“We're just here to talk. No power, no bloodshed.”
“No power? You think you can go in there and not tap the live wire running through you?” Kale threw his head back and laughed, earning a glare from me.
“That's exactly why I'm here, Kale.” I wiped away a small eyeliner smudge and turned the mirror back towards him. My eyes were brown, not Arys' vampire blue, and I felt cool and calm. Now as long as I could keep it that way, things would be just fine.
I wasn't scared, but there was no squashing the apprehension that rode me. If this didn't pan out, it would at least make it easier for me to find a way to bring down The Wicked Kiss. I knew that vampires were being created inside. I could feel the entire building blinking like a beacon in my mind when I concentrated. It felt ugly and wrong, and I wanted to see it burn.
However, that's not what I was here to do. I shoved my cell phone into the pocket of my jeans and stuffed my purse beneath the seat. I would have given anything to bring my dagger in with me, or even a stake. I doubted that would be very well received, but it would make me feel a tad safer.
“Let's go before I chicken out and change my mind.” I opened the door of the Camaro and got out, gazing at the large, dark nightclub across the street.
When would Harley sense me? Did he already know I was here? A flurry of questions seared my thoughts, antagonizing myself with doubt. Maybe this was just too stupid for words, and I should leave before something happened that I would regret.
We were halfway across the street when Kale asked, “Where is Arys tonight? He wouldn't come here, would he?”
His question got my heart racing even though I knew the answer. “No. He'd never come here. At least, I hope to God he wouldn't. And anyway, I would sense him instantly.”
“Then he would also sense you. No?”
Once we stood in front of the all-you-can-drink vampire club, I stopped and fixed Kale with the best evil eye I could muster. “Why the hell are you trying so hard to change my mind? You're the one that offered to come. Do you know how damn hard it was to keep Shaz from coming? If he doesn't hear from me within an hour, he's on his way. We have to do this fast. So what's your deal, Kale? You don't have to do this. I can go alone.”
“Like hell you will.” He looked down at me from his much taller frame, his eyes penetrating deep. I began to feel uncomfortable when I caught the unmistakable gleam of something disturbing in his gaze. Emotion.
Turning away suddenly, he stalked ahead of me, leading the way to the back of the club. “I just don't want to see you get hurt, Alexa, physically or otherwise. You mean a lot to me. Take that however you like. Let's get this over with.”
I stared after him, completely dumbfounded. Um, what? I hurried after him, trying to make sense of what I'd just heard. So, maybe I'd like to play with Kale on a metaphysical level but that was strictly driven by urges I'd obtained through Arys. Yeah, that was my story, and I was clinging to it. So, what was Kale's excuse?
I cared for Kale as I cared for any of my friends. Yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that, despite the talk we'd had a few months back, he was developing feelings for me, feelings that had nothing to do with vampire instincts and power cravings. Was I wrong on that? I hoped so.
Pausing at the back door, Kale waited for my nod before pulling it open. Despite shielding hard, the eerie energy inside was strong enough to send a shiver down my spine. My stomach dropped, and I swallowed back a wave of nausea. Damn, I was nervous.
We entered a long hallway that stretched out ahead. Either side was lined with numbered doors, much like the hallway of an apartment building. I'd only been there twice in the past, but I'd never forget the place.
The front of the building was a regular nightclub, or as regular as it could possibly be. It looked like a regular bar, but it was mainly a place for donors to get snapped up by hungry vampires. The back was where all of the action happened. I'd naïvely believed the place was running on a give and take procedure. I should have known better. Vampires are rarely satisfied with a taste. There was more going on here than most would have ever guessed.
“I wonder where he is,” I whispered as we made our way quietly down the hall.
One of these rooms was Kale's. I'd had to drag him out of here once, after his break up with Kylarai. He'd taken it hard and had come here for days to drown his sorrows in a three-day blood and sex fest. I could have happily lived without seeing that side of him.
The fact that he bit me that night didn't help either.
“What if he's not here? Then what?”
I looked at Kale with horror. I hadn't considered that. “Well … then I'll leave a message for him.”