Part 18
Scarlet didn't understand. Normally when she felt all she felt was a warm rush when her teeth pierced the victim's skin and the blood rushed into her mouth. This time it was different. She had never experienced anything like it. It was like being trapped in a nuclear explosion. There was white everywhere. Some sort of light illuminating...
*What?* Scarlet didn't...she wanted *out* of this so badly. At the same time she could feel Erica's panic, her fear. She didn't know what was going on anymore than Scarlet did.
As well as shock, she got the impression of...grief. Guilt. Confusion. They were all Erica's feelings. So why the hell was *she* experiencing them? She was inside Erica's *mind*.
Pictures were rushing at her. Erica's memories. A clear picture of Dathan framed as some sort of dark and alluring god flew at her, another flash of white light, and he was surrounded by darkness, now more of an evil creature. Herself as an Ice Queen, an elegant I'm-better-than-you-sneer on her face.
But if she was in Erica's mind, did that mean...shit. She didn't *want* Erica in her mind, knowing her deepest, darkest thoughts and secrets, seeing her memories, what had happened to her...
~What the hell is going on?~ Was the thought that kept screaming round both their minds. A vague memory of Scarlet's was stirring. She tried to push it away before it could deepen and Erica could explore it.
Too late.
Soul...no. NO! *NO!* Not like this. Not...not with a *girl*. Scarlet dragged her fangs out of Erica's neck and pushed her away. They were thrown out of the warm light into harsh cold reality.
Erica's hand gingerly went to her neck. Scarlet stood, backing away from Erica.
"Get out," she whispered, trying to keep the fear out of her mouth.
Erica stood, shaking slightly. She made as if to leave, then stopped. "Wait. What *was* that thing? You called it something."
"I didn't call it *anything*!" Scarlet shouted. "*Go!*"
Erica practically ran out of the door. Scarlet tried to figure out what had gone wrong. Nothing like that had ever happened to her when she'd fed previously.
It just *couldn't* be soulmates. It was a fluke. Maybe some sort of a protection spell that those stupid Daybreakers had out on Erica.
~Lousy protection spell~ her inner voice whispered. ~What type of protection spell allows you to see directly into someone's mind?~
Soulmates didn't exist. It was just some stupid story Circle Daybreak were making up to explain why all some of the Night People were fucking up, like vampires falling for vampire hunters.
Or maybe it was a spell Ara had done to make sure once and for all that Erica was human. Now that had finally been established it had proven they couldn't play with her.
Scarlet dreaded the thought of being struck by that lightening again. Erica needed killing.
Besides, Scarlet was in love with *Dathan*. They were perfect for each other. There were plenty of perfectly rational explanations for what had happened.
How silly of her to jump to conclusions like that.
She and Erica were *not* soulmates.
* * *
Scarlet didn't understand. Normally when she felt all she felt was a warm rush when her teeth pierced the victim's skin and the blood rushed into her mouth. This time it was different. She had never experienced anything like it. It was like being trapped in a nuclear explosion. There was white everywhere. Some sort of light illuminating...
*What?* Scarlet didn't...she wanted *out* of this so badly. At the same time she could feel Erica's panic, her fear. She didn't know what was going on anymore than Scarlet did.
As well as shock, she got the impression of...grief. Guilt. Confusion. They were all Erica's feelings. So why the hell was *she* experiencing them? She was inside Erica's *mind*.
Pictures were rushing at her. Erica's memories. A clear picture of Dathan framed as some sort of dark and alluring god flew at her, another flash of white light, and he was surrounded by darkness, now more of an evil creature. Herself as an Ice Queen, an elegant I'm-better-than-you-sneer on her face.
But if she was in Erica's mind, did that mean...shit. She didn't *want* Erica in her mind, knowing her deepest, darkest thoughts and secrets, seeing her memories, what had happened to her...
~What the hell is going on?~ Was the thought that kept screaming round both their minds. A vague memory of Scarlet's was stirring. She tried to push it away before it could deepen and Erica could explore it.
Too late.
Soul...no. NO! *NO!* Not like this. Not...not with a *girl*. Scarlet dragged her fangs out of Erica's neck and pushed her away. They were thrown out of the warm light into harsh cold reality.
Erica's hand gingerly went to her neck. Scarlet stood, backing away from Erica.
"Get out," she whispered, trying to keep the fear out of her mouth.
Erica stood, shaking slightly. She made as if to leave, then stopped. "Wait. What *was* that thing? You called it something."
"I didn't call it *anything*!" Scarlet shouted. "*Go!*"
Erica practically ran out of the door. Scarlet tried to figure out what had gone wrong. Nothing like that had ever happened to her when she'd fed previously.
It just *couldn't* be soulmates. It was a fluke. Maybe some sort of a protection spell that those stupid Daybreakers had out on Erica.
~Lousy protection spell~ her inner voice whispered. ~What type of protection spell allows you to see directly into someone's mind?~
Soulmates didn't exist. It was just some stupid story Circle Daybreak were making up to explain why all some of the Night People were fucking up, like vampires falling for vampire hunters.
Or maybe it was a spell Ara had done to make sure once and for all that Erica was human. Now that had finally been established it had proven they couldn't play with her.
Scarlet dreaded the thought of being struck by that lightening again. Erica needed killing.
Besides, Scarlet was in love with *Dathan*. They were perfect for each other. There were plenty of perfectly rational explanations for what had happened.
How silly of her to jump to conclusions like that.
She and Erica were *not* soulmates.
* * *