That voice—low and oddly sinister—pulled Rose from the darkness. Her eyelids flew open and she sucked in a greedy gulp of air.
“Be sure you hold up your end of the bargain, panther.” Again, it was that sinister voice talking. One that seemed to reek of power and danger. “Because there is a price for the gift I’ve given.”
Her gaze shot to the man speaking. He was tall, with dark hair, glinting eyes, and a face that seemed to be cut straight from stone. For just an instant, she actually wondered if she was looking into the face of the devil. But then he smiled at her…
Rose didn’t wonder any longer. She knew.
“Welcome back,” he said.
Back? Her gaze jumped to the left and she saw Julian…Julian—who was wearing only a pair of faded jeans and who was covered in blood. The coppery scent reached out to her and Rose found herself licking her lips.
I like the way it smells.
What in the hell? She jerked upright in the bed, a bed that was also stained with blood. Her blood. Her hands flew over her body, searching for the wounds that had been there before, but now they were gone. No torn skin. No bullet holes. No pain at all.
“Wh-what happened?” Rose whispered. Her throat seemed parched so she swallowed a few times and licked her lips. “I was…hurt.”
“But you’re not any longer,” the mysterious man said. “Amazing, isn’t it? The price some people will pay to keep the things they value.”
She wasn’t a thing and she didn’t think she liked that mystery guy. “Who are you?”
He shrugged. He wore a suit, a perfectly pressed suit that seemed so out of place in that room full of blood. “Call me Luke. All my friends—and my enemies—do.” He stalked toward Julian and clapped a hand on the other man’s shoulder. “See? She’s as good as new. Well, with a few minor adjustments, of course.”
She slid from the bed and stood on trembling legs, feeling at a terrible disadvantage. “What’s going on?” Rose struggled to remember. “I was…shot.”
“At least three times,” Luke offered helpfully, even smiling as he shared that tidbit with her. “Or was it four? One bullet severed your spine. Rather nasty.”
She looked down at her legs. Rose remembered that she hadn’t been able to feel them. A tear slid down her cheek. I feel them now.
“And what weak assholes shoot through a door, anyway?” Luke demanded to know. Her gaze flew back to him as he shook his head in disgust as he released Julian’s shoulder and turned the force of his rather creepy stare onto her. “Using heat sensors, trying to take out Julian. Not caring who got in their way. Hardly the sporting thing to do.” His smile hardened. “I sure hope they’re enjoying hell.”
Severed your spine…And what weak assholes shoot through a door, anyway? His words echoed in her ears. She stumbled away from him and found herself backing into the nearby corner as her shoulders hit the wall. If some bullet had severed her spine, she wouldn’t be standing right then. She wouldn’t even be moving at all.
Terrified, her gaze darted around and she realized that every piece of furniture in that bedroom—every piece but the bed she’d been in—had been wrecked. The dresser was smashed to bits. The chair had been clawed open. The walls were even smashed—deep holes and gouge marks were in them. What is happening?
“A thank you isn’t out of the question,” Luke announced as he released Julian’s shoulder. He waited a beat, as if he expected someone to suddenly shout out thanks. When no gratitude came, he sighed. “I pretty much bent the laws of nature for you, lady. So…yeah, you’re welcome.”
“I’m having a nightmare.” There. That made sense. Julian wasn’t a monster. He hadn’t grown claws. She hadn’t been shot. Creepy Luke wasn’t there. This was all—
“You are the nightmare now, sweetheart.” Luke gave her a chilling smile. “And again, you’re welcome.”
Her gaze snapped toward Julian. Why hadn’t he spoken yet? And why was he staring at her with that twisted expression of grief and relief on his handsome face? “Julian?”
A muscle flexed along the hard line of his jaw. “I wasn’t going to let you die.”
Her stomach was twisting.
“Technically, she did die,” Luke supplied helpfully as he tapped his chin. A big, ominous-looking ring curled around his finger. “And I brought her back. Undead style.”
She grabbed at her shirt once more. Her blood-covered shirt. There were holes in her shirt. Bullet holes? OhmyGod, yes, they are. But no wounds were on her body.
“So, you’ll need to know a few things.” Now Luke seemed brisk. “Sunlight won’t kill you. That old story is total bullshit. My asshole brother started circulating it centuries ago. Leo is such a bastard.”
“Julian?” She whispered once more. “What’s happening?”