Authors: Trina M Lee
I breathed a sigh of relief, finding restored strength in our connection. ‘Don’t walk into a trap. They’ll be ready for you.’
We were in a Hummer. Shaz was slumped against the opposite door watching me with a confused frown. His face was bruised and battered.
The door was suddenly jerked open, and he almost fell out of the vehicle. We were dragged out roughly by the lackeys who shoved us along to an old two-level house. I couldn’t tell what part of town we were in, but the lack of nearby dwellings was not reassuring.
The scent of blood and death hung heavy on the air. Whoever had called this house home was likely dead. Maxwell stepped up beside me, and I shrank back against the lackey crushing my arms behind my back. I didn’t want another taste of his power, not unless I was the one controlling it. As long as he had the upper hand, I was only wolf.
“You didn’t think we were going to stop with the witch, did you?” His calm tone and neutral expression conveyed a nonchalance that was carefully constructed. In his warped mind he was making casual conversation.
I bit back a series of curses that threatened to explode forth. Freaking out was not going to help. I kept my mouth shut, refusing to look at him. I guess Maxwell didn’t like the silent treatment because he gave me a shove as we ascended the few steps leading up to the porch. The vampire holding my arms let go, and I hit the old, creaky, wooden planks hard. My upper fangs dug into my lower lip from the impact, and I tasted blood.
Shaz’ growl was low and menacing as he struggled to come to my aid. They wouldn’t let him. Maxwell waited for me to get up before opening the door so his flunkies could usher us inside.
The heavy aroma of potpourri wafted into my face, a cloying cover for the death and fear that lingered.
Directly in front of me was a staircase with old, worn carpet. To the left was a living room with an older model television and very few gadgets or electronics.
I had the distinct feeling an older couple had lived here. It pained me to think of Claire and Maxwell killing them and taking over their home. If only the old myth about vampires needing an invite was true. As it was, they could enter any building they damn well pleased.
To the right of the stairs was a dining room that appeared untouched, as though it hadn’t been used in years. It was simple enough. A large table that had once seated an entire family paired with a cabinet filled with fine china and ornamental items. A plaque among them caught my eye. Praying hands were carved into the wood with the words: One Day at a Time.
Before I could take in more of the house I was pushed into the living room and forced down on the couch. The scent of perfume rose up to haunt me, flashing images of the aging woman who had worn it. Searching the end tables and bookshelf, I found a photo of her – it had to be her – with her husband at her side. They were beaming at the camera, arms around each other. They had to have been well over sixty.
I fumed, angry with what had happened to them. I shot Maxwell a glare, but he was too busy keeping Shaz separated from me to notice. They sat him down in an armchair on the opposite side of the room. I could see into the kitchen behind him but just barely. I kept expecting Claire to appear. I couldn’t sense her, but I’d had no awareness of Maxwell before he took me down either.
Maxwell grabbed Shaz’ wrist and sniffed at the wound. “Someone’s already been at you, hmm? Pity. I like to have the first bite.” Shooting me a warning glance, Maxwell inclined his head toward Shaz. “Try anything and this one dies.”
I glowered at him. “Is there a point to this? Because I’d like to get to it.”
Forgetting about Shaz completely, Maxwell glided across the room to stand before me. I braced for the hit, knowing it was coming before his hand collided with my cheek. My face stung, and it took all of my inner strength to take it. If I didn’t, he would hurt Shaz.
My white wolf was being restrained by two of the three lackeys. He was snarling and straining against them. If he shifted he would have an advantage, but with a powerhouse like Maxwell present, it could get him killed. I tried to meet Shaz’ eyes, to will him to calm down. He was already past the point of calm.
“You,” Maxwell pointed a finger at Shaz. “Sit and shut up.” A slap of energy had Shaz sitting whether he wanted to or not. “And you,” Maxwell grinned down at me from where he stood. “Keep flapping that pretty yap of yours. I love a woman who doesn’t know her place.”
“Is that so?” Claire’s voice rang out as she descended the stairs. “Careful, Maxwell, some women don’t take kindly to chauvinism.”
His eyes flashed with something close to anger before he turned to her with a big phony smile plastered in place. “Of course, my dear.”
Claire stopped in the entrance to the living room and surveyed us. She wore a long black cocktail dress and held a goblet of blood in one hand. I was dying to roll my eyes at her. Like Maxwell, she was drawn to Shaz because of his wound. If I got out of this alive, I just might have to kill that black-haired vampire bitch at The Wicked Kiss.
“Oh my, you’re a gorgeous thing.” Claire fawned over Shaz much in the way one would admire a perfect holiday meal. “I can’t wait to taste you.”
“Oh, fuck no.” I risked another slap from Maxwell. The bitch wasn’t touching my mate.
The slap never came. Instead, Maxwell stepped away from me. Though he had all the power, Claire was the one pulling the strings.
Eyeing me with interest, she came to sit next to me on the couch. As if we were old friends, she smoothed a few tendrils of hair back from my face. I shot her a look of pure venom.
“You know, Alexa. This never had to happen. You could have played along and given us what we want. Now we have to torture it out of you.” She smiled so sweetly as she spoke.
The word torture set off every survival instinct I had. My heart pounded despite my best efforts to remain calm. She would sense it and know she had me right where she wanted me.
“I prefer it this way.” This from Maxwell who stood in the center of the room watching the door. They had to be expecting Arys.
“Really?” I was feeling better. Stronger. As long as Maxwell didn’t slam me again, I might be able to draw on Arys’ power to reinforce my own. “You honestly expected me to hand myself over to you just so you can take over where Harley left off?”
Sipping from her goblet of human blood, Claire pinned me with an appraising gaze. “This is business. It’s all about supply and demand. And, you are in demand. I’m sure you understand that. You run a little business of your own built on the very same foundation. Do you not?”
I growled beneath my breath, hating that she’d caught me on that one. “It’s not the same. The supply in my business is willing, not forced.”
“I beg to differ. Willing victims are there because they want something, too. That’s how it works. Supply and demand. In your case, the supply also demands.” She made a face at her glass but continued to drink from it.
“Why do you need us? You’re not powerful enough to earn your own place? You need me to do it for you.” I was hoping to keep her talking until Arys found us. I could feel him there in my mind, a silent presence offering me strength and comfort.
“Werewolves are a hot commodity, and the werewolves that murdered Harley, even more so.” Claire crossed one leg over the other, flashing a glimpse of thigh to the room through the slit in her skirt. “And, whatever you really are, people want a piece of it.”
I looked at Shaz, finding assurance. “I’m a werewolf, Claire. Don’t try to define me beyond that.”
Maxwell scoffed. “A werewolf with enough power to be a hell of a trouble maker. It’s your own actions that brought us here. If you hadn’t interfered in the first place, we’d still be in Sin City grabbing tourists and virgins.”
“Virgins in Sin City,” I muttered. “Lovely paradox.”
Claire waved a hand dismissively at us. “If anything, she did us a favor by killing Harley. It saved us from having to do it.”
I groaned inwardly. I never would have dreamed that Harley’s death would come back to haunt me like this. By wiping out one damn vampire, I had endangered myself and many others. It was a harsh truth to swallow.
Maxwell grumbled and shot Claire a dark look. “Enough talk, Claire. It’s clear that we’ll have to convince Ms. O’Brien to play along. The hard way.”
The blood drained from my face, and I felt faint. I’d rather be dead than be part of what he’d described. Shaz was staring at the floor. I was sure he was waiting for the right moment to make a move, but I prayed he wouldn’t do anything to get himself killed.
Claire shocked me by leaning in close, invading my personal space. She breathed deeply of my scent. “She smells good alright, but she’s not pure werewolf. I think I’d rather keep her for myself.” Before I could cuss her out for talking about me like I wasn’t there, she drifted back over to Shaz.
The urge to pull on power through Arys was strong, but I knew it would be a mistake if I couldn’t pull enough to take on Maxwell. He had weakened me. I was mortal, and he was not. The odds were not in my favor.
When Claire leaned in to sniff Shaz, he pulled away with pure disgust etched on his face. She huffed, clearly offended even though she was the one holding us against our will. She swallowed the contents in her glass, watching him as she licked the rim. In a blur of motion, she grabbed Shaz’ injured wrist and bit deep.
He didn’t even flinch. I came up off the couch with a snarl, instinct driving me. Drawing on Arys, I lashed out at Maxwell with a blast intended to keep him from stopping me. I just wanted Claire. The other three vampires sprang into action. One of them dragged me down to the floor where I fought to be free of him.
Maxwell’s snicker as he watched was infuriating. It took all three vampires to hold me. I was forced to watch as Claire held her empty glass so that Shaz’ blood would flow into it. She spared me a smile.
“You fucking bitch!” I spat. “I can’t wait to tear your throat out.”
Though my wolf raged, my inner vampire was surprisingly calm. My power immediately sought out a source, finding the three vampires holding me immobile. I grasped their energy and pulled hard on it. I could have drained all three of them like I’d done with the vampire at The Kiss if Maxwell hadn’t been so quick to react.
I threw up a circle just in time to block his expected attack. However, I was momentarily stuck. I wasn’t at full strength. Either a physical or a psychic attack on Claire would compromise my circle and make me vulnerable.
“Clever.” Maxwell eyed me with a renewed interest. “So, you have a few tricks up your sleeve for a self-professed werewolf. Too much trouble.”
“She’s going to give us what we want. If she doesn’t, we’ll take it out on her little friend here.” Claire’s eyes sparkled with malevolence. She ran a hand through Shaz’ hair with excessive force and raised the glass to her lips. Her pupils dilated as she tasted the blood of my mate. “You certainly are a divine thing. I could just take you home and keep you as a pet.”
Watching her touch him made me crazy. Shaz pulled away from her, but she held tight to his hair, earning a growl from him which she ignored. After finishing the wolf blood in her glass, she roughly jerked his wrist to her mouth and ran her tongue over the bite. Her eyes were glazed as the heady werewolf blood affected her.
“Play along, Alexa. Let’s make a deal, and we can all go our separate ways.” Maxwell spoke to me, but he watched Claire with perverted intrigue.
“I have nothing to give you.” I also watched Claire, waiting for the right moment. I couldn’t stay trapped inside my circle. I had to do something.
“Help us get what we want. Nobody else you love has to die.”
“If you want me so bad, you’ll have to take me against my will.”
A burst of power shattered my circle. Maxwell grinned. “We just did.”
He was on me in a heartbeat. I found myself flat on my back, staring up at the ceiling as I gasped for breath. Maxwell straddled me, his perfect composure gone as he wrapped his fingers around my throat. Smacking my head against the floor a few times seemed to please him. Adrenaline prevented me from feeling any pain. I tried to strip his power, but he had a tight shield in place. I couldn’t breach it.
I felt him digging deep inside me, tearing at the energy I’d just consumed. He wanted me helpless. I couldn’t blame him for that, but I had to stop him from succeeding. I resisted, throwing up every metaphysical wall and barrier I could muster. He punched holes through them all.
In my peripheral vision I saw Shaz snap at Claire. She shoved him back in the chair and climbed on his lap while I watched helplessly from the floor. Old and strong, she didn’t have much trouble pinning Shaz in place. The empty goblet in her hand became a weapon, and she smashed it against the side of his face. The sound of glass shattering was met with a yelp.