Coda (Alexa O'Brien Huntress Book 13) Read online

  “Where’s Willow?” I demanded.

  A brow quirked and his face became stone. “Yeah, about Willow. How the fuck did you do that O’Brien?”

  Affecting the best poker face in my arsenal, I said, “Don’t get a boner over it, Briggs. It’s nothing you can do. And I’d die a thousand fiery deaths before I’d tell you.”

  “He left with Arys. About twenty minutes ago. Now if you’ll excuse me.” He closed the door in my face, and I let him. I doubted his curiosity about Willow would die here tonight. If anything it would fester and grow.

  Arys. He’d come to take Willow out for his first hunt. Because that was what Arys wanted it to be. A hunt. Not just a feed. No willing victims for his vampires.

  Son of a bitch.

  Around me I sensed that cool incubus vibe, but since it didn’t come from within me, I knew it was Jenner. He was here somewhere.

  It was Arys I wanted though. I reached out to him, slamming open the mental door between us. ‘Where the hell are you taking Willow? I swear, Arys, if you take him on a murder spree, I’ll kick your ass all over this city.’

  He didn’t respond right away. I felt him there though. And then amusement trickled through him. ‘I’m showing him how I like to do things. How a vampire of our calibre should hunt. Not like the bottom feeders who ask nicely.’

  ‘Don’t you think he has enough blood on his hands? Hunt however you like, Arys, but leave Willow out of it. He’s bloodlust crazed and impressionable. Bring him back.’ It was a command not a request. I needed him to see how dead serious I was.

  He didn’t give a shit. Arys had his mind made up, and there was no changing it. ‘So you can neuter him? Sorry, my love, but I can’t let you do that. Why only scratch the surface of the itch when you can go deep and really satisfy it? It’s vital to what we are. You know this.’

  ‘Arys.’ A warning, unspoken but conveyed.

  ‘There’s nothing he can do that’s worse than anything he’s already done as a demon.’

  ‘That’s not true.’

  Arys would not give. So much so that he slipped a not so subtle impulse between us. Trying to lure me in. ‘Come with us. You know I love to watch you in action. And you love to be watched.’

  The temptation to go to him was strong. Angry, I shook off his mental manipulation. ‘Don’t do this. Not with Willow. You’ll make him a killer.’

  Another sensual touch of his mind to mine. ‘My love, we are all killers.’

  And that was it. Our stalemate. Neither of us willing to budge.

  I could find them, confront him as bodies dropped and blood flowed. It wouldn’t stop him though. If anything, it would encourage him.

  A white-hot fury burned its way through me. With fists clenched I punched the wall next to Briggs’s room. In my mind and aloud I hissed, “Arys, don’t. Not Willow.”

  ‘Especially Willow. We are killers, Alexa. And we enjoy it. Even you. But more importantly, we thrive on it. Don’t kid yourself, my queen, you’re as hungry for the kill as any of us.’ He taunted me, knowing me so well.

  Power. It always came back to power with Arys. He had this lazy way of viewing the world, assuming it to be his for the taking simply because he believed so. More often than not, he tended to be right. One of his greatest flaws.

  We were powerful, and if we wanted to rule this underworld we dwelt within, we had to stay powerful. But at what cost?

  ‘Don’t do this, Arys.’ My last attempt. My final warning.

  I’d accepted my strange role as a creature both light and dark. Neutering Willow was not my intent by any means. I simply wanted him to walk free of the darkness that had swallowed him.

  ‘I’m not doing a damn thing. Willow needs to hunt, and I’m going along for the ride. You know how to find us if you really want to. I suggest you don’t. Not unless you plan to join us. You know you’re the one we all crave most.’ A threat. Slipped in with sly precision.

  His promise of danger stirred things low in my core. And in the same breath my anger came to a boil. The pressure that had built within me overflowed.

  He slipped into that dark place we go when we hunt, when we kill. Forcing me to feel it too, the draw, like slipping off a mask and embracing our true carnal nature. And then he closed his mind to me, leaving me to stew in the conflict of arousal and rage he’d awoken.

  A threat. A motherfucking threat? Where did that vampire get off threatening me?

  He’d abandoned me. Left me to fall apart without him. As he’d done with Briggs, he now took Willow to slake his hunger for blood, sex, and power. Those three variables, for our bloodline, combined into a damn deadly temptation.

  They did all crave me, every vampire linked to us. Willow would too. But none so much as Arys himself. The only one I feared.

  My gaze slid down the hall. Arys had called forth my own insatiable hunger, as he’d intended. The joke would be on him.

  Walking down the hall, I honed in on Jenner’s sultry vibe. I came to a stop outside a random room, certain he felt me. And I waited.

  Using Jenner to lash out at Arys wasn’t handling our latest issue with much finesse. In that moment, I didn’t care. The curse of our twin-flame gift created the need to wound the other. To hurt him the way I hurt. Lilah had said as much. This was par for the course. Even knowing that, I still couldn’t stop myself.

  The door swung open. Hair dishevelled and bare chested, Jenner eyed me with suspicion. “Alexa? What’s up?”

  With a hand on Jenner’s chest, I pushed him into the room. “You’re about to be,” I purred, sliding my hand down his tattooed body.

  He caught my wrist in a bruising grip. “Is this about Arys?”

  “Does it matter?” I countered, raising a brow flirtatiously. “This might be your only chance to have me however you want me.”

  “He’s going to kill me.” Jenner used my wrist to jerk me against him. I took it a step further and wrapped a leg around his waist. “But I guess I’ve had a good run.”

  This was a mistake. I knew that. The problem was that I didn’t care. I just wanted to hurt Arys. And this would do it. Not because of the sex or the exchange of power. Solely because it was Jenner. Another log to fuel the grudge that burned between them.

  I kissed Jenner with a burning urgency. Immediately his constant craving took over, and he pulled me harder against him, pressing our bodies together so I could feel him grow hard between my legs.

  The back of his knees hit the side of the bed, and he fell down into a sitting position. I climbed onto his lap, sliding a hand into his messy bleached-blond hair. My tongue darted into his mouth, seeking and finding his.

  His hands were on my waist, my breasts, in my hair. Eager to touch all of me, Jenner groaned into my mouth when I rubbed myself against his growing erection. His lust for me tickled my senses. I wanted to devour him. By the time we finished here, we’d both be left spinning, not knowing which way was up.

  “Are you going to tell me why you’re doing this?” Jenner mumbled against my lips, pausing to slide my sweater off over my head.

  Because I didn’t know how to mourn someone I’d loved and lost. Because a chasm spanned between me and the one person who made me whole. We thrived on hurting each other which only hurt ourselves. It would destroy us. And I didn’t know how to fix it.

  Instead of any of that, I said, “I’m the queen of the fucking city, and I’ll do whatever I damn well please. Got a problem with that?”

  Jenner was by no means an idiot. Clever and calculated, he’d been playing the game of sex and power longer than I had. So I felt certain he saw right through my evasion of his question.

  I traced a finger over a tattoo of music notes low on his side before slipping beneath the waistband of his sweatpants.

  He groaned. “Hell no. Not as long as you’re doing that I don’t.”

  The name “Rebecca” was scrawled in decorative script on his chest. Was that the fiancée? The woman Arys killed because she reminded him too much of
me.

  Shoving Jenner’s head aside along with that thought, I nipped at his neck. My hand delved deeper until the silky-smooth head of his erection lay nestled in my palm. With a groan he cupped my breasts, his thumbs flicking gently over my taut nipples.

  Grasping tight enough to make him suck in a breath and hold it, I stroked Jenner until he begged me to stop. “I’m going to finish in your hand like a damn teenager,” he groused before flipping me onto my back on the bed beside him.

  My husky laugh made him shiver. “We wouldn’t want that now, would we?”

  “Fuck no.” He stood so he could loom over me. “I’m going to finish inside you like I’ve wanted to for the last six fucking months.”

  Roughly he jerked my leggings and underwear off. Sinking to his knees, Jenner pressed his face between my legs and shoved two fingers inside me. He licked me with fast strokes. Curling his fingers, he did this neat little move, tickling my g-spot in a way that had me clawing the blanket to shreds.

  He never let me finish. Driving me to the edge, he pulled away and chuckled. Power play.

  The incubus and succubus vibes surrounding us ebbed and flowed with desire. Every vampire in the building had to be painfully aware of it. If Briggs were smart he’d grab hold of the wave we created and ride it to paradise with his lady friend.

  Jenner jerked me to the edge of the bed and stood before me. Shoving his pants down he grabbed one of my legs and hooked it over his arm. A tremor racked his body as he stepped between my thighs.

  Months of waiting would be absolute torment to our kind. Sure, the anticipation made up a delightful part of the journey, but ultimately, we needed the fulfilment that came with sating our carnal hunger.

  In his ice-blue eyes I saw the constant craving I’d forced on him. Saw it blaze as he entered me. And then his satisfaction spread as he officially staked his own claim on Arys’s wolf. I wouldn’t doubt that Jenner’s personal vendetta played no small part in how much he wanted this.

  Of course the only one staking a true claim here was me.

  I spread my legs wider, a challenge for him to please me. A challenge he was all for accepting. Every thrust was as cool and smooth as everything else Jenner did. Shallow strokes at first, teasing me.

  His gaze dropped to where our bodies collided, watching as he inched his way deeper. Splayed on the bed, I grabbed his tattooed forearm, writhing as he figured out what I enjoyed. With my leg hung over his arm, he filled me completely.

  Jenner’s eyes were black in the dim light of the bedside lamp. Pupils like two drowning black voids, he harnessed the lusty vibes that intensified with each thrust and rode the high. My moan became a whimper as the power caught me up in its hold. Together we created a nice rush that spread throughout the building. Not quite at the level Arys and I could manage but more than enough to draw every vampire nearby under our allure.

  “Do you want to taste me, Jenner?” My lips curved into a sly grin.

  “You know I do.” Jenner’s gaze slid over my naked body, lingering on the pulse in my neck.

  He gripped my hips tight, almost painfully. One hand slid up my body, over my stomach to curve around a breast. I met each of his thrusts with enthusiasm as the promise of release sparked in my belly.

  Jenner fucked with pure precision while also being a little wild. His pace grew fast, the impact hard enough to force the moans from me. Yet a softness followed in the way he withdrew only to slam into me again. Once he picked up on what I liked, he made sure not to overdo it, making me long for it with a few teasing thrusts mixed in. A true performer, he knew and enjoyed his own body. Ass and thigh muscles clenched tight, abs rippling, he fucked me like we were on stage beneath a spotlight. In Jenner’s mind, the audience seemed to always be watching.

  At the approach of my climax, he leaned in closer. In true vampire fashion I expected him to go for my throat. So when he sank fangs into the fleshy side of my breast instead, I was mildly surprised. Because Arys had done the very same thing our first time together.

  Since Jenner was a master of control, making the rest of us look especially pathetic, he held off his own orgasm until the waves of mine had receded. Only then did he release inside me.

  With his mouth fastened to my wound, he licked and sucked his fill of my potent blood. When he jerked his head back, his lips were stained crimson. I pulled him in for a kiss, tasting my own blood in his mouth.

  Though it certainly had a strong, aromatic flavor, it didn’t affect me the way it did them. Perhaps one could not become addicted to oneself. What a clusterfuck such a thing would be.

  Jenner eased away, flopping down on the bed beside me. “That was everything I knew it would be. If it’s the last sex I ever have, I’m totally cool with that.”

  “You’re going to want me even more now,” I mused, slipping off the bed to gather my things.

  “Yeah, probably.” He dragged a hand over his stubbled jaw. “I’m not going to try to kill you though. So I wouldn’t let my unfortunate addiction worry you much.”

  I scrutinized the twin punctures on my breast before slipping my sweater back on. The bleeding had stopped. They were shallow and would likely heal by morning.

  I scowled. “I’m thinking you don’t get a lot of compliments on your pillow talk.”

  Jenner stretched like a cat in a sunbeam. “I don’t let anyone stay long enough after to need to bother with such trivial shit.”

  “And on that note, I’m out of here.” Clothes on, I beelined for the door.

  As expected sounds of pleasure filled the hall, muffled by closed doors. The air was thick with the power we’d called. Any vampire within a ten-block radius would be drunk on it.

  “I know I’m just a pawn in your little war with Arys here.” Jenner’s words stopped me in my tracks. “But if he doesn’t kill the both of us, I’d be happy to help you send him a fuck you any time.” An evil smile quirked his lips.

  The vampires of this bloodline knew no fear. They would laugh in the face of the devil himself. Either they’d become jaded with time, or they were all batshit fucking crazy.

  “Your city must be missing you, Jenner.” Without waiting for a reply, I closed the door.

  Running my fingers through my hair, cursing when they became entangled, I headed down the hall back to the club. A nip of Ebyn would be really great. Although, tearing open the throat of some piece of crap street thug would be so much better.

  Entertaining fanciful thoughts of bloodshed and death, I entered the heart of the nightclub to find Shaz standing near the bar. A lady vampire chatted him up, though from where I stood I could see that he declined her invitation.

  But of course she thought he was up for some fun. The fresh vampire bite on his neck sent that message loud and clear. A bite I knew without a doubt had come from Arys.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  “Willing? Or not so willing?” I asked as I sidled up to Shaz. Already I knew the answer.

  “Willing,” he confirmed with a faint reddening of his cheeks. Sniffing lightly in my direction, he took a sip of the beer he held. “And you? Same question.”

  I smelled like blood and sex. Probably some telltale scent of Jenner like cologne or hair products as well. No hiding that from a werewolf.

  “Same answer.” I surveyed the club, finding it much more active than when I’d last passed through. A lot could happen in this place in a short amount of time.

  Arys’s bite marked the ink-free side of Shaz’s neck, opposite his pack tattoo. Two perfect little punctures. I imagined them together. Arys, the possessor, hand in Shaz’s hair, lips on his neck. Shaz, the eager equal, willing and accepting but by no means submissive.

  Goddamn they were hot together. I wished I’d been there to see it.

  We were beyond having to explain our actions or seek either approval or forgiveness. Neither of us felt the need to justify what we’d been up to. I loved that our relationship had grown strong enough to adjust to the dynamic between Arys and me and al
l that entailed. Shaz had had several opportunities to walk away if it was too much for him. Instead, he’d accepted that Arys and I were a package deal. And he seemed to enjoy it.

  “So where is Arys now?” Shaz asked, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.

  I laughed and poked him lightly in the ribs. “You tell me. You obviously saw him more recently than I did.”

  Shaz ducked his platinum blond head, his mouth twitching as he stifled a smile. “I left his house mid-morning. Haven’t spoken to him since.”

  “He took Willow on a hunt. Despite me begging him not to. That’s all I know.” Envious of the easy way Shaz drank his beer, I eyed the growing crowd, needing a drink of my own. Naturally the punctures he bore drew my attention. I licked my lips.

  He didn’t miss my hungry gaze. “I thought I should come by and check on you. I told the pack I’d lead a run tonight. But if you need anything from me first, I’m here.”

  I groaned and laid my head on his chest. He slid an arm around me, and I reveled in the comfort. “No, it’s cool. You’ve probably given enough for one day. What I need to do is find Jez. I’d hoped to ease Willow into all this first. So much for that.”

  “Do you want me to come with you? The pack is fine without me. They’ve got Owen and Jett there tonight.” Tipping my chin up so he could peer into my eyes, Shaz kissed my nose. “I know I can’t fix you the way I want to. I know you’re hurting right now, and Arys isn’t making that any easier. But if there’s any way I can help you, do not hesitate to say so. I’m here. I’m yours.”

  With a hand on his face, I pressed my cheek to his. What I wouldn’t have given to go run with the wolves. Of all the things I needed to keep me functioning, that was probably the most vital.

  “Do you have any idea how much I adore you?” I murmured against his ear. Around me his arm tightened.

  A cold breeze tickled my insides, strong enough to whip my hair about my face. I snapped to attention, staring at the front entry like a guard dog just waiting for the intruder to come too close to escape before pouncing.