Author's note: For the reviewer who asked how I came up with a character like Aurelia Wolf: When I first stared writing fan fiction all my characters were good guys/girls who always ended up finding their evil Night World soulmate, and after various problems ended up living happily ever after in Circle Daybreak, which got a little boring. So I decided to create a bad character with an attitude, which was a change to write about, and more fun.


Part 3

Phoenix sighed heavily knocking back a shot. The bar was crowded, hot and noisy. She had thought it would be better than being stuck at home alone worrying about a vampire trying to kill her.

She hadn't seen any more signs of him, or felt herself being watched and followed. There had been no trouble at work. She made a face. Office work sucked big time. It almost made her glad for her night job.

So far this evening it had been almost as boring as the day. No one needed anyone killed. She hadn't had any work for almost a week now. If she didn't kill someone soon, she'd die of boredom.

~I could gladly help you in dying if you really want to~ a sarcastic voice said in her head. Phoenix gritted her teeth.

Oh no. If things weren't already bad enough as it was. Her eyes scanned the bar. A tall blonde in black leather was sat on the opposite side to Phoenix, a tall muscular man with dark hair that hung to his shoulders sat beside her with his arm around her shoulders.

Great. Just fucking great. Could things *get* any worse? ~What are you *doing* here?~ she demanded.

~What does it look like?~ Aurelia's voice said in her head. ~I'm having fun on my night off.~

Phoenix scowled and turned away. As if she could just waltz into town and expect everything would be okay. The past all forgotten. Bitch.

"Ignore her, she irritates everything she comes within ten paces of," a deep voice said in her left ear.

Phoenix chuckled and turned to see the guy. Quite cute, lots of muscles, silvery blonde hair, the baby blue eyes didn't seem to look right though. She ran a hand through flame coloured hair unconsciously. "Tell me about it," she snorted.

"How 'bout we change the topic to can I buy you a drink?" he asked, flashing her a stunning smile. Sharp white teeth caught Phoenix's attention. Vampire.

She was debating on telling him to get lost, remembering there was a vampire somewhere trying to kill her. He might know something. "Sure. Get me a beer."

He took the seat beside her, waving to get the bar tender's attention. She noticeably didn't seem to impressed with him. "Two Buds," he told her.

Phoenix noticed she didn't exactly race to his order. She smiled slightly. "Friend of yours?" she asked.

He didn't blink. "At one time. She doesn't seem to like me much at the moment." The bar girl slammed the two beer bottles down in front of him. "I'm Blaine, by the way," he offered.


Phoenix wondered if she should tell him her real name. Staying hidden was probably a good idea. Unless...It was probably not a good idea with Aurelia hidden in the shadows. Who loved to make her miserable. "Phoenix," she said. She reached for her drink, taking a swig from the bottle.

Now she had to resign to flirting with a vampire. What joy.

* * *
It was kind of hard to pay attention to Donavon when Blaine was deliberately flirting. Aurelia kept trying to tell herself she wasn't interested. She noticed Don was watching them rather closely as well. She eyed him suspiciously.

He looked back at her evenly. "Why are you so bothered about it, anyway?" he asked simply.

Aurelia snorted, sitting back in the seat and closing tired eyes. "It's a long fucked up story," she said with a heavy sigh.

Donavon chuckled slightly. "Everything with you is long fucked up story."

She ignored the resist to punch him and opened her eyes. He'd put up with her for the past three months, and he was a Wolf on top of it, and cute. From what she knew there weren't a whole lot of male wolves, at least she had found one who liked her.

So why was she jealous if Blaine was flirting with Phoenix? She wasn't sure who she felt more sorry for in that situation. Blaine was a stuck up asshole and Phoenix was whiny and snotty. Then again, she had been as much of a pain in the ass as Blaine, so maybe they did deserve each other.

Blaine looked up at that moment and met her eyes directly. The shimmery link of the soulmate connection between them sparked, lighting the air with silver sparks. Damn. They were still connected.

She stood up, dragging Donavon to his feet. "We're going now," she told him, and started walking out the door.

"Do I get a choice?" he muttered, heading after her.

Aurelia smiled at him and shook her head. "No. just shut up and do what I say and everything will be fine."

He rolled his eyes, pulling her towards his sleek black convertible. She wasn't a fan of cars, preferring her new BMW bike. It allowed for so much more movement and freedom than the restrictions of a car. Of course, she mused, getting in the passenger side, there were always things you could do in cars that you couldn't exactly do on bikes.

The sooner she got out of Blaine's presence the better. They hadn't seen in other in six months. She had someone new, so why did she care if he had someone new.

She *didn't* care. Didn't...

~Liar~ her inner voice sneered at her.

* * *
Phoenix sighed with relief as she watched Aurelia and her boyfriend walk out the door. She felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She glanced back at Blaine, who had stopped in the middle of his sentence, and was glaring at Aurelia's back.

They'd spent more time glaring at each other than he had spent flirting with Phoenix, who was bored now. "I'm going," she said bluntly, and left before he could stop her.

A thought struck her. Would Aurelia know anything about the hit out on Phoenix? Had she sent the vampire? If that was the case, why hadn't she done it herself? Aurelia was well known amongst the black market for her assassination talents. Was Phoenix cramping her style now?

It wouldn't hurt to force a few answers out of her.

* * *