Darker (39 page)

I was surprised and touched. I’d come to accept that Coby might always hate me for what I’d done to him. Never had I expected him to thank me.

“
You have no idea how much that means to me.” I leaned over for a casual hug. He took it a step further and pulled me in for a nuzzle. Rubbing his face alongside mine, it was an entirely wolfy action. It meant a lot to me.

“
Hey wolf, hands off my woman,” Arys called from the deck. It was nice to see him smiling, unaffected by the small rift with Ky.

I stood up to go, but Coby grabbed my hand. “Alexa, wait,” he pleaded. “Um, would you uh, I don’t know how to say this. Maybe it’s too soon, but I know I want to marry Kylarai. Do you think she’ll say yes?”

“
Holy crap, Coby, you couldn’t possibly be more adorable,” I laughed. “I can’t see why she wouldn’t.”

My heart squeezed in both joy and envy. I’d accepted that the picket fence life wasn’t for me. At least, I thought I had. It was for Kylarai though, and now she had a chance to make it happen. I was thrilled for her.

It was hard to keep from crushing her in an excited hug when we returned to the patio. Somehow, I managed to keep myself contained. Jez prattled on about the upcoming Las Vegas trip while Coby dished out burgers. I was pouring a lemonade refill when the doorbell rang.

Immediately, I was concerned. Everyone I was expecting was already present. I glanced at Arys who shrugged, unaffected. That was weird.

I entered the house, crossing through the kitchen and down the long hall to the front door. I paused, reaching out metaphysically to sense who was on the other side. The earthy energy was strong and familiar. Werewolf.

I jerked the door open with my heart in my throat. I was a little lightheaded, unable to believe my eyes. There, with his platinum hair long enough to hang in his jade green eyes and a quirky little smile, stood Shaz.

“
Hey, babe,” he said. “Am I late for the party?”

I gawked at him like a moron, staring in stunned silence. If this was just a dream, I was going to be pissed when I woke up.

Before I could pinch myself, he stepped over the threshold and captured me in his warm embrace. The scent of wolf and pine filled my nostrils, scratching an itch I’d learned to live with. I ran my hands over him, down his lean body and up into his hair. No dream, this was real.

I tried to speak though no words could squeak past the knot of overwhelming emotion that choked me. I clung to him like a drowning woman to a life preserver. I wanted to say so many things that I must have mumbled something unintelligible.

“
God, I missed you, Lex,” he murmured, stroking my hair. “I never got used to being without you.”

“
When did you get back?” I finally managed to say. I held him tight, afraid to let go.

“
Today. Just a few hours ago.”

He kissed me, a tender press of his lips to mine that quickly grew into a passionate exhibit of frenzied love. My wolf leaped for joy at his touch. I couldn’t get enough of the way he felt. I was ready to let go of the past, of the mistakes we had both made. He was here now; that was what mattered.

The sound of applause broke us apart. Jez stood in the kitchen, grinning from ear to ear. “Perfect timing. Dinner’s ready. Although, it looks like you two are ready for dessert.”

We followed her to the backyard where Kylarai also threw herself at Shaz in glee. Arys sat back looking pleased with himself.

There was a flurry of chatter as everyone threw questions at Shaz about where he had been and what he had done. Shaz laughed and ran a hand through his hair, one of his habits that I had dreadfully missed.

Arys rose to greet him with a handshake that became one of those loose guy hugs. The kind of hug that is brief and barely a hug at all but means more than either man will admit to.

“
Welcome home, pup.”

Epilogue

“
You’re going to Vegas? For how long?” Kale regarded me with skepticism. He sat across from me in a corner booth at The Wicked Kiss, drumming his fingers impatiently on the table.

“
I’m not sure. A week or two I guess. Depends how much fun we’re having.” I swirled the whiskey in my glass before tossing it back and savoring the burn. This was the best place to speak with Kale. He had to know I’d be out of town; the club would be entirely his responsibility. So would everything and anything that happened inside it.

Kale leaned back, his lips pressed together. He sat stiffly, clearly as uncomfortable as I was. We hadn’t spoken since the night he promised to drive me crazy. This meeting was awkward for me, too.

“
You mean it depends how long it takes for someone to try to kill you,” he scoffed.

“
Would that really be a problem for you?” I asked snidely. I’d come to discuss the club, not to sling barbs at one another. “Besides, Arys and Shaz will be there. Jez, too.”

“
Ah, I see. So, your wolf came home. How very romantic. Must be nice having your little threesome back together.” Shadows veiled Kale’s mismatched eyes, and I couldn’t read him. Even his energy felt tight and restrained. He didn’t want to let me in.

Actually, our threesome had yet to resume. Perhaps it never would. Shaz had only been back a few days. Our time together had been spent talking and cuddling, simply finding joy in being together. I didn’t know what the future held for Shaz and me. I was happy to take it a day at a time.

“
Look, I just wanted to let you know I’d be gone for a while. I’m not interested in playing the game with you, Kale.” I spun the empty glass, using it as a distraction. Maybe I should have just called him.

He chuckled, low and smooth. My pulse quickened, and I cursed inwardly, knowing he’d sense it. Raising a brow, he leaned across the table.

“
Don’t be coy. You love the game. You play it better than anyone I know.” He reached out to drag a finger over the back of my hand. I froze, stopping the glass mid-spin. Before I could tell him off, he pulled back. “Relax, Alexa. I won’t lose my shit and do anything too crazy while you’re out of town.”

I crossed my arms and sat back, far out of reach. “That’s reassuring. Thanks.” Sarcasm dripped from my words. “Call me if you really need to. If anything goes on here that I should know about.”

“
Will do, boss lady.” He saluted and stood up. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s a shy brunette waiting for me that likes it when I pull her hair while we’re fucking.”

Ouch. That, I did not need to hear. It shouldn’t have bothered me, and I refused to let it show.

“
Hey, Kale,” I called as he exited the booth. “Why never a blonde?”

It was a mistake to ask; I knew the answer. Asking was just me being an asshole in response to his attitude.

He moved fast, sliding into my side of the booth, pinning me to the wall. He leaned in so close I could smell the leather of his duster.

“
Do you really want an answer to that?” Kale brazenly twisted a lock of my hair around his finger. “The last blonde I’ve been inside was you. I could never take another to bed without it being you I saw. Is that what you want to hear?”

I felt the color drain from my face. Me and my big mouth. I couldn’t possibly get any farther away from him. My back was to the wall.

“
No,” I said softly.

Kale studied me, even as I searched him, seeking a glimmer of the Kale I adored inside his brown and blue eyes. I didn’t find him.

“
Have a nice trip, beautiful. I’ll be here when you get back.” He placed a kiss on the back of my hand, lingering longer than appropriate. Then, he was gone, moving through the crowd to find his playmate for the night.

I let my held breath out in a whoosh. Damn that had been intense. I was starting to give up hope that things would ever be ok again with Kale. He meant the world to me, but if he insisted on forcing this to a dangerous level, nothing would save him. Still, I wasn’t ready to accept that just yet.

I stayed in the booth, watching the club activity. Getting away would be fabulous. I had no doubt that Sin City would be as dangerous as it was fascinating. Still, it couldn’t be any worse than the mind-game playing demons and manipulative vampires here at home. Although, perhaps I shouldn’t speak so soon.

Things would be changing around here soon enough. Shya had been right on one account; Arys and I had the ability to gather the vampires and werewolves of the city, to organize them. Their support would give us a stronghold, empower us for future events. It wasn’t going to be the way Shya expected though, too bad for him. After the trip to Vegas, we would begin making moves to form alliances with the vamps and Weres of Edmonton. It was high time to take initiative. I was sick of being the only one with power who didn’t utilize it fully. The time had come to make some changes.

Shya had been wise enough to leave me alone since Lilah’s, though as far as I knew, Gabriel was still under his thumb. I wasn’t telling Shya about my trip. Eventually he’d come creeping around again. Arys and I both owed him, and he’d make sure he got his payback. Before then, I had to find a way to outwit the bastard, or at the very least, outplay him.

I was counting on Veryl’s files to give me some insight into Shya’s end goal. Identifying the mystery artifact he sought would be nice too. I read and reread the files, convinced I was missing something hidden inside the documents. I couldn’t bring myself to destroy them. Not yet.

Willow was back to his routine of drinking himself stupid. Anything to dull the pain, I guess. Poor bastard. I hurt for him. He was a good friend and a great guy. He deserved happiness.

I signalled the waitress for an ice water. I sipped it, watching Kale work his magic on the opposite side of the room. His brown-haired victim laughed as he whispered in her ear. If he ever set his sights on my brunette sister, I’d have him castrated.

Things with Juliet were better. I might even go so far as to say they were good. We’d recently had dinner. What had started as an awkward meeting developed into an easygoing visit complete with laughter and shared memories.

There were still a lot of issues to work through. We had grown up differently, become very different people. Being Lilah’s captive had given Juliet some insight into the kinds of people and creatures I was dealing with. She had come away from that experience with a new respect for me, even if she didn’t entirely understand my world.

We hugged it out and even promised to spend more time together. We could never go back to the past, to our lost innocence and ignorance. All we could do was work with what we had now. I invited her out to my place, to run with me on the full moon. The wolf was one thing we did share, something that could unite us regardless of what divided us.

Losing my wolf wasn’t far from my thoughts. I was determined to find a way to deal with that; I had to. Having it trapped forever inside me when I became a vampire wasn’t an option.

I still hadn’t told Shaz about that. I had filled him in on everything important that Arys hadn’t already told him. The wolf thing, though, I couldn’t bring myself to say it. As ridiculous as I knew it was, part of me feared he would look at me differently if I lost the wolf.

No, it could wait. Now that I had decided to leave town, I couldn’t wait to get moving. Jez had booked us a midnight flight. We were meeting at the airport. I had less than an hour to get there.

I finished my drink and rose to leave. The Wicked Kiss would thrive just fine without me, and so would Kale. He held his victim close, his lips on her neck. Our eyes met across the distance. With an evil grin, he sank his fangs.

My gut twisted. I didn’t want to see this. More importantly, I didn’t need this kind of influence an hour before I got on a plane filled with humans. Kale was taking this whole ‘drive me crazy’ thing seriously. And, he was right; I kind of did want to stake him.

I flipped him the bird and stalked out of the building. Kale could stay here and play vampire. I was heading to one of the wildest cities on the planet. Sin City, here I come.

My phone rang as I crossed the parking lot to my car. The incredibly funny but cheesy “Baby Got Back” streamed out of the speakers, and I rushed to silence it. I grumbled a curse and made a mental note to slap Arys.

“
Where are you? You need time to go through security and all that jazz.” Jez’s excitement was palpable. I could hear airport noises in the background.

“
I’m on my way. Getting in the car right now. Just had to stop by the club. I won’t be long.”

“
Hurry up. Your boys are here already. Oh my gosh, I can’t wait.” She ended the call with that, and I laughed. Her enthusiasm was contagious.

Leaving The Wicked Kiss was liberating that night. It was someone else’s problem for now, and that felt damn good. I wasn’t just escaping the club; I was escaping reality, or at least, that was the plan. I was long overdue for a getaway.

My fingers tightened on the wheel, and my foot was heavy on the gas pedal.

I planned to leave my mark on Las Vegas. I didn’t doubt that it would also leave its mark on me.

Author Note

I just want to take a moment to thank all of you for reading and supporting the series. It means the world to me to be able to share my world with you. I genuinely appreciate every moment you spend with Alexa. Time is precious and I value yours. Thank you so much for being part of this journey.