“Fucking hell, Xari! What the fuck?” he demanded, stepping away from the alcohol pouring from the shelves.
“I don’t like being used, Axton.” My voice was cold and laced with venom and resentment. “You set me up. You informed Bjorn and his pack that we’d be here tonight. His was the wayward pack you needed to eliminate, correct? I’m betting he’s also the werewolf who opened a bar three buildings down from yours. You didn’t want the competition, so you called me here to take care of your problem.”
“And? It didn’t break the laws you and your people placed, did it?” he demanded coldly.
Axton wasn’t stupid by any means. He was a calculated asshole that would support whoever benefited him the most. If he had another benefactor to protect him from our wrath, he’d have taken it in a heartbeat. He hadn’t made it to the top by being honest or caring about anyone except himself.
“I’m not your personal hunter, Axton. You don’t get to call me, promise information, and then coerce me to do your dirty work. You pulled me away from the funeral rites of my brothers and sisters. And for what? So I could take out your fucking competition. You’re a sadistic prick,” I exhaled and peered over my shoulder as my team shifted nearer to me.
I could sense Axton’s people closing in around us and knew they wouldn’t be as easy to fight as the werewolves. I didn’t wish for the situation to escalate, but I also couldn’t allow him to think he could use me as his wild card when he needed one to play. Smoothing my hand out on the counter, I watched the hard lines of his face relaxing.
He knew I wouldn’t fight him, but he also understood I wouldn’t hesitate to bring down hell on his inky dark head. I was pissed, but he had the upper hand because we were low on ammo after dropping thirty or more werewolves inside the club.
“Your laws make it hard to deal with shit in the way I’m used to handling it. You didn’t like Bjorn any more than I did, Xari.” Axton braced his hands on the counter, staring at me through icy blue eyes surrounded by thick, lush lashes. “You think you’re the only one who has offered me protection?”
“No, of course not, Axton,” I snorted, not backing down or looking away from his gaze. “You’re the manipulative prick who is always trying to get a leg up. You have no loyalties other than to the creatures you house inside this place. You’d probably sell out your mother if it brought you power, wouldn’t you?”
“I already did that to that ice-hearted bitch,” he chuckled, walking to the only shelf that wasn’t broken and carefully grabbing a bottle of scotch before turning back to face me. “You wanted information. I told you it wasn’t free, hunter. Nothing is ever free, and we both know that is the cold, hard facts of this world.”
“I don’t need your fucking lecture.” I stared him down unwaveringly. He was accustomed to women caving to his unworldly aura, but I wouldn’t fall for that shit.
Axton leaned forward, pushing a drink toward me. My mouth watered, scenting the essence of the otherworldly drugs pulsing in the glass of scotch. I could smell the enticing amber liquid that urged me to take a sip, bringing my inhuman instincts to the forefront of my mind.
Half-breeds sold their soul to taste this shit, but I knew better. I understood the moment it touched my lips, my body would sing to release my inner creature. Smirking, I pushed the glass back, and his brow creased at my rejection.
“I don’t drink that crap, Axton.” I nodded to the alcohol oozing down the shelves behind him. “You may be able to persuade weak-minded creatures with the allure of that poison, but I’m not interested. You claimed to have information; let’s have it.”
Axton snorted, sliding his gaze to the right of us where the male I’d touched was sitting quietly, observing. My attention slid to his dark eyes that slowly scrutinized my face before lowering to my bare hips, then to my holsters that crisscrossed at my waist.
My stomach churned beneath his intense stare, as if he was considering how easy it would be to end my life. Power continued to slither from his pores, alerting me he wasn’t anything I’d ever come across before. Typically, I could pinpoint a breed within seconds of coming within miles of it, but this male was a mystery.
I took one quick sweep of his form and slid my gaze back to Axton, who silently studied me. Then he turned from me and walked around the bar, and the men and women behind me aimed their weapons at his unguarded back.
A quick shake of my head had them locking their safety, and the sound of salt shaken over the bodies of the dead seemed to diffuse the situation. I didn’t need my team fighting this battle, not when I had Axton under control. He grabbed a glass and turned back to me, holding it up for me to see him pouring some clean, non-enchanted whisky.
Pushing the drink toward me, he glanced at the hunters cleaning up any signs that we’d ever been here. His eyes caught mine, studying my face, then shifted to the creature that had yet to move from the chair he’d retaken after the fight.
I’d never met or encountered anything like this male before, which bothered me. He wasn’t just unnerving; he was exotic and oozed power that drew my attention. The hint of ink under his shirt made me want to know what lay beneath the scrap of fabric. I’d felt nothing like him, and touching him awakened something inside of me I thought had died from Micah’s betrayal.
Lifting the glass to my nose, I inhaled the scotch while keeping my gaze on Axton. He gave me a crooked smile, slowly shaking his head.
“How come you don’t respond to me like other females do, Xariana?”
“Because, Axton, I have self-esteem, and I refuse to be just another bitch you’ve bedded.” I sipped the whiskey, enjoying the burn as it touched my tongue to slide down my throat. “You said you had info, and we’re running low on midnight steam,” I pointed out, setting the glass down and pushing it toward him. He started to lift the bottle, but I shook my head. “One drink is enough. I don’t want you getting the wrong impression and assuming we’re friends.”
“You’re such a bitch, and yet I’ve imagined fucking you on this very bar until you begged me to stop.” Axton held my stare, challenging me to shy away from his crude mouth.
“You couldn’t handle me,” I returned icily. “You want easy prey that surrenders because you tell them to do so. I don’t submit, ever.”
His lips jerked up, and his eyes narrowed to slivers. “Ah, pretty girl. Every female submits when she meets the right man. You just haven’t met him yet. We all know that asshole glaring murder at me wasn’t the man for you. We just had to wait out that mistake. Didn’t we, Noah?” Axton grinned at Noah, who was trying to ignore our conversation, and failing miserably. “You need someone who isn’t afraid to play with the wickedness burning inside those pretty green eyes, Xari. You should have a man that will pin you down and fuck that fight out of you. One day, you will meet him, and you’ll never need to wonder why women want a man to protect them.” Scuffling sounded behind me as Micah snarled a reply that I couldn’t make out.
“Do I look like I need to be protected?” I sneered, turning my nose up at his words. I stood to my full height of five-foot-eight and tilted my head. “I do like the idea of a man fucking the fight out of me, though. It would intrigue me to discover if it could be done. However, I have no interest in an alpha male who wants to control his female. I want someone who isn’t intimidated by the fact that my lady balls are as big as his. Now, give me the information and stop pretending to be worried about my sex life. We both know I’d come out on top if you took me to bed, and you’re not interested in me anymore than I am you, Axton.”