“I’ve been looking for you.”
Julian blinked. Where had his brother come from?
Cade was dressed. So either he hadn’t been out running, or he’d already gone home to change.
“She kick you out?” Cade jerked his head at the house.
“Ella?”
Cade rolled his eyes. “Ella’s taken.”
Was Julian the only one who hadn’t known about Ella and Jorund? What else was going on in his village that he didn’t know about?
“I was looking for you, too.” Julian stood. “Where’d you go?”
“There’s something you need to see.”
Julian opened his mouth to point out that Cade hadn’t answered the question, then paused. His brother was—
Julian wasn’t sure. He’d never seen that expression on Cade’s face. He didn’t like it.
“Okay.” He stood. “Show me.”
“Back at the lab.” Cade glanced at Ella’s house. “You’d better bring her along too.”
Alex had known the exact moment Julian arrived. The connection between them appeared to be getting worse.
She’d been in bed, sound asleep; then suddenly she was wide awake and smelling him. She’d trailed through the house, gone to the window, then lost several minutes watching the silver rays of the moon play over his face.
How could she have smelled him? The doors and windows were tightly shut against the bitter cold. Yet his distinct scent of fresh snow on evergreens was everywhere. It had followed her back to sleep, playing across her dreams, making her yearn.
When the sun’s muted rays had just begun to lighten the Arctic skies, his voice had drawn her awake. She’d thrown on more of Ella’s clothes—she still hadn’t managed to buy any of her own—and gone to ask him in for coffee. She opened the door just as he was lifting his hand to knock.
“Morning.”
“Uh,” he returned.
“Morning!” Cade stood at the bottom of the steps.
“Come on in,” she said. “You want coffee?”
But as she turned, Julian caught her hand. Suddenly Alex couldn’t breathe. Her fingers clenched around his; she stared into his face. He didn’t appear to be breathing, either.
“Are you going to bring her along or aren’t you?” Cade asked.
He sounded like a petulant little brother, and Alex laughed, which allowed her to breathe again.
“Where are we going?”
“The lab.” Julian was staring at her as if she’d just sprouted horns; then he dropped her hand and spun away.
Why did she feel as if she’d done something wrong?
She glanced at Cade, who shrugged as Julian pushed past and left them behind. “You need more blood?” she asked.
His face took on a strange expression, and suddenly Alex was worried. What had he found in the last batch?
She put on her boots and followed. Julian stalked ahead, refusing to look back. He knew they were coming.