Lily touched the man’s face in her dream. He stirred beneath her touch. She whispered in his ear. "I need you."
The man shifted back and forth, but his eyes didn't open. He reached out to touch her and she could feel his hands on her body. Even though her physical body was in another room, she felt violated. It's just a dream, she repeated over and over again in her mind.
"Help me." In the dream, Lily turned and ran; the man followed after her. His body was still in the same spot on the floor.
"What do you need?" He voice sounded rough and far away.
"I need to go home." She gave a sexy pout as her eyes met his.
"I can take you."
She tilted her head and bit her lip. "No, I need your keys. I promise I'll be back. I’ll repay you for your kindness." She laid her hand on his chest and looked deep in his eyes. She felt like she could see into his soul. "Where are your keys?"
"On the counter in the kitchen on a steel bowl. But you can't get out without the code."
She slowly ran her hand down his chest. "What’s the number?"
"3294#"
"You have been very helpful." She met his light brown eyes. "You will stay asleep, and not recall this dream when you wake up. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand. I don't want you to leave."
"I will be back." Through her mind, she watched him roll over on his side.
Her eyes snapped opened. She needed to get the keys and get them out of there before anyone really woke up.
Lily jumped up and hurried out of the closet. She glanced back and noticed her necklace in the corner. She reached over to grab it, allowing the calmness to wash over her body. She snuck past the guard who had fallen asleep and hurried to the kitchen. The bowl was sitting on the counter like he had claimed. There were two sets of keys, so she grabbed them both. Shoving them in her pocket, she went back to find Jake.
He was still laying on the floor just as she had seen in her dream.
“Jake,” she whispered. “Wake up. We have to get out of here.”
Jake stirred a little.
Lily shook him. “C’mon Jake.”
His eyes fluttered. “Lily?”
“We don’t have much time. We have to go.” She pulled on his hand.
“What’s going on?” he asked slowly.
“I’ve got the keys. Everybody is asleep. We have to go now.” She yanked harder.
His eyes were open now and he forced himself up. Lily put his arm around her shoulders and tried to keep him upright. “Everything’s blurry.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll drive.” She led him out of the house and into the car. Thankfully, the first set of keys she tried worked. She started it up and very slowly drove out of the driveway. Once they were on the street, she leaned on the gas, and they sped away.
Lily had no idea where they were. She just kept driving. Jake was slumped over in his seat, his head against the window. She could hear him breathing, which brought a sense of comfort to her. He looked pretty banged up. It was a good thing he couldn’t be killed or else he probably would have been beaten to death. She wondered how long it took his body to heal.
The sun was just starting to rise. She figured they were still in Florida. Since she had been blindfolded for the drive there, she didn’t know for sure. She’d head home to Texas, which meant she had to go west. Glancing in the rearview mirror, she searched for followers. She was terrified they would catch up to them before she made it home.
“Hey,” Jake said, his voice hoarse.
Lily looked over and smiled. “Hey yourself. How do you feel?”
“My head hurts.”
“Yeah. Mine too.” She rubbed the back of her head. It was still tender from hitting the wall.
“How did we get out of there?”
“I convinced one of the guards to give me the keys.”
“Lily, you didn’t have to do anything...” his voice trailed off. He didn’t want to think of what she might have done to get them out of there.
“No. Not like that,” she responded. "I went to him in a dream. It was pretty crazy. I realized that if I take the necklace off, my power is stronger. I can't believe I can enter someone’s mind like that."
“I'm glad. I hate the thought of those creeps touching you. Where are we going?” He squinted and glanced out the window.
“Home,” she said, “to Texas. Before you say anything, my parents will help. They’ll know what to do.”
"We should switch cars." Jake was starting to get his bearings. He wondered how long they had been on the road.
"I was waiting for you to wake up. We'll pull into the next store and swap out. Are you hungry?"
"Yeah, starving actually."
"Me too."
Lily pulled into a Burger King parking lot and waited for a man to come outside. She handed Jake the necklace and got out of the car.
The guy looked to be in his late twenties. She bit her lip as she walked towards him, then slowly glanced up at him. She was surprised to feel herself getting slightly aroused when she made eye contact with the good-looking man.
Lily touched the side of his arm and he looked down in surprise. "We need to switch cars."
"Okay. Where is your car?" The man looked around frantically as if he couldn't please her quick enough. Lily had to admit she loved the feel of the power running through her veins. She briefly wondered if this is why her mother was the way she was.
"What is your name?"
"Charles."
"I love the name Charles." She licked her lips and stepped closer, pressing her body against his. "You're a very attractive man."
"Th-thank you," he stuttered.
"Take me to your car."
He obediently turned and led her to the car. It was a dark sedan with heavily tinted windows; good for being invisible. Charles gestured to it, then dropped the keys in Lily’s hand. "Here are the keys. It has a full tank of gas."
Heat flooded Lily’s body and colored stars burst in her eyes. Mindlessly, Lily shoved him up against the car, pressed her lips to his, and felt his body relax.
Jake voice came from across the parking lot. "Lily! What are you doing?"
"Oh my God,” she said breathlessly. “I don't know what got into me. I couldn't control myself."
Jake was at her side. He clasped the necklace around her and she instantly felt better. Normal.
"Oh Jake, what have I done?" Her eyes widened in surprise. "I'm sorry."
Jake shook the man and then slapped him across the face. He wouldn't wake up. "His pulse is steady. I don't think you caused any real harm. Put your arm around him and we'll put him in the other car. I'm sure he'll wake up shortly."
"Are you sure?"
"We need to hurry, and from now on you are keeping the necklace on unless it's an emergency."
Lily nodded her head. She was so embarrassed by her actions.
They put the man in the car, and went through the drive-thru.
Chapter Fourteen
Lily pulled into her long, hidden driveway relieved to see the farmhouse was just as she had left it. She took comfort in the large, wrap-around porch, and the wooden swing she had spent countless hours on growing up. So much had changed—home needed to stay the same.
“We’re here,” she said to Jake. She kissed him lightly on the lips. They were still swollen and looked like they hurt.
She led Jake through the gate to the backyard and punched in her code. The door unlocked and she walked in.
“Mom! Dad!” She wondered if they were home from New York yet.
Within a couple of seconds, she got her answer. Her mom appeared at the top of the steps. She was stunning in her black cocktail dress and high heels—as usual. She pressed a hand to her chest as she descended the stairs. “Lily! Are you okay?”
From the living room on their right, her father appeared. He looked tired and disheveled, with his tie hanging crookedly from his neck and his hair sticking up. He wrapped Lily in a hug. “W
here have you been?” he said gruffly.
Lily pulled away from her father’s hug and answered her mother’s questions first. “I’m fine.” Then she faced her father and said, “It’s a long story.”
Her father looked over at Jake. "Who is this, Lily?"
Lily laced her arm through Jake’s. "Daddy, this is Jake. We need to help him."
"I’m Gregory Anderson.” Her father eyed him suspiciously.
Her mother smiled at Jake and batted her eyes. “I’m Sandra.”
Lily’s father cleared his throat. “I think we need to sit down and sort this all out. Let’s go to the kitchen.”
While her mother turned on the coffee, Lily filled them in from start to finish explaining about Jake and the curse. How they were kidnapped and the way they escaped.
At the end of the tale, her mother sat tapping her long nails on the table lost in thought. She finally looked up. "I think I know someone who can help."
A surge of hope raced through Lily. "Who is it, Mom?"
"A powerful witch I've known for a long time. She might even be able to break the curse." Her mother looked over her fingers at Jake. "That is, of course, if you want it broken."
Jake’s mouth hung open. He had dreamed of someday finding a way out of the curse. But, now he had Lily. What would that mean for them? "I'll have to think it over."
Lily looked back and forth between her mother and Jake—she wasn't getting the full implication of what breaking the curse would mean.
"Do you think we can take care of the family that has been after Jake?" Lily asked hopefully.
"That's not as easy as it sounds. We would have to destroy all the evidence and I doubt they left it lying around. You're talking generations of research that has been passed down. We also need to find out if he has any children. I'm sure they would be in on it as well."
Lily's shoulders sagged. Her mother was right as usual. This was probably an issue that was bigger than a little compulsion.
"I will get in touch with Camille today, and we'll get a better idea of our options. You should also know that Ben is out of his coma. He doesn't recall a thing, and you have been cleared of any wrongdoing. You can technically go back to school."
Lily clasped her hands together. "That is great news. I really thought I killed him."
"You could have killed him," her father said.
"I know." Lily hung her head, thinking of how dangerous her powers could be.
She remembered her more recent accident—with the man at Burger King. She should never have taken the necklace off with a stranger. That had been stupid of her. She couldn’t do that again. It was possible for her to compel with the necklace on.
Lily decided she needed to learn how to control herself before she really did kill someone.
***
Lily found Jake sitting outside on the back porch. She opened the door and joined him. It was a perfect southern winter day. As much as she had enjoyed the snow, she didn’t like the cold. Here in Texas, it was sunny and in the sixties.
Jake seemed lost in thought.
She wondered what he was thinking about. Putting her hand on his, she asked, “Everything okay?”
Jake nodded, but didn’t say anything right away.
Lily probed, “Are you upset about that man at Burger King?”
Jake looked over at her. “No. I felt a little jealous, but I know you can’t control it. I’m not sure what would happen if you lost your necklace. That scares me a little.”
Lily thought about that. He was right, of course. She couldn’t control herself when she was like that. It was like she was under a spell. Maybe she should look into getting a replacement necklace in case anything ever happened to the one she had.
“So, what’s wrong then?”
Jake sighed. “I’ve been alive for hundreds of years and now there’s a chance I could change that. A couple months ago, I would have jumped at the opportunity. But, now...now I have you.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You don’t age normally, Lily. You told me that you slow down when you hit eighteen. If the curse is taken off me, I’ll age normally or maybe I’ll just age to an old man in minutes and die. I don’t know. But, that would mean I’d die before you.”
“Oh!” The gravity of the situation hit Lily like a ton of bricks, and tears sprang to her eyes. “But, Jake...I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want you to die.”
“I know. It’s just...” He took a deep breath. “I’ve been alive for so long, maybe it’s time that I move on. Humans aren't meant to be immortal.”
Lily angrily stood up. “I don’t get it. You’ve got me and now you want to die. Obviously, you don’t care as much for me as I thought you did!” With that, she stormed off to her room, leaving Jake outside.
She threw herself on her bed and cried. She had let herself love Jake, knowing that she could be with him forever and now he just wanted to die. She wondered if he wanted to be with Laura instead. Maybe that’s what this was all about. It didn’t matter. It felt like her heart was breaking into thousands of pieces.
Why had she let herself fall in love? Maybe she should become more like her mom. With the necklace off, she could feel the passion and not have to worry about the love. That would save her heart from being broken. She played with the stone around her neck. She knew that wasn't true. Her mother loved her father anyone could see that. But, she had been alive for many years and had mastered her power.
There was a knock at the door. It was her dad. “Lily?”
“Yeah?”
The door opened and he peeked his head in. “Can I come in?”
“Sure.”
Lily’s dad walked in, closed the door behind him, and strolled over to her bed. “What’s the matter, Sweetheart?”
Her eyes brimmed with tears again. “Everything sucks.”
“Oh, now, Lily. Everything?”
“Yes, everything!”
Her dad stroked her hair. “Being something that’s not quite normal is hard, isn’t it?”
She rolled her eyes. This wasn’t something her dad could understand. “Sometimes I wish I hadn’t been born.”
Her dad exhaled loudly. “That’s quite a statement.”
“I don’t like feeling this way.”
“Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”
“How do you feel, Dad? Knowing that you’re aging and you’ll die before mom looks like she’s aged a year.”
“Ah.” Her dad closed his eyes for a minute. “It was very hard in the beginning. But, I loved your mom and she loved me. So, it was something I accepted. Do I like the idea? No. But, I wouldn’t change it. I love her so much and I love you. I'm grateful for the time I have with you both.”
“Isn’t it weird that I’ll look eighteen when you’re old enough to die?”
“Yes. It is weird. And I’m sure people will look at us strangely, but again, I wouldn’t change it.”
Lily thought about that for a minute. “The love is worth it?”
“Very much!”
“Even the way Mom is? I took off the necklace and it was like I was a completely different person. I felt passion towards a man that I never would have felt it for with the necklace on.”
“That’s something I accepted about your mother. She didn’t like wearing the stones. I guess it made her feel drugged. But, I know she loves me and that’s all that matters.” He smiled. “I spoke to Jake earlier. He seems like a good guy. I can tell he loves you. I’m sure you two will work this out.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“You’ll always be my little girl and I’ll always protect you.” He paused. “Your mother and I have contacted some people. They are looking into the family that’s been after Jake. We should know something by tomorrow.”
After her dad left, she contemplated going to talk to Jake, but she needed some more time to think. She decided to call Hannah. Picking up the phone, she dialed Hannah’s number.
“Hello?
”
“Hey, it’s Lily.”
“Lily? Where are you? How are you?”
“I’m fine. I’m home right now. I’m so sorry, Hannah. I didn’t want to leave the way I did. But, I had to.”
“Your parents explained when they were here.”
“They did? What did they say?” Lily asked curiously.
“Just that you have issues being away from home and had Jake bring you back. They said you were too embarrassed to admit it to me. You know you could have told me. It's not like I would have made fun of you or anything."
Lily rolled her eyes. Leave it to her parents to come up with a lame excuse. Now, she’d have to continue the lie…at least for now. “I'm sorry. This was the first time I'd been separated from my family. All the stuff with Ben was just too much.” She laughed at herself, thinking that her parents might have actually told Hannah the truth.
“So, you’re better now?”
“Yeah, I guess so. How’s Ben?”
“Back at school.” She hesitated. “There are still some rumors flying around that you had something to do with it, but he doesn’t remember anything, and there’s no proof of anything like that. It’s just Samantha, she’s still furious that Jake picked you over her.”
Lily sighed. “Maybe I should send her a postcard?”
Hannah laughed. “I’m sure she’d just love that. Probably come up with another rumor to start about you.”
Lily was laughing now too. It felt good to laugh.
“When are you coming back to school?”
Lily hesitated. “I don’t know yet.”
Part of her wanted to go back. She missed Hannah. But, the other part wasn’t so sure. Maybe staying home and being home-schooled was for the best. What if something else happened? It wasn't fair to put others at risk. And she still didn’t know what was going to happen with Jake. She knew she couldn't control herself without the necklace.
"I hope you come back soon. It's not the same without you. It was nice to finally have a friend around here."
"I know what you mean. Maybe I'll come back after Christmas break. I have to go, but I promise I'll call again soon."
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