waiting to see if I’d come for one of them next.
“Alexa, did you get anything?” Jez asked, watching me with uncertainty.
“I know where she is. We have to go in just before sunrise. She has too many guards.”
The voices started up again, all fighting to be the loudest. The pressure swelled in my head, and blood dripped from my nose. I turned to leave, and the candle burning on the nearest table burst into a giant flame.
I frantically looked around for Willow who was at the bar with an upended bottle in hand. He came to my rescue without spilling a drop. Jez pressed a tissue into my hand. I dabbed my nose and swore. I couldn’t take much more of this.
“How long is this going to last?” I clutched Willow’s arm with more force than intended. My claws drew blood, and I jerked back, gushing a series of apologies.
“It’s hard to say for sure. Either until you burn it off, or it burns you out.” Willow swigged from the bottle of scotch.
He gave the impression he was just a regular guy with a drinking problem. With Falon’s power commanding my senses, I could feel Willow’s power in ways I never had before. It was vast and deep. He was ready to do damage if anyone gave him a reason.
I stared at my hands, willing the wolf to back down. For the first time in years, I couldn’t repress the fangs and claws; too much power was wreaking havoc inside me. Thinking about the wolf made me think about losing it. Grabbing the bottle from Willow’s hand, I downed a few good swallows. It didn’t help.
A cool breeze lifted my hair. I felt Arys before he entered the building. We hadn’t spoken since I left him standing outside Shya’s house. My anger had long since faded. After everything that had taken place since last night, I had no interest in fighting with him.
“Arys is here.” I glanced anxiously toward the door. “I don’t want him to see me like this.”
“You two need to talk,” Jez said, giving my arm an affectionate pat. “We’ll go sit down. You talk to Arys, and if you need us, we’ll be right here.”
“Whatever you do,” Willow added. “Don’t lose your temper. You could burn the whole building down.”
Don’t lose my temper? That was easier said than done as far as Arys was concerned. Willow and Jez left me standing there feeling helpless, though I was far from it. I didn’t want Arys to see me there, amid the partygoers, filled to capacity with power that didn’t belong to me. Drifting into the corner behind the bar, I waited.
He strode into The Wicked Kiss looking like an animal on the prowl. With his perfectly messed black hair and tight black jeans, Arys never ceased to make my knees weak. It seemed the more he drove me nuts, the more I wanted him. I anticipated the moment he would look my way.
Those midnight blue eyes landed upon me lurking in the corner. My stomach clenched when he came my way. Were we destined to always be this way? Growing more desperately in love with one another as the conflict between us also grew.
“What happened to you, beautiful wolf?” Arys took my face in his hands and gazed into my eyes. “I can feel your wolf’s unrest.”
His mention of my wolf brought forth a sadness I thought I’d buried. I shook my head and searched for the right words.
“It’s my fault. I underestimated Falon.” I went on to explain my poor attempt to manipulate information out of the fallen angel. I wanted to tell him what I’d learned about my wolf but couldn’t bring myself to put it into words. Not yet.
“I’m sorry, Alexa.” Arys pressed his lips to mine in a tender kiss. “About Shya. I shouldn’t hide things from you. I just want to protect you.”
“Look at me, Arys.” I kissed him back, nibbling his bottom lip. “You can’t protect me from everything. You can’t even protect me from yourself.”
He stiffened and pulled away. “I can damn well try.”
Irritation took hold, and I huffed in annoyance. Arys needed to accept that I could handle myself. His insecurities were not my weaknesses. They were his. I grabbed a candle from the closest empty table and blew out the flame. Concentrating on the foreign entity inside me, I waved a hand over the candle, and the wick ignited.
Arys’s eyes widened, and he appeared mildly impressed. I couldn’t