Chapter Three
Sarah felt fear clutch at her throat, making it difficult to breathe and even harder to keep a steady hand on the branches of the large, looming oak tree. She glanced down and felt a queasy feeling in her stomach; the kind of feeling that she got from sitting backwards in a car or from being on a boat too long.
Then she heard a bang from the bedroom above her and she started in surprise, almost losing her hold on the bark. Sarah let out a small yelp, glancing down at Annabelle. "Annabelle, why isn't Blade coming out here. What is he doing."
"He's *your* soulmate, don't you know?" Annabelle said unceremoniously. The green eyed girl took hold of the edge of Sarah's dark blue pants and tugged. "Now come on, you heard what he said. We have to get to the car."
The remainder of the descent consisted of Annabelle's not so gentle urges for Sarah to continue climbing down. Imitating the Lamia teenager, Sarah began to shimmy down the tree, almost hugging it so that her fingertips touched and she felt secure and steady. It was slow going, but not as slow as it would have been if Annabelle hadn't been there and, after a few minutes, Sarah was relieved to find her feet firmly planted on the dark green grass that was desperately in need of mowing.
"Car now," Annabelle said, pulling Sarah after her to the brown Dodge. She started forward, almost confidently, before stopping suddenly. "Or... maybe not," she said softly, seeing what looked like a shapeshifter come around the side of the house. "Turn around," Annabelle hissed, pushing at Sarah.
Sarah pulled her arm from Annabelle's grasp, overcome by fear and a swift kick of adrenaline. She took off across the lawn, her feet sinking into the soft dirt, her white jogging sneakers quickly becoming stained.
"Sarah, stop, where are you going!" Annabelle shouted from behind her. Starting after the human girl, Annabelle knocked her to the ground just as a silver car pulled around to the side of the house that Sarah had been trying to run to. A tall, muscular Lamia with a head of thick red hair and slanted green eyes stepped out, a crazy smile on his lips.
"Where in the world do you think you're running off to!" Annabelle said, pulling Sarah back to her feet and dragging the girl after her. "You're going to get yourself killed if you don't stick with me." Annabelle pressed her body close to the side of the white paneled house, out of sight from the silver Buick and its occupants, putting an arm over Sarah's chest to keep the girl from trying to run off again. "Listen to me, you idiot, we're both going to get killed at this rate. Just stay still."
Sarah bit down hard on her lower lip, her teeth sinking into the tender flesh and shuddered, hearing heavy footfalls coming towards them.
"Stay here," Annabelle whispered. "I'm going to hold them off. When its clear I want you to run for the car and get yourself out of here. Understand?"
Sarah nodded numbly, her mind not quite processing the words. She couldn't
leave both Blade and Annabelle behind. What was her friend talking about?
But then Annabelle was creeping around the edge of the house, leaving Sarah on her own unable to do anything more that watch the blonde Lamia's retreating figure.
She heard the undeniable thump of someone hitting the ground, hard, then Annabelle's desperate call for Sarah to run. Sarah's blue eyes widened in alarm as she started after Annabelle, blatantly ignoring that other girl's orders, and saw her struggling to get to her feet, her palms smeared with dirt, her hair disheveled. Standing above her was the red haired Lamia from before, a wooden club in his hands.
Sarah let out a strangled cry, dropping to her knees next to Annabelle, covering the girl's bruised body with her own fragile one.
"Would you get out of here," Annabelle gasped, her voice hoarse, pushing Sarah away. "Go!"
"I'm not going to just leave you here!" Sarah returned firmly, slowly turning to look up at the man who was advancing on them, his white teeth glimmering as he smiled at the two girls.
"Stupid girl," he said softly, tapping the club against one large, meaty palm.
*Yeah, that would be it,* Sarah thought, hysterical, nonsensical laughter bubbling up in her throat. *I'm either really brave or really stupid. I'm betting on stupid...*
Sarah turned her eyes away, burying her face into Annabelle's shoulder, the silk of Annabelle's black blouse filling her vision, her blonde hair covering her cheek like a satin curtain. But the blow never came.
There was a rush of wind, as though someone had moved past them quickly. Sarah looked up just in time to see a figure in black dash past, taking the red haired Lamia by surprise with a swift kick in the back of his knees.
The figure in black straightened from her crouching position -- it was most definitely a girl -- and pulled something from her tall black boot. It was what looked like a heavy black painted wooden stick, carved with designs that Sarah couldn't quite make out.
"Goodnight Sweetheart," the newcomer murmured, bringing the stick down across the back of the Lamia's head, causing him to pitch forward into the ground, unconscious.
The girl reached up, untying the black scarf that covered her face so that it fell away, revealing a pale, smooth face, framed with ebony colored hair that fell to her shoulders in waves.
Blazing green eyes met Sarah's terrified blue ones. The girl held up the stick. "Bokken," she said by way of explanation. "I'm from Daybreak so you can stop looking at me like a deer trapped in the headlights. We have a car waiting for you around front. Shall we?"
Sarah rose on shaking legs, clenching one fist determinedly by her side. She reached out to Annabelle, who was struggling with an ankle that looked as though it were badly twisted, and helped her up.
"I'll be fine in a little while," Annabelle said softly, wincing. "It'll heal." She looked at the black clad girl oddly. "You're human," she said with something like surprise in her hushed voice.
"Well, of course I am. What, you think only you vampire's can fight?"
"I'm not a..." Sarah started defensively.
"The name's Rashel," the girl said, not paying any attention to Sarah. "Now that I've introduced myself, can we get going," she said, not bothering to try and hide the impatience in her voice.
Following Rashel around the house, Sarah paused, seeing the black limousine parked there, its paint glimmering in the late afternoon sun.
"Circle Daybreak sure likes to travel in style," Annabelle joked weakly from beside Sarah.
Rashel tilted her head towards the limo. "Just get in. We have someone looking for the remaining person here, then we'll go."
"Oh my god," Sarah said, her hand flying up to her mouth. "Blade. He's still in the house." She whirled, starting back for the front door before either Rashel or Annabelle had a chance to react.
"When did she learn to move so fast," Annabelle grumbled, reaching down to rub her ankle.
A bewildered Lupe stepped out of the limo, her eyebrows drawn tightly together. "*What* is going on? We sent Kierlan in there to get Blade. Where is she going."
"Oh, they're soulmates," Annabelle said with something like exasperation. "You're all damned Daybreakers; I'm sure you know how it is." She pushed past Rashel and got into the limo, propping her injured foot onto one of the gray leather seats.
Rashel poked her head into the car, eyes narrowed. "Soulmates?"
Annabelle nodded once, briskly. "Yep."
Sighing heavily, Rashel pulled away to stand back outside, arms crossed over her chest. "I think someone should go in there after her."
"Not it," Lupe said with a small smile, one corner of her lip twitching.
"How did I know," Rashel muttered, twirling her bokken around once for practice before taking a step forward. "Here we go again."
******************************************************
Kierlan fueled his energy into a blazing ball of orange witch fire between his palms, letting it loose at the last possible second, hitting a dark haired Night World agent directly in the chest, sending her flying backwards with a shriek.
"On your feet," he said sharply to Blade who was still sprawled where he had landed after the first attack when the bedroom door had burst open.
Blade shook his head slowly as if trying to clear it, his eyes vaguely unfocused, then staggered to his feet, keeping his balance by holding onto the wall. "Who the hell are you?"
Kierlan smiled briefly, switching the glimmering brightness on and off like a light. "Kierlan Harman of Circle Daybreak at your service," he said with a trace of amusement, as though he gave this speech entirely too often and found it entirely too funny. He shrugged his leather jacket back into place and turned to start for the door. "We're out of here."
Kierlan kicked the bedroom door open with a black boot encased foot and started out into the hallway, glancing behind him, just once, to make sure Blade was following.
*So this is the supposed fourth Wild Power,* Kierlan thought in disbelief. *And I thought that the Witch Child was a sorry excuse for a Wild Power. But this one wins hands down. The fourth Wild Power is vampire, a *Lamia* who can't even protect himself from a shapeshifter. This is rich.*
Kierlan started down the stairs, his lip curling in distaste at the pictures of flowers and emerald green pastures hanging from the yellow painted wall. "Very quaint," he murmured.
Then he saw a painting he recognized, Dali's 'The Persistence of Memory.' Kierlan chuckled to himself. *How... apt.*
He took another step, not looking where he was going, when someone ran in to him -- quite literally. Without checking to see who it was, Kierlan relied on instinct and grabbed the person to steady him or her. His hand wrapped around cool feminine fingers, barely having the chance to glance up and take in light blonde hair, parted on the side and eyes the color of aquamarine's, a small nose, high cheek bones and a dimple on the right side of her pale pink lips, before the world exploded into a shimmering rainbow of light and color.
The stairs seemed to melt away and time stood still. It brought the painting to mind; the melting clocks. Time was simply melting away. There was only this light, floaty feeling, as though he were weightless, being lifted away on a cloud of pure air.
And then there was *her.* Her delicate face, the eyes wide and honest, truthful, unblemished by the harshness of the world. A long, swanlike neck, slender body. She wasn't too tall, only about five foot four, but she stood proud and straight giving her a slight air of command.
She blinked at him once, her expression clearly surprised, as though she didn't quite understand. And all the while the rainbow spectrum danced around them like a waterfall of color.
Kierlan's ears were filled with white noise, the crashing sound that waves make, as though there really was a waterfall in this tender, gentle place. "Who are you?" he said, his voice hushed, afraid of breaking the tranquillity.
Her breath quickened, her chest rising and falling with the extra breath. "Sarah..." she said softly. "Who are *you?*"
Kierlan smiled, the first truly genuine smile in years. "Your soulmate."
**********************************************************
*My... *what,** Sarah's mind raged, the thought bringing her back to reality with a hard thump. Sarah's eyes snapped open, and it was only then that she realized that they had been closed. She looked wildly at this stranger's face, taking in the dark, almond shaped eyes that seemed to shimmer with a hidden light, his glossy black hair, thick and full.
Sarah shook her head, backing up a little, before catching sight of a bewildered Blade, further up the steps, his hazel eyes narrow and thoughtful. Then she pushed past the dark haired stranger, dashing up the few steps to Blade, throwing herself into his arms, the arms she knew so well. A heavy fist of dread settled over her heart when he didn't return the embrace
Her hands caught his plaid shirt, desperately clinging to the green and blue fabric, twisting it in her fingers, willing him to hold her in return. After a moment he did, the puzzled look still in his eyes, but he rested his chin in her golden hair, all the while looking at Kierlan, who had partly turned to follow Sarah's movements.
"There's a limousine from Circle Daybreak waiting outside for us," Sarah said, lifting her head to look at Blade. "We can go now, they'll figure everything out."
Blade stared at her for a moment as though he didn't quite understand what she was saying. Then, slowly, he nodded, following her down the stairs and out of the house, his hand in hers.
Rashel was waiting at the foot of the stairs, the look on her face clearly saying that she had seen the entire thing. "Blade is her soulmate, Kierlan," she said, her lips drawn tightly together so that all the blood had drained from them. "Don't start meddling where you're not wanted."
Kierlan blinked once, shrugging as though he were recovering his composure. "What are you talking about," he said. "I'm not in the mood for your mind games right now."
The corner of Rashel's lip turned up. "What I *mean,*" she said as though she were talking to a two year old, "Is that Sarah, the blonde, and Blade are soulmates. You know what a soulmate is, right Kierlan? God, I would hope so, you've been with Circle Daybreak long enough."
"Blade is not her soulmate," Kierlan said harshly, starting down the stairs himself and nearly shoving Rashel out of the way.
Rashel laughed then, shaking her head in response.
Kierlan turned smoothly, his eyes narrowed and glittering angrily. "Is there a joke I'm missing."
"You're the joke Kierlan. I don't know who you think you are. But you're not irresistible to every girl you see. Especially not one with a soulmate." Rashel slipped her bokken back into her leather boot, going through the front door and out into the fading sunlight.
"Wait a minute," Kierlan said, stopping in the doorway.
Rashel half turned, glancing at him through hooded eyes. "Yes?"
"As much as you truly can't stand me, and I promise the feeling is mutual," Kierlan said, "Be straight with me. Why are you so sure that they're soulmates?"
"The sister told me so," Rashel said with a shrug. "And I'm sure that Blade and Sarah told *her* that. Besides, why do you think they're in a Circle Daybreak Sanctuary? For a long vacation? I don't think so Kierlan. It's because Sarah's a human and Blade's Lamia and they're soulmates; direct violation of Night World Law. Or don't you keep up with the newcomers to Circle Daybreak?"
Kierlan's lips twisted in grim amusement as he slipped his sunglasses back on. "Perfect," he said under his breath. "Just perfect."
"Give up on her Kierlan, you're not going to win Sarah over," Rashel advised before turning and walking to the limo, disappearing inside.
The amusement vanished from Kierlan's face as quickly as it had appeared, making his expression serious, as though his features were carved from stone. "Like hell I won't," he murmured before following Rashel into the limo.
Sarah felt fear clutch at her throat, making it difficult to breathe and even harder to keep a steady hand on the branches of the large, looming oak tree. She glanced down and felt a queasy feeling in her stomach; the kind of feeling that she got from sitting backwards in a car or from being on a boat too long.
Then she heard a bang from the bedroom above her and she started in surprise, almost losing her hold on the bark. Sarah let out a small yelp, glancing down at Annabelle. "Annabelle, why isn't Blade coming out here. What is he doing."
"He's *your* soulmate, don't you know?" Annabelle said unceremoniously. The green eyed girl took hold of the edge of Sarah's dark blue pants and tugged. "Now come on, you heard what he said. We have to get to the car."
The remainder of the descent consisted of Annabelle's not so gentle urges for Sarah to continue climbing down. Imitating the Lamia teenager, Sarah began to shimmy down the tree, almost hugging it so that her fingertips touched and she felt secure and steady. It was slow going, but not as slow as it would have been if Annabelle hadn't been there and, after a few minutes, Sarah was relieved to find her feet firmly planted on the dark green grass that was desperately in need of mowing.
"Car now," Annabelle said, pulling Sarah after her to the brown Dodge. She started forward, almost confidently, before stopping suddenly. "Or... maybe not," she said softly, seeing what looked like a shapeshifter come around the side of the house. "Turn around," Annabelle hissed, pushing at Sarah.
Sarah pulled her arm from Annabelle's grasp, overcome by fear and a swift kick of adrenaline. She took off across the lawn, her feet sinking into the soft dirt, her white jogging sneakers quickly becoming stained.
"Sarah, stop, where are you going!" Annabelle shouted from behind her. Starting after the human girl, Annabelle knocked her to the ground just as a silver car pulled around to the side of the house that Sarah had been trying to run to. A tall, muscular Lamia with a head of thick red hair and slanted green eyes stepped out, a crazy smile on his lips.
"Where in the world do you think you're running off to!" Annabelle said, pulling Sarah back to her feet and dragging the girl after her. "You're going to get yourself killed if you don't stick with me." Annabelle pressed her body close to the side of the white paneled house, out of sight from the silver Buick and its occupants, putting an arm over Sarah's chest to keep the girl from trying to run off again. "Listen to me, you idiot, we're both going to get killed at this rate. Just stay still."
Sarah bit down hard on her lower lip, her teeth sinking into the tender flesh and shuddered, hearing heavy footfalls coming towards them.
"Stay here," Annabelle whispered. "I'm going to hold them off. When its clear I want you to run for the car and get yourself out of here. Understand?"
Sarah nodded numbly, her mind not quite processing the words. She couldn't
leave both Blade and Annabelle behind. What was her friend talking about?
But then Annabelle was creeping around the edge of the house, leaving Sarah on her own unable to do anything more that watch the blonde Lamia's retreating figure.
She heard the undeniable thump of someone hitting the ground, hard, then Annabelle's desperate call for Sarah to run. Sarah's blue eyes widened in alarm as she started after Annabelle, blatantly ignoring that other girl's orders, and saw her struggling to get to her feet, her palms smeared with dirt, her hair disheveled. Standing above her was the red haired Lamia from before, a wooden club in his hands.
Sarah let out a strangled cry, dropping to her knees next to Annabelle, covering the girl's bruised body with her own fragile one.
"Would you get out of here," Annabelle gasped, her voice hoarse, pushing Sarah away. "Go!"
"I'm not going to just leave you here!" Sarah returned firmly, slowly turning to look up at the man who was advancing on them, his white teeth glimmering as he smiled at the two girls.
"Stupid girl," he said softly, tapping the club against one large, meaty palm.
*Yeah, that would be it,* Sarah thought, hysterical, nonsensical laughter bubbling up in her throat. *I'm either really brave or really stupid. I'm betting on stupid...*
Sarah turned her eyes away, burying her face into Annabelle's shoulder, the silk of Annabelle's black blouse filling her vision, her blonde hair covering her cheek like a satin curtain. But the blow never came.
There was a rush of wind, as though someone had moved past them quickly. Sarah looked up just in time to see a figure in black dash past, taking the red haired Lamia by surprise with a swift kick in the back of his knees.
The figure in black straightened from her crouching position -- it was most definitely a girl -- and pulled something from her tall black boot. It was what looked like a heavy black painted wooden stick, carved with designs that Sarah couldn't quite make out.
"Goodnight Sweetheart," the newcomer murmured, bringing the stick down across the back of the Lamia's head, causing him to pitch forward into the ground, unconscious.
The girl reached up, untying the black scarf that covered her face so that it fell away, revealing a pale, smooth face, framed with ebony colored hair that fell to her shoulders in waves.
Blazing green eyes met Sarah's terrified blue ones. The girl held up the stick. "Bokken," she said by way of explanation. "I'm from Daybreak so you can stop looking at me like a deer trapped in the headlights. We have a car waiting for you around front. Shall we?"
Sarah rose on shaking legs, clenching one fist determinedly by her side. She reached out to Annabelle, who was struggling with an ankle that looked as though it were badly twisted, and helped her up.
"I'll be fine in a little while," Annabelle said softly, wincing. "It'll heal." She looked at the black clad girl oddly. "You're human," she said with something like surprise in her hushed voice.
"Well, of course I am. What, you think only you vampire's can fight?"
"I'm not a..." Sarah started defensively.
"The name's Rashel," the girl said, not paying any attention to Sarah. "Now that I've introduced myself, can we get going," she said, not bothering to try and hide the impatience in her voice.
Following Rashel around the house, Sarah paused, seeing the black limousine parked there, its paint glimmering in the late afternoon sun.
"Circle Daybreak sure likes to travel in style," Annabelle joked weakly from beside Sarah.
Rashel tilted her head towards the limo. "Just get in. We have someone looking for the remaining person here, then we'll go."
"Oh my god," Sarah said, her hand flying up to her mouth. "Blade. He's still in the house." She whirled, starting back for the front door before either Rashel or Annabelle had a chance to react.
"When did she learn to move so fast," Annabelle grumbled, reaching down to rub her ankle.
A bewildered Lupe stepped out of the limo, her eyebrows drawn tightly together. "*What* is going on? We sent Kierlan in there to get Blade. Where is she going."
"Oh, they're soulmates," Annabelle said with something like exasperation. "You're all damned Daybreakers; I'm sure you know how it is." She pushed past Rashel and got into the limo, propping her injured foot onto one of the gray leather seats.
Rashel poked her head into the car, eyes narrowed. "Soulmates?"
Annabelle nodded once, briskly. "Yep."
Sighing heavily, Rashel pulled away to stand back outside, arms crossed over her chest. "I think someone should go in there after her."
"Not it," Lupe said with a small smile, one corner of her lip twitching.
"How did I know," Rashel muttered, twirling her bokken around once for practice before taking a step forward. "Here we go again."
******************************************************
Kierlan fueled his energy into a blazing ball of orange witch fire between his palms, letting it loose at the last possible second, hitting a dark haired Night World agent directly in the chest, sending her flying backwards with a shriek.
"On your feet," he said sharply to Blade who was still sprawled where he had landed after the first attack when the bedroom door had burst open.
Blade shook his head slowly as if trying to clear it, his eyes vaguely unfocused, then staggered to his feet, keeping his balance by holding onto the wall. "Who the hell are you?"
Kierlan smiled briefly, switching the glimmering brightness on and off like a light. "Kierlan Harman of Circle Daybreak at your service," he said with a trace of amusement, as though he gave this speech entirely too often and found it entirely too funny. He shrugged his leather jacket back into place and turned to start for the door. "We're out of here."
Kierlan kicked the bedroom door open with a black boot encased foot and started out into the hallway, glancing behind him, just once, to make sure Blade was following.
*So this is the supposed fourth Wild Power,* Kierlan thought in disbelief. *And I thought that the Witch Child was a sorry excuse for a Wild Power. But this one wins hands down. The fourth Wild Power is vampire, a *Lamia* who can't even protect himself from a shapeshifter. This is rich.*
Kierlan started down the stairs, his lip curling in distaste at the pictures of flowers and emerald green pastures hanging from the yellow painted wall. "Very quaint," he murmured.
Then he saw a painting he recognized, Dali's 'The Persistence of Memory.' Kierlan chuckled to himself. *How... apt.*
He took another step, not looking where he was going, when someone ran in to him -- quite literally. Without checking to see who it was, Kierlan relied on instinct and grabbed the person to steady him or her. His hand wrapped around cool feminine fingers, barely having the chance to glance up and take in light blonde hair, parted on the side and eyes the color of aquamarine's, a small nose, high cheek bones and a dimple on the right side of her pale pink lips, before the world exploded into a shimmering rainbow of light and color.
The stairs seemed to melt away and time stood still. It brought the painting to mind; the melting clocks. Time was simply melting away. There was only this light, floaty feeling, as though he were weightless, being lifted away on a cloud of pure air.
And then there was *her.* Her delicate face, the eyes wide and honest, truthful, unblemished by the harshness of the world. A long, swanlike neck, slender body. She wasn't too tall, only about five foot four, but she stood proud and straight giving her a slight air of command.
She blinked at him once, her expression clearly surprised, as though she didn't quite understand. And all the while the rainbow spectrum danced around them like a waterfall of color.
Kierlan's ears were filled with white noise, the crashing sound that waves make, as though there really was a waterfall in this tender, gentle place. "Who are you?" he said, his voice hushed, afraid of breaking the tranquillity.
Her breath quickened, her chest rising and falling with the extra breath. "Sarah..." she said softly. "Who are *you?*"
Kierlan smiled, the first truly genuine smile in years. "Your soulmate."
**********************************************************
*My... *what,** Sarah's mind raged, the thought bringing her back to reality with a hard thump. Sarah's eyes snapped open, and it was only then that she realized that they had been closed. She looked wildly at this stranger's face, taking in the dark, almond shaped eyes that seemed to shimmer with a hidden light, his glossy black hair, thick and full.
Sarah shook her head, backing up a little, before catching sight of a bewildered Blade, further up the steps, his hazel eyes narrow and thoughtful. Then she pushed past the dark haired stranger, dashing up the few steps to Blade, throwing herself into his arms, the arms she knew so well. A heavy fist of dread settled over her heart when he didn't return the embrace
Her hands caught his plaid shirt, desperately clinging to the green and blue fabric, twisting it in her fingers, willing him to hold her in return. After a moment he did, the puzzled look still in his eyes, but he rested his chin in her golden hair, all the while looking at Kierlan, who had partly turned to follow Sarah's movements.
"There's a limousine from Circle Daybreak waiting outside for us," Sarah said, lifting her head to look at Blade. "We can go now, they'll figure everything out."
Blade stared at her for a moment as though he didn't quite understand what she was saying. Then, slowly, he nodded, following her down the stairs and out of the house, his hand in hers.
Rashel was waiting at the foot of the stairs, the look on her face clearly saying that she had seen the entire thing. "Blade is her soulmate, Kierlan," she said, her lips drawn tightly together so that all the blood had drained from them. "Don't start meddling where you're not wanted."
Kierlan blinked once, shrugging as though he were recovering his composure. "What are you talking about," he said. "I'm not in the mood for your mind games right now."
The corner of Rashel's lip turned up. "What I *mean,*" she said as though she were talking to a two year old, "Is that Sarah, the blonde, and Blade are soulmates. You know what a soulmate is, right Kierlan? God, I would hope so, you've been with Circle Daybreak long enough."
"Blade is not her soulmate," Kierlan said harshly, starting down the stairs himself and nearly shoving Rashel out of the way.
Rashel laughed then, shaking her head in response.
Kierlan turned smoothly, his eyes narrowed and glittering angrily. "Is there a joke I'm missing."
"You're the joke Kierlan. I don't know who you think you are. But you're not irresistible to every girl you see. Especially not one with a soulmate." Rashel slipped her bokken back into her leather boot, going through the front door and out into the fading sunlight.
"Wait a minute," Kierlan said, stopping in the doorway.
Rashel half turned, glancing at him through hooded eyes. "Yes?"
"As much as you truly can't stand me, and I promise the feeling is mutual," Kierlan said, "Be straight with me. Why are you so sure that they're soulmates?"
"The sister told me so," Rashel said with a shrug. "And I'm sure that Blade and Sarah told *her* that. Besides, why do you think they're in a Circle Daybreak Sanctuary? For a long vacation? I don't think so Kierlan. It's because Sarah's a human and Blade's Lamia and they're soulmates; direct violation of Night World Law. Or don't you keep up with the newcomers to Circle Daybreak?"
Kierlan's lips twisted in grim amusement as he slipped his sunglasses back on. "Perfect," he said under his breath. "Just perfect."
"Give up on her Kierlan, you're not going to win Sarah over," Rashel advised before turning and walking to the limo, disappearing inside.
The amusement vanished from Kierlan's face as quickly as it had appeared, making his expression serious, as though his features were carved from stone. "Like hell I won't," he murmured before following Rashel into the limo.
