Lily's Promise Novels & Stories

Alice’s curls rested against her shoulder, her small hand fisted into Lily’s shirt. “Again,” Alice said softly. Lily smiled. Not the polite kind. Not the practiced one. The real one. Warm. Unguarded. “Alright,” she murmured. “But this is the last time before dinner.” “Promise?” Alice asked. “I promise.” The word settled heavily in my chest. Promises were dangerous things. I watched as Lily finished the story, her voice low and steady. When Alice yawned, Lily adjusted her gently, tucking her closer instead of moving her away. She brushed a curl back from Alice’s forehead, the gesture intimate, familiar.

While that might have made him a miserable son of a bitch, it gave him something to live for. A purpose. A promise. And he’d sworn to himself years ago he wouldn’t draw his last breath until he’d seen that promise through. Rebel was a lot of things, but he was also a man of his word. Lily didn’t answer. Instead, she stared out the window toward the stars. “A friend once told me she saved a man’s life, even at risk to her own, because it was the right thing to do.” She turned back toward him. “I suppose that’s why.”

“It’s like there’s something I need to remember, something important.” Ray pulled her closer, pressing his forehead against hers as he spoke softly. “I don’t want to lose you to something in your past, Lilly. Whatever it is, we’ll face it together. But not at the cost of your peace.” Lilly closed her eyes, letting his warmth ground her, though her mind was still back in the dream. The little girl’s words echoed over and over: “You promised to come back for me.” A pang of guilt twisted in her chest, as if some hidden part of her knew she had made that promise.

“It is my problem too! I mean you’re my boss, it’s my duty.” “We are not in the military, Lucian. I won’t let you get hurt because of my family.” “Lily…” Lucian’s voice cracked, “I promised Lily. Look I know that you don’t want me to be with Lily but I like her and I made a promise to her.” “There’s something you should know before jumping into this?”

"Alright, but Trinity, if anything unusual happens, you have to tell me immediately. Promise me that." "Of course," I agreed quickly, grateful that she was willing to help. "But Lily, I need you to promise me something too, something really important." She tilted her head, waiting expectantly. "Promise me you won't tell anyone about the hex," I pleaded. "At least not until we understand exactly what we're dealing with and have some kind of plan to fix it." Lily hesitated, her green eyes searching my face with obvious concern. "Trinity, I'm not sure keeping this secret is wise. If you're potentially dangerous—"

It was almost weary. “She’s a child,” I answered softly. “That’s exactly why.” The weight beneath his tone made me straighten. He moved past me and sat down at the table, staring at nothing for a moment before speaking again. Lily had wandered into the living room with her pencils, humming to herself, blissfully unaware of what we adults were doing “I let her believe something once,” he said, eyes fixed on the wood grain of the table. “I promised stability. I promised that things were settled. That I had it handled.”

The clouds parted overhead, revealing a few scattered stars. One shone particularly bright. Chase looked at it, lost in thought. "Ever read The Princess and the Frog?" My mind was blank. "What?" "There was this firefly crazy about a star," he explained. "And he named it Evangeline." I nodded dumbly. "Yeah, and then?" Along the shore, the waves had frozen in place, forming undulating layers of white. New surges shoved fresh snow forward in a rhythmic dance. "Nora," he murmured.

Their hands fit together like a truth that had always been waiting. “I do want that,” Lily said softly. “But… I need time.” Evelyn nodded immediately. “Take all the time you need.” Lily leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. “I can’t believe my father… After everything…” Evelyn gently squeezed her hand. “You’re not alone in this.” Lily turned her head, eyes meeting Evelyn’s. “Promise me something.” “Anything.” “No more secrets,” Lily whispered. “Even if the truth is painful. Even if it scares you.”