I tossed a few bills on the bar and accepted the refilled glass, not once taking my eyes from Arys. I knew better than to turn away from a vampire carrying a grudge.
In a blur of speed, his arm shot out, grabbing my empty hand. There was no gentleness to him when he brought it to his mouth and slowly licked the bloody cuts in my palm. My wolf was ready to tear him to pieces, but the woman inside me still quivered at his seductive touch. And, I hated him for it.
“Where is he?” Arys’ tone was ice cold.
“You mean what’s left of Harley? In his room. Unless he’s been vacuumed up by now. Then he’s right where he belongs. In the trash out back.”
With a growl, Arys tightly gripped my wrist and dragged me through the velvet curtain. Shaz was pacing at the far end of the hall outside Harley’s door. His head came up fast when he sensed us coming. I shook my head and gave him a look, hoping he’d understand and stay calm.
Arys stormed past him, shoving through the closed door. He came to a dead stop near Harley’s ashes still holding tightly to me. I watched as he took in the room, the burn in the carpet and what remained of his sire. I felt the first pang of guilt try to take hold of me, and I pulled away from him.
For some reason, I felt the need to explain, to make things better. The pain Arys fought back cut through me like a knife. I felt overwhelmed by his emotion, as if my heart were breaking, too. I’d never considered that killing Harley would emotionally wound me through our bond. Hurting Arys hadn’t been part of this. It was about eliminating someone that had to be stopped.
“Arys … I didn’t do this to hurt you. This was about him, not you. I’m sorry.”
He spun to face me, so fast it surprised me, and I stumbled back a step. The bastard actually shoved me so that my back hit the wall behind me, knocking the breath from me.
Shaz was instantly there, swinging at the bold vampire. With the flick of his wrist, Arys took him down with a blast of power, not once looking at Shaz as he did so.
“Don’t!” I shrieked. “This is between us. You leave him out of this unless you want to end up just like your precious sire.”
I hated myself as soon as the words spilled from me, but I couldn’t take them back.
I’d uttered the worst threat possible, said something that cut too deep to heal with a word.
As Arys and I faced off, staring into one another not as lovers now but as enemies, I had to ask myself, what had I become?
Arys’ expression didn’t change but something inside him did. I felt it.
“You’re threatening to destroy me, too, Alexa? If I was going to kill your wolf, I would have done so months ago. Do you even know me at all?”
My lower lip trembled, and I bit it hard, tasting blood. “I thought I did. Before all of this nonsense started. Now, I don’t know what to think.”
Shaz picked himself up but remained at a distance, watching pensively. The room was thick with tension and unspoken words. I didn’t know what to say. I just wanted to make everything ok again.
Arys had me pressed against the wall, his body holding mine firmly. It was both threatening and sexual, causing my wolf to protest in confusion. Since I didn’t know what to say or do, I rambled like an idiot.
“Kale is taking over the club. I already pulled the legal strings necessary. I’m not letting any more bullshit go on here. It’s over. No more vampire spawn.”
“Is that all you wanted? Don’t you think there was another way? How could you do this to me?” In a sudden burst of anger, Arys grabbed the whiskey glass from my hand and threw it so it smashed against the far wall.
I expected him to throw me next. So when he shook me so my teeth rattled, I braced for my flight. It didn’t happen. As if the entire scenario wasn’t already completely f**ked up, it quickly rose to a whole new level when Arys backed away, his eyes filling with blood red tears.
Shaz subtly moved to the doorway, turning his back on us to create the illusion of privacy. Arys sat heavily on the end of the bed, staring at what little remained of Harley.
Twin drops of blood streaked their way down his alabaster cheeks, cutting me deeper than I’d dreamed possible.
I stood where I was against the wall, frozen and fearful that if I moved or spoke, I would just do more damage. I didn’t regret killing Harley, and I wouldn’t take it back if I could. Regardless, seeing my dark vampire broken in a way I could never have imagined, I regretted that.
Arys wiped away the tears before another could fall. His pain lived inside of me, as surely as it was in him. It wasn’t so different from what I’d felt after Raoul died. I’d lost a man that I both loathed and loved, and now, so had Arys.
Common sense told me to leave him alone, but love drove me to my knees before him. I took a chance, knowing he may push me away. I took his hand, bringing it to my face. It was cool and smooth. This hand had touched me in many ways, aggressively and intimately with care. I wasn’t sure I knew how to love someone like Arys; I just knew that I did.