Julia held his gaze. “I’m embarrassed.”
He accepted that for what it was. “Do you need a doctor?”
“No.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
Another nod. Not pushing her.
He pulled out the chair next to her, swiveled to face her. Then, forearms braced on his thighs, he said gently, “Take your time and walk me through it.”
She kept it clean. What she’d agreed to. Where it shifted. Where it crossed the line. Somehow, she got through it without tears or dramatics, and no embellishments. Only facts.
“When I needed it, the safeword wouldn’t come. Only stop. Then I couldn’t speak at all.” Her hand rose halfway to her throat before she forced it down. “Fortunately, others stepped in and stopped it,” she finished.
“Does this guy have a name?”
“The host called him Parker. I don’t know if that’s a first or last name.”
Alec’s jaw set, but his voice stayed even. “Show me your wrists.”
Julia hesitated before turning them over. The tender areas had deepened to a dark purple.
His gaze traced over the bruises. “And your throat.”
That hesitation lasted a fraction longer, but she moved her hair aside.
Alec’s expression didn’t change, but the shift in him from concern to rage was unmistakable. It took a moment for him to lock it down.
“There’s a lot about this that I don’t like. Especially the circles you’ve found your way into,” he said finally. “But focusing on him, I’m concerned he blew past every cue that you were in trouble, and it took until you were injured before someone stepped in.”
Julia stayed quiet.
“With women already disappearing from this community,” he continued evenly., “I think Dev and Callan should hear this.”
Not an order. A choice.
“Do you think it’s necessary?”
“Yes.”
Julia glanced at Emily who gave her a tentative smile. “This is the Devil you know. You can trust him. Callan, too.”
She didn’t hesitate after that.
A few minutes later, Dev walked in with Callan. He froze when he saw the purplish marks on her skin. Fury flashed across his face—sharp, lethal—before he locked it down.
He stepped closer, gaze steady on her. “Have you had those looked at?” he asked gently.
“I’m fair-skinned. I think they look worse than they are.”
The door opened, and Greta entered. She set a white jar in front of Julia. “This is a special balm I keep on hand. It’s loaded with vitamins, aloe vera, and arnica. It’ll take the color out fast and soothe the area.”
When she turned to leave, every eye followed her—petite, fragile-looking, married to a man at least twice her size.
“Sparring, taking down fugitives, busting down doors, dropping through skylights… this job can be rough. Just because Michael’s big doesn’t mean he’s invincible,” she said, and slipped out.
