Marked by the Moon (Nightcreature 9)

“Always.”

Cade laughed. She was really starting to like the guy.

“Before you go.” Cade lifted the needle. “You mind?”

“I prefer my blood inside instead of outside.” Alex turned toward the exit.

Barlow snatched her by the elbow, and she froze as his touch seemed to flow through her like another virus, this one making her want him, need him. Now.

She yanked her arm free, and he let her, dropping his hand to his thigh and rubbing the palm against his jeans as if his skin was buzzing, too.

“Don’t you want to know why you’re different from all the others?”

Yeah, she kinda did.

“Cade can help.”

Alex turned to him. “Can you?”

Cade shrugged. “I’ll try.”

“What else have you been up to?” She waved her hand to indicate the room and all its contents.

Cade glanced at Julian, who nodded, making A

lex grind her teeth. Did everyone have to ask him everything?

“I invented the serum so that we can touch in human form.”

“And here I’d thought that was just another handy-dandy gift from Big Daddy.”

Cade appeared about to laugh, but he coughed instead before giving her an answer. “I’ve been attempting to isolate what it is in the virus Julian passes on that keeps us from becoming—” Cade broke off, lips pressed together, forehead creased.

“Psychotic, evil killing machines?” Alex supplied.

“Sheesh,” Julian muttered.

Oh, yeah. She wasn’t supposed to hate them so much.

“For want of a better description,” Cade agreed, but he glanced back and forth between Alex and Julian, waiting for an explanation that wasn’t ever going to come.

“How’s that working out for you?” Alex asked.

“I’m getting there.”

“I’ve told you before that my wolves aren’t possessed by evil.” Barlow tilted his head, and his hair swung like a golden pendulum beneath the bright fluorescent lights.

“Except for that inevitable first kill,” she pointed out.

“Except for that.”

“Maybe some of your wolves like the first one so much they keep right on doing it.”

“They don’t,” he said with conviction. “They don’t have the taste for it.”

“So you say. But what’s truth and what’s lies?”

“If you were evil, wouldn’t you want to kill everything that crossed your path?”