Free Death Wish by Trina M Lee

desires. Well… welcome to life. Never has a pair of devoted lovers walked this earth without facing their share of trials and tribulations. Why do you think wedding vows have all that for better or for worse stuff? Get over it or give up. There are no other options.”
    Couldn’t argue with that. I knew he was right. That damn vampire was almost always right. I’d never admit it too readily, though.
    Shaz nodded his platinum head and shuffled his feet. “I’m not willing to give up.” To me he said, “Are you?”
    “No.” I didn’t have to think about it. “Not a chance.”
    “Alright then.” Arys nodded approvingly and gestured to each of us with a hand. “I now pronounce you both over it. A month of the two of you brooding is more than enough. Precious wasted time, you know.” Casting his dark blue gaze on Shaz, he added with a grin, “Now kiss your woman and make it official.”
    A boyish smile graced Shaz’s lips, and I adored him just a little bit more. He was so special. My emotions surged when he obeyed Arys and crossed the room to pull me into his arms.
    His kiss was tender but restrained. I could feel his uncertainty, the same fearful doubt I felt. Scents of The Wicked Kiss lingered faintly on him, but beneath that was the heady aroma of wolf and Shaz. It transported me to a place where the forest embraced us and the moon was our only master. I longed for the pure simplicity of the wolf’s world.
    Arys demanding that we just get over it wasn’t going to make this all disappear. Still, he’d made a point. Love was hard. Fight for it or fail. I was going to fight.
    I became increasingly aware of Arys’s intense stare, but Shaz seemed oblivious. He nuzzled the side of my face, his breath warm against my ear. “Don’t let me lose myself in that place, Lex. I can’t live that way.”
    It was something eerily similar to what I’d said to him not too long ago. Asking Shaz and Kylarai to kill me if I rose after death as a maniacal, blood-crazed vampire had been my way of ensuring I never had to live lost entirely to the consuming darkness. Yet, I was already halfway there.
    “I won’t let it have you.” I held him tight, my arms around his neck as I hugged him close.
    The creak of leather was loud in the quiet as Arys shifted his weight on the recliner. He waited until we looked at him before speaking. “I won’t lose either of you to The Wicked Kiss. It’s vile and filthy. Stay away from it. I mean it. It’s Sinclair’s problem now.”
    There was no room for argument in his tone. Since Harley had first come to town almost a year ago, The Wicked Kiss had been nothing but a blight. I’d spent more time there than anyone should in their lifetime, and I wasn’t even a patron.
    “That place is pure evil.” Shaz’s words were muffled in my hair. He held me like he’d never let go. “I’m not myself when I’m there. I hate what it does to me.”
    “It needs to be burnt to the ground.” Arys’s offhanded remark set off warning bells for me.
    “Don’t do anything stupid, Arys.” I pulled away from Shaz so I could look at Arys but didn’t release him entirely. I clasped his hand in mine, fearful of letting go. “If The Kiss was destroyed, everyone who frequents it would find somewhere else to carry on their business. I don’t want that.”
    I saw the hard set to Arys’s jaw, and I was sure he was going to fight me on it. So when he didn’t, I knew he either planned to argue later or go ahead and torch The Kiss whether I approved or not.
    “Alexa’s right.” With an exasperated sigh, Shaz thoughtfully rubbed his chin. “The majority of the vampires there are less than twenty years old. It’s a safe hunting ground for them while the death toll stays far lower than if they were hunting on the streets.”
    “Besides,” I felt deflated as fatigue crept in. “It’s better not to have to worry about them in great numbers wreaking havoc on the streets. Too many other things out