CHAPTER 13
Jerked from sleep, Julian blinked against the sparse illumination filtering through the heavy drapes. Frowning, he tried to figure out what had woken him when he heard a low moan from Quinn’s bedroom. He swung his feet to the floor and rose swiftly. He moved so fast across the small space it felt as if he were flying over the floor. Grabbing hold of the knob, he thrust it open before he could stop to think about what he was doing.
Quinn lay in the middle of the bed, her pale skin vibrant against the midnight blue sheets and her chocolate colored hair. Sweat beaded over her forehead and across her upper lip; her hair stuck to her cheeks and forehead. The faded red t-shirt she wore had bunched up around her stomach to reveal her cotton shorts. His eyes narrowed on another red, puckered scar just beneath her sternum.
Another scar? What had happened to this girl?
His mind spun through the possibilities, his blood boiled at the torment she’d experienced in her short lifetime. If anyone could relate to cruelty, he could. He’d bestowed enough of it upon this world and he’d also experienced more than his fair share. The Commission had been the worst of it, but he’d been beaten and brutalized by older vamps before he’d been old enough to defend himself against them.
When she revealed her secrets to him, he’d gladly tear the head off of whoever had done this to her. Until then, he’d have to bide his time and hopefully earn her trust enough to get her to open up to him.
He stood in the doorway, uncertain what to do as she thrashed to the side and released another low moan. She was having a nightmare but wasn’t in any real jeopardy; he knew she wouldn’t want him here. When tears began to streak down her face, he found himself unable to resist her.
She moaned again and thrashed to the side. The sheets tangled around her legs and fell across the floor. Reaching out, he placed his hand on her shoulder to wake her. He’d braced himself and shut his ability down before touching her, a barrage of images still slipped through to flood his mind. The images of her nightmare were too much to keep out; they were too vibrant and real for her.
Screams resonated in his head; blood splattered around the room much like paint being thrown onto a canvas. A man fell to the ground, followed by a teenaged girl with hair as dark as Quinn’s, and brown eyes. Life still glimmered in the man’s eyes, but the teen girl stared sightlessly at the ceiling over her head. He remembered the man and girl from the family picture he’d seen the first time he’d touched Quinn.
The pull she had over him wasn’t broken until she bolted awake; her golden eyes were dazed as they rolled toward him. She stared at him unseeingly before reality crashed over her. She didn’t bolt up in the bed or grab at the covers. She simply stared at him with tears sliding down her face.
“You were having a nightmare.”
Her gaze slid away from him; she focused on the small TV on her bureau. “No more zombie movies for me before bed,” she murmured.
He didn’t question her on the lie; she’d only be angry with him for seeing things he knew she preferred to keep to herself. He’d never intended to tell her he could shut his ability off, but he’d grown so tired and frustrated with her going out of her way to avoid him that he’d caved on his decision. Now that he’d touched her and tasted her though, he wanted even more of her, or at the very least he wanted to curl up beside her, draw her into his arms and chase her nightmares away. It killed him not to be able to hold her, to console her and kiss the tears from her silken skin.
“Quinn…”
“I’m fine,” she whispered. “I’m sorry I woke you.”
“Don’t be sorry.” Unable to stop himself, he bent and placed a kiss to her forehead. “I’m here if you need me.”
The wounded look in her eyes when they met his made his heart ache. He’d never felt this urge to protect someone so fiercely before, not even with Cassie. But then, Cassie had never been his to take care of, and Quinn was staring at him with eyes that shimmered with moisture.
“I’m fine,” she whispered again. “You can go back to sleep.”
He brushed the hair back from her face before stepping away from her. It took everything he had to keep walking, but he knew when he wasn’t welcome somewhere.
“Julian.” He turned back in the doorway to look at her. Her hair tumbled around her shoulders as she sat up on the bed. “Thank you.”
“Anything for you, Dewdrop,” he told her with a smile and left the room.
Walking back to the couch, he knew there would be no more sleep for him tonight. Not now that he realized those last four words had been the truest four words of his life.