The Wicked Kiss (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #2)(48)

Was he freaking kidding me? He looked so damned serious, but I just didn’t buy it.

My hands clenched into fists at my sides, and the surge of anger that hit me directly fed my hunger for living, pumping blood.

“Remember that you said that when he wipes the forest floor with you.” The words came tripping out of my mouth before I could stop them, not that I wanted to. A wicked smile graced my lips then, and I knew it was Arys’ smile. Julian may not recognize it, but Kylarai would.

She stiffened noticeably; her mug smacked the coffee table loudly, and her mouth dropped open. Julian looked like he didn’t know what hit him. I took great pleasure in his shocked expression. I found it somewhat surprising that he hadn’t expected it from me.

He recovered fast though, his typical smirk back in its place on his scruffy face.

“And, if he doesn’t? What then, Queen Alpha? Are you going to accept me as your second fiddle in this town or take me on yourself?”

“Julian, that’s enough!” Kylarai warned as her cheeks grew flushed with angry heat.

“I won’t hesitate to run you out of this town with your tail between your legs like the pathetic dog that you are. You will never be a dominant to either Shaz or me, so keep dreaming. Dreams are all you have, little boy.” Something moved inside of me, and Arys’

power slammed through me.

It was Julian’s reaction that alerted me to the fact that my eyes were Arys’ startling blue, not my own deep brown. It was something that happened when the vampire’s power was strong, pressing the surface of my being. It was also something I would never get used to. I avoided mirrors like the plague when my eyes turned the eerie vampire blue.

“Holy shit,” Julian breathed. He sat frozen next to Kylarai who just looked plain worried. She thought I was going to kill him. I could see it all over her face.

“Don’t say another word,” she hissed under her breath. Of course, I could hear her as if I’d been standing beside her. To me she said, “It’s cool, Lex. Just calm down …

okay?”

Try as I might, I couldn’t shake the snake-like grin from my face. “Trust me. I am calm.”

I wasn’t trying to scare Kylarai, but her face paled, and she ever so slowly got to her feet, motioning for Julian to stay seated. He watched me with dark chestnut eyes that had gone all wolf, leaving no trace of white. It was only natural that his wolf would go on the defensive. It only encouraged the cool energy dominating my focus.

“Maybe I should call Arys for you?” Her tone implied a question, and I realized she was afraid of me, not just the situation. If I hadn’t been so wired right then, I would have been saddened by that.

I could remember the first time this had happened to me, right after I’d lost it and attacked Shaz. That had been the first morning Ky went to bed with her door locked. Did she really think I would hurt her? I shuddered at the look of horror on Shaz’ face, my mind conjuring the image of when I’d rushed him as Arys’ tortured memories drove me.

“Arys is hunting.” My voice sounded hollow, even to me. “I said I’m fine. I can’t help it if obvious prey inside my own house triggers the bloodlust.” My smile vanishing, I turned to Julian. “You think you’re something to be feared?” I flashed my sharp fangs at him, blinking my blue eyes slowly a few times for effect before a vicious laugh bubbled out.

It took everything I had in me to turn toward the hall and put one foot in front of the other. I knew how badly I’d massacred that first victim, the woman-beater, and I knew I’d do the same to Julian if I put my hands on him. One foot in front of the other, and I finally entered my room and managed to close the door without going back for a fight.

I didn’t want to be in my room though. I wanted to get the hell out of the house. This was so not good. My best friend and the werewolf I detested, dating. Ugh. Was it wrong to hope they wouldn’t, as gross as it was, fall in love?

Against my better judgment, I went into my ensuite bathroom and very quickly looked over my appearance. I didn’t get any closer to the mirror than necessary, unnerved by my unnatural blue orbs.

The black, hip-hugging jeans and equally black halter-top made my hair look so much blonder than usual. The shirt was one of my favorites. It held my br**sts perfectly supported so they both felt and looked great, and the fabric that fell around my waist was sheer, longer on one side than the other, and jagged-cut. I didn’t wear jewelry when I knew I’d be shifting, but today I had slipped on a silver charm bracelet that Shaz had given me for my last birthday. If the Hollywood rules about werewolves had been true, I never would have been able to wear it.

After running my brush carelessly through my waist length hair, I tossed the red streaked locks over my shoulder and turned back to my room. It had gotten incredibly quiet out in the living room. If I couldn’t sense their heartbeats, I would have thought they’d left.

Before leaving my bedroom, I grabbed a pair of black ankle boots from my closet so that I wouldn’t have to go back for my shoes at the front door. Silently, I slunk down the hall to the kitchen and let myself out the sliding door into the backyard. I crossed through the yard to the front where my Charger sat large and red against the dark backdrop of night.

I revved the engine a few times before putting the car in gear and driving away. I wanted to make sure they knew I’d left. Arys likely wouldn’t be at Lucy’s for some time yet, but that didn’t mean I had to sit at home with two chicken shit werewolves feeding my fire. I needed to burn off some of the aggressive power I’d built up before I dared to step foot into a bar filled with tantalizing humans.