Blood Ecstasy (Blood Curse Series Book 8) (5 page)

Holy Mother of God
, he was the absolute personification of male perfection: strength, poise, and beauty that was nothing short of arresting. His eyes, those deep forest-green eyes, were so hypnotic that they drew her into him, clouded her mind, made her forget for a moment that she was desperate to escape and, likely, in mortal danger.

He shifted his glance to the woman on the floor, and reality came back with a vengeance:
Yes, do you see her?
Rebecca wondered.
Do you see me?
She could only hope and pray.
That man on the floor is crazy!
 

Please, God, let him see…and understand.
 

Rebecca waved her hand again, and this time, the gorgeous man regaled her with his peripheral vision. “
Help me.
”
She mouthed the words, too afraid to whisper.
 

Too afraid that Julien would stir.

The stranger turned away and continued padding across the floor, until, at last, he reached the woman’s body and knelt down at her side. “
Oh, heaven give me strength,
”
Rebecca muttered. He was no more than three feet away from her chair. “Help me,” she squeaked this time, perching forward to the edge of the seat. “
Help me
!”

He lowered his head—on purpose?

Was he ignoring her?

Rebecca’s heart slammed into the back of her chest.
 

No!
 

“Please,” she whispered louder, rocking so far forward she almost lost her balance, in an effort to demand his attention. “I’m not here of my own free will. He took me…that man…and I can’t get away. Please, you have to help me.”

The gorgeous man rocked back on his heels, twisted his body in her direction in an almost feline motion, and met her gaze head-on. And then he pressed his forefinger to his lips.

Rebecca nodded enthusiastically. Of course.
Of course!
She would be quiet. She gulped and pointed at Julien, trying to demonstrate her understanding, and then she gestured toward the door.

The stranger shook his head,
no
.

What?

Why not?

Rebecca glanced back and forth between the green-eyed man and Julien, and then she frowned as understanding dawned, even as the realization crushed her spirit: The stranger was afraid of Julien. He did not want to oppose the crazy man. And he wasn’t going to take her out of there any time soon.
 

As bitter tears began to sting Rebecca’s eyes, her mind raced a dozen miles a minute, and then she made a cradle with her hand, pressed her thumb to her ear, her pinky to her lips, and mouthed four words:
Call 911.
“Send the police,” she whispered softly.

He bore his eyes into hers, and in a stunning, inexplicable moment, he seemed to be speaking inside of her mind.
I know you’re afraid, but Julien will not hurt you. It’s going to be okay.

Rebecca jolted, falling backward in the chair.
 

For a moment, she couldn’t make sense of anything: not the situation, not the stranger’s words, not the fact that he had spoken in her mind…and certainly not the idea that Julien wouldn’t hurt her, that she was in anything less than mortal danger.

That she would somehow be okay.

She shook her head in anger and frustration, feeling a sudden urge to pound the guy in the face.
Screw you!
she thought, growing more and more frantic by the moment.
This was her chance.
Perhaps her only chance.

There was someone else in the room, and he was lifting the other woman in his arms!

Why?
 

Why her?
 

Why not Rebecca?

And Julien was still on the floor…

To hell with it!
 

All Rebecca had to do was leap over the gladiator’s massive body and scramble to the door. Surely, he wouldn’t get up and chase her in front of the other man. And surely, the green-eyed stranger could not stop her while holding another full-grown woman in his arms.

Yes, this was her only chance!

Rebecca sprang from the distressed-leather chair like an Olympic sprinter coming out of the blocks. Her feet hit the floor with a surety she didn’t know she possessed, and she vaulted over Julien’s body with unexpected ease.

She didn’t look back.

She just kept on running, sprinting for the door, or at least, that was how it had played out in her mind. Somehow, the reality was drastically different.
 

In the blink of an eye, Rebecca was back at Julien’s side, and his massive, bloodstained hand was curled around her ankle like a vise, and he was tugging…jerking…pulling her to the ground.

“Nooo!” she cried in stunned alarm, even as her knees hit the floor and she toppled forward, landing on his massive chest.
 

She quickly scurried off him.
 

“Becca,” he drawled groggily. “Do not.”

She froze in terror, and her eyes darted around the room, searching for the other man, the one with the thick black hair. “Help me!” she screamed in a full-throated voice, uncaring if she shook the rafters. “Do something, damnit! Don’t leave me here with him!” She leaped back up, once again darting to her feet, and tried to shuffle out of Julien’s reach, but before she could get away, he shot upright.

And then he sprang to his feet in one lithe, fluid motion and literally towered over her, his eyes ablaze with something too powerful to name.

Fury?
 

Incredulity?
 

Ownership.

She recoiled and backed away.

And that’s when the green-eyed man stepped forward, still carrying the sagging blonde in his arms, and the motion began to rouse her.
 

Rebecca’s heart raced in her chest.
 

Maybe they could fight these guys together.

“Is she okay?” Julien spoke sensibly for the first time since Rebecca had met him, locking his gaze with the other man’s.
 

“She appears to be fine,” the guy answered in a dark, satiny voice. “No worse for the wear, but damn, J.
What the hell
?”

Julien narrowed his moonstone gaze and scowled. “Shit happens,” he murmured gruffly.

The man lowered his head in a subtle,
respectful
nod. “Indeed. It sometimes does.” And then he glanced right at Rebecca and slowly inclined his head in a graceful nod. “I am pleased to see she is here. Your
destiny
…at last.”

Julien shrugged. “Bad day. Bad timing. Like I said, shit happens, but I guess we’ll work it out.”

Rebecca felt like Alice in Wonderland, absolutely certain she had just fallen down a rabbit hole! What the heck were they talking about? And why?
I am pleased to see she is here? Your destiny…at last? We’ll work it out?
 

Work what out!

She was too stunned to even think.

And that’s when the blond woman stirred. “Julien?” She spoke in a faint, drowsy
voice.
 

The gladiator took a generous step forward, flexing those muscular arms and legs, and placed his right hand on the woman’s arm, even as the green-eyed man slowly lowered her to the floor, helping her to gain her footing. “Ah, baby,” Julien rasped, “
prietena mea loiala
, I’m sorry.” He bent to her neck, where the wounds were still raw, and did…something…Rebecca couldn’t see, and when he pulled back, the flesh looked healed. He wet the tip of his thumb with his tongue and tried to rub
the bloodstains clean from her throat. “Forgive me.”

The blonde winced and stepped back, and then she rubbed her neck in relief. “
Prietena mea loiala
?”

“My loyal friend,” he said softly, and the words were almost touching.

The woman nodded. “Of course. I’m sorry if I wasn’t able to…read the situation better. I should’ve called Kagen. I should’ve known—”

“I compelled you, sweetheart,” Julien interrupted. “I…I was not in a good frame of mind. Again, my apologies.”

The blonde looked deep into the gladiator’s eyes, as if testing the truth of his words, and then she nodded. “I know.
I do
. I’m fine.” She bent over to pick up her shoes, smoothed her blouse with one hand, and inadvertently turned her head to the side; and that’s when she caught her first real glimpse of Rebecca, from the corner of her eye. She jerked in surprise and frowned, but before she could speak, Rebecca jumped in and tried to plead her own case.
 

“You have to help me!” she insisted. “Your friend—
Julien
—he took me from his front porch, and he’s forcing me to stay here with him. I don’t wanna be here! He’s a complete freakin’ stranger, and I’m scared half to death.
Please
; do something to help me!” Despite her desperation, she cut her eyes in anger, glaring at the other man.
 

The woman turned visibly pale, and the green-eyed man placed his hand on her shoulder. “While you were sleeping, Shelly, there was a Blood Moon. Julien’s. This woman is his
destiny
.”

The blonde gulped, and her mouth fell open as she appraised Rebecca from head to toe in what appeared to be fascination, and then she turned toward Julien and sighed. “Oh…gods…this has been some kind of night, hasn’t it?”

Rebecca threw her hands up in exasperation, utterly flabbergasted by the bizarre, unnatural conversation. She opened her mouth to protest—or to scream—but nothing came out.
 

She was beyond confusion.

“My Mustang’s parked outside,” the raven-haired stranger said with stunning indifference. “Go wait in the car, Shelly. I’ll be there in a moment.”

The woman paused, like she was thinking it over, and then she blinked her eyes several times, in quick succession, and started to walk away.

“Wait!” Rebecca cried frantically. “Wait!
Shelly
, wait!”

The woman paused in the doorway, just for a moment, but she didn’t turn around.

“Go,” Julien barked, returning to that deep, commanding voice, and the woman disappeared into the night.
 

Rebecca’s bottom lip quivered like she was a three-year-old child, nothing more than a mere, frightened babe who had been chastised—and dismissed—by the grown-ups. “Why are you doing this?” She directed the question at the dark-haired man, knowing that Julien was unmovable.
 

Unreachable.
 

And that’s when the gladiator snarled.

Just like a rabid dog.

His top lip twitched; his teeth flashed beneath his gums; and his throat virtually vibrated from the sound.
 

The dark-haired man took a cautious step back and averted his eyes, angling his body away from Rebecca’s. He held one hand up in a gesture of surrender, reached into the pocket of his cargo pants, and withdrew what looked like a pale blue crystal. “I’m outta here,” he said in a pacifying voice, “but before I go, Ramsey asked me to give this to you.”

“What the hell is it?” Julien barked.

The man raised one shoulder and cocked both brows. “A diary of sorts.” He wet his bottom lip and held up the crystal. “You can open it the same way you would unravel a holding cell, and then you can access the contents by channeling the same telepathic bandwidth, while focusing on the stone, that you would use to reach me on a private line.” He extended his graceful hand and thrust the object at Julien. “It contains my memories, warrior. Not all of them, but enough. From my time in hell. You
need
to take a look. You need to understand.”

Julien furrowed his brow and cocked his head to the side, glaring at the ominous offering. “You put your memories into that stone?
How
?”

The male smiled coyly, and when he did, his features were so luminous, they almost lit up the room. “I’m a wizard, my friend. Don’t hate. Just view it.”

Julien snorted, and Rebecca couldn’t tell whether he was offended or impressed. Either way, he didn’t join the playful banter. And why should he? He was a batshit-crazy serial killer; his friends were all his allies; and even the pitiful woman, the blond victim, who was probably his girlfriend, was quick to follow his orders. Hell, she didn’t even care that he was holding another woman hostage.
 

The entire world had gone insane.
 

Julien reached out, took the crystal from the green-eyed man, and nodded. “Don’t expect me to say thank you, Nachari. This is my life…my choice…my fate. I’ve served the house of Jadon for over nine hundred years, and I’ve served it well. It’s not your place, or anyone else’s, to tell me when I’ve had enough.”

The wizard took a bold step forward, placed his right hand on Julien’s shoulder, and regarded the gladiator with unconcealed concern…and affection. “And that’s just it, what you still don’t get, J. What you never seem to understand. Your life isn’t just your own. Your choices don’t exist in a vacuum. And your
fate
affects the entire house of Jadon. If you think for one moment that you can just step off the stage without completely screwing
Ramsey, Santos, and Saxson—hell, even Saber Alexiares—then you’ve been sucking down that cocktail for way too long, and you have no idea how many sons of Jadon care for you. Believe in you. Honor you.
Revere you.
And I, for one, will tell you this much, now: You think it’s
impressive
to embed memories in a stone? Oh, you don’t know half of what I can do. Try skipping out on the Curse, skirting your way around this Blood Moon, offering yourself up like some suicidal sacrifice to the Blood at the end of these thirty days. Just try it, and see what happens.” He tightened his grip on the gladiator’s shoulder, and the grasp looked powerful…and painful. “
No one
is going to let you die, brother
. And we don’t give a
gods-damn
about what you want or whether or not you’ve had enough.” He withdrew his hand from Julien’s shoulder, took an angry step back, and then simply…

Disappeared.
 

He didn’t storm out of the room or walk away.