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

It took everything I had to break free from Arys’s thrall. It was very much like fighting against myself. When my feet began to move, I turned to rush back the way I’d come. And ran straight into Arys.

I hadn’t seen him move. He was just there in front of me, blocking my path. He reached to steady me, but I stepped out of his grasp. Slowly, Arys advanced on me, driving me back toward the room.

His gaze dropped to my neck where only the faintest pink mark remained from his bite. He was riding the high, seeking the thrill anywhere he could find it. It was a powerful feeling that knew nothing of rationale. It was all about the gratification of getting off on power and blood.

“Why are you fighting so hard?” Arys drew closer; his steps, slow and calculated. “This is a bad time to have a change of heart.”

“I’m scared.”

“I know. The smell of it is absolutely divine.”

“I’m not ready,” I all but shouted. There was a sudden ringing in my ears as white noise drowned out my gasps for calming breaths. “I’m not ready to be what you are.” Clapping a hand to my mouth, I stared at Arys in bewildered horror. I hadn’t meant for that to slip out.

He moved fast, closing the space I’d put between us. Pulling me close, he forced me to meet his gaze.

“It’s too late for that. It’s already inside you. Fighting it will only drive you mad.” He kissed me then, slipping his tongue into my mouth. The taste of blood was tangy, silencing my unspoken protest.

I almost caved. The temptation was nearly more than I could stand. Digging deep, I found the will to resist. My fear was stronger than the hunger. This time.

I shoved away from Arys, holding up a hand to ward him off when he reached for me again. A blue and gold psi ball hovered in my palm.

“I’m going to wait for Willow outside. Don’t kill anyone. That’s a demand not a request.” I turned my back on him, ready to slam him with the psi ball if he tried to stop me. He didn’t.

Arys watched me go in silence. This was going to come up later. I was sure of it.

Forcing me to do something I wasn’t ready for wasn’t his intent. I knew that. Hell, I’d done it before. More times than I’d like to admit. It was the clock counting down the minutes left in my mortal life that had put the fear in me. It was harsh, unnerving, and entirely unwelcome.

My stomach clenched and rolled. I returned to the club to find Willow seated at the bar. I shook my head and gestured to the door. I couldn’t stay inside a moment longer, or somebody would die.

He slammed back the three tequila shots in front of him before following me out. I didn’t stop until I reached my car and sat safely inside. It was blessedly free of human scents, and I took a few deep breaths to steady myself.

“Is everything ok?” Willow asked as he slid into the passenger seat. “You look pretty shaken up.”

“I was just reminded of how dangerous it is to be in the same building as two Vegas vampires while they’re on the prowl.” I dug my keys out and started the car. If I didn’t focus on the real goal, I’d end up in a room with two vampires and a shitload of bad choices.

Willow studied me, the light in the parking lot shining through his dirty-blond hair. He looked so human in jeans and a t-shirt; his silver wings, absent from sight.

“You know, Alexa, it’s ok to be afraid. You’re facing something huge. It would be more worrisome if you weren’t.”

His presence was an immediate comfort. I nodded, grateful to have such a voice of wisdom in my life. “I keep thinking I’m ready. The bloodlust and the power, it’s been part of me for so long now. I keep expecting it to get easier, but it never does. I’m afraid of how much it will change me when there is no light left to balance out the dark.” It was what I feared most, what I would not say to Arys. When I turned, the yin yang balance of light and dark would shift, becoming unbalanced.

“So you were never really meant to be a vampire. That doesn’t mean you can’t still be you. Fear focuses on what has yet to come. You need to be at home in the present. It’s all you’ve ever really got. It ain’t over til it’s over.” Willow’s hand was warm on my arm as he gave it an encouraging squeeze.

A voice in the back of my mind enticed me to go back inside. So I put the car in gear and drove away. “You never cease to amaze me, Willow. What I wouldn’t give to have the wisdom and insight you have.”

“It’s available to all. Seek and you shall find.” He beamed a bright smile at me and reached to mess with the radio. “So, you and I will take downtown tonight?”

I nodded, finding strength in his positive outlook. Willow had every reason to exist in a state of sorrow and rage, yet he didn’t. I couldn’t blame him for spending a hell of a lot of time drinking himself numb after what he’d suffered. Still, he continued to serve his purpose. I had to do the same.