Once Bitten Read online

  No fucking way; demons don’t die. Throw an entire army at them, and they just go back to their own plane to heal. Incredibly unheard of, Lilah actually took this one out. I don’t mess with demons for a reason; they are the biggest of the bad.

  I stood unsteadily, dumbfounded, as Lilah went to Kale. I forced myself to move and joined her at his side. My heart beat so hard against my ribs that it hurt.

  “Is he alright?” I asked. I looked down at Kale; his left eye was swollen, but otherwise, he didn’t look too bad, just a little roughed up.

  “Oh yeah,” she glanced at me with a critical eye. “Are you?”

  I shrugged. I’d be fine. Lilah grasped my injured hand gently and passed the blood stained skin beneath Kale’s nose. I was too in awe of her to protest; I could feel the strange power in her touch.

  Kale snapped upright suddenly and reached for my arm with a snarl. I jerked back, and Lilah put her hand on his chest. After a moment, he blinked a few times and relaxed.

  When she stepped back and dusted her hands off, I realized she was essentially wiping the metaphysical remnants from her skin.

  She waited patiently, until he was steady on his feet, and then she gave us a nod and the briefest of smiles. It wasn’t exactly friendly, but it worked for me. Before either of us could say a word, she’d retreated into the hall and disappeared. Kale and I just stared wide-eyed at one another.

  Chapter Six

  I didn’t run as a wolf that night. Instead, I poured a glass of my favorite red wine and sunk appreciatively into a hot bubble bath. Blue bruises decorated my skin in a variety of places; the worst was my back, where I’d hit the mirrored wall. A good sleep would make a world of difference in the healing process, if I could get one. I wouldn’t say that I’m an insomniac so much as sleeping took up time that I didn’t have.

  Kale and I had vacated the hotel immediately after Lilah, though we never caught up to her. We’d come closer to hell tonight than either of us had realized. I’d never been so glad to be safe inside my own home. Give me a vampire to deal with any day, but keep the demons in hell where they belong.

  The water was cool by the time I pulled the plug. The approaching sunrise cast my bedroom in a faint, cozy glow. I turned the television on to a station that played sitcoms from the 80s and was asleep before the sun broke the horizon.

  I hadn’t dreamt about it for years, three at least. And yet, I recognized it as if I’d never left. I was right back inside my worst nightmare, the most horrifying moment of my life so far.

  I was my sixteen-year-old self again. I stood at the top of the stairs in the house where I’d grown up. It hadn’t always been the happiest of homes, due to ongoing conflict between my parents, but I’d learned to feign ignorance early on.

  I looked down at the scene of destruction and death on the floor below, and for a minute, I couldn’t breathe. The front door hung ominously on one hinge, and it was a mess of deep scratches. Bloody trails and crimson splatters adorned the white and taupe walls. My mother’s screams thundered through my ears. My heart raced, and my breath caught in my throat, as I watched the next few moments play out in a wide-eyed stupor.

  The large black wolf quickly silenced the incessant shrieks; it pounced on her back and sunk its powerful fangs deep into the back of her neck. Her blood covered its furry muzzle, and its eyes were wild, beyond monstrous.

  My father and younger sister lay dead in the kitchen. I couldn’t see them from where I stood, but I knew. I’d heard their dying cries as well.

  My hand flew to my mouth in an attempt to muffle the sound of my loud, terrified gasping. Even as I told myself that, this time, it wasn’t real, the blood-hungry beast below fixed me with cold eyes and darted up the stairs.

  I turned to run as I had so many times before, but with a snap of great jaws, he caught my ankle in a crushing grip and threw me tumbling head over heels down the stairs. When I hit the bottom, I jerked awake with a start.

  Sweat had my t-shirt clinging to me, and I accepted my aching muscles as a sign that I’d really woken up. I looked around hesitantly, half expecting the wolf to come snarling out of the shadows of my room.

  Some nights the dream went on longer. In the years right after the attack, I never woke up until his fangs were buried in my throat, tearing skin and muscle away from my esophagus. That had never happened though.

  By the time the wolf had gotten to me, it’d already had its fill. After landing at the base of the stairway, I had curled myself into the fetal position to protect my face and throat. Its fangs sunk into my back just twice before it disappeared through the broken front door.

  I lay there for hours, alone with the cooling corpses of my loved ones. The call to the police had been one of the most horrifying moments of my life. I knew the authorities would think I was crazy if I told them the truth; I instead told them that I’d been out and had come home in the middle of the attack. I lied; I said I was unable to get a good look at the murderer.

  Despite my mother’s sister’s insistence that I stay with her, I never did call her to pick me up from the hospital. I knew what was happening to me. When I turned into a rabid, vicious beast, I planned to be alone. It never happened though, not the way I’d imagined it. When the time came, I was still me and gut wrenchingly thankful to discover as much. I was only on my own for a few weeks before Raoul found me.

  I shook off the remnants of the nightmare. It seemed to cling to the fabric of my mind like age-old cobwebs. The kind that had been there long enough that they could never truly be dusted away.

  The digital clock on the nightstand informed me that it was just past noon. I opened my bedroom curtain wide and allowed the sun to bathe me in its comforting warmth. My body ached and stiffness had set into my muscles as I slept. I stretched and groaned though my back already felt better.

  “You look about as good as I feel,” Kylarai said when I entered the kitchen.

  “Thanks for that.” I shrugged and went for the freshly made pot of coffee. “I think more people tell me when I look like shit than when I actually look good.”

  “Sorry, I’m not exactly at my best either. Didn’t sleep worth a damn.”

  “I’d like to say I slept but I think I just went back in time.”

  “Attack dream?” Ky raised a questioning eyebrow. I nodded. “I don’t think they ever really go away.” She spoke as if she knew all too well. “Of course I can’t imagine that it helps when you don’t know whatever came of him. It might make a big difference if you knew he was dead.”

  Easy for her to say, I thought. She’d blown the head off of the werewolf who was stupid enough to attack her. It was the first and last time she had ever wielded one of the shotguns her husband kept around the house.

  “Yeah. I suppose.” I stared numbly out the window into the backyard as I stirred sugar into my cup.

  A squirrel ran across a tree branch and leapt from one to the next. I wasn’t fooled by their cuteness. My grandmother had once told me a story about finding squirrels in a bird’s nest eating the legs off the baby birds. I’ve hated the little demons since.

  “Have you ever thought to talk to Veryl about it? Maybe he would know something.”

  Ky suggested as I took a seat across from her at the table. “You’d think a werewolf like that wouldn’t go unnoticed by him.”

  She had a point. Perhaps Veryl would have some information on the wolf that had attacked me. But, did it really matter now? And, what if he still lives? Would I be able to live my life carefree, or would I become obsessed with settling a score already a decade old? I debated giving Veryl a call, but as the sun would have it, I’d have to wait until dark. Pushing the thought from my mind, I sipped from the precious, steaming hot coffee.

  “What’s on your agenda for today?” Kylarai asked, successfully changing the topic.

  I looked at her, prepared to deliver a mental to-do list, and realized I didn’t have one.

  “Nothing actually. For once.”

&nbs
p; “I just have a few business calls to make, and then I’m free. Want to get out, do a little shopping or something?” Kylarai got up for a refill before rummaging around in her briefcase. “We can grab dinner after.”

  If I’d been challenged to remember the last time she and I did regular girl stuff, I’d lose. Kylarai had been working some long hours lately. It really had been some time since she’d gone out.

  I couldn’t think of a better way to spend the afternoon. Tomorrow night was the full moon and the most powerful twenty-fours of the lunar cycle. Most of us wouldn’t be human, might as well enjoy it now.

  “That sounds excellent. I wouldn’t mind a little shopping. There was a really cute pair of heels at the mall a few weeks ago. I never had time to try them on.”

  When Ky disappeared into our small office and closed the door, I decided I’d better jump in the shower and get ready. I wasn’t really keen on walking around in public wearing the worst pair of sweat pants I own. But, even as I massaged conditioner into my long, agonizingly straight hair, the scenes from my nightmare continued to replay inside my head.

  ———

  I stood staring at a lilac sundress. It would have looked great on me if I had legs a mile long, but, let’s just say, I didn’t add it to my collection of things to try on.

  “Alexa.” I heard my name whispered loudly from the changing room around the corner.

  Kylarai stood behind one of the heavy, red velvet curtains. Only her face peered out at me. At my approach, she opened the curtain enough for me to slip behind it.

  “What do you think?” She asked as she spread her arms, as wide as the small space would allow, and twirled. She wore a pale blue dress that ended just above the knee; the color gave the illusion that her grey eyes were also blue. A form fitting bodice and spaghetti straps made it simple but in an elegant way.

  “It looks beautiful,” I said, envying the other woman’s height. She had a good four inches on me, which made all the difference when it came to buying pants. And, that lilac sundress. It’s harder than one may think to find petites.

  “Really? You don’t think it’s squeezing too much in here?” She indicated her generous cleavage.

  “That’s the point, Ky.”

  She cast me a playful glare and turned to examine her behind in the mirror. “Ok, you can go now.”

  I returned to browse through the sales racks and actually managed to think only about what I was seeing, particularly that silky red skirt. I examined the V-cut of it before shaking my head and putting it back. A long black evening dress near the doorway caught my eye. Though I did not intend to buy it, I was drawn to look.

  My hackles rose, just for a moment, as if somebody was watching me. I cast a glance around the near empty store. Nobody. I glanced out the open door into the fast-paced mall beyond. A mother struggled by with three small children; a teenage couple holding hands and a pair of mall security guards passed by. No one stared at me. Even as the feeling began to fade, I couldn’t shake the strange energy that taunted my senses.

  I was relieved when Kylarai appeared, dress in hand. “I haven’t bought myself something nice like this in ages. I know I’m going to feel so guilty about this later.” I followed her to the cashier as she chattered on but stared back over my shoulder. “What’s wrong?” She asked suddenly.

  “Nothing. Just spaced out. Sorry.” I shrugged. There was no point in ruining the day with some paranoia.

  “My legs feel like Jell-O.” I said when we finally flopped into the car with our bags stowed in the backseat.

  I never did buy those shoes. Instead, I came across a sexy, little black dress. A combination of silk with lace trim, it hugged my every curve, as if tailored for me alone.

  The fact that it was strapless had caused me some hesitation. After Kylarai’s reassurance that my ample breasts would hold it up just fine, I succumbed and handed over my debit card. Aside from that, I dropped more money than I should have at the bookstore, one of my favorite places to shop. And now, I was ready to call it a day.

  “Do you want to stay in the city for supper or head back to town?” I asked. When she reached to change the radio station, I smiled through the twinges of irritation.

  “You want the steak from Lucy’s, don’t you?”

  “It’s been awhile. And, it is past supper time.”

  “That’s fine with me. It’s been a while since I’ve gone to Lucy’s for steak and drinks.” A few more turns of the dial, and she stopped on the local hip-hop station. I tried hard not to howl from the pain it caused me.

  “Kylarai, I can’t stand this station. My car, my radio. Why don’t you ever drive anymore?”

  “Your car is newer.” She shrugged. “And, mine is a bitch on gas.”

  After some friendly bickering, we settled on a station that we could both live with, easy listening.

  It was going to be the start of the full moon at midnight, which encouraged loose and reckless behavior. I could already feel the crackle of the moon’s powerful pull on the air.

  Upon pulling into the parking lot of Lucy’s Lounge, Ky inquired jokingly as to why I wasn’t wearing my pretty new dress. Not in a million years would I wear a dress like that to a place like Lucy’s. I was more than happy with what I was wearing. The baby doll tee I wore stated simply “Bite me.” My black velvet skirt was cut above my knees in the front, below in the back. It was comfortable and easy to move in.

  The second we stepped through the doors, the sea of smells was an assault on the senses. My eyes adjusted quickly to the dull lighting, and though all I could see was a crowd of faces, I could feel every shifter in the place. Shaz was working the bar. Two other town Weres were shooting pool on the far side of the room.

  Amateur exotic dancer night was always a hit with the guys, occasionally too much of a hit. It was only once a week, but it had a tendency to be the most interesting night to show up.

  I knew that Arys was in the swarm, but I had yet to see him. I didn’t doubt that he knew I was there.

  We weaved our way through the tightly packed bodies. The side of the Lounge with the pool tables didn’t have as many free seats, so we headed for a table on the other side, near the stage.

  I followed Kylarai as she led the way through the thick mass of people. She looked great as always, dressed simply in pinstriped pants and a white, strapless top with her trendy locks framing her round face. Her eyes sparkled with the moon energy and her own lively nature.

  Flashing lights battered my eyes from the stage, where a buxom blonde strutted her very topless self around to one of the latest Top 40 songs. Hoots and hollers followed her, and a handful of men crowded around the edge of the stage and waited for their turn to slip a bill into her tiny g-string. The testosterone was thick on the air. I wrinkled my nose at Kylarai in distaste.

  I felt the vampire’s eyes on me. He’d found me first. Once I felt him, I could pinpoint where he was. He sat closer to the stage, off to the side with a few of his poker buddies. He looked right at home in the bar, dressed all in black; his raven hair was just the right amount of messy. I could feel the fire in the smoldering look he gave me from across the room. I knew that, though his eyes were on me, he monitored the occupants of the room just as surely as I did.

  He motioned me over, but I shook my head and crooked my finger, a signal to come to our table instead. After a few words to his buddies, he pushed his chair back and came our way. I wasn’t sure why my heart chose this moment to beat so fast.

  “Why are you so nervous?” Kylarai asked me; she leaned in close to be heard over the music.

  Even if she couldn’t hear my heart pounding, then she could surely sense my unease.

  Before I could reply, he was within earshot.

  “Arys, hey! How are you?” Kylarai greeted him warmly. “Nice to see you again.”

  “Good, thank you. And yourself?”

  I feigned interest in the show on the stage while they exchanged pleasantries. The blonde was now writhing
on the floor sans g-string. I was willing to bet my money that most of these amateurs were not really so amateur after all.

  “How about you, Alexa? I’m glad you stopped in tonight.” He turned those deep blue eyes on me, and I tripped over my tongue a few times before I could reply.

  “Oh really?” I gestured to the empty chair between Kylarai and me. I put on my best neutral expression and prayed that he couldn’t hear my rapid heartbeat. “There isn’t already enough here to keep you busy?”

  He grinned and glanced briefly at the stage, but the spectacle didn’t hold his attention long before he took the offered seat. After decades of dancing girls, I was sure he’d seen much better than this. I had a much bigger appreciation for classic burlesque myself.

  “There are a great many snacks to be had on a night like this.” He gave a low chuckle that seemed to stroke the nocturnal side of me. I was curious and drawn, as both human and wolf, to the sinister nature of his darkness.

  “I don’t find that hard to believe.” I used my drink as a good distraction, a chance to look away momentarily. When the waitress paused at our table, I ordered another.

  When I looked back at the vampire, an obvious hunger burned behind his eyes. Was it my imagination, or did he study the pulse in my throat?

  The blood of a shape shifter was intoxicating to vampires. Some had been known to form addictions to it, though that was rare. It gave them a magical high.

  I’d heard werewolves talk that way after their first taste of human flesh and blood, obsessed and addicted. It was unnerving. Not all of those wolves had ended their lives pleasantly.

  I’d tasted human blood but it hadn’t had that kind of effect on me. When I killed it was for a reason, not for enjoyment. Though make no mistake, that’s not to say I don’t enjoy it.

  “Tonight I’m feeling in the mood for something else, something … lupine.” Arys let the words hang on the air between us as I tried desperately to swallow the lump in my throat. Kylarai excused herself to the ladies’ room, and I felt my cheeks grow hot with embarrassment.