Page 9 of Hell to Slay

I hadn’t realized I’d said it out loud until he glared at me. “We’re fine.”

Only then did I realize I’d cut off Mel, who’d been describing the devil that controlled Ty.

“Sorry,” I muttered as Mel continued.

I tried to focus on her words, but instead got drawn into the musical quality of her voice. She hadn’t grown up speaking Spanish, but somehow her cadence always had a faint lilt to it that pleased my ear.

It was just one of the many things that drew me to her. She seemed more irresistible than ever before. What I’d once felt for Vaughn paled compared to my feelings for Mel. I’d had it bad for her before, but now… she was irresistible.

And that thought chilled me to the bone. Because that was exactly the problem.

Falling for her clearly made me vulnerable to losing control and going into a frenzy. History repeated itself, and Hudson and Jax had nearly paid the price. If I’d harmed either of them, I would never have forgiven myself.

We pulled up at the safehouse as the start of the frenzy replayed in my mind. If Lan hadn’t been there to hold me back…

A familiar self-loathing filled me as Jax glanced at me before pushing open the back doors. When I jumped out after him, he flinched, and I pulled up short, my heart twisting. I never wanted him to fear me like Vaughn had.

I could no longer deny why I’d joined this coven — I desperately wanted Mel, and I’d never stopped wanting Jax. It could’ve deepened into love if I’d let it, but I’d done everything I could back then to prevent that from happening. Yet Mel had slipped right in, finding the chinks in my armor and curling up inside my heart without my permission… making me a danger to everyone.

Even while I was freaking out internally, my big, dumb body followed along behind Mel like I was her shadow.

Hudson gave me a strange look as I reached for Mel and barely managed to withdraw my hand. What was the matter with me?

I’d never been bitten before. Maybe it was just the aftereffects of her bite… it had made me come, but my body wanted more. That had to be it.

Jax immediately went to the kitchen and put out a bowl of chips for Mel to snack on. “Until the Wildes coven brings us some bloodbags, you’ll want to recharge your magic in a different way.”

All of my personal hangups fell to the side as I realized Jax had the right idea. This was all new to Mel, and she would need our help to get through the initial cravings. That’s what I should focus on.

“I’m already desperate for blood,” Mel admitted. Her eyes fell on my neck.

“If the cravings get too bad, I volunteer as tribute.” Then I winked, trying to find some semblance of normalcy between us. “Speaking of which, let me change out of these pants.”

Mel chuckled and followed me to the bedroom. “I need to do the same.”

I was glad to see her in good spirits, but I turned away when she began stripping down. The last thing I needed right now was to let my heart — and body — get any more tangled up. To keep my coven safe, I should do the honorable thing and leave. But I quashed that impulse. Mel needed me. I wouldn’t abandon her now.

When we returned to the kitchen, we interrupted the twins whispering amongst themselves. We were all vampires now, which meant none of us had an eavesdropping advantage anymore, but I didn’t catch a word they’d said. Hudson’s worried eyes slid to Mel, while Jax’s gaze fixed on me.

“Care to share with the class?” Mel put her hand on her hip.

Hudson pulled her into an embrace. “We were all so worried about you, Mel.”

Jax kissed her temple. “Anything you need, we’re here for you. The transition… it’s not always easy, especially if you don’t get blood right away.”

He guiltily glanced at Hudson. Jax had killed that asshole movie director during his initial frenzy, which meant Hudson must be the one who’d gone without blood after turning.

“What else?” Mel asked, pulling back to study Hudson’s face.

The easy way he leaned in for a kiss made a spike of jealousy spear through my ribs. She’d only kissed me because of the bloodlust. I couldn’t be sure she would’ve done so otherwise.

“You won’t need to sleep as much anymore,” Jax offered. “That’s one good thing, right?”

We spent the day uneasily prowling around the house and eating whatever Jax set in front of us. Whenever Mel remarked on some facet of vampire life, the twins were quick to respond.

Now and then, when she thought no one noticed, I caught the stricken look on her face. She was putting on a brave front for the twins, but she was struggling.

“When can we go devil hunting?” I asked, feeling frustrated on her behalf.

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