Sunset to Sunrise (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #7.5)(10)

Knowing at that very moment Arys was gambling with Alexa’s life, I hated him more than I ever had. He did deserve to die. And yet, she did not deserve to suffer through such a thing.

I was conflicted. What kind of man gambles with the life of the woman he loves? The woman bound to him beyond life and death. A selfish piece of shit of a man, that’s what kind.

Killing him would destroy her emotionally. It would plunge her deeper into the darkness than she’d ever been. But it would save her from being used like a f*cking poker chip in one of his warped games. He didn’t deserve her. Yet, he had her. When they say life isn’t fair, whoever they are, they weren’t f*cking kidding.

I shook my head and refocused on the task at hand. Phillip would have to forgive me for the loss of his friend. I could make it up to him by delivering Arys Knight as promised.

Worrying about Alexa was pointless. Despite the many ways she found to get herself into trouble, she had a tendency to pull through the worst of messes. Still, in a city like Las Vegas, the odds were stacked against her.

I returned to the painfully loud nightclub and searched the bar for Willow. As expected, there he was, seated near the end with a row of tequila shots lined up in front of him.

“I think Alexa might be in trouble.” That’s all it took to get his attention. He turned to me, expectant, so I went on. “She just called me. Said something about a poker game deciding her fate. Can you drop in on her?”

“Only if I have an exact location. Do you know where she is?”

“No. Fuck me, I should’ve asked.” My hands clenched into fists. It was one of the worst feelings ever, to know she might be in trouble and that I was powerless to do a damn thing.

Willow studied me, lacking the level of concern I currently experienced. “Give her an hour or two, then call her back. If she needs me, I’ll be there in a heartbeat.”

“She could be dead by then.”

“She won’t be.” The weight of Willow’s gaze grew unbearable. I didn’t like the way he was looking at me. “Look, Kale, I know you’re worried about her, but you know Alexa. It’s going to take a lot to take that woman out. Probably a lot more than the Vegas vampires can throw at her.”

Sudden fury had me seething. I wanted to slap the drink out of his hand. He wasn’t taking this seriously enough. Like flipping a switch, I cooled, thinking that maybe he was right. I nodded and backed away, mumbling an apology when I bumped into someone.

Mood swings were a bitch. They were never a good sign.

Swinging from one extreme to the other was rather taxing though maybe not as taxing as putting up with this goddamn nightclub. A glance around gave me several reasons to be glad Alexa wasn’t there. The party was raging and not in an entirely legal way. There was a couple screwing on the dance floor. He bent his lady over and plowed her while everyone watched. When had that started?

My boots stuck to the floor as I walked. There had to be as much liquor spilled on the floor as there was racing through the blood of the patrons.

Shouts drew attention as a fight broke out. About the same time, I detected the scent of freshly spilled blood. Somebody was feeding in the public area, breaking Alexa’s number one rule. I too enjoyed breaking that rule.

I had a choice; I could put a stop to the illicit activity or join in. It wasn’t much of a choice at all.

Gliding through the crowd, I moved like a shadow among them, barely there at all. A dark haired beauty caught my eye. She danced alone, despite the many would be suitors who attempted to get an invite into her personal space.

I watched her from a respectful distance, waiting for her to sense my gaze upon her. She looked up, like I knew she would, and waved me over.

Some nights, that’s all it took. A look. Much to the dismay of another vampire ogling her, she slipped eagerly into my arms. Closing my eyes, I savored her scent. Perfume mixed with wine and the subtle but unmistakable womanly aroma that was all her own. It had me itching to sink my fangs.

She wasn’t new to The Wicked Kiss. That much was apparent by the way she rubbed herself against me. No words were needed as we went through the motions.

I pulled her off the dance floor, against the wall, where I pinned her. Her pulse sped up when I kissed her. I could hear it, feel it, beating just for me. Taking her to my room would be ideal though keeping her here would keep her alive. Would Alexa mind my breaking the rules if she knew that?

I dragged my fangs over the throbbing pulse in my victim’s neck. Her breath caught, and she froze in anticipation. Keeping her here, excited and eager, would keep her from screaming in the back hall where nobody would respond to her cries.

Telling myself it was best for her kept me from believing the truth. I was as bad as any vampire I’d hunted in the past. It was easy to put a lot of that onto Alexa. It had been tasting her blood that awakened the part of me that I thought I’d laid to rest. However, it was not her fault. It was all me. I was the monster.

The woman threw her arms around me willingly, and something about that caused my hunger for her to die. The thrill faded when they wanted it.

I bit lightly, opening up her vein just enough to coat my tongue with her tangy blood. She groaned and pressed closer. My body responded to her, but it was purely physical. I ultimately didn’t want her.

Before I could delve deeper into my personal conflict, I became keenly aware of a new werewolf presence in the building. I searched the thick crowd for the wolf. It wasn’t Alexa, but it felt like her. Since the wolf didn’t wear power like a perfume the way Alexa did, it had to be her sister.