Synching With the Devil's Son

Chapter 38

Bella's P.O.V.

After I finish telling our friends we're going on a hike and Daniel tells us to get back before dark, I turn toward Lucien and find him lost in thought. What's going on with him? He's worried I won't want anything to do with him because of who is father is? That's absurd. I don't care if his Dad is the head of the Russian mafia, that doesn't mean Lucien is anything like him. I get Lucien's attention and we start walking back toward camp, our towels draped over our shoulders.

He takes my hand and we are silent on the ten minute walk, each lost in our own thoughts. I keep glancing at him when I think he's looking at me, but he's being so introspective, I'm not even sure he's aware my hand is tucked securely in his. When it's obvious he's not going to notice me staring at him, I smile and start doing some thinking of my own.

I don't really know anything about him...he transferred to Pigeon Forge a few months ago, and I'm not even sure from where. I don't know if he has any siblings or cousins, what his parents do for a living, or even what his favorite color is. He is basically a stranger to me, I only know how I feel when I'm around him, but that doesn't mean a thing because ALL the girls feel smitten when they're around him. Maybe we should try to get to know one another first before he reveals whatever is making him so withdrawn. We might find we are not compatible, or the walls we have erected to protect ourselves are insurmountable. If that's the case, he can relax and stop worrying about telling me whatever is bothering him so much.

"Lucien," I grab his attention quietly, "why don't we spend the day getting to know one another. I really know nothing about you, and the only thing you know about me is that I was the victim of sexual assault. That's not a great foundation to start a relationship on." I look at him shyly when I mention starting a relationship, worried he might not be on the same page as I am. When he doesn't even blink at my statement, I find the nerve to continue. "If we discover we're not really compatible, then you don't have to divulge your family secrets. Let's talk about ourselves instead...I'm not going to pressure you into saying anything you're not comfortable revealing," I promise him with a small smile.

He stops me by pulling gently on my hand encased in his. When I turn to look at him, he covers my cheek with his free hand, leaning in to kiss me. I indulge in his unexpected show of affection, probing his mouth with my tongue. When we pull apart, I search his beautiful blue eyes for an explanation and he says, "I'd like nothing more than to get to know you better. The knowledge of, and your reaction to, my family's identity is the only thing preventing us from being together." I shake my head at him, continuing to think he's being ridiculous. "It's true, Bella, but getting to know me might just be enough to prevent you from running away, or at the very least, give me time to explain myself before you tell me to get lost. I don't want you to leave me."

My heart stutters in my chest. He doesn't want me to leave him? Shit, this is getting serious. I lick my lips. "Okay then, let's learn some things about each other, I'll start. Do you have any siblings?" When he shakes his head I tell him, "I have an older brother, Chris, who just graduated from Virginia Tech and is back helping my Dad at our feed store..." I tell him all about Chris and my Dad, how we take in injured and abandoned animals, rehabilitate them, then try to find them forever homes.

"What about your Mom?" he asks quietly, looking intently into my face. Is he really looking at me with such ardor? He's so handsome that my train of thought falters for a moment and I forget what we were talking about.

Did he just ask about my Mom? "Uhh...my...my Mom?" I stutter, shaking my head sadly. "She was killed by a drunk driver when I was eleven. It is the reason we started taking in forsaken animals. Healing them helped heal us," I tell him quietly.

"Well, that's something we have in common, my mother is dead too," he tells me softly, running a hand through his dark hair as he looks into the sky.

"I'm so sorry, what happened?"

He sighs heavily. "If you're still speaking to me after we finish our revelations, remind me to tell you."

I shake my head, wondering what happened to his mother. Is that why he thinks I'm going to leave him? Maybe his family caused her death and he doesn't want me exposed to their ruthlessness.

"You know, whatever happened to your mother does not define who you are," I tell him emphatically as we reach our campground. He looks at me with a small smile and then slightly shakes his head, as if humoring me. Okay, this discussion has to happen before I come to all sorts of ridiculous conclusions that probably make no sense at all. We get changed and ready for a hike. Lucien grabs a roll of toilet paper, six bottles of water and makes a couple of sandwiches, shoving it all into his back pack. He hefts it over his shoulder and waits while I lace up my boots.

"Ready?" he asks me.

I smile at him, "Ready."