Lori Handeland - Marked by the Moon

Alex winced, even though she was right.

Julian pressed his lips together. The table began to shimmy as if there were an earthquake, though nothing else in the house moved.

“I told you not to upset him,” Jorund said.

Ella kept her gaze on Julian’s face. “I’m not afraid of him.”

The wine in Alex’s glass began to bubble and boil. She stood up, moved back. “Maybe you should be.”

Suddenly the table stilled, the wine calmed, and Julian sat back down. “Is it because of the initial kill?”

The old man shrugged. “I don’t like the idea of taking a life to ensure my immortality.” He lifted one hand as Ella leaned forward to speak. “ But I also believe that there are some humans who should be removed from this earth. I’m just not sure we should be choosing who they are.”

“ We aren’t,” Julian said. “I am.”

Jorund’s lips twitched. But he didn’t comment.

Julian’s gaze narrowed. “What else?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to be with her forever.” Jorund lifted his gaze to Ella’s, and his eyes reflected his devotion. “But I can’t leave my people now.”

“Because of the rogue?” Julian asked, and Jorund nodded.

“He’ll take care of it,” Ella said.

“I promised to protect my people,” the old man said. “How would it look if I suddenly became the creature that was killing them?”

Ella stood, throwing up her hands and making a very French sound of aggravation deep in her throat. “You would not be that creature. You would be you. You would never hurt a living soul now, and therefore you would not hurt a living soul after.”

“So you say,” Jorund returned.

“Once you die,” Ella murmured, “it is too late.”

The Inuit ignored her. “If my people are safe, then I can be sure.”

“Okay,” Julian said. “Okay.”

Julian released the throttle of the snowmobile and coasted to a stop in front of Ella’s. Alex climbed off immediately.

They’d been silent all the way back. He didn’t know about her, but he’d been fighting the response he seemed unable to stifle whenever she was near. She touched him, even without meaning to, and he was lost.

Alex rubbed her hands against her pants as if she was trying to rub the sting from her palms. He knew the feeling.

Julian lifted his chin to indicate the dark and quiet house. “Will you be all right?”

“Why? You think Ella tried to kill me?”

“No.” He frowned. “Do you?”

She spread her hands. “Someone did. Right now, the only one off the hook for it is you.”

“And George.”

“And George,” she agreed.

“If Ella wanted you dead,” Julian began, “she could have killed you in your bed.”

“A little obvious.”

“I doubt anyone would have been calling for her blood once she told them who you really were. In fact, if she wanted you dead, all she would have had to do was tell the truth, then stand back and watch.”

“Maybe it wasn’t Ella.” Alex smiled. “I’m glad.”

“ Someone tried to kill you, Alex.”

She shrugged. “I’m used to it.”

Her nonchalant attitude about that situation made Julian twitchy, anxious. He wanted to stay and protect her. But he knew what would happen if he did.

“No one should want to kill you at all,” he said.

“Don’t you?” she asked, then she strode up the steps and into the house.

Julian was left staring after her, wondering when in hell the answer had become no.

He parked the snowmobile at the back of Ella’s house, covered it with a tarp, then went searching for his brother.

Dawn was fast approaching. Cade would either be hard at work in the lab or—

Julian frowned and glanced into the night. Out there somewhere, like the others.

If he was honest, any one of his people could have taken those shots at Alex. But why would they? The only ones who knew who she really was, what she’d done, were Julian and Ella. And probably Jorund now, too.

They’d already established that Ella didn’t need to shoot Alex. There were easier, less dangerous ways to get rid of her.

Besides, Ella thought Alex was the victim. She’d be more likely to take a shot at Julian.

Jorund hadn’t done it. He’d been channeling Hugh Hefner at the time.

Julian hadn’t done it, so—

He opened the door to the lab and stepped inside, pausing to rub at his eyes. None of this made any sort of sense.

Julian glanced into Cade’s room. He wasn’t in bed.

He wasn’t in the lab, either, and he wasn’t in the bathroom that Julian checked on his way out.

Julian stood in the yard between his building and his brother’s, watching the moon die. Then he walked to Ella’s, and he sat on the porch until the murky light of the sun tinted the sky and his werewolves began to trickle into town.

“I’ve been looking for you.”

Julian blinked. Where had his brother come from?

Cade was dressed. So either he hadn’t been out running, or he’d already gone home to change.

“She kick you out?” Cade jerked his head at the house.

“Ella?”

Cade rolled his eyes. “Ella’s taken.”

Was Julian the only one who hadn’t known about Ella and Jorund? What else was going on in his village that he didn’t know about?

“I was looking for you, too.” Julian stood. “Where’d you go?”

“There’s something you need to see.”

Julian opened his mouth to point out that Cade hadn’t answered the question, then paused. His brother was—

Julian wasn’t sure. He’d never seen that expression on Cade’s face. He didn’t like it.

“Okay.” He stood. “Show me.”

“Back at the lab.” Cade glanced at Ella’s house. “You’d better bring her along too.”

Alex had known the exact moment Julian arrived. The connection between them appeared to be getting worse.

She’d been in bed, sound asleep; then suddenly she was wide awake and smelling him. She’d trailed through the house, gone to the window, then lost several minutes watching the silver rays of the moon play over his face.

How could she have smelled him? The doors and windows were tightly shut against the bitter cold. Yet his distinct scent of fresh snow on evergreens was everywhere. It had followed her back to sleep, playing across her dreams, making her yearn.

When the sun’s muted rays had just begun to lighten the Arctic skies, his voice had drawn her awake. She’d thrown on more of Ella’s clothes—she still hadn’t managed to buy any of her own—and gone to ask him in for coffee. She opened the door just as he was lifting his hand to knock.

“Morning.”

“Uh,” he returned.

“Morning!” Cade stood at the bottom of the steps.

“Come on in,” she said. “You want coffee?”

But as she turned, Julian caught her hand. Suddenly Alex couldn’t breathe. Her fingers clenched around his; she stared into his face. He didn’t appear to be breathing, either.

“Are you going to bring her along or aren’t you?” Cade asked.

He sounded like a petulant little brother, and Alex laughed, which allowed her to breathe again.

“Where are we going?”

“The lab.” Julian was staring at her as if she’d just sprouted horns; then he dropped her hand and spun away.

Why did she feel as if she’d done something wrong?

She glanced at Cade, who shrugged as Julian pushed past and left them behind. “You need more blood?” she asked.

His face took on a strange expression, and suddenly Alex was worried. What had he found in the last batch?

She put on her boots and followed. Julian stalked ahead, refusing to look back. He knew they were coming.

Alex felt a strange urge to hurry after him, almost as if he’d ordered her to, except he hadn’t.