“I promise.” I flashed back to the bloody scene on the bike path. Arys looked at me sharply, and I wondered if he had shared my vision.
“My only suggestion is to learn all that you can about each other’s personal strengths and weaknesses. Power must be controlled. Otherwise, it controls you. I’m afraid I can’t help more in that regard. I’ll do what I can to dig up more information for you,” Lena promised with an encouraging smile.
Bound to Arys until death. How was Shaz going to understand this? How in the hell was I going to live with a bloodlust that chose to strike me at random? And, Arys suffered with the agony of the wolf’s need to break free. We were so screwed.
“On the bright side,” Lena added thoughtfully. “I would imagine that if you were able to control the power, you kids would be a mighty force to reckon with.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle when she referred to us as kids. Despite Arys being centuries older than her, he looked young, and so she treated him that way just like Kale.
“Oh,” I said, jumping up to reach into my pocket. “Maybe you can tell us a little about this.” I produced Cat’s red star amulet. It lay cold and inactive in my palm.
I passed it to her, expecting some kind of scrutiny but she merely glanced at it. “It’s just a run of the mill charm. I’d say it was spelled to boost the wearer’s power supply.”
“It certainly did that. The wearer was a vampire. She’s dust now,” I said.
“Then it can be charmed again for another purpose. It’s quite simple really.”
“By all means, it’s yours,” I said. I still had the charm she’d given me last week and had little use for more.
She smiled broadly. “I can always use another charm.” The phone rang from the kitchen, and she excused herself to take the call.
I forced myself to down the rest of the tea. The cogs and pulleys in my brain worked overtime, as I tried to piece together how I’d live with a constant tie to Arys.
“Did you catch the bottom line? She said this could make us a power house.” Arys winked at me, his voice low. Go figure that would mean more to him than anything else.
“Is that all you think about?” I hissed. I could hear Lena in the other room talking in low tones.
“Baby, you know that’s not all I think about.” His smoldering gaze swept over me. My breath caught. “In fact, you’ve already got me thinking along other lines.”
I blew a stray hair out of my face and flashed him a dirty look. “You are so inappropriate.”
He considered me with a self-satisfied smile. “And, yet you love it. I’d be willing to bet that you’re ready for me right now.” He raised an eyebrow and shot me a look that oozed sexuality. A heat swept through my body that nearly knocked me breathless.
If I hadn’t been done with my tea, I would have gagged on it. The energy rose between us, and I knew, if we touched, I would lose control.
I hungered in more ways than I’d ever known before that night with Arys. I could smell his blood rushing hot beneath the surface of his skin, and I longed to taste it.
When Lena hung up the phone with a small clatter, I realized I’d been leaning toward Arys as if I would have crawled out of my skin to get to him.
“Sorry about that.” Lena returned to the living room, noting my empty cup immediately. “Would you care for more tea, dear?”
“No, thank you. I probably have more caffeine in my veins than anything else.”
I helped her clean up the dessert trays, but the time grew late. “We’ll get out of your hair now. I’m sure you’d much rather be in bed.” Arys took my lead and ambled to the doorway.
I drew Lena into a quick hug, but I could smell the blood in her veins. Hunger soared ravenously, and I sent a panicked look over her shoulder to Arys.
“Thank you, again, for all of your help,” he called from the entryway. The heady swoon of bloodlust shattered, and I stepped away from her before it hit me again.
“I don’t know how much help I was, but I’ll do some digging and see what I can come up with.”
I slipped into my shoes and thanked her again. We turned to go. I’d been holding my breath. The hallway was empty and unnaturally quiet. I stumbled and fell against the wall, but Arys steadied me.
“Are you alright?” His gaze searched me.
I had to think about my words. The bloodlust picked away at me, but I shoved away from him to hit the elevator down button. When I heard the mechanics engage, I turned to face him. A light sheen of perspiration broke out on my brow, and I wiped it away with the back of my hand.
“I am not alright. Why didn’t you feed tonight?” I gulped the stale hallway air and longed for the fresh outdoor breeze.
“I didn’t think I needed to.” He eyed me carefully as I slumped against the wall.