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Julie jerked against his hold, but she didn’t budge. “Give her to me, Channing. She deserves to pay for what she did to me and Taylor. Don’t reject my right for justice.”
Taylor’s growl vibrated Julie’s core. She could feel his rage coursing through her veins.
“No, ma soeur. It is not justice you seek, but revenge. That is not how our code works. Not anymore.” Channing loosened his grip. “Call your wolves off and I will let go of you.”
Julie looked at her men. The lack of fear on their faces scared her. She may have been mad at Channing, but she didn’t want him dead. He was her friend and married to one of the most important people in her life. “Enough, all of you. I’m all right. Channing is not going to hurt me. He was just defending himself. If anyone is in the wrong, it’s me.”
The grip was released ,and Julie turned around. There was hurt in Channing’s eyes, but the worst part was she could feel his pain.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to attack you like that. I don’t know what I was thinking. Please forgive me.”
His arms wrapped around her. “You’re upset. I can feel your betrayal, and I’m sorry. I don’t mean to leave you out, but you have to understand.” Channing slowly turned her back around to face her mates. “Do you see them? If I tell you about Corinne and you go after her, all three of them will be directly defying their Alpha by going behind his back.”
Julie looked back at him. “But why? Why couldn’t we just tell Ayden after the fact? He’s already searching for her. What difference would it make if we took her out first?”
“You haven’t learned the rules yet.” Channing motioned Londyn forward. “Please tell Julie what happens if one of you were to kill a vampire.”
Londyn’s eyes narrowed, as if he were confused. She kept forgetting that she and Channing were talking in French. No one else in the room knew what was going on. “It’s forbidden. Unless, of course, they were directly trying to inflict harm. Then we’d be in our rights to defend ourselves.”
A nod came from Channing. “All right, but that’s not the case I’m referring to. Let’s say the vampire wasn’t inflicting harm at the given time. Please tell her what Ayden would be forced to do if he learned that three of his wolves plotted and killed a vampire, no matter how bad, or what the vampire had done in the past.” Channing lowered himself and breathed against her ear. “Listen close, my sweet Juliet. This will be your future if you continue on the path you’re determined to go down. I can see it so clearly in my head.”
The look Londyn gave the others sent a spark of fear racing through her. He stared right into her eyes. “There would be a hearing in front of the entire pack to inform them of the crime. Then, in front of everyone, he’d be forced to kill us.”
“Kill?” Julie whispered.
“Yes.” Channing walked around to face her. “If you kill Corinne, and they go behind their Alpha’s back to help you find her, they are just as guilty as you. I assure you, Julie, they will not be the only ones in trouble. Some very bad people will be after you. They will expect me to take you out. If I don’t, that automatically puts me and my family in jeopardy. Think about the game you’re playing here. How many lives is your revenge worth?”
“None. I didn’t know.”
Aston sat on the edge of the couch. “Julie, we all want this woman caught just as much as you. Ayden knows what he’s doing. We just have to give him some time.”
The energy coming from Taylor kept Julie’s nerves on edge. He was still so angry. He paced, glaring at Channing. “If you knew about this woman, why didn’t you tell Ayden when you had the chance?”
“I said I would take care of it,” Channing snapped. “It’s political, dammit. Corinne is a vampire, not a wolf. If Ayden gets to her first, then he’s going to have to go through her master, anyway. I’m going to save him the time and hassle, and call Delvicho myself. Then it is up to him to take her out. Not any of us.”
Channing checked the time on his phone. “I have to go home. Julie, I’m ordering you not to do anything stupid. Let me and Ayden handle this. If he finds her, good, he can deal with Delvicho. But I think once I call him and explain what happened, he’ll go on the search for her immediately. The last thing a vampire wants to do is get mixed up in politics with wolves.”
“I’m not going to go after her,” Julie said softly. “I swear.”
“Good girl.” Channing walked over and kissed her forehead. “Corinne will get what’s coming to her. I promise. Delvicho is a good man.”
“Before you go, answer me this.” Taylor’s face was growing pale as he continued to pace. “If she’s a big, bad vampire, why was she working at a law firm with Julie, and why did she use a gun? She could have killed her at any time. It doesn’t make sense to me.”
“Me either.” Channing shrugged. “But until someone questions Corinne, we’re never going to know. Now I have to go. Julie, take care of Taylor. He needs you.”
With a blink, Channing was gone. Julie rubbed her eyes and looked at her men. “I never would have even considered going after Corinne if I knew it would have put you all at risk. Truthfully, I wasn’t even thinking. So much has happened in the last few hours, I can’t even process it.”
“You’ve been through hell. It’s understandable.” Aston grinned and walked over, wrapping his arms around her. “Let’s just go lie down and rest. I think we all need to get some shut-eye.”
“I think you’re right, but first”—Julie motioned to Taylor—“I’m not sure how this is going to taste, but I need you to take some more of my blood. It’ll help with the healing.”
Taylor paused, but nodded. “I feel like death. If it’ll help, I don’t care what it is.” He walked over and scooped Julie into his arms. “But let’s continue this in bed.”
“We’ll use mine. Mine’s a king.” Aston led the way and Julie melted into Taylor’s body. She was exhausted, and she fit perfectly in his arms. The dreaded burning was back in her throat, and she felt bad about having to ask one of her men to supply more blood for her appetite. Next time, she’d make sure she got her fill before cutting it short.
“Okay, pick a spot and let’s get comfy.” Aston undressed completely and crawled in the middle. Londyn followed and picked the far side. Julie noticed that Taylor didn’t hesitate. He lowered her to stand and began taking off his clothes.
“Naked party. Okay.” Julie began to undress and watched the men stiffen. “What? You all are naked. Should I keep my clothes on?”
