People stared at Lily as she pushed through the crowds, searching
frantically for Nino. She looked like a ghost, dressed in the black silk
nightgown, her skin pale and hair curling wildly down her back.
Someone grabbed her by the shoulders and she moved to throw them off but stopped when she recognized the person.
"Nino's waiting for you, piccola." Diego placed his jacket on her shoulders and steered her toward a darkened corner, where the boardwalk took a sharp turn away from the beach. Tourists rarely came down this way because it was too far away from the rides and souvenir shops.
Nino smiled victoriously when he saw Diego and Lily coming toward them.
"They tried to keep me from you." She told him, letting him pulled her into the circle of his arms.
"Yet you escaped."
She tipped her head up to look at him. "You called for me."
"So I did." Nino looked up at the pack. "Time to go home."
The pack groaned. Ottavia stepped forward. "Why do we have to go too?"
Nino turned to her, ready to reprimand her but Nicolo spoke up. "I'll bring them home."
He nodded. "All right. Mind the sky." He reminded them before he took to the sky, Lily in his arms.
***
The Malvagità lived in a mansion outside of town. They landed in the overgrown driveway and Nino gestured at the house.
"This is our home."
Lily had no idea where she was. Her attention was completely focused on Nino. He led her inside and up to a bedroom on the second floor. He pushed the leather jacket off her shoulders and kissed her.
"Change me." Lily demanded breathlessly when he released her. Nino swept her hair to the side, holding the back of her head in his hand.
"As you wish, Principessa." His lips moved against her neck as he spoke. She sank into his arms as he bit into her neck. When her legs refused to hold her any longer, he lowered them to the bed, his mouth still at her throat.
As her heartbeat slowed, Nino cut his wrist and held it to her mouth. Lily swallowed greedily, drinking the blood that trickled into her mouth. She grabbed his wrist and held it to her mouth, sucking hard on the slowly closing wound.
Nino pulled his wrist away from her. "That's enough, piccola."
Lily gazed at him through half closed eyes. "More."
He laughed as he tucked her into bed. "Sleep now. We'll hunt tomorrow." She was already half asleep and nodded bonelessly.
***
Nino was playing the piano in the ballroom when the pack returned. Nicolo pulled Ottavia into a waltz and Isabella, once a prima ballerina, began a graceful dance across the dark shining floor. Valentino watched her, reaching out a hand to steady her as she passed him.
Diego sat on the edge of the piano bench. "Did you change her?" He asked in low rumbling Italian. The pack often reverted to their native language when they were alone.
"SÃ." Nino changed the piece he was playing from a somber waltz to an upbeat polka. Mauro reached out and snagged Isabella's hand as she passed. He danced her around the large room before letting her spin back to Valentino.
"You kill the girl Nino?" Ottavia asked, trying to be casual as she leaned on the piano.
He shook his head. "Upstairs." He changed pieces again, this time to a dark sonata.
"What the hell is she doing upstairs?" She demanded.
"Going through the change." He looked at Diego. Diego nodded and slipped out f the ballroom just as Ottavia exploded.
"What? You changed her? Why didn't you kill her?"
Nino continued to play, ignoring her shouting. "It will destroy the Lost Boys more to lose her to us than to simply lose her." At last he turned and looked at her. "I'm getting tired of you questioning my decision."
"But Nino-" She started and he cut her off.
"Go away Ottavia." He waved her away. She growled and stalked out of the ballroom. Nino sighed and changed pieces again.
***
David returned from his hunt panicked. Something was wrong in his pack. He burst through the front door and looked around. Dwayne and Marko were reading on the couch in the living room. Paul was nowhere to be found.
"Where's Paul?" He demanded.
Dwayne looked at him over the top of his book. "Upstairs with Lily."
David raced up the stairs and into the study. The door to the closet was closed and Paul was nowhere to be seen. But the window was wide open and there was a bag from a fast food restaurant on the floor next to the closet
door.
He searched his pockets for the key, not finding it. He cursed when he remembered he'd given it to Paul in case of emergency. With a growl, David tore the door off its hinges and leaned it against the wall. Inside he found Paul unconscious on the floor.
"Paul!" David knelt down and shook his friend. Paul groaned and stirred.
"Man, anyone got the number off that truck?" He moaned, sitting up.
David made Paul focus on him. "What happened? Where's Lily?"
Paul looked at David for a minute. "I thought she might be hungry. So I brought her some food. When I opened the door, she attacked me. Then everything when black."
"Damn it." David swore.
A noise from the doorway made them look back. Dwayne and Marko stood in the doorway.
"She's gone?" Marko looked even paler than normal.
David nodded. "She went to Nino. We have to find her." He told them, his eyes sad. "Or we may never see her again."
***
Lily woke up lying on Nino's chest. Her head was fuzzy and she felt funny.
"How do you feel?" She felt his voice rumbling in his chest. Nino's hand curled into her hair.
She said the first thing that came to mind. "Hungry."
"Of course. I'll take you out to hunt as soon as you're dressed."
***
Nino watched Lily tear out the young man's throat. Blood ran over her chin and down her neck. Her eyes drifted closed as she drank deeply from him, going to her knees when the young man slumped forward.
She dropped the body and turned to Nino. Her eyes had gone brown. "Good." She said softly, licking her lips.
He chuckled, putting an arm around her waist. "Feel better?"
She curled her fingers around the back of his neck, pulling his head down. "Yeah." She kissed him, her tongue darting into his mouth, brushing against his fangs. "Take me home."
He nodded against her neck and launched them into the air
Someone grabbed her by the shoulders and she moved to throw them off but stopped when she recognized the person.
"Nino's waiting for you, piccola." Diego placed his jacket on her shoulders and steered her toward a darkened corner, where the boardwalk took a sharp turn away from the beach. Tourists rarely came down this way because it was too far away from the rides and souvenir shops.
Nino smiled victoriously when he saw Diego and Lily coming toward them.
"They tried to keep me from you." She told him, letting him pulled her into the circle of his arms.
"Yet you escaped."
She tipped her head up to look at him. "You called for me."
"So I did." Nino looked up at the pack. "Time to go home."
The pack groaned. Ottavia stepped forward. "Why do we have to go too?"
Nino turned to her, ready to reprimand her but Nicolo spoke up. "I'll bring them home."
He nodded. "All right. Mind the sky." He reminded them before he took to the sky, Lily in his arms.
***
The Malvagità lived in a mansion outside of town. They landed in the overgrown driveway and Nino gestured at the house.
"This is our home."
Lily had no idea where she was. Her attention was completely focused on Nino. He led her inside and up to a bedroom on the second floor. He pushed the leather jacket off her shoulders and kissed her.
"Change me." Lily demanded breathlessly when he released her. Nino swept her hair to the side, holding the back of her head in his hand.
"As you wish, Principessa." His lips moved against her neck as he spoke. She sank into his arms as he bit into her neck. When her legs refused to hold her any longer, he lowered them to the bed, his mouth still at her throat.
As her heartbeat slowed, Nino cut his wrist and held it to her mouth. Lily swallowed greedily, drinking the blood that trickled into her mouth. She grabbed his wrist and held it to her mouth, sucking hard on the slowly closing wound.
Nino pulled his wrist away from her. "That's enough, piccola."
Lily gazed at him through half closed eyes. "More."
He laughed as he tucked her into bed. "Sleep now. We'll hunt tomorrow." She was already half asleep and nodded bonelessly.
***
Nino was playing the piano in the ballroom when the pack returned. Nicolo pulled Ottavia into a waltz and Isabella, once a prima ballerina, began a graceful dance across the dark shining floor. Valentino watched her, reaching out a hand to steady her as she passed him.
Diego sat on the edge of the piano bench. "Did you change her?" He asked in low rumbling Italian. The pack often reverted to their native language when they were alone.
"SÃ." Nino changed the piece he was playing from a somber waltz to an upbeat polka. Mauro reached out and snagged Isabella's hand as she passed. He danced her around the large room before letting her spin back to Valentino.
"You kill the girl Nino?" Ottavia asked, trying to be casual as she leaned on the piano.
He shook his head. "Upstairs." He changed pieces again, this time to a dark sonata.
"What the hell is she doing upstairs?" She demanded.
"Going through the change." He looked at Diego. Diego nodded and slipped out f the ballroom just as Ottavia exploded.
"What? You changed her? Why didn't you kill her?"
Nino continued to play, ignoring her shouting. "It will destroy the Lost Boys more to lose her to us than to simply lose her." At last he turned and looked at her. "I'm getting tired of you questioning my decision."
"But Nino-" She started and he cut her off.
"Go away Ottavia." He waved her away. She growled and stalked out of the ballroom. Nino sighed and changed pieces again.
***
David returned from his hunt panicked. Something was wrong in his pack. He burst through the front door and looked around. Dwayne and Marko were reading on the couch in the living room. Paul was nowhere to be found.
"Where's Paul?" He demanded.
Dwayne looked at him over the top of his book. "Upstairs with Lily."
David raced up the stairs and into the study. The door to the closet was closed and Paul was nowhere to be seen. But the window was wide open and there was a bag from a fast food restaurant on the floor next to the closet
door.
He searched his pockets for the key, not finding it. He cursed when he remembered he'd given it to Paul in case of emergency. With a growl, David tore the door off its hinges and leaned it against the wall. Inside he found Paul unconscious on the floor.
"Paul!" David knelt down and shook his friend. Paul groaned and stirred.
"Man, anyone got the number off that truck?" He moaned, sitting up.
David made Paul focus on him. "What happened? Where's Lily?"
Paul looked at David for a minute. "I thought she might be hungry. So I brought her some food. When I opened the door, she attacked me. Then everything when black."
"Damn it." David swore.
A noise from the doorway made them look back. Dwayne and Marko stood in the doorway.
"She's gone?" Marko looked even paler than normal.
David nodded. "She went to Nino. We have to find her." He told them, his eyes sad. "Or we may never see her again."
***
Lily woke up lying on Nino's chest. Her head was fuzzy and she felt funny.
"How do you feel?" She felt his voice rumbling in his chest. Nino's hand curled into her hair.
She said the first thing that came to mind. "Hungry."
"Of course. I'll take you out to hunt as soon as you're dressed."
***
Nino watched Lily tear out the young man's throat. Blood ran over her chin and down her neck. Her eyes drifted closed as she drank deeply from him, going to her knees when the young man slumped forward.
She dropped the body and turned to Nino. Her eyes had gone brown. "Good." She said softly, licking her lips.
He chuckled, putting an arm around her waist. "Feel better?"
She curled her fingers around the back of his neck, pulling his head down. "Yeah." She kissed him, her tongue darting into his mouth, brushing against his fangs. "Take me home."
He nodded against her neck and launched them into the air