Darker (Alexa O'Brien Huntress Book 6) Read online

  “Tell him the FPA was here looking for Gabriel, too, so you thought it best to lie low and wait.” I was keenly aware of Juliet’s eyes upon us. Watching me converse furiously with Falon wasn’t going to change her opinion of me. “You know what? I don’t care what you tell him. You owe me a favor. Leave Gabriel alone. Deal?”

  Falon stared at me in disbelief. “I owe you a favor, and you want to call it in over some kid? You’re going to regret that. You’ll probably never get another chance like this.”

  I considered this. “You’re right. I don’t need to call in a favor over this. I’ll just blackmail you. Stay away from Gabriel or I tell Shya you’ve been diddling the demon bitch. Works for me. Have a nice night, jackass.”

  It wasn’t the most mature approach though it was effective. Falon let me go, watching me in silent fury. If he ever got his chance, I didn’t doubt he’d make me very sorry for this. I couldn’t afford to care just then; I’d made a vow to myself to do whatever I could to help people like Gabriel. People like me.

  Neither the FPA nor Shya had our best interests in mind. They were in it for themselves. Lesser beings playing God, I wanted no part of it. Now, I had my own agenda, and it didn’t include trusting either of them.

  I found Brogan outside trying unsuccessfully to convince Gabriel to go home. He was clearly inebriated if his bloodshot eyes and slurred speech were any indication. Brogan’s shoulders slumped in relief at my arrival.

  “Listen to Alexa, Gabriel. She knows what she’s talking about.”

  “Don’t bother.” He waved us off, reeking of liquor. “I can take care of myself. I’m here to have a good time with my friends. No big deal.”

  He made as if to shove past us, and I blocked his path. He threw his hands up and jerked backwards. The power spilled from him. It felt like he had a leak that couldn’t be contained. Getting wasted had compromised his control. Been there, done that. Gabriel was bound to learn as I had, the hard way.

  “Gabriel, you need to listen to us,” I said, trying to calm him with a subtle push of my power. “There are people in there looking for you. You do not want to be found. If you stay here, you’re putting yourself in danger.”

  Peering through his mop of long black hair, Gabriel eyed me suspiciously. “Whatever you’re doing, please stop.”

  Again he shoved by. This time I grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to stop. He shook me off with a sudden desperate panic.

  “Don’t touch me,” he shouted. “I don’t want to see that vision of you again.”

  Brogan stepped in between us. “Take it easy, Gabriel. We’re here to protect you. What did you see?”

  “Nothing. Forget it.” He shook his head, the hair falling to hide his face again. “You’ve always been real nice to me, Brogan. Thank you. But, I don’t want or need your help.”

  We let him go. What choice did we have? Short of kidnapping, our options were limited.

  “Well, shit.” I watched him disappear inside the club.

  “I’m sorry, Alexa,” Brogan sighed. “I shouldn’t have dragged you into this.”

  “No worries. I’m happy to help. If I can. Maybe we can’t make him leave, but he can’t make us leave either.”

  There was no sign of Falon when we returned inside. That didn’t mean he wasn’t present. Crimson Sin had finished their set. An emcee shouted to the crowd, firing them up for the next band. Gabriel sat at a table with a group of friends. I did my best to fade into the shadows at the back of the club where I could watch everything.

  “Why do I get the feeling we’re waiting for something big to happen?” Brogan shifted uneasily from foot to foot.

  “Because we are.”

  I could feel it. Something was going to go down, and I planned to be present when it did. We didn’t have to wait long.

  The next band launched into a loud number filled with the crash of drums and the scream of guitars. I made a mental note to book them at The Wicked Kiss. I didn’t get beyond that thought before Juliet stood up and walked across the room.

  Flanked by her male companion, Juliet sidled up to Gabriel. She had no problem getting his attention with a flirty smile. Whatever she said next didn’t win her any points. His expression changed from intrigue to irritation. He shook his head and waved her away. She produced a badge identifying her as a government agent. The man with her flashed a glimpse of his gun.

  Gabriel stood his ground. I felt it when he reached for his power, readying to defend himself. I tensed, ready to react but afraid to do so too soon.

  Juliet’s partner pulled out a set of cuffs, and that’s when I moved. Crossing the room with Brogan at my side, I watched Gabriel’s lips move and seconds later the male agent was flat on his back. That wasn’t the end of it though. Blood bubbled up from his nose and lips. He clawed at his throat as if an unseen hand crushed his windpipe.

  Juliet pulled her gun on Gabriel. Before she could take a shot or make a threat, Falon appeared beside her. He backhanded her with a superhuman force that sent her crashing into a nearby table.

  I was acting on instinct when I threw a blast of power at Falon. I never would have expected to hurt an angel, yet his body jerked as if I had. People in the vicinity reacted fast, moving away from the scene. The rest of the club was unaware and unfazed.

  “I warned you,” I told Gabriel with an angry growl. “You’re not safe here. Now stop whatever it is you’re doing to that guy before you kill him.”

  I gestured to the agent flailing and bleeding on the floor. I was close enough to smell the scarlet fluid streaming from him. Close enough for the aroma to fill me with an urgent hunger. The bloodlust came hard and fast, crashing over me with no warning, rising from a whisper to a scream in seconds.

  My conscious mind was silent when I lunged at the bleeding man. My hands were wet with blood, my focus so intent upon it that I saw nothing but my victim. Brogan shouted my name, but I paid no attention.

  Juliet recovered from her fall. She came at me with the wolf’s strength, trying to knock me away from her partner. I flung her backwards with a flick of my wrist. Shouts began to ring out around us. Everything was a blur. I was suddenly jerked away from my prey. My teeth rattled as Falon slammed me against the wall.

  He held me in place with an arm across my throat. “You use your power on me again, and I’ll tear your fucking head off your shoulders,” he seethed. “Our job is to keep shit like this quiet. You just gave the FPA exactly what they wanted from you. A reason to take you out. Fucking stupid wolf.”

  “I’ll try to make time to worry about them after I deal with your demon whore,” I spat. “What do you care anyway?”

  “Oh, I don’t care. As far as I’m concerned, you’re a threat that should have been eliminated at birth. Lucky you, I don’t make those decisions.”

  I struggled until he let me go, but not without giving my head a good smack against the wall first. I made as if to push by him, but he stopped me with a shove. A growl rumbled in my throat, and I bared fangs at him.

  “You’re a liability. If only Shya would acknowledge that you’re not worth the risk.” Falon’s tone dripped acid. “Better watch your step, Alexa.”

  He was shit talking me, like usual. Yet, he was also giving me some insight with those nasty words. If Shya was taking a risk by keeping me around and alive, I must be valuable to him. I interpreted that to mean there was something he needed from me. Something he could get only from me. Thank you for that, Falon, you insipid shithead.

  I sucked the blood off my fingertips, smirking when Falon openly grimaced. I caught Juliet watching me with blatant disgust. Her partner swayed unsteadily but otherwise appeared fine. Gabriel stood sullenly beside her, silver cuffs adorning his wrists. Oh, hell no.

  Falon was forgotten as I marched over to my sister. I shook a bloody finger in her face. “Get those fucking cuffs off him now.”

  “Get that finger out of my face, Lexi. Or, you’ll be wearing the next pair.” There was a stubborn set to
her jaw, and her eyes glowed daringly.

  “I’d like to see you try.” I stared her down, refusing to be cowed by my little sister with her big girl government ID. “Go back to HQ and look in the basement. If that doesn’t get through to you, nothing will. Until then, don’t think for a minute I’ll let you take him out of here. You’ll have one hell of a fight on your hands.”

  We faced off as we had so many times as kids. Every time I saw her now, I felt the separation between us grow. I wasn’t willing to back down. If I had to hurt Juliet to keep Gabriel from ending up in the FPA basement, I’d do it.

  “You just attacked my partner. I should bring you in for that.”

  “Listen to me, Juliet. Dammit.” I resisted the urge to shake her but just barely. “I’ve been in that basement. There are people down there, prisoners locked in concrete rooms, held against their will because they have power. I’d be down there with them if Briggs had his way.”

  “Bullshit,” she snapped, but the uncertainty was there. The truth was undeniable.

  “As much as I’d enjoy watching you mutts tear each other apart,” Falon broke in with a condescending sneer. “I’ve got better things to do.”

  He yanked the FPA cuffs from Gabriel as if they were a plastic child’s toy. Tossing them at Juliet, he followed up with a slap of power that toppled both of us into Brogan, sending all three of us crashing to the floor in a heap. By the time I was able to move again, he was long gone, with Gabriel.

  “Good job, Juliet,” I hissed, holding my head as I got to my feet. Falon’s hit had left me dizzy and slightly disoriented. I caught hold of Brogan’s hand, helping her up. She shook her head a few times and swore.

  Juliet glowered at me. “You’re blaming me? I have a job to do, Alexa. If you weren’t here getting in my way, maybe I’d actually be able to do it.”

  “Your job? Your so-called job consists of imprisonment for those that don’t deserve it. I don’t know how you can live with yourself.” My growing anger was filled with bitterness. It was more than just the fact that my sister was a government zombie. It hurt that she was ok with it.

  “I protect the helpless, those that can’t protect themselves. From people like you.” Her tone was high and sharp. It was the tone she’d always used when calling for our dad, begging him to punish me for one petty thing or another.

  I wanted to throttle her. I took a step toward her, hands raised, ready to do so. With fists ready, she invited my attack. Before we could pummel one another like angry kids, Brogan held up a hand and uttered a word in Latin. An energy wall sprang up between Juliet and me.

  “Ladies,” Brogan intervened. “This isn’t the time or place for this.”

  The urge to collapse her wall was strong. I could do it. However, it was irrelevant. She was right. Pounding on Juliet wouldn’t make me feel any better. It also wouldn’t help me to catch up with Falon any faster.

  Vibration in my pocket drew my attention to my phone. I pulled it out to find a text message from an unfamiliar number along with a photo that chilled me to the bone. It was a picture of Jez and her girlfriend, Zoey, taken without their knowledge. They were in bed together, locked in an intimate embrace.

  Along with the photo was the simple but effective message: Guess who’s next?

  Chapter Eleven

  “I’ve got to go.” I turned and fled the building as if it were on fire. There was no time to explain. The further Brogan and Juliet stayed from this, the better.

  With superhuman speed, I ran down the street to my car. I couldn’t be concerned with who might see the unnatural display. Throwing myself in the driver’s seat, I fumbled with my phone. As I started the car and threw it into gear, I prayed Jez would answer. No such luck.

  With a squeal of tires, I tore out of the parking lot. I hit the gas so the engine roared as the Charger sped down the street. I said a silent prayer that I wouldn’t see blue and red flashing lights in my rear view mirror.

  I could have lived happily without that image of Zoey and Jez burned into my brain. It might be the last time I’d see one, or both, of them alive.

  “No, no, no.” I pounded a fist on the steering wheel when a red light had me slamming on the brakes. The thought occurred to me that it might be a trap designed to lure me, but I’d have to take that chance.

  Jez lived on the south side. It would take me at least twenty minutes to get there. I recognized her leopard print blanket in the photo. For the first time, I almost envied the demons and fallen angels their ability to pop from one place to another. Jez could be fighting for her life right now, and I was trapped in traffic while it happened.

  “Fuck. Shit. Damn.” All useless words that made me feel equally useless.

  The light turned green, and I hit the gas. It was a race against time. Lilah had to be stopped. Her desperation for my blood was killing those around me. She was forcing my hand and doing a damn good job of it. I’d already lost a wolf to her. I couldn’t lose anyone else.

  I finally crossed the river to the south side. Rather than subside, my panic increased. What if they were dead because of me? I manoeuvred through traffic, cutting off more than a few people who honked or flipped me the bird.

  It felt like much more than twenty-five minutes had passed since receiving Lilah’s message. I parked across the street from Jez’s swanky apartment building and killed the lights. Fear told me to rush inside; instinct demanded I take a moment to scope out the place.

  A dim light shone in Jez’s second floor living room window. I reached out metaphysically, feeling for vampires, for Lilah. Nothing. That didn’t mean she wasn’t here.

  Exiting the Charger, I darted across the street and blended into the shadows beyond the glow of the street light. I cloaked my energy, hoping I hadn’t been detected yet if she was in the vicinity. I held the Dragon Claw in a white-knuckled grip. If I had it my way, its blade would soon taste Lilah’s blood.

  I reached the lobby door without incident. With the stealth of the wolf, I slunk into the building. The fluorescent light inside hummed loud in the otherwise quiet entry. I focused on the lock, willing the deadbolt to turn. It was much simpler than the heavy-duty locks the FPA used. Just when I began to grow frustrated, there was a loud click, and I was in.

  I took the stairs two at a time until I reached the second floor. The building was oddly quiet, not so much as muffled TV noise. I stepped into the hall and paused. Empty. I sprinted down the hall to Jez’s door with the dagger held ready.

  Hesitating with my hand hovering over the doorknob, I listened. Eerie silence greeted me. The raw energy of fear and death crept near. My stomach dropped, and holding my breath, I shoved the door open.

  The scent of blood assaulted my nose. Fear mingled with it to produce a sickly sweet aroma. I was too late.

  I moved through the small but immaculate kitchen toward the glow of light coming from the living room. There I found Jez huddled on the floor, shaking violently. She was wrapped in a throw blanket from the couch. Her face was wet with black streaks of mascara and tears. Her golden hair was a tousled mop of curls atop her shoulders. With blood smears on her hands and a cigarette clutched between her fingers, she gazed up at me as if unsure whether or not I was real.

  “Jez?” I said tentatively, my gaze straying to the darkened bedroom. “Are you hurt?”

  She took a long, shaky drag off the cigarette. Jez hadn’t smoked in a year now. She must have had a pack stashed away. It took several attempts for her to get the words out.

  “She killed Zoey.”

  “Where is she?” I was dumbstruck with disbelief. This couldn’t be happening.

  “Lilah? She’s gone. Zoey? In there.” Jez pointed to the bedroom and a fresh flood of tears emerged. She made no attempt to wipe them away.

  A sick feeling gripped me as I made my way to Jez’s room. I didn’t want to see this, but I had no choice. The thick scent of blood grew as I drew closer. The faint light shining through the open blinds cast a silver glow on Zoey�
�s prone form. My keen eyesight was more than good enough to see in the dimness, but I reached for the light switch anyway, needing the false comfort of the overhead light.

  Pale yellow illumination bathed the room. I held my breath, unwilling to breathe in that sweet hybrid blood. What I saw was horrifying, and though he’d been dead for more than a year, my first thought was of Raoul. Because I had loved him despite what a pompous, selfish ass he was, I had promised myself I’d keep Zoey safe, for him.

  Zoey lay sprawled on the bed. Two sets of vampire bites marred her carotid artery. Blood stained the pillow beneath her. She had bled out quickly. Her bright blue eyes, now dimmed in death, stared off toward the ceiling. Jez had thrown a blanket over her to hide her nudity. Otherwise, the scene was untouched.

  I’m sorry, Raoul. Zoey had never been one of my favorite people. She had killed her father and hurt both Kylarai and Arys as well as an innocent man. Perhaps I should have left her in the woods as wolf, but I’d felt it my duty to restore her to human form. Not once did I see her as anything other than a liability I was forced to accept. That didn’t mean she deserved to die.

  Returning to the living room, I sank to my knees beside Jez. I laid the dagger on the carpet and pulled her into my arms. She sagged against me before throwing her arms around me and sobbing. I plucked the cigarette from her fingers and tossed it in a Coke can on the coffee table. The sizzle as it hit the contents was loud, poignant, accompanied by Jez’s heartbreaking cries.

  Tears filled my eyes; rage filled my heart. Two of my wolves had now died at Lilah’s hand. She wasn’t going to stop, not until I stopped her.

  “I’m so sorry, Jez. I’m going to make her suffer for this. Somehow. I promise.”

  “It happened so fast,” she said between sobs. “She didn’t come alone. She brought some guys. They made me watch. I thought I was next, but she just killed Zoey and left.”

  Another flood of tears cut off her words. I glanced around the apartment, wondering what to do with Zoey. Ideally, I’d call Fox and have him bury her beside her father. Fox was a city wolf that provided medical services to werewolves. He would normally help me with the safe and proper burial of a wolf, but involving him in any way might jeopardize his safety. Vampires would have to take care of this.