“Hm, me thinks you’ve been reading too many girlie books,” Lily told her and Qin Xuan then actually rolled her eyes at Lily.
“You know magic is forty percent skill and sixty percent faith. You have to believe it will work for it to actually work,” Qin Xuan told her and Lily grinned at her. She appreciated her friend’s intentions. She really did.
“This isn’t like girlie books or magic… I refuse to fall in love Qin Xuan. Refuse. R-E-F-U-S-E.” She explained and the other looked at her confused.
“Why? It’s a wonderful and great thing,” Qin Xuan asked.
“Except when it’s not. I’ve seen what love gone sour does to people. The damage it causes. I’ve seen it with my dad. Love wasn’t wonderful for him and it did him no favors. Just the opposite, he was humiliated and used. Despite what you want to believe Qin Xuan love goes sour more often than it goes good.” She explained and Qin Xuan stared at her for a moment then sighed with a disappointed look on her face.
“I’m not going to argue with you, Lily. It’s pointless to argue with you,” she said finally and Lily gave her a satisfied smile. “Cause you’re stubborn as an ox,” she continued and Lily’s smile dimmed. She was not. Okay, maybe she was but just a little. “But I will say this. You’re wrong about this Lily. Now let’s go find A. J.” Qin Xuan finished and Lily followed her deeper into the house.
Lily sat cross-legged on the grass as Matt and A. J. raced around the mini playground in the back yard. It wasn’t there when she left so it must have been something Andrew built specifically for Matt and the other children that came into their house. Despite her reservations, Sandy insisted that it was alright for her to watch Matt as well as A. J. “Uhm, e-excuse me,” she heard someone stutter and turning around she saw a boy, about fifteen maybe, looking at her nervously. “Are you the… the hybrid?” he asked unsurely.
A small frown appeared on her face. Man, she really hated when people called her that. Quickly she got up to her feet, planning on introducing herself but the boy let out a girly shriek and crumpled to the ground, begging her not to hurt him. “What the hell kid?” she said and bent over to help the boy up but he shrieked again as he threw himself away from her. Lily glanced back at the two toddlers. They had stopped playing and looked on the verge of tears.
The idiot teen was frightening them. She scowled even more. “What is going on?” Liz demanded hotly as she walked over to them, looking furious at Lily.
“Don’t ask me, I stand up and boy wonder here started screaming like a horror movie extra, scaring the boys. Do you mind taking care of A. J. while I get him out of here before he makes them even more upset?” Lily asked and the expression of anger vanished from the alpha female’s face. Oh crap, what did I do now? Lily wondered.
“You… trust me… with A. J.?” She asked slowly in surprise. Oh, this is some werewolf thing, Lily realized and gave her a pointed look.
“I know you can’t get it into that werewolf infused brain of yours but I know you’d never hurt your family and I have total confidence that you would never lift a finger to hurt a child. Do I trust you with my son? Yes, without a doubt,” she said then walked over to the teen that was… praying?
“Seriously?” Lily scolded him irritated. She grabbed the back of his shirt and dragged him into the house while Liz kneeled with children, speaking to them in soft, soothing motherly tones. Lily shoved the teen in a chair. “Just stop okay. I’m not going to hurt you. I have no reason to hurt you!” She shot and the teen nodded, his fingers clawing at the arms of the chair.
“Unless of course you keep calling me the hybrid or scaring my son and nephew then I might start to get a little pissed,” She admitted and the boy’s eyes widen too much she was worried his eyes might fall out of his head. “My name is Lily Nawasa, use it capisce?”
“Y-yes Ms. Nawasa,” he stammered and Lily nodded and gave him a smile to set him at ease, but he only pushed back into the chair with a whimper. Was this what James had to deal with when people met him? She wondered with a sigh. “Okay kid, so why did you come looking for me?”
“T-the alpha,” he started and with a sigh she waved her hand in small circles for him to get on with it. “H-he wants to you come to the pack meeting hall,” he said then adding quickly. “If you want that is.” Lily nearly laughed at the absurdity of it all.
“Okay, got it oh great and powerful Alpha Tony has summoned me to his presence. You can go now,” she said patting him on the shoulder and causing him to shriek again before running out of the house as if it was on fire. She walked outside to see the children were back to playing on the playground. “Hey Liz, do you mind watching A. J. for a little longer. The crying boy wonder was your mate’s idea of a good messenger. I have to go to the meeting hall,” she explained.
Liz looked as irritated as Lily was at Tony’s choice. “Of course Lily. Will you please tell my mate that I don’t appreciate his brilliant choice, will you?” She asked and Lily nodded in agreement and was about to tell her she had planned to just that but realizing fully what Liz had said and hadn’t said made her pause.
“Alright… wait a minute. What’s going on? Why are you so nice to me and not all “this is totally your fault?” like you usually do?” She demanded and Liz lifted one shoulder in a noncommittal shrug.
“You’re mated to James and thus no longer a threat,” she replied as if that was the most obvious and logical reply in the world.
“Liz, I never was a threat! Tony and I told you that several times. He’s seriously nothing more to me than my brother. Even the idea of him and me…” she started then shuddered. “Ew, gross!” Liz laughed and gave Lily small smile.
“So agrees my logical side of my brain but my wolf and instincts saw that Tony and you are close. Maybe even closer than Lacy and he ever were and… and in some ways your closer to him than I am. My wolf only saw that simple fact as a threat to her claim, but now that you’re mated to James she knows that threat has been near if not completely eliminated,” Liz explained and Lily shook her head side to side.
Would she ever understand werewolves? Even being one now, it didn’t make any sense to her… which didn’t make any sense to her either. “As much as I’d hate to ruin this… whatever it is… you do know despite being marked by James. We’re not romantically involved. This is simply a measure of protection against the vampire making me into his slave right?” Lily told her and once more Liz shrugged.
“Maybe to you but the simple truth is that you are now his. James may have said and have every intention of keeping your relationship platonic but his wolf is another story. His wolf if it can still be called that will see that no man ever touches you and those that do he’ll probably very well kill. It’s our instincts Lily and his wolf won’t fight that instinct. Neither James nor you can stop him,” she explained.
That was the catch wasn’t it, she thought with a sigh. There was always a damn catch. “You’re wrong Liz. I had a wolf too and I have no desire to hurt anyone who has gotten near James. I never have before either,” she explained and Liz turned her gaze from the children to her.