“Lilliana.” His voice shivered through her and she turned around.
“Hello, Damien. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” She turned back around. She was in the middle of hanging lights up around the meadow, weaving them through the fence in an artful way.
“What are you doing?”
“Hanging lights.”
“For the party.” It was more of a statement than an actual question, but she answered anyway.
“Well of course. Not everyone will be comfortable in the front and there isn’t much in the way of lights back here.”
“What is the point of this party?” She looked at him over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow, fighting the tremor of desire he inspired in her.
“Since when does fun require a reason?”
“And you think the pack wants this?”
“I know they do. All the women are excited, and the men pleased to gather with one another. The children will have a chance to play, and there will be food and music for everyone. Why, is this a problem for you?”
“You hide them well, but you have hidden motives.”
“Yes, I’m so very diabolical that I’m hanging party lights.”
“Diabolical? Perhaps.”
“Did you have a problem with a party?”
“Look at me Lilliana.” She stopped wrapping and turned to face him. God, he was attractive. He moved close to her but didn’t touch her, though she could tell he wanted to. “What are you hiding?” She gave him her secret smile, the one that said she was hiding something and was gratified by the darkening of his gaze.
“I’m a woman Damon. I’m hiding many things. Which thing, in particular, would you like revealed?” He simply stared at her. She had been overtly flirting and it was swiftly obvious that this was new for him. “By the way, last time you were here I saw you looking at the bookshelf. I’d recommend ‘The Forest of Hands and Teeth’ If you’re looking to borrow.” She turned and kept wrapping. He put himself in front of her and pulled her close, putting his hands on either side of her face.
“Playing games with me is unwise.”
“What game is it you think I’m playing?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I am asking you.”
“Well, my first objective with this party is to stop you from avoiding me, which I knew you would be doing.” He growled and pulled her closer. “The other reason is that I have a new family, and where I come from; families get together and drink and laugh and eat together, simply because they feel like it. A party fulfilled both objectives.” She stepped into his arms and took his face in her own hands. “And no matter how much you are used to being alone, you still offer your protection to me and everyone else. But being alone all the time is as dangerous as a gun to the head. Sometimes alpha’s need someone to protect them too. So come to the party, and be with me and the rest of your pack.”
“You are infuriating.”
“Is that because I’m right?” He growled and leaned his forehead against hers.
“I will be there.”
“I’m glad.” She smiled at him.
“Where did you come from?”
“Well, apparently I came from America, but then again I might be an alien.” He smirked and released her.
“It would explain much.”
“Oh?” She grinned and whacked him in the arm with a strand of party lights. She could tell he was amused, and then his eyes became serious.
“You come from a place where women are as educated and dominant as men. Where people end a relationship because it simply does not suit them, or because one of them is jealous. I will be jealous, I will be possessive, and if you are my woman you are mine.” He growled on the last word.
“If, when I know you better and I become yours, I can live with that.” He backed away from her then, his face unreadable, and began walking away. “Damien! Wait there one moment please!” She ran into the cabin and came back out moments later, running up to him. “Here.” She handed him the book she’d recommended earlier.
“The book you were speaking of?”
“I was serious about it being a good book. You can borrow it.”
“I will return it when I have read it.” She smiled at him.
“I’ll see you at the party.” That was when the gun went off and a bullet grazed her arm and embedded itself in his chest. He pushed her to the ground, fast and silent and pulled her beneath him.
“Stay down.” He muttered.
“You were shot in the chest.” She whispered. He looked down at her and kissed her hard and fast, stealing her breath. And then he was gone.
She rolled over onto her stomach, hoping to see something but she saw and heard nothing. There was only silence and the hum of electricity to her cabin. Then there was a scream. She ran into the house and grabbed her father’s rifle. Then she went around front to see Damien beating a man. It was obvious the man was unconscious. She put the rifle down. “Damien?” He barely paused. “Damien!” This time he stopped.
She walked over to him and grabbed his arm. “Damien let him go.” Damien let go but he was rigid and unmoving. She was aware of Klaus loping over. “Klaus stay back. Someone shot at us. We probably need a perimeter check.
He nodded and muttered to a few of the other wolves. She moved forward and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his chest. That seemed to wake him up, and he immediately backed away, barking orders and not looking at her. Klaus walked over.
“You’ve done well.”
“What do you mean?”
“In his mind, though he doesn’t admit it to himself; he already sees you as his.”
“I have my doubts about that. But who is this guy and why did he shoot us? Who was he aiming for, me or Damon?”
“Good questions, and ones we must find the answers too. Your party will still happen, but the males will be on security.”
“Are you sure the party is still a good idea?”
“The whole pack is excited about it. It is the first gathering they have had in over a century that wasn’t a war council or holiday. Morale is important too.” She nodded. It wasn’t cold outside but she shivered anyway.
New years
The party was a rousing success. Everywhere she looked there were smiles and laughter. People were telling jokes, most everyone was in human form. Even Damien had turned up.
She hadn’t seen him since the night the hunter had shown up. Her father apparently had used his one call to summon another hunter. They were all on alert and would be for some time. None of them knew how extensive the hunter network was or how determined to come after them. But Lily was determined that she wasn’t going to live in fear. She’d dealt with those things with her father, and knew that was no way to live. Except that now she was being ignored by Damien. She didn’t want to talk to Klaus about it, she wanted to talk to Damien about it, but he would barely look at her.
***
He watched her moving about in her kitchen, making more food for his pack. She was taking care of them in a way it had never occurred to him to take care of them. She was meant to mate an alpha, it was obvious. But she deserved an alpha who was less likely to lose it and beat someone to a pulp in front of her. His mind had gone to a place it hadn’t visited in centuries since last he’d been in a true battle.
He could only look at her when she wasn’t looking back because instead of the desire and respect he had seen before he knew it would be fear that looked back at him now.
“I don’t think you know me well enough to make that assumption.” Her voice was quiet and he turned around.
***
“Pack bonds work both ways apparently.” He stepped out of the shadowy doorway looking out the window at his pack. “You heard my thoughts.”
“I caught the gist.” She moved closer to him. “You were just protecting me.”
“I was enjoying the feel of crushing an enemy beneath my fist. I got carried away.”
“And you were protecting me.” He refused to meet her gaze. It was unheard of for an alpha but he couldn’t face it now.
“Perhaps.”
“Please look at me.”
“No.”
“Why?” She sighed when he didn’t answer and went up on tiptoe, softly kissing his cheek. “Please at least eat something.” He wanted to kiss her more than anything in the entire universe right then. She was searching for the foil when Klaus walked into the kitchen, grabbed her and kissed her. Damien saw red.
***
Klaus was a good kisser and all but there were none of the sparks that happened when it was Damien. Furthermore, she was really confused. She and Klaus had always had more of a sibling vibe than anything else. Suddenly Klaus was ripped off of her. Damien had him up against the wall, fangs bared.
“Oh, my god! Damien let him go! Please!” She pulled on his arm somewhat ineffectually. Damien let go, but just barely.
“You dare challenge me, Klaus?”
“Not a challenge Alpha. I was making a point.”
“And what point was that?”
“You were jealous, even though you know there is no possible way she and I would be together. You know we see each other as siblings and yet you reacted every bit like a jealous male protecting his mate and you know it.”
“Why are you doing this Klaus?”
“Well, for one thing, the tension between you two can be felt through the whole pack. For another thing, I love you, man.” Damien blinked. “You raised my brother and me, you live and breathe for this pack, yet you are always alone. This woman here wants to love you. Let her.” Without further ado, he walked back outside.
“That was unexpected.” She muttered.
“You want to love me...”
“Well, that would be the eventual goal yes. That’s sort of the point of dating.” He looked up at her and Lily could have sworn he was searching her eyes for something and was surprised he wasn’t finding it. “What?”
“I lost control in front of you, and nearly beat a man to death before your eyes.” Lilliana was a tad confused at the play by play.
“I know. I was there.”
“And you do not fear me?”
“Because you protected me, and this pack from a hunter? No.”
“I think you do not understand how easily that could have been an innocent. I did not stop to ask questions Lilliana. I meant to kill him, and make him suffer.” It dawned on Lily that he thought she should be terrified of him.
“That’s a bit scary. But I’m not afraid of you, and it doesn’t change the way I feel.”
“Do you have a death wish?” His voice was intense with anger, desire, and self -loathing. It was a combination she hadn’t expected from him.
“Of course not! I want you.”
“It’s the same thing.”
“Damien, please...” Before she could touch him he was gone, moving out the door so fast she knew she would never catch up to him. So it wasn’t that he thought she wasn’t sincere after all. He didn’t think she should want to be with him because of who he was. That was a whole different can of worms, and she was going to have to handle this a different way. The time for playful games was over. Now it was time for a serious conversation.
“Boris!” The younger male poked his head in the window.
“Yes?” He was an eager young man, ecstatic to be finally counted among the adults; and puffed up with pride that he’d been trusted with guard duty.
“Where does Damien live?” Boris was so eager to help she knew she could get the answer out of him, and she meant to.
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