Part 17
Ashael wasn't really sure what Dusk was expecting from her. She'd agreed to show the girl what she'd wanted to know, how to kill and how to fuck...that didn't mean it was going to turn into a long term relationship. Ashael knew, though, after that first time, even though afterwards Dusk had acted oddly she was completely in love with her. Her huge violet eyes were a dead giveaway, filled with longing, lust and confusion.
Dusk didn't really seem to have a clue about where to start looking for her brother. She was supposed to be training the girl, it would be pointless if she told her and led her by the hand every step of the way. Even Circle Daybreak probably wouldn't train their agents in such a pathetic way. Dusk had left half an hour ago, not saying where she was going. Ashael knew she'd be back - mainly because she knew Dusk had nowhere to go. She hadn't seen Evangeline since their fight yesterday afternoon. She'd heard her come in late last night with some guy, and had had to be out early that morning to catch Dusk before Daybreak did.
"Ashael?"
Ashael turned, slightly annoyed to see Willow and Ember hovering in her bedroom door. She wanted to find her sister, not deal with them right now. "What?"
"Two new girls arrived at school today," Ember said, watching her carefully.
Ashael's eyebrow arched. "You came all the way here to tell me *that*?"
"They were twins," Willow added.
Another set of twins in a Las Vegas high school wasn't exactly unusual.
"*Blackthorn* twins."
Ashael frowned. Two sets of *Night* *World* twins was pretty rare. And both of them being from infamous lamia clans? "Who?"
"Isis and Isis Blackthorn," Ember answered.
Ashael's spine went rigid, her blood ran cold. Isis and Isis Blackthorn were Circle Daybreak's answer to her and Evangeline. "Here? At our school?"
"They're both posing as students. We followed them around. They were acting pretty casual. Isis was cold and reserved. Isis wormed her way into Evangeline's crowd. Though later in the way we saw them with Blaise Harman and after school with David and Alice," Willow said.
Ashael's eyes rolled. Great. If they were together, it only meant one thing. "Well it's not like - "
"We have to talk. *Now*." Evangeline shoved in between Willow and Ember, flushed and wild-eyed, as if her worst nightmare had just come true.
"What's wrong?"
Willow and Ember didn't bother questioning, they simply left, muttering to each other.
"Have you been hired to kill Zach Harman?" Evangeline demanded. "No games. Just give me a straight answer."
Ashael frowned. She'd never seen her sister in a state like this before. "Yes. Why?"
Evangeline gave a strangled cry somewhere between a moan and a sob as she sank down on the bed. Alarmed, Ashael immediately went to comfort her sister but was surprised when Evangeline pushed her away. "No! Don't touch me!"
"What's going on?" Ashael demanded, starting to get angry. Evangeline had never questioned her assignments before, neither had she questioned her sisters'. "How do you know, anyway?"
"Because Zach Harman is my soulmate," Evangeline whispered.
Ashael wasn't sure she was hearing right. Soulmates was a bed-time story for happy little Daybreakers. She had never expected Evangeline to say it. She sat down. "You're...soulmate. How..." She trailed off, shaking her head.
"We met after you left me in the parking lot yesterday. I was walking home, he picked me up, and...well..." She trailed off herself.
Ashael didn't say anything for a long time. "You're in love with him, aren't you?" she said finally.
Evangeline sniffled. "I can't help it. You don't know what the whole soulmate thing feels like."
And she didn't want to know, either. Ashael sighed, realising where this conversation was going. Evangeline's eyes met hers pleadingly. If Ashael *didn't* kill Zach then she would be a failure and Hunter would...She shuddered. Yet if she killed her sister's soulmate... "Would you do it for me?" she asked.
Evangeline frowned. "What?"
"Let's reverse the situation. Say I found my soulmate. Some gorgeous girl who had displeased Hunter, and he'd you asked you to kill her. Would you do it?" Evangeline was silent. This boiled down to her sister's obvious dislike of Ashael's sexual status. Enough to kill a fictitious soulmate? "Oh, and on top of it, we've got Isis and Isis Blackthorn hunting us," Ashael added casually.
Evangeline groaned. "You're shitting me."
"Willow and Ember said they were at school today. Isis hung out with your crowd."
Evangeline's eyes closed. "I *knew* there was something creepy-weird about those two. Blaise was supposed to be getting me some info."
Ashael snorted in contempt. "Blaise Harman is a fucking Daybreak spy. You won't get anything from her you don't already know."
Evangeline's eyes remained closed. Ashael sometimes wondered what planet her twin's head was on. "And apparently they're ganging up with David and Alice."
"Anything else?"
Ashael wondered how to explain Dusk. "Yeah. I have to train Dusk Harman, the eldest sister to kill Zach and work as an assassin."
Evangeline's eyes opened and she glared. "You fucked her, didn't you?"
Ashael shrugged. "Her choice."
"So what the hell are you doing to do?"
"Have you talked to Zach?"
"Yeah. He wants me to kill you."
"Oh."
The situation seemed damn close to impossible to resolve. There had to be *something* they could do to sort it out. And fast. It was kill or be killed.
* * *
Ashael wasn't really sure what Dusk was expecting from her. She'd agreed to show the girl what she'd wanted to know, how to kill and how to fuck...that didn't mean it was going to turn into a long term relationship. Ashael knew, though, after that first time, even though afterwards Dusk had acted oddly she was completely in love with her. Her huge violet eyes were a dead giveaway, filled with longing, lust and confusion.
Dusk didn't really seem to have a clue about where to start looking for her brother. She was supposed to be training the girl, it would be pointless if she told her and led her by the hand every step of the way. Even Circle Daybreak probably wouldn't train their agents in such a pathetic way. Dusk had left half an hour ago, not saying where she was going. Ashael knew she'd be back - mainly because she knew Dusk had nowhere to go. She hadn't seen Evangeline since their fight yesterday afternoon. She'd heard her come in late last night with some guy, and had had to be out early that morning to catch Dusk before Daybreak did.
"Ashael?"
Ashael turned, slightly annoyed to see Willow and Ember hovering in her bedroom door. She wanted to find her sister, not deal with them right now. "What?"
"Two new girls arrived at school today," Ember said, watching her carefully.
Ashael's eyebrow arched. "You came all the way here to tell me *that*?"
"They were twins," Willow added.
Another set of twins in a Las Vegas high school wasn't exactly unusual.
"*Blackthorn* twins."
Ashael frowned. Two sets of *Night* *World* twins was pretty rare. And both of them being from infamous lamia clans? "Who?"
"Isis and Isis Blackthorn," Ember answered.
Ashael's spine went rigid, her blood ran cold. Isis and Isis Blackthorn were Circle Daybreak's answer to her and Evangeline. "Here? At our school?"
"They're both posing as students. We followed them around. They were acting pretty casual. Isis was cold and reserved. Isis wormed her way into Evangeline's crowd. Though later in the way we saw them with Blaise Harman and after school with David and Alice," Willow said.
Ashael's eyes rolled. Great. If they were together, it only meant one thing. "Well it's not like - "
"We have to talk. *Now*." Evangeline shoved in between Willow and Ember, flushed and wild-eyed, as if her worst nightmare had just come true.
"What's wrong?"
Willow and Ember didn't bother questioning, they simply left, muttering to each other.
"Have you been hired to kill Zach Harman?" Evangeline demanded. "No games. Just give me a straight answer."
Ashael frowned. She'd never seen her sister in a state like this before. "Yes. Why?"
Evangeline gave a strangled cry somewhere between a moan and a sob as she sank down on the bed. Alarmed, Ashael immediately went to comfort her sister but was surprised when Evangeline pushed her away. "No! Don't touch me!"
"What's going on?" Ashael demanded, starting to get angry. Evangeline had never questioned her assignments before, neither had she questioned her sisters'. "How do you know, anyway?"
"Because Zach Harman is my soulmate," Evangeline whispered.
Ashael wasn't sure she was hearing right. Soulmates was a bed-time story for happy little Daybreakers. She had never expected Evangeline to say it. She sat down. "You're...soulmate. How..." She trailed off, shaking her head.
"We met after you left me in the parking lot yesterday. I was walking home, he picked me up, and...well..." She trailed off herself.
Ashael didn't say anything for a long time. "You're in love with him, aren't you?" she said finally.
Evangeline sniffled. "I can't help it. You don't know what the whole soulmate thing feels like."
And she didn't want to know, either. Ashael sighed, realising where this conversation was going. Evangeline's eyes met hers pleadingly. If Ashael *didn't* kill Zach then she would be a failure and Hunter would...She shuddered. Yet if she killed her sister's soulmate... "Would you do it for me?" she asked.
Evangeline frowned. "What?"
"Let's reverse the situation. Say I found my soulmate. Some gorgeous girl who had displeased Hunter, and he'd you asked you to kill her. Would you do it?" Evangeline was silent. This boiled down to her sister's obvious dislike of Ashael's sexual status. Enough to kill a fictitious soulmate? "Oh, and on top of it, we've got Isis and Isis Blackthorn hunting us," Ashael added casually.
Evangeline groaned. "You're shitting me."
"Willow and Ember said they were at school today. Isis hung out with your crowd."
Evangeline's eyes closed. "I *knew* there was something creepy-weird about those two. Blaise was supposed to be getting me some info."
Ashael snorted in contempt. "Blaise Harman is a fucking Daybreak spy. You won't get anything from her you don't already know."
Evangeline's eyes remained closed. Ashael sometimes wondered what planet her twin's head was on. "And apparently they're ganging up with David and Alice."
"Anything else?"
Ashael wondered how to explain Dusk. "Yeah. I have to train Dusk Harman, the eldest sister to kill Zach and work as an assassin."
Evangeline's eyes opened and she glared. "You fucked her, didn't you?"
Ashael shrugged. "Her choice."
"So what the hell are you doing to do?"
"Have you talked to Zach?"
"Yeah. He wants me to kill you."
"Oh."
The situation seemed damn close to impossible to resolve. There had to be *something* they could do to sort it out. And fast. It was kill or be killed.
* * *