Chapter Seventeen
Back at Caesars Palace after a long and fabulous day in bed, I groaned and whined in protest to Arys’s insistence that we go out.
“Out? Are you kidding me? All we’ve been is out. I want to go home.”
The minibar muffled Jez’s snicker and hid her head from sight while she perused the selection. The twenty-second rule had been abandoned. Screw it.
“But now we get to act like tourists, Lex,” she said, pulling out two bottles of imported beer. “Like we should have been from the start.”
“Might as well kill time before our flight.” Arys tried to appeal to my rational side. He didn’t know that I had no inclination left to be rational. This trip had drained me of all sense and reasonability. “Besides, I want you to see Vegas. I mean really see The Strip the way you’re meant to, without all the vampire politics.”
I caught the bottle that Jez slid to me across the table. “I don’t know, Arys. Wouldn’t you rather stay here and just enjoy the view?” I pointed to the Bellagio fountain across the street. The water was alight, dancing to some song we could not hear within our room.
“I’d rather get down there for a street view. Let’s make the most of our last few hours here.”
At my request, and with no argument from the others, Arys had rebooked our flight for tonight. Midnight. I was perfectly content to stay at Caesars and be pampered, enjoying the luxury the hotel offered. The city was a daunting place, a haven for vampires. It was also now ours. Or so Arys claimed.
I groaned again, being as stubborn as I could without driving myself crazy. Since my visit with Hurst, I was especially eager to get home. I needed some time alone with my thoughts. There was no place on earth better for that than running through the forest as wolf.
“Do we have to?” I whined.
“Yes,” said both Jez and Arys simultaneously.
I gave a scoff of irritation and pushed to my feet. Disappearing from the living room, I went to the bedroom and packed my things. The minute we were set to depart for the airport, I’d be ready. I’d even already called Willow and had him pop in to grab my dagger. Airport security wouldn’t have nice things to say about me if they found that in my luggage.
It was a casual dress kind of night, jeans and a black tank top with my ass-kicking boots. I wasn’t betting on getting out of Sin City without further trouble. The odds just weren’t in my favor.
The door opened, and Arys entered. He had that look in his eyes, the one that said he knew exactly what I was thinking. “You’re worrying about what Hurst said, aren’t you?” He sat on the bed beside me and gave my hair a playful tug.
“Yes,” I said truthfully. “Every damn word.”
“Don’t. It’s not worth it.”
“How can you say that?” I asked, aghast at his flippancy. “As far as our deals with Shya go, we are f**ked. Totally, completely, horrifically f**ked.”
Arys’s low velvet smooth laugh stroked me in places unseen. Damn him and his impossible sensuality. “We are no such thing. Everything will work itself out. It always does. Haven’t you caught on to that by now?”
“Not in the slightest. You’re delusional.”
“And you’re a neurotic head case who wastes too much time and energy on fear. You are the one to be feared. Start believing it.” He pulled me in against him and gave me a comforting squeeze. His scent of cologne and hair products teased me. It was one of my favorite smells.
“You can’t turn Gabriel, Arys,” I whispered, afraid of disturbing the brief moment of peace. “Promise me that you won’t.”
He took too long in answering. I expected it when he said, “Don’t make me promise anything, Alexa. Not with someone like Shya in the picture.”
I gave a small growl of frustration. “Fine. But you have to promise me not to tell anyone what Hurst said about losing my light. Nobody can know there’s a way to save it. I’m not compromising on this one.”
He met my intense gaze, seeing how gravely serious I was. With a nod, he kissed the side of my nose, and I smiled. “Fair enough. That’s your secret to share.”
I wasn’t entirely sure what Hurst had meant by a sacrifice. It didn’t matter. I would never allow anyone to sacrifice themselves for me. Never. I carried enough guilt without that weighing on my conscience. If the darkness was bound to claim me, then so be it.
“So where are you taking us tonight?” I forced a smile. This city meant something to Arys; I didn’t want to crap all over his attempt to show me what he loved about it.
A brilliant smile broke over his handsome face. It warmed my heart. Taking my hand, he pulled me off the bed and from the room. “To see a little magic. The Vegas kind.”