Authors: Trina M Lee
“Come on now, baby. Don’t be so uptight. It’s all good. Let me show you what a real man can do for you.” The idiot just didn’t know when to give up.
I looked to Jez, half expecting her to get up in the guy’s face; she was bad for that. Instead, she seemed to be on the same wavelength as me: avoiding conflict would be best tonight.
Jez motioned to the entry. “I know of a great place to dance a few blocks from here. Let’s just take off.”
It seemed to be the safest bet. It would be useless to interact with this guy any further. I didn’t want that kind of trouble. Now if only trouble felt the same way about me.
We had almost reached Ky’s Escalade when trouble caught up to us. This guy didn’t seem to know his persistence had turned to obstinate ignorance.
“Give me one chance to rock your world,” he slurred as he lumbered toward us.
“Is this guy for fucking real?” Jez laughed at the absurdity of it all.
I had a sick feeling in my gut. Zoey’s energy was hot with rage. I fully expected her to verbally tear him a new one, so I was stunned when she lost it completely.
In a flash Zoey was on top of him. She knocked him to the ground and began to land blows that hurt me to watch. I hesitated for just a moment. When I saw that her eyes had gone wolf, and she snarled down at him with fangs, my heart almost stopped.
“Zoey, don’t!” I grabbed her from behind. Without taking her eyes off her prey, she elbowed me hard enough to knock me on my ass. I gasped for air, winded by the blow.
“What the fuck?” The sight of fangs bared inches from his face had our drunken friend sounding stone cold sober and terrified.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion when Zoey bit into his throat. Kylarai gave a little shriek, and I began to panic. As a hybrid, Zoey’s wolf was trapped inside her. If it got out, she’d be trapped in wolf form again. I’d freed her of it once, but I didn’t know if I could do it again.
The scent of blood was strong and immediate. It hit me hard, teasing me even as I watched in horror. The guy on the ground gave a strangled cry that became a horrible gurgle as blood entered his windpipe. Oh God, this was not good.
Jez grabbed Zoey around the waist and threw her. She skidded across the pavement with an angry cry. Her victim was beyond help. He was bleeding out fast. The scent was tantalizing, stirring my hunger. The urge to taste him was almost impossible to resist. I had no real options left. I moved fast. Grabbing his head tightly, I closed my eyes so that I didn’t have to watch as I snapped his neck.
“Oh my God!” Kylarai was clearly distressed. Her eyes were wide, and she trembled. “Oh my God! What just happened?”
I glanced around the parking lot. Nobody appeared to have heard the commotion. In downtown Edmonton, it likely hadn’t been enough to draw the wrong attention. Regardless, we had to move the body before someone came along.
“We need to throw him in the back of your truck, Ky. We can’t leave him here.”
“Are you crazy? I’m not putting him in my truck.”
Jez held out a hand to Kylarai for the keys. “We have to. Not for long. Just to avoid having anyone find him.”
Zoey stood several yards away, watching us in silence. Blood stained her face and clothing. She didn’t say a word, but when Jez pulled Ky’s Escalade to a stop beside us, she moved quickly to grab the body.
I pulled out my cell phone and hit Kale’s number without thinking. I didn’t know what else to do. I watched as Kylarai paced back and forth beside the vehicle.
Come on, Kale. Pick up!
Kale’s voice had never sounded so good.
“Please tell me you’re not busy. I really need your help.” I barely let him get a word out. “I’m at a club downtown with the girls. We’ve had a bit of an accident.”
“What kind of accident? Where are you?” The noise in the background indicated that he was at The Wicked Kiss.
“I have a body here that I need to get rid of. You were the first person I thought to call. We’re at a place called Dominoes.”
“Alright. I’m on my way.”
I hung up and took a long look at the situation. Kylarai was swearing at random to nobody in particular. Zoey was silently staring at the bloody spot on the concrete, and Jez was looking at me expectantly. We had a body stuffed in Ky’s truck and a vampire on his way to get rid of it. So much for a normal night out with the girls.
* * * *
The four of us were quiet. There wasn’t much to be said. Zoey had shown me what a liability she was. It had taken very little to make her snap. She was high-strung and dangerous. I knew this already, though. She’d murdered countless people, one being her father. I was conflicted as I stood near the Escalade waiting for Kale.
Not so long ago, I had wanted nothing more than to kill Zoey Roberts. Nobody would let me, not even Shaz. I’d claimed her as my own pack mate out of obligation, hoping for the best. As I stood there questioning that decision, I knew I was being a hypocrite. A killer was a killer, and I was one, too. Hell, I got paid for it.
I recognized the sound of Kale’s ‘73 Camaro before I saw it pull into the parking lot. Good. The sooner this night of fucked up insanity ended, the better.
It didn’t occur to me that things could be more awkward until Kale got out of his car. He and Kylarai had dated for a few months before she’d paired up with Julian. They had developed a genuine affection for one another, but Ky didn’t want any part of the vampire world. They’d quickly called it quits. Ky didn’t know about the strange dynamic that had developed between Kale and me, and I preferred to keep it that way.
“Hello ladies.” Kale nodded to the others as he approached me. His gaze lingered on Kylarai who stood at the opposite end of the Escalade.
She took a few steps toward us but stopped as if uncertain. “Hi, Kale. It’s nice to see you again.”
“It’s nice to see you, too. You’re looking beautiful, as always.” The smile he gave her was endearing. I was relieved to see that he wasn’t all vamped out tonight. I should have confirmed that before calling him over here.
“Thank you.” Kylarai blushed slightly and ran a hand through her hair in a nervous gesture.
Uncomfortable didn’t even begin to describe how I felt. I waited while they exchanged pleasantries, doing my best not to let my discomfort show on my face.
Jez was completely unfazed by everything. In fact, she seemed bored with it all. “Where were you tonight, Kale? We didn’t drag you away from anything good, did we?”
“Nothing good enough to make me pass up the opportunity to assist four lovely ladies.”
“Oh, please. Your charm is wasted on us. Might as well save it.” She gave him a playful smack and pointed to the back of the Escalade. “Our friend is in there. What do you think?”
Kale peered into the truck and immediately looked at me as if he assumed that I’d done it. I shook my head and frowned.
“I’m sorry. You were the first person I thought to call.” I shrugged and tried to look apologetic instead of offended. “Things got out of hand here. It happened so fast.”
“Don’t apologize. I’m glad you called. You know I don’t mind.” The look he gave me revealed the fire lurking in the depths of his eyes. I tore my gaze away, hoping nobody else sensed the sudden increase in my heart rate. He pressed his car keys into my hand, and I jerked back as if his touch had burned. “Take my car and go to The Wicked Kiss. I’ll deal with this and meet you there.”
“Really? You’re leaving me with your baby? What did I do to earn that kind of trust? Never mind. Don’t answer that. I’ll try not to get involved in any street races I’m not sure I can win.” I winked and gave him a teasing smile.
“I’m going to assume you’re joking. And if you’re not, I don’t want to know about it.” With a grin, Kale accepted Ky’s keys from Jez and climbed into the driver’s seat of the Escalade.
The four of us piled into Kale’s car. The scent of leather and a cherry air freshener was faint but pleasant. The scent of blood clung to Zoey, and I had to open the window. I readjusted the seat and mirrors, catching a glimpse of Kylarai’s wide-eyed expression in the backseat.
“We’re going to The Wicked Kiss?” She didn’t sound happy. “Haven’t we had enough trouble for one night?”
I wouldn’t worry about Kylarai in a place like The Kiss. I knew she could hold her own without losing her mind. I didn’t want to take Zoey in there.
“Maybe we can just wait for Kale in the parking lot.” I made the suggestion, thinking it would be the safest plan.
“Well if we’re going there anyway, we might as well go in.” Jez was too busy checking her makeup in her compact mirror to see the dirty look I shot her.
Zoey seemed to know what I was thinking. She spoke up from the backseat, her voice low. “I’m sorry about all this. I fucking blew it tonight. I don’t know why I lost it like that.”
Well, I sure did.
Because you’re the lunatic hybrid daughter of a man with questionable genes.
I kept my mouth shut and thanked God that Zoey couldn’t read minds.
“It’s happened to every one of us at some point.” Jez turned in her seat to give Zoey a reassuring smile, and I cringed. Why was she encouraging this?
Keeping my mouth shut was evidently the best thing I could do right then. I drove to The Wicked Kiss with mounting dread. I didn’t mean to be negative, but experience had taught me that a night like this wasn’t bound to get any better.
“Let’s just go inside, sit and wait for Kale. It will be fine, Ky. I promise.” Who was I to make a stupid promise like that? Kale shouldn’t be long. As soon as he got to the club, I was going home.
“Yeah, it’ll be fine,” Jez chimed in. “Just be prepared to chase off several vamps offering you money for a little nip.”
“Are you serious?” Kylarai’s voice rose in pitch. “They’ll pay you for it?”
“Sometimes. They’ll do a lot of things. Of course, some people don’t care about the money. They’ll give it up for free because they get off on the rush.” Jez shrugged like it was no big deal.
Kylarai made a sound of disgust. Her opinion didn’t change any when we arrived. I was nervous about taking Zoey in there. Not only was she unpredictable, she stank like blood. Despite a wet wipe from Jez, she would still be a vampire magnet.
Shawn was working the lobby. He greeted me with the usual smile and ‘hello’ before his gaze fell on Zoey. I knew it. As if four Weres in a vampire bar wasn’t bad enough, she was going to draw too much attention.
Hurry up, Kale.
I led the way to the dark corner behind the bar. Only one other table nearby was occupied. I didn’t know whether to scream in frustration or laugh with maniacal exasperation when I noticed the vampiress there openly feeding from the wrist of her male companion. Blood, public feeding and a senseless murder so far for the night. What next? A drunken dance floor sex orgy?
“Oh my.” Kylarai looked at the couple quickly before averting her gaze. If that was too much for her, she’d never be able to handle what really went on here. It wasn’t her world. I resented in many ways that it was mine, but I accepted it.
“This place looks like a riot.” The spark of mischief in Zoey’s eyes was alarming. Curiosity adorned her fine features as she surveyed the surroundings.
I glanced at my phone to check the time. How long did it take to dispose of a body? Too many things could happen here. Anxiety nagged me as I waited for something else to go wrong.
“Alexa?” A hand on my arm drew my attention to Jez. “Who’s the trashy broad hanging all over your man?”
“What?” I followed her gaze, expecting to find Arys with a blood whore again. A shock of platinum hair revealed otherwise.
Shaz was standing in a crowd near the dance floor. A tall, raven haired vampiress was draped all over him. With an arm hooked around his neck, she leaned in close as if whispering in his ear. Her actions weren’t casual or friendly. From where I stood, her intentions were pretty clear.
Adrenaline hit me so hard it took my breath away. I was shocked. I was also dumbfounded with jealousy. My body temperature spiked with my pounding pulse, and I felt faint. What the fuck?
“I don’t know who that is.” I tripped over my tongue as I tried to form words. “I mean, I recognize her from around here, but I don’t know who she is personally. And, I don’t know why she’s so touchy-feely with Shaz.” I knew that I didn’t friggin’ like it though.
“Well if I were you, I’d be doing some finding out. And, I wouldn’t be nice about it.” Jez was just speaking her mind, like always, but I don’t think she knew what an influence she was sometimes.