The Wicked Kiss (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #2)(77)

They were out of control, each vampire fighting to get leverage over the other. The scent of blood filled the air, thicker now as it mingled with mine. It was empowering, and I embraced the rush that filled me and let my instincts take over.

I had to separate them before they killed each other. I was terrified for Arys, and I wanted this madness to stop. I lashed out with enough force to knock each of them off their feet without serious injury. It happened so fast. They were both abruptly on their asses, staring in confusion.

Blood spilled down the side of Arys’ face from a gash in his eyebrow. It ran down his strong jaw, dripping steadily. Though Harley sported a hell of a shiner, he also carried a natural air of menace and twisted joy. A streak of blood marred his left cheek beneath his eye running to his upper lip. His malicious grin spoke nothing of pain or upset, only anticipatory intent.

With a scathing glance at Arys, he said, “Who invited you?”

“Stick it in your ass, Harley. This is the last time you make trouble for my wolf. I’m ready for you. But, Alexa is off limits.”

There was no mistaking the widening of Harley’s eyes as he took in Arys’ hate filled expression. Was it just me or did fear flash behind his gaze? He dismissed it in a blink, recovering his malicious smile.

“Your wolf?” Harley questioned. “The one that you will not claim?”

I instinctually reached for Shaz’ hand. The action wasn’t missed by Harley who raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Or, could it be that you cannot claim her, because someone else already has?”

When Arys spoke, his tone was low and menacing. I could almost feel the quiver in it as he pleaded with the other vampire. “Please, don’t make me kill you. You know I don’t want to do that.”

Shaz’ predatory stare looked back and forth between Arys and Harley. He was ready for a fight. The intent in his stiff stance and expression was unmistakable. I squeezed his hand, willing him to stay calm.

“You seem to have quite the quaint little ménage à trois going on here. I didn’t realize you liked the beasts so much.” Harley paced casually on his side of my barrier. “If all you wanted was to do a werewolf, we could have explored that centuries ago.”

As Arys and Harley stared at one another, the atmosphere grew painful with the strength of their animosity. I knew there was no way this was going to go smoothly. I was awash with power, instinctually reacting to their unspoken threats.

“If you want to finish this now, then by all means, let’s do so.” Arys’ jaw clenched tightly, and he angrily wiped the blood away from where it ran near his left eye. “I’ve tasted your death for decades. I’m not ready to kill you, but I will do anything to protect her.”

Terror filled me, and I turned to him, ready to beg him to stop this. But, he had eyes only for his sire, and the look in those inky blue orbs chilled me to my very soul.

Harley’s smile had vanished. He now wore a look of utter calm, but it was disturbing in its serenity.

“I am not negotiating with you, Arys. Kill me if you will, but see if I don’t do my damndest to take her down with me.” He nodded in my direction as he spoke.

A growl immediately rumbled in Shaz’ throat, and his body tensed beside me, ready to fly into action. I maintained my hold on his hand, refusing to let him go.

“What do you want with me anyway?” I finally spoke up, hoping to bring a sense of rationale to the situation. “I can’t imagine what I have that you want.”

He stared at me curiously for a long moment until I felt extremely uncomfortable.

“No, I don’t suppose you would.” Looking at Arys he added, “You don’t even know what you have here. She is completely wasted on you.”

Arys frowned, assessing the statement. He didn’t seem to know what to make of it any more than I did. “This isn’t the old mine versus yours game, is it? Aren’t we beyond that? I tired of it so long ago.” He looked exasperated, like one dealing with an unreasonable child.

“Everything is a game to you.” Harley began to pace, taunting Arys openly. “Do you even know any other way to play? We both know she’s just the latest in your lengthy history of conquests. And, we both know what happens to those conquests when you’re finished with them.”

I didn’t take my eyes off the finely dressed vampire, noting how he moved. Arys moved in response to him, closing the distance separating them. His fingers danced with energy that was bright gold with only a hint of blue playing around the edge. I felt the power call to me, too, wanting to join through us. I continued to resist, fearing it would push the boundaries of my control.

Even though Shaz couldn’t visibly see the brilliant energy, he immediately reacted to it. There was no way to avoid feeling something so strong. His eyes closed for just a moment, and a shudder caused his body to convulse.

“I’m not here to rehash the good old days with you. I’m here to make sure you never make the mistake of touching Alexa again.” The growl that came from Arys astonished me. I wasn’t the only one. Shaz and Harley wore similar questioning looks, but Harley recovered first.

He appeared absolutely bored and uninterested when he crossed his arms and simply said, “Then, stop me.”

Shaz responded rather than Arys. My heart exploded with adrenaline when he said,

“I would love the opportunity to finish you off.” In a move that was not usual for Shaz, he taunted the vampire with a beckoning motion that promised pain. “You dared to force yourself on my mate. You can’t be allowed to think that’s ok.”