Smashed (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #8.5)

We sat in a comfortable silence, each lost in the isolation of our own thoughts. In the still of the forest night, sitting with a man I’d once warred with, I wondered if perhaps it should be me returning to Las Vegas with Jenner.

“I arranged for Kale to go back to Vegas with Jenner,” I said suddenly, the confession dropped from my lips like a toxin I needed to spit out. “It’s his choice, although I may have laid it on thick when I suggested it would be best for Alexa.”

Shaz’s sharp laugh broke the stillness, startling a bird overhead. It took flight, its wings beating rapidly as it fled.

“Is that guilt I hear?” he asked with obvious amusement. “I never thought I’d see the day. So you do have it in you.”

“If you tell anyone, I’ll have to kill you.” I grinned. The unfortunate part was that my guilt was fed entirely by the fact that I didn’t feel bad about making such arrangements for Sinclair.

“Would it make you feel like less of an asshole if I told you that I like the sound of that plan?” His laugh turned bitter. “He brings out the worst in her. I wouldn’t be sorry to see him go.”

“She’s going to kick my ass.”

“Oh, hell yeah, she will.”

“Thanks, pup. That helps.”

Shaz punched me in the shoulder. “Now that you’ve told me about it, I’ll go down with you.”

It wasn’t funny, but all we could do was laugh. This was a dark time for all of us. Alexa was strong. She would come out the other side of this. If separating her from Kale was what it took, then so be it. I could live with her wrath if it meant saving what was left of her sanity.

I wasn’t disillusioned enough to believe that I had the answers she needed. There was nothing I could teach her about being a hybrid. There was no secret to be revealed that would make this any easier. However, I knew firsthand the blissful agony of being a new vampire. I would see her through this.

“We’d better head back,” Shaz said, eyeing the sky.

I nodded my agreement and rose to follow him. He shifted back to wolf, bumped his head against my hand and trotted through the trees, back the way we’d come. For just a moment I considered reaching out to Alexa through the mental connection we shared. I didn’t, choosing instead to leave it to her to make that move when she was ready.

Shaz was a white streak up ahead, pausing occasionally to glance back at me. I took my time though I could have matched his pace. Leaving the forest left me feeling melancholy.

I had to laugh to myself. If Alexa could see Shaz and me now, it would blow her mind. It might be best that she couldn’t. There was no telling how long this camaraderie would last.

Difficult times had come upon us. It was the worst it had ever been. Chances were good that it was far from over.

Two demons MIA. A federal agency with a deadly agenda. An unwelcome premonition from a witch turned vampire. And that was just the beginning. Shit was about to go down. Again. I had to admit, I was kind of looking forward to it.