Chapter Six

Kierlan was standing near the foot of the winding staircase, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression moody.

Late afternoon sunlight drifted through a black painted window pane, bits of dust sailing through on a glistening sunbeam, reflecting rainbow colors off of the shiny marble floor.

Kierlan squinted out the window, imagining that he could see the first signs of a sunset. The fuchsia at the edge of the horizon, a bright tangerine creating a second layer right above it. The pale blue sky slowly being replaced by the bright colors that signaled the beginning of the end of the day.

*It's always calmest before the storm,* he thought with a wry smile before turning his back to the image his mind was painting for him.

Kierlan, no longer having fancies of sunsets and the deeper meaning behind them to keep him occupied, switched mental gears almost immediately. This drama with Sarah had to be the most absurd thing he had ever heard of. His soulmate, his *soulmate,* was in love with someone else.

Kierlan shut his eyes briefly, ignoring the sharp flash of pain that shot through his heart at the thought of Sarah being in anyone else's arms; at the picture of anyone else kissing her lips, pink as a rose petal, soft as satin.

And to make things even worse, *If they can get any worse,* Kierlan reflected, the guy his soulmate was in love with was supposedly the fourth Wild Power. Or at least that was the news that everyone had been spreading around the mansion in the past day. He had his doubts though. In his opinion, Blade simply didn't have what it took to prevent the end of the world.

"I'd bet my life on the fact that they have the wrong guy," Kierlan muttered ungraciously.

Kierlan hadn't seen either Sarah or Blade all day and he wasn't entirely sure if that was a good or a bad thing. On the one hand, he didn't think that he was up to facing Sarah yet. Every one of his nerves was on edge, and every thought of her was laced with razor sharpness that stung his eyes and twisted his gut. Seeing her in person would magnify the sick feeling a thousand times.

And if he saw Blade...

Kierlan had the feeling that seeing the Lamia, the guy that his soulmate was convinced was her one and only, would send him straight over the edge. He knew without a doubt that he'd do something that, while maybe he wouldn't regret it, Sarah would never forgive him for.

Kierlan glanced up, seeing Rashel walk by, her head held high, dark hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. She noticed him and slowed, her lips drawing into a smirk. "Took you long enough to get up," she said, holding up her right wrist so that Kierlan could see her digital watch.

"I got back late last night," Kierlan said shortly, knowing that, in all truthfulness, he hadn't slept at all the night before. Instead, every time he closed his eyes, he saw an image of *her,* Sarah, burned into his memory.

But Rashel couldn't possibly know that.

"Does that entitle you to sleeping until five?" Then Rashel shrugged, her shoulders rising and falling in one quick motion, already disregarding the conversation as though it bored her. "Anyway, have you seen Sarah today? I was up early so I saw her go into her room just as early... or late. I don't suppose you had anything to do with that."

Kierlan laughed shortly, averting his gaze, his right hand clenching into a tight fist at his side. "Didn't you tell me not to get involved with her?"

Rashel arched an eyebrow as she placed her hands on her hips. "Since when do you listen to anything I say?"

"Since you started giving out useful advice." Kierlan pulled a pair of sunglasses from his pocket, slipping them over his eyes, and turned to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Rashel asked, cocking her head at him suspiciously.

"Out."

"Thierry wanted to talk to us about keeping an eye on Blade," Rashel said, tapping her foot on the marble floor rhythmically.

"Pity. I have a previous engagement." Kierlan shrugged his leather jacket into place indifferently. But he had stopped walking while speaking to Rashel, without turning to look at her, his shoulders tensing.

"Thierry's not going to be happy."
Kierlan turned around fully at last, swiveling on his heel while simultaneously pulling his sunglasses off with one hand, meeting Rashel's eyes head on. "I do enough for Circle Daybreak that he should be able to overlook this."

Rashel shrugged noncommittally. "Whatever you say. Well, if nothing else, have a good time thinking about her."

Kierlan's eyes narrowed dangerously and he took a menacing step forward. "What?"

"Thinking about her. Sarah. That is what you're going to go do now isn't it? Mope over the one girl that you just couldn't win over with your stunningly good looks?" Rashel didn't flinch from Kierlan's gaze, it only served to fuel her comments a little more. "God, Kierlan, I hope that you get over her. Falling for Sarah is really ruining your arrogance."

The hand that Kierlan had clamped around the black wire frames of his sunglasses tightened convulsively, snapping them in two at the nose bridge.

Rashel's eyes dropped in something like surprise to the broken glasses before returning her gaze to Kierlan's face, studying him. "Don't tell me you're actually serious about her, Kierlan."

"She's my soulmate," Kierlan snapped before he could stop himself, instantly regretting the words. Anything Rashel could use against him, she would.

"Kierlan..."

"For once I'm being completely honest with you. Sarah is my soulmate." Each word was perfectly enunciated, the consonants bitten off savagely, as though Kierlan were trying to make what he was saying hit home with Rashel.

"*Blade* is her soulmate," Rashel said in exasperation.

"Blade is not her soulmate, I am." Kierlan smiled suddenly, the glimmer of white reflecting intense pain. "But it doesn't seem to matter much, she's chosen him." He shrugged his shoulders, the smile dropping from his lips. "So that's the end of that. If you'll excuse me."

"Kierlan wait," Rashel said, stepping forward and moving around him, holding a hand up to stop him.

Kierlan paused, looking at the green eyed vampire hunter, his eyebrows drawn tightly together, watching her, waiting.

"You really do love her, don't you?" Rashel shook her head. "If I hadn't seen this with my own two eyes I never would have believed it, but for some reason what you're saying sounds sincere." She smiled tentatively, as though she were a bit uncomfortable, a feeling Rashel wasn't accustomed to. "Kierlan, I'm sorry that it didn't work out for you and Sarah, but..."

Kierlan gritted his teeth, the fact that Rashel felt pity -- pity! -- for him sending a blazing rush of anger through his veins. He grabbed her hand roughly, squeezing her slender fingers in his harsh grip. "Don't tell me that you're *sorry,*" he said, his voice icy. "I don't need your sympathy."

Rashel looked at Kierlan for a moment, as though the words he was saying didn't quite register in her mind. Then she blinked, glancing down once at her fingers, the tips turning red with blood, before wrenching her hand away. "I won't make that mistake again," she said, bending her fingers to get the blood going. "And you wonder why Sarah chose Blade."

Rashel walked past Kierlan, almost shoving him out of the way, and stalked up the stairs, every step showing how furious she was.

Kierlan watched her go, his hands curling and uncurling at his sides, the adrenaline rush still pumping in his veins. Then he stopped, his eyes shutting for a moment, taking a deep breath. He had to admit that, even for him, he had acted like a complete jerk.

And, in the end, the one thought that ran through his mind was what would Sarah think if she saw him behave that way. Kierlan couldn't honestly say that he was completely sorry for the way he had acted towards Rashel, but he knew that he would be forced to beg for Sarah's forgiveness if Rashel ever told her what had happened.

Kierlan frowned, starting towards the door, tossing his ruined sunglasses on the windowsill for Nilsson or one of the other servants in the mansion to pick up, and pulled open the heavy mahogany door, its sides framed with an intricate display of black flowers. He closed the door behind him with a thud and walked around the side of the mansion to his motorcycle, a sleek black number that purred like a kitten and got him everywhere he wanted to go with no problem.

On his way, he trampled through a bed of butter yellow tulips, their petals waving in the faint breeze. He crushed the tallest one under the heel of his boot, the stem snapping, the flower curling under the black leather, flattening and dying.

The corner of his lip turned up as he swung one leg over the motorcycle. He didn't bother with a helmet, it only annoyed him. Placing his hands on the handles, he revved the machine, the gears coming to life under his fingertips, and leaned forward, taking off down the smoothly paved driveway.

Halfway down, Kierlan passed by Sarah, who looked up, startled at the sound of the motorcycle. She was half knelt, holding what looked like a watering can made of pale green metal, her fingers wrapped around the handle. Meeting his eyes for the briefest moment, Sarah looked away, kneeling back down into the flower bed, tending to and caring for the blossoms, looking as though she enjoyed it, as though it were something that she did on a regular basis.

Continuing down the driveway, not stopping, and making a conscious effort not to look back, Kierlan was suddenly sorry for the tulip, the same color as the silky hair that cascaded down Sarah's back, that was splayed across the bottom of his boot.


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Sarah watched Kierlan's motorcycle disappear from view with a slow roar from the corner of her eye, barely noticing the Bleeding Hearts that she was drowning with a steady stream of water.

She stood up slowly when she couldn't see his tail lights anymore, brushing dirt from her hands before touching her lips.

Sarah had slept soundly after crying herself to sleep, the tears finally overtaking her so that she had to succumb to slumber. But the lump in her throat still hadn't gone away. And along with that was a very empty, very hollow feeling in the center of her chest. It was difficult to breathe around, as though the hole was blocking the air that she tried to inhale.

Sarah shook her head, trying to erase the memories, trying to make everything fade away. But, deep down, she knew that it wasn't that simple.

Starting up the driveway, Sarah clutched the green watering can to her chest, depositing it on the front porch, before going inside, suddenly feeling very small and insignificant in this large, majestic foyer with its gleaming marble and lacquer.

Sarah let out a breath and began the long walk up the staircase. Seeing Kierlan had awoken a new found strength somewhere in her, making her certain that she had to finish the talk she had started with Blade the night before. Except this time, there was a lot more to tell, a lot more to confess. And a lot more of a reason for Blade to feel truly betrayed.

Sarah didn't stop until she reached Blade's room, taking another deep breath that she liked to imagine was cleansing, although how she could ever hope to cleanse herself of the past day was beyond her.

Pausing with her fist halfway raised to knock on his door, it swung open, revealing a disheveled and bleary eyed Blade.

He didn't look surprised in the slightest to see her and he even smiled wryly, gesturing for her to come in.

"What happened to you," Sarah said, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of him. "You look like you haven't slept at all."

Blade laughed shortly, his face twisting in an unnatural way, his eyes glazed over and dazed. "I haven't."

Sarah stepped into the room hesitantly, sitting on the edge of his bed, the flannel sheets and striped comforter rumpled. She folded her hands in her lap. "We have to finish talking, Blade."

He shook his head, shrugging his shoulders in something like defeat, closing the door and leaning against it, watching her carefully. Blade crossed his arms over his chest. "So talk."

Sarah felt something inside her snap and the sinking feeling in her stomach got worse. It was like she was plummeting from the edge of a cliff with no way to stop herself and no hope of rescue. But before she knew what she was doing, Sarah heard the words pouring from her mouth. "It started back at the house..."

"I know," Blade said shortly, as though he couldn't bear to listen to her voice any longer, straightening and averting his gaze to the window, his expression hostile and foreign to her.

"You... what?" Confusion burst into flame inside of Sarah, sending her hurtling to her feet, looking at Blade in disbelief.

"About Kierlan, I know." Blade said the words simply and without a single drop of emotion, as though he were completely detached from the situation, as though nothing could touch him.

Sarah felt her eyes squeeze shut, her heart pounding. "You know?" she whispered, the tears already forming behind closed eyelids.

She had imagined what it would be like if Blade ever found out about what had happened between her and Kierlan. And though those scenarios had been terrifying and ultimately heartbreaking, they didn't even come close to the panic of the real thing.

Blade, her Blade, the one who had held her and kissed her, the one who had reassured her that everything would be fine when they had to retreat to a Daybreak Sanctuary, who had promised that he would never leave her, that they would always be together, was a stranger to her now.

Those eyes, the light brown ones with the flecks of emerald green and golden yellow that caught rays of light, were utterly devoid of life, as though he weren't really seeing anything. He moved like he was just going through the motions, relying on memory as to how he was supposed to function rather than by reacting to the things around him.

Then, the bubble of fear, of dread, popped, leaving her deflated as Sarah realized the only way Blade could have found out.

Kierlan.

Sarah set her jaw, betrayal creeping over her, making her skin tingle, before she even had a chance to react. He had told Blade, most likely to get back at her, even after telling her that he cared for her.

She had her arms wrapped around Blade's waist before she realized that she had even moved across the room, her face buried into his shoulderblades, silently willing him to turn to her and return the embrace. "It wasn't like that. Whatever you think, it *wasn't.*"

"How many different ways could it have been Sarah?" Blade turned but pulled away from Sarah, the stony expression on his face crumbling at last, the raw emotion and jagged pain evident in the core of his eyes.

Sarah felt a catch in her throat. This was what she had done. She had inflicted this pain on the one person she was supposed to care about more than anyone or anything. She had treated this gift like dirt as though having found her soulmate was something that wasn't worth a second thought.

A nagging thought crept into the back of her mind. Something about Kierlan and his feelings, but she brushed at it desperately, focusing on Blade's words because he was still speaking, his expression a perfect picture of anguish.

"If you had just told me, told me anything, I would have believed you no matter what you said. But instead, you had to let me find out like... like *that.* How could you do this. To me? To us?"

"Blade, listen to me," Sarah said, desperately reaching out to him, her fingers clawing at air. "I told him that I love *you.* You, not him. You have to believe that."

"I don't know what to believe anymore Sarah," Blade said with a shake of his head. A strand of blonde hair fell into his eyes, making him seem very young all of a sudden. "Maybe you should go now." He rubbed at his temples tiredly. "I need to get some sleep."

Blade stepped away even further from Sarah's reach and turned his back on her, pulling his shirt over his head before going over to his bed and lying down, face smothered by his pillows. "Just go."

Sarah nodded silently, taking a deep, tremulous breath, before turning away and going to the door. She couldn't blame Blade for this, everything that had happened was her fault, but still, she couldn't help that tiny flicker of thought that told her that the least he could do was listen to what she had to say instead of relying on what Kierlan must have told him.

*And whatever Kierlan *did* tell Blade must have been a thousand times worse than what really happened,* she thought with a sigh.

Sarah stopped to look back at Blade just as she was stepping out, biting down hard on her lip. So hard that she tasted blood. It didn't look like words were going to make this better, but she still had to say this final thing; he deserved that much.

"I'm sorry, Blade," Sarah whispered, shutting the door behind her, the sound of wood closing on wood echoing down the hallway.