“I broke up with Jeffrey.” Jo’s statement was an abrupt change in the conversation.
“Good, he was an ass and didn’t deserve you,” Lily said, with conviction.
Krieger thought this was the first time he’d heard her swear. From the expression on Martha and Jo’s faces, they too were surprised by her vehemence. Liam, obviously attracted to Jo, smiled.
Martha cleared her throat. “Gentlemen, you must forgive our rudeness. There is so much news lately.”
Liam nodded but remained silent, and they continued on with their talk. Krieger relaxed and retreated into his own thoughts until it was time to leave.
“Thank you,” Lily said, sliding down into the car’s seat.
“I like your family.” He started the engine and pulled onto Route 50 to drive home. Liam followed behind in a Land Rover. Martha and Jo were up ahead, driving back to Waverly.
Lily stared out the window. “I should be sad about Walter and scared about what we’ll find.” She paused. “Or guilty about not feeling either.” Lily placed her hand atop his. “Instead I’m happy, really happy, for the first time in my life. You know I never trusted Walter.” She leaned back in her seat. “It made me think all men were untrustworthy. But since we met, I knew I could trust you.”
He thought she would say more, but she didn’t. He reached across and squeezed her hand, hoping she’d always feel this way about him.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Lily woke from a restless sleep. She just had to get through one more night and then whatever was behind her mother’s door would be revealed. She’d argued with Krieger about her being there when they went into the room. Whatever the worth of the clue, it couldn’t be ignored. It had to be checked out and she knew she must be present. Somehow she had to conquer the fear. No, fear wasn’t the right word. Terror, that’s what she felt.
Surprisingly, Merlin had intervened on her behalf. He’d said the key was a mere symbol, while she alone could open whatever lay inside that room. The truth in his words caused Krieger to assent to her wishes. She’d questioned the long wait; why not tonight? Krieger told her that the house was being searched for any dangerous devices, the Vantors needed to hunt, and there were other considerations that he could not speak of.
Afraid they would not take her, Lily hadn’t told anyone about her dreams. The beautiful man would come, as would her mother, and others. She’d close her eyes to this world and reopen them in a dream world where the sky was painted shades of purple and the landscape was vibrant green and brown and orange. The man would take her hand and walk down a path. Small tributaries of paths connected into the one they walked on. She’d tug at his hand wanting to see where they went, but he’d smile his beautiful smile and pull her along. He was so beautiful. She could look into his face for a thousand thousand years and never tire of his features. More times than she could count Lily asked his name, but he only smiled at her. Sometimes he’d brush her hair back from her face and kiss one cheek and then the other. They’d take a small boat across a lake whose waters shimmered like mercury. As the boat crossed she’d dip her hand into the lake and cup it, holding the liquid inside her palm. The fluid became alive and pitched and turned violently until she opened her hand to let it pour back where it came.
Sometimes the air creature followed them across the lake and sometimes he was waiting at the shore. She wasn’t afraid of him anymore, not since her mother had showed her how kind he was, how gently he would land and lay his head down for her to pet him. Tonight he was flying high above, his shadow casting the world in shade. She watched as he soared and pitched and rose on the invisible force of the air currents. The beautiful man steered the boat to shore. She slipped down into the waters, feeling the squishy bottom of the lake between her toes. The dragon laid his head on the shore, watching her with eyes as black as the blackest night, devoid of color and ancient as the cosmos above. Lily stepped out of the water, the silver liquid clinging to her legs and slipping off as she walked, reforming and returning in clumps back to the lake. She ran her hands over the dragon’s scales, so shiny and black with hints of red just at the tips of each one.
“Where are we going?” she asked, but neither answered.
The beautiful man pointed across the horizon. They were now at the very edge of a cliff, looking far off towards a dark and desolate looking place. His face was sad, it made her weep to see his sadness, and she clutched at his arm until he looked down at her again. The wind swirled around them, grabbing at their clothes like lovers. The dragon backed away from the edge, far enough to unfurl its wings and drifted up on the wind.
“Come back,” she cried.
Her mother appeared beside her and hugged her so tight Lily couldn’t breathe and gulped in air when she let her go. Her mother too drifted up and rose onto the wind. The beautiful man was the last to leave her. She watched until she could see him no more and the darkness on the horizon grew until it enveloped him.
Lily shook herself, trying to toss aside the memory of the dream. It scared her, the storm gathering and growing on the horizon. She could still smell the stench of cordite in the air from her dream. “I won’t think about it now,” she told herself and slipped into her bathing suit, determined to swim laps until her body was exhausted enough to sleep for eight hours, or more. “It’s just a stupid dream,” she said, not believing her own words.
Tired and frustrated, she walked out of her bedroom and down the curved stairway without looking around. Her head was down, the robe tied tight around her waist, and a plush oversized towel under her arm. When Liam needed a break, and Krieger was busy, she was guarded by one of the king’s guard. They never said anything to her, and she’d just ignored them after a while.
“Miss Ayres.” Lucien Black stood in front of the elevator doors. He looked at her different than the other guards, more intently. His eyes would start at her toes, climb up her body, and then back down again. “The Vantors are hunting.”
She nodded and dropped her head lower.
“What’s wrong with yours?” Lucien indicated the small private pool on this level.
Lily didn’t want to talk to him, she wasn’t comfortable around him. Old habits were persistent things, hard to break, so she chose not to speak, and went to walk around him to push the elevator button.
He was as quick as Krieger and impeded her path. She couldn’t stop fast enough and fell into him.
She remembered Krieger’s words regarding touching other vampires. Lily tried to regain her balance, but ended up crumpling to the floor.
“You can’t touch me.” The words sounded childish, even to her ears.
Lucien laughed, really laughed with amusement, which made her smile, even though she didn’t want to. “Here.” He reached down and lifted her up. “The king and I, well, let’s just say he has entrusted me with many tasks. He realizes that in protecting you contact may be necessary.”
When she was steady on her feet, he removed his hands and faced his palms outward, showing her that he was not touching her anymore, and, in doing so, that her hand was full of his shirt and she was still clinging to him. Quickly, she let go and took a step back.
“Now, why the pool downstairs?” He waited for her response.
Lily glanced up to see his onyx black eyes staring down at her. The same eyes as the dragon, she thought.
“Are you hard of hearing?” Lucien interrupted her thoughts.
Her mind was whirling between her dreams and the here and now. She was put so off balance both physically and mentally by the current situation that all she could manage was to maintain her stance. She needed to think, alone, but he was an unmoving, and immense presence.
“Have you no manners?” He took a step closer and glared at her. “Do you have any idea what you’re costing the king?”
She had no idea what he was talking about. “I’m not costing him anything. I have my own money.”
“Are you paying for the Vantors? Do you have any idea how much it
cost him to bring them into his court? Or you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Little girl, you scare me.” He pulled his arms back and placed his hands behind his head. If he meant to intimidate her, it worked. “The king has never bonded. He’s never cared for human women.” He looked her up and down again. “Not that you’re strictly human. His subjects are strongly discouraged from any entanglements in the human world. Can you imagine how much it cost him, in the eyes of his subjects, to declare a mere human child Sanguis?”
“I’m not a child,” she snapped back.
A boom of laughter echoed around the room. “Oh, your body is all woman, but your mind is filled with a child’s thoughts.”
Lily glared at him. She felt something hot boil inside her.
“So the least you can do is be polite to his subjects and show them the respect they are forced to show you.”
Her temper cooled. Martha had raised her to be polite. “What do you mean? No one said anything about this to me.”
“Of course they didn’t. Would you expect them to? So, tell me, why isn’t the pool up here good enough? If I’m going to risk my skin guarding you I’d like to know why.”
“I need to swim laps, and this one isn’t large enough.”
Lucien let out a grunt. “Laps. Aren’t you the athletic one.”
She pointedly looked at the hilt of his sword, strapped behind his back. “Don’t you have someone to kill?”
“Touché. The kitten shows her claws.” Lucien bowed slightly and waved her into the elevator.
They rode down in silence. When the doors opened Lucien stopped her from stepping out into the hall, one hand holding the elevator door open, the other one pressed against her shoulder. “Let the guards get in place first.”
Four guards, two in front, and two to either side, formed a box of sorts for her to step into. Lucien walked behind her.
“I never have all this when Liam guards me,” Lily said, looking from side to side.
“Just whisper, I will hear you, and you don’t need to turn your head back to me, just walk. Walk with grace, shoulders back and head up, try and show them why the king values you so much.”
“I don’t need this.” Lily stopped walking.
“Can you hear me?” Lucien asked.
She could, but she wasn’t sure how. It was like he was inside her brain talking to her.
“All you need to do is nod your head. There, perfect. I want you to listen to me. Look to your left, admire the statue of Hera. She is lovely, is she not?”
Lily turned and did as he asked. She’d never really looked around the great hall. It was just a place to pass through.
“Keep your head towards Hera, but let your eyes roam. Do you see them?”
She wasn’t sure what he was getting at. There were always people moving around down here. “So?” she whispered.
“So,” his voice mimicked her in her head. “You walk through here with your head down, your shoulders slumped, and they think you’re some type of prisoner. I don’t give a damn about how you’ve been pampered in the past or your need to hide in your own little fantasy world.”
She turned to look at him.
“You’re strong now. Whatever held you back in the past doesn’t matter anymore. It has no hold on you. If you care for the king, for your safety here, then you must look beyond your own two feet. His subjects are hungry to know about you, to understand why you are here. Let them see your face, bestow upon them those impossibly beautiful eyes of yours, and give them something productive to gossip about.”
His words made her angry, but she felt the truth of them; maybe that’s why they stung so deeply. She whipped back around, her hair flying around her face, and started walking again.
“Good girl,” Lucien whispered.
“Shut up,” she snapped back out loud.
The rest of the way they were quiet. It wasn’t natural for her, but she made an effort to nod or acknowledge each person or group they passed. What a relief it was to dive into the water, pierce the cool surface and let her body take over. Every three strokes she turned her head to breathe, her legs in perpetual motion propelled her through the water. Lap after lap after lap, she swam until she lost track of how many. She went far beyond the burn in her arms and legs, until there was nothing left in her body and she had no choice but to stop. Rolling over she floated on her back, staring up at the night sky.
Lucien seemed perfectly relaxed walking along the edge of the pool. For a long time she lay floating on the surface with her eyes closed. If it were possible to sleep like this, she would. Maybe in her next life she’d be a mermaid. It occurred to her that they might actually exist. She’d have to remember to ask.
Like when she was small, she swam down to the bottom. She looked up at Lucien through the water. He watched her, probably calculating how long she could stay under, debating if it was worth getting his clothes wet to go down and get her. She pushed off the bottom, stretching her body out, slicing through the water, and then breaking the surface. Lucien gave her a smile and went back to his walking.
Lying back to float again and regain her breath, she thought about what he’d said. No one had ever spoken to her as he had. He hadn’t treated her as something fragile. He respected her enough to say the truth. On a whim she called out to him, “Just once more and then we can go back in.”
“You must have gills,” he called back.
Before she went under she saw him laugh and turn towards the house. She swam down to the corner. Lucien was walking on the pool deck towards her but looking at someone. It must be Krieger. She had her feet pressed to the bottom ready to rocket up when she noticed Lucien’s mannerisms. They were all wrong. He wasn’t being respectful or friendly. He waved his hand dismissively towards the man she had initially thought was Krieger. She looked harder. The man turned his face out, allowing her to see more than his profile. Everything fell into place. It was Henry.
Lucien didn’t mentally speak to her like before, but she knew he would want her to stay under the water. Each second was agony, her lungs demanding air, her limbs getting heavier and heavier. Henry left. Lucien held his hand out and down, still not wanting her to rise. Finally, he looked at her, indicating it was time to surface.
His hands wrapped around her wrists, pulling her out and up onto the deck. She sank down on her knees, exhausted, and gulped in the sweet air. Lucien waited until her breathing quieted and then helped her to stand.
“Just breathe, sweet mermaid,” Lucien whispered.
He reached around, still holding her, and wrapped a towel over her shivering shoulders.
“Did Henry know I was there?”
“No.”
“Why didn’t you talk to me?” She looked up at him, “like before.”
“I can only hold one conversation at a time.”
“Oh. I need to tell Krieger.” She couldn’t control the tremor in her voice. “Please, you have to take me to him.”
“Because of Henry? Don’t trouble yourself about him, he’s gone for the night.”
She couldn’t read his eyes; they were too black, too distant. Was he angry? She didn’t know. She grabbed his shirt, balling it up in her fists, determined to make him understand. “I must see Krieger now. I know you’ve been ordered to take me to him whenever I request it.”
“Yes, what you say is true. I doubt the king had tonight in mind, though. Can you walk?”
She tried, but only made it two steps before crumpling.
Lucien scooped her up and strode out into the forest. “Are you going to tell me what is going on?”
“Have to get to Krieger first.”
Lucien placed his hand behind her head, pushing her face into his chest. It took a moment for her to realize he was protecting her from low-hanging tree limbs.
“You do understand that the king has royal duties,” he said.
“Yes.”
“He won’t like this, you showing up, not tonight. Whe
n we get there keep your mouth shut, and for Jupiter’s sake try not to look too traumatized by what you see.”
The smell of incense and smoke were her first indications that they were getting close. Then she heard a sizzling, popping sound. “Many have asked to enter his territory. It is expected and customary for there to be an initiation.” Lucien stopped. “Look at me,” he demanded, and waited until she obeyed. “Don’t judge what you do not understand.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “Just hurry.”
They were very close now. She could hear Krieger’s voice but not what he was specifically saying.
“It would be better if you walk in.” Lucien placed her down onto the forest floor and looked her over. Under his gaze, she felt suddenly vulnerable. She was still in her wet bathing suit, no shoes, with a towel wrapped around her body. The robe, forgotten until now, was lying on a chaise by the pool.
“There is nothing the king can do for you until the ceremony is over. This isn’t something you should see, not now, so new to this world. Let’s go back and wait until he is done here, then you two can talk over whatever has you spooked.”
She should have listened to him, and if she had it to do all over again, she would have listened. “I have to tell him now.”
“As you wish. Can you do something with your hair?” He tilted his head to the side, appraising her appearance. “Out here, with that white hair of yours, you remind me of a woodland fae.” His mouth thinned to a hard line. “Get it under control.”
Lily wasn’t sure if the last statement was meant for her. Quickly, she wrapped her damp curls up on top of her head and looped the long strands into a bun. “Could I have your shirt?” It was the only thing she could think to wear.
Lucien pulled the shirt over his head, revealing a chiseled chest that was hard not to stare at. She looked up into his eyes.
“Lift your arms for me.” He lowered the shirt over her, brushing his fingers along the inside of her arms. Her stomach had the same butterfly reaction as with Krieger.
“It’s not quite your size.” Lucien smiled.
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