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“Apologies,” he said easily, knocking his fist on the table before rising and beginning to pace. “Was there anything in the vision that would indicate when this happened?”

I blinked. “I hadn’t considered that.” If it had happened years ago, the child could be an adult now. Hell, this base had been around long enough that he could’ve lived his whole natural life already. Except… “He was a shifter. A wolf,” I recalled.

“The only shifter children I know of lately were the quadruplets you helped deliver from their mother’s body.” Julian stopped pacing and met my eyes, preternaturally still.

I swallowed. “But Sam said the general had them placed with adoptive families. Besides, they’d still be too young, even with shifter advanced aging.”

“The boy in your vision mentioned the babies,” Julian said gently, sitting back down and reaching for my hand.

I shook my head. “No. Sam wouldn’t have lied. He’s the shifter sect leader, and he wanted them to be safe. He was so protective when they were born. Besides, if he had, I would have felt it. These have to be different babies.”

“Unless it wasn’t Sam that was lying.” Julian’s pitying gaze was too much for me.

It was my turn to stand. “You’re accusing the general of lying. That’s a very big deal. And if he’s uncomfortable with your status as a double agent, then why would he turn around and do something underhanded?” I leaned over Julian and brushed his stray curl off his forehead, inhaling his bergamot and cloves scent. “I know you don’t trust him, but I have to believe he’s doing everything for SHADE.”

“Is that statement based on your abilities or are you afraid of opening a can of pixies?” Julian asked.

Damn vampire. “I don’t know,” I said honestly, snatching my mug to wash out in the sink and keep my hands busy. “Logic, I suppose.”

Humming softly, Julian tapped on the glass tabletop again. “Let’s try a different angle. Where would they be from?”

I turned off the faucet and set my mug on the counter before spinning to face him. “His memories were cloudy since he was frightened, but I did see what looked like a makeshift nursery, no windows, metallic sliding doors.

“Like the base?” Julian stood using superspeed, but I was so used to it now, it didn’t faze me as much as his question had. Because the smooth silver metal had been familiar.

“But there are windows everywhere on base,” I argued weakly.

“Not in the brig,” Julian stated.

My shoulders sank. “Damn it. Julian if this has been going on behind my back this whole time—”

“I’ve been here far longer.” He pulled me into his embrace, clutching my head to his sculpted chest.

You aren’t the psychic, I protested, still reveling in his nearness. When Julian held me, I felt complete. And that realization scared the crap out of me.

He pressed a kiss to the top of my hair in response, and I let myself sink into him. Our bodies melded together, and for the first time in a while, the quick mentions of fated mates surfaced from my memories. It was a concept that also frightened me because it felt so final—so all-consuming. Not to mention the question of choice. So many vampires had tried to take my choices from me as they had from my father when they turned him. I didn’t want to consider that Julian could even inadvertently be the same.

Most of my life had been spent researching vampire genetics while I tried to create a cure for vampirism. I knew now that my drive to do so was my attempt to fix my father’s absence from my life. He’d run away after being turned in front of my eyes. But while I understood the science, I knew little about the social, emotional, or intellectual norms of the species. I’d never gotten close enough to one to find out without being attacked.

Until Julian, that was.

Sliding my palms along the back of his crisp white shirt, I adjusted my stance so I stood between his legs. I couldn’t help but smile into his chest when he inhaled sharply against the top of my head and his generous excitement poked me through his pants. My body vibrated as a growl rose from inside of him and his fingers traced down toward where my own burgundy shirt was tucked into my skirt.

“We should be searching for the hidden nursery or trying to clear Lydia so she can leave the brig,” I said, more to convince myself than Julian as I looked up at him.

“We can search tonight when the general should be gone since we don’t know whether he’s involved.”

“He’s always there,” I commented. I wondered if he slept or ever left the base even on weekend evenings.

“Not tonight. He has an off-island meeting with the board. And as for Lydia, I’m afraid there is little we can do until the vampire estate is re-opened. Even I am prohibited from the scene.” He rubbed my arms as I digested his gentle reminder that the vamps had taken the murder of their sect leader on their property so seriously they blocked any outsider contamination, even from SHADE, including the vampire who worked with the agency.

I’d argued that we had jurisdiction since we were technically the policing body, but the general and Julian had agreed—a rare occurrence—that causing further tension was a bad idea. And as the general had said, “We always respect each sect’s personal traditions so long as they don’t cause harm to another sect.”

Julian cupped my cheeks, searching my gaze. The way the pads of his thumbs lightly traced the curve of my face sent tremors of pleasure through me.

“I can…try to take your mind off it,” he offered then lowered his full lips to mine.

My mouth parted as he slid his tongue along the inside of my bottom lip. This was so much better than a swim in the ocean. Why had I wanted space from him again?