Grabbing my fuzzy black robe from where it hung on the back of the door, I struggled myself into it and ditched the wet towel on the way downstairs. I didn’t want to open the door. I envisioned myself opening it long enough to slam it in Arys’ face. I knew I would never do it though.
The only sound was my pulse pounding through my head. It had only been two weeks, but it’d felt like forever. I fought back my emotions, refusing to allow anything to show on my face. I clutched my robe closed tight with one hand and opened the door.
The cold winter air rushed in with an intense chill. Arys stood there with a solemn expression. I had neither anger nor pain in that moment. I was just so glad to see him.
That damn vampire couldn’t look bad if he tried. In form fitting jeans and a leather jacket, he looked good enough to eat. With a toss of his short, messy locks and a wink, he shuffled his feet ever so slightly. Was he nervous?
I stepped back, speechless, and indicated for him to enter. I shut the door on the cold dark night and faced him. We stared at each other until awkward became unbearable. I didn’t know what to say. Finally, Arys opened a hand to reveal several playing cards marked with the recognizable name, “Caesars Palace.”
He tossed them down on the table in the front entry where I threw my mail. They landed in disarray, but I could make out the entire royal family and then some.
“You were right.” Arys broke the silence, his voice sounding so heavenly after weeks apart. I could never survive a lifetime without him. “You were right to kill Harley when you did. I’m sorry.”
Those words coming from my dark vampire were almost worth a call to Guinness. It had to be a record of some sort.
“Um, what?” My tongue was tied. He was blowing my mind.
His piercing gaze traveled over me, taking in my damp hair and robe. His eyes lingered on my lips, and I shuffled from side to side, anxious.
“I went to Vegas. I played some cards, won some answers. It wasn’t good.”
I noted that Shaz had disappeared, leaving us alone. I could hear him down in the living room, the TV on to give us privacy though his wolf ears could hear our every word. I waved Arys in further, and he kicked off his shoes and followed me to the kitchen. I needed to sit down to hear the rest of this.
“What did you find out?” I wanted him to keep talking. I had had a gut instinct about Harley. I needed to know what Arys found out about him.
“The clubs he was running there, they’re horrific. Worse than anything I’ve ever seen. I mean, I feel nothing when I kill, no guilt or shame, nothing but the rush. But, this was different. I saw what was happening, and I was ill.” Arys stared out the patio window, seeing something that wasn’t there. “You’re no stranger to some of the sick, twisted things people do. Human and otherwise. From human blood ring trafficking to fetish kills with minors, I discovered some seriously f**ked up stuff.”
Arys fell silent, still staring beyond me out the window. It was dark out and only reflected his image back at him. The shadows that danced behind his midnight blue eyes haunted me. Arys was a killer alright, but he didn’t murder children. I could see how deeply it affected him to know that his sire had no qualms doing just that. Knowing this now, I wished I’d dragged Harley’s death out. No amount of torturous agony could be enough for him.
“What happens now?” I asked with my throat dry and my pulse pounding. “I mean, Harley’s dead, but is that enough to stop what’s going on there? And, how many other places is it happening? He would have started it here, too, wouldn’t he?”
“He likely was leading up to that. I made my mark on his Vegas properties before I left town. With him out of the picture, I expect to have little trouble shutting them down.
And, if I have to take a trip back there to be sure, I will.”
I wanted to ask more questions, but the look on his face stopped me. He was reliving what he knew enough without me badgering him for details. I was secure in the knowledge that I’d been right about Harley. He’d had to go, and I had no reason to feel guilty for being the one to bring about his demise.
Arys leaned forward on the table, dropping his head into his hands. I’d never seen him like this. With anyone else, I would have been comforting and supportive. I wasn’t sure Arys would appreciate that. Instead, I stayed silent, allowing him his moment.
When at last he spoke again, it was to persecute himself further. “How could I be so stupid? I’d let him turn my world upside down once before. And, here I was, going down that same path, playing right into his hands.” It took great effort for him to meet my eyes steadily. I could see that he wanted to look away.
“You’re not stupid, Arys. If anything, I was the fool for going to him against your wishes and starting all of this in the first place.”