September Moon (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #8)(56)

“Is that what you think?” I sputtered. “That I’m pissed off? I am so much more than that. You sold me out in front of Shya. You allowed us to be divided, and you humiliated me. I’m not just pissed; I’m hurt.”

The truth hung between us. The atmosphere was thick with pent up energy seeking an outlet. I vibrated with the strength it took to keep from releasing the force I held.

Arys’s face fell. “I had to. Don’t think for a moment that it was easy to do that to you. I didn’t want you to see any of that. When you showed up, I knew I had to make Shya believe we could be divided. The best way to do that was to make you think so.”

I couldn’t believe this. The way he had looked at me at Shya’s, so stone cold, it hadn’t felt like an act. “Well, call the f*cking academy. That was an award winning performance. But you did divide us. I needed you to back me, and you didn’t. So it wasn’t just an act, Arys. It was a betrayal.”

“No, it wasn’t. I did it for us. Shya needs to underestimate us. If he thinks we’re falling apart, he’ll let his guard down.” Arys approached quickly, backing me up against the dresser. With a hand beneath my chin, he tipped my gaze up to his. “It had to be real. So it was. You’ve got to understand.”

I shook my head and pressed my lips together. It was the only way to keep myself from telling him to go to hell. I pushed him away, but he held tight to my arms, refusing to be budged.

“We went to Vegas with a united front,” I ground out between gritted teeth. “We agreed to present that same united front to our city, to the vampires and the wolves. Then as soon as we need to show that to Shya, you abandon me. That’s what I understand.”

“It wasn’t like that. You’re not even trying to see this from my side.” Arys’s fingers tightened, digging into my skin, and his eyes flashed wolf for just a moment.

“Let go of me.”

“Not until you calm down and discuss this reasonably.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down.” My shout echoed in the room, hurting my ears. “Nothing you say is going to take back what happened tonight. You think that you played him, but you walked right into his trap. You turned on me while he watched. That was real.” My wolf rose up to stare out at him, issuing a silent challenge. I wished he would leave so I could fall apart by myself.

Rage tinted the power flowing between us with a dark vibe. It hovered there, so close, almost palpable, our inevitable self-destruction. For the briefest of moments, I wanted it, if only for this agony to end.

“Alexa, don’t.” There was such bitterness in those two words. Arys trembled under the weight of the force thundering through us. “Don’t push me away. I won’t let you do that again.”

“You won’t let me?” The dark side of our bond was in control now. It whispered in my ear, a violent demand that I made sure he knew that no man controlled me. I was the dark queen here, and I would make him remember that. “You think that Shya controls me? What about you? I am done with your ego making decisions for me.”

With a push of power, I reached out to drape him in my thrall. Oozing an intoxicating cocktail of seduction and malevolence, I attacked Arys by using his own greatest strength against him. Because our shared power was a double-edged sword, I could use it on him with ease. His eyes widened as he realized my intent.

“What’s wrong, Arys?” I asked with the same stone cold stare he’d given me at Shya’s. “You don’t like it when I push back?”

He didn’t fall as easily under my spell as Kale and Jenner, but he did fall. I saw it in his eyes. His pupils dilated, and his grip on me softened. A wicked smile stole over him. “Like it? Hell, I f*cking love it,” Arys murmured, leaning in to kiss me.

The sound of my hand slapping his face was loud in the sudden quiet. My palm stung, and I stared in shock, having surprised myself. Before I could overthink it, I shoved back with both my hands and my power.

Arys was ready for it, and he countered with a push of energy that hurt even as it taunted my desire. We were too evenly matched. Being a vampire gave him an advantage though. He could channel more than I could because of my mortal limits. That would change soon enough.

Frustration spurred me forward. I let loose with a flurry of hits that he did a great job of blocking. Except for the last one that landed with the smack of flesh hitting flesh.

His head snapped sideways, and I leaped back out of reach. A low chuckle came from him. Arys turned to face me, grinning as he wiped a drop of blood from his lip.

“You know how this ends just as well as I do,” he said with a nod toward the bed. A sinful glint in his eyes revealed the monster within him. The darkness driving him was strong, called forth by our mutual wrath.

It was impossible to maintain a level of rationale with that force thrumming through me. Arys’s cocky comment didn’t help.

“Not this time,” I snapped. “Not after what you did. It will be a cold day in hell before I pretend that didn’t happen.” I shook with rage. I was all fangs and claws, wanting so badly to take a swipe at him.

His twisted amusement faded, replaced by a deadly glare. “Get over it, Alexa. I did what I had to do. And I’m not sorry.”

That did it. I snapped. I launched myself at Arys with an angry growl. Anticipating my temper, he braced for the attack. He caught me with a growl of his own and wrestled me to the floor. The echo of my beast shone in his eyes. Despite my struggles, he managed to pin my arms to my sides and bare my throat.