Memories: Volume 9 (The Lillian Rayne Series) (6 page)

“I’m
sorry to do this to you, but you have given me no choice,” he whispered. “Go to
sleep,” he ordered.

I
couldn’t fight the urge to follow his directions. I closed my eyes and drifted
off to sleep.

I
woke up slowly. My mind was still foggy. I couldn’t remember much of what
happened; it all seemed so foggy. I shifted trying to remember what happened. I
was in a bed with soft blankets. I sat up and looked around. I was in my room
in Lyle’s house. I was a little confused because I was alone. I remembered
Cornelius being with me, but not much after that. I swung my feet over the bed
and looked around. I wondered where Cornelius was. I decided to shower and
change before I went looking for him. I was still in the same clothes I was in
last night.

Once
I showered I found some clothes in one of the drawers. I was actually surprised
there were clothes for me. They obviously were planning on me to agreeing to
stay. Once I was dressed I walked out of the room. The house was quiet. I
walked down the hall, then down the stairs, into the foyer without running into
anyone. It wasn’t until I went into the living room that I found any sign of
life. Lyle was sitting on the couch reading something.

He
looked up at me and smiled as he set whatever he was reading aside. “It is good
to see you got some rest.”

“I
did. Have you seen Cornelius?” I asked as I sat down. I remembered being with
Cornelius the night before, but after that everything was a blur.

“No,
I thought he was up with you. You know how vampires are though. They come and
go as they please,” he said dryly.

“I
guess,” I said thinking about it. Cornelius did tend to just disappear. I just
thought it was odd that he was leaving me alone after he threw such a big fit
over me staying with Lyle.

“Perhaps
you should ask Colin. He is around here somewhere; maybe he knows where he
went,” Lyle suggested. He could tell it was bothering me. I was more bothered
by the fact that I couldn’t remember what happened once we got in the room.

“That’s
a good idea,” I said absently as I stood.

“Lillian,”
Lyle said quickly making me hesitate.

I
looked back at him. “What is it?” I asked watching him.

He
looked like he was slightly worried. “Are you sure you can trust Cornelius. I
understand that you love him, but even those we love the most can betray us.”

I
wasn’t sure what to say. To be honest, I wasn’t sure of anything. If I was
sure, then I would know where I belonged. The truth was I had no clue where I
belonged, and I wasn’t sure if I ever would. Without my memories, I had to
rebuild every relationship I ever had; like I was meeting every person for the
first time.

“I
really don’t know,” I said after a minute of silence. “I guess I am taking a
risk with him just like I am with you,” I said softly; then I turned and walked
out of the room. I didn’t want to think about it anymore. I was hoping to find
a way to keep myself busy so I wouldn’t have to think about it constantly, but
then I ended up here. I was back at square one. I had nothing to do, but obsess
over getting my memory back, and whether I was making the right decisions. I
wished I could say for certain I was, but I couldn’t. Hell I couldn’t even
remember the previous night with Cornelius. That fact was really bothering me
as well. I went in search of Colin hoping he might know where Cornelius went.

It
took forever for me to find Colin. The house was a lot bigger than it seemed.
There were so many extra rooms and passages. I finally found him in an office
upstairs. He looked up at me when I walked in the office. “I have been looking
for you,” I said as I shut the door.

He
leaned back in his chair as he looked me over. “I am surprised Cornelius let
you out of his sight, let alone let you near me.”

I
rolled my eyes. “I am not a prisoner. He is just worried about my safety. I was
actually wondering if you have seen him. I think he left last night, and I
haven’t seen him since.”

“I
don’t keep tabs on your boyfriend,” he said darkly.

“Come
on Colin; I don’t get why you all have to fight. Why can’t you all just get
along?” I asked impatiently.

“Someone
is trying to get to you Lillian. You may not want to believe he is the one
trying to hurt you, but what if he is?” he asked matching my tone.

“What
if you are?” I countered. “Or maybe it’s Drake or Lyle? There are so many
people to consider. How can I stay away from one person on the assumption that
he or she is the one trying to hurt me?”

“Cornelius
has a direct link with Eleanor. She is the one the curse on him that magically
disappeared. I hate to break it to you Lillian, but people do not magically get
over curses,” he said as he stood.

He
had a valid point. I didn’t know much about the curse on Cornelius, at least
nothing I could remember much about it. Cornelius mentioned that I fought to
get him back from it. I was again wishing I knew what was going on. I felt like
I had been thrown into someone else’s life and expected to play the role
perfectly. I looked up at him trying to decide what to say. I really had
nothing to say. I was suddenly worried that he was right. What if Eleanor had
gotten to Cornelius in some way? I pushed the thought away. I didn’t want to
believe it.

“I
should go,” I said as I stood abruptly. “If you see Cornelius, tell him I am
looking for him.”

“Ya,
sure,” he muttered; then he sat back down in his seat. It was obvious Cornelius
was not his favorite topic of conversation.

I
slipped out of the office and hurried down the hall. Just as I turned the
corner, I nearly collided with Tanner.

“Where
are you going so fast?” he asked amused.

“I
was looking for Cornelius; have you seen him?” I asked trying to keep my tone
light. I was worried, but I wasn’t going to let him know that.

“Nope,
not since last night. Is something wrong?” he asked looking slightly worried.

I
forced a smile and shook my head. “I am sure he is around somewhere.” I
continued on my way. I was determined not to talk about Cornelius any more than
I had to.

“I’ll
let you know if I see him,” he called after me as I hurried away.

“Thank
you,” I called back to him as I hurried down the stairs. As I was going down
the stairs, Drake was coming up them.

“Where
is Cornelius?” Drake asked angrily.

“I
don’t know; why?” I asked slightly worried. The tone of his voice suggested he
was going to start a fight.

“That
son of a bitch led them here. We have to go,” he growled. He grabbed my arm and
pulled me down the stairs with him.

“Drake,”
I said annoyed as I pulled my arm from his grasp. He stopped and looked at me,
and I glared at him. “Where are we going to go, and how do you know it was
Cornelius?”

“It
is him Lillian. I know…” he started, but then his eyes drifted to my neck, and
he trailed off. “You let him bite you?” I could see the fury in his eyes. His
question confused me. I really didn’t understand what was going on.

“What?”
I asked confused as my hand went instinctively to the place on my neck he was
looking at. I felt the two small holes, but I couldn’t remember Cornelius
biting me. “I don’t know. Not that I remember.”

“Damn
it!” he growled and hurried the rest of the way down the stairs without me.
“Lyle! The son of a bitch bit her. We will never be able to outrun him.”

“Then
we will stand and fight,” Lyle said firmly as he walked out of the main room.
He was carrying a shotgun.

“Whoa,
maybe they aren’t here for me. Maybe you guys are overreacting a little bit,” I
said hesitantly.

Drake
looked at me like I was a wishful thinker. “You really aren’t the same
Lillian,” he said then walked off. He was probably going to find Colin and
Tanner.

I
had to admit his words did hurt a little. The way he said it suggested I wasn’t
as good as the old me. Maybe I wasn’t. My eyes locked with Lyle’s. He was
watching me like he was trying to decide what to say.

“I’m
sorry Lillian,” he said softly as if everything they were saying about
Cornelius was true.

“He
didn’t lead them here!” I said angrily. I hurried back up the stairs without
another word. I would never convince them anyway. I wasn’t quite sure I was
convinced myself. The thought that Cornelius would betray me made my chest
ache.

I
walked into my room and slipped my guns back on. The way the others were
acting, it seemed like we were preparing for a war. I didn’t want to fight, but
I wasn’t going to be helpless either. If I absolutely had to fight; then I
would.

My
door opened, and Colin came in. “We want you downstairs. If they make a move on
the house we want to be able to protect you.”

I
nodded and walked out of the room past him. I wasn’t going to argue with them
anymore. They knew more about what was going on than I did. I hurried
downstairs, and Colin followed close behind me.

The
others were in one of the front room. Tanner was peeking out the window
occasionally. “Has anything changed?” Drake asked as soon as we walked in the
room.

“No,
they are holding their positions. As long as they continue to do that we won’t
have a problem,” Colin said as he moved over by Tanner and looked out the
window.

“Who
is they?” I asked looking at Lyle.

“Eleanor’s
people. They are witches and werewolves, so they are going to be difficult to
fight,” Lyle said without meeting my gaze.

“I
could just give myself up. I can’t die forever anyway, so what is the point of
everyone risking their lives?” I asked hoping to reason with them.

“That
is not an option Lillian. We don’t know the real reason they are coming after
you,” Lyle said quietly.

“Why
don’t we find out before we just go to war,” I said hoping he would agree. I
didn’t see why we were just attacking. There had to be a better way.

“Eleanor
reasons with no one, Lillian. The sooner you accept that, the happier you will
be,” Lyle said grumpily.

I
crossed my arms in defiance. I didn’t want everyone to risk their lives for me.
I wanted to talk to Cornelius. I couldn’t believe he would betray me. I didn’t
understand why he was here. He said he would protect me, but I didn’t see how
he was going to do that if he wasn’t here.

“Why
can’t we leave then? I get that they can track me, but it will at least give us
more time,” I argued. I needed more time. I needed time to find Cornelius more
than anything. I didn’t want to make a move until I knew what was going on. I
didn’t remember him biting me. There had to be a reason he did it. I couldn’t
believe it was so Eleanor could find me.

“We
are going to have to make a stand at some point. It might as well be now,”
Drake said answering for Lyle.

“This
is ridiculous,” I muttered. I was tired of listening to them. I didn’t think
this was the only way like they did. I walked out into the foyer trying to come
up with a plan.

“Where
are you going?” Colin asked following me.

I
turned and glared at him. “I don’t know, but I know this isn’t the answer. We
cannot honestly take on a bunch of witches and expect to win. It is suicide,
and I am not going to let it happen!”

“Lillian…”
he started, but he stopped midsentence.

I
was suddenly pulled backwards into someone’s arms. I didn’t have time to look
and see who it was. Colin cussed and lunged forward, but the sudden rush and
blurriness told me it was too late. Whoever had me was a vampire, and they
transported me before Colin could do anything.

My
vision cleared suddenly, and whoever had me released me. It all happened so
fast that I fell forward onto my hands and knees. I scrambled to my feet and
looked up at the man standing behind me. “Aubrey,” I said breathlessly when I
recognized him. I wasn’t sure whether I should be excited or terrified.

“You’re
looking at me like I am your enemy,” he said darkly.

“Are
you?” I asked cautiously. I didn’t see how he could blame me.

He
looked away for a second, then back at me. “Possibly; we will see how things
work out.”

“What
does that mean?” I asked defensively. “Where is Cornelius?”

He
sighed. “Cornelius has gone off and done something incredibly stupid; all in
the name of love. Now I am stuck here trying to clean up his mess.”

“Is
he okay?” I asked terrified. I didn’t want to find out something bad happened
to him. Maybe it happened because of me. The thought was almost too much for me
to handle.

“I
wouldn’t say he is okay. He is alive though, and that is all that currently
matters,” Aubrey said dryly.

“Where
is he? Does Eleanor have him?” I asked frantically. I knew it had to be her. Everything
that happened seemed to be related to her.

“Of
course, he turned himself over to her after he refused to give you up. She
found out anyway, and that is why the house was surrounded. So much for his
valiant efforts,” he said sarcastically. He was acting like the whole thing was
funny, and it wasn’t.

“Why
did you take me? Maybe I can reason with her. Maybe they will let him go,” I
said panicked.

He
laughed. “That is exactly what he thought you would do; which is why he
insisted I make sure you can’t do anything stupid. If you go to her, all his
efforts will be pointless.”

“Aubrey,
you can’t let them keep him!” I said panicked. I didn’t know where I was. We
were in a dark lit room. I figured he probably took me far enough away that I
couldn’t get back on my own.

“Lillian,
there is nothing we can do, but get killed ourselves. I am going to do him a
favor and keep you safe. It sucks that it has to be like this, but there is nothing
that can be done now. Cornelius made his decision,” he said simply.

“You
are his brother! You can’t just shrug it off!” I yelled. I was beyond furious.
I wanted to smack him across the face.

“That
is right! I am his brother, and that is the only reason I am babysitting his
girlfriend. If it were up to me, I would trade you for him,” he spat as he
glared at me.

“Then
trade me. I am not afraid of her. I would rather die myself than see him die
for me,” I countered.

He
looked a little startled by my request. I could tell he didn’t know what to say
by the blank look on his face. “You don’t know what you are saying,” he said
brushing me off. He turned to walk away from me.

“Aubrey!
Don’t brush me off like I am a silly little girl!” I said angrily as I grabbed
his arm and forced him to face me.

“You
are a silly little girl!” he countered as he glared at me. “You don’t think
about who you would be hurting if you died. Cornelius does not want you to die,
and neither does anyone else who has been working so desperately to keep you
safe,” he snapped as he yanked his arm out of my grasp.

I
was furious he was just going to walk away and leave me trapped here while he
made my choices for me. I was tired of it. I pulled one of the guns from its
holster and aimed it at him.

A
flicker of amusement crossed his face. “What are you going to do? Shoot me?”

“If
I have to; now take me back,” I ordered. I was surprised at how firm my tone
was. My voice didn’t waver. I wasn’t backing down on this. It was the first
time since waking up with Cornelius that I was sure what I wanted, and I wanted
to go back. I had to find Cornelius even if that meant dying myself.

He
scoffed. “No,” he said challenging me.

I
pulled the hammer back on the gun to show him I was serious. “Think about this
Aubrey. I don’t know you. You are nothing to me but someone who is standing in
my way. I am not that girl I used to be anymore. If you don’t take me back, you
are worth nothing to me, so I might as well shoot you.”

He
watched me in disbelief. “You’re serious,” he said starting to sound like he
believed me.

“Very;
I am not a prisoner. I can make my own choices,” I said quietly.

He
sighed in defeat and offered me his hand. I took his hand with my free hand. I
was careful to keep the gun trained on him. He pulled me closer to him, and I
pressed the gun into his abdomen as my eyes locked with his. “You are so
difficult,” he growled.