Blood Lily (Lilith Adams Vampire Series Book 1)

by Jenny Allen

  A huge smile curled her lips and she lunged forward, kissing his lips and hugging him tight. When she pulled back he had a giddy grin on his handsome face. “You’re brilliant!” Then she remembered just what was so important about that tin. “The blood sample. Dammit. I told him I was having some blood tested. I didn’t tell him where I got it, but if he knows exactly what our mystery man is looking for. He might assume it’s what they want. We can only hope that Spencer’s blind trust isn’t mutual. What time is it?” She squirmed trying to dig her phone out of her pocket and nearly fell off Chance’s lap.

  His arms caught her and he chuckled. “Hold on Tornado Lily. It’s just after nine. Why?”

  “Dammit. Hopefully he’s still at the lab.” She finally managed to wiggle her cell phone free and immediately dialed Goditha Labs. “Richard, good evening… Yeah, about the truck, I’ll have to replace it for you… No, no. I’ll explain later. Is Dr. Nichols still there?... When did he say he’d be back in?... Okay, thanks. I’ll come by then.” She leaned her head back against Chance’s shoulder with a frustrated sigh. “He won’t be back in the lab until one a.m.” Distantly, she recognized how comfortable Chance’s arms felt, even through her agitation.

  Comfort wasn’t what she needed right now, she needed answers. “Maybe we should head to the lab. Dr. Nichols might have left something for me. Maybe some notes, a message, a file, something.” She started to slide off Chance’s lap with frantic energy, but his fingers twined in hers, tugged her lightly back.

  “Before we run off to play super cops and while we have a minute…There’s something I wanted to say.”

  Lilith turned to look at his handsome, vulnerable face and slowly lowered back onto his lap with a confused look. “What is it? Are you okay?” Concern started creeping over her spine. “Did something happen to you? Whitmore didn’t hurt you did he?”

  Chance’s light chuckle erased all her worry and he smiled bright at her. It was a breathtaking smile that she hadn’t really seen before. “I’m fine, Lily.” His warm hazel eyes dropped, staring at her fingers twined with his. “I…uh…well I’ve had a lot of time to think about things today and… You were right.” He shook his head softly and finally met her eyes again. “You were right about everything you said outside of Miriah’s office.”

  It took her a few minutes to even remember what she’d said. It seemed like a lifetime ago, not just the night before. “Chance, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said any of it. It’s not my place to judge…”

  He pressed a single finger to her lips and smiled. “You were right, Lily. Just let me say this okay? I’m a bodyguard, not a poet.” When she smiled he dropped his finger reluctantly from her lips. Her whole body tingled and for once it wasn’t from fear, but anticipation. “I’ve been hiding behind Gregor, behind his threats. Sure in the beginning it was because they really scared me, but then…I guess I just got used to it. I started to think Gregor was right, that you were better off on your own. I guess…part of me was terrified that it was true and it was easier to pine over you in secret than to take a chance. I convinced myself that you’d never be interested in someone like me and just lost myself in one night stands and work.”

  “Is there a point here somewhere?” Lilith pulled her fingers from his and rubbed her hands over her arms. She wasn’t good at this. Chance was baring his soul and all she could think about was the one night stand part. She had no room to judge. Her romantic life was a mess of failed relationships and she’d had her share of one night stands.

  She always thought she gave everything to make them work, but it wasn’t till after things were over she realized she was never really herself in a relationship. How can you give someone everything when you lose what you are in the beginning? In the end you’re only giving a lie and breaking your own heart in some masochistic cycle. A couple years ago she got tired of getting her heart broken, just gave up and dug into work to keep her company.

  Chance slid his hands up her arms, finally resting at her shoulders. “I’m tired of hiding, Lily. I care about you, I’ve always cared about you. So I guess what I’m saying is…when all this is over and we get back to New York…I’d like…” He swallowed the lump in his throat and brushed a hand over her blood-caked hair. “I’d like to take you on a real date.”

  Lilith blinked at him for a few seconds and finally bit back a laugh. He started to frown and she reached out, her palms cradling his face. “Oh no, no. Don’t be upset. Please.” The frown turned to something worse, a wounded look that was beginning to boil over into anger and rejection. “I’m sorry. It’s just, for a second there, I felt like I was sixteen all over again. A date just sounds so normal after everything that’s happened.” She pressed a petal soft kiss against his lips and she could feel all those horrible emotions draining out of him as his mouth softened against hers. Slowly she pulled back and looked deep into his eyes, willing him to feel what she felt. “I would love to go on a real date with you, more than anything.”

  An impossibly bright smile played across his soft lips that made her entire body shiver. “I’ve been waiting to hear that for almost thirteen years.” His arms squeezed her tight and he nuzzled a kiss against her cheek. “Spencer’s dead meat. There’s no way we aren’t making it back to New York now.” That teasing, casual grin was wonderfully familiar and it seemed like she hadn’t seen it in forever.

  Before she could comment, the door swung open and Cohen breezed in. His eyes ran over the chairs and finally saw them tangled up on the couch. An actual blush crept across his cheeks and he hesitated with his hand on the door knob as if he wasn’t certain if he should come in or just walk away. “Uh, Sorry, but there… well there is someone here to see you.”

  Alvarez’s stocky form filled the doorway and stopped dead in his tracks. “Now this is one hell of a seminar. Meirda Santa! You look like death.” Real concern flooded his face as he looked past the tangled body parts to really good a good glimpse of her.

  “I just need to wash up. I’m okay. I promise. What are you doing here, Philippe?” Lilith scooted off Chance’s lap to sit on the couch next to him.

  The concern slowly eeked away and was replaced with something else. “In that case, if you’re done playing house, Gregor would like to see you both at his hotel. I probably wouldn’t mention…” His dark, deep set eyes flickered between the two of them and then waved his hands through the air. “This. He isn’t in the best of moods and I don’t think he’d appreciate the rebellious romance.” His rolling Spanish accent was flecked with humor but mostly irritation. Somehow, she didn’t think it was all directed at her.

  “Alvarez. What are you doing here? Gregor’s here?” Her nerves started shaking again. This was all part of their plan. Spencer said it. One of the goals was to get Gregor here, and now he was a sitting duck. “Shit. It’s not safe. We need to get to Gregor and get him the hell out of here.”

  Cohen cut Alvarez off, stepping right up to Lilith. He lowered his voice as he leaned toward her, an unexpected menace pulling at his face. “We had a deal. You’re not leaving this station without me.” She could actually feel Chance bristling behind her.

  Lilith waved a hand in frustration. “Fine you’ll just have to tag along then. I don’t have time to argue with you.”

  “What the hell is going on, Lilith? Why do you look like you’ve gotten the crap beat out of you? And I’m not an idiot. I knew before you even left that you weren’t coming down here for some damn conference. Who takes a redeye flight on Tuesday for a weekend conference? And who the hell is this guy?” Alvarez jabbed a thumb in Cohen’s direction before running a rough hand over his receding hairline nervously.

  His voice was rising, his accent getting thicker as his frustration mounted. His dark, deep-set eyes were tired and impatient. She had a momentary stab of guilt. She’d lied to her partner about this whole trip to Tennessee, even if it was for good reason. Somewhere in his dark face, she knew he was upset about that, among other things. “Lilith, this is f
amily business. We do not have time to indulge the local police.”

  Cohen spun on his heel with open hostility, dropping all pretense of the country bumpkin, sweet-hearted cop. For the first time, he actually looked like something threatening and dangerous. “I am no mere police officer and I do not need to explain myself to you. My arrangement is with Lilith…not you.” The European tone strongly overcame the fake southern drawl once again. Tension swam around the room so thick that Lilith could feel it pressing against her skin.

  Chance was pulling himself off the couch while Alvarez and Cohen were staring down each other like they were entering a death match. In two seconds the situation would go from bad to hell. Lilith pushed between Cohen and Alvarez, putting a hand on each chest. She almost jerked her hands back. They felt blazing hot, like touching a hot pan. What the hell was going on?

  “Dammit. Compare dick sizes later!” Lilith swung her hard gaze at her partner. “Alvarez, do you seriously want to stand here pushing for a fight when Gregor is in more danger than even he realizes?” His face crumpled immediately, all the fight seeping away. It made her heart sink. Alvarez wasn’t just her partner, he was her friend, but she didn’t have time to coddle him.

  “And you!” Her eyes hardened as she focused on Cohen. “We have shit to talk about. If you want to hear the full story, stop picking fights with my people and get us the hell out of here.”

  Once they stopped puffing their chests and looked properly humble, Lilith pulled her hands back. “We all done?” She swung her wary eyes from Alvarez to Cohen to Chance. “Great. Now. The story is too damn long to run through it three different times. We’ll play catch up all at once.” Chance stepped up behind her as she spoke. He didn’t touch her, just stood solidly behind her and she felt stronger somehow. It was a physical feeling, not just emotional security. Something weird was happening to her and it made her feel completely out of sorts. “We all have a lot to talk about.” Her eyes rested on Cohen with a significant weight that definitely wasn’t wasted on him. Cohen nodded solemnly.

  Perhaps having most of the players in this drama in one place at one time would shine some light on this rat’s nest of random crap. She needed answers from everyone, especially her father.

  As they filed out of the office, into the police station, Chance leaned over her shoulder and whispered in her ear. “Remind me never to piss you off.” There was humor and something else…It took her a moment to place it. Desire, raw desire.

  “Still want that date?” Despite everything a smile tugged at her lips.

  “Are you planning on drugging me and selling my kidney on the black market?”

  “Uh no.” She couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Then, yes. You are pretty much a badass you know.”

  “Don’t get too excited. There aren’t any latex bodysuits in my closet.” Lilith bumped his shoulder without even thinking about it. There was a little twinge of pain but considering her arm might have been fractured an hour or so ago, it was pretty amazing.

  Chance whispered against her ear in a low rumbling tone. “Not everyone’s perfect.”

  Chapter 15

  The rag tag group was filing out of the office, heading straight for the front door when Whitmore stepped purposefully in front of them. His wrinkled face scrunched into a sour look as his eyes roamed over every single one of them, finally resting on Cohen.

  “What the hell is going on? You aren’t leaving.” Those beady eyes rested on Chance and he jabbed his thumb at him. “He’s not leaving. I told you we need to call the FBI, Cohen. And now you’re letting some…cop from New York City run off with our suspects?” The snarl he threw at Alvarez with the word “cop” definitely betrayed his racist thoughts. How…unexpected.

  The young detective moved to the front of the group, clapping a hand on Whitmore’s shoulder. With the two of them facing off like this, she realized the older Detective was a good half a foot shorter than Cohen’s lanky height. It looked awkward. Young, lean and tall versus badly ageing, overweight and short. Even if Cohen was human, it wouldn’t be a fair fight.

  “Bob, we have a lead, a promising one. The informant is a little skittish, so I’m gonna escort these folks to see him.” Cohen stooped, just a little, making sure his eyes met Whitmore’s. “I promise. If we don’t find anything, we’ll call in the FBI. You know as well as I do, if we call in the feds we’ll be cut out of the investigation. Just give me a chance. This kind of case is a career-changer.” The sweet, southern drawl was almost hypnotic as it rolled off Cohen’s tongue.

  Bob rang his hands nervously, an odd expression for him, considering his suspicious anger just minutes ago. “I should go with you. We are partners after all.”

  Cohen patted his shoulder affectionately. “You’ve been working this thing straight through since last night. Go home. Spend some time with Martha and get some rest. I’ll call you when I find something. There’s no sense in us both bein’ too tired to think straight.”

  There wasn’t even a little hesitation. “Yeah, Martha’s probably going nuts right now, you’re right.” Without even looking at the rest of them, Whitmore shuffled off toward his desk. It was the weirdest thing she’d ever seen. One second, he’s pissed off and demanding, the next he’s as demure as a kitten. Either Cohen really knew every button to push, or she’d just witnessed something else she couldn’t possibly explain. The list of things to definitely discuss with Cohen was growing by the second.

  Lilith waited until they were all outside, piling into Cohen’s unmarked cruiser to say anything. Alvarez was already in the passenger’s seat. Chance crawled into the back seat, which left Cohen hovering at the driver’s side. She glared over the top of the car at him. “What the hell was that?”

  Cohen glanced up at her, startled. “What was what?”

  Her eyes narrowed as she held onto the back door. “You know exactly what I mean. One second Whitmore’s about to throw Chance back in holding and call the FBI, the next minute he’s rushing home to his wife like some nervous house-husband?”

  “Martha’s not his wife.”

  That totally derailed her angry train of thought. “What?”

  “Martha. It’s not his wife, he’s not married.” There was a smug casual air to his smile that she felt the overwhelming urge to smack right off his almost handsome face.

  “Girlfriend, boyfriend, whatever. That’s not the point.”

  Cohen crossed his arms on the hood of the car, lounging like he had all night to banter away. A teasing smile crossed his lips. He was definitely enjoying this. A sparkle lit his cool grey blue eyes. Lilith frowned for a minute. Grey? Weren’t they… Cohen interrupted before she could finish her thought. “Martha is his dog, a basset hound, to be precise. I merely reminded him that she’s been cooped up all night and day.”

  Her face tightened in anger. “Just get in the damn car, Detective. We’ll talk about this later. There are more important things going on right now.” She slid into the car without another word, slamming the door behind her. They didn’t have time to play games, and apparently, that’s all Cohen wanted to do. She was definitely starting to rethink that whole concept of him being the good cop.

  Alvarez gave Cohen the address to the hotel and minutes later they were driving toward the Tennessee River District. Gregor’s rules of staying at hotels were pretty simple. Never stay at the most expensive place because you get too much attention from the staff. Never stay at the cheapest dump, because then it’s just suspicious, like you’re hiding from something. When it comes to hotels, strive for mediocrity. It usually meant the Marriot or a Holiday Inn and this time, it was the Marriot.

  The building itself, definitely was not mediocre. It was a modern marvel of concrete and glass perched on a hilltop overlooking the Tennessee River. The massive structure looked like a slanted A. One side went straight up over ten stories, while the other side slanted dramatically up to meet it, like half a pyramid. Huge glass windows mimicked the design on the front and a gla
ss elevator tower rose from the center, sticking up higher than the rest of the hotel. It was the most bizarre hotel she’d seen outside of Las Vegas. So much for subtle. Gregor seriously needed to learn how to view the pictures of the hotel before booking his room.

  Cohen decided to skip the Valet service and pulled right into a parking space in the middle of the somewhat vacant lot. “All right, time to share all our toys. Let’s go.” He jumped out of the car without waiting on anyone. He just kept striding purposefully toward the lobby.

  Alvarez glanced up at her as he pulled himself out of the car. “What is up with that guy?” His dark eyes stared after the young Detective in complete confusion.

  “I don’t know. I’m hoping we’re about to find out though.”

  Chance was the last one to climb out of the car. His eyes were fixed on the weirdly entrancing hotel. She caught a hard look on Alvarez’s face when his eyes moved to Chance. Before she could think of anything to do or say, Alvarez turned toward her and grabbed her wrist.

  “Lilith. I hope you know what the hell you’re doing.” He kept his voice low, but the anger was unmistakable. “I know Gregor told you to give me some fluff cover story. Fine. I get that.” It still stung him a little though. She could see that much plainly displayed on his slightly pot-marked face. “What the hell is going on with Chance?”

  A vibrant blush crept over her cheeks before she could even try to stop it. Any denial now would be an obvious lie. Not to mention that Alvarez had already walked in on them curled up on the couch like a couple love birds. “I don’t know. He’s just… he’s kind of amazing.” The flustered lack of words only started to irritate her. What business was it of his anyway? They had work to do. There was a vicious killer that needed to be stopped. Shouldn’t that be slightly more important than who she was making googley eyes at? The embarrassment turned quickly to anger and she tugged her wrist away from him. “We’ve got more important things to deal with than my romantic life, Alvarez.” She snapped the words and almost regretted them. More accurately, she would have regretted them, if they hadn’t been true.