Lily
Lily pushed against the heavy barrier that prevented her from going to her friend, her dear-spirited Ruby, who lay like a broken doll in Talon's arms.
"Ruby?" she cried, feeling a surge of tears as her nails clamped down on the heavy arm pressing against her belly. "Ruby!"
"Take her upstairs!" Varian shouted as he latched a tight grip on Lily's arm.
Talon whisked by them, moving toward the stairs with an abruptness that stirred the hair on Lily's shoulders.
She took a breath in a slight daze and turned sharply to follow.
"No, Lily," Varian said sternly, his grip tightening.
She whirled on him, her eyes teary and angry. "What do you mean 'she's been turned'?"
He reached up to cup her cheek and she jerked away from him, "Lily-"
She started for the stairs and he seized her up in his arms and moved toward the couch. "Damn you!" she cried, flailing wildly against him as he set her down.
Varian
Varian settled beside her and gripped her shoulders tightly. "Listen to me, Lily, your friend is very alive but not stable, you can't go near her."
Lily paled, "What's happened to her?"
His mouth thinned into a grim line but before he could reply, Blanch strolled into the room, her blue eyes peering beyond him to something at his back.
He gathered to his full height and turned, and felt a rage pull within him.
"Marguerite." He hissed.
The ethereal stone beauty casually strolled into the room, her eyes like ice as they settled on Lily.
"What have you done?" Varian growled.
Her cat eyes narrowed sharply as she turned his way, "What have I done? I didn't bring the human into our midst." She snarled.
Varian took a step toward her, "You turned a human? What were you thinking?" he demanded.
The lines of Marguerite's face grew taut, "I was bored-" her eyes wavered to Lily, "-and hungry."
"You bitch!" Lily leapt from the couch but Varian was quick to cease her flight with one arm. "You've killed my friend!"
A long, drawn growl issued from Marguerite's throat as she narrowed her eyes shrewdly on Lily. "Watch your tongue, human." Her mouth parted and she bared her fangs.
"Blanch-" Varian growled, "Take Lily from the room."
Blanch moved forward and gently pried Lily from Varian's grasp.
Marguerite raised her chin as the two women left the room and turned a haughty glare on Varian. "Your human is out of line."
"You are out of line!" Varian exclaimed, seizing her arm in an iron-grip that drew a sharp breath from her throat. "Best you not forget who you're talking too, Margie." He warned in a low, steady growl. "I can end you without notion."
Her jaw tightened with her suppressed anger, "I had no choice-" she snapped, "-it was either kill the girl or turn her. She knew what I was."
He considered her words a moment before releasing her, "It was an impulsive move." He stepped back and glanced toward the stairs. "We have other matters at hand and you've worsened those matters tenfold."
Marguerite eyed him anew, "What matters?"
He sighed heavily, "Wolf."
She stiffened, "Our treaty wasn't broken, I saw to that when I turned the girl-"
He shook his head, "Not the girl, but the scientist."
"What about it?"
"A wolf trailed us tonight, he's knows about the scientist."
Marguerite took a wayward step back, startled from her stoic composure. "Have you told the council?"
"No-" he said quickly, "I have reason to believe that the wolf wishes to keep peace."
Marguerite snorted, "The wolves have sought reasons for centuries to bring havoc upon us, what makes you think this one lone wolf wouldn't hesitate to warn his clan?"
His eyes darkened intensely upon her, "Your impulsiveness would be reason enough to provoke the wolf-do not think I will let this go unaware with the council. You turned a human without consulting with your kindred-heed my warning, do not do it again."
She tilted her chin and glared purposefully at him, "I did what I thought was best for my kindred-what do you do?"
He felt his fangs lengthen as his anger intensified. "Lily is none of your concern, and if you have any foolish notions of harming a hair on her head, for the sake of your wellbeing, you best discard them."
Inhaling a deep, unsteady breath, Marguerite gathered her dress in one hand and stormed from the house.
Varian stared after her, mentally cursing the vampire who sired her centuries ago, but damn her brash and foolish nature-she'd turn Lily's friend into a vampire.
Whether it set well with him or not, Marguerite had been right about one thing-if she hadn't turned her and left her human, the council would have eventually sought her out and killed her.
Lily
Lily paced the room that which Blanch had unwillingly decided to barricade her in. She felt as though her heart would palpitate straight from her chest, she'd fought against the tears that threatened to consume her, fearing if she let them go, she'd unravel into a certain mess.
She had to keep her composure about her-for Ruby.
She pivoted and regained her pacing. She couldn't even imagine the terror Ruby must have felt in that moment or even the horror of what she must be feeling now.
She couldn't have cared in that moment that Marguerite was a deadly and volatile vampire. She felt empowered, capable of staking a vampire as easily and swift like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or even Blade.
Her chest tightened painfully.
Ruby.
It was all her fault, if she hadn't asked her to go the house and retrieve Charlie, this would have never occurred.
Depleted of all her rage and foolish empowering thoughts, she sank heavily to the floor and cradled her face in her hands.
"It's not your fault." A deep, steady voice said to her from across the room.
She lifted her head and met that dark, velvet stare. "How could it not be?" she said despairingly, "If I hadn't-"
He enclosed the space between them and knelt before her, taking her trembling hands into his own. "It may seem unfair and terrifying, and your anger is justified, but you have to understand that what Marguerite did was in your friend's best interest."
Dismayed, Lily shook her head, "No-"
"Lily-" Varian said gently, attempting to make her understand. "Your friend would have died if she hadn't done what she did. My kindred would have sought her out the moment they realized a human knew of them. It is deadly to a human to know of our kind. We cannot risk exposure and will resort to two means of preventing it." He loosened his grip and added, "Marguerite shouldn't have turned her in the manner she did, but it is done and cannot be undone-but what's important is that she is alive."
"You cannot expect me to accept this." Lily said solemnly.
"You'll have no choice, because sooner or later, it will be you turned."
She wrenched her hands from his and pushed herself to her feet. "I would rather die." She declared angrily, "I won't be what you are."
He loomed above her and raised his chin, the muscle at his jaw tightening. "Perhaps you should weigh the comparison of my supposed monster to the likes of your father."
She flinched as though he'd slap her, "I'm not talking about him."
"Why not." he snarled furiously, "What father takes a blade to his own child?"
"Stop it!" she snapped, "I don't wish to speak of this."
Varian
He grabbed her roughly by the arms and shook her gently, "He lured you into a trap, eager to serve you on a silver platter to a ravenous creature-" he released her and stepped back, "-in retrospect, he's more beastly then even a vampire."
"Damn you!" she cried painfully, striking out at him with balled fists. "Do you wish to hurt me?" he was startled to see a single tear streak her pale face. "Do you want to make me look more like a fool then I already am?"
A pang of guilt struck him squarely in the chest at the hurt portrayed in her teary eyes. He reached out and grabbed a flailing fist and tugged her gently in his arms. She struggled as he buried her against him but he simply wrapped her close while shudders passed through her.
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