Awakening

The Lillian Rayne Series

Volume 6: Awakening

Ella Price

This book is a work of fiction, and does not
represent real events. Characters, names, places, and incidents are works of
the authors imagination and do not depict any real event, or person living or
dead.

Copyright © 2014 by Ella Price

All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or
distributed in any printed or electronic form.

First Edition: June 2014

Cover by AEPBOOKCOVERS.COM

I
stood outside my uncle’s house looking up at it. There were guards everywhere,
but they were young hunters, so I managed to avoid them. The guns felt heavier
in their holsters now that I was standing in front of the house. I was
determined when I was in the library, but now that I was here, I was finding it
hard to move forward. I had no problem getting rid of Julian. I was pretty sure
he was the one who attempted to kill Drake. He was the only hunter that would
use a gun. I doubted my uncle would sink so low, then again he had sunk lower
than I ever imagined.

I
wanted to avoid Tanner and my aunt getting hurt. I would have to convince
Tanner to get my aunt and himself out of the house before I even approached
Julian or my uncle. I thought of Tanner’s room, and I was suddenly there. I was
really getting the hang of this transportation thing.

Tanner
jumped when I appeared not far from him. “Jeez Lillian!” he hissed. He was
careful to keep his voice low so he wouldn’t alert others. I was glad he was
still on my side. I figured if he was going to tell on me, now would be a good
time.

“Sorry,
I just need to talk to you. There are guards everywhere so I couldn’t use the
front door,” I said slightly amused.

He
smiled too like he got the joke, then his expression immediately darkened. “The
shit is about to hit the fan. I heard there was some werewolf shot.”

“Yes,
I know. Drake is my wolf, and that is why I came. I need to confront Julian and
your father, but I want you and your mother gone. I need you both to leave,” I
said softly.

He
watched me for a second, then fear crossed his face. “You think it’s them, so
you are going to kill them,” he said softly.

“Of
course I think it is them, and they aren’t giving me much of a choice. I can’t
let them hurt people I care about, and that includes you and your mother,” I
said quietly. I didn’t really want to have this conversation with him, but I
wasn’t about to lie. Everyone kept Tanner in the dark because they thought he
was weak. I knew better. He wasn’t weak, he was just quiet.

“Lillian…”
he started, but the door opened catching both of our attention.

My
aunt walked in oblivious to my presence. “Tanner, I am doing laundry…” she
started, then she caught sight of me and hesitated.

Tanner
quickly shut the door and locked it. “Don’t freak out mom. Lillian isn’t here
to hurt us,” Tanner said quickly.

She
scowled at him. “I know that. I assume she is here for Julian,” she said
turning her attention back to me.

I
was a little surprised my aunt knew what was going on. Most of the time she
acted oblivious to everything. “I am here for Julian, and Uncle Carl. They are
both starting a war, and a lot of people are going to die,” I said firmly.

I
could see the fear cross her face at the mention of my uncle’s name. “I know
you uncle has made some poor decisions, but Julian is the one pushing the war.
Your uncle is just afraid to stand against him. Please, just go after Julian.
Get him out of the way, and things will calm down. Your uncle will back down, I
know he will.” She sounded like she was pleading with me.

Part
of me still wanted to believe my uncle wasn’t as bad as he seemed, but I knew
better. I didn’t want to kill my uncle, but I didn’t want a war either. “If I
agree not to harm Uncle Carl will you leave with Tanner, and go to Luca and
Kate where you will be safe?”

She
glanced at Tanner like she expected him to protest. Julian knew I still cared
about Tanner and my aunt. I had no doubt he would use them against me even if
he was working with my uncle. “I suppose we could go for the night,” she said
hesitantly as she looked back at me.

“Good,
then go. As soon as you are gone I will confront Julian,” I said hoping my aunt
would follow through. She obviously knew what they were doing was wrong. She wouldn’t
have agreed if she thought they were staying true to the hunters cause.

“Ok,”
she said as she set the laundry basket down. “Your uncle and Julian are in your
uncle’s office. They have been holed up making plans for a while.”

“I’ll
drive,” Tanner said quickly.

My
aunt nodded and looked at me one last time. “I am glad you are alive,” she said
softly.

I
smiled slightly. “I am too.” I wasn’t about to tell her the truth. I loved my
aunt, but we were never that close. Tanner and my aunt left the room. I waited
by the window until I saw my aunt’s car leave the garage and disappear down the
driveway.

I
was debating my plan of attack. If I went in guns blazing then a lot of people
would die. My uncle would probably end up dead as well. I told my aunt I wouldn’t
hurt him, so I had to come up with a solid plan. There was no chance Julian was
unarmed, even in the safety of the hunter’s compound.

I
turned away from the window and cussed when Cornelius appeared in front of me.
“What are you doing?” he asked sounding slightly annoyed.

“I
am going after Julian. You should get out of here,” I said impatiently as I
went to walk past him.

He
caught my arm stopping me. “You have not proven that Julian or the hunters are
to blame for the attack on Drake. You are acting irrationally.”

I
scoffed as I pulled out of his grasp. “Who else would do it?” I asked
impatiently.

He
watched me for a minute, and I knew he didn’t have an answer. “I am not sure,
but I think we should be sure before we start handing out death sentences.” His
tone wasn’t light and playful like usual, it was serious. I was beginning to
think he really didn’t believe the hunters or Julian was responsible for the
attacks.

“You
mean wait until someone else gets hurt, or killed?” I asked skeptically.

“Lillian
everyone is on guard. Whoever it was would be stupid to strike again. I just
think we should all discuss this,” he said firmly.

“What
changed? You were gathering everyone to come up with a plan to attack my uncle.
Now you are trying to keep him safe, which is it?” I asked starting to get
annoyed.

He
watched me for a minute like he was debating what to tell me. “I have learned
some new information that indicates Julian was not responsible for harming
Drake.”

“How
do you know that?” I asked angrily. I sounded a little harsher then I meant to,
but I was starting to get annoyed.

He
sighed. “I can’t tell you. I have people who trust me, just like you have
people who trust you.”

“You
expect me to go off your word?” I asked skeptically. I trusted Cornelius to a
degree. Sometimes I wasn’t sure if I should trust him like I did, but I did it
anyway.

“You
don’t trust me?” he asked sounding slightly offended.

I
opened my mouth to speak, then I closed it. Maybe I didn’t. If I attempted to
lie he would know. “It’s not that I don’t trust you…” I started, but he cut me
off.

“I
am a lot of things Lillian, but I am not an idiot,” he said sharply.

I
scowled. “Fine, I don’t trust you. I don’t know why you are working with my
uncle, and it bothers me. You want me to trust you, but you don’t tell me
anything, and you expect me to blindly follow you. I would be an idiot if I did
that.”

He
stepped closer to me. “You would be an idiot if you go down there and kill
Julian. That is a sure way to start a war. Be the first to strike. Look like
the ruthless monster we are all accused of being.” He was gone before I could
reply.

The
way he did that was annoying. I didn’t understand why he didn’t fight harder to
stop me. Now I was full of doubt. What if he was right? What if Julian and the
hunters weren’t to blame? Maybe someone wanted me to strike first and start the
war. I cussed in annoyance. I focused on my bedroom, and within seconds I was
there.

Drake
was still lying in my bed. He still looked small and weak. His breathing was
steadier, and he wasn’t as pale; which was a good sign. I sat down on the bed
next to him. There was a light knock on my door. I scowled trying to decide if
I wanted to talk to anyone.

The
door opened and Adam came in. He smiled nervously at me. “Cornelius was sure
you would attack the hunters despite his warning.”

I
crossed my arms defiantly. “Cornelius obviously doesn’t know me that well.”

“I
know you very well, it’s nice to be surprised occasionally,” Cornelius said
appearing not far from Adam and me. He looked at Adam like he didn’t like the
fact that he was even checking on me. I kind of wondered if that was why he
decided to show up.

I
rolled my eyes and leaned back against the head board of the bed. I figured he
would show up to gloat at some point. I did exactly what he wanted by leaving
my uncle’s house. “You aren’t surprised. You are just arrogant,” I muttered. I
looked away from him, and ran my fingers through Drake’s soft hair.

“Adam,
go tell the others Lillian is back, and she did not follow through. I am sure
they are worried about an impending war,” Cornelius said dryly.

Adam
glanced at me like he didn’t really want to go. I wasn’t going to get involved.
If Cornelius wanted to give orders I was just going to let him. Adam was
technically my wolf, but I was too annoyed to care what Cornelius was doing.
Adam finally nodded and hurried out.

“How
did you get the wolves to side with you? They seem fond of you.” His tone
wasn’t just curious, it was accusing. He was actually attempting to start a
fight over the packs.

I
rolled my eyes and stood. “If you are implying I have a relationship with the
pack leaders, other than the bond, you are wrong,” I snapped.

“I
am implying they want a relationship with you, other than the bond. I just
wonder if you will be able to keep it professional, and keep them in their
place,” he said haughtily.

I
turned and glared at him. “What, do you think because I am a female I can’t
control the packs like you, or another male vampire could?”

He
scoffed. “I am implying you have a soft spot that tends to get you in bad
situations. Sometimes you have to cut your losses and lose a few men. You are
the type that will go down with them.”

I
narrowed my eyes at him. “I would go down with them if necessary, and it’s nice
to know I can trust you to have my back.”

He
moved so suddenly I didn’t see it. He was suddenly so close to me his body was
pressing against mine. His lips were almost touching mine. I looked up at him
trying to recover from the surprise of his sudden advance. “Believe me when I
say you can trust me to have your back. That is my problem. If you go down with
them, then I will end up going down as well trying to protect you.”

“If
you are so afraid of going down in flames with me, then walk away now,” I said
confidently. I was doing pretty well at holding my own. He was so close to me
it was making me tingle. All my senses were going haywire like they usually did
when he was this close to me.

He
smiled slightly. “Unfortunately the thought of going down in flames with you is
far better than the thought of being away from you,” he said softly. He gently
brushed my lips with his, then he was gone.

I
hated it when he disappeared like that. Then again after his little speech I
wasn’t sure what to say to him. I was beginning to think he just told me he
loved me. I pushed the thought away. I didn’t want to cloud my judgment with
thoughts of Cornelius. He was always saying things at the most inconvenient
time. I cussed under my breath and walked out of the room. I needed to go talk
to the others. I was hoping they would give me some answers since Cornelius was
being so secretive.

I
stood at the top of the stairs and looked at the crowd below me. It seemed like
everyone was here. I was beginning to think we had gained an alliance with the
renegades without even trying. Luca hurried over to me as I descended the
stairs.

“Lillian,
you have no idea how relieved I am to see you,” he said softly.

I
laughed. “I heard there were rumors about my mental state.”

“I
am glad to see they aren’t true,” he said amused.

“So
am I,” I said feeling a little better. It was nice to see Luca. It seemed like
it had been forever since I saw him. There was a distance between us after
everything that happened, but I was trying to move forward.

“I
heard about you going to your uncle’s house. What stopped you?” he asked
watching me curiously.

I
scoffed impatiently. “A very annoying person. Do you know who as responsible
for the attack on Drake?” I was hoping Luca would have some inside information.
I needed any information that would give me a reason to get rid of Julian. I
didn’t like Julian when I was a hunter, and I really didn’t like Julian now.

“No,
the rumor of course was the hunters, but Cornelius seems to think otherwise,”
Luca said softly. I scowled at his answer. It wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I
walked over to the bar. Luca followed. “You don’t believe Cornelius?” he asked
sounding more curious than anything.

“I
just find it hard to believe it wasn’t the hunters, and I am not so sure
everyone should blindly trust Cornelius when he is working with the hunters,” I
said impatiently as I made myself a drink.