“Thank you. For being there and making sure I didn't do anything stupid. And, for intervening at The Wicked Kiss.” What else could I say? Kale was bush beating, and we both knew it.
“That gossipy little leopard told you, didn't she?” He gave me a knowing look, and I had to laugh. He knew Jez just as well as I did. “Well, whatever she said, I'm sure it was exaggerated.”
“Was it?” I raised an eyebrow, my smile fading. “She told me that you've been dreaming about me, Kale.”
He didn't appear upset. If anything, he'd fully expected her to tell me. When at last he made direct eye contact, it was forced, as if he didn't trust himself to look at me. Nervous energy trickled from him to tease my senses.
“I'm sorry.” His face crumpled, and he looked ashamed. “It was bad enough after I took your blood, but then we killed that she-wolf together … I kissed you … and everything went to shit.”
As his agonized energy marched along my skin like red ants on their way to a picnic, I picked it apart to determine what it was made of. Kale was filled with regret and more than enough guilt for both of us. Despite the urge to soothe him, I bit back my response when he slowly crossed the small kitchen until he stood before me.
I looked back and forth between his brown and blue eye, entranced by the difference.
This was so much more than a power trip between two friends. He was getting something from me that he hadn't had in years, possibly more than I even realized. Though I knew that, his next words shook me to the center of my being.
“You have awakened something within me, Alexa. Something that has been cold and buried for decades, centuries. It's dark, it's deadly, and I have only known one other who could ignite within me the sensations you do.”
He didn't say who because we both knew and to mention the one who made him could bring out the predatory side of Kale that I'd encountered in the car. I was all for avoiding that at all costs. Like the last time Kale had made a confession to me, I didn't know what to say. So, I said the first thing that came to mind.
“What is it that you want from me, Kale?” The urge to touch him played with me.
“Let's just be straight up here. Friends or not, there is something bigger that we have in common. And, if we can just talk openly, it will be a lot easier to deal with.”
“I don't know.” His answer came quickly, suspiciously so. “The things that I want from you are new to me. It doesn't feel right.” He actually looked embarrassed. “You're a friend, almost a little sister that I drag into trouble. I've never wanted you like this before.”
The heat in his dazzling gaze had me tingling with adrenaline. My heart jumped, and my lungs deflated of air. I'd be nothing but a filthy liar if I tried to say that I hadn't wanted him the night we'd kissed. I had wanted to devour him.
“I understand what you mean by that better than you might assume. Most of the time, I feel like I'm being pushed along by this tidal wave that I have very little control over. It seems to have the snowball effect, getting bigger and bigger by the day.” A sigh escaped me as I said to Kale what I never said to Arys or Shaz but probably should. “I'm afraid it's going to consume me, and I'll be a total maniac, feeding off the blood and energy of everyone I love.”
Kale chuckled humorlessly and nodded knowingly. “It's not all bad. Not when they're willing.” He flashed fangs at me, and I shivered when he added, “In fact, it can make the transition a little smoother.”
“I'll bet.” A swirl of undead power spiraled like a tornado inside me. My next words came unbidden. “Is that an offer?”
The atmosphere thickened and pulsed, much as it had the night of our strange kiss. I felt that shift in my brain, the one that brought the vampire power alive. A teasing smile graced my lips. I felt Kale's hunger like a storm coming on the wind.
He took a step back and then another, each one looked like it was killing him.
Instinct commanded me to advance on him, to back him into a corner. Would it really be so wrong? I just wanted a little taste.
“If I do what I want to right now, I won't be able to let you out of this building without bleeding you.” His eyes were wide as panic gripped him. “You barely even feel like a werewolf anymore. Without your wolf scent, I would think I was in this room with a vampiress. A damn powerful one.”
That was unsettling. I held myself in check, the warmth of my wolf balancing the cool undead urges. It was a constant battle inside me. I had to get out of there, or we were both going to lose the struggle for control.
“I'm going to go before we do something we really regret.” Pushing away from the counter, I aimed to fly past him on my way out of the room. When his hand snaked out to grasp my arm, jerking me to a halt, my power instantly reached to touch his.