Jewel

25

"Hey, Jules you up yet?" Aiden knocks on her door the next morning before breakfast.

Julie once more stumbles out of the bed, opening the door she says, "You better have a damn good reason for waking me up this early." It was only six in the morning and she isn't a morning person.

"Sorry, I was just excited. Adam said that he talked to you about the party last night. What do you think?"

"I don't until I wake up at a decent hour. Damn aren't vampires supposed to be nocturnal creatures? How is it the human is the most nocturnal of everyone living here?"

Aiden chuckles, "Okay, I get it. I'll come back in a couple of hours and see if you are any more awake then."

"Thank you," Julie says and closes the door before stumbling back to her bed. She's back asleep before she's even hit the bed.

At eight thirty Aiden is back and comes bearing gifts, breakfast in bed. "Forgive me for waking you earlier?"

"Yeah, for this I'll forgive both earlier and now." Julie sits up on the bed and starts eating as Aiden goes over the various ideas he has for the party.

Julie can see why Adam wanted her to come to a decision so quickly. Aiden will need the two months to pull this off it's so big.

"No. Absolutely not, Aiden, that is too over the top. I'll allow the dance in the ballroom, the pool with the water slide and the game room with the money for the guests. That's all good. The food we'll have to talk about some more but we have time. I'll even go for the live band. But the rest, nope."

Aiden is a bit abashed that she refused to allow the acrobatic and medieval sword fighting demonstrations he wanted to have in the other ballrooms.

"Very well. Now that that is done, Adam said that we need to open a bank account for you today. Since you aren't quite eighteen I'll be signing on the account as well. Don't worry, I wouldn't think about touching your money. Once you are eighteen we want you to upgrade your account and make it solely yours."

Julie doesn't know what to say. Tears pool in her eyes, she hadn't dared open a bank account before because her parents would have stolen her money.

"Hey, don't cry or Adam will have my head."

"Sorry," Julie says wiping her eyes swiftly not wanting Aiden to see the tears. "They are tears of happiness, not sorrow. I'll let him know that if he gives you any grief."

"He gives us a great deal of grief when it comes to you. He hides much of what he does from you, not wanting you angry with him."

"Aiden, did you go over plans with Jewel?" Adam says from the doorway.

"Yes, and she liked most of my ideas but shot down others." Aiden says pouting a bit.

"Let me guess, the acrobats and sword fighting?"

"How did you know?" Aiden says smirking.

Adam merely rolls his eyes. "Jewel, what were your tears for?"

"I am safe. I am happy. It just hit me all of a sudden I guess."

Adam goes from leaning against the wall to standing up straight. "You're truly happy here?"

"Yes, how could I not be? You've all been so good to me and I know I haven't acted very good about some of it. I owe everyone an apology I think."

Aiden is looking at her like he's never seen her before and Adam is shaking his head. "No, Jewel you've handled everything far better than I could have hoped. Never once have you freaked that you are living in a house full of vampires. Never once have you freaked while watching us feed. Hell you seem enthralled when we do. I'm willing to bet you'd let us drink from you and think nothing of it."

"I would. I tried to offer Aaron my blood, but he wouldn't let me finish."

"Good, because your blood is off limits and we are all aware of that.

"I think the hardest thing for you has been to realize that you are no longer bound down by your parents. You are free to soar, my Jewel and that's what we all want for you to do." Adam tells her and goes over to her bed.

"Aiden, did you talk to her about the bank account?"

"Yes, that's when she started crying."

"I see, why don't you go get started on the arrangements you need to make for the party?"

Aiden nods and leaves the room.

Adam takes the tray from off Julie and sets it on the floor. He bites his thumb and has her drink the blood that comes out. Shortly the puffy eyes and red nose are gone.

"You don't need to give me blood for something so little, Adam."

"It's my blood to give if I want.

"I owe you an apology," Adam says softly.

"I don't think you do, you already gave me one yesterday."

Adam leans down and kisses her, "I allowed that bitch into my house. If I had known how she was going to treat you I wouldn't have. I hope I didn't ruin your date with Alex?"

"Well, I didn't really enjoy being called a virgin ice queen, but after she left we watched the movie..."

Adam smirks, "You didn't just watch a movie. If that was all you did then Alex wouldn't have been so jumpy and nervous about me coming in."

"We were kissing, but nothing past the lesson you already gave me."

"Would you like more now?" Adam asks softly.

"I thought you wanted me to go to the bank today?"

Adam's eyes darken with intent and he leans over, "I do, but this lesson won't take all day."

He runs his hands up her inner thigh, "Remember tell me if you don't like it."

As he moves his hand up, Julie couldn't even think of words let alone how to speak them. "That's right, baby, just feel."

Some time later Adam pulls back and holds Julie in his arms. Once Julie can speak, "Is that the lesson for Sunday?"

"That is only a small part of the lesson. It will be up to you if you receive the full lesson or not."

"What is the full lesson?"

"What all the kissing and petting leads up to, of course. Sex." Adam tells her and gives her another kiss. "You'll need to let me know before I start the lesson where you want it to end. Because if you don't I'll give you the full lesson.

"Now you need to get ready to go." Adam takes out some papers from his suit coat pocket. "You'll need these and your student body ID card and drivers license. I don't know what all they will need. Most banks trip over themselves to open an account for us, but since you are a minor..."

Julie takes the papers, her birth certificate and social security card. "How did you get these?"

"I made your parents give them to me before we left Monday, or rather Aaron did when he got the keys to your car from your father."

"Thank you."

Adam shrugs off the thanks, "It was no problem for me. I doubt it was much of one for Aaron either."