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“I wish you would not think about it all,” he grouses back at me. “I wish you would just use me for your pleasures and not think of my feelings. God knows that I have used enough people in my life. Use me, abuse me, just let me stay in your bed.”

“I can’t do that,” I say softly. Kindly.

He sighs. “I know you can’t. That is one of the reasons I have fallen for you, I suppose.”

Dangerously, my heart clenches at his words. It makes me . . . happy that he loves me. And not just because it keeps me safe. He just loves me, without expecting me to say it back. I’ve had other boyfriends, Colton included, who told me that they loved me and got angry when I couldn’t say it back. When I told them I needed more time. Like my lack of feelings was my own fault, a failing of mine. I usually broke up with them soon after their confessions because they couldn’t stop pressuring me. But Julian doesn’t seem to mind. He seems to understand my reasons and is intent on loving me despite not hearing the words said back to him.

It almost makes me relent. Almost. It’s not like I’m not sure that I would enjoy Julian in bed. If the foreplay is anything to go by, the actual sex will be explosive. But I don’t want to complicate our relationship any more than it already is. I sit up, making Julian sit up as well. I’m only a little self-conscious about being naked while he’s still fully clothed. Can’t really put that genie back in the bottle. Julian doesn't help with his heated perusal of my body. His obvious regard makes me feel sexy. Powerful. But that can only lead to more complications, so I need to nip it in the bud.

“None of that,” I admonish lightly. “I need to get dressed.”

“It is a crime to cover a body like yours, ma souris,” he responds. “You should be forever spread out delectably naked in my silk sheets. But I suppose if anyone else saw you without your clothes, I would have to pluck out their eyes, so it might be for the best.”

“No plucking out eyes,” I smile. “No violence of any kind because of me.”

Julian sobers, leaning back against one of the four posters of the bed. “I fear there will be much violence where you are concerned, Andi. You are rare and powerful. There will always be people who want you for the wrong reasons, who would hurt and use you. I will not allow that and will gladly swim in blood to protect you. I just hope you will not fear me for what I must do.”

That sobers me too. The light, teasing atmosphere from before is gone. If it is true that there are more people like Colton waiting in the wings to take me just because I’m some rare Other, I suppose I will have to get used to the fact that war will be waged on my behalf. “I don’t fear you,” I tell Julian honestly. “That may be stupid on my part, but you’re protecting me, trying to give me my freedom. If you have to hurt bad people to do that . . . I will have to make peace with that.”

“Make peace with it quickly,” Julian says, standing up from the bed. “I meet with Colton today, and I will end him. After what happened last night, he can't be allowed to live.”

Fear clenches in my chest like it always does when Colton’s name is mentioned. I think of Colton being dead and gone, and all I feel is relief. Maybe it makes me a bad person to not feel even a little guilty, but Julian is right. After last night, after almost killing Jade, Colton is too dangerous to be left alive to his own devices.

“Okay,” I say, scooting to the edge of the bed. “Do what you have to do.”

Then Julian is in front of me, tilting my head back. He smiles. “I will make a bloodthirsty woman of you yet, ma souris. A dark queen to sit by my side.” He takes my lips in a soft, chaste kiss and then steps back.

“Rest, dress, do whatever you like,” he continues, walking toward the door. “Just stay in the house until I return. I need to know that you are safe while I work.”

While he works. What a euphemism for murder. But I suppose that is his work, and he’s doing it to keep me safe.

“Okay,” I agree. “See you later.”

“À bientôt, ma souris,” he responds. Then he’s gone.

Chapter 25

Julian

As Sebastian pulls up in front of the Summer Court’s tacky club Passion, I feel no apprehension. Only anticipation. Finally, I will be able to kill Colton Haynes. I would have wanted him dead last week, before I even knew about Andi, but now that I do? Now that I know how he terrorized the woman that I love? I will enjoy killing him. Slowly.

The thought puts an unkind smile on my face as I exit the SUV, a little bounce in my step as I ascend the stairs to the entrance. I am flanked by my highest-ranked vampires. Gaspard, of course, Sebastian, as well as Leander and Raul from the Fraternity’s council. More than enough vampires to put down some upstart warlocks. Gaspard let me know before we left the house that the Summer Queen had agreed to our terms. They would amend their wards to allow for our vampire strength in exchange for Sacrilege. Greedy bastards. I give it two years before they have run down my club the same way that they have run down their own. But that’s not my problem. Though I must admit that it stings, there will be other businesses, other fronts. As a vampire, one gets good at letting things go as the passage of time is an unbeatable tyrant. This just left me a little sooner than I planned.

We are met at the doors by fae guards, a small sun tattooed under each eye; the sign of the Summer Court.

“We welcome the Fraternity,” the guard intones formally. “The Circle of Nightshade already waits within. No weapons are allowed beyond this point.”

The words are a formality, at best. The fae know that vampires have no need of weapons as long as we have our strength. Still, I allow their little attempt at theater as they pat us down for weapons, relieving Gaspard and Sebastian of an array of weaponry. Another bit of theater. It would be strange if we had nothing on us.

The Summer Court guards nod as they finish their search and carelessly toss the weapons we brought in a pile next to the spelled guns of the Circle. I narrow my eyes at the pile. There are a lot of guns. More than we had between Gaspard and Sebastian. Almost like they came prepared for a war. Could they know about our deal with the Summer Queen? Why would they still show up, if so? Something about this is not quite right.

Surreptitiously, I move my hand with inhuman quickness, checking that I can still use my strength and speed in the club. It works, like the fae said it would. So they kept their end of the deal. But something is still bothering me, and I have the thought that I should call this whole thing off, and we should retreat. But we are vampires. Warlocks and witches are nothing in the face of the children of the night. Even if they’ve found a way around the fae’s wards, they still cannot use magic directly against us and in a face-to-face confrontation. They would lose every time.

Shaking off my unease, I step through the corridors of the club, into the large center room. A large table has been brought in, bisecting the space, and the Circle’s representatives sit on one side of the table, Haynes at their head. He smiles as I enter, an expression that looks warm and charming.

“Welcome, to our brothers in the Fraternity. We’ve been waiting for you.” Haynes’ voice is warm, like this is a meeting of old friends, not a tense meeting of enemies. He must have something up his sleeve.

To hell with it. I will not wait for him to spring a trap on me. We strike now, no playing with our food, like I originally planned.