Lily woke up the next morning under Dwayne's arm. She rolled over and
rested her head on his chest. Yawning, she closed her eyes and let herself
drift off.
She woke up the second time when he shifted and yawned. She opened her eyes and found him watching her. "Evening."
"Evening beautiful." He leaned over and kissed her. "How'd you sleep?"
"Good. No dreams." Lily sounded surprised. "Maybe you should sleep with me more often."
"I'll sleep with you as often as you want Princess." Dwayne's voice deepened and he leaned closer to her.
She put her arms around his neck. "Promises, promises." She said softly and kissed him.
***
"There you are." Madigan said when she heard them coming down the stairs. "David told me to tell you that he and Paul went out to get you and I something to eat and he'd be home soon. He also said not to leave."
"Sounds like David. Did you sleep okay?" Lily asked. She passed Madigan and headed into the kitchen in search of coffee.
"Yeah, except I can't find the coffee."
Lily laughed. She opened a cabinet above the coffee maker. "Its in the third cabinet. I'll make us some." She called to them from the kitchen.
***
"She's been in there an awful long time." Madigan said, turning her head toward the kitchen. It'd been ten minutes since Lily had offered to make coffee.
"Yeah. Stay here. I'm gonna go check on her." Dwayne put the TV remote down and went into the kitchen.
Lily was huddled by the cabinets, clutching a coffee mug. She stared straight ahead, not moving. He knelt down next to her. "Lily?" She didn't move and he touched her shoulder gently. "Lil?"
She started and looked around. "What happened?"
Dwayne helped her to his feet. "Don't know. I came in and you were huddled on the floor."
"I think someone was talking to me." She poured the coffee and set the mugs on a tray with cream and sugar. "I can't remember."
Dwayne picked up the tray. "I've got it." He carried it into the living room. Lily followed him and sat down on the couch.
"Smells good." Madigan commented as she took the mug Dwayne placed in her hands. "Thanks."
The door burst open and Dwayne leapt over the girls, landing in a defensive position. Paul and David appeared carrying pizza boxes.
"Who's hungry?" Paul called. He saw Dwayne and raised an eyebrow. "Did we startle you?"
"I didn't know who would be coming in." He said straightening up.
Lily got to her feet. "I'll get some plates. And wake up Marko."
"Somebody say my name?" Marko asked as he came through the door. He scratched his head.
"Evening sleeping beauty." Lily said as she walked passed him. She stopped and kissed him on the cheek before heading into the kitchen for plates.
"She had another space out." Dwayne told the others quietly. "In the kitchen when she was making coffee. Said she thought someone was talking to her." He started to say more but Lily sailed back in with plates for the pizza.
***
After she ate, Lily went up to her father's study. She curled up in one of the oversized chairs, watching the lightening streak across the sky. A storm had come through earlier and was moving off over the ocean.
"You okay?" Lily looked up. Marko stood in the doorway of the study. "You've been kinda quiet all night."
She shrugged. "I don't know."
He walked over and motioned for her to get up. She did and he sat down in the chair, pulling her across his lap. She tucked her head against his shoulder. "So tell me what's wrong."
"He's calling me." Lily whispered. If he hadn't been a vampire, Marko would have missed her words.
"Who is?" He hadn't heard anything.
"Nino. He's calling for me, wants me to join him. And its getting harder and harder to resist."
Marko's arms tightened around her. "We won't let you go."
She twisted in his arms. "Marko let me go to him please."
"No." Marko held onto her tighter as she tried to pull away from him.
"Please. I have to." She looked toward the window. She could hear him louder now.
He shook his head sadly. "I can't."
"Let me go!" She pleaded. Marko stood up with her in his arms.
"David!" He called for their leader as Lily renewed her struggles. "I need some help."
David and the other boys came running up the stairs. They found Marko struggling to hold onto a fighting Lily. David grabbed her arms and pulled her away from Marko.
"What's wrong?" He asked the smaller vampire.
"She says Nino's calling her to him. When I tried to restrain her, she started fighting." Marko told him.
"What are you doing?" Lily demanded, pulling against David.
He opened the closet door. "I don't want to do this princess. But you're leaving me no other choice."
"Then don't. Let me go to him." She tried to pull her arm out of his grasp but he was too strong.
"I can't. We'll let you out when we've taken care of them." David told her, pushing her into the closet and closing the door quickly. He locked the door and put the key in his pocket.
"David, please, let me out." Lily pleaded with him. She had to go to Nino. He was calling her.
David leaned his head against the door. "I can't Lil. We can't lose you."
"I won't leave. Really." She cried.
There was silence on the other side of the door and Lily thought he'd gone away. Then he spoke softly. "I'm sorry princess."
As she listened, she heard a door closed and realized David had left the room. "Arrgh!" She tossed herself against the door. "Goddamn it David! Let me out!" She kicked the door, gouging the soft wood with her nails. She threw herself at the door, hoping to force it open to no avail. With a growl, Lily slumped against the wall in frustration.
***
"Lil? You hungry?"
Lily lifted her head from where she was curled on the floor and looked at the door. "David?"
"It's Paul. I've got dinner for you."
"Okay." Lily sat up and pushed to her feet in one fluid movement. She pressed herself against the wall next to the door.
The door opened and Paul stepped into the closet. Lily grabbed him and slammed his head sideways into the molding.
"Sorry Paul." She said as she pulled his body all the way into the closet. She shut the door and padded to the window. Ignoring the fact that she was still in her nightgown, Lily pushed the window open and climbed down the trellis. Her bare feet touched the soft soil of the flowerbed and she crouched down, keeping to the shadows as she escaped from the house. Nino was calling.
She woke up the second time when he shifted and yawned. She opened her eyes and found him watching her. "Evening."
"Evening beautiful." He leaned over and kissed her. "How'd you sleep?"
"Good. No dreams." Lily sounded surprised. "Maybe you should sleep with me more often."
"I'll sleep with you as often as you want Princess." Dwayne's voice deepened and he leaned closer to her.
She put her arms around his neck. "Promises, promises." She said softly and kissed him.
***
"There you are." Madigan said when she heard them coming down the stairs. "David told me to tell you that he and Paul went out to get you and I something to eat and he'd be home soon. He also said not to leave."
"Sounds like David. Did you sleep okay?" Lily asked. She passed Madigan and headed into the kitchen in search of coffee.
"Yeah, except I can't find the coffee."
Lily laughed. She opened a cabinet above the coffee maker. "Its in the third cabinet. I'll make us some." She called to them from the kitchen.
***
"She's been in there an awful long time." Madigan said, turning her head toward the kitchen. It'd been ten minutes since Lily had offered to make coffee.
"Yeah. Stay here. I'm gonna go check on her." Dwayne put the TV remote down and went into the kitchen.
Lily was huddled by the cabinets, clutching a coffee mug. She stared straight ahead, not moving. He knelt down next to her. "Lily?" She didn't move and he touched her shoulder gently. "Lil?"
She started and looked around. "What happened?"
Dwayne helped her to his feet. "Don't know. I came in and you were huddled on the floor."
"I think someone was talking to me." She poured the coffee and set the mugs on a tray with cream and sugar. "I can't remember."
Dwayne picked up the tray. "I've got it." He carried it into the living room. Lily followed him and sat down on the couch.
"Smells good." Madigan commented as she took the mug Dwayne placed in her hands. "Thanks."
The door burst open and Dwayne leapt over the girls, landing in a defensive position. Paul and David appeared carrying pizza boxes.
"Who's hungry?" Paul called. He saw Dwayne and raised an eyebrow. "Did we startle you?"
"I didn't know who would be coming in." He said straightening up.
Lily got to her feet. "I'll get some plates. And wake up Marko."
"Somebody say my name?" Marko asked as he came through the door. He scratched his head.
"Evening sleeping beauty." Lily said as she walked passed him. She stopped and kissed him on the cheek before heading into the kitchen for plates.
"She had another space out." Dwayne told the others quietly. "In the kitchen when she was making coffee. Said she thought someone was talking to her." He started to say more but Lily sailed back in with plates for the pizza.
***
After she ate, Lily went up to her father's study. She curled up in one of the oversized chairs, watching the lightening streak across the sky. A storm had come through earlier and was moving off over the ocean.
"You okay?" Lily looked up. Marko stood in the doorway of the study. "You've been kinda quiet all night."
She shrugged. "I don't know."
He walked over and motioned for her to get up. She did and he sat down in the chair, pulling her across his lap. She tucked her head against his shoulder. "So tell me what's wrong."
"He's calling me." Lily whispered. If he hadn't been a vampire, Marko would have missed her words.
"Who is?" He hadn't heard anything.
"Nino. He's calling for me, wants me to join him. And its getting harder and harder to resist."
Marko's arms tightened around her. "We won't let you go."
She twisted in his arms. "Marko let me go to him please."
"No." Marko held onto her tighter as she tried to pull away from him.
"Please. I have to." She looked toward the window. She could hear him louder now.
He shook his head sadly. "I can't."
"Let me go!" She pleaded. Marko stood up with her in his arms.
"David!" He called for their leader as Lily renewed her struggles. "I need some help."
David and the other boys came running up the stairs. They found Marko struggling to hold onto a fighting Lily. David grabbed her arms and pulled her away from Marko.
"What's wrong?" He asked the smaller vampire.
"She says Nino's calling her to him. When I tried to restrain her, she started fighting." Marko told him.
"What are you doing?" Lily demanded, pulling against David.
He opened the closet door. "I don't want to do this princess. But you're leaving me no other choice."
"Then don't. Let me go to him." She tried to pull her arm out of his grasp but he was too strong.
"I can't. We'll let you out when we've taken care of them." David told her, pushing her into the closet and closing the door quickly. He locked the door and put the key in his pocket.
"David, please, let me out." Lily pleaded with him. She had to go to Nino. He was calling her.
David leaned his head against the door. "I can't Lil. We can't lose you."
"I won't leave. Really." She cried.
There was silence on the other side of the door and Lily thought he'd gone away. Then he spoke softly. "I'm sorry princess."
As she listened, she heard a door closed and realized David had left the room. "Arrgh!" She tossed herself against the door. "Goddamn it David! Let me out!" She kicked the door, gouging the soft wood with her nails. She threw herself at the door, hoping to force it open to no avail. With a growl, Lily slumped against the wall in frustration.
***
"Lil? You hungry?"
Lily lifted her head from where she was curled on the floor and looked at the door. "David?"
"It's Paul. I've got dinner for you."
"Okay." Lily sat up and pushed to her feet in one fluid movement. She pressed herself against the wall next to the door.
The door opened and Paul stepped into the closet. Lily grabbed him and slammed his head sideways into the molding.
"Sorry Paul." She said as she pulled his body all the way into the closet. She shut the door and padded to the window. Ignoring the fact that she was still in her nightgown, Lily pushed the window open and climbed down the trellis. Her bare feet touched the soft soil of the flowerbed and she crouched down, keeping to the shadows as she escaped from the house. Nino was calling.