New Beginnings

Chapter 20
Epilogue


Blood hunt had being called.

“I declare blood hunt upon Lillie Lantry for breaking the commandment of our masquerade. She will be hunted down and her blood will strengthen us.”

Julian walked into Lillie’s Haven. He looked around and walked to the corner table, where she sat nursing a glass of red wine, staring at it pensively. Hesitating, he sat on the opposite chair across from her. It was early in the morning and the Haven was empty except for a few Kindred cleaning up. They sat silently for a long time. “Have I been taking you for granted Lillie,” he asked in the silence. He motions a waitress towards their table.


“I don’t know what you mean.” Lillie said, stirring uneasily in the chair..

Julian paused, waiting for the waitress to take his order and leave. “You risked the masquerade, endangering us all,” he said, with a watchful fixity in his face. He leaned towards her, speaking above a whisper.

A shadow of alarm touched her face. “Me! Me? What about you?” Lillie retorted all the jealousy and pain in her voice. “You are the one risking the masquerade by involving yourself with humans. I thought you had learned your lesson, but I guess I was wrong.”

The waitress chooses that moment to bring Julian’ s wine. “Here you go Julian,” she said smiling at the handsome Prince.

“Thanks Sarah,” Julian said in a deep tone. He nodded and smiled slightly at her.

Sarah smiled and bowed, leaving the glass of wine on the table.

“You can’t help it. Can you?” There was a critical tone to her voice.

“What?” Julian demanded staring at Lillie baffled.

“Flirting!” she spat out the words contemptuously.

“What! What are talking about?” Julian said in dazed exasperation.

“It was just like I am not even here. You had to flirt with the waitress,” she replies in a low tormented voice.

“Lillie what are talking about? She just brought me glass a wine, and I said thanks,” Julian said, totally bewildered at her accusation.

Lillie’s thoughts were jagged and painful. “All those times, when you were with me and you messed up, I forgave you, now I am asking you to forgive me.”

“Forgiveness!” Julian said, giving her a sidelong glance of utter disbelief. “You have to be kidding. What you did doesn’t merit forgiveness.”

“What did I do that was so terrible?” Lillie asked leaning lightly into him, tilting her face to wards his.

Shaking his head, Julian cried in dismay. “You do not have a heart, first you try to have Lissa killed, then conspire with our enemy.”

“One less human,” she mumbled.

Julian just looked at her in astonishment. “You definitely don’t have a heart, we were all human once. And Lissa is more than human,”

Sudden anger lit her eyes. “Yeah, What’s that about? She is the killer of our kind, and you brought her in the very heart of Kindred.”

“Lissa is not a mindless killer,” he said tersely. “ She will protect those she considered family, and we have laws and she won’t break them for her own selfish reason.”


“Selfish, you considered me selfish,” Lillie hissed, spittle of spit was flying everywhere. “You are the one that is selfish, putting a human before Kindred.”


“She is my mate,” Julian said quietly.


“What!” Lillie said, too stunned to cry. All her anger seems to disappear


“She’s my mate,” Julian said proudly.


“That’s what I thought you said.” She gazed at him in despair; she had to face facts, that soon she will be facing the harsh realities of loneliness. Dejectedly, she mumbled, “How did it happen?”


“I do not how or why providence chooses her to be my mate, but I am glad they did,” Julian said smiling tenderly, thinking about the warm and vibrant woman, he left in his bed. “But this get together is not really about Lissa, it’s about you. I cannot save you Lillie; you must answer to your crimes,” Julian said, aching with an inner pain. Lillie and he had a complex relationship for over fifty years. Both of them had continued to see other people, but when Lissa entered his life, he knew that she was going to be the one. He doesn’t hate Lillie, even for what she had done, but he is saddened that several years of friendship had to end like that. “And with all you have done, I don’t want to. You had accused me of being weak with Alexandra. Now you can’t call me weak,” He said, getting up and walking away. Leaving the glass of wine untouched on the table.


Lillie sat, starring at the glass of wine, blood tears running down her check.
A group of Gangrel and Brujah suddenly surrounded her, grabbing her out of the chair. “Julian,” she cried. Panic like she’d never known before welled in her throat.


But Julian walked out without a backward glance.


“Let go of me,” Lillie cried, tugging at her rumpled clothes, as several Kindred surrounded her. She vowed to show how unconcerned she was. Girding herself with resolve, she said smiling, “Can’t we just talk about this.”


Giving Lillie a hostile glance, Cash bend his head slightly forward toward her and growled, “Run.”


She stiffened and haughtily tossed her head. She looked around at all possible exit and starting running.

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***


Several hours later, Cash hesitated at Julian’s bedroom door. He sighed and quickly knocked at the door. Julian opened the door frowning slightly. “Yeah,” he said.


“It is done boss,” said Cash, speaking in a gentle tone.


Julian nodded; staring unseeing past him, then gently closed the bedroom door.


Eyeing Julian quietly for a moment, Buffy pouted. “I am cold,” her voice muffled by the several sheets covering the bed.


“I’ll keep you warm,” he said, making a diving leap into the bed, tickling her.


The last thing Cash heard as he walked towards his own rooms was Buffy’s laughter.