“Are you ok?” His words were soft; his face, etched with concern. Arys made it really hard to be pissed at him.
I sighed when he touched my face. I wanted to throw myself into his arms but had too much pride to allow it. I was always far too stubborn for my own good.
“Of course I am. I got what I came for, and now I just want to get the hell out of here.”
He nodded and stepped back. I continued down the hall, surprised when he fell into step at my side. I felt pressured to speak, to bridge the strange gap between us, but I didn’t know what to say. His presence beside me washed away the remnants of the pain and anger I’d been carrying around the past several days.
I was intent on the exit at the far end of the hall. The next time I was at The Wicked Kiss, everything would change. Harley would die, Kale and I would take over, and anyone who didn’t like it would join Harley in ashes.
“We need to talk,” Arys said when we were crossing through the parking lot.
“Arys, I can’t keep doing this. The last thing I want is conflict between us. And recently, there’s been a lot of that.”
“I know. I don’t want that either. I know you may not believe it, but I’ve been a f**king wreck lately.”
We walked through the mess of cars until we reached the vacant end of the lot. My car sat there alone, cast in shadow. Arys leaned against the hood, crossing his arms over his chest and fixing me with a dark gaze. It was so damn sexy, the way he looked into me rather than at me. My knees trembled ever so slightly.
I tossed my jacket on the roof of the car and met Arys’ enchanting eyes. “A wreck?
It definitely hasn’t appeared that way.”
He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “Ok, I know I owe you an apology. I’ve been acting like a selfish ass**le, carrying on with Harley like it was the good old days. I was pissed off, and I acted on that without a second thought. I’m sorry if I hurt you. What you saw… I wish I could take that back.”
I frowned and stared at the ground as if fascinated by the snow-covered asphalt. I didn’t want to think about that. I relived that moment daily. I couldn’t stand the thought of Arys seeing the pain of that in my eyes.
“Just … forget it,” I said quickly. “I don’t want to think about it.”
He nodded his dark head and reached for me. His hands were warm on my bare arms. He’d fed recently. “Can I just say something else? I want you to know that those women, I wasn’t … I didn’t sleep with any of them.”
“Don’t feel like you have to explain yourself to me, Arys.”
“I need you to know.”
“Why?” It bugged me that I felt so guarded. I adored Arys, but my past experience with love had hardened me in many ways. Letting him in had been hard. Keeping him out was impossible. I was a mass of confusion.
“Come on, Lex, drop the defensive shit. You can’t stay pissed at me forever.” He flashed a sly grin at me, testing my resolve. His use of the shortened version of my name was rare. It said more than the words he spoke.
When I cocked my head to the side and raised an inquisitive brow, he added, “Ok, maybe you can. But trust me, centuries together will not be pleasant if that’s the case.”
“Ha! Very funny, Arys.” I hit the unlock button on my keys, and the Charger’s headlights flashed, momentarily illuminating the night. “I’m not pissed at you, ok? I’m just, really confused.”
“Well, so am I. I damn near went on a rampage when I found out about you and Kale. The thought of him touching you makes me crazy.” A muscle flexed in Arys’ jaw, and he made a show of getting comfy against my car. Alright, I got it. He did not intend to let me leave until he was good and ready.
“I didn’t screw Kale, if that’s what you’re thinking. It was just blood.”
“It’s never just blood.”
Arys’ reply came too fast and sharp. It burned with venom. His energy grew heavy with a jealous hatred that both pleased and frightened me.
“Don’t even think about doing anything to Kale,” I warned, my voice laced with my wolf. “You know this isn’t about him.”
Arys’ grin had completely vanished. He was staring at me as if I’d slapped him. I was getting ready to do just that. “Look Arys, if you have something to say, then say it.
Let’s get this all out in the open so we can finally be done with it. Isn’t that what you want? Isn’t that why you’re out here preventing me from leaving? Or, do you enjoy the conflict?”
Sirens screamed by on the main road, too loud to talk over. I paced a few feet away, fighting to separate my emotions from Arys’. It was easy to become overwhelmed when the energy was running so high between us. After a few calming breaths, I was able to focus on the lively wolf within rather than the beckoning hand of the grave.