sweltering, and I couldn’t wait to leave. I didn’t know if he really lived there or if it was merely a prop, but it was a nice place. Pricey. A second floor overlooked the main floor where we stood. The high ceilings and wide, open rooms made the place feel huge.
No sooner was Brook freed than he sprung out of the chair and unfurled his big black wings. His face bore the marks of the holy water. Battered and burnt, he glowered at Falon before disappearing in a burst of black smoke. The stench of sulfur choked me.
“Go,” Shya ordered Falon, his head inclined slightly toward a door on the opposite side of the living room. “Get the wolf.”
“Wolf?” I sputtered. “What’s going on?”
I hadn’t sensed anyone else in the house with us, but the moment that door swung open, I could feel it. Something wasn’t right with Shya’s basement. A chill crept up my spine. Instinctively, I wanted to flee the house. Whatever Shya had going on down there, it was bad.
A series of bangs and curses rose from the stairwell. Falon appeared in the doorway with a bloody, beaten man. He smelled like wolf, but I didn’t recognize him. Falon dragged him across the room and flung him at my feet.
Shya ambled up beside me, his arms crossed over his chest. Eyeing me, he nodded toward the man on the floor.
“We’ve got a little problem here. This wolf has made some serious trouble recently. Enough trouble to get him killed. But, since he claims that you’re the one who turned him, that decision falls into your hands.”
Shocked didn’t begin to describe my reaction. “What? I’ve never turned anybody.”
“That’s a lie.” The man knelt before me, sullen and angry. “You attacked me on the street. Some guy pulled you off me and I ran.”
Oh, shit. It hit me like a bitch slap in the face. I remembered him. That night Arys had found me at The Wicked Kiss after he’d warned me to stay away. It had been more than a warning. He’d outright threatened me, but I’d gone there anyway to seek answers from the one person I knew who had them, Harley. Arys and I had a shouting match in the parking lot before I’d ended up at a bar drowning my sorrows and ultimately losing control on a stranger outside. And, here he was.
“You’re right. That was me.” I stared down at his face, trying to see it in my memory. I couldn’t. He looked back at me boldly, refusing to show fear. “I’m sorry.”
His left eye was swollen, and his clothes were bloodstained. Falon had given him a good ass kicking. That lit a flame of anger inside me. If he was my wolf then he was mine to punish. Where did a fallen angel get off laying hands on my wolf?
“What happened to him?” I directed the question to Shya, but I locked eyes with Falon. “What did he do to earn himself a beating before I even knew about him?”
“He went to the human authorities with his story. He begged for their help.” With a shake of his head, Shya looked at the wolf with utter disdain. “My man on the inside turned him over to me, but not before he wolfed out on two cops. I would have killed him immediately if he hadn’t said your name.”
“How do you know my name?” I was uneasy. Wolfing out on cops was not something to brush off.
The wolf looked between Shya and me uncertainly. “Everyone knows who you are. It wasn’t hard to get some information on you once I started digging around. I knew what you looked like.”
“Why the hell would you go to the police?” I demanded, my voice rising. I was having a hard time grasping all this. I wasn’t sure how much more I could take tonight. To Shya, I said, “And why the hell do you have a fire burning? It’s July.”
Shya merely smiled, a vicious grin that shone with amusement. I kept my attention on the wolf before me. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This was definitely not what I’d expected to find here tonight.
“I didn’t want to hurt anybody. I thought they could help me before I did
No sooner was Brook freed than he sprung out of the chair and unfurled his big black wings. His face bore the marks of the holy water. Battered and burnt, he glowered at Falon before disappearing in a burst of black smoke. The stench of sulfur choked me.
“Go,” Shya ordered Falon, his head inclined slightly toward a door on the opposite side of the living room. “Get the wolf.”
“Wolf?” I sputtered. “What’s going on?”
I hadn’t sensed anyone else in the house with us, but the moment that door swung open, I could feel it. Something wasn’t right with Shya’s basement. A chill crept up my spine. Instinctively, I wanted to flee the house. Whatever Shya had going on down there, it was bad.
A series of bangs and curses rose from the stairwell. Falon appeared in the doorway with a bloody, beaten man. He smelled like wolf, but I didn’t recognize him. Falon dragged him across the room and flung him at my feet.
Shya ambled up beside me, his arms crossed over his chest. Eyeing me, he nodded toward the man on the floor.
“We’ve got a little problem here. This wolf has made some serious trouble recently. Enough trouble to get him killed. But, since he claims that you’re the one who turned him, that decision falls into your hands.”
Shocked didn’t begin to describe my reaction. “What? I’ve never turned anybody.”
“That’s a lie.” The man knelt before me, sullen and angry. “You attacked me on the street. Some guy pulled you off me and I ran.”
Oh, shit. It hit me like a bitch slap in the face. I remembered him. That night Arys had found me at The Wicked Kiss after he’d warned me to stay away. It had been more than a warning. He’d outright threatened me, but I’d gone there anyway to seek answers from the one person I knew who had them, Harley. Arys and I had a shouting match in the parking lot before I’d ended up at a bar drowning my sorrows and ultimately losing control on a stranger outside. And, here he was.
“You’re right. That was me.” I stared down at his face, trying to see it in my memory. I couldn’t. He looked back at me boldly, refusing to show fear. “I’m sorry.”
His left eye was swollen, and his clothes were bloodstained. Falon had given him a good ass kicking. That lit a flame of anger inside me. If he was my wolf then he was mine to punish. Where did a fallen angel get off laying hands on my wolf?
“What happened to him?” I directed the question to Shya, but I locked eyes with Falon. “What did he do to earn himself a beating before I even knew about him?”
“He went to the human authorities with his story. He begged for their help.” With a shake of his head, Shya looked at the wolf with utter disdain. “My man on the inside turned him over to me, but not before he wolfed out on two cops. I would have killed him immediately if he hadn’t said your name.”
“How do you know my name?” I was uneasy. Wolfing out on cops was not something to brush off.
The wolf looked between Shya and me uncertainly. “Everyone knows who you are. It wasn’t hard to get some information on you once I started digging around. I knew what you looked like.”
“Why the hell would you go to the police?” I demanded, my voice rising. I was having a hard time grasping all this. I wasn’t sure how much more I could take tonight. To Shya, I said, “And why the hell do you have a fire burning? It’s July.”
Shya merely smiled, a vicious grin that shone with amusement. I kept my attention on the wolf before me. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This was definitely not what I’d expected to find here tonight.
“I didn’t want to hurt anybody. I thought they could help me before I did
Similar Books
