Lily found Paul slouched on the couch in the living room, watching a hockey
game on television. She curled up next to him on the couch, warmly dressed
in yoga pants, a soft sweater and thick socks.
"Feel better?" He slung an arm around her shoulder. She nodded, too comfortable to answer. "Ready to go?"
"Don't wanna." She snuggled closer to him.
"Come on girl. We've gotta tell David about the beach." He got to his feet and pulled her up. "You can sleep at the cave."
She groaned but followed him into the kitchen and down into the basement. "He's gonna overreact."
"Probably for your own good. We're lucky those guards came along."
Lily sighed. She thought the Boys were being a little overprotective but she wasn't going to tell them that. "I know." She linked her arm with Paul's and followed him down the passage to the cave.
David looked up when they came in. "Where have you been?"
"Okay, well, Lily went hunting with me and then she wanted to go swimming so we went to the beach but the Malvagità showed up and there was going to be this fight. Then boardwalk security showed up and we got away but the other pack, um, got hungry and the guards didn't fare so well." Paul said rapidly. Lily giggled at his run on sentence.
"We were lucky the guards showed up when they did. I think the other pack was ready for a fight." Lily spoke up. She let go of Paul and went over to David. "Paul got us out of there as soon as they were distracted."
"I'm glad you're okay." David murmured against her hair. "Both of you." He added a little louder.
***
Lily felt off when she woke up, as if she had forgotten something important. Whatever it was, it dangled just out of reach of her mind. She shook her head to clear it and pushed away the blankets. The sun was down already and David was gone from her bed. She found a sweater and jeans in the armoire and
slipped them on before heading out into the cave. As she walked through the passage to the main cave, the feeling came back. It felt like a tickling at the back of her mind. She stopped and pressed her fingers against her temples, trying to make the feeling stop.
She was still holding her head when she entered the main cave. Marko looked up from his carburetor. "You okay Lil?"
"I feel weird. Its like there's someone else in my head." She collapsed on the couch, curling up into a ball.
Marko came over and sat down with her. She turned around and put her head on his shoulder. "How come you're not out with the others?" She asked, playing with the fringe on his jacket.
"David asked me to stay behind. So you wouldn't be alone." Marko combed his fingers through her hair. "That attack last night scared him."
"Me too. If the guards hadn't shown up, they would have killed Paul." Lily looked at the ceiling. "Maybe I should go away for a while. So they'll forget about me and maybe you guys'll be out of danger."
Marko shook his head. "No. If you leave, we all have to go. And that's not what Madigan brought us back for."
Paul's laughter preceded him and the others into the cave. As they came in, he scooped up Madigan and carried her down the stairs, with her protesting the whole way. David and Dwayne followed behind, grinning at their brother. They made their way over to the couch. David flopped down on the other side of Lily, sandwiching her between the two Boys.
"You're in a good mood David." Lily said, deliberately forgetting to tell David about her head.
He shrugged. "I just woke up in a good mood. Could have been the company I had."
Lily blushed and ducked her head against David's shoulder. "I want to go for a ride."
"Yeah?"
She nodded. "I have to go up to the house. Can we ride there?"
"Of course we can." He stood up and pulled her to her feet. "Who do you want to ride with?"
Lily looked around at the Boys. She chewed on her lip and pointed at Dwayne. "Dwayne."
Paul grabbed Madigan around her waist and nuzzled her neck. "We're goin' for a ride."
David led the group above ground. Lily climbed on the back of Dwayne's bike, wrapping her arms securely around his waist.
"Make me fly Dwayne." She whispered to him as he started up the bike.
"Anything you want Princess." He grinned and took off after David. Paul and Madigan followed them with a howl and Marko brought up the rear of the pack.
***
The ride was over too quickly and before Lily knew it, the pack was pulling into driveway of the house. She dismounted from the bike and stretched, looking up at the clear sky.
"Look at all the stars." Lily sighed. "I love living here."
"Uh oh. The Princess is feeling poetic." Marko joked, letting his hand trail along her back as he passed her.
"Nothing wrong with that." She said and put her arms down. "You've had your own bouts of poetry from time to time."
Dwayne grabbed her hand as he and David walked past. "Come on poet. Let's go inside before you get cold."
Paul stepped up next to Madigan. Her head was cocked to one side, a sign that she was listening to something. "What's up Mad?"
"Describe the house for me Paul." She said, leaned against his strong form.
Paul looked over at the house. "It's white with a dark roof. With a big porch across the front. There's evergreen bushes on either side of the steps." He turned her so she was facing the main driveway. "There's a main driveway made of gravel. Its on the other side of a white wooden walkway with gate at the far end. The driveway we always come in is the back driveway, where the garage is."
"I can hear the ocean." She said, tilting her head in the direction of the water.
Paul nodded. "The house is set on a cliff. If you go out the back door, you can see the cliff edge and the ocean."
"Sounds nice." She snuggled against him, letting him guide her inside.
"I made some hot chocolate if you'd like some." Lily said from the dining room. The other Boys were sitting around the table, nursing mugs of chocolate.
Madigan sat in the chair Paul pulled out for her. "That'd be nice. Thanks Lily."
"Marshmallows?"
"Of course."
Lily smiled and headed back into the kitchen. She emerged a few minutes later with two mugs. She set one down in front of Madigan and went to sit down next to David.
"Dwayne and I saw two of the Malvagità when we were hunting today. We have to figure out what we're going to do about them." David said, taking a sip of his hot chocolate.
"Are we going to attack or find some other way?" Paul asked.
"I don't want to start an all out war but I don't think they'll leave if we kill their leader." David told him.
Dwayne looked thoughtful. "David, I think killing them is the only way to be sure they're gone."
David shrugged. He turned to Lily. "What do you think Lily? Lily?"
Lily was staring at the window, her eyes glassed over. David shook her gently, calling her name. She started, shaking her head and looked at him. "What?"
"Are you okay? We were talking and you spaced out on us." He ran his hand up and down her arm.
She nodded. "I'm just tired."
"You want to go up to bed? I'll be up when we're finished." David told her.
Lily nodded. She kissed him and said goodnight to the other Boys before climbing the stairs to her bedroom. She pulled the curtains shut tightly before shedding her clothing and falling into bed.
Down in the dining room, David and the others worried about Lily.
"Her mind is troubled." Madigan said softly. "Has been since she met the Malvagità ."
"Nino. He's doing something to her." David hissed.
Marko spoke up. "She's been having bad dreams since then too."
"Something is coming. Something bad." Madigan told them and shivered. Paul put his arm around her.
"I'm going to go sit with her." Dwayne stood up. "My vote is to destroy them all." He told them and headed upstairs.
"Mine too David." Marko said.
"It's the only way." Paul added.
David nodded. "We have to find out where they live. Hit them there. Otherwise this could turn into a bloodbath of civilians."
"Feel better?" He slung an arm around her shoulder. She nodded, too comfortable to answer. "Ready to go?"
"Don't wanna." She snuggled closer to him.
"Come on girl. We've gotta tell David about the beach." He got to his feet and pulled her up. "You can sleep at the cave."
She groaned but followed him into the kitchen and down into the basement. "He's gonna overreact."
"Probably for your own good. We're lucky those guards came along."
Lily sighed. She thought the Boys were being a little overprotective but she wasn't going to tell them that. "I know." She linked her arm with Paul's and followed him down the passage to the cave.
David looked up when they came in. "Where have you been?"
"Okay, well, Lily went hunting with me and then she wanted to go swimming so we went to the beach but the Malvagità showed up and there was going to be this fight. Then boardwalk security showed up and we got away but the other pack, um, got hungry and the guards didn't fare so well." Paul said rapidly. Lily giggled at his run on sentence.
"We were lucky the guards showed up when they did. I think the other pack was ready for a fight." Lily spoke up. She let go of Paul and went over to David. "Paul got us out of there as soon as they were distracted."
"I'm glad you're okay." David murmured against her hair. "Both of you." He added a little louder.
***
Lily felt off when she woke up, as if she had forgotten something important. Whatever it was, it dangled just out of reach of her mind. She shook her head to clear it and pushed away the blankets. The sun was down already and David was gone from her bed. She found a sweater and jeans in the armoire and
slipped them on before heading out into the cave. As she walked through the passage to the main cave, the feeling came back. It felt like a tickling at the back of her mind. She stopped and pressed her fingers against her temples, trying to make the feeling stop.
She was still holding her head when she entered the main cave. Marko looked up from his carburetor. "You okay Lil?"
"I feel weird. Its like there's someone else in my head." She collapsed on the couch, curling up into a ball.
Marko came over and sat down with her. She turned around and put her head on his shoulder. "How come you're not out with the others?" She asked, playing with the fringe on his jacket.
"David asked me to stay behind. So you wouldn't be alone." Marko combed his fingers through her hair. "That attack last night scared him."
"Me too. If the guards hadn't shown up, they would have killed Paul." Lily looked at the ceiling. "Maybe I should go away for a while. So they'll forget about me and maybe you guys'll be out of danger."
Marko shook his head. "No. If you leave, we all have to go. And that's not what Madigan brought us back for."
Paul's laughter preceded him and the others into the cave. As they came in, he scooped up Madigan and carried her down the stairs, with her protesting the whole way. David and Dwayne followed behind, grinning at their brother. They made their way over to the couch. David flopped down on the other side of Lily, sandwiching her between the two Boys.
"You're in a good mood David." Lily said, deliberately forgetting to tell David about her head.
He shrugged. "I just woke up in a good mood. Could have been the company I had."
Lily blushed and ducked her head against David's shoulder. "I want to go for a ride."
"Yeah?"
She nodded. "I have to go up to the house. Can we ride there?"
"Of course we can." He stood up and pulled her to her feet. "Who do you want to ride with?"
Lily looked around at the Boys. She chewed on her lip and pointed at Dwayne. "Dwayne."
Paul grabbed Madigan around her waist and nuzzled her neck. "We're goin' for a ride."
David led the group above ground. Lily climbed on the back of Dwayne's bike, wrapping her arms securely around his waist.
"Make me fly Dwayne." She whispered to him as he started up the bike.
"Anything you want Princess." He grinned and took off after David. Paul and Madigan followed them with a howl and Marko brought up the rear of the pack.
***
The ride was over too quickly and before Lily knew it, the pack was pulling into driveway of the house. She dismounted from the bike and stretched, looking up at the clear sky.
"Look at all the stars." Lily sighed. "I love living here."
"Uh oh. The Princess is feeling poetic." Marko joked, letting his hand trail along her back as he passed her.
"Nothing wrong with that." She said and put her arms down. "You've had your own bouts of poetry from time to time."
Dwayne grabbed her hand as he and David walked past. "Come on poet. Let's go inside before you get cold."
Paul stepped up next to Madigan. Her head was cocked to one side, a sign that she was listening to something. "What's up Mad?"
"Describe the house for me Paul." She said, leaned against his strong form.
Paul looked over at the house. "It's white with a dark roof. With a big porch across the front. There's evergreen bushes on either side of the steps." He turned her so she was facing the main driveway. "There's a main driveway made of gravel. Its on the other side of a white wooden walkway with gate at the far end. The driveway we always come in is the back driveway, where the garage is."
"I can hear the ocean." She said, tilting her head in the direction of the water.
Paul nodded. "The house is set on a cliff. If you go out the back door, you can see the cliff edge and the ocean."
"Sounds nice." She snuggled against him, letting him guide her inside.
"I made some hot chocolate if you'd like some." Lily said from the dining room. The other Boys were sitting around the table, nursing mugs of chocolate.
Madigan sat in the chair Paul pulled out for her. "That'd be nice. Thanks Lily."
"Marshmallows?"
"Of course."
Lily smiled and headed back into the kitchen. She emerged a few minutes later with two mugs. She set one down in front of Madigan and went to sit down next to David.
"Dwayne and I saw two of the Malvagità when we were hunting today. We have to figure out what we're going to do about them." David said, taking a sip of his hot chocolate.
"Are we going to attack or find some other way?" Paul asked.
"I don't want to start an all out war but I don't think they'll leave if we kill their leader." David told him.
Dwayne looked thoughtful. "David, I think killing them is the only way to be sure they're gone."
David shrugged. He turned to Lily. "What do you think Lily? Lily?"
Lily was staring at the window, her eyes glassed over. David shook her gently, calling her name. She started, shaking her head and looked at him. "What?"
"Are you okay? We were talking and you spaced out on us." He ran his hand up and down her arm.
She nodded. "I'm just tired."
"You want to go up to bed? I'll be up when we're finished." David told her.
Lily nodded. She kissed him and said goodnight to the other Boys before climbing the stairs to her bedroom. She pulled the curtains shut tightly before shedding her clothing and falling into bed.
Down in the dining room, David and the others worried about Lily.
"Her mind is troubled." Madigan said softly. "Has been since she met the Malvagità ."
"Nino. He's doing something to her." David hissed.
Marko spoke up. "She's been having bad dreams since then too."
"Something is coming. Something bad." Madigan told them and shivered. Paul put his arm around her.
"I'm going to go sit with her." Dwayne stood up. "My vote is to destroy them all." He told them and headed upstairs.
"Mine too David." Marko said.
"It's the only way." Paul added.
David nodded. "We have to find out where they live. Hit them there. Otherwise this could turn into a bloodbath of civilians."