Synching With the Devil's Son

Chapter 63

Lucien's P.O.V.

My Dad agreed to meet me in Hell. I'll try to go there tomorrow, give him some time to turn some of my pertinent questions over in his mind. I told him I met my soul mate, the woman I want to spend forever with like Mom agreed to spend with him. She backed out of the 'forever' part, leaving us both floundering for centuries, so somehow I have to get Bella to see me differently, see me as someone worthy of her for all eternity. If Dad cannot figure out what he did wrong to make Mom leave, I don't know what I am going to do to convince Bella we are far better together than we ever would be apart.

Bella comes in to tell me her father gave us permission to sleep together, and her words light a fire in me, a raging storm that I'm going to have a hard time controlling. I thought about asking her to join me in one of the haylofts of her many barns, not wanting to disrespect her father in his own home, but being allowed in her bed is a much better solution. Then I realize my sweet, innocent Bella wasn't talking about making love, she was talking about sleeping, like we did in the tent. Hmm, I need to determine what she's really thinking, so I lean down and whisper, "Should I go to the Pharmacy?" As soon as she nods, I know where her thoughts are heading, so I take off to the store. I'm back in less than ten minutes, and I'm greeted by Bella at the door.

"I told my Dad you went to get your wallet out of your motorcycle," she says quietly. The rain has been pelting the area for thirty minutes, so I push my wet hair out of my face and nod to her.

"Sorry it took so long," I say, just as quietly. "I couldn't find a place to land near the Pharmacy with out somebody seeing me."

She smiles at me and pats my chest. "It's fine, you took about as long as it would take you to walk to your bike and back. Nobody will suspect differently. Besides, it's not like we are under their scrutiny."

I nod and hand her one of the boxes of condoms I purchased. "Keep these somewhere handy and I'll keep another box in my room," I tell her, watching in fascination as she licks her lips in anticipation. "Do you want me tonight Bella?" I ask her silkily. When she nods her head shyly at me, I swallow audibly. Shoot...deep breaths. Get a handle on your libido Lucien, you need to proceed very slowly here. The last thing I want to do is frighten her or make her feel like I am using her for my own selfish purposes.

We join her father and brother in the family room where they are organizing a space to hang out to play games in. They've set up candles around the room, leaving matches near them so they can be lit when the time comes. They placed four flashlights on the table, one for each of us, near the candles. Bella pulls me toward the couch and points where she wants me to sit down while her father and brother sit in the arm chairs facing the sofa. Bella gets some dice, and we settle in for a quiet afternoon as the storm rages outside. Chris gets up to get drinks for everyone, beers for he and his Dad, soda's for Bella and I, and I close my eyes, enjoying the sound of the rain and the quiet cadence of Bella's family. It's been a pleasant day, sitting in a darkening house playing games with genuine people. Bella's got a competitive streak in her, I like that. She smiles a lot, goads Chris into rolling the die one too many times, and high fives me when I have a good roll...I could definitely get used to this.

As the afternoon changes into evening, Garrett excuses himself and heads to his bedroom, bidding us all a good night. Bella settles herself against me on the couch while Chris grabs another beer from the fridge. When he comes back, I have my lips locked on his sister's, so he clears his throat to let us know he's back. I grin sheepishly at him and settle Bella's head against my chest. Chris sits down and says to me, "Has Bella told you anything about her past?" She glances at him sharply, but I just nod my head slowly.

"I know she was attacked and has shut herself off from people for the past three years," I tell him mildly.

He narrows his eyes at me. "I'm not trying to interfere or suggesting you are capable of such a thing, but don't force her into something she may not be ready for."

"Chris," Bella warns lowly, trying to sit up from where I have her tucked into me. I squeeze her shoulder to tell her it's okay, let him say what he needs to say. She ignores me. "Lucien has been nothing but a gentleman, and this is none of your business anyway."

"It is my business when my sister is involved," he says, raising his voice a little.

I hold my hand out to him, palm up, keeping my other one wrapped around Bella's waist. "I've have nothing but good intentions for Bella. She means the world to me, I would never hurt her or force her to do anything."

"You two are too young to understand how things can get out of control quickly, and then you will have to deal with the repercussions of your actions," Chris says vehemently. "I don't want to see my sister take a backward step in her recovery. She's never been interested in men before, she didn't even want to go on the camping trip because you were going," he says to me is if I was not aware of her original objection. "Now you can't keep your hands off each other, and it just feels...rushed," he finishes, looking down on the ground.

"Chris," Bella says softly. When he looks up at her she says, "I'm an adult, and you don't need to protect me anymore."

He sighs heavily. "That asshole is still out there, he's never been caught. I feel like I failed you," he whispers.

Bells sits up and grabs his hands. "You didn't fail me, the system failed me. Lucien is helping me heal. Please trust that I know what I'm doing."

He runs his fingers through his hair and nods. "Okay, you're right," he says, looking at me. "I like you, Lucien, I trust you won't hurt my sister," he says, wringing his hands together.

I'm rendered a little speechless. Nobody has ever said, out loud, they like me, let alone trust me. Okay, Bella says she's falling for me...the inference is there, but the words haven't been spoken. I swallow past the lump in my throat. How nice would it have been to have grown up in a family like this one? Where everyone supports each other, protects each other, loves one another? It's not been my experience that families act like this, but to be fair, I only get to see the worst of the worst. "Thank you," I manage to say after I clear my throat.

Bella gets up and kisses her brother's cheek, accepting his apology, then turns to me and says, "I'm going to the bathroom."

When she's gone, I turn to her brother and say, "Can you tell me why the perpetrator has never been caught?"

He looks over to where Bella disappeared down the hall and says quietly, "There was no DNA evidence, the guy used a condom and wore gloves. Bella didn't see much of him, woke up in a ditch about a hundred yards from her broken down car. It had rained that night, so we lost any potential evidence. We're lucky she didn't drown in a puddle."

"I want to kill the motherfucker who did this to her," I say menacingly.

"Stand in line pal," her brother says, finishing off his beer.