Page 91 of B Negative
Thirty-One
“She knows too much,”Julian rumbled, plopping a perfectly poached egg on a golden, buttered slice of toasted brioche.
Fuck, I missed good food.
“I assumed you were over there trying to get Sunny to leave Titus.”
The crinkles around Julian’s eyes had completely vanished, even now as he paced the length of the kitchen island.
“We can’t let her stay there, Eden. She knows too much about the way I think.” He ran a hand through his thick hair. “How far are they in the bonding process?”
“Bite,” I said, unbothered, around a mouthful of food.
Julian paused, staring at me as I shoveled more salty, rich egg and sharp, bright dill and toast in my mouth. “Did they not feed you over there?”
“Mm, not really.”
“Do you want another?”
I grunted, shaking my head. My mouth definitely wanted to taste more of his delectable cooking, but my stomach couldn’t possibly handle any more food.
Julian moved on. “If they’re already passed the bite, then we need to start focusing on our plan for the next incursion.”
“You’re right, we do.”
“And we can’t do anything the same way we would have, because Sunny will know. Does she still have access to her tablet?”
I nodded. “She does, but the tech guy already revoked her access to our systems and wiped all of our saved documents from the device.”
“Good. Do they know you can cross the ward without an escort?”
“Sunny, yes. Titus, possibly.”
“Well, if Sunny knows, Titus definitely does.”
“Possibly. Sunny might keep that secret to herself and convince him to sell all his properties and buy an island in the Maldives or something.”
“Not happening. Titus is ruthless and power-hungry. The only thing he has ever cared about is acquiring more stuff, more land, and more power.
“I don’t think that’s true.”
“I’ve known the vampire far longer, Eden.”
“Right. You’ve known exactly what he’s shown you. Whereas, I know his mate. I’ve seen inside his inner sanctum. And I’ve spoken to him directly about his relationship with Sunny. Don’t discount my opinion, Julian, simply because it’s different from yours.”
He took a beat and a breath. “You’re right. I apologize. I don’t want any of us to underestimate this man.”
“Understandable. But here’s the thing you don’t know about Titus. He’s bored. He’s seen the rise and fall of countless civilizations. He’s got a burial shroud touted to be Jesus’s, for Christ’s sake.” I paused, wondering if maybe I should have worded that differently. “He’s literally seen everything, done everything, and these incursions are just another thing for him to pass the time.”
“What are you getting at?”
“I think you’ve been giving the man too much credit. Don’t let him take up more space than he needs to, OK?”
“We’ll have to agree to disagree on that one, Eden. Titus has wanted my territory for longer than you’ve been alive.”
“I’m telling you, Julian. The Titus you know and the one I know are entirely different creatures.”
“For a good and calculated reason, I’m certain.”