The interior light was dim, but I saw the oozing gash when Jez gingerly lifted the hem of Kylarai’s shirt. The scent beat down my control, and I whirled on Arys so fast that I almost lost my balance.
“Tell me what happened. And when you’re done, you can explain why you let this happen to me tonight.”
His dark brows drew together, and he looked down his narrow nose at me with a cool stare. Perhaps he felt the bloodlust less intensely than I did. Due to his power and age, he should, but Arys was the insatiable type. I couldn’t determine what he was feeling.
“We found Zoey Roberts inside the sports bar. She took off the moment she realized we were there. Kylarai chased her down in the parking lot, and the crazy bitch pulled a blade.” He sniffed lightly at Ky’s powerful werewolf blood.
Every one of my cells raged at me to lash out at him, but the vicious shadow dancing behind his eyes held me in check.
“I couldn’t go after her without leaving Ky behind,” he continued, his gaze unwavering. “So I let her go. But, Ky sure put the attack on her first. Once the knife was pulled, all bets were off.”
“So Zoey’s injured too?” I felt hopeful.
Going easy on her was no longer on my agenda. She blew it. Raoul’s plea to keep her alive meant nothing to me now. With the way I was feeling, Zoey would be jealous of poor dismembered David when I was through with her.
“Oh yeah,” Arys laughed low and smooth, tickling my insides. “Ky got in a few good digs. She didn’t try to play nice. Wherever Zoey is headed, she is bleeding and roughed up. We can track her.”
I understood now and felt absolutely moronic. “That’s why you haven’t fed? So that you can track her easier?”
“Of course.” He looked at me like I was asinine for asking, and I shot him a dirty look. “I’m a vampire. It’s all about the hunt and the kill for me. Appeasing the hunger eliminates the driving force of the hunt. You’re a predator; you should know.”
I did know but not the way he meant. My predatory urges were more inclined to slaughter anything nasty that walked with a human form rather than the deer and bunnies of the world. Kill Bambi and Thumper? No thanks. However, supply me with a psychotic vampire or child abuser, and I’ll gut them with a smile on my face. My predator had a logic that Arys’s bloodlust did not.
I turned back to Kylarai. She patiently allowed Jez to bind the wound with shreds of Ky’s shirt. The blood was slowing. She should be fine.
“I offered to try healing her injury but she wasn’t comfortable with that.” Arys shrugged as if it made little sense to him. It made sense to me. Kylarai wasn’t comfortable with vampire power in general.
“So, what are you waiting for?” I directed my words at Arys as Kale and Shaz rounded the back of the building in Jez’s Liberty. “Get tracking Zoey.”
“Not without you.” Arys squinted against the headlights and raised a hand to shield his eyes. “We can track her on foot while they attend to Kylarai. They can meet up with us once we’ve found her.”
My gaze went to Ky. Her grey eyes sparkled with determination, but her jaw clenched in pain. “Go get that bitch, Alexa. I’ll be fine. Go now before she gets much farther.”
Shaz and Kale climbed out of the Jeep. Shaz ran to join us around Ky.
“Did you call Fox?” I asked at the same moment Shaz said, “Fox is on his way.” I had to smile, just a little.
“Great. Have him head to my house. Kale, please go with Kylarai and Shaz-,”
“Don’t tell me to go with them. I’m not sitting this one out.” Shaz gave me a look that I knew well, the one that dared me to tell him otherwise.
“Fine, but I’m going on foot with Arys. Zoey is bleeding, and we can track her. Drive my car and keep your phone handy. Head to Raoul’s. I think she might go there.” I didn’t give anyone further chance to contest my instructions. I wanted to get moving while the blood hunger was still within my grasp rather than the other way around.
Jez stood up from tying the strips of cloth around Kylarai’s middle, tight across the healing wound. “I’ll follow Shaz with my car so Kale can jump in here with Kylarai. See you on the other side.” I nodded and gave her arm a friendly squeeze.
Shaz accepted the keys that I placed in his hand. The buzz of his wolf prickled my skin unexpectedly. He was wound tighter than a guitar string.
“Alright, I’m taking off. Give Raoul a call on your way.” I resisted the urge to rub my hand where we’d touched. “He’s been calling my phone.”
“He called mine, too, but I didn’t answer.”
Ky raised a blood-covered hand silently to indicate that she too had gotten and ignored a call. Raoul had to know I was hunting his daughter. Well, he could save his temper tantrum for when I got there to kick his ass personally. Hopefully, Zoey didn’t beat me to it.
I leaned down to face Ky and squashed Arys’s hunger deep inside me. I nuzzled the side of her face, similar to what Raoul had done to me. I wished we were in fur on four legs.
“Take it easy. I swear she’s dead for this,” I assured her.