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“She seemed off. We went out hunting early. She didn’t seem much in the mood for feeding, but it had been two weeks. I knew that if we didn’t, she would definitely have an episode by the end of the week.”
When Julianna stayed with Bel, he kept a strict log of all her activities in hopes of identifying potential triggers. The one thing they’d discovered was that she couldn’t go longer than three weeks without feeding. Hunger would definitely set her off.
Largely, Julianna was indifferent to feeding. Sometimes she was in the mood, but it wasn’t often. They’d usually have to coax her into going out.
“Any problems?”
“We both found donors quickly. She fed a little lightly, but she did feed. I figured it would be enough to hold her at least a week, and then we headed home.”
“Did she see anyone, or did anything happen?”
Bel shook his head. “No. Nothing. We walked home with her arm in mine, and she was talking about digging out her old sheet music for Carmen. That opera has always made her happy. I have no record of it being linked to her bad moods.”
“When did you realize she was going to have an episode?”
Bel rubbed the bridge of his nose with thumb and forefinger. Marcus frowned to see his hand was brown with dried blood. They both desperately needed showers, but cleaning up would have to wait.
“As soon as we walked into the house,” Bel murmured, “I told her that I’d get my cello. I thought I’d play while she sang. I hadn’t played in a while, and I thought it would be nice to play when she was already in a good mood. But she jerked away from me like she was repulsed by me. She said she wanted nothing to do with me and stalked off to the library. The mood change was so sudden, I stood there shocked.”
“You sent the text then?”
Bel nodded and swallowed hard. Marcus picked up the glass of blood, pushing it on Bel again. His brother accepted it and drained it, but Marcus didn’t think he was aware of what he was doing. His stare was distant, and Marcus was willing to bet he was replaying in his mind what happened.
“After I sent the text, I went to check on her. I’d barely stepped into the room when she attacked me, screaming that I was evil.”
Marcus set the empty glass on an end table and resumed running his hand through his brother’s hair. “You’re not evil. And that’s not our mother. She’s sick.”
“But why? Why can’t I fix it? She doesn’t deserve to be like this.”
“I know, Bel. I know.”
Bel closed his eyes, tears slipping down both cheeks now, and Marcus’s heart broke for his brother, broke for all of them. “She wouldn’t want this, Marcus. It would kill her to know that she’s hurting her sons. She wouldn’t want to live like this if she knew.”
Winter had whispered those same broken words to him, and Marcus couldn’t bring himself to disagree. Julianna Varik loved her sons with all her being. She was the soul of kindness and compassion. There wasn’t a bit of hatred, anger, or violence within that woman.
But it was not the woman they loved who attacked them. It was the monster that lived within her.
“We don’t have much choice,” Marcus murmured.
Bel opened his eyes, pain clear there, but also knowledge that they did have one choice, but not one of them had yet voiced those words. Others had. Meryl had stated very clearly that Julianna needed to be killed in order to save them all. And Julianna’s death was the only thing that would save them from her attacks.
But she was their mother. Even if she might be the creature that one day ended their immortal existence, they couldn’t bring themselves to end her life to save themselves. They were trapped.
“Marcus?”
“Yes, Bel.”
Bel licked his lips and closed his eyes for a moment. His little brother seemed so tired, as if exhaustion had seeped down into his bones. “Would you play for me? I just want to forget for a little while and your playing…”
“I know,” Marcus murmured. “We’ll need to move to the music room on the third floor. My piano isn’t quite as mobile as your cello.”
Bel smirked at him. “You could invest in one of those electric keyboards.”
“Suggest that again and I’m going to dump you on my doorstep. You know those sound nothing like my baby,” Marcus growled, but it was all for show. He felt lighter to see Bel teasing him. Bel wasn’t as big of a joker as Rafe, but he did go in for a little playful teasing every once in a while.
“Yes, but your baby weighs a ton…” Bel paused on a hiss as Marcus slid an arm under him and helped him sit upright on the couch. “And she doesn’t easily fit through doorways,” he continued through clenched teeth.
