Finding Lily Read online

  Finding Lily

  By Emma Shade

  Copyright © 2014 Emma Shade

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form whatsoever without the prior written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  Finding Lily (The Secrets Series, #3)

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  CHAPTER FORTY

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  EPILOUGE

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Cover Design by Moonstruck Cover Design & Photography

  Photographer: Evond Photography

  Cover model: Hannah Harris

  This book is dedicated to my readers. Thank you for falling in love with the characters. You all make this journey well worth the ride!

  PROLOGUE

  ASHTON

  Being a vampire really sucked from time to time.

  Especially for Sam. He sat across from me at the kitchen table, face scrunched up in revulsion. His disgust with drinking blood and the fact he became lightheaded at the sight of it was problematic. I didn’t like it either, but it’s part of the job requirement for a vampire. Okay, yeah, I lied. Every time I consumed the thick, crimson liquid, it was like water to a man lost in a scorching desert. Sam, however, wanted to fight me tooth and nail about drinking the stuff. It drove me crazy. Almost enough to question why I changed him in the first place.

  After the nurse unhooked his life support machines, and before his parents arrived, Jeffery, Carlotta, and I slipped Sam out of the hospital. It didn’t hurt that the vampires on staff at the hospital were more than willing to assist us. Within minutes, we had Sam out, down the staff elevators, through the parking garage, and loaded into the car. The rest was history.

  Of course, times had changed over the last hundred years. The police questioned everyone on site and Sam was now the proud owner of a missing person’s report. A man doesn’t disappear this day and age. Especially from a hospital. We laid low for a while, but I had to constantly reiterate to Sam that a man on his death bed doesn’t walk around a week or two after disappearing to go to the mall. Thank God for online shopping.

  We took up residence in my home just north of Indianapolis, waiting for some sign of Liliana. We had hacked the security feed from both the hospital and the closest traffic lights, but all we got was a grainy footage of them loading into Alistair’s Hummer and driving away towards the interstate. After sending Carlotta and Jeffery on a wild goose chase all around the world, I started to doubt we’d ever locate her. Something had to give. Even Blake hung around, waiting on any clue regarding her whereabouts. The infuriating ass drove me up the wall.

  Regardless, I was glad to have his help as well as the help of friends who wanted to find her just as much as I had. Glancing at Sam, the biggest supporter of them all, I hid a smile behind my hand. He stared into the liquid as though he willed it to be wine.

  Frowning into his mug, Sam said, “Can’t we put this in a cup with a lid? Maybe a straw so I can’t see the blood? They have neat plastic cups you can wash now. Maybe one of those cool twisty straws would make it easier to drink.”

  “I’ll think about getting a cup. Quit fighting it, though. It’s not making this any easier, Sam.”

  He grumbled, “I just keep picturing those people missing all over the news.”

  I sighed in frustration. “You have to get over it. This is part of who we are.”

  “Is the blood from an animal or a human? You aren’t going to tell me, are you? If I knew this came from maybe a cow, named Bess or something, it might make me feel better.”

  “Shit, Sam,” I grumbled, “you have to drink the stuff, so get on with it. I even warmed it up for you.”

  “Speaking of warming it up. Do you guys use tampons and stuff to make a vampire version of tea?”

  I choked. “What?!”

  “You always hear the jokes about vampires and tampons, so I assumed there might me some truth to it.” He shrugged.

  “Hell, no. That’s disgusting! Why on earth would you think that’s a real thing?”

  Sam chuckled. “Oh, you know how rumors are. But glad to clear the air. That’s bugged me from the moment I woke up after changing.”

  “Good heavens, Sam. The things that you come up. You surprise me on a daily basis,” I said and pointed at his cup. “Now, drink the rest of that so we can actually accomplish something today.”

  Rolling his eyes, he groaned, “Gah. It’s just so...gross! The sight of blood alone makes me queasy, but the fact I have to drink the stuff is even worse. I mean, it came from something alive.”

  “You were the one who wanted to be changed if anything happened. Remember? This is part of it. What did you think vampires drank to survive? Tomato juice? Would you like some vodka and a celery stick?”

  “I don’t know. Tomato juice would make things much easier. A bloody Mary, even better. Wait...maybe not a bloody Mary.” Sam shuddered. “I mean, this tastes good and all, but it’s so thick...chocolate milkshake, chocolate milkshake,” Sam said as he tried to force himself to take another drink.

  Smacking my forehead, I grated my teeth. I was really trying for patience here. “Sam, you have to drink it. There’s no way around it. All you’re doing is fighting the inevitable.”

  Like the flip of a switch, his mood shifted. Sam’s narrowed blue eyes raised to mine, his pupils dilated. “Do you even remember how hard it was for you? I have all these weird urges that I can’t comprehend. People no longer seem like average humans, but tasty morsels. My vision and hearing increased tenfold, so it sounds like I’m sitting in the front row of a rock concert every day. I can feel other people’s emotions, like you being irritated at me right now. My stupid fangs break through when I’m the least bit angry, and now I have to drink blood to survive. So before you get all pissy, think about that for a minute. You seriously need to learn some patience.”

  Running a hand over my face, I sighed. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m on edge too. It’s been two months and we haven’t gotten any closer to findin
g Liliana. I’m going insane. You’re just adding to that madness.”

  “Well, from what I’ve gathered, Ashton, you were a complete ass. So was Blake, who by the way, is still as mad as a hornet at us for keeping the plan a secret from him. But we can’t change the past. The best we can do is learn from those mistakes and find Lily. I want her back home, too. Not out there someplace thinking I’m dead.”

  “Me too, Sam. Me too. None of us expected her to run.”

  After closing his eyes and taking a gulp of blood with a sour face, Sam shook his head. “I knew she would. That’s Lily. Even though she’s stronger than she gives herself credit for, her heart was still broken. She ran because she’s afraid of losing the people she loves. That’s how she copes. Instead of learning to be stronger through adversity, she pushes her emotions and the people who make her feel them away. But once she knows I’m alive, it’ll be okay. And I’ll strangle her for leaving.”

  I chuckled sarcastically. “Be real here, Sam. You know she’s going to be pissed at both of us for keeping this from her. If anything I’ve learned after living for a few centuries, is that people never react the way you think. Memories may fade, or people may tuck them away in the dark recessed of their minds, but they never truly forget the way you made them feel.”

  “That may be.” Sam grinned. “When we find her, and we will find her, I suggest that we all let her know just how she made us feel. Then I’ll strangle her for leaving.”

  CHAPTER ONE

  LILY

  Spread out on the grass, air pumped in and out of my lungs from exertion. Part of my training included running. I hated running. The only time I thought it appropriate was if you were chased by some crazy lunatic. Even then, it was iffy. “Exercise is important to your survival,” Jeremy had said. Screw Jeremy.

  Leaning against the tree beside me, Alistair’s eyes twinkled with amusement. We just dashed through the woods, Alistair screaming at me like a drill sergeant to maintain my pace with his quick movements. I wasn’t able to keep up, but I tried my best, which is why I laid in the grass covered in sweat. Of course Alistair never showed any sign of exhaustion during our sprint through the woods. Damn vampires.

  Don’t get me wrong, I thought exercise and staying healthy was important, but it wasn’t my idea of a good time. Hence why I hated running. The first part of my training was strength and endurance. And learning the vampire side of life. It wasn’t pretty no matter who tried to convince me otherwise. There was no sparkling in the sunlight in this world of vampires.

  Jeremy Morrow, Paige and Alistair’s boss, offered me a chance to start over. By working for this elusive group, I’d stay hidden and keep the people I love safe. Plus, I hadn’t had to suffer through watching Sam take his last breath.

  Conrad Steele, the epitome of my nightmares, took my best friend’s life without an ounce of regret. After a short hospital stay on life support, the doctor said he would live off machines again or his parents would pull the plug. That’s when I ran. I couldn’t watch him die or put more lives at risk. Despite the fact I doubted I made the right decision, there was no going back. This group of people kept others in line. Sort of like the police or FBI of the supernatural world.

  Even after I murdered Con with supernatural energy, my powers wouldn’t fully cooperate. In spite of everything, Jeremy still wanted me to take the job. But I wasn’t sure if Paige and Alistair felt the same. They knew I’d loved Ashton and Blake, and it’s as if they recognized my decision to leave would cause more pain than ease my grief. But that was neither here nor there. It was too late to change my mind. I was here to stay.

  In the wee morning hours, I spent time hiking, weapons training, and tried to outrun Alistair. He’d learned every single trick I attempted to pull on him. He was quick to catch on with my attempts to climb trees, swim in the creek, or even hide myself under rotten logs. Eventually he forced me to run, hoping I’d eventually gain vampire speed.

  The evening hours were spent with Paige, even though sometimes I’d rather jog than learn the conjurer side of things. Paige was a stickler. If I didn’t get it right, I’d be dragged through the training all over again. One thing she taught me, if anything, was how to block Blake from entering my dreams. I’d gladly put up with her bitchiness if it meant I wouldn’t have to face him.

  Alistair stretched a few times, dragging my attention back to him, and said, “You’re getting better. I’ll give you that. Even though you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, or so they say, you’ve kept me on my toes.”

  Staring at Alistair from the ground, I smirked. “Yeah, well, since we’re throwing around idioms, I think I bit off more than I can chew.”

  He chuckled with a shrug. “Well, keep your chin up. I’m going to let you get a break for now. Paige should be out here shortly.”

  “I can’t wait,” I derided, but to his retreating back.

  It was two weeks since we left Indianapolis and ended up in a remote location in Vermont. To be honest, training with Alistair every day sucked. He reminded me of Ashton, his brother. One of the men I left behind to start over. At first it was painful, but then I learned to focus on the differences between the two of them. A slightly crooked nose, his mannerisms, and most of all, his attitude. Where Ashton was warm and concerned, Alistair was cold and aloof.

  After taking a lunch break, I propped myself up against a tree to watch birds take flight and swirl through the sky in random formations. Summer was just around the corner and the heat crept in as though it were a thief in the night.

  I sipped the water from a bottle and sighed. My friend, Sam, was fatally stabbed by a man who could give the Devil a run for his money. The bastard was dead now, thanks to me, but it still stung. After Ashton and Blake pushed me away, I disappeared. I’d grown stronger for the most part and learned to push past the loss of Sam. But, then again, grief is a funny thing. Just when I thought I was doing so much better, the sorrow slithered right back in for a while. I missed Sam. Sometimes I wondered if he was buried with an elaborate affair. It would’ve suited him.

  Luckily I didn’t have to worry about it for long. Paige whipped out from behind the tree and held a knife at my throat. My training with her had begun. I froze and if looks could kill, she’d be dead.

  Paige removed the knife from my jugular and grumbled, “Well, I’m glad you defended yourself, Lily. What if I’d been some lunatic out to kill you?”

  “Please, Paige. We’re in the middle of nowhere. Unless you’re a character from a horror movie, I highly doubt I’m in danger. Besides, this sneaking up on me and trying to catch me off guard isn’t working anymore.”

  Through narrowed eyes, she snorted. “I have been told I’m a stark raving lunatic. Anyway, just because you’re not in danger right now, doesn’t mean that you won’t ever be again. You know that as much as I do.”

  “Fine. What do you want to work on today?”

  “I think that we should work on your little electrical powers.”

  I laughed, and said, “Like that would really help. I still can’t figure out how to make it work when I need it to. We’ve been over this how many times now?”

  “You just need a little encouragement,” Paige replied and snatched my wrists in her hands.

  Heat began to intensify where her fingers touched my skin. “What are you doing?”

  “Motivation. I’m not going to let go until you make me,” she said, her eyes lit with mischief.

  “Are you insane?!” I shrieked and tried to rip my wrists free. Paige’s hold was like iron. Pain blossomed through my wrists as though I held them in an open flame. “Let go, Paige!”

  “Make me, Lily,” she demanded and shook my wrists in her hands.

  The searing burn spread down my palms and into my fingers. God, it hurt. I cried out in pain. Paige had lost her freaking mind. The supernatural energy rushed through my body as the scorched skin on my wrists began to swelter with agony. All I felt was the pain and my body wanted to protect itself. My skin
crackled as sparks and electrical shoots crawled down my limbs towards Paige’s hands. When they connected, a crack rent the air. She soared midair as though an explosion detonated and landed a few feet away.

  Hands flew to my mouth in shock. “I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”

  Paige groaned and raked her hands over her face. She nodded. “I’m fine. Holy shit, that was some crazy assed power you had going there. I wasn’t prepared for that at all.”

  “Well, you were burning me!” I reasoned, pointing to one of my wrists that was bright red and blistered.

  “I guess we figured out that between the fight or flight response, you have a little more fight than I expected. That’s good. We can play off that instead of emotions. I don’t like emotions anyway. They’re messy.”

  “Are you going to burn me every single time we start our exercises? I don’t think that’s going to teach me anything, other than you’re a crazy bitch.”

  Paige snickered. “Nah. I got some other ideas in mind. I don’t feel like being shocked every day. I’m not that crazy.”

  And she spoke the truth, but not about her being crazy. She was bat-shit insane. Paige corralled me into a circle of fire and asked me to escape. She held me down and hit me repeatedly on the arms. And believe it or not, she actually cut me with her knife at one point. Nothing fatal, far from it actually, but it still had hurt like hell. Over and over again we acted out different scenarios until I was able to focus enough to use my internal powers without emotional or physical pain.

  This continued every single day after Alistair grappled with me, working on self-defense and weapons training. To say I was worn out would be an understatement of the century. I had more bruises than an old rotten banana. But I felt more confident than ever. Not only was I able to slam down a wall inside my head to keep out unwanted dreams and mental assailants, but could defend myself if necessary. Now, if I could keep everything together when we traveled on our first assignment...that would be a miracle.

  *****

  After a two months of arduous training, Paige and I were on our first assignment. Las Vegas, Nevada is an adult playground. Casinos line the strip and begged you to come in to gamble. Millions of big, flashy lights illuminate the night sky. The Bellagio fountains rumble like fireworks as they shot arcs of water into the air. Vegas show girls posed for pictures in front of casinos, and on the edges of the strip men snapped escort cards together to get your attention, hoping you’ll snatch up the advertisements. Beautiful women and men, dressed to the nines, strolled the strip looking for their next adventure. Tourists snap pictures and gawked at the sights, holding their alcoholic beverages in hand.