Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith as are any of the
characters you recognise like Thierry, Hannah, Lupe etc.
Spoilers: All of the Night World books and my story Bound by Flame.
Author's Notes: I know this is late, I'm so sorry but coming up to the end of the semester things get a little hectic, I've assignments due and exams coming up so I didn't really get a chance to write this until now, I have a plan though that will hopefully work out of getting 3 parts written before my exams start so I won't be late again, hey it could happen.
Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, you guys are the best, seriously.
LadyNyght: Thanks, I 'm glad you like the story, Diablo is fun, I'm really enjoying writing him and Aniela.
Mandy: Hey, thanks so much for reviewing. I really liked writing the last part too, I like writing Icarus and Des, they feel like old friends to me sometimes, this part is more based on the new characters but 'Rus and Des will be back next part.
Orange: I didn't mean it to be that much of a cliffhanger, just a little one but this reveals everything though and no cliffhanger. Just read this part and it should answer all your questions, though these two, Aniela and Diablo, aren't the most conventional.
Redaura: I like your solution to the Des Gwern problem, and yes Des is a nicer character though she did take off for a month or so in the first story but a least I always knew where she was. As for who Wenona thought was in her kitchen, that will be revealed in later parts, though if you think about it you might be able to work it out. Thanks a lot for the review and I'm sorry this part's so late. (
Part 8.
Aniela's chest constricted in fear as Diablo came at her. She tried to fight him off but no matter what she tried, no matter what she did she couldn't get away from him. He was too fast, too strong. When she realised this the fight just drained out of her leaving nothing but anger at herself for being so weak. Her brain began to register and question more, like why the hell he was attacking her and that he had fangs. For a moment she thought she was hallucinating but no there they were protruding from his mouth, real honest to goodness vampire fangs.
"This is not good," she thought as he pushed her roughly against the wall. Her shoulder blades banged painfully off the rough brick and her whole back ached; she was going to have bruises in the morning. That was if she was alive in the morning, for the first time the idea that he might actually kill her sprung into her mind and once there it set up shop and refused to leave.
The thought filled her mind with fear yet somehow returned her will to fight. She twisted her wrists trying to break his grasp but his grip on her held fast. He was so much bigger and stronger than she was; he towered over her like some smothering shadow. She looked upward at him and was surprised to discover that the fangs didn't make him more animal, more feral, more ugly rather he looked almost beautiful like a panther or a tiger, beautiful and deadly. It was his eyes that caught her attention though, dark green eyes that held impenetrable depths that now glowed with some kind of dark light.
He tilted her face upward using two fingers under her chin, his eyes never straying from the pulse in her neck. The strangest thing was that instead of revulsion at his touch Aniela felt little sparks run along her skin from his fingertips.
"He's going to bite me now," she thought, "he's going to bite me and drink my blood and there's nothing I can do to stop him. He's going to hurt me maybe even kill me and it's partially my fault, if I hadn't come out here alone, if I knew how to fight, if I knew things like him existed then maybe this wouldn't be happening."
She felt his breath on her skin and wanted to scream, wondering why she hadn't been screaming her head off for the past few minutes. Then she felt it, those teeth sliding into her skin, drawing her blood. It didn't hurt as much as she'd thought it would. For a moment all she could feel were his lips moving on her neck, then something began tugging at her mind trying to take her somewhere she didn't want to go. She felt like her consciousness was being pulled by some outside force, a powerful outside force and though she tried to fight it, it was stronger than her. Her head swam and she heard Diablo's voice.
"I don't want this."
"Then why are you doing it?" she thought.
"I am not doing it," he snapped revealing that he could hear her thoughts.
After a moment she realised that he was still drinking her blood, that he couldn't be speaking but she had heard him. What was going on?
"I don't know," he replied.
Aniela could sense that his mind was in turmoil but she could also tell that he was lying. A thousand thoughts seemed to be running through his head and Aniela could hear them all, most of it was a blur flying past her too fast to catch any of it but one word at the tail end of a sentence stuck out, soulmates.
"What do you mean by soulmates?" she asked.
"I wish you'd stop doing that," he said angrily.
"I'm not doing anything," she replied, "you're the one doing it."
"I told you already, I'm not doing this," he said annoyance evident in his voice.
"And what I'm supposed to believe that, you're a, what are you?" she asked.
"What you think," he replied. "I'm a vampire, I'm feeding off you and I'm evil and there is no possible way we could be soulmates, that's what you're thinking right."
"Well the first part any way," she told him, "but I still don't know what you mean by soulmates, why don't you tell me? What are you afraid of?"
"I'm not afraid of anything," he spat back at her, "and there is no way we're soulmates, there is no way I'm bound to some stupid vermin."
"And what I should be trilled that I'm bound to you?" she demanded, "Should I?"
"No," Diablo replied a hint of a smile present in his voice, "trilled isn't the word I'd use, terrified maybe, and anyway we're not soulmates."
"I'm not afraid of you," Aniela said softly.
"Really," Diablo said the ridicule in his voice really pissing Aniela off, "you're sure singing a different tune to the one you were on earlier, what was it, he's going to kill me and it's all my fault. Seems like you were pretty afraid of me then. God, I can't talk to you, vermin are just so stupid."
"Who the hell are you calling vermin? You're the one feeding off of me if I'm vermin what does that make you? A parasite?"
"Look I'm not exactly enjoying this chit chat," Diablo said.
"Really I'm having a barrel of laughs," Aniela replied sarcastically.
"If you'd shut up and let me finish," Diablo continued, "I was going to suggest we should find a way to end this."
"Not until you tell me what soulmates are?" Aniela snapped.
"Fine you want to know what soulmates are," Diablo yelled angrily, "then I'll tell you. Soulmates is an idea that there is only one person in the world you're supposed to be with, your other half; some people say their the other half of your soul and that when you meet them you recognise them immediately and you know, you know you'll never be happy without them."
"Well that's okay then," Aniela said softly, "we're not soulmates. Cos I don't feel anything like that for you."
"And the thought of feeling anything like that for a human makes me feel nauseous," Diablo added, "and anyway I don't believe in soulmates."
"Why not?" Aniela asked.
"None of your business vermin," Diablo told her.
Aniela wasn't exactly surprised at Diablo's reaction what surprised her was the fact she cared, that she wanted to know why he didn't believe in soulmates. She didn't care about him, she didn't even like him yet something made her want to know, something made her want to know everything about him and as she realised this she realised the exact same force was trying to show him to her. The force, which they'd both been fighting without really realising it, began to overwhelm her.
Images of Diablo's life played themselves out before her eyes trying to give her some understanding of who and what he was. She saw him being taught that his species was better than any other, that they were faster, stronger, just better, above everyone else, that those below them were worthless, just a food source or bugs to be crushed under foot. She saw that he'd had a terrible childhood really, that his parents had been cold and cruel and taught him to be the same. She saw him kill, saw him hurt others and claim enjoyment from it.
She wanted to hate him, wanted to detest him with ever fibre in her being but instead she felt an understanding of what he did, she felt herself rationalising all he had done when all she wanted to do was to get angry and hit him. She could see he had a vague code of honour and that he truly believed what he was doing was for the good of his people.
A snort of derision brought her out of her reflection. "Come on kid, I know you're not that stupid," he said. "I mean you might be vermin and all but you have a brain, you can stop trying to rationalise it and realise that I do what I do because I like to, because it's my nature, it's who I am, not out of some bizarre sense of honour."
"Look I'm just telling it how I'm seeing it okay, or how you're showing it to me, so don't blame me, it's your life, your feelings."
"No it's not," Diablo replied, "it's you reading what you want to in to my actions."
"That's not true," she snapped, "you really think I'd do that? I hate you, I want to hate you, I don't want to feel like this."
"Like what?" he asked softly uncharacteristic compassion audible in his voice.
"Like I want to understand you, like I want to make excuses for why you did those things, like I want, I want to know you, I want, I don't know what."
"I know," Diablo said, "whatever is going on it's showing me images of you, of your life and it's trying to make me like you. And we can't have that, I can't like you."
"Well what are we going to do about it? If we're soulmates there's not exactly a lot we can do to change that right?"
"I'm not talking about changing it," he replied, "I'm talking about forgetting about it."
"How do you expect to do that?" Aniela asked, "It did happen we can't change that, I don't think I can just forget it, can you?"
"I wasn't talking about me," he said softly and with those words he began to slowly wrap his mind around her memories of the last few minutes erasing them just as he would have if done of this stupid soulmate stuff had happened. It was much harder that he expected, the link between them tried to keep him from taking her knowledge of their connection and in the end he had to practically rip the knowledge from her head.
It took a lot out of him much more than it should have especially since he'd just fed, this soulmate thing was strong, very strong. Why did things like this always happen to him? He grinned as the word karma popped into his head, what was it that the witches believed, what you send forth comes back to thee, maybe this was the universe's payback, his punishment for the life he'd chosen to live. For a moment he felt pity for the vermin girl, it didn't look like she'd ever done anything to deserve to have him for a soulmate.
Well it didn't matter any way it was over with, she'd forgotten about it and he didn't care about it so they'd never have to worry about it again. He should kill her to make sure though but he didn't know enough about the stupid link to know what killing her would do to him.
"Yes," he told himself, "that's why you don't want to hurt her self interest."
It was a good a reason as any he decided and of course the most likely, it had nothing to do with that moment of brightness she had brought him or the fire that he'd felt burn between them, nothing at all.
Spoilers: All of the Night World books and my story Bound by Flame.
Author's Notes: I know this is late, I'm so sorry but coming up to the end of the semester things get a little hectic, I've assignments due and exams coming up so I didn't really get a chance to write this until now, I have a plan though that will hopefully work out of getting 3 parts written before my exams start so I won't be late again, hey it could happen.
Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, you guys are the best, seriously.
LadyNyght: Thanks, I 'm glad you like the story, Diablo is fun, I'm really enjoying writing him and Aniela.
Mandy: Hey, thanks so much for reviewing. I really liked writing the last part too, I like writing Icarus and Des, they feel like old friends to me sometimes, this part is more based on the new characters but 'Rus and Des will be back next part.
Orange: I didn't mean it to be that much of a cliffhanger, just a little one but this reveals everything though and no cliffhanger. Just read this part and it should answer all your questions, though these two, Aniela and Diablo, aren't the most conventional.
Redaura: I like your solution to the Des Gwern problem, and yes Des is a nicer character though she did take off for a month or so in the first story but a least I always knew where she was. As for who Wenona thought was in her kitchen, that will be revealed in later parts, though if you think about it you might be able to work it out. Thanks a lot for the review and I'm sorry this part's so late. (
Part 8.
Aniela's chest constricted in fear as Diablo came at her. She tried to fight him off but no matter what she tried, no matter what she did she couldn't get away from him. He was too fast, too strong. When she realised this the fight just drained out of her leaving nothing but anger at herself for being so weak. Her brain began to register and question more, like why the hell he was attacking her and that he had fangs. For a moment she thought she was hallucinating but no there they were protruding from his mouth, real honest to goodness vampire fangs.
"This is not good," she thought as he pushed her roughly against the wall. Her shoulder blades banged painfully off the rough brick and her whole back ached; she was going to have bruises in the morning. That was if she was alive in the morning, for the first time the idea that he might actually kill her sprung into her mind and once there it set up shop and refused to leave.
The thought filled her mind with fear yet somehow returned her will to fight. She twisted her wrists trying to break his grasp but his grip on her held fast. He was so much bigger and stronger than she was; he towered over her like some smothering shadow. She looked upward at him and was surprised to discover that the fangs didn't make him more animal, more feral, more ugly rather he looked almost beautiful like a panther or a tiger, beautiful and deadly. It was his eyes that caught her attention though, dark green eyes that held impenetrable depths that now glowed with some kind of dark light.
He tilted her face upward using two fingers under her chin, his eyes never straying from the pulse in her neck. The strangest thing was that instead of revulsion at his touch Aniela felt little sparks run along her skin from his fingertips.
"He's going to bite me now," she thought, "he's going to bite me and drink my blood and there's nothing I can do to stop him. He's going to hurt me maybe even kill me and it's partially my fault, if I hadn't come out here alone, if I knew how to fight, if I knew things like him existed then maybe this wouldn't be happening."
She felt his breath on her skin and wanted to scream, wondering why she hadn't been screaming her head off for the past few minutes. Then she felt it, those teeth sliding into her skin, drawing her blood. It didn't hurt as much as she'd thought it would. For a moment all she could feel were his lips moving on her neck, then something began tugging at her mind trying to take her somewhere she didn't want to go. She felt like her consciousness was being pulled by some outside force, a powerful outside force and though she tried to fight it, it was stronger than her. Her head swam and she heard Diablo's voice.
"I don't want this."
"Then why are you doing it?" she thought.
"I am not doing it," he snapped revealing that he could hear her thoughts.
After a moment she realised that he was still drinking her blood, that he couldn't be speaking but she had heard him. What was going on?
"I don't know," he replied.
Aniela could sense that his mind was in turmoil but she could also tell that he was lying. A thousand thoughts seemed to be running through his head and Aniela could hear them all, most of it was a blur flying past her too fast to catch any of it but one word at the tail end of a sentence stuck out, soulmates.
"What do you mean by soulmates?" she asked.
"I wish you'd stop doing that," he said angrily.
"I'm not doing anything," she replied, "you're the one doing it."
"I told you already, I'm not doing this," he said annoyance evident in his voice.
"And what I'm supposed to believe that, you're a, what are you?" she asked.
"What you think," he replied. "I'm a vampire, I'm feeding off you and I'm evil and there is no possible way we could be soulmates, that's what you're thinking right."
"Well the first part any way," she told him, "but I still don't know what you mean by soulmates, why don't you tell me? What are you afraid of?"
"I'm not afraid of anything," he spat back at her, "and there is no way we're soulmates, there is no way I'm bound to some stupid vermin."
"And what I should be trilled that I'm bound to you?" she demanded, "Should I?"
"No," Diablo replied a hint of a smile present in his voice, "trilled isn't the word I'd use, terrified maybe, and anyway we're not soulmates."
"I'm not afraid of you," Aniela said softly.
"Really," Diablo said the ridicule in his voice really pissing Aniela off, "you're sure singing a different tune to the one you were on earlier, what was it, he's going to kill me and it's all my fault. Seems like you were pretty afraid of me then. God, I can't talk to you, vermin are just so stupid."
"Who the hell are you calling vermin? You're the one feeding off of me if I'm vermin what does that make you? A parasite?"
"Look I'm not exactly enjoying this chit chat," Diablo said.
"Really I'm having a barrel of laughs," Aniela replied sarcastically.
"If you'd shut up and let me finish," Diablo continued, "I was going to suggest we should find a way to end this."
"Not until you tell me what soulmates are?" Aniela snapped.
"Fine you want to know what soulmates are," Diablo yelled angrily, "then I'll tell you. Soulmates is an idea that there is only one person in the world you're supposed to be with, your other half; some people say their the other half of your soul and that when you meet them you recognise them immediately and you know, you know you'll never be happy without them."
"Well that's okay then," Aniela said softly, "we're not soulmates. Cos I don't feel anything like that for you."
"And the thought of feeling anything like that for a human makes me feel nauseous," Diablo added, "and anyway I don't believe in soulmates."
"Why not?" Aniela asked.
"None of your business vermin," Diablo told her.
Aniela wasn't exactly surprised at Diablo's reaction what surprised her was the fact she cared, that she wanted to know why he didn't believe in soulmates. She didn't care about him, she didn't even like him yet something made her want to know, something made her want to know everything about him and as she realised this she realised the exact same force was trying to show him to her. The force, which they'd both been fighting without really realising it, began to overwhelm her.
Images of Diablo's life played themselves out before her eyes trying to give her some understanding of who and what he was. She saw him being taught that his species was better than any other, that they were faster, stronger, just better, above everyone else, that those below them were worthless, just a food source or bugs to be crushed under foot. She saw that he'd had a terrible childhood really, that his parents had been cold and cruel and taught him to be the same. She saw him kill, saw him hurt others and claim enjoyment from it.
She wanted to hate him, wanted to detest him with ever fibre in her being but instead she felt an understanding of what he did, she felt herself rationalising all he had done when all she wanted to do was to get angry and hit him. She could see he had a vague code of honour and that he truly believed what he was doing was for the good of his people.
A snort of derision brought her out of her reflection. "Come on kid, I know you're not that stupid," he said. "I mean you might be vermin and all but you have a brain, you can stop trying to rationalise it and realise that I do what I do because I like to, because it's my nature, it's who I am, not out of some bizarre sense of honour."
"Look I'm just telling it how I'm seeing it okay, or how you're showing it to me, so don't blame me, it's your life, your feelings."
"No it's not," Diablo replied, "it's you reading what you want to in to my actions."
"That's not true," she snapped, "you really think I'd do that? I hate you, I want to hate you, I don't want to feel like this."
"Like what?" he asked softly uncharacteristic compassion audible in his voice.
"Like I want to understand you, like I want to make excuses for why you did those things, like I want, I want to know you, I want, I don't know what."
"I know," Diablo said, "whatever is going on it's showing me images of you, of your life and it's trying to make me like you. And we can't have that, I can't like you."
"Well what are we going to do about it? If we're soulmates there's not exactly a lot we can do to change that right?"
"I'm not talking about changing it," he replied, "I'm talking about forgetting about it."
"How do you expect to do that?" Aniela asked, "It did happen we can't change that, I don't think I can just forget it, can you?"
"I wasn't talking about me," he said softly and with those words he began to slowly wrap his mind around her memories of the last few minutes erasing them just as he would have if done of this stupid soulmate stuff had happened. It was much harder that he expected, the link between them tried to keep him from taking her knowledge of their connection and in the end he had to practically rip the knowledge from her head.
It took a lot out of him much more than it should have especially since he'd just fed, this soulmate thing was strong, very strong. Why did things like this always happen to him? He grinned as the word karma popped into his head, what was it that the witches believed, what you send forth comes back to thee, maybe this was the universe's payback, his punishment for the life he'd chosen to live. For a moment he felt pity for the vermin girl, it didn't look like she'd ever done anything to deserve to have him for a soulmate.
Well it didn't matter any way it was over with, she'd forgotten about it and he didn't care about it so they'd never have to worry about it again. He should kill her to make sure though but he didn't know enough about the stupid link to know what killing her would do to him.
"Yes," he told himself, "that's why you don't want to hurt her self interest."
It was a good a reason as any he decided and of course the most likely, it had nothing to do with that moment of brightness she had brought him or the fire that he'd felt burn between them, nothing at all.