I looked to Arys for help. He merely shrugged and sat heavily in the chair Shaz had just vacated. I was torn, wanting to go after him. Did he really expect me to just sit back and let this happen? And more importantly, did he seriously just give me an order?
“Let him go, Alexa,” Arys said. Like many times before, it made me wonder if the mental wall between us was more transparent than I thought. “Shaz came back with something to prove. Like any other animal, he’s going to run around marking his territory and generally ticking everyone else off. And you have to let him.”
I looked longingly after Shaz, knowing I had to let him go. He was an Alpha wolf. He’d be fine. Right?
Remembering my drunken leopard friend, I searched the crowd for Jez who had vanished from sight. In her inebriated state, she’d never be able to fight off a vampire, especially not one like Sloane. No vampire made by Harley could be trusted.
“I should find Jez. How long do I have until Shaz fights?” I couldn’t believe I was asking so casually with such acceptance. This was so wrong.
Jenner perched on the edge of the poker table, watching me fidget with my whiskey glass. “Your friend will be safe with Sloane. I promise. In fact, she’ll have the time of her life.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Swirling the deep gold liquor in my glass, I grasped my power, making my eyes bleed to wolf and then to glow Arys’s vampire blue. I peered into Jenner, hoping he saw the resolve in my eyes. “If anything happens to either Jez or Shaz, I will kill you. And if I go down trying, I’ll still find a way to take you with me.”
We shared a moment then, Jenner and I. For a brief space in time, I think he truly believed I could and would be the one to end him. Then he shrugged off the dazed wonder and replaced it with a smarmy sneer.
“Your wolf fights next. So we should probably head down there. I like a ringside view.”
Without waiting, Jenner headed for the elevator. Angry and cursing up a storm beneath my breath, I followed with one last glance back for Jez who was still missing with Sloane.
Re-entering the fight arena made my knees shake. I walked in a surreal haze. The harsh sting of reality sought to cut through the remains of the euphoric buzz. It had faded along with the effects of the whiskey like a short-lived illusion shattered by impending doom. The usual.
I did my best to tune out Jenner’s gloating. He led us to a VIP section near the fight cage where we sat on velvet sofas and watched the current fight while waitresses offered their blood to us.
“Spit it out,” Jenner said to Arys. A cheer from the crowd drowned out his words. “There’s something you want to say. I can see it all over you.”
Arys sat stiffly, his arms crossed, eyeing Jenner like a snake in the grass. “Harley kept the shady activity much quieter than this. How do you do this every night without the FPA shutting it down?”
“Harley’s activity was filthy. That blood ring was too dirty, even for me. And I like it dirty. The FPA was happy to let me do whatever I wanted with the place after his death. I have a little arrangement with them. I withdrew from the blood ring, and they leave me and the club alone.” Jenner was pleased with himself.
Arys had tried to shut down Harley’s blood ring soon after his death. He’d failed. I found it hard to believe Jenner was able to dissolve something so many vampires were determined to hold onto.
“So Harley’s death worked out quite nicely for you. How convenient,” Arys said with an eye roll. “Must be good for business to have the FPA on your payroll.”
“You’re having problems with your local sector, I presume. A little bargaining can go a long way. Try it.”
“If only it were that easy,” I interjected, reconsidering the whiskey.
“Oh, but it is.” Jenner was just so sure of himself. Arrogant as all get out, he spoke with condescension. “Everyone needs something they can only get from someone else. It’s business.”
“What about demons?” I countered, knowing he wouldn’t have a smarmy answer for that. “Is there much demon activity here? Seems pointless. Everyone is already sinning.”
His gaze dropped pointedly to the black dragon wrapped around my forearm. “I don’t associate with them. Nobody with any sense would get caught up with demons.”
The slimy son of a bitch didn’t know a damn thing about my deal with Shya. My temper flared, and I was contemplating slashing Jenner’s throat with my claws when Arys cut in. “How did you dissolve Harley’s blood ring?” he asked. “Claire and Maxwell were desperate to keep that going. I can’t imagine they were the only ones.”
A shadow flickered across Jenner’s face. “I took care of it.”