Arys was going to love this. He was my biggest skeptic; he doubted I could control my patrons.
I turned back to Jez in time to see her slash those vicious claws across the throat of the snarling vampire. The force took his head right off, and it came straight at me. Without thinking, I ducked, but it burst into ash with the rest of his body. A shower of dust rained down all around me, and I cringed.
The crowd of onlookers quickly dispersed then. Some of them didn’t want to end up like our dusty friend, and others just lost interest that fast. The humans were staring at Jez with wide eyes. Bloody claws and wild cat eyes, she was a hell of a vision. She looked far more frightening than the vampires in The Kiss.
I brushed at the dust and ash on my clothes and gave my hair a shake. Well, this was just f**king great.
Then, Shaz appeared in the doorway. His eyes were pure wolf, and blood stained his clothing. And, standing behind Shaz with crossed arms and a smirk was Arys. Fabulous.
I surveyed the mess of vampire remains. That wasn’t much of a cleanup. A good vacuum would get the job done. However, that was the least of my concerns. A woman lay dead on the floor of the nightclub I’d sworn to change. So far, things were not going my way. Now, I had to listen to Arys gloat about being right.
He sauntered over to me with a grace possessed only by vampires that had lived for centuries. His sexy, bedroom-messy, raven black hair shone deep blue beneath the dim lighting. The fang-revealing grin he wore irritated me as much as it enticed.
“Go ahead and say it.” I threw both hands in the air and glared. “I know you want to. Have at it.”
His chuckle stroked me deep inside, and our power sparked when he grasped my upraised hands in his, lacing our fingers together. Leaning close enough to brush his lips against mine, he murmured, “I told you so.”
I couldn’t help the way my power instantly mingled with his. We were bound by blood, so it would always be this way. Though I’d recently gained more control over my abilities, Arys could always strip me of it with the right touch, look or careful whisper.
“Since you’re enjoying this so much, you can clean up the body.” I flashed him a smirk of my own and pulled away before the flame burning between us could grow into a blazing inferno.
“I got him.” Shaz stepped up beside me with a bleeding gash below his eye. I hadn’t noticed it in the chaos. “Pretty easy take down.”
I gently touched his face, trying to get a better look at his superficial wound. It looked worse than it was. I couldn’t resist letting my pinky finger slide through the blood that ran in a single rivulet down his cheek. He watched as I brought it close, smelling his powerful werewolf blood. I would have tasted it, but Arys intercepted the motion.
Gripping my wrist tightly, he brought my hand to his mouth and slowly licked Shaz’ blood from my little finger. His tongue was warm and inviting as he stroked it along my flesh. My breath caught, and I was flush with unbidden desire. Arys’ gaze was intent on Shaz, watching for his reaction.
“You are such a dick.” Shaz shoved past us, purposely shouldering Arys as he went.
Arys just laughed. He liked to get under Shaz’ skin, and Shaz made it far too easy for him.
“Don’t start with him tonight,” I warned. “If you haven’t noticed, I have enough to deal with here without you playing with him. One of these days, he’s going to lose it on you, and then you’re on your own.”
Arys’ smile vanished, but the mischievous glint in his eyes remained. “I wish he would.”
“Oh, you do not.” I shook my head, exasperated.
Arys’ fun with Shaz stemmed from their intense dislike for one another.
They’d gone from fist fights to stubborn acceptance. A ménage à trois that resulted in a bite and even a kiss between the two of them had reminded Shaz of what he hated about Arys: everything. Of course, that had a lot to do with Shaz’ resentment that he’d enjoyed the bite of the vampire he despised.
“Look, just leave Shaz alone. Help me clean up, and you can rub my total failure in my face later.”
I turned away from Arys. People packed the dance floor as if nothing had disrupted them. Newcomers made their way through the lobby into the main part of the club. I had to get this body moved.
Arys swept past me, lifting her easily in his arms and retreating through the rear exit. I caught his eye and nodded my thanks. Ok, so things weren’t going as planned, but they could be worse. Right?
Chapter Two
Voicemail … again. I didn’t bother leaving a message. I wondered if Kale wasn’t actively avoiding my calls. Foreboding gripped my insides and left me ice-cold. I didn’t generally worry about him – if anyone could take care of himself, it was Kale – but something was different this time, all wrong.