She was walking alone through the back streets of London, her mind wandering in comfortable
speculation. Her first job as the Nights first lady of death would have set any human up for
life and it looked to be easy. She wasn't troubled by her conscience, she had had one once but
not now, it had gone at some point during her training. Coiled up in the bottom of her soul
wrapped in iron along with the remnants of her humanity. That was a laughable conceit, she was a
vampire, what did humanity have to do with her except as a convenient fast food outlet? She
whipped around, there was a buzzing noise, a nightscope? A high powered crossbow....
She snapped awake throwing knife poised in one hand and a night knife under the covers
in another. She came down from battle readiness with a shudder "I have to get that damn buzzer
changed" she murmured and slid out of bed and into her wardrobe, a moment later dressed in
casual blue jeans and a white cashmere sweater she was at the telecom and looking down into the
private elevator that led to the entrance hall of the penthouse. "Good morning Mary Lynette, can
I help you in any way?" it wasn't strictly morning at eleven forty-eight but she had only been
in bed seven hours and it felt like morning. The girl looked up at the camera while the infra
red lens picked out the light wire she was wearing as well as the fact she was packing a stake,
probably provided by the irascible Rashel. "Can I come up?" Lynx smiled to herself *Predictable*
"Of course you may dear child, and since you're a connection of Ash's I'll even turn off the
surveillance camera while you rid yourself of the wire and that nasty looking stake"
An embarrassed looking Mary Lynette was sitting in Lynx's leather recliner ten minutes
later rubbing her side, presumably where the stake had worn a groove. "So Miss?" Mary Lynette
looked startled "Carter, but please, you're a relative of Ash's please call me Mary Lynette?"
Lynx made an appreciative bow of the head mentally rolling her eyes, no wonder Ash hadn't used
the legendary Redfern charm to convince her into the change, she'd be like a goldfinch among
falcons; pretty but ineffectual and defenceless. "Mary Lynette then, why are you here?" the girl
child blinked a few times, she couldn't stop calling her a child, innocence was all over her
hardly touched by the night at all, probably still in love with the romance of it all. "Theirry
sent me, to give you the information you wanted"
Lynx's whole world ground to a stop for a moment she even stopped breathing and her eyes
went black, seemingly from the pupil outwards. Breath hissed from between her teeth and she felt
her excitement lengthen her canines and that's when she controlled herself but the blade at her
hip glimmered eerily a dark indicator of her feelings. "Good, now relax and begin you have all
the time in the world" Mary Lynette actually looked a little frightened and Lynx winked "I'm not
going to hurt you" she didn't say the unspoken, yet "But, your soulmate.." Lynx shook her head
"Don't worry about him, he can take care of himself" The girl sighed and took a deep breath.
"Theirry said it's strangely convenient because both he and your target are in Ryars Valley,
apparently he's been settled there for the last two years" the expression on Lynx's face would
have been a smile. If sharks smiled.
"Thank you Miss Carter, its been a pleasure" Mary Lynette looked at her oddly for a
moment "Why miss Carter?" Lynx looked at her gold eyes devoid of expression "I hate to be on
first name terms with some one I may have to A or B" Mary Lynette's puzzled expression didn't
ease Lynx appeared mildly bored "A is Assassinate and B is bite" she gently pushed Mary Lynette
to the door and out, just before she shut the door she flashed her fangs "have a nice day" then
she went inside to pack, she wanted to be out of the city by nightfall.
***
Ash was waiting outside as Mary Lynette stumbled out pupils dilated, and wished for the
fortieth time that Lynx had given in over the phone and let him come with her. "Baby, are you
ok?" Mary Lynette looked up at him and some of the innocence was gone from her eyes "How do you
live in a world like this, with people like Her!" he could hear the capital H on her and wondered
exactly what Lynx had said to rattle his soulmate, her had tried to keep her out of the darker
side of the Night World, it seemed that Lynx had decided to bring her a little knowledge. "What
did she say?" he was curious Lynx was well mannered enough to never be openly sadistic towards
family members but he'd seen some of her 'jokes' "She wouldn't say my name, she called me Miss
Carter all the time" Ash nodded "You're a client its professional etiquette" Mary Lynette shook
her head hair swinging an agitated counterpoint "She said it was in case she ever had to A and B
me" Ash thought for a moment flicking through all the things those could mean and coming up with
the two most obvious. Then he laughed.
*Lynx, you evil woman* Lynx's mind caught hold of his
with a mental sigh *And there was me thinking I was reformed, what have I done now?* *You scared
my soulmate half out of her wits* *wits? She has some?* Ash sighed *Lynx!* there was no easy
laugh to her tone though *I've had offers on her Ash, there not high enough right now for
consideration but they'll get that way, I'd put her in a safe house right now myself.* there was
a moments considering pause *but not the one at the Alamo I know the way in and out of that one
way too easily.* Ash was genuinely shocked *You'd hunt her down!*, Lynx's mental voice was sad
but resigned *For the right price Ash, and as long as your with daybreak ther'll be a right price
, so either change her or sweet talk the council otherwise she's dead, and hope its me, for old
times sake I'd make it quick, others I know wouldn't bother* then her mental presence faded out
like smoke and Ash hustled Mary Lynette towards the car so that he could talk to Theirry.
And fast.
The borrowed jaguar screeched into the drive of Theirry's manse in record time and Ash leapt out
and stalked into the entrance hall and slamming past Nillson and up the stairs to the small
office where he pushed in on one of the Night lords phone conferences and sat down. He had had
three phone calls since he'd left Lynx's with threats on several of the soulmates and wild powers
if they didn't keep Lynx out of Ryars Valley. When Theirry finally put down the phone Ash only
had three words to say but he had an inkling that Theirry would understand "What's. Going. On"
then he sat back and leant his chair against the door, no interruptions only explanations and he
had no where to hurry off to.