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

“It’s different for everyone. It’s personal. Promise me you won’t try anything like that.” When I didn’t answer right away, Willow grabbed me by both arms and gave me a slight shake. “Promise me.”


I gazed into his deep, green eyes and saw fury burning within them. But there was more. Fear. Anything that bothered Willow this much was worth taking seriously. I raised my hands in surrender. “I promise. Ok? Calm down, boozehound. You’re freaking me out.”

“Sorry.” He released me and stepped back. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“If you want to talk to the dead, Alexa, I can help you with that.” A familiar voice rang out from behind us.

I turned to face Falon with a scowl already plastered firmly in place. He leaned in the doorway, arms crossed, a smirk adorning his too perfect face.

“This time you had to have been following me. Unless Shya sent you. Either way, get lost. I don’t have time for your crap.” My greeting was met with a broad grin. Falon was going to frustrate me right to death one of these days.

“Is that so? Pity. And here I came to help you. But if you’d rather not, then that’s fine with me. It’s a waste of my time anyway.” Falon feigned examining his fingernails before rubbing them on his long jacket.

I considered throwing a chunk of broken desk at him. “You never help me unless you’ve been ordered to. Thanks but I’d rather not have Shya’s lackeys hanging around being a constant distraction. I’m not stupid or desperate enough to fall for that. Beat it.”

Willow was quiet, watching the exchange with disinterest. Falon caught his eye and nodded, his expression veiled and hard to read. Was that a show of respect I just saw? Well, I’ll be damned. I never would have dreamed Falon had it in him. It definitely made me more curious about Willow.

Falon’s pale silver gaze landed on me again. He arched a brow and studied me with that piercing stare. It grated on my nerves.

“Do you really think it’s a good idea for you to be separated from your twin right now, Alexa?” Falon taunted. He never budged from his place on the threshold though his words gave him a sudden air of menace.

My gaze narrowed, and I pursed my lips. Crossing my arms, I mirrored him down to the cocky expression. “I know what you’re doing, Falon. Are you here to distract me? Or did you do this, and you’re returning to the scene of the crime?”

Ignoring my accusation, he continued as if I hadn’t spoken at all. “You’re both at your most powerful when together. So why would either of you be stupid enough to run the risk of being caught without the other? Seems a tad careless to me.”

That triggered my defenses. My beast came snarling up to peer out at him, making my eyes solid wolf. I bared fangs, fighting back the surge of panic that sent adrenaline slamming through my veins.

“What kind of fucking game are you playing here?” I demanded.

Willow stood stiffly, appearing unruffled. His outward calm was authentic, but he could snap in a heartbeat. I’d seen it.

“Settle down, Hound.” Falon feigned a yawn of boredom. “You can’t hurt me. And it would kill you to even really try.”

“You really enjoy the sound of your own voice, don’t you?” Willow asked with a snap of wings. His magnificent silver wings spanned most of the room. He was at my side, ready to fend off the asshole angel.

“Well, yes. I amuse myself. Take it easy, Willow.”

I did hurl a chunk of broken desk at Falon then. My clawed fingernails dug into the wood as I snatched it up and let it fly. He raised a hand, and it exploded into millions of sawdust-size pieces.

“That was rude,” he quipped. “And to think I came to tell you that Shya has your vampires. Would it really kill you to show a little gratitude?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” A sick feeling developed in the pit of my stomach.

Falon spun on a boot heel and walked away. He strode down the lengthy hall toward the door. “Shya wants Arys to turn Gabriel. Tonight. A deal is a deal after all, right?”

With a growl, I hurried after him. “Wait,” I cried. “Why are you telling me this?” I almost plowed into Falon’s back when he stopped abruptly. I jerked to a halt as he turned to me with a dark look.

“Because as little as I care about vampires, there are certain people walking this earth who should never be one. Gabriel is one of them.”

Shya had forced Arys into a deal. The demon saved my life, and in exchange Arys had promised to turn Gabriel. Shya wanted to pair the power of Arys’s bloodline with the dark magic already flowing through the kid, in essence, creating his own black magic monster.

“For the first and probably only time ever, I actually agree with you,” I confessed, having mixed feelings about agreeing with Falon on anything. “But what am I supposed to do about it?”