by RWK Clark
Chapter 20
Lucien found himself showered with gifts that night, including his very first automobile, a brand new black Jaguar F Type. While he was pleased with all he received, the presence of Isabella kept him distracted. All he could think about was being alone with her.
The group laughed and enjoyed each other’s company until just after eleven, at which point Lucien had worked up enough courage to try and get Isabella alone. He was thinking steadily about having sex with her, but he knew his Isabella; this would not be something that would take place right away. He realized that if he wanted to get close to her again he would have to bide his time.
He noticed Rose yawning, and knew they would be leaving soon. He turned to Isabella. “Would you consider a short walk in the courtyard with me before you go?”
She looked down at her hands, thinking how to respond. He watched her closely. She was so wonderful! She was wearing a red silk dress that hugged her curves, and it had black lace around the neckline. He had only realized just that moment that the colors they wore were the same, and he knew they must have looked perfect together.
Finally she looked up at him. “Sure, Lucien, but there will be nothing happening. Not even a kiss.”
He simply nodded and took her by the hand. They stood and he turned to the others. “Isabella and I are going to visit the courtyard for a few minutes. I hope you all don’t mind.”
“Of course not,” Rasia said, smiling. “Take a bit of time to visit alone before the Gilliams leave. Are you okay with that, Isabella?”
The girl smiled. “Yes, thank you.”
With that he led her from the room, his hand gentle on her arm. They did not speak until they were in the courtyard alone. Lucien started the conversation.
“The party was nice,” he began. “My mother seems pleased.”
Isabella laughed lightly. “Yes, but she is one determined for things to be perfect.”
“I know,” he replied. “It is a beautiful night.”
A breeze caught Isabella’s hair, and Lucien could not take his eyes off of her. “You look more astonishing than ever. I just want you to know that I see it.”
“Lucien, you have a way to go to gain my trust,” she said.
He nodded. “I realize this, but it cannot be done without time spent together.”
“I know,” she replied. “Just keep in mind that it will be slow going for a while. I am not in a hurry to have my heart broken.”
Lucien gently squeezed her hand. “I will never be the one to break your heart again. Isabella, try to understand that I… I seemed to be out of my own mind, even to me.”
“I cannot understand it,” she said. “It has been explained to me, but as a woman it is not something I am capable of grasping.”
Once again he nodded. “I don’t suppose so. I don’t understand it myself.”
They walked in silence for a while, just enjoying the night and the pleasure of being together once again. Lucien had so much he wanted to say, but he could not settle on any one thing. Finally Isabella broke the silence.
“My parents will be ready to leave soon, Lucien,” she began. “If you want me in your future, this is what I require of you.”
“Tell me, Isabella. Anything,” he replied.
She looked deep into his eyes. “We need to spend as much time together as possible. We are both busy, so we will have to work it out.”
Lucien smiled. “Go on.”
“We will not have sex until your birthday next year,” she stated boldly. “I need to know it is me and only me, and I need you to show me. You will remain faithful to me until your next birthday, and if you succeed, well, you shall have me as your seventeenth birthday gift.”
Lucien’s heart sank as quickly as it had soared. “What if I cannot?”
“Then you will not have me,” she told him firmly.
He thought for only a moment before making his promise. “I understand, and I agree.”
“Then I too am willing to put forth the needed effort.” She turned and began to walk in the direction of the house. Lucien followed her like a puppy.
“When shall we get together next, Isabella?” He asked her eagerly.
She stopped and turned to him. “Do you have anything in mind?”
“How about Saturday? We could have lunch in town, and maybe visit the Smithsonian together, would you like that?” he asked.
Isabella was pleased. He had done his homework in regard to her recent interests. “I think it sounds wonderful. When and where should I meet you?”
“I would be honored to pick you up in my new car,” he replied.
Isabella laughed loudly now. “Cool. When did you learn to drive anyway?”
It was Lucien’s turn to laugh now; she almost sounded like her old self. “Martin has taught me. It made him a nervous wreck, but I am a fast learner.”
“Oh, gosh,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I can just imagine Martin Lamb in the passenger seat while you drive. What a riot it must have been!”
“It was entertaining to me, to say the least,” he replied, and they laughed a bit more. “I will pick you up at your home Saturday at eleven-thirty, agreed?”
“I look forward to it, Lucien.”
They returned to the house, where the Gilliams were just arriving at the door to the courtyard to fetch their daughter. Isabella turned to Lucien once again. “Saturday at eleven-thirty then.”
“Yes,” he said.
She put her hand gently on his arm and leaned toward him slowly. Then Isabella quickly and lightly kissed him on the cheek. “Goodbye for now, Lucien.”
“Goodbye for now,” Lucien replied, and then she was gone.
His hand went to his cheek, where her kiss still burned his flesh. How soft and delicate it had been, like the momentary landing of a butterfly. But like a butterfly, she had eluded him. He sighed and smiled. Yes, Isabella was his destiny.
Suddenly he became aware of Rasia standing at the doorway to the family room. “Did it go well, Lucien?”
He dropped his hand self-consciously from his face; his mother’s presence caught him off guard. “Yes, it went better than I expected,” he said. “We will meet on Saturday, and we will begin to spend more time together. I must rebuild her trust in me.”
“She said that?” Rasia asked. “That is rather wise of the girl, I believe, even though the outcome is inevitable.”
“Yes, and she will not submit to me until my seventeenth birthday,” he said, his voice low.
Now Rasia smiled. “Well, bide your time. It will likely happen sooner than that, but even if it doesn’t can you blame her?”
“No.”
“If I were you I would be on my best behavior,” she continued. “I would not put it past Isabella to defy her own destiny for the sake of something as basic as trust, do you?”
“No, I do not,” he said.
She nodded. “I am very tired Lucien. Tomorrow you visit Abingdon, Virginia and the Family there. I suggest you rest up. You will be flying, and Martin will accompany you. Have a good night.” With that she strode off toward her room.
Lucien did not wait long to follow. He wanted to spend a bit of time pondering the wonder that was Isabella. He still could not get her off his mind, and he expected he wouldn’t be able to for a long time to come.
He changed his clothes and climbed in bed. As soon as his head touched the pillow he was overcome with sleep. His last conscious thought was that of the way her skin felt, and the way her hair smelled. This was what love must feel like, he thought.
Isabella rode in the backseat of the family sedan, watching the distant lights of the city as she and her parents made the way home from Lucien’s birthday celebration. At first the trio was quiet, but finally Rose could take no more. She turned toward her daughter in the back seat.
“Ok, spit it out,” she said eagerly, a broad smile on her face. “What happened outside? Tell me all about it!”
Isabella smiled back. “Wow
, Mom,” she said, shaking her head. “You don’t give a girl a minute to tease you, do you?”
“Not in this case.”
“Well, we walked, and then Lucien started to be apologetic once again. He wants to get close again, but I told him it was going to take time for me to trust him.”
Rose nodded. “What did he say?”
“He said he understood, and we agreed to start spending more time together. We have plans to meet for lunch on Saturday, and we are going to visit the Smithsonian together.”
“Wow,” her mother said with excitement. “A real date, and the first one at that!”
“Yes, a real date,” Isabella replied. “But that’s not all.”
Now her father looked at her in the rearview mirror. “What do you mean?”
Isabella met his gaze in the mirror. “I told him I want one full year of faithfulness before I even begin to consider going any further,” she said simply.
Both of her parents got a stricken look on their faces. “How did he respond to that?” Patrick asked with concern.
“Well, he voiced that he was not sure he could do it, as if he doesn’t trust himself fully, either.”
Patrick looked at the road. “He probably doesn’t. It wasn’t him, Isabella.”
“I know that, Daddy, but it is him now, and he is aware of what he had done,” she stated firmly. “I need this. If it happens sooner it happens. If not, well, we all shall see, now, won’t we?”
Rose turned to face forward and Patrick refocused on his driving. Isabella looked back out the window, but her father glanced at her now and again in the mirror. She was a smart one, his daughter, and she knew she deserved better than to be treated like a second choice. He would support her demands, and help her be true to her heart. He loved her, and so did Rose.
They rode the rest of the way home in silence, but the atmosphere in the car was light. They all knew that they had crossed a milestone in the lives of Lucien and Isabella tonight, and that was vitally important. Satisfied, they all decided to enjoy the ride and go with the flow; the Powers would work it all out.
Chapter 21
Isabella stood at the front window in the family living room. She was a bit nervous and jittery. Lucien would arrive to pick her up for their lunch date any time now. She hoped it went okay; she so badly wanted everything to work out.
She chose simple, casual clothes for their first date: a pair of low-cut skinny jeans, a pair of red flats, and a red gauzy long-sleeved poet’s shirt, tucked in and set off with a red belt. She wore simple eyeliner and mascara, with a rich red lipstick, and her hair hung loosely down her back. She hoped he approved.
She began to pace back and forth a bit. It was only ten minutes after eleven, but she wanted the initial ice-breaking to get here and pass. Her parents would invite him in for a moment, and she even had it on good authority that her father intended to talk privately to Lucien. She would let him have his ‘man talk’; as a father she was sure he needed it.
By a quarter after the hour she had enough pacing and decided to change purses to pass the time. She jogged upstairs to her room and chose a black leather shoulder bag, then sat down on the bed to clean it out and switch the contents of her current purse into it.
She reached inside the bag and found a gum wrapper, an ink pen, and a smashed mini candy bar; the find made her smile. Then she reached into the outside zipper pocket and felt a piece of paper. She pulled it out and unfolded it. It was a note from Lucien, and it had to be five years old. Her mother had given her this purse for play when she was nine, so she guessed that to be about right.
The note had a very detailed drawing of the two of them holding hands. Behind them were several trees, and at the base of the trees lay a person with his eyes and mouth covered; his hands were tied. A heart was drawn around the entire scene, and in ten-year old script Lucien had written ‘You and me forever’. It was bittersweet, but it made her smile.
Isabella remembered the day in the woods, and the man that Lucien had devoured. It had been very exciting for them both, she knew. She recalled the way his eyes looked every time he had looked at her that day: they were filled with trust.
She was the only one Lucien had ever been able to really trust, and now she did not trust him.
She crumpled the paper and tossed it into the waste can next to her desk. Next she began to transfer all the contents from one purse to the other. It was best to put the past all the way behind her. It was enough just to worry about the present, and the future was endless.
Isabella was just clasping and zipping the bag shut when her mother called her. “Isabella, Lucien is here!”
She took a deep breath and paused. Finally she stood and slung the bag over her shoulder. She checked her hair and makeup, and wound up reapplying lipstick and running a comb through her hair.
“Well, Isabella,” she said to her reflection. “You’re on.”
She arrived downstairs to find only Rose. “Where is Lucien, in with Daddy?”
“Yes, as you should know,” Rose said with a smile. “We understand that Rasia is Queen, and Lucien is soon to become Master, but your father is the king of this house and of us. He will have his say with Lucien, but no worries. He is always the diplomatic one, you know.”
Isabella nodded and took a seat on a stool at the island in the middle of the kitchen.
“How are you doing, dear?” Rose asked.
She sighed. “I’m fine. A bit nervous, yes, but fine overall.”
“Would you like juice or a soda while you wait?”
She shook her head. “I will take a glass of cold water, though.”
Her mother brought it to her and she drank it down quickly. “Now I guess I should use the bathroom!” The two laughed, and Rose knew Isabella would be okay.
Isabella had just stepped out when Patrick and Lucien came into the kitchen. “Hello, Mrs. Gilliam,” Lucien said. “Isabella is not down yet?”
“She is just using the facilities, Lucien,” Rose told him with a smile. The boy was certainly growing into a striking man, and he looked just like his father. “She will be out in just a bit.”
As if on cue Isabella entered the room. Lucien’s eyes lit up; she just got more and more beautiful with each passing day! He couldn’t wait to be alone with her, to talk to her and hear about her life in more detail. It was as if his entire life was all about her, and he wanted to soak up as much of Isabella as he could.
“You are stunning, as always,” he said shyly.
She took her bag from the island. “Thank you.”
The room went into an awkward silence. Finally Patrick said, “Well, I suppose you two are getting hungry.”
That jerked Lucien to reality. “Yes!” he said, pulling his eyes off Isabella. “Are you ready?”
“I was born ready,” she teased. To Patrick and Rose she said, “See you two kids later. Stay out of trouble, and no sweets.”
The all had a laugh, and Isabella and Lucien left.
“Wow,” she said as they approached his new Jaguar. “Your mom really goes all out.”
He nodded as he unlocked the car with the remote, a single alarm emanating from the vehicle. He opened her door for her and held it wide for her to get in. “Yes, you know her: always the show off.”
Isabella made herself comfortable as Lucien got in and started the engine. “It’s quite gorgeous, Lucien. I’ll bet it’s fun to drive.”
He put the car in gear and squealed the tires as they left the driveway. “Play your cards right and you might find out!” He smiled at her, and she smiled back.
Lucien took the long way to the restaurant. He had chosen The Chili Bowl, and as soon as they pulled up Isabella knew what he had in mind for their lunch. “Chili dogs, Lucien?”
“Yes, Chili dogs, Isabella.”
They ate like old friends, laughing and talking, catching up on everything but Lucien’s escapades of the last three years. She told him in depth about her interest in the history of the wo
rld, and he listened intently. He told her about getting to know Martin better, and Isabella could actually hear a slight affection in his voice for the man.
“How are things between you and your mother?” she finally asked him. “You seem to be getting on quite well.”
Lucien finished his last bite and washed it down quickly with a drink of soda. “It is a façade,” he told her simply.
“What do you mean?”
“Well,” he began, “I get along with her as a means of getting by. I hate her, and she doesn’t like me, but it doesn’t matter. She is who she is, I am who I am, and contrary to popular opinion she will not live forever.”
Now he had her complete attention. “We will all live forever, Lucien. We are vampires.”
“Not Rasia,” he told her. “She won’t.”
“What do you mean?” Isabella knew exactly what he meant. The only way one vampire could die was at the hands of another with more power. What was he planning?
“It’s nothing but big dreams, Isabella, that’s all,” he said.
Now she got the feeling he did not trust her as he once did. Before he would have gotten anything off his chest to her, and she could tell there was something there now. He was not divulging it, however, and that bothered her. She had done nothing to make him doubt her loyalty.
“Tell me, Lucien,” she said.
Lucien looked around the restaurant, the gazed back at Isabella. “I have my plans for the future, Isabella, and they do not include Rasia.”
“Do you know what you are saying?” she asked him.
“Not only do I know what I am saying, I know my plans.” He looked her deep in the eyes. “You are still my Isabella, are you not? I can still trust you as my best friend and confidante?”
“Lucien, you know you can.” She was disgusted at the question.
He nodded. “I had to ask, Isabella. It has been a long… time.”
They sat quietly as she finished her food, and after the server took away their plates and refilled their Pepsis Lucien began.
“I am very, very strong now, and I am powerful,” he said. “I lived a lie for thirteen years, thinking I was just a strange, sick boy. I was punished by that woman for who I am.