Chapter Nine: Welcome to the Night
Lily kept close to Selene and Michael as they led her down the dark corridors of the cities underground tunnels. She could see areas that were closed off by scarred and ripped sheets. She assumed them to be homes of some sort. // Not so strange. I've lived in a basement for four years. // If the dirty quality of the makeshift dens didn't faze her, the way children ran and hid as her and her escorts walked by did. She was confused by the strange reaction. Leaning over to Michael she whispered, "I thought you were their leader or something like that?"
"I am." Michael said stiffly as they rounded a corner and the on lookers disappeared.
Judging from his tone Lily assumed it was not something they wished to talk about. She risked a glance at Selene, but the woman's head was held high and her gaze aimed directly forward. Lily let her eyes fall back to the pavement. There were puddles of water in all the corners. A constant drip, drip, drip plagued the entire vastness of the caverns. It was exactly the kind of place Lily would have expected a pack of werewolves to hide. // And what the hell would you know about the lives of werewolves? // She mentally chastised herself. // This is way out of my league. I'm not sure I even want to be a part of this. // Then she flashed on the image of the man being burnt upon her floor. She could feel his hand pressed against her face as he robbed her of her air, and remembered with vivid fear the hatred that had filled his eyes. A shudder ran through her spine. // Maybe I do believe it. She thought as she ran her hands along her arms for warmth. //
Selene and Michael had stopped in front of a steel door. She saw Tyran and Michael exchange a few words, to which Michael nodded his head then opened the door with a loud creek. He stood to the side then held his hand out to motion Selene and Lily through.
"I have to go talk with the lycans." He looked expectantly at Selene. "You coming?"
Selene nodded her head. "I'll be there in a minute. Start without me."
Then she turned and marched through the door with a gracefulness that awed Lily. She roughly pulled her guns from their holsters at her legs and placed them on a small table that stood beside a dingy double bed. Then she turned with great purpose towards the gawking girl. "These are our rooms." She pointed to the left of the bed. "That's the bathroom. And that door over there," She pointed to the right, "Leads to the second room, which is where Michael sleeps and has his meetings."
Lily glanced around the square box. Against the wall there was a bed, a nightstand, and a desk. Atop the desk sat some photos, maps, and written notes all chaotically spread about. On the opposite wall there was a rather shabby looking couch that had been covered with a black sheet. Lily shrugged. She had seen worse. She looked at Selene as if to ask where to drop her bag.
"Put it next to the bed. You can sleep there for now. I'll take the couch."
Lily did as she was told, dropped her bag beside the nightstand and sat down mattress. She suddenly felt very tired. "Selene?"
Selene had moved towards the desk and was examining the photos. "Yes?" She answered without looking up.
"Why do you and Michael have two rooms?"
Selene gave the girl a sharp glance. "Must you always ask such personal questions?"
Lily shrugged. "Well I guess I'm just the kind of person who likes to understand what she's about to get involved in." Her tone was biting. She definitely needed sleep.
Selene almost laughed. // That girl has a sharp tongue no doubt. // "Fine, if you insist on being so curious. The rooms are for appearances sake. When we first got here the lycans took me to be Michael's mate. It's the only reason they didn't kill me on the spot. I was under his protection." She sighed heavily. "As you can see they still don't accept me, but everyone keeps to themselves down here anyways. I handle the business of war. End of story."
"So you have the two rooms to make it look like your sharing one, but your not?"
"That's it."
"Damn." Lily shook her head. "What a pain in the ass. What does it matter if your Michael's...stop me if I'm wrong, you said 'mate'?" Lily gave her a confused look.
A smile crossed her face. "That's right. Lycans refer to their partners as mates. They're pack creatures after all."
Lily rolled her eyes. "Ok then, mate, whatever. I still don't understand why it matters. You're here fighting for the same thing they are, why do you need the protection of your 'mate'?"
Selene let her head drop. "I've been their enemy for a long time Lily. I've killed more of their kind than you can count. I don't blame them for not trusting me."
"Oh." Lily whispered and looked down at her hands. "I forgot about that part."
Selene lifted her head and fought back her memories. "It's alright. I know things are confusing for you. I am sorry that we had to drag you into all this, but it couldn't be helped."
Lily shrugged again. She could tell Selene had had qualms about brining her here, and she knew from Selene's hastiness to leave her house that she had no choice but to involve her. She didn't yet understand why, but she was touched by the thought. "Look Selene," she said calmly. "It's not like I was really leading this swell life before I came here. I was just sort of existing." She gave the vampire a small smile. "And even though this is by far the freakiest shit I've ever gotten involved with, it's still the most exciting, so don't worry about bringing me here. I'll make do. That's what I'm good at."
Selene curved her lips into appreciation and nodded. The girl had courage, and for now that was enough. "You should get some sleep. I have to go meet up with Michael and the lycans for a meeting. If you need anything before I get back go two doors down and ask for Tamara. She's Tyran's mate."
"Ok."
"Goodnight Lily." Selene turned and opened the door. Lily watched as it closed shut and felt very alone. She shook her head and lifted the covers of the bed. For perhaps the first time in her life she didn't have a plan. She felt stuck, trapped amongst these mythical figures who she knew shouldn't exist, but yet she could not deny their presence. The whole thing was a mess, but then so was her life before all of this.
"Not much has changed I guess." She said out loud as she crawled into the bed. Reaching, she pulled her bag toward her and removed the orange juice container. Taking a large pull she placed it on the nightstand next to Selene's discarded weapons. "Those are serious guns." She exclaimed. "I wouldn't want to piss her off with those in her hands." She shuddered at the memory of staring down the barrel of those guns. Shaking her head she laid it down upon the pillow. She couldn't think anymore or she would drive herself crazy. Instead she switched her thoughts to those about her brother. Like always, within moments she had fallen into a peaceful slumber. It didn't matter where she went; she always took her brother with her.
*** Flar paced back and forth in front of the makeshift table that stood in the center of the room. He kept his hands clasped behind his back, as he rubbed them together with seething anger. // First a vampire, now a human! // He roared within his mind. // And a hybrid for a leader! Pretty soon we'll be nothing but a pack of mutts! This is not how things should be done! // He turned around with such force and distain that he almost brought his fist down upon the table, but in the last moment he had caught Tyran's eyes and quickly reined himself in. // No point in giving that bastard the satisfaction. // He stood up straight and took his place to the left of the head seat, Michael's seat. He caught Tyran's suspicious stare from across the table and only smiled fallaciously.
As if on cue Michael walked through the steel doors. Shoulders bared high, face set in a grim position he took his seat and stared at his lycan council. The council had been placed in charge upon Lucien's death. Their plan of action after the events of the massacre in the underground had been to locate him, bring him before the lycans, and persuade him to be their leader. Seeing as Michael was so new to the whole ordeal, he decided it was best to keep the council active to assist him in making the best decisions possible. // But sometimes they're a real pain in the ass. // He thought tiredly.
He took a deep breath, leaned forward in his chair and placed his arms on the table, and he began. "Alright listen. Yes, there is a human staying here. No, I don't know how long she will be here, and yes she helped save my life." He looked directly at Flar when he spoke, his voice low and condescending. Michael had to admit that since becoming part lycan, he definitely had developed a bit of an alpha dog complex. He paused for a moment and held Flar by the eyes. Then he turned to the other four lycans and held open his hands. "Is there anything else anyone wants to discuss?"
Thayer, one of the youngest lycanthropes in the room and Tyran's own son, softly raised his voice. "What are we going to do about these death dealers Michael?" There was sadness in his tone, a sort of desperation. Thayer was allowed to sit on the council for his mind, not his battle scars. He had a knack for being able to pinpoint the possible fallouts of any situation. He was a strategist, but even he couldn't come up with a good solid plan for defeating the vampires. He hadn't given up yet, but as the situation became more dire he could see the effects it was having upon the lycan clan. Everywhere he looked he saw fear and uncertainty. Then needed a plan, a goal, a purpose. He looked imploringly at Michael with his mothers blue eyes burning sadly. "We have to do something about them. It's becoming more difficult to hunt. They stalk us every night, and their human spies become their eyes during the day. We need a plan Michael."
Michael hung his head, his blonde hair falling to the sides of his face. He took a breath and closed his eyes. "I know Thayer. I know we need to do something."
Selene walked through the steel door across the room from Michael. She was still clothed in her black leathers from two days ago. Neither she nor Michael had had a chance to change or shower since their return. She caught his eyes from across the room and felt her heart twinge at the sight of his heavy brown eyes. He had bags beneath them that were so dark she would have thought he wore makeup, and she could tell by the way his shoulders sagged that the meeting hadn't been going well. // Why did I bring you into this Michael Corvin, and how can I ever ask you to forgive me? // She blinked her eyes to shake her thoughts and sat at the other end of the table.
"Hey Selene." Tyran smiled kindly. "We were just talking about what to do with the death dealers. Any ideas?"
She shook her head. Honestly, she had tried hard to think of a way to break the vampires and force them into a treaty, but knowing them as well as she did she could always find the flaws in her plans. She looked at Thayer, knowing that the argument had originated from him. "Our biggest problem is information. We know absolutely nothing about the vampire's strategy. We can guess with almost certainty that Markus has been awakened, but what of the other two covens? We don't know if they actually united or not, or weather they are massing at Ordoghaz, and if so how come Markus hasn't made some show of his power? I keep waiting for him to flex his muscles but so far all he's done is hide. We need to figure out where they stand."
"We kept up the reconnaissance work you requested Selene. We've taken pictures of every death dealer we happen to catch glimpses of, but our people are not as stealthy as yours. Half the time we end up running for our lives because we've been noticed." Thayer didn't mean for his tone to be so accusing, but even his emotions got the better of him sometimes.
"I know Thayer. You've done a fine job, but I've identified all those death dealers as coming from Viktor's original house. Until we see someone new we'll have no idea weather Amelia's coven and Viktor's have been joined."
"Well that's precisely the problem isn't it?" Flar had leaned forward in his chair to stare coldly at the vampire. "You are the one who identified the blood suckers. How can we be sure that you're telling us the truth?" He let his gaze circle around the room to the rest of the lycans. "I mean think about it. How would we ever know if those vamps are really who she says they are?" He shrugged lightly; his tone had been kept sly and manipulative. He smiled as Selene glared at him with disgust.
"That's enough Flar." Michael growled from deep within his throat. "You have no proof and you know it. Now back the fuck down."
The room remained quite for a lingering moment as Michael's ebony orbs burned into Flar's. The dark haired werewolf leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "Of course." He mumbled below his breath.
Michael glared a moment longer, and then turned to catch Selene's face, but she wouldn't look at him. Instead she kept her gaze on Thayer and Tyran. "We have to find out more. I'm sorry, but I can't see any other way around it." The warrior in her kept her voice proud, but the sudden dryness of her mouth reminded her of her uncomfortable situation.
Thayer had seceded on his point for the time being. It was useless anyway. He knew Selene was right. Gently placing a hand on his father's shoulder he rose. "Well then I guess that's that. Anything else Michael?"
Michael was leaning back in his chair; exhaustion plagued his handsome features. "That's it for today Thayer. I'll try to come up with something."
Tyran walked over and placed a hand on Michaels shoulder. "Hang in there man. It will come. Just remember, there is a reason Lucian chose to give you his memories." Then he winked and followed his son out the door.
When Michael looked up from the floor he found Selene staring at him from across the table.
"You look like hell." Her voice fell flat; it wasn't an insult, merely an observation.
"Well you're always the image of beauty darling."
Selene raised an eyebrow to his biting, sarcastic tone. He was in a foul mood, but then again so was she. She tilted her head slightly to one side as the curve of Michael's neck suddenly caught her eye. She could see his vein pulsing and was unwillingly reminded of the metallic, bitter taste of his blood. She remembered the exalted feeling of piercing his skin and lapping at his essence. The corners of her eyes began to go hazy blue at the memory. Physically shaking her head she brought it up right and looked at Michael's tired eyes. Again she felt the stirrings of sadness and before she knew it she had gotten up and walked over to seat herself upon the table, facing him.
He looked up at her. As they had done since he first saw her in the metro station her dancing orbs enraptured him, mesmerizing and ensnaring him. He wondered if she knew just how much power she wielded over him. If she truly understood... // best to not go there. // He thought to himself. // You just barely heard her say she cares about you today. One step at a time Michael, don't get ahead of yourself. //
He had been so involved with his mental scolding that it took him a fraction of a second longer to realize that Selene had slowly used her hand to wipe his straggling strands behind his ear. The gesture was innocent, tentative. If she had meant it to be nothing more than a comforting motion it was not taken as such by Michael. To Michael it was a sign.
He stood up from his chair and holding her hand moved to stand before her. Selene, feeling his gaze to be too intense, lowered her eyes to the floor. She closed them for a quick second and could feel nothing but the soft movement of his thumb moving up and down across her hand. She used their linked hands to pull him closer to her and rested the top of her head against his chest. She could feel Michael wrap his arms lightly around her back, wrapping her in his protective circle. She could feel the tiniest stirring of heat from deep within her belly; then, as if it had been ripped from the bottom of her toes to the depths of her dark soul, she exhaled, and with it flew a piece of her immortality. Looking up she reached for Michaels face and brought his lips down upon hers. She crushed him too her in a fierce grip and pried his mouth viciously open so that she could be free to explore.
Michael's mind went white, his senses assaulted by her sweet intrusion. He had heard her sigh, he had felt her shoulders slack as she had let go, but he had been caught wonderfully off guard by her sudden need of him. Wrapping her up in his arms he lifted her off the table so that she now stood about 3 inches below him. Now he had the advantage. He titled her head towards him and deepened the kiss, taking total control of the situation. He felt her respond as she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him. He heard her moan softly as he brought his lips back to gently suck on hers. That's when he lost her.
Breaking the contact she put her hands on his chest and placed her forehead against his. With her eyes closed she breathed deeply. Michael kept very still. She rocked her head back and forth against his. "Michael, Michael, Michael. What am I doing with you?"
He pulled her a little closer and whispered softly. "Falling in love with me I hope."
Selene felt her heart drop. She pulled her head away and looked at him. She truly loved his face. She could follow the lines and contours of its shape for hours. // I am falling in love with you. // She admitted only to herself. // And it's not fair to you. It was my love that got you into this, and I can only hope that it will get you out. //
"I don't expect an answer to that." He had sensed her uneasiness caused by his words, but the truth was he really didn't need an answer. He had looked at her eyes and he had seen it there. He had seen their sparkle and it had given her away. He would be sated with that for now.
Selene looked gratefully up at him, then once again leaned her head against his shoulder and hugged him. She took a breath, forced a smile, and looked up at his exhausted features. She ran her hand down the side of his face. "You should get some sleep."
He nodded, still keeping his arms loosely wrapped around her waist. "I will."
She looked at him knowingly. "No watching over me today Michael. I mean it. I want you to sleep."
A loving smile played about his lips. "Well you could just sleep in my room with me. Then we can both get some rest, and I'll know your safe at the same time."
She smiled regretfully and shook her head slowly. "But I'm not safe with you. It's when I'm with you that I feel most vulnerable." She hoped he had understood her silent admittance.
Michael lowered his head for a moment then brought it back up to gaze once more into her eyes. "Fair enough." He sighed and leaned forward to place a kiss upon her head. "But I at least get to walk you to your room." The optimism in his voice made her smile.
"Fair enough." She mimicked, then taking his hand she led him out the doors and down the long corridor to their rooms. As they walked she kept her eyes focus ahead. She allowed herself a glance at her escort and caught him once again staring at her. He merely smiled and kept looking. Shaking her head she turned it forward and found that she could not keep the small grin that came to her face. // How does he do that? // She marveled at his ability to take something so dark, and somehow restore light to it.
As they continued to their resting destination Michael couldn't take his eyes off the figure next to him. He was in such awe of her, as he had been since he met her, that sometimes it caught him off guard. She was a fearless warrior, cold and trained to kill. // But I've seen the softness. I've seen the humanity in her eyes.// He thought on it a moment. // And it's always been there. Ten years ago she showed that humanity to a little girl. Why? // Then the hybrid stopped walking.
"What is it?" Tension dripped her from voice. She had become instantly alert with his abrupt stop.
Michael looked at her hard for a moment. He studied her face, the worried expression that had so quickly replaced her contented one she wore moments ago. She was a warrior again, and he had no doubt that she would reject greatly to the idea that had just plagued his mind.
"Selene." He said her name tentatively.
Her posture went rigid. "Michael?" She asked in a steely tone, annoyed by his hesitation.
He gulped and took a step forward. "What do you think Markus would do if a human showed up at the mansion claiming to have killed a vampire?"
"What?" She had slipped her hand out of his grasp, clasping it across her chest as she always did during confrontation.
"I'm just curious. Would he kill her? Or hear her out? What would he do?"
Selene stared at him, annoyance burning in her eyes. "If a human killed a vampire they'd be shot on sight."
Michael watched her carefully. "But what if the vampire wasn't in good standing with the rest of the coven?"
Selene's eyes went wide at his suggestion. There were only two vampires that were not welcome amongst the coven. "What are you getting at Michael?"
"You said we need more information, that we needed an informant." He lowered his voice and captured her eyes with his, forcefully holding her gaze. "Lily has your necklace Selene. If she were to show up at the mansion, necklace in tow with an extraordinary interpretation of your death..." He paused, waiting to see her reaction. When he was met with icy eyes he continued. "Think about this a second. She shows up, flashes your one of a kind, Viktor given necklace. They already know that she's been running with our clan. I mean, that's why she's here anyway right?" His words were coming faster then, as the pieces of the puzzle came together in his mind. "So she claims to have had a falling out with you and the lycans. She wants to join their coven, and in return she will show them the location of the lycan den. Markus won't be able to resist the opportunity to destroy the lycans so completely." Again he paused. He knew there were holes in his explanation, but the idea was solid. Would Selene accept it?
There was a moment of quiet, as she looked at him in utter amazement. Then she shattered the silence. "Are you bloody mad?" She screamed at him, fury etched her pale features, and had her undead body been capable, Michael was sure he would have seen her face turn a furious red.
"Selene, this could turn things around."
"By the elders Michael!" She shook her head with such distain, and her voice held such antipathy for his suggestion that he almost felt ashamed at having mentioned it. Almost.
"Look Selene. I'm asking you to consider this for just a moment. If Lily gets in, you'll not only have your informant, but we'll have the perfect makings of a trap. If Lily convinces Markus to send a brigade of death dealers down here to slaughter us, he'll leave himself and Ordoghaz virtually unguarded. We could trap the vampires here, and then we'd be free to storm the mansion, force Markus to surrender, and sign a treaty with the lycans. This could end the war!"
His last statement was said with such excitement that for a moment, for a second longer than she should have, Selene let herself consider his radical proposal.
"There are a lot of 'what ifs' in your statement Michael. You leave too much left to chance, and entirely too much riding on a girl we barely know."
"She helped us before, and she's offered to do it again."
"She doesn't need to be a part of this." Selene's voice was rising again.
"She's already a part of it! Where is she going to go Selene? Is she supposed to stay down here till this war is over? Till she dies of old age waiting for the day when it's safe enough for her to emerge? She's involved now, regrettably, but I would rather give her the chance to fight than suffer her to sit and rot down here."
Selene took a frustrated breath. Ten minutes ago she'd been willing herself to stick to her decision of celibacy and now... "Michael." Her voice was reduced to exhaustion. "Lily is human. She has no extraordinary strength, no claws, no fangs, and no experience. If we send her to Ordoghaz we will be sending her there to die. Markus isn't a fool. He'll see through her."
Michael ran his hand through is hair. "She could be trained. She could learn to fight. If she spends the next three weeks learning all there is to know about vampires she could be believable. She could pass as a human wishing to be turned. Markus would believe that motive."
"And just who do you expect to teach her all of this in just one month?" She again, defiantly crossed her arms.
"You."
"Me?"
"You."
Selene shook her head. "You are out of your mind. She'll be devoured Michael. There is absolutely no way a human can take on fully trained, century old vampires."
"If this works out right she won't have to. She'll just need to learn enough to make her believable." He looked imploringly at Selene's brown eyes. "Make her a warrior Selene. Let her avenge her brother by brining an end to the circumstances that got him killed."
Selene studied him for a long moment. He couldn't possibly be serious about all this, could he? A quick glance at the determination in his eyes gave her an answer. She released a heavy breath and dropped her arms at her sides in defeat. "We will let her decided. Tomorrow night you can tell her your crazy idea and see if she believes you. If she agrees, then so do I."
Michael nodded appreciatively. "This is going to work Selene."
He spoke with a confidence she had never heard from him before. // He becomes more the leader every day. // She noted. Slightly shaking her head, "I sure hope so Michael."
Michael grinned wickedly, "What's this? She hopes? Praise God it's a miracle!"
In spite of herself she felt laughter. "You've been hanging out with Tyran entirely too much recently, and I wouldn't speak the holy name in the house of the immortal damned if I were you."
"I'll take my chances." He smiled playfully at her. "Well," He motioned to their bedroom door to the right. "Reconsidered my offer yet?"
She laughed lightly. "No Michael. I haven't."
Gracefully he lowered his head in a mock bow. "Then good day my lady, till I see you tomorrow evening." He straightened, grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him while capturing her lips in quick, forceful passion. "I'll just take that with me if you don't mind." He said when he'd released her, "goodnight." He exited through the door and into his room, leaving a confounded Selene standing there, lips tingling, body alive with sensation, and completely alone.
"God damn him." She muttered under her breath, but the small curving at the corners of her mouth gave her away. Turning, she entered her room, unbelievably thankful for a moments rest. She did not see, however; the dark figure hiding behind the corner, concealed by the endless shadows.
"I must see Kraven." The creature muttered before heading out to the meet the rising sun.
------------- Well, there is my extra long chapter. Hope you all enjoyed my first attempt at a cliffy. Those are fun to write. Sorry for the slow down in chapter posting but school has been busy. Spring break is near though. Woo! Anyways, let me know what you think.
And thank you once again to those that reviewed.
Morrgaine : You are too nice. I can't thank you enough for your reviews. They really make me want to keep writing. Well, I told you what I plan to do with Lily. Hope it's as interesting as you thought it would be!
Tigerlily-2250 : She's back! Thanks again for your review. So glad you like, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.
Adalon Ithilriel: Thank you so much for always pumping up my ego. As for Flar, well I have plans for him. BTW, will we be seeing a chapter on "Far From Over" soon? ;) I'm curious to see what's happening. Thanks again!
Lily kept close to Selene and Michael as they led her down the dark corridors of the cities underground tunnels. She could see areas that were closed off by scarred and ripped sheets. She assumed them to be homes of some sort. // Not so strange. I've lived in a basement for four years. // If the dirty quality of the makeshift dens didn't faze her, the way children ran and hid as her and her escorts walked by did. She was confused by the strange reaction. Leaning over to Michael she whispered, "I thought you were their leader or something like that?"
"I am." Michael said stiffly as they rounded a corner and the on lookers disappeared.
Judging from his tone Lily assumed it was not something they wished to talk about. She risked a glance at Selene, but the woman's head was held high and her gaze aimed directly forward. Lily let her eyes fall back to the pavement. There were puddles of water in all the corners. A constant drip, drip, drip plagued the entire vastness of the caverns. It was exactly the kind of place Lily would have expected a pack of werewolves to hide. // And what the hell would you know about the lives of werewolves? // She mentally chastised herself. // This is way out of my league. I'm not sure I even want to be a part of this. // Then she flashed on the image of the man being burnt upon her floor. She could feel his hand pressed against her face as he robbed her of her air, and remembered with vivid fear the hatred that had filled his eyes. A shudder ran through her spine. // Maybe I do believe it. She thought as she ran her hands along her arms for warmth. //
Selene and Michael had stopped in front of a steel door. She saw Tyran and Michael exchange a few words, to which Michael nodded his head then opened the door with a loud creek. He stood to the side then held his hand out to motion Selene and Lily through.
"I have to go talk with the lycans." He looked expectantly at Selene. "You coming?"
Selene nodded her head. "I'll be there in a minute. Start without me."
Then she turned and marched through the door with a gracefulness that awed Lily. She roughly pulled her guns from their holsters at her legs and placed them on a small table that stood beside a dingy double bed. Then she turned with great purpose towards the gawking girl. "These are our rooms." She pointed to the left of the bed. "That's the bathroom. And that door over there," She pointed to the right, "Leads to the second room, which is where Michael sleeps and has his meetings."
Lily glanced around the square box. Against the wall there was a bed, a nightstand, and a desk. Atop the desk sat some photos, maps, and written notes all chaotically spread about. On the opposite wall there was a rather shabby looking couch that had been covered with a black sheet. Lily shrugged. She had seen worse. She looked at Selene as if to ask where to drop her bag.
"Put it next to the bed. You can sleep there for now. I'll take the couch."
Lily did as she was told, dropped her bag beside the nightstand and sat down mattress. She suddenly felt very tired. "Selene?"
Selene had moved towards the desk and was examining the photos. "Yes?" She answered without looking up.
"Why do you and Michael have two rooms?"
Selene gave the girl a sharp glance. "Must you always ask such personal questions?"
Lily shrugged. "Well I guess I'm just the kind of person who likes to understand what she's about to get involved in." Her tone was biting. She definitely needed sleep.
Selene almost laughed. // That girl has a sharp tongue no doubt. // "Fine, if you insist on being so curious. The rooms are for appearances sake. When we first got here the lycans took me to be Michael's mate. It's the only reason they didn't kill me on the spot. I was under his protection." She sighed heavily. "As you can see they still don't accept me, but everyone keeps to themselves down here anyways. I handle the business of war. End of story."
"So you have the two rooms to make it look like your sharing one, but your not?"
"That's it."
"Damn." Lily shook her head. "What a pain in the ass. What does it matter if your Michael's...stop me if I'm wrong, you said 'mate'?" Lily gave her a confused look.
A smile crossed her face. "That's right. Lycans refer to their partners as mates. They're pack creatures after all."
Lily rolled her eyes. "Ok then, mate, whatever. I still don't understand why it matters. You're here fighting for the same thing they are, why do you need the protection of your 'mate'?"
Selene let her head drop. "I've been their enemy for a long time Lily. I've killed more of their kind than you can count. I don't blame them for not trusting me."
"Oh." Lily whispered and looked down at her hands. "I forgot about that part."
Selene lifted her head and fought back her memories. "It's alright. I know things are confusing for you. I am sorry that we had to drag you into all this, but it couldn't be helped."
Lily shrugged again. She could tell Selene had had qualms about brining her here, and she knew from Selene's hastiness to leave her house that she had no choice but to involve her. She didn't yet understand why, but she was touched by the thought. "Look Selene," she said calmly. "It's not like I was really leading this swell life before I came here. I was just sort of existing." She gave the vampire a small smile. "And even though this is by far the freakiest shit I've ever gotten involved with, it's still the most exciting, so don't worry about bringing me here. I'll make do. That's what I'm good at."
Selene curved her lips into appreciation and nodded. The girl had courage, and for now that was enough. "You should get some sleep. I have to go meet up with Michael and the lycans for a meeting. If you need anything before I get back go two doors down and ask for Tamara. She's Tyran's mate."
"Ok."
"Goodnight Lily." Selene turned and opened the door. Lily watched as it closed shut and felt very alone. She shook her head and lifted the covers of the bed. For perhaps the first time in her life she didn't have a plan. She felt stuck, trapped amongst these mythical figures who she knew shouldn't exist, but yet she could not deny their presence. The whole thing was a mess, but then so was her life before all of this.
"Not much has changed I guess." She said out loud as she crawled into the bed. Reaching, she pulled her bag toward her and removed the orange juice container. Taking a large pull she placed it on the nightstand next to Selene's discarded weapons. "Those are serious guns." She exclaimed. "I wouldn't want to piss her off with those in her hands." She shuddered at the memory of staring down the barrel of those guns. Shaking her head she laid it down upon the pillow. She couldn't think anymore or she would drive herself crazy. Instead she switched her thoughts to those about her brother. Like always, within moments she had fallen into a peaceful slumber. It didn't matter where she went; she always took her brother with her.
*** Flar paced back and forth in front of the makeshift table that stood in the center of the room. He kept his hands clasped behind his back, as he rubbed them together with seething anger. // First a vampire, now a human! // He roared within his mind. // And a hybrid for a leader! Pretty soon we'll be nothing but a pack of mutts! This is not how things should be done! // He turned around with such force and distain that he almost brought his fist down upon the table, but in the last moment he had caught Tyran's eyes and quickly reined himself in. // No point in giving that bastard the satisfaction. // He stood up straight and took his place to the left of the head seat, Michael's seat. He caught Tyran's suspicious stare from across the table and only smiled fallaciously.
As if on cue Michael walked through the steel doors. Shoulders bared high, face set in a grim position he took his seat and stared at his lycan council. The council had been placed in charge upon Lucien's death. Their plan of action after the events of the massacre in the underground had been to locate him, bring him before the lycans, and persuade him to be their leader. Seeing as Michael was so new to the whole ordeal, he decided it was best to keep the council active to assist him in making the best decisions possible. // But sometimes they're a real pain in the ass. // He thought tiredly.
He took a deep breath, leaned forward in his chair and placed his arms on the table, and he began. "Alright listen. Yes, there is a human staying here. No, I don't know how long she will be here, and yes she helped save my life." He looked directly at Flar when he spoke, his voice low and condescending. Michael had to admit that since becoming part lycan, he definitely had developed a bit of an alpha dog complex. He paused for a moment and held Flar by the eyes. Then he turned to the other four lycans and held open his hands. "Is there anything else anyone wants to discuss?"
Thayer, one of the youngest lycanthropes in the room and Tyran's own son, softly raised his voice. "What are we going to do about these death dealers Michael?" There was sadness in his tone, a sort of desperation. Thayer was allowed to sit on the council for his mind, not his battle scars. He had a knack for being able to pinpoint the possible fallouts of any situation. He was a strategist, but even he couldn't come up with a good solid plan for defeating the vampires. He hadn't given up yet, but as the situation became more dire he could see the effects it was having upon the lycan clan. Everywhere he looked he saw fear and uncertainty. Then needed a plan, a goal, a purpose. He looked imploringly at Michael with his mothers blue eyes burning sadly. "We have to do something about them. It's becoming more difficult to hunt. They stalk us every night, and their human spies become their eyes during the day. We need a plan Michael."
Michael hung his head, his blonde hair falling to the sides of his face. He took a breath and closed his eyes. "I know Thayer. I know we need to do something."
Selene walked through the steel door across the room from Michael. She was still clothed in her black leathers from two days ago. Neither she nor Michael had had a chance to change or shower since their return. She caught his eyes from across the room and felt her heart twinge at the sight of his heavy brown eyes. He had bags beneath them that were so dark she would have thought he wore makeup, and she could tell by the way his shoulders sagged that the meeting hadn't been going well. // Why did I bring you into this Michael Corvin, and how can I ever ask you to forgive me? // She blinked her eyes to shake her thoughts and sat at the other end of the table.
"Hey Selene." Tyran smiled kindly. "We were just talking about what to do with the death dealers. Any ideas?"
She shook her head. Honestly, she had tried hard to think of a way to break the vampires and force them into a treaty, but knowing them as well as she did she could always find the flaws in her plans. She looked at Thayer, knowing that the argument had originated from him. "Our biggest problem is information. We know absolutely nothing about the vampire's strategy. We can guess with almost certainty that Markus has been awakened, but what of the other two covens? We don't know if they actually united or not, or weather they are massing at Ordoghaz, and if so how come Markus hasn't made some show of his power? I keep waiting for him to flex his muscles but so far all he's done is hide. We need to figure out where they stand."
"We kept up the reconnaissance work you requested Selene. We've taken pictures of every death dealer we happen to catch glimpses of, but our people are not as stealthy as yours. Half the time we end up running for our lives because we've been noticed." Thayer didn't mean for his tone to be so accusing, but even his emotions got the better of him sometimes.
"I know Thayer. You've done a fine job, but I've identified all those death dealers as coming from Viktor's original house. Until we see someone new we'll have no idea weather Amelia's coven and Viktor's have been joined."
"Well that's precisely the problem isn't it?" Flar had leaned forward in his chair to stare coldly at the vampire. "You are the one who identified the blood suckers. How can we be sure that you're telling us the truth?" He let his gaze circle around the room to the rest of the lycans. "I mean think about it. How would we ever know if those vamps are really who she says they are?" He shrugged lightly; his tone had been kept sly and manipulative. He smiled as Selene glared at him with disgust.
"That's enough Flar." Michael growled from deep within his throat. "You have no proof and you know it. Now back the fuck down."
The room remained quite for a lingering moment as Michael's ebony orbs burned into Flar's. The dark haired werewolf leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "Of course." He mumbled below his breath.
Michael glared a moment longer, and then turned to catch Selene's face, but she wouldn't look at him. Instead she kept her gaze on Thayer and Tyran. "We have to find out more. I'm sorry, but I can't see any other way around it." The warrior in her kept her voice proud, but the sudden dryness of her mouth reminded her of her uncomfortable situation.
Thayer had seceded on his point for the time being. It was useless anyway. He knew Selene was right. Gently placing a hand on his father's shoulder he rose. "Well then I guess that's that. Anything else Michael?"
Michael was leaning back in his chair; exhaustion plagued his handsome features. "That's it for today Thayer. I'll try to come up with something."
Tyran walked over and placed a hand on Michaels shoulder. "Hang in there man. It will come. Just remember, there is a reason Lucian chose to give you his memories." Then he winked and followed his son out the door.
When Michael looked up from the floor he found Selene staring at him from across the table.
"You look like hell." Her voice fell flat; it wasn't an insult, merely an observation.
"Well you're always the image of beauty darling."
Selene raised an eyebrow to his biting, sarcastic tone. He was in a foul mood, but then again so was she. She tilted her head slightly to one side as the curve of Michael's neck suddenly caught her eye. She could see his vein pulsing and was unwillingly reminded of the metallic, bitter taste of his blood. She remembered the exalted feeling of piercing his skin and lapping at his essence. The corners of her eyes began to go hazy blue at the memory. Physically shaking her head she brought it up right and looked at Michael's tired eyes. Again she felt the stirrings of sadness and before she knew it she had gotten up and walked over to seat herself upon the table, facing him.
He looked up at her. As they had done since he first saw her in the metro station her dancing orbs enraptured him, mesmerizing and ensnaring him. He wondered if she knew just how much power she wielded over him. If she truly understood... // best to not go there. // He thought to himself. // You just barely heard her say she cares about you today. One step at a time Michael, don't get ahead of yourself. //
He had been so involved with his mental scolding that it took him a fraction of a second longer to realize that Selene had slowly used her hand to wipe his straggling strands behind his ear. The gesture was innocent, tentative. If she had meant it to be nothing more than a comforting motion it was not taken as such by Michael. To Michael it was a sign.
He stood up from his chair and holding her hand moved to stand before her. Selene, feeling his gaze to be too intense, lowered her eyes to the floor. She closed them for a quick second and could feel nothing but the soft movement of his thumb moving up and down across her hand. She used their linked hands to pull him closer to her and rested the top of her head against his chest. She could feel Michael wrap his arms lightly around her back, wrapping her in his protective circle. She could feel the tiniest stirring of heat from deep within her belly; then, as if it had been ripped from the bottom of her toes to the depths of her dark soul, she exhaled, and with it flew a piece of her immortality. Looking up she reached for Michaels face and brought his lips down upon hers. She crushed him too her in a fierce grip and pried his mouth viciously open so that she could be free to explore.
Michael's mind went white, his senses assaulted by her sweet intrusion. He had heard her sigh, he had felt her shoulders slack as she had let go, but he had been caught wonderfully off guard by her sudden need of him. Wrapping her up in his arms he lifted her off the table so that she now stood about 3 inches below him. Now he had the advantage. He titled her head towards him and deepened the kiss, taking total control of the situation. He felt her respond as she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him. He heard her moan softly as he brought his lips back to gently suck on hers. That's when he lost her.
Breaking the contact she put her hands on his chest and placed her forehead against his. With her eyes closed she breathed deeply. Michael kept very still. She rocked her head back and forth against his. "Michael, Michael, Michael. What am I doing with you?"
He pulled her a little closer and whispered softly. "Falling in love with me I hope."
Selene felt her heart drop. She pulled her head away and looked at him. She truly loved his face. She could follow the lines and contours of its shape for hours. // I am falling in love with you. // She admitted only to herself. // And it's not fair to you. It was my love that got you into this, and I can only hope that it will get you out. //
"I don't expect an answer to that." He had sensed her uneasiness caused by his words, but the truth was he really didn't need an answer. He had looked at her eyes and he had seen it there. He had seen their sparkle and it had given her away. He would be sated with that for now.
Selene looked gratefully up at him, then once again leaned her head against his shoulder and hugged him. She took a breath, forced a smile, and looked up at his exhausted features. She ran her hand down the side of his face. "You should get some sleep."
He nodded, still keeping his arms loosely wrapped around her waist. "I will."
She looked at him knowingly. "No watching over me today Michael. I mean it. I want you to sleep."
A loving smile played about his lips. "Well you could just sleep in my room with me. Then we can both get some rest, and I'll know your safe at the same time."
She smiled regretfully and shook her head slowly. "But I'm not safe with you. It's when I'm with you that I feel most vulnerable." She hoped he had understood her silent admittance.
Michael lowered his head for a moment then brought it back up to gaze once more into her eyes. "Fair enough." He sighed and leaned forward to place a kiss upon her head. "But I at least get to walk you to your room." The optimism in his voice made her smile.
"Fair enough." She mimicked, then taking his hand she led him out the doors and down the long corridor to their rooms. As they walked she kept her eyes focus ahead. She allowed herself a glance at her escort and caught him once again staring at her. He merely smiled and kept looking. Shaking her head she turned it forward and found that she could not keep the small grin that came to her face. // How does he do that? // She marveled at his ability to take something so dark, and somehow restore light to it.
As they continued to their resting destination Michael couldn't take his eyes off the figure next to him. He was in such awe of her, as he had been since he met her, that sometimes it caught him off guard. She was a fearless warrior, cold and trained to kill. // But I've seen the softness. I've seen the humanity in her eyes.// He thought on it a moment. // And it's always been there. Ten years ago she showed that humanity to a little girl. Why? // Then the hybrid stopped walking.
"What is it?" Tension dripped her from voice. She had become instantly alert with his abrupt stop.
Michael looked at her hard for a moment. He studied her face, the worried expression that had so quickly replaced her contented one she wore moments ago. She was a warrior again, and he had no doubt that she would reject greatly to the idea that had just plagued his mind.
"Selene." He said her name tentatively.
Her posture went rigid. "Michael?" She asked in a steely tone, annoyed by his hesitation.
He gulped and took a step forward. "What do you think Markus would do if a human showed up at the mansion claiming to have killed a vampire?"
"What?" She had slipped her hand out of his grasp, clasping it across her chest as she always did during confrontation.
"I'm just curious. Would he kill her? Or hear her out? What would he do?"
Selene stared at him, annoyance burning in her eyes. "If a human killed a vampire they'd be shot on sight."
Michael watched her carefully. "But what if the vampire wasn't in good standing with the rest of the coven?"
Selene's eyes went wide at his suggestion. There were only two vampires that were not welcome amongst the coven. "What are you getting at Michael?"
"You said we need more information, that we needed an informant." He lowered his voice and captured her eyes with his, forcefully holding her gaze. "Lily has your necklace Selene. If she were to show up at the mansion, necklace in tow with an extraordinary interpretation of your death..." He paused, waiting to see her reaction. When he was met with icy eyes he continued. "Think about this a second. She shows up, flashes your one of a kind, Viktor given necklace. They already know that she's been running with our clan. I mean, that's why she's here anyway right?" His words were coming faster then, as the pieces of the puzzle came together in his mind. "So she claims to have had a falling out with you and the lycans. She wants to join their coven, and in return she will show them the location of the lycan den. Markus won't be able to resist the opportunity to destroy the lycans so completely." Again he paused. He knew there were holes in his explanation, but the idea was solid. Would Selene accept it?
There was a moment of quiet, as she looked at him in utter amazement. Then she shattered the silence. "Are you bloody mad?" She screamed at him, fury etched her pale features, and had her undead body been capable, Michael was sure he would have seen her face turn a furious red.
"Selene, this could turn things around."
"By the elders Michael!" She shook her head with such distain, and her voice held such antipathy for his suggestion that he almost felt ashamed at having mentioned it. Almost.
"Look Selene. I'm asking you to consider this for just a moment. If Lily gets in, you'll not only have your informant, but we'll have the perfect makings of a trap. If Lily convinces Markus to send a brigade of death dealers down here to slaughter us, he'll leave himself and Ordoghaz virtually unguarded. We could trap the vampires here, and then we'd be free to storm the mansion, force Markus to surrender, and sign a treaty with the lycans. This could end the war!"
His last statement was said with such excitement that for a moment, for a second longer than she should have, Selene let herself consider his radical proposal.
"There are a lot of 'what ifs' in your statement Michael. You leave too much left to chance, and entirely too much riding on a girl we barely know."
"She helped us before, and she's offered to do it again."
"She doesn't need to be a part of this." Selene's voice was rising again.
"She's already a part of it! Where is she going to go Selene? Is she supposed to stay down here till this war is over? Till she dies of old age waiting for the day when it's safe enough for her to emerge? She's involved now, regrettably, but I would rather give her the chance to fight than suffer her to sit and rot down here."
Selene took a frustrated breath. Ten minutes ago she'd been willing herself to stick to her decision of celibacy and now... "Michael." Her voice was reduced to exhaustion. "Lily is human. She has no extraordinary strength, no claws, no fangs, and no experience. If we send her to Ordoghaz we will be sending her there to die. Markus isn't a fool. He'll see through her."
Michael ran his hand through is hair. "She could be trained. She could learn to fight. If she spends the next three weeks learning all there is to know about vampires she could be believable. She could pass as a human wishing to be turned. Markus would believe that motive."
"And just who do you expect to teach her all of this in just one month?" She again, defiantly crossed her arms.
"You."
"Me?"
"You."
Selene shook her head. "You are out of your mind. She'll be devoured Michael. There is absolutely no way a human can take on fully trained, century old vampires."
"If this works out right she won't have to. She'll just need to learn enough to make her believable." He looked imploringly at Selene's brown eyes. "Make her a warrior Selene. Let her avenge her brother by brining an end to the circumstances that got him killed."
Selene studied him for a long moment. He couldn't possibly be serious about all this, could he? A quick glance at the determination in his eyes gave her an answer. She released a heavy breath and dropped her arms at her sides in defeat. "We will let her decided. Tomorrow night you can tell her your crazy idea and see if she believes you. If she agrees, then so do I."
Michael nodded appreciatively. "This is going to work Selene."
He spoke with a confidence she had never heard from him before. // He becomes more the leader every day. // She noted. Slightly shaking her head, "I sure hope so Michael."
Michael grinned wickedly, "What's this? She hopes? Praise God it's a miracle!"
In spite of herself she felt laughter. "You've been hanging out with Tyran entirely too much recently, and I wouldn't speak the holy name in the house of the immortal damned if I were you."
"I'll take my chances." He smiled playfully at her. "Well," He motioned to their bedroom door to the right. "Reconsidered my offer yet?"
She laughed lightly. "No Michael. I haven't."
Gracefully he lowered his head in a mock bow. "Then good day my lady, till I see you tomorrow evening." He straightened, grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him while capturing her lips in quick, forceful passion. "I'll just take that with me if you don't mind." He said when he'd released her, "goodnight." He exited through the door and into his room, leaving a confounded Selene standing there, lips tingling, body alive with sensation, and completely alone.
"God damn him." She muttered under her breath, but the small curving at the corners of her mouth gave her away. Turning, she entered her room, unbelievably thankful for a moments rest. She did not see, however; the dark figure hiding behind the corner, concealed by the endless shadows.
"I must see Kraven." The creature muttered before heading out to the meet the rising sun.
------------- Well, there is my extra long chapter. Hope you all enjoyed my first attempt at a cliffy. Those are fun to write. Sorry for the slow down in chapter posting but school has been busy. Spring break is near though. Woo! Anyways, let me know what you think.
And thank you once again to those that reviewed.
Morrgaine : You are too nice. I can't thank you enough for your reviews. They really make me want to keep writing. Well, I told you what I plan to do with Lily. Hope it's as interesting as you thought it would be!
Tigerlily-2250 : She's back! Thanks again for your review. So glad you like, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.
Adalon Ithilriel: Thank you so much for always pumping up my ego. As for Flar, well I have plans for him. BTW, will we be seeing a chapter on "Far From Over" soon? ;) I'm curious to see what's happening. Thanks again!