Chapter 8
Valac
It was difficult to keep track of Julian’s sleep schedule from Hell.
Time moved differently in the underworld, and it was hard to make a connection to Julian’s mind from so far away.
It took time and concentration, neither of which was readily available in Hell while Valac was traveling to Astaroth.
He made an effort of reaching out whenever he could, drawn to Julian like an addict needing another fix.
He could tell some time had passed the next time he sank into Julian’s subconscious.
Julian was floating, as he often did, from concept to concept, never focusing on any dreamscape for long.
Valac wrapped strong fingers around his wrist and tugged him down to solid ground.
As their bodies made contact, Julian regained awareness, and his living room solidified automatically around them.
The soft, warm glow of the lamp beside the couch was the only thing lighting the room.
“Valac,” he said with some surprise.
“You didn’t expect me,” Valac guessed.
“It’s been a couple of weeks. I’d wondered—hoped you were done with me.”
He wasn’t sure he would ever be done with Julian. “Hoped?”
Julian’s face hardened. “You shouldn’t be here. I told you, we can’t do this.”
“They cannot stop us.”
“It’s not about them.”
“Then what?”
Julian sighed, trying to pull away, but Valac tightened his grip.
“Don’t,” he warned. “You’ll lose awareness if we aren’t touching.”
Julian arched a pale brow. “Convenient.”
“Tell me why I shouldn’t seek you out,” Valac pressed.
“I swore that I wouldn’t get involved with the Sentinels.”
“I am not one of them,” Valac said.
“No, you’re a demon. That’s not better,” Julian replied. “I made a promise, and I don’t break my promises.”
“You made a deal with people who would do you harm,” Valac said. “That’s hardly someone worth keeping promises for.”
Julian growled in frustration. “It’s not about keeping my word to them. It’s about my own sense of integrity. I keep my word. If I don’t have that, what else do I have?”
There was a note of despair in his tone—one Valac didn’t like to hear. “You tell me.”
Julian balked. “What?”
“You tell me. What else do you have?”
The human looked away, frowning at a distant spot on the wall. “I… I don’t know, okay? They made sure of that.”
Anger burned through Valac. “What do you mean?”
Julian tried to turn away, stopped only by Valac’s grip on his wrist. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me,” Valac growled. “Has something happened? Are you well?”
Julian paused. The silence was filled with a tension Valac didn’t understand. “I don’t know.”
Valac frowned. “You don’t know if you are well?”
Julian inhaled sharply, jerking his head as though to shake it, but stopped. “I mean—okay, no. The truth is, something did happen. The guild might not be as amenable to my retirement as I thought.”
That didn’t sound good. “Explain.”
Julian sighed heavily, shifting from foot to foot. “They threw a brick through my window.” He gestured to the window behind the couch beside them. “It had a piece of paper attached to it with a Bible verse. I don’t know, the whole thing was kind of threatening.”
Valac growled, deep and rumbling. “Go to the Sentinels.”
Julian looked weary. “No.”
“You need allies.”
“I can’t.”
“Not ‘can’t.’ You won’t.”
Julian passed a hand over his face. “If they find out I’ve gone to the Sentinels, they’ll escalate.”
“They’ll escalate anyway,” Valac insisted. “Do you really think breaking your window was their only plan? They’re toying with you.”
Julian’s jewel blue eyes filled. “They were supposed to be the good guys.”
It took effort to soften his voice. Julian didn’t deserve his rage; he would save that for this guild. “They stopped being that a long time ago, as I’ve heard it.”
Julian impatiently dashed a tear away. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. You—have to go.”
He ached. “Julian—”
“Valac, no. I won’t give them any more of a reason to come after me. I’m not going to the Sentinels, and you can’t keep showing up in my dreams. I’ll be fine on my own. I just—have to replace the stupid window now. Along with all my other crap.”
This human was too honorable and stubborn for his own good. He insisted on keeping his word even to his own detriment. “I will go on one condition.”
Julian raised his brows, waiting.
“Let me return again soon to check up on you. Just to make sure you’re okay.”
When he was back on the surface, he would be able to keep a better eye on Julian.
Until then, there was little he could do.
If Julian wouldn’t proactively seek out allies, Valac would just have to enter his dreams again to make sure he was okay, and if the paladins escalated, he could let the Sentinels know Julian needed help.
“Why do you care?” Julian asked helplessly, his big blue eyes wide with anguish. “No one else does.”
Possessive need roared within Valac. He’d never felt anything like it. Raising his hands, he cradled Julian’s head, gripping tight and dragging him in close. He inhaled Julian’s sweet scent, cataloging the sound of his gasp to memory.
“Because you’re mine.” His lips brushed Julian’s hair. “Don’t try to deny it. I know you feel it, too. You must.”
“What does that—what do you—” Julian stopped, turning his head suddenly. His form flickered, and he stiffened in Valac’s grip. “What was that?” Julian asked.
Valac forced himself to focus on something besides the closeness of Julian’s body. He turned in the same direction as Julian but saw nothing out of the ordinary. “What was what?”
“I thought…” His form flickered again. “A light. There’s not supposed to be…”
A light? Did that mean there was an intruder in his house? A storm? A fire?
Valac hoped it was something benign. His human didn’t deserve what the guild was doing to him. Overcome with emotion he barely recognized in himself, he pressed a soft kiss to Julian’s forehead. “I will see you soon, my jewel.”
And then Julian was gone, the world around them fading with him.