Chapter 3

"Brent, you there?" Damion's voice comes from downstairs, "I've got news!"

Brent turns around to leave the room. He is in a daze. Lilia is a friend. A good friend. It has been so for the past two years. There is no reason for that to change now. Then, what was all that?

'I hope she doesn't think I was being inappropriate. I had no such intention. I hope she didn't realize what I was feeling, through my expression and my eyes.' His mind raced.

He takes a deep breath as he reaches the bottom of the stairs.

"Yes? What is it?"

"I've got a tip. There's an attack planned tonight."

"What!? Where?"

"Ty tipped me off, but he isn't sure about the location. He is trying to find out more."

Brent glances out of the window, worried. "It's a full moon tonight, right?"

Damion nods.

"Do you think they are ready for the ritual?" Brent asks.

"I don't think so. It's too soon. Plus, it would be nearly impossible for them to reach all the required ingredients without us knowing. I think it's one of those hunting power plays." Damion crinkles his nose in disgust.

"Do you want me to accompany you?"

"No, I think you should be with Lilia. We don't know any details and the high school is in a pretty secluded area. It is also very close to the forest. You know, just in case."

Brent nods slowly.

"Are they all Carl's?"

"We are not sure about their clan yet."

"Clan?"

Brent turns around to see Lilia standing in the middle of the stairs and notices how her bottle green dress hugs her body, accentuating the curves. Her left leg shows through the thigh-high slit as she walks down the remaining stairs. He feels his heartbeat increase. At that moment he knows something has changed in the way he feels about her.

"Wo-ow, you look gorgeous!" says Damion, "And here I've been looking for suitable girlfriends in all the wrong places!"

Lilia giggles, hitting him lightly on the shoulder, blushes slightly, and says, "Thanks, but I thought you didn't do 'relationships'. Aren't you the hookup and goodbye type?"

"I am just browsing." He winks.

Lilia laughs.

"What were you guys talking about? Clans? You never give me any details!" She pouts.

"There is nothing to tell. We work in real estate, so it's all just deals and boring stuff."

"You guys must be really good, to afford all this." She points around the house.

"Well, you know that's all Brent. We are just normal people. He is the royalty." Damion tilts his head and smirks as he looks at Brent.

"Just lucky to be born this way." He says, exasperated, and asks Lilia, "Shall we leave?"

"Ya, sure."

Both of them start walking out to the car.

"Do you wanna take one of the expensive ones or the normal one would do?"

"How about we take your favorite one?" She smiles.

"As you say, Madame," he replies with a little bow.

Lilia chuckles.

They walk to the vintage red Ferrari 275. Brent opens the door for Lilia. She gets in, he follows, and they drive out of the garage.

Byfall county is a very serene and peaceful place to live. Brent acknowledges this again as he drives across the lake bridge. He has to leave this place every couple of years, but he loves coming back whenever possible. It is not very populated, and the temperatures do not reach very high even during the summers. There are ample trees, parks, and a flourishing forest accompanied by some low-lying hills. All in all, an ideal place for creatures like him and his best friends. This reminds him of the attack, and he feels his jaw clench involuntarily.

"Everything okay? You seem a little tense." Lilia gives him a concerned look.

"Yes, everything's fine."

"You know you didn't have to say yes to this if you didn't want to. I would have asked someone else."

"I would gladly accompany you anywhere you want me to. You are not that boring." He smiles.

Lilia rolls her eyes, then smiles.

They reach the school parking lot. Brents gets out first after parking the car and opens Lilia's door for her as she is adjusting her dress.

"Thanks."

She steps out. Brent looks at her and says, "You look beautiful."

She looks him in the eyes and blushes, "Thank you."

He gives her his arm to hold as they walk inside.

*

Lilia introduces Brent to her friend Tasha, her date Eric, Ben, and Emilia. They chat about general things. Brent asks if anyone wants drinks, and all of them say yes, so the boys leave to get drinks for everyone.

"Girl!" Tasha exclaims as soon as the boys leave.

"What?" Lilia asks.

"What do you mean by what!? He is so hot. I mean you have told me you live with three hot guys but I didn't realize they were this hot."

Lilia laughs. "Ya, he is quite dashing."

"Exactly! So spill the tea, what is going on? Are you guys going out now?" Emily interjects.

"Oh, come on, no, we are friends, and I would have told you guys if there was anything like that."

"But he obviously likes you!" says Tasha excitedly.

"What? No, he doesn't. Where did you even get that from? You have known him for like 15 minutes!" Lilia feels her stomach lurch.

"It's obvious. To me, it is. He can't seem to take his eyes off you and you know I am never wrong in such cases. I just know." She raises her head in a high sort of fashion.

The boys get back with drinks for everyone and Lilia feels heat rising up her neck and cheeks when she looks at Brent. He has always been attractive, she thinks to herself, but what she felt towards him now is different and if she was being honest, she has been somewhat attracted to him from the very first day. All of that has now come up to the surface. However, no matter what Tasha said, she didn't think that he felt the same way about her.

"Okay everyone, gather around with your partners."

Lilia turns around to see a girl in a red dress standing on the stage with a small microphone.

"We have a fun game planned out for everyone. This is a dance event, but before you let yourselves loose, how about a game of 'Paper Dance'?"

Everyone cheers.

"There is a stack of papers on either side of the hall. Each pair needs to grab one, place it on the ground, stand on it and wait for the music to start."

There is a lot of shuffling as everyone goes to pick a paper.

"You wait here, I'll get one," Brent says.

He vanishes into the crowd, and after a few minutes returns with a two-by-two sheet of paper. He places it on the ground, and both of them step on it, chuckling. Soon, everyone around the hall is in position.

"Okay, 1,2,3, music!"

They start dancing and trying not to step on the ground. It is not very difficult and is quite fun. There are echoes of giggles, laughter, and chuckles mixed with the music from all around the room.

The music stops.

"Fold the paper into half."

Brent does so, and both of them step on the paper. This time it is a little difficult as there is no space for a lot of side-to-side movement, but they manage it well. Some people step on the ground and are eliminated.

The music stops again, and they fold the paper into another half.

As soon as they step onto the paper, Lilia realizes that playing this game might not be such a fun choice after all. They are both pressed together with hardly any space in between. They can't hold hands and dance, so Brent places his hands behind her back and holds her firmly around the waist. She places hers around his neck. She is about three inches shorter than him, but due to her high heels, they were now within half an inch of each other, their lips only a few centimeters apart. She feels her heart beating so wildly that she is sure he must be feeling it through his tux. The music starts again. They begin to dance. A lot of movement is not possible, but they manage it somehow. She looks into his eyes, then quickly looks away.

The music finally stops. They immediately let go of each other, and step off the paper. Almost everyone has been eliminated by now. It was just them, and two other couples left. She looks around the room and notices Tasha, who winks at her.

Brent folds the paper into another half, and now there is barely any place for even one person to stand. They look at each other and then Brent bends down, scoops her off the ground, and stands on the paper on one leg with the other lifted slightly off the ground. He does this with a flair, and the other two couples follow his lead.

The music begins, and Brent starts swaying side-to-side on one leg. It didn't feel like it was an effort for him, at all. The other couples last barely ten seconds. They win the game, and Brent places Lilia down gently as everyone claps.

*

Brent looks down at Lilia who is smiling around the room and feels satisfied with how well he had hidden his anticipation, nervousness, anxiety, and this fierce need to kiss her while they were so close to each other.

"Congratulations guys. You did so well." The girl on the stage says, "Now, seal the deal with a kiss!"

"What? No!" Lilia exclaims.

"Well, rules are rules. Come on, don't be spoiled-sports. Moreover, after that amazing performance I don't think it's a big deal." She raises her eyebrows, "What does everyone else say?"

"Kiss!"

"Kiss!"

"Kiss!"

Brent looks at her, into her ethereal green eyes, and knows that at this moment, he wants nothing more than to pull her close and kiss her.

"Kiss!"

"Kiss!"

But he won't, not if she doesn't want to. No matter what anyone else thinks.

*

She looks into his hazel-brown eyes and she wants him to do exactly what everyone else is cheering for.

"Kiss!"

"Kiss!"

She inches slightly closer to him. He opens his mouth a little and exhales lightly as he moves closer to her. He reaches out with his hand to gently touch the side of her face and then kisses her softly on the lips.

She almost forgets to breathe amid the feeling clutching her heart.

He moves away as everyone cheers.

They look at each other. Lilia bites the inside of her lip and clenches her hands to stop herself from reaching out and kissing him again.

She has to acknowledge her feelings now.

She can't run from them anymore.