Son of Lazarus

Chapter 33: Love's Web

August 12th, 2041
2:25a.m.

5 days, 16 hours, 0 minutes and 15 seconds to War.

   The hideout was quiet tonight. The children were all asleep, the teenagers huddled together and families were sitting in one massive circle praying. Praying for what, she could only guess. Deliverance from their trials? Maybe. But deliverance was far from certain. The only hope for their survival was to make sure the head of the Organization was severed completely. Only then would they have peace and they would be able to live again. Her feet carried her down the hallway, her eyes traveling to each of the rooms until she stopped outside of Tristan's room. Her heartbeat quickened and her palms grew clammy. Cautiously, she prodded her mind beyond the door and touched the mind of her lover, the Prince that was going to see them to victory.

   He was awake, which was strange. At this hour, he'd be fast asleep. A frown creased her face for a time before she gave the door a knock. "It's open," came his muffled reply. Hearing his voice made her body tingle and her fingers trembled as they brushed over the door panel. She stared ahead as the door slid open, revealing Tristan sitting on his bed with one leg dangling off. He wore no shirt and his pants were undone for more comfort. He didn't seem to be too concerned with his door or with whom was standing there. Instead, he seemed focused on the wall opposite him. Was he thinking? Lily tilted her head in curiosity. Then, with a smile, she slid across the floor to sit on his bed.

   They sat in silence for a time before she turned to look at him. His bursting red-blue eyes stared at her intensely and it made her skin tingle, the hairs on her arms rising to full attention. A shy smile began to creep up onto her face and she found herself looking away. "You're cute when you do that," he mused, his voice carrying a seductive tone that made her shiver in anticipation.
   "Do what?" Lily asked, deciding to play with him. She watched from the corner of her eye as the smile on his face quirked up a tiny bit higher than it was already.
   "You know what," he insisted, shifting in his position so that he was looking at her more closely. "Come now, Lily. You must have come here for a reason other than pleasant conversation." There it was. Tristan's famous word snare. It was a trick he did with that smooth, silky voice of his when he knew something was up when anyone approached him. It just worked better on her. Lily's mouth went dry. Here she was swooning over Tristan when there were other matters on her mind. With a deep breath, Lily swallowed hard and brought her head around to look into his eyes.
   "It's the war," she began, her voice unnaturally soft. "I can't help but think that there's another way we could do this and save Jordan in the process. He shouldn't have to die for this." The air around Tristan's mind turned dark and his expression changed from his usual playful demeanor to one of seriousness, which wasn't something she was used to seeing on him.

   "When we created the Hive," he began, his voice soft and gentle. It felt as though he was trying to spare her any harsh, hard to swallow words. "We all knew the consequences that we were putting on ourselves. We knew the risk was death to any one member if we weren't careful and we took the chance anyway." Tristan looked up and his eyes met hers. Lily could have sworn she saw tears forming in the corner of his eyes. "Jordan especially knew the risks of taking the job of mole. But he did it anyway. You know why? So we could live, Lily. All that he's done...all that the Hive has done to this point was to ensure that we survived."
   "They plan on killing him," Lily began, opening her mouth to say more but a finger quickly laid over her lips to quiet her. Her eyes grew wide and a gentle blush began to spread over her cheeks. It didn't help that Tristan's voice was alluring and seductive as he quieted her.

   "Shhhh," he whispered, leaning closer to her. Lily felt her blood beginning to heat up, making her skin warm beneath his fingers and turning her ears a deep shade of red. She could see him smiling as his finger dropped from her lips to her collar bone. Even with her blood boiling, Lily could sense his mind. He was holding back something and he had a deep longing look in the depths of his eyes. His love for her, like his, ran as deep as an ocean and just as wide. She couldn't stay quiet for much longer and sat there squirming until she opened her mouth to speak.
   "Tristan, I-"
   "Stop talking," he demanded softly, closing the space between them by inching closer to her. Instinctively, Lily's mouth shut closed and she swallowed. The closer he drew, the hotter her face turned. She'd kissed him before but this was starting to feel different. More intimate and she just wasn't sure how to act. His face was mere inches away from her own now and she could clearly see where the red burst into the blue in his eyes. They were breathtaking.