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“Do you have no sense of self-preservation?”
He shouldn’t care. He’d already decided not to mate her, but despite his rational mind, his vampire instincts refused to be swayed. If anything had happened to her, the man might lose to the vampire.
He needed to keep a closer eye on her, not just because she was a spy, but because she might get herself killed otherwise.
“I wasn’t in any danger, and you know it, so you can keep your rumblings to yourself.” Leah spun on her heel and continued her way to the Tower. He didn’t remember the last time anyone other than Alistair had dared to turn their back to him without his dismissal. “You told those vampires to go to the Tower for punishment. What’s the punishment?”
“Attacking humans in the city is a day staked to the ground.” The gruffness was the best he could do while holding back the snarl.
Leah gasped. “Staked? Won’t that kill them?”
“It’s only through the shoulders.”
“But that’s barbaric!”
To her, it might be, but to their kind, it was the same as grounding a kid for misbehavior.
“It’s a good deterrent. It’s just painful enough that most vampires don’t want to suffer it, even if they heal afterward. It’s especially effective against the younger ones turned after Vegas. Most of them had a spoiled human life, so the thought of being staked stops them from breaking the law.”
“What if they decide to run?”
“They won’t. Those two are young, and Rowan will catch them before they escape.”
“What’s the punishment if they try to run?”
Julian stared down at Leah’s inquisitive gaze. He could lie to her, but there was no point. He had shown her the punishment on her first day. He recognized the judgment in her eyes, but he refused to bow down to shame or regret. This was his world, and hers, since she worked for the Organization. She had to understand that their law was cruel out of necessity.
“If they leave the city, the Trackers have the authority to kill on sight. If they’re caught, they can choose to fight me. If they win, they can leave.”
She let out a humorless laugh. “But none of them ever win, do they?”
“No, they don’t.” When she stayed quiet, he said, “We’re monsters, Leah. Our laws keep the monsters in check. That, and fear. Without either, Vegas wouldn’t exist.”
Why was he telling her this? This wasn’t why he’d invited her to dinner. He didn’t need to explain himself or his way of life to her. Yet, somehow, her view of him mattered. He didn’t want her to see him only as the cold-blooded killer like others did.
When he caught her slight grimace, he slid one arm under her knees and lifted her into his arms.
Leah took an outraged breath. “What’re you doing?”
“You’re tired, so I thought I’d save you the strength.”
He grinned when he heard her heart skip a beat, despite her scowl. “I don’t need you to save me anything. Put me down right now!”
“You’ll need your strength once we are in your room.”
Twin spots of red appeared on Leah’s cheeks. A wave of arousal hit him in the gut.Much better.This was what he’d wanted after all. Just because he wouldn’t take her as his mate didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy the heat between them. It was risky, tempting himself like this, but these kind of challenges were all that kept immortality interesting.
Instead of seeing Leah as a punishment, he’d rather see her as the universe’s way of responding to his ennui.
He tugged her head against his chest and dashed toward the Central Tower, eliciting a gasp from her before she wrapped her arms around him. Her warmth speared through him, and he reminded himself not to get used to it.
When they arrived in the lobby, he stopped. Several vampires threw them knowing looks. He hated that they knew about Leah, but it was impossible for him to keep hiding his heartbeat from the vampires’ advanced hearing.
“You can put me down now,” Leah said once they were in the elevator.
“No. I like holding you.” Her weight was a comforting presence in his arms, and her closeness melted the ice within him while fanning the flames of desire.
She glared at him with pure feminine fury. Then she kissed him with a ferociousness that snapped whatever control he had left.
