Chapter ~ Chapter Fourteen ~
Liliana moaned as her phone ringing woke her up. She reached over to the nightstand and grabbed it. “What do you want?” She demanded as she answered the phone.
Jacques chuckled. “Decided to take a nap, did you, little one?” He asked.
Liliana sighed. “It wasn’t by choice,” she muttered. “It seems that Hades and Artemis have given me a gift. I can shift into any animal or creature that’s ever existed. But, because it was the first time we defeated Chimera and a witch to save Anna, it took all of my energy. Kaine says that I need to practice, but it’ll still make me exhausted every time I use it,” she explained.
Jacques knew what Artemis had gifted her. “Hmm,” he said curiously. “I’ve only ever heard of Poseidon’s demigod children having that gift,” Jacques clicked his tongue. “I suppose Artemis wanted to give you every advantage she could,” he said softly.
Liliana sighed as she pulled the blanket over her head. “Have you gotten to the vampires yet?” She asked as she closed her eyes.
Jacques chuckled, knowing that she had pulled her blanket over her head. “Yes. I went to my brother, Michael,” he said softly.
Liliana frowned. “I thought you never wanted to return to that mansion,” she said quietly.
Jacques sighed heavily. “I never wanted to come back, but I will do anything to help you. I have to do this because I’m no longer the clan leader. I don’t have the allies or connections that Michael does.”
“Oh,” Liliana said softly. “Are you alright?” She asked quietly.
“I’m alright, little one,” Jacques said with a small smile.
Liliana sighed as she shoved the blanket off her face. “So what did your brother say?”
Jacques chuckled. “He’s making some calls now. So if you get any calls from unknown numbers, it’s vampires calling to speak with you.”
“And what am I supposed to say to them?” Liliana demanded as she sat up.
“You’ll have to convince them to join our army. They’ll be the ones that are uncertain about joining us.”
“Alright,” Liliana frowned as she looked outside. “Shit. How long was I asleep?” She murmured.
Jacques laughed. “Well, I’ll talk to Michael some more while you figure that out. As soon as we figure out when we’re leaving, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks, Jacques. I know how hard it was for you to go back there. I promise I’ll make it up to you,” Liliana said softly.
Jacques scoffed. “No need, little one. I want to help.”
Liliana smiled. “I’ll talk to you later, Jacques.”
They hung up, and she looked around with a frown. Liliana was alone in the room she shared with Cayden at their house. She got out of bed and made her way downstairs. Her frown deepened when she saw that the house was almost empty. Only the runt hellhound remained in the living room. She knelt in front of him and caressed his head. “You need a name,” she mumbled. She thought for a minute before smiling. “How about Daemon?” She asked as she looked at the hound.
The hound seemed to like the name as he wagged his tail. Then, she let out a giggle. “Daemon it is then,” Liliana sighed as she looked around the room. “Do you know where Cayden is?” She asked Daemon softly.
Daemon let out a bark and started walking toward the hallway. Liliana stood up and followed him to Cayden’s office. She walked in without knocking and smiled at Cayden, sitting behind his desk while signing paperwork. Then, she softly closed the door and walked over to him. Liliana leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead. “Hi, love,” she said softly.
Cayden grinned as he set his pen down and turned to her. “Hi there, little dove. Are you feeling better?” He asked as he pulled her onto his lap.
Liliana giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Yes, I am feeling much better,” she laid her head on his shoulder. “How long was I asleep?” She asked quietly.
Cayden kissed her temple. “For about four hours,” he murmured against her hair.
Liliana groaned. “Where is everyone?” She questioned.
“I took everyone to the pack house and got them set up in their rooms. We only have one spare room here, and we both know who that’s for,” Cayden said playfully.
Liliana giggled as she looked up at him. “And the hounds?”
“I called Orthrus out of hiding and had him take them with him,” Cayden chuckled. “You owe him two steaks, though.”
Liliana laughed. “Of course. I’m not surprised that you had to bribe Orthrus. He prefers to be alone most of the time.”
Cayden pressed a firm kiss to her lips before resting his forehead against hers. “Have you heard from Jacques yet?” He asked softly.
Liliana let out a small huff of a laugh. “Yeah. Jacques’s the reason why I’m awake. He called me and told me that we had vampires on our side. Most of them anyway,” she shrugged slightly.
Cayden nodded. “That’s good. I had Sebastian take Daedalus around the territory to get an idea of the security and traps he’ll have to set up. Then once they’ve finished with our territory, they’ll speak with Ryan and do the same thing.”
Liliana grinned. “Thank you. The sooner we get all of that setup, the better. We never know what Atlas has up his sleeve.”
Cayden chuckled as he gently ran his hands down her body. “For right now, we can just relax.”
Liliana sighed as she closed her eyes and pressed her body into his. “I don’t want to be stuck on the sidelines,” she whispered. “I want to fight with everyone else,” she looked up and into his eyes with determination in her own eyes. “Will you train me, love?” She whispered against his lips.
Cayden groaned as he squeezed his eyes shut. “As much as I don’t want you out on the battlefield, I know how you are. I know that you want to fight alongside everyone else. So I will train you. In every single type of fighting, weapons, and hand-to-hand combat, even in wolf form, even though your wolf is small. It still might come in handy,” he said softly.
Liliana grinned brightly. “Alright. We can start tomorrow,” she whispered against Cayden’s lips.
Cayden smiled and pressed his lips to hers. Liliana kissed him with a fierceness that surprised both of them. Then, as she pulled away, she grinned. “I’m going to find your mom. I want to run to the store and grab some things for dinner tonight,” she said as she stood up and glanced at his desk. “It also looks like you have quite a bit of paperwork to get through.”
Cayden chuckled as he shook his head. “Little minx,” he whispered. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. “Make sure you take some guards with you, little dove.”
Liliana smiled. “Of course, my love.”
Liliana leaned down and pressed a feather-light kiss to his lips. Then, she left his office and called Autumn to go shopping with her.
Once Liliana was ready, she joined Autumn in the car. As Autumn started driving towards the small town close by, she asked. “So why the random shopping trip?”
Liliana blushed as she looked at her hands intertwined in her lap. “Cayden and I have been talking,” she sighed heavily. “He wants to start a family,” she whispered as she looked out the window. “He knows that I have never done anything sexual-wise, so he’s being patient with me, but I can see it in his eyes,” she said quietly. “It’s getting challenging for him to control his urges. Whenever things between us start to get hot and heavy, I can see him forcing Ranger back into the mental cage he has to keep him in.”
Autumn glanced at her before focusing on the road. “You’re a virgin?” Autumn questioned in shock.
Liliana blushed. “Yes,” she murmured.
Autumn smiled. “There’s nothing wrong with that. I think it’s sweet that you waited for your beloved,” she sighed. “So what are you going to do? Cayden won’t be able to keep Ranger under control much longer.”
Liliana bit her lip as she looked out the window again. “That’s why we’re going shopping,” she shook her head with a small smile. “I admit it has been difficult to control my urges. I know Cayden has been patient with me, but I’m ready. I want to make tonight special and memorable.”
Autumn smiled as she stopped at a red light. “What do you have planned?” She asked as she started driving again.
Liliana let out a nervous breath. “I was thinking of making a romantic dinner and dessert. Then have him relax in the shower before I give him a massage,” she cleared her throat. “The main reason for the shopping trip is because I want to buy something to wear that’s sexy. I normally won’t wear clothes like that so it’ll tell him exactly what I want to happen.”
Autumn grinned mischievously. “I can help with that.”
They pulled into the mall’s parking lot and made their way inside. They shopped for a couple of hours before finding the perfect lingerie and dress. Then, before heading home, they grabbed everything for the romantic dinner and dessert that Liliana had planned. “Thank you, Autumn,” she said as she took all the bags from the backseat.
Autumn gave her a bright smile. “Anytime, darling,” she winked at Liliana. “I want a grandson soon.”
Liliana blushed as she hurried inside. She was grateful that Cayden was still in his office. She took the lingerie and outfit upstairs before going into his office to tell him she was home. When he finally let her go, she went into the kitchen to make dinner. It didn’t take her long to get everything completed.
Once Liliana finished making everything, she grabbed a couple of the candles they had bought and set them up in the middle of the table. She made a plate for each of them and covered them before going upstairs. She quickly set up the smaller candles they had gotten all around the room. She even set up a bunch of them in the bathroom to set a certain mood. When Liliana was sure that everything was perfect, she took a quick shower and put on her new lingerie and a new outfit. She sat on the couch and pulled on her strappy heels. She checked her reflection in the mirror and gave herself a nod.
Liliana’s face was free of any makeup, just as Cayden liked. She left her hair in its natural curls that flowed down her thighs. Her dress was dark, blood-red, that stopped at her mid-thigh. It had a deep v-neck and was backless. The lingerie underneath was black and lacy, leaving nothing to the imagination. She paired it with a new pair of black strappy heels that wrapped around her calves and almost went up to her knees.
Liliana fluffed her hair a bit before going down to Cayden’s office. She stopped before the door and took a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart. She finally opened the door and walked inside. Cayden barely lifted his head from his laptop as she walked in. Liliana knew he was looking over things for the pack, so she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as she leaned down to whisper in his ear. “Dinner’s done, my love. Come and eat.”
Cayden nodded as he leaned into her embrace. “I am starving,” he mumbled as he went to stand up.
Liliana took a few steps back and waited for him to look at her. When Cayden did, he froze. “Little dove,” he whispered in awed shock. He walked up to her and gently ran his fingers down her arms. “You look stunning,” he murmured as he leaned his forehead against hers. “Though, I have never seen you wear anything like this.”
Liliana blushed as she looked down and bit her lip. “I wanted tonight to be special,” she whispered.
Cayden raised an eyebrow but didn’t question her as she took his hand in hers and led him to the dining room. Instead, he grinned as he looked over the table. “This is beautiful, little dove,” he said softly.
Liliana smiled as she gestured for him to sit down. “Try not to overeat. I also made dessert,” she teased as he pulled her chair out for her before sitting down himself.
Cayden lifted the cover off his food and grinned. “This looks amazing, little dove,” he said as he started eating.
As they ate, they talked about anything and everything. Once they had finished dinner, they had their dessert. Cayden stood up and started cleaning up. Liliana gently touched his arm. “Don’t worry, love. I’ll take care of this. Why don’t you go upstairs and take a relaxing shower?” She suggested quietly.
Cayden raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure, little dove? I don’t mind helping.”
Liliana waved him off as she started cleaning the table. “Go on, love. I’ve got this.”
Cayden shrugged but gave her a loving kiss before making his way upstairs.
Liliana sighed as she made quick work of cleaning up everything from dinner. She ensured she blew out the candles on the table before going upstairs. She grinned when she saw that Cayden was still in the shower. She quickly lit all the candles and set the massage oils on the nightstand beside the bed. Liliana pulled the dress off and laid it on the couch in front of the fireplace. She sat on the edge of the bed and waited for Cayden to get done in the shower.