Cloak of Deceit

Chapter Twenty

I woke in Julian's arms, exactly as I'd fallen asleep. It felt right. I smiled to myself as I nuzzled closer, took in deep breaths of his musky-sweet scent, and turned my face up for a kiss.

"Magistrate Colvin," he said.

It took me a second to sweep my romantic notions out of the way, but then I sat up and blinked at him, confused. "Huh?"

"Magistrate Colvin," he repeated. "He has to be part of Derek's Cabal. He's the only one who could have accessed my file, who could have helped Derek find us, and who could have falsified my orders."

"Oh." I sat up and pulled the sheet to my chest. So much for pillow talk.

He stared at the ceiling, too entrenched in his thoughts to pay any attention to pleasantries.

I yanked back my disappointment and kicked my brain into gear. I needed to tell him about Monique, but how could I tell him someone he loved, trusted, who'd just died was responsible for...well, I didn't even know everything she might have done. After a minute of deliberation, I decided to just spit it out. "Jules, Monique betrayed you. She was working with Derek and the Cabal."

My improvised delivery sucked.

Julian sat up and threw his feet over the edge of the bed, giving me a flawless view of his deliciously naked backside. My mind fogged over.

Jules shook his head. "She wouldn't do that."

So, we're back to this after all. I couldn't compete with her alive, and now her ghost would haunt me. I sighed and smoothed back my bed-tousled hair. "I know it's hard. I'm sorry. But it's true. She betrayed you. She lied to us. Derek told me so."

I wasn't being mean, just honest. The sooner he grasped the truth, recognized that he might have put his trust in the wrong places, the sooner we could move on. I knew exactly how he must feel, but I had no idea if he would accept my comfort about this. I chewed my lip, waiting for some type of reaction.

Julian ruffled his hand through his hair, then shook his head again and stood.

I tucked my knees to my chest as he pulled on his pants. "Jules, Derek put the collar on me."

His eyes whipped up to meet mine and darkened with rage, a building thunderstorm. I swallowed, wondering if my luck could really be that rotten. One night of bliss is all I get?

"I'll kill him." Julian's aura pulsed red — a warning to proceed with caution.

"Where else could he have gotten the collar?"

He shook his head very slowly, his fists clenching at his sides. "Alex. Don't."

"He knew exactly where and when to find me," I pressed. I didn't want to fight with Julian. But whether he hovered in denial or not, he needed to acknowledge the possibility. It could make a difference for our next step. "Could it be she—"

"She's dead!" He started pacing. He'd held his emotions in check last night, and then poured so much into our love-making, I'd forgotten about Monique. But Julian was clearly hurting.

"I know." I swallowed the salty lump in my throat. "I'm so sorry. When?"

"Two nights ago." He whirled on his heel. "I was out looking for you."

How many days had I lost under Derek's attentions?

"What about the others?" I braced for what I considered worse news. They, at least, I called friends.

"They're safe. Monique was murdered. That was all." He said it as if the words meant nothing, completely hollow. It was a good act, but he couldn't fool me. The pain and grief buried in those words were more intense than anything I'd felt in my piddly 21 years of living. If I had the ability to suck it all away, I would have.