Julian studied her in the candlelight. The soft glow caressed her face, making her even more beautiful. Her long, thick hair hung in curls to her waist. While some might call her heavy, he loved her lush curves. Just the thought of having her in his arms was enough to make him hard. He’d wanted her from the first moment he’d laid eyes on her.
When she’d first been brought to the mansion, he’d worried about his reaction to her. It was obvious Aiden had returned with Serenity instead of Daniela, and he’d wondered what that meant. If Serenity was meant for Aiden, then Julian knew he’d never have a chance with the little goddess. But he’d waited and watched and after several days he’d noticed that Aiden hadn’t once sent for Serenity, hadn’t ventured anywhere near her rooms. When Aiden had begun taking women from the harem again, Julian knew the man felt nothing for Serenity.
He’d bided his time, wanting to take things slowly, give her a chance to get to know him, adjust to his presence in her life. He knew that living amongst vampires couldn’t be easy for her. But she’d thrown him for a loop today. When he’d seen her on the floor grabbing her chest, fear had nearly consumed him. He’d realized in that moment that he didn’t want to lose her — ever. And then she’d told him she didn’t want to be a vampire, that she wouldn’t let him change her. Well, he’d just have to change her mind about that.
He watched as she ate her dinner, taking dainty bites of everything, slowly sipping her wine. She was the loveliest thing he’d ever seen, and he’d lived for over a hundred years. It wasn’t like he’d never had women before. In fact, before Serenity had come to the mansion, he’d visited the harem on a regular basis, but once he’d seen her that had changed. A few of his friends had commented on his “strange behavior,” but he waved away their concerns. If he told them he’d fallen in love with the woman before him, they’d never let him hear the end of it. Humans were for food, not for love. But then, he didn’t plan on her being human much longer. He had a few weeks to make her realize that she belonged with him; he just wasn’t sure what it would take.