Mine, Bitten

Chapter Seven

Lily

Later that evening, Lily stood in the lobby waiting for Ward. She felt a sudden anxiety as she waited and tried shaking it free of her hands.

            Why was she nervous? This was supposed to be exhilarating and exciting. This is why she had left Cove Neck, for an adventure, but suddenly that adventure seemed a bit nonsensical.

            A part of her, no matter how small that part may be, still yearned for a union with her father. Beneath the anger of being abandoned lay a dormant child, aching for her father's affection. She had never honestly considered herself a ninny; she didn't linger on buried feelings. She had been forced to grow up at an early age, deprived of a childhood and because of the velocity of maturing, she didn't have time to snivel over senseless things.

            Her heart ached with the loss of her mother, and the lack of her father's presence. She had been alone most of her life, why now, after all this time, should she let those feelings affect her?

Closing the door on any negative thoughts, she shifted her attention to the present. She affiliated her nerves with the upcoming events for the night. Ward had asked her to join him in achieving his research and she planned to take full advantage of that and more while in Romania.

            She hadn't realized that she was smiling until Ward stepped into the lobby and suddenly her smile furrowed as a group of men trailed at his heels.

            As he approached, she asked, "Are ten men really necessary to retrieve a bit of information on one animal?"

            His blue eyes glanced fleetingly over his men and for a moment, Lily thought he was sizing them, questioning his numbers. Did he truly think he needed more?

            He turned back to her and tugged on his fleece, a gesture of impatience as he said in a slightly irked manner, "You're welcome to return to your room, Lilith, if not, keep your questions to a minimum. We have a lot of work ahead of us."

            He swept past her and she merely stared after him in bewilderment. Was her intuition off or did she sense an unnerving air about him?

            As they left the lobby and Lily was struck with the cool, Bucharest air, she tilted her face to the subtle draft and smiled.

            When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see a black Kia Sportage sitting along the curve, with an identical make parked at its rear.

            Ward was methodical in many ways, one being very organized and prepared. She refrained from shaking her head and piled in behind him into the first jeep.

            She noticed he cradled a leather binder in his lap as the door slammed shut. "What is that?" she asked as the driver slid in behind the wheel.

            His spine was straight against the seat and his eyes trained forward, "My research."

            She had a deep inkling that he wasn't about to reveal the contents of the binder, so instead, she asked, "Do you have any ideas what this animal could be?" he was silent and so she continued, "A wolf or maybe a bear?"
            His elongated face remained implacable and his silence was beginning to pluck her nerves. She wasn't a curious child asking senseless questions. She had a right to know what they were getting into.

            "If you find my presence irritating, why did you ask me to come along?" she demanded.

            She watched him carefully and noticed his chest rise and fall with a sudden breath and than he surprised her. "I'm sorry, Lilith." He peered at her with his blue eyes, "This is all very new to me as it is for you I'm sure. I have a lot on my mind at the moment."