Part 12

Donavon sighed. It wasn't fair. It just plain and simply wasn't fair in the slightest. Now he could join the camp of those whiny idiots who moaned about how unjust the universe was about giving him a soulmate he didn't even particularly like.

Yet how did he know he didn't like her? Was it just because he had been hired to kill her? Maybe if he got to know her a little...

Or maybe he should just shoot himself and put himself out of his misery. Then again, Aurelia had gone through it with Blaine, and she was still standing.

She wasn't going to be thrilled with him when she heard this. Or had everyone else known all along that this was going to end up happening? It wouldn't surprise him, he thought cynically.

After wandering around aimlessly all night he headed back to Aurelia's apartment, trying to figure out a way to dump her without getting the shit kicked out of him.

He was more than a little surprised when he arrived to see Phoenix and Blaine were already there. "What's going on?"

Blaine glared at him. "You two have caused a problem."

"He's the problem," Phoenix muttered under her breath.

Donavon bit his lip on an insult. Exchanging childish and petty remarks weren't going to get anybody anywhere. He was sure they'd done enough of that.

"Where's Aurelia?" he asked, taking a seat on a stool by the kitchen counter.

"She went to look for you, then she was going to come back and we'd figure this little issue thing we have out," Phoenix said with a sigh.

The door slammed open and a blonde whirlwind blew in, muttering unrepeatable obscenities under her breath. Then she looked up and saw Donavon already there. "What?"

His eyes rolled, but he let it go. "So what's the plan?"

Aurelia tossed her long leather coat on the back of the couch. "Well if it was my assignment you'd all be dead by now. No regrets. It's a pretty easy way to make a living."

Phoenix stared at her in utter disbelief. "You really are a cold hearted bitch aren't you?"

Aurelia just smirked. "Said before, and said again, me all over. Can we cut the made-for-cable banter and get this over and done with? All we seem to do is argue."

"The sooner it's out the way, the sooner we can get on with our lives." Even Blaine had something of a sensible comment to add.


Everybody knew what the problem was - Phoenix had been pissing off important members of the Night World council who had hired Blaine to kill her. As she wasn't a Night World species they had sent Donavon along to make sure Blaine did his job correctly. Phoenix had been forced to turned to her least favourite person for help. Only everything had gone pear-shaped. Things had turned even worse when a soulmate connection had been discovered between Phoenix and Donavon.

"So here's the dumb question - what do we do?" Phoenix said finally for the second - or was it third - time?

"Right now a another wolf by the name of Kali, once Leader of Circle Midnight, is currently performing a spell that will fake your death," Aurelia said heavily. "If you don't appear to be dead, the Council will want answers."

"So then..."

"Then, you and Don go away and do whatever the hell you want about this damn soulmate connection, and with any luck, I'll never have to look at either of you again. It's that or," her lips curled, "someone *else* kills all three of you."

"Ten bucks says *she* gets the job," Blaine muttered under his breath.

Donavon glanced at Phoenix. He stood up and pulled her to her feet, not particularly wanting to talk to her with Aurelia and Blaine making snotty comments. He lead her into the spare bedroom.

"What are we gonna do?" he asked.

Phoenix just shrugged. "I don't have a fucking clue. What do *you* want to do?"

Donavon considered. How appealing was the idea of having a soulmate, really? It didn't mean they had to turn all sappy like everyone seemed to expect from it.

"We could try it," he suggested. "Just to see..." He trailed off. "Did I really just say that?"

Phoenix snorted at him. "Yeah, I'm just *so* ready to jump into your arms and melt."

Donavon had to control himself not to hit her. He was trying to be reasonable for once, trying to see the big picture. If she wasn't interested, then maybe he should just say screw her.

She turned to study him. "You're really serious, aren't you?" she said after a few moments silence.

Donavon smiled slightly and nodded. "I guess. Well?"

Phoenix sighed. She turned away from him. "Just give me a few days."

* * *




Donavon's face was carefully blank as he stood over the dead body. Lorelei eyed him, her nose wrinkling slightly at the glass knife stuck in Phoenix's chest. "So you actually killed her."

"Eventually," Blaine said, his voice bland. "She was something of a pain in the ass, but got what she deserved."

Lorelei nodded, handing them both brown envelopes. Donavon opened his, smiling faintly at the large wad of cash inside. "You might want to do something with that," she said, glancing down at the body again.

Donavon's faint smile remained on his face watching Lorelei get back into her chauffer driven car. "If I didn't know better, I'd say she was a little squeamish," he said in a low voice.

Blaine just shrugged. "She's a Blackthorn," he snorted. "How the hell she ever got to be head of the Joint Council is beyond me."

"Probably depended on who she slept with," Aurelia said, stepping out from her hiding place. "It's all politics these days." They were in the woods on the edge of town where Aurelia's friend Kali had performed her spell. So far it seemed to have worked.

"Does that mean we can get the hell out of here and get on with our lives now?" Blaine asked.

"About damn time too," Aurelia muttered. She strode off to where she'd parked her bike. Donavon shook his head. Some friend she was. Blaine was following.

He doubted he would miss either one of them much. "Come on Phoenix," he muttered. "The sooner you wake up, the sooner we can get the hell out of here."

He just had to wait for her to wake up.

* * *

"You're not even going to wait for your friend to wake up?"

Aurelia gritted her teeth as Blaine caught up with her. Could she never be rid of him? Apparently not. She sighed heavily. "I'm through with it now."

Blaine shook his head. "You're impossible."

"And you're an asshole," she snapped, not liking the glint in his eyes as he came closer to her.

"Aurelia?" he said, his tone suspiciously pleasant.

"What?"

"Shut up."

Before she could come up with a suitable comeback, he'd kissed her, awakening the spark of their soulmate connection. With another heavy sigh, she resolved to letting herself go with it.
* * *

Phoenix groaned, dragging herself off her feet, watching the image of the knife in her chest start flickering, before disappearing, along with the blood, the rips in her top stared repairing themselves.

Her eyes rolled as she heard Aurelia and Blaine arguing in the distance. "Do you think those two will ever get together?"

Donavon snorted. "They'd end up killing each other."

She brushed some leaves from her red hair. She looked at him. "So."

He smiled at her faintly. "So." He folded his arms.

Phoenix had been debating on the whole soulmate thing for the last few days, and had finally come to the conclusion that she would never really understand it. But she had it, so she might as well take advantage. She didn't know if she was one of the so-called "lucky ones" but at least it was something she could learn.

Donavon held a hand out to her. She took it. There were no fire and lightning sparks this time, just a pleasant sensation of heat flooding over her as his fingers intertwined with her.

They walked away.

THE END.