Ecstasy in Darkness (Alien Huntress 5)

The head of AIR answered on the second ring, barking a command for him to speak. He did, telling her what he’d discovered, what he thought, and where the group was headed. She cursed as if she were being tortured, told him to return to Ava and stay put, then hung up on him.

He pocketed the phone, certain he deserved some type of reward for his actions this night. He’d saved an enemy, after all. For Ava.

His lips curled into a smile. Since he’d done the saving for Ava, she would have to supply the reward. McKell knew exactly what he wanted …

Where the hell had McKell gone?

Ava remained in the bar, drinking with Noelle despite her fatigue and sulking about his disappearing act for half an hour before asking her friend to drive her home. She didn’t have a car of her own—they were too expensive—and she didn’t want to walk.

Noelle was far more intoxicated than Ava, but the good news was, there was no such thing as drunk driving. Not anymore. Cars drove themselves. All humans, otherworlders, and bastard vampires had to do was punch in the address of the destination, and bingo. Done. All that remained was the time spent on the road.

“Two things I gotta tell ya,” Noelle said as the brand-new vehicle wound through the streets. Rich as she was, she’d had the bright red sports car delivered the day after McKell destroyed her sedan. And yes, her words were slurred.

“Tell me.” Ava’s were, too, for that matter.

“First, I’m sorry I called you fat the other day.” Noelle was the world’s nicest drunk. After a few shots, she always regretted everything she’d done and said for the past—however long had passed since her last drink. “You looked gorgeous, but I was feeling bitchy because I’d called dibs on McKell but he only had eyes for you.”

She tried not to grin, she really did. “He did?”

“Yeah. And it was f**king depressing. I’m pretty, aren’t I?”

“The prettiest.”

Noelle fluffed her hair. “That’s true.”

“What’s the second thing you wanted to tell me?”

“First, you gotta tell me how you do it.”

The car hit a bump, and her stomach lurched. She leaned against her seat and peered up at the open ceiling panel. Stars winked in the sky, blurred together, danced, and caught her mind up in the twirl. “Do what?”

“Get men to follow you around like little puppies.”

“I don’t.” Proof: Where the hell was McKell?

“Do. Johnny Deschanel still wants you. Jeremy Deschanel would like a go at you, too. And McKell would follow you into hell—and did!—but nobody wants me.” Pouting now.

Ava closed her eyes and turned her head in Noelle’s direction. Only when the spinning stopped did she allow her lids to open. “Everyone wants you. Well, not McKell. You’re right about him.” He’s mine! “But did you see how fast he flew out of the bar? He couldn’t get away from me fast enough.” Now she was pouting.

“Oh, that. I know what happened.” Noelle waved a dismissive hand through the air, then frowned as she wiggled her fingers. “He—Oh, no. No, no, no. I have seven fingers. How did I get two extra?”

“You can get them surgically removed.” God, she was smart. “Now, what were you saying about McKell?”

“I don’t remember.” Noelle tapped a nail against her chin, brightened. “Oh, yeah. He followed Johnny. Probably to kill him.”

“Really?” She couldn’t help it. She grinned again. She’d imagined three likely scenarios for his departure. One, meeting a food-slave-slash-lover. Two, needing space. From Ava. And three, meeting a food-slave-slash-lover.

She frowned. Her math might be a little off. Oh, well. “A man defending my honor. How cool is that?”

“Five bucks says McKell cuts off Johnny’s penis.”

“Ten says he’ll remove the man’s heart.” A girl could hope, anyway.

Sleeping with Johnny was one of the stupidest things she’d ever done. But she’d been feeling lonely, had drunk just a little too much, and well, she’d thought she was crawling into bed with his brother, Jeremy. He was stacked, just like she preferred. Just like McKell.

McKell. Her McKell.

Yeah, muscles were still her weakness.

“I’m never drinking again,” she said, then lifted the bottle of Jack she’d brought with her and drained the rest of the contents.

“Me, either.” Noelle confiscated the bottle, realized there was nothing left, and licked the rim. “Dallas was looking pretty hot, huh?”

“I guess.” To be honest, Ava had only been able to see McKell. That dark hair, those violet eyes. The way he kept stopping time to punch Johnny in the nose. What a hero.

“So was Hector. Looking hot, I mean. But he’s pretty much a bastard, so I’m not sure I’ll go for it.”

Hector was muscled, and before McKell, Ava had actually sized him up and called dibs. Not that she’d ever done anything about it. “He’s yours, if you want him.”

“Concentrating on McKell?”

“No. He’s not a potential lover.” Except that he is.

“Why? He’s off the must-kill list. I mean, Mia wouldn’t have let him stay in the bar if he was still on it. So he’s no longer your enemy. He’s your helpmate.”

“Helpmate? Do you hear how ridiculous you sound? But think about it. If I sleep with him, I’ll no longer be regarded as a competent agent. I’ll just be the girl who has to sleep with men to get them to cooperate. You heard Johnny, right? ‘How’d she get the vampire to come?’” she mocked.

The car stopped at an intersection. Built-in sensors also knew when to slow down, when to speed up, and when to halt abruptly if something unexpected flew in the way.

Noelle pressed a few buttons, forcing the car to move forward despite the red light. That option was not something all cars possessed. “Alls I’m saying is that you’re too worried about what other people think of you. You always have been. McKell likes you, and you like him. Go for it. Everyone else can go nuck themselves. Wait. Is that the right word?”

She couldn’t refute Noelle’s claim. She was worried about what other people thought; she hated herself for it, but couldn’t change how she felt. Too many years of being called “trash” had left her raw and scarred inside. Even though she often professed to be unaffected. Even to herself.