September Moon (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #8)(48)

Ignoring my accusation, he continued as if I hadn’t spoken at all. “You’re both at your most powerful when together. So why would either of you be stupid enough to run the risk of being caught without the other? Seems a tad careless to me.”

That triggered my defenses. My beast came snarling up to peer out at him, making my eyes solid wolf. I bared fangs, fighting back the surge of panic that sent adrenaline slamming through my veins.

“What kind of f*cking game are you playing here?” I demanded.

Willow stood stiffly, appearing unruffled. His outward calm was authentic, but he could snap in a heartbeat. I’d seen it.

“Settle down, Hound.” Falon feigned a yawn of boredom. “You can’t hurt me. And it would kill you to even really try.”

“You really enjoy the sound of your own voice, don’t you?” Willow asked with a snap of wings. His magnificent silver wings spanned most of the room. He was at my side, ready to fend off the * angel.

“Well, yes. I amuse myself. Take it easy, Willow.”

I did hurl a chunk of broken desk at Falon then. My clawed fingernails dug into the wood as I snatched it up and let it fly. He raised a hand, and it exploded into millions of sawdust-size pieces.

“That was rude,” he quipped. “And to think I came to tell you that Shya has your vampires. Would it really kill you to show a little gratitude?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” A sick feeling developed in the pit of my stomach.

Falon spun on a boot heel and walked away. He strode down the lengthy hall toward the door. “Shya wants Arys to turn Gabriel. Tonight. A deal is a deal after all, right?”

With a growl, I hurried after him. “Wait,” I cried. “Why are you telling me this?” I almost plowed into Falon’s back when he stopped abruptly. I jerked to a halt as he turned to me with a dark look.

“Because as little as I care about vampires, there are certain people walking this earth who should never be one. Gabriel is one of them.”

Shya had forced Arys into a deal. The demon saved my life, and in exchange Arys had promised to turn Gabriel. Shya wanted to pair the power of Arys’s bloodline with the dark magic already flowing through the kid, in essence, creating his own black magic monster.

“For the first and probably only time ever, I actually agree with you,” I confessed, having mixed feelings about agreeing with Falon on anything. “But what am I supposed to do about it?”

“I don’t know,” Falon said with a shrug. “Be a hero. Show up. Save the day. That kind of crap. Isn’t that supposed to be your thing? I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

Like so many times before this, I wanted to bitch slap the arrogant fallen angel. His snarky tone and derogatory stare really got my wolf riled up. “You could be trying to lure me there so Shya doesn’t have to drag me kicking and screaming. This could just be a ploy to have me walk into a trap willingly.” I searched him for a lie, but it was impossible to tell with him.

Rolling his eyes, Falon sighed dramatically. “What fun would that be? I’d much rather see you kicking and screaming.”

I looked from one angel to the other. “Why tell me this and risk pissing off Shya?”

Falon reached out and gave me a pat on the head, like one would a small puppy. “There, there, little wolf. Don’t strain yourself trying to figure me out. Save your energy. You’re going to need it.”

He turned away, and I grabbed for him with a desperation I hadn’t known I possessed. I clutched nothing but air as he easily avoided my grasp.

“How did you find me?” I settled for the simplest question of the many storming through my head.

“I’ve been following you since you left your nightclub to come here. I wanted to see where you were headed before I revealed myself.” A creepy chuckle accompanied his admission.

“Falon, you really suck, you know that? How do I know you’re telling the truth?” I would never trust Falon. Everything he said and did was to serve a purpose, usually his own. Even his role as Shya’s second was suspicious.

“They’re at Shya’s house. Go and see for yourself.”

Before I could grill Falon further, he opened the door and swept out of the building with supernatural grace. He vanished from one step to the next.

Closing my eyes, I reached out to Arys, opening the mental door between us. My thoughts formed a question, and I waited impatiently for a response. There was resistance. Arys didn’t want to let me in.

‘It’s not a good time, Alexa.’ Uncertainty laced Arys’s thoughts. ‘Stay with Willow. I’ll come to you as soon as I can.’

He shut me out before I could slam him with my protests. I’d done it to him as well, though that never made it any easier to have it done to me. It made me feel powerless and isolated.

I turned to Willow, feeling the color drain from my face. “I have to go to Shya’s.”

Willow nodded and gestured for me to exit first. “Let’s go.”

“How?” I shouted when we were in the car. I needed to vent out some of the built up emotion testing my limits. “How can he know that stuff? Do you think he’s lying?”

There was a loud honk from the car behind me as I slid into his lane a little closer than intended. I didn’t doubt that a middle finger had accompanied that horn. But I wasn’t paying attention to stuff like that. I needed to get to Shya’s. His house was outside the city, far enough that nobody could hear the inevitable screams. It was a sprawling modern manor with a backyard pool and way too much white décor. I hated it.