Page 4 of Julian

“It doesn’t matter,” Julian lied. He hadn’t stopped thinking about her.

“She have any identification on her?”

“No. I didn’t even get a name. She was in and out of consciousness.”

“Tell him,” Rafe urged.

Julian blew out a breath. “It’s no big deal. It’s just that I’m the one who discovered she was missing. I convinced the doctor to let me see her before taking her in. They’d said she was peacefully sleeping, that she’d stabilized. So I go in the room, and she’s not there. Okay. So I’m thinking maybe it’s a mistake. Like maybe they took her into surgery already. I look down and I see her dress on the floor. And I’m thinking, what in the fuck was she doing out on the mountain in the middle of the night with no shoes anyway? Where did she even come from? So I picked up the dress. And a card fell out.”

“A card?” Greyson asked.

“A tarot card,” Julian replied.

Greyson smiled in amusement. “A tarot card?”

Julian gave a small laugh. “I know, right. It doesn’t make sense.”

“Which one?”

“It was Death.” Julian knew it sounded crazy, but he’d kept the card.

“Luck of the draw.” Greyson cocked his head. “What does it mean?”

“It means nothing.” Julian shrugged. “Maybe she’d gotten a reading? Who knows?”

“What was she doing in the woods?”

“I still don’t know.” Julian stared into his glass and glanced to Greyson. “I keep going over it again in my head. I’ve been asking myself why I didn’t scent anything. Not the shooter. Not even her. I assumed it had something to do with the rain, but?—"

“How’s that even possible, Julian?” Greyson’s expression turned serious. “The Prince of Wolves can’t scent a human?”

“I’m from royal lineage but that doesn’t mean I’m infallible.” Julian had walked the earth for thousands of years in hiding.

“Is there something going on with you?”

“The power that flows through me ...” Julian curled his fingers into a tight fist. As he slowly opened his hand, he looked at his inner palm. “This last trip to Hell … aww fuck.” He released an audible breath. “It’s taking longer to shake it.”

“I didn’t scent her either,” Rafe offered with a nod to Julian.

“I could’ve sworn she was human. Hell, the human doctors were getting ready to do surgery.”

“Clearly she was not human,” Greyson said with a lilt of curiosity in his voice. “So that begs the question? What creature is this that smells like a human but disappears like a shifter?”

“She might be a shifter but if that’s the case, I’d usually know. Doesn’t matter. I asked a few local vamps who are plugged into our barely happenin’ paranormal scene. No one has seen anything unusual. I don’t sense any other wolves besides Rafe and me. There is no local wolf pack here in Idaho.” His lips drew into a tight smile. “Which is why I can freely roam with consideration to no one. Whatever she was, whoever she was, she’s gone and so … this falls into the category of none of my business.”

Greyson’s eyes narrowed in on Julian. “Sometimes Hell can fuck with a fellow. Even one as powerful as us. Prince or not, that evil sticks to you. You might want to do some kind of a cleansing. Maybe drop in for a visit with Samantha.”

“The witch?” Julian shook his head no. “Nah, I’m good. My own magick is just a little out of whack. It’ll right itself soon.”

“We’re gonna take a trip to New Orleans in a few days,” Rafe told Greyson. “I’ve got myself a hot date with a wolf from Natchitoches.”

“New Orleans? Well, there ya go. You could see Samantha,” the vampire suggested again.

“I’d planned a trip to NOLA … to go see Logan. I don’t know if it’s such a good idea to bring Rafe, but I promised him so ...” Julian looked to the young hybrid. While he infuriated him on a regular basis, he quite enjoyed the lighthearted banter. In all his lifetime, he’d only known a handful of hybrids who successfully controlled the warring beasts inside them.

“I’ll come with you,” Greyson offered. He looked to Rafe. “What do you think? Can you handle it?”

“Of course, I still want to go. I’m always down for New Orleans.” Rafe smiled. “I know Jules was worried tonight but I swear I’m getting control. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not gonna lie. Sometimes it’s hard to control but I’ve tamed it.”

---