“Don’t cry, love.” He wiped away some of hertears, but they were falling too fast for him to clear them all.“I’m going to be okay, and you don’t have to kill me. You can restnow.”
“I can’t,” she moaned.
He didn’t think she was responding to hislast command, but restating another,I can’tlike she hadearlier.
“All you have to do is rest,” he assured heras the wall started to crumble. “You don’t have to listen towhatever was said to you earlier. You can sleep now, Aida.”
Her eyelids fluttered open, and for a second,he found himself gazing into dazed, golden-brown eyes. He didn’tdetect any recognition in her stare; she was caught up in his powernow and helpless to do anything but obey.
“Sleep, Aida,” he commanded.
When she relaxed beneath him, her eyelidsclosed as her head slumped to the side. The seconds ticked bybefore he dared to take his hand away. During her struggle, she bither bottom lip, and a trail of blood streaked her chin. With thepad of his thumb, he wiped it tenderly away and bent to rest hisforehead against hers.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered as he swungbetween holding back tears and trying not to destroy everything inthis room. “When I find whoever did this to you, I’m going to makethem pay.”
Unable to part with her, he kissed herforehead and rested his face against hers. However, he couldn’tstay with her forever, and he couldn’t keep her asleep for the restof her life.
“I love you,” he whispered against her lipsbefore rising from the bed.
Kyle released her legs and backed away as thesecond Julian parted from her, the full force of his rage returned.The red and black colors pulsed through his flesh, and his musclesswelled as he paced the small room. He flexed the fingers of hiswounded arm as the feeling returned to them, and his shoulderfinished healing.
“I’m going to kill whoever did this,” hegrowled.
“Whocould have done this?” Cassidyasked. “Who would want you dead?”
Julian racked his brain for an answer to thequestion, but he couldn’t think of anyone he could have pissed offenough to want to kill him. And who would know aboutAida?
Dropping his head into his hands, he tuggedat his hair as he tried to think beyond his overwhelming compulsionto destroy. He’d tear out their throat and feast on the blood ofwhoever did this. He’d bathe in it as he leisurely tore the limbsfrom their bodies and savored their screams.
“Julian,” Kyle said. “You have to calm down.You’re not going to be any good to her if you lose it.”
Kyle was right, but now that this part of himhad been set free, Julian couldn’t get it under control again. Hereturned to Aida’s side and clasped her hand as he knelt at herside. Touching her helped calm him, and he inhaled a shudderybreath. Tucked beneath the blanket and with her hair fanned outacross the sheets and pillows, she reminded him of Snow White, buthe certainly wasn’t a prince.
Someone had done this to her to get at him;he had no idea who, but he would find out.
“It must have happened at work,” he said.“We’ve been together the rest of the time. Something happened atthe gallery.”
“That place has to have a ton of cameras,”Kyle said.
“Cassidy, can you get my computer?” Julianasked. “It’s on the dresser next to you.”
She lifted it from the dresser and brought itover to him. Kneeling beside him, she set it on the floor.
“Can you open it?” Julian asked.
With the way he felt right now, he might tearthe screen off. Cassidy opened it, and the home screen appeared. Hereleased Aida’s hand as he hunched over the keyboard, and hisfingers flew across the keys.
“Can you get a cloth and some water so I canclean her up?” he asked.
“Of course,” Cassidy said.
When she left the room, he worked to breakinto the gallery’s camera system. It wouldn’t take much time ashe’d broken into it the night he had sex with Aida in the storageroom.Noone was going to see a video ofhismate.
He located the gallery’s security system asCassidy returned. He pushed his computer away to take the cloth andbowl of water from her. He set the bowl on the floor before wettingthe cloth and turning back to Aida.
He steadied his hands before he cleanedAida’s wounds and tried not to wince at the damage she inflicted onherself. She stirred only once while he worked before settling downagain. He was careful not to inflict any more pain on her while hewiped away the rest of her blood.
When he finished, he gave the cloth and bowlback to Cassidy before taking the towel she handed him. He gentlydabbed Aida’s flesh dry before kissing her and forcing himselfaway. Cassidy placed the bloody water and cloth on the dresserbefore returning to sit beside him. Julian turned his attentionback to the computer; he had to find out what happened today.
