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A stray hair, a spot of blood. Wrinkling in weird spots.
I knew every tell and how to hide them.
“Did you hurt anyone?” I asked.
He gave me a puzzled look before that same slow smile wrapped itself around me once again, relieving the coil of tension between my shoulders. “I go to the forest on the outskirts of town when I’m feeling…how did you put it?”
“Saber tooth-y.”
“Yes, that’s it. I don’t hunt people, Eden. This afternoon I brought two bucks and a doe to the local pack. All drained of blood, of course.”
Of course.
“And by pack, you mean…”
“The wolf pack that lives in the forest surrounding our cove. They’re one of our last defenses against Titus. I had to bring them something when I told them Titus had broken protocol and moved the deadline.”
I let out a long breath and just as I did the sun peeked over the horizon, limning Julian in light just like that first time in his study.
The vampire king who made me mad with desire and scared my baby vamp muscles stiff still somehow looked like an angel.
He probably planned it. Came up behind me because he knew the sun was coming up.
Julian held back a smile. “Come inside, Eden. We have some things to talk about.”
Thirteen
“You look famished.Let’s get you something to eat,” Julian rumbled as he led me through the compound. When we entered the kitchen, I did my best not to gasp.
Again, I knew this room inside and out on paper. Knew there was a hidden butler’s pantry behind a door made to look like cabinetry. Knew about the wine cellar entrance hidden next to the butler’s pantry. I even knew that the kitchen had gas and electric hookups capped off and hidden behind decorative tile for caterers who brought extra equipment.
But I hadn’t known how comfortable Julian would look wielding a cast iron pan, chopping red onions and peppers, whisking eggs, and flipping an omelette. I expected him to ask someone to get me something, not delicately sprinkle chopped parsley over a five-star, fluffy, de-fucking-licious-looking two-egg omelette.
I also hadn’t expected to see an Italian villa-style kitchen in the king’s compound. Terra-cotta walls and rich wood-toned cabinets with deep bronze fixtures and drawer pulls made the space warm and strangely homey.
Definitely not the professional, all white, stainless steel kitchen I’d expected when I first memorized the blueprints.
He slid the plate to me, and I took a bite then sighed with satisfaction as Julian set another Starbucks cup of blood in front of me. This one was a summer theme with a purple-to-blue gradient swirling up the outside. I took a long sip and sighed again.
Julian sat across from me at the quartz island, watching as I devoured everything he put in front of me. The omelette, sliced mango, and even the toast, which was a little dark for my taste.
Expectations subverted once again.
I stared into his warm gaze. “Who are you?”
He answered without hesitation. “I am the king of Laurel Cove.”
“No. That’s what you do, Julian. I’m asking who you are. What’s important to you? What do you stand for?”
He nodded, taking me in for a full minute before answering. “Unlinking a man from his job is a difficult task, Eden. I am the king. It’s who I am as much as it is what I do.”
I held his gaze and waited for him to actually answer me.
“You’ve spoken with Sunny, yes?”
I waved a hand and reached for the Starbucks cup. “Briefly. About blueprints.”
“Did she tell you anything about herself?” Julian asked as he cleared away my plates.
