Scorched Ice (Fire and Ice #3)(7)
Julian’s hands tightened on her shoulders before he released her and stepped away. It would be pointless to argue with her, she would not back down from this, and truthfully, one of the things he loved best about her was the fact she knew about his past and loved him anyway.
Taking hold of her hand, he ran his thumb over the delicate bones in the back of it before tracing the puckered line of the scar there. “Come.”
“Stay here,” Devon said to Cassie.
Cassie hesitated before stepping back to stand with Melissa, Dani, and Lou. Chris, Luther, and Clint followed them out of the bar and to the garage. Chris walked at his side, his sapphire eyes shifting nervously between Julian and Quinn.
“How bad is it in there?” Chris asked.
“You’re not going to like what you see,” Julian assured him.
Chris’s shaggy, sandy blond hair fell into his eyes when he gave a brisk nod. He ran his hand through his hair, shoving it away from his face. As a Hunter, Chris had seen a lot and killed his fair share of vampires over the years, but Julian still would have preferred to keep this from him. When they’d first met, Julian would have happily killed the kid, he’d definitely tried to, but now he considered Chris a close friend. That friendship would make Chris refuse to return to the bar to wait with the others.
Julian opened the garage door for the others before making his way over to the hidden entrance to the room below. Bending, Julian pulled the panel covering the hidden room up and set it aside. Quinn’s eyes flickered when the coppery tang of blood wafted up from below. Julian rose to stand before her. He ran his fingers over the scar on her temple before stroking the one on her chin. She didn’t shrink away from him or slap his hand away like she used to when he tried to touch her scars.
“Everything he’s ever done to you will be done to him, plus some,” he told her as he reclaimed her hand. “Prepare yourself.”
Realization caused more color to drain from her face, but she resolutely followed him down the stairs. Her hand jerked in his when she spotted Earl lying spread-eagle on the floor. It was the only reaction she gave to the grisly display. The couple both cried out and took a staggering step back toward the stairs. Devon, Clint, and Chris blocked their exit before they could flee. Luther strode over to stand on the other side of Earl, his forehead furrowed as he stared at the vamp.
Over the years, Julian had learned that Luther could be as ruthless as him and Devon, especially when Melissa, Chris, and Cassie were at risk. As a Guardian, Luther was responsible for training Hunters to kill vampires. Luther had raised Melissa since she was a baby, after her parents were killed. He’d taught her what she was and trained her as a Hunter. He hadn’t discovered Cassie and Chris until later in their lives, but he’d also taught them what they were and what they were capable of. To Luther, they were his children, and he would defend them with his life. Despite that, Julian didn’t know how Luther would react to what he’d done to Earl.
Luther’s Lennon-style glasses slid down to perch at the end of his hawkish nose. Pushing his glasses back up, he ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair before lifting his gaze to Julian. Luther didn’t say a word to him, and Julian didn’t see any disapproval in Luther’s steady gaze, only a concern Julian knew was for him and not Earl.
Quinn’s eyes remained riveted on Earl while Julian walked her around to stand on the other side of the vamp. Earl’s eyes filled with a loathing Julian would make him pay for as the vamp watched Quinn’s every move.
“This is only the beginning for him,” Julian said to the couple, drawing their attention from Earl to him. “If more try to come for her, they will meet this same fate and worse. If you’re not what I need you to be, you will not be walking away from here tonight.”
“We’ll be anything you need!” the man blurted as the woman flattened herself against the wall.
“Chris and I will be the judges of that,” Julian replied, and the couple shared a confused look.
Earl gurgled and jerked against his chains as he made a lurching motion toward Quinn. She didn’t step away from him, but Julian pulled her back before placing his foot on the knife in Earl’s throat and pushing it deeper into his flesh. The woman cried out and buried her face in the man’s chest as Earl jerked awkwardly on the ground.
“Out!” Julian commanded the couple.
CHAPTER 4
Devon, Clint, and Chris kept the couple boxed in as they herded them back up the stairs. Quinn remained at Julian’s side as he led her from the room and settled the board back into place over the hole. He reclaimed her hand afterward and drew her closer. He saw no revulsion in her eyes when they met his, but they were full of dread.
“Earl will never hurt you again,” he promised her.
“It’s not him I’m worried about.”
“Don’t worry about me. I can handle this.”
She opened her mouth to say more before glancing at the couple and closing it again. He kept hold of her hand while they walked back to the bar. When they reentered the barroom, the others all lifted their heads. Cassie stared at the crying woman and shaking man before looking questioningly toward Devon, who kept his face impassive.
Melissa and Dani had moved to sit at the bar. Dani stood and walked over to join Cassie. Melissa remained sitting for a minute before placing her hands on the bar and rising with lethal grace to stand with the others. Her short black hair had been tucked behind her ears. Her onyx eyes somberly watched them all spread out around the bar again with the couple enclosed in a circle.