September Moon (16 page)

“I beg to differ.”

The bartender brought over a tray of tequila shots with a saltshaker and a bowl of limes. I grimaced as Willow handed me a drink. Holding his own, he clinked our glasses together. Forgoing the salt, he tossed it back, unfazed.

I stared into the small drink, disgusted. If I never drank that shit again, it would be too soon. No sooner had that thought crossed my mind than I realized this very well could be the last time I’d ever get the chance to drink with Willow.

With that ugly thought haunting me, I drank back the shot with a noise of disgust, banged the glass on the table, and reached for a lime. Holding the slice of fruit in my teeth, I lined up my shot and slammed the cue ball. The balls broke apart, scattering across the table. I sunk two solids. Not bad.

We shot a few games of pool as we made our way through the tray of drinks. It didn’t take long for me to lose track of how many I’d had. The familiar numbness set in, reminding me why so many chose to get lost this way. Before long I would exchange it solely for blood. That should’ve bothered me, but the tipsy haze prevented a genuine reaction.

“That’s three games for me. None for you,” Willow bragged, tossing the chalk at me and laughing when it bounced off my head.

“Ow, you ass.” I rubbed the spot it had hit, laughing far more than was necessary. My drunken giggle was fueled by the need to laugh. I didn’t do it as much as I needed to these days. It’s a wonder what a good, hard belly laugh can do for the soul.

The fun ended when the door opened, and two vampires walked in. They didn’t hesitate or linger, heading straight for us instead.

I exchanged a look with Willow who tightened his grip on the pool cue. I did the same, knowing it was likely my only weapon. We were in a human bar. Tossing around psi balls would only lead to more trouble.

“At last, I get to meet the ill reputed Alexa O’Brien.” The tall, blond one leading the duo strode right up to me, throwing a punch that knocked me back into the pool table.

I tasted blood. “Is that the best you’ve got?”

Licking a smear from my bottom lip, I smashed the wooden pool cue into the side of his head. The Dragon Claw hung on my hip, but I didn’t want to kill them with witnesses.

“Let me guess, you’ve taken it upon yourself to do something about Arys’s mortal queen,” I said, swinging again. He caught it this time, and we both held tight, trying to overpower the other. “You assholes need to get it through your heads that I am not the enemy.”

“Anyone with the power to rule two different breeds of monster is the enemy. Especially when I’m one of them.” He tried to jerk the cue from my hand, but my grip was solid.

Willow had the other vampire pressed against the wall, holding him with an arm crushing his throat. Fools. If they hadn’t known what he was, they were about to find out.

“I’m not interested in ruling anyone. My interests lie in protecting this city and the secrets we all keep, which you are right now threatening to expose.”

“You kill our kind,” the vampire hissed, baring fangs.

“I kill those who deserve it. That isn’t going to stop. If you had any sense you’d realize I can be a valuable ally.” I could feel eyes upon us. We were being watched by humans. No good.

“Yes, but at what cost?”

It was hard to keep from baring my own fangs at him in return. I focused on maintaining my human appearance. “Stop with the fang display, or I’ll have my friend hold you down while I yank them out of your head.”

Without waiting for a response, I kicked him square in the crotch and jerked the cue from his hand. He grunted and doubled over.

His recovery was fast. He forgot about the pool cue and with an angry grunt, tossed me over the pool table where I crashed to the floor, taking a few pool balls with me.

The bartender shouted at us to take it outside. A few shouts and jeers rang out from those watching. This idiot vampire was going to expose us all.

“Should I take him outside?” Willow asked, nodding to the one he held pinned.

We didn’t have much of a choice. I gave him a slight nod before lashing out at the blond one with the power I’d told myself I wouldn’t use in a human place. Lucky for me, they couldn’t see the swirl of blue and gold though they could feel it, much the way one can feel static electricity.

“Get moving,” I said, feeling his heart in my mind, knowing I could crush it to dust with only a thought.

I dropped the pool cue and ushered him out. Unable or unwilling to take his eyes off me, he walked backwards while I advanced on him. Willow called an apology to the bartender who rolled his eyes as if a good fight was part of a normal night for Willow.

Once on the street, all bets were off. I slammed a fist into the vampire’s smug face, letting him take the anger I’d swallowed back at the church. He tried to fend me off, but I was too pissed. His face was a bloody mess when Willow called me off.

He still held the other vampire though now he had the guy on his knees with his arms behind his back. “Do you want to kill them?”

I did. But that would only prove to them and the other so called rebels that I was a dictator willing to wipe out anyone who displeased me. I was better than that. Wasn’t I?

“No,” I said, clearly surprising the blond one. “I want to talk to them.” I stared at each vampire in turn, forcing them to look into my eyes. “Let’s get something straight. I am not Lilah. I don’t want to be worshipped or served or whatever the hell else you guys think. I want only to be respected.”

I paused, letting that sink in. When neither of them spoke, I continued. “There’s no reason we can’t all just go about our business without shit like this going down. Arys and I can protect this city. That includes you guys. It’s your choice. We can all play nicely in the sandbox. If you don’t want to, then I will be forced to defend myself.”

“Sounds fair to me,” Willow quipped, wearing a grin. He was enjoying this.

“How do we know you’re telling the truth?” The dark haired one on his knees gazed up at me in defiance.

“You don’t. But there’s only one way to find out. Does my reputation have me painted as a liar?” I challenged. I was many things. A liar was not one of them.

The blond scoffed but said nothing. His buddy continued to glare at me, but his determination seemed to die.

“We aren’t human,” he finally said, finding his courage again. “You can’t police us. We’re beyond that shit.”

“A sense of order has to be maintained. It’s the only way for us to continue our existence without the human government hunting us down. The FPA is watching us. All of us. Is that what you’d rather have?” My hand fell to the black jade handle of the dagger on my hip. It was a comforting habit. “I’m the one who’s been dealing with them. If you’d all prefer that I stop and let them come for you, that’s fine with me.”

The two vampires exchanged a look. This was news to them.

“I suppose it makes sense that it’s best for us all to keep a low profile,” the blond grudgingly admitted.

“It sure does. We’re going to let you go now. Tell your rebel buddies what I said. It’s common sense really. The next vampire to jump me or my friends dies a horrible, slow death. I promise.”

Willow stepped back, releasing the vampire he held. The two of them hesitated, probably considering another attack. They proved they had a sense of self-preservation when instead they slunk off into the night.

I sighed, relieved that I’d been able to send a message. I wasn’t about to hold my breath, but I hoped it helped them see that they had it all wrong.

“Those assholes don’t deserve to have an ally like you, Alexa,” Willow said.

“Yeah,” I nodded, feeling overwhelmed with the entire evening so far. The tequila haze had burned off, leaving me light headed and in need of coffee. “I know.”

Chapter Eleven

Less than an hour later, I was standing outside a dance club, staring at a corpse. This night just kept getting better.

Willow and Juliet stood on each side of me. The FPA agents Juliet had brought were busy keeping the occasional curious passerby from getting a good look. Receiving the call from my sister stating that there had been another public vampire kill had really been the shitty icing on an already craptacular cake.

It had been painfully tempting to ignore her call. I knew my sister though, and ignoring her would only have her showing up at my club unannounced. I wanted to avoid that at all costs.

“Do you have any idea why they’re doing this?” Juliet inquired, studying me with an uncharacteristic hardness to her brown eyes. “I mean, why now? Is there something going on that we should know about?”

“There’s never anything you should know about,” I snapped, harsher than intended. “I swear half the problems in this city are because of the FPA constantly digging around where they aren’t needed.”

Juliet glared at me, biting her lip as if to keep from telling me off. She might as well. Everyone else seemed to enjoy doing it. “I don’t know where your attitude is coming from, but you can drop it anytime. I have a problem to solve here. If you don’t want to help, then leave. But that will force me to take matters to the next level.” With her hands on her hips and her dark curls blowing slightly in the soft breeze, Juliet looked ready to kick some ass.

I could out glare Juliet any day. Of course, there was little satisfaction in that kind of win. I glanced down at the body. A college-aged guy lay sprawled at my feet, his blood staining the concrete. A series of twin punctures marred his neck. After the discussion I just had with the two rebel idiots, I was especially ticked off that this had happened again. Either this was someone’s lame act of rebellion, or we had a rabid newbie on our hands.

“Don’t get all authoritative with me, Juliet. You won’t win that battle.” Despite my words, I spoke with a softer tone. Fighting with her was the last thing I needed.

Willow nudged me and gave me a look. When I just shrugged, he said, “Alexa, maybe you should tell Juliet what’s going on. She’s your sister. Surely she’s trustworthy enough to know.”

Juliet’s eyebrows rose. She looked back and forth between us. “Tell me what? What’s going on?”

I frowned at Willow who wore a neutral mask. Meddlesome angel.

Sharing sensitive information with Juliet wasn’t something I felt comfortable doing. She was government, and I didn’t trust them. Still, she was also my sister. Didn’t she have a right to know I was going to die my human death?

“Anything I say to you is off the record. You have to promise to keep this to yourself.” I shot a look over my shoulder to the other agents, ensuring they weren’t close enough to catch this conversation.

“If you say something that affects my job, then I can’t keep it to myself.” Juliet tried to maintain her tough image, but it faltered, allowing me to see the worry she was fighting.

“Dammit, Juliet. Don’t make this so difficult.” It took great effort to keep from shouting at her. “There’s a small vampire rebellion trying to make my life hell. It’s because they think I’m going to die and become some hard ass vampire queen. And I am. Going to die, I mean. Soon.”

She stared at me as if I’d spoken another language. Confusion creased her brow. “I don’t understand. How can you know something like that?”

“It’s been foretold by several people with the ability to see what’s to come. Shya needs me and a scroll to take over Lilah’s throne and the power that comes with it.” There. I said it. And I did not feel good about it. I suddenly wished I could snatch back the truth. My gut told me I had just betrayed myself.

“But how? Why? This doesn’t make any sense.”

I nodded. “Trust me, I know. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around it. There’s a lot of details I still don’t have.”

The color drained from Juliet’s face. She shook her head, trying to process what I’d said. “Are you supposed to be some kind of sacrifice? Is that why he’s kept you so close all these years? Son of a bitch.”

“Something like that,” I admitted as warning bells went off in my head. “Look, Juliet, you’ve got to understand that there’s a lot we still don’t know. I just want to find that scroll before he does. I know you guys are looking for it too. But please, take this seriously. It’s dangerous. Too dangerous for a human-run organization.”

She was quiet for a long time. Too long. My nerves grew increasingly frazzled.

Finally, she sucked in a deep breath and took a step closer. Leaning in so I could smell her perfume, she said, “You were never going to tell me this, were you?”

“I didn’t think you needed to know. When I die, I’ll become a vampire. I just assumed you’d find out when it happened.”

From the incredulous look on her face, it was abundantly clear that she felt betrayed. Her eyes flashed with irritation, and her wolf looked out at me. I wondered briefly what she looked like as wolf. I had yet to see it.

“That is so fucking selfish of you, Lexi. All I am to you is government now, aren’t I? You don’t see me as family at all.”

Keeping this mature and professional was vital. Unfortunately, this was my sister, and the antagonistic tone she used triggered my defenses. It got a rise out of me the way only a sibling can. “You’re one to talk. You tried to arrest me! You let them hurt my friend.” My wolf responded to hers. A growl rumbled in my throat. “Better not throw stones unless you’re willing to take a few too.”

Willow stepped between us, gently pushing each of us back a few steps. “Excuse me, ladies, but I must point out that it’s nothing short of a miracle that you’re both standing here today. In times as dark as these, there are very few you can trust. You knew each other before all of this. Is this world you both live in now so much stronger than the one you came from? Have you forgotten each other already?”

The wolf in me retreated, backing down in awareness of the truth he spoke. Juliet’s gaze dropped to the pavement. Neither of us dared to be the first to respond.

Juliet turned away and barked, “Boys, get this body out of my sight. Make it fast.” To me, she said, “Alexa, we’ll talk later. I’ve got to get back to HQ.”

Without a glance in my direction she kept walking, leaving the agents to scramble to do her bidding. Most of them were twice her age. I wondered how she suddenly had so much clout. I guess screwing one of the bosses came with a promotion.