Scorched Ice (Fire and Ice #3)(4)
While he’d been stalking Quinn, Earl had left a few repulsive displays of humans throughout the town to frighten her and remind Julian of his past. Earl was also the reason Quinn carried the added guilt of killing the Hunter, Zach. While under Earl’s mind control, Zach had staked Julian through the back. Quinn had drained Zach’s life from him in order to save Julian.
“How do you like this display?” Julian asked.
Unwilling to hear Earl’s reply, he drove the last knife through Earl’s throat, silencing the future screams he would make. Earl’s eyes bulged grotesquely from his head. His feet kicked on the ground as he jerked against the blades embedded within him, but he remained pinned.
Julian glanced at Devon as he walked by him to remove a chain from one of the walls. Devon remained standing at the bottom of the stairs, his gaze focused on Earl. Devon may be concerned Julian was walking a fine line between the murderous vamp he’d once been and the better one he labored daily to become, but Devon wouldn’t stop him from doing this.
Julian may not kill innocents anymore, but he was still a killer and nothing would change that. Devon understood that better than anyone. If it had been Cassie that Earl had tortured and stalked, Devon would be the one standing here with the knives and Julian would be worrying about him.
“I don’t think he likes it much,” Julian said as he wrapped the chain around Earl’s calves, just above the knives, and ran it toward one of the large metal hooks on the wall.
“I don’t think so either,” Devon replied.
Julian encircled the chain around Earl’s wrists next and ran them to another hook. Walking back over to Earl, he smiled down at him as he pressed his foot into his chest.
“I’d almost forgotten how entertaining this can be,” he said. He bent closer to Earl. The man gurgled and wiggled, but there was nowhere for him to go as Julian loomed over him. “You and I, we’re going to have some fun before I kill you. I am going to make you pay for everything you did to her, and then some.”
Earl wriggled against the chains and knives but only succeeded in tearing a bigger hole through his flesh and bone. He’d eventually succeed in ripping free of the knives, but the chains would keep Earl’s body bound and Devon would take control of his mind again.
“Take his mind back now,” he said to Devon. “Give him free will, but make sure he can’t latch onto anyone else’s mind or escape this room.”
Devon stared at Earl for a minute before giving a brisk nod. “Done.”
Julian didn’t look at Earl as he stepped over him and joined Devon at the bottom of the stairs. Devon turned and climbed the steps ahead of him.
CHAPTER 3
“What are we going to do with the vampires we took from the hotel?” Devon inquired as he settled the panel back into the floor, effectively hiding the room below.
Before they’d fled the abandoned hotel, Julian had asked Devon to take control of the minds of two vampires within the room. He was fairly certain the man and woman were a couple, and he had plans for them.
“Chris and I will take a good look at them to see what they’re really like, but I hope to be able to set them free.” Devon’s jaw clenched at Julian’s response. “With no memory of Cassie, of course. I’d wipe Quinn from their minds too if I could, but they need to remember her, and what she can do, for what I intend to do next.”
Devon’s eyes slid toward him. “And what is that?”
“The vampires must be organized. They’re far more dangerous to us, to humans, and to the Hunters while they continue to remain scattered like they are.”
“You have a plan for that?”
“I do.”
“Quinn has caused you to grow a heart and a brain.” Devon laughed. “Never thought either was possible.”
Julian gave him the finger as they left the garage. He paused to close the door before walking beside Devon to the bar. Stepping into the kitchen, they made their way past all of the stainless steel equipment before pushing open the doors and striding into the main barroom.
Chris, Melissa, Dani, Cassie, and Luther sat huddled around a table, their heads bent close together as they talked. Lou also sat at the table, but his chin was on his chest, and his eyes were closed as he breathed slowly in and out. Devon moved to stand behind Cassie. She turned to look up at him when he rested his hands on her shoulders.
Behind the bar, glass clinked as Quinn held the dustpan while Clint swept up the broken bottles and shelves that had fallen. The mess had been created when Earl used Quinn’s friend, Jeb, to attack Quinn and her friends. When Jeb shot Clint’s longtime girlfriend, Hawtie, Quinn had used her ability to heal Hawtie. Using so much of her power to save Hawtie’s life had left Quinn weakened and vulnerable to Earl when he came for her.
Julian used the sight of Quinn to help cage the monster lurking so close to his surface at the fresh reminder of what Earl had put her through.
Quinn paused in the act of emptying the dustbin into the trash. Her head came up and her honey-colored eyes latched onto him. If he still breathed, the air would have rushed out of him at the love radiating in her gaze. Never had he thought a woman would look at him like that. He wasn’t sure he deserved her love after the countless horrific things he’d done over the years, but he would never let her go.