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“Good morning, Angel . . . Damn, I can’t even
get enough of you in my sleep.” He stroked her nose with his.
Something felt so right about being with him. She hoped the day
would bring more understanding into all the chaos.

“Sleep well?” she asked.

“Once I climbed into bed with you. You really
do like to cuddle when you’re sleeping.” His eyes closed as he
pressed his forehead against hers. After a brief moment, he kissed
the tip of her nose and buried his face in her hair.

“You’re very cuddly.”

“Most girls are scared of the monster under
their bed,” he confessed. After inhaling a few deep breaths, he
released her and rolled on his back.

“I’m not most girls. Plus, mine just crawls
into bed with me.” She playfully poked him in the side.

“So very true. Now excuse me, but your
favorite monster has got to go to the bathroom,” he stated with a
quick kiss.

“How very human of you, Mr. Castleman.”

“Oh, I can be very human sometimes. Remember,
I have a wonderful loving human for a mom and if I say so myself
the cutest little human sister ever.”

“Don’t forget your very annoying human
girlfriend.”

He smiled and winked. “She’s my favorite
human of all, but I really have to go.”

“Then go,” Julie told him as she teasingly
pushed him out of bed. He whirled out of bed and shoved a pillow at
her.

Julie sat up and yawned. She looked around
his room; still surprised how at home she felt there. She picked up
a silver picture frame from the bedside table, and was shocked to
see a picture of herself. Trucker had made it the first day they
were together at the pond. She stroked the polished frame. The
picture showed an expression on her face, Julie didn’t recognize.
Her eyes sparkled; she was content and extremely happy. It dawned
on Julie that this was all easy to accept because she loved him
from day one.

“You’re exquisite,” Trucker said, wrapping
her hair around his fingers.

“I like the picture,” she said, and placed
the frame back on his dresser.

“Me too.” He raked his fingers down the back
of her neck and across her shoulder. “We need to go eat
breakfast.”

“What are ‘we’ planning on eating?”

He raised one eyebrow, smirked, and grazed
her body with his eyes. “You look mighty yummy.”

The heat exploded to her cheeks. Julie was
sure she was redder than the bright red pajama bottoms Trucker was
wearing. He leaned over and stopped short of her mouth. “I would
love to taste every inch of you, but if I don’t get you downstairs
and to the kitchen table; mom will be sending up a search
party.”

Downstairs they found his mom and Sea already
eating. A creepy lady was serving them. The lady’s eyes appeared as
if they had only ever known hate and anger, making the hair on the
back of Julie’s neck stand on it ends.

“Good morning, sweet pea.” Trucker kissed Sea
on the head. Sea peeked up at him and giggled.

Helping Julie take a seat, he gave his mom a
light punch in the arm. “Good morning, my beautiful momma.” He
flipped a chair around, swung his leg over it, and straddled it.
Julie couldn’t help but notice the speed in which he moved. Trucker
apparently felt he no longer needed to hide his unnatural
abilities. His unsettling speed, did however, almost make Julie
nauseous to watch, but she loved the fact he didn’t hide who he
was.

“Good morning, son,” Catherine said, shifting
her eyes over to Julie. “Julie, I hope you had a good night
sleep.”

“Yes ma’am, except for Truck’s snoring.”

The lady serving them dropped the skillet she
was holding, and gasped at the remark made against Trucker. Trucker
cut his eyes over at her with a cold warning glare.

“Hey, that’s my dirty little secret. That was
supposed to be between me and you.” He smiled the biggest grin at
Julie, and then turned back to the creepy little lady who was
staring.

“Ruby, this is my Julie. She’s my claim.” The
warning behind his voice was strong and forcible. Ruby nodded her
head and continued to serve the family.

Ruby, that’s the lady who helped raise
him. No wonder he is a little screwed in the head.
Julie
thought as she bit down on her bottom lip. It took no more than two
seconds for Trucker to wrap his hand around Julie’s neck, lean into
her, and whisper, “Stop biting that damn lip.”

“I have a surprise for you,” Catherine said,
breaking the hold Trucker had Julie under. Trucker shifted his eyes
over to his mother and gave her a puzzled look. “I’m a mom, I have
to embarrass you whenever I can.”

All at once, a violent shudder coursed
through Trucker, one hard enough to shake Julie. Trucker’s grip
suddenly crushed Julie’s shoulder. Julie looked up and noticed his
father, Larry, entering the room.

“Daddy,” Sea squealed, blind to the animosity
swirling around them.

“Hey, Sea,” Larry said.

Julie found it strange the softness Larry had
for Sea. He reached over and pulled down on one of her curls the
way Trucker often did to Julie’s. How could pure innocence smile up
at pure evil, even if it was her father? The sight was unnerving
and made Julie questioned her beliefs even more. Larry turned his
sights on Julie.

“Good morning, Miss Emison, I hope my son
showed you a pleasurable night,” Larry said with a suggestive
wink.

Trucker growled at him. “Stop it, now!” he
warned. Slamming his fist onto the table, it cracked off a chunk on
the corner. Julie jumped in her seat only to cause Trucker to wrap
his arm around her waist tighter.

Larry held his hand up and gave an innocent
look over at them. “So Julia, I’ve learned you know our little
family secret,” Larry stated simply. “If you know what is best for
everybody, you’ll keep your mouth shut.”

“Dad, it’s Julie. She won’t talk and you
won’t threaten her.” Trucker was on his feet, his chair kicked to
the ground.

“Son that is not a threat. It’s simply a
fact.” Larry pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked over at
Julie. “It’s an honor to be part of us. If you appreciate it,
you’ll act accordingly.” There was no sorrow in his voice, no
apology, just a simple statement; if Julie spoke she’d be treated
as a threat and taken care of. Her eyes widened, incredulously. She
was nothing more than an inconsequential pawn in the game Larry was
playing.

“Ruby, sweetheart,” Larry said over to the
lady cooking at the stove.

Ruby scurried over with his plate of food.
They sat and ate in silence. Larry got up and kissed Sea and
Catherine on the top of the head. Julie noticed Larry rubbing a
weird scar on Catherine’s neck. It seemed to bring pleasure to the
both of them.

“Thank you,” Catherine told Larry as she
gripped his hand.

“Anytime,” he answered.

He left after a brief kiss on Ruby’s
forehead. As quickly as the enjoyment had left when he enter the
room, it became alive again on his departure.

“Sorry you had to be in the same room as him.
I didn’t know he’d be here,” Trucker whispered in her ear. “I’m not
my father,” he added.

Julie slipped her hand reassuringly around
Trucker’s arm. She was fully aware of that fact. The horrible
feelings she often felt trickle off Trucker, oozed out of every
pour in Larry’s all too-appealing body. Julie shivered simply by
thinking about him. Catherine got up to get a large book of
pictures and handed it to them.

“It’s Trucker’s baby book, it’s his life from
birth till now.” Catherine beamed with pride.

Julie opened the book. As she flipped through
the pages it was not his beauty that struck her, she had somewhat
came accustom to that, it was his lighthearted spirit. He glowed.
She could see the jokester in him. She realized his mom was not
showing off her bouncing baby boy, but showing Julie what his true
nature was. Julie noted Trucker’s eyes in his childhood pictures.
They were bright and shining. She glanced over at Trucker. He was
leaning back in his chair; smiling with one eyebrow slightly
raised.

“Pretty little thing?” He smirked. The shine
in his eyes was gone; replaced with a dull glow of evil.

“You were so happy.”

“I was, but you make me happy now.”

It was page after page of a beautiful but
extremely happy child. Trucker played every sport she could think
of; basketball, baseball, soccer, and football.

“Why don’t you play sports anymore?” Julie
knew Trucker still had a great passion for sports, and he
definitely had the body for it.

“You’ve seen my temper, I don’t think that
would play out to well on the field.”

“True, I guess Jake and those mind sweepers
would have to have season tickets.”

“Something like that.” He tried to laugh.

Julie noticed that he changed at around
fourteen, his eyes got cold, and his expression hard. Even the
softness she saw in his face now was void. She scrutinized every
picture, he looked like misery until about the time he met her. She
did touch him, though hard his face now had some warmth to it. She
despised the evil that had taken root inside his body, it took his
joy, his happiness, his life. On the last page was a lightly
handwritten statement in pencil,
help me get my son back.
Looking over at Catherine, Julie nodded her head.

*******

Julie sunk down in Trucker’s oversized tub. A
bubble bath was what she needed to clear her head. Mindful that
Trucker would be prompt, she had exactly thirty minutes to relax
and get dressed before he returned. She had his
IPod
playing
in the background. Every song on it was soothing and relaxing. It
would be the perfect music to play for a sleeping baby, but it made
her sad. He didn’t need music to over stimulate his emotions. He
needed it to subdue him. Trucker felt everything tenfold. Yes, the
bad feelings almost crippled him, but the good ones where
magnetized too. That thought made her smile. His love for her was
real and she could only perceive how that love was amplified in his
mind. With her time ticking away, she got out and dried off.

She dug through her overnight bag undecided
on what to wear, when an idea crossed her mind. Trucker wanted her
to feel at home there. She would see how much he wanted her at
home. She rambled around in his drawers, and pulled out the
smallest shirt of Trucker she could find. She slid it on, and
pulled the belt out of her shorts and fastened it around her waist.
She twirled around in front of the mirror, pulling her hair back in
a loose ponytail. Julie rolled up the sleeves, admiring how his
shirt made the perfect dress for her. It even touched the top of
her knees. She felt that it would even get Trucker’s approval.

“Wow,” Trucker said as he walked up behind
her and wrapped his arms around her waist, placing his hand on her
stomach. “You look amazing.”

“You don’t care that I ransacked your
closet?”

He slowly shook his head and stroked his hand
over her stomach.

“Do you realize that you’re the first guy
I’ve ever spent the night with?” Julie wrapped her arm around his
head and wiggled her fingers through Trucker’s hair.

“I better be the only guy. Ever.” He sucked
on her earlobe, then smiled against the skin on her neck. “I like
you in my shirt, but you’re wearing those shorts under it,” he
whispered and traced his fingers along her thigh. “This is not for
public viewing.”

“Better,” she asked, sliding on her
shorts.

“Much,” he kissed her cheek. “Let’s go.
Unfortunately, I need to get you home.”

Julie eyed him as he licked his lip. “I’ve
got a new favorite tic,” she declared.

“What’s that?”

She leaped up in his arms, wrapping her legs
around his waist. “This,” she said, catching his bottom lip between
her teeth and biting down gently.

He squeezed her so hard it hurt, she still
wanted him to hold her tighter. She pressed her lips to his. His
growl vibrated through every nerve in her body. He backed up,
falling on the bed. She sat over him straddling his midsection. He
spread his fingers over and under her thighs.

“I should’ve really thought out this shorts
idea.”

“I thought my legs were not for viewing.”

He kneaded his fingers deeply into her
muscles. “Public viewing. I think a private show would be
acceptable.”

She laughed and slapped his chest. Sitting
up, he pushed his chest against hers, and grabbed her arm shoving
it behind her back. His eyes held the same piercing glare he had
when he’d shattered her wrist, minus the blackness. Remembering the
all-consuming pain she felt, she winced. “Don’t hurt me,” she
whispered. “Please, baby.”

“I can’t . . .” Trucker couldn’t finish. His
eyes were shadowed with bleakness. His body emitted loneliness. He
dropped his hands to his side. His head bowed. Julie had the power
to hurt him far more than he ever dared hurt her. The look on his
face crippled her. Trucker hadn’t yet told Julie whether demon
possession was a real phenomenon or not, but there was not a doubt
in her mind that he possessed her.

“I’m sorry. So sorry.”

He raised his eyes to meet hers. Cold black
would be a welcome relief from the misery she was staring into.
“Will you ever trust me?”

“Yes,” she answered.

“I won’t hurt you. I want to consume you,
love you, mark you, but never hurt you.”

She cuddled onto his chest, not knowing what
to say. Deep down, she was still afraid. She didn’t want to be and
hoped that wouldn’t be the thing that one day separated them. He
held her, letting her breathing gradually slow as his words played
over and over again in her head,
‘I won’t hurt you. I want to
consume you, love you, mark you, but never hurt you.’

“What do you mean mark me?”

“My kind bond with their partners by biting
them. It leaves our unique mark behind, so our world will know who
you belong too.” He rubbed his forehead on the side of her head and
finally smiled.