September Moon (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #8)

Known for his impatience, Arys rolled us over so that I lay beneath him. He nudged my legs farther apart and thrust deep. We moved together, a smooth rhythm that we perfected a little more every time we did this dance.

The sound of our moans and cries filled the room. The lamp flickered again and went out. The power expanded, filling the room with a warm breeze. It caressed my naked flesh even as it flowed through me. It seemed to be everywhere. I was empowered, feeling like I could take on the world with such a supernatural force thrumming through me. Riding the high like I was, victory felt possible. Hell, it felt inevitable. Tapped into Arys and all that we shared, I felt in my core that Shya didn’t know who he was dealing with. Perhaps neither did I.

“I love you, Alexa.” Arys’s mouth was warm on my skin. “If I could trade places with you in all of this, I would.”

He sought out that sensitive place beneath my ear, the one that made me purr like a kitten. A tickle raced down my spine at the touch of his tongue. There was a desperation to his touch that startled me. I knew what he wanted though he was reluctant to feed that hunger.

“I know you would,” I murmured. I clasped a handful of his hair and turned my head to offer him my neck. “Don’t hold back with me, Arys. I trust you.”

He shook his head and made a strangled sound that was both a moan and a curse. “You can’t. I don’t even trust myself.”

His actions grew frenzied. The pace of his thrusts quickened. He exuded anguish, which mingled with his total adoration to create a dizzying blend of emotion. Arys was at war with himself.

The vampires in my life were very intent in their insistence that they couldn’t be trusted. The shitty part was that they were right. Vampires in general were unpredictable and dangerous. It didn’t change the way I felt though.

“I am yours. Claim me.”

The fight went out of him, and he gave in to the unholy need to spill my blood. His fangs pierced my flesh with vicious aggression, forcing a small cry from me. Arys caught the crimson flow on his tongue. I fell headlong into the dizzying wave of power that crashed through us.

Being there with him feasting upon my body, I couldn’t shake the tiny voice warning me that he could not be trusted. It felt both right and wrong. We were made to exist together in a state of perpetual give and take. But when would that all come crashing to a halt?

Arys licked and sucked at my punctured vein. A low, sexy groan in my ear sent a tickle down my back, and I laughed softly. He raised his head to look at me with my blood smeared on his lips and fire in his eyes.

He searched my eyes, seeking something, condemnation perhaps. “Will you promise me one thing? After it’s all said and done, when you’re vampire, promise you’ll forgive me.”

“Arys,” I said, touching his face. “That’s not necessary.”

“I’m serious. I need you to do this for me. Just say the words. Even if you don’t mean them.”

There was a hardness in his gaze that struck a nerve within me. He was projecting a tough shell, trying to keep me from seeing how vulnerable this was making him. He could hide his true emotion from anyone else but never from me. I felt his fear as if it were my own.

I nodded and pressed my lips to his. “Ok. I promise. And I mean that.”

Satisfied with my answer, Arys rolled over to lie beside me, burying his face in the nook of my neck so he could catch the last few drops to slip from the wounds. His arm was tight across my middle.

I cuddled in close, stroking a hand through his disheveled hair. There was so much he wasn’t saying, but he didn’t have to. I recognized his worry, his trepidation at what was to come.

His worry was mine too.

Chapter Ten

“Don’t let her out of your sight tonight, please,” I pleaded with Kale, glad we were on the phone so I didn’t have to look into those beautiful eyes. “I know she says she’s fine, but she isn’t.”

Kale sighed, a heavy dramatic sound just for my benefit. “Fine. But she’s going to be pissed.”

“I would take over for you, but I’m going with Willow to look for the scroll. Or maybe we’re just going on a wild goose chase. Hell if I know.” I clutched the phone tight so I could hear Kale over the noisy din of The Wicked Kiss.

I sat at the bar alone waiting for Willow and sneaking glances toward the back hall where I waited for Arys and Jenner to emerge. Grudgingly I’d agreed to allow Jenner to feed from the willing victims at the club. I didn’t have much of a choice. I couldn’t very well have him killing in my city. The FPA didn’t need more shit to pin on me.

Shaz had got an early start on searching for the scroll, insisting that he’d be able to cover more ground alone. His argument had been that he wouldn’t be as closely monitored by the demons as Arys and I. I had agreed though I suspected that avoiding vampires and The Wicked Kiss had been his true intent.