Page 48 of Marked for Desecration

Small, delicate hands wrapped around my midsection from behind and I snarled at Xavier who was choking from his own blood going down the back of his throat.

I slammed his head against the table and leaned over him to whisper into his ear. “Just because you don’t see me, doesn’t mean I’m not there. You’ve crossed me too many times, Xavier.”

Valka’s hands moved lower seductively and most of my blood shot between my legs.

“Asshole cost me my favorite wolf!” Rex screamed.

I slammed Xavier’s head against the table once more right before his arm shot out, trying to grab my neck. I dodged it and tossed him to Rex who immediately sliced him open with all his fury.

The howls outside the walls grew louder, Rex’s ability calling them with his tumultuous emotions. My mind flitted through every scenario I'd played out in my head over the decades, the torture Xavier had ordered against me, the pain of Clan Letos exterminating my bloodline.

“Ian, what are you going to do?” Her smooth voice pulled me from the lapse of sanity I was having. I shook my head, turned in her arms and lifted her by her ass until she wrapped her legs around me.

Rubbing my head against her chest, I breathed her in.

“I suppose we’re headed to the Velvet Fang in a week.”

She cradled my face and kissed the tip of my nose. I laughed, making her smile. Valka was amicable when she wanted to be. It wasn’t as attractive as her temper and sheer savagery though.

Wolves invaded the room, circling around their fallen comrade, lunging at Xavier’s corpse and tearing it apart.

The snarls and yips became background noise as Rex threw the remaining crates around.

The wolves were always his weakness as well as his strength.

I let out a sigh of resignation against Valka’s cleavage, strategically sifting through different scenarios in preparation for this unknown strange visitor.

Squeezing her ass one last time, I dropped her feet to the ground and led her out of the warehouse. Rex could find his own way once he calmed himself.

The Spectres in the front stood in their designation positions, none of them looking my way despite the blood that coated my face and neck.

Julius was still leaning against the car with his arms crossed, looking up at the moonlight sky.

He tilted his head down and I saw it. For just a second, but a second too long.

“Valka, be a dear and go see how Rex is doing.”

“He’s doing fucking fine. He’s surrounded by wolves.”

I kept my eyes on Julius and he stared right back. My hand shot out to the side and grabbed Valka by the hair, pulling her toward me. “Now.”

Her face morphed from annoyance to curiosity. Her eyes flicked to Julius and then to me. Without another word she nodded and turned back.

“Julius, how long have you been working for the Cromwells?”

He gave me a cocky grin and answered easily. “What does it matter? One decade? Two? They all blend together eventually. A fucking long time.”

“I see,” I drawled out.

“What’s your point?”

His ego was really almost as big as mine.

Almost.

I blended into the shadows and watched as he straightened and looked around. Slowly, I made my way around to his side.

“What the fuck are you doing? We don’t have time to mess around,” he demanded.

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