Darker (Alexa O'Brien Huntress Book 6) - By Trina M. Lee Page 0,1

days and sixteen hours. That’s how long it had been since my wolf mate had left town. Shaz Richardson, the one person that fully understood me. Or, so I’d thought. Recently there hadn’t been enough understanding between us. We both had issues that we chose to hide rather than share with one another. I’d thought his absence would get easier with the passing of time; I was wrong.

Turning away from the sight of my vampire on the bed with a bleeding, quivering victim, I left the room to stand awkwardly in the hall instead. I’d been feeling sorry for myself lately. It was ridiculous and time to cut that nonsense out. I had also been looking over my shoulder far more often than usual since a cursed demoness tried to have me killed. Self-pity and cowering wasn’t my thing; I was ready to snap out of it.

A scream rang out, muffled slightly by the door I’d just closed. Arys’s devious laugh followed, sending a chill down my spine. I walked away; I had to. When the bloodlust rose, I walked too close to the edge of sanity. Knowing what he was doing was as horrifying as it was alluring. I clung hard to what remained of my humanity, but every night I felt it slip further away. I could mourn it, or I could accept it. I had yet to do either.

Making my way down the hall, back to the main entrance from the club, I found myself overwhelmed by the onslaught of metaphysical energy leaking from every occupied room. Sex, blood, violence and pleasure oozed through the atmosphere like a metaphysical gas leak. The tantalizing blend of vampire and human essence called to me, beckoning like a wanton lover.

My pace quickened. I reached for the door that separated the nightclub from the back playground. The sound of a commotion beyond greeted me before I turned the knob. I almost collided with Josh as he rushed toward me.

“I don’t know who you pissed off now, but we’ve got problems,” he shouted over the noise. The panicked bartender pushed by me, heading for the back exit.

I couldn’t say that I blamed him; I’d have loved to vacate, too. As it was, the other owner of the club, Kale, had been missing for weeks so I was the only one left to deal with this shit. Once I got a good look at what exactly was going on, I wished I’d stayed in the back.

A gang of vampires were happily trashing the place. Like a bunch of delinquents, they overturned tables and smashed liquor bottles. However, it didn’t take them long to target the patrons. Total hysteria broke out as they savaged stray humans. People stampeded toward the door.

The vampires that frequented the place as well as the few on my security staff attempted to fight back. The invaders were quickly tossed aside or dealt a deathblow that left them in piles of ash and dust.

I leaped into the fray, dodging a flying table and fighting to avoid being trampled by the crowd that rushed against me like a powerful ocean wave. I gathered my power but couldn’t use it with so many innocent people in the crossfire. When I had a clear shot of one of the vampires, I let loose with a psi ball that threw him hard against the wall. Guiding my focus, concentrating hard, I flooded him with enough power to make his head burst.

Sating the bloodlust had honed my senses, sharpening them to a delicate point. I was able to take out another vampire and slash the throat of a third before taking a heavy punch. I would have given just about anything to have my dagger then.

Forged by a demon, the Dragon Claw had the ability to kill a vampire with just a nick of the blade. It didn’t even need to pierce the heart. Unfortunately, it was sitting tucked away in its velvet-lined box in the trunk of my car. Real helpful.

I stumbled backward and fell gracelessly over one of the lounge-style couches. Before I could get to my feet, a large vampire with a meaty hand grabbed my arm and dragged me up. I didn’t hesitate, shoving power into him with my focus on his heart. Blood burst from his eyes, ears and nose seconds before he exploded in a shower of dust.

I expected further attack, but nobody grabbed for me. The remaining vamps hung back, looking to a shadowed figure standing mostly unnoticed