"I hope you don't mind me asking but how often do you drink," she asked looking curious. Lily couldn't hold back a sigh that escaped her lips.
"When it started every week or so, but lately I am not able to eat real food so I have to drink when I am hungry," she explained trying to keep as much bitterness out of her voice as possible and the queen gave a contemplative nod.
"But you can shift right into a lycan right," Crocell asked and she nodded a little freaked out by their looks of curiosity.
"How do you drink?" The queen asked, but Dorin answered her.
"I give her what she needs through, as she insists, a willing donor. I've been keeping her from actually feeding off the living until she has more time to actually practice control," he explained and the queen gave Dorin a curious look of affection.
"I am glad to see you are applying the past Dorin but be careful that it doesn't repeat itself," the queen explained and Lily bit her lip hard to keep from asking what they were talking about when another flash of emotion raced across his face. Everyone continued to bombard Lily questions for a while longer about her existence, Xavier and so on. "Interesting to say the least," the queen stated and they all agreed then Queen Hazar turned to Dorin.
"I know what I need to know. I believe my council is in agreement that we must do what we can to stop this man," She said looking around at the others. Each one agreed quickly and adamantly.
"What he is doing is going against the natural balance," Karya demanded.
"I'd never thought I would agree with you but on this I do," Crocell told her and the dryad gave him a sarcastic smile then flipped him off. Uriel laughed and shook his head at the two of them.
"Crocell why don't you take Dorin to see to the barracks to see how much aid is needed and how many of our warriors we will send. Uriel can you please have Jessie plan for some basic training for our guest, and Karya see what news the trees can tell you about the misguided beta," she ordered them and everyone nodded going to their duties. "I shall keep Lily company while you are busy with the preparations Dorin," she added. Dorin hesitated a moment but nodded.
"Now that we have the facts I would like to learn more about you, please let me hear your version of things," the queen asked once everyone was gone and indicated for Lily to sit down next to her. Lily sat down a little hesitant but told the queen what she wanted to know but kept certain things to herself. It's a shame this James didn't come with you. I have heard a bit about him already," the queen told her and Lily scowled before she could stop herself.
The Queen gave a soft musical laugh and her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Your story is an interesting one, especially the parts you choose not to speak of," the queen told her and Lily looked at her confused and shocked.
"I am going to tell you a secret Lily that not many people know, not even Dorin. When I was a little girl, I discovered that I could hear what people sometimes thought and knew things about them that I shouldn't have normally been able to. I am a seer, it was one of the reasons my maker choose to make me a vampire," The Queen explained. "So when you told me about your past I also saw the weakness that plagues your Alpha, you're sister's betrayal... and you're relationship with James," she continued and a small smile crossed her perfect lips when she mentioned him as Lily frowned.
"Don't let Uriel find out about your history with James. He's a defender of "true love" and will hound you until the end of time about it," the queen told Lily with a laugh. "I also saw you're not a normal hybrid as well," She added with a more serious tone and Lily's breath caught in her throat. "I am not King Silvano, your life is not in danger from me or anyone here," the queen told her plainly.
"I haven't seen much of Xavier in my visions but what I do know is he is having problems creating new hybrids like you," the vampire explained and Lily gasped quietly thinking in the children. "They are safe, Xavier is thankfully saving them for when he has figured out what is going wrong," the queen clarified.
"For now he is using vampires and the rogues he has captured but there is something about you that makes you special. Xavier doesn't know what so all his creations are monsters. Which is why he is glad you're here, he plans on taking you back as a prisoner to figure out what exactly is it about you that made you a success while others are raving psychopaths," the queen continued to explain.
Queen Hazar took on a very serious expression. "I have seen what happens if he achieves such knowledge Lily and it's terrible, more terrible than anyone can imagine. You must fight against Xavier, you and you alone. If anyone else goes after him or goes with you then Xavier will overcome you," she told Lily with a dark tone. Lily swallowed loudly with a nod.
"It's close to dawn time for me to rest for the day," the queen told her standing up with the smile on her face. "A room has been prepared for you Lily if you wish to rest," she explained and yet again the snooty boy returned to take her to her room. The room was huge, twice if not three times larger than her room in Andrew's house. The bed was the show stopper, though; she couldn't help but smile at the thought of sleeping with the most comfortable king sized bed she had ever felt while James got stuck with his little hard lumpy hotel room bed. She snuggled into the bed even more with a content sigh; life at that moment was good.
It was late morning when Lily had gotten up, showered, and dressed back into her ratty t-shirt and jeans but feeling like a new person, she had the best night's sleep in years! She sat on the bed crossed legged and dialed Greg's number.
"Lily, how are things?" Greg asked her once he picked up.
"Actually good Greg, it's amazing what a good night's sleep can do for a person," she replied with a carefree tone. "How are things there?" Lily asked with some hesitance really not wanting to hear bad news.
"Well it's official now, Tony is the new alpha," Greg told her and she frowned, realizing she had no idea how the change of power happened, but she had the idea it was something violent. Fearing for her father, Lily asked him for details.
"Normally there is a challenge which is basically a fight between the alpha and the competitor," Greg explained and Lily took a sharp intake of breath thinking of her brother and father pummeling each other to a pulp. "Don't worry Lily, that's not what happened here," he told her interpreting correctly her reactions.
"Instead of a challenge, Andrew passed the leadership to Tony willingly and no one got hurt," he explained and Lily let out a sigh of relief. "Though things are a little chaotic with the change of alpha, but I think things might actually be getting better around here. What's going on with you besides the wonderful night sleep?" Greg asked.
"Well let's see I have met a demon that looks more like the golden boy of surfing. A bad boy that is an angel who believes strongly in the idea of "true love" and a punk dryad. My life has become the definition of odd," she explained and Greg started laughing.
"Sounds like fun," he mused. They talked a little longer but Lily told him she had to go when someone knocked on the door, it was too early to be a vampire so with caution she opened the door. A brunette woman stood before her, she was about the same height as Lily with her smooth brown hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, and her green-grey eyes seemed to take in every detail around her. She dressed in a skin tight black tank top and black leggings just as skin tight as the top with a belt hanging on her hip that was home to a gun, stake, and a knife.
"Lily Nawassa?" the woman stated with a questioning tone and Lily nodded mutely, eyeing the woman carefully. "I'm Jessie Hart. The Queen told me to pay you a visit," she stated and Lily opened the door letting her pass. The woman walked into the room giving a brief look around. "Queen Hazar tells me you're going to come up with some nasty stuff and it's a good idea if you knew how to fight," the woman said, returning her gaze back onto Lily. "Do you know any fighting techniques or taken classes in self-defense?"