“What the fu-” Lily started then glanced at Wendy. “Fudge… is everyone doing camped here,” she finished, but the teen gave her a pointed look with a sly smile.
“Wendy,” Nick called pushing through the crowd. Lily leaned against the door jam and the teen ran to her father. Wendy leaped into his open arms and he captured her in a hug, relief and joy all over her face. Lily smiled thinking of Andrew and how much she missed him at that very moment. Nick started to fire off questions so fast that Wendy couldn’t even hope to give them all an answer. Lily’s smile dimmed slightly as she saw James was also pushing through the crowd straight towards her.
“Are you alright?” James asked concerned when he stood before her and she nodded keeping her attention on the alpha and his daughter. “Good because I don’t really get what the hell was going on your mind to do something so damn stupid like go off by yourself,” he growled at her angrily.
“I had my reasons,” she snapped back. “How many times I have to tell you, James! What I do is none of your concern,” Lily added furiously.
“And how many times to I have to tell you, Lily! You’re my mate and everything you do is my concern,” he shot back and Lily flinched as if she had been hit. Her thoughts ran to the vile she had taken from Xavier.
“James this is the last time I will tell you. Get this whole mate business out of your head,” Lily told him in a harsh and hushed whisper. “Anyways this isn’t the place or time,” she added as she pushed herself off the door jamb and walked over towards Wendy, leaning against the teen for support discreetly. Wendy seemed to pick up on her desire to not show her weakness and gave her the support just as discreet.
“Well then let’s get out of here,” Dorin stated, emerging from the crowd and Lily quickly agreed. Wendy helped Lily walk through the building but to everyone else it simply looked like a grateful embrace the teen shared her savior. She ignored the looks of irritation and anger coming from James. She was sure he still had several minutes of long lecture for her later.
James watched Lily walk passed him with the alpha’s daughter clinging to her waist. As much as he was glad to see she was okay, he was furious she had done something so stupid as to go off on her own. If that wasn’t bad enough she didn’t even have the tiniest amount of courtesy to at least apologize for worrying him, no she had thrown it in his face how little she cared for him and his concern for her safety.
Once they arrived back at the hotel, all the vampires practically ran to their homes except for Bianca and Dorin. “So what happened Lily?” Nick demanded.
“Xavier is dead, I killed him myself. Can the rest wait until I can recover some,” Lily replied and James noticed her typical sardonic tone was gone.
“No, no it can’t!” Nick barked right back at her and James shot the alpha a nasty glare.
“Actually yes it can,” his daughter suddenly shot back at him, surprising everyone. James could see why Xavier had compared the girl to Lily. The alpha started to complain, but his daughter gave him a stern look that didn’t quite fit with her round, girlish face. “There is nothing that she can tell you that can’t wait a few hours, besides I know pretty much what happened anyway,” the girl lectured her father. James allowed a crooked smile to escape when Nick hung his head with a nod mumbling in agreement.
The girl asked Lily where her room was and James eyed them with curiosity as she followed Lily to her room never removing her arm from Lily’s waist. He gave the alpha a quick nod and followed Lily.
“I think I can do it now,” Lily told the girl quietly as they entered the room and his curiosity grew, wondering what they were talking about as the girl asked her if she was sure. She started to take a step when her legs gave out and James grabbed her at the last moment.
“What’s wrong with you?” he asked his worry over taking his anger at her but, of course, received the same payment as last time as she demanded he put her down and it was none of his business.
“Are you her mate?” Wendy asked, eying them with a small smile. Lily shouted “no” at the same time he replied “yes.” The girl laughed and gave them an odd look. “Right,” she said drawing the word out for a few seconds. “Thanks for saving me Lily and don’t worry about the whole killing me to get to Xavier thing either,” she chirped happily. James looked at Lily alarmed and she glared at the girl with a hiss.
“Wendy! The point of a secret is to keep it a secret! Not going around and telling everyone but your father! Now I have to worry about James’s big mouth!” Lily snapped and the girl looked sheepish. “Will you put me down James,” she snapped once more and James couldn’t help himself giving in to his irritation tossing her to the bed. She shrieked out in surprise then glared at him. He gave her a smug smile and a small shrug “Damn you, James Lacrosse,” she growled.
The girl suddenly started hopping from one foot to the other making excited “oh, oh” sounds with an eager expression. “You’re James Lacrosse, as in the James Lacrosse?” she asked and James smiled as Lily groaned throwing herself on the bed.
“Not you too,” she complained and James nodded to the girl. Wendy hopped a small hop with a squeal.
“Oh my God, this is so amazing!” Wendy stated excitedly.
“Oh my God, no it’s not!” Lily demanded then tossed a pillow at them. James caught it easily, smiling at her, for once actually enjoying his fame. “Out of here both of you,” she demanded once more. James laughed tossing the pillow back at her and closing the room.
“So is it true that you totally kicked a whole bar of werewolves’ butt in L. A.?” Wendy asked with an excited expression.
“How do you know about that?” James asked in surprise and she gave him a look of disbelief.
“In the MWT,” she replied with a “you should know that” tone and James looked, even more, confused. “The Modern Werewolf Today… on Facebook” Wendy insisted with even more disbelief.
“I don’t really do computers,” he replied crossing his arms irritated with her tone.
“How can you not do computers… you’re not that old,” She replied mocking his posture.
“I am not old… at all,” he shot back and the teen rolled her eyes with a scoff.