September Moon (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #8)(28)

“I don’t know, Gabriel,” I said, tapping clawed fingertips on the wall beside his head. “You tell me. You’re the one who can see shit that hasn’t happened yet. How bad can it be?”

“That’s right. I see many things. For a woman who has such little time left with a heartbeat, you seem to be wasting a lot of it on me.” Gabriel’s fear had faded. Now he was ready to fight.

I released him and stepped back, watching as he shoved past Kale and disappeared into the throng. There was no sense letting him get to me. Easier said than done.

Kale spied my crestfallen face. “Hey, don’t listen to the kid. He’s on puppet strings held by a demon. You can’t trust anything he says.”

Having Kale feel bad for me didn’t help. If anything, it made it worse. I shrugged. “Forget it. Let’s go get Jez.”

Finding the fire exit at the back of the building was easy enough. Right beside it was a staff door that opened into a staircase. We followed the stairs up to a small second floor that was pretty much just an attic. It appeared to be a backstage area for the musicians. Guitars and amps lined the wall. A drum set sat in the corner. A large sectional couch took up another corner. It was occupied by two guys rolling a joint on the coffee table.

They both looked up at our approach. One of them went right back to busting up his weed, ignoring us completely. The second, a young guy with a bleached blond Mohawk watched us with curiosity in his bloodshot eyes.

“We’re looking for a friend,” I said. “Her name is Jez. She’s tall, feisty, long golden hair. Have you seen her?”

I barely finished speaking when I sensed her. Kale was already striding across the room to a closed door on the opposite side. Muffled voices could be heard from inside along with the sound of an acoustic guitar.

Kale burst through the door with me hot on his heels. The people inside barely looked up. They were too immersed in the party going on. This second room was smaller with a large mirror on one side and vanity space for rockers to get ready before a show. About a dozen people were crammed onto the one small couch and two easy chairs in the center. Others sat on the floor, passing a joint.

Jez was squeezed in on the couch. With a rolled up twenty in hand, she leaned over a tray of powder cut into thin white lines.

My jaw dropped. I blinked a few times, unable to believe what I was seeing. Kale didn’t share my hesitation. He surged forward, shoving through anyone in the way. He grabbed her arm, almost upsetting the tray, which was saved by the person next to her. Kale literally dragged her off the couch.

She was a mess. Her hair was unkempt, and makeup smears lined her red-rimmed eyes. She looked at me as if she couldn’t decide if I was real or not. Then her gaze traveled over Kale, and she swore.

“What the hell are you guys doing here?” She stumbled along beside Kale, trying to pull away but too f*cked up to succeed.

“What does it look like? Dragging your drugged-up ass out of here.” I was fuming, but I was also scared. Never had I seen Jez in such rough shape.

“I’m not ready to leave.” She slapped at Kale, but it was a futile attempt. “Just go home and leave me alone. Please.”

“We’re not leaving without you.” Kale’s tone was hard, but his eyes gleamed with a softness I only saw when he looked at Jez. He was worried too.

Jez struggled with Kale as he dragged her from the room. Just the one person who was not entirely human bothered to get involved.

“What’s going on here?” The guy sauntered over to me with a cocky sneer. He smelled human, but something about his energy convinced me there was more to him. It was vague though, hard to place. Definitely something I’d never encountered before. Whatever it was, it felt dark.

“Save it,” I snapped. “I don’t know who you are; I don’t really care. Jez is my friend, and she’s leaving here with me. Don’t get involved.”

“Or what?” He challenged. “I’m Arrow, by the way. Jez is a friend of mine too. If she doesn’t want to go with you, she doesn’t have to.”

“A friend?” I scoffed. “Really? What’s her last name?”

Arrow smiled and shook his head. There was something serpentine in his dark-hazel eyes. Chains hung from his tight black leather pants. He wore a t-shirt with an upside down pentagram and a knit hat with a Dead Kennedys patch. He had about as much eyeliner smeared around his eyes as Jez did, but I think his was on purpose. With long ebony hair that fell almost to his shoulders, Arrow was sexy in a slimy rocker guy kind of way.

He got up in my face, boldly pressing in close. He spoke low, so he wouldn’t be overheard. “You’re not welcome here, vampire bitch. So why don’t you take off and stop crashing our party?”

A few of the others present watched us with mild interest while the rest continued to snort coke and God only knows what else. I glanced at Kale who stood in the doorway with Jez tightly in his grasp. Kale looked at Arrow, then me and nodded.

I grinned into Arrow’s smug face. “I don’t know what you are, but I know you’ve got a heartbeat, and I’m guessing you bleed too. We are leaving. With Jez. Come at me again, and I’ll tear your f*cking throat open.”

Exposing myself to everyone as something other than human wasn’t my intent. So instead of a grand display of power, I opted for something more subtle. A push of force strong enough to crush the air from Arrow’s lungs and double him over without laying him out flat. Then I shoved him aside and followed my friends out.