Darkness Of Truth (An FBI/Romance Thriller~ Book 6) Read Online Free

she would run, he’d certainly follow.
    “I love you, Victoria,” he mumbled, running his lips across her throat and jaw.
    Tori’s body shuddered a t the simple touch. Whenever Julian was beside her, this was the outcome. It was raw need, instinctually forged in both of them.
    “I love you too, Julian,” she answered back, easily. Running her hands up his chest, she stared into his eyes right before she kissed him.
    One of Julian’s most cherished moments in his life was finally hearing her whisper those precious words. It was followed only by kissing his woman. Here in the forest and pressed against a tree added to the mystique and simply felt right. Julian deepened the kiss, reveling in the victory of not only catching her months ago and claiming her, but at that moment too.
    Breaking away, Tori ran her fingers down his cheek. “Still mad at me?” she inquired, giggling.
    Julian wasn’t angry, but there would be payback, and he wasn’t above playing dirty. “No, I’m far from that, Victoria.” Leaning against her, he showed her exactly what he was feeling. Mad didn’t even come close to describing it.
    One of the best things about being with Julian was his large heart and how sweet he was to the depths of his soul. On the outside, he came across being secretive, silent and aloof. Once you got past the quiet exterior you found the truth; the man was gentle and full of life.
    “How about we ride back to the house and you can teach me a lesson or three,” she suggested, leaving light kisses across his face lovingly.
    Hell yeah! There was no way he was saying no to that offer. Naked Victoria in bed was a far better option than what he planned for the remainder of the day. “Absolutely, and since I caught you I get to have you anyway I want,” Julian added, taking her hand in his.
    Then h e noticed the look on her face, and he’d seen it before.
    “Honey, are you okay?” he asked, concerned. To his knowledge, she hadn’t been having blackouts lately. The VA hospital and therapy seemed to be helping. This was a first in weeks , and it alarmed him.
    Tori could smell it.
    There was death lurking nearby.
    She pulled away from the tree and his hand , searching the surroundings visually for what her mind already knew was there. In her life, she’d seen much loss. As a soldier, she’d waded through it and fought standing in the midst of it. As an FBI agent there’d been even more coating her soul and life.
    This smell Tori knew well.
    It repulsed her and warned her of what was coming.
    Wandering through the trees, she searched for it, finding a clearing that opened to a circle. Someone had been there recently and left behind the offensive stench. “Can you smell it, Julian?” she asked, softly.
    Now he was worried. Shit, if Tori was back sliding that would mean going from outpatient to inpatient. He couldn’t bear the idea that she wouldn’t be in bed beside him every night. “No Honey, I don’t smell anything but your perfume.”
    She shook her head , walking into the clearing. It was there. Tori would bet her life on it.
    “ Victoria, come on. Let’s go home,” he cajoled, hoping to lure her away. Fear was already filling his body as happiness threatened to ebb away.
    “There’s blood here somewhere.”
    Now he was getting more panicked at her words. If she was detecting that scent, it didn't bode well for her mental status. “Maybe someone gutted an animal they were hunting. We’re standing in the center of a forest on the Rez. It’s a possibility.” 
    Inside her gut, Tori knew better. The distinguishing smell was something she’d never confuse with anything else in life. It was the musky mix of bowel and blood. Intermingling and creating a distinct odor one couldn’t forget.
    Julian observed her, wondering why he couldn’t detect anything. Part of him was panicking that this was a figment of her mind. His heart broke for his poor damaged soldier, and what it would mean to go back to the