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“I’m sure, but when I met her dad, Eddie, he
asked if I’ve met Emily because ‘after all, she’s Trucker’s.’ That
hurt.” Her eyes stung with tears as she bit down on her lower lip
to hide its quivering. Emily was meant to be his, rather Julie
liked it or Trucker wanted it.

“I’m a different person because of you. Do
you know when the first time I ever touched my sister was? Look at
her without hate in my eye?” he asked softly, and started tracing
her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb.

“Trucker, you love your sister.” Julie didn’t
understand where he was going.

“Now because of you. The first time I saw you
. . .”

She nodded.

“You can’t begin to understand what you did
to me, but on my way back home. Sea started singing which always
sent me into a fit, but that day when I looked at her, she smiled.
She reminded me so much of you. I didn’t know if I would ever see
you again. I felt empty inside. I reached over and she wrapped her
hand around my finger. It stung. A human’s touch always stings, but
not our kind. Except Sea’s, because she’s good.” He laid his
forehead on Julie’s shoulder. She caressed his dark hair. “That was
the first time I ever touched her. Now, she’s my second love, only
you out rank her.”

“I didn’t know.” She couldn’t imagine him
ever not wrapped around Sea’s finger.

“I don’t touch humans. Only you. It’ll always
be you.”

“I never realized.” He was touchy with her.
She thought about it, he was standoffish. The more Julie thought
about it, she had never seen him touch a living soul except her and
Sea not even his mom. His mom touched him, but he didn’t return the
touch.

“I can’t take a human’s touch, not since I
first changed,” he whispered in her ear. “Are you sore, baby? I
need you,” he said and started crawling over her pushing her back
against the sofa cushions.

“A little.”

He licked the corner of his lips. “I’ll kiss
it and make it feel better.”

Chapter 21

One day turned into another, Julie worked at
showing Trucker she was forever his. It was easy work. Each second
they were together, each moment they shared only cemented them as a
couple. Trucker had eased up and relaxed. Life was finally flowing
in an effortless and normal pattern. Julie didn’t even fret over
the upcoming holidays.

Dear Diary,

I haven’t seen a trace of the monster he can
be since that fateful dinner party. I feel like I have finally made
a major turn in my life and I’m finally crawling off that cliff.
Truck is coming over in a little while and taking me to the movies.
We’re going to have a normal, happy, human day or at least that is
what I’m going to tell myself.

Praying for peace for all of us,

Julie Danielle Emison

Julie stuffed a candy bar in her purse. No
matter how much money Trucker might have; it unnerved her to pay
the prices movie theaters charge for a snack. She looked at the
clock when she heard a knock at the door. She didn’t expect Trucker
for another hour. He was always on time but never early. Racing to
answer the door, she couldn’t stop grinning thinking about what
beside a movie they might be doing.

Nothing could have prepared her for who was
on the other side of the door. It wasn’t Trucker, but Larry
Castleman standing on her doorstep.

“We need to talk, little princess,” he said
with a slight snarl.

“I’ve got nothing to say to you,” she
whispered barely above a breath.

She had gotten use to him, but he still
terrified her. She knew what he was and what he was capable of. She
slammed the door in his face, and flipped around. That didn’t stop
him as he forcibly grabbed her from behind. She could smell him
causing her to drop her purse to the hardwood floors. She wanted to
puke. She could feel his hot breath down her neck, and started to
scream but knowing that would just excite him, she bit her lip
instead.

“I’m always welcome here, sweetheart. Daddy
wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said, and jammed his elbow into
her back. It was as sharp as she knew his teeth were.

“You can’t hurt me. I have your bracelet on,”
she said, her lips trembled in fear. She was grasping at straws. He
didn’t have an ounce of humanity. He could kill her and never think
twice about it. Though loyalty for some strange reason was very big
in their world. He laughed the most chilling laugh as every hair on
her body rose in response. The Prince of Darkness swept his cloak
of emotions over the room and she shivered as everything dimmed
around them.

“Stupid little girl, the only power that
bracelet has, is the power I give it.”

“Please don’t hurt me,” she murmured as he
caressed his oversized hand down her side and over her hip.

His hand wrapped around her waist until he
cupped her groin in his hand. “I wonder if you really are that
good. I know I’m fucking tired of smelling you all over my damn
son. But you must be special because you keep him coming back for
more. Angel,” he slurred. “Do you have any idea what kind of women
he has had?” Larry whispered in her ear, and inched his hand up
until he could work his fingers over her breast. “The type of women
he has crumbling at his feet. How many women he has had? Yet, it is
you, the plainest and simplest girl of all that he wants.”

He slowly placed his hand around her neck,
shoving his fingers deeply into her skin, and fiercely pulled her
close to his body. He was made of a slab of stone and the smell he
gave off made her want to hurl. “Did you know that my favorite
means to take a life is strangulation? It’s up close and personal.
You can feel the life drain from their body. You can see their eyes
beg for mercy.” His mouth was at her neck, his teeth scraping over
her collarbone. Her eyes closed as a shiver shot through her body.
“I just wish it was that easy, but if I was to kill you, my stupid
son would turn on me and everything I’ve worked so hard for,” he
screamed and violently threw Julie to the ground.

Pain wrecked her body; she sucked on her lip;
unwilling to let him see her scream. She looked up to come face to
face with her worst nightmare in the flesh. His eyes were flaming
orbits of fire. His teeth were like razor blades. He smirked and
blinked. His eyes turned back to his human facade of a dark golden
brown. Julie felt relief they were not the blue of Truckers. It
would be hard to look in Trucker’s again if there were.

“You know why I was picked to father this
half breed?” he asked and kneeled down. He stroked the back of his
fingers over her cheekbone. It unnerved her how similar his and
Trucker’s touch felt.

“Because you’re the most powerful,” she
answered as she spit the hair out of her mouth.

He helped her to her feet, squeezing her
wrist so hard it felt as if her bones were splintering, and smiled.
“That was a factor, but my grandfather was a half-breed. I
understand them and their need to embrace their humanity.” He
twirled her hair in his fingers and snarled.

He walked over to the couch and gracefully
sat down, motioning for her to sit in a chair across from him. “His
mother is helpful, but she was allowed to stay because his human
side would need her.” He leaned closer to Julie. “I know her plans
for her precious son. I know your plans, but darling, his heart
will never beat again. I’ll make sure of that.” He picked up a
picture of her parents off the coffee table. “Did you know he’s not
completely turned since he met you?”

“No sir,” Julie responded, hating to show him
respect, but knew better than not too.

“You better make sure he embraces his best
side.” A menacing grin came across his face. “Or someone could get
hurt.” He traced his finger along the picture of her parents before
setting it down on the table. “You have one week to piss him off
enough to turn or I’ll unleash your own personal hell.” He was at
her side in an instant. He loomed over her, his tie hitting her in
the face. “If you tell him I set foot in this house be sure to tell
mom bye too.” He warned and vanished into a fume of gas.

She crawled in a corner, smothering in the
misery he emanated, and cried. She thought of all the
possibilities. She wouldn’t do what he wanted. He wouldn’t hurt
her, because he would lose Trucker forever if he did. Her eyes
closed. He could bring hell down on her. But would he? Her stomach
burned with the pain that Trucker’s dream left her with. She heard
Trucker come in, but was too upset to move.

“What’s going on?” Trucker knelt over her,
stroking her hair.

“I had a bad dream, it was so real.” She
pulled at him, needing to feel him close to her.

“Did my father do this?” he asked, wrapping
his arms around her, his lip at her ear. He was furious, but
remained calm for her. That morning his dad had threatened him.
Larry warned him to watch his little princess. That if he didn’t
embrace what he was, someone could get hurt. But as unhappy as he
was with Trucker, surely he knew better than even to look in her
direction.

“No,” she cried. “I dreamed about the night
you were in my dream?”

He clutched his hands through her curls, and
had feelings he had not felt in months. His other side was dying to
come out. “If someone hurt you or even tried to. I’ll find out. I
will make them pay.” He took a deep breath and tucked her firmly
onto his chest.

“Don’t say that.” Julie placed her palms flat
to his broad chest. He sucked in a quick, tight breath. The pain of
her touch was almost unbearable. His demon side was laying just
under the surface. His grip tightened fractionally. No pain would
keep him from holding onto her.

“Angel, I would do anything for you, give up
anything. I couldn’t stop myself if someone hurt you.” Trucker’s
jaw tightened. A low growl rumbled from his chest.

Unrelenting fear propelled her heart rate, a
physical response to Trucker’s reaction. She had no idea at the
moment what he was capable of doing. She would have broken their
embrace if not for the look on his face, a perfect mixture of
turmoil and love. They were the exact feelings racing through her.
“Baby, I need to get out of here . . . but I don’t want to go to
the movies,” Julie confessed. There was a long pause, filled by the
pounding of her heart. “Stay with me, through the holidays.”

Trucker would never change in front of Julie
and his dad wouldn’t come anywhere near her if Trucker was
around.

“Why? What about your dad?”

“I’m scared I’ll have another nightmare.” She
lied but knew he was scared too. “Just coerce them. I don’t care. I
need you.”

She hated him using his tricks on her
parents, but he had become the most important thing in her life.
Nothing mattered to her but him.

That night Trucker did coerce Dan and Ellen
to let them stay together throughout Thanksgiving. That trick of
coercion somehow scared Julie the most. His ability to tell someone
to do anything and they had no choice but to do it. He promised her
as long as she wore the bracelet, they couldn’t do that to her but
she still wondered. As Trucker showered that night, Julie laid in
bed waiting on him.

November 21, about 10:30 PM

Dear Diary,

I’m back on that cliff and it’s slowly
giving away under my feet. I hear him in the shower and know I’ll
soon be in his arms. Can I truly keep him safe from everything? I
wish we could just runaway together and live out a very human life.
As hard as it would be, I could tell my parents bye, but I know
that his kind would never let him go. They would hunt him to the
ends of the earth. There is no escaping what he is. There is also
no escaping what I feel for him, because I also thought about
running from him. That’s not an option either.

Help me make the right decisions! Julie

November 27

Dear Diary,

My one week deadline is up. This past week
has been full of conflict, on one hand I’ve got to spend every
minute of the day and night with my Truck. On the other hand, his
dad had never once left my mind. Trucker has spent the last week
doing everything in his power to make me happy. I’ve tried my best
to play the part of a happy-go-lucky girlfriend but I’m everything
but. Every second, of every hour, of every day, the ungodly
laughter of Larry rings in my ears. I can’t help but wonder if he
will really carry out his threat or is he as scared of Trucker’s
demon side as the rest of their kind are. Got to go and try to make
Trucker believe I’m not scared out of my mind.

JDE

Trucker carried Julie up the stairs that
night, piggyback. He loved the feel of her legs and arms wrapped
tightly around him. Julie had reached around to his chest and was
fidgeting with the buttons on his pajamas. She tugged on his shirt
and screeched when he pretended to let her slip.

“Can you not pull out the few chest hairs
that I have?” He chuckled. She was silent. He gripped her hand,
which still had a firm hold to his shirt.

“Sorry.” She buried her chin in his shoulder
and sighed. He let her fall back on the bed. Trucker flipped around
and tugged on her chin to release the hold she had on her bottom
lip. He finally had enough of pretending and started questioning
her.

“What’s wrong, Angel?”

“Nothing, I’m great,” she said with a fake
excitement. He looked at her.

Her aura screamed with mixed emotions. He was
flabbergasted. He was not going to push it, but he knew he was
going to get to the bottom of it. Even if he had to fuck it out of
her. He flicked his wrist and the room was suddenly filled with a
million twinkling stars. Julie’s mouth hung open as she reached out
to tap a star with her pointer finger. “It’s a sound barrier so
your parents won’t hear when you scream,” Trucker explained.

“I’m going to scream.”