The Wicked Kiss (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #2)(18)

Since Arys’ hungers had become my own, I had certainly learned my lesson. The things you put out always come back with a kick in the ass. Energy is the driving force of all magic and supernatural ability. But, every action has to have a reaction, and it’s rarely a pleasant one.

“I made the choice to go in there, and I made it out in one piece. It’s just a damn vampire junkie bar. Don’t make it bigger than it is.” I smiled to lighten the mood that had settled. His expression remained stone cold serious. “I never even realized you frequented that place. You always shit talk Kale’s patronage.”

“I don’t frequent that place. I remain firm on my opinion when it comes to feeding from the mentally unstable rush addicts in that club.” He leaned in to press a brief but strangely tender kiss on my lips. The metallic ring in his lip was cool against my skin.

“Look, Alexa, I’ll be frank with you. I have contacts at The Wicked Kiss. But, there are a lot of people that would enjoy wiping me out. They have their reasons. I am the most powerful vampire in the city. You have helped to clarify that. Anyone that wishes me dead has been walking this earth far longer than you have. And, that fills my heart with fear.”

It wasn’t an easy admittance for him. I could see the strain in his pinched features.

He gnawed his lower lip anxiously, grimacing when he bit the healing cut.

It went without saying that anyone possessing great power or ability of any kind was at risk. Jealousy and fear are strong driving forces behind the motives of the weak.

“Who are you worried about? It must be someone specific if you’re this upset about me going to the Kiss. What’s the deal?” I briefly reflected on the reactions to me when I’d been at the vampire bar. “Nobody seemed to want to do anything but snack on some potent Were blood. Until they realized I was the one they’d heard about. Then it was smooth sailing.”

The conflicting emotions in Arys’ eyes had me nervous. Was it possible that I’d walked right past potential death and hadn’t even known it?

“Then he wasn’t there. Thank God.” Arys closed his eyes and murmured what sounded like a small prayer. Of everything he’d said so far, that scared me the most.

In all the time I’d known Arys, I had rarely heard him reference the big boss upstairs.

Something about it set off an alarm that chilled me.

“Who? Who wasn’t there?” Panic gripped me, and I squeezed his hands painfully.

He seemed oblivious. “Tell me what’s going on. Who the hell am I supposed to be afraid of?”

I wanted to slap him across the face like they do on television, but I was the one feeling hysterical. I’d seen a lot of crazy shit in my life, but I wasn’t dumb enough to think that I was the biggest of the bad. If Arys had inadvertently endangered me, I needed to know.

“You’ve shared my most intimate and personal memories. You know the one vampire that I loathe more than any other.” His words instantly generated an image in my mind.

When Arys and I had joined metaphysically, we had shared every piece of our past memories. It had not been pleasant. We all have something we’d never share with anyone. Arys and I no longer had that luxury. At times, we’re literally inside one another.

Our shared memories were mostly a blur, but the most poignant ones had a way of standing out with amazing clarity.

The image was that of a vampire that had the charm and persuasion of Bill Clinton with the distinguished forty-something appearance of George Clooney. Looks were deceiving though, and I knew he looked nicer than he was.

Harley Kayson. I knew him only from Arys’ memories. And, they were far from good. Harley was a vampire with as much authority as a mob boss and about as many connections, too. He was a smooth talker with a penchant for gorgeous men in addition to his harems of women. He was the vampire that had turned Arys.

Arys had been working the streets of New York City more than three centuries ago when Harley’s mistress had taken a liking to him. She was the last client Arys would ever entertain. Once Harley discovered the angelic beauty she’d brought home to play with, the greedy vampire simply had to have Arys all for himself.

Harley had envisioned the stunning, dark Arys to be the partner in crime he’d always longed for. But, despite Arys’ enjoyment of the vampire lifestyle, it hadn’t always been that way. Arys had been a troubled young man that resented Harley for making choices for him, especially the one to leave his human life behind. It wasn’t a case of foreboding vampire syndrome but rather the fact that it hadn’t been his idea. Arys was too headstrong and confrontational to be what Harley wanted him to be. He was no one’s sidekick.

As far as unhealthy predator and prey relationships go, those two had one of the worst. They had parted ways on the worst of terms. Of course, Arys having burned Harley’s house to the ground with his vampiress lover inside may have played a role in that.

“Why would he be in Edmonton? I thought the last time you saw him he was living in Vegas.” Fear caused my spine to tingle uncomfortably. A knot formed in my throat, and my stomach hurt.

Harley was a sick bastard who divided all people into two categories: those who could be toys and those who were just food. I couldn’t help but wonder which one I’d be.

“He was. And, still is.” Arys stood up, pulling me with him. “Harley owns The Wicked Kiss, Alexa. That’s why I don’t want you there. He owns a string of them across the entire country.”