Blood Lily (Lilith Adams Vampire Series Book 1)

by Jenny Allen

  “Why don’t you call a cab? We can share it, stop at your place and then head to mine. Safety in numbers and whatnot.”

  He forced a laugh and fell into a strained, silent pause. She thought he was going to say no, but he finally agreed. “Well, since I am your newly appointed bodyguard, I suppose that would only be fair. I’d be in a world of shit if something happened to you before we even left town.”

  “Yeah well. Here’s hoping I survive your apartment.” She paused and tapped a finger against her lips thoughtfully. “Maybe I should just wait in the car. Might be safer. You could have one of those stalker chicks scoping out your place waiting to pounce on anyone that gets between the two of you.”

  Chance actually looked offended as she walked past him down the stairs. “Ha. Funny.” His sarcasm seemed a little drier and less playful than usual. After a few minutes pause she heard him jogging to catch up with her.

  Lilith stared out the window at the aging warehouse in complete shock. She knew Chance didn’t live in an uptown apartment complex with a security desk but…Dusty windows were broken out, brick crumbling at the worn corners. The walls were covered in layer after layer of spray-paint from local gangs who considered themselves artists. “Holy crap, Chance! I was kidding when I said the car might be safer! Please tell me you do not live here!”

  Chance frowned at her and reached for the door handle. “Suck it up, Cher, and come on. I’m not leaving you in the car.” There was something gruff in his voice, almost like he didn’t really want her seeing his place. Well that was fine with her. She’d much rather wait in the car.

  Reluctantly, she pulled her case out of the car and stood in front of the dark entrance. There was no light inside, just inky blackness that didn’t feel any better than the alley outside the restaurant. “You do get paid don’t you? I mean seriously, Chance. I’ve seen homeless shelters that look more inviting. I never took you for the squatter type.”

  “I like my space, besides it’s the safest place in the city. Who the hell would rob a place like this? And I’m not squatting, I own it.” The soft laugh was edged with irritation. “No judging, just come on.” There was an odd mixture of pride and embarrassment in his voice as he talked about his place. His muscled shoulders slumped down as he jogged to the doorway and disappeared into the dark.

  Lilith stared after him, biting nervously at her lip. She didn’t know if it was better to follow him or just wait here. A second later, the entire building lit up, golden light pouring from every window. Somehow that simplistic thing changed the feel of the whole building. Funny how that happens. It was still horribly creepy, but at least now it didn’t seem as deadly. Chance appeared in the doorway, looking impatient. “You gonna stand out there all night? Because seeing as I’m now your body guard, it’ll be incredibly hard to pack and watch you out here at the same time.”

  She rolled her eyes and walked into the open doorway. The bottom floor fit the outside, dirty, dusty, and littered with abandoned junk, empty bottles, even some rusty hardware. Her heels clicked against the concrete and echoed eerily through the whole building. Chance rummaged in his pockets and pulled out a small key ring. He was standing in front of a freight elevator, complete with the gated doors that pulled down. He crouched and fiddled with a lock before lifting the gate. He held it up with one hand and made a sweeping gallant gesture with his other. “After you, m’lady.” A cheeky smile pulled at his lips but there was an edge of something in his face. Fear maybe? Odd.

  “Am I gonna need a tetanus shot after this?” She glared at Chance before pushing past him and leaning against the back wall of the elevator.

  “Keep it up and I’ll leave you locked in here. Hmmm.” He turned around to look her over for a moment with true amusement. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea.”

  “Stuff it, Chance.” Lilith crossed her arms in a huff. The ancient elevator lurched into motion, making her hands fly out to grip the rail tight. A yelp escaped her lips as her heart lurched into her throat. Her whole body tensed in sudden fear. She definitely noticed the smug little grin Chance was attempting to hide. The elevator screeched and rumbled as it slowly crept upwards. After a few torturous moments, the metal beast lurched to a stop and Chance bent down to pull the gate up, holding it up for her again. She started to shoulder past him with an irritated glare and stopped completely still as her eyes took in the view.

  Gorgeous cherry wood floors stretched the large open space. The lighting was artfully designed to be a living entity of the room, highlighting sepia photographs along the parchment colored walls. The pictures were all haunting shots of lone trees in the fog, austere buildings with gorgeously warm architecture, and one showing the back of a woman standing in a field, wind blowing her hair. They all had a common theme: isolation.

  She gaped back at Chance, who seemed to squirm just a bit under her gaze. He moved nervously around her and dropped his keys in a little bowl on a marble topped table by the elevator door. “Well, make yourself at home. I better grab my stuff.” He hurried to a flight of curving stairs that seemed to lead to a loft.

  Lilith set down her case and slipped off her clicking high heels. Her bare feet felt warm on the rich wood floors as she stalked past a clean and efficient kitchen in warm hues and stainless steel. “So this is your woman snaring pad?” Her voice echoed loudly and after a couple minutes, Chance peeked over the wood railing.

  “You are kidding right?” He quirked an eyebrow and stared down at her. The weight in his eyes almost felt significant somehow. He leaned his elbows against the railing with an easy grace that only confident men ever mastered. “It was a fight to get you in here and you’ve known me for 13 years. If I brought a stranger to this building they’d think I was some kind of serial killer.” After flashing a sarcastic smile he straightened and disappeared again leaving her to laugh softly.

  Her fingers ran over a soft sage green blanket laid over the back of a low tan couch. She curled up in its comfort and glanced over the books scattered across the marble coffee table. There were a few cookbooks, a couple on noteworthy photographers and then there were the ones that actually didn’t surprise her. A few magazines on home improvement and an owner’s manual on a Honda motorcycle.

  Lilith was flipping through one of the photography books when Chance jogged down the stairs with a duffel bag. He stopped at the bottom of the steps and stared at her.

  “You never told me you liked photography.”

  “Yeah, well, you never asked.” He sounded defensive as he crossed the room and grabbed his keys from the table by the elevator. Lilith watched him carefully from the couch until he turned around, a 6’3” mass of seething tension. “If you’re done, we should get to your place.”

  She was surprised by the light hints of defensive anger. Her mouth opened to say something but she couldn’t think of what to say and settled for a nod. After grabbing her case and slipping on her heels, she followed him into the antiquated elevator. The ride was just as terrifying on the way down, but the silent sense of hostility made it even worse. She still had no idea what to say when the cab pulled up. She had no idea why he was even upset. Chance must have felt the uneasy tension from her. He let out a soft sigh and looked at her over the cab. “Lily. Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m…I’m just not used to having people in my place.”

  She forced a smile and shrugged. “A territorial thing. I get it.” Just like her bedroom sanctuary. She slipped into the cab before he could say anything else. The ride to her apartment was quiet, but not truly uncomfortable. The night was starting to seem completely surreal. Her mind kept going right back to that horrible moment when Gregor lied to her. He was hiding something and he never hid things. She’d run errands for him before, granted not as exciting as this one, but he’d never sent anyone with her before, much less his very own body guard. The sinking feeling that something was wrong just kept growing in the pit of her stomach.

  They were in and out of her place in a matter
of minutes. She managed to keep Chance out of her bedroom while she packed. He settled for browsing her book collection and hollering out questions about them every few minutes. Somehow she thought that was more about keeping contact to know she was okay than actually wanting to know about the specifics of ballistics or entomology.

  Charlie waved to her over the blue curly hair of one of the elderly tenets. She walked up to the desk, apologized to the old woman and turned to Charley. Lilith didn’t know her neighbors. Her busiest times were at night and most of the building consisted of tenants that turned in after Jeopardy. Once in a while she’d get invitations to building parties or birthdays, but Charlie was the only one in the building she knew on sight. She didn’t want to get to know her neighbors, she just wanted peace and solitude when she was at home.

  “I’m heading out of town for a few days. Could you be my hero and have them hold my mail till I get back?”

  “Of course, my dear. I’ll let Gary know first thing in the morning.” His smile made his entire face crinkle into deep lines. “Have a…” His eyes traveled to something behind her and there was a sudden hopeful sort of light in his eyes “…wonderful time, Miss.”

  Her eyes followed Charlie’s to Chance, casually leaning against the door, staring out into the night, waiting for their ride. Lilith couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, no. Not that sort of trip. It’s business.”

  Charlie just winked at her.

  The sleek, black town car was waiting out front for them, just idling at the curb. Chance grabbed her bags and her aluminum kit and headed to the trunk as the driver popped out and jogged around to open the door for her. Everything about the driver was plain and completely and utterly forgettable. Odd how many drivers seemed to be that way in New York City. Maybe it was some sort of job requirement that the driver couldn’t even come close to ever upstaging the clientele, and of course no one wanted to be driven around by Quasimodo either. That would still draw far too much attention from the client, even if it wasn’t in a positive way.

  “We should be at the airport in about 45-50 minutes, Miss.” Even his voice was plain and ordinary. Lilith slid into the black leather seat and he closed the door behind her before jogging back to his driver’s seat. Seconds later, Chance dropped into the seat next to her and closed his door.

  The town car pulled away from the curb and into the surprisingly light traffic of the early morning. Another couple hours and it would be rush hour traffic from hell. Even light traffic in New York followed only one rule. If it was bigger than you, get the hell over. Traffic lights, road signs, cops, none of it mattered. Only the golden rule kept you alive. That was the main reason she didn’t bother buying a car. Not only was it pointless, but she’d wind up killing the first asshole that dented her car. By her observations, that would happen in the first 24 hours so she left the driving to the veteran cab drivers.

  “So…” Chance turned to her and all the tension and defensive posturing from earlier was long gone. He sat there with his usual casual attitude. “Since we have some private time, would you like to brief me?” A sly smile curled his lips that made her grin and roll her eyes.

  “Pervert.” She muttered. She took a moment to collect her thoughts, remembering Gregor’s significantly heavy look. “Gregor’s brother, Duncan, is missing. Spencer and Miriah are kinda freaked about it, so we’re going down to check things out.”

  Chance looked suspicious and doubtful. “You need a bodyguard to chase down an old vamp that probably just shacked up somewhere for the night? Seriously, I’m a bodyguard, I’m not brain-dead.” He looked vaguely insulted as he sat back in the seat.

  Lilith crossed her arms and frowned at him. “He’s family, Chance. Gregor doesn’t have much family left. There’s no sign of him at his place in Knoxville or his winter home. I think Gregor is just sending you with me as a precaution. He’s kinda nervous about things these days.”

  “Sorry. I guess that came out kind of wrong. I didn’t mean to imply…”

  “I know.” Lilith interrupted him. His cheeks were actually a little pink with embarrassment. It almost looked cute on him. She warred with herself about just what she should and shouldn’t tell him. “I’m just worried about the whole thing. It’s not like Duncan, it’s weird for Spencer to be so completely freaked out, and Gregor is seriously worried, more than he should be I think. I agree it has me concerned that he decided to send you with me…Has Gregor ever sent you on an errand or perhaps sent you to guard someone else?”

  Chance stopped to think it over. “No, nothing beyond little in-town errands. Nothing that took very long. He’s never sent me on guard duty before, that’s for sure.”

  “Why you?” She wasn’t really asking him, more like talking out loud. She suddenly realized that she’d said it out loud and Chance was looking a little bristled by the apparently rude question. She forced a smile at him. “Not that I don’t enjoy your company.”

  Chance leapt at the chance to leave the serious talk behind and return to the casual banter. “Aww. You going to get all emotional and tell me how much you’ve missed me lately? Maybe even shed a couple tears? I haven’t had a woman shed tears over me in quite some time. It’d be kinda nice.” His hazel eyes glinted with his confident humor, but somehow it felt like a facade.

  “Well that sounds like a new fetish that I never wanted to know about.” Chance’s laugh wrapped around her like a rich warm blanket, which of course made her smile at first and then feel that edge of discomfort. “You are such an ass.”

  He bumped his shoulder against hers, almost shaking her out of her brooding. “Oh come on, Lily. You wouldn’t have me any another way.” He winked and Lilith just settled for flipping him off.

  They arrived at the airport an hour later and thanks to their tickets, rushed through most of security, until it came to the biohazard cooler. The security officer was a squat Middle Eastern man in his late fifties that looked more like a terrorist than she ever could. He looked over her license and the paperwork Gregor provided, with careful scrutiny. After opening the cooler and looking over the half dozen medical labeled bags of blood and a package of red gel-caps, his pinched face looked a little queasy and his bulbous nose scrunched. “What’s it for?” He grunted with a definite accent.

  “It’s right there on the paperwork. Research materials being transferred to a lab in Knoxville.” Lilith pointed impatiently at the document in his hand. He turned his pot-marked face up at her and the disgusted look didn’t leave his face. “The pills.” He barked it with the kind of vehemence reserved for people that always looked down their nose at him.

  “An experimental treatment for Thalassemia. I can’t really go into any more detail. Companies and their bureaucratic secrecy.” She huffed and crossed her arms, hoping she’d spark some kind of mutual hatred for executives that would help her get through this faster. The bait paid off. The thick little man’s face brightened and he closed the cooler, handing her back the paperwork.

  “The damn need for secrecy is what makes my job harder. Not your fault. Everything looks ok.” Lilith flashed him an enigmatic smile that brought a ragged, toothy smile out of the old man. Chance feigned a cough behind her and nudged her forward as she grabbed the cooler.

  “Thank you, Officer. Enjoy the rest of your day.” Lilith flashed an apologetic smile as Chance herded her forward.

  Once they ran to their gate and were walking up the retractable hall to the plane, Chance leaned over her shoulder and whispered “I called Spencer and left him a voicemail with the flight info while you were busy with the undercover terrorist. Speaking of which, I never knew you were such a charmer, Lily. Probably made that guard’s year, ya know?”

  Chance bumped her shoulder with a chuckle and she playfully nudged her elbow at his stomach before flashing a glare over her shoulder. “It’s really like traveling with a 16 year old. Why does Gregor keep you around again?”

  “Because of my infinite charm, my rugged good looks and crazy skills.” He bumped
her shoulder with his arm again and she just shook her head.

  “I am not going to ask why Gregor would keep you around because of your good looks. That just says volumes about you and my father that I really never, ever want to know about.”

  “Wow. Really didn’t see that backfire coming. I must be losing my touch.”

  “Assuming you had it to begin with, of course.” The sugar sweet smile she flashed over her shoulder earned her a playful scowl that made it all worth it.

  Chapter 3

  “So, Spencer will probably meet us down near the baggage claim.” Chance was braving the bustle of the airplane aisle, pulling down their bags from the overhead bins while people pushed and nudged their way past him. It was quite a feat for the bustling passengers considering he was basically a six foot three wall in the aisle. Lilith sat calmly in her seat waiting for the tide of people to pass. As Chance strained to grab the last bag, his faded black T-shirt pulled up just enough to show the very edge of a tattoo just below his navel. “What’s the tattoo?” She asked casually from her seat.

  Chance tossed the bag on top of the others and looked down at her startled. He quickly tugged at his shirt and looked around tight-lipped. “Nothing. Does the line of people ever end?” Another passenger elbowed past him, making him lurch forward over the seats. His growl was almost feral as his hand gripped the armrest so tight his fingers turned white. “You’d think first class would get off first. This is goddamn ridiculous.” His usually smooth voice was rough and gravely.

  “Just sit, Chance. Wait for them to go by. Is it testosterone poisoning that makes you take the path of most resistance?”