Finding Obscurity (15 page)

Loading my cart with everything we needed, I was standing in the
checkout line when I noticed a man wearing dark jeans, a red hooded sweatshirt,
dark sunglasses, and a baseball cap tilted down over his face standing at the
entrance pretending to read a newspaper. The warning bells were going off in my
mind because I could clearly see his head tilted my way. Even though he was
wearing sunglasses, inside no less, I knew he was not reading a newspaper but
watching my every move. I had seen him in the frozen food section checking out
ice cream, in the canned food aisle looking at soup, and even in the tampon
aisle he was one over looking at deodorant. It hadn’t hit me until now that he
was following me. I handed the cashier my debit card and watched him out of the
corner of my eye, trying to guess his movements. When my groceries were bagged,
I grabbed my receipt, thanking the cashier with a smile. When I looked back up,
the man was gone.

I wheeled the grocery cart out to my car, trying to look around
for the mystery guy, but he was nowhere I could see. It gave me the willies
that I was being watched and wondered who it could have been. I loaded the bags
into the car and shut my trunk with a slam before putting my keys in between my
fingers like a knife. I was freaked the hell out and it was the only weapon I
really had. I couldn’t rely on my abilities because they never worked when I
wanted them to anyway.

I unlocked the car and got inside, letting out a sigh of relief,
leaning my head back on the headrest. An arm suddenly wrapped around my neck
from the backseat and I thrashed around, trying to suck in air, clawing at the
arm around my neck with my nails.

“Don’t move,” the assailant growled in my ear, and when I sat
still, he released his hold on my neck. “Be a good girl and you’ll get out of
this alive.”

I took a few gulps of air into my burning lungs. The one thing I
did notice is that there was no hum of energy from the man, so that meant he
was a vampire. “What do you want?”

The man gave a raspy chuckle. “Are you the Stone family’s little
girl, Lily?”

He knew my name and who I was? Uh oh, this wasn’t good and I said
a little prayer that I would get out of this alive. I shook my head the best I
could with his arm still tight around my neck. “I don’t know what you’re
talking about.”

“But I think you do, and I am going to prove it. The question is,
how did you get out of that burning house?”

I shivered at those words because that made two of us. I could
feel the power humming in my blood, and I was sure there would be a way out of
this if I just let it build. I needed to keep him talking so I could shock the
hell out of him, literally. “Who are you?”

“It doesn’t matter who I am!” he barked and tightened his arm,
cutting off my air again. I heard a squeal of tires and the man cursed under
his breath. “I’ll be seeing you again, Lily. Next time, you’ll happily give us
what we want.” In a blur the door was opened and he was gone.

Chapter Eighteen

My driver’s side door ripped open and I let out a scream when
Ashton pulled me out and wrapped me in his arms. “Jesus, Lily! That could’ve
been bad. Are you okay?”

“I don’t know.”

Blake jogged up and shook his head. “He’s gone. Who knows where he
went.”

“He was a vampire, that’s about all I know. He followed me the
whole time in the store, but I didn’t notice until I was checking out.” I
sighed and pulled back from Ashton’s comforting arms to look at both of them. I
should have paid better attention to my surroundings and I cursed myself for
being so careless. “He knew who I was and who my parents were. He asked me if I
was the Stone girl and mentioned the house fire.”

“Dammit!” Ashton said, punching the shopping cart corral. The
metal bent several inches. Both Blake and I jumped at his outburst.

“We have to get you out of town, Lily. That’s the only way to keep
you safe from whoever is after you,” Blake said, running his hand over his
face.

“You’re suggesting I run? They might find me anywhere I go, and I
can’t run the rest of my life!”

Ashton tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear, trying to calm
me. “It may be the only way to keep you safe until we find out who’s behind
this. I can’t lose you.”

I frowned at them both. “No, I can’t keep running away from this.
If somebody knows who I am, then what happens when the rumors start? Are you
going to lock me in a cave and never let me out? I have to learn how to protect
myself, either with a gun or by my powers.”

“A gun won’t kill us, Liliana,” Ashton said with a sigh. “We just
pull the bullet out and our skin grows right back together within minutes.”

“Even a head wound? You guys have to feel pain at least, and it
should slow you down.”

“Even a head wound would heal, but it would take a little longer.
Of course we can feel pain, but that wouldn’t stop us. The only chance you have
is running for a little bit and learning how to get a grip on your powers. I
know how strong you can be, and that would be the only thing that would stop a
vampire.”

I glanced at Blake. “What would stop a Conjurer?”

He shrugged. “A bullet would do it.”

“Well it seems pretty clear that until I can control what I can do
that I at least get a gun to protect myself when I’m out in public.”

“Lily, why would you think a Conjurer had anything to do with
this?”

“I don’t know who’s after me, but he clearly said ‘us’, so that
means it could be anyone.”

Ashton sighed and pulled me closer. “Blake, please drive Lily’s
car back to Revive. We’ll meet there and decide what to do. It isn’t safe to
stay here if somebody is watching her. Her apartment won’t be safe, either, and
the only secure place would be the club.” He led me to his shiny black Jaguar
and opened the passenger door, letting me in before he made his way around and
started the car, taking off down the highway.

“What about my cat, Jinx? I can’t leave him there if somebody is
out to kill me. What if they do something to him? I could never live with
myself.”

“Already taken care of. He’s going to stay at Sam’s apartment
until you’re ready to come home.”

“Ashton, you told Sam what’s going on?”

“Well, I really didn’t have a choice when he showed up at your
apartment and started asking me questions about being a vampire,” he said,
raising a questioning eyebrow. “I wasn’t expecting it.”

“Yeah, um, well you see, uh, that wasn’t me. Stacy knew who you
and Blake were and spilled the beans.”

“Stacy?”

“Yes, one of your dancers. Stacy Chaplin? She has the ability to
sense feelings, and she said she met one of you guys a while back and learned
how to tell you all apart from the human population. I found out today when I
showed up at Sam’s apartment and she was there. I had no clue that she’d known
about vampires, let alone that she knew there were more than just humans in the
world.”

“Do you think she had anything to do with this?”

“Stacy? No, I don’t think so. She’s nice enough and wouldn’t hurt
a fly. She has worked at your club since you opened the place anyway. I’m
pretty sure she passed all the background and clearance checks,” I said,
shaking my head. “I wouldn’t know who would be behind this, except for maybe
Paige Smith – the redhead who hangs around Sam and Stacy. She’s a little on the
strange side, and I’m pretty sure she hates me. Still, I can’t place her with
anybody who would want me dead – aside from her and her own personal reasons.”

“I’ll have my men pull a background check on her, just to be
safe.”

We pulled into the parking lot of Revive and he drove up to the
front, escorting me inside. A bouncer rushed past us and got into the car,
driving it away like a valet. The club was abandoned this time of the day, and
the parking lot was empty. It was Friday, though, so tonight the place would
start picking up again, but I wasn’t so sure we would still be here when the
people arrived. Everyone was suspicious to me now that I had been attacked, and
I hated watching the shadows, waiting for somebody to jump out and get me. We
made our way through the empty club and towards the VIP room in the back,
making me shiver at how quiet the place was.

Carlotta and Jeffery were waiting for us inside the VIP area, and
she gave me a tight hug. “I was so worried about you when Ashton called saying
you were attacked!”

I gave her a hug back and smiled when she pulled back. “It was
scary as hell, but I’m fine.”

“Please sit so we can talk about everything going on. Ashton
hasn’t filled us in on what’s been going on yet.”

“We’re waiting on Blake to get here,” Ashton said, pulling out a
chair for to sit.

“Blake Moore?” Jeffery said with confusion. “I thought you hated
him?”

Ashton let out a sigh as he sat beside me. “To make a long story
short, he has an interest in Lily, and so do I, so there is a mutual need to
keep her safe, even though he wants to get into her pants, too. Best to keep
your friends close and your enemies closer.”

“I agree,” Blake said, strutting into the room. His leaned over
and gave me a kiss on the cheek, despite the growl from Ashton, before taking
the seat next to me. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Me too, Blake, me too.”

Ashton made a pyramid on top of the table with his hands before
filling Carlotta and Jeffery in on what was going on. A few questions were
asked and answered accordingly. The shock on their faces was palpable when they
found out who my potential father could be. The disbelief was obvious because
vampires weren’t able to have children, yet here I was. They all knew their
former leader, who was possibly my father, and Ashton’s reason he was a
vampire, was dead when he never showed back up after disappearing a little over
twenty-eight years ago. However, finding out that I may actually be his
daughter changed everything.
 

When the room became silent for a few minutes, a sudden thought
hit me. “So who is the new leader now that Lawrence is dead?”

Every pair of eyes swung to look at me with surprise, except for
Ashton’s, who sighed and answered, “I am.”

“You’re the leader of the entire race of vampires?” My eyes had to
be bulging out of my head at the news.

“No, just the United States. Each country has its own leader, and
just like the government, there are districts that have their head people who
report to me. If there are problems, then I have to resolve them and make the
ultimate decision on what happens. When he died, since I was the first one he
ever made, then the rule fell into my hands.”

“And he wasn’t happy about it either!” Jeffery said with a
chuckle.

“How old are you, Ashton?” I gave him a curious look. Surely if
there was a leader for the United States, then that meant that they had to
either be very old or powerful in the vampire world – or maybe a little bit of
both.

“It’s not polite to ask a vampire how old he is,” Carlotta said,
patting my hand with a smirk.

“It’s only rude if you’re a woman, and I know for a fact that
Ashton is no woman.” I grinned at her before meeting Ashton’s eyes again.
“Seriously, Ashton. If you want to have something with me, then you have to be
honest with everything and hold nothing back.”

He exhaled a puff of air. “This year I am three-hundred and
twenty-three years old.”

“Makes you feel like you’re dating an elderly dilapidated man,
doesn’t it?” Blake winked at me.

“What are you talking about, old man?” I elbowed him playfully.
“You’re no spring chicken yourself.”
 

“Liliana, it doesn’t bother you how old I am?” Ashton put his hand
on my thigh with a worried expression.

“No, not really.” I shrugged. “You don’t look that old. Now if you
looked over three hundred years old, I may not be so forgiving. I just learned
recently how you’re a…”

There was a shout from the main club and everyone jumped up with
several chairs crashing to the floor. The VIP door slammed open with Sam
storming into the room on a mission. The man I shocked the crap out of, Gary,
came rushing into the room limping, and Ashton held up a hand, stopping him
from grabbing Sam to do only God knows what with him.

“Sam?” I took a few steps forward to envelop him in a hug. “What
are you doing here?”

“I just couldn’t leave you alone to figure this out, babe. You’re
my best friend and friends just don’t leave the other one out in the cold.” Sam
beamed at me. “Besides, I live off drama and it follows you around like an old,
lost puppy dog.”

“What about Jinx?”

He waved his hand around. “Don’t worry, he’s all happy in the cat
condo I bought for him and sat near the window. I don’t think he’ll leave that
spot for days.”

“You bought Jinx a cat condo?”
This
is what friends were really like?
No matter what life threw at me, Sam
would always be there to lend an ear to listen or a shoulder to cry on, but
learning that he bought my cat something to make him comfortable in a strange
place said how wonderful Sam was. “Thank you.”

He looked around the room nervously and I guessed this was the
first time he had ever been in the VIP section of the club. When he spotted
everyone standing beside the table, he cleared his throat. “Hi.”

“Carlotta and Jeffery, this is Sam.” I pointed the two of them
out. “You already know Blake and Ashton.”

“Are you
guys
vampires too?” His voice
wavered.

There was silence for a few minutes while they inspected my
friend, trying to decide what to say or not. I assumed it wasn’t everyday in
their world that people openly talked about what they were. Ashton answered for
them. “Yes.”

“Cool.” He nodded before perking up. “I’m type-O negative if any
of you are interested.”

“Sam!” I sputtered and slapped him on the arm.

“What? Stacy said being bitten was like having the best orgasm in
the world.” He whispered, waggling his brows.

Jeffery let out a bark of laughter. “I like him.”

I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. “Nobody is going to
bite you, Sam.”

“It was worth a shot. Besides, I’m pretty sure that the only one
who sparkles in this room is me.” He lifted a shoulder with a grin. “Ashton,
you haven’t bitten Lily yet?”

“No,” Ashton said uncomfortably, shifting his feet.

“
Alrighty
then. Let’s all have a seat and
figure out what to do about our Lily here,” Sam said, walking up to the table
before pulling up a chair and straddling it.

We all sat around the table, after the ones on the floor were
righted, and I filled Sam in about what happened at the grocery store. He made
the normal wide eyes and gasps of surprises when I explained about my family
the things I couldn’t say around Stacy. I also explained about what we
concluded about my father, as well as how I wasn’t supposed to survive the
fire. I pulled the pictures and article that I had stuffed into my purse and
set them on the table for Sam, Carlotta, and Jeffery to look at. There was no
denying that my mother was in the photo, but something inside me didn’t want to
believe a vampire may be my father, even though it would explain so many things
about why I couldn’t control my abilities.

“This is definitely Lawrence in the photo, even if I can’t see all
of his face, I know that for sure. I had never met your mother, Lily, but the
rumors surrounding her life are a little clouded.” Carlotta handed the picture
to Jeffery. “If she was supposedly a person who killed vampires, then what was
she doing with Lawrence? Why does the article say his name is Thomas Stone?”

“His middle name was Thomas,” Ashton said and picked up the
article. “Nobody really new what his last name was besides a few people –
including me – because he had so many aliases. But not one of them was Stone.”

“So do you think it was my mother’s family name?”

Ashton reached under the table and grabbed my hand, giving it a
little squeeze before intertwining our fingers. “Who’s to say? Maybe they
didn’t want anyone to know who you were, including your mother’s family.”

I never thought of having aunts, uncles, cousins, or any other
family because I had been so consumed with learning about my parents, that it
never crossed my mind. Did they have something to do with the death of my
parents? The main question on my mind at this moment was the Canton family
currently living several hours away. I was sure they would have answers to some
of the questions bouncing around in my head. The problem was that even though
they took me in, they also had put me out of the house faster than a stray
animal pissing on the furniture. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to face them, and
it meant I would have to go back to the small town and face everything I had
been running from for the past ten years. It meant facing the same people that
blamed me for Sarah’s death because I was behind the wheel. It’s inevitable
that I would have to go back and get more information about why I would be
hunted and potentially killed. However, I would be sure to leave some flowers
on Sarah’s grave; she would be happy to learn I had friends again.