by RWK Clark
He did her with long, languid strokes, and she clawed at his back and hair as he did. When he could take no more he picked up the pace, and Amanda met him stroke for stroke with her hips. He burst violently inside of her, and they both cried out.
They lay on the floor next to each other in silence, Lucien replaying the entire scene over and over in his mind. Already he wanted more. Suddenly his mind flashed to Isabella, and he jumped up.
“You should go,” he said stiffly. “I have things to do today.”
Amanda stood and gathered the rags that were once her uniform. “If you ever want me…”
“We’ll see,” he said, and turned to his dresser for fresh clothing. He chose his items and turned his back to her, hoping she would get the hint.
After a time she finally did, and she turned and left the room. Where she went or what she did mattered not to Lucien, he just wanted her gone. He was finished with that one. He pulled his jeans on, then a clean t-shirt. He could smell the woman on his face, and all it proved to do was make him wonder who the next one would be.
The thought of Isabella had left his mind as quickly as it had come. He was not even aware of his lack of concern for the girl. All he felt right now was hunger. He glanced at the clock and saw that he was past due for his lunch. He smiled and left his room.
He hoped they made chili dogs for him.
∞
The next six months proved to be a very painful and trying time for Isabella Gilliam.
Lucien had immediately become distant after their first sexual encounter. He hardly answered her calls, and on more than one occasion he cancelled plans for her to visit. She felt the distance between them, and it was like a massive gap in her world that led to nothing but a dark abyss. She didn’t understand what was happening, and she cried herself to sleep constantly over it.
She suspected he didn’t love her anymore, and that was the change she had felt take place when they were done having sex. At least, she assumed that was so. Lucien did not approach her to make love again during this time, and she was heartbroken. She took her pains to her mother.
“I don’t understand, mum,” she began, large tears falling from her eyes. “He doesn’t even want to see me.”
Rose and Isabella were in the girl’s room sitting on the bed. Rose rubbed her daughter’s shoulders as she cried. She knew what was happening, and she felt that now was the time to tell her everything about this relationship. If she did not Isabella might not stick it out and fulfill her true destiny with Lucien.
She allowed the girl to cry until her tears were spent. She took a handkerchief and wiped the girl’s face, then took her by the arms and straightened her out, turning her to face her. She lifted Isabella’s chin with a single finger, making her look her in the eye.
“I have some things to tell you, dear,” she began.
Isabella looked at her mother expectantly, her eyes intent and wide. “As a male of the species, Lucien will go through certain… changes that you won’t go through,” Rose began.
“What kind of changes?” Isabella asked.
Rose was not sure how to proceed. “I am going to get your father. He can explain this as I cannot. Wait here.” She stood and left the room quickly.
Isabella wrung her hands, her brow creased and her stomach trembled. Had she been wrong all along? Was the relationship she had imagined her and Lucien to have her entire life nothing but a pipe dream, a fantasy? She began to breathe deeply, calming herself for her parents.
After only a minute Rose and Patrick came into the room. Now Patrick sat beside his daughter. He draped his arm across her shoulders and pulled her to him, giving her a gentle hug before sitting her right and looking at her.
“Isabella, what you and Lucien did on your birthday was inevitable, I want you to rest assured of that,” he began. “With that being said, Lucien is male. In vampires, this means that once sexual relations have been initiated the male of the species becomes hyper-aware of other females for an extended period of time.”
Patrick watched his daughter closely as he spoke; this helped him weigh his words properly. Now her beautiful face was calm. He knew she was listening, and he trusted her maturity level enough to know she would take all he said to heart.
“Lucien will not be able to control this; it is the nature of this beast,” he continued in a matter-of-fact tone. “He will be engaging in sexual activity with virtually every female he comes into contact with, and you should also know that they will be pulled to him. They will both be powerless.”
“So what you’re saying is that Lucien is going to have other girlfriends?” Tears were pooling up in Isabella’s eyes, and her breathing was becoming rapid.
Patrick took hold of her arm to calm her. “No, what I am saying is that he will have sex with other girls and women, Isabella. He will grow out of it. Understand that clearly!”
A confused looked came over her face. “He’ll be having sex, but they won’t be his girlfriends?”
“Dear, take our dog Chester for example. He chases female dogs, does he not? The part of Lucien that will be engaging in this will be the animal, the vampire.” Patrick took her hand. “The two of you will be together. It has been marked in the annals of all time. But for now you must keep that knowledge in the forefront of your mind. Do not let yourself or your emotions shake you. You must remain his and his alone. You cannot afford to be distracted.”
“What should I do?” she asked.
He smiled gently. “Take the time away from him that you need. Put this all together in your mind; organize it. Take six months or a year. Then you will see, because he knows you are his destiny as well.”
Isabella took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “I think I understand. I’m going to make a line between us, but not one that can never be erased.” She wiped at her eyes. “I want to be alone for a while. I will decide how to tell him later.”
Rose now approached her daughter and began to stroke her hair. “We are here, Isabella, anytime you need to talk. Do you want us to tell him?”
“No,” she replied with determination. “It’s my responsibility.” Isabella lay down on her bed and turned to face the wall.
Patrick took Rose by the arm and they left the room silently, closing the door behind him. Patrick said, “She will be fine. She is strong like diamonds, and she understands what has to be.”
“I just wish she would let us talk to him for her,” Rose said. “I’ve never fully trusted Lucien. What if he becomes enraged?”
Patrick smiled and shook his head. “No. He has barely thought of her since this has taken over. Give it time; it will come back to him as he grows stronger and begins to gain control over his own instincts.”
∞
Lucien stared at the caller id unit. Isabella was calling, and while he didn’t want to talk to her, something told him to answer it. He lifted the receiver slowly. “Hello?”
“Hi, Lucien,” Isabella began. “You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted to call you and tell you that we need to take some time apart.”
“Okay.”
Isabella fought back the tears his callousness had spurned. She cleared her throat and said, “Okay, so maybe we’ll run into each other sometime. Take care of yourself.”
She quickly hung up the phone and buried her face in her pillow. She sobbed into the pillow, muffling her cries so her parents wouldn’t hear. Once she was spent she reached over and turned the ringer off on her phone. Isabella sat up on the edge of her bed and shook it off; being with Lucien was not going to be her reality right now, and she was going to accept it.
With that, she stood and went to the bathroom to shower. It would be time for supper soon, and maybe her parents would want to watch a movie.
Life would go on. No matter how she felt or how much the rejection she was experiencing dominated her heart and her thoughts, life would go on. It was time for Isabella Gilliam to forget about her lifelong love, Lucien DeSai, for a long, long wh
ile.
∞
Lucien stared at the telephone receiver gripped in his hand. Isabella cut him off quick, and it made something echo of pain in his chest, but it was so, so faint. It was best this way, and they both knew it. He hung up the telephone and looked out the window at the sparkling night.
A single tear fell from his eye. He quickly wiped it away, and he did not shed another. He had quite a bit of living to do, and crying like a girl was not the way to begin.
Chapter 14
Festival des Ames, or the Festival of Souls, was a yearly celebration that took place all around the world. Every member of the Family, man, woman, and child, took two full days to do nothing but play, and no form of play was barred. Rasia founded the festival, which paid homage to the Powers with sacrifices that included feasting bloody food and drinking the very best blood, served by those who had stockpiled donations left before Cyril had come. Sexual orgies and a bit of playful violence were always to be expected.
No Family member ever tried to ‘duck out’ of recognizing Festival des Ames. To do so would incur great consequences, and besides, it was far too much fun. It was the highlight of the year.
Isabella would be going to this one alone. It had been eleven months since she had seen or talked to Lucien, and the last festival had been twelve months ago. She would attend it without male companionship, but she would be sociable and hold her head high.
There would be a local gathering in each city, town, and village worldwide. She was dressed and ready to go to the gathering. It was at the Capitol building, and it would be a crazy time. She wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to loosen up. Since Lucien, she had become somewhat of a recluse, but no more.
She had poured herself into her studies, and it had paid off. At fourteen she was preparing to graduate, and mother and father were taking advantage of the services of the local college. She would live at home and her studies would be sent to her. Lectures would be watched via satellite, and she would be able to participate along with the rest of the class. She was very excited.
The entire world knew what Lucien was doing and what he was enduring. He was suddenly “Master’ to everyone, and the Family’s knowledge of his role made him the focal point of everyone’s life. She was embarrassed, and she didn’t want to hear it all the time. This was why she had opted to study from home.
She was biding her time.
Now she was looking at herself in the mirror. She knew how beautiful she was, but she had a humble soul, and the two played together perfectly. Her high intelligence made her a shoe-in when she encountered people who took her for a ‘dumb blonde’. She was anything but.
The fact was she knew how to carry herself. She knew what she was, and she wore it with grace. Isabella Gilliam was indeed a diamond, but she was in love with someone who was still a chunk of coal.
She ran her hands down her form-fitting sapphire blue silk dress. She wore white satin gloves with no fingertips, which allowed her to show off her gorgeous manicure. She sucked in her breath, hoping she didn’t see Lucien there tonight.
Well, I do not have time for crying and the like, she thought. Mom and Dad are waiting. It was time to enjoy the Festival of Souls.
∞
Music without rhyme or rhythm was blaring through the night sky. It was filled with guttural groans and random screams, and people writhed to its sound. Others chatted loudly, speaking over one another and holding their drinks high to avoid them spilling.
It was beautiful chaos.
A smile spread across Isabella’s lips. It occurred to her that this was only her second time coming to the Festival. Her parents, and Rasia, had not even told them it existed. Both she and Lucien had been confined to their respective homes each year on this night for their own protection. Now she knew what she was and could participate, and she didn’t have Lucien to drag her down. She began to feel a new sense of hope.
For the first hour she was there Isabella was a social butterfly. She met all the girls she could around her age, and she blended into their company beautifully. She laughed, made jokes, and even indulged in a bit of intellectual conversation here and there.
Everything was wonderful, then she heard her name being called sharply by some woman behind her. The sound of the voice was not pleasant. “Isabella!”
She looked over one shoulder and then the other. To her right stood a busty blond woman with a small waist and wide hips. The dress she wore was too tight, and she had on too much makeup. Isabella would have guessed she was about twenty, but as she continued to look at her she realized the girl was probably closer to sixteen.
The girl was smiling a nasty smile at Isabella, then she jerked her head over her left shoulder. Isabella followed the gesture, and there stood Lucien, his black eyes smoldering with the fire of anger. The woman simply said, “Need I say more?”
Isabella couldn’t help but smile. This woman was loud, brash, and displayed no class whatsoever. She looked at Lucien and, smiling, said, “I hope you and your date are enjoying your night.”
Lucien, whose arm was being held by the girl, jerked away from her violently. The crowd around them grew completely still, and the silence seemed to spread.
“How dare you!” He growled at the girl. “How dare you presume to interfere in my life? I just scraped you off the street and brought you here. You are nothing!”
He swung and hit her in the face with the back of his hand. She fell backward into the crowd, blood flying.
Isabella did nothing. She simply turned back to the woman she had been talking to and resumed her conversation, her back to Lucien. She heard him growling and yelling as he stormed off through the crowd.
Isabella continued to talk as if nothing had happened. She felt an odd mixture of sadness and satisfaction. Yes, it was better this way for now.
∞
Something was happening. Lucien didn’t know what, but something was happening.
He lay on his bed, still in the suit he had worn to the Festival. That stupid witch! Who did she think she was to go anywhere near his Isabella and draw attention to herself? He had intended to ravage the daylights out of her, but when he saw her behavior he had been sickened by it. Now his night was ruined.
But not just because he did not get laid, he could do that still. It was just that something about it did not appeal to him. Something to do with Isabella.
He hardly thought of her anymore, even though he seemed constantly aware of her existence. Tonight she saw him with that broad and he could see her eyes light up. He knew for a fourteen year old he looked good. But she had also looked… amused.
It was humiliating. She saw him for what he was and what he had become, he knew that. He did nothing but scrounge for women, day after day. It was like a light turned on in his mind, and he was suddenly aware of how much of an animal the satisfying of his instincts actually made him.
But even as he thought about the truth he felt his loins stir, and Isabella disappeared from his mind like a puff of smoke. He stood and looked himself over in the mirror. The last year had brought about many physical changes for him. His hair was long, full, and silky. It was black like pitch. He also had a bit of facial hair, and he had a beautifully structured body.
They came in droves, the women did, and suddenly he knew he had to pick himself up. He freshened up a bit and then trotted down the stairs. He had barely opened the door when two women appeared out of nowhere, laughing and waving drinks.
Lucien opened the door wide to grant them access. He shut the door behind them and locked it, smiling. Once again, Isabella ceased to exist to him, if only for a time.
Chapter 15
Isabella flipped a switch in her mind, and it turned Lucien off.
She was not angry with him, or even hurt, for that matter. Seeing him standing there with that nasty, rude girl had been the best thing that could have happened. It showed her how low his sexual instincts would take him. She knew right then she wasn’t dealing with Lucien, s
he was dealing with the vampire inside.
Her father told her it would pass, and she knew deep inside that it would. He simply needed to grow into his sexual identity, and she needed only to focus and wait. She was willing to do both, and so she flipped that switch.
Now she was nearly seven months since the Festival, and Isabella was well into her first year of college studies, and things were going perfectly. She had begun to make a few friends, and Lucien was not the focal point of her life. She was going to study history as a major, only because she could and it interested her greatly. She was content and satisfied.
Boys would flirt with her over the television screen which assisted her in attending classes from home, and a couple had even crowded the camera and asked her out. She had been tempted on both occasions, but apologetically refused. She had too much on her plate, she told them.
Both times she found herself feeling melancholy for the rest of the day. She wanted to date and get to know others. She longed for sex, and she thought about it often, even satisfying herself frequently. It sometimes wasn’t fair, but it was what it was.
Now she was going to be fifteen very soon. She hoped he would come around sooner than later. It would have been nice to have him over for her birthday. Sometimes she missed him terribly, especially during their birthday celebrations.
∞
Lucien sat naked on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands. He had just rid himself of his latest conquest. He couldn’t wait to be rid of her! Only this one and one other, about a month ago, had this effect on him and it confused him. Never, outside of those two, had he felt such a disgust toward the female of the species.
He rose and went to shower. He didn’t want to smell her on him anymore. He was anxious to clean up and find the next, so he could feel better. He hated the empty feeling that had been left behind.
When he was clean and dressed he went downstairs and grabbed a bite to eat from the refrigerator in the dark, empty kitchen. Everyone had gone home for the night. He had hoped to maybe use the services of one of the maids, but no one was to be found.