Page 54

The truth was, I liked the man I knew, and I didn’t need him to change. I didn’t care about the past life thing or the mate nonsense Michelle and Mordock mentioned. We could take it slow.

When I finished in the bath, I slipped on some soft shorts and a tank that felt nice against the ghosts of bruises on my skin. The physical harm had been cured by Julian’s blood, but the memory of Mordock’s hands on my flesh wasn’t so easy to extinguish.

I went to bed early that night with plenty of sleep to make up for.

It felt like moments later that I awoke to the sun streaming through the open window. Warm, tropical air scented with the aroma of flowers kissed my skin. With a languid stretch, I rose and checked my phone that had been completely dead when I’d plugged it in the previous night.

I’d missed quite a bit. Most concerning was the alert from the base.

“Well shit,” I said to the room at large. “How’d this not wake me?”

“You went through a lot yesterday.”

I whipped around at the sound of Julian’s voice to find him in my room, leaning against the windowsill in his full officer regalia. His startling indigo eyes danced with mischief, and even as my shoulders relaxed, I could only pretend to be upset with him.

“Creeper,” I accused with hands on my hips.

“It’s what I do.” Julian stood straight and took a step toward me. “Get dressed. There’s been a murder.”

“What? Who?” I asked, rushing around him to my drawer to pull out some clothes.

“A young shifter woman.” Julian watched as I stashed my bra and underwear beneath my pants and shirt and hurried toward the bathroom.

“Where?” I called through the door.

“On the elevator at the base.”

I froze, one foot balanced precariously over my pant leg. Then I shook myself and finished dressing in record time. I thrust the door open to find Julian directly on the other side.

“How could that happen?” I whispered.

“That’s what we’re going to find out. Though I strongly suspect it points to a mole in the organization. It would explain how our friend Vlad made it to the island without a proper security check.”

“I’ll question him and Mordock,” I said, hurrying past Julian to slip on my stiletto boots and belt from Daphne.

“I’m afraid that will be impossible,” Julian said, setting a hand on the door before I could pull it open.

“Julian?” My heart caught in my throat. “Why is it impossible?”

“They’re dead.”

“Exactly how did that happen, Julian?” Panic rose, at odds with the magnetic draw I always felt around him. His spiced scent made me want to lean into him, he was so close. But last I’d seen both men, they were in his custody.

“It would appear Mordock killed Vlad then took his own life,” he said unblinking.

“How?” I pressed.

“Rather violently, I’m afraid. Somehow, Mordock got a hold of a blade. Perhaps it was on his person all along.”

A powerful vampire like Mordock would have no need to carry a blade. But I didn’t want to suspect Julian of cold-blooded murder. He had pledged the rest of his immortal life to making up for his sins. He’d said all along his goal was to bring Mordock to justice. Hadn’t he?

Julian caressed my face then pulled back his hand and cleared his throat. “They deserved no less for what they did to you.”

“Julian, did you—”

My question was cut off by both our cell phones.

“We have to go,” Julian said, pulling open the door and walking a bit too fast to the vamp mobile.