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His words left no room for doubt. No matter what the future held, Julian would be there for her. The thought would’ve terrified her just a few days ago. Now only peace and a tidal wave of love swelled within her.

“Thank you.” She snuggled up against him again.

The other thing she wanted to tell him, she decided to wait until they were alone.

Chapter Twenty-Six

TheyarrivedatPhoenixshortly before sunrise. Julian’s body grew heavy and sluggish with the rising sun. They parked in front of a townhome in a quiet and sleepy neighborhood. Gently, he woke Leah, who’d fallen asleep on the way. “Hey, we’re here.”

Leah groaned before opening her eyes. It took a few seconds before the sleep cleared from her gaze, which then brightened and filled with a feeling that swirled in his chest as well.

His heart skipped a beat.

It wouldn’t be appropriate to ravish her in the car. He didn’t care, but she wouldn’t appreciate it.

“Come on.”

They exited the car. Marek unlocked the door to a townhouse resembling the others on the street. The only notable difference was that this door was red in contrast to the rows of blues and greens of the other houses.

“Is this yours?” Leah asked as they filed into the foyer. The house looked new with shiny hardwood floors and smelled like someone had cleaned it recently.

“Yes. We keep safe houses in different places in case the Trackers need them.” Julian shut the door behind them. “Since Phoenix is so close to Vegas, we have several in this area.”

Julian gave Leah a quick tour of the inside. The rooms were dark, with heavy velvet curtains over the windows that blocked even the ambient streetlights. A few paintings hung on the walls. Books and other knick-knacks filled the bookshelves in the living room. Yet, there were no personal pictures or anything to indicate that anyone lived here. The sparkling clean granite kitchen counters and appliances were also brand new.

“Will we be safe here?”

“We should be. We’ll stay in the basement. There is also an entrance to the underground sewer system if someone finds us during the day.”

Leah made a face at the mention of sewers. It wasn’t Julian’s top choice, either. He’d thought his days of scavenging and hiding in sewers were long gone.

“Come on. The sun is coming up.”

They took the stairs, the opening next to the kitchen, down to the basement, with Marek leading and Julian bringing up the rear. The basement was as spacious as the upstairs, but with fewer decorations. There were two bedrooms and a living area with a computer station set up. Marek went straight to it.

“The alarms are all set,” he said.

“Good. We’ll take this room.” Julian placed a hand on Leah’s back and steered her to the door on the right. “You can decide who gets the other room.”

Marek didn’t move from his seat. “I’ll take the first watch.” Then he flashed his first smile during this entire trip. “Please keep it quiet.”

Rowan snickered.

Julian glared but stalked past them into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. A queen-sized bed filled up most of the space, along with a small nightstand next to it.

They were alone. Finally.

Leah stepped away from him and gave him a nervous glance. “I’m going to shower.”

Julian waited until he heard the water. He should give her some space. Considering everything she’d been through the last few days, she deserved some time alone to decompress.

Yet, with all that had happened, with his decision to claim her, if she wanted, even a moment without her seemed like an eternity.

Besides, he needed to shower as well. So why not join her?

Julian stripped out of his clothes and strode into the bathroom. The steam and the shampoo did little to mask her honeysuckle and cinnamon scent. He pulled back the curtain and stepped into the small shower.

“Julian—”