still had a hard time believing it. He couldn’t help but jump at every single noise he heard close by, but he knew that would fade, eventually. He wasn’t sure how long it would take, considering that the people after him were still after him, but eventually, he’d find them, and he’d get rid of them. He suspected that would be the only way for them to stop, and he didn’t care if he had to kill all of them.
Of course, it would help if he knew exactly who was after him and why.
But he didn’t, and he’d been on the run for weeks. He needed some time to relax and rest, and that was what the assassins were offering him. He still wasn’t sure why, considering the way he’d treated them in the past, but he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. The assassins had welcomed him, and they weren’t kicking him out. That was more than enough for him.
He looked around again. Roark had explained to him that they couldn’t stay at the warehouse because there was no power, and Julian had expected the assassins to tell him to fuck off. He would have, if their roles had been reversed, and he was lucky they weren’t. Still, even though he’d known they couldn’t stay in the warehouse, he hadn’t expected this. The house was like a mansion, with more than enough room for all of them to fit in comfortably, even though there was a buttload of assassins and their mates around. Julian would have accepted a small nest somewhere, but instead, he had an entire guest room for himself. And not only that. He had use of the pool, just like everyone else. It was almost as if he’d become one of the assassins, even though he hadn’t.
That had been his dream once, but he was starting to understand why he could never be a part of them. All of the people around him were special in a way. The council had handpicked all of them. Julian, on the other hand, was just a guy. He was good at his job, but not as good as Roark had been.
Not as good as most of the people around the pool were.
But that didn’t matter. Julian couldn’t accept any other jobs right now, and he needed the assassins’ protection. He was grateful for it, even though it had been hard to ask for it. He was still angry with Roark for taking away that job, but it didn’t matter. It wasn’t why he was here. Even though he didn’t like Roark, he knew him enough to know he could be trusted.
Julian rolled his head and looked the other way, so he wouldn’t have to look at Roark having fun with his mate. He could admit he was jealous, at least to himself.
His gaze collided with the gaze of a Nix, who looked away quickly. Julian took his time looking at the man. He was short and lithe, and like all the Nix Julian knew, he had long blond hair and pointed ears. Julian suspected his eyes were green, too, but he couldn’t wait to get closer and find out. He might not be here to find company, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have fun while he let the assassins protect him. He knew they would eventually ask for more details, but right now, they only seemed to want to have fun in the pool.
Maybe he should go talk to this Nix. He didn’t think the man was one of the assassins, and he was pretty sure he knew all of them. He’d taken his time to get to know his rivals, and he could identify them from where he was. He could tell who was an assassin, but that still left some people he’d never seen before, like this Nix. Still, to be hanging out with the assassins, the Nix had to be important. Since Nix were healers, Julian suspected that was why he was here.
Someone flopped onto the chair next to him, making Julian jump. He did his best not to show how terrified he was, especially since the guy next to him was Roark, but he didn’t think he succeeded by the way Roark looked at him.
The man was only wearing a swimsuit, which wasn’t surprising. Julian had always found him impressive, but he was even more so without his clothes on. His chest and shoulders were broad, and Julian couldn’t help the flash of an image that ran through his mind of Roark with his mate in bed.
He pushed it away. He couldn’t think of Roark that way. He didn’t want to think of him that way.
“Are you ready to tell me what’s happening?” Roark asked.
Julian shrugged. “I would tell you if I knew.”
“Tell me what you know, then.”
It was said as a question, but Julian knew it wasn’t one. Roark hadn’t asked questions until now, but he was now, and he wanted answers. “I’m surprised you’re the one here talking to me, and not your boss.”
“He’s not my boss. We’re both bosses. I retired, remember?”
Right. Julian really should have remembered that. “Of course. How’s life treating you, old man?”
Roark’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not going to forget you need to talk to me. I want answers, and you’re going to give them to me.”
Julian sighed. “There’s nothing much to say. I have no idea who’s after me. I don’t know why they are.”
“Start from the beginning. Win and I agreed that we needed to help you, but we won’t be able to do that if you don’t tell us the entire truth.”
The last thing Julian wanted was to talk to them, but he understood that Roark and Win wouldn’t have let him close to the mates and the other more vulnerable people in their family if they didn’t trust him. He didn’t understand why, but he did realize that they could kick him out at any second.
He couldn’t allow that to happen.
“Someone is after me. That’s all I know. It could be anyone from my past, and I have no idea how to find out. They’ve managed to find me every time I stopped to rest, which is why I’m here. I didn’t know who else could help me.”
Roark stared at Julian for so long that Julian wondered if he was trying to find a way to tell him he needed to leave. That was what Julian would have done. He was putting everyone in danger, including the mates.
But instead, Roark nodded. “We’ll help you. As soon as the power is back on and we can go home, Beck will start looking around and poking into your life. You’re going to have to be honest with us, though.”
Julian wasn’t used to being honest with anyone, but he nodded anyway. “I will. Thank you.” Because no matter how little he liked to admit it, Roark and his friends had just saved his life.
About Catherine Lievens
Catherine is the creator of several series, most of them paranormal, including the Whitedell Pride Series and the Gillham Pack Series. While she graduated in translation, she decided to go the writer’s way because it was more fun to create her own stories and characters.
She’s been living in Italy for more than twenty years, but she’s a daughter of the North—Belgium to be precise—and she misses it so much that she’s already planning to move back.
She loves pizza—probably too much—her pets, and of course, books. She sneaks some reading time in her schedule every time she has five minutes free from writing, demands from her various pets and son, and lastly, housework.
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