Sunset to Sunrise (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #7.5)

Whatever. She could do whatever she wanted, as long as it didn’t involve me. Since she had led a team to come for Alexa and me, I didn’t trust her. I would never trust her.

One might say she was in some way responsible for what had occurred between me and Alexa in the FPA basement lockup. One might also say I’m a crazy asshole blaming others for my fucked up actions.

I wanted to leave. Taking a stroll through some of the shadier neighborhoods for a fast and easy, but gloriously violent, kill was what I needed. And yet, I didn’t go. Because as much as I detested the FPA and disliked Juliet, I couldn’t leave her alone here.

More than one vampire sauntered up to her, looking for a nip of that intoxicating werewolf blood. She turned them all away. Then one of them refused to take a polite no for an answer, even after she flashed her government badge at him. I watched in amusement as the hungry vampire tried to grab her hand. Juliet glared at him with a fierceness I’d only seen matched on one other woman. It brought a knowing smile to my face.

They exchanged words. Whatever was said had encouraged her hungry admirer. He grabbed her arm and leaned in close, his lips moving in a threat or, perhaps, a promise.

Refusing to be cowed, Juliet pulled back her free arm and threw a fist he never saw coming. She followed up by smashing her beer bottle over his skull. With the broken and jagged bottleneck clutched firmly in hand, she rushed him.

Those O’Brien women certainly didn’t take any shit. I considered, albeit briefly, that if Alexa couldn’t be forced to end me, maybe the sister could be convinced.

But no, this wasn’t merely a suicide mission. If that were the case, I would simply walk out into the sun. This was about cutting the tie that held me to Alexa and finding freedom from this tortured longing. There was only one way to do that, and she should be the one.

As badass as Juliet was, she wasn’t used to fighting alone and it showed. Many wolves had gone toe to toe with a vampire and lived to tell the tale. Still, it felt like it was time to step in when he succeeded in pinning her against the bar, a hand around her throat.

I hadn’t planned to kill him. A beating should have been enough. However, he took it too far. Before I reached them the guy’s hand connected with Juliet’s face in a brutal backhand. He sealed his fate with that one wrong move.

I grabbed him by the back of his jacket and spun him around. My fist met his face a few times before I repeated my earlier act and punched into his chest. It was one of my favorite ways to kill a vampire. It took strength, precision and the right focus.

Ripping his heart free, I let it fall to the floor along with the rest of him. More dust for the cleaning crew. Hmm, I wasn’t even sure that we had a cleaning crew. If we didn’t, we definitely needed to get one.

“I can handle myself,” Juliet said, glaring at the dusty remains of the one who manhandled her. Then her face softened. “But thanks.”

“Not a problem. Guys like that aren’t welcome here anyway. I can guarantee that Alexa doesn’t condone that kind of behavior.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Juliet laughed and, for just a moment, the uptight air about her disappeared. “I’m not here as FPA. Just a casual visit. Ok?”

My gaze narrowed in on her throat. A faint bruise was already forming in the shape of fingers. Her pulse beat beneath the surface, and I wondered what she tasted like. That train of thought led me down a dark path. I would never forget the taste of Alexa’s blood. They might have been related, but there’s no way Juliet would be so satisfying.

I met Juliet’s eyes to find her watching me closely. There was no chance she’d missed the way I had just ogled her jugular. “Anything you want is on the house. Please, enjoy the rest of your night.”

The only way to ensure this ended without temptation making me its bitch was to walk away. That would have been easier if Juliet hadn’t reached to stop me from doing so.

“Hey, Kale, can I have a few minutes of your time?” She pointedly looked around the noisy bar. “Is there somewhere quiet we can talk?”

Was this bitch fucking with me? I didn’t trust her. That didn’t mean I wasn’t curious though. “We can talk in the back corner there. That’s about as quiet as it gets in this part of the club.” I led the way to the row of tables in the back behind the bar. It was as far from the dance floor and the music as we could get without leaving.

There would be no leaving with Juliet. Entertaining that thought scared the hell out of me because I wanted it so damn bad.

After we were seated at a booth and Juliet had been brought a new beer, she propped her elbows on the table and said, “Would I be correct in stating that you care very much for my sister?”