by T M Linville
After about fifteen minutes she decided it was time to test her luck. Lily was dying to ride. She stood, walked over to Sugarfoot and stroked her back again for a few minutes. Then gave her mane a quick tug to test her response. She lifted her head slightly but continued to graze. Then Lily pulled herself up and swung her leg over the horse’s back. Sugarfoot raised her head and turned to look at her. She gave a short snort and started walking. Lily just let her walk wherever she wanted to go. It was way too soon to try to lead her anywhere.
Lily sat, perched on the mare’s back, as she walked around the meadow. She made a couple of wide circles and finally stopped and started to graze again. She swung her legs back onto her rump and wrapped her arms around her neck. She hid her face in her mane and allowed herself to relax for a moment.
It had been so long since she had ridden, that she just had to try. Finally she decided it was time to really ride this horse. The mare was still grazing. She sat up and positioned herself just behind her shoulder. She made a clicking sound with her mouth. Sugarfoot’s ears perked up and she took a few steps forward. Then Lily gently pressed her heels into her sides and leaned forward only slightly. Was it possible she was a dressage horse? Nah, Lily would never be so lucky. But the horse did acknowledge the shift in Lily’s weight and she did walk a little faster. She made another clicking sound and leaned forward a little more. The horse’s pace quickened. She let her trot along until the horse decided to stop. Lily wanted to go for a run so badly, but that was enough for today. As she didn’t want to push it. She had no idea how long it had been since she had been ridden and didn’t want her to associate her with work, especially if she had been forced to in the past. So she slid off of her back and started walking toward the pond.
It was over the hill about four hundred yards or so and the mare followed. Sugarfoot nudged her as she walked then walked ahead. Sugarfoot turned to face Lily and stopped. She bobbed her head and pawed the ground.
“What is it girl,” Lily asked out loud.
She snorted and bobbed her head again then she relaxed the shoulder that was closest to her and Lily laughed with delight. She had seen only one other horse do that, the mare that she had loved so much when she lived there when she was young. She would drop her shoulder for Lily to climb on her back.
Lily laughed out loud and took a handful of her mane and with a quick leap, swung her leg over her back. Sugarfoot lifted her head high and pranced off toward the pond. She couldn’t help the wide grin on her face, maybe this was one of the mare’s offspring, or maybe she had the same trainer or rider. Lily really didn’t care, the horse loved to be ridden and Lily loved to ride.
About one hundred yards from the pond, Lily squeezed her legs against the bay mare’s sides and dug in her heels. She shifted her weight forward and gave a quick kick. The horse was off like a rocket. She was at a full run in only three strides. When they were close the pond, Lily shifted her weight back and pulled on the mane. Sugarfoot slowed to a stop just before stepping into the water then she turned right and trotted along the muddy edge.
Sugarfoot had taken her there as if she knew exactly where Lily wanted to go. Lily had only wanted to see the pond in the daylight, to see if it looked the same as it did years ago. On the right side of the pond there was a deep trench in the path where the pond water overflowed during heavy rains. The mare simply jumped over it like it was nothing at all. Lily was really beginning to love this horse. She stroked her neck when she stopped on the far side of the pond, a foot deep in the water and dropped her head to drink. Lily looked around. Everything was exactly the way it was. Albeit a little overgrown with bigger trees, but the same.
When Sugarfoot was finished drinking, she turned around, walked down the trail and back toward the house. Lily needed to go shopping. She figured she could pick up some horse feed and some fresh hay for the mare while she was out.
“Sugarfoot,” Lily said aloud and her ears rotated back. “Thanks for the ride.”
The Attack
Lily had been in Nashville for over two weeks when she finally bought a cell phone and called home. She called Erica, of course and nearly hit the floor when Erica told her that Shay had come to the apartment only days after she had left. Lily quickly packed her things and headed home. If Shay had come to see her, maybe she had changed her mind about not seeing her.
When Lily made it back to the city, she as anxious to talk to Shay, but decided that she would give it a little time to find out what Shay was thinking. So Lily spent most of her time on the roof of the nursing home.
Lily had been back for about six days. It had been three weeks since Lily had last spoken to LaShay. Now she had resorted to being a stalker. Lily watched Shay from the roof next door to hopefully catch a glance of the one she loved. She also had hoped to hear that Shay was okay or explain why she had gone the Crown Building. But Lily never heard.
It was nearly time for Shay to get home from her job at NY26, New York’s equivalent to any other local news station. Shay was a graphics programmer for their major newscasts. The local news broadcasts no longer required a human newscaster. All of the broadcasts were either robots or a computer made image. Shay was in charge of Stormy, the animated weather girl. She loved her job and since Lily had left, she had been spending most of her time at work.
Well on this particular day Lily had been detained by Erica at home and was running a little late to see Shay, something she had grown to look forward to everyday although she still hadn’t attempted to talk to her again. She kissed Erica on the cheek, ran to her apartment, just grabbed a hoodie instead of putting on sun block and headed out.
When she got to the roof of the nursing home something just seemed off. Shay wasn’t home yet so Lily waited in the shadows. Then she heard a crash from Shay’s apartment. She heard the sound again and again. It sounded almost like someone hitting a wall, hard. Shay!! She thought. Lily could only think of Shay; not the sun, not the threat of being seen and not even of how she would explain any of it to Shay. Lily took a running start and jumped from the roof of the nursing home, over the street and onto the balcony of Shay’s apartment. She crashed through the double glass doors and ran to Shay’s bedroom. Shay was being pinned to the floor by a hooded man dressed in all black. At this point, Lily was in full kill mode. Her canines, her claws and her eyes had all transformed her into a full vampire. There was no going back now.
Lily grabbed the back of the intruder’s neck, dug her claws deep and threw him through the opened bedroom door into the living room. LaShay’s shirt had been ripped nearly completely off, her face was covered in blood and she was barely conscience. Lily heard the intruder run toward the front door but she beat him to it. She grabbed him by the throat and squeezed. Her claws slid through his skin like butter and had crushed his windpipe before he even had a chance to scream. Blood ran down her arm as the man gasped for his last breath. Seeing the blood reminded her that she was in Shay’s apartment and that she was leaving proof of a crime, so she quickly carried the now dead man to the bathroom and dropped him in the bathtub.
She ran to Shay, knelt beside her and placed her clawed hand under her back to lift her up. Shay opened her eyes and although Lily’s eyes were completely red behind the blue, she gave her a weak smile. Her lids were heavy but her eyes saw everything. Lily stared into her eyes for a moment and Shay stared into hers. She had thought her eyes were beautiful before, but now that Shay was here, inches from her, they took her breath away. Then her lids slowly closed and she began to lose consciousness.
“No, Shay! Hold on, OK! You are going to be fine, OK. Shay, stay with me. Just keep breathing, love. Keep breathing,” Lily said softly.
Lily was shaking all over. She held LaShay in a seated position and was finally able to see just how bad she was hurt. It was a hell of a lot worse than she originally thought. Her lip was torn completely through and blood poured from the gash above her left eye. She probably had a concussion and she was fading fast. Lily panicked.
Lily pulled her closer and placed her mouth over hers. She cut her tongue purposefully against her teeth. Lily’s blood spilled into her mouth and reflexively she swallowed. Then, she felt Shay’s tongue against hers. She kissed her gently, knowing that her lip was torn and wasn’t healed yet. Lily pulled away from her lips, cut her finger with her teeth and ran it slowly across her temple and then over her brow. Lily’s blood mixed with Shay’s and the healing began.
Lily felt her take a deep breath. She hadn’t even realized that her claws were still out until she felt Shay’s soft hand on the back of hers. She wrapped her fingers under her hand and pulled it in front of her face. The shiny, white claws still protruded from under Lily’s fingernails. She looked down at Lily’s hand then back into her eyes.
Damn, she was beautiful. Her eyes burned through her and at that moment Lily knew that nothing else in her life mattered. Shay was what she lived for now. And she would do anything and everything in her power to prove that to her. She would never leave her again. If they could only be friends, so be it. As long as Shay was in her life.
Lily recut her tongue and ran it slowly over Shay’s lip. It was nearly healed. Again, Shay’s tongue found hers and this time they kissed like they meant it. Shay’s fingers ran through Lily’s hair and she pulled herself closer. Shay was still getting weaker by the minute.
“Thank you,” she whispered before she fell unconscious.
Lily wasn’t sure what to do so she called Jack.
“McGoo?”
“Lily?” he asked. “Is everything alright? You sound upset.”
“No, I’m not alright. Well, I’m fine, but I have someone here that’s just been attacked in her apartment,” she said. “I healed the wounds and she should be okay on a few minutes. But her attacker...”
“Is it LaShay?”
“Yes. How did....” Lily shook her head, she didn’t care how he knew.
“Where is her attacker?” he asked solemnly.
“He’s dead,” Lily said.
“That’s what I was afraid of. Where are you?” he asked.
“Her apartment.”
“Where?”
“Across from the nursing home on West 70th,” Lily told him.
“What apartment number?”
“1202, top floor,” she told him.
“I’m on my way,” he sighed.
While Lily was waiting, still holding Shay, she called Erica and filled her in on what was going on and told her that she was bringing LaShay home with her if Shay wanted to go. Erica told her that that was fine and she’d make a room for her. Then Lily turned all her attention back to Shay. She was coming to.
Lily held Shay in her arms on the floor of the apartment. The light beige carpet was streaked with blood. There was a trail of blood drops from the front door to the bathroom. The doors to the balcony lay shattered on the floor and the frame hung from a single top hinge on each. Lily was already making mental plans to have the carpet cleaned and replace the doors.
Shay’s wounds were healed. She didn't speak, she just stared back at Lily as Lily stared at her. She was breathtaking. If she only knew how in love with her Lily really was. In love with everything. Her mesmerizing eyes, her full round lips, her soft, sultry voice, the birthmark on her neck and every perfect tiny flaw. All she knew was that she was the one. She looked into her eyes and she finally knew what all the other vampires were talking about when they spoke of their loves. How they weren't complete without them. How they would lose their appetite if they are away from their love for any amount of time. How they knew that they couldn't live without them. Lily once thought they were crazy for thinking they couldn't live without someone, to think that you had rather be dead than to never see another person. She thought it was impossible to exist for someone else, but for LaShay Black, she would risk anything; her possessions, her pride, her life. For her, Lily would do anything, be anything she wanted her to be. A friend, a lover, even a protector. She had never needed anyone else, since the day she was born she was perfectly content being alone. Lily had always been the one that was different, not a full vampire and definitely not human, she was used to being by herself. She had wanted so badly to fall in love, but there was just never anyone that she just couldn't live without. Until now. Now she knew why she had never connected to any male. It was a female that her heart was looking for all along. She had had crushes on girls, but had never felt like this about anyone. No one even came close.
But was it mutual? What if Shay didn’t love her? What if she had only gone to Lily’s apartment to tell Lily in person that the friendship was over? But why was she crying while she was there? But why did Shay kiss her? Was it possible that Shay felt the same way? All these questions ran through Lily’s head as she held Shay.
Shay stared into her eyes which were still quite red. It was like she was looking into her, into her soul. Could she see how in love with her she was? Could she see that she would do anything for Shay. She had already decided two months ago that she wanted to spend eternity with her. Would she believe her? Would she be able to convince her that she was everything to her? Would Lily be able to convince Vincent that she was ‘the one’? That she was her one true love? Only he could change her into a vampire. But what if she despises what Lily was? What if she wants nothing to do with Lily? What if she can't convince her that she loves her more than anything else?
Would Lily believe that the same things were running through Shay’s head? Would Shay be able to convince Lily that she was crazy about her, too? Would Lily forgive her for sending her away? Would Lily try to kill Shane?
Lily pushed a strand of Shay’s hair off of her forehead to behind her ear then continued to run her fingers through her dark hair. She placed her hand on Shay’s cheek and she finally spoke.
"What are you?" Shay asked softly.
Shay ran her fingers across her lip then across her temple.
"I'm completely healed. No pain, it doesn’t even feel like there’s a scar. And where did you come from?"
Lily ran her fingers across Shay’s bottom lip then across her cheek and under her neck. She lifted Shay up so that she was sitting again. Lily took a deep breath and looked at the floor. She was almost afraid to look at her. This was the moment that would make or break everything. This was the moment she had to tell Shay that she was a vampire. She wasn't going to lie or try to put off the inevitable any more. Shay would know everything from this point forward. She would know what Lily was and that she planned on Shay joining her someday. She would convince Vincent to change her but not before she was absolutely sure that she would survive the transformation.
Lily exhaled slowly and lifted her head to look into Shay’s eyes. She stared for a moment then took another deep breath. She opened her mouth and pushed her canines into view. Then placed her hand in Shay’s and exposed the claws. The gasp and rejection that Lily was expecting didn't come. Instead Shay only studied the hand in hers before running her fingertips lightly across Lily’s claws. Shay reached for the other hand and placed her fingers on the fingertips. She looked up at Lily then back to their hands. Lily pushed her claws out slowly and watched Shay’s fingers being pushed away. Shay looked at her and smiled.
"So you’re a vampire," she said. "That's why you were being so careful. That’s why you didn’t take me to your apartment or tell me how old you are or tell me about your family. They’re vampires, too, aren’t they?"
Lily nodded.
“So how much of the movies are true?”
"Depends on which movie you're referring to," Lily answered.
"Well you can obviously heal others with your blood."
Lily nodded again and ran her finger down Shay’s temple.
"Where did you come from? I mean today, how did you get in here?"
“Through the balcony doors.” Lily chuckled. “Well, literally through the balcony doors.”
"But the balcony it's the twelfth floor, and I'm pretty sure you can't fly," she said
smiling.
"Would you believe I just happened to be next door?"
She looked at Lily for a moment. Lily did her best to keep a straight face and actually thought she had succeeded.
"Just happened to be next door? I find it a little hard to believe you would have relatives in an elder home," she said. "You never age, right?"
"Right, for the most part. But under the right circumstances, we can age."
She smiled and shook her head. Lily could tell she was trying to wrap her head around everything. And to Lily, was an incredible job. Not once had Shay acted surprised or scared. There was short period of silence as Shay just stared a Lily and ran her fingertips across Lily’s claws.
"So you're really a vampire?" she asked.
"Well, I'm actually a hybrid. I'm half vampire and half human. I was born like this. I wasn’t turned into a vampire."
"You were born a vampire? I didn’t think it worked that way."
“No, it doesn’t. Usually.” Lily stated. “I was born in a cave in 1925.”
"Ok. This should be interesting," Shay smiled.
"I was an experiment that wasn't supposed to work, but my mother got pregnant and carried me to term. She was only pregnant for about twelve weeks and she could tell that I would be coming soon. She knew what I was. She knew the risks and knew that the baby, I, would be killed by the coven as soon as they knew, too. She also knew that she wouldn't survive the birth. So she ran away from the coven trying to give me a better chance of living."
"She knew you were born going be born with fangs and claws?"
Lily nodded and Shay ran her hand across Lily’s cheek.
"That has to be hard for you to deal with," she said.
Shay had figured out the outcome of the birth without having to hear the gory story. Lily was glad she didn't have to tell the story, especially to Shay. Then Shay looked at her as if for the first time.