Page 25 of Julian

“Tomorrow we’ll begin to strategize. I promise it’s going to be all right.”

“A war plan?”

“There’s no other way to fight evil. Hell is no joke. I’m not planning on taking any more trips there.” Julian reached for the door handle and began to leave.

“Julian,” she said, her voice soft.

“Hmm?” He looked up to her.

“Thanks for tonight. Your pizza was great. Che buono.” She smiled.

“Grazie, bella.” Julian winked and shot Cassia a sexy smile as he shut the door behind him.

Cassia’s head fell backwards and she released a sigh, rubbing her eyelids with her fingertips. “Girl, what are you doing?”

She didn’t need tarot cards to warn her of her future. Her intense connection to the Alpha threaded through the fibers of her being and confusion swam in her mind.

Cassia stepped toward the window and glanced onto the empty street. Aside from a lone passing car, there was no one in sight. Just another home. No paranormals here.

She opened her arms, reached for the thick velvet drapes and cinched them shut. As she walked toward the bed and turned off the light, she reminded herself the demons could not get her. The Alpha’s home is safe. I’m safe.

* * *

Hellhounds. A field of injured wolves, their bodies sliced open, lay scattered on the ground. Cassia woke in a cold sweat, her heart pounding. It took seconds to realize she’d woken to an empty room, a strange home.

We can’t stay inside forever but we will until we have a better handle on what’s going on. Julian’s words played in her mind as a clap of thunder rattled the old building. She pulled the covers up to her neck, her nerves standing on end as the lightning flashed through a crack between the curtains. With the drapes still drawn tight and the room pitch black, panic crept into her head.

During her lifetime, she’d been scared more times than she could count, but each and every time, she’d rallied, ran and survived. With no time for emotions, she’d focus on the next goal, and shove loss to the back of her mind. For if she took but a second to let the trepidation linger, she’d slip up, make a mistake … possibly die. She was a fighter, through and through … the evil wouldn’t win.

Tonight the power of the Alpha lingered on her palm where he’d held her hand, and she couldn’t shake the temptation of her own emotions of a different kind. As distrust waned, her attraction to Julian flared. She had no doubt her future had been altered.

Thunder rumbled once again. She closed her eyes, concentrating, seeking the Alpha. In her mind’s eye, the howl of the wolf beckoned her spirit and her beast recognized the Alpha.

Cassia sat up and swung her legs over the bed. The cool floor radiated through the pads of her feet. Unable to resist the call of the wolf, she shifted.

She slowly padded toward the door, which she discovered was slightly ajar. Had he come looking for her?

Cassia followed his scent and within seconds she’d found his room. His door had also been left slightly open and she suspected he’d done so on purpose. It wasn’t as if she’d been in close proximity to many Alphas in her lifetime but they shared many common characteristics. Dominance. Control. Power. Raw sexuality.

Yet she’d never submitted to any creature, neither human nor shifter. But something about Julian drew her to him in a way she found difficult to resist. The scent of the Alpha drifted into her nose as she put one paw in front of the other and padded over to the end of his bed. As the Alpha sat up in bed and peered over to her, her pulse raced. The predator had become prey.

“A pussy cat?” He smiled at her. “Where is your wolf?”

Cassia released a meow and stared up at him. Allowing her wolf to surface would most certainly make her more vulnerable. As a cat, she’d be able to better resist the temptation, his power.

A crack of thunder rumbled the house, and she scampered across the room and ducked underneath a chair. Exhaustion tore through her. So tired of running, she dreaded another moment on her own, fighting the fear that had escalated with every new attack.

“Cassia, it’s okay. Come.” Julian patted the bed, his voice soft. “It’s okay.”

She took one step toward him, considering what she was about to do. It was just one night, she told herself. Why suffer alone? She drew closer to his bed, one deliberate step after another.

“That’s it. You don’t need to be scared. You’re safe here. Safe with me.” Julian lay back on his pillow, waiting on her.

Willingly, she leapt into the Alpha’s bed, risking everything. As she settled next to him, her beast urged her to rest, to submit to her craving. There hadn’t been one time in her life she’d ever indulged, allowed herself to be vulnerable to anyone, let alone an Alpha.

As she gazed into his eyes, searching for truth, his strength and power washed over her, calming her soul. Without warning, he scooped her up in his hands and swaddled her into the covers against him, and she immediately relaxed. Just one night. She’d fall asleep and wake up, gazing upon the Alpha, bathed in his power protection.

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