chapter Nineteen
The sounds of the night were so different from my backyard patio than they were in the city. There was no traffic to ruin the peaceful quiet. No sirens. Small town living allowed me to see the stars glittering against the night sky. It called to my wolf.
I walked through the yard, taking in the scents of summer. It wouldn’t be long until the warmth faded, and Fall moved in to strip the trees of their leaves and the grass of its green vitality. I couldn’t help but wonder if Shaz would be back by then.
A chorus of howls broke the stillness. A shiver crept up my spine. Kylarai, Coby and the others were running tonight. They were miles away, but I could feel them as if they were right there with me. My wolf wanted to join them. That would probably never happen again.
It was tempting to shift, but the thought of running alone was depressing. I missed Shaz desperately. He would have had something reassuring to say, and for a little while, I might actually believe him. Too bad for me, he wasn’t here. While I was here waiting for the clock to count down to my potential demise, Shaz was likely running through the mountains, at one with nature.
It was better that he wasn’t here. I wouldn’t want to risk him. His absence kept Lilah’s attention off him. That was worth the pain I felt every time I thought about him.
Unable to listen to the pack’s mournful cries any longer, I went inside and closed the patio door. The house felt big and empty. I didn’t know what to do with myself. So, I poured another glass of whiskey and sat at the kitchen island.
I sipped the golden liquor and stared at my cell phone, watching the minutes change. It was a quarter past four. I needed to attempt sleep at some point. Being at full strength for Lilah’s little shindig was essential. The thought of climbing into bed alone was painful. Maybe I’d crash on the couch instead.
“Only got yourself to blame,” I muttered for no other reason than to break the silence.
I had no pack to call my own. My small town pack of everyday people had been a comfort, a sense of normalcy in an unusual world. The three men that I had ties to were all lost inside their own hell. Here I sat in mine.
I didn’t cry. I only wished I could. The cleansing tears would have been a welcome relief from the hollow ache.
I decided to take the opportunity to leave a message for Kylarai while she was out. I wanted her to know where I would be the following evening, in case anything should happen, at least she would know. I called Jez after, happy to hear her alive and safe.
“I’m going with you,” she insisted after I told her about Lilah’s invitation. “You need back up, and I want to see the bitch go down.”
“There’s a huge chance it won’t play out like that. I can’t stop you from coming but don’t take any hits for me, Jez. I mean it. Enough people have been hurt on my watch already.” I refilled my glass and took a large swallow of whiskey. It burned in all the right ways. “How are you doing? You know, since Zoey…”
She sighed heavily into the phone. The crinkle of a chip bag was loud in the background. “I’m stuffing my face with pizza and Doritos. Does that answer your question? At this rate, I’ll be obese in no time.”
“Better than binging on blood and whiskey like I’ve been.” I laughed despite my mood. “Besides, your scrawny ass could stand to gain a few pounds. You’ll be fine.”
“Laugh it up, blood fiend,” she joked. I could hear the smile in her voice. Jez was broken now, but she would put the pieces back together. Maybe I could do the same.
A cold wind swept through me, capturing both my heart and my attention. Seconds later, there was a knock on the front door. I wasn’t sure I could face Arys right now. He wasn’t giving me a choice by arriving unannounced.
“Jez, I gotta go. I’ll call you back later.”
I set both the phone and my glass on the counter before creeping down the hall to the door. I grasped the deadbolt and started to turn it, pausing to second-guess the motion. I didn’t want to fight with him. Could I keep the peace by refusing to open the door?
Groaning inwardly, I flipped the deadbolt and jerked the door open before I could change my mind. When I saw him standing there with a fire burning in his eyes and a bouquet of red roses in hand, I was smitten all over again.
I opened my mouth to speak, but he shoved inside and silenced me with a kiss. Kicking the door closed, Arys pushed the flowers into my hand and pulled me into his arms. The power sparked between us. For the first time since our fight outside The Wicked Kiss, I felt whole. In Arys’s arms, the fear and despair faded, replaced by strength and confidence. I was complete again.
His tongue was soft on mine, exploring my mouth insistently. I was drowning in him. Every one of my senses were ablaze, ignited by his touch.
“Arys, what are you doing here?” I broke off the kiss to catch my breath. The roses in my hand were deep scarlet, reminding me of the blood I’d spilled earlier. That had to be why Arys was so worked up; he’d gotten off on it.
“What does it look like?” His lips moved on my neck as he kissed a warm path along my jugular. “I can’t stay away from you. I tried. I wanted to do what you asked, but it’s not going to happen.”
A lump formed in my throat. I couldn’t bring myself to push him away. With his scent tickling my nose and his mouth on my skin, there was no denying how desperately I craved him.
“We can’t keep doing this,” I said, a catch in my voice. I ran my free hand through his sexy shock of hair, holding him close. “The constant conflict is killing me.”
“It’s what we do. We fight. Then, we f*ck. And, we both damn well love it.” Arys knocked the flowers from my hand in his efforts to undress me. He peeled my top off and tossed it aside before burying his face in my cleavage. “You can’t escape me, beautiful wolf. All it does is make the need stronger. We are meant to be together, and you will have to accept that, conflict and all.”
The passion we shared crackled like lightning. Arys nuzzled my breasts, his hands worked to slide the skirt down my legs. A slave to the longing he stirred within me, I tugged at his shirt, seeking his bare chest.
He kissed me again. I sucked hungrily on his tongue and nipped at his lower lip. Running my hands over his hard body, I abandoned the sense of reason that tried to stop me. He was right. The bastard was always right.
“I never feel like me anymore unless I’m with you,” I gasped out between kisses. “You’re inside me all the time. I don’t know how to live with that.”
My bra and panties quickly joined the rest of my things on the floor. Arys’s remaining clothes followed. He pressed me up against the wall in the hallway. His erection throbbed against my abdomen, and I licked my lips in anticipation.
Arys shook his head. Slipping a hand between my legs, he watched my face closely for a response. “That’s not true. You just hate having absolutely no control over something. So you have no say in this, is that such a bad thing?”
To accompany his question, Arys glided a finger over me, teasing me with his feather soft touch. I groaned and reached for his swollen hard-on. He slapped my hand away with a wicked smile.
“Tell me you want me,” he demanded, his touch growing aggressive. “You’re mine and you know it. But, I want to hear you say it. Then, I’m going to make you scream for me.”
A rush of heat made my cheeks tingle, among other places. Arys’s possessive nature wouldn’t be denied. He fully expected me to obey his command.
“I want you.” My whisper became a soft moan. “You know I do.”
Arys slid two fingers inside me, making my knees weaken. “Keep talking, baby.”
I tried and failed to speak. He easily worked me into a frenzy, using the manipulation I had exerted over a man just hours ago to make me come undone. I loved every moment.
Arys grabbed my hand tightly and brought it to his lips. He kissed the inside of my wrist, hovering over the pumping artery there. I stiffened. The sharp sting of fangs followed, a light, teasing touch. Instead of puncturing my flesh, he continued up my arm to the sensitive inner curve of my elbow.
“Don’t ever try to walk away from me again,” he murmured, sucking at the pulsing blue vein beneath the surface of my skin. “I won’t be so accommodating next time.”
I shook my head vigorously. “I’m sorry, babe. I just feel so lost these days.”
Every time he pressed fangs to my flesh, I moaned. I wanted to feel him inside me in every way. Knowing I longed for his bite, he purposely held out.
“You’re never lost as long as I can find you.” Arys kissed me once more, tenderly this time. A gentle brush of our lips accompanied the tiniest slip of tongue. “I can always find you.”
I wrapped my arms around him and let my head fall back against the wall. The growing pleasure became an outlet for the pent up emotion I tried so hard to bury. The passion exploded forth. I kissed him with an aggression to rival the one building in Arys. A soft growl rumbled in my throat.
“I have to feel you inside me,” I said, a pleading sound that earned me a low chuckle.
“Tell me what I want to hear. I need you to say it.” There was a hard edge to his smooth as velvet voice. He slid his fingers from me, gliding them over the sensitive bud that had me writhing.
Arys’s inner demons were not so different from mine. The insecurity and fear Shya sought to exploit was Arys’s only true weakness. I couldn’t allow the demon to twist that into a weapon to use against us.
“I’m yours,” I said, seeing through a haze of love and desire. “Now, show me you really believe it, too. Claim me.”
He snarled at me in a sexy show of fangs. Lifting me in his arms, he braced me against the wall and thrust inside me with a low, wolfish sound. With my legs around his waist, I held him close. Every slick stroke built the fire until it engulfed my entire body.
We fell into one another, sharing more than the union of our bodies. The power we shared soared. I could feel Arys in my head, his insatiable yearning as he filled me again and again. He pressed his face to my neck, moaning with each thrust. Gripping my hips, he plunged deep, forcing a cry from me.
Arys backed us up toward the staircase, collapsing onto the bottom few stairs. Landing on top, I quickly took control, impaling myself on his thick shaft. He buried his face in my breasts, clinging tightly to me. We moved together with perfect precision. The building waves of pleasure brought my buried feelings to the surface.
“Let me hear you, sweet wolf. Growl for me.” To accompany his demand, Arys pulled down on my hips while simultaneously thrusting up. The force of the depth and impact brought a cry from me that bordered on a scream. He groaned and swore softly. “Dear God, do I ever love you.”
I rode him with my focus on the finish line. The peak of climax loomed ever closer with each stroke. I savored the emotion-drenched energy surrounding Arys. These moments revealed the truth of things he might never say.
I swept my hair aside and bared my neck to him. He gazed at me with midnight blue eyes that were all wolf. It was eerie yet stunning.
Arys gently grasped the back of my neck and held firm. His bite was tender, delicate. The pain of fangs piercing my vein quickly gave way to joyous gratification. As my blood spilled, I plunged over the edge of ecstasy. I quivered atop my vampire, my inner muscles clenching him tight. In that brief moment of absolute rapture, I feared nothing. I felt vibrant, full of life. Being head over heels in love had a way of doing that. It was otherworldly.
The touch of his tongue against my wounded neck was warm and wet. My blood filled his mouth. He quickened our pace, driving fast and deep for those final few orgasmic thrusts.
It wasn’t quite possible to collapse together and enjoy the afterglow. The stairs weren’t afterglow friendly. So, I grabbed his hand and pulled him up the stairs to my bedroom.
After ensuring the heavy drapes covered every inch of the window, I crawled into bed to snuggle up with my vampire. We lay in the dark room, neither of us speaking for a long time. With my head on Arys’s chest, I leisurely stroked a hand through his ebony hair. He held me close, his silence speaking louder than words.
“Wanna tell me what that was all about earlier tonight?” He asked in a lazy drawl. “You hunted that guy like an animal. I can’t say it wasn’t sexy as hell, but it wasn’t quite your style.”
“No,” I agreed. “It was yours.”
I recounted for him the events of the past two nights. Everything from my visit to Lilah’s with Jez to discovering tonight that the demon bitch had my sister. He listened, attentive as I vented my anger with colorful words and curses. As I spoke, he dragged his fingertips up and down my back in a loving caress.
“I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this, but I’m going to Lilah’s with you.”
I sat up to look at him, and the blanket slipped to my waist. “Arys, no. She has Juliet. If I go in with too many people or appear as a threat, there’s no telling what Lilah will do. I can’t risk anything happening to my sister.”
I braced for the argument, certain it was coming, but Arys surprised me. He nodded and pulled me back down beside him.
“Fine,” he said. “We’ll do it your way, with a compromise. You go in without me but keep your mind open to me. If anything goes wrong, if it gets bad, I’m coming in.”
It took me a minute to respond. I was shocked that he hadn’t come back at me with a fight. It was a nice change, most likely a short-lived one as well. I’d enjoy it while I could.
“Alright. That works for me. But, follow my lead. No jumping the gun.” I fell quiet for a moment, deciding how much crap I wanted to dig up. I didn’t want to ruin the moment, but I had to ask. “The FPA killed Bianca. What did she tell you?”
Arys groaned and made a dramatic show of whining melodramatically in protest. “She didn’t tell me a damn thing other than that she’d been sent to seduce either me or Shaz in order to find out more about you and what goes on inside The Wicked Kiss.”
“Don’t withhold shit from me, Arys,” I warned. “Briggs said she gave you info that Shya wanted.”
“She told me about a scroll, some kind of spell or something. Shya needs it. The FPA is trying to find it before he does. That’s all she would say.” Arys stretched and rolled us over so I was flat on my back beneath him. “I considered killing her. I thought you might be pissed if I did, so I let her go.”
“After you kicked the shit out of her?” I stared up at him, worried that he would tell me something I didn’t want to hear.
Arys’s eyes glittered with the memory. He smirked before lowering his head to kiss my stomach. “I did what it took to make her talk. Don’t judge, Alexa. It’ll be you making that call one day.”
My mind raced, putting the pieces together. I assumed Shya needed the missing spell for Gabriel who would then use it, along with my death, to open the chamber from hell. It was likely that Lilah sought the spell as well. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be a problem much longer. I just needed to find the scroll before either Shya or the FPA did. Easy, right?
“I was hoping Bianca would know something we could use against Shya,” Arys explained. “She didn’t. But, she did confirm that the FPA doesn’t have the scroll. Neither does Shya. As long as we get it first, we own his ass. Until then, he keeps every other big ugly bad away from you. I think it’s as good a deal as we’re going to get.”
Arys shoved me back down beneath him. I pondered his logic, finding it sound. We didn’t have many options as far as Shya was concerned. I was too impatient to wait for Shya to make a move; we had to find that scroll before the demon did.
Arys descended between my legs, interrupting my thoughts. The touch of his tongue stole my breath and left me grasping for words.
“We should talk about this,” I said distractedly. “There’s so much to consider.”
“Not right now there isn’t. There is only you and me. Everything else waits until nightfall. So, I suggest you stop talking, unless you’re praising my wonderful performance.” With a sinful laugh, he gripped my hips, holding me beneath him while he worshipped my body.
I didn’t argue. Hell, he had a point. Until I walked into Lilah’s, I just had to pass the time. Sleep would be a necessary factor in readying myself… after exhausting myself with my dark lover, of course.