September Moon (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #8)(5)

“We were friends,” he said. “And then we were more. And now we need to be as close to nothing as possible. It’s best for both of us. Think about it.”

“No.” I shook my head vigorously and jerked my hand away. It was too tempting to use the influence I held over him to manipulate the situation. “I don’t want to think about it. Nothing you say can convince me that we should act like strangers.”

“What about Arys? Or Shaz? Can they convince you? Because I’m willing to bet they would agree with me.” He raised a dark brow in a silent challenge.

Fury slammed into me like a Mack truck. My face grew hot, and I had to think carefully so I didn’t spit out the first obscenity to hit my tongue. “Did you seriously just try to use Arys against me? That is so shady. I get that you’re having some issues of your own right now, but don’t ever use Arys against me. That’s bullshit.”

Kale shrugged and stood. “We need a break, Alexa. I’m sorry you don’t agree. If you can’t accept that you need it, then accept that I do. I will love you until I cease to exist. But this—” He waved his hand between us. “This is wrong. And we both know it.”

I slumped in my seat. Like a stubborn child, I crossed my arms and glared, refusing to agree when I knew damn well he was right.

We stared at each other, each of us seeing the path that we could have taken, the one he was willing to walk if only I would join him. The one I couldn’t walk without turning my back on everything I shared with Arys. I had left Kale no choice.

“Whatever, Kale,” I said flippantly, refusing to let the sharp pain show on my face. One thing I had learned in Vegas was a good poker face. It was handy now. “Do what you need to do.”

The sudden onslaught of rage that burst from him was overwhelming. He pounded a fist on my new table before leaning in so close our noses almost touched. “You are the one who turned your back on me,” he shouted. “You, Alexa, are the one who made me yours and then left me hanging, aching for you while you spend your days in another man’s bed. You put me under your spell and walked away. Don’t act so surprised that it’s come to this.”

His anger fueled my own, and I came up out of the booth with a blazing fury. “Don’t you f*cking dare say I walked away. I want you in ways I can’t even begin to describe. The effort it takes for me to resist everything I want to do to you is f*cking unbearable sometimes. Don’t for a second think you’re the only one who suffers. Even after what you did to me, I still f*cking love you.”

Kale froze. He was clearly at a loss for words. He backed away a few steps, and it took all of my strength not to reach for him. He ran a hand through his dark hair and hung his head. When he looked at me again there was sorrow shining in his beautiful, mismatched eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he said so softly I barely heard him in the noisy din of the nightclub. “As long as this desire burns between us, there will always be pain. Maybe we can’t put out the fire, but we can stop feeding the flames.”

He turned his back on me and walked away before I could argue. It was just as well. I had nothing to say to that. I sat back down in the booth, shaky and emotional. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to cry, scream, or throw things.

Kale went to the bar and joined Jez. She glanced over at me before turning back to him. She sat in Willow’s usual spot, and I wondered where he was tonight.

My phone vibrated again, and I quickly dug it out of my bag. It was my sister. Our relationship was still on rocky ground, and though we were slowly reconnecting, it wasn’t like her to call me repeatedly without a damn good reason.

“What’s up, Juliet?”

I grabbed my bag and headed for the door in search of quiet. I swept through the lobby, squeezing through the small crowd waiting to get in. With a nod to Justin, my most trusted security guy, I escaped into the parking lot.

“I’ve got a bit of a situation I’d like you to take a look at. Would you mind coming by?”

She gave me the address of a familiar park on the north side of town. I glanced back at The Wicked Kiss, wondering if I should grab Jez. I opted to leave her with Kale. They needed some time together.

Borden Park was empty other than the small crew of FPA agents gathered around a body. The dead grass crunched under my feet as I crossed over to them. Apprehension gripped me as I anticipated what I was about to see.

Juliet stepped away from the others, greeting me with a quick hug. She smelled of wolf and perfume, but most importantly, she smelled like family. I savored those few precious seconds.

“Thanks for coming,” she said with a smile that hardly covered her frown. “It’s pretty rare that we see a public kill like this. It looks like a typical vampire kill. I wanted to see what you think. Maybe you’ll have an idea why they would do this.”

Tossing her dark curls, Juliet turned back to the crime scene. She didn’t fit in with the other agents. They were all clad in dark suits while she stood out like a bad ass in jeans and a cropped leather jacket.

A light shone onto the body, illuminating it in a ghastly fluorescent glow. The first thing my brain processed was the colors: blonde, red, black. The dead woman was wearing security guard attire. She’d likely been jumped while on the job. Her wide eyes stared beyond us to something horrific that no longer existed in the here and now. Flecks of blood painted her short blonde hair in grisly shades of crimson.