Page 47 of Make Me Bleed

It’swrong.

I’ve never been in close quarters with him before. I’ve only ever met him outside where the Alaskan wind could blow other scents closer, making it harder to catch Julian’s. Not here.

What is that?

He notes my sudden curiosity with thinly veiled hostility covered in false amusement. “Did you hear me? You brought the mutt to my door, Elise. I didn’t appreciate it.”

“I didn’t tell Conall to do that,” I argue, still trying to understand what’s going on.

Trying—andfailing.

“But you did. Conall came to see me while you were… ahem,busy. He told me, and I quote, ‘to leave you alone’. As though he has any authority over who I speak to or when.”

Julian is smug now. Condescending. He’s clearly irritated that I involved Conall, whether I did or didn’t, and since I told him that I didn’t and I can’t lie, heknowsthat I didn’t… and he doesn’t seem to care about that, either.

He’s also, from his power level, at least a century older than I am, if not more. If I’ve learned how to dance around a topic so that I could say one thing and mean another, he’s had decades more practice.

It seems, though, that Julian is so confident in whatever motives brought him through mydoor, he doesn’t twist his speech. He’s bold and open as he sneers. “Wolves and vampires have never been allies, Elise. You really think he cares about you? About any vamp? He only puts up with you because of the fire witch.” His sneer deepens, his fangs impossibly longer. “Unless you decided to betray the witch and seduce the shifter away from his mate next. Isn’t that all the vampire power you have? Luring males to do your bidding?”

I gasp, all insults returning. “I would never,” I tell Julian through gritted teeth. My own fangs dig into my bottom lip, but I barely notice. “And you insult Conall by even suggesting that he would cheat on his bonded mate. Just like I wouldn’t. Because that bear? Heismine.” And it feelsamazingto say that out loud to someone else.“Maybe when you find your own beloved, you’llunderstand that once a supe claims their forever, nothing will sway them from it.”

That’s right, Julian. Hank ismyforever. I might’ve been terrified by the prospect of that when we first met, but I’m a supe, too. I’m avampire. I’m possessive and demanding, and I don’t want whatever Julian is trying to offer me. I want Hank Barrett.

The vampire’s backhanded attempts to make me feel disloyal did the opposite. He’s right. I returned to Dyea unmated just so I could invite Hank to stay with me. Mayor Lou agreed, so why wait to make our bond permanent? I’ve spent decades searching for my beloved, haven’t I? I finally found him. And until I’ve given him my blood—until he’s made me bleed—anything can come between us.

Anyonefor that matter, too.

Julian rolls his eyes. His eerilydarkeyes. “Fate is shifter bullshit. I’ll make my own beloved when I choose to. Until then, I’ll have whatever female I want. But you know all about that, don’t you?”

I really don’t. “I think you should go, Julian,” I repeat.

Something warns me against taking my attention off of him. He’s like a coiled snake, poised on the edge of the couch, leaning forward on the balls of his feet. Then, as though he didn’t hear me speak at all, he adds, “You always did like to lead males on, didn’t you? In Dyea… and in Clarity.”

My stomach drops down to my heels. “How do you know that I came from Clarity?”

One of the perks of moving to a sanctuary is how easy it is to reinvent yourself and leave your old life behind. That’s what I’ve done, and I’ve been careful not to tell anyone about who I am and where I used to live. Only Bridget knows the truth, plus Mayor Lou and Conall. That’s it.

So how does Julian?

“Please, Elise. Did you think I’d let a vampire courier bring blood intomysanctuary without permission? Though I will say, I always thought that Thorn has excellent taste. AB-positive is a favorite of mine, chilled or not.”

“You know Thorn?” I ask. I can’t help myself, and I’m so preoccupied by Julian casually name-dropping both Clarity and Thorn, I ignore the other implication of his words… until a few seconds later when my hand flies up to my face. “You! You’re the reason I haven’t had blood?”

“I might stay in Dyea due to a… let’s say a smallindiscretionin my past. But I still have my fangs in the vampire world. A courier traveling to Dyea and planning to leave a delivery outside of the borders? Of course I’d sign for it, regardless of the name on the cooler.” He chuckles again. “A hungry vamp is an easily controlled vamp, Elise. I’m sure you understand. No hard feelings, I hope.”

I scoff, shaking my head. “Is that was this was about? Your promise that we could be a good match? You tried to starve me so that I’d agree?”

He shrugs. “It was worth a shot. Because, you see, the coolers weren’t the only thing I discovered out in the wild. Does the name Peter Hawkes sound familiar?” I can feel the blood draining from my face, and Julian trails one of his fingers along his thigh before tapping his bottom lip with the tip. “I thought so. He told me quite a lot about you. Obsessive little twit. As if a vampire of your caliber would choosehimas your beloved. No. I wouldn’t allow it. Not when I’ve come this far.”

Peter.

He’s talking aboutPeter.

I haven’t thought about the human male since the night out in the woods when I swore I heard his voice. Meeting my mate basically knocked him clean from my mind, and once Conall decided he would handle the search for him, I kept him out of it.

“What do you know about Peter?”

Julian’s lips twitch. “What do I know? That the worthless human coveted something that I decided wasmine.”

---