She had always known Julian was powerful, that his world was full of danger and secrets, but this felt different. This felt deeply personal. She stepped closer to him, her fingers brushing over his chest, needing to feel the solid strength she knew so well.

“Tell me everything,” she whispered, her voice pleading. “I need to know.”

His eyes flickered with something she couldn’t quite read, but instead of answering, he pulled her tight against him, his hand sliding around her waist, drawing her body flush to his.

“You don’t need to know everything right now. What you need to know is that I’ll do whatever it takes to keep...