I opened my mouth to reply, but nothing came out. The vampire that had just walked into the bar transfixed me. Shit. Where was Arys?
Bracing for the moment the vampire would look our way, I held my breath. His dark gaze fell upon me immediately, and I froze. He was tall and burly. Bearded with long, shaggy hair, his dark eyes were piercing. Our gazes met, and he stared into me with a fierceness that made me defensive. In a show of blatant disrespect, he felt me out, reaching out metaphysically to get a taste of my power. It was invasive and beyond rude. Instead of resisting his appraisal, I took the brief opportunity to do the same.
I barely tasted his power when a blur of images hit me, flashes of the memories that lived deep within my subconscious. Arys’s memories.
The vampire’s strong pull of energy oozed eroticism and violent pleasure. It promised to draw me in, to make me lust’s slave, to keep me begging no matter how bad it hurt. I knew that power very well; I possessed it. Whoever he was, he belonged to Harley’s bloodline, just as Arys and I did.
I hadn’t always been able to identify the vampires that shared Arys’s sire. Now I could feel the strange metaphysical flavor that we all shared. It was both pleasing and startling to see how my power had grown.
Outwardly disaffected and nonchalant, I sat back in my seat and exuded a relaxed appearance. Inside I was coiling my power tight in my core, knowing I couldn’t use it in a human place like this but ready just the same.
“Lex?” Jez spoke softly, her words for my ears only. “Is this gonna get ugly?”
“No.” I didn’t dare take my eyes off the vampire taking calculated steps toward our table. “It doesn’t have to. We’re not doing a damn thing. Just having a drink.”
Shaz didn’t move a muscle, yet his wolf was ready. I could feel it.
This city buzzed with supernatural energy from the monsters who called it home. I shouldn’t have been surprised that we’d already encountered a vamp. I suppose it had been wishful thinking that we’d make it until tomorrow night without our arrival being discovered.
“May I?” The vampire pulled out the empty chair at our table, inclining his head in inquiry. The light flashed off something metallic in his mouth, and I realized one of his fangs was gold. I couldn’t tell if his entire fang was gold, a replacement for the original tooth, or if it was merely gold plated. Either way, it gave his already rugged face an additional element of menace.
“Go right ahead.” I gestured to the chair, studying our guest. It would be nice if Arys would reappear. I had hoped he would be the one to handle the locals.
The vampire glanced around the table, taking us all in one at a time. He ended with me. Propping his elbows on the table, he clasped his hands and grinned. “So it’s true; Arys and his wolf are in town. I had to see for myself. Is this a personal visit?”
“News travels fast here, huh?” I refused to be intimidated. Obviously, the Vegas vamps had eyes and ears all over the place. “Just here to lose some money and drink a lot of booze. Like everyone else.”
“Arys doesn’t set foot in this city without a reason. Not anymore. We can’t help but think he’s here to make a play for Harley’s old turf. Where is Arys anyway?” The vampire let his gaze travel over me, lingering on my cle**age and then on the pulse in my throat.
As much as I dreaded the day I would join the vampire ranks, I looked forward to having them look at me without seeing a super-charged snack. Ignoring his hungry stare, I reached out to Arys, opening the mental link between us.
‘We have a visitor. Friend of yours I think.’ I let him see through my eyes, showing him the undead man seated at the table next to me.
‘Do not leave that bar. I’m coming.’ His alarm sang through me, hitting notes of worry and apprehension.
“Arys is right around the corner, checking in,” I said, my smile so tight it hurt. “He’ll be here any moment.”
“He left your side in this city? You must be stronger than you look. Or else he’s grown careless.”
“Come on now, Roscoe.” The vampire’s name fell from my lips, surfacing from my subconscious. “You know Arys better than that.”
Roscoe was visibly surprised, but he hid it quickly. “So Harley was right after all. You’re the one Arys was dreaming about all those years ago.”
It was my turn to be surprised. I didn’t know Harley’s many vampire progeny knew that much about me. Since I couldn’t willingly access each of Arys’s memories—a blessing in disguise, I was sure, as having them all free flowing in my mind would likely be too much to handle—Arys clearly needed to tell me a few things.