“We have to get this door open,” James demanded and Nick quickly agreed. One of the werewolves pulled out his gun and started firing at the door, but the bullets just bounced off nearly hitting them. Nick go the idea of using fingerprint powder to figure out the code on the number pad. However when they punched in the code, the doors didn’t open. Both James and Nick spun out a string of curses. Everyone stood there in silence attempting to figure out a way passed the damn door.
Lily tensed as they came to a long corridor that ended with a large metal door with some kind of number pad to the right of it. Lily took out the piece of paper Jessie had given her and unfolded it. On it was elegant handwriting.
You’ll find Xavier at the end of an extensive hall with a door locked by keypad combination. The code is 5711. Remember you must confront him by yourself; no one else must come with you.
Good Luck Lily,
Queen Hazar
With a quiet sigh, she walked up to the door hitting the numbers the Queen had written down and the door slid open. “How the hell did you know the combination?” Nick demanded, looking at her suspiciously.
“A little bird told me,” she stated after she shrugged. Nick frowned and if a monster could frown, then James’s beast would be frowning as well. She knew he wouldn’t like what she was about to do, but it was the only way. “This is where we go our own ways boys. Xavier is mine and mine alone. Find the children,” she told them as she was on the other side of the door. Nick demanded to know what she was talking about and the beast started towards the door, but she quickly hit the key that nicely marked “close” on it.
Lily jumped slightly as she heard the beast slam into the door. With a nervous swallow, she noticed the door didn’t seem affected but if the beast was anything like James he would be annoyingly persistent. She smashed her fist into the keypad beside her destroying it. She tore what was left of it off to grab a handful of multicolored cables and rip them out as well. “Now no one can follow me,” she stated silently and turned on her heel to continue down into the hallway.
Her footsteps echoed through the lonely hallway eerily as she walked down it. Lily’s body was tense on alert waiting for something or anything to jump out at her. She came to a second metal door with another keypad and she punched in the same numbers as before. It slid open and she entered a very large room. The floors and half the way was gray concrete while the top half of the room was tiled with bright glossy white tiles like hallway before.
There were a couple of black metal doors along the concrete part while the tiled part was opened with large rectangular windows. One of which she saw Xavier looking down at her with an arrogant smile and at his side where two male vampires. Lily licked her lips nervously as she entered the large room feeling as if she was entering the den of a very hungry lion. “We meet again,” Xavier announced, keeping his haughty smile plastered on his face.
“And for the last time, Xavier it’s time you pay for what you’ve done,” she shot back heatedly and he frowned.
“You’re still on that? What a disappointment, I expected more from you. How is it possible that you are so intelligent one moment and so ignorant the next,” Xavier shot at her and one of the vampires frowned and leaned over to the other whispering something to the other.
“I’m a complex girl,” Lily snapped with a cocky smirk and Xavier laughed a small bitter laugh with the edges of his mouth turned up.
“That you are and like a daughter to me so I’m willing to give you another opportunity. I need you Lily; there is something about you that has made you a success while others succumb to rabid madness. I need to examine your blood,” he explained and Lily grew furious at the idea of him considering her his daughter.
“I’m no daughter of yours and I will never help you, Xavier. I thought you would have figured that out by now… maybe the ignorant one here isn’t me,’ she shot back at him smugly and he scowled at her.
“Are you sure you have your pet under control lycan,” One of the vampires said to Xavier with a flat tone which made him look extremely pissed.
“Foolish woman,” Xavier shouted at her and Lily smiled, even more, loving that she got under his skin.
“You have ten minutes Xavier before we leave, the Aequivalere are closing in on us quickly,” the vampire warned him and Lily kept her smug smile. Xavier’s face recovered and his calm smug expression returned.
“You can’t stop me, Lily. This is my destiny, my family legacy. I haven’t been entirely honest letting everyone believe I invented the serum to make humans into werewolves or block an alpha’s powers. They were works of my grandfather and my father,” he confessed.
“For centuries my family has been working against the brutal injustice that the lycanthropes suffer for the foolish following of pure physical strength. Slowly my family has removed the barriers that have been blocking us since the dawn of time taking us closer toward today, closer towards a new world,” he continued. His face took on a wild expression and Lily could see the insanity flooding his eyes.
“Join me, Lily, take your rightful place as my child, I’ll reward you greatly,” he told her and she scoffed. Lily wasn’t falling for that one, besides there was no “reward” he could offer her that she would be interested in. “Ever wonder how Lacy turned against her mate when it goes against their connection,” Xavier started as if he had heard her thoughts.
“My uncle suffered like Lacy. His mate was inferior to him and he searched for a way to free himself from such vulgar devotion,” he went on then held up a little glass vial with a brownish liquid inside. “He invented this little wonder, it breaks the connection one feels with one’s mate,” he told her.
“I know you’ve been mated to James,” he announced and Lily narrowed her eyes at him. “I also know you are disgusted by the idea. Don’t be foolish as to believe he will get tired of you rejecting him constantly and go away. The moment he marked you, you lost your freedom. He sees you now as something he owns, an object, a piece of property and nothing more. We werewolves can get very possessive over the things that we feel belong to us. Lily, he will never leave you alone and you will never be free,” Xavier told her.
Lily felt as if someone had hit her in the stomach when he said that. She tried to keep her face emotionless but on the inside she felt like she was being crushed with despair. She didn’t want to be owned, or treated as an object and expected to play the happy housewife. “You’ve fought so hard to be independent all your life, but James has ruined such hard efforts with one little bite. I can stop him, Lily, join me and I will give you this vile. He will no longer be able to have any control or sway over you again,” Xavier told her.
Lily looked at the vile in earnest desperation. James didn’t have any sway over her, but she wanted badly to get rid of this stupid affection he had suddenly developed for her, get rid of the expectations of being a mate. She wanted to be self-sufficient, independent, and free to live her life as she wanted. Lily glanced at Xavier then back to the vile seriously considering his offer and understanding Lacy, Kyle, and everyone else who worked for this lunatic much better.
Just because they all ended badly didn’t mean that she had to, a tiny voice spoke to her. She licked her lips nervously and focused on Xavier once more. His arrogant expression told her he knew exactly what was going on in her head. What the hell am I doing? She scolded herself. “Screw yourself, Xavier, I will never help you. Not even with the bribe of getting rid of James,” she snapped at him.
His face twisted into furious rage. “Foolish woman, I don’t need to get your blood from you alive,” Xavier screamed at her and one of the black metal doors opened. An enormous creature slowly entered the room; to say it was hideous was an understatement. It looked similar to James’ beast, but there were bald spots on him everywhere. One arm was covered with fur and clawed while the other was smooth and more human like.