Free Wicked Obsession by Cora Zane

out. She’d been abused, misled by her former Biter, so it didn’t exactly come as a surprise that she’d left his room before his awakening, not with her trust issues. Nevertheless, he was eager for her company. If that meant he had to go to her, so be it.
    On his way out the door, Julian was already thinking of all the wicked things he wanted to do to her. Like bend her over the desk in his office and kiss his way up those long legs. A slow smile twisted his lips.
    He made his way over to the premiere suite, and rapped his knuckles against the door. He didn’t want to barge in on her, but when she didn’t answer, he tried the door handle. The room was locked.
    For a moment he stood staring at the door, his surprise slowly giving way to simmering anger. He turned away and started back down the hall to his own suite. If there was one thing he didn’t approve of, it was being locked out of a room in his own house. Secrets had nearly killed him once, and he’d vowed long ago that would never happen again.

    * * * * *

    Eleni stepped out of the bathtub onto the mat and pulled a towel down off the wooden rack. Even after a long soak, she still felt jittery from her confrontation with Gisele, and now she had to get dressed and go downstairs to face Julian.
    She couldn’t make up her mind whether to tell him about Gisele trying on her clothes or not. Maybe if she hadn’t already asked about his relationship with the woman, she wouldn’t feel so weird about it. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she was jealous of the girl, or that she was out to get her fired, but at the same time, Eleni had the sneaking suspicion if she didn’t handle the situation in the right way, Gisele would make misery for her later on.
    Dread settled in her heart at the thought of having to watch her back all the time. It was too soon. She didn’t want to go through that again. Was she even strong enough? She’d already fought that battle with Sabilla and Rubio, and it had nearly cost her both her health and her sanity.
    When she’d left San Francisco, she’d thought, aside from the times she’d have to report to a probation officer from the council, that she was leaving that old life behind. After all, that had been the goal—to start a new life without the constant stress her former relationship had placed on her. And yet, even as she stood buffing herself dry with a bath towel, that familiar feeling of sadness and anxiety curled through her at the mere thought of the having to live that way again.
    Eleni patted her face dry then wrapped her body in the towel before heading off to her closet to pick out something suitable to wear. If she could’ve come up with a passable excuse to hide away in her room all night, she would have done so.
    Although she had managed to overcome her Biter’s Addiction to the point that the urge to be bitten no longer ruled her life, she knew she was not the same woman as before. She couldn’t handle stress very well. Confrontations got under her skin easily, and she didn’t want Julian to see her shaken, especially after their first night together. He could get the wrong idea, and she didn’t want him to think his bite had affected her negatively, when in truth, making love with him was probably the first time in months she had felt both sexy and at ease—a woman capable of continuing her life as an Acolyte.
    After spending twenty minutes of fidgeting in front of the dresser mirror, Eleni finally admitted she was only putting off the inevitable. Dressed in a white sheath dress and strappy heels, she checked her nude lipstick before heading downstairs to find Julian.
    At the base of the stairs, she veered right and walked through the open archway into the dining room. She shuffled to a stop just inside the room, her heart pitter-pattering at the sight of Julian sitting at the far end of the table, deep in conversation on his cell phone.
    There was a magnetic quality about him she couldn’t