Chapter 101 - You Before Them

Roman had a murderous look in his eyes that narrowed in anger as he waited for Julie to reply to his burning question. 

There had been many times before this when Julie had seen him being but never before had she seen him this angry, and it scared her.

"That…" Julie's voice trailed, noticing his burning eyes on hers.

Roman gritted his teeth, closing his eyes to control his anger, which he couldn't right now. The next second he opened his eyes. They were dark red. He questioned her, "Was it Griffin?" 

Julie softly gulped, and she shook her head, "No, it wasn't him." 

"Who was it then? What happened after we met near the stalls?" Roman continued to question, his eyes taking in the bruise on her skin that had turned bluish-green. It started from the corner of Julie's lips and moved up towards her cheek. 

She finally uttered the name, "It was Mateo and his friends."

Roman's eyes hardened, his hands turning into tight fists until it turned pale, ghost-like. Fire blazed in those red eyes, and he turned towards the door. A sudden panic filled Julie, and she caught his arm. 

"Don't leave!" Julie stopped him. "Please." She held him with both her hands, hoping for him to listen to her as his hand had already reached the doorknob and gripped it tight.

"Let me go and speak to them," Roman spoke through his gritted teeth.

Julie's hands gripped tight on Roman's arm, and she pleaded, "You will get in trouble and I don't want that." She knew Roman's 'speak' was going to be more on physical speak than verbal.

Roman sensed Julie's concern in her voice. She was anxious and nervous for his sake. The anger in him lit like an inferno that wasn't going to extinguish until he would settle the score with those fuckers. 

He let go of the doorknob and turned to look at Julie. His eyes still narrowed, he demanded, "I thought Caleb was with you. How did it happen?"

Julie nodded her head, "Before seeing you in the afternoon at the stalls, Reese told me that Ms. Piper asked for me, because she wanted me to wear the costume. But I think someone compelled Reese and she didn't realize it. Caleb had stayed behind on the ground floor of the Blue Block. But when I went to meet Ms. Piper, I found out it was Mateo and his friends who had tricked me to come there."

"Fucking bastards," cursed Roman under his breath. 

He had made enemies in Veteris, with his own kind more than the humans, but he hadn't expected for them to take their revenge by making use of Julie. Taking advantage of his absence while she had been left unprotected. 

Trying to push away his temper out of his mind, he looked at Julie's eyes, fear behind them. Realizing right now, she needed him here more than he wanted to beat the living shit out of the people who had hurt her. 

Roman cupped her face with both his hands, caressing her cheeks, and he calmed his voice before asking, "Did they hurt you elsewhere? What else did they do?" Dropping his hands, he stepped backwards to check her. When Julie didn't answer, her heart beating in her chest, he asked, "What did they do?" 

Not meeting his eyes, Julie said, "Mateo made a cut out of my blouse, but I was able to get away from them, and found Caleb knocked out on one of the ground floors."

Roman checked Julie's hands, looking at them and then at her neck before pulling her into his embrace. He placed one hand on Julie's back while he placed the other on the back of Julie's head. Gently petting her. 

"I am sorry I wasn't there when you needed me," Roman apologized to her. 

Julie felt safe with Roman, holding her.

The panic, the pain and the fear that she had experienced this afternoon, that she had tried to hide within herself until this very minute, slowly started to come out from her. She brought her hands up, holding the sides of his shirt before gripping on it. 

Soon, the tears that she had tried to hold back started to spill out from her eyes. 

"It's okay," Roman consoled her by gently patting her head on his hand while not letting her go. 

It seemed like beating the person once had not been sufficient, and just because the Elders were awake, the other vampires believed that he wouldn't do anything to them. But they were so wrong, thought Roman to himself. Now he didn't care about what the Elders were going to do to him. He would set an example for everyone to know what would happen if they ever messed with him one more time.

It wasn't too hard for him to guess that Griffin was behind this. Else he would have never mentioned about Julie when they were on the football field. 

Julie didn't mean to cry. She had tried to be strong, but seeing Roman and his actions had melted her heart.

When she pulled away from him, Roman saw Julie's face had turned slightly pink and flushed. 

Raising his hand, Roman wiped the tear-streaked cheeks of hers. Julie mumbled under her breath, "I am okay."

"Mm, I know," replied Roman, where he could only imagine how worried and scared she might have been at that time. Right now, his hands itched to beat the people who had laid their hands on her. By the look of it, he could tell it wasn't a punch, but someone had struck her face too hard using the vampire strength. 

Later, said Roman in his mind. He said, "Come with me," and Julie's anxious eyes met his. 

"Where are we going?" asked Julie, slightly worried by thinking that he was taking her to the boy's Dormitorium. 

"Don't worry. It isn't something that will leave bad memories," Roman looked into her eyes, and he added, "I promise." 

"Let me wear my sweater," said Julie. When she turned to go to her closet, Roman caught hold of her hand. 

"Wait," he said, and he removed the leather jacket that he had worn, putting it around her shoulders. "The night is colder for your sweater to resist and protect you. Someone once told me, it isn't too bad to depend on a person when you need to. It is perfectly alright."

Julie wondered where Roman was taking her, but without asking any question, she decided to go with him. Because this could be one of the times where they could spend time without people around, and she didn't want to regret it later. She didn't mind breaking the rules because she had come to realize that was how the world ran. 

Without letting go of her hand, Roman tugged Julie by her hand, and they stepped out of the dorm. 

"The key is inside," came Julie's soft words. But Roman closed the door and turned to her. 

"I got you, Winters," replied Roman, and his other hand reached for his chain. 

Julie heard the metal sound, and when Roman brought his hand down, she noticed the two rings on his chain were not there anymore. She looked at his hand, where the rings had magically turned into a key, and he locked the door using it. Once done, his eyes met hers, and he offered her a wink with a small smirk on his lips. 

She heard the snapping sound of the metal, and Roman brought it back to his chain, where the key had turned into two plain rings. 

"How is that possible?" asked Julie, her eyes filled with curiosity. 

"One of the perks of being turned by an Elder," replied Roman, and they started to walk. When they heard footsteps coming from the entrance, he pushed her behind him. After a few seconds, she noticed the warden walk past the corridor in front of them. 

Seeing the woman heading towards the staircase, Roman and Julie stepped out of the girl's Dormitorium. Roman walked as if no one would spot them, and they walked near the place where he had parked his motorcycle. 

In a few minutes, both Roman and Julie passed through the main gates of Veteris university, riding on the motorcycle under the starry night. 

Julie didn't know how long they rode, not that she cared about time or people right now. She placed one side of her head on Roman's back, watching the trees that they continuously passed them. 

When Roman finally stopped the motorcycle inside a forest, she got down and pulled out the helmet from her head. 

"Rome?" Julie called him. 

Roman, who had parked his motorcycle, looked at her, "Unfortunately, there are no ghosts in here to entertain you." He stretched his hand forward, and Julie took it without any hesitation. 

They started walking in the forest, where the moon disappeared behind the clouds. All Julie could hear now was the sound of crickets and the sound of their footsteps. Roman's leather jacket was big for Julie, that covered her hands while also protecting her from the cold. 

To fill the silence, Julie asked, "How was your dinner with the Elders?" She didn't forget the way her eyes had met the Elder, who stared at her for a second longer compared to the rest of them. 

"Boring as usual with the vampires boasting about themselves on how better they are compared to the others in the room. Luciano was more pissed at Griffin than he was at Donovan, who was taunting him," remarked Roman, and he then said, "He has taken a faint interest in Reese." 

"Reese?" Julie turned a little confused at this information. 

"I believe he thought I was looking at her, when I was on the field. Also she was the one who spoke to me and not you," stated Roman, his tone turning slightly serious. "It is safe to say that his concentration is on her. So right now, you are clear." 

Julie was glad to hear it while at the same time worried about what Donovan might do to Reese. Hopefully, he wouldn't do anything to her because Conner was very fond of the girl. 

"Do you come here often too?" asked Julie. 

Roman turned to look at Julie over his shoulder, and he stared at her, and she stared back at him. "Not often," he answered her. "This is a special place. More special than the place I previously took you to. This is a place that belongs to my mother."

Julie's eyes widened, wondering if his words meant that his mother had been buried here. 

He said, "Before my mother passed, she had brought me here once. After I grew up, using my father's influence as he was the Lord, I got her casket shifted here. Away from the ruined village, and a place where I believed she would be more at peace. I think she is."

Julie didn't know if she was just emotional, but she felt her chest turn heavy, and she quietly listened to him. Knowing how precious these things were. 

He brought his hand forward and checked the time on his phone. "The weather and time seems like it is supposed to be now," Julie heard him, who walked ahead while he still held her hand. "It should be somewhere here. Close your eyes." 

Julie closed her eyes while Roman slowed down his steps so that she wouldn't trip. They walked for two minutes more before he stopped. 

"Can I open my eyes?" asked Julie, and she felt Roman let go of her hand. 

"Now."

When Julie opened her eyes, it took a second for her eyes to focus, and she saw a little twinkle of lights around her, flying. They were fireflies that lit the place where they were, and her eyes followed those little lights.

One of the fireflies flew close to her, and Julie brought her right hand forward, watching it come to sit on the palm of her hand. 

The smile that had been lost this noon was found once again, and she turned to look at Roman with a bright smile on her face.