Stunner (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress 0.75)(10)

“I’m not a toy for you to pick up when the urge strikes you and then to forget about when the novelty wears off,” I hissed. I jerked my head back when he leaned in to kiss me, banging it against the wall. It had my wolf ready to come out fighting. I didn’t want it to come to that.

“Novelty?” His breath was warm on my face. The scent of scotch mingled with his cologne. “Sweetheart, you are one of a kind. That kind of novelty never wears off. Let me show you what you mean to me.”

Here we go. This is how it always went with us. I resisted his advances. He took that as an invitation to try harder. Conflict ensued.

“But you already have. You’ve shown me exactly what I mean to you over the years.” I let my lips brush against his as I snarled, “Nothing.”

A growl rumbled low in his throat. His hands tightened on my arms and I made a tiny, pained sound. He was hurting me and instinct drove me to react. I brought a knee up, ready to slam it into his groin. His reflexes were stellar but he wasn’t faster than me. The blow landed, crushing the breath from him.

His reaction came swift and shocking as he backhanded me, hard. Stars exploded behind my eyes, momentarily obstructing my vision. I tasted blood from my split lip. It had me rounding on Raoul with a psi ball burning hot and ready in my palm.

A pained expression marred his face. He leaned over the desk, gasping for breath. Pain rolled off him in waves to taint his energy with a flavor that was both enticing and bitter. I would have let that psi ball fly if Shaz hadn’t chosen that moment to open the door.

“Alexa?” He stopped dead in the doorway, taking in the scene before him. Confusion registered in his jade green eyes, followed quickly by understanding.

I didn’t hesitate to flee the room. With Raoul otherwise occupied, there was nothing to stop me. I shoved past Shaz, almost knocking him off balance as I went. He turned to follow me, my name laced with worry on his lips.

He caught up with me at the front door. With a warm hand on my arm, he pulled me to a halt. Shaz’s platinum blond hair was in disarray and he reeked like Belle. So that’s why Raoul had come to me. His regular plaything had turned her attention to a much younger playmate. Typical.

“Alexa, are you alright? What’s going on?”

“I’ll be fine once I get the hell out of here. I knew I shouldn’t have let you talk me into coming here.” I needed someone to blame but Shaz wasn’t the one. I tried to rein my temper in. He didn’t deserve to take the brunt of it. “That jackass doesn’t understand that when I said it was over between us, I meant it.”

Shaz gazed toward the den, his features hardening. “Did he do this?” His touch was gentle when he brushed a finger over my cut lip.

“Yes. But to be fair, I did kick him in the balls first.” I threw my hands up in exasperation.

“That doesn’t give him the right to hit you.” Shaz wasn’t known for having a temper but the heat in his gaze betrayed his anger. Just another reason to adore him.

I yanked the front door open, sighing as the cool night air caressed me. “Honestly, Shaz, it’s nothing compared to the scars he’s left behind. I’d rather take a smack any day over the hell he’s put me through.”

“Wait.” Shaz followed me out onto the front step. “Are you heading home? Do you want me to come along?”

I looked past him to the party still going strong in the kitchen, overflowing into the backyard. I wasn’t going to ruin Shaz’s fun because of my own personal issues.

“You should stay here and continue your good time. I just need to blow off some steam.” As an afterthought I added, “Don’t get into it with Raoul. Just let it go. Ok?”

His jaw clenched and his face was a mask of disapproval. Finally he relented. “Fine. I won’t say anything. This time.” He pulled me into a hug and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Call me later. And stay safe.”

I savored his scent, finding comfort in it despite the stink of Belle clinging to him like a musty second skin. Beneath that was the scent of pine and wolf. Being with Shaz felt like home, no matter where we were. There were many reasons we were so close. His uncanny ability to know what I’m thinking without me having to give voice to it was just one.

Driven by the kind of hate that could only have been born of what was once love, I headed into the night. I had no destination in mind. My goal right then was simple. Escape.

Chapter Three

I wrinkled my nose in distaste at the bitter swill in my glass. Compared to the quality stuff at Raoul’s, the local bar selection was seriously lacking. I choked down the cheap stuff and gestured to the bartender that I wanted another.

Lucy’s Lounge was a small town bar that tried desperately to project a big city image. It didn’t work. Rock music boomed through the building. The bar divided the place into two sections. A dance floor on one side and pool tables on the other. A small staircase led to an upper floor that I rarely saw in use.

I sat at the bar fueling up on whiskey. I wanted so badly to go back in time an hour and kick the crap out of Raoul. It was better that I left when I did. I knew that. Still, I couldn’t shake the need for a good fight. I could have headed into the city to hunt down a vampire up to no good but after the incident with Octavia the week before, I wasn’t keen on doing that without some backup.

A nice drunken haze was settling in. I was going to have a hell of a hangover but it would be worth it. The liquor stung the cut on my lip with each sip I took. It did little to dampen my anger. Raoul was impossible to deal with. Yet we were the Alpha male and female of our pack. When our stint as lovers ended, that had not.