“So, you don’t want them to know we’re sleeping together and can share power like a vampire and wolf hybrid that even Hollywood couldn’t dream up. Got it.” He flashed me a sly wink and pinched my ass.
“No, no, no.” I held up a hand. “We are not sleeping together. We slept together. Past tense. And, funny comment coming from a guy who turned me down less than an hour ago.”
“Right.” Head cocked to the side, he studied me pensively. I didn’t like it. “That was different. You needed your hunger quenched. Your desire was under influence. When you come to me under your own free will because of your own feminine wants, that will be different.”
“Oh,” I scoffed. “Like it was my own free will the last and only time?” It had seemed pretty power influenced to me.
“Wasn’t it?” He asked with a grin that spoke volumes of wickedness. Before I could reply, he rang the doorbell, which left me to choke on my retort.
The scent of death struck me, and my heart rate increased. Arys glanced at me with a puzzled expression. I wondered what he was sensing that I might not be. There was a negative energy lingering around the place that screamed of hate and vengeance.
I swallowed hard. Inside, I would look at Belle’s dead body. There was certainly no love lost between us, but this was not what I wanted.
“Thank you for coming.” Raoul attempted to play nice but eyed the vampire skeptically. “I wouldn’t have if I were you. Not after the way I treated you last time.”
I waved off his apology before the moment got more awkward. Blood and violence coated the atmosphere inside the house with a thick, uncomfortable energy, and I wrinkled my nose in distaste. One of my own lay dead.
When Arys followed me inside, both Julian and Zak did a double take. Few Weres liked dealing with the notorious vampire. He was known for his ability to make life unpleasant for others when the urge struck him. Not one of them offered him a hand in greeting.
“So what the hell happened exactly?” I looked around, but the elaborate sitting room hadn’t changed since I’d been there last.
“You guys want to man the front and back doors?” Raoul’s dark eyes flicked back and forth between the Zak and Julian. “I’m going to show Alexa upstairs.”
I swallowed hard and stared at Raoul. The most powerful werewolf in our pack was pale and shaky. Even a human could have smelled his fear. He knew what was really going on here, and I vowed to get it out of him before I left.
He led the way upstairs. The air was thick with Belle’s blood. My stomach tightened, and I fought the urge to cover my mouth to avoid tasting the air.
“I swear, Alexa, I just left her for a few minutes.” Raoul hesitated outside the door to the master bedroom. “The only evidence that someone else had been in the room was the open window. We’d had it closed.”
It had been a long time since I’d been in Raoul’s bedroom. Thankfully, this was no time for embarrassing memories.
To my absolute astonishment, Arys stepped forward and laid a hand gently on Raoul’s shoulder. “Don’t feel like you have to go in there again. We can take it from here.”
“Yeah, Raoul,” I added. “Don’t torture yourself. Maybe you should call Fox to get a place prepared for Belle.”
Fox Matthews, a city werewolf, specializes in medicine. He helps with injury, illness and, unfortunately, death. We can’t go to human doctors with vampire bites and claw marks. With Fox’s help, we had laid more than one wolf to rest within the trees and forests beyond town. Belle would be in good company.
Raoul looked at us with obvious relief but slowly backed away from the door. “Sure.” He nodded and grasped the railing at the top of the stairs. “I’ll make some calls. Maybe make some coffee. Do you guys want any?” He paused, looked at Arys then shook his head. “Sorry.”
“Make coffee. Use the phone. We’ll be down in a few minutes.” I rushed him downstairs. His nerves created a raw energy that bit at my skin in all the wrong places.
He descended the stairs and turned the corner before I reached for the door handle. The knob was cold and smooth in my hand. I must have held it a split second too long because Arys tried to step in.
“Do you want me to go first?” he asked. When I shot him a dirty look, he added, “It’s not personal. I never knew her. Well, except for that one time.”
My cheeks grew hot, and I shoved the door open with more force than was necessary. I couldn’t believe he was joking at a time like this, or at least, he damn well better be joking.
I took in the sight of the bedroom and forgot my irritation. I almost slipped on something slick as I stepped through the doorway. If Arys hadn’t been within grabbing distance, I would have landed on my butt in the mess.
“Oh, this is a nice one,” Arys remarked, completely unaffected.