Welcome Home [Closed]

[Selena Torres]

It was spring in the big city, but for Selena it felt more like early fall. There was a small nip to the air causing goose bumps to break out across her chest, down her arms until it hit her spine causing her to shudder. She missed the heat from the sun baking down on the island she had spent her whole life. She missed the lycans and the stupid growling they did to each other over little things. Her heart sank the more she thought about her little home she had left with almost no warning to anyone. The quick phone call to her mother likely had caused more stress then relief the month before. What was she doing in a city? A city that really put it in perspective how tiny she was in the great big world. Swallowing, she took a moment to steady her pounding heart beat reminding herself that Julian could easy hear her distress with each thump in the car that had picked them up from the airport. No need to alarm him about her stupid fears that tickled at the base of her stomach the more she pondered about what was going to take place the moment they stepped through his childhood home.

There wasn’t a single naïve notion in her mind about what was going to happen or where she was going. Selena was purposefully walking head long into the heart of vampire territory. She was a young woman that had grown up around lycans her whole life on a tiny island off the coast of Florida, all her life she had dreamed of getting away from there but hadn’t. Not until Julian had slammed into her life like a hurricane, throwing up debris and madness like leaves and sticks. They still had minor problems to work out, what couple didn’t? But she was happy. Happy to let him get to twisted into her life that she had placed her life in his hands since he asked her to go with him away from the lycan court. Mate, a word she had never thought she’d use. Husband, sure but mate implied so much more than that. If she wanted to be technical, they weren’t married by human standers. However, by vampire and even lycan ones, they were.

Outside the window, her deep brown eyes took in the tall buildings that seemed to reach up straight to the wispy clouds lining the dark night sky. There were no stars, another thing New York was lacking when compared to the island and its small town. Reaching down, her fingers curled around her wrist to be reminded that she didn’t have a single bangle on, most of her good ones were made of silver or silver coating both of which Julian was severely allergic to. “I feel naked…” Her words were mumbled but she was positive her mate had heard them properly. Selena without jewelry was like a snake charmer with a snake. Completely unheard of. Shifting in the seat, the leather seemed to squeak out a protest of the shifting weight causing her to stop instantly. Glancing up to the rear view mirror, her eyes locked with the vampire’s who was driving and saw them flashed from an icy blue to a deep blood red. Steeling her back, she glared at the man in the driver’s seat as he was clearly trying to add to the growing fear in the belly of her stomach. She hated being afraid, hated feeling like she was small and completely unimportant to a single person in the world. The vampire seemed to realize that even if Selena was terrified on the inside, and even if he could smell it rolling off her body in waves, she wasn’t about to admit it to him. Maybe to Julian. But not some random vampire.

The vampire driving the luxury car broke eye contract with Selena making her feel a little better knowing she still had her normal fight in her given where they were on route to. All too soon, the car came to a slow halt at the doors to the coven mansion. Cocking her head, she took in the size of it and couldn’t help but compare it to the palace she use to work in. “The palace is much bigger.” Grinning at Julian, she slid out of the car as it was opened by the driver.

[Julian Holt]

Staring out the window, Julian looked at the spring flourishing city of New York. It felt like forever since he had been back here. Granted that much time really hadn’t passed since he stepped foot into New York. Maybe it was simply the fact that he had spent the last couple of months on a tropical island where the weather is constantly the same and the change from winter to spring was something he had missed. It would feel like a long time if someone were used to seeing the seasons change and suddenly miss it. The city looked more alive when the weather was nicer and it seemed like more and more people were out and about even if it was night time. Not being restricted by night life, Julian had been able to enjoy the city during both periods of the day finding he didn’t really have much of a favourite yet. It was far more peaceful at night, yet there were cities like this one that never slept. He remembered some interesting nights out with Ana or Dustin as they had tried to enjoy their youth. Remembering some of those nights caused Julian to not feel as out of place as he usually did. Most of the time coming home always reminded him that he never actually fit in anywhere. Not with the vampires and not with the lycans. It was a hard reality to live in but he didn’t have much of a choice. It was one of the reasons why Julian had been against coming back to New York, to the coven.

His first stop off the island hadn’t taken him straight back home. No, he had gone further away from it in fact, decided to travel. His travels hadn’t been alone either. To his surprise, Selena had accepted his offer to travel with him. Part of him had been quite content, the other had been surprised. He was still worried that despite her coming with him now, she’d eventually do what his family had done to him many times already and simply leave. His thinking had gotten him to a point where he knew that people would not stay in his life for long for whatever reasons they were. For now, he was going to enjoy having Selena around for as much as he could figure she’d do what everyone else did and eventually disappear. He was brought out of his thoughts when he noticed a change in Selena’s heart beat. Turning his head from the window he had been looking out of, Julian glanced at the woman sitting beside him in the car. They had been picked up from the airport by one of the coven vampires and were now heading towards the mansion he had grown up in.

His curiosity perked up when he noticed the quickened beat of her heart as she sat there. It wasn’t as if something happened seeing as they hadn’t moved since the car had picked them up a good half hour ago. His glance merely asked her the question on his mind wondering if she was okay. He shifted in his seat, putting his arm around her shoulder for a moment. What could have suddenly caused her to change that drastically? Before he could voice the question on his mind however, his mate decided to make it known that she felt naked. He knew what she meant by this seeing as she was fully cloth at the moment. Giving up her jewelry had been a lot to ask for, even if Julian hadn’t asked her to. Him being allergic meant there was a greater chance of getting touched by it if Selena was wearing them. “I told you that you didn’t need to take them off. Especially now that we’re heading into a coven of vampires.” he added even if he knew it was pointless statement to make. Selena seemed to be quite stubborn on that note. Not only did her heat continue to race but a distinctive smell of fear started radiating off the young woman.

Glancing around for a moment, Julian noticed that the driver was currently focusing his attention on his mate, which didn’t go over well with him. For one, he was clearly eyeing her like food, and two she seemed to be quite scared at the same time. A protective growl escaped the hybrids lips as his eyes glowed red the anger boiling inside him while he looked at the drive. At that moment the man turned his attention back to the road just as a Julian realized they were almost at the mansion. He was worried about how things would turn out given that he was bringing a human into a den full of vampires who ate humans for breakfast. His father would not approve of it but he wasn’t too concerned about that. He feared that everyone there would be trying to get their fangs into Selena. In that moment that mansion came into view and he watched Selena as she took it in. Her comment only got a chuckle out of him as he got out of the car. “Only on the outside Luna, we tend to venture further underground then the lycan’s do.” he pointed out as the driver held the door open for Selena. The moment she came out of the car, the driver couldn’t resist but take a long whif of her leaning in close. “Mighty fine meal you’ve brought yourself there My Lord.” he commented his eyes turning red as his fangs popped out already able to taste her blood.

By this point the young hybrid had moved around to the other side of the car where Selena and the driver were. Hearing his comment only caused the young man’s rage to further boil as he moved quickly grabbing the vampire around the neck, digging his nails into the skin, throwing him up against the side of the car. “If you even think about harming her in any way I make sure by the time I’m done with you you’ll be begging for death.” he explained in such a calm tone that it was simply frightening with how serious he looked. Once the vampire nodded, Julian let him go before turning his attention back to Selena. “Are you sure you’re ready to meet the family?” he teased trying to make the situation a bit less awkward. Holding his hand out to Selena, he waited for her to take it before heading up the steps to the doors. Pushing them open, the familiar smell hit his nose, reminding him just exactly where he was. He wondered how much had changed.

[Selena Torres]

The feeling of being watched fell upon Selena while she fought to contain her own fears, which didn’t help matters until she realized the only other being that could possibly be watching her was Julian. Five months or more ago that would have unnerved her, annoyed her to the point of bitching at him, but right then it brought relief to the fear clinging to her body. If anything since their time together had showed her, her mate wouldn’t let anything happen to her which might harm her. Of course, she did see it in his eyes, the loss of his family when they had all decided to turn their backs on him. In a twisted way, she was glad they had. She wondered if she would have fallen for him but less witty and charming in hopes of keeping everyone at arm’s length. Sometimes, she still wondered how she’d gotten around his huge hand to stand right up in his face and just smirk until he realized she wasn’t moving away. There was that slim chance that he still thought she might leave but she could do nothing to brush that worry away except for time. Time for him to see she had no plans of abandoning him.

The choice to remove her silver bangles and shiny necklaces had been Selena’s own. It had come after a long hard thinking session while soaking in the bathtub while in Paris. Right then, a bubble bath sounded amazing to relax her body. “I’m not having a repeat of that first time.” Not to mention it had been a major buzz kill for them to start getting intimate only to have him sizzle from brushing against the charms around her wrists. It hadn’t been a good night to say the least. If possible, she was going to prevent that from happening again, even at the cost of her personal comfort of the cold metals. Licking her lips, her eyes did linger down to her bare wrist and took note of how tiny the thing looked without the familiar circles. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t wear something when you’re not around.” Wrapped around a pair of fuzzy socks was a gold cross necklace along with most of her silver jewelry because she knew there was no way to hang around him the whole time she was staying at the mansion. She was a grown, independent woman not some clingy bimbo that couldn’t handle herself.

“Let me guess, dungeons?” Slipping out of the car, she couldn’t help but tease him. What she didn’t know was that the mansion really did have dungeons and the reason for those cells would have caused her to second guess her stay at the coven’s mansion. All joking mannerism died on her tongue as the driver spoke while holding her door open.

“Do I look like a buffet item to you?” Her sharp tone slashed through the night air, cutting through the silence after hearing the remark about being a ‘fine meal’. Her personal space was being invaded as her hears picked up the intake of breath from the driver, clearly savoring the scent coming off her skin. Turning her eyes to see what the hell the guy was doing, she was greeted with the sight of his fangs peeking out from behind his lips sending another wave of fear to race down her spine. The only fangs she was able to handle seeing was Julian’s, otherwise human instinct demanded she run to the ocean and back to the island. “Julian…” His name came out in a whispered tone as she could do was stare into the vampire’s deep crimson eyes where she could see her face reflected back at her. Her body refused to move and she wondered if maybe those tales of vampires being able to lure people in with their gazes was true.

The vampire being slammed into the car caused her to flinch as if suddenly awaken from his strong gaze until she saw Julian’s fingers digging into his neck. Was it ok to step in between them? She had no idea what were the protocols around the mansion. But when had that ever stopped her before at the lycan court? The oddly calm tone Julian used on the male was what unsettled Selena the most. It wasn’t like the man she loved. It was distant, removed from all emotion. “Detener, por favor.” Brushing off her own fears, she straightened her back to appear braver than what her natural instincts were screaming for her to do. However, there seemed to be no reason to fear him snapping the vampire’s neck as Julian released him. As the guy moved away from the car, her eyes widened seeing the body sized dent left in it. The guy’s comment had clearly struck a nerve in Julian but instead of linger on that thought she turned to face him. “Your family will be a piece of cake after having my mom howl at me for a good hour.”

Without thinking or hesitating, her fingers slipped into his and she silently followed up the steps. As the doors were pushed open, Selena took a deep breath in. “Dios mío...” The outside of the mansion at appeared smaller than the palace but inside, it was slightly angled downwards as if going into the earth the farther you went into the house. “You grew up here?” Letting her eyes scope out the foyer, her lips parted seeing a woman dusting a table while another, male, was cleaning the windows next to the doors. Once more, that feeling of being part of something she couldn’t comprehend took its hold over her. It wasn’t that long ago she was someone doing that exact type of work to earn money.

Detener, por favor. – Stop, please
Dios mío. – Oh my God.

[Julian Holt]

Growing up in a coven full of vampires made it so Julian knew what he needed to do to show dominance. Not only was he supposed to be master’s son, he was also supposed to be a weapon. For the beginning of his life, he had been trained to be ruthless and take out people, lycans and vampires alike without hesitation. After all what else would a weapon be good for? That was what he was meant to do and Julian did that. Once he got older, Julian started heading out and traveling searching for people that were hiding from the council. He was the one that collected their debts, to put it lightly. What the young hybrid ended up doing was tracking down rogue vampires who decided to against Council orders. Given that no one really knew about Julian being half vampire besides those living in the New York coven, it was far easier for Julian to track them down as he didn’t need to wait until night fall. He truly was the perfect weapon.

During that time, the young hybrid had developed a reputation for being quite ruthless and simply a force to reckon with. It helped that his strength was quite greater than that of a normal vampire having a combination of both lycan and vampire DNA coursing through his system. In order to survive among certain groups of vampires, Julian knew that being rough was the best approach, especially when it came to certain members of his father’s coven. Despite having changed his ways over the past couple of decades, Julian still knows it far better to uphold fear and dominance within the coven. It had been one of the reasons he didn’t hesitate for one moment to show that driver that he wasn’t kidding when he meant staying away from Selena. He had been the one to bring her to a coven full of vampires and he felt responsible for the young woman. Not only that but he did care for her, which was quite strange if anyone knew him from the beginning. The young hybrid didn’t know when he had developed the ability to care for someone in the manor he cared for Selena.

However they were there and he knew that it would be what brought his rougher side to the surface if it meant keeping Selena alive. Fixing his shirt, Julian watched the driver push off from the car that was now left with an indent, heading to the trunk to get their things. The young woman’s words had reached his ears even if he didn’t actually intend on hurting the guy. Scaring him was far easier. He wasn’t too keen on pushing people around but some vampires needed to know where they stood and if it kept Selena from being eaten he wasn’t going to complain. “You might not like what happened before with your jewelry but I think it would be wise to have it on especially now when you’re entering vampire territory.” he pointed out referring to her previous comment about not wanting to talk about her choice in not wearing them. He knew it was her choice, however he felt it was silly not to given he wouldn’t always be around her and she most likely wouldn’t stick close to him like some lost puppy. If Selena was that kind of person, Julian probably wouldn’t have fallen for the woman.

The topic of what just happened was luckily swept under the rug for now. Julian preferred not to have a conversation as to what happened and how he had been. Instead, he continued on heading for the doors chuckling at her mention of his family being a piece of cake compared to hers. “Need I remind you I was the one that answered the phone? I swear I thought she was going to come through the phone and strangle me.” he added remember the yelling he had heard from the other end in Spanish. He had only been able to pick out a few words from what it was she had been saying. Shaking his head, he pushed the doors open, letting Selena go inside first before following her. The mansion looked small on the outside but it was far bigger inside. Being vampires meant that living underground was far safer than having someone accidentally leave a window open to fry them when they slept. Squeezing her hand momentarily, he watched her reaction nodding his head slightly. “I did, and this is only the main entrance Luna, this more to see. I can give you a tour now or after we are settled.” he offered knowing it would be hard to adjust to his side of the spectrum. For one, things were far different then they were with the lycans. Servants and slaves were not as willing as they were with the lycans. Many were taken by force; however there were a handful that were willing to serve vampires. Those had decent Masters who treated them as people and not just food.

Before he could say anything else however, Julian picked up movement not too far from them and part of him hoped that his father wasn’t aware he had finally arrived. He did not need to be confront by the man now or ever if he could help it. However, despite not really being wanted, this was the only place he really fit in and could call home. Even if it was a dysfunctional place at best. “As you can see there are some similarities to what you’re used to on Ilsa, but I must warn you Luna not every vampire is quite… considerate.” he added his arm going around her waist somewhat protectively. The driver chose that moment to walk in behind them with their luggage, before side stepping them to head towards Julian’s room. Luckily he had been able to get one of the few suits upstairs not having to really mingle with too many people downstairs.

[Selena Torres]

The exchange between the two vampires, or half vampire in Julian’s case, had lasted a matter of seconds. But it had left a lasting impression on Selena’s mind. The way he had reacted seemed rehearsed as if it wasn’t the first time he had to display his dominance. Was that the last time she would see this side to her mate? Or only the first? It was very confusing and worrisome that maybe she didn’t know him as well as she first thought. He had lifetimes a head of her, there was no telling how many things he had seen or done. The longer her mind pondered over it, the longer she questioned if maybe the strange cold mask he had dawned had to do with being back at his old home. Did it have to do with the reason why he’d left in the first place? Aside from just to attempt and fail at destroying Prince Henry’s personal life. In truth, she wondered almost every day what Julian had done before coming to the island. Each time she had started to ask she froze on the spot and changed the subject. Her brain didn’t think she was mentally ready for that answer yet.

Of course, Selena wanted to talk about what had just happened. Already dozens of questions raced through her mind. Why had Julian felt the need to throw the other vampire into the car? Would he really have taken a snap at her if he hadn’t? There were so many things she wanted to know about the vampire ways. However, something told her right then wasn’t the best time to bring any of them up. Julian seemed stressed, more so then when they’d first met. Her questions would have to wait until they were alone with fewer eyes watching their movements. It was night, she had no doubt they were being watched from the windows of the mansion. Stepping over to him, she smiled softly watching him try to fix his shirt after the small rough up. Her hand reached out and brushed a few winkles out of the shirt. For right then, she ignored whatever the driver was doing, trusting Julian to watch her back as she heard the trunk being opened. “Not liking it doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt about your skin being burned by a couple of babbles.” Honestly, she didn’t want to talk about why she’d decided not to wear them around him. Nor did she want to give him the pleasure of know he was probably correct about her wearing some while in vampire territory. Letting him know he was correct would lead to that stupid smug grin on his face and as much as she melted at that face; the ego boast he got wasn’t worth it.

Letting him take the lead, Selena walked close to Julian, giving him space but at the same time still close to his side. As much as she wanted to take his hand or wrap an arm around his waist, she had no idea what would happen for him to be seen with a human hanging on to him. “I think if my mother knew where we were at the time, she likely would have come after you.” Grinning at Julian, she found it hard not to tease him about how much of a nut her mother was. It was her mother’s genes that created Angela’s and Selena’s crazy personalities. And it was their mother who had encouraged them, along with Katherine to express them anyway they could. Which makes no sense since the way she danced completely went against her mother’s wishes. Deep down, Selena was sure her mother wanted her to simple marry, settle down, and have kids. Running away with Julian only reinforced in her mother’s mind about the ‘evil’ dancing she had embraced.

“Can we do the tour after? I just wanted to be alone with you.” Her fingers squeezed back around his, almost feeling a faint heart beat beneath his skin. Did she sound needy? Selena honestly hoped Julian couldn’t hear how badly she just needed a few moments to collect her brain that was bouncing around in her skull. The swing of her accent towards more of a Spanish one might have given away how overwhelm she felt as she tried to keep a brave face on. She hated not know what was ok to say or do, hated the feeling of being an outsider among outsiders.

For a moment, her eyes watched the few servants working, their eyes down, hunched over as if trying to blend into the wall. She had no clue what to make of them, the servants here weren’t like the ones on the wolf island. They all had been proud to work in the palace, willing, and most of them put on great smiles for anyone that came through the doors. “I kind of figured that out myself from the driver invading my space.” Pursing her lips, she was half tempted to slam the guy’s head into the nearest wall. On the island, Selena had been use to having guys come on to her heavily while dancing in the streets, but those guys and the ones in New York were to different things. She knew how to handle lycans, vampires were a different ball game. Thankfully, the arm around her waist caused her to calm down and smile up at Julian. His touch always had a way of calming her down when she wanted to explode on someone.

The farther they went into the mansion, the more doors she heard open up but inside of them was pitch black. Except for the glow of blood red irises peeking out from behind the wood. Without thinking, her fingers reached over and curled around the hem of Julian’s shirt, drawing on his strength to remain calm. She reminded herself she had faced down fully changed lycans without a scratch to her body. She sat between a vampire and a lycan during family dinners, this little parade down a hallway would be nothing. “I hate feeling helpless…” Flicking her eyes up towards him, she kept her voice low even though she knew he wasn’t the only one to hear her minor confession of fear. For the most part, her feet were following right behind the driver who was going up a flight of stairs.

[Julian Holt]

Coming back home wasn’t always the easiest thing to do. It had been one of the reasons why Julian preferred to travel for the longest time of his life. He would often stop by at the mansion but tended not to stay too long. The young hybrid preferred to simply stop in and then be on his way again. It was easier that why, and it meant less having to deal with his father or half brother. The two might not feel the need to like each other, but they were so much alike it simply made it that much more impossible to be around them. Sometimes, he only came back to see the few friends he had, and the few people he gave a damn about. Usually if things were too tense at the mansion he’d simply stay elsewhere while he was still in town. So far things hadn’t been as bad, when he came back before his trip to the island; it had been an oddly calm visit. Well until Rebeckah graced the doorsteps of the mansion insisting she needed his help. Had he not been bent on revenge over Henry, the son he always heard about when Rebeckah visiting, he wouldn’t have bothered heading that way. However, with how she had always compared him to Henry, and how he was never good enough as her first son had been, the hatred took him over and before he knew it, he was heading south with the psychopath he called mother.

Hearing her response to his mentioning the bangles that she used to wear on her wrist caused him to simply sigh. He could tell by the tone in her voice she wasn’t too happy discussing the subject but he needed her to know that she needed to wear them if it helped in the long run. For now however, he’d leave it at that. There were other things on his mind and the eyes staring at them outside the various windows were one of the concerns. He could feel them the moment the car had pulled up into the drive way. No matter what was happening everyone was curious to see what was going on or who was coming. Glancing up at the windows, he glared at the shadows knowing that within them someone was lurking watching the two as they made their way into the mansion. He couldn’t really do anything about it now, but if anything were to arise from their arrival, he wouldn’t hesitate to strike.

The mood lightened up somewhat when they started talking about her mother and how the woman hadn’t been too happy to hear her daughter had run off. Not to mention with a hybrid who had come into town to cause trouble in the first place. “I don’t see what would be so bad about you being in Spain…” he half stated half questioned as he glanced down at Selena. His mind wondered to thoughts of what would happen when Selena finally returned home. Meeting her family hadn’t gone that badly, which had been a good thing. However now he figured if he showed up again he’d be getting several things thrown at his head before being yelled at for taking the young woman off the island with him. No matter what was said. Despite the somewhat calmer topic they were discussing, Julian could still feel the tension that was around them. He wasn’t sure that she’d be able to accept how different this part of his world was.

Nodding his head at Selena’s comment about taking a tour later, he followed the driver up the stairs towards his room. With his ability to not have to hide in the shadows, Julian had insisted on having a room with windows. There were a few of those in the mansion but most were covered up. It was one of the reasons why no one ever took to going into his room. He wouldn’t hesitate to leave the drapes open in the middle of the day to have the sun shining right into it. Knowing that almost everyone in the mansion was affected by it only made him keep them open all the time. Not only that but it made it less likely for Kacey to try and sneak into his room. The people he cared enough about to not see fry knew that they were open and would usually knock or come in wearing enough clothing to cover themselves up.

It didn’t take them long before they were upstairs and at his room. Pushing the door open, Julian let Selena into the room first preferring to keep his eye out on the driver who was still carrying their luggage. While waiting for them both to head inside, Julian couldn’t help but cast his eyes down the hall at the different rooms that had opened while they walked by. He knew who was waiting in each one, and he knew they had smelt that a human was among them, a fresh one. Growling loudly, he let the noise flow down the hall to all curious beings before heading into his room. Once the driver set their luggage down, he left quickly and Julian closed the door. ”If you’re feeling helpless, I could get you a silver dagger or a gun that shoots silver bullets.” he offered figuring it was the best option seeing as he wouldn’t always be around her. Knowing the Spanish woman, she wouldn’t sit around waiting for him instead she’d simply go off on her own to find something to do. Moving away from the door, he walked over to where Selena was, standing in front of her his hands going to her hips. ‘How are you taking all this?”

[Selena Torres]

Feeling her heart still pounding a little too fast, especially since she was in a vampire coven, Selena counted back from ten trying to slow down the irregular beat. All the eyes she could feel running up and down her body weren’t helping. Having people watch her while performing was completely different from being eyed by vampires who she had a strong feeling were on the edge of hunger. When she was performing, Selena almost took on a dual personality. She was still Selena, but there was something more. It was easier to tease the crowd, to gain their trust and admiration as her hips curled or twisted. When the counting back from ten didn’t help so much, she added ten more to make it twenty. Chewing on the inside of her lip, she focused on Julian. She focused on the heat of his body, the curve of his arm around her, and the way she knew he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her.

Over and over in her head, she kept hearing the voice of her older brother yelling at her by a voicemail after she’d sent him a message about leaving. He had repeated the same question over and over. ‘Why is a human going to willing walk into a vampire coven?’Between the time Julian has told her he was going to head home, tired of being chased by a psycho woman, and the seven hour plane right they had to New York, she had all the time in the world to solve that question. She was walking into a vampire coven because Julian needed her. Maybe he hadn’t said so in words to her face, but in actions it was there. In the ways he looked at her when the man believed her attention was elsewhere. She was walking into a vampire coven because she was Julian’s mate. And mates stuck together. And mates also took care of each other. Which went back to her removing her jewelry.

Needing the distraction from the eyes peering at them, Selena listened closely to Julian’s words about her mother. It wasn’t easy to scare her, she prided herself on the fact that the night she had seen Julian shift as the full moon rose into the sky, and instead of running away the young woman had stood her ground against him. No, not against him. Her voice had lured him closer until she was able to touch him, fur and all. During that small moment, her heart had been steady and calm, not a single doubt crossed her mind about Julian or his werewolf side. But the vampires watching her, she didn’t trust them. “Spain wasn’t the problem, love. I don’t think Katherine was very tight lipped about where I first met you when talking to mom.” Selena’s mother loved her and each child she’d given birth to, a lesson each one of her siblings knew. It was the dancing her mother had a problem with. Every fight they’d ever had it all somehow went back to her belly dancing that blended other cultures’ dances into a sultry and seductive call.

At Julian’s silent instance, Selena entered the room ahead of him, keeping clear of the driver as he set their luggage down. The whole having someone wait on her was going to take getting use to and she rather hoped it was all just an act since Julian was there. Letting her eyes take in the room, she smirked at how similar in size the room he’d take residence on Isla had been compared to his room in New York. The large windows caught her attention making her walk over to them to check out the view. Jumping, the growl that came from Julian caused her to stare at him, baffled by the deep throated sound. “What was that for?” He was just going to have to get use to answering questions because she had so many that needed to be explained fully. Flicking her eyes to the driver, she watched him rush to leave and Julian simply shut the door behind him. “A dagger would be safer in my hands; I’d hate to end up shooting myself by accident.” Smiling at him, she was happy to know he wasn’t going to expect her to be at his side day and night. Her need for space and independence called out to her hot blood just as much as a need for a lover called to her.

The small presence of his hands on her hips caused her to sigh, not as if there was some great weight being pressed down on her but because his touch eased her. Leaning towards him, her forehead rested against his chest, relying on his strength far more than she normally did. She just hoped his ego didn’t get too far out of hand. “I’ll be better after I get that airplane feeling off my skin. I don’t care how fast it is, I protest flying from now on if I can help it.” Straightening her back so she wasn’t leaning against her mate, she grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it clear off her body to drop on the floor, moaning softly as the stiff fabric left her flesh after being on the plane all day and into the night. A call for a shower or bubble bath was written all over her face and even reflected in her eyes. Selena bent over to make short work of untying her shoe laces before slipping them off.

[Julian Holt]

The entire time they had been in the mansion, Julian could hear nothing but how fast Selena’s heart was beating. He knew it was a lot of ask of the young woman to come with him to the coven mansion, where the greatest population of vampires was currently housed. Not to mention that, she had decided to not wear the silver jewelry she had always worn. Wearing those would at least ensure she could do whatever vampire decided to get in her face some damage. Anything would help at least in his opinion. But, he knew Selena enough now to know she was stubborn in her own ways just like he was. Part of him wondered how they ever got along given how each was less likely to give in to the others ways. Whatever it was that brought them together had its work cut out for itself.

The young hybrid knew that Selena was giving up a lot to be with him right now. He was grateful that she had decided to leave with him. He had known a whole day before he told her about his departure. When Ana had showed up on the island to tell him about Kacey’s quest to find him, Julian hadn’t been able to leave the island that moment. The last board had come and gone and he needed to wait unless he was willing to simply swim the distance. Granted with how much he disliked the blond woman who was currently on the hunt for him, Julian would probably have taken that road if need be. Part of him had simply told Selena right before the boat was leaving because he didn’t think she would. It was his way of trying not to force her into anything. He figured with the little bit of time she’d do what everyone else did and simply find that he wasn’t worth it. Given that both his parents wanted nothing to do with him, Julian assumed that whatever was going on with him and Selena was merely a temporary thing. The young Hispanic woman had completely surprised him when she showed up with a suitcase at the docks.

A much as he hated being caught off guard or by surprise that had been a surprise he was content with, even if the young hybrid didn’t want to admit it. The explanation about her mother’s dislike for their trip off the island was further explained as they headed towards his room. “Now why would Katherine go and do that? Here I thought she liked me.” he stated chuckling as he remember how exactly they had met. From what he had heard and seen from her family, they weren’t too happy about Selena’s dancing habits. Julian could honestly say that he enjoyed them greatly. During one of the dinners with her family that Selena insisted he join, Julian had voices his like for her dancing. The result hadn’t been that great as her mother dropped the plate she was holding before spending the rest of the night simply glaring at him. Not that Julian was completely fazed by it; however he knew to play nice around his mate’s mother.

Letting the door close, he raised an eyebrow at his mate’s question regarding the growl he had let out. There were times he forgot that she wasn’t aware of everything that happened in the vampire world. It was similar to that of the lycan’s however, so much different at the same time. After a while he would get used to Selena not being aware of this part of his world. It was hard to adjust and some of what went happened here wasn’t always up to everyone’s liking. “Making sure they know you’re not food.” he stated simply figuring it was the best way to describe that. “Most of the time when someone brings in a human it’s because they are a servant or live donor.” he added a sigh escaping him when Selena agreed to carrying a dagger. All he needed was for her to refuse even that. “Good, because if you had refused I might have dipped you in holy water or something.” he added in a teasing manner listening to her heart beat fall back into a normal rhythm. At least his presence had been able to calm her somewhat. He had been surprised himself when his wolf had been calmed greatly that night Selena decided to follow him during one of his full moon changes. Given that he hadn’t connected with his wolf before, having Selena there wasn’t a good idea. With the little bit of control he had over his wolf, it was a surprise he hadn’t ripped her into pieces that night.

Her comment about the plane only caused a chuckle out of the young man as he leaned down pressing a kiss to her hair while she leaned against his chest. ”So you’re saying that you’d rather take a two week boat ride across the ocean, instead of a six hour plane ride?” he asked her curiously still chuckling at her jet leg complaint. Before he could further tease her on the matter however, his eyebrows came up when her shirt came off. The moment it did a grin formed on Julian’s face as his mind traveled to faraway places. Walking up behind her, he snaked his arms around the young woman’s waist once she finally stood straight again. “I know you’ve had a bubble bath on your mind… but I could suggest something far more stress relieving..” he suggested biting her ear playfully and suggestively.

[Selena Torres]

Eying the luggage the driver had brought into the room, Selena sighed, slightly sad she had been forced to leave all her pretty costumes back at her home on the island. Julian hadn’t given her any time to prepare, no hint as to where he was headed only that he was getting on a boat to get to the nearest airport to fly somewhere. It had left with the only option of grabbing some jeans, some shirts, and a light weight jacket…the only one she owned for those raining island days. He’d given her no time to decide on which shoes to place in her bag and which to leave behind until she solved what the hell she was doing with her life. She was lucky to have grabbed her converses, a pair of high heels, and some flip flops. Chewing down on her lower lip, she counted in her mind the outfits she had brought. Had she grabbed one costume by accident? Even one would make her time a lot easier to bear knowing she had a piece of her normal life still with her. Her eyes widened remember the exact costume that had been sitting on her bed and had gotten mixed in with her jeans. “You owe me some clothes for the short notice. I hope you haven’t forgotten that.”

During the traveling time between cities, Selena had questioned why he’d given her such short notice. Surely he hadn’t thought there was no time for him to sort through somethings before needing to leave the island. There couldn’t have been any possible way Kacey had been so hot on his trail that another day or two would have been too much to ask for. Had he been trying to leave without her? Every time her mind thought that way, her stomach clenched until even her heart seemed to die a little.

“My mother always gets the information she wants out of us.” Glancing back over at him, she smiled trying to explain to him the difficultness of trying to lie to her mother. How could she tell a guy who hated his mother with a fiery passion, that rivaled her passion for dancing, the near impossibility of not giving their mother the whole truth. “Let me put it like this, if my mother was a lycan, she’d be Alpha and no one could deny her a single wish or full answer. So as much as Katherine might like you, mom’s rule comes first.” This might have brought up the question of how Selena got away with her dancing if her mother so strongly disapproved. Well, she was just as stubborn as her mother and didn’t like being told how to live her life. She should have known better than to bring Julian to a family dinner, him voicing his like of her dancing had caused a great ripple to descend over the house. Her mother had broken a plate, her older brother had nearly broken his fork by pressing to hard on it, her younger brother had simply hide behind his hair not wanting to see the World War that was going to break out, her sisters had sighed heavily both clearly wishing Selena’s mate had shut up, and her father…he had burst out laughing. While sitting near their mates, Dustin and Arthur, struggled and failed to hide their amusement.

“Oh.” Selena’s deep brown eyes stared at Julian’s as he gave her a very good reason for why he growled. She had seen the doors opening, but had no clue what to make of it. It made sense, she was human whose blood, according to her mate, was highly addictive and attractive. She was still trying to figure that one out. Maybe because she was human and found no desire for blood so she couldn’t understand how one person’s blood was more appealing than that of another person’s. “You worry too much.” Besides, Selena was far more experienced with a blade than a gun. Her brothers had thought it was best to teach their sisters and her some way of defending themselves if anyone got the idea of harming them on the island. Simply teasing her mate relaxed Selena, made her forget for awhile where she was and how much danger she was putting herself in. Then again, danger had a way of always finding her no matter how hard she tried to avoid it. Such as the first time she had witness Julian’s violent change under the full moon. Honestly, the young woman had just been insecure about why he was leaving their bed so late at night. Her mind hadn’t even thought about the full moon outside or that Julian was part lycan just as much as he was part vampire.

The fear she had felt when her eyes had watched him change couldn’t be described. Selena had never questioned how long she was going to live on Earth until that moment. But something odd had happened. Something that still bothered her about the whole thing. Julian’s wolf had been in such a rage, nothing should have been able to stop him or calm him down. However, when he had rushed towards her, he stopped right before her. He’d stopped as if to have a conversation with her until he fell at her feet to curl up in a ball like a kitten, even licking her bare leg. It made no sense to her. There was no bond between them to make his wolf hesitate to rip out her throat and she was no wolf tamer.

When her head was kissed, she turned to look up at him with a wide smile. Laughing, she nodded causing her golden hair to bounce around her face. “Yes I would. At least on the boat I can work on my tan.” Rising back up after kicking off the shoes, her fingers went to the button on her jeans, clearly to undo them but her movements stilled feeling arms wrap around her waist. A slow smile began to grow on her lips feeling the heat coming through Julian’s shirts against her bare back. “Would it be better than a bubble bath?” Her voice hitched feeling his teeth nip at her ear. A shudder rolled down her spine causing her body to nearly turn to liquid in his arms. Damn him. He knew giving her ear attention like that caused her to completely forget everything reasonable and agree to whatever he wanted to do. Trying to prevent her breathing from giving away her sudden need for him, she shut her eyes in an attempt to ignore the growing heat blooming in her stomach. “You’re not playing fair.” She pretended nothing was happening and unsnapped her jeans before pulling the zipper down.

[Julian Holt]

Julian’s thoughts had been elsewhere as he finally made it to his room. Letting the knowledge sink in that he was at home again, was something else really. He usually disliked coming here but he always did come back. No matter how many times he left this was the only place that he could come back to. Of course he never felt like he fit in anywhere, not here not with the lycans, however this was still his home. This only place that would actually take him back no matter how long he left for. Thinking about being home again brought back some odd memories but he really didn’t have many places to choose from where to go. For now, he was going to stick around in New York. At least until something else pulled him away elsewhere. Hopefully not for a while but one never knew. Hearing his mate mentioning he owed her clothes, caused him to raise an eyebrow as he chuckled at this. Given that fact that he had shredded a lot of the things she owned back on Ilsa and during their time traveling, it was a wonder she still had anything left to wear. ”I haven’t forgotten Luna. I might have to ask a favour from Ana to take you shopping in Manhattan. Or you can drag your sister.” he added figuring it would be better if he wasn’t there. For one, he might either jump her in the changing room or simply get bored as it wasn’t always entertaining to watch women browse around for things. There were only so much girly things that he could stand.

He still owed the young woman a lot of ripped up clothing for not being able to control himself around her. That wasn’t a problem for him, because he had money whether it was earned or simply family money. Of course Tristan never spoke about Julian actually being his family or his son really. It was just known to everyone that he was and those that didn’t soon found out the hard way if needed be. Of course they didn’t like one another; however Julian knew that despite the hatred he could use it as an excuse to start a war between the lycans if anything had happened to him on the island. Thinking about the Ilsa and Selena’s clothing continued to remind him how he had been certain she wouldn’t find much interest in him. Of course he wouldn’t voice that, hell he wasn’t even admitting that to himself right now. However he was glad Selena had taken a leap of faith, or whatever it was that drove her to go with him that day he was leaving.

Talking about her mother and family always made him somewhat jealous of everyone who had a loving home to come back to. No matter how much siblings or parents fought at the end of the day they would still love each other and be a family. It wasn’t the same for Julian. He didn’t have a family that cared about him. Rebeckah had kept him around for a couple of years until she got bored, and Tristan simply didn’t want him. Both his older half siblings wanted nothing to do with him and he could not fit himself into either world. He felt bad for dragging Selena away from her family, simply because he could see how close they were. “She would be a force to reckon with that’s for sure. My mother would simply manipulate you into telling her, or scare you till you told the truth. She’s not very nurturing to say the least and her motives behind obtaining information would be for the sole purpose of giving herself the upper hand in whatever situation.” he explained knowing Rebeckah well enough despite his lack of seeing the woman over the years. “Besides I am not going to let anything happen to you, and getting to the island is not that hard.” he added shrugging. He wasn’t keeping Selena chained to him. He was happy she was there with him, but he knew she had family and a life that he simply couldn’t take her away from, at least not for a long time. Short time, of course, but that was it.

Lately he had been wondering how Angela and Dustin did it. Being from two different worlds and still working on being in both. “I don’t worry that much. I know you can handle yourself but this is new territory.” he pointed out knowing that vampires weren’t something Selena handled every day. Of course her sister and brother in law were one, but they were family not out to get her. “Beside I think your mother would have my head if I let anything happen to you here.” he added knowing that being on the wrong side of a Hispanic woman’s fury was not where Julian wanted to be. Thinking about leaving her alone unarmed when there was full moon was one thing on his mind right now. It had been why he suggested getting her a weapon to use. Just in case someone decided to get cocky while he was gone changing and trying to get some control over his wolf. Now that the wolf was awakened because of his time on the island, he was having further problems trying to control the beast. Whatever force out there had helped tame his wolf that night Selena had followed, he couldn’t stop thanking. How it had happened, he wouldn’t know but he had been tamed for whatever reason.

All reasoning left his mind however now that they were getting further settled in. Some people were up and about already but it was still early in the night. The people that would pry their noses into his business still had a few hours before they would make their way over to interrupting him. For now, he was focused on his mate who was currently shedding her garments. It was better this way as Julian often shredded anything she wore because of how impatient he was. “You don’t mean that? Subjecting me to being on a boat for two weeks… especially during a full moon? Or without proper food supplies? I mean you could last on a boat most defiantly but I’d end up eating half the crew before we’d dock.” he mentioned in a teasing manor. He did not see why she disliked planes so much. They were quite convent to say the least. Despite the comment, Julian was already thinking about how best to rid her of the rest of her clothing. Keeping his arm around her waist, the other one resting on her hip, he playfully tugged on her ear lobe. For whatever reason, it seemed that Selena was easily manipulated when someone tugged on her ear and much to Julian’s luck he had discovered that spot of hers. Since then, it has been his way of calming her down when needed as well as a way to get the young woman in the mood. Not that he really had to try had on that part.

“Far better than a bubble bath Luna, guaranteed.” he whispered against her ear, tugging on the lobe again with his teeth before he started kissing and nipping down her neck. He could hear the hitch in her voice as well as the increase in her heart beat. Pressing his hips against her backside, Julian slide his hand along the curve of her waist trailing his fingers underweight the now loosened fabric of her jeans moving lower between her legs. “When have I ever played fair Luna?” he asked his own need for the woman rising rapidly. Still holding her close to his body, he nipped down her neck to her shoulder, pushing the straps of her bra out of the way before unhooking the garment completely. “Besides you started this by getting undressed… it’s completely your own fault.” he pointed out dipping his fingers into her, planning to get her just as worked up as he was already. ‘What do you say Luna…bubble bath or that giant bed over there…” he whispered still leaving small bite marks as he continued nipping at any exposed skin.

[Selena Torres]

A bubble bath, a simple bubble bath had been on Selena’s mind the whole time they’d been on the plane. It was the only thing that had kept her from bitching and moaning while her ears popped in the high altitude. In truth, she wanted to hide under the bubbles for a few minutes to collect herself and really think about her choice in a mate. There had been plenty of other guys back home that would have loved to be with her. Plenty of guys whose families weren’t thousands of miles away from her beloved tropical paradise. Guys who didn’t survive on blood. Sure, some of them had turned fuzzy once a month but she had grown up with that. But there was no getting around it, Julian was her mate. He was sweet when he wasn’t trying to scare her or force her away. Ok, his ego was on the larger scale but she doubted she would have loved a male that thought so little of himself. They were so similar and yet different at the same time. He always made her laugh and smile, no matter how sour she felt.

Smirking, she couldn’t resist teasing him about having to ask a favor for someone else to take her shopping. It was such a typical guy thing to do, brush it on another woman. “You don’t enjoy me trying on different outfits for you?” She already knew the answer to that question. She had learned it the hard way when she had taken him during her monthly costume fitting at her favorite seamstress on the Isla. Julian hadn’t made it through five seconds of her in the costume before he pushed her back into the changing room for a seriously hot session. Thankfully, the seamstress had laughed it off, calling them a ‘cute couple in love’. Selena hadn’t been about to argue and with a beat red face she couldn’t have without dying of embracement.

Getting clothes out of Julian had nothing to do with why she was with him. If Selena had never known he was well taken care of she would have still stuck with him through everything he’d done and was planning on doing. Her mother had questioned her on the phone when she had called they were in Spain if that was the reason she was with him, if the money was all she cared about. That statement had gone a little too far for her taste, which had been the point she hung up the phone on her own mother. Rich, poor, didn’t matter to her. There was nothing going to stand in her way of her and her mate. Not her mother and not a couple thousand miles.

“I’m sorry you didn’t have a mother like mine.” Chewing on her lower lip, she really wished someone had loved Julian better when he was a child. Maybe then, he wouldn’t have been so eager to break everything Prince Henry had. There were so many things she wanted to say sorry for but they weren’t hers to say. His mother had royally screwed him over. And his father…he sounded like an asshole. What kind of parent has a child in order to create a weapon? “But I wonder…would you be the same man if you had been shown move love as a child…?” It was more just her speaking random thoughts aloud, but it did make her think. Part of a person’s character was based on interactions from their family. If she fell for Julian the egotistical and dominating male, would she have done the same for a different version of him? It was puzzling to say the least. “I’m not going home without you.” Selena’s words held a power behind them, a declaration and a promise all wrapped up in one sentence. Her world revolved around her family, Julian had become her family no matter if neither of them would admit it.

Keeping quiet, she smiled softly as he went on to talk about this being new territory. She didn’t need someone telling her that. Before arriving in the mansion, the only vampires she had interacted with her been her sister and brother in law. Those two were to be respected for their ability to go back and forth from vampire society to lycan. She had never asked how they did it, Selena wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer either. “My mother already wants your head.”

Finally, her whole attention was diverted to Julian. She wasn’t thinking about her siblings, she wasn’t even worried about the vampires in the halls. Her body was coming alive under his attention to that one small ear lobe.”Shut up about the boat.” Because if he didn’t start moving against her body in some way she was going to take control. Gasping, her head rolled to the side as his teeth continued their assault on her sensitive ear. Without thinking about it, she’d just exposed her neck in a submissive motion, something only Julian had ever seen her do for a guy.

“Prove it.” Her eyes snapped opened feeling his hips press into her sending a burst of heat straight down her body into her legs that began to quiver. The feather kisses to her shoulder only forced her heart to speed up as her body realized just what was about to happen. Already her body was readying her for him. Beneath the demi-cups of her bra, her nipples tightened, straining out as if trying to push the fabric away. Somewhere, someone had granted her wish for him to move, as the hand on her hips slid into her open jeans. And just like that she couldn’t move, she was pinned. Pinned like a butterfly on a table open for inspection. Parting her lips, her hips rolled up to his hand in a high demand for his fingers to finish what he’d started. “You played fair…when...when…you…” Her train of thought was slipping away as sex took center stage in her mind.

“I started…n-nothing. I was only taking off my… clothes to get a shower. I’ll have to remember never to undress in front of you… again.” The sudden pressure off her chest caused Selena to glance down as her bra was unhooked. It fell away from her body when the straps were brushed out of Julian’s way across her shoulders leaving her breast exposed to the cool air. A deep throated moan escaped from her mouth in sync with his fingers burying themselves inside her core. Helpless, her hips pressed back into him, brushing and rubbing her butt against him in an attempt to break that damn calm demeanor. “Bed.” One word, it was really the only thing she could manage as her brain was struck stupid by Julian’s attention.

[Julian Holt]

Walking around the room for a moment, Julian pulled the curtains closed figuring it would be better for the night. With how some people were around here, he didn’t need them peeking into his windows, even if he was on the second floor. He had thought at first that it would be impossible for anyone to actually look into them, however he was proven wrong when he woke up in the middle of the night once. It had been after he got home from a trip to Japan and the jet lag had nearly killed him. Passing out on his bed the moment he got home, Julian slept through most of the day into the night. However, his need for food had finally gotten to him and he woke up. Not really paying much attention to his windows, Julian had come out of the shower to find Kacey perched on his window sill grinning at him through the window. Needless to say that had been the last time he had kept his curtains open during the middle of the night. How she had managed to scale the side of the mansion to get there he would never know but she did.

Pulling the last one shut, he walked back to where Selena was quirking an eyebrow at her questions as to whether or not he enjoyed her outfit fittings. “Must I remind you of our time at your seamstress? When we nearly took the walls out of the changing room with how appealing I found one of your outfits?” he threw back at her a grin appearing on his face as he remembered that day. It had been quite an interesting one as had the one in Paris. Selena had dragged him shopping into one of the local boutiques near their hotel and they ended up scaring away several customers with their actions in the changing room. Needless to say it was worth it for the store owner as they had ended up buying several things including the outfit he had torn to shreds trying to get at his mate. Despite how much sex the two seemed to have, it wasn’t all about it. Even with Julian’s braining going to it almost eighty percent of the time. He still liked a great deal of things about Selena that had nothing to do with her body. For one, she had somehow been able to see past his ass like comments. Not to mention she always had a way of making him calm when his anger flared even if it was with a touch or a word his way. How they worked, he would never know given that they were both stubborn in their own ways.

The conversation about his mother or lack there off seemed to go in one ear and out the other. He wasn’t in the mood to talk about the woman that gave him life. It was nice to know that at least Selena understood why he was the way he was. Or what had caused him to be like this, but that was as far as he wanted to go with it. No matter how long he lived, he would always think that his brother was better off. He might not have had their mother around but he had other family that wanted him there. Instead he placed a gentle kiss on her neck and shoulder. “Well I wouldn’t leave you to face your mother’s wrath all alone. If anything she can throw some china at me.” he added in a teasing voice a low growl emitting from his mouth as he pressed himself against the younger woman’s form.

Selena’s snappy comment about shutting up about the boat only got him chuckling more. He found it amusing that he was able to at least get a bit of control over himself. The fact that he hadn’t ripper her clothing into pieces was beyond a miracle this time. Despite wanting to continue prolonging the teasing by further discussing the boat issue, Julian stayed quite on the matter and simply smirked against the exposed skin he currently adored. If anything he could always bring it up later on when the time was more appropriate. With her exposed neck in view, the young hybrid took that moment to his advantage. Letting his fangs out, he pierced the skin, throwing nothing but pleasure towards his mate. The one good thing about being a vampire was he was able to control his bite. If he wanted the receiver to suffer he could do so by intensifying the pain, or as he was doing now, magnifying the pleasure she felt from it.

Julian was doing his best not to give into his own needs right now. He had been turned on the moment she tugged her shirt off but so far he was keeping it in his pants, for the most part at least. No he wanted to tease her just a bit before he let loss and gave into both his animalistic needs. The sample of blood he was getting only made it harder as there really was something about Selena’s blood that made it that much more appealing. He had already drunk from several humans before and knew what just about every blood type was like. However, with Selena it was something completely different. His eyes turned red as the liquid hit his lip, the smell alone putting him over the edge. Before he could completely lose control Julian pulled back licked the wound clean.

Hearing her manage to answer his teasing question, Julian grinned slipping his hand out of her garments quickly. Feeling her butt rubbing against him only succeeded in pushing him over the edge. Spinning Selena around, Julian maneuvered her towards the bed, pushing her onto it before he took hold of her pant legs. He didn’t need another comment about ruining another favourite pair of jeans so instead; he quickly pulled them off throwing them behind himself. The floor was already littered with clothing and Julian simply added more to the pile. Making quick work of his own clothing, he threw it with Selena’s discarded garments before grinning down at the young woman swinging his hips a bit for show. Walking to the bed, he stood at the edge, pulling Selena’s legs around his waist trailing his finger down her smooth skin as he moved forward. “You’ve known this already, yet you still proceed to undress in front of me…” he pointed out a sly smirk on his face. Still grinning, he captures the young woman’s lips in a heated kiss, grinding his hips against her trying to use the last bit of control he had from snapping completely. When he did, he’s animal instincts took over and made sex quite rough as he wasn’t thinking about what he was.

[Selena Torres]

As soon as they had entered the room, getting comfortable popped straight into Selena’s mind. The strong need to get her feet out of the shoes and the heavy denim fabric off her legs nearly took over every single thought in her mind. Her breast had ached from her bra confining them since early that morning in Paris. She hadn’t wanted to be touched by anyone and had nearly taken the hand off the security guard that had pulled her side for ‘suspicious contraband’. The only suspicious contraband she was about to have was his hand for a souvenir.

This hadn’t been how Selena had imagined her evening after getting off the plane less than an hour ago. Watching him pull the last of the curtains closed, she huffed slightly trying not to blush at the reminder of those events. She did not want to talk about the event at her seamstress. Having sex in public had never even crossed her mind until Julian had made the first move after she’d appeared before in him a emerald blue and gold sequenced costume. It hadn’t been one of her more showy ones; it was in fact something more suitable for dancing at the palace before the king, queen, and their guests. “I’ll never understand the male mind no matter how much time I spend with you it seems.”

A smile couldn’t help but form over her lips when he completely blew off her small comment about wishing he had a different mother. Maybe that was for the best. They had plenty of time to talk about those sorts of things later. And talking about her own mother wasn’t what had her engine firing up. All her mind kept thinking about was his body being pressed right against her back until she was leaning into him to feel every muscle down his chest and into his legs. The growl rumbled from his chest, to vibrate through her body until she realized just how exciting she found him growling.

Control wasn’t what Selena wanted for Julian right then. He had all the time in the world to be controlling and cold towards the other vampires in the mansion. What she couldn’t live without right then was him being completely free. She needed her mate to be the animal she knew he loved to lock away. She might have complained about him ripping her clothes apart but there was something familiar about him doing that, something that called to her making her never want him to go back to the old ways of removing her clothes. She couldn’t explain it in words, but all she knew was that each time he snapped and completely destroyed her clothes it only made her want him more. After a year of being with Julian, she knew that by exposing her neck like she had she left temptation right under his nose and lips. A half vampire needed to feed almost as much as a full one and Julian normally had a large appetite. So when his fangs extended to sink into her flesh, she wasn’t that surprised but the gasp which hung in the air came only from the intense pleasure that rocked her body. Between them, she’d never had a painful experience giving blood to him. Each time she’d only felt pleasure that tickled her toes until her body was warm and craving something more.

Lifting one hand, she placed her palm over his cheek while he feed from her neck. Each pull of her blood into her mouth caused her to moan deeper and deeper until she was practically begging for him to keep going. The first time Julian had taken her blood, the pleasure was so much for Selena that she had climaxed just from it. That was an experience she hoped never to experience since Julian wouldn’t let her live it down. And just like that, he pulled away, licking the marks closed to prevent anymore blood loss. A shiver ran down her spine at his wet tongue scrapping against her skin while the hand fell back down to her side to let him take care of her.

Instead cold air greeted Selena’s body when Julian’s hand jerked away from her. She cried out in protest, slowly coming back down out of the high she’d been in. There was no time to call out his name before she was spun in her heels and pushed on to the bed where her butt bounced once, twice, three times before she settled and looked up at him. Her large brown eyes stared up, completely innocent to having finally pushed the right buttons to get him over his edge like he had done for her by biting at her ear. Sitting up on her elbows, at the pressure around her legs, her eyes turned away from Julian’s to her jeans as his fingers tugged on them and they slid straight from her limbs without much protest. Oh how she knew that feeling. The last of her clothing was thrown on the floor causing her to shiver. It wasn’t until she realized how chilly his room was until he was no longer standing right beside her.

However, her mind was pulled out of its cold stump to watch Julian peel his layers off his body allowing her eyes to gaze over every inch of his skin. Her teeth clamped down on her lower lip, a battle not to laugh as he wiggled his hips. His advanced movements towards her had a deep affect on her legs; they parted just in time for him to step between them until they were wrapped around his waist like they were meant to be there. “I just love teasing you, I guess.” A grin of her own shined back at him while leaning on her back to give her elbows a break. But when his lips descended upon hers, her body arched upwards him, the passion behind the kiss easily ready by her body. Digging her heels into his lower back, she rolled her body up against his, whimpering behind the kiss in a silent plead for him to keep going. Needing him closer, her fingers slid into his hair, lightly scrapping at his scalp with her nails.

[Julian Holt]

It seemed that a few hours could change a lot especially when it came to Selena. He couldn’t help remember the incident at the airport where she had almost bitten the guards hand off for even thinking about touching her. They had seemed to have a problem when getting through the gate in Paris. For whatever reason it had been, things turned out well, at least for the most part. Julian feared that had the guard even tried to be rough with the woman, she would have been arrested and they’d have missed their flight. If anything he could have simply tried to compel the guard but watching her frustration was entertaining to say the least. Now it seemed she couldn’t get enough of him running his hands over her body. The small whimper of protest he had heard when his hand pulled out of her jeans hadn’t gone unnoticed. It only motivated the hybrid to pounce on the exotic woman and have his ways with her.

That was exactly what he planned to do. Now that he was off that plane and back at home in his own bed, it was weird thinking about it. He hadn’t been here in a almost a year, not since Rebeckah had lured him onto some island. After a while the heat hadn’t been that bad and once he invested in lighter clothing, it was far easier to bear. “It’s fairly simply Luna, he only have one thing on our minds.” he added teasingly. It wasn’t hard to figure out a man’s brain especially Julian’s. He enjoyed the company of woman and highly enjoyed sex. Granted it might not always be the only thing on his mind, it often ventured towards the regardless of what was going on.

His mate wasn’t much help when it came to keeping his mind away from thinking about sex. Merely exposing her neck to him drove the man crazy. He might have mixed blood but he’s nourishment habits were from his father’s side, and the mere smell of blood got him going let alone someone willingly exposing their neck to him. When things first started between him and Selena, Julian tired his best not to give into those urges to drink. Her blood smelt amazing to him, and he couldn’t resist sometimes. However, once they finally took that step it seemed Selena enjoyed the encounter just as much as he did. Now she used it against him in a teasing manner of all things. Trying his best, he only took a small amount of her blood not wanting to drain the poor woman. It was another way he was managing his control over the animalistic urges that took him over. Right now that control was slipping and quickly.

Pulling away from her neck, there was blood dripping from his fangs and lips, as he licked it clean not wanting Selena to turn around to see such a site. He had always drank from him without the young woman having to see how much pleasure blood brought to him. Turning his head against her hand, he kissed her palm before moving away more. Running his hand over his face, he made sure all blood was gone before he turned Selena around, a smirk already appearing on his face. Once he finished his own strip tease, Julian took a moment to let his blue eyes take in her form on his bed. The way her hair fell over her shoulders, the way her breasts perked up at the cool air in the room, or the dip of her stomach as she propped herself up on the bed. The curves of her hips, the ones he couldn’t get his eyes off when she moved them during her dancing or her smooth and lusciously long legs. The mere sight of her finally pushed him to the edge as a low growl escaped his lips again his eyes flashing red for a moment in the heat of the moment.

Deepening the hungry kiss, Julian’s hands took their time roaming very inch of her body he could get to. Feeling her body arch forward towards him, Julian slide his hands around her, holding her frame up off the bed his mouth pulling away from hers for a moment. Finding Selena to be quite light, holding her up didn’t bring him much strain or thought for the matter. Taking a quick breath, Julian trailed his mouth along her neck, blowing some air on the moist spot he had cleaned recently. This would hopefully send another shiver through her body as he moved lower nipping and biting any exposed skin he could find before his mouth enclosed over her breast. While paying her attention, he slowly lowered Selena to the mattress, keeping his arm around her for now, using his free arm to bring her closer plunging himself into her moist body no longer able to resist.

[Selena Torres]

Sex had never been one of the top thoughts in Selena’s mind as she’d grown up on the island. It hadn’t appealed to her to get that intimate with anyone unless she honestly trusted them to have the opportunity to hurt her but not do so. However, Julian had awoken something within her that craved his touch and to be as close as humanly possible. It would have been easy to say it happened the first time he took off his shirt while in the plaza with her, but there was something more to him. It wasn’t just physical. The sex had come as an afterthought after teasing him around the palace. The guy was as much a necessity in her life as dance was. Something she could live without but life would be less fulfilling.

It was hard not to laugh at Julian’s blunt response to her not being able to understand the male mind. He had a point, they did, for the most part, contemplate sex all the time. He was no exception since those times she thought her outfits were completely innocent and non-sexy, he would grab her around the waist to pull to the nearest bed…or wherever they were at. There had been some mighty interesting places they’d had sex at and she purred at every single one when they popped into her mind. “Then for once, I’m not going to complain about that one thing.” Because it was the only thing she had on her mind since Julian’s hands kept running up and down her heated skin. Her mind kept picturing just where his hands were going to end up until she was moaning at both her own imagination and his actions.

Panting softly, Selena shrugged to control her body when Julian removed his fangs from her neck. One hand had curled her fingers around his arm at her waist, a sad attempt to remain in control. Just like her mate, she was losing control over her body and its high demands it was crying out for. Tremors ran down her spine, straight to her legs causing them to nearly crumble. She had no desire to embarrass herself by toppling over from his small feeding, the young woman had more self respect than that. Her blood was rushing through her veins, a testament to her own addiction to him drinking from her. It gave her a type of high that she would never have gotten if she’d taken any sort of drugs as a teenager. His ability to pull away without so much as an indication that he was as affected by his drinking as she, was annoyed her. Being drained wasn’t a thought she wanted to have, but it would have been nice to know or see him struggling to remain strong against the heat burning between them.

Selena leaned her head back so it rested against his chest, smiling at the kiss pressed against her palm while she cradled Julian’s face. Content to remain in her spot for a while longer, she pouted at him pulling away, out of her hand. The young woman really was oblivious to the effect blood had on Julian. It wasn’t a topic they normally had since she was still trying to come to terms with loving a hybrid who lived in both worlds but at the same time didn’t. She accepted him drinking from her neck but aside from the growing mass at her back she was ignorant to the working of the vampire psychic. Staring up at him while propped up on the bed, her eyes skimmed over his face with its familiar grin plastered to it, across his chest, and down his abs until she caught sight of his erection. Awhile back, she would have blushed by simply looking at his body too closely. Now, she licked her lips like a hungry cat eying its next meal. The growl snapped her eyes straight up to his face making her mouth go dry finally seeing his need for her. The flash of his eye color had always been a good hint to his emotions. In their room, it had only meant one thing.

Moaning into the kiss, her fingers slid out of his hair to wrap around his shoulders where her nails scrapped at his shoulder blades. All her mind could think about was his large hands tracing the outline of her curves and the lust, need for him to get inside her. Opening her eyes, she blinked a few times, fighting against her lust and failing, to see what was going on in order to cause Julian to pull out of the kiss. The arms around her created another arch of her body towards his, until her chest was pressed firmly against his. She hummed in pleasure the instant his mouth skimmed over her neck, she titled back her head to once more expose it without thinking. The young woman was playing with fire a voice whispered in the back of her mind but she kicked it away. If she was going to die, she was going to do so happily. Instead, she shivered delightfully as hot air was blown over her neck right where she’d been bitten. Her arms tightened around his body wishing he would stop teasing her.

One leg slid free, to run up and down Julian’s leg as she continued to grind up against his hips. It was the most obvious way she could get him to understand she needed him without saying so. His ego was already big enough, if she had to cry out, beg for it, there was no telling how life would be for them. He didn’t seem to hear her plead as his mouth fell upon her tender breast sending another gentle moan out of her mouth. Feeling her back pressed back down to the mattress, she wanted to groan in frustration believing he was just going to keep teasing her until she was a hot mess. The shift of his hip finally brought her relief. Falling back on the bed, her back arched up while her legs tightened around his waist once more. “Yes…” The word was nothing more than a whisper across her lips but clearly hearable in the silent room.

Not in the mood for slow and sweet, Selena thrusted her hip up towards her mate. He had better start moving before she took over. After the long plane right and the security guard, she was still in a fiery temper and needed a way to relax. Looking up at him, her eyes begged him, saying without words what she required from him.