chapter Twenty-Two
I came awake with a scream. It echoed in the silence of the vast room. Disoriented and shaky, it took a moment for me to figure out where I was.
I was still inside Lilah’s house. In fact, I was inside her circle. Sprawled beside me with eyes open in terror lay a man with his throat slit. One of Lilah’s sacrificial humans, he was dead.
My breath came too hard and fast. I hyperventilated as a series of broken images flashed through my brain. Lena, Raoul, my parents. I had seen them in my dreams as I hovered between life and death. Nothing coherent had lingered.
“Calm down, Alexa. One breath at a time.” Shya’s voice startled me, and I turned to find him standing at the head of the pentagram.
I reached to touch my battered face and disheveled hair. I was solid, real and alive. No vampire fangs.
“What happened?” My voice cracked. My throat was sore and dry.
Arys’s t-shirt covered me like a small blanket. I cast a glance about, seeking him. He crouched near the sunken circle, watching me with a fear in his blue gaze that I’d never seen before.
“What does it look like?” Shya looked especially pleased with himself. “I gave you an extension on that fragile mortal life you so desperately cling to.”
I gaped at the body beside me. The circle, a sacrifice, I quickly pieced it together. The demon had exchanged another life for mine. What an ugly realization.
“But, why?” I asked no one in particular.
“Because, sweetheart.” Shya extended a hand as if to help me up. “This world isn’t yet ready for you to walk as a vampire.”
I looked uncertainly to Arys. The room was empty save the three of us. I had so many questions. Where was my sister?
Arys bent to gather the clothing I had shed before the shift. That’s when I saw the big black dragon etched into his back, its wings flared and tail disappearing beneath the hip of his jeans. Shock exploded through me, and I leaped at Shya with a venomous rage.
“What did you do to him?” I shrieked, slashing his face with clawed fingertips. “What the f*ck did you do?”
Shya caught hold of my arm and threw me down at his feet. Standing over me with ebony wings spread wide, an inky swell of demon power oozed from him.
“I did what I do best. You are useless to me if you die before I find the scroll. Trust me, wolf, you don’t want to be useless.” His eyes flashed brighter red, the snake-like pupils shrunk to the tiniest slits. “Consider this a warning for sneaking around, talking to FPA agents. Be grateful. I let you live.”
“What?” I shook my head, trying to understand. “I was never sneaking around.”
Shya shoved me away and spun on his heel. “I’ll let the two of you talk. Nice job tonight. You did well, all things considered.” With that, he exited the room with a flap of wings. The faint scent of sulfur lingered in his place.
Arys pulled me into his embrace and just held me until I couldn’t take it anymore. Something had happened while I was unconscious. I needed to know what it was.
“Tell me,” I whispered against his bare chest.
“Shya doesn’t trust us, Lex. He wasn’t going to save you. As much as he needs you, he said he could do without. Find another way. I had to make him a promise.”
I drew back to meet his gaze. A sinking sensation swallowed me whole. “Oh, Arys, you didn’t.”
“In exchange for your life, I had to agree to turn Gabriel. When it’s done, he removes the mark.” There was such anguish in Arys. It radiated from him in powerful waves.
“He lied, Arys.” I took my clothes from him, passing back his shirt. I felt ill. “He wouldn’t have let me die. I know it. That’s what they do. Goddamn demons. They are deceivers.”
“I couldn’t take that chance. I was watching you die.” He turned away and rubbed his eyes. The dragon burnt into his flesh mocked me. I didn’t think I could hate anyone more than I hated Shya.
I got dressed, noting the stab wound in my side had healed immensely. It was an ugly pink scar now. Maybe being a vampire would have been better after all.
“It’s more than that though, isn’t it?” I touched Arys’s arm, making him turn back to me. His eyes were red with blood tears he refused to let fall. “You had a chance to change the future. To change what the witch showed you. But, you didn’t. Because you want it.”
He stared at the floor as if seeing something I couldn’t see. His shoulders shook with pent up emotion. I needed him to tell me I was right. His resistance only made it worse.
“You have to admit to yourself and to me that you want it,” I demanded, growing angry. “You crave my death for yourself, and that’s why you’re putting us both through such hell.”
Truth shone like a beacon in his eyes when he looked up. He tried to hide it, but I had already seen. After a strained moment he said, “I do. God I hate myself, but I want to be the one.”
I expected to feel anger or maybe even sorrow. I just felt relieved. Kale had told me once that Arys would long for my death, to drain the life from me himself. He said it was the only way Arys would ever fulfill his need to consume me, to claim me in every way. I still didn’t entirely understand; I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
“You can’t turn Gabriel,” I said. “He’s so young, and he has enough to deal with as it is. What’s Shya thinking?”
“He needs Gabriel to work the spell he’s been seeking. Making the kid a vampire makes him harder to kill.” Arys sighed. “My concern is for you. I had no choice but to tell Shya what he wanted to hear.”
“It’s your bloodline,” I whispered, feeling the urge to look over my shoulder. “Shya could have any vampire do it but to insist on you? The vampires in your bloodline are deadly. He’s going to turn Gabriel into a black magic killing machine.”
“And, use him to work the spell that will use your death to open the door.” Arys’s voice echoed through the room. The heat of his sudden anger scorched my insides. Just as fast as it rose, it dissipated. “Let’s not discuss this right now. Your friends are waiting for you, and this isn’t a safe place.”
He slipped his t-shirt over his head and marched toward the door, pausing to hold a hand out to me. I hurried to catch up, wincing in pain. My bruised, battered body was stiff and sore.
Arys was more conflicted than I’d known, and he did a damn good job of hiding it. Worry gripped my heart in icy hands.
As we exited Lilah’s sacrificial room from hell, Falon entered. He closed the double doors behind him. I imagined he would clean the place up, as if nothing had ever happened here. I owed him a kick in the nuts. Or two. Though he’d freed my sister, he had taken extra liberties by smacking me around. I wouldn’t forget that.
Broken glass and debris from fallen paintings and photos littered the hall. We emerged in the foyer to find Jez, Juliet and Willow along with two brown wolves I recognized as Coby and Kylarai. My eyes filled with happy tears. They had come for me.
My sister was first to grab me in a hug. I savored her scent and the way she felt in my arms. FPA or not, I was not letting anything come between us again. A sob choked me, and I tightened my grip, wishing I never had to let go.
“Are you ok?” I smoothed a hand through her hair, searching her for serious injury. “Did anyone hurt you?”
“No, I’m fine. Thanks to Falon.” She handed me the Dragon Claw. “Very impressive weapon.”
“It’s only as good as the one who wields it.” I smiled through the tears.
We all had our share of injuries, even poor Willow with his silver wound. Nothing we wouldn’t all survive though.
Kylarai and Coby had taken down the vampires guarding the exterior as well as those who tried to escape. It was no easy task, but one they had accomplished well together. Tongue lolling in joy despite an angry cut over one eye, Coby gave my hand an affectionate nuzzle.
“Everything ok?” Jez asked, a knowing look in her emerald eyes.
“Not as far as Shya is concerned, but overall, yeah, it’s ok.” I sighed, feeling weak and light-headed. A break from this life would be nice, even if just for a little while. “Hey, Jez, you know that Vegas trip you’ve been going on about? I think it’s time we do that.”
“Seriously?” She squealed with more energy than I could have mustered. “I can’t wait to start planning.”
Arys didn’t approve. I could feel it. He was smart enough to say nothing.
“I need to get away. Just for a while. Besides, I’d like to see the Sin City version of The Wicked Kiss. It must be outrageous.”
I was eager to leave Lilah’s house. I wondered how long it would be before she found her way back. If Salem were smart, he would keep his twin flame close where she belonged. No sooner had that thought passed through my mind than Arys’s voice followed. ‘Never forget you just had that thought.’
I hadn’t felt him in my head. Keeping my thoughts carefully neutral, I merely nodded.
Arys insisted I go with him when we left. After lavishing hugs and kisses on my companions, I accompanied him to my car where he’d parked it several blocks away. He tossed me the keys without a word. The entire walk to the car had been in silence.
I was tired and hungry, for more than one thing. Sliding onto the driver’s seat, I put the key in the ignition and waited.
“Drive,” Arys said.
“Talk. I know there’s something you’re not saying.”
“Don’t go to Vegas.” Ah, there it was.
“I’m going. I need to get away from here. I need a break from this shit.”
“Vegas is not the place to take a break.” His anger had faded, replaced by defeat. “It’s dangerous. There’s a lot going on there, Lex. Stuff we don’t need to get involved in.”
I shrugged and started the car. “So we won’t. I just want to go let off some steam. Drink, gamble, show Criss Angel how it’s done. That kind of thing.”
My joke did not earn me a smile from him. Instead, he shook his head and gazed out the window. “It won’t be like that. The minute you step foot in that city, they will know you’re there.”
“Who is they?”
He reached over and captured my hand. Slipping his fingers through mine, he sighed. “You drive me crazy.”
“Ditto, baby.” What else could I say?
“I’m going with you.”
“I wouldn’t have expected otherwise.”
He laughed then, a melodic sound that sent shivers down my spine. Nobody infuriated me the way Arys did. Nobody brought me to my knees quite the way he did either. As much as I wanted to thump him at times, I was head over heels for him. Being his twin flame didn’t mean I had to love him. That blessing, however, would bring us through whatever lay ahead.
“You know how much I love you?” He echoed my thoughts.
“No,” I teased. “How much?” I squeezed his hand, hoping that one small action conveyed the pulse-pounding emotion filling my heart.
“Turn the car off and get over here so I can show you.” His seductive smile sent a tremor through me. I couldn’t resist him.
We had to talk about so much. So many choices had to be made, and so many plans had to be laid. For now, I was where I wanted to be. With the vampire that had changed my life forever. Faith would carry us through. It had to.
Excitement had me shimmying out of my yoga pants. Car sex was never easy, but it was always fun. I climbed awkwardly over the center console, settling myself atop him. Arys freed himself from the confines of his jeans. He pulled me down on his lap, impaling me on his velvet-smooth erection. He erupted into laughter when I hit my head on the low car ceiling.
I held him inside me for a moment, savoring the way it felt when he filled me. Our eyes met, and a jolt of electricity joined us in a way beyond the physical. With every such encounter, my need for him grew. Bound on every level, I understood his need to go to all lengths to protect us. I even understood his craving to fulfill the witch’s premonition, well almost.
For a long time, we’d wondered what our purpose was. Now, I was sure of it. We had to bring Shya down, somehow. Some way, we would stop the demon from rising to greater power, even if that meant I had to die to do it.
* * * *
The long awaited housewarming party was well under way. Just an hour past sunset, the evening was young and beautiful. The weather was perfect for the end of summer, warm and still. A faint pink glow shone ever so slightly on the horizon.
Coby manned the barbecue, serving up a variety of burgers and steaks that made my mouth water. Jez, Arys and I lounged on the patio, enjoying the calm and the presence of friends. I lay back in a lounge chair, a raspberry lemonade in one hand and a slice of watermelon in the other.
“Refills?” Kylarai stepped onto the patio from the kitchen, a fresh pitcher of lemonade in hand.
Jez sat up straighter in her chair, looking interested. “Did you put vodka in it this time?”
“Yes,” Ky said with an eye roll.
It had been just a few days since everything went down at Lilah’s. I felt a great sense of liberation knowing she wasn’t out there, plotting my demise. No, I had Shya for that. Knowing Lilah was fleeing her twin flame made me see her in a whole new light. It also changed the way I saw myself.
Lilah and Arys were of the darkness. They saw the twin bond differently. It drove them both mad in their own way. One sought to escape the bond, the other, to protect it. Ultimately, they feared it because they couldn’t control it.
It had tested my sanity, too. In some ways, it always would. The spark of Arys that I carried with me always ensured the darkness lived in me. But, I lived within him, too. As long as we had that balance, we were doing fine.
“Good Lord, that smells awful.” Arys wrinkled his nose, watching Coby flip burgers. “The rest of you smell pretty good though. Especially the cat. That’s a delicacy.”
He chuckled, giving Jez a teasing wink. She regarded him through narrowed eyes, a hint of a smile on her ruby lips. “Watch it, vampire. I’ll stab your eyes out.”
The sound of their shared laughter was beautiful. What started out as a bittersweet gathering was fast becoming a lighthearted, joyful time. We all needed it.
“So,” Arys exchanged a grin with Coby. “When does the strip poker start?”
“You’re a poker master. None of us has had three hundred years to master the game. You’re a bad boy, Arys.” I shook my finger at him. “Besides, you know I barely understand how to play.”
“Good,” he quipped. “Then you’ll be naked in no time.”
Simultaneously, Jez said, “I’m in. Get the cards.”
They shared another ridiculous laugh to which I rolled my eyes. I finished off the juicy piece of watermelon and considered having another. I glanced at Arys and wondered briefly what it was like to not only be unable to eat human food but to downright loathe even the smell.
“So, is all quiet on the demon front?” Jez asked, curiosity shining in her eyes.
“So far so good.” I swirled the lemonade in my glass and took a sip.
Kylarai shuddered and made a noise of disgust. “If I never come face to face with a demon again, it will be too soon. I don’t envy you, Alexa. In fact, I fear for you.”
I didn’t want to ruin the evening by discussing Shya. Doing my best to shrug off the concern, I shook my head, but Arys couldn’t resist adding his two cents.
“Alexa isn’t inferior to any of those rejects from hell. She’s got leverage over Shya. He needs her.” He spoke confidently without being haughty. That still didn’t earn him any points with Kylarai.
She met Arys’s eyes, frowning in disdain. “Right. Because of her tie to you. That’s why she’s valuable to him.”
Arys and Kylarai stared at each other as if they were unaware of their audience. The two of them had never been close, but in the year since Arys and I had bonded, Kylarai had made it clear that she was not a fan of Arys in the least. She seemed to blame him for the dark side of me, but it wasn’t his fault. He didn’t create this union. He was as much a victim of it as I.
“Yes.” Arys leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, exuding disinterest. “So give her some credit for being able to hold her own with monsters like that.”
“Monsters like you?” Kylarai clamped her lips shut as soon as the words left her mouth. It wasn’t like her to pick a fight with anyone, though those close to her knew she was gentle and loving but a brutal killer beneath it all.
“So…” I gestured to Jez, seeking an ally in this little upset. “Who wants to play strip poker?”
“I do,” Jez chimed in, raising her glass in an air toast.
Our lame attempt at changing the subject failed. The mood had shifted with such a brief exchange. Resentment tainted the air.
Arys’s appearance was casual and relaxed, but I could feel the defensive fury spilling through him. “I think it’s safe to say we’re all monsters here. Is there no blood on your hands, Kylarai?”
Her face grew red. Grey eyes flashing angrily, she clutched a glass of vodka lemonade in a white-knuckled grip. Ky wasn’t a big drinker. The lowering of her inhibitions was not going to help me play peacemaker.
I sought Coby’s gaze. He stood quietly by the barbecue, watching the growing conflict with calm unease. He was the only person I’d ever turned. Though we weren’t close by any means, we were learning to move past what I’d done to him.
“Wolf family meeting,” I announced, standing up and descending the patio steps into the yard below.
Coby and Kylarai followed me to the empty fire pit in the middle of the backyard. I sat on the concrete edge, waiting for them to do the same.
“Ky, you are entitled to your opinions, and you know I love you for them, but you have to understand that Arys isn’t to blame for anything that happens to me. He’s a victim of circumstance, too. And anyway,” I reached to touch her arm. “You’re Alpha now. You need to focus on that. Don’t worry about me.”
Guilt slid over her face like a mask. “I’m sorry, Lex. I just worry. I know it’s not his fault. And, I’m sorry about the pack. I’ve been meaning to talk to them about taking you back.”
“Don’t,” I said, putting my arm around her shoulders. I pulled Ky close, resting my head against hers. “They’re right about me. I’ve brought enough trouble to them. It’s better for me to be on my own right now. Seriously. No hard feelings.”
“Alright. I’ll apologize to Arys,” she relented. “But, I won’t be happy about it.”
“Fair enough.”
She returned to the patio, leaving Coby and I behind. I expected him to follow her. Instead, he slid closer to me on the fire pit.
“Alexa,” he began nervously. “I want to thank you. When we first met, I wasn’t the nicest guy. You were so understanding. You took me in when I had nobody. I met Kylarai because of you, and I am insanely in love with her.” He paused, and a blush spread across his cheeks. “The wolf fits now. It’s become a part of me. I’ve learned that you are also a part of me. I wanted to tell you, if you ever need back up, anything at all, I’m here for you.”
I was surprised and touched. I’d come to accept that Coby might always hate me for what I’d done to him. Never had I expected him to thank me.
“You have no idea how much that means to me.” I leaned over for a casual hug. He took it a step further and pulled me in for a nuzzle. Rubbing his face alongside mine, it was an entirely wolfy action. It meant a lot to me.
“Hey wolf, hands off my woman,” Arys called from the deck. It was nice to see him smiling, unaffected by the small rift with Ky.
I stood up to go, but Coby grabbed my hand. “Alexa, wait,” he pleaded. “Um, would you uh, I don’t know how to say this. Maybe it’s too soon, but I know I want to marry Kylarai. Do you think she’ll say yes?”
“Holy crap, Coby, you couldn’t possibly be more adorable,” I laughed. “I can’t see why she wouldn’t.”
My heart squeezed in both joy and envy. I’d accepted that the picket fence life wasn’t for me. At least, I thought I had. It was for Kylarai though, and now she had a chance to make it happen. I was thrilled for her.
It was hard to keep from crushing her in an excited hug when we returned to the patio. Somehow, I managed to keep myself contained. Jez prattled on about the upcoming Las Vegas trip while Coby dished out burgers. I was pouring a lemonade refill when the doorbell rang.
Immediately, I was concerned. Everyone I was expecting was already present. I glanced at Arys who shrugged, unaffected. That was weird.
I entered the house, crossing through the kitchen and down the long hall to the front door. I paused, reaching out metaphysically to sense who was on the other side. The earthy energy was strong and familiar. Werewolf.
I jerked the door open with my heart in my throat. I was a little lightheaded, unable to believe my eyes. There, with his platinum hair long enough to hang in his jade green eyes and a quirky little smile, stood Shaz.
“Hey, babe,” he said. “Am I late for the party?”
I gawked at him like a moron, staring in stunned silence. If this was just a dream, I was going to be pissed when I woke up.
Before I could pinch myself, he stepped over the threshold and captured me in his warm embrace. The scent of wolf and pine filled my nostrils, scratching an itch I’d learned to live with. I ran my hands over him, down his lean body and up into his hair. No dream, this was real.
I tried to speak though no words could squeak past the knot of overwhelming emotion that choked me. I clung to him like a drowning woman to a life preserver. I wanted to say so many things that I must have mumbled something unintelligible.
“God, I missed you, Lex,” he murmured, stroking my hair. “I never got used to being without you.”
“When did you get back?” I finally managed to say. I held him tight, afraid to let go.
“Today. Just a few hours ago.”
He kissed me, a tender press of his lips to mine that quickly grew into a passionate exhibit of frenzied love. My wolf leaped for joy at his touch. I couldn’t get enough of the way he felt. I was ready to let go of the past, of the mistakes we had both made. He was here now; that was what mattered.
The sound of applause broke us apart. Jez stood in the kitchen, grinning from ear to ear. “Perfect timing. Dinner’s ready. Although, it looks like you two are ready for dessert.”
We followed her to the backyard where Kylarai also threw herself at Shaz in glee. Arys sat back looking pleased with himself.
There was a flurry of chatter as everyone threw questions at Shaz about where he had been and what he had done. Shaz laughed and ran a hand through his hair, one of his habits that I had dreadfully missed.
Arys rose to greet him with a handshake that became one of those loose guy hugs. The kind of hug that is brief and barely a hug at all but means more than either man will admit to.
“Welcome home, pup.”