Smashed (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #8.5)

“I don’t have to justify my decisions to you. That’s not what I came to discuss. Let’s not forget that you are the one who murdered my sister. A crime punishable by death. Now, are you willing to help me or not?”


Well, nobody could ever say Juliet was a coward. Her threat was both courageous and stupid. There was no way I could allow her to think I was so easily controlled. Surrounding us with an energy circle, I grabbed her gun hand and twisted, forcing her to drop the weapon. She stifled a cry, glaring up at me with wild wolf eyes. Seeing them punched me right in the gut as my longing for Alexa threatened my self-control.

Maintaining my hold on her arm, I pulled her close and made a show of breathing in her tantalizing wolf scent. “Yes, let’s not forget that I killed your sister. The one woman who means more to me than my own existence. So don’t for a moment think I’m incapable of draining you dry, little one.”

An agent or two fired off a shot when they saw Juliet in my clutches. The crossbow bolts bounced harmlessly off my circle. Idiots.

I forced her to look into my eyes, to see the abyss that lay beneath, the same abyss that would swallow her whole should I will it. “Don’t threaten me, Juliet.”

Her pupils were dilated in fear, and the seductive aroma of it betrayed the glare she mustered. “All right. I get it. Let go of me.”

I released her and dropped the circle, shooting a warning glare in the direction of the waiting agents. Juliet held up a hand, telling them to hold their fire.

“So, what did you have in mind?” I asked, continuing as if she hadn’t just tempted me to bleed her.

Anger flashed across her face. She retrieved the fallen weapon but didn’t dare point it at me again. “Supply me with a vampire or two. Someone I can pin this on.”

It was a good opportunity to have the FPA deal with what remained of the rebel group. Their numbers had dwindled after their last attempt to take Alexa out. Still, it would be a great way to send a message to any who still thought we were the enemy.

“I’m sure I can do that,” I agreed. “What about when it happens again? Because it will happen again. At least until Alexa accepts that she needs my help to get through this.”

“I can’t buy her a lot of time. Briggs knows that she’s turned. For now, he’s under the assumption that she’s feeding at The Wicked Kiss. He’ll figure it out soon enough though.” Juliet appeared conflicted, unhappy having to lie to her lover. I knew the feeling.

She paced in the dry, dead grass. Making the greatest of mistakes, she let her guard down. Lucky for her, I wasn’t the type to take a cheap shot.

“Just get me a vampire for tonight,” she said. “I’ll do what I can. But you need to do something about Alexa. If she keeps this up, I’ll have no choice but to hunt her down.”

“Now there’s a loving sibling sentiment if I’ve ever heard one,” I retorted. “I’ll get you your vampire. But know this: if you hunt Alexa, I hunt you. Got it?”

With a glower Juliet pulled a card from her pocket and slapped it into my hand. “Bring the vampire back here in two hours. If you need to reach me, here’s my number.”

She stalked away before I could reply. With a shrug, I stuck the card in my back pocket and headed for my car, motioning for Jenner to join me. I hoped like hell that Juliet was full of big talk and bullshit because, if I had to kill my lover’s sister, I might never reclaim what I once had with Alexa.

“That woman is damn sexy,” Jenner observed when we were back in the car. “I wonder what it would take to get her into bed. There’s no way she could resist my charm.”

“Don’t even think it,” I warned. “Alexa’s sister is off limits.”

“Why? Think about the benefits. I take her to bed, give her the time of her life, and turn her into my love slave. Then you would have some FPA blackmail material.” He suggested, smiling like it was his best idea yet.

“It’s not worth the trouble. It’s also probably not the blackmail material I need.”

I drove away from the scene with a screech of tires. Jenner lounged in the passenger seat. He watched me as I drove. It was annoying as hell.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” he asked. “Obviously I overheard your conversation. But where do you plan to snag a random vampire from?”

“I could just give her you, I suppose,” I chuckled.

“Just let me fuck her. I’m telling you, it’ll solve your FPA problems.”

Laughter filled the car. I couldn’t keep a straight face. “Oh yeah, that will solve my problems all right. It will also have Alexa ripping both our heads off our shoulders. Is that what you want?”

With well-honed focus I could feel the energy of every vampire within the city. It wouldn’t be hard to find one I could hand over to Juliet. Though finding one that was a self-proclaimed rebel might prove more difficult.

Ignoring Jenner’s insistent argument, I said, “Lucky for us, most of the vampires here don’t know you. So here’s the plan.”