hand along the hood of my red Charger Daytona, Shya’s grin was vicious. He tilted his head to the side and regarded me as if I were a prize, not a person.
“How about we negotiate on this whole leading vampires and werewolves issue? You are already Queen to Arys’s King. Why not start acting like it?”
“I’m not going to pretend to know what you mean by that. You’re too elusive, Shya. I can’t agree to anything if you aren’t straight up with me.” I frowned when he sat on the hood of my car. I was ready for this night to end.
“Nobody has more power among vampires and werewolves than you two. I need the kind of power and muscle those creatures can provide. All you have to do is establish and maintain a position of respected authority. You have it. You just don’t exercise it.” When I glowered at him uncertainly, he added, “It wouldn’t be so different from what you already do for me, what you did for Veryl. You’d just have more man power.”
I searched him for a lie, hating that I couldn’t smell one on a demon. “You want me to keep wiping out people that get in your way. FPA rats and such?”
“More or less.” With a cocky smirk, he winked at me.
“That’s what worries me. The more or less.” I watched a car slow down as it rolled past us. The driver was smart to keep going. I said a small prayer that this wouldn’t be a mistake that would come back to haunt me. “I’ll do what I can to make connections with the vamps and Weres in this city. But, the Stony Plain wolves will be left out of it, and I won’t force anyone to do anything. Their choice.”
That was as close to giving him what he wanted as I was going to get. He knew it, too. The demon dragged out the moment, making me sweat while I awaited a response.
“Alright,” Shya finally said after what felt like an hour. “That works. For now.”
“Good. Now, can I please go home? I need to rest up so I can be bled by a vampiric demoness tomorrow night. Wouldn’t want to be unprepared for that.” Sarcasm dripped from my words. I reached for the car door handle, hoping Shya would take the hint.
He looked far too pleased with himself. A flicker of unease passed through his eyes. “Be ready for anything. It’s going to get nasty. I’ll see you there.”
Shya vanished. I got into the car and started the engine. I kicked myself for being a hypocrite. Making a deal with the demon was stupid, but it was for Juliet.
As I headed out of the city, headed for home, I couldn’t help but think that if Lilah bled me dry tomorrow, at least I wouldn’t owe Shya a damn thing.
Chapter Nineteen
The sounds of the night were so different from my backyard patio than they were in the city. There was no traffic to ruin the peaceful quiet. No sirens. Small town living allowed me to see the stars glittering against the night sky. It called to my wolf.
I walked through the yard, taking in the scents of summer. It wouldn’t be long until the warmth faded, and Fall moved in to strip the trees of their leaves and the grass of its green vitality. I couldn’t help but wonder if Shaz would be back by then.
A chorus of howls broke the stillness. A shiver crept up my spine. Kylarai, Coby and the others were running tonight. They were miles away, but I could feel them as if they were right there with me. My wolf wanted to join them. That would probably never happen again.
It was tempting to shift, but the thought of running alone was depressing. I missed Shaz desperately. He would have had something reassuring to say, and for a little while, I might actually believe him. Too bad for me, he wasn’t here. While I was here waiting for the clock to count down to my potential demise, Shaz was likely running through the mountains, at one with nature.
It was better that he wasn’t here. I wouldn’t want to risk him. His absence kept Lilah’s attention off him. That was worth the pain I felt every time I thought about him.
Unable to listen to the pack’s mournful cries any longer, I went inside and closed the patio door. The house felt big and empty. I didn’t know what to