“Have you ever met the one called Varden?”
“No. Nor do I want to. I think I’d better call your father and let him know what’s going on.”
“No!”
“Lily, he has a right to know.”
“He’ll take me home!”
“Would that be so bad?”
“If I go home,” Lily murmured, her voice barely audible, “I’ll never see Raedan again.” Curling up on the sofa, she closed her eyes. A moment later, she was asleep.
Ava sighed as she rose and left the room. Lily was going to hate her for what she was about to do, but she felt duty-bound to let Quill and Callie know what was going on.
Lily dreamed she heard her father and Ava arguing, only to wake up in her room in her father’s house and realize it hadn’t been a dream at all. Sitting up, she glanced at the familiar surroundings—the book case that took up most of the wall across from her bed, the corner fireplace with its white marble mantel, the antique dresser, the pale blue curtains fluttering at the window that overlooked the Hungarian stronghold that stretched away as far as the eye could see. The home of her grandparents, a primeval castle from which the Falconer family ruled the people, stood in the center of the walled city. Everything within the city had been built around that castle—homes, schools, shops, museums, theaters, parks, and a lake. It was ancient and beautiful.
Feeling betrayed, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and went to the window. Ava had called her father while she slept and he had whisked her home. She glanced at the small clock on the side table. A little after eight. It would be dark soon.
She wanted to be angry, but what was the use? Feeling resigned and heavy-hearted, she made her way down the winding staircase.
“Lily!” Her mother hurried toward her, arms open wide. “I’ve missed you so much!”
“I missed you, too,” she replied, though there was little animation in her voice. Looking over her shoulder, she met her father’s gaze.
“I’m sorry, Liliana,” he said. “But I couldn’t leave you in harm’s way.”
Callie released Lily and took a step back, her gaze meeting Quill’s as he closed the distance between them. For a moment, father and daughter regarded each other and then Quill enfolded his daughter in his embrace.
Lily resisted for the space of a heartbeat, then wrapped her arms around his waist and burst into tears.
Raedan felt Lily’s absence from the city the moment he woke from the dark sleep. Rising, he yanked on a shirt and a pair of pants, stepped into his boots, and willed himself to Ava’s house.
She opened the door before he knocked. “She’s not here.”
“I know. Where is she?”
“Back home, where she belongs.”
He stared at her, his eyes narrowed in disbelief. “She went home?”
“Her father came after her.”
“Because of me?”
“It’s none of your business,” Ava said, her hand curled around the edge of the door. “Go home.”
He put his foot in the way, preventing her from shutting him out. “Is she all right?”
“Yes. Goodbye.” When he made no move to leave, she began to chant softly, only to stop when his eyes went black.
“Your witchcraft won’t work on the demon,” he said, his voice low and filled with menace.
Ava took a quick step back, a trickle of fear icing her spine. Before she could say or do anything else, he was gone.
Heaving a sigh of relief, Ava closed and bolted the door. She had done the right thing in notifying Quill, she thought. The vampire-demon was the most fearsome creature she had ever encountered.
Chapter Sixteen