P.S. Trent does not know about the soulmate deal. She has been on the run for three years, so she's not really caught up with current events.
Chapter 4
Trent couldn't sleep, again. This was hardly new-she had insomnia a lot. Her body was just not engineered to sleep at night.
Sighing, she got out of bed and stretched, then walked towards the bathroom to splash water on her face. If she wasn't going to sleep, she might as well be fully awake. Shaking the water droplets out of her hair, she pulled on a pair of ratty jeans and a black T-Shirt with the words Sent From Satan emblazoned on the front. Not making a sound, she slipped out of her room and out of the house.
Walking in Thierry's impressive gardens, she immediately felt better. Throwing back her head, Trent breathed in deeply. Aaaahhh. Pure unfiltered city air, the complex kind that smelled like hot dog stands and lost money, passion and guilt, cigarette smoke and alcohol. It was the only kind of air that Trent would ever care to breathe-she was a city girl, always had been and always will be. Smiling blissfully, she leapt, and landed on the outer wall of Thierry's garden. Grinning, she ran as fast as she could on the six-inch wide concrete wall, glorying in the feel of the wind on her face and her hair whipping behind her.
Orion Desmones made his way stealthily through the garden, checking behind him with all of his many senses every once a while to make sure no one was following him. He was going to The Blood Bath, a hip Night World club in Las Vegas, where he would report his findings to a trusted agent of Selyah's each night. He didn't want to go tonight, with Trent and Ash already suspicious, but he would rather go and risk being found than risk Selyah's wrath.
Going somewhere? Suddenly a dry voice cut through the dead night air. Orion jumped about five feet in the air and whirled to find the speaker. The voice laughed. Trent came out of the shadows, her beautiful face twisted in a sneer. A little jumpy, aren't we?
Orion looked at her resentfully, trying to get his heart back to its normal rate. You scared me.
That is obvious, Orry. He flinched at her casual use of his nickname. She smiled at his discomfort and came closer, that uncanny smile still on her face. Tell me, Orry, what are you doing slinking through Lord Thierry's gardens at one in the morning?
I couldn't sleep. What are you doing out here?
I saw you at my window and decided to investigate, Trent lied. Put him on the defensive.
Orion laughed, trying to hide his anger. Dammit! He should have just stayed in his room tonight. Now she was even more suspicious. You are paranoid, he said, pretending to be amused. You see someone walking outside and you decide to investigate? He laughed again.
But you weren't just going on a nice little stroll, were you? No, you were sneaking about, checking every minute to see if anyone was following you.
Orion began to sweat. How long had she been watching him, and why hadn't he noticed her? I had a feeling someone was following me, he lied. Trent smiled. She was moving in for the kill. Now she'd find what Orry was up to. she said, her voice a deadly whisper, and began to walk towards him. You had no idea I was following you. What are you up to, Mr. Desmones? And don't give me that paranoid shit either. You have a secret, Orion. She was less than two feet away from him, and could smell his sweat. Flashing a killing smile, she moved even closer, so her face was three inches away from his. Just what are you hiding? Orion forced down his panic. If he let her see any of his thoughts, he was dead. He smiled, and his expression was just as disturbing as her own. I'm not hiding anything, Ms. Raven, he said. He had to find where she was vulnerable, a chink in her armor, or she would find his and kill him. He decided to take a gamble. I think you're the one who's jumpy.' I think you're the one who's hiding something-hiding something about Ash. He had hit a nerve. Before he knew what was going on, she grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the wall, and suddenly everything disappeared.
Trent couldn't see anything but a pink mist. Random thoughts and pictures that were not hers kept flashing across her field of vision, so fast that she couldn't tell what they were. She was falling, falling forever into a pink mist.
It took a while before Orion figured out what was happening. He seemed to be inside Trent's mind, and it was a very confusing place. He was falling, falling forever, going deeper and deeper into her mind. Suddenly, he realized what he was doing, and he shoved her back with all of his strength. She stumbled backward, dropping into a crouch. Before Orion could clear his vision of the pink mist, she kicked him viciously in the head. He yelped and scrambled away from the wall, and they circled each other warily. What the fuck was that?! Trent hissed. She was practically spitting with rage. Oh, as if you didn't know, Orion replied sarcastically. He was almost hysterical. He refused to believe it. He simply refused to believe it! It was impossible. Soulmates did not exist. They did not exist, and therefore Trent simply could not be his, and that was all there is to it!
Trent glared at him, her eyes burning with intensity and just a wee bit insane. She was bristling and completely irrational. Stay away from me, she spat, before whirling around, she disappeared into the night.