6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Ethan

I put my phone down and take a sip of my Scotch. I have just been informed of some trouble occurring at my nightclub. This day can't get any worse.

Not only that, I ruined any potential relationship with the most intriguing woman I have met in years, but my club is about to face trouble.

"Do you think it is one of the rebels?" Nick asks, leaning forward.

"There are too many things that can go wrong tonight. It might be anything," I say, rubbing the bridge of my nose.

"What did the security guard tell you?"

"He says that some girl is too drunk to leave the premises. She is creating a ruckus, refusing to pay her bill, and now she is threatening the staff with a bottle."

"Jesus Christ," Nick mutters.

"Exactly."

"Well, at least it is not what I thought. Things like that happen in nightclubs all the time, Ethan. It is part of nightlife."

"Not in my club. Let's make this quick. I must leave soon take care of it," I take the last sip of my drink and switch my attention back to Perry, my attorney.

"Ah, yes. The FDA," Perry groans.

"How serious is it this time, Perry?"

"They have filed an injunction against your product. They claim that there is not enough evidence that the product is safe."

"The FDA is a joke. They don't know the purpose of this company," I snap, my frustration growing.

"The thing is, Perry, we know our customers by heart. We know their needs, and what they want. And we deliver. We doubt whoever is misusing our products is one of us," Nick says.

"That's not what the FDA thinks. Your latest drug, Lamilofen, still needs FDA approval. If the injunction is granted, it will be illegal."

"That drug is going to be revolutionary. It is one of our best-selling drugs, and it's the newest. It helps people to control their thirst and cravings. We haven't even released it yet and the FDA is already on our backs," Alfred says, his voice rising.

"That is odd," Perry says as he adjusts his glasses.

"The FDA has no idea how this can help the lives of people. And if they do, then they are simply doing this to annoy me. This is getting ridiculous. They have never acted like this."

"Remember last time, Perry?" Nick clears his throat.

"Yes, that was quite an ordeal. This time is a bit different, though," Perry nods, grimly.

"How so?" I say, but my eyes spot a phone call from Lily.

"This time we need to act as soon as possible to mitigate this situation, before it escalates too quickly."

"We'll need to assemble a team—discreetly. Start with a thorough audit of all your recent trial data, focusing on Lamilofen. You should also-" Perry says but quickly pauses.

"Ethan?" Nick asks, his voice so faint.

"Is everything all right, Mr. Rothschild? You seem preoccupied with your phone?" Perry questions.

"It is nothing. Just a call from… never mind. Please, continue. You were saying about the audit?"

"Right. As I was saying, we will start with the audit. We should also have a talk with customers that consumed Lamilofen."

"They are only a bunch, and I know them by heart since our drug is not on the market yet," Nick says, almost interrupting.

"Right. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. First, we need to-"

Perry is interrupted by another sharp ring from my phone. The two of them look at me expectantly.

"My apologies. I really must take this."

"Of course, take your time," Perry says, nodding in understanding.

I step out on the balcony, phone in hand, eager to answer the phone call. I thought I made it clear to Lily not to call again. Even though I am not happy with the way I talked to her earlier.

"Ms. Snow. It is late as you can see."

I don't hear back from her. I quickly realize the background noise is drowning out Lily's voice.

"Ms. Snow, I can barely hear you. Where are you?"

"Why do you care?" her voice finally becomes clearer now.

"Lily. Where are you?"

"Out. Far away from you."

I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. Lily does not sound like she is in the right state of mind.

"I am not going to repeat myself again, Lily. Where the hell are you?"

"Where am I?" Lily repeats, giggling slightly.

I can hear the thumping music in the background and the sound of people shouting and laughing.

Suddenly, I hear a familiar, deep authoritative voice attempting to escort Lily outside. Damn it. She is in my club. She is the one the security guy informed me of. What is going through your mind, Lily?

"Lily. I need you to stay there. Don't talk to anyone. I am coming to get you. Understand?"

The call suddenly hangs up. The silence after it is deafening. What are the odds? Why is Lily in my club? More importantly, why is she calling me?

"You've got to be kidding me," I mutter to myself and head to the club.

This is not how I wanted the night to end. I would hate for the most important meeting with my attorney to end like this, but I must find Lily.

The music is deafening inside the club. It is not even hard to find Lily because I can smell her. She smells like vanilla and roses. In fact, everyone can smell her.

"There you are," I grab her hand and pull her along as I head outside, but she resists me.

"Did you follow me here?" Lily asks, raising an eyebrow.

Her outfit is scandalous. She is wearing a tight, black mini dress with a plunging neckline and high heels.

"Wow," I say, trying not to stare too much.

"Come dance with me," Lily says, but I pull my hand away.

"What are you doing here, Lily? You should not be here."

"Having fun. People do that, Mr. Rothschild."

"In my club? You are clearly drunk," I glare at her.

"I don't care if it is your club. I don't care if every club in New York is yours. I am allowed to have fun."

"Not like this. You are not supposed to be this reckless, Lils," I say angrily.

"Why do you care? And for the record, it is Ms. Snow, not Lils."

Lils . Good old days. The name I used to call her. Good times. She is clearly so drunk and out of it, and I would hate to leave her alone in this state. I suddenly feel obliged to take care of her.

"Come dance with me," Lily says again, swaying lightly in front of me. I try hard not to stare, but the sight is just mouth-watering. She makes my thoughts race.

"Are you kidding me, Lily? Come on. We are leaving this place," I say as I try to grab her hand once again, but she resists again.

"And whose fault is that?" she says back, her face flushing with anger.

"Stop this, Lily."

"Who do you think you are to talk to me on the phone like I am one of your depraved little assistants?"

"What are you saying?"

"I don't work for you, Ethan Rothschild. I don't care how wealthy, powerful, and successful you are. I don't even care if the whole government is after you. I don't care what you do for a living. You are not supposed to talk to me like that."

"You think this is a game? You show up here, wasted, because of our phone call? I was in an important meeting. The very meeting I had to leave suddenly because I can't stop getting calls about this reckless human who is trying to ruin my club's reputation," I snap at her.

"Oh, human again? You are such a freak."

"Lily, please. Let's get out of here. You are going to hurt yourself."

"You were downright rude to me."

"My apologies, let us just take this conversation somewhere else," I say, clenching my fists and looking around me. There are hungry looks everywhere.

"Don't pretend like you care," she scoffs, stumbling a bit.

"I do care!" I yell, and people nearby turn to look.

"Well, you have a funny way of showing it," she says bitterly.

"Damn it, Lily. You can't just show up here like this," I say, trying to keep my voice steady. I don't care if people are staring.

"Why not? In your club, right? I am just having fun," she challenges, stepping closer to me.

"This isn't fun. You are being childish right now," I argue, my frustration boiling over.

"I'll tell you what's fun," Lily smirks at me.

She drinks the last sip of the liquor and slams the glass on the counter, breaking it, and causing her hand to bleed.

"Good God, Lily," I snap at her, but it is too late. Her hand is bleeding. My eyes freeze in horror. How can I do this? The smell. The sight.

A group of men is watching Lily. Some are smiling. They all look dangerous and hungry. A shiver runs through me.

"Come here," I snarl at Lily, grabbing her arm and pressing my hand on the wounds, blocking the blood from spreading. She looks at me in shock. I can't help myself.

"It hurts, Ethan. Let go," she moans against my chest. Her eyes are tearing. I can't believe what I am doing.

"We must stop the bleeding. We must get out of here. It is not safe," I say in a low voice.

"I want to go home."

"Put your arms around my neck. I am getting you out of here. You should not be here."

"What's gotten into your head?"

"I am sorry, Lily. I can't explain," I murmur.

I feel a sharp pain in my throat. My blood is boiling. I can feel my muscles tighten. My fangs are itching; I want to devour her. Her blood smells so delicious, but I can't do that. That is not me. I don't feed on humans.

"Don't let go of me," I whisper against her ear. My eyes spot the hungry souls around her. I hold her close and lift her in my arms. She is so light and fragile. I can't wait to get her away from these monsters.

I can't believe I am doing this. I must take care of her. It feels like a burden because she can't know what I really am.

"Where are we going?" Lily mumbles against my skin.

"Somewhere safer than here," I tell her as I tighten the seatbelt around her. She is falling asleep, and her blood is all over my hands. What have I gotten myself into? How can I resist her? How can I resist her blood?

Lily looks so vulnerable. The sight makes my heart melt. Her skin is so soft and pale. She looks like a porcelain doll. The contrast between her dark hair and her light skin is just hypnotizing.

"Lily? Can you hear me?" I softly ask as I place her head on the pillow.

She doesn't speak back to me. She just moans and mumbles sweet nothings.

"Can you hear me, Lily?" I ask her again. She slowly opens her eyes, and then blinks.

"Where am I?" She looks around her. The minute she realizes that she is not in the club anymore, she freaks out.

"You are safe here. You hurt your hand, Lily."

"Why did you bring me here? I want to go home."

"Calm down, Lily. You were so hasty, and you are clearly drunk. I couldn't just leave you out there like this."

"Why not? This is what you do, right? You take whatever you want, and you just throw it away when you are done with it. That is what you did with me when you left me."

"I don't know what you are talking about, Lily, please."

"Oh, for God's sake, Ethan. Do not pretend like you don't know what I am talking about."

"We don't have to go through this again. Just stop, please."

"Why? You left me, remember? You told me that you would never leave me, and you left me. What is there to go through anymore?"

"I didn't leave you."

"You did. You told me that you would always be by my side, and then you disappeared. I looked for you everywhere."

"I was always with you, Lily. I told you a million times that I had to leave. For your own sake. For your safety, I had to leave."

"But you never came back. You never answered my calls. You never responded to any of my messages. You just left me hanging."

"Please, Lily. You must rest. We should not be talking about this now. You are drunk and not thinking straight."

"Don't tell me what to do. Just let me go, please. This is the last thing I want," she says as she tries to push me away and gets up from my bed.

"Don't fight with me, Lily. Please."

"Why are you doing this to me, Ethan?"

"Because I care about you."

"You don't. And you made that obvious by the way you talked to me earlier."

"Please, Lily. Stop. Get some sleep. I will have my driver bring your stuff and drop you off at work tomorrow, and we can pretend this night has never happened."

"I was right when I said that you changed. You really did change. You became this arrogant, selfish, self-absorbed freak. And the fact that you can't even recognize that makes me sick," she says as she starts to cry.

"That is enough. You need to calm down."

"Stop telling me what to do."

I scoot over next to Lily and grab her arm. She is still crying, and her eyes are red and puffy. I hold her close and wrap my arms around her.

"Please, Lily, stop. I can't handle this sight. I can't handle seeing you cry."

"You don't understand, Ethan. You can't even understand."

"I can't handle this."

I pull her closer and put her head against my chest. My touch is so cold, and she can't stop shivering. When my eyes spot the blood on her hand, all my senses go crazy. I must taste her.

I gently brush my lips against her hand. The smell and the sight make me lose control. I start kissing her hand, her wrists, and her arms. I can't resist her blood.

"Ethan, what are you doing? Please stop."