I don't own the Night World, Ash, his sisters, Thierry, Marry Lennet, the Redferns, or this concept of vampires... I do own Lily and her brothers, her parents, my plot, Kenny, and Azheda, so no stealing! and i'm not making any money from this story so no sueing 3

Chapter 21

True Love

Come now, darling, cheer up," Azheda said, squeezing her hand, "We'll be home soon."

Lily just looked out the window of the plane as it landed in Las Vegas airport, trying to ignore him.

"Mope all you like darling, but soon you and I will be rulers of all these pathetic mortals, and you will help me crush circle daybreak, there is nothing you can do to save them. It will be easier if you just give in to me." Azheda stuck a finger under her chin and turned her to face him. Lily shook off his hold and turned back to contemplating the ground.

"I hate you, even if I hadn't before I do now, how could I ever love someone who killed my friends and family," she whispered, tears springing to her eyes at the thought of Rowan, Kestrel and Jade.

"You'll get over it."

"We have landed in Las Vegas, please enjoy your stay and thank you for flying with us," the flight attendants voice came on over the speaker and Lily unbuckled her seatbelt and stood up, brushing past Azheda. The doors were just beginning to open, and Lily stood there, ignoring the sputtering girl who was insisting she get back in her seat and wait.

"Everything is fine," Azheda told the girl as he took Lily's hand in his, "she hates to fly."

The doors finally opened and she rushed out, Azheda holding her tight. He led her outside and straight to a black limo that was sitting there waiting for them. A vampire that looked more like a thug than a driver opened their door and Azheda pushed her inside, jumping in after her.

"I missed you," he murmured after the door closed. He sat down next to her and put his arms around her. Lily hated him, but she couldn't stop herself from leaning in to his embrace, to hold herself closer to him. When his lips descended on hers she couldn't stop herself from kissing him back and she hated herself for it.

She couldn't resist him, no matter how hard she tried; a part of her still did love him, the part that belonged to him. The kiss ended after an indeterminable amount of time, but what sickened her was the way she yearned for him to kiss her again.

"You see darling," he said after a moment, "you do love me." Lily turned away from him and looked out the window. "You're not thinking of escape are you darling?"

"Not at all," she murmured.

"Good, because the next time you escape I won't be as lenient, perhaps one of your brothers would have an accident, or that Ash that you are so fond of. People have accidents all the time my love, you can't be there every moment to keep them safe."

Just then they pulled up to his house. It looked the same as it had last time, Lily hoped the wardrobe was as extensive as it was before, she was sick of wearing the clothes she was in and she didn't have anything else to wear. Lily let random thoughts go through her head, trying to ignore the threat he had made against her family, against Ash. She hadn't known Ash very long, but the thought of the world being deprived of him so soon made her very sad, so she ignored it and let Azheda help her out of the limo and into the house.

"Bathroom?" She asked after he led her to the room she had been in before.

"Just down the hall. Need some help washing?" He smirked.

"No thank you." She turned and left the room. The sooner she was out of his presence the sooner the desire would leave her, because she did desire him, maybe even more than she did Kenny. She didn't want to feel it, she kept trying to kill her feelings for Azheda, but they kept resurfacing, and she kept hating herself for it.

Ash ran as fast as he could, Adain was burdened by having to carry Kenny so he was further behind him, but Briar creek was so far away. He kept calling to Rowan, Kestrel, Jade, even Mary, anyone that he could connect with, there was nothing. An emptiness was opening inside him, they couldn't be dead. Josh was strong, but there were three lamia in that house, they were safe, they had to be.

He kept repeating this to himself for the hour it took to reach his sisters home. He ran through the door and stopped short, his sisters were lying all over the floor, covered in blood.

"They're not dead," a voice said from behind him and Ash turned, grabbing Josh by the throat and throwing him against a wall.

"You traitor," Ash roared as he attacked again.

"I was under a spell, I came out of it to find what I had done," Josh yelled, moving to dodge the blows Ash was throwing his way.

Ash paused for a moment to take this in. It was entirely possible that he was telling the truth, the Ambrose's were, of course, the most powerful creatures ever created, but they were not infallible.

"If you're lying I'll kill you," Ash growled and walked to his sister Rowan who was laying unconscious closest to him. He leaned down to check her, she had lost a lot of blood but the wound had closed already and she was breathing easier. Jade was in a similar condition, Kestrel was in bad shape though.

"She was the one that attacked me first," Josh whispered in horror and depression as he watched Ash. "I threw her onto a piece of wooden furniture, it punctured her stomach."

The hole in Kestrels middle was deep and gushing blood. Without a second thought Ash used his teeth to cut his arm and began dribbling the blood into his sister's mouth. She drank it reflexively and Ash sighed in relief as he pulled out his cell to get help.

Adain, carrying Kenny, walked in the door then. "Are they okay?" Kenny whispered.

"They'll live, the same can't be said for Azheda though," Ash murmured.

After her shower Lily walked back to her room to search the closet. To her delight the closet was just as full, with clothes just as beautiful as before.

She picked out a pair of black hip hugger jeans with embroidered roses down the legs, and a black shirt with a matching pattern of red roses. Just as she was pulling the shirt over her head Azheda walked into her room.

"Ever heard of knocking?" She asked in annoyance, still looking through the closet for shoes. A pair of boots caught her eye and she pulled them out and began putting them on.

"I don't have to knock to come into my own room," Azheda answered with a smile.

"Well if you're staying here than I'll have to find a new room absent of you." She was upset; no way would she be sleeping in the same room, in the same bed, as this man.

"If that is how you feel then I will take another room darling, no need to rush things we have eternity, after all." He smirked at her. "If you're finished getting dressed though, I thought perhaps we could go out and get a bite to eat."

Lily rolled her eyes at his pun, but nodded, fastening the last lace of the boot and standing up. Azheda held out his arm to accompany her, but she just ignored it and brushed past him down the hall and downstairs. She stood at the front door and waited for him to follow her, he wasn't long.

"I was thinking we could go to the strip, followed by a moonlit walk with whomever," he laughed as he led her to the limo sitting in front of his house. She shuddered at the thought of him feeding on some helpless girl.

The car drove them straight to the strip, and her eyes, after being used to the light, natural colors of Oregon, were assaulted by the bright, glittering lights that she had once found so beautiful. The car stopped in front of a casino and Azheda grabbed her hand and put something in it, she looked down to find an ID card.

"You have to be 21 to get in, and we don't want them turning you down my love," Azheda murmured, holding on tight to her hand. Lily nodded and stuck the ID in her purse and let him pull her from the car.

They entered the casino and Lily began to search for someone, automatically, she hadn't realized how hungry she was until they had entered.

"Stick close to me and everything will be fine," he laughed, "we can be cousins." Lily thought this ridiculous but nodded her consent as they started wandering around.

It didn't take long for the guys to notice Lily, it usually didn't, but to her annoyance she found she was upset by the attention women were giving Azheda.

It was at that point that they found them, the perfect couple, a man and a woman that looked as if they were still too young to be there, twins that had just turned 21. The man was taller than Azheda, he looked to be taller than her twin brother Noah, with dirty blond hair and grey blue eyes, he was very handsome and if Lily hadn't found out her history and found her soulmates she might have dated him, the girl was just as lovely as he was handsome, slender with lighter blond hair and eyes the same grey-blue.

The twins had noticed them immediately and come over to talk, his name, he told them, was Andy, and his sister was Amy. Azheda, calmly and without a hint of a smile, told them their story, and soon they were all getting drinks together and talking.

"Where are you from?" Andy asked her as he handed her a drink.

"California," she smiled and flirted with him, trying to ignore Azheda as he laughed and flirted with the sister. She hated herself for it, but she was jealous, and Azheda knew it.

"Would you like to take a walk?" Andy asked her suddenly, Azheda looked up from the girl and smiled at Lily.

"If you run off I'll kill this lovely young girl, drink her dry," she heard his mind voice say, and nodded imperceptibly at him before taking Andy's hand and letting him lead her from the casino. He put his arm around her as they walked outside, and she let him get as close as he wanted, feinting drunkenness.

She let him lead her through the strip, not caring where they went as long as they got there soon, she was beginning to have trouble breathing, and blood lust was setting in. Lily snuggled closer to him as they finally made it to a small, grassy park.

She was ready for him when he leaned down and kissed her, she let him, for a moment, before pulling away and smiling up at him. A look of confusion came over his face when she pulled away.

"Isn't this what you want Lily?" He asked, moving in for another kiss.

"Not quite," she murmured and struck with her mind, putting him into a trance. Andy slumped to the ground, and she caught him before he could hit his head. With infinite calm she lifted his chin and bit, as she drank she went through his mind, erasing the past hour and anything that had to do with her and Azheda. She pulled away after drinking her fill and laid him carefully down near a bunch of bushes.

Once he was taken care of she sent out her mind to find Azheda, and was shocked to find him very close by, still drinking from the girl. She sent her thoughts to the girl next to find, with shock, that she was still awake and struggling, and growing weaker.

"Stop," she called to him loudly, and was upset when he just ignored her.

Lily took a breath and ran to where they were, about 30 feet from where she had been with Andy.

She caught sight of them, locked in what looked like a lover's embrace, except Amy was giving off muffled shrieks and trying to pull out of a grip that was iron strong. Lily raced to them and pulled the girl from his arms before he could kill her. Azheda turned and growled at her, his teeth fully extended in warning.

"Shut up you fool," Lily yelled as she looked to the girl who was still shrieking.

"Lily," Azheda whispered, finally taking notice of her.

She didn't listen to him, instead she turned her attention to Amy and put her to sleep, as she had her brother, and erase the memories from her mind.

The girl grew limp in her arms and when the memories were gone she looked at the wound on her neck. Instead of two, small holes like she had left on Andy, Lily found two great tears in the girl's throat.

"You bastard," Lily growled, trying to stem the flow of blood that was still leaking from Amy. "You said you wouldn't kill her." Lily ignored Azheda as he tried to speak and brought her teeth down to her arm, cutting a small wound to let blood flow. She dribbled a little on Amy's neck before opening her mouth and letting her drink some vampire blood.

"What are you doing?" Azheda yelled.

"I'm healing her so she doesn't die, she doesn't need much, but if she doesn't get it she will die." Azheda watched Lily for a moment before turning and leaving. After a few minutes the girl's breathing became steady and Lily drew her hand away, letting the wound close up.

When she looked up she saw Azheda had brought Andy over, and laid him down beside his sister.

She gently lay Amy's head down and stood up. All she wanted to do was run, so she did. She ignored Azheda's shouts behind her and just ran as fast as she could out of the park until she reached the strip. She stopped then and just sat down, leaning against a building.

Azheda caught up to her after a moment and dropped to the ground next to her, taking her in his arms. She tried to pull away, she didn't want him to touch her ever again, but he was too strong, he just held her tight not letting go.

"I'm sorry," he whispered after a while. It shocked her into awareness; he had apologized for hurting the girl, for almost killing her. "If you ask it Lily I will never kill again, never hurt again, just don't be angry with me."

It was then that she realized how much he truly did love her, up until that moment she had thought it was all a joke, some kind of sick, twisted joke to make her unhappy. And it was at that point that she realized how much she loved him as well, and she let herself feel it for a moment, to feel the love she had for this monster that was her soulmate. Lily took a deep breath and began to sob, uncontrollably.

Told you guys I'd be updating this story now in the hopes of finishing it, even though it will be rather long. Loves and kisses, and anyone that reads this chapter must review it! It is necessary!