Fearing he wouldn’t marry her as promised, she started saving large portions of her allowance early on, sure he would one day leave her.
With the birth of Marcus, Harrison was very excited and close. He was heavily involved in the raising of his first son. But he could not offer her marriage yet. Not until his older brother had his first son.
Shortly after the birth of the twins, Harrison’s brother was killed in a riding accident with no heir. Julianna knew they would never marry, but Harrison continued to support her in great style as his mistress. He loved both her and their sons greatly.
When she was pregnant with her last son, Harrison married another woman from a good family. Winter was born two months early in the middle of a particularly bad winter. No one expected him to survive.
A year after Winter’s birth, Harrison’s wife produced his first son. Three years later, she gave birth to his first daughter and demanded he finally put aside his mistress. Julianna and Harrison had been together for thirteen years.
Julianna was heartbroken but not surprised. She and her boys moved to a smaller but lovely town house. She was still performing and had many investments—all of which provided a wonderful income. The family was able to live comfortably. When Julianna was not performing, she was focused on the education of her sons.
Three years later, Julianna met a strange but beguiling man named Lord Aiden Martin. They fell in love. He proved to be a generous but secretive lover. He accepted and cared for her sons.
After two short years together, Julianna became deathly ill. No doctor could save her. Aiden moved her and her sons into his elegant estate just outside of London, promising to care for them all. Aiden was heartbroken that he couldn’t save her, so he turned her into a vampire.
Julianna’s mind was always a bit of a strange thing. She spoke of whispered voices, and her moods would change from great highs and lows in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, the transformation broke her mind. She became incredibly erratic, delusional, and prone to horrific violence.
Seeing Aiden only set her off into violent, distressing moods, forcing Aiden to stay away from the woman he loved and attempted to save.
The only thing that calmed her mind was when her sons played music; it brought her back to her performing days.
Her sons refused to see their mother destroyed, but she would outlive them, and she was also considerably stronger. They convinced Aiden to transform them all when Winter reached the age of twenty-three.
In 1843, Aiden turned all four brothers into vampires, starting a new chapter in their lives and setting them on the course to find some very interesting mates.
The Varik Timeline
1790 – Julianna is born
1811 – Julianna and Harrison meet
1813 – Marcus is born
1816 – Twins – Rafe and Beltran – are born
1820 – Winter is born
Harrison marries someone else
1821 – Harrison’s wife has a son
1824 – Harrison’s wife has a daughter
Wife demands Harrison put Julianna aside
1827 – Julianna meets Aiden
1829 – Julianna becomes ill, family moves in with Aiden
Julianna becomes a vampire
1843 – Sons made into vampires
Marcus is 30
Rafe and Beltran are 27
Winter is 23
Julianna has been a vampire for 14 years
2019 – Julianna is 190 years old
Marcus and brothers are 176
The Complete Varik Clan List
Aiden (Martin) Varik – Sire of the Varik Clan
Beltran Varik – third oldest of the Varik sons
Ethan Varik – mate of Marcus Varik
Fox Varik – mate of Winter Varik (witch)
Gideon Varik – ward of Rafe Varik
Julianna Varik – mother of the Varik brothers
Jullien (Arsenault) Varik – best friend of Philippe Varik
Lola Varik – best friend of Rafe Varik
Marcus Varik – oldest of the Varik sons
Philippe (Arsenault) Varik – mate of Rafe Varik
Rafe Varik – second oldest of the Varik sons
River Varik – mate of Beltran Varik (werewolf)
Ronan (Svendson) Varik – mate of Aiden Varik
Ryder Varik – friend of Rafe Varik
Winter Varik – youngest of the Varik sons
Wyatt Varik – mate of Beltran Varik (werewolf)
Bel’s Lullaby - English and French
This is the lullaby Bel sang to his River when he was injured in Waking Bel. The lullaby can be traced to the eighteenth century, but its author and composer are unknown.
“Au Clair de la Lune”
Au clair de la lune
Mon ami Pierrot
Prête-moi ta plume
Pour écrire un mot
Ma chandelle est morte
Je n’ai plus de feu
Ouvre-moi ta porte
Pour l’amour de Dieu
Au clair de la lune
Pierrot répondit
Je n’ai pas de plume
Je suis dans mon lit
Va chez la voisine
Je crois qu’elle y est
Car dans sa cuisine
On bat le briquet
Au clair de la lune
L’aimable Lubin
Frappe chez la brune
Qui répond soudain
Qui frapp’ de la sorte
Il dit à son tour
Ouvrez votre porte
Au dieu de l’amour
Au clair de la lune
On n’y voit qu’un peu
On chercha la plume
On chercha du feu
En cherchant d’ la sorte
Je n’ sais c’ qu’on trouva
Mais je sais qu’ la porte
Sur eux se ferma.
English Translation
Under the moonlight:
“My friend Pierrot
Lend me your pen
So I can write a note.
My candle is out,
I no longer have a light.
Open your door for me,
For the love of God!”
Under the moonlight:
Pierrot replied,
“I don’t have a pen,
I’m in my bed.
Go to the neighbor’s house,
I believe she’s there,
Because in her kitchen,
Someone lit a match.”
Under the moonlight:
Kind Lubin
Knocks at the brunette’s door.
All of a sudden she replies,
“Who’s knocking like that?”
He says in turn,
“Open your door,
For the god of love.”
Under the moonlight:
Only a little can be seen,
The pen was looked for
A light was looked for,
Searching like this
I don’t know what was found,
But I do know that the door
Was closed on them.
About the Author
New York Times Bestselling author Jocelynn Drake loves a good story, whether she is reading it or writing one of her own.
Over the years, her stories have allowed her to explore space, talk to dragons, dodge bullets with assassins, hang with vampires, and fall in love again and again.