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

  At first he resisted. Glaring hard, he studied me, sizing me up. Asking himself if he was ready for that final showdown the fates had promised us. Ultimately he decided that, no, he wasn’t. Not yet.

  Arys backed off, going so far as to prowl around the dance floor. A pissed-off predator with some violence to unleash, I’d prefer he didn’t do that here.

  Turning on Juliet, I stabbed a finger in the air before her face, encouraged when she recoiled. “Don’t antagonize him, Juliet. Wolf blood sets him off. And he doesn’t like you.”

  “The feeling is mutual. I came looking for you. He threatened to break my legs if I didn’t leave. Who does that? I mean, I’m your sister for God’s sake.” Incredulous, Juliet ranted and raved about the horribleness that was Arys.

  “Could’ve called,” I replied, unsympathetic. “You just came in here to remind us that you’re in charge over there and throw your weight around. Did you expect him to be cool with that?”

  “I expect you and your people to follow the rules that you yourself set out.” Cold as ice, my sister played the self-righteous authority card with precision. “Is that really so unacceptable?”

  Somehow I kept from losing my temper and shouting at her. We weren’t kids anymore. This could be better handled. Maybe blackmail had been a step too far, but it was too late to take back now.

  “Not at all. I’ll talk to Kale and Jenner. Ok? There’s nothing else I can do right now.” Nobody got to me the way she did. Ugh, siblings. Just seeing the attitude in her sneer and the judgmental arch to her brow threatened to set me off. “If you ever want to stop by for a drink and hang out, you’re more than welcome to. But it’d probably be best if you don’t bring along weapon-toting Feds.”

  Juliet stuck her chin out. “I do what I have to in order to protect myself. Speaking of which, if that vampire so much as looks at me wrong one more time, I’ll take him in.”

  Laughter fell from my lips. I couldn’t help it. That was just ridiculous. “Arys? Are you kidding? He’d have you begging and screaming before you could pull out your cuffs.”

  Her face reddened. Fists clenched, Juliet nodded to the bar and addressed the agent who’d accompanied her. “You know what? I will have a drink on my way out. On the house I presume.”

  “Of course.” Distracted by the smoldering expression on Arys’s face as he watched us from a distance, I waved a hand, trying to dismiss her.

  Juliet headed for the bar but not without getting in the last word. “No more warnings for Jenner and Kale. If I have to send people to one more strip club, I’m coming for both of them.”

  “Sure you are, Juliet.” The sigh I’d been battling slipped out.

  Leaving her to her drink, I directed my steps toward Arys. He lounged in a booth near the hall that led to the back rooms. Where the real party was at.

  He watched my approach like a lion patiently awaiting the prey that was stupid enough to come right to him. “Why isn’t she leaving?”

  I stood beside the table, refusing to sit down. Once he touched me, my anger would become unpredictable. It could melt away or become volatilely explosive.

  “She’s having a drink. Then she’ll go. Stay away from her.” Venom in my command, I braced. As unbalanced as we’d been lately, I feared how fast the shift could happen. From calm to murderous to sensual in a heartbeat. And back again.

  Arys regarded me with curious contemplation. “Do you think I’d harm her?”

  “I know you want to. That’s enough for me. I’ll only say this one time. Juliet is to never become the target of your fixation, either with wolves or with me.” I held his intense stare, daring him to protest. This was non-negotiable. “Hands off, Arys. Don’t even disturb a hair on her head.”

  Hands raised, he tried for sincerity. And failed. “Never would I dream of doing any such thing.”

  “Liar. Don’t feed me that crap. I know you, Arys.” Meeting his now playful gaze proved difficult with the slight throb that started between my legs.

  “Then you know getting pissed at me will only lead to naughty things.” He patted the booth next to him. “So come on then. Let me have it.”

  I edged away, wary of his allure. Staying mad at him shouldn’t be so hard. Who the hell did he think was, sitting there with his dark-blue eyes and short, messy hair, looking sexy as hell? Like he didn’t have a care in the world. Grinning at me as if that alone would relieve me of my panties. Which a few times it had.

  “Don’t leer at me like that. I’m not playing this game.” Vehemently annoyed, I leaned on the edge of the table and brought down my claws, one at a time, starting with my pinky. When all five claws dug into the table’s surface, I spoke through clenched teeth. “Stay away from my sister.”

  Arys’s smirk faded. Head cocked to one side, he assessed me, likely gauging my level of fury. A slight nod and stone cold serious, he said, “Dear God, I love you.”

  I felt it then, the fragility of our bond. How easily it could swing from balanced to so off kilter we didn’t know which way was up. Despite knowing how bad things could and likely would get, I wasn’t prepared for it.

  “Dammit, Arys,” I muttered.

  He grabbed hold of my hand and pried it from the table top. Pressing his face to my palm, he closed his eyes and reveled in the sensation of me. “I will always be yours. Nothing can change that.”

  Spoken like both a promise and a threat, Arys’s claim shook me. Because it was true in every sense. And that terrified me.

  The touch of his mouth on my wrist weakened me. A fang scraped my skin, and I gasped softly. In my head a sinister voice whispered, killer.

  Torn between wanting to flee him and fuck him, I bit my lip. “I know. That’s what scares me.”

  He glanced up, and I saw my fear etched in the lines of his face. Then he shut it down before I could find solace in our shared emotion. “You worry too fucking much. We are not Lilah and Salem.”

  I didn’t argue. Didn’t have to. I’d seen the anguish flit through his midnight eyes.

  Arys nodded to someone behind me. “Your watchdog is here.”

  I turned to find Smudge striding in like a woman with a purpose. That couldn’t be good. With Arys shadowing every step, I met her halfway, near the bar.

  “We’ve got trouble.” Smudge skipped the greeting. I appreciated that about her. Usually. “The video leak of the wolf fight drew some attention. We’ve got trophy hunters in town.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  “Trophy hunters?” I repeated in disbelief. “Son of a bitch.”

  “Son of a bitch is right.” Smudge nodded, black bangs falling in her eyes. “It’s probably about the worst type of hunter. They’re just in it for the money, and they’ll go to great lengths to secure the right prize. Black market sales for werewolf pelt gets pretty demanding. Unfortunately, these guys knew a legit video when they saw one, and now they’re here.”

  My God, how I wished I could drink alcohol. I could’ve sure used a stiff one right then.

  This was bad news. One stupid blunder and a newbie werewolf had just endangered all of us. I sincerely hoped I got my hands on Rylan Chow before the hunters did. I was going to shake him senseless.

  “And they just want wolves?” I asked. Trophy hunting wasn’t new to me. Though I’d never encountered the bastards myself, it had just been a matter of time.

  Smudge stuck her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket and slowly surveyed the nightclub. “There’s different types of hunters for different types of wares. Magical shit, supernatural blood, whatever. Not much use for vampires though, seeing as we’re dust upon death. Not too many people stupid enough to try to keep one of us as a caged pet.”

  No, not one of us. Shifters. I tried to picture myself as a werewolf in a cage, the property of some rich eccentric with too much time on their hands. Or as a stuffed carcass, a hunter’s prize. I couldn’t stomach the thought.

  “How do we deal with it? Is there some kind of protocol we follow?” My defenses we
re up. Every territorial bone in my body commanded that I hunt these screwjobs before they could hunt us. We were the predators.

  “Werewolves are your thing. Deal with it however you feel best. Just try to keep it quiet. Let me know if you need any cleanup crews.” Smudge pulled her phone out and began tapping about on the screen. “One of my sources got a lead on Rylan Chow. An address where he was recently seen. Possibly a girlfriend’s or something. You might want to check it out because chances are the hunters will get their hands on that address too.”

  Arys had been quiet up until this point. Jaw hard set and shoulders squared, he exuded a calm but simmering rage. “When did they get to town? How do you know about them?”

  Unperturbed, Smudge glanced up from her phone. “I never share my sources, but I have eyes and ears all over the city. From what I hear, the hunters arrived last night. My guy, a bartender, heard them talking in the alley behind his pub. They were out having a cigarette, when he took the trash out. Five of them. All men. Not surprising as they usually are, but we do see the occasional female hunter.”

  Arys considered this. A few humans with guns weren’t generally much of a problem. Still, these people had made a career of this. We couldn’t afford to make assumptions.

  “How do they find wolves?” he asked, brow arched. “What is it about them that makes them a threat?”

  Smudge cast an annoyed glance his way. “I was getting to that. Black market hunters usually track shifters with a seeker stone. A gemstone magically spelled to identify the energy signature of a certain being. I assume they have one. Probably safe to assume they have more magic items to aid them.”

  Nothing about this felt ok. A handful of humans with guns generally didn’t bother me. Something about this did.

  “Give me the address for Rylan. I’ll go check it out.” I eyed my sister, who still sat at the bar. I couldn’t let her leave without a warning. As much as she pissed me off, I’d never let her walk out the door not knowing she was being hunted.

  Smudge rattled off the address before putting her phone away. “One more thing, Alexa. Werewolves fetch a pretty penny. An exotic like Jez or a hybrid like you would be almost priceless. The two of you need to really be careful. Don’t let the hunters know what you are.”

  Her warning came with a strong sense of unease. I nodded but inside I was already thinking we had to kill them before they killed us. That was how I wanted to deal with this, and when I finally found Rylan Chow I might have to break one of his legs.

  “I’ll do my best. Thanks for the heads up.” I spied Juliet getting up to leave and rocked forward on a heel. “Keep me posted on any new information. I’ll head out to look for Rylan right away.”

  Before Juliet could reach the exit, I caught up and grabbed hold of her elbow. Naturally she spun around in a defensive pose and went for her gun. When she saw it was me, she relaxed but didn’t take her hand from the weapon on her hip.

  “We have a problem,” I said. “The video leak, it drew some attention.”

  She allowed me to steer her away from the busy entryway. I repeated what Smudge had said but added my own declaration. “There’s no letting people like this live, Juliet. They hunt only for sport and money. I’m going to take out each and every one of them, and I’m telling you because I want you to be safe but you also have to stand back and let me do this.”

  Miss Play It Straight and Always Follow the Rules actually seemed apprehensive. She was shaken at the thought of being hunted, mounted, and shown off as a prize.

  Good. It meant she believed me.

  The FPA tended to immediately criminalize the supernatural and exonerate humankind of wrongdoing. I fully expected her to tell me I couldn’t kill them because they were human. And I was but a monster.

  So of course I was completely taken by surprise when she said, “I won’t just let you. I’ll help you.”

  “Wait, seriously? This doesn’t exactly fit the FPA playbook. Just keep your people monitoring the tech stuff. Let me know if any new videos pop up. I can handle the rest.” I waved at Smudge as she disappeared through the exit. People had to be warned. Pressure built, weighing upon me.

  “And I’ll handle it with you,” Juliet insisted. “I know that it might seem as if I stand against the existence of my own kind. That isn’t true. I want a peaceful coexistence for all of us too, you know. I’m not keen on the supernatural running amok and terrorizing the city. But I’m sure as hell not going to let humans do it to us either.”

  Too many ways to respond to that. Sure Juliet hadn’t known about the extent of experimentation Briggs had been doing on supernaturals, but she hadn’t always been our biggest supporter either. Not even close.

  Still, I couldn’t help but feel this might be her way of showing a willingness to work together. But could I trust her?

  “Fine,” I relented. “But don’t do anything until I give you more information. And watch your back.”

  She seemed to want to say more. To plead with me to take some kind of action. While I momentarily considered bringing her along to the address Smudge had given me, I opted to err on the side of caution. I wouldn’t bring any shifters. Not until I’d done a little digging for myself.

  After Juliet and her companion left, I surveyed the bar, wondering if there was time for a quick nip from someone with whiskey in their veins.

  Arys didn’t share my interest. He’d snapped into action mode, ready to head out to the one place filled with werewolves. A sitting duck of a clubhouse, as it were. “I’m going to Doghead.” He pulled me close so he could murmur this into my ear. “They need to know. Might be a good idea to have a vampire or two hang out there for a while.”

  “I’m sure they’d love that.” My sarcasm was wasted on Arys. Not sure why I bothered. “I’m going to look for Rylan. Tell Shaz to keep his wolves from running for a while. They’ll be looking for that kind of thing.”

  Arys caught the side of my face with a gentle hand. He claimed my lips in a kiss that was both possessive and gentle. “Be safe out there.”

  It spoke volumes that his greatest concern wasn’t for me heading out to hunt the hunters but for Shaz. Now the Alpha of the Doghead pack, Shaz had lives in his hands. He needed to be prepared.

  Although technically I’d become Doghead’s Alpha female, I didn’t feel any ownership over the pack. I was a hybrid, more vampire than most wolves would ever want to call leader. So I’d taken a back seat, put Shaz in control, and kept my distance from the clubhouse as much as possible.

  If they needed me I’d be there. Until then, it felt best to let them do their thing without me.

  Shaz could handle hunters. I didn’t doubt it. But most of the pack’s fighters had been slaughtered at the FPA. The few skilled wolves who remained might not be enough to protect the rest of the pack.

  Arys was transparent as fuck. Did he know it and not care, or was he oblivious to how strong and obvious his attachment to Shaz had become? I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love it. Of course, I didn’t always understand it, and maybe I never would. However, I found a sense of security in their strange connection.

  Briefly I weighed the option to go alone or to take someone. Safety in numbers or solo and covert? A quick trip to Rylan’s last known address should be uneventful. Should be. So it wouldn’t be.

  I’d just stepped outside when Kale’s classic Camaro slid off the street and fishtailed into the parking lot. Perfect. Nerves made me jittery as I anticipated the moment our eyes would meet.

  I could bolt for my car and avoid him entirely. But I lingered, telling myself it was because Juliet wanted me to stay on top of his activity. Right. Sure, that was it.

  Jenner opened the passenger door and got out, pausing to stretch and survey the cluster of people smoking. I ambled toward my car, timing my pace so that I crossed their path on the way. Kale exited the car with a fluid undead grace. He never moved in jerky stop and go motions. From one motion to the next the man just flowed.

  Long
leather duster cloaking him, with his dark hair disheveled and a smudge of lipstick on his face, Kale Sinclair was everything I wanted and everything I should never have. Why? Hell if I knew. I’d been asking myself that question for a year now.

  His mismatched brown and blue eyes landed on me, and the shard of agony he’d shoved into my soul wriggled a little deeper. Refusing to show the wound in front of Jenner, I hid behind a mask of hardass.

  “Have you guys run out of strip clubs?” I eyed them each in turn. “Leaving a mess for Juliet to clean up is pretty shitty, don’t you think?”

  Neither of them appeared surprised or gave so much as a shit. Jenner smirked and looked me over like I was next on their fun-time menu. Standing in the middle of the parking lot with the two vampires who most wanted me during pretty much their every waking minute made me both wary and excited.

  Kale kept his distance, like he wasn’t sure how close he could trust himself to get. “She didn’t have to clean it up. She chose to.”

  I could kind of see his point. Still, that wasn’t the subject of this discussion. “Ok, forget Juliet then. Since when do you think I’d be cool with a public spectacle at every strip club in the city?” Turning on Jenner, I hit him with a subtle power pulse just strong enough to make his eyes widen. “This isn’t your city, Jenner. Play by my rules or go home.”

  “Why doesn’t Arys have to play by the rules?” Jenner challenged, edging in close enough to invite another pulse slap.

  “I’m not talking about Arys. I’m talking about you.” Knowing Jenner could barely look at me without the constant craving eating him alive, I was tempted to mess with him. Somehow I restrained myself.

  “Once I get what I came here for, I’ll be on my way. Until then, I’ve got to keep myself occupied somehow.” Jenner didn’t hang around to exchange barbs. He pushed by, making sure to brush against me before vanishing inside.

  Kale smiled apologetically and shrugged sheepishly. “I’m sorry. There’s no excuse, I know that. But if I might offer one anyway? I needed to get my mind off things. Unleash a little tension.”