Before she could open her mouth to speak, I burst into tears. I felt ashamed, and it made my gut ache to think about hurting Shaz.
“Alexa…” she was hesitant. It seemed as if she wasn’t sure what to say. Her lips formed a small “o” of surprise, and when I wiped my eyes, my hands came away red.
Blood tears, only vampires cry blood tears.
“I don’t know what’s happened to me, Kylarai.”
“You need to talk to Arys. Maybe he’s not well either. Maybe he needs help, he could be dangerous like this.”
I gave her a look that clearly indicated she wasn’t helping. Arys was already dangerous. “I need to call Lena. She has to know something.”
Ky nodded but said nothing. She seemed to be having a hard time meeting my eyes. I went to the bathroom to wash my face, but my reflection stopped me dead in the doorway.
My eyes were a sparkling vibrant blue. That sapphire blue belonged on someone else. Red streaks stained my cheeks, hideous and mocking. Unnerved, I forced my feet to work so I could stare closer into my face in the mirror.
“Holy shit,” I breathed, horror struck. I didn’t look like me. My deep brown eyes were now the color of Arys’s eerie vampire orbs. A shiver crawled up my spine.
“How are you feeling?” Kylarai spoke from the open doorway behind me.
“Not like myself. If that wasn’t already apparent. How’s Shaz?”
“Worried. I had to force him to go home. He wanted to stay here until you showed up, but I wasn’t sure that was a good idea.” Ky shrugged and did her best to keep her expression neutral. “He was pretty torn up. He blames himself for setting you off.”
“You didn’t tell him about Arys?”
“Of course not.”
I slammed my hands down on the counter in frustration. The sound of wood splitting did little to soothe me. I generally accept my mistakes, but this time, I’d really blown it.
“Son of a bitch! When was the last time I did something so stupid, Ky?”
“Are you looking for a real answer or a fake “there there” answer?”
“Real.”
“It’s been a long time. Probably, the last time you slept with Raoul.”
Ouch. I’d asked for honesty, though. Count on a good friend to never let you forget the dumbest things you’ve ever done.
“Ok. So there have been things worse than this. I just have to find a way to work through it.”
Ky gave a scoffing laugh. “I’m glad you’re being so positive about it, but would you mind sharing with me why you tried to bleed Shaz? What the hell happened to you out there?”
With a long, shuddery breath, I told her about Arys’s memories and the insatiable bloodlust. Her expression never changed, but I felt the shift in the atmosphere. Was she putting herself on the defensive? A little part of me died when I realized Kylarai was afraid of me.
“Well, that sums it up,” she said when I’d finished. “You need to speak with a few different people. But, it’s up to you who is first on that list.”
Despite sunrise being just an hour away, I couldn’t sleep. I just couldn’t stop thinking about Shaz. Long after Kylarai had gone to bed, this time locking her door, I lay awake staring at the ceiling.
Maybe, Shaz was awake. I rolled out of bed and pulled on some jeans. I grabbed my car keys and neared the front door, when I sensed him, on the other side. He lingered as if afraid to knock.
Afraid he would leave, I pulled the door open quickly. He just looked at me expectantly. Instead of stepping inside, he reached out with a gentle hand. His fingers deftly brushed the hair away from my neck. Before I realized what he was doing, he’d tugged the strap of my tank top down and exposed the vampire bite in the hollow of my collarbone.
He sounded resigned when he said, “We need to talk.”
Chapter Ten
“How did you know?” I winced as the words came out of my mouth.
“Let’s just say, when I found Arys gnawing the legs off a dog, he took a moment to mention it.”
“What?” For just a split second, my heart seemed to stop. My mind had trouble making sense of what I just heard.
“Let’s go grab a coffee. I’ll explain in the car.”
I couldn’t believe what he told me, or at least, I didn’t want to believe. On his way home, Shaz came across Arys on a side street. He’d killed his neighbor’s dog, torn it limb from limb. According to Shaz, he’d exhibited all of the signs of a newly turned werewolf. He had been irrational and unsuccessfully fighting the urge to tear things apart.
“I’m not kidding you Lex. He had fangs on the bottom as well as the top. He blamed it on the two of you being together. I didn’t believe him.” Shaz risked a glance in my direction. “But, he told me the bite should be proof enough.”
I didn’t know what to say. I felt guilty. This was not how I wanted him to find out.
“Is he ok?” I hated asking but I had to know. “I mean, did he hurt anyone?”
“He’s fine. I took him home. Other than the dog, I’m pretty sure no one was eaten.”