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

  “Make that seven,” Arys added, looking chagrined, but it was forced. Remorse wasn’t one of his personality traits.

  “Arys, what the hell? You promised.”

  “Oops.” It was as close to an apology as he was likely to get. “You shouldn’t have left. I got carried away.”

  “Of course. It’s my fault that you killed someone.” I rolled my eyes and sighed. Why did I bother arguing with him?

  Looking uncomfortable, Justin edged away. “It’s no problem. I can handle one more. It’s really not hard to make them disappear.” He hesitated, glancing from Arys to me. “For what it’s worth, the last thing I want is trouble. But, if I have to choose sides, I’m on yours.”

  “Thank you,” I murmured. I didn’t expect the vampires of the city to start proclaiming their loyalty; however, Justin’s declaration meant a lot to me.

  He and Arys exchanged a look. Arys nodded his thanks, a brief but expressive action. Justin left the two of us alone and set to work giving orders in regards to the cleanup. I couldn’t watch. I didn’t particularly want to turn my attention to the gruesome box contents either but had little choice.

  I tried to picture telling Kylarai and the rest of my wolves about this. My stomach turned. Arys was silent, watching me stare at the box. I wished he would spit out whatever he was thinking. So, when he didn’t speak up, I did.

  “You shouldn’t come in here anymore.” I rushed on before he could reply with something that matched the dark frown he suddenly wore. “You’ve always hated this place, Arys. You come here out of obligation, and then you do things like kill willing victims and intimidate the staff. I don’t need you hovering over me, though I do appreciate it. I like it better when I don’t know what you’re up to and who you’re killing.”

  “You don’t need me here? This place is a disaster waiting to happen. If anything, it’s you that needs to stop coming here.” He inclined his head pointedly toward the array of death and destruction. “Besides, I only account for a small percentage of the missing person reports in this city. I don’t kill nearly as often as you assume I do.”

  “How often is that?”

  Our eyes locked. The smoldering heat in his gaze promised wonderfully wicked things. I tried to ignore that familiar flicker of vampire energy low in my core. It whispered through me, enticing me to fall into his eyes and abandon the annoyance I felt. It almost worked.

  “Not often enough,” he said with a flirtatious smirk. “Give me some credit. I can restrain myself.” At my harsh laughter, he added, “I’m doing it right now.”

  He pulled me close and kissed my neck. The telltale sting of his fangs followed as he dragged them roughly across my skin. Against my will, I quivered.

  “Cut it out.” I shoved him away before he could get inside my head again. I had another role to play before I could play the role of smitten lover.

  The vibration in my back pocket alerted me to an incoming call. Hoping it would be Shaz, I still grabbed the phone with a trickle of anxiety. Fan-fucking-tastic. It was the FPA, or more specifically, Agent Briggs, who had already decided he didn’t like me. I was bad news, valuable only for the information I might have.

  “What?” I answered in a short, clipped tone. The anxiety didn’t leave me, but the reason for it changed.

  “O’Brien? We’ve got a body here that we think you should take a look at. Pretty sure it belongs to you.” Crime-scene background noise accompanied Briggs’s snide remark.

  So, they found the rest of Zak. Thanks, Lilah, you bitch. “Care to elaborate?”

  “Headless werewolf. Strange markings on the torso, possibly ritualistic in nature. Prints match with a Zachary Benz. His home address is in Stony Plain. Any of this mean anything to you?”

  Since the Federal Para-Intelligence Agency had introduced themselves to me by accusing me of murder and revealing that I was on their watch list, they had been a real thorn in my side. Discovering my dead sister was actually alive and employed by the covert government sector really rubbed salt in the wound.

  After surviving the wolf attack that turned us both, a vampire recruited me to hunt supernaturals that risked public attention. I later learned it was a front for Shya, a demon who sought people with power for his own agenda. The government had lured in my sister, Juliet. Now, we worked for opposing sides, or at least, that’s how the FPA chose to see it.

  I wasn’t naive enough to believe I wasn’t one of the bad guys. However, that didn’t make the FPA the good guys. I’d definitely done my share of shady things I wasn’t proud of, but that didn’t define who I was.

  “What’s the address? I’m on my way.”

  Briggs rattled off a south side address, demanded I hurry my ass up and then promptly disconnected the call. I locked eyes with Arys who regarded me thoughtfully. Keen senses and the absence of regular club noise allowed him to hear the conversation.

  “Don’t let him know about that.” Arys pointed to the box containing Zak’s head. “The less they know about any of this, the better.”

  “Easier said than done. He’s going to have Juliet there to sniff out a lie.” I shook my head and stared at the mess. That Vegas vacation Jez had been talking about lately was starting to look tempting.

  The entire drive to the scene was painfully tense. I had to pry my fingers from the steering wheel and drag myself out of the car. Arys appeared perfectly composed, but his energy hummed with excitement.

  Voices drifted to us, coming from behind the old warehouse located at the address Briggs had given. With no flashing lights or sirens, a whole lot of suits were taking pictures and asking questions.

  “Let’s get this over with,” I muttered as we made our way around the building.

  A dark suited agent stopped us with one hand held up in an unspoken command; another reached for the gun at his hip. “Are you Alexa O’Brien?”

  “Yeah, that would be me.”

  “I.D. please.”

  “Seriously?” I stared at his outstretched hand. “Where’s Briggs? Or Juliet. They know who I am.”

  He opened his mouth to refuse, but Briggs cut him off. “Let them by, Agent James.”

  The man I dreaded seeing stood behind a line of caution tape with several other agents. He watched our approach with a narrowed gaze, scrutinizing our every move.

  Briggs was a tall, black man with a taut physique that bragged of hours in the gym. With his dark suit and government agent persona firmly in place, he was both a bit of a cliché and a tad scary. I wasn’t entirely sure what he and the FPA were able to do, but from what I’d seen so far, it wasn’t good.

  I ducked under the tape, followed closely by Arys. I scanned the area for Juliet, finding her over by the body. Our eyes met across the distance, and she quickly averted her gaze. Nice to see you, too, little sister.

  “Thanks for coming,” Briggs drew my attention back to him.

  “It’s not like you gave me a choice,” I said pleasantly, beaming a phony, see-through smile.

  “You had a choice.” Turning his dark gaze on Arys, Briggs stuck out a hand. “I’m Agent Thomas Briggs. Nice to meet O’Brien’s other half. I’ve heard so much about you.”

  “Arys Knight.” Arys accepted the other man’s hand, and they took a moment to size each other up. “I’m sure whatever you’ve heard is only scraps of the truth.”

  Briggs lingered on Arys as if he didn’t dare take his eyes from the vampire. Finally, he extended a hand toward the cluster of agents gathered around Zak’s remains. “Well, have a look. Tell me what you think.”

  He led the way, the agents dispersing like flies at his approach. When only Juliet remained, we shared a look, brief but poignant. A spark flickered in her dark eyes revealing a remnant of the girl I remembered.

  “Hey, Lexi. Sorry we have to meet again under these circumstances.” Juliet gestured to the headless corpse. “Do you know him?”

  I studied the remains of my pack wolf. It was hard to look at but not quite as hard as it had bee
n to see his head in that box. Zak’s body had been stripped naked. As Briggs had said, a large ritualistic looking symbol was etched into the flesh in the center of his chest. It was a triangle with what appeared to be an eye in the center, surrounded by an inverted five-pointed star. Great.

  I closed my eyes, concentrating on the residual energy surrounding us. Zak’s body was tainted with a black, inky energy that reeked of demons. It was faint, telling me very little about what happened to him. He hadn’t been killed here.

  “Yeah,” I let out the breath I’d been holding. “I know him.”

  Briggs turned his scrutiny on me. “How do you know him? Or, should I say, how well do you know him?”

  “He was one of mine, if that’s what you’re driving at. A member of my pack. A friend.” I met Briggs’s cold stare with one of my own.

  “Any idea why someone would do this to him?” Briggs raised a dark brow, daring me to deny it.

  I glanced back at the cryptic symbol. “Looks like a demon ritual to me. Possibly to raise one. Maybe bind one.” Or, break a binding on one, I added silently.

  “Uh huh. But, why choose this werewolf specifically?” Briggs was like a dog with a bone.

  I crossed my arms and tilted my head, studying him intently. “Is there something you’d like to say, Agent? Just spit it out.”

  Juliet stiffened but said nothing. Her silence spoke volumes. She was uncomfortable but forced a relaxed front.

  Briggs swung his gaze over Arys and then me. “I’d say it looks like someone’s trying to send you a message. Like you’ve pissed somebody off.”

  “Yeah? That’s what you think? Is that why you’re sniffing around here? Because you sure as hell don’t want to meet the demon responsible for this. If I were you, I’d wash my hands of the whole thing before you endanger your people.” I tried not to look at Juliet but was unsuccessful. The further she stayed from this situation the better.

  “We’ve dealt with demons before. Don’t patronize me, Ms. O’Brien. I can assure you, I’ve been doing this since you were in diapers.”

  If that was true, Briggs looked pretty good for his age. I wondered what he was up to that gave him access to the fountain of youth. With a shake of my head, I dismissed his comment as ignorance.

  “I don’t give a rat’s ass what kind of demon you think you’ve dealt with, none of them even compare to this one. Do yourself a favor. Get acquainted with their hierarchy and stay the hell away from the ones at the top. Now, are you going to release my wolf to me, or do you have other, more unsavory plans for him?”

  The agent and I glared daggers at one another. Briggs was used to calling the shots. Well, so was I. At least I was when Arys was willing to let me.

  “I’m not authorized to give it to you. It’s evidence of some obviously serious activity going on in the city. We’ll be keeping it.” Briggs was unapologetic. “We haven’t found the head yet. Hopefully we will before a civilian does.”

  Without asking for permission, I whipped out my phone and snapped a photo of the body before Briggs could tell me not to. I wanted some kind of evidence of that symbol. I had the sinking feeling I’d need to see Shya about this. I’d been avoiding the demon for weeks despite his insistent demands that I speak with him.

  Juliet cleared her throat, drawing every eye. “Alexa, is there anything you can tell us about the demon that did this? Maybe we can help you if you’re in some kind of trouble.”

  A chuckle spilled forth, earning me a dirty look from Briggs. An offer of help from the FPA was beyond ridiculous. They’d tortured someone dear to me, and now, he was missing. Without a doubt, they would have done the same to me if Kale hadn’t taken the fall. I would never trust the FPA. If that meant never trusting my sister again, so be it.

  “I’m always in trouble, Juliet. All I can tell you is to stay away from this. Messing with this demon would be suicide.” I turned my gaze on Briggs who regarded me like a bug he wanted to squish. “If you value the lives of your people, you’ll stick to entrapping and torturing vampires. You all seem so good at it.”

  I turned to leave; I couldn’t do anything more here. What had happened to Zak sparked a fire in my core. It would burn until I sent Lilah back to where she belonged, to the cage the angels made for her.

  “I’m sorry for what happened with Kale Sinclair.” Briggs’s forced apology stopped me in my tracks. I faced him with a new rage burning within.

  “Too little too late, Agent.”

  “We have a proposition for you. If you would hear me out.”

  Arys’s wicked laughter sent a lovely tingle down my spine. It didn’t have quite the same effect on Juliet or Briggs, who both stared at him suspiciously.

  “I don’t think so,” he said. “What you did to Sinclair, you would have done to Alexa. You’d be wise to stay away from her.” Arys’s mood changed, going from grim amusement to deadly calm. “I’m not asking.”

  “No,” Juliet replied vehemently. “She’s my sister, dammit. I’d never let that happen to her.”

  Arys moved fast, a blur of motion. He was dangerously close to Juliet, scowling down into her face. “You led the fucking team that came to get her.”

  Briggs pulled his gun and trained it on Arys. That might work on some vampires but not on my vampire. Arys never took his eyes off Juliet. He merely snapped his fingers, and Briggs’s gun flew from his hand and skidded across the pavement.

  I laid a hand on his arm. “Arys, please.”

  I didn’t have to say anything else. Reluctantly, he backed off. Juliet’s eyes were wide, and the scent of fear rolled off her. She wasn’t foolish enough to try pulling a weapon.

  Agent Briggs was fuming. He was also looking at Arys with a new sense of intrigue. Showing even a small display of power in front of the FPA was a bad idea.

  “Would it be too much to expect you people to sit down and have a civilized discussion?” Briggs stooped to retrieve his gun. He stuffed it back in the holster but rested a hand atop it.

  “You people?” I rounded on him with a snarl. The urge to bare my four vicious fangs at him was strong, but I held the wolf back. “We’re just monsters to you, aren’t we? You don’t see us as human in any way. We were once, you know. Human. Like you.”

  Briggs looked down his nose at me, haughty and self-assured. “You are a monster, Ms. O’Brien. That’s just a cold, hard fact. But, I don’t believe that makes you void of any humanity whatsoever. I meant no offense.”

  “I think we’re done here. I have nothing further to say to you.”

  I didn’t want to give Briggs a chance to coerce me into staying; I couldn’t count on Arys to behave himself. He was eyeing up Briggs with a devilish glint in his eyes.

  “We need your help, Ms. O’Brien. You want to talk about dangerous demons? Let’s talk about Shya.” The agent’s face softened. “That’s not even his real name. Demons don’t give their real names if they can help it. He’s up to something, and we need to stop him. You’re the closest one to him that can help us.”

  Arys’s energy was hot and scattered. His growing frustration was palpable, teasing my senses. I wanted to get him out of there before he did something I’d regret, but I was curious as to how much the FPA knew about Shya that perhaps I didn’t.

  “Clearly you’re misinformed about my relationship with Shya.” I kept my voice low so it wouldn’t carry outside the four of us. “I don’t have one. I never did. He never interacted with me personally until recently. He sure as hell hasn’t shared any of his big bad plans.”

  “Yet he trusted you to help him bind a demon goddess that he is supposed to bow down to. Sounds personal enough.” Briggs smiled slightly, as if sure he had me there.

  “Shya and I both had our reasons for that. They were entirely selfish. We weren’t doing each other any favors.” I wasn’t happy to hear that they knew about that. “I want to make it very clear to you that I have no alliance with that demon. Whatever he’s up to, I don’t know about it, and I sure as hell ha
ve no part in it.”

  Briggs didn’t believe me. Skepticism colored the grimace he wore. “Would you be willing to help us gather more information?”

  I wanted to tell Briggs to sit on it and rotate. The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I saw a chance to learn more about the FPA and what they were up to, so I reconsidered. Could I make this work to my advantage?

  I exchanged a glance with Arys, sharing so much with just a look. Tilting my head, I gave Briggs my best smile and purred, “What’s in it for me?”

  He couldn’t hide the relief that swept over his hard features. Relief quickly gave way to a cryptic grin that didn’t sit well with me. My stomach flipped a few times. Briggs’s grin grew until it was downright unnerving.

  “I’ll tell you what really happened to Kale Sinclair.”

  Chapter Three

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” The words spilled out, driven by a crash of emotion. A growl rumbled in my throat, and I was all fangs and claws.

  Briggs raised his weapon. Uncertainty replaced his smug smile. So much for negotiating with the FPA. Briggs had uttered the magic words that were stronger than my rein on sanity.

  I timed my attack perfectly. Sudden and instinctive, I hit him dead center in the chest, grabbing his gun arm in a bone-shattering grip. An audible crack brought me a shred of satisfaction but not quite as much as his pained shout. He hit the ground hard with me atop him. Briggs grunted as I knocked the gun from his hand.

  Wrapping a hand around his throat, I snarled down into his face. Commotion broke out as nearby agents rushed over with guns drawn. Juliet yelled for them to hold their fire. I looked up to find myself staring into the barrel of her gun.

  “Do you really have it in you to pull that trigger?” I snapped, refusing to loosen my hold on Briggs.

  Juliet’s eyes were wild, all wolf. “How bad do you want to find out?”

  Little sister had a backbone after all. A chuckle spilled between my lips. I was proud of her. She held the gun on me, but her wary gaze flicked to Arys. He watched me with a mischievous smile.