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“He will,” Julian assured, stepping in front of me and laying a palm on the woman’s stomach. “I wanted to examine the body first before anyone could potentially alter the evidence.”

“Wait. You don’t trust him?” I asked, torn between asking about the doctor and whatever he was currently doing to the corpse.

Setting a finger to his lips to quiet me, Julian pressed his ear to the dead woman’s womb.

His eyelids fluttered closed for a moment, and I found myself holding my breath. Would the baby still be alive if it was in there? She couldn’t have been far along enough to save it, could she? I didn’t know that much about shifter physiology. I’d focused so long on vampires.

Julian stood, and the sadness in his eyes made my throat want to close. He nodded slowly, and I squinted at the spot, searching for auras. A pale yellow glowed around the womb, and I threw a hand over my mouth.

“Whoever did this will pay.” His words were soft yet cold enough to make me shudder. It was the kind of promise that carried weight.

I started to tell him he couldn’t dole out justice himself when the elevator appeared and an angry werewolf burst through.

“Sam!” I said as Julian threw a hand in front of me protectively.

The elected shifter sect liaison, Sam Hemming, appeared as angry and unhinged as the last time I’d seen him when he’d ripped the door off Julian’s car. His eyes seemed filled with liquid mercury, and his hulking form rippled with the threat of his wolf being close to the surface. Handsome in a rugged way, very different than Julian, my sister had tried to set me up with him, but I wasn’t interested in men with anger issues. Well—I glanced at Julian—at least ones that flaunted their anger as opposed to brooded.

“I should have been the first to be notified!” Sam growled—literally. It was hard to make out the words with all the rumbling from his chest. “Maryanne is…was one of my people. My responsibility.”

“And a fine job you did,” Julian said, indicating the mangled body on the table.

I slipped beneath Julian’s arm and between them before Sam could lunge.

“Sam, I’m so sorry,” I said, placing a palm on his heaving chest. I waited until he focused on me and stopped glaring at Julian before I continued. “You absolutely should be here. Please know we’ve treated Maryanne with the utmost respect and dignity.”

Sam softened slightly and his body stopped rippling, though he still snarled whenever he stole a glance at Julian, who stood stock-still and seemingly unbothered behind me.

“Did you…did you know she was pregnant?” I asked.

The shock on his face told me I’d managed to shift his anger away from Julian. But it also said he had no idea. Then again, why would he? How close of tabs was he supposed to keep on his people? I wished I knew more about SHADE’s inner workings.

All attention focused once again on the table. “No. I had no idea, and I should have been notified since it changes the numbers of shifters on the island that I’m responsible for.”

That answered that question. I wondered how many shifters were on this secret island base in the Bermuda Triangle. I’d only found out about its existence the month before Julian had whisked me here to keep me safe when everyone seemed to be after me either for my powers or my cure for vampirism that had turned out to be a murder weapon.

I cleared my throat. “I doubt she was very far along. She was here to see the doctor, and I’m guessing that must be why.”

“I heard four separate heartbeats,” Julian said, this time in a mournful voice.

Sam’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he stared at the corpse. “They’re alive?”

“Four?” I exclaimed, unable to help myself.

“Shifters often have full liters,” Julian said, his hand landing on my shoulder.

“I don’t think they can survive without their mother being alive,” I said, horrified at Sam’s hopeful expression. “Unless shifters aren’t pregnant long? Or don’t show early?”

Sam shook his head. “No. But…the fae. We can cut a deal.”

“Absolutely not.” Julian’s admonition echoed around the room. “They cannot be trusted. You will end up in their service and the babies will likely be theirs as well.”

I chewed on my cheek. Everything I knew about the fae said that was a true statement. Then again, there were some that weren’t so bad. Like Daphne, the nymph who lived in the basement of the base and did combat training in exchange for being left alone with her land.

“Maybe there’s someone?” I pleaded with my eyes, and Julian closed his in an obvious attempt to control his frustration.

Sam already had his cell out. “I can try Hazel,” he said before speaking into the phone, “Hi. It’s me. I have an emergency at the base. Hurry please.” He hung up.

“Who’s Hazel?” I asked.