Blood Judgment (Judgment Series)

by Nickie Asher

  They were surveys about testing being done on vampires at the Security Center. A dozen or so sheets of paper, each one for a different vampire, listed reactions and comments.

  He scanned the pages, focusing on the more disturbing aspects—anxiety, stomach pain, vomiting, partial paralysis.

  Had this been tested on Vali? Some of the comments were bizarre and alarming. No hallucinations or delirium, no excess salivation in 98% of subjects, some fever in all subjects, no subject experienced coma or heart and respiratory failure, no extreme mood fluctuations or restlessness, excitability or aggression. So far formula is ineffective.

  His skin pebbled with chills. Dear God, what were they doing?

  Whatever they were cooking up, it had to be bad news for the vampire community.

  He would give the papers to Ashton. Right now, he had jewelry to buy. And forget pawn shops. A few jewelers stayed open until eleven. He had an hour.

  WHEN JULIAN returned to the house, he carried two little velvet boxes. He’d spent every bit of the money he had without regret and he couldn’t wait to give them to Saranna.

  He let himself in and found her brother and cousins seated around the kitchen island.

  “What’s in the fancy boxes?” Ashton asked.

  “A choker and a bracelet.”

  “Jasper,” Slade said. It wasn’t a question.

  “Jasper and diamonds.” Julian popped open the boxes.

  Slade whistled. “Where’d you lift those?”

  “I didn’t steal them. I bought them.”

  “With what? Your pretty hide?”

  “I dusted two officers who wanted to shoot me. I’m afraid I robbed them while I was at it.”

  “Nice,” Ashton said.

  “I think you need to see this.” Julian handed Ashton the binder. “And I don’t think you’re going to like it.”

  “What is it?” Slade said as Ashton pulled out the papers.

  “I took it off one of the officers. I think they must have been delivering them somewhere.”

  Ashton spread out the sheets and studied them. A scowl marred his face.

  “Do you think they injected Vali with that shit?” Julian had a horrible feeling they had.

  “Probably,” Ashton said.

  “Should we run this past Jason?” Slade asked.

  Ashton flipped through the pages again. “This is so vague, I doubt he would know any more than we do.”

  Vali hobbled over. “What’s going on? I heard my name.”

  “Look at these.” Ashton handed him the papers. “Maybe you were popped with this.”

  Vali thumbed through the pages. “Holy fucking shit. They paralyzed me with something. Stands to reason it’s that stuff. I wonder if this might wear off.” Vali sounded hopeful for the first time since they’d rescued him.

  “Maybe,” Ashton said.

  “I’m going upstairs.” Julian scooped up the boxes.

  “Oh, Lord.” Ashton rolled his eyes. “Now we’re going to have to listen to her moaning and screaming for the next hour.”

  Julian would give anything to have her treat him as her mate again. His life wasn’t the same without her affection. She’d left a cold, open wound in his heart.

  He hurried up the steps and tapped on the bedroom door. Without waiting for an invitation, he entered and found her curled in bed, watching TV.

  “Julian?”

  He sat beside her with the little boxes behind his back.

  “What are you hiding?”

  “A gift.” He handed her the boxes. If she refused them… Refused him… He held his breath.

  “Jewelry boxes?” She opened the larger one with the choker and gasped. “Oh, my God. It’s beautiful, Julian. Did anyone tell you about bloodstones?”

  Relief flooded over him. “Yeah, Ashton. Open the other one.”

  She opened the one with the bracelet and burst into tears.

  “What’s wrong? Don’t you want them?” His moment of relief evaporated.

  “Oh, Julian. Of course I want them.” She crawled into his arms.

  Confused, he held her and stroked her back as her tears soaked through his shirt. “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing.” She sniffed. “Everything’s fine.

  “Saranna, something’s wrong. Won’t you tell me?”

  “I’m okay.”

  She sat up and wiped her eyes and slipped off his lap. With trembling fingers, she took the jewelry from the boxes. “They’re beautiful. Are you sure you want to give me these? They shouldn’t be given lightly.”

  His heart squeezed. “They weren’t given lightly. I miss you and I need you.”

  She put her hand on his chest. “You know my terms. I mean, this is wonderful, as long as you understand the significance of giving this gift.”

  “I understand.” He understood his life wasn’t right without her. Oh fuck, did he love her? He’d never had feelings for any woman like he had for her. He didn’t want to love her, yet the idea of losing her was enough to make him want to die. No. It wasn’t love. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he knew what it wasn’t.

  Chapter Forty-four

  THE FOLLOWING night, Saranna quietly left the house while the males were occupied in the kitchen. She wanted to stretch her legs and do a little shopping. Walking fast, she headed downtown.

  The exquisite choker Julian had given her circled her throat. She touched it and the stones warmed under her fingers. A different warmth spread through her. The stones wouldn’t respond if Julian didn’t have deep feelings for her. Now, if he could bring himself to admit it. The gift had been monumental and he’d known it. Her heart soared with joy and hope for a future with him.

  Muffled weeping jerked her attention away from the stones.

  To her right, a cluster of trashcans sat outside a small produce store. A female perched on one of the cans, arms crossed over her huge belly, sobbing brokenly. At her feet, leaning against the trashcan, sat a juvenile male. Bruises covered his face and one eye was swollen shut. He hunched over as if he were in pain.

  The female looked up at Saranna with large, frightened, tear-filled eyes.

  “Are you all right?” Saranna approached slowly. The stench of rotting garbage closed in on her and her stomach lurched. How were they able to sit there?

  The female shook her head. “My mate threw me away.” She burst into a fresh volley of tears. Between sobs she said, “He hurt my little brother for trying to defend me.” Her hand lit on the juvenile’s head and stroked his hair.

  “How bad are you hurt?” Saranna asked the young male.

  “I’m fine,” he muttered.

  “No, you aren’t,” his sister wailed. “He’s in so much pain he can barely walk.”

  “Do you have any place you can go? Your parents?” Saranna asked.

  She shook her head. “Our parents are dead. We don’t have anyone.”

  “It’ll be okay,” Saranna said.

  “No, it won’t. I’m due in a week or two and I have nowhere to go. What am I going to do?”

  The pain and fear in her voice broke Saranna’s heart. “I know someone who can help. A human.”

  The female frantically shook her head.

  “No way,” the male said. “You can’t trust any human.”

  “No, listen to me. He’s a pastor. He runs a shelter for our kind. You can stay there as long as you need to.”

  “No!” he said.

  “Are you sure?” The female sniffed, ignoring her brother. “I mean … that it’s safe?” Her hands touched her belly as if communicating with the infant inside her.

  “Yes. There are usually a few females and their children under his protection. I would trust him with my life.” She placed her hands on her flat stomach. “And the life of my baby. Please, let me take you to Pastor Cadell. He’ll help you.”

  The female slid from the trashcan. “Cody, we don’t have any choice. I can’t have my baby in an alley.”

  “I’m not going,” he
spat.

  “Pastor Cadell is a good man. You can trust him,” Saranna tried to reassure him.

  “Please, Cody. We have to go somewhere.” His sister’s voice was thick with tears.

  “You can go. I understand. But I’m not taking charity from any damn human. I hate them all!” He drew his arms over his stomach and grimaced.

  Saranna’s heart ached for the juvenile. “Please, you don’t want to be alone on the streets. It’s too dangerous.”

  “I can take care of myself.”

  She sure as hell wasn’t strong enough to force him to go. Though he was probably no more than fifteen or sixteen, and no match for a mature male, he was undoubtedly stronger than her.

  “Please,” his sister wailed.

  “No. You go ahead. I’ll go to Mikkal’s. His parents will let me stay there.”

  “Are you sure?” his sister asked.

  “I’m sure. They offered before, but I wouldn’t leave you,” he said, his voice accusatory.

  The female’s face crumpled and Saranna wanted to slap the juvenile for the cruel jab. “Would your sister be welcome there?”

  “She doesn’t know them and there isn’t room for a pregnant female. Look, sis, I’m sorry. Go with her. Stay where you’ll be safe. I can fend for myself.” He sounded like he meant it, but his eyes were shiny and he looked as if he might cry.

  Saranna’s heart twisted for them. They needed each other.

  “Are you sure you won’t come with me?” the female asked.

  “Go on, sis. I’ll be okay.”

  Large tears welled and ran down her cheeks. “I’ll call you every day.”

  He nodded. “It’ll be okay.” He stood and they embraced.

  Once their goodbyes were said, Saranna led her out of the alley, walking as quickly as the female could manage. “Pastor Cadell will do everything he can to help and the shelter is nice enough.” She wished the female would walk faster and silently cursed the male who’d left her in such a horrible situation.

  “Any safe place off the streets will be welcome. I just wish my brother was with me.”

  Saranna took her hand.

  JULIAN GROWLED and clenched his hands.

  Saranna had disobeyed him. It was enough that she’d gone against his demands, but worse, she’d put herself in danger.

  He’d gone looking for her on a whim, thinking they would walk together and have some alone time. And here she was with a female who couldn’t run more than half a block if her life depended on it.

  Saranna may have insisted he make no demands, but this was different. Whether she liked it or not, he was still her mate, which gave him control over her to a degree. At least in a legal sense.

  He sniffed and picked up Saranna’s scent as well as the strange female. The fragrance of pregnancy was foreign to him, though he recognized it instinctively. The scent spurred an innate urge to protect the female even though he had no connection with her. He didn’t question the drive.

  Not everything worked on logic anymore. Some things were a fact of biology and not to be ignored. Nature had ensured survival of his species. Males were expendable, females carrying offspring were not.

  He stalked through the shadows, staying close enough to protect them until Saranna and the female reached the shelter and slipped around to the back entrance.

  He positioned himself across the street as Saranna knocked on the door and vanished inside with the female in tow.

  Like a predator, he waited until she came out and crossed the street. The instinct to dominate overshadowed everything else. He growled softly, but remained in the shadows.

  Saranna hurried back the way she had come. What the hell was she up to now? He’d expected her to go home, but apparently she had something else in mind. Maybe she was going back to see if the kid had changed his mind.

  Sure enough, she headed straight for the place he’d encountered them.

  She stopped and stared.

  What the fuck?

  A block and a half down, four men had the young male between them. One of them jerked the youngster’s arm up high behind his back. His shriek carried loud and clear as they hustled him toward the open rear doors of a van.

  Holy shit. The fuckers were getting bold. They hadn’t even bothered to seek the privacy of an alley.

  Julian growled. If he got there in time… What? Get tased stupid and stuffed in the van with the juvenile? He’d left without the Beretta. Carrying a weapon all the time hadn’t become a habit. It was a mistake he wouldn’t make again.

  Still, he wasn’t going to let them take the kid. He broke from the shadows and raced past Saranna toward the van as the men forced the juvenile into a cage.

  He ran harder.

  They slammed the rear doors shut.

  Panting, he powered forward. Fuck no. He wasn’t going to make it.

  They got into the van.

  He gave it everything he had.

  The motor started.

  Fuck no. Fuck no.

  The van pulled away from the curb and sped down the street.

  He stopped as the taillights drew further and further away. “Goddamn it. Goddamn you fuckers to hell,” he bellowed and shoved sweaty strands of hair from his face.

  He retreated back down the street to where Saranna stood, knuckles in her mouth, tears running down her cheeks.

  Snarling, he grabbed her forearm in a hard grip and propelled her along beside him.

  “Julian, what are you doing? Let go of me.” Her voice wavered.

  “You disobeyed me.” His heart banged as adrenaline coursed through his blood.

  “You don’t own me. And right now, you have no rights over me at all.” She rubbed her arm around his clenched hand.

  “Wrong, Saranna. You’re still my mate and I do have rights over you.”

  She pulled against him and he tightened his hold. “You’re hurting me. Get off.” She jerked hard, but wasn’t able to free herself. “Julian!”

  “I don’t want to hear it.”

  She hung her head.

  Her quiet sob cut him knife hard.

  The anger drained out of him and self-loathing took its place, but he wasn’t backing down. If she didn’t acknowledge him as her mate with a mate’s rights, she would never respect him. And even if she never allowed him in her bed again, he wasn’t going to let her get herself killed. If he had to be a bastard, so be it. “Come on, we’re going home.”

  His stomach hurt.

  They didn’t speak and Julian walked fast, forcing her to keep up. He hoped he wouldn’t have to fight Slade as he led her up the steps and into the house. Her brother wasn’t going to like seeing her so upset.

  The others were in the living room when they entered. Slade and Ashton looked up from the video game they were playing.

  Slade tensed, his lip lifted in a growl, showing plenty of fang.

  Ashton grabbed Slade’s arm, stilling him. “Leave it be. They have to work things out for themselves.”

  “He’s hurting her.”

  “No, he isn’t. Now stay out of their business.”

  Julian didn’t pause. He led her upstairs and into the bedroom. He shoved the door shut with a loud bang and let go of her.

  She tossed her purse on the bedside table. Without facing him, she said, “You don’t own me.” Her voice trembled. “And I told you, no demands.”

  Julian went to her and leaned into her warm back. She tensed, stiffening. He brushed aside her sweet-smelling hair and kissed her neck. His hands traced down her silky arms and slid around her, trapping her against him.

  She whimpered and strained to move away from him. “Stop it. I mean it.”

  “I want you to promise you won’t do that again.” He kissed her neck, savoring the taste of her skin. He licked over her throbbing pulse. God, he wanted her.

  “I can’t promise you anything.” She pulled against his hold.

  “Promise, Saranna.”

  She twisted around in his arms, put her ha
nds on his chest, and tried to separate them. He held firm.

  The scent of her anger and hurt curled around them. He hated what he was doing. “I won’t let you get yourself killed, even if I have to tie you up to prevent it.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “Wouldn’t I?”

  Doubt touched her eyes, but determination swept it aside.

  “Promise.” He demanded.

  “I won’t and you can’t stop me either.”

  Julian quirked up the corner of his mouth and pushed her backward with his body. She was soft, but resistant against him.

  She pushed back, but she wasn’t able to stop his forward movement. He caught her upper arms and guided her back a step at a time.

  “What are you doing? Stop it.” She tried to rip out of his hold with an abrupt twist.

  He tightened his grip on her upper arms. Why didn’t she yield to him? The last thing he wanted was to hurt her or let her hurt herself.

  He kept her moving until the backs of her legs bumped into the mattress.

  He leaned into her, trapping her with his body.

  “What are you doing? Let me go.” Saranna’s eyes glittered with anger. She wriggled against him in undulating movements.

  His cock stiffened.

  She hissed.

  “Sorry. Can’t blame me for something I can’t control.”

  “Get the fuck off me.”

  Oh boy, she was really pissed at him. “Don’t think so, babe.” He shoved and she toppled backward with an oath. Cat fast, he sprang onto the bed with her, forcing her into a more suitable position. He straddled her hips, holding her down.

  The chains he’d taken from the traders’ former headquarters lay coiled on the bedside table. He grabbed one and caught her left wrist.

  She pulled against him, but he held tight. He wrapped the cold links around her wrist, clipped the snap shut, and attached the other end to the bed post.

  She struggled hard, worming against him, making his cock even harder. He groaned, but grabbed her other hand before it closed on a fistful of his hair. In moments, he had her chained to the bed, arms spread wide, at his mercy.

  She yanked at the shackles and her eyes darkened with fury. “If I call Slade up here, he’ll wipe up the floor with you.” She looked angry enough to follow through with her threat.