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  CARNIVAL OF SINS

  ALEXA O’BRIEN HUNTRESS BOOK 15

  TRINA M. LEE

  CARNIVAL OF SINS

  Copyright 2019 by Trina M. Lee

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

  Published in Canada

  Editor

  B. Leigh Hogan

  Cover Artist

  Marvin Lee Cover Design

  Published by

  Trina M. Lee

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Epilogue

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Relax, Lex. I’ve got it. I’ll watch this place like a hawk.” Sipping from a blood-red cocktail, Jez settled in against the squishy scarlet couch. “Damn this is a sweet couch. Probably don’t want to bring a black light anywhere near it though.”

  I rolled my eyes at her remark but didn’t argue because she was probably right. “I don’t want anyone to know I’m gone if possible. I’m hoping to be back before word gets out. Three nights. That’s what I told Arys. Then we’re out and it’s Jenner’s problem.”

  Leaving made me anxious. Three nights in Las Vegas was already too many. I hoped it would be a quick visit. Just long enough for Arys to lay the smackdown on this Loric guy, so we could get back home.

  A pissed off demon queen had escaped her prison. For now Lilah was God only knew where, but eventually she’d be here. For me. I couldn’t stand the thought of her showing up when I was away, finding those I loved instead. Left behind. Unprotected.

  “We’ll be fine here. All of us. We’re not entirely defenseless. It’s cool.” With a shrug that was as chill as the easy vibe she exuded, Jez slapped my knee. “Seriously. Vegas is important too. It’s good to form a stronghold there. Help Jenner get his playground back, and we’ll hold down the fort here.”

  Letting my gaze stray around the interior of my nightclub, I eyed the many patrons and gave a tight nod. “I know. Falon can be here in a heartbeat if you need him.”

  “We won’t need him,” Jez scoffed. Pursing her painted red lips, she sneered at the bar where the fallen angel in question did shots with a few frat guys. “Come on, Lex. Smudge and me, we’ve got this. Keep Falon busy with you. We could use a break. He’s a domineering asshole.”

  Laughter spilled from my lips. When tasked with Circle of the Veil business, Falon was an especially giant pain in the ass. In all honesty, he went a little darker than I usually saw him. Serious to the point of vicious. Although, I suspected he knew more about the price of failure than I did. I hoped to keep it that way.

  Though I’d never say so to him, Falon’s promise to go between cities and maintain a presence in both was the only reason I’d agreed to go on this trip. As long as Lilah and Salem were out there, no time would be a safe time to leave my city.

  I was all packed and ready to go, my bags already in the car. Our flight left just after midnight, giving us enough time to land and get to our hotel before sunrise. But first, a brief meeting with my progeny, Agent Thomas Briggs. Who was late.

  If he didn’t arrive soon, he’d miss my window of opportunity, and I’d be pissed. I’d agreed to give him blood before I left, to ease his sick craving for me. Only because he was still seeing my sister and I didn’t want her on the receiving end if he lost control. Unfortunately, their relationship was the main reason I couldn’t erase the mistake that was Briggs from this city. This country. This planet.

  “All right.” I nodded, eyeing Falon. Studying his profile as he laughed and tossed back a shot, I tore my gaze away before he could feel it. “I’ll keep him busy. But if anything happens here at all, the second it does, you call and I send him. Promise me.”

  Falon had been sticking closer than I liked him to be. He claimed it was his job as my partner, that The Circle of the Veil expected it due to the danger of Lilah and Salem being MIA. But I knew it was far more about Bane for him than it was about the immortal twins.

  My fallen lover’s past spewed a terrifying foe into my present. I still wasn’t sure who I should fear more, Lilah or Bane. However, I’d faced Lilah before. I understood her power.

  But Bane? Everything about him felt wrong.

  “I promise,” Jez repeated, telling me what I wanted to hear. “Everything will be fine. I won’t even have a party while you’re gone. Don’t want to trash the place like Kale.”

  We shared a bittersweet laugh. We’d always miss him, but we knew he’d found the peace that had eluded him for many long centuries.

  “I still don’t know everything that went on here while we were in Vegas the first time,” I laughed, finding comfort in the memory now.

  “I’m kind of bummed that I’m not coming this time.” Jez tucked a golden curl behind an ear and pouted. “Don’t have too much fun without me.”

  “Never,” I swore, crossing my heart. “It’s going to be a total sausage fest. And as much as that appeals to the vampy, succubus part of me, it’s going to suck without you.”

  She leaned forward to set her empty glass on the coffee table. “Damn right it will. As much as I’m going to miss the fun though, I’d rather stay here with Smudge anyway.” She giggled and blushed, twisting a lock of hair around a finger.

  Jez and Smudge had made their relationship official not so long ago, as in, they were now sleeping together. They’d held off. After playing the field for so long, Jez wanted to make sure there was more to their relationship than just sex.

  So far they seemed like a perfect match. The serious, dark-haired vampire balanced out the feisty, golden-haired necromantic shifter. I’d seen Jez in love before, but I’d never seen her glow like this.

  “Yeah, I’ll bet,” I teased. “Just don’t let all the sex keep you from playing watchdog.”

  “Says the succubus who can’t go a night without getting plowed,” she snickered, raising a hand for another when a waiter passed by.

  A familiar vibe stiffened my spine. Briggs. I glanced up to find him striding through the front entry with a scowl.

  “Hey, I don’t get plowed every night,” I admonished with a finger wag. “And don’t say plowed. That’s so unsexy.”

  Jez pretended to seriously consider my request. “Is banged better? How about humped? That’s always a good one.”

  “Not hump. Never that.” Her laughter rang out as I made a face of disgust. I shoved to my feet. “Now that you’ve put that in my head, I need to go have a li
ttle one on one with Briggs. If I’m not back in five minutes, come find me. Seriously.”

  I caught Briggs’s eye and jerked my head toward the back, expecting him to follow. He did. As I weaved through patrons to the back hall where the private rooms were, I didn’t look back to see how close he’d drawn. I felt Falon’s gaze upon me as I went.

  My office sat at the end of the long hall, so I passed many rooms to get there. Tendrils of sex-charged energy and vampire power drifted lazily about, visible only to the supernatural eye. Like vines they grew and writhed, outlining doors and snaking down the hall. Passing through created a rush all its own.

  Arys and Shaz were taking care of a few things at Doghead before heading to the airport. Jenner and Willow already waited there. I had no idea where Gabriel was, but since he’d begged to come, I figured he’d be ready to board with the rest of us.

  Needing to take care of one specific thing before heading out, I was here, luring the vampire I’d made into my office. I entered the room and sat on the edge of my desk, legs swinging. A moment later Briggs entered, purposely leaving the door open.

  It was a nice effort, but ultimately it wouldn’t do shit to stop us if things spiraled out of control. So far they never had and I doubted they ever would. Sharing a lover with my sister was pretty much at the top of my ‘Fuck That Shit’ list.

  “Where’s Juliet?” I asked, skipping any bullshit small talk. “Does she know you’re here?”

  I didn’t need her bursting in on us. She’d shown nothing but discomfort regarding Briggs’s tie to Arys’s bloodline through me. Except for when his fangs were buried in her flesh. My little sister had become a bite junkie. Thanks to Arys.

  “She’s at my place planning a romantic evening. She thinks I’m on a wine and snack run. For her, obviously.” Standing stiffly in the center of the room, Briggs folded his arms across his wide chest. “So let’s make this fast.”

  He’d been in my presence for seconds, and I already wanted to send him packing with my foot in his ass. Eyes narrowed, I growled, “I took time to be here tonight too. If you’d prefer to be on your way, by all means leave, and take your attitude with you. But if you lose it on my sister, I’ll watch you burn in the morning sun.”

  His jaw twitched and he rocked on his heels. I got the feeling he struggled to withhold his true response. Somehow he choked it down and through clenched teeth said, “Got it, O’Brien. Can we proceed?”

  Briggs was antsy, like he couldn’t stand completely still. There was a spike to his energy. High strung. Stretched to a dangerous limit. Shit. I’d have to start giving him blood more often than I had been. Making him wait longer stretches than the others was torment that he deserved and I enjoyed dishing out. However, with Juliet’s safety on the line now, I’d have to rein in my torment.

  “Yeah. Here.” I thrust my wrist out. “But there’s a few things we’re going to discuss before either of us leave here.”

  His gaze fell to my wrist, to the pulse pumping there. As he reacted to my mere presence, the frequency surrounding him grew to a high-pitched whine. Briggs was hard up for my blood, hurting for it more than he wanted to reveal. He couldn’t hide that from me.

  When he reached for my wrist, I jerked it back out of reach. “Just one thing, Briggs. Going forward, if this shit gets to be more than you can handle, tell me. Immediately. I won’t do anything to put Juliet’s safety in jeopardy.”

  After he met my gaze and nodded, I let him take my wrist. It wasn’t what he wanted. It never was for any of them. They craved closeness. Going for the jugular while they pressed their hard on inside me, that’s what my vampires hungered for. Even Briggs.

  If possible, he hated it more than I did. Holding my wrist tight, he closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of me. A slight tremor racked his body. A battle went on inside him. What I wouldn’t have given to get a glimpse inside his mind right then.

  Dressed all in black, hair short and face clean shaven, everything about Briggs’s appearance screamed federal agent. Even his damn shoes were squeaky clean enough to see my reflection. But when he bared his fangs and those brown eyes snapped open, he was something else entirely.

  And I kind of loved it. Because I had made it.

  With a small and, I grudgingly admit, sexy snarl, Briggs bit deep. Sharp and fast, causing me to suck in a breath between my teeth. I bit back any gasp or noise, fighting to stay silent. Any and all reactions were going to feed the swelling charge.

  It wasn’t easy. Not with the burn of fangs buried in my vein or the sudden rise of heat between us. I swallowed around the knot forming in my throat as I watched his mouth move on my skin. I was both disgusted and mildly aroused.

  Guilt slithered through me. It wasn’t the incubus charge that I enjoyed but having Briggs at my mercy. Wrong. It was so damn wrong. I knew that. Part of me just didn’t care.

  His hold on me tightened painfully. Like he knew what I felt and hoped to punish me for it. When the tip of his tongue flicked sensually over the wound, I tensed. Before I could pull away, he released me.

  Pupils a yawning abyss of black, Briggs licked the blood from his lips. Already his energy had changed, humming steady without that frantic, frazzled buzz of needing a hit of hybrid blood.

  “How long?” I asked, giving my bitten wrist a cursory once over. His technique had improved. “How long before it starts to get bad?”

  Raging with lust and a power surge, Briggs paced out into the hallway for a moment. He rubbed both hands over his face.

  I waited right where I sat, perched atop my desk. This part was always awkward. Now he’d go home amped up on me and do my sister.

  How did it even get to this level of fucked up?

  Briggs strode back into the room pretending like he wasn’t inwardly trying to talk his boner down. “About a week or two, give or take. It varies.”

  Nodding, I considered this information. It fit with what I knew from the others. I’d forced Briggs to go longer than that. Hell, I’d done it to Jenner and Kale too.

  Feeling uneasy, I forced myself to hold his gaze. “I want some things to change between us. We’re never going to see eye to eye, but we both love the same person. Not only that, but I want to do right by all of you. I don’t want a reputation as some mad queen tormenting my own people. Because you are my people now, Briggs. And as long as Juliet loves you, you get to live.”

  “So if she comes to her senses and drops me,” he dared to ask, his expression hard as steel, “you kill me?”

  “We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it. In the meantime, I need your word that if anything goes down while I’m gone, you’ll protect Juliet. Above anything else.” I searched his hard face, taut jaw, and the deep lines of a man who frowned a lot etched between his eyes. He loved her. I knew that.

  “Without question.” Briggs eyed me suspiciously. “Is there something going on that perhaps she and I should know about?”

  They’d been told as much as they needed to know. Everyone tied to me in any way knew about Salem and Lilah. Some of the details were kept private, such as the fact that the Shya stone was back in my possession. Technically. It had been hidden on hallowed ground. They also didn’t know about Bane, nor did they need to.

  “You know all you need to know. I won’t be gone long if I can help it. Just a few days.” An uneasy tension rolled through me. That was the plan, but when had my plans ever worked out?

  Briggs turned to leave, like he couldn’t stand to be in the same room as me a moment longer. “Anything else?”

  “Actually, yes.” I hopped off the desk but didn’t approach him. I didn’t need to. “Just remember, Briggs. My safety is your safety. There’s nothing but me standing between you and a demon queen intent on reclaiming her empire in this city. An empire that dwells within the FPA property.”

  I paused, needing this all to sink in. With a grave nod, Briggs asked, “What do you want from me, O’Brien?”

  “Keep the city safe. Work with The Circl
e of the Veil rather than against it. We all have the same goal.” Hesitating, I gnawed my lip for a moment, weighing my next words. “If anything happens to Juliet, anything at all, it’s over for you.”

  Briggs’s jaw twitched. Anger flowed freely from him. Turning on a well-polished heel, he stalked from the room. “Have a nice trip.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  A brilliant mess of color lit the Vegas skyline. Flashing neon signs adorned the Strip from ground level to the top of the many hotels. It was the calling card of a city that thrived on those seeking a good time.

  As we shoved through the glass doors into the main lobby of Caesars Palace, a sense of nostalgia hit me. It left me momentarily disoriented until I realized it was Arys’s emotion, not mine. His tie to this city ran far deeper than mine.

  A glance at him revealed a perfect poker face. It had been born and perfected here. I glanced down at our clasped hands, revelling in our renewed connection. Power crackled along our entwined fingers. Solid and strong. Unbreakable.

  After so much unrest between us, I didn’t think I’d ever get used to this. Feeling whole. Complete. It was surreal.

  Arys reluctantly released me and approached the front desk to check-in under whatever fake name he’d used to book our suite. The rest of us hung back near the fountain with the Three Graces statue.

  At this time of night, the lobby was empty. Electronic bells and buzzers carried from the casino around the corner. The three am crowd had hit the slots. Of course, they’d probably started as the dinner time crowd. Possibly even the breakfast crowd.

  Jenner paced a circle around the fountain while the rest of us stood there checking our phones and taking in the massive lobby. On his fourth time around, I stuck out a foot to stop him, smirking when he stumbled over it.

  “Chill out, Jenner,” I said when he shot me a glower upon catching himself. “I get that you’re nervous, but you’re starting to make my skin prickle.”