Even though I didn't want to, I stopped by Arys' house again, hoping against hope that maybe he would be there. I shouldn't have been surprised to find that he still hadn't made his way home, but I was. The disappointment was heavy and painful.
Why was he doing this? Was it just to punish me or was this something bigger than that? I was starting to get the feeling that Arys had issues that I had never been aware of.
Whatever they were, I'd pushed him over the edge.
I didn't go through the back door when I got to The Wicked Kiss. It didn't feel right.
It was creepy and unwelcoming. It wasn't as if I were a VIP member or anything. So I strode through the front door of the club with only one thing on my mind: to get to the bottom of this mess with Arys. By avoiding me, he was only making matters worse for both of us.
There was no hesitation when I pulled the doors open. The bouncer at the door didn't stop me, as he once had, to ensure that I wasn't carrying any kind of weaponry. I breezed by him, ignoring the girl next to him at the cash register, who stared after me with shock when I didn't pay the cover.
The lobby was in a quiet little hall, separated from the main club area by a set of double doors. Once I yanked those doors open, the loud music and myriad of scents hit me. I paused, momentarily hesitant. I drew a substantial amount of attention right away, most of it from the vampires that mingled amongst the human patrons, seeking their next willing victim.
Lucky me, most of them knew who I was and didn't bother to approach or harass me.
The one vampire that did have the balls to wave hello from his place buttering up a blonde across the room was Shawn. He'd helped me out once when I was here looking for Kale, and because of that, he was on a safe list that many others would never be on. He was under my protection, and therefore Arys'. I knew I could count on him to come through for me in the future if it was needed, which could be soon at the rate I was going.
My instinct was to charge straight for the heavy black curtain near the bar that led to the back rooms. I moved slowly though, not wanting to rush through like a total maniac. I surveyed the room as I went, my gaze landing on Kale at a nearby table.
I shouldn't have found it surprising to find him there, yet it caught me off guard. He sat next to a young brunette, holding her hand as he pressed his lips to her wrist. His head snapped up suddenly, and his mismatched eyes fixed on me.
Something like alarm flashed across his face. With a brief word to the woman with him, he was on his feet and headed my way. I raised an eyebrow in question when he crossed the distance much faster than I felt was necessary. My suspicions were immediately raised.
“Alexa? What the hell are you doing here?” Kale came to a stop directly in front of me, blocking my view of most of the club along with the back room entrance.
“I'm not allowed in here? It's a public place.” I had to look up to meet his eyes because of his close proximity. “What's going on anyway? Why are you so jumpy? I didn't come to drag you out this time. Feel free to continue whatever it is you're doing.” I waved a hand dismissively, indicating the table where he'd been sitting.
He shook his head, and a sudden sense of dread hit me. Kale knew something.
“Please, trust me when I tell you that you need to leave. You just … really shouldn't be here right now.”
“What the f**k is going on? You know something. I know you do.” I started to shove past him, and his firm grip on my shoulders stopped me. That confirmed it. “Get out of my way, Kale. I want to see Harley.”
“I can't let you do that.” His tone held a deadly calm that almost frightened me. His hold on me tightened ever so slightly.
My wolf wasn't happy with his dominating action. However, a part of me found it to be delightfully intriguing. Kale was hungry for more than one thing. I could taste it in his energy. Though my instinct was to react aggressively, I held my temper in check.
“Why not? I don't give a damn if he's busy. Get out of my way before I move you out of my way.”
“Do it then,” he challenged. “I'm trying to stop you from making a big mistake here.
You don't want to do this.”
I shook my head and stared deep into him until he began to look uneasy. “What I don't want to do, Kale, is this.”
The power went out from me, straight into him. The fact that he was physically touching me made it that much stronger. I didn't want to hurt him, but to some degree, I had to. He was starting to become a real pain in the ass.
When Kale stumbled back a few feet, I completely expected it. What I didn't expect was the grin that spread across his features and the arousal that his energy oozed. Damn vampires. They were always so unpredictable.
Rather than give him a chance to come at me, I shoved by him and almost ran to the black curtain. I could feel him hot on my heels, and I poured on the speed. The bartender looked up in surprise when I flew by him, through the curtain. When he saw Kale in pursuit of me, he shrugged and turned back to the line of customers.