“And, you hate that, don't you?” I didn't mean to be confrontational, just honest.
“You don't have to like any of it, Ky, but don't judge me by him. I am my own person, dammit.”
“I know that, Alexa. Don't get pissed at me because I'm agreeing with you now.” She rolled her eyes at me, and I felt like a moron. “Just … think things through before you act on emotion. That's all. I worry about you.”
I sighed, my eyes again drawn to the clock. “I know. And, I appreciate that. I'm not thinking straight. Ignore me.”
“Done.” Kylarai smiled and winked a long-lashed eye. “Whatever you do, don't be too trusting. And, I mean with any vampire, Arys or Harley. They are cut from the same cloth in many ways. Keep that in mind.”
“Trust me, I do. It's never so simple.” In an attempt to change the subject, I added,
“Don't say anything to anyone about Zoey and the guy that's looking for her. Please.”
“Not even Julian?” She pursed her lips, unhappy with my request.
“No, not even him. I can only deal with one thing at a time. Let me get through tonight and then we will deal with it. Together. I promise.”
She didn't look happy about it, but she grudgingly agreed. Following me to the front door, she crossed her arms and watched me slip on my boots. I knew it was coming. I knew Kylarai very well. She was our little pack mother, always concerned, always the problem solver.
“Are you sure I can't tell Julian? I don't like to keep things like this hidden. It could be important.”
I laughed and reached to give her a loose hug. “Fine. Tell him if it will make you feel better. You can also tell him that nobody makes choices in this situation except for Shaz or me. He stays away from Zoey and keeps his nose out of it unless otherwise asked.” I felt bad for being such a bitch about it, but Julian couldn't be trusted and the only one that didn't believe that was Ky. “I'm sorry, Kylarai. You know I consider you my second in command, always. Not him. He's nothing to us.”
Kylarai was a pro at shrugging off the loathing that Julian, Shaz and I shared for one another. He'd dared to challenge Shaz for Alpha, and he’d lost. It didn't make me like him or trust him, and I never would. As far as I was concerned, it was just a matter of time until he blew it with Ky. Then, he would finally be out of our lives. She was the only reason Shaz hadn't run him out of town altogether.
Julian didn't deserve her, and everyone knew it, even him. She was in a place where she wanted to be happy, with someone she could identify with as a werewolf. Things hadn't worked out between her and Kale so she'd settled for Julian. Yet, I knew that couldn't last forever because Kylarai was a gem. She deserved better.
“Be careful, ok?” She called to me as I headed down the walk to my car. “Don't go in there without backup.”
“Of course not,” I replied casually. “I have Kale on standby.”
She nodded vigorously, raising a hand to wave. “Good. Call me when you get home so I don't have to worry about you.”
Backing out of her driveway still felt weird. It wasn't that long ago that this house had been my home. I missed having the forest just beyond my backyard. It resulted in frequent trips to Kylarai's throughout the week. I couldn't hold off on shifting as long as some Weres could because Arys relied on it to ease the need he constantly carried. After what I'd witnessed inside him tonight, I doubted it was making a difference.
The drive to The Wicked Kiss seemed to take no time at all. I found myself wishing it were further away. The twenty minutes in the car was just enough to stir the butterflies in my stomach. I was glad that I'd worn blue jeans and a sporty tank top, nothing overtly sexual or skin baring. I was nervous as hell. No way was I going to draw any more of Harley's attention than I could possibly help.
I paused to send a text message to both Shaz and Kale, telling them I'd arrived. Shaz was working but he'd wanted to know. Kale was supposed to check in on me if he hadn't heard from me within two hours. Those were my terms; Kale had wanted to come with me right from the start.
Walking into The Wicked Kiss had never been easy. This time, it was downright painful. Approaching the building alone, knowing who waited for me inside made me feel like someone should have been yelling, “Dead woman walking!” as I made my way to the doors. Of all of the stupid things I'd done, this had to be among the worst.
My heart was racing before I reached the back door of the building. It was my last chance to change my mind and leave. Once I crossed the threshold, I'd made my choice.