Chapter 750
Chapter 750:
She ran up the grand staircase, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She reached the master bedroom. The door was locked.
“Julian, open the door!” She pounded on the wood. “It’s Skye p>
Nothing.
She stepped back and kicked the lock. Once. Twice. The wood splintered. She threw her shoulder against it, and the door gave way.
The room was pitch-black. The heavy velvet curtains were drawn tight, blocking out the afternoon sun. The air was stifling—hot and stale.
Skye fumbled for the light switch.
The chandelier flickered to life, casting a harsh yellow glow over the room.
Julian lay in the center of the massive bed. He was curled on his side, facing away from the door. He was wearing the same silk pajamas she had seen him in three days ago. His cane lay discarded on the floor, snapped in half.
“Julian?” Skye whispered, stepping closer.
He didn’t move.
She rushed to the bedside, her heart hammering against her ribs. She reached out and touched his shoulder.
He flinched—a violent, full-body shudder that nearly threw him off the mattress.
“Don’t,” he rasped. His voice was a broken thing, like grinding glass.
Skye grabbed his shoulder and forced him to roll over.
She gasped.
Julian looked like a corpse. His skin was translucent, the veins showing blue and jagged beneath the surface. His eyes were sunken, surrounded by dark, bruised circles. His lips were cracked and bleeding.
But it was his eyes that terrified her. They were empty. The sharp, cynical intelligence that defined Julian Vance was gone, replaced by a dull, flat void of agony.
On the nightstand sat a small amber pill bottle. The label was handwritten in Lucian’s neat script: Neural Blockers — Non-Narcotic.
𝘋i𝘀cо𝗏𝖾𝗋 ne𝘄 𝗌𝘵𝘰𝗿і𝖾ѕ 𝗈𝗻 𝗯еlոо𝗏е𝘭𝗌.𝘤o𝘮
It was full.
“You haven’t taken them,” Skye said, her voice trembling. She picked up the bottle. “Lucian synthesized these to block the signal. He told you to take them if the pain flared p>
“I can’t,” Julian whispered, staring at the ceiling. “If I take them… I can’t think. It dulls the edge. I need the edge to find Liam p>
“You can’t find Liam if you’re writhing in agony!” Skye demanded. “Take the pill p>
“No p>
“Julian, take the damn pill p>
“I said no!” Julian roared. It was a weak sound, lacking his usual power, but filled with raw fury. He swung his arm out, knocking the bottle from Skye’s hand.
The bottle hit the floor. The cap flew off. Dozens of white pills scattered across the Persian rug, rolling under the bed, disappearing into the shadows.
Skye stood frozen, watching the pills settle.
“Get out,” Julian hissed, closing his eyes. “Let me rot. It’s what she wants. It’s what I am. I let him walk into that church alone. I deserve this fire p>