Chapter Nine
Blake sat alone in her apartment, her feet on her couch table and a coffee held between her hands. She took a sip and sighed. She didn't want to call Circle Daybreak and tell them she had lost. She could imagine their disappointment. She could picture them trying to hide their disappointment and try to reassure her.
Jez Redfern was going to kill her.
Suddenly the phone rang. "Hello?" She answered apprehensively; praying it wasn't Circle Daybreak ringing to check up on her.
The line was staticy, obviously a cellphone call. She heard an intake of breath. "You're in. Don't ask me how but you are. I'm picking you up at eight thirty and you're going to meet the rest of the team. And I know the address." Curtis' voice was flat and unemotional but she could sense his anger at the decision.
The phoneline went dead, leaving Blake breathless and shocked.
She was in? Was that a joke? No, it definitely wasn't. Curtis' voice was angry, he obviously wasn't happy about it. No joke then.
With a scream that released her tenseness and excitement, she jumped up and ran to her wardrobe. What was she going to wear?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"How do you reckon it went?" Quinn asked Rashel softly. They were settled on the couch in the main room of the Circle Daybreak mansion. His arm was resting around her shoulders and she had her head on his chest with a book that remained closed in her lap. She found it was hard to read when she was close to him.
"I don't know," she replied honestly. "I hope it went well. She's certainly a good fighter but Curtis is…well…one of the best."
She could feel him nod. "We'll find out soon."
In another part of the room, Ash was lining up a shot, leaning elegantly across the pool table with one eye closed, arms relaxed. Thea was looking through a bookshelf of witchcraft books and Eric was dozing on one of the couches although Rashel could see one eye open occasionally to glance at Thea.
The room was more or less quiet, an unusual event at the mansion. But the quiet wasn't going to last. The sound of angry voices rang down the hall and got closer. Male and female.
Jez and Morgead.
"I cannot believe you did that! That was low, that was lower than low even! That was a thousand miles south of the bloody border!" Jez yelled.
"God Jez!" Morgead yelled back. "It's your own fault for not being alert! You weren't even watching!"
"You saw that I wasn't watching and you still did it," she accused angrily.
"If you say you're going to spar with me, you're meant to actually fight, " he returned in equal tones. "How many times have you done that move on me?"
Jez stormed into the room first, trying to slam the door behind her. Morgead flung it back and entered behind her. His eyes were sparking dangerously, Jez' hair was wild and unruly as she tossed a scowl over her shoulder at him.
"Rashel!" she approached the other girl. "If you weren't looking would Quinn try to throw a direct punch in your face?" she demanded. "Quinn, your soulmate?" she added glaring at Morgead who stood glowering at her side.
"Rashel, come on. The girl is only pissed because I caught her out! Besides, if I was some big bad vamp coming to get her, do you think I'd stop to make sure she was watching? I don't think so!"
Rashel looked up at Quinn. He shrugged his shoulders and the ends of his lips twitched. She turned back to the two feuding in front of her. "You both suck at fighting anyway. I mean, Jez, for you to be beaten my Morgead doesn't really do much for your cred."
Rashel knew exactly what to say after experience. Get them riled up; insult both of them and they would turn against her together and all would be forgiven.
"I did not get beaten," Jez snapped angrily.
"Jez?" Morgead asked, head tilted to the side slightly. "I'd be more concerned that she just insulted both our fighting skills."
Rashel waited for the verbal onslaught. Quinn squeezed her shoulders in anticpation and then all hell let loose. Rashel and Quinn traded glances and sat through the yelling.
"What did you say?" Jez began. "Our fighting sucks? Just because you were some hot shot vampire hunter on the East Coast doesn't mean squat Rashel. We're here now and you know damn well that we are good. Hey Morgead?"
Her soulmate nodded his head readily and stepped to Jez side. "Exactly. We all know you're losing it. I haven't seen you training for at least two days!"
Rashel couldn't stop her laughter then. She could feel Quinn's chest quivering and she nestled her face in his neck to hide her laughter.
Finally, she looked back up and saw Jez and Morgead trading rueful looks. Morgead gathered Jez close and whispered something in her ear and the red headed girl nodded, her face buried in his shirt. She looked up at Morgead's gem green eyes and smiled a smile full of love and happiness. Morgead returned her smile and touched her lightly under the chin.
"Back to married bliss again are we?" Ash asked. He stood to the side, leaning on his pool cue, a lazy smile across his features. "How quaint."
"Shut up Ash," Morgead, Jez, Rashel and Quinn all returned together.
Ash held his hands up in mock surrender. "Four to one? Guys, that's not fair," he complained.
Quinn shrugged. "Don't worry cuz," he grinned. "I'll make sure my girl doesn't do too much permanent damage." He left a kiss on Rashel's forehead for punctuation.
"Yeah, yeah," Ash rolled his eyes. "I'd like to see you try."
"Oh, Ash, I'd love to really but I know how off you've been feeling lately," Rashel joked.
"Ha ha ha."
"I notice you've been insulting the rest of us more than usual now that Starling's gone," Morgead commented from behind Jez, his arms wrapped around her middle and his chin resting on her head.
"Speaking of who…" Jez began. "How is the old girl?"
Rashel shrugged. "I spoke to her a while back and she sounded a bit tired," Ash put in. "She's got that whole fight deal with Curtis today. Think she'll ring?"
"Sure, she will," Quinn said. "Any minute now."
"Really?" Jez asked. "I won't be waiting at the phone."
"She'll ring and she'll get in," Rashel put in. "And she'll get Hunter."
There was a momentary silence. Quinn didn't say anything; neither did Jez or Ash. Rashel glanced at Morgead who shrugged and then she looked up at Quinn. She touched his face lightly with her hand and he smiled at this girl who had somehow managed to take his heart. He turned her hand over and kissed its palm lightly. "Later," she whispered softly, her eyes sparkling happily.
"Pass me a bucket," Ash interrupted.
"Get it yourself," Jez laughed. "It'll be in the laundry, right next to your doghouse."
Ash rolled his eyes and returned to his pool game. Morgead and Jez moved away to lie together on one of the couches and Rashel nestled closely to Quinn and closed her eyes. Above her, Quinn smoothed her hair and leaned back himself. He closed his eyes and let sleep drift over him.