Disclaimer; All the characters except the girl belong to LJ smith and her Night World series. No money is being made from this story. No infringement intended.

Author's Notes; This is pre-Daughters of Darkness. Meaning before the book. Sentences in Italics are Ash's thoughts.

Midnight's Call

Ash Redfern frowned at the giggling girl who continued to tell him how absolutely thrilling it was that he noticed her in the club. How she absolutely adored his car, isn't it the brand new-edition-recently-released version?

"Shut up." He muttered before he kissed her full mouth. She gasped as he pulled her in closely and moved eagerly, pushing herself against him.

His eyes turned silver, with deliberation he slashed her tongue a bit. She yelped as she felt blood fill her mouth and tried to push him away, he didn't care as he kept on kissing her and draining her of her blood.

With a final lick he pushed her away. She cried quietly holding her palm up as if she tried to ward him away. A bit too late for that isn't it? He thought with amusement.

"You were too drunk to remember how you got home, but you did." With a wave of his hands she went slack. He leaned over her curvy figure to open the door and gestured out. With the obedience a dog might have with his master she followed his hands. She walked away.

For a while he followed her fastly disappearing figure, making sure that no other inhabitants of the Night World was around. He sighed and kicked himself.

You're getting soft! He thought furiously. Normally Ash would leave his victims on the road, he simply wiped the slate clean. Relishing the thought that they would probably wake up with fear and worry. Had they been raped? Drugged? What were they doing in the middle of the road? Because, of course, all his victims were the female kind. They were just too easy to scare.

Lately though… He cursed James and his girl, what was her name? Poppy. Yes, that was it. Poppy.

James' words rang in his head "You know, you've never really cared about anyone," His eyes pierced into Ash's own cold grey eyes. "But someday you will, and it's going to hurt-a lot"

Ash wasn't stupid. He knew what would happened if James was found to be a 'traitor'. Death. Not instant, slowly, painfully. Personally he couldn't care less, but Rowan, Kestrel and Jade would be torn. Because you see, James was wrong, he did care about people.

He cared about his sisters. A lot. It was his mother's final wish that he took care of them before she died. He had hurt then. But in order to survive he had to kill the emotions that distracted him. So instead of being the sweet, caring boy he once had been, he began to mask his emotions. Carefully putting up walls to separate himself from the world. Putting on a façade to make them all think that he was a jerk. It worked a little too well.

His sisters weren't exactly fond of him, but that was okay. As long as he could take care of them, they'll be fine. They didn't need him emotionally anyway. They had each other for that.

He continued to think about James and how he and Poppy held on to each other. Was it worth it? He wondered. Death, and maybe more? For love? Such stubbornness could only be expected from a Rasmussen. Ash finally decided. A true Redfern could have cared less about love. They would chew it up and spat it out at whoever suggested the idea of love.

He mentally kicked himself. What was he thinking about? Stupid James with his stupid decisions. It didn't matter. It does not concern him.

"Hello Ash…" Purred a male voice. Ash turned to see Quinn sliding noiselessly into his car. Ash nodded in reply.

"You're late." He frowned at the shorter boy, though sitting down, you couldn't really tell.

"Whatever." Quinn shrugged and nodded into the direction that the girl he had feed on tonight had disappeared to. "You had fun anyway."

"True." They shared a predatory grin. It was their game. And tonight they were of hunting for more.

It wasn't that they were friends but it was because it was convenient. What girl can resist one vampire, but with two… Fun times to be had ahead. He was just about to move the car once more when his cell phone rang.

"Hello?" He drawled lazily. It was midnight and the only people who knew his number were people from that Godforsaken island. He doubted that they would still be awake at this 'ungodly' hour.

Quinn watched curiously as Ash's face changed and paled suddenly

"What do you mean the girls are gone!?" With a frown at Quinn who had one eye brow raised he slammed the gas on his car and sped away.

End!