by Dawn Gray
What was he waiting for? I asked myself, for I had never met a vampire that took so long to bite. I felt his teeth move across my skin, gently, as if he were my lover instead of my killer. I exhaled a long breath that trembled as it released, despite my efforts to remain calm, and found the muscle control to reach up and place my hands against his chest. He tensed up, but I could almost feel the pulsing underneath the slight rise and fall of his chest. These movements, my touch, made him stop, but only briefly as I felt his other hand, suddenly, press flat against my lower back.
No more playing! His mental voice trembled as if he had spoken aloud. Stop touching me or I will make this very painful for you.
“You know that I can hear your thoughts.” I whispered tracing the hard muscles I felt beneath his shirt, finding that he seemed distracted as I did this. “So, you must know who I am.”
I felt the tips of his teeth as they pressed against my skin and I arched against him, trying to move away, but it made his grip on me grow tighter. I could feel what my actions were doing, exciting him, but I couldn't stop the need to get away.
“Who are you? Why are you doing this?”
He stopped his advance, and turned his head, brushing his lips along my skin, his tongue touched my cheek as if tasting my skin, then, with one last swift movement, his lips found mine. His pressed down hard against me, as his tongue invaded, but I was unable to resist, since it was a totally different sensation all together and I kissed him back. But as the passionate kiss wore on, and the strange fire I felt rage beyond both of our control, he stopped and backed away, looking me in the eyes again.
“Who are you?” I questioned him once again, I could feel the wide smile against my cheek, and then he came at me quickly and latched on to my neck. I pushed at him, trying to get away, feeling that burning feeling in my neck and I began to cry.
“Fighting will only make it worse.” He whispered.
“Let me go.” I pleaded with him but it didn't seem to make a difference, until I said something out loud that I hadn't intended to. “I'm sorry, Julian.”
It was an apology for letting my stupidity get the best of me, because I knew I shouldn't be out at night, alone. He drew back, letting my veins go and I looked over at him, into his fiery eyes at a hatred that I didn't understand. He growled at me, baring his teeth and as he backed away, he hit the light that hung from the ceiling and in the flickering electric light I was able to see his face and as we stared down one another my vision started to fade. I watched him leave and I slid down to the ground, as the blood dripped down my shirt, then I called out, as loud as I could, as weak as I suddenly was, to Julian.
I was crying, when he and Nick arrived, squabbling as usual, but that stopped when they looked at me. Julian scooped me up, as Nick walked off to find the vampire who had done this.
I focused on Creolas for a long moment before I heard the words that brought me out of it.
“Julian, maybe you should take her out of the room.” It was Quinn's voice and he was standing right beside me, as I looked up at him, I could see the worry in his face.
“I'm fine.” I answered, and then looked over at Julian who was moving closer to me. “Really.”
“What are you doing here?” Nick asked the red haired man who still stood there with an amused grin on his face.
“Same as you, Brother.” Creolas answered, and then glanced back at Julian and Quinn. “I was called here, and I think it was her voice that I heard.”
I stopped the words that I was whispering to Julian and I turned to look at him. I stepped away from Julian's arms, for they had wrapped themselves around me only moments before, and moved closer to him, but my way was blocked by Nick, who took a hold of my arm.
“I don't know you, why the hell would I call you here?” I asked.
“Caitlyn.” Nick's voice whispered, in a demanding tone. I looked up at him, oddly, wondering why he chose now to use my first name. “It would be wise for you to let Julian take you upstairs.”
“I'm not a child, Nick.” I answered back, speaking quietly, so that the conversation stayed between us. “I can handle myself, and I can handle him.”
“I don't think so.” He replied, but it was the worry I saw in his unwavering stare that made me nod in agreement. He turned and looked at Julian, who walked over and took my hand, and then lead me out of the room.
Once upstairs, nestled in the quiet safety of my own room, Julian got comfortable on the bed, with one leg pulled up to his chest and the other dangling off the bed, while he watched me stand by the window and stare out.
“You're upset.” He pointed out. I looked at him, quickly, wanting to thank him for his observation, but I turned and looked back out the window.
“I just don't understand.” I replied, feeling the confusion as I stared out at the waves in the ocean. “I remembered them last night, and both of them are here, but I can't remember much more than that.”
“Your dreams or memories are premonitions, of things to come.” Julian shrugged.
“So, why didn't they tell me about them sooner?” I turned towards him and crossed my arms as I leaned back against the wall.
“I can only assume it was because you're still under the influence of what made you forget in the first place.” He replied, looking over at the fireplace.
“And, what influence was that?” I questioned. Julian shrugged again, and then looked back at me. “Let me ask you something and I don't want any shrugs, or hand gestures to quiet me down, I want the truth.”
“Fine, if that is the way you want it.” Julian replied. I watched him turn on the bed and slide over to my side, where he sat with his hands folded on his lap. “Shoot.”
“Nick,” I said and watched him nod, “who is he to me? I assume that he was the one that watched over Connie, but why do I get this strange vibe from him whenever he's around?”
“You took his blood, he saved your life.” Julian replied.
“When, and why him and not you?”
“The last summer you were here, just before you forgot, you were attacked and I didn't get there in time to help you. Nick was, although, at times, I have to wonder why he was so close to you at that moment.”
“Should that matter?' I asked. Julian closed his eyes and shook his head. “Why is he like that to you? Why does he treat you like you're a child and need discipline?”
“When you and he met, Creolas was on the attack, and he protected you from that, even though I'm not sure why he decided to protect you, because he's never been that way. He had always believed that if you couldn't protect yourself then you were meant to be fed to the wolves.” Julian stood and walked over to stand next to me, looking out the window. I could hear him breathing as he stared straight ahead. “Anything else?”
“Creolas is Nick's brother, right, or did I misinterpret that little comment?”
“No, he's Nick's brother. Can't you tell? They have the same attitude.” Julian replied, and even though I couldn't see him; I could imagine him rolling his eyes.
“Fine.” I whispered, and then closed my eyes. “So why does he scare me so much?”
Julian's arms wrapped around me, as I shook, visibly, from the feelings I got just thinking about him. I felt Julian's lips on my forehead as he held me close.
“Creolas is evil, plain and simple.” He replied. I uncrossed my arms and wrapped them around Julian's waist and the two of us stood there for a while, just enjoying the security, but then something made me back away a bit.
“What if I did call them both here?” I asked him. Julian shook his head.
“How could you? I don't think you have that power.” He whispered, stroking my hair.
“But, my dreams and my memories could be so loud that they picked up on them.” I replied, and then closed my eyes. Julian smiled as he drew me back towards him. As I stood there, with my eyes shut I thought about what I had remembered in the other room and it made me shake. “He bit me.” I said softly, and then felt Juli
an nod. “How could I have been so stupid to let him do that to me? Was I really that naive?”
“He's very powerful.” Julian sighed. There was a knock on the door, which made Julian let me go and walk over to answer it. Quinn stood on the other side, one hand on the wall, the other on his hip, and he looked up at his older brother. “What is it?”
“You should come down stairs.” Quinn replied, standing up straight. “Michael's going to come up to stay with Caitlyn, but Nick says that there's something you and I need to hear.”
“And who does Nick think he is?” Julian asked. Quinn sighed, closed his eyes and shook his head, before looking back up at his brother.
“You need to put this thing with Nick in the past, Julian, really. Both of you need to get over it.” Quinn told him.
“I can't do that, Quinn.” Julian replied, quietly. “I can never forget what he did to me.” Julian glanced at me, then back at his brother and whispered to him. “To her?”
Quinn looked passed him, at me, as I stood there, holding on to the foot board of the bed.
“You need to, Julian.” Quinn whispered, loud enough for me to hear. “To protect her, you both need to get over it.” With those words, he turned and he walked away.
I stepped up behind him, put my hands on his back, and watched him stiffen. Julian reached behind him, grabbed my hands and turned to face me. I could see the anger in his eyes as he quickly pulled me to him, wrapped his arm tightly around me once again, and leaned down to me. Slowly, he moved closer, as I pressed my hands against his chest, feeling the heat that came off from him, as his lips came closer.
“Julian, I don't think this is a good idea.” I whispered as I looked from his eyes to his lips. He nodded as his mouth brushed up against mine.
“I know.” He said, softly, then our lips connected and the fire seemed to erupt. His mouth engulf mine, as the heat spread through my body, then I felt his tongue tickle my lip, asking for an invitation, and when his kiss became more passionate, I found myself giving into to him and not wanting him to let go. That's when the door opened and we heard someone clear their throat. Julian backed away from me, but his eyes caught mine in a stare until he turned and looked at Michael, then back at me, quickly. He wasn't moving to pull away and it was obvious that he wasn't all that sure about leaving me.
“I'll be alright.” I watched him nod, but he still didn't move. “Michael's not going to hurt me.”
He nodded as his body shivered, and kissed me again, not letting me move to get away. His hand rested on the back of my head, holding me against him and against the fire in his kiss. I heard his shirt rustle as Michael tapped him on the shoulder and Julian moved, looking at the blond haired man. He stepped back, one step at a time until only our fingers were touching, then he let go of my hand and walked quickly out the door.
“That looked like the hardest thing he's ever done.” I whispered and looked up at Michael, who smiled and slowly closed the door.
“It probably was.” Michael replied and gestured to me to have a seat on the bed. “It was very hard on him to lose you”
7
I looked up at Ashley then over at the doorway of the den and listened closely at the light knock on my front door. I stood up, walked slowly to the large door and grabbed the doorknob, and then I stood there, as I felt that familiar presence on the other side, and I smiled as I opened the door, to look at Julian's face.
He looked up at me, from under the length of hair that still fell in his face; his green eyes sparkled, and he smiled, then looked passed me into the house.
“Is she here?” He asked, softly, which made me smile.
“You know she is, Julian.” I replied and stepped aside. He slipped off the lightweight black leather coat and draped it over one of the knobs of the coat rack. He leaned down and kissed me softly on the lips. “What are you doing here anyway?”
“When Ashley left Jack with Michael, I figured that she might be coming here, to get the full story.” He shrugged, the put his hands in his front pockets. “So, I thought that I would come over and help you explain.”
“Good, because I was just about to get to the part about Creolas and the conversation that you had with them.” I smiled then the two of us walked towards the den. Julian looked at me as we went in.
“I didn't realize that you knew anything about that.” He whispered, which made me glance over at him, just as we stepped into the doorway.
I witnessed a lot more than any one realized.” I answered as the two of us turned and looked at Ashley, who was standing by the fireplace which was lit with a fake electrical orange glow. She turned and looked over at us, with a shocked look that Julian was standing there.
“Would you two like me to leave?” She asked, with an angry tone in her voice.
Julian shook his head. “I knew you would be here, Ash, that's why I came, to help Caitlyn explain all of this.”
“There isn't much to explain, Julian.” Ashley sighed, looking from one of us to the other, and then she stopped to look directly at me. “I can see just what's going on here, it's written all over both of your faces.”
Julian looked at me and I turned to him, there was nothing there that I could see, then, I watched him smile.
“Oh.” I said and stepped back away from him. Julian's expression changed as I moved away, like he had seen, in my eyes, exactly what I saw in his. I turned to Ashley. “I thought we had gotten passed this.”
“You can't deny that the two of you are in love.” Ashley said, sourly. I looked back at Julian as he glanced at me, and shrugged, then reached out for me, which I backed away from. “Can you honestly deny yourself love, Caitlyn?”
“I am not denying anything.” I told her, snapping around to face her. I stepped up closer to her. “My husband and son are upstairs, what does that tell you?”
“That you're fooling yourself.” Ashley replied. I turned and looked at Julian, who had made his way over to the chair and sat down. He sat looking at her, as he leaned forward in the chair with his elbows on his knees.
“What did you really come here for?” I questioned, looking from him back to the woman with the blue eyes. She looked over at Julian then back at me.
“I came here to find out exactly who you were and why he had such a strange look in his eyes when I asked about you.” She sighed and walked over to the chair she had been sitting in. “No, I would like to know exactly who Nick and this Creolas person are and why I've never heard of them.”
I looked over at Julian, who was looking at his fingers, and then I watched as he slowly looked up at me.
“Would you like to take this question? I'm not sure I could explain it right now.” He nodded, and looked over at Ashley who was staring him down.
“Nick and Creolas are, were, our cousins, mine and Quinn's. How they survived the two centuries in between our meetings, besides the fact that they had become vampires, baffled me for a while, until Nick arrived one day, after Caitlyn and I began to get really involved with each other. He helped her by keeping his brother away from her, for the most part, which struck me as odd because Nick, mortal or immortal, could really have cared less for any other living being unless they served a purpose, and I was afraid that one day, he would feel that Caitlyn had outlived her usefulness.” Julian shrugged and looked back down at his fingers.
“What was her usefulness?” Ashley asked.
Julian looked up her and smiled. I sat back in my chair and watched him, looking over every part of his shape, studying his face, taking in his features and I realized how I couldn't deny my love for him, but my worry was what Ashley would do when she found out the truth.
“She was part of a connection that I didn't quite understand, not then, even though I knew what she was and that she was part of a prophecy that Larado had told only me.” Julian sighed and shook his head. He glanced up at me, caught me staring in his eyes and he spoke. “Should I go on?”
His voice shocked me back to the den, and I looked
back and forth from one of them to the other as they both stared at me.
“I'm sorry; I was caught in a memory. Please, go on.” I whispered, and then listened to Ashley grunt as a reply.
Julian looked over at Ashley, addressing her, no doubt, trying to not concentrate on me. “Nick had always been very vocal about anything he disapproved of and basically that meant anything I did with Caitlyn. So, when I asked him what his intentions were, he told me that I should be with her and not badgering him. I wasn't going to get the answers I wanted from him very easily, I knew that then, so, I started following him around and one night, I watched him sneak into her room. It was one of the nights that she had stayed because of a storm, a night I wished she had gone home.” He sat back and closed his eyes, as I watched him.
I knew what night he meant, because I had remembered it on my own, but to hear him speak about it, again, made me realize how angry it really made him.
“What happened?” Ashley asked, looking at me. Julian sighed.
“He walked over to her bed and woke her from her sleep, but as he talked to her, she seemed to go into a trance, awake but not really sure what was going on. I heard her talking to him, and it occurred to me how wrong her tone of voice was and that's when I heard her call him by my name. The anger ripped through me as he undressed her, and she, him, but they didn't make love, instead, he took from her and gave her back his blood in return.”
“Was he making her a vampire?” She asked. Julian shook his head.
“I don't know.” He whispered. “He denied the whole thing when I confronted him and he never went back to her room. I confided in Quinn about the situation, which is when he told me that he believed I had seen Nick in the room, but that he believed it wasn't Nick that had done it.”