“But it’s no fun by myself! We’ll be more careful this time,” she pleaded. This time, what the hell she meant by this time? James wondered noticing Lily was looking guilty again.
“No Bianca,” he nearly shouted at the red head and then turned to Lily. “Do you need to drink tonight?” he asked and James felt a flare of jealousy rage through him as he swore the vampire looked concerned. Lily shook her head no. “Just let me know if you do,” he finished before walking towards the lobby. James followed him to make sure the vampire didn’t even think of putting Lily in the same room as him again.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Lily complained, her hands on her hips as they entered the room. James tried to hide a smile, following her. Not only did he have her sharing a room with him but it was a room with only one bed. “I guess you will be sleeping on the floor then,” she shot back and he laughed.
“Nope, I am going to be sleeping right here,” he said, plopping on the bed, and she narrowed her eyes at him.
“I should’ve let Bianca drain you,” she threatened and his smile grew.
“Speaking of Bianca what happened the night before?” he asked her and once more guilt filled her face before giving him another snooty reply of none of his business. James sighed loudly shaking his head. “You know I am on your side,” he told her.
“Well I would rather you be not on “my side” and go away,” she snapped at him sitting the corner of the bed. James frowned at her. Feeling a little hurt at first but realized she probably wasn’t used to people actually caring for her so he wouldn’t let her push him away.
“What happened Lily?” he insisted and she narrowed her eyes at him and turned back facing away from him.
“I nearly killed someone,” she said after a long moment of silence and he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Bianca pushed me to bite some guy when we were alone… and I did. I couldn’t stop, but Dorin got there just in time to stop me from killing him, but the guy had to go to the hospital. I should have been stronger,” she explained anger filling her voice at the end and James wanted to rip the red head to pieces instead he got up and sat beside her. He wrapped his arms around her waist.
“We all have set backs, what’s important is that you did stop and he is still alive,” James told her with a soothing tone.
“I can’t have setbacks and what is important is not to allow myself to be manipulated,” she said harshly then elbowed him swiftly in the stomach. “Now get your hands off of me or I will drain you myself,” she growled at him pushing his arms away from her and getting off the bed.
Once more he refused to let her harshness get to him, so he rubbed his stomach with a laugh. “Well if that is the only way I will ever get a repeat of that night in the woods then count me in,” he teased her with a wink. Her eyes widened with surprise then narrowed at him in a deathly glare.
“That will never happen again,” she retorted bitterly and stomped to the bathroom. He smiled as he removed his clothing and got into the bed to get some sleep. It seemed like he just fell asleep when someone started hitting him and calling his name. He complained until he saw it was Lily and began to smile. Deciding to have a little fun, he grabbed her and pulled her on top of him. She cried out and started to punch him.
“Change your mind already,” he teased holding her firmly on top of him ignoring her punches and insults.
“James quit being an ass, this is serious,” she told him and by the look on her face he saw she was telling the truth. “I just called Greg,” she told him when he asked her what was wrong. “It’s Lacy, James, she has gone missing! They can’t find her anywhere and everyone is starting to think Xavier has something to do with it,” she told him and he let her get up.
“What could he want with Lacy?” James asked rhetorically sitting up.
“I don’t know! What are we going to do?” She asked sounding lost. “Do we go on; do we go back? I don’t want to stop tracking Xavier, but she’s my sister and best friend! What about Chris? He will go crazy when he finds out,” she ranted sitting down in one of the chairs chewing on her thumbnail. Chris would definitely go crazy, James realized. Their mate connection aside Chris was absolutely in love with Lacy.
Lily sat in the chair chewing her thumbnail and her leg bouncing nervously. James had gone to talk to Chris. Why did Xavier take Lacy? She wondered if Xavier had struck out, angry that they were going after him. With a growl of frustration, she ran her hands through her dark hair. The only thing she wanted to do was stop people from getting hurt, but it no matter what she did that was exactly what happened.
First, Greg gets kidnapped and changed because of her stubbornness, James got caught in a silver net and suffered horrible burns because she was too stupid to look really at things. She got Kyle killed because she didn’t listen, the guy the other night nearly died because she wasn’t strong enough, and now Lacy was gone because she insisted on acting.
Her phone started to ring, and she quickly picked up the phone without looking at the number. “What’s the news, anything about Lacy?” she asked immediately, and a mechanical laughter came on the other side. “Is that you Xavier?” she growled with anger but figured it couldn’t be. Why would he hide his voice now?
“No Lily, not Xavier but we are very close friends,” the person replied.
“Do you have Lacy?” Lily demanded, and the person laughed again.
“Yes, I guess you could say I have Lacy. Why did you want to see her?” they asked again, and Lily growled.
“Of course, I want to see her,” Lily replied feeling irritated by the person’s apparent amusement.
“Then drive a mile down the road, until you reach an abandoned farm! Be there in an hour and come alone,” the person demanded then hung up. Lily didn’t think twice, she grabbed her jacket and left the hotel. She walked over to Dorin’s black SUV and grabbed the key she saw him hide in one of the compartments in the driver’s side door. She knew she was probably walking right into a trap but if she could make up for one of her mistakes, then it didn’t matter what happened to her.
She found the abandoned farm quickly enough. There was a note on the door directing her to the basement. Every fiber in her body screamed that something was wrong, but she ignored it, she had to find Lacy! She made her way through the broken stereotypical country home slowly her body tense and alert.
Lily slowly stepped down the wooden stairs hating every noisy creak they made. She looked around the dark, damp room and saw Lacy sitting in a chair bound. “Hurry Lily, before they come back,” Lacy pleaded, and Lily rushed up to her best friend. “I am so glad you came! I was worried you wouldn’t come,” she told her.