Aro gave us another week before he finally summoned us. Susanna and I were once again out in the garden, Juliana's favourite place, when Jane came to find us.
"Aro requests your presence. Susanna and Juliana are to come too."
Susanna looked at me with anxiety. The last few weeks had made us complacent, almost forgetting the reason why Juliana was created in the first place. Neither of us wanted that fate for our daughter, but we'd yet to come up with a way to escape it. For now, all we could do was obey Aro so as not to arouse suspicion.
We followed Jane to the Royal room. Juliana was in my arms, her head leaning on my shoulder, her soft curls tickling my cheek. She looked deep in thought as her tiny fingers played with the buttons on my shirt. I wondered what was going through her young mind but had no chance to dwell on it; we'd reached our destination. I shifted Juliana so one hand was free to hold on to Susanna's. Jane opened the heavy doors, and we followed her in.
"Felix! It has been too long. I'm so happy you agreed to join us today."
Aro's smile was wide, attempting to mask the obvious lies. He turned his gaze onto Susanna, who gave my hand a tiny squeeze.
"If my information is correct, you seem to have adjusted well to this new life. I couldn't be happier to hear it."
Susanna looked at him but didn't respond. Aro's eyes shifted to Juliana for one second, and I was amazed at the amount of fear I saw in them. He quickly composed himself and looked away.
"Sulpicia, my dear, please bring out the boys."
Aro's wife turned and disappeared into the reception room, reappearing moments later with two boys in her arms. One I recognized to be Duilio, though he'd grown considerably since I'd last seen him. His hair was thick and the strangest mahogany colour, already flowing down to right beneath his shoulders. His dark eyes, almost black, held caution and suspicion as he looked at me, but it quickly turned to glee when he noticed Juliana. He looked up at Sulpicia and pointed towards my daughter, causing me to clutch her a little tighter to my chest.
The other boy was the spitting image of his father, from his white-blonde hair to his refined features. His eyes were blue as ice, staring right at me. His demeanour however, could not have been further from Caius. He looked shy, almost scared, and very gentle. I felt for the boy, knowing his father would be expecting things from him that he would not be able to live up to.
"Of course you've met my son, Felix," Aro said as he took Duilio from his wife's arms. "Susanna, this is Duilio, my heir."
He approached us slowly, his eyes flitting to Juliana every so often. She glared at Aro, her eyes narrowed, her fingers burrowing into my shirt. Duilio was still staring at Juliana with unnerving intensity. He seemed fascinated by my daughter. Juliana shifted her gaze from Aro to the boy and stared back. Duilio's face broke into a wide smile which Juliana mirrored immediately.
"They seem to like each other." Aro chuckled loudly, throwing Juliana one last, apprehensive look before turning back towards his throne.
Caius had so far not even acknowledged his son's presence; instead, he sat and watched as Sulpicia brought him to us. The boy clutched her dress, his eyes large with fright as he looked at me.
"This is Dominicus, heir to Caius," she said, trying to get the boy to let go of her. He just gripped tighter, apparently not used to company.
"Hi, sweetie. It's okay; don't be scared." Susanna's voice was soft and gentle as she spoke to the boy. He looked at her cautiously but did seem to relax a little. Susanna reached her hand up to his face and stroked his cheek. The boy startled slightly; however, he seemed to calm under her soothing touch. It made me wonder what he'd already had to endure from his father. I was all too familiar with Caius' idea of parenting, and Dominicus seemed to be even more affected by it than Lucy had been. It made me fear for the boy's future.
"Susanna, how are you enjoying life in the castle?" Aro asked, once again seated in his throne, still holding his son.
"It's okay," Susanna answered curtly.
"And the company?" Aro asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively.
"That's none of your business," she replied angrily before adding, "With all due respect, of course."
Aro's smile faded, but he didn't address her rudeness. He remained silent for a little while before he waved his arm dismissively towards us.
"You may leave. Please report back in three days."
I nodded in confirmation. Susanna and I quickly left and went back to my room. I put Juliana down in her crib and made a call to the kitchen to get them to prepare her some food. Oddly, she had a fondness for human baby formula. It smelled disgusting to me, but, then again, all human food did. They delivered it swiftly, and Juliana drank her bottle eagerly, finishing the entire thing within minutes. Her eyes were heavy, and she soon drifted off to sleep.
"So, what was your impression of the boys?" Susanna asked me after I sat down next to her.
"I don't know, to be honest. Duilio seemed very interested in Juliana."
Susanna laughed at the resentment in my tone.
"They're only children, Felix. I doubt you'll have anything to worry about for a while. She did seem to like him too, though."
"Yes, I noticed that."
I looked at Juliana's crib, my brow furrowed as I remembered the way they'd looked at each other.
"Duilio is not Aro, Felix. There's still hope for him," Susanna said, placing her hand gently on my arm. "Dominicus, however, is a different story."
My eyes met hers as I realized we shared the same concern about Caius' son. I absentmindedly brushed a lock of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. My fingertips brushed the smooth skin of her cheek, and an unexpected warmth settled in my chest. Susanna's breathing sped up slightly, her lips parting as she looked at me. We stayed like this for a few moments, neither of us moving, before she spoke, breaking the connection.
"Tell me about Lucy."
My stomach clenched uncomfortably at the mention of her name. I lowered my hand and sighed.
"What do you want to know?" I asked uneasily.
"How was she raised? What kind of person was she?" She seemed eager to know, and I understood it was because of Dominicus.
"There's no comparing, Susanna. Caius gave up on Lucy the moment she was born. He hardly showed any interest in her at all, apart from wanting to make her feel as inferior as possible. He tried a few things, but mostly he left her in Jane's care."
Susanna stared ahead, her expression worried.
"That poor girl. She must've felt so unloved."
Guilt surged through me at her words. More than anything I wished I'd had the courage to tell her how I felt when I had the chance.
"Please don't do this. I…I can't…not yet."
Susanna gazed at me intently, her eyes full of pity.
"You need to stop blaming yourself for what happened, Felix. It wasn't your fault."
I looked away, but Susanna wouldn't let me. She grabbed my face and forced me to look at her.
"I mean it. Her death is a tragedy, but she knew how you felt, Felix. Out of everyone here, you were probably the only one that ever showed her any genuine affection."
"I loved her," I whispered, so softly that I wasn't sure Susanna had even heard it.
"I know," she replied gently. "I also know what it's like to lose the ones you love, remember? For the longest time, I saw no reason to go on. I came here to die, but, instead, I got to live again."
She smiled at me when I looked at her in surprise. I'd noticed a change, but I hadn't been sure whether she was truly happy.
"It's weird," she continued, "While I was carrying Juliana, I'd made peace with the fact that I'd never see her. I can't even imagine that now. She's truly my miracle, the reason why I still want to be here."
"I'm happy you're here. You make everything more bearable," I admitted. "I can't imagine this place without you anymore."
"I'm not going anywhere," she simply responded, smiling again.
The next day, I was wandering the castle with Demetri after leaving our daughters with Susanna. We talked about what happened the day before; he'd also been brought in to meet the boys. Demetri had actually taken quite a liking to Duilio and laughed loudly when I told him about the boy's fascination with Juliana.
"Just wait until Megan is old enough to start looking at boys," I grumbled, causing him to quiet immediately. He looked at me, completely shocked, leading me to believe he'd never so much as considered the fact that his daughter would be a grown woman one day.
"Any male that tries anything with my Megan will die a slow and painful death," he said ominously. Now it was my turn to burst into laughter, and he shot me an irritated look.
"We have a few years yet before we need to worry about it, brother. Though, seeing as she's your daughter, I'd be preparing myself for the worst, if I were you," I said, still chuckling.
"Haha, very funny," Demetri replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I haven't been with a woman since Megan was born."
"Not by choice, I'm sure," I retorted.
"At least you have Susanna," he stated, taking me by surprise.
"What do you mean by that?"
He looked at me, seemingly shocked.
"Come on, Felix. Don't tell me you two never…"
"Never," I interrupted, "Not since we conceived Juliana."
Demetri stared, his mouth open.
"Seriously? Why not? You're obviously in love with her."
Now it was my turn to be shocked.
"What? No I'm not," I replied, not entirely convincing him or myself.
"Yes, you are, Felix. Deny it all you want. I see the way you look at her, and you talk about her all the time. It's very clear to everyone but you apparently."
Demetri's words rang in my mind. Was it true; was I in love with the mother of my child? I couldn't deny I had deep feelings for Susanna, but love…
"Lucy…" I whispered, her name escaping me before I could think about it.
"Is dead," Demetri simply stated. "She'd want nothing more than for you to be happy, Felix."
My thoughts went back to Susanna. The way she smiled at every little thing Juliana did, the way she mothered our little girl with such care. She was certainly beautiful, and my stomach did a little flip when I remembered her naked body beneath me. My name falling from her lips as I'd brought her to climax. The same plump, rose-coloured lips that had begged me to kiss her. I gasped when the realization hit me; Demetri was right.
"I have to talk to her," I said, stunned at the fact I hadn't seen this before.
"Don't let me stop you," Demetri replied with a smirk.
o-o
I walked slowly, not sure how I was going to approach the subject. So many thoughts were going through my mind that I had a hard time keeping track of them. What if she didn't feel the same way about me? Would that change things between us, make it uncomfortable? Could I handle the rejection? I nearly lost my nerve when I finally reached my room. Taking a deep breath, I turned the handle and entered. Susanna was standing over Juliana's crib, smiling happily at the sleeping little girl.
"Hi," she said as I stood in the doorway. "You're back early. Is everything okay? You look a bit flustered."
Her brow furrowed as she took me in. I couldn't move or speak, and eventually she raised her eyebrows.
"Felix, is something wrong?"
Still unable to speak, I simply ran to her and took her in my arms. She gasped in shock, her eyes wide. I hesitated for only a second before lifting her face and pressing my mouth to hers. The moment our lips touched, a happiness filled me that I'd thought I'd never feel again. I kissed her without abandon and was surprised when she kissed me back with equal force. Her hands roamed my chest, gripping my shirt as she pulled me closer to her. We kissed for the longest time before I finally broke away. We both gasped for unneeded air as our foreheads connected. I smiled, and she smiled back, her expression slightly dazed.
"So you finally figured it out, huh?" she said, smirking slightly.
"You knew?" I asked, shocked.
She nodded, a giggle escaping her.
"You had to figure it out yourself, Felix. You were going through so much. But yes, it was pretty obvious," she answered.
"What about you? How do you feel?" I asked, needing to hear her say it.
"I've been in love with you from the moment I met you," she whispered shyly, taking me by complete surprise. "I denied it for the longest time, since there was no point. You were in love with Lucy, and I was going to join Alex. It also made me feel incredibly guilty towards my family. I always thought Alex would be the only man I could ever love."
"I'm sorry I didn't realize sooner," I said, kissing her forehead.
"It's okay; I think we both needed the time," she replied.
I pulled her close and kissed her again, tenderly at first, but quickly becoming more passionate. Our hands explored each other's bodies eagerly. When I cupped her breast and squeezed it gently, she moaned before quickly breaking away.
"Not with Juliana here," she said, pointing at our sleeping daughter.
"We'll have to get Demetri to babysit. Soon," I responded, grinning at her.
Susanna grinned back, her red eyes full of desire.
"Very soon," she responded, grabbing her phone from the bed.
As Susanna called Demetri and told him to pick up our daughter, I looked at the woman that would soon be completely mine. Inside my mind, I said goodbye to Lucy one last time, promising to always love her, before finally welcoming Susanna into my heart. Everything was finally falling into place.
I have been struck by the flu this week. Did this stop me, you ask? No! Then why the late update? I was writing something else...The next BIG chapter of Fallen Princess! That's right! It's done and ready to be posted. I estimate two more chapters of Absolution before I will, so hopefully one more week...
In the meantime, the wonderful Leanne Golightly has made a fanvideo for Fallen Princess!It's awesome and I can't thank her enough! Check it out, the link is on my profile.
A reminder that coming Wednesday my Wicked Wednesday submission will go up on www . myvampfiction . com. An AU Felix/Lucy/Demetri!
Last but not least, thanks to:
Jkane180 - ...tumbleweed... (quick! hide!)
SusanAshlea - Next chapter bb...