The next night, Tessa and Bryce were over at Lillith's apartment,
"You could have got some place better," Bryce replies,
"Don't diss my place," Lillith replies, "better then the crypt you spend your days in,"
Bryce was taken back by Lillith's attitude, was this something that she brought over from her human life, or was this just how she secretly was? "I don't spend my days in a crypt, our family isn't traditional. we have houses or apartments, and sometimes we live together as a coven, but that tends to cause problems,"
"And the reason, I don't live with Tessa, she's too energetic for my liking," Lillith replies,
"I heard that!" Tessa exclaims from Lillith's bedroom, she took one look at the mess and kicked Lillith out, saying she'll take anything that her sister didn't wanted. Turns out that Tessa took Interior Design in at night at the local collage and was dying figuratively to test out her knowledge and skill, and being Lillith's favorite sister,
"I still don't understand why I'm Tessa's favorite sister, I'm her only sister." Lillith had complained.
"Deal with it," Tessa had replied, "Now let me into your room,"
That was an hour after twilight,
"Lily!" Tessa screeched.
Lillith jerked up right as she was lounging on the sofa with her feet in Cole's lap, she got up and went to see what was the matter with Tessa.
She gilded into her bedroom to find it a complete mess,
"Tessa, what on earth have you done to my room, and where is my coffin?" Lillith asks
"Well your coffin is shoved into your closet, which is next on my list, I cannot believe you kept your 20's flapper dresses, they aren't going to come back in style unless your dressing up for Halloween, and I needed every bit of space." Tessa asks looking up as she was sitting crossed legged on the floor, "And all these pictures, are going into a scrap book. Makes me think you don't want to remember me."
Lillith looked around her room, there were feathered masks, jewelry, all kinds of clothes, from every era she lived in. books upon books all stages of disuse, gold coins, in the chests, "Get rid of the old world clothes but leave some maybe I'll go to a Halloween party, Victorian Era dress,"
"All right, this isn't the reason why I called you either," Tessa states, then in a really low voice only other vampiric people could her, "I'm worried."
"Worried about what?" Lillith asks in the same tone, "And will Bryce say anything?"
"No, that's why he came with me tonight. I'm worried about Cole." Tessa replies,
"Say on," Lillith urges
"You explained that he got his powers from the demonic wasteland, do you know what happens to a human that has that many powers?" Tessa asks,
Lillith ran her fingers through her raven hair, and nods, "Yes, the power goes to their heads, and are slowly driven insane."
"What are you going to do about it?" Tessa asks, "Reason, I'm asking is Bryce brought it up and he thought I should be the one who asks since I know you well enough,"
"Thoughtful of him, and I don't know. I never had to save a life before." Lillith answers then slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor with her legs bent and she wrapped her arms around her knees. She laid her head on her arms, and gave a sob of vexation, blood tears coursed down her cheeks, "Tess, I don't know what to do,"
Tessa bit her lip, "There is one way to help him,"
"You're out of your mind, I'm not going to turn him." Lillith hisses,
"But it's the only way, otherwise..." Tessa replies, she let the sentence trail off not knowing how else to say it.
"No, he doesn't know a thing about being human, he spent his entire childhood growing up thinking humans were scum," Lillith explains, "Would you turn someone, who hasn't had the chance to live a human life?"
"Point taken, but if you're afraid of turning him, you could ask one of the others." Tessa answered,
"Tessa, did you have the Choice? I was stupid and wanted to live, I didn't know the price was this high," Lillith asks,
Tessa glanced down as one bloody tear escaped from her eyes, "I did, I chose this life, you met me after I was turned. But I never told you why,"
"Feeling up to sharing stories," Lillith states,
"Yes, I guess I am. Lets go back out into the living room, Cole and Bryce should hear this a well." Tessa replies,
Lillith stood up and wiped away her tears with a napkin, Together they went out into the living room, Bryce looked up as they entered, "Tessa, were you crying?"
"Your kind cries?" Cole asks
"Yes, blood tears." Lillith replies as she sat down by Cole,
Bryce sat down as well, Tessa sat next to him, and curled up against his side,
"Tess, what going on?" Bryce asks as gently as he could,
"I want to explain, my story." Tessa answers, "My story isn't as happy as my siblings, my parents threw me out of our house when I started feeling things, I didn't know what it was until after I was turned, but I grew up on the streets, never knowing what family love was about until our creator found me,"
"How old were you?" Lillith asks,
"Eight years old," Tessa replies,
Lillith got up and sat on Tessa's other side and wrapped her arms around her, "Oh Tess, I'm so sorry."
"I didn't know if I was a witch, but witches were being secretly hunted back in those days" Tessa replies, "Maxwell found me near death when I was eight during that winter, he took me in, fed, clothed and cared for me, for the rest of my childhood, and when I turned eighteen, I found out what he was."
"he really was your father," Lillith whispers,
"Yes, by the time I reached fifteen I was already thinking of him as such," Tessa replies,
Lillith tilted her head then looked at Bryce, "Where were you, Darius, Alec, Gabriel, Nicholai?"
Bryce ducked his head, "We were there but out of sight, Nicholai and I were fledglings at the time, he and I are blood brothers, all we could think about was blood, Darius, Alec, and Gabriel had to keep us in check, so we wouldn't hunt Tessa."
Tessa glanced up, "I didn't know you and Nicky were real brothers."
Bryce shrugged, "we are, we never got along in our human life and things haven't changed in this life either, if Darius didn't love us, he would have destroyed us a long time ago, for just getting on his nerves,"
"Can I change the subject, please?" Lillith asks
"Sure, I don't want to remember my human parents." Tessa replies, "What do you want to know about?"
"First, why were we chosen by Maxwell? Second, about the others, what are they like?" Lillith replies,
"I can't answer your first question, no one but Darius can answer that, and he's still somewhere in Romania, Alex, he has the same raven colored hair as you do, he's more of a thinker then a talker, when he does talk, everyone shuts up and listens, Gabe is the rebel of the bunch of misfits, you would get along well with him, Lily, and Nicky, is..." Bryce replies
"Nicky is a great brother and a prankster, but Bryce would call him other names, which I don't think is a good for anyone to listen too," Tessa interrupts.
"But he covered my coffin in garlic!' Bryce whined.
"Lily, don't let this vampiric teddy bear tell you otherwise but he is a prankster too, and Bryce, you are as much to blame as well as Nicky is." Tessa states,
"What did they do?" asks Cole, who was silent until now,
"Nicky and Bryce duck taped me into my coffin, on April Fools' night," Tessa huffed
"You two are staying away from my coffin," Lillith warns,
"But it was harmless prank," Bryce replies, "You cut off all my hair when you were two years old."
"and your hair grew back, and I haven't touched it since. Unless you want me to be grab a pair of scissors right now?" Tessa asks sweetly
"No," Bryce simply replies then his cell phone started ringing. He looked at the caller id and grimaced before passing it over to Tessa,
Tessa flipped it open, "You have reached Bryce's cell phone, he can't come to it right now, because his baby sister is playing keep away with it, so how's it going Nicky,"
"Why didn't you answer your own damn phone?" Nicholai asks "And where are you?"
"Me no telling where I am, but as for me cell phone umm...let me check," Tessa replies before checking her hip case, and saw that Nicky had called the last twenty minutes, "Sorry, Nicky, but it seems I didn't put my phone on vibrate, it went straight to silent."
"Well guess I just have to break into your place then," Nicholai replies
"No, you leave my condo and my store alone," Tessa growls, "Wait...you're in town?"
"It's your turn to hold this reunion of the siblings, dearest sister." Nicholai replies,
"I know, I know, don't do anything we'll be right there," Tessa replies,
"Wouldn't dream of it," Nicholai states, then hangs up.
Tessa stared at the phone, "He hung up on me, that weasel!"
"He's up to something, but just what is it?" Bryce asks, "I know that brother of mine, and it's never good."
Lillith looked up and noticed the time, she looked over at Cole, "Are you hungry?"
"Awe, you take such good care of him, I'm jealous." Tessa cooed,
Lillith smiled sweetly at her sister, "Tessa, darling, how you like a sandwich as well?"
"No thank you, last time I had one of your sandwiches it was a fist in my face." Tessa answered.
"Then stop teasing me," Lillith replies, she walked into the kitchen, "Besides don't you have to pick up Nicky,"
Tessa gasped and grabbed Bryce's arm "Let's go,"
"Why me?" whined Bryce
"Because I need a shield." Tessa replies as they leave.
Cole stood up and walked into the kitchen, "How did you meet her?"
Lillith proceeded to the refrigerator and got out makings for something to eat, "hmm...I think she found me then the other way around, she and I were alot younger when we first met."
"How old is she, I mean in vampire years?" Cole asks
"She's three hundred and ninety five," Lillith answered, "When she's called little sister, we mean it."
"So you're over four hundred, how old were you were when you met her?" Cole asks
"Twenty years old, which is kind strange the next year I was the same age I was when I turned." Lillith replies, "We don't count fledglings ages until they reach their first year mark,"
"I take it, you had to teach her?" Cole replies,
"Yes, and she was and still is a spoiled brat, we spilt up a few years before I met Elizabeth," Lillith answers, she went on making a submarine sandwich with everything on it, and heated it up, she took to five wine glasses down and poured blood into four of them, and the last one red wine and handed to Cole.
"I hear them arguing" Lillith explained.
"Damn it, Tessa! Why do you have to be on my back, I can't see." a male's voice that wasn't Bryce's asks,
"Because brother of mine, it's a surprise," Tessa giggled
"There better be a beautiful woman who lives here." the male's voice complained
"Oh there is, but she's taken." Bryce replied with a laugh,
Lillith was suddenly really worried, about this new found brother of hers,
"Lily, open up." Bryce called out, as they reached the door.
Cole watched as three vampires came inside and almost choked on his sandwich as Tessa came in riding piggy-back style on a dirty blonde male,
"I smell a vampiress in here as well as a human," the male states,
Lillith hisses, "He's not human."
The male turned in the direction of Lillith, "I know your voice."
Tessa released Nicholai's eyes and he snarled at Lillith, "You!"
"Pervert!" Lillith snarled back.
Bryce laughed "lecher, you hit on our sister!"
"She's what!" Nicholai exclaimed, "Explain now."
"Nicky, your nose must be busted, if you can't smell, Maxwell's blood in her veins," Tessa states,
Lillith grabbed one of the wine glasses and threw into Nicholai's face. "Serves you right, I should have guessed by that playboy attitude of yours, I would be related to you."
"Lily, How did you two meet?" Bryce asks
"Fifty years ago, he walked right up and grabbed my ass." Lillith replies,
Tessa's eyes brighten in rage, and she attacked Nicholai. "How dare you, stupid lecher!"
Bryce, Lillith and Cole watched as Tessa pounded on Nicholai,
"Shouldn't one of you stop her?" Cole asks
Bryce and Lillith glanced at each other, "No" they answered together.
"I'm going to pound the pervertedness out of you!" Tessa growled.
This went on for a solid five minutes, before Lillith had enough, she whistled and Tessa looked up.
"I still need my room back, go in there and cool off." Lillith ordered.
Tessa stood up gracefully not a hair out of place and stalked off,
Lillith knelt down, "You're lucky, we're siblings, or else I wouldn't have called her off."
"At least, she saved some for me." Bryce stated, before walking up calmly and punching his brother in the face. "Wait until I tell Darius, Gabe, and Alec."
"You wouldn't." Nicholai replies, wide eyed at his brother
Bryce smirked, "Try me, you know those three are way worse then we are at the overprotecting,"
"I already did!" Tessa's voice stated from the bedroom, "Text messaging got to love it."
"I'm so dead," Nicholai muttered before he flung himself before Lillith's feet, begging forgiveness,
"You want forgiveness, get your pale ass in here and help me" Tessa stated by the door,
"What's the first lesson, you learned Nicky?." Bryce asks
Nicholai got up and headed over to Tessa, who grabbed him by the ear and twisted it,
"That he shall not anger a vampiress," Tessa replies,
"Especially one with a good left hook," Nicholai adds, "Let go of my ear."
"No, next on the list of things to do, is cleaning my store top to bottom." Tessa replies,
"Tessa, you're in charge of punishment," Lillith replies,
"Oh, I was already angry at him." Tessa chirps.
"what did he do?" Lillith asks looking at Bryce
"Let's just say, He's going to have to suck up to her for the next three hundred years, to get back in her good graces." Bryce replies,
"He totally destroyed my store, and you know how I love my store." Tessa growled.
"Better make that four hundred years," Lillith states,
Nicholai came out carrying boxes of fabric, he stopped long enough to throw a pleading glance at his brother and new found sister.
"Move it stockboy!" Tessa exclaimed.
Bryce opened the door and made a sweeping bow as the new stockboy glared at him, Bryce looked over at his sister, who was smiling wide as her lips would go, "He's going to wish for sunrise before this night is over."
"Good, Can I set him some chores to do?" Cole asks, with an evil gleam in his eyes.
"What you want him to set up, your bedroom?" Bryce asks
"I think I have French maid outfit somewhere," Lillith suggests,
"He's already wearing it, I made him change." Tessa replies as she drags an unwilling Nicholai behind her.
Bryce couldn't help it, he doubled over laughing "Did you take a picture of this and send it to Darius and the others?"
"Yes, and Darius wants him to wear the outfit until he gets here." Tessa replies, "Gabe says we should post it to a vampire fan site."
"Alec just called her childish," Nicholai adds, "And I agree."
"Onward slave, you have no say in this. I as Darius' taskmaster says so." Tessa states,
"Someone anyone, put a steak though my heart already," Nicholai moaned.
"You know that is a myth, but if you so longing for death, I know some witches who would be to willing to vanquish you," Lillith replies,
Tessa pouted "Then who would clean my store?"
Lillith taps her finger to her lips, "I don't know, you maybe."
"I'm finished in your room, the lecher even moved your coffin back, I made sure he had nothing on his person before I let him near it." Tessa explains.
"Now if you don't mind, fixing up my room." Cole states,
Tessa clapped her hands, "I aways wanted to decorated a man's room,"
Cole looked over at Lillith,
"Bryce, do you think you could try to keep her excitement down to a small amount?" Lillith asks
"I make no promises," Bryce replies, "But I will try my best."
Tessa had Nicholai working until Four in the morning before she decided to call it quits because of the time and she needed to return to her store and condo, before sun rise.
"Gabe, Alec should be here tomorrow night, I do hope they show up at my place it is much larger then yours, have a good sleep, dearest sister." Tessa stated as she hugged Lillith, before going over to Cole, "Ask her out already,"
"He doesn't need too," Lillith replies before throwing them out of her apartment, she really did throw Nicholai out.
"I hope she calls before showing up." Cole states as he wrapped his arms around Lillith's waist,
"You're lucky, you're invincible," Lillith replies "because if they're anything alike, I hope to everything that you win over my other brothers like you did Bryce."
Lillith turned around in Cole's arm, and wrapped hers around his neck,
"Do I have to get used to those crazy people just to be with you?" Cole asks
"I'm afraid so," Lillith replies before leaning her head against Cole's shoulder, "I'm tired and all I did was talk."
"I guess I'll put up with it," Cole states,
"I love you," Lillith murmurs, before falling asleep.