“Me neither. Arys said she’s on the run. We have to hurry.”
The five-minute drive felt like forever, and I gave a little cry of frustration when we approached the train tracks on Golf Course Road. A slow moving train effectively blocked the two closest crossing points. To access the one near Raoul’s neighborhood, I’d have to make a U-turn and cut around town in a partial circle. The trip would be faster if we waited it out, but waiting is not one of my strong points.
“Just relax, wolf girl,” Jez murmured with her voice low and soothing, a cat’s soft purr. “It’ll be less than a minute.”
She reached over and gently stroked the back of my hand with one finger. It wasn’t a human urge, but our animal instinct to comfort another. Despite our difference in animal form, Jez and I had forged a pack bond.
The thought that Kylarai was hurt because of Raoul’s dirty little secret had my gut clenching. I was scared and pissed. Then, suddenly, the sweet copper scent of leopard blood was at the forefront of my senses. I fought the rising bloodlust as it fed on my fury.
“Fuck!” I slammed my hand angrily against the wheel. “I’ve got to get out of here.”
I made a motion as if to take off my seatbelt, and Jez grabbed my wrist. “Where in the hell do you think you’re going? The end of the train is right there.”
When I threw the car into park and opened the door, she held firm. I panicked, and anxiety choked me. I couldn’t fight Arys’s demons and help Kylarai. The close confines of the car smothered me in the alluring scent of blood pumping from a healthy leopard heart. I was sick with worry that Jez may have to kick my ass yet.
“Close the door and drive, Alexa.” Her voice was icy cold, as if she was aware that she was dealing with something more than me.
The end of the train passed. Two vehicles came from the other side of the tracks, and I shut the door rather than risk losing it. Resigned, I shifted into gear.
“I’m losing my mind, Jez. Don’t hold it against me. It’s that damn vampire. I can’t get him out of me.” One hand gripped the steering wheel until my fingers tingled, while the other hit the button for the automatic window.
“I slaughtered a man two nights ago,” I rambled on, staring intently at the road. “A human. He was abusing his girlfriend, and the hunger hit me. I lost it.”
When Jez spoke, her tone was carefully neutral. However, not a drop of fear rolled off her. “We do that all the time, Lex. We take out the trash.”
“The supernatural trash though, the ones with a chance to fight back. This guy, he didn’t even see it coming.” I laughed bitterly. My anguish did nothing to ease the cramp in my guts. “His girlfriend did though. That pretty little thing chatting me up in the bar was his girlfriend, thanking me for setting her free. She lied to the cops, you know.”
Jez’s sudden chuckle startled me, and I looked at her. “Shit, it doesn’t matter what monster you are, humans will always be the worst of the bunch.” When I lifted an eyebrow and shook my head, she added, “Take a look around. Everything humans do is destructive and for their own selfish gain.”
“Hey now,” I admonished. “Just because you weren’t born human doesn’t mean none of us were. But yes, for the most part, I agree.”
As we talked, I focused on the scent of Were rather than the scent of Were blood, an important difference. The hunger that chewed at my guts simmered down to a nagging but dull roar. Interesting.
As we got closer to the sports bar, my temper returned. I was outrageously angry with Arys for allowing this to happen. We were supposed to maintain our weaknesses, not inflict them on one another.
A dark figure moved in the shadowed parking lot across the street from the sports hangout. I recognized Arys when he stepped into the beam of a streetlight. He motioned for us to pull behind the building to the back alley where we’d be out of sight from those passing by.
Jez called Kale, read the street address off a sign and snapped her phone shut. Kylarai’s white Escalade sat with the rear facing us with both doors open on the driver’s side.
Arys jogged up as I cut the engine. Time seemed to stop and crossing the short distance between our vehicles felt like slow motion.
Kylarai slumped against the back seat with one hand pressed tightly to her side. Blood seeped between her fingers. She was fully conscious, but her small smile did nothing to ease her pained expression.
“Oh, she’s Raoul’s kid, alright.” Her voice came out strained. I reached to touch her but stopped short as the scent of her blood hit me. “Who else would throw such a low blow?”
“Don’t talk, sweetie,” Jez crooned as she crouched in the dirt beside the big Cadillac. “Let’s have a look.”