He was being purposely vague with good reason, I was sure. The blood ring Harley had been running was vile, a twisted supply and demand of victims for fetish kills. Children, virgins, redheads, whatever a vampire wanted in a victim, they could find. It was truly sickening. Discovering that Jenner had hated it would have made me muster an iota of respect for him if he hadn’t just endangered my wolf.
“And what does Hurst say about all of this?” The name dropped from Arys like a bomb, causing Jenner to stiffen. It was familiar to me, though like most of Arys’s memories, everything about Hurst remained buried.
“He doesn’t say much of anything these days.” There was, for the first time, a crack in Jenner’s tough exterior. He held Arys’s gaze, but it seemed hard, as if he wanted to turn away.
“Who’s Hurst?” I looked back and forth between them. I hated feeling out of the loop.
“He sired Harley,” said Arys. “He’s old, much older than me or Jenner. It’s been several decades since I’ve seen him.”
“It’s been decades since any of us have seen him,” Jenner added. “Hurst is the oldest, wisest vampire I know. He’s also a recluse, unwilling to deal with the irritation of humanity any longer.”
I waited for further explanation but received none. “So,” I prodded. “Where is he?”
“Yes,” Arys nodded. “I’d like to know that as well. It would be nice to speak to him.”
“Nobody sees Hurst unless he initiates it. He’s close enough to stay aware of the goings on of the city without being part of it.” Jenner held his hands out and shrugged, dismissing the subject.
I ran a finger around the rim of the whiskey glass, pondering what it must be like to have lived so long as a vampire that one tires of existence. It was as fascinating as it was tragic. Many questions danced on the tip of my tongue, none of which Jenner would answer. I didn’t bother to ask.
“Does he know I’m here?” Arys asked. There was visible tension in his shoulders. His restraint was going to break at some point. It wouldn’t be pretty.
“He probably knew it before I did. Nothing slips past him.” An uncaring shrug from Jenner conveyed that he wasn’t close with Harley’s maker.
Another loud cheer went up from the crowd. The fight announcer’s voice boomed through the arena. He pronounced the winner; the fight was over. A dead wolf was dragged from the ring, the victor barely on his feet. Shaz was next.
Dread filled me, and my stomach flipped. Desperation seized me. “Jenner, please, let’s work something out, strike a deal of some kind. Shaz doesn’t belong in that ring.”
He leaned forward, pressing his fingertips together while giving me a thoughtful once over. “I beg to differ. You don’t sound too confident in him. Funny considering you were confident in his ability to help you murder my sire. Tell me, Alexa, would you like to take his place?” Raising a dark brow, he flashed a cocky smile at me, but his gaze strayed to Arys for a reaction.
Arys appeared unruffled, but I could feel the hate-filled rage he held tightly reined. With an eerie sense of calm, he said, “He’s going to kill anything you put in there with him. Don’t think for a minute that we’re even after this. I’m going to make you wish I’d never come back here.”
“I wish many things. That is already one of them.” Jenner was flippant, but his fingers dug into the tabletop. “Don’t forget, Arys, we’re only halfway done here. I’ll have your lady on stage before the night is over.”
Before either Arys or I could snark back, the announcer drew our attention back to the ring. His voice thundered through the place, and my strength crumbled.
“Are you ready for the next fight?” He asked, receiving raucous jeers and applause in response. “You know the drill. Take a good look at each opponent and place your bets.”
I turned in my chair to see Shaz enter the fight cage. He wore only the long shorts of a boxer. Both hands were clenched into fists as he fixated on his opponent, a thirty-something lanky werewolf with light brown hair and dark eyes that were pure beast. Both men had eyes only for each other. They were ready. I was terrified.
Shaz had a great physique. He’d always been in shape, but his time in the mountains had given him additional muscle and tone. Unfortunately, sheer force wasn’t enough to win a fight like this. He had to want it more than his opponent, and he had to be clever in his attacks.
The crowd grew loud with activity as patrons placed their bets with the designated arena bookies. My panic was growing in leaps and bounds. Why was Arys so unaffected? I wanted to shake him.
“Arys,” I spoke through gritted teeth. Turning my growing ire on Jenner, I said, “I won’t let him die in there.”
Jenner scoffed. “Don’t you dare even think about interfering, or I’ll toss your ass in there to take on the winner.” To Arys he said, “Talk some sense into your woman, brother. She’s a loose cannon.”
“I’ll show you a loose cannon,” I roared, on my feet with fangs bared.
“It’s Shaz’s fight, Alexa,” Arys warned. “We must stay out of it. He requested it.”