---mon amour [Closed]

[Julian Holt]

* * * * *

Wiping his hands on his jeans, Julian pushed some hair out of his face as he heard his phone beeping with yet another text message. Staring down at the pile of ash that had once been a fledgling, he reached into his back pocket pulling his phone out. The screen read a summary of the message that Selena had sent his way. It seemed his friend was already giving the younger woman advice on places she should drag him to. Chuckling lightly to himself, he shook his head before replying to the message. Looking at the time, he figured there was still enough for him to head to the mansion to clean up before meeting up with Selena. After all it really wouldn’t be that great to walk into a restaurant covered in blood and other things. Pocketing his phone, Julian started kicking around the dust that was left from the body he had just decapitated.

Killing a fledging wasn’t a task he enjoyed anymore. However the vampire had gotten out of hand. He had decided to not listen to his maker and fed off almost two dozen people simply because he could get his hands on them. When his maker decided to try and control him, he took off. That was where Julian came in. The council found it far easier to have someone else do their dirty work it seemed. Not to mention they insisted that going after a vampire was better during the day when they are hiding from the sunlight. That was one of the things that Julian did among several others that he would rather keep to himself. Not all of them were that pleasant. Before he would have done it instantly, without any hesitation, now he often regretted it. The only reason he had started doing what he did was because of his father. Hated for him only instilled hatred for everything else he approved of.

Once the alley was clean, no trace left of anything having happened in it, Julian headed back to the mansion. It didn’t take him that long seeing as he was only in Queens. Walking into the mansion, he kicked the door closed Julian headed upstairs straight for his room. He didn’t even need to turn around to know that some of the council masters were already on his trail wanting to know what had happened. “It’s done. Now let me enjoy my night in peace.” he threw their way before heading into his room. A shower and a fresh change of clothing would do the trick to at least improve on his sour mood. Once everything was clean, he pulled on a pair of black jeans, a dark blue shirt and his leather jacket. The same one that Selena had stolen the first day they had met each other. He had been adamant in getting it back.

Looking at his phone, Julian headed down the stairs just as the mansion was slowly starting to get up. In his current mood, he didn’t want to stick around. He was looking forward to simply spending a nice night with his mate. Thinking about Selena, he started wondering what the young woman had been doing and what she might wear. After knowing her for so long, he had gotten used to her dramatic outfits. Turning the corner, Julian grinned when he caught sight of his mate. Keeping his hands in his jacket pocket, he walked over to where Selena was standing. “Senorita, if your date doesn’t come I’d be happy to show you a good time.” he offered teasingly wondering if she would know it was him at first or not.

[Selena Torres]

It was late by vampire time, by human time it was early morning. Selena was starting to see the differences Julian had faced while growing up in this mansion. It was eerie to walk down the hallways knowing the majority of the house was asleep still when she’d been up since dawn. At least her mate was able to sleep in. However, her mind was always so alert just as the moon would vanish and the sun would rise. It had been far too easy to slip out of bed without disturbing Julian that she was tempted to bounce on the bed a few times. Instead, she’d exited the room quietly to go exploring while most of the vampires were asleep. It didn’t take her long to get lost in the twist and turns of the halls causing her head to spin as each hall started to look like the other.

Around three in the afternoon, she was so turned around that she had to sit down in a random chair at the end of the hallway. Sighing, she debated on her odds of being found by Julian before another vampire did. She didn’t like those odds. Standing back up, she kept moving, trying to back track her way through the halls. Finally, she spotted the door to Julian’s room because of the very abstract painting across from it on the wall. Selena was no art major so he couldn’t have even begun to understand what the artist was trying to convey through the picture, but it almost felt like she was getting high off all the swirling colors. Turning away from the picture, she slipped into the room and shut the door firmly. Her eyes fell straight on the bed and arched up spotting one less body in it. Instead of a body on the bed, she spotted a black stretch dress that zipped up in the front with a note placed on top.

Selena,
Put this on, call Julian, and say meet you up at Cielo Dolce (it’s only a few blocks north). Trust me, he’s going to need to get away from here for a bit.
Love, Ana


Lifting up the dress, her eyes nearly popped out noticing it was her exact size. That was pretty creepy. However, it unnerved her to think that someone had been in their room without their knowledge, but since it was only Ana, Selena could forgive the vampiress. Besides, the dress was far too pretty not to wear. Picking up her cell phone, she sent a short message to Julian before glancing down at the dress. Did Ana know something she didn’t? Aside from his ‘father’, who was a giant pain in her backside, what did he need to get away from? So far there hadn’t been sign or sound of Kacey. Hopping into the shower, she washed off the grim that had collected over her skin while roaming the halls. Straightening her hair slightly, she ruffed it up before slipping the black dress on and frowning deeply at what occurred to her breast on account of the zipper. She couldn’t even zip the dress up all the way for crying out loud! Too late to change, she applied some make up before hunting down a pair of black high heels. She was going to have to find a way to make it up to Ana for the shoes and dress. The buzz of her phone told her, she had a text message and sure enough it was from Julian stating he’d see her there.

Passing a glance to the nearest clock, Selena quickly decided to leave for the restaurant to secure a table for them. Leaving the mansion, she had no desire to be caught alone in the halls as the sun was starting to descend in the sky. Not with that dress on. It only took her about ten minutes to reach the place with her high heels on. It seemed dancing and running up and down palace stairs had really done her legs well. Outside in the spring weather, people were lined up clearly waiting for a table making her wonder just what kind of place Ana had recommended for them to go eat at. Spotting the host at the small table close to the door, taking down names, she placed them on the waiting list and stepped off to the side, hoping Julian would show up soon.

Getting lost in her own thoughts, she paid little attention to what was going on around her as her eyes stared up at the skyscrapers. She was far too used to the open skies and for her to suddenly be in a city that thrived on being higher and higher up in the sky, it was a little daunting. Her world was snapped back into reality by the voice of some guy having snuck up on her causing her to grind her teeth. “Por qué arrogante hijo de un…” The words halted on her lips when she turned on her heels to come face to face with a very lean and toned chest. Her eyes skimmed up the dark blue shirt, over the familiar leather jacket and straight up into her favorite pair of blue eyes. “Julian.” A faint blush slid over her cheeks feeling very ashamed of the words she had allowed to leave her mouth.

“You make me feel over dressed.” Grinning at him, she leaned up, placing a hand over the center of his chest for stability while her lips skimmed over his cheek in a soft kiss.

Translation: Why you arrogant son of a…

[Julian Holt]

There were days that Julian simply woke up and knew that it wasn’t going to be a good day. He had thought that this morning when he woke up. Looking at this watch, he found out that it was already late in the morning meaning he had slept in. Normally Julian was a fan of sleeping in. However, today he had things to do. Being one of the few who could walk around in the daytime made it so everyone wanted a piece of him, even if they didn’t exactly like him to begin with. Julian knew how to play the game and to play it well at least that was what he thought. One of the few reasons why he was still around the coven was because he really had nowhere else that would accept him. His attempted at fitting in over on the lycan island hadn’t gone over that well. Granted he hadn’t gone there with intensions of fitting in. Instead, his initial purpose had been to take something away from his half brother. Who would have thought he’d find himself heading in a completely unexpected direction? Julian defiantly did not expect to go there and come back with a mate.

That was how life seemed to roll with him lately. Once he had found out the time, he glanced at the other side of the bed already knowing that Selena was up. She seemed to always be up with the sun which really didn’t make sense to him. It might just be that he preferred to sleep in whenever he could. Why not sleep was great and it meant not having to deal with annoying and sometimes idiotic people. Rolling out of bed had been heard but the young hybrid had been able to make it to the bathroom before throwing himself into a shower. That usually did the trick when it came to waking him up. Figuring that Selene was out doing something or another, Julian simply went about doing what he needed to. Grabbing a quick drink from the fridge, Julian headed out having already listened to instructions on what he needed to do. Granted he wasn’t new when it came to these things.

Finding out after his interesting day that Selena wanted to head outside of the mansion for a while, was a godsend. He didn’t need to be in the mansion again that night, listening to either another lecture or have the council give him something else to do. It really was all the same after a while. While heading towards the restaurant, Julian wondered what have caused his mate to suddenly feel the need to head outside. Of course they were in New York but usually they spent the day doing something. Not that he minded the idea at all. It would get his mind off of things and he could tease his mate.

When he finally approached her, the young hybrid threw some guesses in his head as to what she might say and do to the cheesy pick up line he was trying to use on her. Hearing the Spanish come out of her mouth, he chuckled lightly. The words did fit him quite well; he had to give her credit for that. ”I’ll give you one thing, my mom is defiantly a bitch…” he added his eyebrows quirking when Selena turned around. He defiantly did not expect her to be wearing what she was. Instantly his grin widened as he snaked an arm around her waist, his other hand coming up to playfully tug on the zipper of her dress. “Oh I am defiantly not complaining about how you’re dressed Luna.” he pointed out tugging the zipper down a fraction. His day was defiantly going to at least have an interesting ending that’s for sure. ”Now where’d you get this, I defiantly haven’t seen it yet. Might have to be careful with this one.” he added teasingly before pressing a quick kiss to her lips. Some day Julian wouldn’t admit it but having Selena around made his life just a bit more bearable.

Looking over at the host at the door, he nodded at the man before turning his attention to Selena. ”Ready to eat?” he asked before leading Selena inside. “Mr.Holt, glad to have you back again. Table for two?” he asked making sure it would only be the two of them. ”Just us and you’re right it has been a while.” He had been there a couple of times before and knew the people so it was a bit easier to get a table at times. It helped that he had done the owner a small favour a while back that put him in owner’s good grace. Once at the table, he pulled Selena’s chair out waiting for her to sit down before he did the same.

[Selena Torres]

Selena had no idea why Ana would suggest her and Julian get away from the mansion for awhile. It wasn’t like they always stuck around, there weren’t many days since those first three ones where they didn’t go somewhere. However, something must have happened after she had woken up to explore around the place. She was no mind reader, hadn’t been able to read any signs of what he might need to do. In truth, she felt like a terrible mate if Ana knew Julian better than she did. Of course, the vampiress probably did. The two of them had grown up together; she was really the one that had thrown herself into his life. Flinching, she tried to bring her mind away from that thought as she waited outside the restaurant. However every time she did, something would bring her right back to it.

Could Selena explain why she had inserted herself into Julian’s life back at the palace? She’d thought it was just another way to get him back for flirting with her one day and any other woman he could get near the next. At the time it had seemed reasonable, nothing too dramatic but not too subtle since he likely wouldn’t have noticed it. It would have been easy to say she’d done it because she’d been bored with all the noble lords and ladies that she was hoping that he might be able to spice up her life. She would have been willing to admit to either of those aloud. But honestly? She’d seen the pain every time he’d taunt Henry, forcing the lycan prince to hate him by opening flirting with Elina. It hadn’t been anything big to give him away, Julian was too well rehearsed in his acting of the cold son of the vampire master. His eyes had given him away. A flick off to the side whenever he was about to do something he really didn’t want, as if he was composing himself and cutting off the part of his brain associated with feelings towards family.

Being laughed at for her rash outburst caused her face to darken while her eyes stared up at his. She wasn’t the type to look away when she was in the wrong like some submissive pup. “I didn’t realize it was you.” It wouldn’t have been the first time some guy said some crude pick up line to her. The last time it had occurred had been in Spain while she had been waiting for Julian to finish paying for their meal, she had go outside to enjoy the sights of the city they were in for that week. The blush fell away from her face, replaced by a smile at the arm encircling her body to force her to step closer to her mate. A soft tap was heard from her high heel falling on the pavement. When the zipper was tugged on, one hand came up to lightly slap his hand, giving him a playful warning look. The click from the zipper being pulled enough to lower it just a minor way caused her to laugh, knowing better than a simple look to make him stop. “We’re in public, do be on your best behavior. The zipper is honestly zipped as far as it will go and I still feel like I’m about to pop out.” The dress was less revealing then her costumes, but at least those were made with the idea someone was going to be twirling around in them. They were made to be secure around the chest. Selena didn’t trust the zipper to remain in it’s proper place.

The implied compliment was enough to make her be a little grateful for the way the dress was made. “You’ll have to thank Ana for it then. I was just the model for it.” Reaching up, one of her hands curled around the nap of his neck, rubbing her thumb against his pulse while her lips pressed against his, happy for the contact after being away for most of the day. “Please do. I don’t want to think about how much Ana spent on this. It fits far too well to be something off a rack.” That was no lie. The dress hugged along every curve of her body like a second layer of skin, riding up slightly whenever she took a step. It was not a dress wore to just any date, it was one meant for someone a woman was serious about and had every intention of doing something later on in it.

Looking over, she heard the host and nodded at Julian. She was starving in fact. The last time she’d eaten had been a bagel she had taken from the kitchen before going on her adventure. So yes, she was ready to eat. Following him inside, her eyes roamed around the place finding the décor feeling like she was at an Italian home in the country. Ah, so that was why Ana had suggested the place. Julian ate there enough that they knew his name. Storing the information away in her mind for later, she brushed a kiss over his cheek as her chair was pulled out. It was sweet and would only not say something for the sake of the date. Sitting down, she smiled a thank you to the host as he handed her a menu. “So, Mr. Holt, what would you recommend?” Grinning at him, she teased him before opening her menu when the host left them.

[Julian Holt]

Julian still found himself wondering why in the world Selena had even found any interest in him. When he had first arrived on the island, he pretended to be the nice new guy that everyone knew. He had talked to just about anyone commoner or help in order to his image established among them so they wouldn’t suspect anything. It had been a good plan at least that was what Julian thought. No one had suspected he might be the crazy ex Queens son coming back with her to cause some trouble. Once Rebeckah revealed herself however, things changed about Julian. He started showing people a different side of himself. One that was cold, and a completely asshole who wanted nothing more than to ruin his half brothers life. He had proceeded to hit on Henry’s mate Elina all the time no matter if Henry was there or not. Along with that, he simply went after just about any woman that would even glance at him for a moment. That was what he wanted to show people and that was what they got. No matter what happened he would always give his opinion and often times push people’s buttons just because he could. He even pushed Elina to the edge when she had tried to bring him and Henry together as a family.

His mind had been on one thing, that he didn’t need a family. A family would only slow him down and in the end a family would simply abandon him. That was all he really knew about life. His mother had done so and the only reason his father even considered keeping him around was because he had found him useful. The moment he stopped being useful, Julian knew he would be back on his own again with no family to speak of. It was one of the reasons why Julian often left first. He figured if he left first, then he couldn’t be left behind or hurt. It was a defense mechanism that he hoped no one would see. At least he didn’t allow anyone to see it. Even now when he was with Selena, he knew that it wouldn’t last. He might have feelings for the woman and care for her but he wasn’t going to risk anything further. He knew he that she would do the same thing everyone else did and simply leave. It was bound to happen; at least that was what his mind was telling him. Granted he had been surprised already when Selena decided to follow him off the island that day.

Right now he was simply going to enjoy being with someone. After years of simply sleeping around with whoever he could bed that day, Julian found it surprisingly comfortable to know that Selena was around. The woman gave him relief from life as well as many other things. It was why her outburst was quite funny to him. One of the many things that had caught his interest about the young Hispanic woman was her stubbornness and inability to back down no matter what the situation was. “Understandable, given what you’re wearing I’m surprised there isn’t a line of men trying to pick you up.” he added teasingly. The arm around her waist tightening in a somewhat protective manor. His fascination with her dress seemed to already get him a warning look, which naturally he ignored going about what he wanted to do. Tugging the zipper down one notch only earned him a light smack and another warning. “Now Luna, when has us being in public ever stopped me from misbehaving?” he pointed out his eyebrows rising as he looked down at the zipper again noticing what a tight confinement her chest was currently in. “Well my dear, I could always fix that problem for you, but alas you’ve already asked me to behave myself today.” he added sighing playfully in a defeated manner.

His curious nature came out when he heard that his close friend had been the one behind the attire his mate was currently wearing. Not that he was complaining on the matter, far from it, but he was curious as to why she felt the need to dress Selena up. “Well she seems to know you well enough already. The dress is quite… fitted it seems, makes me wonder if anything fit under it…” he added his hand sliding from the small of her back to cup her butt cheek as he grinned playfully. His mind had already wondered to the possibility of there being any undergarments beneath the fabric of the dress. It seemed he would have to find out later. “Don’t worry Luna I’ll be sure to thank her.” he added placing another quick kiss on her lips.

The interior of the restaurant was quite lavish and had a classic Italian feel to it. The walls were lined with a brick décor, giving it a more authentic feel for an old restaurant one might find in the heart of any small city in Italy. Adding to the feel was the mouth watering home style aroma that filled the place from top to bottom. Every night the place was packed full, the line often going on for hours for those who did not plan ahead. Once they were seated, Julian opened the menu before chuckling at her words. “Well Ms. Torres, it depends on what you are in the mood for. Their Tortolloni Campagnola is quite delicious, as well as their fettuccine alfredo. But it really depends on what you’d like to have.” he explained before looking up at her from his menu. One of the waiters came by asking them for their drink orders to start. Julian let Selena order her drink first before getting them a bottle of white wine. Closing his menu, he set it on the table before leaning back in his chair a bit. “I’m curious as to what sparked this idea for a night out.” he asked not that he was complaining at all. He himself found it nice to get his mind off these mornings’ endeavors.

[Selena Torres]

Selena had known before meeting Julian, he was her destiny. Not that she had known it would be exactly him when they had first danced in the plaza. But a local gypsy had foretold her future being intertwined with a ‘handsome man with mixed blood’. The fortune had been so vague it had slipped out of her mind until her mate’s mother had opened her big stupid mouth about Julian being her son and the son of a vampire master. Even then, it had taken a while for the memory to resurface in her mind. Before that memory had snapped back to her brain, she had known she wanted to beside Julian for as long as he’d allow her.


One day, Selena’s mouth was going to get her in some serious trouble. It was hard for her to control her temper when someone tried to either take charge over her or gain an unfair advantage on her. The only one who could say she didn’t mind him trying to tame her just a little was Julian, but those were rare moments when she felt extremely calm or relaxed and let him do as he pleased. “Is that jealousy I hear in your voice?” Selena grinned up at her mate, feeling his arm tighten around her waist forcing her to get even closer to him. The dress, it seemed, was truly designed to get her in major trouble either in the form of Julian or some other guy trying to pick her up. Thankfully, no one had been brave enough to step up before Julian had arrived. “And when has something I said ever stopped you from acting as you please?” It hadn’t stopped him in the changing room in Paris or her favorite seamstress at Isla. He only seemed to love the temptation of making love to her in places completely forbidden to such acts.

“I’ve had fitted dress before…this is like a second layer of skin.” A blush began to grow over her cheeks before completely exploding into a deep crimson at the hand sliding away from her lower back. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up while her lower lip parts knowing very well where the hand was headed before it stopped. Gasping softly, she jumped up on her toes, pressing herself against him closer, her fingers curling tightly around the base of his neck. “You don’t want the answer to that.” Because in truth, she had nothing under the dress. There had been no room without any underwear showing through! If Ana didn’t make her laugh and love Julian in her own way, Selena would have been tempted to murder the vampiress. Pressing her lips back against his, she moaned softly only loud enough for him to hear.

The whole restaurant smelled like heaven to Selena. Peeking from behind her menu so only her eyes were visible, she laughed on the inside knowing she was killing all chance he had of looking at her chest for the next few minutes. It wasn’t healthy the obsession she had caught in his eyes while they’d simply been standing outside. Then again, he was a male so if he wasn’t looking at her chest she might have been concerned about his sexuality. “Fettuccine sounds amazing right now.” Ok, food in general sounded amazing right then. Getting lost in the mansion had really killed all chance of her eating a descent meal since getting up. But thick noodles covered in a warm cheese sauce sounded so mouth wateringly good that she would have strip teased someone to get her hands on a bowl. Smiling up at the waiter, she hummed for a moment trying to decide what she wanted to drink before settling on water. Licking her lip, she smirked hearing Julian order a bottle of wine. She’d have to watch how many she had, damn him. The young woman wasn’t a heavy drinker. The odds were always high she’d end up sleeping with Julian at the end of any night, but add a few drinks to her system and Selena was really up for anything.

Sure of what she was going to eat, she placed her menu as well on the table and rested her chin in her hands while her elbows sat on the table. “I think Ana knew something I didn’t. I wasn’t going to object to you taking me out for a nice meal.” Smiling at him, she tilted her head causing her curls to tumble over her shoulder to one side, exposing the curve of her neck on the other. Under the table, her leg reached over and ran up the pant leg of Julian’s, slow and steady just enough for him to feel a bit of her calf along with the sexy black heel strapped to her foot.

[Julian Holt]

There were only a few things in his life that Julian had been jealous about. He had been jealous of his half brother having a far better and caring life then he ever did. He was jealous that despite his mother being around, Henry had a loving family that actually gave a damn about him and about what happened to him. Now not only did he have a loving family but he was also starting a family of his own with a mate, a child and another one on the way. How could he not be jealous of his perfect brother having an equally perfect life to boot? Most of his life Julian had simply wanted nothing more than to have someone in his life that gave a damn about him. At first he thought it was just how his parents were. However when he saw how both his older brothers were treated, he knew it was simply him. At one point in his life, Julian had just had enough and tried to end the misery that was his life. Luckily there were a few people in his life who cared.
Hearing Selena asking him if he was jealous only brought up those thoughts again. Of why it was he did certain things and not others. Looking over at the woman, he tried to brush it off, replacing his few second frown with a smirk again. “Now why would I be? I simply didn’t want anyone else snatching you up for the night.” he added teasingly still keeping his eyes on her and that dress. He made a mental note to thank Ana the woman did have good tastes in clothing it seemed. She had often helped him pick things out for special occasions but he seemed to enjoy what she chose for Selena far more. ”Hmm you are right about that. Mean’s you’ll have to behave so I don’t simple do what I please with you out in public.” he added playfully remember their various odd encounters in public places. It was just far more interesting that ways sometimes. At least that was what Julian thought granted he was a guy and that was all they thought about.

The question as to whether or not she was wearing anything under her dress would have to wait. If they wanted to eat they had to head in now and as much as Julian wanted to forget food right now, he figured Selena could use a decent meal. Living in a mansion full of vampires with very little thought to food made it quite hard to get a decent meal every day. Selena was defiantly not helping that matter of trying to keep him from tearing the dress off her body and having his way with the woman right where they stood now. The soft sounds she was making have Julian already getting worked up and they hadn’t even sat down for their meal. Trying to keep himself from jumping the younger woman then and there, Julian simply focused his mind on other things, or at least he tried. It wasn’t that easy. A pout came on his lips when he noticed the menus going up covering the view he had that Selena’s dress was providing for him. “Now that is completely not fair Luna, abstracting my view like that.” he added looking through the menu himself before settling on some ravioli. Once the waiter came back again to get their orders, he let Selena go first before getting himself a small plate of ravioli. Sitting up in his seat, he watched the waiter pour the wine into some glasses before looking over at Selena.

Setting his menu down on the table, he took a quick sip of the wine provided for them while they waited to get served. He could tell that Selena was fishing for an answer as to why Ana felt the need to dress her up and send her out on a date with him. It seemed that the young vampire woman still knew him well enough to know what a downer he would be after one of his runs for the council. He had usually dragged her or Dustin out for the night after one of his day tasks and it seemed Ana thought he would needed a distraction. The woman was right about that and spending time out with his mate was defiantly taking his mind off of it. At least for now, until he started thinking about it again. “You’re right Ana does know one thing you might not. But right now I rather not spoil the evening.” he added hoping she would understand that. If not explaining the whole story might just ruin the mood they both seemed to be in. Watching her hair fall off her shoulders, Julian couldn’t help but grin in a surprised manner when he felt her leg brushing up against his.

At this rate he really wasn’t going to be able to resist the woman sitting in front of him. First she wore a dress that was causing her to pop out of it, and now she was teasing him knowing full well that he wanted nothing more than to have his hands all over his mate. Lucky for him, the waiter came back soon with their meals setting it in front of them. While he did this, Julian smirked innocently slipping his hand under the table to catch her foot as it moved against his. Keeping it there, he let his fingers trail along the smooth skin acting as if he wasn’t doing anything.

[Selena Torres]

The expression which fell over Julian’s face puzzled Selena. She’d only been teasing when she’d asked if he was jealous. Granted, if the situation was reversed she wasn’t sure if she would have been jealous or just proud to have such an attractive mate. Being human while hanging around lycans and vampires were starting to mess with the way her brain functioned. There were times she saw someone getting pushed around and her human side would rise up, wanting to protect them. But other times, she started to see that not every time another being was being pushed around was for the other party member’s amusement. There were rules to playing in a society that wasn’t human. Lycan society had been the same, they were more animalistic but at least there she had known not standing up for herself was a sure sign of weakness. Under Tristan’s rule, a human standing up for herself or himself was a go ahead for a vampire to remind them who was higher on the food chain. She was going to need to realize those rules before she got herself into some serious hot water for opening her mouth. As much as it ate at her pride, the young woman would have to play the meek and silent human when too many unknown vampires were around.

Selena refused to be the reason for Julian having to get into stupid fights because she couldn’t understand her place in this world wasn’t the same as on the Isla. Losing her mate because of her actions would only bite at her thoughts to the point she couldn’t take it anymore. If that meant she had to accept being called ‘thing’ or ‘it’, she’d learn to lock down her tongue and work out her anger in other ways. A few blows to her pride wouldn’t kill her. Instead of replying to his remark about someone snatching her up, she gave him a smile and shrugged. As if someone would be more interesting to her then Julian. She loved him, maybe she didn’t say it often enough but, she did. Sometimes, saying ‘I love you’ was overrated, overused, and understated. The saying actions speak louder than words worked perfectly for them.

Watching him continue to look at the dress, she was pretty positive that if she said she wasn’t hungry he would have led her straight back to the mansion in a hurry. However, she was hungry so his appetite for something not involving food would have to wait. Food then, more likely than not, sex. Ana’s plan to get Julian’s mind away from whatever he had been up to was clearly working. Acting as if she was skimming over the menu, a very obvious mischievous glint sparked in her eyes while holding it up to cover her chest from view. It would have been just as easy to keep the list of food options on the table, but it was far more fun to watch Julian get annoyed by the small action. “My love, you never play fair. Why should I?” Turning her attention to the waiter, she smiled warmly up at the guy while ordering the fettuccine. It wasn’t until her order was taken that she passed the menu over to the waiter, returning the view her dress gave back to Julian. She hardly noticed the waiter leaving as her attention was turned right back to her mate.

Picking up her glass, she sipped at the wine enjoying the slightly sweet taste that came along with the alcohol. As she put the glass back down on the table, her finger trailed over the rim of it while her eyes watched his face for any signs when he spoke of what Ana might know. Wanting to know more, she was about to open her mouth when she slowly closed her lips. Maybe right then wasn’t the time to learn just what it was Julian did for the vampire council. It had taken some time to pick up, but she knew the basics. The vampire council used Julian for something, something that had eventually made him hate his father for forcing him to keep up with the ‘job’. If Ana thought having Selena distracted Julian was a good idea, then maybe she wasn’t ready for the truth to what Julian had been doing before coming to the Isla and into her life. Of course, sooner or later her curiosity would get the better of her, but right then wasn’t the time. “Alright, I’ll concede this time.”

The smell of their food reached Selena’s nose just as the waiter returned with their orders. As pretty as her dish appeared, she was far too hungry to want to do anything but eat it. Picking up her napkin, she placed it in her lap but her eyes shot up to Julian’s in shock. A shiver ran the length of her spine when the fingers caught her leg. She hadn’t realized how chilly it was in the restaurant until the warm from his fingers swirled over her skin. Her leg stopped it’s movements while she licked her lips suddenly really thirsty knowing very well what was on Julian’s mind right then. It wasn’t the ravioli on his plate. The waiter had no idea what was occurring under the table as he told them to enjoy their meal before leaving them in peace. “Julian…” In a warning tone, she eyed him behind her thick lashes before swirling her fork in the pasta to tangle it around the prongs. The moment the mixture of warm noodles and creamy cheese sauce touched her tongue, a soft moan fell from her lips. It had been far too long since she’d enjoyed a good Italian meal.

[Julian Holt]

The lack of questions and anything coming from his mate really was making him wonder if something had happened. After knowing Selena for this long he had figured out that she wasn’t someone that would keep quite easily nor was she someone to let things slide. At least not when it came to things related to what he was hiding from her. There was always something he preferred not to mention or talk about figuring it simply not important. However, the younger woman seemed to think it was and constantly tried to get him to talk about it. Not that he wanted to really but it seemed being with a woman required such things. He remembered how Ana had always been nagging him to reveal everything to him to a point where he just stopped letting her know that anything was happening. There was no point in having people worry when the situation had nothing to do with them. His job, if that was a good word for it, for the council really didn’t concern anyone but the council. He was hunting down vampires and lycan’s that were a threat to their society and that was about it. No one needed to know exactly what he did, and how little effort it took him to take a fledgling’s life.

Julian had learned how to be cold and collected when he killed and letting his mate see that side of him really wasn’t something he wanted to do. Around her, he was far softer to say the least. The woman had a bad effect on him if anyone from the coven was asked. He didn’t really care as he found himself enjoying the bit of alone time he could spend with the woman. He knew that it probably wouldn’t last long given that Selena was human and he was going to be living for centuries after her life passed. That thought was there in the back of his head but for now, Julian did what he did best; simply enjoy life as it came. After his initial episode to end it all, he took to things in a different way. Not that anyone would ever know about that dark part of his life. Noticing the shrug she simply gave to his question got him a bit worried on the matter not to mention her lack of questions as to what he might need distracting from was always a bit alarming. Quirking an eyebrow, Julian tilted his menu down for a moment simply looking at his mate. “Your silence is quite alarming Luna. You alright?” he asked her curiously wondering if there was something he missed. Of course he needed a distraction but there might be something that Selena needed to get away from as well.

Despite his concern her playful mood seemed to come back the moment he commented on abstracting his view. It really wasn’t fair that she was using that menu and he wanted to simply pluck it from her hands however, he was trying to behave himself for now. However later on in the night it was fair game. Her statement only caused him to make a half disappointed face while trying not to smirk at how appealing he found her regardless. “Just because I don’t play fair doesn’t mean you need to stoop down to my level Luna.” he pointed out a smug smile on his face. Pausing for a moment when the waiter came, he said nothing and took another sip of his drink watching the food being set out in front of them. He said nothing as the waiter paid a bit more attention to Selena, his eyes widening when she finally let the menu slip. Julian merely chuckled and watched him standing there longer then needed his eyes open practically drooling. The guy was still young, probably still in high school working at a part time job for now. He wasn’t going to be worried about his staring. However when it became too long, Julian cleared his throat. “We’re good for now…” he added before the guy nodded and quickly walked off realizing he had been staring.

Letting his blue eyes fall on his mate again, Julian watched as she seemed to calculate her next move or question. He noticed how her mouth had opened for a moment as if she was ready to ask the millions of questions that there were currently going through her mind. Thankfully however, they never made it out of her mouth and Julian was grateful she held off on them for now. It seemed that the smell of the food they had just received was far more appealing to her at the moment. While still keeping a hold on her leg, Julian used his free hand to put his napkin in his lap before wrapping his fingers around the wine glass, bringing it up to his face for another sip. Hearing her warning tone, he simply smirked continuing to let his fingers trail over the smooth skin on her leg, moving up as high as it would go without him looking awkward. “Yes Luna?” he asked teasingly knowing exactly why it was she was giving him a warning look. They were after all in public but he wanted them to be evenly matched and for Selena to be teased as well by his innocent actions.

Hearing the moan, Julian chuckled softly, before letting her leg go for now. He figured he would let her enjoy the food. Shifting in his seat, he leaned over the plate taking a piece of ravioli on his fork before popping it into his mouth. “Care to try some?” he asked nodding at his plate as he took another piece. He was able to eat in small portions but too much food would make him sick. A simple meal like this would be fine as he had done it before. After a few more bites, he washed the food down with some wine before looking back at his mate. “What did you end up doing all day anyways?” he asked curiously figuring he could get her to talk about herself and push the topic of what he was doing away for now.