September Moon (23 page)

I glared at my reflection in the mirror as I pulled my jeans on and tugged my black Sons of Anarchy reaper V-neck into place. “Thanks, Jez. Nice to know you can keep things in confidence.”

Kylarai was wearing that frown again when I emerged from the dressing room for the final time. “Alexa, are you all right? Please, don’t hide things from me. It feels like we’re drifting apart, and I hate that.”

“I’m fine, really. We’re not drifting. I’m just trying to put some distance between us so that you stay safe. Just until this is all over.” I shot Jez a dirty look when she returned in her yoga pants and tank top. She brushed it off dismissively and drained her champagne.

“Until what is over exactly?” Ky’s voice dropped when the sales lady returned.

“Everything with Arys and Shya. It’s just best if you’re not around me too much until it’s all said and done.”

She gave instructions to the sales lady regarding the dresses while I worked hard at stifling a yawn or two. The champagne had left a bitter taste in my mouth. I politely refused when offered another. Jez started to reach for another, looked at me, and changed her mind. We really needed to talk about the other night.

When we were alone again, Kylarai turned to me expectantly. “I understand. Really, I do. But please don’t shut me out. I need to know what’s going on with you. I care. Coby cares too. More than I think you realize.”

“I know. That’s why I need to protect you both by keeping you out of this. I’m already afraid that having me in your wedding will be a mistake.”

“Do not say that. The wedding wouldn’t be right without you. It’s my special day, and I want you there. No worries. I mean it.” Kylarai held out a hand to each of us. “I’m so happy to have you ladies in my life. This would be a very lonely life without you. Now, let’s go for dinner. I’m buying.”

We went to a restaurant down the street that was known for its fabulous ribs. The three of us gathered around the table, chatting and laughing, enjoying the atmosphere. It was so carefree and human. For a short time I was able to put my worries aside.

Kylarai shattered my brief reprieve by getting serious on me again. “Lex, I don’t mean to pry, but please tell me what’s going on with you. What happened with Arys last night?”

Shutting her out wasn’t fair. We were still pack, despite the technicality that said we weren’t. She was my friend, my family. Stifling a groan, I took a deep breath and filled her in on everything I’d neglected to say.

When I finished she shook her head and sat back with a bewildered expression on her pretty face. “Your shared purpose is so close to coming to pass that it’s driving you both batshit crazy. That hardly seems fair.”

“Nothing is fair in this world though, is it?” I grimaced, stirring the ice in my strawberry daiquiri. “It is what it is. All I can do is hope the scroll turns up so we can get this over with. If it doesn’t happen soon, Arys is going to kill me anyway. He’s been expecting it so long that the wait is breaking him down.”

Kylarai sipped from her virgin pina colada, looking thoughtful. “Not everything is unfair. You’ve got to try to see the silver linings, Lex. You’re focused so hard on the storm clouds that you’re missing the light show completely.”

“Agreed,” Jez jumped in with a knowing look. “Life is a journey, right? This is all leading you somewhere. Good things do happen to people like us. Eventually.”

There was an awkward lull in the conversation. Kylarai broke the quiet with a cheerful, “So how’s Kale? Good I hope. I wanted to invite him to the wedding, but then I thought that might just be incredibly awkward. What do you both think?”

I exchanged a look with Jez who laughed into her martini. I did my best not to discuss Kale with Ky. It was just too weird given their brief time as a couple.

“It’s not like you were in love with him, right?” Jez pointed out. “Couldn’t hurt to send the invite. Knowing Kale, he won’t come. He’s kind of a downer that way.”

Ky was no idiot. She read between the lines with ease. “So what I’m hearing is that things are really strange between you two, and I shouldn’t invite him.”

“It’s your big day, Ky. Whoever you want to be there should be there. Don’t make those decisions based on me.” I patted her hand, finding her aura warm and pulsing. It struck me as odd that it was so noticeably vibrant.

The waiter arrived with our order, giving me the perfect opportunity to change the subject. There just was no easy way to discuss having my best friend’s ex tied to me like a prisoner of his own desire.

I dove into the cheeseburger and Caesar salad I’d ordered, finding it just perfect. Damn I was going to miss this. Eating a cheeseburger should not make one an emotional wreck, but suddenly I was fighting the urge to throw the damn thing in a fit of irrational anger. Why should everything be taken from me?

There was no one to blame but myself. And perhaps circumstance. Stuffing those feelings back down inside, I savored the burger, making note of each smell and flavor. I wanted to remember this later when the only food I craved would be human.

“So where did Shaz take Coby tonight? Are they having a real bachelor party? Strippers and all that fun stuff.” I asked, thinking it seemed like a safe enough topic.

Kylarai had asked Shaz to take Coby out. Shaz had asked me repeatedly if I wanted him with me instead, but I had assured him that having a good time with Coby was the best thing he could do for me right now. His reluctance made him that much more adorable. Letting Shaz go was going to be one of the hardest things I’d ever have to do.

“I didn’t even want to know,” Ky said with a laugh. “I told Shaz not to tell me what he had planned. Just to bring back my fiancé in one piece.”

“Well, what about you?” Jez said between mouthfuls of grilled chicken. “You deserve a final big bash too. We should party.”

“The wedding is coming up so quickly. I don’t have time to party.”

Jez was aghast. “There is always time to party.”

“Maybe a little too much time,” I added, giving her a pointed look.

Jez frowned and pushed the chicken around on her plate with the fork, avoiding my gaze. “I know I fucked up, Lex. But we all suffer, and we all deal in our own way. You can’t punish me for that.”

The tone of our dinner went from fun and friendly to tense and awkward in a split second. It wasn’t fair of me to act like judge and jury. I was just afraid.

“You scared the hell out of me, Jez. I’ve never seen you that far gone before, and I hope I never see it again. I’m sorry. I’ll back off.” Hoping for a smile, I offered her a fry from my plate. “Peace offering?”

She swiped the fry from my hand with the speedy reflexes of a cat. “I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t punish you for caring.” Turning her emerald-green gaze on Ky, she said, “Ok, so about this bachelorette party. Where would you like to go? Bride’s choice.”

Kylarai was about to protest when she seemed to rethink it. “There is a band playing tonight I wouldn’t mind seeing. They’re local. Coby turned me on to them.”

At the mention of a local band, my stomach flipped.
Please don’t say it’s at The Spirit Room
, I thought.

“They’re playing at The Spirit Room,” she continued, dashing my hopes with just those few words.

Jez raised her eyebrows, expecting my protest. I swallowed hard, finding the cheeseburger was now sitting heavily in my stomach. “Sure,” I said with a forced smile. “We can do that.”

“Do you want to go see the ‘peelers’ first? I don’t mind. I can appreciate some nice man flesh. I just don’t want it touching me,” Jez quipped with a flip of her golden locks.

A giggle erupted from Ky. “As much as I appreciate the offer, no thank you. I have more than enough man flesh at home.”

That was a relief. I wasn’t sure I could stand to watch buff men tear their clothes off and gyrate for screaming women. While the human women would hunger for one thing, I’d be hungering for another.

“Someone may as well have some action at home. At the rate we’re going we’ll be old, sexless spinsters in no time,” Jez said with a nod to me. When I frowned in response, she added, “Sorry, Lex. You have been pushing your men away though.”

“Only Shaz. It’s for his own good, you chatty thing. Don’t think I’m enjoying it.” I flung a fry at her, disappointed when she caught it.

“No more talk of depressing stuff. Aren’t we supposed to be celebrating?” Ky brought our attention back to her, holding her glass up expectantly. Jez and I raised our glasses as well. Kylarai stared at us each in turn. Her cheeks were rosy, and she seemed to glow with an inner happiness. “To friends. And to overcoming the odds, no matter how bleak they may seem. To hope and the certainty that everything happens for a reason.” Kylarai clinked her glass against ours and beamed like the sun itself threatened to burst from within her.

I studied her, seeking the source of her inner illumination. Sure marriage made a woman beam, but there was something else there. A gentle touch of her aura slapped me in the face with the answer. I struggled to maintain my composure. Was this for real?

Her aura was strong and solid, humming with a healthy vibrancy. Focusing intently on her energy, I was able to pick out another, weaker aura beneath hers. Unless I was very wrong, Kylarai was pregnant.

* * * *

We arrived at The Spirit Room after dark, early enough that we were able to find a table near the stage but not so early that the place was empty. Now that the sun had set, I was anxiously anticipating an appearance by my crazed vampire.
Which one?
A nasty voice in the back of my mind taunted.

Arys hadn’t tried to contact me mentally or by phone. I wasn’t sure if I should be worried or relieved by that. Leaving the house without Jenner had been simple enough thanks to the afternoon sun. Now that darkness had fallen, I expected one of my self-appointed protectors to show up.

The first band of the evening took the stage. They were hard rock with a lot of growling and screaming. Not quite my kind of rock, but it sure beat Top 40 crap.

“I just can’t decide where we should go for our honeymoon,” Kylarai was saying. “Coby wants to lie on the beach in Hawaii, but I’d much rather go somewhere romantic like Paris or Vienna.”

“I vote Europe, for sure. Why not visit both Paris and Vienna? Walking through those cities would be a dream.” I leaned forward, resting my face on my hands, and imagined strolling through the stone streets of Paris.

“I dated a chick who works for a travel agency. We parted on good terms. I’m sure I could get you guys a deal.” Jez’s offer was met with a gleeful squeal from Ky who clapped her hands together excitedly.

When the waitress came and Ky ordered another virgin drink, my suspicions were confirmed. She knew. So why hadn’t she told us?

My phone vibrated, rattling against the tabletop. I grabbed for it quickly, hoping it was Dayne responding to the message I’d left him earlier. Before leaving the house I’d called him to say I was ready to do the job whenever he sent me the information I needed. Securing that alliance with Doghead was not an option. It had to be done.

It was Juliet. I ignored it, not wanting to disrupt this evening with FPA bullshit.

I sat there tapping my fingers on the side of my beer bottle, watching the people file in through the entrance. No hard booze for me tonight. Or maybe ever again. I needed to stay as alert as possible. Jez was doing a good job pacing herself. I pretended not to scrutinize her too hard, and she pretended not to notice I was doing it.

My phone alerted me to a voicemail, and I rolled my eyes. As much as I loved my sister, she still drove me as nuts as she ever did. I considered listening to it but was distracted when Arrow walked in.

Jez saw him too and held up a hand before I could spout obscenities. “Chill, Lex,” she said. “We leave him alone, and he’ll leave us alone. Trust me. It’s best that way.”

“Is that so?” I questioned. “Is that why he’s headed over here?”

The tall, dark-haired nephilim was dead set on our table. Mischief lit up his hazel eyes. He wore a knit cap that hung off the back of his head, leaving some of his black hair falling free in the front. Dressed all in black, he moved through the room like a shadow. I made a mental note to learn all I could about nephilims. Surely Willow would have some valid information.

Arrow all but slithered up to our table, angling for Jez. My wolf rose up protectively, ready to rip his face off, and I had to force her back down.

“Hey, Jez. I called you last night. Did you get my message? I got my hands on some really primo shit.” Arrow grinned and leaned in closer to whisper something the loud music prevented me from hearing. His gaze met mine, and he smirked.

I gripped the beer bottle so hard I heard the glass crack. Didn’t he realize he was seconds away from taking it in the face? Deep calming breaths did little to convince my wolf to settle down.

“Oh yeah?” Jez replied, shooting me a warning glance. “Thanks but I’m not looking for anything.”

“Are you sure? You know I’m good for free samples. Care to join me upstairs?” Arrow’s delivery was smooth. The only thing working against him was the fact that he was male. Jez had to see right through him.

“No, thanks. I’m fine. Really.” With a shake of her golden head, Jez waved him away as if aware I was about to snap all over him. “Have a good night, Arrow.”

He studied Kylarai briefly before dismissing her. His gaze landed on me, and his eyes narrowed. “What about you? You look like you could use a pick me up.”

“You don’t say.” The bottle was airborne, flying out of my hand across the table before I could decide to actually throw it. Oops.

Arrow reacted fast. Throwing a hand up, he stopped the bottle inches from hitting him. To make the feat even more remarkable, it hung there, suspended. After a few seconds that felt like a lot longer, the bottle felt straight to the floor where it rolled under the table.

I was out of my seat and rounding the table before anyone could speak. I grabbed Arrow by the throat and squeezed while reaching aggressively into him metaphysically, seeking out his heart in my mind. I’d never done it to a mortal.