“Did she do that to your shoulder?” Kyledemanded.
“Yes,” Julian said as he maneuvered so hecould pin her arms down with his knees and free his hands.
His shoulder hadn’t healed enough for thefeeling to return to his fingers, so it remained hanging limply athis side. Aida kept her eyes squeezed shut; she’d given up ontrying to break free and lay limply beneath him as she panted forair and whimpered.
“What is the matter with her?” Cassidy askedas she came to stand beside the bed.
“Aida, look at me,” Julian said.
“I… I can’t. I have to. I can’t. I have to,”she repeatedly muttered before screaming again.
Julian placed his hand over her mouth as herhips bucked beneath him. She was only a mortal, yet the strengthrunning through her was far more than he expected.
CHAPTER 38
“What is wrong with her?” Kyle demanded.
“I don’t know,” Julian said.
“Do you think someone will call thecops?”
“If they do, we’ll handle it then.” Julianleaned closer to Aida. “Aida, look at me.”
Her eyes remain squinted closed as hermuffled screams reverberated against his hand. Veins in herforehead and temples throbbed as she strained against his hold.Sweat stuck her hair to her face as her heart accelerated todangerous levels.
At a loss for how to calm her, Julian decidedto do the one thing he didn’t think he’d ever do to her. His powersswelled within him while he spoke to her.
“Aida, look at me,” he commanded.
Her eyes remain closed, but she collapsedonto the bed and sobs tore from her. She tried to rip her legs awayfrom Kyle as her head thrashed from side to side. Julian triedpushing deeper into her mind, but the more he probed, the more itfelt like a brick wall was falling into place before him.
“Take control of her mind,” Kyle said.
“I’m trying,” Julian told him. “It’s notworking.”
“How is that possible?” Cassidy breathed.
Julian didn’t know how that was possible, andthen the answer hit him with a sickening jolt. “Someone already hascontrol of it.”
Cassidy’s hand flew to her mouth. “What do wedo?”
With the unrelenting intensity of the ocean,fury built within him as he stared at her bloodied face and thetears streaking her cheeks.
“I can’t,” she whimpered against hishand.
The fury pulsated through his veins andvibrated his cells until every one of them was screaming at him tokill whoever did this to her. He’d tear their arms off, rip awaytheir legs, and leave nothing but a bloodied torso before removingtheir heart from their chest and crushing it.
He wasn’t surprised to see black seepingthrough his fingers and swirling with red as it spread across theback of his hands to encompass his wrist. He’d heard what couldhappen to a pureblood when something threatened their mate, andAida was more than threatened, someone had screwed with hermind.
With the pulsing color came more strength.The power swelled within him until he wasn’t sure he could containit, but staring at Aida and feeling the distress racking her body,he realized he could do anything to save her.
Regaining control of himself, he focused allhis attention and increasing power on her. “Aida, listen to me.” Heprobed carefully at the wall in her mind; if he shoved past it, hemight cause permanent damage or break her completely. “Aida, it’sJulian. You don’t have to kill me.”
The tears spilling from her eyes soaked hishand, and sorrow filled him. Someone had used her to try to killhim, and because she loved him, it broke something inside her.
Who did this?
He had no answer, but he would find out… ifhe could get her to calm down.
