out, a cool breeze flowed through me, and Arys walked in. In jeans and a t-shirt with that sexy black mess of hair, he made the world stop for just a second as all I saw was him. My heart stuttered, and my breath caught. Then I flew into action and dodged people as I tried to get to him.

Arys grabbed me in a hug that lifted me off my feet. A spark of light lit up the space around us as our power collided. Being in his arms, I felt safe and strong. How had I missed him so badly in just a few days?

When my feet touched the floor again, Arys tipped me back and planted one hell of a kiss on me. His lips moved on mine, commanding and passionate. Several sets of eyes were upon us, but I didn’t care. Damn I had missed him. I melted into his kiss. It was the perfect greeting, ruined only by the sarcastic observation that drew me out of the moment.

“And you say that I’m too dramatic for my own good,” said a familiar voice. “Really, Arys, you live for drama.”

I looked up to find Jenner standing there, watching us with absolute disdain. Average height and build, arms covered in tattoos, Jenner was a looker for sure. He was also one of my biggest haters and Arys’s brother through a shared sire. I hadn’t anticipated seeing him so soon after what had gone down between us in Vegas.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I blurted. “Don’t you have a city to protect?”

Jenner had taken over Las Vegas after the death of his sire, the previous ruler of the city. Arys had gone there with every intention of taking over, and to some extent we had. Leaving Jenner in charge in our absence had been our only choice. He hadn’t been too happy with the rules we’d made for him.

“I came to help. But hey, if I’m not welcome, I’ll happily grab a flight home.” Jenner’s ice-blue eyes flashed with annoyance. He pinned Arys with a fierce glare. “I told you she wouldn’t want me here.”

“Help?” I gaped at Jenner, then Arys. “Are you kidding me?”

“Alexa, you can’t afford to be picky. Jenner has power and the willingness to show loyalty to his bloodline. I’m sure you can find a way to make him feel welcome.” Arys’s deep-blue gaze sparkled with unspoken amusement. He seemed to be enjoying my surprise.

“How do we know we can trust him?” I cast a glance back at the bar where Willow and Shaz watched us with thinly veiled interest.

“You don’t,” Jenner said, moving in closer so he could really peer into my eyes. “You may not know it yet, but you need me. So I’ll pretend you didn’t greet me with such contempt and give you the chance to try again.”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I plastered a blank expression on my face. My tone was dull, forced, and as fake as my words. “Oh, Jenner, thank you for coming all this way to help out little old me. I can’t imagine what I would do without your giving nature to help me through this difficult time.”

“That’s more like it.” Jenner shoved past me, knocking me aside with his shoulder.

Power flared between us as the link we’d formed surfaced. It brought a scowl and a scoff from Jenner who quickly vacated my personal space. He walked through the room, scrutinizing everything before finally pausing at the bar to speak to Shaz. I watched him with growing suspicion.

“So what did you promise Jenner to get him to come?” I asked, flashing Arys a warning look. “And more importantly, why exactly do you feel it’s necessary for him to be here?”

“I promised him we would owe him a favor. We need him, Alexa. When everything goes down with Shya, a guy like Jenner can be vital. He’s our blood. He will strengthen us.” He pulled me close for another kiss. Knowing how to get a reaction out of me, he nibbled my lower lip. “Just try to play nice with Jenner until this all blows over. Well…not too nice, of course.”

I sighed, enjoying his teasing kisses. Then I gently pushed him back so I could search his intense gaze. “Arys, this isn’t going to blow over. Not until I’m dead.”

“Don’t talk like that.”

“It’s true. You saw it yourself. Don’t get all soft on me now. I don’t think you need Jenner’s help to kill me.” Putting up a tough front was the only way I could discuss it with him. Sometimes I thought I was ready to just get it all over with. Other times just the thought was enough to send me into a panic attack.

Arys winced as if I’d sliced him with the Dragon Claw rather than just words. “Don’t talk like that,” he hissed with a viciousness that scared me. “You’re not the only one living in fear of that moment. We are in this together. Trust me when I say we need Jenner here right now.” He paused to scan the room. “This isn’t the right place to talk about it.”

I stared stonily at him, feeling successfully rebuked. It wasn’t fair of me to take my worries out on him. “I’m sorry. I know this isn’t going to be easy on you either.”

All the talk of Shya and the scroll in recent weeks had resulted in either strained silence, violent arguments, or wild sex. Anything to keep from acknowledging the inevitable: my death was coming. No matter what role Shya played in that, Arys would be the one to kill me. He had seen it in a vision shown to him by a witch. But I had felt it deep within me long before I knew that. What made it hardest was that Arys wanted it. He desired my death. And he would have it.