Part 2
It made sense for him to begin his search at school. Seth's eyes roved over the students crowding the hallways, looking for any sign of the pretty girl who had bumped into him at the club the other night.
He didn't even know her name, the vision of her pretty face and sparkling violet eyes had remained in his mind ever since he'd left. He'd been able to think of nothing else but her, and finding her was something to give meaning to his days and nights.
He started to move into the mainstream of students heading to class, so distracted he didn't even see her until she was walking almost right in front of him.
Her head of pale blonde hair stood out amongst the regular students. He reached out to touch her, trying to get her attention...
"What's up with you?"
Seth blinked, glancing around to see his friend Therina Blackthorn standing next to him. She looked rather annoyed. "I called out three times and you walked right by looking like a zombie. What's up?"
He looked back at the girl, who was going into a classroom. He noticed Therina looking too. "Do you know who she is?" he asked.
Therina frowned. "Her name's Chastity Harman-Redfern. Why?"
Chastity. A beautiful name. A beautiful girl. He shook his head, not knowing how to answer Therina. He didn't know why he was suddenly so obsessed with finding her, talking to her. He just had to. Had to.
* * *
Chastity had felt eyes on her all day. She wasn't used to the feeling. It was eerie. People normally ignored her, and that was fine with her. All day her mind had been fixed on that one brief, shining moment in the club, the touch, the flash of silver sparks, the discovery of a soulmate.
It should have been the happiest moment of her life. But of course, she didn't know what he looked like. She hadn't even seen his face, all she remembered was a flash of silvery-blue eyes.
It was as if she were trapped in some sort of private hell where she would never know happiness. She didn't know how much longer she could stand the dispair.
Calista watched her friend from a distance as she walked down the hall, trying to catch up. Chastity had been out of it all day, she'd wandered around like their was a storm cloud over her head.
Calista finally caught up with her. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Please tell me. If you don't talk soon you're going to explode."
Chastity hadn't even realised that Calista was following her. She had always been worried about talking, partly because she was afraid she'd start crying and never stop, secondly because she wasn't sure Calista knew about the Night World.
But Calista was right. She was keeping so much in side her. She needed to talk to someone. Maybe Calista could even help her figure out what was going on.
"All right," she said, sniffing. She glanced around the hall of students, not wanting to be overheard. "But not here."
"Let's go to the Black Orchid." Calista seemed pleased that she'd finally gotten Chastity to talk. Chastity let her friend lead her outside.
The day was typically Las Vegas bright, the sun was shining brightly, lighting up the desert area. People and tourists were bustling about. It was never quiet in Vegas. Where ever you looked there always seemed to be people.
The Black Orchid was a Night World coffee house near the Harman store. Since the death of Grandma Harman, the store had been closed down. It saddened Calista. It had been one of her favourite places. But there was a sign on the door that said Under New Management, so maybe someone would open it up again.
Refreshingly cool air conditioning hit as they entered the coffee house. It was fairly dim inside, but that was okay with Chastity. She didn't really mind. She and Calista both ordered coffees and headed to an obscure table near the back.
"Now tell me what's going on," Calista said.
Chastity sighed and looked away. She had never spoken to anyone about this before. She didn't even know how to start. May as well start right at the beginning.
"I was born two hundred years ago, I lived in a Night World enclave." She shuddered as the memories started emerging. She had buried all the memories, not wanting to think about them, but as she was starting to talk, they started springing up again. "It was horrible," she whispered. "Women were merely slaves. We did what we were told or we were tortured, punished, whatever the hell the bastard men wanted to do to us. I was a Harman witch, so I was treated a little better. But friends of mine weren't. I would see them around, black and blue, for not doing what they were asked right away."
She could feel tears beading in her eyes as she thought of those friends, all dead now, probably. "I longed for a more interesting life. I wanted to see what the human world was like. It was forbidden to have any contact with Outside, but I didn't care." She remembered how she had lain awake at night, dreaming of what the human world was like, about the people. Anything had to be better than the enclave.
"And then one day, *he* came. "Amadeo." The memory was so bitter, and yet so sweet at the same time. He had been so beautiful. Dressed so fine, so elegant, that raven hair, almost to his waste, so soft to touch. His lips on hers, his kisses to her neck, the thrill of forbidden pleasure letting him taste her. The shiver of pleasure of his tongue sweeping across her nipples, the heat and fire of him inside her...
"He was a Redfern, and drop dad gorgeous. All the girls thought he was wonderful. He must have been over a hundred. The Mistress of the Manor was in love with him, but the Master hated his guts. He wanted to be rid of Amadeo as fast as possible. He told him that Amadeo could pick a companion, a mate, from one of his girls - not The Mistress - and take her away from here." She smiled dreamily, remembering how he had come to talk to each of them, discovering what they were like, who would be better suited for him.
"He must have travelled all over the world, I forget how old he was, but he would ell us wonderful stories about the places he'd been, he would have everyone's attention on him for hours, and he would never bore us."
She remembered the tension among the girls whenever he was gone, as they all did whatever they could do to make him pick them, anything for the chance of escape. She had been no different. She had done things she would never dream of ordinary doing.
"I'm guessing that 'Amadeo' has some sort of special meaning," Calista said dryly. She didn't seem too impressed by him.
Chastity laughed harshly. "It means 'Beloved of God,'" she answered. "He was more like Satan in flesh." The last sentence was a lie. He had been the love of her life four two centuries. She had thought of nothing but him. He had been all she knew.
"Anyway," she said. "The night came when he had to make his choice. I don't know what they were thinking, he and the Master, but there was a huge party, a ball, and everyone was all dressed in their best, Amadeo was going from girl to girl, flirting for all he was worth. During that night, he seemed to focus most of his attentions on me. I remembered being so flattered. He whispered into my ear, telling me he wanted me to come away with him."
She shook her head, her gold hair falling into her eyes. "I was so happy. He'd chosen he. Me, of all the girls he could have had, he picked me. I felt like jumping and screaming with joy." Joy...happiness...it had been so long since she'd experienced such emotions.
"He took me back to my quarters, did a good job of seducing me. We made love. He changed me. His blood must have been so powerful, normally a vampiric change takes about a week, with me, it took one night."
A night that had been the beginning and end of everything.
"In the early hours of the morning, we left. He took me back to his own house, somewhere in another part of the country. For several years, he treated me like royalty. He gave me everything I could ever want." She shook her head again, feeling tears starting to spill. "But he left me. About twenty years later he met someone else, another girl, a pure Redfern not tainted by witch blood." Her tone was bitter. "I was left all alone, with nothing. I didn't know what to do. I ended up hiding in Daybreak."
She sat there in silence for several minutes. She had learned in that time, that Amadeo had taken another girl from the manor house, Therina something or other. She kept telling herself it wasn't the same girl that had been in the club the night before.
The girl had not been happy about having to share, she had tried to hunt Chastity down, but Daybreak had hidden her.
"But over the years, Thierry thought I was becoming too isolated. He said I needed to be with people, not so cut-off, so he arranged for me to have somewhere to live here, and for me to start school, and well..." She trailed off.
Calista was just sitting there in a stunned silence. She didn't know what she could possibly say. Something like "It'll be okay now" or "I'm sorry" would seem so meaningless. No wonder Chastity was so sad all the time.
"What happened in that club last night?" she asked, remembering how Chastity had been looking around all night, as if she were missing something important.
Chastity frowned. "I bumped into someone, sparks flew, it was like an explosion in my mind."
Calista grinned. "Soulmate connection?"
Chastity nodded. "But he was gone before I could even ask his name."
Calista's grin faded. "Oh. So what do you want to do?"
"I want to find him," Chastity said with determination. "I *need* to find him."
"We will find him," Calista agreed.
Chastity smiled, feeling much better. She felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Amadeo was gone. Long gone. She didn't need to think about him anymore. She would concentrate all her efforts on finding her soulmate, and she would find him, and be happy.
Right?
* * *
It made sense for him to begin his search at school. Seth's eyes roved over the students crowding the hallways, looking for any sign of the pretty girl who had bumped into him at the club the other night.
He didn't even know her name, the vision of her pretty face and sparkling violet eyes had remained in his mind ever since he'd left. He'd been able to think of nothing else but her, and finding her was something to give meaning to his days and nights.
He started to move into the mainstream of students heading to class, so distracted he didn't even see her until she was walking almost right in front of him.
Her head of pale blonde hair stood out amongst the regular students. He reached out to touch her, trying to get her attention...
"What's up with you?"
Seth blinked, glancing around to see his friend Therina Blackthorn standing next to him. She looked rather annoyed. "I called out three times and you walked right by looking like a zombie. What's up?"
He looked back at the girl, who was going into a classroom. He noticed Therina looking too. "Do you know who she is?" he asked.
Therina frowned. "Her name's Chastity Harman-Redfern. Why?"
Chastity. A beautiful name. A beautiful girl. He shook his head, not knowing how to answer Therina. He didn't know why he was suddenly so obsessed with finding her, talking to her. He just had to. Had to.
* * *
Chastity had felt eyes on her all day. She wasn't used to the feeling. It was eerie. People normally ignored her, and that was fine with her. All day her mind had been fixed on that one brief, shining moment in the club, the touch, the flash of silver sparks, the discovery of a soulmate.
It should have been the happiest moment of her life. But of course, she didn't know what he looked like. She hadn't even seen his face, all she remembered was a flash of silvery-blue eyes.
It was as if she were trapped in some sort of private hell where she would never know happiness. She didn't know how much longer she could stand the dispair.
Calista watched her friend from a distance as she walked down the hall, trying to catch up. Chastity had been out of it all day, she'd wandered around like their was a storm cloud over her head.
Calista finally caught up with her. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Please tell me. If you don't talk soon you're going to explode."
Chastity hadn't even realised that Calista was following her. She had always been worried about talking, partly because she was afraid she'd start crying and never stop, secondly because she wasn't sure Calista knew about the Night World.
But Calista was right. She was keeping so much in side her. She needed to talk to someone. Maybe Calista could even help her figure out what was going on.
"All right," she said, sniffing. She glanced around the hall of students, not wanting to be overheard. "But not here."
"Let's go to the Black Orchid." Calista seemed pleased that she'd finally gotten Chastity to talk. Chastity let her friend lead her outside.
The day was typically Las Vegas bright, the sun was shining brightly, lighting up the desert area. People and tourists were bustling about. It was never quiet in Vegas. Where ever you looked there always seemed to be people.
The Black Orchid was a Night World coffee house near the Harman store. Since the death of Grandma Harman, the store had been closed down. It saddened Calista. It had been one of her favourite places. But there was a sign on the door that said Under New Management, so maybe someone would open it up again.
Refreshingly cool air conditioning hit as they entered the coffee house. It was fairly dim inside, but that was okay with Chastity. She didn't really mind. She and Calista both ordered coffees and headed to an obscure table near the back.
"Now tell me what's going on," Calista said.
Chastity sighed and looked away. She had never spoken to anyone about this before. She didn't even know how to start. May as well start right at the beginning.
"I was born two hundred years ago, I lived in a Night World enclave." She shuddered as the memories started emerging. She had buried all the memories, not wanting to think about them, but as she was starting to talk, they started springing up again. "It was horrible," she whispered. "Women were merely slaves. We did what we were told or we were tortured, punished, whatever the hell the bastard men wanted to do to us. I was a Harman witch, so I was treated a little better. But friends of mine weren't. I would see them around, black and blue, for not doing what they were asked right away."
She could feel tears beading in her eyes as she thought of those friends, all dead now, probably. "I longed for a more interesting life. I wanted to see what the human world was like. It was forbidden to have any contact with Outside, but I didn't care." She remembered how she had lain awake at night, dreaming of what the human world was like, about the people. Anything had to be better than the enclave.
"And then one day, *he* came. "Amadeo." The memory was so bitter, and yet so sweet at the same time. He had been so beautiful. Dressed so fine, so elegant, that raven hair, almost to his waste, so soft to touch. His lips on hers, his kisses to her neck, the thrill of forbidden pleasure letting him taste her. The shiver of pleasure of his tongue sweeping across her nipples, the heat and fire of him inside her...
"He was a Redfern, and drop dad gorgeous. All the girls thought he was wonderful. He must have been over a hundred. The Mistress of the Manor was in love with him, but the Master hated his guts. He wanted to be rid of Amadeo as fast as possible. He told him that Amadeo could pick a companion, a mate, from one of his girls - not The Mistress - and take her away from here." She smiled dreamily, remembering how he had come to talk to each of them, discovering what they were like, who would be better suited for him.
"He must have travelled all over the world, I forget how old he was, but he would ell us wonderful stories about the places he'd been, he would have everyone's attention on him for hours, and he would never bore us."
She remembered the tension among the girls whenever he was gone, as they all did whatever they could do to make him pick them, anything for the chance of escape. She had been no different. She had done things she would never dream of ordinary doing.
"I'm guessing that 'Amadeo' has some sort of special meaning," Calista said dryly. She didn't seem too impressed by him.
Chastity laughed harshly. "It means 'Beloved of God,'" she answered. "He was more like Satan in flesh." The last sentence was a lie. He had been the love of her life four two centuries. She had thought of nothing but him. He had been all she knew.
"Anyway," she said. "The night came when he had to make his choice. I don't know what they were thinking, he and the Master, but there was a huge party, a ball, and everyone was all dressed in their best, Amadeo was going from girl to girl, flirting for all he was worth. During that night, he seemed to focus most of his attentions on me. I remembered being so flattered. He whispered into my ear, telling me he wanted me to come away with him."
She shook her head, her gold hair falling into her eyes. "I was so happy. He'd chosen he. Me, of all the girls he could have had, he picked me. I felt like jumping and screaming with joy." Joy...happiness...it had been so long since she'd experienced such emotions.
"He took me back to my quarters, did a good job of seducing me. We made love. He changed me. His blood must have been so powerful, normally a vampiric change takes about a week, with me, it took one night."
A night that had been the beginning and end of everything.
"In the early hours of the morning, we left. He took me back to his own house, somewhere in another part of the country. For several years, he treated me like royalty. He gave me everything I could ever want." She shook her head again, feeling tears starting to spill. "But he left me. About twenty years later he met someone else, another girl, a pure Redfern not tainted by witch blood." Her tone was bitter. "I was left all alone, with nothing. I didn't know what to do. I ended up hiding in Daybreak."
She sat there in silence for several minutes. She had learned in that time, that Amadeo had taken another girl from the manor house, Therina something or other. She kept telling herself it wasn't the same girl that had been in the club the night before.
The girl had not been happy about having to share, she had tried to hunt Chastity down, but Daybreak had hidden her.
"But over the years, Thierry thought I was becoming too isolated. He said I needed to be with people, not so cut-off, so he arranged for me to have somewhere to live here, and for me to start school, and well..." She trailed off.
Calista was just sitting there in a stunned silence. She didn't know what she could possibly say. Something like "It'll be okay now" or "I'm sorry" would seem so meaningless. No wonder Chastity was so sad all the time.
"What happened in that club last night?" she asked, remembering how Chastity had been looking around all night, as if she were missing something important.
Chastity frowned. "I bumped into someone, sparks flew, it was like an explosion in my mind."
Calista grinned. "Soulmate connection?"
Chastity nodded. "But he was gone before I could even ask his name."
Calista's grin faded. "Oh. So what do you want to do?"
"I want to find him," Chastity said with determination. "I *need* to find him."
"We will find him," Calista agreed.
Chastity smiled, feeling much better. She felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Amadeo was gone. Long gone. She didn't need to think about him anymore. She would concentrate all her efforts on finding her soulmate, and she would find him, and be happy.
Right?
* * *