Mesmerized

grabbed his hand. "I'm glad nothing worked." 
    "Me too."
    Lily took a bite, and then asked. "Where is your favorite place in the world?"
    "Hmm, there are so many beautiful places in this world it's hard to pick just one. I guess it would be Ireland. The rolling, emerald-green hills that go on forever are breathtaking. It feels like you entered another world when you step foot on the ground." Jake had a faraway look in his eyes. "I want to take you there someday." 
    They heard a car approaching around dinnertime. Jake peeked out the window. “It’s just Sampson.”
    “When did you even call him?” Lily asked.
    “It must have been one of the times you were in the bathroom.” He smiled and went to the door. 
    “Hello, Sampson!” Jake opened the door and Sampson walked in. He was an older gentleman, large and intimidating with a full head of white hair. “Please come in.”
    Sampson walked into the cabin and his eyes quickly settled on Lily.  He placed the brown paper bags on the kitchen counter.
    “Sampson, this is Lily.” 
    Lily stayed on the other side of the room. “Nice to meet you, Sampson.”
    He eyed her suspiciously, but he nodded. “You too, Miss.”
    Jake handed Sampson some money. “Thank you.”
    “Let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you.” Sampson shook Jake’s hand and walked to the door. Glancing back at Lily one more time, "A succubus, Jake? Are you sure that's safe?" 
    "Don't worry Sampson. We can trust her."
    He grunted and nodded at Lily before he closed the door. 
    “How did he know?” Lily's mouth gaped open.
    “He’s an old friend, and he has been around a long time. Sampson has seen a lot of unusual things in his time.”
    Lily tried to accept that answer. It still seemed odd to her. She walked to the window and watched as the car drove away. “It’s snowing,” she said, as she saw huge snowflakes fall from the sky. 
    Jake joined her at the window. He put his arm around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. “It snows a lot up here in the winter.”
    “It’s beautiful.”
    “Oh, that’s right. You’re from the south. Have you ever seen snow before?”
    “Not falling this heavily.”
    “C’mon.” Jake took Lily by the hand and led her outside. There were already a couple inches of freshly fallen snow on the ground. 
    Lily lifted her head up to the sky and stuck out her tongue to catch a snowflake like a child might do. She stood there long enough to have a couple drop on her tongue and she giggled. 
    Jake smiled watching her. He picked up some snow and made a snowball. He tossed it at her gently and hit her right in the shoulder. 
    She looked surprised, and then started laughing. She reached down and made a ball of her own. He ducked as she threw it at him. She made another one and chased after him. He didn’t run fast—he let her catch him and smash the snowball on his head. Turning around to face her, his lips met hers for just a moment. 
    He lay down on the ground.
    “What are you doing?” Lily asked.
    “Making a snow angel. Join me.”
    She grinned and lay down next to him. Together they spread out their arms and legs and moved them back and forth. Jake jumped up and helped Lily up. They looked down at their impressions and Lily grinned. This was perfect. Playing in the snow with the guy she loved. 
    After a few more minutes they went inside and warmed up by the fireplace. "I wish we could stay here forever." Lily warmed her hands over the fire. 
    "That would be nice. But, I can never stay anywhere too long."
    "I don't think anyone would notice this far in the woods."
    "You'd be surprised. Do you want some hot chocolate?" It wasn't the neighbors he was worried about. 
    "I love hot cocoa." She watched as Jake strolled to the kitchen and filled up the kettle. There was no denying it. She was crazy about him. He looked up as if he could feel her eyes on him and smiled. 
    The evening went by in a blur. Every moment that she spent with Jake was wonderful. She loved falling asleep in his arms.
     

Chapter Eleven
     
     
     
    The next thing Lily knew, Jake was shaking her awake. "Lily, get dressed we have to get out of here now!" 
    "What? Why?" She tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes. She looked over to find Jake was tossing things into a bag. She looked out the window and it was still dark.
    "Hurry up! They’ll be here soon."
    "Who? The police?" Lily stepped into her jeans and threw on a sweater. 
    "I'll explain