Quinn’s power crackled against him as anger radiated from her. Reaching back, he enclosed his hand on her free one. He drew it forward and tucked it against his stomach. Her ability sizzled against him before dying out in a sputtering flicker that drew Vern’s attention. Vern raised an eyebrow but refrained from saying anything before he shifted his attention back to Julian.
“There are many who would prefer to see me dead,” Julian replied, and wasn’t surprised when the vamps in the back nodded their agreement. “There’s only one who might be able to succeed in killing me, and he’s standing right over there,” Julian pointed over to Devon. They didn’t need to know that Cassie would be perfectly capable of taking them all out, as might Quinn. “If they want to take their chance at me, they can have at it. I’m always up for a good fight, and I’m more than happy to kill someone.”
“Julian,” Quinn whispered, and he squeezed her hand.
Prue finished with her toes, twisted the top back onto the nail polish bottle, and turned toward him. “We’ve got your back, Boss.”
Julian bit back a smile when the others chimed in their support. They said that, but he wouldn’t be stunned if most of them turned tail and ran at the first hint of danger to their lives. He didn’t blame them. He hadn’t earned their loyalty yet, and even if he did, there were always those who would save themselves first.
For most of his life, he had been one of those too. He would have stopped to save Devon, but the rest of the world could have burned for all he’d cared. After Devon had turned against his more nefarious nature and stopped killing, Julian would have gladly burned him too.
Now, there were more than a few he would fight to the death for. In some ways, it made him stronger than he’d ever been in the past. It also made him far more vulnerable than ever before. He would take the new vulnerability for the love and friendships he’d discovered.
“Let’s go take care of this,” he said to Vern.
“Are we really going to take them out if they’re Commission and Hunters?” one of the vamps in the back asked.
Quinn’s body became rigid against his. “It is always open season on any member of The Commission,” he replied. “However, if you come across a Hunter you think might show some signs of understanding that you’re not there to kill them all, then no, don’t kill them. However, we will all do whatever is necessary to survive if our lives are in peril.”
“Let’s get this over with then,” Hadie said.
Julian stepped away from the vehicle and walked with Quinn to Devon’s sleek black Challenger. For this ride, he didn’t plan to climb into the RV again.
CHAPTER 16
If someone had told her two months ago she would be standing shoulder to shoulder with a group of vampires outside a member of The Commission’s house, she would have told them they were dreaming. But then, if someone had told her five months ago she’d be mated to a vampire and friends with Hunters, Guardians, and vampires, she would have told them they were insane and run as far from them as possible. Yet, that was exactly where she found herself now.
Sometimes it felt as if years had passed since she’d met Julian; at others, it felt like yesterday. Her life had drastically changed since December. She didn’t regret any of it, but she’d really like a chance to get her bearings instead of feeling as tossed about as a ship on the Bering Sea most days.
Chris and Julian stood resolutely beside her as they all stared at the small log cabin tucked into a clearing in the woods. The cabin was as dark as the night around them. Thick clouds had rolled in to obscure the moon and stars over an hour ago. Movement in the trees drew her eyes when a raccoon ran behind the cabin before slipping back into the woods.
No vehicles were parked in the drive, and both garage doors on the massive bay beside the cabin were closed. She had no idea why anyone would have a garage bigger than their house, but the building stood nearly twice as high. From everything she’d heard about The Commission, the size of it probably didn’t bode well for any unsuspecting humans and vampires.
She actually wouldn’t have minded living in this peaceful little spot Herb had chosen; however, goose bumps covered her skin, and her bones felt like ice. Her soul-deep chill had nothing to do with the climate difference between Pennsylvania and Arizona, and everything to do with the fact she wanted nothing to do with the man who lived here.
The thick pines surrounding the clearing creaked when a breeze blew down from the mountains looming behind the cabin. The eerie sound made the ominous feeling inside of her grow.
“I don’t smell any humans or hear any heartbeats,” Prue said.
“No, but The Commission are like rats. They like to go to ground,” Julian replied. “We may not be able to smell or hear him if he’s in hiding.”