On the Prowl (Bad Things #2)(38)

Some of the fear that had been inside of her lessened. That cold, clinging fear that had tightened around her heart dissipated.

The waves rocked against them.

Julian tasted like the sea.

He tasted…

His mouth pulled from hers. “Fucking scared me when I saw you fall.” His words were a rumble.

“I…bit him.”

His eyes widened. Then they narrowed. “What?”

There was anger in his voice. Jealousy? Too hard to say for sure. But he was holding her even tighter now and going double-time as they headed back to the shore. They didn’t speak again until their feet were on the sand. He kept his hold on her wrist as they trudged up the beach.

“Where’s the human?” Julian demanded. “The trigger happy one.” A deep rumble vibrated his chest. His naked chest. Shifter side-effect. She was sure his clothes were in a ripped pile some place. “The human got aboard the Devil’s Prize. That bitch pumped me with tranq.”

Once she’d knocked Julian and Marcos out, she must have also steered the Devil’s Prize back to shore and secured it to the dock before she’d gone hunting. But the human wasn’t a threat they needed to worry about right then. “Leo put her to sleep.” Rose’s clothes clung to her body and water trickled over her skin. “Julian, when I first found you, it looked as if you were…caught, mid-shift. Frozen. And I was so scared…” Her words trailed away as his expression softened.

“Worried about me?” He finally freed her wrist and his hand rose so that the back of his fingers traced over her cheek. “Better tread with a fine step or you’ll make me think you care.”

Her chin lifted. “I don’t want you dead. I’ve never wanted that.”

“Then you understand, finally, how I felt the night your human life ended.” His gaze glittered. “There was no f*cking way I was going to let you go.”

“Julian—”

“She bit me.” Leo’s voice thundered out suddenly and she could have sworn the ground actually shook beneath her. She glanced to the left, almost expecting to see a dragon standing there, but no, Leo was still in human form. Looking incredibly pissed, but human.

“I’ve never been bitten by a vampire, not in all of my centuries on this earth.” Fury twisted his face. “That’s a killing offense. For someone like her to bite me.” He waved toward Julian. “That’s your job, right? Assassin? To take out the paranormals who cross the line. She crossed it. She drank from me. So take care of her.”

Had he just ordered Julian to kill her?

But…

Julian didn’t come at her with his claws. Instead, he moved his body, positioning himself between her and Leo. “Bugger off,” he snapped at the Lord of the Light. “I don’t take orders from you. You aren’t the twin I work for, remember? And when Luke finds out that Rose took a bite out of you, he’s not going to order her death. He’ll probably decide to throw her a f*cking party to celebrate.”

She rose onto her tip toes so that she could see over Julian’s shoulders. Leo’s face had mottled with fury. But she could tell…he knew Julian was right. Even she could imagine Luke’s perverse joy when he found out that she’d gotten to his brother. The first vamp to get close enough to damage Mr. Holier Than Thou? Luke might even give her a medal. “It’s your own fault,” she told him and his eyes turned to absolute slits of fury at her words. “I wanted to get to Julian. I kept telling you to let me go.”

“I was trying to help you! Ungrateful vamp!”

She shrugged. “You should have just let me go to him. He was hurting. He needed me.”

But Leo shook his head. “You have no idea what you’ve done.”

She’d gotten her shifter back. That was what she’d done.

“The tranqs were stronger than any I’ve faced before,” Julian said. He didn’t relax his guard for a moment, and he kept his body positioned between her and Leo. “After the last hit, I had to force my panther to the surface. I knew if there was any chance of me staying conscious, the beast had to be fully in control. But even then…it was touch and go. The panther had to claw its way out of me.”

Leo was silent a moment. His face stayed tense and Rose wondered if an explosion was imminent. But then his shoulders relaxed a bit. “You are as strong as Luke always said. Now I see why he made the deal with you.” His gaze slid to Rose. “Though it’s not a deal I appreciate right at this moment.”

“Stop being a baby,” she muttered, annoyed. They had bigger problems to deal with right then.

“A what?” It sounded as if Leo were choking.

Rose barely controlled an eye roll. “It was only a few sips. Not enough to do any serious damage to you.”

“It’s not the damage to me I’m worried about.”

What was that even supposed to mean? “Your blood wasn’t that good, buddy. I get more of a rush with Julian.”

His glower got worse. “I want my angel back,” Leo announced. He pointed at Julian. “You were supposed to get your vamp, and stick to her like glue. Twenty-four, seven, remember? That was the deal. You were supposed to find out the identity of the Collector. You were supposed to find out where he is keeping his prisoners. You were not supposed to leave the vamp’s side so you could get tranqed—”