To say I wasn't freaking out would be a gross understatement.
Adrenaline and pure survival instinct was still pulsing through my body as we exited the vampire fortress and instead re-entered the mass of red. Well, as I did.
My entire being still felt taught as a bowstring and I needed to get some space-no I needed to get away. I needed to run, run away from the monsters behind me, both literally and figuratively.
Knowing that following me would mean exposure for my cold-blooded allies and that Bella wasn't anywhere near fast enough to follow, I threw caution to the wind and bolted.
Weaving through the crowd I quickly stole a red cloak from someone as soon as I turned a corner, not even vampire vision could see through walls. Walking briskly through the crowd I made my way to the northernmost part of the city and more importantly, the highest point of the city. There was a tower located a few meters beyond the perimeter of the town that I could only assume used to be a watchtower of some kind. Reaching the top I sat upon an overhang in silence, waiting for an old friend to arrive.
Minutes later I saw my savior descend from the sky and vowed to buy him as many doughnuts as he and Blackjack could consume.
Draco is my pal, my buddy, my pegasus. He has also been on his honeymoon in Europe for a year with his pegasus mate Aethusa.
"Hey boss lady. What is up?" I could only chuckle at his ridiculousness and return his hoof bump before climbing on. Let's say the flight wasn't lacking in conversation as I recounted how exactly I came to be in Italy.
Knowing the continental travel of my pegasus friend was in fact much faster than my counterparts and their private jets, I decided to stop off in Venice and visit an old friend.
And apparently crash his rager.
After Draco left to be back with his lady in Paris-
"Isn't Paris a little cliche?"
"Until you've had their doughnuts you can't tell me what's cliche and what isn't."
-I approached the perimeter of Nico's vacation abode, hoping Mrs. O'Leary wasn't anywhere near and was promptly smacked on the face with a balloon. There had to be almost 100 people here. In his tiny ass little house.
"What in Hades is going on? Nico?!" Let's say I hadn't expected Will to come and fetch me.
"Lily?! What are you doing here?! Did he invite you?"
"Invite m-no! What even is this?!"
Alcohol had been shoved into my hands by now and I still had no idea where Will was pulling me.
"Nico decided to throw us an anniversary party. And as you can see, its gotten a bit out of control."
I could not contain my shock as we broke through a group of grinding 20-somethings only to see Nico dancing on a tabletop, looking sloshed out of his mind.
"LILLLLLLEEEEEEYYYYYA! What'r you doin here?!" He'd somehow jumped off the table while taking another swing of the whiskey in his hand.
"Came by to see my favorite cousin but he seems a bit busy."
"Cooooome ooooonnnnnnnn! If I cam ve craziiiiii, so cwan you!"
Will surprised me by nodding in agreement. "Come on Lil, when's the last time you let loose?"
He wasn't wrong, it had been a long time since I'd just had a good time.
When I woke up the next afternoon in a dog pile with Nico and Will, I didn't regret anything. Mostly because I was still drunk. My attempt to sit up only dislodged the dogpile and my other two counterparts woke up.
"Are you guys sober? That's not faaaaaair?"
"Shhhhhhhhush." Nico was reasonably annoyed by my talking and Will's hangover seemed very minimal.
I still couldn't help the giggles that escaped me at their plight.
When it was obvious I wouldn't be sobering up anytime soon Nico called Mrs. O'leary and decided to just shadow travel me back to Forks. Only Mrs. O'leary dropped us off in the forest outside the Cullens residence before bailing.
"Why in hades did she drop us here? I don't wanna see them."
"More importantly, why did she leave me? If I shadow travel right now my head will split open and we'd end up in Narnia. And who's them?
"I believe that would be us."