Stolen Sun (The Juliana Lucio Series)

by L. C. DeCarlo

  “Stop telling me what to do like I am your child! I can go out by myself, leave me alone.”

  This hovering act was getting old, quickly, especially because I didn’t trust her to watch over me again anyway.

  “Like it or not, you are my child, and I can tell you to feed to keep you from eating the neighbors. I told you I was sorry about last time, but we are both more prepared now, and we’ll take Will as insurance.” She said a bit smugly.

  “Fine. Let’s go.”

  I bent to grab my bag. I wasn’t going to tell her that I was only agreeing because I was planning on seeing my family tonight, and I didn’t want to attack them. I needed to be satiated before I could attempt going home.

  “What’s in the bag?” William asked.

  “Baby wipes and another shirt, I got a little messy last time.”

  He didn’t say anything, but I could see him trying to hold back a smile from the corner of my eye.

  Chapter Five

  Much to my disappointment, we didn’t take out the Audi. She was a perfect two-seater, so we took the Range Rover out to one of William’s favorite hunting grounds, a local dive bar. He said if he were coming along for the ride to save our asses, it was going to be on his terms this time. I didn’t care much where we went as long as I didn’t kill anyone again. Ana put up a silent protest and sat in the back.

  When we got to the bar, it was dark, dingy, and reeked of cigarette smoke with an undertone of sweet smelling blood. The place was relatively small with about 30 tables scattered along the walls of the one story club. It had an oval shaped bar situated a little off center and had piped-in classic rock music coming in from the overhead speakers. There was a band setting up in the corner on a small stage, and I was beginning to dread just what kind of music was going to come from the three man band setting up.

  We found a table and William ordered a round of the house beer. I looked at William questioningly and he just shrugged, “You have to play the part if you want to fit in, especially in a bar. We order drinks, they’ll leave us alone.”

  The band had finished setting up by now and had played a few oldies as warm-ups, while William’s eyes were roaming over the crowd. I was curious to see his “hunting style". Ana picked ‘em off alone in the dark, and here, William was going to do it in a crowded bar.

  As I was watching him, his eyes finally stopped on a twenty-something blond who was trying hard not to stare at William, but failing. She was with a group of about four other women, and they were discussing how hot they thought he was. She was betting money she could get him away from me should we start to dance. Of course, she didn’t realize we could hear her from across the crowded room.

  He just turned and looked at me with a mischievous smile as he held out his hand and said, “Dance with me?”

  “You aren’t going to do it here are you?”

  “Of course not. You are.” His smile was growing by the second as he pulled me to the dance floor.

  “William, I can’t do this here, you saw what happened last time—please, let’s go somewhere else.”

  The band was starting to play a cover of The Rolling Stones, Beast of Burden, as William pulled me into a tight embrace and began moving seductively with me in his arms. I couldn’t help but follow his lead. He bent his mouth close to my ear as he spoke to me.

  “She is going to come over here, and we will both dance with her -- together. I don’t want you to take your eyes off of me the entire time; I will help you stay here.”

  He spun me around and had my arms wrapped around myself as he moved with me from behind. I heard him take a deep breath to take in my scent as he continued to speak through my hair.

  “Once she is fully mesmerized you will give her a small bite; it will appear to her friends that you are kissing her shoulder. Stay connected to me I will help keep you grounded. Here she comes, love. Showtime.”

  He spun me back around to a front embrace and moved slowly; holding me tight against his chest and pressing his hips into mine. Miss Blond-haired-home-wrecker was dancing by herself and way too close to William if we hadn’t already known what she was up to. She started trailing her fingers along his shoulder and moving around him in such a way that she lightly brushed her breasts along his back. I found myself watching her and getting angry even though I knew it was what she was going to do.

  William drew my arm up and draped it around his neck, he bent over me, and though it looked as if he was kissing my neck he was whispering in my ear, “Keep your emotions in check, and allow her in.”

  I made eye contact with him and found myself once again trusting those deep brown eyes with specks of gold. I just nodded to him as blond-haired-bimbo made her way around William. He loosened up on me and gave her a small gap that she tried to sashay her way into; we let her into the gap closing our arms around her on either side of her, never letting go of each other’s hands.

  She looked a little startled that I was still there but went with it probably confident she would push me out in just seconds. She began to press her ample chest up against William, and I found myself on the verge of baring my fangs. What was with this jealousy? William gave me a slight shake of the head, all the while maintaining eye contact with me.

  Pressed this close to her, I could hear her heart beating over the drums of the band; I could smell her mixture of sweat and desire, it was all incredibly intoxicating. I wasn’t sure how long I was going to hold out--let alone do this without anyone knowing.

  William slowly moved my arms so they were resting on either one of bottle-blondie, and I began my own seductive dance behind her, similar to the one William had done with me earlier. I was watching William, and instead of thinking of the woman’s heartbeat in front me, I tried to concentrate on the man, and the trust I had in him; even though I still barely knew him.

  He gave me an almost imperceptible nod of his head, as he did, her head dropped back and rested on my chest. William reached over and moved her hair back from her shoulder as I lowered my mouth to the crook where her shoulder meets her neck. Once my lips were touching her skin, I slowly let my fangs sink in; at the first rush of cinnamon sweet blood, I almost shut my eyes at the ecstasy of it but remembered William and where we were, just as quickly.

  William whispered, “Go slow, and keep looking at me.”

  I swallowed it all and kept it from spilling down my face like the first time; after just a few long pulls, William told me to let her go. His eyes never wavered from mine. I slowly retracted my fangs and licked her neck to remove any evidence of what I had done. The instant I finished, William opened our arms to pull me to him and let my blond-haired-home-wrecking-blood-donor go by the wayside.

  He brought me to him in a crushing embrace and pressed his mouth firmly to mine. As he did, I let a low moan escape me, and he took the opportunity to run his tongue along my fangs. I could smell his desire for me, as well as feel it, growing firmer as he pulled me tighter against him. As he continued to kiss me, he let his hand trail down to firmly grab my ample behind.

  “Are you done here?” Ana said tensely. She was standing next to us, for how long I wasn’t sure, and really it didn’t matter because she could see and hear everything from across the room anyway.

  “Yeah, Jules just had a spot of blood on her.” William replied as he slowly pushed back from me and gave her an innocent boyish smile. To that, Ana just huffed out annoyingly and strode out of the place leaving William and I to stand there in an awkward silence.

  “Thank You . . . for keeping me from killing her, not the kiss . . . not that the kiss wasn’t great and all, it’s just well . . .”

  William just burst out laughing at my fumbling of words, and followed Ana out the door, leaving me standing alone on the dance floor. As I turned to leave myself, I spared a quick glance for the blond and saw that she and all her friends were sitting there gawking at me. I guess that kiss got more than just Ana’s attention.

  Once I made it outside, I found William
and Ana heading toward the truck; I, however, went to stand on the curb to hail a cab. It didn’t take long for either of them to notice my absence, and Ana was soon at my side.

  “What are you doing?” she demanded.

  “When I said I was leaving earlier, I meant it, I have plans tonight. Now that I’ve fed, you don’t need to worry about me ‘eating the neighbors’. I’ll be fine; I’ll come home before the shutters go up. Promise.”

  “I’m going with you; you haven’t been out alone yet.”

  “No, you aren’t invited. I’ll see you at the house,” I said tensely.

  I didn’t know if she knew where my family lived, but if not, I didn’t want to tell her. I also knew she didn’t approve of my seeing them, afraid I’d reveal our existence to them. I wasn’t planning on letting them see me, but I did have to see them, to know how they were doing. I also knew very well that it was going to be one of the hardest things I had ever done, walking away from them knowing they were in pain, and I didn’t want or need an audience for it.

  “Fine. Be careful.”

  She turned on her heel and was gone before I knew it. Even with my vampire senses she was still faster than I could notice if she caught me off guard.

  I put my arm out to hail a taxi and two of them stopped almost immediately, barely avoiding crashing into one another. I was leaning to get the door when I heard my name just over the sound of traffic.

  “Jules.”

  I looked over to see William staring at me with that knowing look. I wondered if he was going to rat me out, to stop me from going.

  “Thanks for the dance,” he said as he turned to get into his black Range Rover.

  I climbed into the taxi, gave the driver the address for a block down from my house and rested my head on the back seat while I closed my eyes. I tried to imagine what I might see when I got home, what it might be like to watch my family like a peeping-tom. It was impossible to prepare myself I knew, but I didn’t want to be totally unprepared for it all. The drive seemed to take just seconds, and I was feeling clammy as I paid the man and eased my way out of the back of the dirty cab. I walked the rest of the way home with my head down and sticking to the shadows. I started to breathe in the familiar smells of fresh cut grass and honey-suckle bushes lining the backyards. Hearing the sounds of the neighborhood, of the occasional dog barking had brought both a sense of home and longing as well as deep profound sadness.

  I took the street that lined the back of mine, and when I got to the house that shared a dividing wall with mine, I slowly crept to the edge of the wall. I looked up to see their seven-foot tall block wall, and without giving it a second thought I gave my legs the slightest bend and jumped right over it in one graceful bound. I made for the backyard wall and gave a slight pause so I could listen for the sound of anyone outside of my house.

  My husband and I used to spend our nights outside, talking, drinking wine, and looking at the stars. Though it was late for that now, who knew what his schedule had been like for the past week? Assured that all was clear I gave another slight push, and I was up and over the wall; this time I landed in a low crouch to keep myself better hidden.

  I took a minute to take in the house and its surroundings; it was nowhere near as lavish or considerable as the one Ana and William shared. It was just a simple middle-class house, but it was the home I raised my children in. I loved this place and its memories, the overgrown yard with a huge tree in back. The crooked tree house that Antonio had built for the boys with its ‘No Mom’s Allowed’ sign nailed to the front of it. I loved everything about it, but mostly what was inside right now. I could hear four distinct heartbeats inside; I wasn’t sure who the fourth belonged to, but I was going to find out.

  The light was on in the kitchen and as I moved closer to the house I could see Antonio at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, sitting across from our neighbor Talia. She was reaching across to rub his arm in a soothing manner, and I could feel my fangs lengthening. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to focus on the smells and sounds of the neighborhood again.

  I told myself that Antonio wasn’t doing anything wrong; Talia was just trying to comfort him over my loss that was all. After all, I was the one who had kissed another man tonight. I slowly opened my eyes and looked at my husband’s strong, beautiful features; he had dark circles under his eyes, he hadn’t shaved in days, and his hair was a mess. He looked awful, he looked utterly exhausted, it was a shock to see him like this.

  My husband was from Italy and my opposite; he was tall and naturally lean. You could see his muscles glide under the tailored business suits he wore every day. I couldn’t wait to tear them off him at night, even after a grueling day at work and years of marriage.

  I reached out to put my hand on the glass but didn’t want to bring attention to the movement, so I just stepped back into the shadows to watch him for a moment longer. As I was about to move on to try to catch a glimpse of my boys, Antonio suddenly lifted his head to look straight in my direction. He began to get up and walk toward the window, and I fell back further, willing myself to remain unseen. As much as I wanted to let him know I was safe, not dead or half-alive in a ditch somewhere, I couldn’t bear the thought of them being murdered because they found out about me. Ana was right; my being here was too dangerous.

  Antonio stopped to stare out the window into the yard; he was leaning on his arm speaking to Talia. “She’s out there, I know she is. If she could get back to us, she would. We have to find her, get her safe.”

  He spoke with such sorrowful pain that it was breaking my heart all over again. I was seeing the full extent of his love, he wasn’t merely going to let me go, he was fighting for me.

  “Antonio --” Talia spoke tentatively as though she wasn’t sure how fragile he really was, “You heard the Detective, they don’t think that with the amount of blood found at the scene there could be any way she could possibly be alive -- even if they haven’t discovered… where she is yet.”

  He spun around more rapidly than I would have thought possible in his state, “She is alive! I will find her. Talia, it’s getting late, I think you should probably go home now.”

  He said the last stiffly as though it was taking everything he had not to throw her physically out the door himself. He was angry, and tired, which made his Italian accent come though more heavily. I’d always loved hearing it and would sometimes playfully instigate him just to hear more of it, but now it pained me because it was my fault he was hurting and so utterly tired.

  As soon as the door shut, Antonio fell to his knees and held his head in his hands; he muttered to himself, “Jules, where are you? I need you, we need you! Tu sei il mio sole, il mio amore.” You are my sun, my love.

  I couldn’t take anymore; I had to leave, but I needed to see my sons before I went. I gave my hand a kiss and pressed it to the window as I passed my husband, “I love you Antonio, with my whole heart.”

  I quickly scaled the side of the house to the second story and found my oldest son Christian had his bedroom window opened about six inches to let in the breeze. His curtains were drawn open wide, and I could see him lying in bed with his brother Evan. He usually wouldn’t let his little brother in bed with him, but I guess they too were both drawing on the other for comfort.

  “Hey Christian, are you awake?”

  I stifled a gasp; I was so caught up in longing, at looking at the two of them, at being proud of them for comforting the other I hadn’t realized they both weren’t asleep.

  “Yeah, I’m asleep. Go back to bed before I make you go back to your own room.”

  This threat didn’t seem to bother little Evan much because he kept on talking just like I knew he would.

  “Where do you think Mom is?”

  This time, the tears falling were my own. I began to squeeze my eyes shut and felt them falling down my face.

  “I don’t know. Dad says we’ll find her, but I overheard the Detective tell him that she was probably no
t going to be coming back home.”

  “Why would Mom leave us? She loves us, it doesn’t make sense that she would leave us.”

  Evan was crying now, and I didn’t care anymore that I was a vampire; I couldn’t let my children hurt like this, to be left thinking that I had left them!

  I reached for the window to pull it open when something stopped my hand. I looked over to see Ana, sitting there holding my wrist and shaking her head no, she had a sorrowful look to her eyes that was almost pleading.

  I heard Christian moving and I turned my attention to him, he was turning on his side to wrap his arms around Evan, as he held him he spoke softly, “She didn’t leave us buddy, Mom would never do that, if she’s gone she was taken. Mom would never leave us do you understand, we are her whole heart, you can’t live without your heart.”

  And this is when I fled.

  I turned into the night and ran with all the strength and speed my new vampire abilities could lend me. I blew by people so quickly I’m sure they thought I was just a breeze. I felt at any moment I might gain enough momentum to take flight. I was running from the agony of my family, I was fleeing away from the possibility that I could bring them more harm by revealing myself to them. I didn’t know how to fix it, so I ran. I ran until I thought I might run into the sun.

  I began to feel a slight tingling sensation at the back of my neck and an undercurrent of guilt. I slowed down enough that Ana had caught up to me. I stopped running and turned to look at her with my grief stricken eyes. She just stared at me, not quite sure what to say, not sure if I were going to take off running again.

  “The sunrise will be coming soon,” She said a little apprehensively, as if not sure whether I would be welcoming this information or not.

  “You have to help me fix this Ana, I don’t know how to fix it, and I need to fix this.” I fell to my knees, my head in my hands; it wasn’t lost on me that I was mimicking my husband’s earlier pose.