The Wicked Kiss (29 page)

“I think you were right to do it. It’s obvious that you had to do what's necessary in order to protect yourself and those you love.” Jez absently stirred her gourmet coffee with a stir stick, but her serious, green eyes were fixed on me.

Kylarai sat across from me, her eyes downcast as she picked at the apple pie on her plate. She didn’t agree with Jez or Shaz as far as the blood bond issue was concerned.

She thought it was a huge mistake.

It had been four days since I'd entered into the blood bond with Arys. Honestly, I had felt incredibly out of sorts since then. I'd learned quickly that I couldn't handle the mid-afternoon sun any longer. It burned both my skin and my eyes. The bloodlust had been my constant companion every night since. Without Arys to ease me through, I never would have succeeded without going on a murderous rampage.

He promised that the worst of it would wane and I would gain control of the many vampire tendencies that now ruled me. If I thought experiencing Arys' weaknesses before was bad, this was a whole new ball game. They were my very own vices now.

I had asked my two best friends out for dinner, wanting to share with them the decision I had made. I wanted their opinion, knowing they would each be completely honest with me about what they thought. I valued what they had to say.

“I just don’t think you should have rushed into anything, Lex,” Ky’s voice was soft, and she beamed a shy smile at me. “You altered your own death.”

Things had been better between us since I’d starting spending more time at Raoul’s.

It gave her and Julian time together without taking chances on having Shaz in the house as well. That would just get incredibly ugly.

I had barely touched the Alfredo pasta dish I’d ordered. It was the best in town, yet it wasn’t encouraging my weak appetite. “I know that. I was confused and scared. But, I can’t help but feel that it’s what I needed to do. Especially after what happened with Harley.”

“That’s just the thing,” Jez piped up again. “He won’t stop until he has you. And, it’s only a matter of time until other power hungry vamps seek you out.” She gave me a pointed look, one that Kylarai missed. I knew what she meant. Kale had already developed an attraction to my power. How many others would?

Would Harley give up once he discovered Arys had bonded me after all? Lord, how I hoped so. I felt like a weapon that I didn't know how to use, that could go off at any moment.

Kylarai reached over to pat my arm affectionately. “You know I love you no matter what you do. That’s just my opinion. I don't want to see you regretting this decision.

Regret is a hard thing to live with.”

I felt like I would have some kind of regret either way. Choosing to bond myself to Arys through blood had completed the bond we’d begun when we joined our power. My life and death would never be the same again. Yet on the flip side, it was already so beyond any semblance of normal. I couldn’t help but feel empowered in a way, knowing that Harley wanted me as badly as he did. I didn’t even really know why.

“I appreciate you both coming out tonight.” I swirled the ice in my tea and took a sip of the too sweet juice. “It feels good just to hang with the girls sometimes. I need more of this.”

“I’d say you do. I miss killing things with you. It’s not as fun with Kale.” Jez’ voice was loud enough to carry, and I blushed and hid my face when a lady at the next table stared open-mouthed at her.

“I hate having to cut and run, but I’m meeting a source that’s helping me out with a case.” Kylarai reached for her wallet, and I stopped her with a gesture.

“Forget about it. I invited you out. I’ll pick up the tab.”

“Fine, I’ll get the tip then.” She tossed down a few bills and pushed her chair back.

“Will I see you at home later or are you going to Raoul’s?”

I had to think about that. I’d been pretty much living there over the past week. “I’m not sure. I may have to come by the house to grab some more of my things. Feel free to have Julian over.”

“How’s he doing anyway?” Jez asked with interest.

Kylarai shrugged and forced a smile. “Let’s just say that his ego took the worst of it.” She rolled her eyes and to me said, “I think it’s great that you’re staying there. You need to face that part of you and find peace with it all. Let me know if you want any help redecorating.”

“Actually, now that you mention it, I do.” I grinned when her face lit up in excitement.

“Sounds great! I’ll give you a call later, and we’ll talk about it.” She stood and slung her purse over her shoulder. “It was nice seeing you again, Jez. Have a good night, you two.”

After she’d disappeared out the door, I turned to the leopard, finding her staring at me with an expectant expression. “What?”

“I have something to tell you.” She raised a brow and her ruby lips curved into a smile.

“Please don’t. I’m sure I don’t want to know.”

“Kale’s been dreaming about you. He told me. I just thought you should know.

You’ve had one hell of an effect on that man.”

Why did she have to look so pleased when she said that? “What do you mean, dreaming about me?”

She shrugged and sipped from her coffee. “I’m not sure. He didn’t go into detail. I think he just needed to say it out loud to someone and that happened to be me. I just wanted to let you know.”

“Shit.” I let out an exasperated sigh and reclined in my chair. “That’s just what I needed to hear.”

“Sorry.”

Kale meant a lot to me. He was more than a colleague; he was a friend. And, because of the power I had, I now had power over him. There was something so wrong about that.

“Anyway,” Jez quickly changed the subject. “Kale and I have been taking out new vampires all week.”

That caught my attention. “New ones all week?”

She nodded, and her golden waves bounced. “Yeah. We haven’t been able to determine where they’re coming from yet. So … you want to come out tonight?”

That was intriguing. After the past couple of weeks I’d had, I was certainly up for a challenging hunt. “Definitely. Count me in.”

* * * *

The evening had been going splendidly. Hunting down a coven of new vampires with Jez and Kale had been a release that I'd desperately needed. It had taken no time at all to locate a handful of new vampires lurking in a local cemetery. It was typical really. Many of them wound up in such places, either from seeing it in Hollywood films or because it was guaranteed to be free of anyone else.

It had been almost too easy to take out the two we had followed to the cemetery.

Upon arriving we had discovered another four of them nesting there. From the looks of it, they had been up to no good. There was more than one old corpse decomposing beneath some trees. Nasty.

The last two put up a nice fight that had Jez smiling as she slashed her way through one of them with clawed hands as he shrieked like a little girl. After slashing a hole in his throat the size of her fist, she pulled out the stake she carried strapped to her wrist and plunged it deep into his chest.

No sooner had she done so than the last one escaped me and rushed her head on. She had just a split second to defend herself. Throwing her arms up in front of her, she took the brunt of his force as they tumbled and rolled as one.

I moved abnormally fast as my legs carried me across the distance. I snapped his neck with a powerful twist; the resulting crunch echoed as I went for the heart, stake in hand. He had already succeeded in lashing out at Jez, drawing blood from a deep cut above her eye. The scent of her living and highly potent blood caused a tightly wound string inside me to snap, and I lost all control.

One moment, I was focused on the pathetic vampire on top of Jez, and the next, I was tossing him aside so that I could get to her myself. I shudder to imagine how that would have played out if Kale hadn't been there.

Being as in tune to my energy as he was, he felt the shift in the atmosphere when the blood lust dominated my actions. All of a sudden, he was just there, throwing me off her so that I landed in a sprawled heap not far from one of the decomposing victims. As I leaped to my feet, there was no conscious thought in my mind. I was acting on instinct.

With a snarl, I turned on Kale. I didn't want him though. I wanted the natural born Were blood, the blood that had never been human. I practically salivated as the scent drove me into a frenzy.

The pain was like a punch right in the guts when Kale knocked me on my ass with a blast of power. It didn't hurt me otherwise, but it successfully knocked the breath out of me. Before I could get up, he was on top of me, straddling my body with his strong frame, a silver psi ball burning in the palm of one hand.

It was as if a cool breeze blew through my mind then, bringing with it the presence of my dark vampire. Arys' voice was soothing, snapping me back to myself as if I was jolting awake from a nightmare.
My wolf, what's happening? I knew I never should have
left your side.

I stared up at Kale, struggling to reply with something sensible to Arys. Kale's sweet energy was alluring in its own right, and I found myself falling into his enchanting eyes.

“Alexa?” Kale lightly slapped the side of my face, a frown creasing his fine features.

“You never should have done this. The blood bond is not meant for one as free spirited as you.”

I was confused by his words. All I could think about was reaching to touch the lock of dark brown hair that fell in his eyes. As I remembered the taste of his blood, I licked my lips seductively. “Kale…” The word fell on a hushed whisper, and I knew that he was mine if I wanted him.

“Don't do this,” he pleaded, and I could feel his resistance crumbling. “I'm trying to stop you from making a huge mistake here. Don't draw me into another one. You know I can't deny you.”

Jez came to stand nearby, careful not to get too close. I concentrated on Arys, on his cold blue energy raging inside my mind.
I'm going to self-destruct before I can begin to
have regrets
.

It was strange, knowing I could share my thoughts with him and finding that I could also shut him out. I wondered if I would ever get used to it. Arys could feel my edgy emotion, yet he could only know what I revealed to him. There was something very reassuring in that.

Wrapping a strong hand around my wrist, Kale jerked me upright and pulled me to my feet. He didn't let me go, though. As much as it killed him to touch me, reaching right into my personal energy, he did it anyway.

The blood hunger didn't leave me, but I was in control now that Kale had stepped in.

He was an amazing friend, one that I owed dearly. Despite that, the sinister vampire essence within me couldn't help but want to toy with him. The look he fixed me with insinuated that he wasn't new to this game. Of course not. The guy had centuries on me.

“Cut it out, Alexa. Don't you understand that you're playing with fire?”

“Why? What am I doing?”

“You know damn well what you're doing.”

Kale and I faced off, and I couldn't help the grin that spread over my face.

Regardless of how wrong I knew it was to continue down that path, I didn't want to stop.

However, I did know what I was doing. I couldn't help but think about what Jez had said at dinner. Kale had been seeing me in his dreams, unable to escape his attraction to my power. Knowing his history and his dependence on The Wicked Kiss, I knew I couldn't be just another power hungry female that would use and abuse him. He'd had enough of that in his past.

It actually hurt to deny the many hungers and urges commanding me. Yet, it wasn't as if being a werewolf hadn't been much the same in its own way. This was just a new kind of pain. I was able to make it back to the office without eating another silver blast from Kale.

Arys' presence lingered in the back of my mind, but I didn't acknowledge it. It was still too strange, and I didn't want to share my thoughts with anyone. Jez laughed and joked as if I hadn't been ready to bite into her jugular vein, already brushing it off like no big deal. I wished I could roll with the punches as easily. Although, it was refreshing to have someone in my life who could so simply shrug it off, knowing it wasn't worth altering her life. I could learn a lot from Jez' take on things.

Despite her attempts to loosen Kale and me up, the tension between us couldn't be dismissed. I watched the clock tick past one am in the kitchen of our office building. Jez wasted no time closing up her office and heading for the door.

“Since I have made it through yet another night without facing certain death, I will be celebrating by sipping wine by a crackling fire with a smoking hot redhead.” She announced. “I assume you two will be out of here right away?”

I knew what she was really asking. Was it safe for her to leave us alone together? All I knew was that it was safer for me to be alone with Kale at that moment than with her.

The cut on her head wasn't critical, but the blood drying there was taunting me.

“Yeah, I won't be here much longer.” I gave her a look, one of those that women share, which enables them to have an entire conversation with others present, with no more than the right expression. Without batting an eye, she quickly bid us goodnight before sashaying to the exit.

I couldn't shake the feeling that Kale was waiting for us to be alone. He had something to say. I leaned against the small kitchen counter and considered but then abandoned the notion of feigning nonchalance. Why bother? He would see right through it anyway. So instead, when the door had closed behind Jez on her way out, I looked at Kale expectantly.

“How's Kylarai?” He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. A moment later, he uncrossed them and stuck his hands in the pockets of his black leather duster. He didn't seem to know what to do with himself.

I could see by the look on his face that he already knew about Ky and Julian. I could attribute that to Jez and her willingness to talk. He really wanted to know though. There was no faking the concern in his eyes.

“Are you really asking how she is, or are you asking about him?”

“Both.”

That was fair. “She's good, although, I'm not sure that she's really happy. I don't think Kylarai really knows what she wants right now.”

“I heard Shaz kicked his ass.” He didn't have to say Julian's name, and I understood why he chose not to.

I nodded and thought back to that night. It had been an intense scrap. “Hell yeah, he did. It's been a little awkward at home since. Shaz and I have been spending a lot of our time at Raoul's.”

“If he hurts her, I'll tear him to pieces.” Kale promised with a glint in his eyes as if he was hoping to get a shot at Julian himself.

“He's all yours.”

Kale studied me, and though his gaze was heavy, I didn't flinch beneath it. I merely waited calmly for him to speak. I knew him well by now, and it wasn't hard to tell when he had something to say. When his eyes fell to my wrist, I knew he was thinking about the night in the car when he'd bitten me. Though the bite was long gone, I had to resist the temptation to rub the place where it had been.

He looked away before he spoke, as if suddenly intrigued by the pattern on the linoleum. “I understand why you made the choice that you did, but do you really think it was the best option?”

“Honestly,” I replied. “I don't know. It feels very surreal right now. If I didn't bond myself to Arys, it would have been anybody with enough power to force me.”

Kale nodded, his gaze coming to land on me again. I felt the weight of his analysis as he truly studied me. “It's going to change you, you know. Tonight … that kind of thing isn't going to end, even if it gets easier to deal with.”

That wasn't really what I wanted to hear though I couldn't say I was surprised.

“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?”