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“As opposed to?”
“Well, governing. Or whatever it is you do as mayor of the city? Do you play politics with the rest of the world?”
His amused expression didn’t change, but Leah thought she detected a trace of coldness before it was gone. “Why so interested?”
She couldn’t very well reveal it was part of her job to be curious, so she shrugged as nonchalantly as possible. “It’s hard to imagine you as a politician.”
The elevator door stopped, and they entered the grandiose lobby.
“I don’t deal with politicians. That’s the job of the Council. I’m here to make sure the vampires behave and don’t cross the line. Rather than a politician, think of me as judge, jury, and executioner.”
The way he said the words with a razor-sharp smile turned her blood to ice.
Judge, jury, and executioner.
It reminded her of what she’d seen on her first day.
Did he mean to scare her? Too bad death hadn’t been the scariest thing she’d faced in her twenty-eight years of life.
“Is that taboo? Killing your own?”
He didn’t answer as they exited through the front door. Julian opened the door to the black car that waited for them.
“Thank you,” she said, the words automatically leaving her mouth out of politeness.
“You’re welcome.”
Leah slid into the expensively upholstered leather seat. She had the sense of a spacious interior before Julian Blackmore joined her. The space around her shrunk, and she was way too aware of the intense male presence next to her.
When Julian shut the door, closing them in, her heartrate picked up to dangerous speeds. She was alone in a small, enclosed space with one of the most dangerous beings on the planet.
“How far is the restaurant?” Leah asked as the car moved to break the silence and distract herself from the blood roaring in her ears.
“Ten minutes,” he said, crossing his long legs as he gazed down at her.
Ten minutes. Her body was hot enough as it was. If this lasted any longer, she’d go up in flames.
“To answer your earlier question.” Julian’s velvety voice filled the space between them. “If anyone breaks the laws, I have the right to kill them. It’s the way I keep everything under control. If they escape the city before Marek’s team captures them, the Trackers will hunt them down.”
“Trackers?”
Leah had heard the word before. It was becoming hard to concentrate. With the car’s windows tinted, shadows shrouded Julian’s harsh features, but his eyes shone with cold blue fire as his gaze seared her insides.
“Yes.” His voice had become lower. Huskier. His thigh touched hers, and flames spread where they touched. “They are vampires assigned to hunt down the criminals of our kind.”
“That sounds dangerous.” When had it become hard to breathe?
He gave her a sardonic smile. “That is also part of the fun.”
Of course, he would think it was fun. She thought of the fight her first day here. How he’d single-handedly killed those five vampires.
Did he enjoy that? She had to know, so she asked before she thought better of it. “Do you like it? The killing?”
His expression turned thoughtful. She’d thought he would brush her off, and it surprised her when he seriously considered it.
After a brief pause, he shrugged. “I don’t like it or dislike it. It’s something I’m good at.”
She should find him repulsive. He was a vampire. They were soulless monsters. Yet, she still couldn’t muster the outrage and disgust like her comrades in the Organization. Her teachers at the Compound would have a heart attack if they knew she couldn’t summon any righteous fury over Julian’s words.
