Revisited (Redemption Series) (19 page)

“I think Becca and Ian are napping. Ryan is in our room going over some of my notes for me. I assume Renee is sleeping as well?” Lily eyed Jefferson who shot her a wide smile.

“Your assumptions are correct.” Jefferson’s eyebrows waggled in confirmation of Lily’s thoughts. Turned out she and Ryan weren’t the only ones who’d had a refreshing interlude after they arrived.

“It might be better this way. I’ve just heard from Abe.”

Lily was a tad shocked; she hadn’t expected news so soon. “Already?”

“Yes. If all goes as planned, they will arrive within the hour.”

“Just Abe and Nathaniel?” she asked.

“No, they will have Liam, Valentina, and . . . Debir.”

“Debir,” she whispered in relief. “It’s Filipp then. He’s behind this?”

“It would seem so. Filipp has been planning a revolution of sorts for decades. According to Debir, he has been trying to foil each of Filipp’s attempts. He didn’t know about the tainted blood at The Blood Feast until it was too late.”

Lily put her hand across her mouth to stop the sob. She felt her chest tighten as she took in the information. Filipp had killed Martin, the father figure who had been by her side for almost seventy years. “Filipp has to die.” Rage had replaced shock as Lily felt the pig’s blood renewing her strength and her venom pulsed rapidly through her veins.

A plan formed in her mind. She would use her own formula to turn Filipp into a human. He would be weak and have no idea how to survive. After being a vampire for so long, it would be a struggle, at the very least, for him. They could keep him captive for his crimes; make him pay for the pain he had caused for so long.

“My thoughts exactly.” Abe suddenly appeared and sauntered to her, taking Lily into his arms. An odd sign of affection from him, but she welcomed it and held him tight. “Filipp will not win this fight.”

Lily pulled back. “You’re back so soon? Tell me everything.”

“Maybe it would be better coming from Liam and Debir.” Abe nodded toward the doorway.

Lily followed his nod with her gaze and saw Debir, Liam, and Valentina. Lily couldn’t differentiate which pull was stronger, that of her old friend or of the child she created. She walked over to the three of them and noticed Valentina let go of Liam’s hand as she stepped back. Lily smiled in appreciation before taking Liam’s hand in her own. She reached for Debir’s hand with her free one.

“I . . . I . . .” Lily couldn’t find the words to express the emotions swirling deep within her.

“I should have told you years ago. This is my fault, but I swear to you, I will not let him hurt you again.” Debir squeezed her hand tight.

Lily nodded and turned to Liam. His eyes were no longer a piercing blue, but cinnamon, just like her own. The blackness surrounding him had faded away and left an aura of hope in its place.

“I didn’t understand what I was getting into. I had so much hate and rage tearing at every corner of my soul. But now . . .” Liam turned and wrapped his free arm around Valentina’s waist, pulling her forward. “We think this may be our chance to recreate the race in the way it was always meant to be. Returning us to the time when it was about nurturing the human race instead of blood lust. The way Anton had always intended.”

“It’s true then? You’re a descendant of Anton?” Lily asked with a slight edge of fear.

“Yes. From a very early age, I knew what he was. He passed when I was very young. Even after he became human, he lived a very long life. My parents and grandparents weren’t as fortunate.”

“We will stop him, you know. Your child will be safe.”

Lily turned to Debir with a smile. “Would you have ever imagined it? I’m going to be a grandmother.”

The room was suddenly full of laughter.

“A beautiful grandmother,” Debir remarked with a soft squeeze of her hand.

A soft growl escaped Valentina’s stomach.

“It sounds like the little one is getting hungry. That sauce smells divine.” Valentina licked her lips as she eyed the pot on the stove.

“Then you can have some.” Jefferson turned to plate some pasta and sauce. “There’s fresh pig’s blood and my special secret pasta sauce. Please don’t get the two confused.”

Debir wrapped his arm around Lily. “This is what was meant to be. A family.” Debir gave her a gentle squeeze before joining the others.

Lily looked around to each being in the room. She realized what she had contemplated with a human life, in its own strange way, had appeared before her—her very own odd, yet functional family. Jefferson was the wise older brother who always provided his sage advice, whether it was warranted or not. Sam was the uncle who would always be there to help, no matter what. Abe was the cousin who drove you crazy most of the time, but when push came to shove, he was the one you could always count on. Liam was the defiant son who had returned to his mother to take his punishment, and hopefully gain her trust. Valentina was the new daughter trying to move forward from her past to join a new family and help it flourish. Last, but not least, Debir was another brother, and trusted friend who always has your best interest at heart.

Ryan slipped his arms around her waist and brought her out of her thoughts. “You have three very anxious people waiting for you in the lab. You might want to go say hello,” he whispered before planting a kiss below her ear.

“Yes.” She pulled his arms around her tighter. “It’s time to begin.”

A large microscope connected to a computer, rows upon rows of test tubes, and blood collection vials littered the pristine chrome countertop of Lily’s dream laboratory.

    “It’s been too long.” Lily took in a deep breath and gathered the scent of the cleaning chemicals. “I haven’t had a proper lab since before I took Becca in.”

“It’s all yours.” Ryan kissed her temple and led her over to her workstation. “Will it take much time to get back into your element?”

“I don’t think so. I’ll need someone to collect the blood samples, but I think once I get started, it will all come back to me.” Lily looked to the sidewall to see three beds with collection setups next to each one.

“No worries. I can start that. A pint from each to start with?” Ryan asked.

“Yes. I might end up needing more from Marla since her DNA will be slightly different from her father’s, but a pint should be enough to start with.”

“I’ll go get them. Get yourself ready.”

Lily kissed him on the lips and sent him off with a warm smile. Once he was gone, she sat down at her new workstation. “I can do this. I can do this. I can do this,” she chanted as she began to tap the computer keys. She brought up scans of notes on her computer—so as not to damage the original documents—and studied the previous samples to see how they would need to be broken down, then blended together to become the cure she needed. 

The samples Sam had gathered from the remnants of The Blood Feast sat in a box beside her. Lily’s fingertips skimmed through each one, studying the labels written on them: Ambrosia Fontina, Jacque Dusualt, Marcello D’Amato, and Martin Leatherby. The glass slide easily fit in place under the microscope. She shuddered as the physical presence of the man who had created and protected her, was now reduced to a few cells on a slide. Her emotions began to take over, but came to a swift halt as she noticed something. A tiny difference only she, due to her years of research, could have noticed.

Lily’s confidence grew as the familiar sequences flashed to the front of her mind. All the information that had lain dormant in her brain for decades burst to the surface and took hold. She smiled as she greeted her old friends when they entered the lab.

“Major General Lionel Cooper reporting for duty!”

Lily gazed into the face of a man she had come to care deeply for so many years ago. His once deep chestnut strands were a delicate, snowy white. His youthful clean-shaven face was now covered with the trimmed white beard of a retired British Army man. The physique of the twenty-one year old had held steadfast as he gained his years, only a bit of a belly protruded from his once trim waist.

“How are you, doll face?” Lionel swept her into his arms.

“Just smashing. Major General, is it?” Lily asked with a hint of sarcasm.

“Retired. All my posts are still delivered that way, so I assume the title still stands.”

Lily rolled her eyes to find another familiar face patiently waiting his turn. “Monte. My favorite butcher.”

“That’d be me.” Monte stepped forward and gathered her in his arms. His shoulders had broadened, along with his torso, she assumed from the years of labor at all the butcher shops he came to own throughout the London area. His hair was still dark and his brown eyes still sparkled with the excitement of a new adventure.

“I had a feeling,” Monte whispered while he held her tight. “When Jefferson put in his order for the Leatherby Manor at the shop, I knew I’d be seeing you again.” He stepped back and caressed her cheek with his fingertip. “Didn’t expect the free trip to Italy, so that’s nice, too.”

“Just a bonus.” Lily moved back, taking one of their hands in hers. “I’ve missed you both terribly.”

“Then we will make this reunion a good one.” Lionel squeezed her hand before clapping Monte on the shoulder. “We got some vamps to rearrange.”

“Looks like just one. Filipp.” Lily sighed. She still hadn’t quite accepted the idea Filipp could betray her the way he had.

“What?” Monte asked, quirking his brow. “That braggart? He’s a threat?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe.” Lily huffed. “I’ll fill you in on the whole sordid story while we get started.”

“Don’t forget about me. I may not have been through this before, but this is the best part of the process.” Marla sauntered over and slipped her arm around Lily’s shoulders. “The gossip.”

The laughter of the men drowned out the ladies’ giggles.

Abe, Sam, and Ryan joined the rest of them in the lab. Lily appointed the three angels as her blood technicians. As soon as the pints were taken, and the donors had a little something to drink to perk them up, Sam and Abe took them to eat the supper Jefferson had prepared for them.

Lily separated small samples into vials and placed them in the machine to spin them. The plasma floated to one end of the tubes while the red cells settled at the other.

Ryan sat down in the chair next to her at the workstation. “Why am I not surprised my beautiful girl, with such a thirst for numbers, became this brilliant chemist?”

Lily had to laugh as she recalled another slice from her human life. “You remember how I soaked up everything I could get my hands on back then?” 

Ryan nodded. 

“When the years began to fly by, and the opportunities for women increased with every year, Martin encouraged me to take advantage of all of it. During World War II, I studied engineering. I wanted to know how it all worked: the planes, the weapons, all of it.”

Ryan grinned. “I can see you now, wearing a pair of grease stained coveralls digging in the engine of a bomber. I think I’d pay handsomely to see that.”

“I was always a bit of a dirty girl.” Lily smirked.

“You certainly are now.” Ryan leaned in for a kiss as he wiggled his eyebrows.

“Back to your original question, though.”

Ryan sat back and sighed.

“I was interested in the weapons, bombs, and what went into creating them. It’s a little known fact Manchester was a huge force in weapons research for both the American and British forces.”

“And am I to assume you and Martin were that force?”

“Not to brag or anything.” Lily’s eyes sparkled at the memories of their successful ventures. “But it was curiosity that led me to chemistry. It started when the war was over, but by the mid-fifties, I was somewhat obsessed. I enrolled at the University of Maryland with a little help from my Manchester friends. It was a tremendous shock. I’d never studied in a proper classroom setting before, and it took a few months to acclimate. Once I got into the swing of things, it all came so easily. I took all the necessary classes for my degree in two years, and graduated.” 

Ryan raised one eyebrow.

“Someone might have fibbed a little and made it seem like I had all my prerequisite courses completed before I enrolled there.”