Arctic Fire 2 by Erica Stevens Page B

been begging to be free since it was caged. Lose yourself in murder and death by indulging in the blood of the innocents.
    It had been two years since he’d fed from a human, but he could clearly recall the taste of human blood; could still feel the warmth of it as it flooded his mouth and slid down his throat. The thrill of power and excitement it had given him as his victims struggled and screamed in his arms was something he could never forget. Those screams…
    A smile curved his mouth at the memories. Those screams had filled many of his nights and had made him feel alive in a way he hadn’t felt in centuries. Then he’d met Cassie and his love for her had made him feel alive in a different way. It had made him realize he could be, and wanted to be, a better man. He’d always known Cassie was Devon’s and could never be his, but he’d still wanted to be better for her, and he was.
    Now he had Quinn. He wanted to be a good man for her, like she deserved, but he would do whatever it took, no matter how merciless and horrific, to keep her safe. She made him feel more alive than he’d ever felt and made him love in a way he hadn’t imagined possible. Even when he’d been human, he’d never felt as alive as he did when he was holding her, touching her.
    And he could lose her. So many things out there were trying to tear them apart. He never knew where the next threat might come from.
    I could walk into one of those homes, shut out the world for a few hours, and lose everything I’ve worked to achieve.
    A light came on in one of the homes. He remained where he was as the sky turned pink in the distance. He should take shelter soon, but he couldn’t tear himself away as the thrill of the hunt and the kill pulsed within his body.
    He couldn’t return to Quinn like this, not when he was so close to losing complete control of himself. She could soothe the beast within him, but he wasn’t in the mood to be calmed.
    Instead of taking shelter or returning to Quinn, he flexed his fingers again as he walked toward the house.

CHAPTER 7
    Quinn lifted her head when she heard the lock sliding free and watched as Julian stepped into her apartment. Placing her can of Mountain Dew down, she launched to her feet as he stepped inside and closed the door. His skin was puckered and red; parts of his shirt were actually charred. While she wanted to shake some sense into him for taking off like that, the wildness of his crimson eyes and the harshness of his chiseled features made her heart ache.
    “Where have you been?” she demanded.
    His gaze flashed around the room. “Where is everyone?”
    “I told them to go after the sun rose. He couldn’t come at me now that it’s daylight, and I preferred to be alone.”
    His eyes focused on her briefly before sliding away again. “You never should have been left alone.”
    “Nothing could possibly happen during the daytime,” she replied impatiently.
    “He can control minds. That means he can use a human to do his bidding, and they can walk about in the day.”
    She hadn’t considered that. She’d been desperate to be alone, desperate for him to return to her. “Oh,” she said dully.
    He finally focused on her. “Yeah, oh.”
    She planted her hands on her hips. “You left too, you know.”
    “I shouldn’t have.”
    “Where have you been? The sun came up two hours ago.”
    His powerful body moved with the grace of a predator as he came toward her. “Out.”
    “Out?” she parroted, but she had no idea how to respond to his flippant reply. “You fed.”
    “I did.”
    Despite the burns on him, his skin shone with vitality and power. He radiated an aura of barely leashed violence that caused her fight or flight instinct to rear to life, even though she knew she had nothing to fear with him.
    Most would have been afraid of what he could do; it only made her love him more. He would never hurt her, but there was something different about him right then. Something within him