Lily

by T M Linville

  “Eric!” Alexa yelled from the doorway. “What the hell are you thinking?”

  “I was wondering when you were going to show up,” Eric smirked. “But you’re too late, Mom. I’m taking Lily and Shay.”

  “No you’re not,” Erica told him.

  The attendant and wolf raced down the hall to the only open door on the floor. When they saw that Vincent and Alexa were present, they turned and stood their ground.

  More of Eric’s vampires were on their way to Lily’s floor. Security personnel stepped off three of the elevators just as the other opened. The stairwell door flew open and more security ran out. The fifth elevator opened and Eric’s friends poured out. There was a battle in the hallway and bullets flew everywhere. More vampires and more security crowded the hallway. Chunks of drywall and ceiling fell to the floor as bodies hit the wall and claws swung everywhere. Blood splattered everything. Bodies from both sides littered the floor. A few of Eric’s vampires ran down the stairwell in retreat.

  Everyone took a step closer to Eric.

  “Back off,” he said and blood ran thicker down Shay’s neck.

  All at once, Erica, Vincent and McGoo rushed Eric. He barely had time to press the blade into Shay’s throat and push her toward Erica. He fell backwards over the couch and rushed to his feet but Vincent was already on him. Onyx was there, too. Vincent had his hand around Eric’s neck when the bullet ripped through Vincent’s leg. It was just a distraction long enough for Eric to slip free. He hurdled the couch but Onyx caught him by the waist mid-jump. Eric hit the ground hard and the full momentum of the huge wolf landed on his chest, knocking the wind out of him. Eric gasped for a moment then threw Onyx off of him.

  Erica grabbed LaShay. She was gasping and holding her neck. Erica held her and quickly healed her neck.

  A new wave of vampires entered the apartment. Vincent’s leg was nearly healed and he walked toward the door. Two of the Underground’s vampires blocked his path. Jack joined Vincent and fought off the two vampires. In the process Eric ran out the door. Erica chased him.

  The battle in the hallway had left a littering of vampire bodies. Eric jumped over the heaps and almost made it the elevator before Erica caught him by the back of his neck. She pulled hard and he fell onto his back. Onyx was on him just as he hit the floor. Four vampires and a wolf came running out of the stairwell. They attacked Erica and held her off long enough for Eric to escape down the stairs. Once Eric was gone, the other Underground vampires and wolves retreated. But Onyx followed.

  Erica ran back to the apartment to check on Lily and Shay. Shay was on her knees beside the couch. She was holding Lily’s hand and crying.

  “It’s alright, Shay,” Erica comforted.

  “No, Erica, it’s not!” She cried. “Look at this apartment. Look at Lily! I almost died today!”

  “Uh, no. I would not have let that happen, Shay. I promise you,” Erica said.

  “No Shay, we would not have let anything happen to you,” Alexa reaffirmed. “Eric caught us off guard. We have no idea how he even got into the building. It wasn’t through any entrance on the ground floor. And there are no fire escape stairs or ladders.”

  “The only way he could’ve gotten in was through the old tunnels in the sub-basement,” McGoo added. “There are countless tunnels under there, and he could’ve found one that we didn’t know about. It wouldn’t take much to knock down a wall or to dig through.

  Shay looked down at Lily. She placed her fingertips on Lily’s neck and checked for a pulse, for the fifth time.

  “It was Sarah,” Shay said. “Lily passed out just after she drank the blood. And it was my fault she even drank it.”

  “How is it your fault, hon,” Erica asked.

  “Lily had told Sarah that she didn’t need her today. And I convinced Lily that it was OK. I should’ve just kept my mouth shut,” Shay said.

  “You couldn’t have known, Shay,” Alexa said.

  Onyx chased Eric and his vampires down all fifty six floors plus the additional three floors of the garage and sub-basement. He chased them down a dimly lit hallway to a literal hole in the wall. It was nearly pitch black in the tunnel. The floor and walls were rock and dirt supported by old and rotting four by four posts. After a short run, it led to another set of stairs. They were old wooden stairs and the weight of all those bodies caused them to collapse. Onyx heard the crack of the breaking steps just before he stepped onto them. He stopped and waited for the footfalls to stop. When he was sure Eric was gone, he turned around and retraced his steps.

  It took almost two hours for Lily to wake up. Workman were busy repairing the door and cleaning the apartment when she came to. Shay was sitting on the couch with Lily’s head in her lap. Erica was sitting in the chair across from the couch. McGoo and Vincent had left to go rally the troops against Eric.

  “What the h… hell happened,” Lily slurred.

  “Lily! You’re awake,” Shay said as she stroked Lily hair.

  “Eric,” was all Erica said.

  “The blood,” Lily said. “It was the blood.”

  “Yes, Sarah spiked your drink,” Erica told her. “Probably a horse tranquilizer. It would have had to be something that was very strong to knock you out for over two hours.”

  Lily sat up on the couch and Shay immediately kissed her.

  “I had no idea what to do,” Shay told Lily. “It was just so fast. If Onyx hadn’t been here, Eric would’ve killed me and taken you. That was his plan.”

  Lily wrapped her arms around Shay and pulled her close. Lily kissed her neck.

  “I am so sorry,” she whispered.

  Lily looked at Alexa.

  “What are we supposed to do now?” Lily snapped. “Eric has proved that not even an entire coven will stop him.”

  “He did this because he thinks that if he has the person that can again change humans to vampires, that he’ll rule the Underground.” Erica said.

  “Well! He’s probably right!” Lily said loudly. “What is Vincent going to do now to make sure that Shay is safe?”

  Alexa sighed, “I don’t know, but I’m sure he has a plan.”

  “First, he’ll put wolves on your floor permanently. Onyx will be with you at all times and there will be guards at all the entrances to this floor.” Erica said. “If I have to stay here with you myself, I promise you that Eric will never get that close again.”

  “What kind of life is that going to be?” Lily asked.

  “I promise you, Lily, Eric will never get that close again,” Alexa reassured.

  “Can you leave us alone?” Lily asked. “I need to talk to Shay.

  “Of course,” Erica and Alexa replied.

  When they had left, Lily turned to Shay and took both of her hands in hers.

  “Shay, I cannot tell you how sorry I am,” Lily began.

  “Lily…”

  “Let me finish, please. I am so sorry. But Eric will not stop until one of us is dead. There is one way to help ensure that doesn’t happen.”

  “How?”

  “I can change you into a vampire.”

  “But what about my blood?”

  Lily sighed. “I know. That does create a problem. Vincent won’t allow me to change you if your blood actually speeds up the process even more. They haven’t tested it yet, though.”

  “McGoo seems pretty sure of his theory,” Shay said.

  “Do you want to be a vampire?” Lily asked seriously.

  “Of course, but you know what Vincent is going to say. If my blood actually speeds the process, he’ll never let you change me.”

  “Then we leave!” Lily told her.

  “And go where?”

  “The Nashville coven. It’s empty and it’s out of the way and it’s a place that Eric would never think to go, he hated Nashville.”

  “Let’s talk to Vincent first,” Shay said. “Maybe he has a plan. Maybe we won’t have to leave. I like it here in New York, it’s the only place I’ve ever known. And where in th
e world would we be safer? I mean Eric surprised everyone this time. But no one is going to let that happen again. Erica and Alexa said so themselves. And I’m sure Vincent already has a plan of action.”

  “Do you not want to go to Nashville?” Lily asked.

  “It’s not that I don’t want to go, I’m afraid to go. I’d rather be here with a building full of vampires than out there where Eric could show up at any moment.”

  “But he…”

  “I know he could show up here again, but the likelihood of that is slim to none.”

  They heard someone knock on Shay’s door across the hall. Lily and Shay looked at each other.

  “Who could that be?’ Shay whispered as if the person across the hall could hear her.

  Lily shrugged and stood up. She walked to the door and looked through the peep hole then turned to Shay. Standing at Shay’s door was medium built man with salt and pepper hair, cropped short and wearing what appeared to be a black pinstriped suit.

  “I think it’s your dad,” Lily said.

  “Oh shit! Get me a clean shirt!”

  Lily nodded and ran to her room. She came back with a white blouse. Shay had already taken of the bloody one and was waiting for Lily. She grabbed the clean one and put it on as she walked to the door. Lily was right behind her.

  “Dad.”

  Martin turned around and smiled but it was short lived.

  “The address they gave me is Fifty Six B. Not A,” he said matter-of-factly.

  “This is my apartment,” Lily said pointing to the ‘A’ on her door.

  “So is this her?” he asked.

  “Yes Dad. This is my girlfriend, Lily.”

  Martin looked around at all the workers on the floor repairing the walls, ceiling and carpet.

  “Did a bomb go off here?” He asked.

  “Long time coming,” Lily said. “Been in need of repair for some time and they finally got around to it today.”

  “Humph,” Martin snorted.

  Luckily the repairmen had made good progress on the repairs and they had cleaned all the blood off the walls and ceiling first. It could have been a lot worse. They were still working on cleaning up Lily’s apartment.

  “Shall we go in?” Shay asked her father as she walked toward her apartment door.

  “Sure,” Martin answered reluctantly.

  They stepped into the apartment and Martin looked around in awe.

  “You’re already moved in and unpacked? That was fast. It’s only been a week.”

  “I had help,” Shay smiled looking at Lily. “Would you like a tour, Dad?”

  “OK,” he said.

  Shay showed her father around her new apartment. First they went into the kitchen, with the white marble counters and sinks to the brushed aluminum refrigerator and stove. Then she walked him through the living room to the master bedroom that looked basically the same with the furniture from her other apartment. Then she showed him the back guest bedroom that had new furniture courtesy of the coven. She didn’t mention that part. He just assumed that she had bought the new bedroom suit.

  They walked back to the living room with the intricately detailed cherry crown moldings and the recessed lighting. They sat on Shay’s sectional couch. Lily was in the kitchen pouring them all a drink. She brought them from the kitchen, sat them on the coffee table in front of Martin and Shay then took a sip of hers.

  This may not be a pleasant experience, Lily thought. I’ll just drink and pretend I’m not here.

  Shay looked at her dad and waited. She knew it was coming.

  “So why didn’t you ask if it was alright for you to move?” He asked.

  And there it is, Shay thought.

  “Dad,” she took a deep breath, “I am thirty four years old. I do not need to ask your permission to move.”

  “Well at least you called and told me you had moved. Although it was after I got a phone call from the building security guy to give me instructions on visiting.” He paused. “And how in the hell did you get an apartment in the Crown Building? There’s never anything available here! I was just under the impression that all the apartments were previously owned and passed down to the next generation. How did you manage to get in here?”

  “Lily’s grandfather owns the building,” Shay said.

  Lily looked at Shay and tilted her head. She raised her eyebrows and gave a tiny shrug. Shay just gave her a reassuring look and continued.

  “Yeah, there just happened to be an open apartment across from Lily. I just got lucky, Dad.”

  Got lucky, my ass, he thought. No one could get that lucky.

  “He owns the Crown Building?” Martin asked Lily, voice full of skepticism.

  “Yes sir,” Lily just played along.

  Lily guessed that technically, Vincent did own the building. He was the leader of the vampires here, and the building belonged to the vampires. Vincent was responsible for letting people and vampires move in and out and the residents were responsible for taking care of their own apartments. The maintenance department took care of the repairs and maids took care of the cleaning, for most of the apartments, not all. She decided that she’d just play along with Shay. She figured that if Martin looked up who owns the building, it would probably come up under some corporation. All the covens were probably owned by the same company, probably out of Britain.

  “The Crown Building, huh,” Martin said.

  Martin took a minute to let his head wrap around that. Lily, my daughter’s girlfriend’s grandfather owns the most prestigious address in New York City. He still didn’t like the idea of his daughter having a girlfriend.

  “Yes, the Crown Building,” Shay said. “Why are you really here? I know it’s not to find out who owns the building I live in or how I managed to get an apartment here.”

  “I just wanted to see you,” he answered. “Didn’t know I’d be meeting your girlfriend, too, but I guess that was inevitable since she lives right across the hall. That’s really convenient.”

  Too convenient, he thought. Way too convenient. What is really going on here? Does her granddad really own the building? That would make him about as rich as me, I guess. Well, at least the girl has family money. But where did the money come from? Real estate? Legal means? Drugs? Illegal means? I’m going to have to look into this more.

  He scanned the apartment once again. He couldn’t believe he was actually sitting in an apartment in the Crown Building. He was still trying to wrap his head around that when his eyes caught sight of the painting on the wall above the fireplace. He stood up to get a closer look.

  “This is the original! Holy shit!” He nearly yelled. “How in the hell did you afford an original O’Keeffe? And Blue and Green Music at that!”

  “It was a gift from Lily’s grandparents,” Shay said.

  “A gift? Her grandparents are giving you eighty million dollar paintings?” He asked in disbelief.

  “You should see Lily’s apartment,” Shay said.

  Lily just looked at her wide-eyed, as if to say, “Be quiet, Shay.”

  “And does Lily have a Picasso? Perhaps a Warhol or Germotta?” He said sarcastically.

  “Actually, yes,” Shay grinned. “She has Elasticity, two other Boccioni’s, a couple of Germotta’s and that’s just hers. Her grandfather has a Boccioni sculpture that was his practice design for Futuristic Man.”

  “Three Boccioni’s?” Martin asked in disbelief. “Figures that you’re the one that owns Elasticity. I tried to buy that for you for your birthday years ago. But it was said to be in the possession of a private collector and wasn’t for sell. What other two?”

  Martin looked at Lily as if he was trying to stare a hole through her.

  “Dynamism of a Cyclist and Composizione Spiralica,” Lily answered proudly.

  “And are we talking about the same Germotta? From the 2020’s? She only painted like seven total. And you say you have two of them?” Martin asked.

  “Yes, one is dated ’23 and the other is
dated ’26,” Lily said.

  Lily remembered the 2010’s and 2020’s so well and how she followed Stefi around the country before the singer settled into motherhood and painted a handful of abstract paintings. Which was how Lily managed to get The Monster from 2023 and The Perfect Illusion from 2026. She just happened to be in the right place at the right time in 2027 when Stefani decided to auction off the paintings to benefit the Foundation she had begun about a decade and a half prior. Lily didn’t care that she had spent millions on the paintings. She wanted to keep a reminder of the artist and in memory, Lily still gave to the Foundation every year.

  Lily thought about how odd it was that she started funding a cause over seventy years ago that is now so very close to her heart. It made the investment mean even more to her.

  Martin shook his head slowly and looked at the O’Keeffe painting again. He was having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that all of these paintings that were two hundred and some over two hundred and fifty years old, all existed in this one building. What other ones are here? He wondered. What is so special about this building? I know it’s old, but how old is it really? He made a mental note to investigate.

  He still didn’t understand the whole being gay thing, either. How, after thirty four years, do you suddenly realize that you’re gay?

  “Please explain the gay thing to me. Is it a phase you’re going through? Is it something that is going to pass after its run its course?” He asked.

  “No Dad. It’s not a phase. It’s not just going to go away. I’m gay and that’s the way it’s always going to be. I love Lily. And I would do anything for her, just like she’d do anything for me.”

  Shay wished she could tell her dad about the times that Lily has saved her life. The first time, Lily didn’t even know her, but she risked everything to save her. The second time, Lily almost died.

  A knock came from the front door. Lily and Shay looked at each other, eyes wide and took a deep breath. Oh, please don’t be McGoo! Shay went to answer the door. It was Vincent.