Huntress (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #0.5)

Kale had his hands full with the other three vamps. They had all forgotten me, something that happened often as I was never seen as the threat that I truly was. It never ceased to piss me off.

I scrambled to my feet, ready to blast him but he was faster. By the time I realized what happened, his fangs were already buried deep in my neck. My blood poured out. I was disgusted and shocked as he greedily drank it in. I struggled against him but he held tight.

The sound of anguish and pain reached me as Kale dispatched one of the vampires. He was a blur out of the corner of my eye, spinning to slam a stake into another that rushed him from behind. The remaining vampire tried to run for the open door. He didn’t get very far.

The power that Kale threw at him was massive. It caused my skin to prickle with its intensity. The vampire exploded in a cloud of ash and dust. Kale whirled to find me in the clutches of our target, fighting uselessly to free myself.

He jerked my attacker off me so fast that I stumbled and fell forward, onto my knees. My hands instantly went to my bleeding throat. Fury drove Kale and he literally tore the head from the other vampire with one amazing twist. The sound of flesh tearing and bone splitting turned my stomach.

Kale was on his knees before me, pulling my hand away so he could get a look at my wound. My fingers were stained with blood but it didn’t drip as steadily as it would had it been life threatening.

“Let me see it, Alexa.” Kale forced my head to the side to get a better look. I had a moment of fear when I sensed the sudden rise of his hunger.

“No, Kale. Don’t. It’s ok. I’m ok.”

“I’m not going to hurt you.” He easily overpowered me, holding me so that I couldn’t have escaped him if I tried. “It doesn’t look too bad. You heal fast. The bleeding is already slowing. Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Hooking his arms under mine, he pulled me to my feet. I was shaky but managed to steady myself. I wasn’t afraid of Kale, not truly. Yet, I did have reason to be cautious around him. His past contained more horror and brutality than I could clearly imagine. I couldn’t be sure how much it would take to push him over the edge.

I knew for damn sure I wasn’t imagining it when Kale’s energy grew thick with bloodlust. I could feel it like the itchy prick of a thousand mosquitoes biting me all at once. I had to resist the urge to scratch.

“Kale?” Was the anxious tone in my voice as obvious to him as it was to me?

“I’m fine,” he spoke through clenched teeth. “And so are you, now let’s go.”

I let him drag me along to the car. The blood flow from my neck had already slowed considerably. Kale was right. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been. The wound ached, a throb that wouldn’t let up. I cursed myself for letting it happen at all. I knew better. If I’d just been more aggressive.

“Fuck. I’m sorry, Kale. I screwed up. I should never have let him get the drop on me like that.”

“Forget it. It’s not like this hasn’t happened before. You can take it. Just … try not to bleed in my car.”

* * * *

When I got back to Raoul’s house, I felt like all kinds of crap. I was tired, sore and more than a little pissed off at how everything had played out. Still, it was a job that allowed me to be what I was. A werewolf with the power of a vampire. Where else could I get away with that?

Before I even walked through the door I could feel the immense werewolf energy inside.

It was when I swung the door open that I was slapped with hot sexual energy. My stomach dropped and I knew what was going on before I saw Belle slither down the stairs, wrapped in one of Raoul’s robes.

I hated her. I had hated her since the first time I laid eyes on her. And I hated him too.

She cast a scathing glance at me as she swept into the kitchen. I kicked my shoes off, glaring at nothing as I listened to her digging around in the fridge. I paused at the bottom of the stairs and looked up. Raoul’s bedroom door was closed.

Belle returned with a bottle of wine in one hand and two glasses in the other. The urge to grab that bottle and smash it over her head was strong, almost too much for me to resist. It was Shaz that prevented it. He entered the room at just the right moment.

“Rough night?” Belle asked with a smirk, eyeing my filthy attire and tangled hair. “You look like something the cat dragged in.”

“How hard did your brain have to work to come up with that?” I snapped.

Belle’s smile grew wider and she paused halfway up the stairs. “Don’t blame me because you can’t hold Raoul’s interest, Alexa. You were nothing but a new toy. I guess the novelty has worn off.”

With that, she flounced up the stairs without a look back. With fists clenched, I moved to follow her and Shaz quickly intercepted me.

“Don’t, Lex. She’s not worth it.” He forced me to meet his eyes. His gaze slid to my neck, taking in the scabby vampire bite. “You’re hurt. Are you ok?”