The Wicked Kiss (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #2)

The bedside lamp shook from the impact and toppled to the cushion of the carpeted floor. The blows never stopped coming from Shaz, and I flinched when one of them connected dead on with the vampire’s lower jaw. The resulting crunch sent a shiver down my spine.

Arys wasted no time leaping into the fight. He tried to get between them, but they were so intent on each other that it was impossible. Harley barely glanced at Arys as he threw power into him. My dark vampire was on his ass across the room in an instant.

Kale was suddenly behind me, a hand on my elbow as he held me back. “Don’t jump in there, Alexa. It will only make things worse.” I stared at him, wanting to ignore him but knowing that he was right.

Shaz’ enraged wolf sounds filled the room. Blood ran from a slash in Harley’s throat.

Shaz was fighting full out; no sign of human thought flickered in his enraged eyes as he fought for his kill.

I watched in horror as everything seemed to slow down like a sports replay. Despite the illusion, it all happened so fast. The power in the room rode us all, but it drove those that embraced it.

The two of them were face to face, locked into a violent embrace. As close as lovers, Harley and Shaz were engaged in a battle for the other’s blood. They each struggled to gain a stronghold.

Blood sprayed as Shaz took a hit when Harley had caught him off guard. Red rivulets ran down his chin from his split lip. It seemed to fuel him, and he unleashed on the vampire with a flurry of shots that had Harley on the defense.

It only took one flaw in Shaz’ attack for Harley to gain that split second edge he was seeking. I saw it coming, and I was powerless to stop it.

Harley feinted left, lingering long enough for Shaz to make a counter move. The moment he did, Harley attacked from the right and scored a clear shot on Shaz’

unguarded throat.

I didn’t breathe as I watched his fangs pierce the creamy white flesh of my mate. The wolf in me cried out in a savage roar, rising up to break free. Shaz struggled against him, but it was too late now that the vampire had sunk fangs.

As he sucked the lifeblood from my white wolf, I focused hard and tapped the waiting power in my core. It came forth in a mad rush, victorious as I set it free and relinquished my hold. The sensations had me gasping as my veins burned with a heat that grew hotter. It quickly became painful, but once I directed it, the pain was pleasure.

From deep inside a memory came, playing behind my eyes. I simply drew on the pained memories Arys had of Harley to inflict pain on him. It was a matter of projecting the thought through the power.

I pushed that sensation into him with everything I had in me. My concentration was easy to maintain, taking far less effort than the last time I did something this extreme.

He let out a noise of pain and frustration but did not release his hold on Shaz. He tried to shield against me, a resistance forming that had me struggling to call more power.

Arys stood nearby calling my name, clearly unwilling to touch me and feed my fire.

That was fine. I could do this without physically touching him. I had all I needed inside me.

I was moving before I knew what I was doing. The force behind my action sent me hurdling into Harley. I could do nothing that would physically move him; one wrong move would turn those punctures into a gaping hole. So, even though my wolf side wanted to take Harley apart in little bits, instead I grasped his hand tightly. The physical contact connected me to him in a deeper way, and I punched through his shield without a problem. It was like putting my mental hand through an open window.

I knew I was smiling as I pushed everything I had inside me into Harley. It burned as it rushed through my fingertips, out of me and through his cool, undead form. I groaned from the exertion and fought to stay on my feet as the power swirled and roared all around me.

With a loud wail, Harley released his hold on Shaz and jerked away from me so hard I stumbled. His head in his hands, he went to his knees a few feet away. I made as if to pursue him to continue my assault. Arys was suddenly there, sweeping me off my feet with an arm around my waist, pulling me away.

“Alexa, no. I can’t let you kill him. See to your wolf.” He gave me a push towards Shaz who was slumped against the wall with a hand pressed to his bleeding neck.

Though I was ticked at my vampire’s interference, it wasn’t hard to turn my attention to Shaz. I dropped to my knees before him and pulled his hand from the bloody punctures. He didn’t resist me, letting his hand fall away. The bite was deep, as bad as it could be.

Shaz fixed me with a brilliant green stare. “I could taste his death. It was mine.”

“Have you lost your mind?” I stared at the wound, careful not to let my feelings show on my face. It was nasty, pumping the blood out in accordance with the beat of his heart. “You’ve got to calm down, babe. Please. There’s a lot of blood.”

It wouldn’t take much to heal a wound like that, but if he didn’t calm down, it was going to bleed out.