“Wow, mature come back,” he told her with a smirk. “What next you’re going to call me a butthead?” James asked and butted her back with his own shoulder.
“Well, you are a butthead,” Lily demanded, her smile growing, butting him again.
“You know what, it takes one to know one,” he replied.
“Whatever… jerk face,” Lily shot with a light laugh.
“I know you are but what am I,” was his response.
“God I haven’t heard that since I was like six,” Lily said, surprised at how much fun this silly childish game was.
“Yeah… the keystone to all arguments for the age of ten or younger,” James stated and Lily glanced at him under her lashes. He really was cute, she thought and her pulse started to quicken. Suddenly she felt the air around them change and become charged, along with it, she felt as if something was pulling her towards him. Lily swallowed nervously as she realized that she felt the urge to kiss him.
Ignoring the charged atmosphere and the unwanted urges, Lily looked down at her hands. What was going on? She did not like James like that! She never did, she tried to tell herself but some reason the conviction wasn’t there.
James hunched up his shoulders, attempting to stay warm and lost in his own thoughts. Even after the break of their mate bond he had always been sensitive to her scent but this pull he felt to be near her and the little shocks from their touch was new. What’s more, he could tell from the look on her face that Lily felt them too. Could there be some of the bond left between them? Did he want there to be part of the it left?
James glanced over at Lily, she looked about as confused as he felt. After yesterday, he believed that Chris was telling the truth. She wasn’t the same woman who used to hit him and scream at him how much she hated him. If he was honest with himself, this new Lily was nice to be around. Yesterday was good, really good and it just wasn’t because he got to be with his son. It was because she was there with him too.
Hell who was he kidding, of course, he wanted there to be a bond between them. He wanted to have Lily as his mate just as much as he did back then. Pulling his jacket tighter, James wondered how she felt about all of it. With this new change of heart would Lily accept him as a mate or would she reject him just like she had done before? He wasn’t sure he could take her rejection again. James needed to approach this subject carefully.
“Lily,” James started, but he heard someone walk out of the woods. They both looked over to see a hunched up figure walk towards them. The person’s scent was unfamiliar and strange, but Lily obviously knew the person as she jumped off the bench and rushed over to them.
“Evan what are you doing here?” She demanded and the figure looked up and he saw it was a woman. She wore a large gray sweater that looked five sizes too big for her and a gray skirt that ended at her ankles. Her long blond hair was a matted up mess that nearly hid most of her face.
“Hart said I needed to give you an update,” the woman replied to Lily’s question with a silky smooth voice that didn’t seem to match her aspect at all. Update? Lily glanced over at him then shuffled closer to the blonde.
“And why are you here and not sending it over the phone. You know coming to me in person is strictly against orders,” Lily told her in a low voice. James leaned forward slightly from where he was sitting to listen to them. So he was right, there was more to Lily’s visit home than visiting family.
The blonde huffed with a frown. “I hate those things! I tried to figure out how it worked, but I couldn’t and Hart said I need to update you ASAP with no excuses,” the woman stated and Lily looked extremely frustrated.
“Then you should’ve waited till I was alone. Now I’ve got to deal with him,” She said, waving her hand towards James. The way she said that made him bristle with irritation. The blonde seemed to notice James for the first time; her grey-blue eyes seemed to be measuring him up.
“I can deal with him if you want,” she stated in a matter of fact tone and James laughed dryly, obviously this woman had no idea who he is.
“I don’t think you could handle me any better than Lily can,” he shot back, getting up from the picnic table and walking over to the two. The blonde’s eyes changed to a silver color and Lily suddenly stepped in front of her, putting herself between James and the blonde.
“No Evan, don’t do your mojo on him. I can handle him. I just was hoping to avoid it,” she told the blond then turned to him. “Don’t goad her! I don’t want to have to drag your slobbering ass from her feet when she’s finished with you,” Lily demanded and he gave her a, you’ve got to be kidding me look. There was no way he’d ever slobber especially at that girl’s feet and told her so.
“Yeah well, Evan has a special way with men. I’m sure you’re familiar with the succubus and their abilities,” Lily told him and now he knew what was odd about her scent. “She can have you totally obsessed with her at the flick of a wrist,” she finished and the blonde looked extremely pleased with herself. “Now, what is so important that you broke protocol, Evan?”
The blonde glanced at him then back to Lily. “You’ll be soloing for a few days. Silvano was spotted about fifty miles west of here and Hart ordered Dorin, Donovan, Cesar, and Charlie to go get him,” She explained. Silvano, as in the vampire king Silvano? Wasn’t he supposed to be rotting in some cell for disobeying the Aequivalere’s orders to leave Lily alone?
“Wait Donovan and Cesar are gone too? What am I going to do if Silvano just happens to not be where Jessie thinks he is and he shows up here?” Lily demanded and he was surprised to see the concerned look on her face.
“Well I’m here and besides you have your little monsters,” Evan replied and Lily shook her head with a saddened look.
“Evan you know I can’t fight,” Lily stated.