Matt Lanter as Mark.

Lily's POV:

I stretched in bed feeling broken and hurt. I searched for my phone and saw it was already noon; how the hell did I get here? Last time I checked I was in the woods! I got on my feet and went to take a shower, then got in a pair of jeans and a purple shirt. I tied up my hair in a high ponytail and made my way to the door. I froze when I saw it ajar and with no knob. I remembered locking my door last night so my mom might have forced it to put me in bed.

I sighed and walked downstairs with puffy eyes and sat on a barstool in the kitchen looking at my mom sing happily. How could she be in such a good mood after what happened last night? I sighed heavily to let her know I was in the kitchen.

"Oh, good morning baby" she kissed my cheek and went back to her cooking.

"Morning. Where is Marianne?" I asked looking for my little sister. I missed that little munchkin.

"She's with the neighbors; they are having a party for their kids so I sent her there. It might be fun and we can have time for just us, like before."

"Mom...I'm sorry about yesterday." I finally apologized to her and walked over to where she was, I hugged her tightly.

"I just wish I knew what was going on with you before you let it go so far. It wouldn't have hurt you so much to leave him."

I looked up at her and chuckled "He's just my friend mom, he's not my boyfriend, so don't worry."

"Baby, I know he's not yet, but that's how it starts! He took you on a date, he picks you up for school...he's not who you think he is"

"I know exactly who he is and I don't mind it. He makes me smile and he makes me happy. Around him, I feel secure and at peace. He really is an awesome guy mom! No guys ever treated me the way he does, they all want in my pants but he doesn't."

"I know exactly what you mean" My mom sighed and went back to her cooking and she seemed to have zoned out on me.

"Mom? How do you know Kellen?" I saw her freeze for a moment before she looked at me.

"He's an old friend."

"How come you're friends with the person who killed my father?"

My mom sighed and sat next to me "I see Derek didn't tell you everything about the stone."

"Mom I'm not talking about that stupid stone! I'm talking about that killer who you call a friend!"

"Watch your tone young lady! And it all has to do with that stone! Did he tell you why he gave it to you?"

"Because he cares about me and the stone means a lot to him."

"At least when Kellen gave me that stone he didn't lie!"

I frowned, why would Kellen give her a stone? "What are you talking about?"

"Ask Derek! Ask him to tell you the truth before he takes you away without you having a choice!"

I looked at my mom puzzled and walked out of the house not knowing what to do, or how to act. As if on cue, I saw Derek's number flash on my iPhone. I answered it planning to get any information I could out of him.

"Meet me at my father's grave. I'm on my way there." I said and hung up not giving him time to even reply. I took the long road to get there; I needed to think about what I was going to ask and how I was going to do so.

I reached the graveyard and walked to my father's tomb really slowly. I've been trying to process everything on my way here, but it was hard. Knowing that my father didn't have a car accident killed me and I wish I had some of Derek's powers; I sure would have killed that stupid Kellen!

My mom thought that I didn't notice, but her cheeks turned red when I asked her about Kellen. Also, the other day when I saw him flirting with her in the living room? It all makes sense now. She knew him before and maybe it was more than just a friendship. However, it would mean that she cheated on my father! But she loved my father!

My thoughts were interrupted when I run into a hard chest. I stepped back and looked at Derek, looking better than ever. I felt like blurting out something stupid like 'why do you have to be this hot?' but thankfully my tongue was tied up and I couldn't say anything for a few seconds. I just held his gaze before sitting down on the ground. Derek sat next to me and took my hand still not saying a word.

"You owe me an explanation, Derek."

"Good morning to you too beautiful" he smiled and kissed my palm which made me want to squeal, but now was not the time.

I cleared my throat and tried my best not to blush and look serious. "Start talking."

"About what?"

I took out the stone from under my shirt and looked at it "Start with this"

"I already told you about it," he said frowning, which made me mad.

"Why would you lie to me! I trusted you! Kellen killed my father and you didn't say anything to me." I glared at him "And this stupid stone? It has something to do with it! My mom told me to ask for answers so I'm gonna need you to give me those answers."

I didn't realize it until Derek held both my hands and looked at me skeptically "what is happening to me?" I asked him worried as my whole body was shaking and my body was feeling hotter by the second.

Derek gulped down and looked at me shaking his head "I don't know but your eyes..."

Someone pushed Derek away causing me to fall back, I looked up and saw Kellen looking at me with a worried expression on his face.

"She lied to me..." he whispered looking at me.

My heart was racing and my temperature was still raising, I peeked behind Kellen's body to see Derek approaching us.

"What the hell Kellen! What do you want?"

"I want you to stay the hell away from my...from Lily!"

Derek frowned and looked at him "What happened to 'follow your heart, she's your mate, get her?'"

"That word again! Why do you keep saying I'm your mate?" I blurted out snapping them out of their argument and got them both to focus on me "being mates only exist in mythical stories and legends!"

They were still looking at me with shock apparent on their faces "I think I need to go to a hospital."

"NO! no hospitals..."

"Kellen? I didn't ask you, you killed my father you won't kill me too!" I snapped at him.

I heard him growl and got on my feet "You got a problem with that?" I said through gritted teeth but my view of him was blocked by Derek.

"Stop angering him" he whispered and I took the hint.

"We need to take you to our mansion, something is wrong with you and you can't go to a hospital" Derek spoke softly and somehow I trusted him and wanted to do just what he said so I followed them.

We entered the huge mansion and I had a bad feeling about the whole thing. Suddenly I felt a strange pull to a closed door and as if in a trance my body followed its will. I was about to open the door when a hand stopped me.

"You can't go in there," Kellen said dragging me upstairs to what I supposed was Derek's room. I looked around the Victorian-style room and felt like I was in one of those medieval movies. I smiled at the thought and turned around to scan the other part of the room.

I stood there in shock as my gaze met my reflection in the mirror hanged on the wall. I was immobilized. I must be dreaming this can't be me. I walked closer to the mirror and hesitantly reached out to make sure it was a mirror and not some kind of a sick joke.

I touched the cool surface and gasped "Oh my god! What's happening to me?" My eyes were a deep violet and my skin had a blue-ish hue to it, and I had scales! The stone Derek gave me glowed like I had never seen before and I could feel the heat of my body rising to an impossibly high level.

Kellen walked toward me and sighed "You are mutating... your genes are waking up".

I looked at him frowning "Huh?"

"You are a dragon, Lily"

"bu..but how? I can't be..."

"You have the genes and you can't change it. I'm sorry but you have to accept it or it will kill you."

I looked at him as if he had just grown another head and without any warning, my feet gave up on me and I fell to the ground, everything went black.

Derek's pov:

It's been hours since Lily had passed out and I still couldn't get it. How come she is a dragon? Both her parents are humans it doesn't make sense!

I walked to the cellar and saw Kellen there asking more questions about who sent Mark and if anyone else was coming.

"Kellen? We need to talk" I said and went to his study. Minutes later Kellen entered his study and closed the door behind him.

"What's up?" he asked walking to his chair behind the desk.

"Lily...how is it possible?"

"She has the genes."

"Yeah I got that part already but how? Her parents are humans"

"Not her father."

"If he was a dragon he would have known that Viviane is your mate, he wouldn't have tried to get her...unless that's why you killed him?"

Kellen sighed "No, I killed him because he was a hunter, just like Mark. He was hunting me down and I didn't even know he was Viviane's husband. Not until after I killed him. I heard someone coming so I ran to the woods and watched closely. That's when I saw Viviane crying over his body. She saw the trace of my claws on his chest and knew that I was the killer. It was self-defense"

"I don't get it, why would he hunt his own kind?"

"He is human Derek!"

"You just said her father is a dragon! If he is human then... Oh god! She is seventeen! You told me before that you used to live here seventeen years ago! She has your eyes! I'm so stupid! I should have noticed the resemblance."

"Well... now I have to break the news to her mother, she might think that Lily is not my daughter, but then again, she named her after my mom, so that makes the situation a bit skeptical".

I sat next to Lily in bed rehearsing my speech. I needed to tell her everything about our relationship; it wasn't fair for her to be in the dark about something that important.

I stroked her face gently and looked at her beautiful features she was truly amazing. I felt her stir and smiled when she opened her eyes. She looked disoriented and when I was just about to tell her where she was she seemed to recall everything because her face relaxed.

"You passed out"

"yeah... it's not every day that I hear someone telling me I'm a dragon. The next thing I'll hear is that my parents aren't really my parents." She joked without knowing how true her words were.

I bit my lip and looked at her seriously. "Do you want answers?" she nodded and sat up facing me "Do you promise not to run?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Alright. Um for starters, you are my mate. Your mom is trying to keep us apart because as your mate, I have to claim you, and I already did the first part of the claiming by giving you the stone. The second part of it consists of a bite..." I saw her eyes widened and smiled "It won't hurt, you don't even feel it. But once I claim you, you're mine. You can't be with anyone else, and even if you try, your feelings won't let you. By the dragon's laws, if anyone tries to take my mate away I have every right to kill him."

"But why? I mean I do have feelings for you but I barely know you, it's not like I can already say that I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"I know, and your feelings for me will only evolve, you are just fighting them."

"I can't be with you, my father died because of your guardian; I can't face him every day. I just can't, I'm not that strong".

"Um about that...it's not my place to tell you this but you have to ask your mom about the real reason your dad passed away. And you have to know that you will need me now more than ever, being a dragon isn't easy at first, and it hurts sometimes".

"I know why he died, Kellen killed him".

"Yeah, but you don't know why".

"What are you hiding exactly?"

"It's not my secret to share".

Lily got closer and nibbled my lower lip making me let out a low moan "What are you talking about exactly?" she asked straddling my waist and kissing down my neck. It was unbearable, I felt like claiming her right there and then but I couldn't betray her like that.

"Your father...Isn't who you think he is" her hands went under my shirt, she started caressing my back slowly, and gently "He was a hunter..."

"What kind of hunter?"

"A professional hunter, he killed dragons."

"What else?"

"He isn't your real father" I felt Lily pull away suddenly and looked at me shaking her head "no please don't tell me that please just don't" she started crying and I pulled her to me hugging her close trying to comfort her.

Kellen came into my room rushing "What's going on, why is she crying?"

"I kind of told her..."

Kellen sighed "Well we don't have time for this, the hunter has escaped, we need to move out before he comes back with more hunters, come on move it!"

I stood up with Lily in my arms and set her on the bed. I packed a bag and took her hand leading her down to my car. Something good in Kellen is that he always has a backup plan, he always has safe houses here and there. Therefore, I knew we were going to a place that contained everything we needed. I waited until he drove out of the driveway to follow him. It was a long drive, I should have probably dropped Lily home first but I couldn't leave her in that state and her eyes were still violet.

"You are going to be fine Lily, I promise"

"Your promises mean nothing to me." She said as she looked in the distance as if she was in some kind of trance. I didn't say anything back to her; the last thing I wanted right now was to upset her even more. Dragons in transition could be dangerous.