Freak Show (22 page)

“You were a mess when Shaz dragged you out of that warehouse,” Jez continued, brushing the hair back from my face before helping me sip some water. “Bad concussion. Blood, bruises, the works. Arys healed the worst of it. You looked so much worse. Wow, he has a hell of a healing touch, huh? Packs a bit of an erotic punch. I was so not prepared for that.”

I rolled over and sat up, unable to focus on the rambling leopard. My head swam. “Can we go home now?”

“You’re singing my song,” Jez muttered. “I have never wanted my own bed as bad as I do right now.”

I was on a bed at The Wicked Kiss. The soft silky feel of the blankets against my skin shouldn’t have so easily caught my attention. My club back home was getting a makeover if I had to pay for it myself.

“Where’s Shaz? Did he get everyone out of there before the building came down? What happened to Linden?” I swung my legs over the side of the bed and, still feeling good, stood up.

“Downstairs. Yes, he did. And nobody knows. You know vampires, Lex. It takes more than a collapsed building to kill them.”

“And Sloane?” I hadn’t encountered her during my escape. She and I had a score to settle.

“On the run. Jenner figures she’s already out of the state.”

It felt so damn good to be free of Falon’s manic energy. It would be a cold day in hell before I’d do that again.

I took a few minutes to use the en suite bathroom. It was small yet still somehow maintained a semblance of class. Instead of just a shower, it boasted of a tub big enough for two. A perusal in the mirror showed a pale blonde with disheveled hair and tired brown eyes. Ah brown, that was what I wanted to see. A faint bruise darkened the skin around one eye. A pink scar was all that remained of both dagger wounds. 

All things considered, I felt better than I should. I also felt hungry. Demanding nourishment, the bloodlust echoed my mortal hunger.

We went downstairs to where Arys and Shaz sat around a table with Jenner and Roscoe. “They don’t have him locked up or something?” I asked Jez as we crossed the noisy dance floor in making our way to them.

She shrugged, her lips twisting into a disapproving grimace. “That’s what I said, but apparently being family or whatever gets you some kind of free fuck up pass.”

“Not in my family it doesn’t.”

I stalked through the nightclub with one thing in mind. My pace quickened. I wasn’t at full strength, but one should never underestimate how strong rage can make you.

Arys looked up at my approach. His relief immediately turned to shock when I grabbed Roscoe by the throat and dragged him out of his chair. I forced him down on his knees before me.

“Give me one reason to let you live,” I growled into his face.

Jenner flew to his feet, and I flung up a hand to ward him off. Without saying a word, Arys shook his head, and Jenner sat back down.

I put the squeeze on Roscoe, just enough to let him know I meant business. He demonstrated his ballsiness by daring to push back. There was no way he could out strength me, and we both knew it. I was the bigger bad here. It had taken me almost a year to see and accept it, but Harley was right when he claimed my power to be bigger than his. That made it bigger than that of every vampire sired by him. Except for Arys.

“Let me try this one more time. Start with the sweet talk or end up as dust in the vacuum.”

It was becoming easier all the time to take hold of a vampire’s life force and bend it to my will. I turned up the pressure until Roscoe groaned and abandoned his efforts to withstand my assault. Blood filled his eyes, dripped from his nose and trickled from the corner of his mouth. For a moment, it appeared that he chose death.

Then he coughed out a stream of words that ran together. “My loyalty is to this family first. Linden promised to leave Jenner alone if I kept working for the blood ring, rounding up and delivering victims. I never meant you or your friend any harm. You were supposed to be out for a few hours, safe and out of the line of fire.” Spitting blood, Roscoe stared up at me with the intensity I’d come to expect from this damn bloodline.

I loosened my hold, considering his words. “Then why was Jez locked in a hotel room with a vampire standing guard over her while you supposedly looked for me?”

“I was going to stash you both there while you slept it off, but you lost your fucking mind and took off like a rabid maniac.” Roscoe’s long hair fell forward to hide his face. He peered up at me from under that wild mane. “I fucked up. I get that. Kill me if you’re going to but at least believe me.”

The light glinted off his gold fang, and at this proximity I was certain it was a replacement rather than merely gold plated. Who did a vampire piss off to have a fang yanked out of his face? Ouch.

“How did you lose the fang?” I asked. Manners went out the window long ago in this place.

“I pissed Harley off one time too many.” His grunted response was only mildly surprising. It confirmed what I’d already known about Harley. He was a ruthless bastard.

Playing queen to Arys’s king didn’t mean acting like a super bitch running a dictatorship. If Arys trusted Roscoe enough to keep him in the fold, then perhaps so should I.

“I don’t hand out a lot of second chances,” I said. “For instance, Sloane will not be getting one. You, however, don’t strike me as a liar. So I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt. This time. And only this time. You owe me one.”

I released him so fast he almost fell backwards. Jenner was glaring daggers my way so I made sure to slide into the chair closest to him at the table.

“Is there something you’d like to talk about, Jenner?” I taunted. “Looks like there’s something you want to say.”

“So I guess I don’t need to ask how you’re feeling.” Arys’s low chuckle was music to my ears. “Jenner and Roscoe are a little unhappy about my choice to re-establish my place in this city. Of course, I’ll be doing it from Edmonton, so they should be grateful for that.” He gave each vampire in question a pointed look before continuing. “Jenner will stay in charge, but he’ll answer to both you and me. And somehow we’ll find a way to take down the blood ring.”

There was a question in his expression as he awaited my yay or nay. “That sounds fair. Certainly can’t hurt to set up a stronghold here too. Two strongholds in two major cities. Couldn’t hurt.”

From day one in Vegas, I’d been pretty sure Arys was leading up to a takeover of his former home. He’d spent many years here. Naturally, he wanted to stake his own claim now that his sire was gone. Claiming Vegas as ours was not on my list of happy things. However, someone had to do it. If it wasn’t us, Linden’s crew would continue to run rampant like an infectious disease. Las Vegas had enough crazy shit going on without the growth of that organization.

The glimpse of the blood ring I had seen was small, just a scratch on the surface of their evil. And it was more than enough for me. I couldn’t go home and let it keep happening, knowing there was more I could have done.

“I’m not changing The Wicked Kiss.” Jenner leaned back with arms crossed, daring me to disagree. “It took months to build that theatre down there and regardless of what you both might think, the people fucking love it.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. He was incredibly determined. Fierceness flashed in his ice-cold eyes. He would not be denied. “Whatever you want, Jenner,” I snickered. “Although there needs to be a few ground rules. Like no killing the people you take on stage.”

“I don’t kill them all.” His protest sounded too much like one I’d heard before.

I cast a glance between Jenner and Arys, rolling my eyes. “What about the wolf fights? To the death seems too harsh. They volunteer, and they leave alive.”

The stony mask that encompassed Jenner’s face was almost frightening. Void of emotion, he issued a silent challenge. “No deal,” he said. “I’m not compromising there.”

“What if I’m not giving you a choice?” I countered.

Arys broke in before I could decide to throw Jenner around. “This can be discussed later. What matters now is that we’re all on the same page as far as the blood ring is concerned.”

The venomous glare Jenner turned on Arys would have intimidated any other vampire. “I don’t suppose my opinion really holds any weight now, does it? Especially not now that he wants to see her. I might as well go back to Paris and start over.” Emanating waves of contempt, Jenner slumped in his seat.

I hadn’t thought vampires to be prone to pouting, but that twisted frown marring his face was definitely a pout. However, his words were far more interesting. “Who wants to see me?” Trepidation made my empty stomach lurch. I just wanted to go home. The sooner, the better.

“Hurst,” Arys answered, his jaw clenched as he tried to hide his concern. “He’s requested that you be brought to him. To talk.”

Harley’s maker wanted to see me? Oh, balls. That sucked.

“Nobody can go with you,” Arys went on. “He won’t allow it. But nobody’s forcing you either. It’s your call.”

I looked around the table at my family, those I’d come with and those that had been forced upon me. Jenner was the only one wearing an openly malicious grin. From the very little I had heard of this vampire, I didn’t get the feeling he intended to kill me. It seemed rather unlikely that he wanted to see me at all considering he chose to remove himself from the mortal world. When I gave the question over to instinct, I felt without a doubt that Hurst was someone worthy of my time. There had to be a reason he wanted to see me. I needed to know what that was.

“I’ll go. Then I want to get on a plane and go home before this city decides not to let me leave at all.”

Chapter Sixteen

The four of us sat around the table, having been abandoned by Jenner and Roscoe who understandably wanted very little to do with us at the moment. For the most part Jez ignored us, tapping out messages on her phone at record speed.

We had taken some time to talk about our plans for The Wicked Kiss Las Vegas, Sloane, and Linden, should he prove to be alive. We all understood that wiping out the blood ring would take time. Shaz had assured me every person from the warehouse had made it to safety. It was a small start but a significant one.

“You have to feed.” Arys squinted and braced himself for the blow back.

Instead of snarling at him like usual, I merely sighed and nodded. A healing could only do so much. The hunger burning in my gut demanded sustenance. “I know. Thanks for the reminder, Mom.” The snarky comment earned me a middle finger, and I smirked.

“I should come with, keep things under control.” Arys started to rise, but Shaz stopped him with a hand.

“No. It should be me. Lex can feed on me.”

My protests couldn’t come fast enough. I tripped over my tongue in my hurried attempt to deny his offer. “There are too many reasons why that’s not going to work. Don’t feel like you have to be part of that, Shaz.”

“But I do though. You need mortal blood. I’m the only mortal here you can bite without turning them wolf. And honestly, I kind of like that I have something you need that you can’t get from him.” He jerked a thumb toward Arys who raised a dark brow and shook his head.

“Can’t argue with that logic,” Jez said without looking up from her phone. I was touched by Shaz’s offer. There had once been a time when I could take blood from him without any trouble. Taking energy, however, might be tricky, and the two tended to go hand in hand.

“Are you sure?” I wasn’t about to insult him with an outright refusal. Shaz was capable of making his own decisions.

“Of course.”

I slapped a hand down on the table, making Jez jump. “Ok, then. Let’s do this before I chicken out.”

“You guys are so gonna do it,” Jez said in a singsong tone. “It’s about time too.”

Ignoring her, I stood and held a hand out to Shaz. The warmth of his hand in mine drew me to his wolfish scent of pine and forest with a hint of wolf musk. I suddenly could not wait to sink my teeth into that. The bloodlust was bearable still, though it was definitely making itself known. Leaving instructions for Arys to order me a medium rare steak and a salad, I ascended the stairs with Shaz, back up to the room I’d woken up in.

“Are you sure?” I asked again when the door closed. My breath came faster as anticipation thrilled through me.

Shaz laughed and threw a pillow at my head. “Yes, dammit. I know you want to shelter me from this side of you, but you can’t.” He grew serious, giving me a look filled with wisdom well beyond his years. “I devoted myself to you long ago, Lex. At the time, I was living in a fantasy, thinking we would have this Hollywood happily ever after. I know now that it can’t be that way. It can’t change how I feel about you though. Nothing can. Not even Arys.”

“You should sit down,” I said, a lump in my throat. “There are a few things you need to know.” I proceeded to tell him everything I had learned in his absence. From the potential loss of my wolf to the foretold future of my death at Arys’s hand, I told Shaz everything. Some of it was hard to say and even harder to hear. When I finished, he sat there on the end of the bed in silence. We stared at one another until I was ready to shout at him to say something.

Finally, he did. “If you think any of that is going to scare me off, then you don’t know me very well. I’m not going anywhere. Not now, not even if you lose your wolf.”

“And if I’m only vampire? What then?” I challenged. “You can’t give up your future for me, Shaz. You deserve to be loved by someone who isn’t bound to another. You deserve better than me.”

His mouth opened in thoughtful wonder, and he nodded knowingly. “Ah, I get it. This is about you chasing me off, setting me free or whatever term you’re using to rationalize it. You think I can’t love you because of Arys. Actually, I love you in spite of him.” Shaz leaned back on the bed and tilted his head to expose his neck, offering it up to me. “I trust that we love each other because we’re meant to. I don’t need any more than that.”

My gaze fixated on the steady pulse pumping beneath his smooth skin. I didn’t know why I felt this deep-rooted need to drive him away, to set him free, as he’d said. Especially considering how terribly I’d missed him when he was gone. We had already hurt one another too much. I couldn’t be the bringer of anymore of his pain.

“You should need more than that.” My voice barely squeaked out. “I can’t give you a monogamous, picket fence life.”

A flicker of sadness crossed his jade eyes. Then it was gone, blinked away by the wolf looking out at me. “I know.”

I crossed the distance between us without hesitation. Climbing onto his lap, I captured his face between my hands and kissed him. The unspoken bond between us grew stronger. We didn’t live a life that allowed us to plan for the future. We had to be grateful for this moment right now. It was a tough lesson, but one I was learning.

It had been too long. Too long since I’d touched him. Too long since I’d felt him between my legs. I was taking what he was offering and throwing caution to the wind while doing so. Tasting him kicked my bloodlust into overdrive. I tugged his shirt up over his head and tossed it, wondering where he’d gotten fresh clothes. For that matter, I wasn’t even sure it was the same day as our escape. Dragging my hands over his warm skin, I reveled in the way his smell teased my senses. Our kiss was wild, passionate and hungry. It had been a few months since we’d been intimate. It felt like forever.

I nipped at his lips and tongue, drawing out the moment when I would shed his blood. For once, my wolf was perfectly content with the vampire hunger commanding me. In this moment, both sides of me found satisfaction.

Shaz ran his hands up my side, sliding my top up and off. He buried his face in my neck, and I took the opportunity to run my hands through his soft platinum hair. A sigh was the only sound.

With a hand in his hair, I jerked his head back and forced him to meet my eyes. I needed to see the desire burning in him for me. When Shaz had been away, I had let myself imagine this moment, our first time together after so much shit had gone down between us. In my fantasy, it was slow and tender. But this hurried, desperate need for one another, it was so much better.

The sound of his heartbeat quickening had me licking my lips in excitement. We moved in synch, shedding the last of our clothing. When I straddled him, naked, feeling his arousal pressed against me, I could have wept from the solace my wolf knew at last.

There was no hesitation, not so much as a moment of pause. He slipped inside me as I simultaneously went for his neck. Heady wolf blood spurted into my mouth. I moaned in bliss as I took him into me in so many ways.

Carnal and wild, we moved together. Hands on my hips, Shaz guided me. I licked and sucked at the bleeding bite wound. Drinking in the satisfying rush of erotic energy, I feasted on his body and blood.

With a low growl, Shaz flipped us over so I lay beneath him. This was where we paused. He gazed down at me with gorgeous wolf eyes. I smiled.

He thrust into me with the fierceness of the wolf claiming its mate. I raised my hips, matching his rhythm, taking him deep within me. Blood trickled down his neck, and I captured it with my tongue.

The sound of Shaz’s low moans in my ear brought me closer to the edge. Knowing he still wanted me after everything was a comfort that I didn’t know I needed quite so bad. The past few months had been more difficult than I wanted to admit. Part of me had been afraid we wouldn’t be able to do this again; however, no ugly past memories surfaced to ruin it. My senses were on fire for Shaz. The way he smelled, the way he felt, he consumed me.

I fell headlong into the bliss moment far sooner than I’d have liked. Of course, if I had it my way, I would have stayed locked in that room loving Shaz all night. Long after the climactic explosion, we lay together, as if unable to disentangle from one another. It was peaceful and so vital for us both then. Our ragged breaths were loud in the stillness. The room smelled of sweat, blood and sex.

“I missed this.” Shaz lay curled around me, his face in my hair. “But damn that was worth waiting for.”

“The only thing missing is the forest. Desert life is not for me.”

“Better get over it. I have a feeling you’ll be back.”

I groaned and snuggled in closer. “Don’t remind me. Maybe I can just video chat with Jenner. Bitch him out via the internet.”

I was determined to suck every iota of gratification possible out of the afterglow. That would have been easier if Arys hadn’t banged on the door. Not only did he not wait for a response, he strode right in without an invitation.

“There’s a car here to take you to Hurst. Come on. Get dressed.” Arys picked my clothes off the floor and flung them at me. He made no attempt to hide his amusement.

“Afterglow much?” I sat up in time to catch my panties with my face. “Arys! That’s so rude.”

He snickered, and I hid a smile. I was in too good of a mood to pretend to be mad.

Arys couldn’t hide his urgency as he ushered me down the stairs. I’d gotten dressed at warp speed. The way he and Jenner spoke of Hurst, one might think him a god. I knew better. However, any vampire that intimidated Arys in any way was one worth being wary of.

“Where’s my steak?” I demanded as he dragged me to the exit. “Can you slow down? I hate that you’re rushing me like this.”

“You can eat later. An offer like this from Hurst is almost never extended. If he wants to see you, it has to be important.” He actually began to finger comb my hair as if worried about my appearance.

I slapped his hands away and scowled. “Stop that. What’s gotten into you? Should I be worried about this?”

“No, I don’t think so.” Arys didn’t look entirely convinced.

“Great. Let me guess. No weapons.”

“Right. The Dragon Claw stays here. Don’t tap any power. You won’t need to. He would never harm you.”

The Dragon Claw had survived the warehouse fire. A weapon forged in the fires of Hell, it would likely survive anything short of the apocalypse. It had become somewhat of a security blanket for me, and I felt naked without it.

“You know, I’m starting to get real sick of the vampires calling all the shots. Shaz and I were having a moment, Arys. We needed that.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Confusion marred his features. He seemed to want to tell me something. At last he spit out, “Hurst knows things. Things nobody should know. If he has something to share, it could be vital to us.”

I sighed and gave him a gentle cheek caress. “I’m going, ok? Now you get my steak here, so I don’t have to stick a foot up your ass when I get back. Oh, and see if you can rebook our flight home. I am fucking done with this city.”

“Will do.”

Arys walked me to the waiting black town car. The driver gave us a nod, holding the door for me. I couldn’t help but note that he was human.

I sat back against the seat as we pulled away from The Wicked Kiss. This damn nightclub chain was starting to take over my existence. I knew there was power in running a place like this. Unfortunately, it always came at a price.

The trek was short. Or at least it felt that way. In no time, we stopped. I recalled no specific details about the location. What the building looked like, where it was located, I remembered none of that.

My memory of meeting Hurst began with a dimly lit library. Candles burned, illuminating the small table where I sat. Oil lamps burned in sconces on the wall. The place seemed void of electricity, something that had to be almost impossible in Vegas.

A polite human man asked if I would like a beverage. I asked for a vanilla latte, surprised when he nodded as if that were no problem.

I didn’t have to wait for long before an unseen door hidden in the shadows across the room opened and a robed figure emerged. He made his way slowly toward me, as if he enjoyed taking his time, simply because he could.

Power surrounded him like a fog. Resonating with the skill of several centuries, it hovered the way an aroma lingers in the air. As he drew closer to the light, I saw that his robes were indeed a long cloak that touched the floor as he walked.

The man returned with my latte, placed it before me and slipped away in silence. I barely noticed.