Junkyard Queen (Alexa O'Brien Huntress Book 12) Page 2

  I made a noise of disgust. “I can see why you’re no longer angel material. You must have made a shitty guardian. He’s just a kid. Have some class.”

  “A kid who’s already killed once and will likely kill again. And that’s going to be all on you.” Falon jabbed a finger in my face. “You’re not so good at this whole taking orders thing, are you?”

  With a snarl I snapped at him. “What do you think?”

  Falon took a step back and crossed his arms, regarding me with that haughty derision I’d come to associate with him. “I think you like to play by your own rules, which might fly in your bedroom, but it’s not going to win you any points with The Circle.”

  “Give me a break, Falon,” I scoffed. “We’ve never fucked in my bedroom.”

  He stalked to the opposite side of the room, silver wings flared out behind him. His sly tone sent a shiver down my spine when he said, “We’ve never fucked in this room either.”

  “Let’s keep it that way.” Returning my attention to my laptop screen, I did my best to keep my libido in check. “It’s not his fault he was attacked. By Dayne, of all friggin’ people. That’s where the real problem lies.”

  Falon pondered this new tidbit of information. I’d never considered hiding it. Dayne made his choice, and he could deal with the repercussions.

  “You know you’ll have to go all hybrid queen on his ass now. If Dayne’s stepping out of line, then he’ll have to be stopped.” With a shake of his head, Falon frowned. “Odd. He’s usually so good about keeping his pack in check.”

  “Yeah.” I scrubbed a hand over my face, dreading the thought of a confrontation with Dayne. “I’m really not looking forward to another altercation with him.”

  Falon plopped down on the couch, wings spread out on either side of him, and simply stared at me. The weight of his gaze grew in intensity the longer I ignored him. It wasn’t easy to focus on the report I typed up, detailing how I’d handled the incident tonight and why. That silver stare had me fighting the urge to squirm in discomfort.

  “So enlighten me, Alexa.” Falon finally spoke after several minutes of me refusing to look his way. “What do you hope to achieve by letting the kid go?”

  I paused mid-keystroke to respond, still avoiding eye contact with the antagonistic angel. “I hope to build some kind of trust with him. He’s new and scared. He just needs some guidance.”

  Falon snickered. “And you, with your kill count, are the one to offer that to him? Either you’re in denial or you’re completely delusional.”

  I frowned at my laptop, gritting my teeth. Unfortunately, I couldn’t argue with his assessment. “I remember what it was like to be a scared teenage werewolf. Can you relate to that? Because when you have experience with such a thing, then you can talk to me about it.”

  My kill count had more to do with being a vampire than it did a wolf. Arys had tried relentlessly to guide me through the harsh beginning, and I’d shunned him. Dealing with my grief over the strange twist in our relationship had to come first. I was far from rehabilitated. Of course, perhaps Arys had no business offering guidance to me in the first place seeing as he’d initiated my last public kill. That vampire had his own issues.

  I might have been a mess as a vampire, but I knew my wolf well. I could help Ash. And Falon could shut the hell up and stay out of it.

  “Fine.” So much for Falon shutting the hell up. “You’re the wolf. You made the call. But anything he does now is on you.”

  “Got it.” I spun in my chair to face him, letting my exasperation show. “Can we be done with this now?”

  Something akin to hatred flashed through Falon’s eyes, pleasing me immensely. “Is there something else you’d like to move on to? Maybe something that involves less of your grating voice and more of your somewhat satisfying screams?”

  As I sat there asking myself why I’d agreed to work with him, the wheels in my brain turned. Falon seemed far too concerned with one teenage werewolf. Considering there were far greater evils prowling this city, it baffled me. Because I was one of them.

  “Actually there is something else I’d like to address.” Steepling my fingers, I used my foot on the floor to twist my chair from side to side. “Why didn’t The Circle have me killed?”

  “When exactly?” Brow furrowed, Falon played dumb. He did it well.

  I laughed, a sharp sound that made him flinch ever so slightly. “When I first rose as a vampire and ran amok with Kale, why didn’t The Circle send anyone after me? I mean, you seem awfully concerned about some newbie wolf, but nobody came after me when I did so much worse. Care to explain?”

  Much to my surprise, Falon appeared visibly uncomfortable. He crossed one leg over the other, then uncrossed them before leaning forward and propping both elbows on his knees. His gaze searched the carpet at his feet, as if asking it for the answer.

  “I may have had something to do with that.” He dropped that little bomb with great reluctance.

  My chair twisting stopped. Planting both feet on the floor, I spoke through clenched teeth. “Continue.”

  “I don’t want to.” Falon shrugged, dragging his gaze to mine.

  “Do it anyway.”

  Though I expected to not like what I heard, I enjoyed his discomfort. Fixing him with a heavy stare that promised pending judgment, I tapped a foot impatiently. When Falon gave a dramatic sigh, I raised a brow in question, dying inside of curiosity but refusing to show it.

  With a scowl that could stop a lion in its tracks, Falon muttered, “Let’s just say that little sister wasn’t the only one covering up your kills back then.”

  I pondered this, not quite sure what to make of it. Juliet had gone out of her way to cover up some of my shady activity right after I’d turned, and of course I adored her for it. We didn’t get along all the time these days, so that loyalty meant the world to me. Hearing that Falon had taken part in protecting me, now that left me feeling conflicted.

  “Why would you do that?” I sounded as baffled as I felt. “I’m surprised you didn’t take the opportunity to get rid of me.”

  An evil chuckle passed Falon’s lips. “As am I. It certainly would have kept us from crossing lines we can never uncross.”

  “Yeah, that’s not an answer.” Smirking in amusement at his growing discomfort, I motioned for him to go on.

  “Like I said when we were locked in that FPA room together, I chose to fall to fight the dark from the inside. That often means doing things that can’t always be explained or understood. Covering your tracks was one of them.” Falon sighed when I continued to gesture for more. “We need people like you, Alexa. Much as it kills me to admit it, your mere presence in this city affects more than I think you realize.”

  A compliment? From Falon? This was starting to get weird.

  “Are you kidding? People hate me here. Only just now are some of them starting to accept me as a potential leader among them.” Thanks to my efforts against the FPA, both the wolves and vampires of the city had started showing early signs of something that could almost be mistaken for respect.

  “It doesn’t matter if they love or hate you. They need you to keep order among them. In case you haven’t noticed, bad shit is drawn to this city. It’s Lilah’s empire. The doorway, even sealed, draws evil. Feeds it. Creates it. It makes this city a hub of dark activity.” Falon pushed to his feet. Silver wings tucked in close, he took slow steps toward me. “Vampire or not, you’re a Hound of God and a Light Flame. And you’re needed here.”

  Huh. That was a lot to take in. I mulled it over, watching Falon draw closer. He came to lean on the edge of my desk, standing just out of reach. Nothing in his expression revealed any mockery or deception. He meant every word.

  “So you helped Juliet cover my kills to keep The Circle from taking me out?” It sounded all wrong to my ears. That simply didn’t fit the Falon I knew and loathed.

  “It’s not really possible to hide such things from The Circle. However, they wanted you alive.
They too knew that, despite your dark side, you’re ultimately a creature of the light. They allowed me to do what I did, encouraged it even.” Falon scraped a fingernail over a scratch on my desk. “There are exceptions to every rule. You’re one of them.”

  Maybe this new information should’ve made me feel better. Reassured somehow. All it did was mount the already growing pressure upon my shoulders. The rules had been broken for me, my debauchery overlooked. So I could overcome my newfound bloodlust and serve the light as a Hound.

  Yeah, no pressure at all.

  “Well… thanks. I think.” I didn’t know what to say. Falon had been doing his job. I still didn’t entirely understand what that was, which I believed was exactly as he preferred it.

  He slid a wicked grin my way. “For the record, I still abhor you.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now if you don’t mind, I have work to do.”

  A cool breeze swept my insides. Arys had arrived. Like every time my dark half drew near, a thrill of excitement shot through me.

  Falon raised his head, sensing in a different manner what I had just felt. “That would be my cue to leave.”

  “As always, it’s been a blast chatting with you.” With a dismissive little wave, I turned back to my computer.

  The air began to move, rippling as it did when an angel or demon was on the move. Yet Falon lingered. “Keep an eye on that werewolf, Alexa. I mean it.”

  I gave him the same middle finger salute he’d given me not so long ago. “Aye, aye, Captain Asshole.”

  “That’s General Asshole to you.”

  With that parting remark Falon was gone.

  CHAPTER THREE

  I emerged from the back hall to find the place jumping. It hadn’t taken long for the crowd to return after the most recent FPA raid.

  Although not every vampire in the city chose to slake their hungers in my nightclub, enough of them did to keep the willing humans flowing through the door in hopes of getting their chance to experience the thrill of a vampire’s bite. Among other things.

  As I walked through the packed building past the bar in the center, I sensed no animosity directed my way. Most definitely a nice change.

  I spotted Arys right away. He lingered near the door, looking uncertain. Much to my surprise, Shaz had come with him. That explained Arys’s unease.

  Since Shaz’s unfortunate time as an FPA lab rat, his condition had improved greatly. Having been pumped full of my hybrid blood, he’d suffered immense agony. The side effects had left him ill, with a drug-like withdrawal. He’d experienced bursts of uncontrolled telekinesis, a side effect that had yet to completely fade. I feared it never would. But perhaps the worst part was his extreme sensitivity to all energy types. At first Shaz couldn’t even stand to be in the same house as Arys and me. Just the lights were enough to cause him pain.

  It had gotten better. But good enough to walk into a place like this, just teeming with vast amounts of supernatural juice?

  “What brings the two of you by?” I asked when I reached them. To Shaz I added, “Are you sure you’re ok to be in here?”

  Arys jumped in before Shaz could answer. “He insisted on coming. I told him I thought it was too soon for that. And you know why I’m here. I go where you go.”

  Since the FPA raid Arys had been coming around more often. Considering his disdain for this place, I knew the events of that night and the few nights after had gotten under his skin. Although I doubted he’d ever admit it.

  A smile played about my lips. It warmed me to know that my big, bad vampire wanted to protect me. However, that could also get annoying. “Come on, Arys. You know that, if you went everywhere I went, we’d end up killing each other.”

  His sexy chuckle stroked me like an unseen hand. “Well, we’d definitely go out with a bang.”

  Ignoring us Shaz said, “I wanted to come. I feel ready. And I can’t hide from the real world forever.”

  “Please, pup, you can’t even stand a bite from either of us yet. And that’s gotta be hell for a bite junkie like yourself.” Arrogant as ever, Arys unashamedly poked at the sensitive topic.

  Like everyone in this place, Shaz had formed his own addiction. To Arys and me. He craved the rush of our power and the thrill of our bite. But we had yet to try such a thing, seeing as he could only now stand to be in the same room as the both of us together. Though he kept it well hidden, I knew the unsated craving ate away at Shaz.

  I studied him closely, searching for any sign of pain or unease. “So you’re really ok?”

  “So far so good.” Despite Arys’s jibe, Shaz turned sincere green eyes on me. They were calm, serene.

  We sat at my favorite booth, along the exterior wall where I could see every entry point. With Shaz beside me and Arys seated across, I tried to relax and failed. When I homed in my focus on the environment, I could easily detect the multitude of energies running rife through The Wicked Kiss from dozens of sources. Artificial, natural, and supernatural. After years of practice I knew how to ground out the extraneous power that assaulted us. Shaz, however, had never had reason to master such a thing. Trying to be inconspicuous about it, I kept a close eye on him.

  “How are you adjusting to playing Veryl?” Arys asked, though he too slipped Shaz more than a few cursory glances. “Is it everything you thought it would be?”

  “Oh please, I doubt I’ll ever be as good at this as Veryl. I had to make a tough call tonight, and I hope I did the right thing.”

  I told them about Ash, how scared and alone he’d been. Shaz nodded in sympathy, understanding because he’d been there too. Arys, however, pursed his lips in quiet contemplation.

  “Unfortunately, I have a bigger problem than a newbie teen werewolf.” I slumped against the back of the cushy booth, knowing already how Arys would respond to what I said next. “Dayne turned him. Against his will. Then he left him to deal with it alone after instructing him to go to Doghead on the full moon.”

  Shaz sighed and shook his head. “Son of a bitch.”

  “See. I knew we should have taken over that pack,” Arys piped up, as expected. “He’s trying to rebuild it and clearly doesn’t give a shit what anyone thinks about that.”

  “Take over the pack?” Shaz questioned. “Is that something you seriously discussed?”

  “No,” I said in the same breath that Arys said, “Yes.”

  “No,” I repeated, sharper. “Arys wanted to. I shut that idea down immediately.”

  Arys huffed, looking indignant. “And now you see why that was the wrong move. When Hanna couldn’t handle the pack, we should’ve stepped in then. Now Dayne’s become a problem. He’s desperate and clearly not thinking. I assume The Circle expects you to handle it.”

  “That’s the impression I’ve been given.” I glanced at Shaz, finding his forehead creased in worry. “I’d rather not give Dayne another reason to hate me, but he can’t be recruiting wolves by force.”

  Most werewolves were not turned by choice; like Juliet and me, they survived an attack. Although some people willingly entered into the change, Ash had not been one of them. Dayne couldn’t be allowed to run through the city, turning people as he pleased to rebuild his pack.

  As was his habit when stressed, Shaz ran a hand haphazardly through his hair. “I can’t believe he’d do something so shitty. He’s always focused on keeping order in the pack. Not once when I’ve been at Doghead has he given any indication that he’s doing that.”

  Being part of the pack, Shaz spent a lot of time at their clubhouse with what remained of Dayne’s broken pack. It came as no surprise that Dayne had kept his illicit activity quiet.

  “How have things been at Doghead?” Arys asked. “I imagine the place is pretty empty these days.”

  Shaz surveyed the growing crowd. His gaze settled on the bodies packed onto the dance floor. “It is. Most of the remaining wolves either escaped the FPA or never stepped foot in the Doghead clubhouse before the raid, the peo
ple with kids, trying to live normal lives. Thankfully it means none of them were hurt.”

  That was a relief. Those people relied on their anonymity to protect the children. Although most shifters couldn’t biologically breed, there were kids in the pack. A couple had been accidentally turned and another was born, like Jez, though it was rare. Keeping them safe and unknown was for the best.

  “How many made it out of the FPA?” I asked, knowing it couldn’t have been many. The FPA had done a real number on those wolves.

  “Just over twenty. The rest didn’t survive the lab once they’d turned on each other.” Shaz fell silent. He hadn’t known each personally, but he grieved for all of them regardless.

  I’d witnessed some of those wolves kill one another in a haze of bloodlust psychosis. Others had died during the fight with the FPA agents or when the vampires had fallen victim to the evil entity that called the building home.

  I understood completely why Dayne felt so desperate to regrow his ranks. A pack of so few fighters in a city filled with serious threats didn’t stand a chance.

  “Dayne and Hanna may have made good Alphas when all they had to worry about was keeping wolves from getting drunk and killing each other, but the city’s changed.” Arys reclined back against the U-shaped part of the booth and put his feet up on the seat. “It’s time for someone else to take charge. No reason it shouldn’t be us. You specifically, Alexa. You are the hybrid queen, after all.”

  “Ha ha, hell no.” My sarcastic laughter was met with a sneer. “I have enough shit on my plate.”

  Tsking at me like a stubborn child, Arys grumbled, “No sense being a reluctant queen, my love. If you don’t step into that place of power, someone else will.”

  The constant queen talk made me want to vomit. So I mimed doing so, snickering when I managed to get a disgusted noise and a frown out of Arys. “I get it. Really, I do. But everyone knows we’re the most powerful of our kind, Arys. Do we really need to force it down their throats by running the city like a monarchy?”