They should all experience the hole that was inside him.
His eyes fell back to Jaden’s, and he snarled before turning away.
“You’re an asshole,” she spit at him.
“Yeah, that’s the second time he’s been called that today,” Declan interjected, his tone light. Ever the comedian.
Jaden snapped, “You don’t get to talk to me, not after what you’ve done.” She shot a look of such loathing toward the sorcerer that Declan closed his mouth and remained silent.
Declan glanced at Julian, his face screwed up into a caricature of what the fuck?
Julian looked down at the pile of clay and instinctively knew the piece had meant a lot to Jaden.
“Nico, take Cormac’s spawn down to the hub; I’ll be along in a bit.”
Nico’s eyes never left Julian’s. The warrior flexed his muscles yet remained silent. Julian saw the pain there; it was something he recognized and knew intimately.
He fucking lived with it every day.
He cracked a smile and raised his chin in invitation. He sensed the jaguar was on the cusp, and Julian stood lightly, ready for battle. Inside, he felt his animal stretch, the power within him flex, and he reveled in the sensation.
It told him that he was still alive even if part of him was cold and dead.
“Nico, he’s not worth it,” Jaden said softly as she moved toward the warrior. She put her hand on him, and Julian’s skin burned with a need that was foreign.
“It’s all right, I’ll be fine. I need you to contact Finn and get him down there, too.” She glanced back to Julian, her eyes narrow, her lips thin with anger. “Castille and I need a few minutes.”
Nico remained quiet but didn’t move. The air was charged with things unsaid, acts undone, yet the woman between them pleaded for calm.
“Nico, please,” Jaden said softly, “I don’t have time for posturing. Just go.”
Julian studied the way the warrior looked at Jaden, and it took a lot for him to remain still. Nico wanted her or, at the very least, wanted to protect her.
But she’s mine.
The thought slid through his
mind, and he paused, surprised. What the hell was that about? The woman meant nothing to him.
Julian sighed wearily, suddenly tired of it all, and nodded to Declan. “Go with him, I’ll be there as soon as Jaden and I . . . have a conversation.”
“If you touch her in any way that’s inappropriate, I will kill you,” Nico rasped.
“You could try,” Julian began as he turned from the warrior, “but I’m way ahead of you since half of me is already dead.”
As he spoke, he felt a whisper of regret for a life unlived, a chance that was never to be. He’d never be whole again, would never be free of the pain, both physical and emotional, unless he accomplished what was required.
And even then, the odds were a total crapshoot.
“Go, Nico.” Jaden’s soft whisper and her obvious affection for the other jaguar grated on his nerves. He felt fingers of tension work their way across his jaw as he clenched his teeth together tightly.
Jaden whispered something to Nico, too low for even his ears to hear, and though he pretended to turn from them, he would have given anything to know what she’d said to calm the warrior. A promise from a lover? A reward for good behavior?
The jaguar was seriously pussy whipped if he was gonna let sex rule his actions, but then again, Jaden DaCosta was a damn fine piece of ass. He should know. He’d tasted her on a long-ago evening, not unlike the one that was fast approaching.
His eyes swept the length of the room, taking in the magnificent view that the endless wall of glass afforded, and he studied the waning sun as it began to descend lower into the sky.
He heard the elevator doors open.