“And you’re sure we’re going to walk out of there in one piece?” Shaz asked, his tone heavy with concern. “The guy told us to get our asses on a plane out of here, and you really think going to his club is the best response to that?”
“Of course,” came Arys’s self-assured reply. “Jenner’s bark has always been worse than his bite. Threats are his way of throwing his power around, making sure I know my place in his city.”
“And do you?”
“What do you think, pup?”
Shaz chuckled. “You don’t want to know what I think.”
“Jenner was Harley’s favorite after I left. He wants to make sure I remember that. There’s nothing more to it.” Arys sounded confident. Too confident.
I rounded the corner, drink in hand. “Harley had a favorite other than you? Great. So this is a case of spoiled sibling rivalry.”
Both men looked up at my appearance, and their jaws dropped almost simultaneously. I hid a smile, enjoying their shared reaction.
Arys’s blue gaze traveled over me, lingering on my thighs and then my covered throat. “I’m not sure I’ve ever wanted to bleed you as bad as I do right now.” His lip curled in a sexy smirk, sending a tingle through me.
“That’s a compliment, right?” I teased though I was keenly aware of the hunger lurking in his stare.
“You’re smokin’ hot, Lex.” Shaz wore a predatory expression of desire that made my stomach flip. “But you could be wearing sweats with no makeup, and you’d still be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
An irrational urge to cry overcame me. I didn’t. I just wanted to. I also wanted to run across the room and fling myself into Shaz’s arms. It wasn’t that we didn’t touch. We did. It was that there was something missing. I wanted so desperately to rekindle our spark.
“Thank you, Shaz,” I said with a slight blush. “You both look pretty damn fine yourselves.”
They were each wearing a black suit, both of them slightly casual with no tie and an open collar. Shaz’s platinum hair lay neatly, falling over his forehead. Arys’s hair was tousled as always. I couldn’t help but eat up the eye candy. It was rare that I saw either of them break from their usual casual attire. My mind wandered down a naughty path as I remembered what it felt like to be naked and writhing between them.
“So this is a big deal, huh?” I asked, swirling the vodka in my glass.
Arys shrugged, unwilling to let on how serious he was taking Jenner’s threat. “Not so big. Just old friends reacquainting.”
“What about this?” I held up the arm bearing the black dragon. “Should I cover it somehow?”
“No, leave it. As shitty as that mark is, it does have its advantages.”
Unfortunately, that was true. Those who knew what it was were often reluctant to harm the one who bore it. They feared the wrath of the demon. Anyone who killed me would likely end up taking my debt as their own. Soon, however, this mark would become more of a hindrance than a help.
The worst part was that Arys had one too. Shya had put it on his back where Arys easily hid it from everyone but me. I had to see it in private moments, the one time we should be free of all that shit. But no, Shya had made sure he was never far from our thoughts.
Less than ten minutes later, Jez appeared, a golden vision in white leather. The halter-style dress clung to her like a second skin. It covered her behind but not much else, making her legs look longer than usual. Sky-high stilettos completed the look. Her curls bounced as she sashayed in.
“Can I be you?” I joked. “Just for a day. I want to know what it feels like to be that tall.”
“It’s the heels, baby,” she replied with a wink.
“You look runway fabulous.” I downed the rest of my drink and set the glass on the table.
Arys snickered, a low, evil sound. “Good enough to eat.”
“Watch it, vampire.” Jez wagged a finger at him in warning. “I’m flattered, really, but you’re just not pretty enough for me.”
Arys laughed but didn’t reply. Nobody could out-snark Jez. Not even him. He rose from his seat on the couch and motioned toward the door in a grand sweeping gesture. “Everybody ready?”
I met Shaz’s eyes across the room, and we shared a look. The two of us together had killed Harley. Two vampires had come after us, believing we were their ticket to claiming Harley’s power. They had failed. If there were to be backlash for any of that, it would be tonight.
“Sure.” I nodded. For the first time all evening a hint of apprehension crept in. “Walk into a place where we’re not welcome, and I may be wanted for the murder of the former owner…what are we waiting for?”
Chapter Four