Chapter Six
The Dog and the Demon
L
uca reached both hands out to steady her. She flinched and took a step back. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“No. I’m not okay.” Her tone was harsh and sounded like this fact was somewhat obvious.
“I thought you were supposed to be a friend to werewolves?” he said, trying to lighten the mood a little. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the hallway wall, staring down at her.
“I was a friend... to your kin actually. The difference is that Stephen wasn’t hunting me.”
“And I am?”
“Your Alpha is,” Jules said while continuing to glare at him. “In my experience, the Alpha’s desires are the desires of the pack.” She kept her voice low to assure that he was the only one that could hear her.
“That’s not true.” Luca’s voice was soft. “Well, maybe it is kinda true, but I do have my own mind. I don’t let Carson make my decisions for me.”
“Are you sure about that?” She snarled.
Luca sighed. There was some truth to her words. He had never felt the Alpha’s insatiable desire for control under his father’s reign. However, but as Carson’s Beta, he did feel very pressed to ensure his actions and opinions aligned with Carson’s. Not that they ever did. “I suppose you are right,” he admitted. “Carson does have the final say on things.”
“And your Alpha is targeting me.” Her voice was low and sharp. “So, I suppose you are too.”
She stepped a little closer, not taking her eyes off his as she did so. The fierceness he’d seen in her had returned at full strength. Her eyes displayed her years; with years came strength. She could probably kill him then and there and he’d be powerless to stop it. He should have taken a step back for his own safety, but he didn’t. Instead, he dropped his arms, utterly baffled. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t pretend you won’t do it.” Jules clenched her fists as if she was trying to rein in her emotions.
“Do what?”
“Report my location to your pack if you haven’t already. Admit it, your orders are to bring me to your Alpha, or kill me. I bet you’d put Monica and Seth in danger for your precious Alpha.” Jules’s tone was low and full of venom. She looked up probably gaging his expression. “You’re telling me those aren’t your orders.”
Luca was a little taken aback. “Um…you’re actually pretty close. My orders are to follow you home and report your home’s position…” Luca started to say but stopped when the look in her eyes grew feral. Where did this conversation go wrong? “Which I’m not going to do.” He lifted his hands in a surrendering gesture. “I promise.” Luca felt the desire to reach out and take her hand, to assure her he meant her no harm, but he wasn’t sure she wouldn’t bite it off if he did. Instead, he spoke again, “I don’t want to hurt you, Jules.”
“And your Alpha?” Jules sighed, pulling her gaze away from his face.
“He does,” Luca said. “But I’m not going to help him do it.”
“Why?” Jules asked. The silver eyes that met his seemed shocked and uncertain.
“You know why,” Luca said.
“I don’t.” She looked miffed but not so angry anymore.
“I think you do,” Luca said.
She looked back at him with a puzzled expression.
“Tell me you didn’t feel what I felt the first time I saw you. Like there could be something between us. I felt like you were someone I had to know.” He admitted.
She studied him for a long moment and her expression softened “I can’t do that.” With this she moved around him, walking back in the direction of Seth and Monica.
The long breath he’d been holding escaped. Luca went into the bathroom, leaned over the sink, and splashed cold water on his face. He stared at his reflection as water dripped from it. She felt it too. There was something between them, a connection he couldn’t shake. After a few moments, Luca dried his face on a soft white towel and went to rejoin the others.
“Where’d they go?” he asked as he approached the table where Jules sat alone.
Jules pointed to the dance floor below. He walked to the banister and watched as Seth and Monica moved somewhat stumblingly across the floor. When Seth dipped Monica low and nearly dropped her, Jules laughed out loud. “Sometimes I envy them,” Jules admitted sadly.
Luca squared his shoulders, came around the table, and offered her his hand.
“No,” she said almost too quickly.
“One dance.” Luca waited patiently, his hand outstretched, a soft smile playing on his lips.
Jules rolled her eyes but finally accepted. He placed her hand on his arm and led her down the stairs to the dance floor. He began to spin her slowly. To him, it felt as if no one around them existed. Jules hummed quietly with the live band. Her crystal voice didn’t miss a note of the old tune.
In this moment, nothing else seemed to matter. Not Carson. Not the pack. Not the differences in their species. Not even her diet. Never in all the years of his life would he have imagined himself dancing with a vampire. Let alone one as cute, sexy, and temperamental as this one.
As the song ended, Luca placed his warm hand on the back of her neck, sending her into a dip. She let him lean her all the way back. As he pulled her up, he saw her lips part slightly. Their eyes met, Luca never wanted to look away again.
JULIANA
After their meal, Seth and Monica wanted to take a romantic evening stroll through the city. The night air was a bit balmy, perfect for a walk. Seth left the car in the restaurant’s valet parking and the four of them set off.
Luca leaned down and whispered in Jules’s ear as they walked. “Seth has something planned for Monica.” His breath caressed her face.
She looked up at him.
He winked.
As the night sped on, Jules found that she was becoming more comfortable with being in Luca’s presence. He seemed genuine. He was funny in a gentle way. He seemed kind. And he was completely intoxicating. Jules had to admit it, there could be something between them. She had felt it.
“Here we are,” Seth announced.
They approached one of Jules’s favorite places in the city. An elderly man in a top hat rode toward them atop an old-fashioned carriage. The kind Jules knew well, it reminded her of a time long past.
Seth motioned toward the carriage.
“For me?” Monica asked in mock shock.
“Just for you.” Seth offered a hand to help Monica up. He climbed in after her and then motioned for Luca and Jules to join them.
“Come on Jules, it was your idea,” Seth coaxed.
“I knew it!” Monica smiled.
“Traitor,” Jules teased Seth.
She saw Luca’s eyebrow raise.
“What?” she shrugged. “He asked for ideas.”
“Are you coming or not?” Seth asked.
“No, you two go,” Jules answered for them both.
“You sure?” Seth asked.
“We’re sure,” Luca answered.
“Your loss is my gain.” Seth shrugged and put an arm around Monica. She rested her head on his shoulder as the carriage pulled away to circle the gardens.
Luca slid his fingers into hers and Jules let him. He started to lead her toward a secluded path, but she hesitated.
“Trust me,” Luca said.
“That’s a lot to ask,” she said, only half teasing.
“It doesn’t have to be.” He smiled softly at her. Jules met his eyes once more. She narrowed her own, decided, and then moved to his side.
“See, that wasn’t so hard,” he said, his pace slowed to fit hers.
“You have no idea.”
He glanced sideways at her retort. “I don’t. But I think I’d like to.”
“Nope.” She clamped her lips tightly.
“Past secrets?”
“Something like that,” she admitted.
“Okay.” He didn’t press her farther, which she greatly appreciated.
A comfortable silence stretched between them as they passed various flowers, their sights and smells overwhelming the senses. They entered the interior portion of the beautiful garden and found that they were surrounded by roses of all sizes and colors.
“Which one is your favorite?” Luca asked, referencing the roses.
“I like the white roses. They’re so… pure,” Jules answered.
He leaned down and picked a perfectly blossomed white rose. “For you.” He bowed slightly, handing it to her. “May its beauty attempt to measure up to yours.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Too cheesy?” he asked, smiling awkwardly.
“Maybe a little,” she admitted but smiled back regardless.
“So…” He seemed determined to keep the conversation going.
“So, what?” she asked teasingly.
“Do…” he started but then apparently decided to rephrase. “How old are you, really?” Luca asked finally.
“Old.”
“Yes, I’d worked that one out for myself,” Luca said with a smile and waited for her reply.
Jules sighed. “I became a vampire at seventeen and I am now over four hundred. Next question,” she added playfully.
“Someone turned you at seventeen?” Luca’s shock was apparent. “Who would do that?”
“I never found out. And he killed my Aunt.” Jules tried to keep her bitter emotions from coloring her voice. “Next question,” she added softly.
“Okay, we’ll circle back to that in a few years,” he chuckled.
“Years huh? That’s optimistic.”
“Would you prefer pessimism?” He asked, clasping his hand behind him as they continued to walk.
She playfully studied him for a moment. She felt more at ease in this moment than she had in centuries. Whatever this werewolf was doing to her was quietly turning her world upside down. “I’ll take this version thanks.”
He smiled, probably pleased with himself. They moved out of the rose garden and into a flurry of brightly mixed colors.
“Good. Did you really know Stephen Cain?”
“Yes I… I knew him,” she paused, remembering. “He was a good friend. Are you related?”
“I’m told that I am.”
She rose an eyebrow at him.
“My great great, well many greats, grandfather was his brother I think.”
“Oh, David. I met him a few times but didn’t know him well,” Jules admitted.
Luca gasped.
“What?” She stopped, turning to look up.
“You are so old.” He smirked.
“And how old are you?” she asked, pretending to be slightly offended.
“Just turned eighty.” It was hard to tell with werewolves.
“Such a baby.”
“You know it.” He smiled and looked down at her for a long moment. Then they started to walk again.
“And you stopped aging at twenty, twenty-two?” This time it was her desire to keep the conversation going.
“Yeah, right around there somewhere. Werewolves are funny that way. We never know when it will happen but at some point, we just stop aging. But you probably already knew that.”
“I did.” She watched sideways as he rolled his eyes. She smiled. “When did your parents stop aging?”
“Both in their thirties. Mom was slightly older than dad; which endlessly frustrated her.”
Jules stopped. “Where are your parents now?”
“They’re gone. They died many years ago in a fire.” His voice had a slight tremor in it, but he recovered quickly. “Are your parents vampires?”
“Thankfully, no. They died before I was turned. I would hate for them to see what I’ve become.” She could hear the slight hints of self-disdain as she spoke, she guessed that he could hear it as well.
“Jules, I have to ask you something,” Luca said quickly as if he didn’t want to say what he needed to say.
“You’ve asked me quite a few somethings,” Jules said with a smile.
“Your answer may change the tone of the evening,” he admitted, “and I really don’t want it to.”
“Luca, whatever is it, just ask me.”
He took a deep breath and shut his eyes as he spoke. “Do you kill humans? I’ve heard that all vampires do. That it’s in your nature, but you seem to be such good friends with Monica and I just don’t…”
“You’re not wrong,” she said, cutting off his long-winded, unnecessary explanation. “It is in my nature,” Jules said. “I have killed in the past.”
Luca stopped walking and his head dropped like this had caused him pain.
Jules tentatively turned and took a few steps toward him. She looked up, directly into his perfect face, making his eyes meet hers. “But I don’t now. I haven’t taken a human life in over two-hundred years. And my coven members have never taken one, neither of them.”
He looked directly into her eyes. His expression unreadable.
Jules stood silently pleading with him to accept this answer. She so desperately wanted him to understand that who she used to be was not who she was, in so many ways. For some unexplainable reason, he had to understand.
“You don’t kill,” Luca reiterated, seemingly wanting her to be completely clear about that.
“Every human life is to be cherished,” Jules said. “I fight against my nature every day to make sure that every human around me remains as they are.” It was the hardest thing Jules did from day to day, but it was something she’d never change. “In fact, I haven’t even fed directly from a human in centuries.” She left off that that was because she had more trouble stopping once she started then most vampires did. It was too soon for that.
Jules was momentarily taken aback when he reached forward and pulled her into him. He wrapped his arms around her cool, thin shoulders in a hug. “You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that.”
LUCA
Luca’s heartbeat sped. She didn’t kill. She had in the past. But she seemed as remorseful about it as he was about what he had done in his past. That was the last piece of information that he needed. Jules was a vampire, yes, but she didn’t even feed off humans. She was strong, beautiful, compassionate, and seemed to value human life more than most humans did. She may be undead, but she was alive in so many ways, save one. He was positive now that the myths about vampires couldn’t be true. At least, not always true.
“What was that for?” Jules asked as he released her.
“From what I can see,” Luca said, “you are not the monster my pack thinks you are.”
“Drinking people to death is a deal breaker then,” Jules said, but she seemed to be teasing him at her own expense.
“It’s not hard to say that it is.” He chuckled.
Jules followed suit, giggling softly. Her eyes once again met his.
He bit his lower lip, his eyes traveling down her face.
Smirking a little, she turned away from him. Taking his hand in her own, she led them back toward the entrance of the park.
“Wait.” Luca stopped walking, forcing her to stop as well. “If you don’t drink human blood what do you drink?” he asked.
“No, I still drink human blood, I just get in from other places. Blood drives, blood banks and such,” she explained while looking off to the side like she might be embarrassed.
“But you can drink from people and not kill them, right?” Luca asked.
“Most vampires can,” she admitted. “I don’t have that kind of control. I never did. So, I chose to remove the struggle altogether, that’s all.”
“That’s a good plan,” he said, his voice teasing.
“Thank you,” she said, smirking up at him.
As one, they began to walk again. Luca glanced over at Jules. The bright moon seemed to reflect softly off her pale skin. He wanted to offer her his jacket, but he knew she wasn’t cold. She would never be too cold. He caught her stealing a glance at him and they both looked away nervously. Being with her made him feel like a teenager again. They were supposed to be enemies, but they were the same. They both pretended to fit in amongst humans and they were both lonely because of it.
Sharing his true identity with someone other than the pack was a relief. He found that it was surprisingly easy to care for her, to want to spend time getting to know her, to enjoy listening to her voice. He reached down and brushed a stray hair off her cheek. The more their skin touched, the more the fever inside him cooled. His eyes traveled to her lips. “I really want to kiss you right now.”
“Luca I…”
Luca’s phone vibrated in his pocket. “Sorry,” he said as he retrieved it. “It’s Seth,” he told her.
Luca hit the voice to text and replied. “Seth chill. We’ll be out front in ten minutes.” He said aloud, double checked that it had translated correctly, and hit send.
“Shall we go then?” Jules asked.
“We shall.” He held out his elbow like a gentleman. She placed her hand in the crook of his arm and again they walked forward.
Luca wasn’t ready for the evening to end. There were so many things he wanted to know about Jules. However, of one thing he was certain. He would do what he must to keep his pack from hurting her.