Pressure pushed against her bottom lips and Julie ran her tongue over the pointed ends of her teeth. She weaved her fingers through Londyn’s hair and pulled his head to the side. Moaning, she sunk her fangs into his skin. Londyn’s hands tightened on her ass and he pushed his cock deeper. Spasms rocked her hard.
Julie wasn’t sure whose moan was louder, hers or Londyn’s. Warmth filled her mouth and she sucked down his blood greedily. Her mate shuddered and she could feel his cum deep inside of her. Julie had never felt so content, but she knew she couldn’t feed for long. They’d already taken up too much time, and she needed to pretend to be part of the investigation.
“You’re about to stop, I can feel it. Do you have to?”
Julie licked his neck to close the wounds, but only saw one thing. One face. “Yes. We can continue this later. We need to get out of here.”
Londyn nodded as she grabbed the soap and washed off as fast as she could. Once she got out of here without being detected, they were going to have to make a plan. Corinne was going to pay, and the sooner, the better.
* * * *
Taylor opened his eyes and felt the rage of his wolf rattling at the cage of his chest. Two men were sitting next to him and paused their talking as he began to sit up. He had no idea who they were, and frankly, he didn’t care.
“Whoa, buddy! Lay down. You’re in no condition to be up.” Hands were all over him trying to push him to the floor, but Taylor wasn’t about to calm. He grabbed the two men and launched them into the air. One hit the wall hard, the other fell right through the glass of the coffee table sending wood and shards flying into the air.
“Taylor! Look at me. It’s Aston.”
Taylor was breathing so hard he could hardly hear Aston speaking. Blood was everywhere. His eyes scanned the room looking for Julie. He knew she’d been shot. The sounds of the three pops were still echoing inside his head.
That bitch that shot her was going to pay. When he got done ripping her limb from limb no one was going to be able to identify the body.
“Taylor.” Aston moved closer, but Taylor didn’t want to have anything to do with what he had to say. There was only one thing he wanted and that was Corinne’s blood on his hands.
“Hey! Look at me for a minute and let me explain everything to you.”
Taylor watched as a woman and Londyn walked into the room. He froze and stared at the stranger wearing Julie’s clothes. He knew that silk blouse. He’d bought it.
“Taylor, you’re okay.” Tears started streaming down her face. Something about her was so familiar that Taylor was speechless. What was it? He took a step toward her and felt a bond so deep he knew it could only be one person, but how?
“Julie?”
She burst into tears. “You recognize me. God, I thought I was going to lose you.” She ran into his arms and he knew that scent. It was her.
“What happened?” He stepped back and inspected her. He turned around and looked at the man who was using the wall to help himself up. “You look like him.”
Julie nodded. “I died, Taylor. Channing saved my life, but to do so he had to change me.”
“Change?”
Julie showed him her fangs. “You were really bad too. I gave you some of my blood. We’re mated, Taylor. You, to my vampire. And then me to their wolves.” She nodded toward Londyn and Aston. We’re all going to spend our lives together. Isn’t that great?”
Taylor smiled and then he felt it fall. He turned around and helped the man from the wall up. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me.”
“Her blood. Right now she is more powerful than you’ll ever know. With her blood in you, you’re both going to be pretty tough. You shouldn’t even be awake right now. Your injury was critical.” Aston was helping the other man up. “I’m sorry. I don’t think we met. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“I’m Devon, your doctor, and no. Nothing a few stitches won’t take care of.” He lifted his arm where a piece of glass had cut deep.
“I’m so sorry. Really, I wasn’t thinking about anything, but that…bitch.” Taylor said her name in a growl. “I swear, when I find her, she’s going to regret the day she ever thought about hurting Julie.”
“Taylor.” Julie silenced him. “You need to rest, and we need to get out of here.” She clipped the police pass on her blouse. “Channing, can you take Taylor to Aston and Londyn’s apartment. We’ll meet you over there. Devon, you can walk out with us if you want. I think Taylor’s going to be okay.”
“Yeah, I’d say so.” Devon gathered his stuff and placed it in a black backpack.
Pressure grasped her hand and Julie looked at Taylor. “I don’t want to be separated yet. I want to go with y’all.”
“You’re not well enough yet. We’ll meet you there. I promise.”
Channing winked at her and grabbed Taylor’s shoulder. Suddenly they vanished into thin air. Julie’s jaw dropped. “That was amazing. Someday I’m going to be able to do that.” She closed her eyes and tried to wish herself away. As she peeked one open, Londyn and Aston were looking at her, amused. “What?” Julie shrugged. “It was worth a try.” She rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on.”
The brown paper bag Ayden had handed her was lying next to the couch. They’d stuffed it with a couple days’ worth of clothes, but ultimately she was going to have to figure out how to get the rest of her things. Julie picked it up and looked back at her mates. They were both dressed as CCPD. Even Devin had a police uniform on. Julie took a deep breath and swung open the door.
Beyond the courtyard was a circus of reporters. The crowd behind them pushed all the way back through the parking lot to the road.
“Son of a bitch.” Julie wasn’t sure how in the hell they were going to get Aston’s car out of the lot.
“Slow down, Juliet.” Londyn emphasized her new name. “You’re speed walking. We can hardly keep up, not to mention that it looks highly suspicious. Every camera in Corpus Christi is pointed at you.”
Changing her speed was torture. The nervousness she felt was causing her whole body to jump into hyper-speed. Ultimately, Julie was able to slow down enough to fall back between her two mates. “Wait.” She tried not to miss a step as they approached the crowd. “If Corinne has been watching, won’t she recognize you two? She’ll know you’re both not cops.”
“We’ll worry about that later. Just keep walking. Ayden has a patrol car sitting right up here for us to use.” Aston scooted closer to her as a reporter stretched over the tape with their microphone.
“Officer Simms!” A blonde woman smiled as she tried to wave him over. Julie felt her fangs pierce her lower lip.
“Ignore her and keep walking.” Aston placed his palm against Julie’s lower back and led her widely around the mob. People were screaming and yelling out her name. At first she thought they were actually yelling at her, but then she noticed that it was just something they were repeating. She tried to concentrate, but they crowd was so out of sync it was hard to make anything out.
“Hurry, get in. Things are about to get really bad here.” Aston opened the passenger side and the back door. She and Londyn jumped in just as they were swarmed with reporters.
“Sources say lawyer Julie Reynolds was murdered by a secretary at the law firm where she was employed. Can you confirm that?”
“No comment.” Aston shut her door and tried to make his way through the crowd.
“Can you confirm the body count? Sources say there might have been more than one body.”
Aston nudged his way through the reporters and opened his door. “There was only one body. A female. I believe the Chief is getting everything together to hold a news conference. You’ll learn everything you need to know then.”
The answer only caused them to spit out tons of more questions. There were so many voices that together they sounded like a loud buzzing. Aston quickly got in and started the cruiser. Since they were already on the main road it made it easier to pull out with the flow of tra
ffic.
“Jeez.” Julie took a deep breath. “What a mess. Who were all those people?”
“Every crime scene usually has a crowd, but that back there was like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”
“What do you think’s going on?”
Londyn leaned forward. “Didn’t you hear what they were chanting? I’m pretty sure it was, ‘justice for Julie.’” He tucked her long bangs behind her ear. “Ayden sure did bring out the big guns by having someone tip off the media. Once Corinne’s picture shows up on the news, there’s no way she’s going to be able to hide. We’ll find her, Jules. And then Ayden will take care of everything.”
Yes, they would find her. Julie had every intention of making a plan once they got back to the apartment, and Channing left. Taylor had been on her wavelength with wanting to go out and search for Corinne. There was no way she could sit within another set of walls for who knew how much longer. Julie was raised to face her problems. Rosa had taught her that. Hiding had done no good. She’d died that way. It was time she did what she felt was right and hunted down Corinne.
Chapter 12
Taylor and Channing were waiting in the living room of Aston and Londyn’s apartment when Julie and her mates walked in. The looks on their faces were serious. Julie tried to act like she was okay, but all she wanted was for her and her men to be alone so she could start planning how they were going to track down her murderer.
“You forget I can read your thoughts, ma soeur.”
Julie narrowed her eyes. “Your sister?” She let the words sink in. “If I was your sister then you wouldn’t be lying to me right now, Channing. What do you know about Corinne that you’re not telling anyone?”
A sigh came from his lips. “You and I are too closely connected. It would appear you can read your master more than you should.” Channing casually leaned against the wall. “It’s complicated, and unfortunately it’s best that you don’t know. Just rest assured that I will take care of her.”
The background blurred as Julie rushed toward him. Unfortunately, as fast as she was, Channing was one step ahead. Pressure gripped her shoulder and he spun her around to face her mates. Her hands were suddenly pinned behind her back by one of his, and the other grabbed a fistful of her hair so she couldn’t move. Growls and snarls erupted throughout the room as her mates detected the pain that Channing had inflicted.
“You also forget who you are facing. I am not only your friend, I gave you life. Never overlook that fact.”
Julie jerked against his hold, but she didn’t budge. “Give her to me, Channing. She deserves to pay for what she did to me and Taylor. Don’t reject my right for justice.”
Taylor’s growl vibrated Julie’s core. She could feel his rage coursing through her veins.
“No, ma soeur. It is not justice you seek, but revenge. That is not how our code works. Not anymore.” Channing loosened his grip. “Call your wolves off and I will let go of you.”
Julie looked at her men. The lack of fear on their faces scared her. She may have been mad at Channing, but she didn’t want him dead. He was her friend and married to one of the most important people in her life. “Enough, all of you. I’m all right. Channing is not going to hurt me. He was just defending himself. If anyone is in the wrong, it’s me.”
The grip was released ,and Julie turned around. There was hurt in Channing’s eyes, but the worst part was she could feel his pain.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to attack you like that. I don’t know what I was thinking. Please forgive me.”
His arms wrapped around her. “You’re upset. I can feel your betrayal, and I’m sorry. I don’t mean to leave you out, but you have to understand.” Channing slowly turned her back around to face her mates. “Do you see them? If I tell you about Corinne and you go after her, all three of them will be directly defying their Alpha by going behind his back.”
Julie looked back at him. “But why? Why couldn’t we just tell Ayden after the fact? He’s already searching for her. What difference would it make if we took her out first?”
“You haven’t learned the rules yet.” Channing motioned Londyn forward. “Please tell Julie what happens if one of you were to kill a vampire.”
Londyn’s eyes narrowed, as if he were confused. She kept forgetting that she and Channing were talking in French. No one else in the room knew what was going on. “It’s forbidden. Unless, of course, they were directly trying to inflict harm. Then we’d be in our rights to defend ourselves.”
A nod came from Channing. “All right, but that’s not the case I’m referring to. Let’s say the vampire wasn’t inflicting harm at the given time. Please tell her what Ayden would be forced to do if he learned that three of his wolves plotted and killed a vampire, no matter how bad, or what the vampire had done in the past.” Channing lowered himself and breathed against her ear. “Listen close, my sweet Juliet. This will be your future if you continue on the path you’re determined to go down. I can see it so clearly in my head.”
The look Londyn gave the others sent a spark of fear racing through her. He stared right into her eyes. “There would be a hearing in front of the entire pack to inform them of the crime. Then, in front of everyone, he’d be forced to kill us.”
“Kill?” Julie whispered.
“Yes.” Channing walked around to face her. “If you kill Corinne, and they go behind their Alpha’s back to help you find her, they are just as guilty as you. I assure you, Julie, they will not be the only ones in trouble. Some very bad people will be after you. They will expect me to take you out. If I don’t, that automatically puts me and my family in jeopardy. Think about the game you’re playing here. How many lives is your revenge worth?”
“None. I didn’t know.”
Aston sat on the edge of the couch. “Julie, we all want this woman caught just as much as you. Ayden knows what he’s doing. We just have to give him some time.”
The energy coming from Taylor kept Julie’s nerves on edge. He was still so angry. He paced, glaring at Channing. “If you knew about this woman, why didn’t you tell Ayden when you had the chance?”
“I said I would take care of it,” Channing snapped. “It’s political, dammit. Corinne is a vampire, not a wolf. If Ayden gets to her first, then he’s going to have to go through her master, anyway. I’m going to save him the time and hassle, and call Delvicho myself. Then it is up to him to take her out. Not any of us.”
Channing checked the time on his phone. “I have to go home. Julie, I’m ordering you not to do anything stupid. Let me and Ayden handle this. If he finds her, good, he can deal with Delvicho. But I think once I call him and explain what happened, he’ll go on the search for her immediately. The last thing a vampire wants to do is get mixed up in politics with wolves.”
“I’m not going to go after her,” Julie said softly. “I swear.”
“Good girl.” Channing walked over and kissed her forehead. “Corinne will get what’s coming to her. I promise. Delvicho is a good man.”
“Before you go, answer me this.” Taylor’s face was growing pale as he continued to pace. “If she’s a big, bad vampire, why was she working at a law firm with Julie, and why did she use a gun? She could have killed her at any time. It doesn’t make sense to me.”
“Me either.” Channing shrugged. “But until someone questions Corinne, we’re never going to know. Now I have to go. Julie, take care of Taylor. He needs you.”
With a blink, Channing was gone. Julie rubbed her eyes and looked at her men. “I never would have even considered going after Corinne if I knew it would have put you all at risk. Truthfully, I wasn’t even thinking. So much has happened in the last few hours, I can’t even process it.”
“You’ve been through hell. It’s understandable.” Aston grinned and walked over, wrapping his arms around her. “Let’s just go lie down and rest. I think we all need to get some shut-eye.”
“I think you’re right, but first”—Julie motioned to Taylor—“I’m
not sure how this is going to taste, but I need you to take some more of my blood. It’ll help with the healing.”
Taylor paused, but nodded. “I feel like death. If it’ll help, I don’t care what it is.” He walked over and scooped Julie into his arms. “But let’s continue this in bed.”
“We’ll use mine. Mine’s a king.” Aston led the way and Julie melted into Taylor’s body. She was exhausted, and she fit perfectly in his arms. The dreaded burning was back in her throat, and she felt bad about having to ask one of her men to supply more blood for her appetite. Next time, she’d make sure she got her fill before cutting it short.
“Okay, pick a spot and let’s get comfy.” Aston undressed completely and crawled in the middle. Londyn followed and picked the far side. Julie noticed that Taylor didn’t hesitate. He lowered her to stand and began taking off his clothes.
“Naked party. Okay.” Julie began to undress and watched the men stiffen. “What? You all are naked. Should I keep my clothes on?”
Taylor smiled, and she raised both of her eyebrows at him. That wasn’t just any look he was giving her. “No clothes. Please, by all means, take them off.”
“Maybe you’d like to help me out.” The look she gave Taylor was meant to be challenging. She knew if anyone was open about sex, it was Taylor. Someone needed to break the ice concerning all four of them and what was a better time than now?
“I’ll help.” Aston sat up letting the sheet fall to his waist.
“I’ll get the top. Why don’t you get the bottoms,” Taylor said, grinning.
“My pleasure.” Aston came to the edge of the bed and Taylor moved Julie to fit between Aston’s thighs.
Slowly, they removed her clothes until Julie was standing there naked, sandwiched between the two of them. Taylor’s hard cock slid against Julie’s back as he leaned forward and lifted her arms over her head.
Three for Julie (Blissful Bets #4) Page 11
