"So we freaked and ran and I guess we didn't know where else to come," Viola said, finishing her story.
The witch who'd let them in, Thea Harman, smiled kindly. "Well, you did the right thing by coming here."
Viola and Taylor exchanged glances. Thea and Eric, her human soulmate, had listened to all of Viola's tale with a sympathetic ear. Viola felt they would be safe here. After all, wasn't that the whole point of a safe house?
"We'll talk to all the official people, and clear it with them, and they'll help you deal with this vampire," Thea went oh, her voice calm and reassuring.
"Do you guys want separate rooms or will you be - uh - sharing?" Eric asked, glancing from Viola to Taylor.
"Separate," Taylor said instantly.
Viola would have liked the chance to share a room, maybe get to know Taylor a little better. She was certain all the news and sudden revolution of a soulmate discovery were a great shock to him,
It had been to her too, she needed to deal and sort things out herself, and if Taylor was in the same position, as her, then they could deal together. But he had gone all silent. He wouldn't even look at her.
"I need to call my parents," Taylor said finally.
"There's a phone in the hall or the kitchen," Eric said, standing up and showing Taylor the way,
"He's only just found out?" Thea asked in a soft voice.
Viola nodded. "I don't know how well he's handling it. We - "
She broke off when a figure walked into the room. It was a girl she recognised from one or two of her classes at school. She was also one of Nerissa Harman's friends. She looked as surprised to see Viola as Viola did to see her,
"This is Izar Galena," Thea said. "She's on our side."
"What's going on?" Izar asked.
Viola hadn't expected that. She wondered if Nerissa knew, or even cared.
"Viola and her friend Taylor are moving in for a while," Thea said. "They have a problem with a new Night World vampires."
Izar's eyebrow raised. "Taylor Harret? Nerissa's going to love that."
Viola tensed. She wasn't convinced Izar could be trusted. If someone blabbed to Nerissa on Viola's and Taylor's whereabouts, Nerissa would blab to Bellona and Camilla, who would go back to Aubrey, The system had already worked once. Somehow Aubrey had found out where Viola lived.
She should have known she wouldn't be able to hide from Aubrey. What had she been thinking? Now she was dragging Taylor down with her.
"I need to be alone," Viola said, standing up and leaving the room. She headed up the stairs and found an empty room.
How long could she keep running like this? She was too afraid of Aubrey, despite her vow not to be his victim anymore, to actually force herself to stand up to him.
Maybe with the help of these Daybreakers they could come up with a permanent solution. Viola couldn't run forever.
* * *
Taylor's mother was freaking, as he'd expected she would be. He'd only been gone a few hours, and she was pitching a fit for not telling her, and taking the car without asking.
He'd explained as carefully as he could, avoiding the part with the secret society of supernatural beings he wasn't supposed to know about. As far as his mother was concerned, he was staying with a friend to work on a very special project for school that might take several weeks to complete. Lame, he knew, but he couldn't think of anything else.
He was shown into the final empty bedroom upstairs, guessing Viola was in the one with the closed door. If she hadn't come, would any of this have ever happened? He would never have known about the Night World, despite his girlfriend and best friend being a part. He'd known them for years, and hadn't had a clue what they really were.
Then again, hadn't be been longing for a more exciting life? Hadn't he been practically *begging* for something more interesting to happen?
When Viola had come and he'd first met her, he'd felt sure she would be the spark that would brighten up his life. Instead, Viola had been more like a nuclear explosion.
No matter how much he wanted to go back to his normal, boring way of living, to avoid the Night World, he couldn't leave Viola to take on Nerissa, Morpheus, Aubrey and their cronies on her own.
Viola was his soulmate, the one person he would never be completely happy without, according to her, anyway. Maybe he could talk to Eric about that. He was only human, Thea was a Night Person, they must have had an adventure of their own to wind up in a protective safe house.
They were together, so maybe things would work out for him and Viola.
She needed him right now. No more hiding and running. What they needed was action. Aubrey needed to be killed. Surely there were some real version of Vampire Slayers.
If there wasn't, he'd do the job himself.
* * *
The witch who'd let them in, Thea Harman, smiled kindly. "Well, you did the right thing by coming here."
Viola and Taylor exchanged glances. Thea and Eric, her human soulmate, had listened to all of Viola's tale with a sympathetic ear. Viola felt they would be safe here. After all, wasn't that the whole point of a safe house?
"We'll talk to all the official people, and clear it with them, and they'll help you deal with this vampire," Thea went oh, her voice calm and reassuring.
"Do you guys want separate rooms or will you be - uh - sharing?" Eric asked, glancing from Viola to Taylor.
"Separate," Taylor said instantly.
Viola would have liked the chance to share a room, maybe get to know Taylor a little better. She was certain all the news and sudden revolution of a soulmate discovery were a great shock to him,
It had been to her too, she needed to deal and sort things out herself, and if Taylor was in the same position, as her, then they could deal together. But he had gone all silent. He wouldn't even look at her.
"I need to call my parents," Taylor said finally.
"There's a phone in the hall or the kitchen," Eric said, standing up and showing Taylor the way,
"He's only just found out?" Thea asked in a soft voice.
Viola nodded. "I don't know how well he's handling it. We - "
She broke off when a figure walked into the room. It was a girl she recognised from one or two of her classes at school. She was also one of Nerissa Harman's friends. She looked as surprised to see Viola as Viola did to see her,
"This is Izar Galena," Thea said. "She's on our side."
"What's going on?" Izar asked.
Viola hadn't expected that. She wondered if Nerissa knew, or even cared.
"Viola and her friend Taylor are moving in for a while," Thea said. "They have a problem with a new Night World vampires."
Izar's eyebrow raised. "Taylor Harret? Nerissa's going to love that."
Viola tensed. She wasn't convinced Izar could be trusted. If someone blabbed to Nerissa on Viola's and Taylor's whereabouts, Nerissa would blab to Bellona and Camilla, who would go back to Aubrey, The system had already worked once. Somehow Aubrey had found out where Viola lived.
She should have known she wouldn't be able to hide from Aubrey. What had she been thinking? Now she was dragging Taylor down with her.
"I need to be alone," Viola said, standing up and leaving the room. She headed up the stairs and found an empty room.
How long could she keep running like this? She was too afraid of Aubrey, despite her vow not to be his victim anymore, to actually force herself to stand up to him.
Maybe with the help of these Daybreakers they could come up with a permanent solution. Viola couldn't run forever.
* * *
Taylor's mother was freaking, as he'd expected she would be. He'd only been gone a few hours, and she was pitching a fit for not telling her, and taking the car without asking.
He'd explained as carefully as he could, avoiding the part with the secret society of supernatural beings he wasn't supposed to know about. As far as his mother was concerned, he was staying with a friend to work on a very special project for school that might take several weeks to complete. Lame, he knew, but he couldn't think of anything else.
He was shown into the final empty bedroom upstairs, guessing Viola was in the one with the closed door. If she hadn't come, would any of this have ever happened? He would never have known about the Night World, despite his girlfriend and best friend being a part. He'd known them for years, and hadn't had a clue what they really were.
Then again, hadn't be been longing for a more exciting life? Hadn't he been practically *begging* for something more interesting to happen?
When Viola had come and he'd first met her, he'd felt sure she would be the spark that would brighten up his life. Instead, Viola had been more like a nuclear explosion.
No matter how much he wanted to go back to his normal, boring way of living, to avoid the Night World, he couldn't leave Viola to take on Nerissa, Morpheus, Aubrey and their cronies on her own.
Viola was his soulmate, the one person he would never be completely happy without, according to her, anyway. Maybe he could talk to Eric about that. He was only human, Thea was a Night Person, they must have had an adventure of their own to wind up in a protective safe house.
They were together, so maybe things would work out for him and Viola.
She needed him right now. No more hiding and running. What they needed was action. Aubrey needed to be killed. Surely there were some real version of Vampire Slayers.
If there wasn't, he'd do the job himself.
* * *
