Blood Judgment (Judgment Series) (42 page)

“No. No. I just need rest.”

“Are you sure?” He wasn’t sure of that. Not at all.

“Yeah. I am.”

He settled back, but he didn’t like it. Something was wrong. He stroked her shoulder and she tensed. “Shh, it’s okay. Relax.”

After a while, her body loosened in his arms.

JULIAN WAS still asleep when Saranna woke. She didn’t feel much better than she had the night before. At least she didn’t have to go to work.

She didn’t know of anything going around the vampire community, but she must have come into contact with a bug somewhere. Probably from the club. Probably… Her stomach plummeted and nausea churned her insides.

No! Dear God, no
.

It wasn’t possible.

Was it?

She touched her lower belly. Julian had mated with her countless times during her heat.

He’s sterile
, her mind screamed. And it had been her first heat. Females never conceived during their first heat.

Or did they?

She’d heard conception never occurred until the second heat, and sometimes not then, but was it true?

What if he wasn’t sterile? What if the injection had failed?

Oh, my God
.

His offspring was growing in her belly. That’s why she didn’t feel well. Why she was tired.

Now she was forever tied to Julian. Even if they never worked out their problems, he would always be a presence in her life if she bore his child.

She looked at Julian’s sleeping form with rising alarm. How would he react to this little bit of news? The scent of panic rose over the bed in such a thick cloud she feared it would wake him.

How long before the scent of the pregnancy became noticeable? A month, maybe two?

How could she have been so dumb? She should have made him use condoms regardless of the injection he’d been given. This was no time to bring offspring into the world. She cupped her belly in an instinctive gesture of protection. What if she had to raise her baby alone? What would she do?

Her stomach rolled with a sickening sensation. “I’m sorry, Julian.” It came out in a hoarse whisper before she ran to the bathroom to throw up.

JULIAN AWOKE in an empty bed. He’d hoped they would spend a little time together before he had to leave her. He needed to reassure himself she was all right.

He slipped from the warm blankets and went downstairs.

Vali sat on the sofa with a morose expression plastered across his face. Julian steered clear of him. Other than the droning TV, the downstairs was quiet. The others had gone out.

He grabbed his jacket and slipped outside before Vali asked him to hang out. He wasn’t going to spend the evening watching movies and listening to Vali bitch about his life sucking.

He headed toward downtown and, before long, he found himself outside Benaroya Hall. God, he still missed being in there.

He bared his teeth in helpless fury. He was the best violinist in Seattle. Hell he was the best violinist on the west coast. And he would never play on stage again.

It wasn’t fair. Wasn’t right.

No doubt, Tommy had won the concertmaster position.

The seat would have been his. Should have been his.

He had no desire to be human again, but he desperately wanted the things he’d taken for granted and lost.

Shame pecked him with a sharp beak.

He had no right to wallow in self-pity considering what things had been like, and would be like, if he hadn’t been fortunate enough to meet Saranna and the others. Hell, he probably would have been killed if it weren’t for them.

But not even shame was enough to blunt the pain of loss. He’d never grieved for the death of his human self and he didn’t think he could do it now. Maybe if he was able to grieve, some of the hurt and anger would be put in its grave and covered up with the sod of acceptance.

He’d lost. Period.

But he’d also gained.

He was more than he ever would have been as a human. And he had the opportunity to do greater things than he would have as a musician. But it still hurt, though he would never admit it out loud. He identified himself as a musician, not a fighter. But now he had to fight and he would. He would even give his life if necessary. But, in his heart, he was and always would be a concert violinist.

He spun and stalked around to the back of the building. Parking himself beside the damp wall, he settled in to wait for the musicians to come out. He still had a little unfinished business that had been put off too long already.

Fifteen minutes later, the exodus began. He hung his head and let his hair fall in his face. There was only one person he wanted to recognize him. Though he was sure they all knew about him. Tommy wouldn’t have kept his mouth shut about something like that.

He didn’t give a shit, but he didn’t want the stares and whispers. Not tonight.

The stream of musicians tapered down to a trickle and stopped. Where the fuck was that no good Tommy? Had the bastard gone out the main entrance?

He stepped away from the wall and stalked to the corner. Behind him, the door banged open. He whipped around. His ex-best friend had exited the building.

Julian growled low in his throat, but he didn’t move on Tommy. Instead, he waited until Tommy crossed the street. He followed with the silence of a wraith.

As he hoped, Tommy made the mistake of cutting through an alley.

Julian slipped through the shadows and entered the waste container-lined passage where he no longer bothered with stealth.

Tommy spun and shock flashed across his face. On its heels came fear.

Julian showed his fangs.

Tommy looked as if he was either constipated or choking on his tongue.

Ignoring his mending but still painful wounds, Julian leapt and latched onto Tommy. Fury spurring him on, he slung Tommy against the damp wall between two AVI waste bins. Tommy grunted at the impact, but otherwise remained silent, though his eyes reflected terror. His violin case fell at his feet. Julian kicked it aside.

“You know I should kill you. In the most painful way I can devise,” Julian said. “But I have a better idea.”

Tommy shook his head and moaned.

“I loved you like a brother and you sold me out to be murdered. For money! If I could turn you, put you in my shoes, I’d do it without thinking twice.” He shoved his forearm against Tommy’s throat hard enough to make him gasp for breath. “I can’t make you my vampire brother, but I can make you my blood brother. That might be even better, because your hatred is your weakness.”

Julian brought his wrist to his mouth and bit hard.

Tommy’s eyes bugged with comprehension.

“Come, Tommy. Take my blood inside you and be my brother. Be one with the vampire race.” He shoved his bleeding wrist into Tommy’s gaping mouth.

Tommy went spastic, but Julian leaned into him, trapping him. He choked on a mouthful of blood.

Julian forced his wrist harder until Tommy had no choice but to swallow. He kept Tommy pinned for long minutes. When he pulled his arm free and stepped back, Tommy fell in a heap at his feet.

Julian reined in the urge to kick him.

Tommy shuddered and moaned.

“Take care of yourself,
brother
.” Julian stalked out of the alley.

Chapter Forty-three

AFTER ANOTHER week to recuperate, Julian had one last night off and a personal mission. Jewelry with jasper for Saranna.

Over the last couple of days, she’d withdrawn. And though he didn’t know why, he had the feeling he’d done something wrong. He couldn’t love her the way she wanted, but she was still his mate and he wanted and needed her affection.

Maybe green jasper, a mate’s gift, would cheer her up. She had to know how important she was to him. She needed something to make her feel better.

If necessary, he would go to every pawn shop in Seattle to find something nice for her. The five hundred dollars Ashton had given him should be enough to buy something special.

He left the house before the others awakened and hurried toward downtown. Once he reached the shops and businesses, he crossed the street and cut down a side street. He skidded to a halt.

Two officers walked ahead of him. They made lots of hand gestures as if engrossed in an interesting conversation.

He pulled the Beretta and clicked off the safety, but he didn’t fire on them. It wasn’t sporting to shoot them in the back and it went against his natural instincts of right and wrong.

He backed away, intending to turn around and be on his way. He’d taken another step when his heel hit a discarded can. It clanged across the pavement with a loud clatter.

The officers spun and, locking onto him like bloodhounds, went for their weapons.

Julian raised the Beretta and squeezed off two rounds, dropping them in their tracks. The gunshots made his sensitive ears ring.

He went to the bodies and knelt. Moving with haste, he patted them down and lifted their wallets. The second man had a leather binder with several sheets of folded paper inside.

He pulled out the documents and thumbed through them.

Holy fuck
.

He replaced the papers with shaking hands and lurched to his feet. He had to get out of there before anyone came to investigate the shooting.

Clutching the binder under his arm, he pawed through the wallets as he walked. He counted five hundred dollars in one, and three hundred and twenty-five in the other. Thanks to the officers, he had intel and plenty of money to buy Saranna some quality jewelry.

He stuffed the money in his pocket and threw the wallets through a sewer grate. As he walked, he pulled the papers out and skimmed them again.

They were surveys about testing being done on vampires at the Security Center. A dozen or so sheets of paper, each one for a different vampire, listed reactions and comments.

He scanned the pages, focusing on the more disturbing aspects—
anxiety, stomach pain, vomiting
,
partial paralysis
.

Had this been tested on Vali? Some of the comments were bizarre and alarming.
No hallucinations or delirium, no excess salivation in 98% of subjects, some fever in all subjects, no subject experienced coma or heart and respiratory failure, no extreme mood fluctuations or restlessness, excitability or aggression. So far formula is ineffective
.

His skin pebbled with chills.
Dear God, what were they doing?

Whatever they were cooking up, it had to be bad news for the vampire community.

He would give the papers to Ashton. Right now, he had jewelry to buy. And forget pawn shops. A few jewelers stayed open until eleven. He had an hour.

WHEN JULIAN returned to the house, he carried two little velvet boxes. He’d spent every bit of the money he had without regret and he couldn’t wait to give them to Saranna.

He let himself in and found her brother and cousins seated around the kitchen island.

“What’s in the fancy boxes?” Ashton asked.

“A choker and a bracelet.”

“Jasper,” Slade said. It wasn’t a question.

“Jasper and diamonds.” Julian popped open the boxes.

Slade whistled. “Where’d you lift those?”

“I didn’t steal them. I bought them.”

“With what? Your pretty hide?”

“I dusted two officers who wanted to shoot me. I’m afraid I robbed them while I was at it.”

“Nice,” Ashton said.

“I think you need to see this.” Julian handed Ashton the binder. “And I don’t think you’re going to like it.”

“What is it?” Slade said as Ashton pulled out the papers.

“I took it off one of the officers. I think they must have been delivering them somewhere.”

Ashton spread out the sheets and studied them. A scowl marred his face.

“Do you think they injected Vali with that shit?” Julian had a horrible feeling they had.

“Probably,” Ashton said.

“Should we run this past Jason?” Slade asked.

Ashton flipped through the pages again. “This is so vague, I doubt he would know any more than we do.”

Vali hobbled over. “What’s going on? I heard my name.”

“Look at these.” Ashton handed him the papers. “Maybe you were popped with this.”

Vali thumbed through the pages. “Holy fucking shit. They paralyzed me with something. Stands to reason it’s that stuff. I wonder if this might wear off.” Vali sounded hopeful for the first time since they’d rescued him.

“Maybe,” Ashton said.

“I’m going upstairs.” Julian scooped up the boxes.

“Oh, Lord.” Ashton rolled his eyes. “Now we’re going to have to listen to her moaning and screaming for the next hour.”

Julian would give anything to have her treat him as her mate again. His life wasn’t the same without her affection. She’d left a cold, open wound in his heart.

He hurried up the steps and tapped on the bedroom door. Without waiting for an invitation, he entered and found her curled in bed, watching TV.

“Julian?”

He sat beside her with the little boxes behind his back.

“What are you hiding?”

“A gift.” He handed her the boxes. If she refused them… Refused him… He held his breath.

“Jewelry boxes?” She opened the larger one with the choker and gasped. “Oh, my God. It’s beautiful, Julian. Did anyone tell you about bloodstones?”

Relief flooded over him. “Yeah, Ashton. Open the other one.”

She opened the one with the bracelet and burst into tears.

“What’s wrong? Don’t you want them?” His moment of relief evaporated.

“Oh, Julian. Of course I want them.” She crawled into his arms.

Confused, he held her and stroked her back as her tears soaked through his shirt. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.” She sniffed. “Everything’s fine.

“Saranna, something’s wrong. Won’t you tell me?”

“I’m okay.”

She sat up and wiped her eyes and slipped off his lap. With trembling fingers, she took the jewelry from the boxes. “They’re beautiful. Are you sure you want to give me these? They shouldn’t be given lightly.”