The Wicked Kiss (8 page)

Julian didn’t look at anyone but Shaz. He pulled himself to his full height before snarling through his teeth. “Just because you want to be her pathetic lapdog doesn’t mean that I do. I will take you any day, Shaz. Even out back, right now.”

My heart surged with adrenaline at Julian’s venomous words. A small cry escaped me when Shaz lashed out with a blow, catching the other wolf with a fierce right hook.

“Shaz, no!” I lunged to grab his arm before he could keep swinging. The motion almost knocked me off my feet, but I held him back.

“If that’s what you want then, buddy, let’s make it official. It has been months since Raoul died. Maybe it’s time to appoint a new Alpha male in this God forsaken town,”

Julian sneered as he rubbed his jaw. My eyes widened when I saw where he was going with this.

Shaz studied the other Were for just moments before replying in a low voice, filled with menace. “Where and when?”

“That isn’t necessary, you guys,” Ky pleaded, but neither of them so much as looked her way. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

Zak looked extremely uncomfortable as he shifted nervously from one foot to the other. “I think we’d better leave, Julian,” he said, trying to be the neutral party. “Let’s grab some beer and head back to my place. There’s a fight on pay-per-view.”

The approach of a couple of bouncers effectively ended any further incident. With a murderous glare, Julian looked from me to Shaz. “Me and you, on the full moon.”

“Count on it.” Shaz practically oozed confidence, and I had to do a double take.

Julian allowed Zak to pull him along by the upper arm, but his eyes were locked on me. A slow smile spread across his lips. He paused to pull Kylarai into his arms, and I stiffened when she let him. My stomach turned when he kissed her.

“I’ll call you later tonight,” Julian said to her, smirking with the knowledge that I hadn’t known about them.

She avoided my eyes, a frown creasing her delicate features. “I’ll walk you out.”

We both knew she was trying to escape me. Fine. She couldn’t avoid me at home.

Shaz turned to speak to the bouncers in an attempt to smooth over the situation. I could hear him reassuring them that everything was cool and we were all leaving now. As an employee, he was risking his job by brawling in the bar. After a moment, the two security guys nodded and returned to their posts.

When Shaz swept me into his arms, I clung to him. “Have you lost your mind? Why?

Please, just tell me why.”

“I can’t believe you have to ask. When he got in your face like that, something inside me snapped. He threatened my mate. And now, I want to kill him.” He said it so matter of factly. I searched his eyes for the monstrous rage I heard in his voice but found only tender love.

“I don’t want you to fight him.” I reached to touch his face, tracing a light bruise that remained from his round with Arys.

“I know that.” He brought his face to mine, kissing me with a sensuality that was all wolf. I savored it. Pulling back, he kissed the tip of my nose. “But, I’m going to. I have to. Everything in me demands it, and it’s a call that I want to answer, have to answer.

You have to understand.”

I did understand, but I didn’t like it. I pursed my lips and stared at the floor. “Did you hear him though? He thinks this is a battle for Alpha.”

“It is … now.” He gently pushed a few tendrils of hair from my face. “If he wants this to be about the top wolf in this town, then that’s fine with me. I don’t plan to lose.”

The DJ took over as the band finished off their set and began to pack up. When the Alicia Keys song, “No One,” began to play and the dance floor filled with couples, Shaz gave me a heart-stopping grin.

“No worries, ok? I promise, you have nothing to be anxious about.” He pressed another quick kiss to my lips before pulling me toward the dance floor. “Now … about that dance.”

I allowed him to pull me onto the dance floor among the other couples. My stomach was unsettled, and I just wanted him to hold me. All I knew was that I had to talk him out of fighting Julian before the full moon. That didn't give me much time.

Shaz’ arms went around me, holding me close. It was easy to get caught up in the music. The heady swoon of the emotional lyrics and the enrapt couples all around us had me seeking comfort and reassurance in his touch. I wrapped my arms around him and nuzzled the warmth of his neck. Pressing my lips to his pulse, I closed my eyes and moved as one with him to the rhythm of the music.

The thought of him fighting Julian scared me to death. It wasn’t that I didn’t think Shaz could take him; I knew he could. However, I didn’t trust Julian to play fair, and I knew he wouldn’t go down easy.

In that moment though, it was hard to think about anything other than how good it felt to be in the embrace of my white wolf. The song itself stirred an emotion in me that was gut wrenching in its strength. When the beautiful music ended, Shaz placed a series of kisses down the side of my neck, causing me to shiver.

“Let’s get out of here.” The heat from his whispered words tickled, and I laughed.

* * * *

A movie played quietly on the TV perched atop my dresser. I wasn’t paying much attention to it, but with a sexy, naked werewolf in bed next to me, how could I? Shaz and I lay together, a mess of entangled limbs. I always felt the warmth and comfort of the pack when he shared my bed. Our nights apart were less than enjoyable.

We cuddled in an affectionate embrace that sparked feelings of giddy love within me. It wasn’t something that I was used to by any means. I still had a hard time believing it was real and not some amazing dream I would wake up from, disappointed to find it wasn’t real at all.

Kylarai’s Escalade was in the driveway when we got home. The door to her room had been closed and would likely remain that way until she was forced to come out. It wasn’t like she owed me any explanations, but she was dating my friend and co-worker.

Or at least, I had thought she was.

Once Shaz breathed softly and his eyes closed, I thought that was it for him. I gazed absently at the moving images on the television screen, but my mind was focused on how perfectly our bodies fit together. No matter how we slept, we always seemed to mold to one another.

“I really don’t like this whole thing with Arys’ sire being in town.” Shaz’ voice came low beside me. Since I thought he’d fallen asleep, I was startled. “And I really don’t like that blood bond nonsense. I think you have more than enough vampire influence in your life as it is.”

“I knew that was bothering you. I could feel it.” I reached for his hand, tracing light circles in his palm with my finger. “It shouldn’t. You’re right, it is nonsense. And, I’m not afraid of Harley.” That was only a half-truth. I’d seen things in Arys’ memory that certainly did stir fear inside me. Harley thrived on pain and fear, torture driven energy.

“Why do you think he’s here? I mean, why now?”

I pondered that for a moment, not liking anything that came to mind. “He knows about the power that Arys and I share. I think he wants to see it for himself.”

The tension that seeped into Shaz caused him to stiffen beside me. I didn’t like it.

This was supposed to be a place and a time for comfort and relaxation. I rubbed his shoulders, hoping to ease some of the strain.

“Just tell me that you won’t go back to that vampire bar alone.” His arms went around me, blanketing me in his warmth. “I’m not trying to sound like Arys, that cocky ass, but I need to know you’re safe. After Julian’s display tonight, I’m feeling madly overprotective.”

I gave a small laugh. The truth was that if Arys had acted this territorial I would have been super-pissed. Shaz was my wolf mate though, and that was rooted in something deeper than we understood. I knew that implicitly. His urge to protect and defend me was driven by love and nature. When Arys did it, it was all about the ego boost of saving the damsel in distress.

“You are too good to me.” I nuzzled his face with mine before kissing him with undying devotion and passion. “I love it when you’re overprotective. But, I don’t want it to have you scrapping everybody. And no, I won’t be going back to The Wicked Kiss alone. Promise.”

The name of the club brought the blood bond to mind. I hadn’t known vampires called it that. I also hadn’t known that humans could be bonded. The thought sent a chill through my warm insides. I resisted a physical shudder.

“Don’t try to talk me out of fighting Julian. I’m doing it, Lex. I’m putting that pitiful excuse for a werewolf in his place, and I’m going to enjoy doing it.” He pressed even closer, if that was possible, with his head resting against mine. “I love you. And, I know you want me to let it go. But, I’m running on instinct here.”

I sighed but didn’t bother trying to dissuade him. That didn’t mean I wouldn’t try again before the full moon. It just wasn’t something I wanted to think about right now.

“I love you, too, babe.” I breathed in his intoxicating scent and closed my eyes.

“Now promise me that you won’t get yourself killed.”

The crumpled edges of a post-it note crushed beneath my face brought me awake to the delicious scent of bacon frying. The note was written in Shaz’ messy scrawl. “You are so beautiful when you sleep. I couldn’t stand to wake you. I love you … forever.”

I would have once scoffed at the sappy sweetness of the note. Now it warmed my heart and brought a stupid smile to my face. I sighed and took a deep breath of his heavenly scent on my pillows and blanket.

Kylarai was clearly feeling guilty over keeping her fling with Julian a secret. She didn’t cook often. It was usually left to my poor attempts and Shaz when he was over. Ky was too busy with work. So, it spoke volumes when I rounded the corner of the kitchen to find her also making her famous omelets, which I loved so much.

“Coffee?” Her first word kind of surprised me. She smiled wide, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Sure, thanks.” I watched her fill a mug and hand it to me. I fetched my own cream and sugar. “Good morning, or afternoon I should say.” The microwave clock indicated that it was closer to the supper hour than breakfast. Such was the life of a werewolf.

“Did you sleep well? I stayed up reading the latest Nora Roberts novel until my eyes were dry. Had some pretty crazy dreams after.” Kylarai bustled around the stove, carefully not meeting my eyes for more than a few seconds at a time.

I took a long sip of my coffee, watching her like a hawk. I didn’t have to say anything. I knew her, and she would cave all on her own. “I slept great. There is no such thing as a bad sleep when Shaz is with me.”

She took two plates out of the cupboard and began to scoop food onto each with the spatula. Handing one to me, she met my eyes with a guilty half-smile.

“You’re not even going to ask, are you?”

That had happened even sooner than I’d expected. I gave her a friendly grin and reached out to pat her arm before grabbing a fork and taking a seat at the table.

“Of course not,” I said. “But, that doesn’t mean I’m not dying to know.”

I took a bite of the mouth-watering omelet and almost had to close my eyes in pleasure. Kylarai was a supreme cook when she had the time. I was going to enjoy this.

I’d be fending for myself again in no time.

She took the seat across from me but didn’t pick up her fork. “Ok, this is the quick version. Kale and I called it quits over a week ago. I just can’t do it, Lex. I can’t be with a vampire romantically. Kale has baggage that I can’t even begin to comprehend.” She shrugged and looked like a lost little girl. “I didn’t think it was fair to him. I had to let him go.”

“Is that why he was drowning his sorrows at The Wicked Kiss?” I asked between bites. “That makes more sense now.”

“And, it wasn’t that I was trying to keep anything from you, but then I ran into Julian at Lucy’s and one thing led to another…” Kylarai smiled shyly and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I really like him.”

I wished she had let me finish eating first. I grimaced inwardly but miraculously prevented it from manifesting on my face.

“Just like that, huh?” I took a sip from my coffee cup, using the moment to think of something positive to say. I failed.

“Well … the attraction isn’t new, but acting on it certainly is.” Ky picked up her fork and took a bite of her eggs. She chewed robotically, out of habit rather than desire. “I can’t stop thinking about Kale though. He didn’t want to see me, when I went to him after he bit you.”

I could see how the admittance pained her. Dropping my fork on my plate, I reached across the table to give her hand a warm squeeze.

“Don’t worry about him, Ky. Kale will be fine.” I didn’t sound very convincing, but I’d seen how rough he was. Why didn’t he tell me they had broken up?

She chewed her lower lip, her eyes darting between her plate and me. “I just couldn’t do it. I can’t donate blood to him, and I can’t sit by while he gets it from that whorehouse of a blood bar. Everything unraveled really fast.”

I nodded in understanding. Kylarai hadn’t even been cool with it the first time Arys had fed from me. It was a very personal experience, one that was more intimate than sex.

I could understand her inability to be part of that world. And, Kale was the type of guy who needed that in his lover.

“You can’t blame yourself. Kale’s issues go deeper than either of us realize. I’m sure of it. And, if you aren’t able to be with him, then it’s better to figure that out now instead of months or years from now.” I was encouraged to finish my meal when she began to pick at her food again.

“I know,” she nodded and pushed a slice of bacon around her plate before finally spearing it and popping it in her mouth.

We ate in comfortable silence for a few moments. I wanted to ask her why Julian of all people. She could do so much better. That would be rude though, so I bit my tongue against the urge.

“I know it’s hard, Kylarai,” I said instead. “But, Kale will be fine. And, so will you.”

As an afterthought I added, “I hope you don’t hold it against me for introducing you guys.” I smiled to soften the seriousness of my words.

Kylarai laughed then which made me feel a million times better. “Don’t be ridiculous, Alexa. I adore Kale; he’s a good man. He just isn’t meant to be mine.”

Her warm grey eyes fixed on me, and the uncertainty in their depths made my heart go out to her. Her energy was very strained and pinched. It stung if I concentrated on it.

Too much negativity.

I finished eating and rinsed my dish before stacking it in the dishwasher. That had to be man’s greatest invention to date. I went for a second cup of coffee, needing the caffeine boost in my system. There was more that I wanted to say, but I wasn’t sure how.

I shook my head and resisted the urge to hug her against her will. She wasn’t ready for that though. I could see how hard she was fighting to subdue the depths of her feelings.

“You know I’m always here, right? If you ever want to talk.” I wished there was more I could say, but I could only say so much.

Her face lit up then, and she beamed a grin at me. “I know. I love you for worrying about me. You’re like the younger sister I never had.”

“And you’re like the tough-ass older sister I always needed to throw my boyfriends around.” I had to laugh when I pictured her stepping in between Arys and Shaz the other night. I wish I could have appreciated their surprise at the time.

“We have to stop them from fighting, Alexa,” she said suddenly, and I paused, my coffee partially raised to my lips. “Julian and Shaz, we can’t let them do this.”

“I know.” I nodded and thought back to Shaz’ fierce intensity when he spoke of beating Julian’s ass. “It’s going to be fucking ugly. Shaz refused to listen to me last night.

He insisted it’s something he has to do as my mate.”

Kylarai looked worried; her food, once again abandoned. “And, I wouldn’t expect anything less from him. I’m sorry … Julian isn’t the easiest person to understand, but he is a good guy underneath it all.”

“Well … I hope you can talk some sense into him; otherwise, we’re going to have one hell of a furry mess to clean up.”

“I’ll do my best.” She searched my eyes then, a shadow of doubt passing in her stormy gaze. “But, if they won’t listen to reason, if they still fight, we can’t let it go too far. We have to be ready to split them up.”

I was pretty sure I knew what she was saying. “Don’t worry, Ky. I’ll be more than happy to blast them both on their asses.”

“I just don’t want to see anyone get hurt.”

It never ceased to amaze me how she had such a sweet, gentle nature that could unleash into a frenzy of murderous rage at a moment’s notice. I was counting on her to use that to our advantage if necessary when those boys went head-to-head. And, I could feel it in every part of me that without a doubt, they would.

I moved about the kitchen, tidying up the counter and starting the dishes. I was looking forward to a quiet night alone. Shaz was bartending tonight and judging by Kylarai’s perfectly done makeup and hair, she had plans.

After Ky disappeared to her bedroom, re-emerging in a stylish black cocktail dress, I considered getting dressed. With a questioning brow raised, I asked, “What are you all dressed up for? You look gorgeous, by the way.”

“Thank you. Julian and I are going to dinner.” She had the decency to blush and look guilty when she said it. “I won’t be home until morning. Do you have any plans tonight?”

“Nope. Shaz is working, and Arys is, well, being Arys most likely. I’m going to lie around, watch movies and be thankful that I haven’t had to hunt down any vampires all week.”

The vampire activity had been reasonably quiet in the city recently. Of course, that could just be the calm before the storm. In all honesty, I love what I do. Hunting rogue supernaturals was necessary. Somebody had to do it if we all wanted to keep our secrets.

I had a hunger for the hunt and kill that made me a natural for the job. Having partners, like my friends Kale and Jez, alongside me made it a lot more fun than when I worked alone.

“You haven’t done that in a long time. I’m sure you need it.” I watched as Ky gathered her things together to leave. She leaned in to give me a quick embrace before turning to go. “Enjoy the quiet time. It’s good for the soul.”

After she left, I stood in the quiet kitchen, listening to the sounds of the clock ticking and the fridge running. Slipping through the glass sliding doors to the backyard, I was pleasantly surprised to find the night wind to be particularly warm for October. A run would be really nice right now. Just thinking about it brought an itch to my limbs and muscles as the need to stretch out and become wolf grew quickly.

Running alone isn’t something I do often. In fact, I can’t recall the last time I didn’t have Kylarai or Shaz with me. It was kind of a group activity. So imagine my surprise when the first time I do head out alone in a long while, I run in to Zoey Roberts. I hadn't laid eyes upon her since the night she murdered Raoul. Though, that's not to say that she hadn't occupied my thoughts since then.

I was trotting along, minding my own business as I savored the crisp freshness of the night breeze. I rounded a bend in the trees that led to the small forest clearing where several of us meet to run on the full moon. The black wolf caught my eye immediately, my mind conjuring a memory of Raoul. She just looked so much like him. My heart leaped, and for just a moment, I thought it was him.

Then her scent reached me, and the instinctual need to kill was back. Despite everything, I had to lay the blame somewhere, and though Raoul was dead, his vindictive offspring wasn’t. A snarl erupted from me, unbidden and unexpected, yet welcome. What was she doing, so close to my house? This was my turf, not hers.

We stared at one another across the distance that separated us. She looked a lot better than she had the last time I’d seen her. How she’d managed to escape death was beyond me. Her once blood-matted fur was now long and silky, the color of sin. The one feature that set her apart from Raoul was the eyes. She had cerulean blues rather than ebony orbs.

I was glad that the similarities only went so far.

I waited, not blinking an eye, but she never came any closer. The seconds ticked by increasingly long. How I kept my feet planted is a mystery to me. Maybe it had something to do with the sudden memory of the challenge in Raoul's eyes as he lay dying, allowing Zoe to kill him. He had been willing to do anything to give her the vengeance she felt entitled to, regardless of my feelings, my need for vengeance.

After a long, suspenseful moment that had me shaking in my tracks, she backed away toward the thick trees behind her. When she was sure that I wouldn’t give chase, she turned and fled into shadow.

I didn’t hang around to see if she’d return. She wouldn’t, not tonight anyway.

Instead, I beat it home to take a soak in a hot bath while I nursed a combination of guilt and confusion.

I wasn’t sure where the guilt came from. Maybe because while I was relaxing in bubbles up to my chin, Zoey was out there trapped in wolf form indefinitely. The confusion was partly due to Raoul’s death having only occurred a few months ago. I just wasn’t entirely over losing the man I’d looked up to, nor could I accept his betrayal from beyond the grave. That would likely never change. How could it? He had waited until he was dead to reveal to me through a letter that he had been the werewolf that killed my family and turned me. That kind of pain didn’t fade overnight.

Since I was alone, I dragged my fuzzy comforter out to the futon in the living room.

After making some African red tea and grabbing a bag of chocolate covered pretzels, I was ready to get comfy with a good movie.

I munched on pretzels as I scrolled through the TV channels with the remote. There was a late night showing of one of the old Halloween movies. With Halloween being just weeks away, I also had three or four other horror flicks to choose from. After eliminating them based on cheesiness and gore level, I stuck with Michael Myers and his shrieking teenage victims.

It wasn’t long until my eyelids began to droop. The classic slasher theme played in the background as I drifted between sleep and wakefulness. It accompanied me as I sunk deeper, right into a dream I hadn’t had in months.

I was back in my family home, surrounded by the bodies of my dead family. Raoul stood before me as wolf, but this time I knew it was him. The first thing I noticed was that I wasn’t my teenage self in this dream like in previous ones, and I was fully aware that this was indeed only a dream. I soon came to realize that though it was a dream, it was not at all the same one I’d assumed it was.