Deep breaths!! I know, the last chapter didn't give an explanation for Ash's behavior. Thanks for sticking with me, you will be rewarded...eventually.

I don't own the Night World...sigh.

"Who the hell are you?" he snapped, and Kestrel grabbed his arm. Mary-Lynnette stepped back from Aaron and glared at Ash.

"Rowan, Kestrel, this is my friend Aaron. Aaron goes to Harvard too. We have a lot of classes together." Rowan walked up politely and held out her hand, while Kestrel stood completely still, her iron grip still on Ash's arm.

"It's nice to meet you, Aaron," Rowan said as he reached out and took her hand in his. They locked eyes and Mary-Lynnette could see it. That connection, the way the rest of the world fell away and it was just the two of them. Aaron softly gasped and Rowan shyly smiled at him. Aaron smiled back and stepped closer to her.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me! I can't believe this! I cannot catch a break," Mary-Lynnette yelled in frustration. Her outburst broke the spell between Rowan and Aaron, and he dropped her hand, looking embarrassed.

"Um, sorry...what- what just happened?" Aaron stammered.

Mary-Lynnette closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She looked at Aaron, "Welcome to my world. I hope you're happier in it than I am." Then she turned to Rowan, who was blushing and casting little glances at Aaron and smiling. Mary-Lynnette hugged her, "Congratulations on finding your soulmate. I think you two will actually be really great together. Glad I was the one to introduce you two, even if that wasn't my intention." She stepped back and Rowan's smile was huge. "I think I'll let you explain everything to him," Mary-Lynnette said, trying to hold her tears back until she could get away. She rushed toward the stairs, racing up them and crying.

Ash caught her just as she reached the door to her room. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him. Mary-Lynnette didn't have the strength to fight him and collapsed against him, sobs escaping her lips. Ash picked her up and carried her into the room, shutting the door behind them and gently placing her on the bed. He knelt down next to her, soothingly stroking her hair. "Mary-Lynnette, baby, please talk to me. Let me explain," he whispered. She opened her eyes, staring into his swirling blue to brown to violet eyes. She said nothing, just waited.

Ash took a deep breath, "I'm a spy for Circle Daybreak. The mission I was on last night, I was meeting my father. I've never told him about my change in lifestyle, about my change of heart. I've been keeping contact with him to gain information about his plans and giving that information to Thierry. Sometimes I meet him alone, sometimes I meet him with other female vampires pretending to be my date, just so he doesn't get suspicious. It's usually harmless; we might hold hands or flirt, at the most a kiss on the cheek while he's there. But last night, things changed. My father didn't know you existed, or at least I thought he didn't. We were having dinner and Laurel left for a moment. That's when he told me he knew about you. That I'd been seen with a beautiful brunette human and appeared to be completely smitten with her. Apparently whoever spotted us, followed us for a while yesterday morning. My father said he'd heard rumors of you back when the girls first moved to Briar Creek, but dismissed them quickly seeing as I was still acting like my old self. But then he noticed that even though I paraded a variety of different girls in front of him, I never seemed all that interested in anything they had to offer."

Ash paused, taking a shaky breath and reaching out with a trembling hand to touch her cheek. "He said the only one I seemed to be interested in was a girl called Mary-Lynnette Carter. He knew your name. I could only imagine what else he had been able to find out about you. I panicked, sweetheart. I was so terrified of him getting to you; I did the only thing I could think of. I lied. I told him you were a plaything I'd picked up in Briar Creek and ran into you here. I was only using you for blood and sex and once I'd had my fill, I'd let you go again. Then Laurel came back and I kicked our role-playing into high gear. I hate myself for it, but I swear I only did it to protect you. I had to seem like I was truly interested in Laurel, that's why we went up to a room together. He was watching us the whole time. He watched us leave the restaurant, go to the elevators, and stayed there until three in the morning. We couldn't leave until after we were sure my father and all of his spies left the hotel completely. I hate that you saw us; that you found out that way. I was going to tell you when I got home; I didn't want that between us. I'm so, so sorry, Mary-Lynnette. I swear, I never meant for any of it to happen. I was just so scared of him getting to you, of him hurting you." Tears shimmered in his eyes as he looked at her. "Please forgive me, I swear it was all for your protection."

Mary-Lynnette felt the tears well up in her eyes again, "But what about this morning? How was that part of the mission?"

Ash let out an angry breath, "That wasn't." His voice was hard and angry. "That was Laurel. Apparently, I underestimated her feelings for me. She came by that morning saying she wanting to talk, but I was still getting dressed. I guess she heard you talking to Thierry and Hannah and made it up to my room before you did. She stripped down to what you saw her in, destroyed my bed and then answered the door for me," he snarled. "That bitch actually had the nerve to tell me you weren't good enough for me. That she loved me and would be a better fit for me. That our personalities matched better." He clenched his jaw, "She won't be around anymore. I told Thierry either she went or I did. So he packed her up and sent her to the Daybreak enclave in Florida. She's on a plane right now."

Mary-Lynnette stared deeply into his eyes, trying to sort out what she felt. She felt like he was telling her the truth, but it was so hard to trust him after what she'd seen. She supposed she could ask Thierry, talk to him to confirm Ash's story; but that seemed wrong. That would make it seem like she had to double-check his story, like she had no faith in him at all. And if Thierry did corroborate his story, it would hurt Ash that she'd had to ask. So she closed her eyes and thought about everything he'd told her; how he'd looked, the emotions in his voice, and the tears in his eyes. Did it feel true, that was the question she had to ask herself. What was her heart telling her?

Mary-Lynnette opened her eyes and sat up, Ash still kneeling down in front of her, pleading with his eyes. Then she leaned over and placed one hand against his cheek and brought her lips to his.

Do I have happy readers again?? I hope so, but be warned...there's still some drama to come. I love to torture characters and readers. :o)