“Shut up.” My cheeks burned hot. I felt stupid and awkward as two very different natures warred inside me with their differing views.
Arys chuckled, and I used driving as a welcome distraction. I cracked open my window to allow the breeze and raindrops to hit my face as I gave myself a mental shake.
Lena was right. This was about control. Right now, I worried about that snarling wolf who didn’t enjoy being told no.
“Do you need another coffee? Or just a cold shower?” Arys smirked and even in the dim car interior, I could see that he wore not even a drop of blood. That must come with experience.
“I don’t think even the coldest shower would help me now.” I navigated a construction detour before glancing at him again. “Thanks to you.”
“Oh please,” he replied with a dramatic lilt to his voice. “You flatter me too much. Really. It isn’t good for my ego.”
“Isn’t that the God’s honest truth?” I made a sound of absolute disgust, and he laughed merrily.
I got on to the freeway exit that would lead us back to Stony. Before I could cuss out the guy who cut me off, my cell phone rang, startling me. I grabbed the noisy thing expecting Shaz or Ky. Instead, the number on the display made me cringe.
“It’s Raoul,” I muttered. “I wonder what he wants. If my vampire magic is so corrupt then maybe he can just leave a voicemail.”
Arys cocked his head to one side. “Maybe you should answer it.”
I raised an eyebrow to question his sanity, but he just shrugged. My curiosity piqued. Against my better judgment, I answered.
“Hello?” I sounded properly sharp and impatient, but Raoul completely ignored me. His frantic ramble came loud enough for Arys to hear. At first, the only words I could decipher were “Belle”, “shower” and “dead”. Whatever he’d said, it didn’t sound good.
“Ok, you’ve got to repeat that. I can barely catch what you’re saying.”
“Oh f**k, Alexa, I’m so screwed. I should have told you.” His terror put my heart in overdrive. Adrenaline hit me full force. Raoul was a professional, a businessman, and a self righteous jackass. I had never heard him speak like that.
“What in the hell is going on?” I put the phone on speaker as I sped down the highway.
“I’m at home with Belle. We’d been in bed together. I just went to the bathroom … to shower.” His voice broke and he paused. The silence in that moment was deafening. “When I came out …fuck, Alexa, she’s dead. In my bed, as I speak.”
My driving went to shit, and I was thankful for the deserted highway. I was stricken. I felt my face pale. I was at a loss for words.
“Um, ok,” I said, stalling to think. “How long ago was this? Is anyone in the house?”
“I just found her. Nobody’s here. Not anymore anyway. I know I’m a jackass for saying this but, will you come?”
I met Arys’s calm gaze and found no answer within it. “Alright.” I white-knuckled the wheel. “We’ll be there in twenty minutes. Hang tight.”
“We?” Despite his fear, that one didn’t slip past him.
“Yeah, Arys is with me. And I’m not walking in there without him.” I was hoping he didn’t mind that I’d volunteered him.
“Fine, whatever. Just come. I’m calling some of the guys for added security. See you soon?”
“Yeah, see you soon.” I turned my phone off with a beep and focused on the dark road.
“And you’re perfectly certain that this werewolf isn’t offing all of these women himself?” I could hear the grin in the vampire’s tone.
“Well, I was. I mean, I really don’t think that he is. You don’t mind coming with?”
He dragged out the silence to make me sweat. I thought he was declining until I sensed him reach for me in the dark. I didn’t wave him away. I was worried, and I let myself take comfort in his touch. His fingers lingered softly on the small bite inside my elbow.
“Anything you need, Alexa, I’m there.”
Chapter Fifteen
When we pulled onto Raoul’s street, two of our pack, Zak and Julian, approached the door. They were best buds who clashed over every little thing. Raoul glanced outside suspiciously before he rushed them inside. He paused when he noticed the Charger crawling along the block.
Without burnouts or tire squealing, I parked three doors down. I shivered when the breeze hit my damp clothing. Arys ambled casually as he followed me up the walk.
“Hey,” I said before we reached the door. “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this, but nobody in this house needs to know all of the ways we’re connected.”
Raoul wasn’t quite sure what to think of me as it was. If he knew that I had full access to Arys’s power, he’d probably tell me that he could handle impending doom all on his own. Or, would he? Raoul knew he needed help, or he wouldn’t have called, not this time. Raoul’s face was visible from the window, and he looked like a nervous hen rather than the bold wolf.