Stolen Sun (The Juliana Lucio Series) (12 page)

I
had turned to go into the kitchen, just as I was about to reach the coffee pot
,
I felt William coming up behind me. “Jules, you can’t do this. We need to contact him, you need to apologize. We’ll figure something out about Christian, but you can’t fight Nathaniel.”

“I can’t let him threaten my family either, he’s sadistic and will continue hunting
them
no matter what I do or say. I won’t apologize to that madman, and I can’t believe you’d ask me too! He may not be able to compel me, but he can control me through them, and he knows it.”

I decided to forget about the coffee, the smell wasn’t
going to do anything to calm me down tonight.

Ana came into the kitchen and was standing just at the edge of the entryway. She wasn’t
moving, and I could tell she was feeling incredibly anxious.

“She’s right Will, you know it. It’s what he did to me. I’m sorry Juliana
,
this is my fault” Ana looked more upset than I’ve
ever seen her, “he lied when he said it was all yours.”

“What are you talking about?” Something on her face had me incredibly scared, she seemed paler than normal. She looked like she was trying
to tell me something but wouldn’t
look me in the eye.

“Ana, what are you talking about?” I repeated myself a bit more firmly.

“Nathaniel. He’s my Sire.”

The world fell out from underneath me; I couldn’t
believe what she was saying.

“You set me up!”

I was filled
with so much rage that I was ready to attack her right here and now. To think back on everything I had gone through, what my family was going through, and to know it had been a setup was beyond words.

“No! I didn’t set you up. I swear everything I told you about why I turned you was true.” She was almost frantic now, pleading with me to listen to her, “but Nathaniel is my Sire, when I turned you he felt it. You’re right
,
he is sadistic; he came into town because I turned you. He wants to hurt as many people as he can, if he can take you from me
,
it’ll kill me. If he has to take your family from you in the process he’ll do it without thinking twice. I don’t know if Victoria really does have a thing for Christian or not, but he will make her turn him if he thinks it will help his cause.”

I had a sinking feeling
in
the pit of my stomach, “How did he know when William and I would be here? Why were they waiting for us tonight?”

“Juliana, please listen to me
--”

“How did they know when we would be here?”

My hands were clenched
into fists,
my vision was sharp so I knew my vampire guise was up, I was so angry I felt my fangs lengthening.

“He made me tell him. I’m sorry, I tried not to, but he compelled me into it! I don’t know how you can resist him or the two of us for that matter!” She said gesturing to herself and William.

“Are you planning on helping him?”

I was as still as death and spoke just loud enough for her to hear me. My plan was falling apart, if she was
going to help Nathaniel attack my son, it was hopeless. I couldn’t
fight them all.

“No. I’m going to leave. If I stay here, he will come to me or make me go to him. I don’t want to endanger you any further; I don’t want to tell him what you are planning.”

I felt an incredible
loss at the thought of her leaving
.
I was supposed
to be angry with her, hate her for turning me, but I realized I didn’t. I didn’t
want her to go, I wanted her to stay and fight with me, to help me. 

“Ok, are you planning on coming back?”

I asked her even though I wanted to beg her to stay. I didn’t
know where this emotion was coming from, but I did realize the threat she posed. If Nathaniel got to her, she would tell him everything, and he would come after us all.

“I’ll come back when it’s safe for you. I’m sorry Juliana, I am. I never meant for any of this to happen. You must kill him though, if you don’t he will hunt you until you turn to his way of life
,
and he will still take your son no matter what.”

She just stared at m
e for one long moment, her face
etched with concern and longing, she then fled out the back door. I vaguely heard the sound of her BMW screeching out of the drive, but that was it. She was gone.

I stood still for just a moment taking it in then I turned on William, “What about you? Any secrets you need to reveal? Any plans on betraying me to the monster that wants to kill my son?” I knew it was harsh, but I wasn’t
feeling reasonable at the moment.

“Juliana, I told you my sire is dead, and I would never let anything hurt you. That’s why you have to stop this, you can’t attack him. He will kill you!” William was the one looking pissed off now as we stood in the expansive kitchen.

I turned and went into the library. I loved being in there, it was my favorite room in the entire house. I went and stood next to the stone fireplace that covered half of one wall. I was trying to calm myself down and think things through, but all I could focus on was that I needed to stop Nathaniel. Ana had said so herself, and he was her Sire. I went to stand near the floor to ceiling bookshelves and began leafing through a book, not really seeing it.

“Are you even listening to me? You can’t fight him; he is 400 years old!”

“Yet, I did tonight, and survived. What do you have to say about that William?” I wasn’t
looking at him; I was trying to ignore him.

I felt a blur of motion next to me and then I was being spun around my back slammed into the bookshelf. The book fell from my hand as William wretched my arms above my head and pinned them above me.

“Yeah, I can see you’re very well prepared to take on a Master Vampire.” He was pressed
against me holding me tightly to the bookshelf making sure I had nowhere to go.

“Let me go.” I told him as sternly as I could.

“If you can’t manage to get me off of you, you don’t stand a chance with him.”

His eyes were fully black, his grip on my wrists getting stronger. I felt my own vision getting sharper, my fangs lengthening.

“What’s the matter
,
Juliana
can’t get me off of you?” William said as he pressed his body harder into mine.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I was getting pissed, but couldn’t
deny the effect the closeness of his body was starting to have on me.

“You said you wanted to fight, so let’s see it. Let’s see what you can do.” He shoved me harder into the bookshelf causing books to scatter to the floor.

“This isn’t what I meant and you know it!” I growled back at him as I shoved both my arms down as hard as I could, I simultaneously shot my right knee up into his gut forcing him to release me. The instant he did I flashed to the opposite side of the couch.

“What are you trying to do William; I want you to teach me. Teach me how best to attack Nathaniel, explain to me how I can defeat him, not this!” I said gesturing to the frail books that were now scattered across the floor.

“That’s just it!” He leapt over the couch in one fluid movement.

It was so fast; it made me doubt even more that Nathaniel could be faster than him. He reached out to grab me by the throat, but I saw it coming.

“I can’t teach you how to defeat him, because it can’t be done.” As I was escaping his grasp, he
spun around and grabbed me in a bear hug. I started to struggle against his grip, but he just pulled me tighter against his chest sending flutters through my stomach.

“You have to Will. I can’t let him do this.” I stopped struggling against him and just stood there with him.

I tried not to let the despair of  what was happening sink in, I wanted to fight, I wanted to do anything to make it go away,
to ignore it. He pulled me closer to him and hid his face in my still braided hair.

“Don’t you get it Jules? As much as you can’t bear to lose them, I can’t bear to let you go either. I can’t let you do this.”

He was now brushing his fangs along the column of my neck, eliciting all sorts of sensations. I started to tremble at the thought of him kissing me again or biting me or perhaps finishing what we started in the morgue.

“I just found you; I’m not willing to give you up.” He began to slowly kiss my neck starting behind my ear, working his way down my throat. As he did his hands brushed my tank top up revealing both my breasts to the cool air. I wasn’t
wearing a bra because
when he brou
ght my clothes to me earlier he
of course, didn’t
bring me one so he had instant access to my pearled nipples.

“Will
--” I turned in his arms so I was facing him.

I stretched up to fist my hands in his hair and pulled his mouth down to mine. I began kissing him hard and fast determined not to stop this time, determined to forget all that was haunting me. He didn’t
hesitate to follow and bent over to pick me up, grabbing my behind as I wrapped my legs around his waist.

“Jules, you don’t have to do this… Don’t get me wrong—I want to do this—it’s just that. . .” William started bumbling between kisses.

“Will, shut up
,
” I told him while yanking his shirt off.

I was a little speechless after that. I had gotten a glimpse of him shirtless earlier, but up close I could see why Hollywood always portrayed vampires as gods. Someone that produces movies must have met one at some point because he was flawless.

His chest and abs were muscular and firm revealing a set of muscles that went way beyond a six pack
,
and trailed well down past the waist band of his leather riding pants to the bulge beneath. The muscles in his arms were long and lean and glided when he moved. He was truly
sexy. I realized I was just sitting on him, staring at how gorgeous he was
,
when
he pulled me out of my trance by leaning down and taking my breast into his mouth.

I gave a slight yelp in surprise
,
and he just glanced up at me and smiled, his eyes glinting black though the blond hair that had fallen into his face. I could see his fangs peering out around his full lips
,
and it made me desire him even more. He released my nipple from his grasp and pulled off my shirt in one smooth tug while lowering me to the carpet. After removing both of our pants
,
he
began to lower himself onto me when I hooked my leg around his and flipped him underneath me. I couldn’t help the smug smile that played on my lips when I took him by surprise.

I leaned over him and straddled him as I gave him a slow lingering kiss; I’m not sure what he thought really. Perhaps he thought I had changed my mind. I began running my tongue along his chest, gently biting my way up his neck until I found his mouth again, kissing him long and deep. His hands found their way into the long length of my hair, un
winding my braid, and pulling me
tighter into him.

I ran my nails down his chest until I heard him groaning and decided that I had teased him enough. I took the length of him
,
settled him between my
thighs
and began to ride him long and hard. He was gripping my hips tightly
,
and I leaned forward so my breasts were brushing near his mouth. I was riding him hard, but I knew he wanted more, needed more.

“Will, do it. I want you to do it.” I was looking him in the eye, and I could see how intensely he wanted me. How much he needed me.

“Do what Jules? Tell me.” His husky growl was almost indecipherable.

“Bite me.”

My breast was brushing his lips now, the same nipple he had been sucking earlier. He didn’t hesitate, didn’t ask if I was
sure. It made me appreciate him that much more for not questioning me. He opened his mouth wide and sunk his fangs into my breast. The moment he did
,
I reached my climax and
I felt my blood pouring into him.

He began thrusting his hips harder into me as he sucked on my breast. He slowed his pull on me and licked where he had bitten me to stop the bleeding then flipped me around so I was underneath him. He pulled my leg up over his hip as he drove himself into me
,
and I felt him shudder. Once he did, I slumped back as he collapsed on my chest; I brushed my lips along his neck eliciting a shiver from him in return.

“Well, that’s one way to stop Nathaniel from going after your family.”

“Will.”

“Yeah, Jules?”

“Shut up.”

To which he just laughed and continued stroking my side.