Sunset to Sunrise (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #7.5)(9)

I spotted Scar’s friend from last night near the stage where the werewolf-led band, Crimson Sin, performed. They were the only band in town willing to play here regularly.

Making my way over to him proved trying. More than one woman found a way to cross my path. It hadn’t always been this way. I wasn’t the kind of guy women threw themselves at. The real kicker was that I could now have any woman I wanted. Any except for the one I did want.

“Where’s your friend?” I asked, interrupting the vampire in his attempt to convince a woman to give him a nibble. “I’d like to talk to him.”

The guy scowled, annoyed at my intrusion. “He’s not here. What’s this about?”

“If I’m going to help you guys, I need more information first. Where can I find him?”

“Look, pal, we don’t actually need your help. Bringing in outsiders isn’t really our thing. Ya know? How about we forget the entire conversation?” Turning his back on me, he dismissed me as if I were no longer standing there.

Unwilling to play games with the juvenile idiot, I grabbed him by the back of the neck and slammed him against the side of the stage. His face crushed into it, and he flailed about in an attempt to dislodge my grip.

“I don’t like to repeat myself,” I said, leaning in close so as not to be heard. The band was loud, but vampire hearing was top notch. “Tell me how many of you there are and where I can find the others.”

He resisted, pressing his lips into a tight, thin line. I shoved his head harder against the stage, willing to shatter his skull if that was what it took. A push of power coaxed a squeal from him.

“I’m waiting.” I feigned a yawn. A little more power and his head would explode. I wouldn’t get any answers out of him then, but that was ok with me.

“Twelve,” he shouted, stinking of desperation. “Just like he said. That’s including me and Phillip. We’ve been meeting at that big ass cemetery in the middle of town.”

“That’s kind of cliché, isn’t it? You guys have been watching too much paranormal TV.”

“Naw, the place is perfect. Nobody goes there except the caretakers. At night the place is empty.” He finally stopped struggling, realizing it was safer to be calm and complacent. “I knew Phillip should’ve kept his mouth shut. You’re gonna blow everything.”

I chuckled, finding it both sad and amusing that this pitiful creature was a vampire. “So you gather there and then what? Plot against the rulers of the city? What else?”

“Nothing. That’s it. I swear. Get off me, man.”

My fist was buried in his chest cavity before I knew what I was doing. Punching through his back to his heart, I grasped the slimy thing and wrenched it free. He fell to the floor, a pile of dust.

A few shocked cries went up from those nearby, but for the most part, nobody noticed. I was considering a quick trip over to the graveyard he’d mentioned when the vibration of my phone in my pocket caught my attention.

It was Alexa. Seeing her number on the display filled me with a twisted combination of excitement and dread.

“Miss me already?” I teased, skipping the hello and getting straight to the point. She was calling to check up on me as if I were a child. “Or just checking to make sure I’m still functioning on a semi-sane level?”

“Maybe a little of both. Is that ok?” Her response warmed me against my will. She sounded tired despite having been gone only a day.

I moved toward the back hall to escape the noise. “You’re a masochist, Alexa. How is Vegas treating you so far?”

“Vegas is fabulous. The vampires, however, are a serious pain in the ass.” She was being elusive. It was worrisome.

I laughed, hoping to lighten the mood. My next comment came out more snide than intended. “You mean Arys’s vampire family didn’t accept you with open arms? Color me shocked. So, how much trouble are you in?”

“I’m not sure yet,” she said with a bitter laugh. “I’ll let you know when the poker game deciding my fate is over.”

“Nothing says love quite like using your lady as a poker bet. Classy. And to think, you could be here instead. With me.” I don’t know why I said it. My mouth moved independently of my brain, and I regretted it immediately.

“So you can taunt me into driving a stake through your heart? That’s not a game I want to keep playing. I think my chances of winning are better here.” The sound of slot machines was loud in the background, reminding me of the distance between us.

“Our game is far from over.”

A strained silence fell. My promise hung on the line. It was too late to take it back. I couldn’t pretend that I didn’t mean it. I did. Every damn word.

“Anyway,” she stammered. “I just wanted to make sure things were all good there. So have a good night and, um, try not to kill anybody.”

I couldn’t let her hang up without reminding her what she meant to me. “Alexa…don’t get killed, ok? I like you with a heartbeat.”

It was quite possibly one of the stupidest things I’d ever said to her. It was also true. I dreaded the day when her heart would cease to beat, when she would truly be a vampire. Her power over me would grow, and the woman I had fallen in love with would be consumed by the darkness.

I slumped against the wall, feeling oppressed by the swarm of emotions that had surfaced with one brief phone call. Why couldn’t I escape her? This was a question I’d begun to ask myself on a nightly basis. Clearly I had no answer.