December Moon (The Raven Saga) (20 page)

"It's okay, Oliver, it's only Lilly. Come over," he said as his brother finally relaxed a little and tiptoed over to her. Gingerly, he stroked the back of her neck and she purred loudly.

"I'm sorry to have to break up this little ménage-à-trois but Carmelo, Ursula and Sammy are out there waiting for us," said Zoltan with a wink.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

As everybody walked out of the apartment, leaving Oliver, Ben and December behind, Lilly was the last to leave. Turning, she said to December, '
please tell Oliver I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry and I hope that he'll forgive me
.'

December nodded, "I will. Please be careful, Lilly... oh wait," she suddenly said rushing back into the bedroom and returning carrying something.

She held out her hand and said, "I think this will still fit you. It's quite a long chain," she said as she carefully placed the silver necklace around her neck.

'Thanks, December. You keep the ring on, okay?' she communicated, watching December place the overly large ring on her small finger before she leaned forward and hugged her friend before closing and locking the door behind her.

Outside, darkness had finally descended. Lilly's eyes easily adjusted to the light as she looked around to see Carmelo had returned.

"There's Duran and at least three more. There was another but Zoltan managed to destroy her up on the roof. They're new-borns so they're pretty strong, but they haven't had time to adjust to the change yet so they're unsure of what they're capable of, which gives us the advantage. Duran is keeping his distance for now. He is most likely aware of Lilly's ability because he would have taken note of her scent when he saw her at the coffee shop. So Lilly, you need to be fully aware of what's going on around you. Although vampires tend not to like the flavour of changelings, it will not stop him from trying to transform you in whatever shape or form you are in? Don't let him bite you... but above all,
do not
swallow any of his blood, okay?"

Lilly nodded in response and sniffed the air, aware of something strange nearby.

Ursula nodded. "Zey're close. Ve need to lure zem away from ze apartment. Come on, let's run up away from ze shore," she said as they all took off in the direction away from the beach.

Although Lilly was terrified, the feeling of running, leading the vampires away from her loved ones was both liberating and thrilling.

There was a distinct metallic aroma in the air. It was a scent Lilly had now come to easily recognise. Blood. It was the same smell she'd picked up from Duran in the coffee shop and it wasn't good. It meant there had been yet another kill.

Hearing the gentle whoosh of wings flapping from above, Lilly noticed Sammy was careful to remain as hidden as possible, sometimes flying high up in the clouds and other times, flying as close to them as he could. Sammy gave them another advantage of being able to see exactly what was going on around them. The problem was that the vampires moved with incredible speed.

The group slowed down as Ursula came to a momentary standstill and quickly turned her head from one side to the other.

"Zey're ahead of us... and zey've split up. Zoltan, Tabiza, you come viz me. Carmelo, you take ze ozers viz you."

Nodding, Carmelo began to follow the scent of one of the vampires. Lilly and Sammy followed suit, while the other group continued heading in a westerly direction towards the town.

When they came across a sign for Tofino Botanical Gardens, Lilly looked over at Carmelo who had slowed considerably.

"They're in there... Lilly be careful. If you get any of them, you must try and break their necks and call for me. I will do the rest."

Lilly nodded.

She was frightened, but it was impossible to tell. Her mountain lion facade managed to hide her feelings particularly well. Only Rose would have been able to see what was really going on inside her.

She felt a little sick as she gingerly stepped among the plants that surrounded her. Sammy flew above everything, trying to locate the vampire but the giant leaves and trees concealed his bird's eye view.

The sound of twigs breaking beneath someone, or something's, feet stopped her in her tracks and she sniffed the air around her. The scent of blood filled the air once again. Whoever he was, he was close.

Lilly stealthily climbed up the trunk of a tree that was tilting to one side. Turning her head, she spotted something red glowing behind a massive leaf. Seeing the eyes of her prey, Lilly pounced, but he was watching her and he escaped her clutches, jumping from one tree to another.

She watched as he circled her, preparing herself for when he attacked. The vampire was young, only about eighteen years old and by the look on his face, Lilly assumed he was a new-born with a thirst for her blood that was so intense he was bound to do something stupid.

He would be an easy prey
, she thought, as he came to a standstill, watching her with those piercing glowing red eyes and fangs at the ready. When he jumped towards her, he was easy to dodge and before he knew it, Lilly had him on the ground. He tried to lift her off, but his hands made contact with the silver locket and he howled in pain.

This was it, this was the moment when she would break his neck and call for Carmelo.

Taking a deep breath, Lilly leaned in but the boy's face changed suddenly. His fangs withdrew back into his gums and his red eyes returned to their natural shade of brown. Flummoxed, Lilly knew she wouldn't be able to do it. She couldn't hurt him. His hands and his head flopped to his side, as if the contact with the silver had made him pass out. She pushed his head with her nose but he was still.

Climbing off of him, Lilly didn't know what to do and she turned when she heard someone approaching.

"Lilly... look out!" yelled Carmelo as the young vamp suddenly regained consciousness and grabbed her from behind. Seconds before he would have sunk his fangs into her back, Carmelo was on top of him. There was a loud crack and Lilly was released, dropping to the ground. She quickly regained her footing and turned to see just as the vamp's neck was broken in a loud crack, before his head was ripped from his body and thrown aside. Had she been in human form, Lilly felt she would surely have thrown up.

Looking up at Carmelo's face, she saw him like she had never seen him before. His eyes glowed red and his pale skin seemed to gleam in the dark. The expression was one she couldn't quite pinpoint but his hands were covered in blood. He breathed deeply and turned to her, shaking his head.

"Lilly, don't ever take your eyes of off a vampire like that. The silver slowed him only temporarily. He could have killed you... or he could have changed you. Did he draw blood?"

Lilly shook her head as Carmelo walked over to her to see if any damage had been done but he was satisfied the vampire had been killed before his fangs had reached Lilly's skin.

Sammy flew down and gracefully landed to their side.

"There's more... at least one over by the water and two more searching for you through the trees."

"Thank you, Sammy. Lilly remember what I said. Do not take your eyes off of them."

She nodded as he headed in another direction to find himself some more vampires to kill.

"Lilly, are you all right?" asked Sammy with deep concern.

She nodded at him before quickly running back into the trees. She heard Sammy sigh behind her as he lifted off the ground and back up to try and keep an eye on them from above.

Within seconds, she found another vampire. Another new-born. Lilly knew because the woman wasn't being cautious. It gave Lilly the confidence she needed and she jumped on her back. The vamp thrashed from one side to the other but to no avail. Lilly's claws were well and truly stuck in.

Now knowing she had no choice, she had to kill or be killed, she opened her jaws and bit down on the neck of this vampire, who was once just an innocent middle aged woman. There was another loud crack and the woman suddenly stopped moving. Lilly had done it. She'd broken her neck. All she needed now was Carmelo to finish her off.

She howled, knowing she was attracting attention to herself, but there was no other way of getting him to come back to her. The vampire wasn't dead yet and there was no way she was going to leave her body alone.

Sammy flew down from above. "You okay?" he asked again and she nodded.

They were joined by Carmelo who rushed straight to the blond-haired woman. He knelt, grabbed her head and twisted it from her body before she could even come to.

"There's two more in here somewhere," whispered Sammy as he once again lifted himself up into the air. "Look out!" he yelled as he spotted them both coming at them from opposite directions.

"Sammy, go! Fly upwards. You're safer up there," yelled Carmelo as Lilly watched her close friend do as he said.

These two were clearly not new-borns. They were working together, a planned attack.

Carmelo and Lilly stood back to back, facing away from each other, ready to pounce but the vampires were keeping themselves well hidden.

"Well, well, well... if it isn't Carmelo. The now mighty vampire from the Mountains," said a husky female voice, "here in Tofino with his little pet cat, Lilly. Isn't that nice? You taking your cat for a walk, Carmelo?" she laughed, the sound echoing through the wooded gardens.

Recognising the voice, Carmelo answered, "Dharma?"

Laughing, she began to sing,

"
A ring, a ring o' roses,
A pocket full o’ posies,
Atishoo atishoo YOU all fall down
"

"I thought you were dead?"

"No, Carmelo... you simply left me for dead. Lying there, in a pool of my own blood and vomit, my body slowly decaying while I was still alive."

"Dharma, they told me you were dead... I had no idea."

Suddenly, a beautiful young woman appeared from beneath a huge leaf that hung from a wide wonky tree. Her pale skin gleamed in the moonlight, just as Carmelo's had previously. Her eyes were pale blue and her shoulder length curly hair was silky and blond. She was wearing low slung brown suede jeans with a tight cropped cream T-shirt. Lilly thought she looked like a modern day Marilyn Monroe, all sweet and innocent, but with extreme danger lurking beneath.

"Well, they were wrong. I was dying. I was in agony. And YOU left me there. If it wasn't for Duran, I'd be dead right now," she spat, "Duran saved me and so I will do anything for him. Including taking your little kitty cat to him," she pouted.

"No, Dharma, I don't think so," was all he said before he lunged for her, but she too was quick. Within seconds, she was sitting high in the tree above them.

"Tut, tut, tut, Carmelo. After all this time, I thought you'd be much faster. You clearly haven't been working out."

As Carmelo tried to catch Dharma, the other vamp had been stalking Lilly. They circled each other, neither of them quite ready to pounce. Lilly watched his every move carefully, fully aware that he wouldn't be anywhere near as easy as the others.

Although he looked in his mid-twenties, Lilly knew he'd been a vampire for many years. He knew what he was doing, and it worried her.

He too had curly blond hair, but he was scruffier than Dharma, wearing ripped jeans and an old greying T-shirt. Unlike Dharma, he didn't speak a word. He just watched her with his piercing dark eyes. She knew when he was ready to attack, they would change colour and become red and glowing.

So she would bide her time and not attempt an attack of her own until Carmelo was able to help.

But Sammy was watching from above and he had other ideas. There was no way he was going to sit back and watch Lilly get attacked so he swooped down and grabbed him from behind, pushing him to the ground. But before Sammy knew it, the vampire had turned round and was back on his feet. His fangs were on full display and his gleaming red eyes glowing in the dark.

He grabbed Sammy and flung him into the nearest tree trunk with a thud. Lilly listened as Sammy's heart rate slowed dramatically. She had to do something and so she reacted.

Running as fast as she could, she threw herself onto the blond-haired vampire and bit him hard on the back of his neck, he yelped but he was strong. Stronger than she could have anticipated and he grabbed her and flung her around to face him. He smiled before throwing her full force away from the others. As she flew through the air, she braced herself for impact. She was a cat, after all, and cats always landed on their feet.