Stolen Sun (The Juliana Lucio Series)

by L. C. DeCarlo

  “What will happen if I can’t make him forget?”

  I tried again calmly and steadily. I didn’t want to compel him, I didn’t want our relationship based on threats of my taking whatever I wanted, but I would do it for my son, especially my ‘human’ son who could be permanently damaged.

  “It’s the law Jules. Humans, other than servants, are not permitted under any circumstance to know of the existence of vampires. Should a human become aware of our existence, the matter will be taken before the Council—who then makes final judgment of killing, turning, or enslaving the human as a servant. I’m sorry love, I really am, that’s why compelling him has to work.”

  “You’re telling me that even after saving him from Nathaniel, I can be forced to kill or turn my own son?” It was incredulous, how many people did I have to go through!

  “Yes, or make him you’re human servant.”

  “Who is this Council?”

  “We’re here,” William said nodding before us, and not-so-subtly changing the subject.

  We were finally standing before the old fire house, and I could see why they replaced it. It was old red brick and built back in the mid-1800s, there was an old alarm bell attached to the side of the station bay garage door. Some of the bricks had begun falling from the roof and sides of the building, most of the windows were either broken or boarded up. It looked as if it had been strong and beautiful in its day, now it just looked decrepit.

  I pushed my senses out around me and could sense two vampires and one human in the building. The heartbeat was strong and rapid telling me that Christian was uninjured, or at least not bleeding. The station was three stories tall. I could faintly hear his heartbeat coming from somewhere on the third floor. Both Nathaniel and Victoria were on the bottom floor. Just as I had started thinking that maybe Ana could mask herself and sneak in to grab Christian while we distracted the two, one of their signatures fled to the upstairs room. So much for a grab and dash.

  William and I entered through an old wood rotting door into what was once the lobby of the fire station. It had small, white antique tiles with the fire shield and station #1 in a black mosaic. Several of the tiles were cracked or missing altogether. In the far corner was a pole that connected all three stories via a hole through each floor, next to it was a door leading into the fire truck bay. The entire place was dark and dusty, the remnants of furniture left behind indicating a past better left to nostalgia.

  “Come out, come out, where ever you are!” I sang out into the echoing darkness. I wasn’t sure why they were hiding; it wasn’t like we could hide from each other.

  William and I walked further into the room, peering around corners, and looking into cupboards as we went. There was an old paramedic kit in a cupboard, it amazed me that any of this stuff had survived years of vagrants coming and going, but especially this. There had to be needles in it. I continued keeping my guard up and my compulsion right on the edge of my psyche. As we came into the living room area, we found Nathaniel sitting in an old, dusty chair just off center of the room.

  “Hello Nathaniel.”

  “Juliana, you’re looking as lovely as ever this evening. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised it didn’t take you long to notice your son missing or to find him for that matter.”

  “What are we doing here Nathaniel? I told you to stay away from him.”

  “Yes, I do recall that wonderful evening, but I also recall giving you the opportunity to give yourself to me in exchange for him, and seeing as you are here, I can only presume that you have taken me up on that offer?” He was speaking in a very reasonable tone, and it irked me to no end.

  “Of course, I wasn’t including Mr. Bancroft in that proposal, but if that is what it takes to get you to come with me amicably, then so be it. I can share.” He tacked on with a predatory glint to his eye.

  “I am not an object to be passed around and ‘shared’ Mr. Retta, and I can assure you that you will not be having any part of me, under any circumstances. Do you understand me?” I told him with an unwavering glare.

  “Yes. I understand you are not an object to be shared.” His voice was monotone, and he appeared to not really being seeing me. Holy crap, I’d just compelled him without even trying!

  “Where is Christian, and why are you holding him?” William suddenly asked. His speaking to Nathaniel seemed to snap him out of his trance because he just shook his head and didn’t respond.

  “What do you think you’re trying to do Mrs. Lucio?” he asked me suspiciously. I don’t think he realized I had compelled him because it was so quick, but he had his suspicions that I had tried.

  “What are you talking about? I’m trying to get my son back!” I barked at him, “You never did tell me why you wanted him in the first place. Where is he?”

  I didn’t compel him this time hoping my anger would cover what I had done. I slightly widened my stance as I yelled; preparing myself in case he attacked me. William put his hand on my back to make what looked like a calming gesture but was really just allowing him better access to the knife in his forearm holster.

  “I took him because Victoria wanted him, and I’m taking you because I want you. I take the things I want Juliana, and you happen to be it this time.” He was flashing his fangs and losing his own temper in the process.

  I looked him hard in the eye, focusing the power I already had at the edge of my psyche, “Yes, Mr. Retta, but what do you want with me? Why go through this whole charade just to get me, as you put it?” As he began falling under, I concentrated as much as I could to hold him long enough to get an answer.

  “For the revolution of course, we need all the ‘gifted’ vamps we can get, and you are one the strongest I have come across. We are going to show these humans who the greater being is, and you will help us do that. With your ability to control other vampires, I will be unstoppable.” He held such a sinister smile that I could no longer even remember thinking of him as a harmless middle-aged old man.

  He really was a monster. I wouldn’t be able to hold him much longer, I was starting to tremble from the effort of it already. William made a move toward him with a stake in his hand, but I held out a shaky hand to him and whispered, “No, Victoria still has Christian. She’ll kill him if we do it now. We need him away from her first.”

  He nodded in agreement, then back at Nathaniel, indicating to release him as he hid the stake from view. I slowly gave Nathaniel back his awareness hoping that way he wouldn’t realize that anything was amiss. The next time I did this was going to be my last, I felt like passing out. The next attempt had to be when we could kill him, there were no other options. I turned to look William in the eye, I gave nothing away outwardly, but I knew he would still be able to see the exhaustion within me. He gave me an almost imperceptible nod indicating he understood the plan.

  I turned back facing Nathaniel, “I want to see my son. Now.”

  “Do you really think that’s a great idea, after all the boy has been grieving for you for almost two months, then you just show back up alive and well! How is this reunion supposed to go for you exactly?” He asked mocking me.

  “Just bring my son down here, alone. No, Victoria.”

  “The only reason I will be bringing him down here is to give him a pair of fangs. Is that what you are asking me to do, is that your decision, his life for yours?”

  He raised his eyebrow looking at me questioningly. He knew I would never leave my son with him, that’s why he brought me here in the first place.

  “Okay, I’ll go with you, but I want him released before I do.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “I don’t give a shit. I want my son out of here, and your word that neither you nor any of your people with harm anyone in my family. Then I will go with you willingly.”

  He stared at me calculatingly for a minute; I didn’t say another word, just looked right back at him. I wasn’t going to budge--I wanted Christian out of here.

  “Victoria!” He
called out, “You’re taking young Christian home.”

  “No, she isn’t. The person that helped kidnap him isn’t leaving here with him when I have no way to follow them.” I was becoming angrier as the situation progressed and was feeling myself about to lose it.

  “Besides, if she leaves, who is going to make sure I don’t kill you?” I said dripping with sweetness and my fake innocent smile.

  “Oh, my little newborn,” he chuckled. “I can’t wait to see if you can backup that mouth of yours with your supposed compulsion, because if you can’t you’ll be using it for something besides talking.” He ended on a threat that made me think he wants to try to force his way on me, compulsion abilities or not.

  William, however, didn’t like this idea and had taken a step forward. He still had the stake concealed in his hand and I was worried he’d try something before I was ready. I wanted Christian out of here first if at all possible. We heard their footsteps coming down the stairs and I glanced up to see him walking beside Victoria. He looked uninjured, just dirty from being in the old building. He was scared, but there still wasn’t a scent of blood on him, I would have sighed a breath of relief, but we weren’t out of this yet.

  I turned slightly away from them giving them my back, which made me extremely vulnerable, but it also blocked Christian from being able to see my face. If they kept walking out of the house he would never know it was me. At most he would just think there was a woman here tonight with the same hair color and build as his mom. They were about five feet from the lobby door when Victoria started telling Christian he needed to leave that she would meet up with him tomorrow night.

  “I’m not leaving you here with him! I don’t care if you say he’s your father, he’s a complete wacko,” Christian was waving his arms as he spoke to Victoria, trying to convince her to go with him. “I can tell he’s nuts just from meeting him once, and who are those other two covered in leather head-to-toe? I’m not leaving you here Victoria, either you come with me or I’m staying, that’s it.”

  He stood back now, with his arms crossed over his chest looking down on her. It would have looked intimidating I suppose, except she was about 200 years older than him and had 10 times the strength and speed he did. At the moment though, she looked just as she was, a 17 year-old girl not really sure what to do.

  William leaned over to me and whispered in my ear, “I take back what I said before; he is definitely your son. Look at how stubborn he is!”

  “Shut up!” I told him with my back still turned away from my son. “He is trying to do the right thing and not leave who he thinks is a 17 year-old girl in a dangerous situation. Most other teenage guys would have tucked-tail and ran by now. Not Christian, we had to go teaching him crap like looking out for others, always doing the right thing, and treating girls with respect, dammit! Why didn’t I just sign him up for a gang or something instead?” I was hissing frustratingly under my breath to William.

  “We have to get him out of here, I don’t want him hurt, and if he doesn’t see me I won’t have to compel him or possibly have to turn him myself!”

  I suddenly felt the power in the room increase and glanced over my shoulder to see what was happening. Victoria was still trying to get Christian to leave the house. She was almost frantic about it. Perhaps I had misjudged her feelings for him, and she really didn't want to see him hurt. Christian was still standing there with his arms crossed over his chest looking her in the eye, listening to her telling him what to do. God love him, but he was not going to leave without her.

  "Christian, I want you to turn around, find a cab, and go straight home. Tell no one about this evening," Victoria told him firmly with a more commanding voice than I had heard her using earlier.

  "Victoria, it doesn't matter how many ways you say it. I already told you I am not leaving here without you." She just stared slack-jawed at him, not quite sure what to do next.

  Behind me I heard Nathaniel whispering mostly to himself, "My God, she can't compel him." Oh shit. If she can't compel him odds were that neither could I. I really couldn't let Christian see me now.

  "Victoria!" Nathaniel suddenly called out to her, "Let our young friend here stay. I think he might have his uses yet."

  Chapter Eighteen

  "We had an agreement," I said furiously at Nathaniel.

  "And it just changed, he will be much easier to tame than you ever will. If he can't be compelled, I'm willing to bet that he can compel other vampires; even as a newborn. Just like his Mom," he said with an evil smile.

  “Well I don’t think it matters either way because you are not getting your fangs anywhere near him!” I yelled lunging for him without thinking.

  Our entire plan went out the window as my sole purpose became getting my hands around Nathaniel’s neck. He was so caught up in his ideas of anarchy and using my son to achieve them that he didn’t notice me coming for him. It didn’t take him long to recover his senses, and he grabbed my wrists before I could make contact with him. He wasn’t able to slow my momentum however, and I slammed into him sending us both crashing into the wall and knocking us straight through it.

  “Juliana!” William yelled frantically flashing into the room after us.

  Nathaniel had flipped me off him and was trying to gouge his fingers into my eyes, when William picked him up and threw him back into the wall we had just come through. The rest of the drywall came crashing down in a cloud of dust. The only thing left holding up the wall was a single support beam that had a spilt partially down the side. William reached down to help me up, we dusted ourselves off, and we turned to face Nathaniel as one.

  Nathaniel stood and turned toward us and called back over his shoulder into the lobby, “Victoria!” I felt his power rising, it was like a crackling of electricity in the air. This must be why they could always tell when I was about to compel someone.

  “Keep the boy here. He is mine.” He commanded her with a cold sadistic smile that said he was truly enjoying this.

  “I don’t think so Nathaniel, not this time.”

  Ana dropped in through the broken-out window near Christian, and I felt myself physically relax. Well, relax as much as a person can in a room full of angry vamps.

  “Victoria, stop her. Don’t let her take the boy.” Nathaniel commanded again.

  I was beginning to wonder how much of this attack on Christian she really had been a part of; it seemed that he just compelled her into doing everything he wanted.

  Ana and Victoria each turned their focus on one another, Victoria backing Christian into the wall and effectively blocking him with her body. Ana crouched low then jumped up in an attempt to get near Christian. Victoria met her in the air, their bodies colliding with a force that would have broken human bones. As they began grappling with each other, hitting, kicking, tearing at one another, Christian was looking paler and paler. He had backed up into the wall and was now sliding down it to sit on the floor.

  I wanted to go to him, to tell him everything would be all right. But I wasn’t sure if that was a lie or not, and either way I still couldn’t let him see me without risking his mortal life in doing so.

  Knowing that Christian wasn’t being attacked or about to go missing again, I could focus on what I needed to do. I had to compel Nathaniel so William and I could subdue him finally putting an end to this all. As if sensing I was thinking about him, he turned his attention back on me.

  “I see you have not only managed to get Mr. Bancroft to do your bidding, but my own child as well. That is rather impressive for one so young Mrs. Lucio.” Then he was gone. Just gone, I turned around looking for him but didn’t see him anywhere.

  “Looking for me?”

  It was Nathaniel. He was sitting at the top of the fireman’s pole that leads to the second floor; he was looking down on us. How he got up there so quickly, I’ll never figure out.

  “You seem a bit surprised, you didn’t actually think I was using my full strength and speed back at Ana’s place did you?�
�� The moment his words met my ears I was flying backward into the last remaining support beam, it splintered as I hit it, and I went tumbling into the floor.

  William remained where he was though he had taken out his silver stake and knife holding one in each hand. He was scanning the room, looking for any sign of where Nathaniel had hidden himself this time. I could finally understand what they were upset about when I said I was going after Nathaniel. I had been told that with age came strength and speed, I just didn’t comprehend it would be like this.

  “Jules, remember what we came here for. You need to do it, and quickly.” William said steadily, eyes still scanning. “I smell your blood, are you hurt?”

  “I’m fine, it’s just a scratch. It’s already healing,” I called back to him touching my right eyebrow where it had been dripping blood not a second before.

  I looked into the lobby where Ana and Victoria were still fighting. Christian had pressed himself firmly against the wall trying to get as far away from both of them as he could. Ana had maneuvered herself in between Victoria and Christian, and aside from looking in disarray, she appeared uninjured. Victoria, however, was bleeding steadily from several deep gashes in her upper arms and one in her left side that was soaking through her shirt. The silver in Ana’s knife was preventing her from healing.

  Nathaniel seemed to materialize in front of me, he was moving so quickly, but this time I was prepared to stop him. I had called all the power I had to me when he threw me into the beam and was just waiting for him to show himself.

  “Nathaniel stop.” I commanded as forcefully as I could muster.

  His arm was pulled back, and he was about to hit me when I spoke the command. This time he knew full well what I was doing and was trying to fight it. He started to pull away from me, and the exertion it caused me to hold him to my psyche was physically painful.

  “I said stop!” I screamed this time forcing my full will upon him, and he froze.