Smashed (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #8.5)(16)

Mimicking his posture, I leaned against the bar and crossed my arms. “The FPA has been tracking your activity. Juliet knows that Alexa has been killing. Anything you’d like to say about that?”

Sinclair didn’t budge, but the guilt was in his gaze. “I don’t owe you an explanation for anything. I’m not sure what you’re trying to achieve by coming here. Are you just checking up on Alexa, or is this something else?”

He didn’t trust me, nor should he. I was ready to hurt him the first time he bit Alexa. Then came their one night together, and I was overcome with the desire to kill him. That didn’t even include his attempt to rape and kill her, and though Alexa blamed the FPA building for bringing out the worst in him that night, I knew the building could only bring out the truth that lay buried inside. I knew because it had done it to me too.

My temper flared. I clenched and unclenched my jaw while telling myself that I was capable of having this conversation without tearing his head off his shoulders.

“Last night I stood beside your victims with Juliet O’Brien promising me that she would hunt Alexa if the public kills don’t stop. Juliet’s pinning it on the rebel vamps, but that will only buy Alexa so much time. Don’t stand there and tell me you don’t owe me an explanation. You can go off the deep end if you want to, Kale, but you have no right to take Alexa with you.”

The first hint of anger seeped from him. A scowl twisted his face into a mask of derision. “You are so transparent,” he mused with bitter laughter. “You made her a killer, and yet I’m the one to blame when she kills. How very convenient for you, Arys. Does that self-righteous attitude make it possible for you to live with yourself?”

He flung that barb with precision. It stung. I smiled. Moving swiftly, I grabbed Sinclair and dragged him close. Glaring into his face, I snarled, “Are you f*cking my wolf?”

A slow smirk slid across his face, and he chuckled. “I’m not going to answer that. For one thing, it’s none of your damn business. And for another, you don’t really want to know.”

If I focused on his sickening, syrupy energy I could feel Alexa there. All over him. It was no answer to my question, but it said enough.

I slammed him against the bar. He stared at me with the look of one who had been wanting this encounter as long as I had. Though Sinclair wasn’t as powerful as I was, he ran a pretty close second. Going toe to toe with him would end badly for one of us.

“She doesn’t belong with you, and you know it. If you really wanted what was best for her, you would know it’s time to back off.” I shook him as I spoke, vibrating with the effort it took not to take his head off.

Shadows moved behind his oddly colored eyes. His hands shot out, and he shoved me away with enough aggression to pique my interest.

“I don’t claim to know what’s best for Alexa. Unlike you, I’d rather allow her to make her own decisions.” Holding both hands up in invitation, Sinclair taunted me. “So is this it? Are you going to kill me? Just another decision made for Alexa, right?”

The son of a bitch was crossing the line. His knowing jab struck me in a raw place. I hated him so much more for being right.

I threw the punch without thinking. It connected with enough force to bounce him off the bar. The people standing nearby were quick to move. Nobody wanted to be in the way of a vampire fight.

Sinclair rubbed his jaw and shrugged. I felt him reach for his power. He was humming with the stink of it.

“No power,” I said. “Just you and me. Come on.”

The bastard laughed, a long, forced laugh that died on a sour note. “Is that why you came? So you could make yourself feel better by sending me back to her with broken bones? All right then. Let’s get this over with.” He paused, considering his next words. “It’s funny how you think you’ve got a right to be pissed. Every night she’s with me, she’s pining for you. And you’re the one who’s mad? Fuck that.”

The punch he threw came hard and fast. It momentarily stunned me. The bartender shouted at us to take it outside. We both ignored him.

“You’re taking advantage of her,” I accused, swinging first one fist then the other. The satisfying crunch of his nose beneath my knuckles wasn’t enough. “There is nothing she can learn from a batshit crazy bastard like you.”

Our hands were a blur as they flew. Each of us took as many hits as we landed. It felt good, like I’d needed to work this out for some time now. The damage was temporary; we would both heal quickly. However, the pain I was able to cause him in the moment did wonders for me on a therapeutic level.

“That’s right, Arys. Get it all out. Let me have it.” With blood dripping from his nose, Kale egged me on. “Show me how crazy it makes you to spend your days wondering if Alexa is in my bed.”

To follow his snide remark, he threw a right hook that snapped my head sideways. I caught the next one that came my way, twisting his wrist until I felt a pop. He only grunted.

Crazy people didn’t make the best brawl opponents. They were too unpredictable. I never saw it coming when he flipped me over his shoulder. Using my own momentum, Sinclair ducked a shoulder beneath me, effectively scooping me up and tossing me onto the floor. It would have winded a human, but as I didn’t need to breathe, I was on my feet, whirling to face him.

Finding Shaz standing between us with hands raised was unexpected.