Lily



Lily watched from the porch as the sun made a slow ascent to the sky. She felt a smile, the first smile in days, pull lightly on her lips. She didn't know how much she had missed it up until that point-having dealt with darkness and its inhabitants for several days; one would think to have certain withdrawals of it.

Her thoughts saddened-Ruby could never know the sun again-it was now her certain demise.

She tilted her face to the sun as it brightened, fusing softly with the last remnants of night.

When last had Varian felt the sun?

She realized then aside from what he had told her that she knew absolutely nothing about him and it had never occurred to her to ask.

Was it possible to be born into what he was? Was he turned like Ruby? Had he been a human at one time?

She tried imagining him as mortal-she closed her eyes and pictured a man, fragile in a human kind of way, not lethal and every way threatening-dark velvet eyes that were gentle, which held that distinctive warm glint of life.

Did he have a family once-a wife and children?

A house full of vampires and she knew nothing about them.

Shaking her head she pushed herself from the stairs and started to turn inside but something afar caught her attention and she stilled.

A stray cat across the street darted from beneath a parked car-her heart jolted.

Charlie! Panic swept through her and she made a dash down the small set of stairs to the pavement.

She felt an immediate stirring followed swiftly by an adamant voice.

Do not, Lily!

She came to a stop there on the pavement- How could I've forgotten Charlie?

He is fine.

She felt an anger pulling- My father tried to kill me, my best friend was turned abruptly into a raging juvenile vampire and I've been told that I'm some cross of hybrid -don't you think I deserve something of normalcy? She continued on her path down the pavement. Besides, he's all I have left.

She could feel his frustration, strange as if it were her own, coursing rapidly through her.

I could will you back to the house. He warned.

Her temper grew- If a part of me is vampire then it is possible I could overrule your willpower over me?

She was startled by a deep chuckle-You are clever my little human.

I'm going with or without your consent-she dared.

It was bizarre, but she could feel his anger doubling over-he didn't like her willfulness one bit but she wasn't about to give in without a fight. She felt his struggle against the heaviness of the sun, the inability to stay awake, even mindfully-she knew, without him in the daylight she was completely helpless to whatever potential dangers lay in wait but she was willing to risk it, even for her little fluff of Charlie.

Your father will look for you in the obvious of places-he growled and she caught the languidness in his tone.

Yes, she knew that much but the vision of Charlie, abandoned and seeking food, made her heart squeeze uncomfortably-Ruby had given Charlie to her with the intention of nurturing and she wouldn't fail her friend.

I'm going.

Lily-an enraged growl resonated in her thoughts but it was quickly doused by the pressing sun that forced him to sleep.

Her unkempt apartment was in shambles. She didn't linger in the doorway, fearful that someone may be watching the place; so instead, she picked her way through the mass of cluttered furniture scattered along the floor.

When last she remembered, the apartment hadn't been so hopelessly wrecked.

Someone had ransacked the place.

Her heart skipped at the notion followed by a rising fear-where was Charlie? Surely whoever had destroyed the place wouldn't harm or take a helpless kitten?

"Here Charlie-" she murmured softly, peering over a turned-up table.

She moved quickly through each room, peeking in places that deemed suitable for a hide-a-seek but the more she came up empty-handed her heart sank further in her chest.

It wasn't until she found herself back in the living room that she caught a small sound.

Mew...

Her heart jolted and she whirled towards the kitchen.

Charlie had plotted himself right in the middle of the floor, peering ever so cute-like but she knew better-her devious little kitten.

"You brat. " she laughed cheerfully, moving to pluck him gently from the floor. His furry little head nudged her chin and she smiled. "I missed you too."

Carrying her bundle of fur, she made a dash for the stairs to the bedroom. She set Charlie on the bed and wagged a finger before him, "Don't you move."

Mew...

She smiled and turned to seize some clothes from the closet, her fingers froze when she reached for a jacket, her face paling intensely as a noise from downstairs erupted through the desolate place like a clash of thunder.

Her heart accelerating with a bolt of fear, she grabbed Charlie and crouched by the door, pressing her body against the wall to peer down the stairs.

Someone was moving through the living room-her eyes caught a waver of a shadow cast against the opposite wall and she stiffened.

Charlie wiggled in her grasp and she tightened her hold.

"Shh..." she consoled softly, rubbing his little skull with her forefinger.

Her eyes remained firm on the wall where the shadow had been and then suddenly a man appeared and she reared back against the wall, her heart lodging tight in her throat.

She clenched her eyes and focused on tuning out the fierce pounding of her heart to listen for the intruder.

She'd never seen the man before; she would have recognized a man of that size with hair as black as coal and eyes as equally dark.

A tremor passed through her-something about the man was immensely flinty. Surely a man hired by her father?

She wasn't eager to find out.

Forgetting her clothes, clutching Charlie fiercely to her chest, she crept silently into the hall and craned her neck to catch a glance of the intruder's whereabouts.

Where had he gone too?

She heard him then, rummaging through a room in the back of the apartment, the door was right there, not far from the foot of the stairs-she could make it. She could feel an adrenaline pulsing through her, mingling wildly with her pounding heart as she made the few steps that brought her closer to the door.

She didn't dare steal a glance to see if the man followed, she could think of nothing else but fleeing while the going was good. Relief swept blissfully through her as she made a mad flee from the door, only then did she dare peer over her shoulder-colliding roughly with another solid frame.

Lily inhaled a sharp, quickened breath as a face loomed before her, mindless to the strong hands that steadied her.

"Jackson!"

She reared back but his grip tightened, "We have to go."

Lily shook her head and jerked away from him, "I'm not going anywhere with you."

He peered nervously above her head to a spot behind her, "Lily, I know I'm the last person you want to trust right now but believe me; you don't want to make friendly with that guy."

"I can't trust you-" she said almost to herself but her mind was reeling, she didn't know what to do, where to run-she had no vehicle at the moment and right now Jackson appeared to be her only reliable means of escaping.

He peered down, "Listen-I'm a jackass alright? I know that doesn't resolve anything but can we not settle on that being somewhat gratifying at the moment until we can talk?"

She narrowed her eyes angrily on him, "You mean a chauvinistic, money-hungry backstabbing jackass-"

He grabbed her arm, "Time to go!"

She was half-dragged toward a vehicle and it wasn't until she was pushed into the passenger seat that she realized they'd been discovered.

Her heart jammed against her chest as Jackson fell in behind the wheel.

The man was barreling at them in a dead-run.

"Go!" she cried.

The car revved to life and Jackson hit the gas, propelling them forward.

Lily peered over the seat, clutching Charlie against her chest to see the man standing in the street, watching them all the way until they turned the corner.

With a heavy sigh, Lily fell back in her seat to glare incredulously at Jackson. "Who was that?" she demanded.

He shrugged as he glanced fleetingly in the rear-view mirror. "Another man hired."

Her eyes narrowed accusingly, "Like you."

His grip tightened around the wheel as he said quite dejectedly, "Yes, like me."

"Why did you do it, Jackson?" she felt a flush of anger crimson her face, "I trusted you and you betrayed me."

A stiffness settled in his broad shoulders, "I was stupid, Lil-" he fell silent, taking a breath before adding, "-the diner was in financial straits, he offered a significant amount of money-I had no idea what I was doing." He stole a glance at her, "He was your father, and I didn't think he would harm you."

Her mouth flattened into a grim line as she turned to peer out the window, "I suppose that was a hard lesson for the both of us." She grew alarmed as the road whisked steadily by, "-where are we going?"

"The diner." He said casually.

She grew more alarmed, straightening in her seat. "No, we can't-"

"He's not going to look for you there, I betrayed you, remember?"

She relaxed somewhat, "I'm not about to forget it either."

He remained silent and for the first time she noticed a slight paleness to his face, the shadows beneath his eyes and a frailness to his frame.

"Are you alright?" she asked out of concern.

He chuckled, "I got my ass kicked by a vampire, what do you think?"

She felt a grin tug at her mouth.

"He threw me over a couch." He said incredulously with a hint of humor.

They fell silent and then she asked, "Why did you betray me again-that night you abducted me?"

"Your father convinced me that you were in danger, and judging from the wall of vampire that stormed into your apartment, I believed him. He can be quite persuasive." He peered over at her, "He brainwashed me, and I was an idiot to believe a word he spat."

Lily studied him anew, feeling indifferent yet wanting desperately to believe him. "He has money and influence-that can persuade even the best of people."

They pulled up before the Red Brick Grill and together they strolled into the restaurant. Lily was somewhat wary, catching sidelong glances and lingering stares, even a few barely restrained whispers.

She felt a hand at the small of her back and then Jackson's voice by her ear, "Ignore them." He ushered her toward the back to his office.

She set Charlie down and half-smiled, "I guess I've been the talk of the ton?"

"Naturally." Jackson replied, "Not to worry, they'll have something else to talk about tomorrow."

An abrupt knock startled both of them-Jackson rolled his eyes to the ceiling as Lily, feeling a bit uneasy, moved to put the desk between her and the door. How could a place that had once been a second home, feel so abnormally uncomfortable?

She was surprised to see a frantic Veronica peering in through the slip of the door. "Lily, are you okay? Where you been? Have you heard from Ruby? We heard you both were sick?"

Lily winced at the mention of Ruby.

Sensing her discomfort, Jackson stepped before Veronica, "Ronnie, why don't you get Lily a burger and fries?"

Grimacing at being casually dismissed, Veronica grudgingly nodded and disappeared.

Jackson closed the door and turned toward Lily.

"Maybe I should've ordered a thing of milk?" he motioned to Charlie scampering along his desk.

"Jackson-" Lily started gravely, slowly meeting his eyes. "-they're going to kill you."

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