Page 45 of Forsaken
“I’ve never seen him before,” Aida said asshe huddled deeper into her jacket. “I saw everyone who was in thebar, and he wasn’t one of them.”
“We would have known if another vampireentered,” Cassidy said as she blew on her hands and shifted fromfoot to foot.
“He came out of the men’s room when I wasleaving the bathroom.”
“He broke the window in there,” Kyle said.“The police told Rick they think that’s how he got inside. Becauseof the bathroom, there’s no cameras in the hall, but Rick’s goingto install some now.”
“Why would he come in through the bathroomand not the front door?” Cassidy asked.
“Who knows why Savages do anything they do,”Kyle said.
“He wasn’t a Savage,” Julian said. “Or atleast he wasn’t a full-blown one. He didn’t smell.”
Cassidy stopped shifting to stare at him.“Are you sure?”
Julian stared at the back of his hands as heheld them out before him, but his broken knuckles had healed, andthe once battered skin no longer showed signs of a fight. He’dtaken another life, and once they disposed of the body, there wouldbe nothing left to show for it. Then he recalled Aida in thatthing’sgrasp, and he resisted stalking down the alley tobeat it all over again.
His gaze fell on Aida. He savored the gentlecurve of her cheek and striking beauty while he regained control ofhis murderous impulses.
“I’m sure,” he said. “We all know how badthose fuckers smell. I was as up close and personal as it gets withhim, and he didn’t smell.”
“But he was trying to kill me, or…”
Lines marred Aida’s brow as her gaze traveledto the back door. It was chained and padlocked from the insideuntil they could get someone down here to fix it. She replayed thedetails of the fight in her head. He so easily could have brokenher neck, and he’d been infuriated enough to do so, yet hehadn’t.
“Maybe he wasn’t trying to kill me,” shemurmured.
“What do you mean?” Julian demanded.
He’d seen her in its grasp, if it wasn’ttrying to kill her and it wasn’t a Savage, had he murdered aninnocent vampire? Then his gaze fell on the bruises on her neck.The imprint of the prick’s fingers were clearly evident against herpale skin.
No, no matter if the vamp was a full-blownSavage or not, it attacked her and was not innocent.
Aida’s eyes were sympathetic when they methis. “I have no doubt he planned to kill me or do something else tome, but when he grabbed me, he went straight for the back door. Ithink he planned to take me somewhere else before doing God knowswhat to me.”
The idea of what could have happened causedAida to shudder, and she leaned against Julian when he rested hishand on her shoulder and pulled her closer.
“That would make sense,” Cassidy said. “Hewouldn’t want to be interrupted. Maybe he didn’t smell like aSavage because he was just getting started in his killing. To avoidbeing seen, he came in through the window, and you happened to bewalking by when he came out of the bathroom.”
“I’m a magnet for random violence.” She’dtried to sound flippant, but it fell flat.
“We should get you out of the city,” Juliansaid.
“Why?” she demanded. “It was one randomattack. Unfortunately, people are victims of random violence everyday. It’s my bad luck my attackers also happen to be the livingdead.”
Kyle and Cassidy scowled at her as Juliansaid, “We’re not dead.”
“Okay then, mortally challengedbloodsuckers.”
“Oh, that’s much better,” Kyle said androlled his eyes while Cassidy chuckled.
“Vampire or not, I’m not leaving my life herebehind. I already did that once, and I refuse to do it again. Thefact my attacker was a vampire doesn’t change anything.”
“Aida—”
“I’m not leaving, Julian. I busted my ass tobuild what I have here, and I’m not going to lose it because ofsome fucking vampire.”
Julian decided to let it go, for now. Ifsomething else happened, he wouldn’t hesitate to take her away,even if she hated him for it.
