Title: Coldest of the Cool

Author: Jyira Keller

Email: jyira@yahoo.co.uk

Spoilers: Basic Night World, Hidden Evil, Tears of Blood.

Disclaimers: Concepts of Night World belong to LJS. Characters of Aurelia Wolf, Donavon Wolf, and Blaine Silverthorne are mine. The character of Phoenix Wolf and Kali Wolf belongs to Tara Richards and is being used with permission. The information on the Wolf species comes from the Wolf Clan rpg run and created by Lamia Wolf.

Rating: 15

Warnings: violence and language

Summary: An old friend of Aurelia's shows up uninvited and not particularly welcome. Phoenix has swallowed her ego to ask her maker for help after she's learned there is a price on her head. Not exactly thrilled at the prospect of helping out Aurelia reluctantly agrees to assist Phoenix to find out who's got a hit out on her. But what isn't Phoenix saying? There's more to her story than meets the eye...

Notes: pleas for feedback.

Part 1

The night was cold, a strong wind blew thick dark clouds rapidly across the sky covering the moon. Phoenix Wolf just wanted to get home. Generally night was her favourite time, but for some reason, today had just seemed to drag by endlessly.
She glanced behind her, getting an uncomfortable sensation of someone watching her from the shadows. You're just being paranoid, she told herself. Get home, idiot.

She started walking again, trying to ignore the prickling sensation running over her skin. What the hell was the matter with her? She scowled at the dark night.
She was never jumpy or nervous. She couldn't afford to be. That meant saying you were weak. She wasn't weak. No way.

The sound of a branch snapping behind her was as loud as gun shots, making her spin around, her own gun in hand. She knew sworn-off shot guns were illegal, but didn't really care. It was one of her favourite weapons.

Of course, there was no one there. She cursed herself mentally for being so stupid. She put the gun away, eyes probing the darkness. She didn't like the sensation of being followed.

Phoenix sighed heavily. What was the matter with her? She was used to slinking through the darkness. Dark was her element. Why wasn't it tonight?

She turned around and almost slammed into the figure in front of her. She couldn't quite see any features. Tall and muscular, she could see a silvery blond head and a flash on cold blue eyes. A strong hand clamped down on her shoulders.

"What's your problem?" she snapped, yanking herself free.

"Personally, I have no problem," the guy said, amused. "But apparently people have one with you."

Phoenix smirked, pushing her dark red fringe out her eyes. "That doesn't surprise me." Well, with her career she was used to pissing off important people. Other important people seemed to like using her services to get rid of them.

She shoved past the guy. "Go away."

She stiffened, feeling something metal and hard shoved into the small of her back. "Guns won't kill me," she snorted.

"Maybe not, but they still hurt," the guy said in her ear. His breath was hot against her skin. "But this will." The moon came out from behind a cloud, flashing on the glass knife in his hand.

Without thinking about it Phoenix stamped down hard on his foot, the heel of her boot slamming into the guy's shoe. He swore savagely at her, the gun slipping from her back. Phoenix spun round delivering a series of kicks and blows to asshole.

He recovered quickly, but was smart enough to back off. He scowled at her, and she watched as some of the cuts he'd received healed up before her eyes. Vampire. "Don't think you're gonna get off this easy, bitch," he hissed at her. And with that he was gone.

Phoenix straightened, rubbing her shoulder where he'd grabbed it. She went inside her apartment building quickly, deciding the stairs would be safer than the list. She didn't encounter anyone else on the stairs or inside her apartment.

Nothing seemed out of place. Except a vampire trying to kill her. Who was he? She knew he'd try again, his last words had proved that.

The question was when and what he would do.
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