Part Seven
"You're really being impolite, love." Bradley chided as Ray dragged him along. "Poor Maeve drove all the way from California and here you are treating her as if she were unwanted." He said all of this with a slight, but distinct smirk.
When they reached her room, Ray closed the door behind them and let go of her deathgrip on Bradley's arm. She, with much effort, gained some of her composure and looked Bradley squarely in the eye.
"Allright Brad, a couple questions." She held up a hand and counted off as she spoke.
"Number one, who is she? Number two, what is she? Three, is she dangerous. And number four, why the HELL is she here?!" Ray was fuming now, turning slightly red around the cheeks.
Bradley reached out and pinched one of the offending cheeks, only to be slapped away by an incensed Ray. He grinned, but tried nothing further.
He sighed. "All right then, if you insist on barraging me with questions." He held up a graceful finger. "She is Maeve, if you haven't picked up on that yet." Ray slapped Brad over the head with a magazine, still not managing to wipe the grin off of his face.
"You know what I meant." She said.
"All right, fine. She is one of my ex girlfriends." Ray urged him to continue. He sighed, once again, but he went on. "Maeve Bluebirch's the name. We were quite the serious couple when we were younger, though I think that she was much more interested in me than I was in her." Bradley was no longer smirking. He looked sort of…wistful, as if he were remembering something. He continued.
"Our families knew each other very well, so I guess that you could say that we were set up. I found her somewhat dim, though. I guess that we weren't the "perfect couple" that our families wanted us to be." He chuckled quietly. "Too bad."
He seemed to realize what he had said and quickly returned to himself. He finished off, in typical Bradley tones, "I tired of the arrangement after a while, so I broke it off. I think that she still harbors a little crush on me, though."
He looked at Ray now, who had cooled off a great deal. "Does that answer you question?"
It was Ray's turn to smile now, as she said, "One of them. Go on." It was rare for Bradley to reveal his feelings, but Ray could think about that later. Right now, all that mattered was finding out about the strange girl who was, supposedly, sleeping with her tonight. She sat down on her bed.
Bradley leaned back against a wall. "She's a vampire, lamia if that makes any difference." He smiled sardonically at Ray. "That reminds me, try not to get on her bad side. She's sort of…flighty. She has an amazing temper…believe me, and there's nothing worse than an unhinged vampire."
"You're telling me." Ray mumbled, referring to a certain sadistic soulmate that she had. She took note of his warning, though. Bradley rarely lied to her.
Bradley ignored her. "I believe that I have already answered you next question, at least partially. She is dangerous, though it's more by nature than by her own character. I doubt that she'd ever attack anyone." He grinned at Ray. "She'd probably be too afraid of breaking a nail." Ray couldn't help but grin back.
Bradley was quickly serious again. "Just don't provoke her love, and you won't get maimed."
"Next question!" His abrupt change of mood caught Ray off guard, causing her to jump. She scowled at him as he continued. "Why is she here…Well, I guess that you could say that she's here for our guidance." He said enigmatically.
Ray eyed him suspiciously. "What do you mean?"
Bradley's face was now devoid of any emotion. "She's here because she's defecting from the Night World. She's come to join circle Daybreak."
"What? Why would she do that?"
Bradley shrugged, then walked over to the bed and sat down next to Ray. "I have no idea love, all that I know is that we've been assigned to show her the ropes."
"Great." Ray said simply. She lay back on her bed, her face pressed against her demented bunny sheets. She had brought them at a specialty store a long time ago, even before she had met Bradley. They displayed a powder blue bunny with huge eyes and razor sharp teeth. The bunny held a mangled carrot in its hand as it grinned savagely back at the world. They were Ray's favorite sheets.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking her lightly, but firmly.
"Come on, we've been in here for about a half an hour. Wouldn't want her to think that she's not welcome." Ray didn't need to look at Bradley to see that he was once again smiling.
Ray sat back up and looked at Bradley. "Why do you make my life so difficult? Before I met you, my life was ridiculously normal." She never blinked as she said, "I am not sleeping in the same room as her."
Before Ray could react, Brad placed his hand underneath her chin and pulled her in for a kiss. Ray tried to protest, but the soulmate bond would have none of it. The electric connection between the two of them opened up in full force, pushing all other thoughts out of her head. She finally gave in and, not without a little enjoyment, gave in to his kiss.
When they finally pulled away from each other, Bradley held on to her face. Ray, who was still breathless, just stared at him.
"Before you met me, my love," he breathed, "your life was ridiculously dull."
Ray pulled away from Bradley, composure regained, and slapped him squarely in the face.
For a second, he just looked shocked, his still head turned in the direction that the slap had turned it in. Then he slowly turned back to Ray, eyes burning with anger.
"You bastard, don't ever do that again." She said threateningly. "I'm not one of your 5 hour girlfriends. You can't just kiss me and expect me to go along with whatever you want!"
Bradley smiled grimly, and Ray could see that his fangs had sharpened, a sure sign that she really had angered him. 'Good' she thought.
"Yes, you never were that agreeable." He shook his head. "Come on." He got up to leave, and turned around when he reached the doorway.
"Look, you don't have to agree with me." Ray looked up at him, still glowering.
"She sleeps in the living room." Ray stated.
Bradley sighed. "Fine." He said. He smiled slightly. "Are you coming?"
Ray looked resigned. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Bradley held the door open for her. She stood up and strode out of her room, saying nothing to him as she walked past him.
Maeve was sitting on the sofa, reading a magazine. She looked up when she heard Ray.
"Hi." Ray said.
"…Hi."
'Oh yeah,' Ray thought as she sat down on the seat farthest away form Maeve. 'This'll be fun.'
* * *
"You're really being impolite, love." Bradley chided as Ray dragged him along. "Poor Maeve drove all the way from California and here you are treating her as if she were unwanted." He said all of this with a slight, but distinct smirk.
When they reached her room, Ray closed the door behind them and let go of her deathgrip on Bradley's arm. She, with much effort, gained some of her composure and looked Bradley squarely in the eye.
"Allright Brad, a couple questions." She held up a hand and counted off as she spoke.
"Number one, who is she? Number two, what is she? Three, is she dangerous. And number four, why the HELL is she here?!" Ray was fuming now, turning slightly red around the cheeks.
Bradley reached out and pinched one of the offending cheeks, only to be slapped away by an incensed Ray. He grinned, but tried nothing further.
He sighed. "All right then, if you insist on barraging me with questions." He held up a graceful finger. "She is Maeve, if you haven't picked up on that yet." Ray slapped Brad over the head with a magazine, still not managing to wipe the grin off of his face.
"You know what I meant." She said.
"All right, fine. She is one of my ex girlfriends." Ray urged him to continue. He sighed, once again, but he went on. "Maeve Bluebirch's the name. We were quite the serious couple when we were younger, though I think that she was much more interested in me than I was in her." Bradley was no longer smirking. He looked sort of…wistful, as if he were remembering something. He continued.
"Our families knew each other very well, so I guess that you could say that we were set up. I found her somewhat dim, though. I guess that we weren't the "perfect couple" that our families wanted us to be." He chuckled quietly. "Too bad."
He seemed to realize what he had said and quickly returned to himself. He finished off, in typical Bradley tones, "I tired of the arrangement after a while, so I broke it off. I think that she still harbors a little crush on me, though."
He looked at Ray now, who had cooled off a great deal. "Does that answer you question?"
It was Ray's turn to smile now, as she said, "One of them. Go on." It was rare for Bradley to reveal his feelings, but Ray could think about that later. Right now, all that mattered was finding out about the strange girl who was, supposedly, sleeping with her tonight. She sat down on her bed.
Bradley leaned back against a wall. "She's a vampire, lamia if that makes any difference." He smiled sardonically at Ray. "That reminds me, try not to get on her bad side. She's sort of…flighty. She has an amazing temper…believe me, and there's nothing worse than an unhinged vampire."
"You're telling me." Ray mumbled, referring to a certain sadistic soulmate that she had. She took note of his warning, though. Bradley rarely lied to her.
Bradley ignored her. "I believe that I have already answered you next question, at least partially. She is dangerous, though it's more by nature than by her own character. I doubt that she'd ever attack anyone." He grinned at Ray. "She'd probably be too afraid of breaking a nail." Ray couldn't help but grin back.
Bradley was quickly serious again. "Just don't provoke her love, and you won't get maimed."
"Next question!" His abrupt change of mood caught Ray off guard, causing her to jump. She scowled at him as he continued. "Why is she here…Well, I guess that you could say that she's here for our guidance." He said enigmatically.
Ray eyed him suspiciously. "What do you mean?"
Bradley's face was now devoid of any emotion. "She's here because she's defecting from the Night World. She's come to join circle Daybreak."
"What? Why would she do that?"
Bradley shrugged, then walked over to the bed and sat down next to Ray. "I have no idea love, all that I know is that we've been assigned to show her the ropes."
"Great." Ray said simply. She lay back on her bed, her face pressed against her demented bunny sheets. She had brought them at a specialty store a long time ago, even before she had met Bradley. They displayed a powder blue bunny with huge eyes and razor sharp teeth. The bunny held a mangled carrot in its hand as it grinned savagely back at the world. They were Ray's favorite sheets.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking her lightly, but firmly.
"Come on, we've been in here for about a half an hour. Wouldn't want her to think that she's not welcome." Ray didn't need to look at Bradley to see that he was once again smiling.
Ray sat back up and looked at Bradley. "Why do you make my life so difficult? Before I met you, my life was ridiculously normal." She never blinked as she said, "I am not sleeping in the same room as her."
Before Ray could react, Brad placed his hand underneath her chin and pulled her in for a kiss. Ray tried to protest, but the soulmate bond would have none of it. The electric connection between the two of them opened up in full force, pushing all other thoughts out of her head. She finally gave in and, not without a little enjoyment, gave in to his kiss.
When they finally pulled away from each other, Bradley held on to her face. Ray, who was still breathless, just stared at him.
"Before you met me, my love," he breathed, "your life was ridiculously dull."
Ray pulled away from Bradley, composure regained, and slapped him squarely in the face.
For a second, he just looked shocked, his still head turned in the direction that the slap had turned it in. Then he slowly turned back to Ray, eyes burning with anger.
"You bastard, don't ever do that again." She said threateningly. "I'm not one of your 5 hour girlfriends. You can't just kiss me and expect me to go along with whatever you want!"
Bradley smiled grimly, and Ray could see that his fangs had sharpened, a sure sign that she really had angered him. 'Good' she thought.
"Yes, you never were that agreeable." He shook his head. "Come on." He got up to leave, and turned around when he reached the doorway.
"Look, you don't have to agree with me." Ray looked up at him, still glowering.
"She sleeps in the living room." Ray stated.
Bradley sighed. "Fine." He said. He smiled slightly. "Are you coming?"
Ray looked resigned. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Bradley held the door open for her. She stood up and strode out of her room, saying nothing to him as she walked past him.
Maeve was sitting on the sofa, reading a magazine. She looked up when she heard Ray.
"Hi." Ray said.
"…Hi."
'Oh yeah,' Ray thought as she sat down on the seat farthest away form Maeve. 'This'll be fun.'
* * *