“I thought you said you killed Thompson,” Lord Etienne asked as they walked.
“I did,” Lily replied, her voice bitter sharp. “I don’t know how the bastard survived. He looked like hamburger meat when I was finished with him.”
“Well, this is certainly unsettling then,” the vampire replied.
“You don’t think?” James shot back.
“Can you all try to be quiet so that we can have at least some chance of surprise,” Dorin shot back.
“Well, he told you,” Lily told Lord Etienne.
The vampire lord gave her a charming yet kind of scary smile. “So he did. I suggest we take his advice, though.”
They walked the rest of the way but when Lily heard Tristen’s cry she started running, ignoring Dorin’s demands she stops and slows down. At the edge of the tree line, she saw Xavier hold Tristen. His face filled with cold satisfaction. “Did you really think it was going to be that easy,” Xavier hissed in Tristen’s ear holding her prisoner against him.
“No,” Zander said, looking angry and scared in equal measure. It seemed the kid had some sense in his head after all.
“Tsk, tsk, stop right there,” Thompson said, giving Tristen’s hair a sharp tug.
Lily’s lip curled with fury. He was going to regret doing that, she vowed.
“Like you’re going to hurt her,” Zander said with a scoff, trying to act all badass again, but Xavier was too good for that.
“I will if I’m forced,” the doctor told him, just as Lily expected he would. Xavier was too good for bullshit. With him, you had to go big or go home.
Zander held up his hands and backed up a few steps, obviously realizing the same. Seeing it as the best moment, Lily walked out into the yard and said, “I thought I had killed you already, Xavier.”
Xavier’s eyes widen at the sight of her, and she swore he almost looked afraid of her. Good, she thought with a smug smirk. Thompson must have realized she’d seen him as he shoved Tristen away from her and ran a hand through his dark hair. He smiled at her as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “You nearly did, but alas, obviously you failed,” he said smugly.
“How?” Lily demanded, needing to know how he managed to survive, and wave the teens a wave of her fingers to get away while she had Xavier’s attention.
They started to get up when Xavier’s gaze slid to them. “Run if you like, Tristen. You won’t escape me. No one has, not really and if I can’t get to you I can always use Philip,” he replied.
Philip? Lily wondered then her eyes widened as she remembered. That was Tristen’s brother. He was just a kid, like four years younger than Tristen. That was low, so low! Lily growled at him angrily. As expected, Tristen stopped and shook her head.
“What? Tristen, don’t listen to him,” Zander pleaded, giving her hand a tug
“Tristen, go,” Lily demanded, hoping she wouldn’t fall into his trap. He’d say anything to get her to stay. “He’s not going to touch you or your brother, ever again because tonight I’m going to make sure he dies,” she tried to reassure him.
The doctor started to laugh that cold, uncaring laugh of his. “Are you willing to bet the life of your brother on that Tristen?” He asked, then held out his hand. “Come here to me and I swear I won’t touch a single hair on his little head.”
Damn it, Lily swore, knowing that there was no way the girl would leave him now. Sure enough, she pulled away from Zander. “I’m sorry,” Tristen told him as she pulled her hand from his.
“No Tristen,” Zander said as he reached for her.
“Good girl,” the doctor said, sounding extremely pleased as he pulled her against him once more.
James jaw clenched tightly as he watched Xavier cling to the girl like a lifeline. The doctor wasn’t an idiot. He had to know Lily would rip him apart as soon as she could get her hands on him and that didn’t mean good things for Tristen. He’d never let her go like this.
“How are you still alive, damn it! I killed you,” Lily spat, her voice growing deeper and rougher in a sign of her anger. “I cut your ass into pieces, you son of a bitch!”
Xavier gave her a smug grin. “Well obviously not enough,” he said with a mocking tone. “And you left before the job was done which allowed Vincent to stabilize me enough until he brought me that bitch, Hazar. You remember her don’t you,” he sneered.
“You killed Queen Hazar?” Lily said, sounding horrified.