September Moon (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #8)(25)

Kale merely chuckled and rubbed his jaw. The bastard was definitely crazy. I didn’t trust him, not for a moment. But we both loved Jez, and we had to find her.

“Arys, keep your hands to yourself,” I said, stepping between them. “Kale, you shut up. All that matters right now is that Jez is ok. Until I know that, I don’t give a damn about anything else.”

Almost as if he knew it was the last thing I needed, Jenner chose that moment to saunter over. I did my best to shoot him down with a dirty look. He looked right through me.

His frozen gaze slid from Arys to Kale, then to me. There was a sliminess to his actions that struck me as snake-like. What was this bastard up to?

“Is there a problem?” Jenner asked. “Anything I can help with? I am here to serve my queen after all.”

The sarcastic venom that dripped from his words brought forth a dark part of me. I was immediately pissed. Before I could tell him off, he grabbed my hand so the power flashed between us.

My power recognized him instantly as mine. It linked us, burning with the heady rush of our bloodline. I turned quickly to look at him, finding a devilish smirk plastered on his face.

The shock and disgust on Kale’s face said it all. Jenner, ever the showman, was putting on this little display for Kale’s benefit. Evidently Arys had been sharing some of our personal business while he was away.

I jerked my hand away, and with a snap of my fingers, I flung Jenner across the room. He landed on one of my new tables and rolled onto the floor. Kale spun on a heel and headed for the door.

“Get Jenner out of my club,” I snarled at Arys. “I don’t know what kind of crap the two of you are trying to pull, but I don’t need it. Tell Shaz to catch a ride home with you. I’m going to look for Jez.”

Arys caught my arm, stopping me from following Kale. “I didn’t know he was going to do that. I’m sorry.”

“You told him about Kale. That’s none of his damn business. Is Jenner just here to make my final days miserable?”

“No, I promise you, he’s not. We need him.”

I pulled away, and this time Arys let me go. I cast an angry glare Jenner’s way. “I don’t need him. I have more than enough haters in this city already. Until he can prove useful, I don’t want to see him.”

“I’ll be at your place when you get home. We need to talk,” Arys called after me as I sprinted for the exit.

I ran through the parking lot, making a beeline for Kale’s car. The honk of a horn startled me as a car screeched to a stop to avoid hitting me. I waved in apology and continued on.

“Kale, wait,” I shouted. “I’m coming with you.”

He paused at his car and pulled keys from a pocket. “Don’t bother. I can find her on my own.”

“She’s our friend and our partner. I’m coming with you,” I insisted, stepping in front of the door before he could slide the key in.

Kale stepped back to avoid touching me. I took the opportunity to swipe the keys from his hand.

“Alexa, cut it out. Go back inside.”

“It’s not how Jenner made it look. He’s not quite my biggest fan. Please, let me explain.”

“So you’ve enslaved another vampire. What’s to explain?” He grabbed for the keys, but I deftly avoided his grab.

“It isn’t like that. Jenner made a lot of trouble for us in Las Vegas. Binding him to me was Arys’s way of punishing him for that. He’s only here to help. Then he goes back.” I unlocked the car door and slid across the driver’s seat to the passenger side. “Get in. Jez needs us.”

Kale stood there looking conflicted. Finally he uttered a curse and got into the car. I handed over the keys, which he took carefully so our hands wouldn’t touch.

It had been quite some time since I’d been in Kale’s car. It smelled like him. Leather and subtle cologne brought forth a flood of memories. I took a deep breath and stifled a sigh.

“You’re taking a big risk by being so close, you know,” he said. After starting the engine, Kale eased out of his parking spot. If he was hoping I would change my mind and jump out, he was going to be disappointed.

“Well, you’re not the one who’s going to kill me, remember? So what’s the problem? Afraid you’ll regret what you said last night?”

Kale slid a sidelong glance my way. His blue and brown eyes glittered with a mischievous light, one I recognized from every tense encounter we’d ever had. “I meant every word. It’s better for both of us if we keep our distance. You can’t argue that, and you know it.” He maneuvered the Camaro into traffic, heading south toward Jez’s side of the city.

His attention was on the road, allowing me a moment to enjoy looking at him. Kale held himself with the self-assurance of one who had survived many centuries. He was poised, regal in a way, and undeniably handsome.

“I miss you, Kale,” I said before I could decide not to. “I miss what we used to have. Our friendship. We made a great team.”

When he didn’t respond right away, I dug my phone out and tried Jez again. No use. My next call was to Juliet who I begged to help me out with a trace on Jez’s phone. She promised to do what she could and call me back if she found anything.

We left the downtown core bound for Jez’s trendy neighborhood. Her behavior had been wild lately. Grief was a bitch.