Julian paused. The silence was filled with a tension Valac didn’t understand. “I don’t know.”
Valac frowned. “You don’t know if you are well?”
Julian inhaled sharply, jerking his head as though to shake it, but stopped. “I mean—okay, no. The truth is, somethingdidhappen. The guild might not be as amenable to my retirement as I thought.”
That didn’t sound good. “Explain.”
Julian sighed heavily, shifting from foot to foot. “They threw a brick through my window.” He gestured to the window behind the couch beside them. “It had a piece of paper attached to it with a Bible verse. I don’t know, the whole thing was kind of threatening.”
Valac growled, deep and rumbling. “Go to the Sentinels.”
Julian looked weary. “No.”
“You need allies.”
“I can’t.”
“Not ‘can’t.’ You won’t.”
Julian passed a hand over his face. “If they find out I’ve gone to the Sentinels, they’ll escalate.”
“They’ll escalate anyway,” Valac insisted. “Do you really think breaking your window was their only plan? They’re toying with you.”
Julian’s jewel blue eyes filled. “They were supposed to be the good guys.”
It took effort to soften his voice. Julian didn’t deserve his rage; he would save that for thisguild. “They stopped being that a long time ago, as I’ve heard it.”
Julian impatiently dashed a tear away. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. You—have to go.”
He ached. “Julian?—”
“Valac, no. I won’t give them any more of a reason to come after me. I’m not going to the Sentinels, and you can’t keepshowing up in my dreams. I’ll be fine on my own. I just—have to replace the stupid window now. Along with all my other crap.”
This human was too honorable and stubborn for his own good. He insisted on keeping his word even to his own detriment. “I will go on one condition.”
Julian raised his brows, waiting.
“Let me return again soon to check up on you. Just to make sure you’re okay.”
When he was back on the surface, he would be able to keep a better eye on Julian. Until then, there was little he could do. If Julian wouldn’t proactively seek out allies, Valac would just have to enter his dreams again to make sure he was okay, and if the paladins escalated, he could let the Sentinels know Julian needed help.
“Why do you care?” Julian asked helplessly, his big blue eyes wide with anguish. “No one else does.”
Possessive need roared within Valac. He’d never felt anything like it. Raising his hands, he cradled Julian’s head, gripping tight and dragging him in close. He inhaled Julian’s sweet scent, cataloging the sound of his gasp to memory.
“Because you’re mine.” His lips brushed Julian’s hair. “Don’t try to deny it. I know you feel it, too. You must.”
“What does that—what do you—” Julian stopped, turning his head suddenly. His form flickered, and he stiffened in Valac’s grip. “What was that?” Julian asked.
Valac forced himself to focus on something besides the closeness of Julian’s body. He turned in the same direction as Julian but saw nothing out of the ordinary. “What was what?”
“I thought…” His form flickered again. “A light. There’s not supposed to be…”
A light? Did that mean there was an intruder in his house? A storm? A fire?
Valac hoped it was something benign. His human didn’t deserve what the guild was doing to him. Overcome with emotion he barely recognized in himself, he pressed a soft kiss to Julian’s forehead. “I will see you soon, my jewel.”
And then Julian was gone, the world around them fading with him.
