The next few years go by and things are much calmer. Still, Julie wishes that there was something she could do for Michelle. She sees the longing Michelle has for the children. All that can be done is Michelle become a surrogate mother. And that was vetoed by Arthur. A full human child wouldn't last very long in the household.

He hated to do that though. For a long time Michelle became depressed. The gala is the first thing Michelle has shown interest in for months.

Julie looks at the dress Aiden  once more places in her hands. "It's perfect for the gala Jules. Please try it on." Aiden pleads with her. Julie is now fully in the moment and no longer lost in her thoughts.

Aiden had had to bribe the children to get Julie to come with him. He promised them something that if Julie ever found out would get him hung up to dry. After the children wouldn't stop screaming and yelling and demanding her attention for more than an hour Julie agreed to go shopping just to get some peace.

Now Aiden just has to figure out how he's going to get puppies in the house without Julie killing him. As a human Julie had taken care of a stray puppy. When her parents found out they made her watch as they killed it. Ever since then Julie couldn't stand the thought of a pet puppy. 

The kids want one though and that was the price for them to get her to go shopping.

He's lucky that's all they wanted. They are as good at negotiating as Adam is, it's terrifying truly.

Julie finally takes the dress and tries it on. Aiden goes in and does up the back.

"It's perfect, what did I tell you? It'll match the sapphire necklace Adam got you for your anniversary last week." And all the other jewelry he'd gotten her as well. He happens to know that Adam has a tiara he's wanting to give Julie and this dress would be perfect to wear it with.

Julie looks at herself carefully, "Aiden, do you remember when you first met me?"

"Yes, you were wearing Adam's shirt and looked terribly unsure. Once you figured out what we were you were terrified but hid it quite well. I don't think any other human would have been able to do half so well."

"I've had more than twenty children. You helped me shop back then, before the children, do you think I've changed or gained weight?"

Aiden goes up to her and pulls her to him, he made sure that they are private. "You are as beautiful now as you were then. Motherhood suites you." Aiden leaves feather like kisses along her neck as he lets his hands follow her curves. "You can't gain weight  you know."

Julie leans into him as he makes sure that she knows he appreciates how her body looks.

In the end Aiden convinces her to get that dress and two more for upcoming events. Julie thinks it's ridiculous to buy so many dresses just to only wear them once or at most twice. At least she can donate them to be auctioned for a charity. Sometimes the dresses have brought in more than she originally paid.

As they are returning to their car shots ring out and Julie goes down. She hears confusion and then nothing. 

Julie wakes up to a burning pain. It reminds her of when she was human and she was first kidnapped. Her eyes are covered and she can't move. Well at least she's not tied to a chair, she thinks snarkily to herself. Then she shivers. It could be worse, Adam mentioned nailing his victims down.

She hurts but not that badly. She's burning though, with fever. Her heart isn't functioning right and she's having trouble breathing.

She realizes that she's naked and spread eagle on some type of table, stone from how cold it is. It actually feels rather good against her fevered skin.

"I thought you said she was vampire?" She hears a female say. She wrinkles her nose in disgust at the bitter smell of the person speaking.

"She is, she was turned fifteen years ago by her husband Adam Demarco." A second voice replies, that one sounds familiar. Who is it? It's a female, but not one she knows very well. A memory of a maid leading her to the kitchen of the Demarco estate. Candy. She's betraying Adam again. She better hope that Adam doesn't find her.

"She's dying, there was nothing in the bullet that would cause a vampire to die. She should be healed by now." The first voice is not happy about this situation.

The second voice, Candy, replies. "Not my problem. I told you the information you wanted. Now you owe me my money."

Julie hears some rustling sounds and then one of the people walks away.

"Drink. I need you alive or the summoning won't work." The first person holds a cup or some such vessel to Julie's mouth. The person manages to get Julie to ingest it, but like the first time Julie was captive she spewed it all over everything.

"Bitch! Now I have to redo, ugh!" The person cleans Julie up by dumping a couple of buckets of water on her. But she doesn't try to force her to drink anything more, she learned her lesson.

Julie on the other hand is having a hard time breathing and soon she passes out again.

Adam is going crazy. Aiden mind linked that Julie was taken. The only thing he could say was they were prepared for vampires. They knew who and what they were taking and how. Aiden also said that he smelled the same drug that damn near killed Julie when she was human. They have no idea if it will still kill her or not, but they need to find her now.

Whoever took her took great care in the where and how, but forgot about the camera's that are everywhere. They are able to follow the vehicle to the outskirts of the city and to the abandoned warehouses. Adam decides then that he's going to buy the lot of them and have them all torn down. 

Now that he has a location he sends out the guards. It doesn't take them long to find the scent they need.

But he also has other news. "We've found the building boss, but you aren't going to like what else we found. There is the scent of black witches. I'm not sure how many but more than three."

"Shit. They are going to use Julie as the sacrifice." Adam is sick even as he calls Mike and tells him what's up.

Mike assures him that he'll be there with his best fighters.

Adam hates to wait but he has to. He just hopes that if anything happens to Julie that she will forgive him.

Adam makes one more phone call. "Get your witches together. There's black witches and they are going to sacrifice my wife to call forth the damn demon."

"Where?" The witch was smart enough to not say anything else. Adam is furious and she doesn't want his ire on her.

"Meet us at the abandoned warehouses northeast corner in forty-five minutes." Adam orders and the witch says yes then hangs up.

"Adam?" Mary Ann says coming into the study.

"Black witches have her. They are planning on using her for the sacrifice."

"I'm coming with," Mary Ann says decisively.

"No, I need you to stay with the children. If-" Adam takes a breath, "if Julie is harmed or worse, I'll need you to deal with the children."

"Adam..." Mary Ann nods and lets the others know. Soon the brothers and Andres are ready to go with several guard. Bryan and Cirry are left to protect the children.

They run towards the meeting spot and are joined by werewolves as they go. There will be no quarter given.