5
Julian knelt before Valerie Blackwood once more.
As planned, he delivered his carefully crafted words.
Silence.
Valerie and even the other beast-men stared behind him, saying nothing.
Julian froze, then turned to look.
The spot where Anya Sterling had stood was empty. Nothing was there.
The moment that realization solidified, an immense fear exploded, seizing him, completely consuming him.
All the pretty words, all the false peace, were torn apart by her death, revealing the festering ugliness beneath.
He had killed the only person in the world who had ever been kind to him.
