Part 7
^So much for honesty^ Mary-Lynnette thought, eyeing Ash and Midian.
"What are you doing here, Ash?" Rowan asked with a frown, saving Mary-Lynnette from opening her mouth.
"Ash was actually saving me from an ex-boyfriend of mine," Midian said.
Mary-Lynette couldn't help noticing Midian kept glancing at Ash. The odd thing, however, was the glance wasn't one of dreamy admiration for the knight in shining armour thing she often imagined the girls Ash saved having. It was much more reluctant. Like she was glad he had saved herm but would rather have had someone else do it.
"An ex-boyfriend?" Rowan asked as she and Mary-Lynnette came into the room.
Midian nodded. "I think he's responsible for the killing," she said. Her voice was shaking slightly.
"I wouldn't put it past him," Ash put it in. "And Kestrel's dating him."
Rowan sat down on the bed and sighed. "Oh dear. That can't be good."
^Not to state the obvious^ Mary-Lynnette thought, but she liked Rowan too much to make the comment out loud. She went to stand by Ash, whose shifting eyes hadn't moved from her since she had arrived.
*Trust me* his expression pleaded. "Let her explain," Ash said, wrapping his arms around Mary-Lynnette from behind. "Or do you want me to?" His eyes became a guilty dark orange.
Midian sighed. "I lived tin the same enclave as they did. My name back then was Marissa. My so-called boyfriend Blake and Ash were best friends. They weren't exactly the nicest people in the world." Her voice was harsh and there was a trace of something else. Mary-Lynette wondered if it was self-hatred.
"Anyway," Midian went on. "Blake liked to torture me. One of his favourite things was killing people and making me think I'd done it. That's what I thought was happening here. I escaped from the enclave, and well - " she gestured vaguely. "Here I am."
"And now Blake seems to have found you again," Rowan said, pursing her lips. "I think I remember him."
"I take it this is one of those dangerously hot guys who know you should stay away from but can't help being drawn to?" Mary-Lynnette asked, sneaking a look at Ash. At least in her case they'd had a decent excuse of soulmates to keep them together.
"They can't be, I'm sure," Ash said dismissively, almost as if reading her mind. "Blake isn't the type to settle for one." Then he remembered Midian and opened his mouth to amend himself.
Midian waved him silent. "I know, don't bother," she said. "So we have a suspect, but no proof."
"And with him Kestrel is a sitting duck," Rowan said, standing up. "They're at the pizza place, right?"
"The other issue we might have to be careful about is Blake convincing Kestrel to join him," Ash said.
There was an uncomfortable silence. Kestrel stuck by her sisters like there was nothing else that mattered to her. She had told Mary-Lynnette once she wanted someone in her life. Her ideal man would be a renegade lamia who didn't follow the rules, took what he wanted when he wanted, was a little rough around the edges and knew how to please a girl.
This guy Blake seemed to have all the required qualities, plus that of a low-grade sociopath. Socio or psycho, she thought, not really sure what the difference was, but one of them applied here.
"Rowan and I will go get Kestrel and take her back to the house," Mary-Lynnette said finally.
"Mark and Jade shouldn't be alone," Rowan said firmly. "Ash, maybe you and Midian can go back to the farm house than stay here by yourselves."
Mary-Lynnette still wasn't comfortable with the idea of leaving him with Midian. Neither was Midian for that matter. "Then we can decide what to do with Blake."
Mary-Lynnette sighed, as she followed Rowan out the door. Something told her Midian was going to do what she wanted to anyway And it was likely to be disastrous.
* * *
^So much for honesty^ Mary-Lynnette thought, eyeing Ash and Midian.
"What are you doing here, Ash?" Rowan asked with a frown, saving Mary-Lynnette from opening her mouth.
"Ash was actually saving me from an ex-boyfriend of mine," Midian said.
Mary-Lynette couldn't help noticing Midian kept glancing at Ash. The odd thing, however, was the glance wasn't one of dreamy admiration for the knight in shining armour thing she often imagined the girls Ash saved having. It was much more reluctant. Like she was glad he had saved herm but would rather have had someone else do it.
"An ex-boyfriend?" Rowan asked as she and Mary-Lynnette came into the room.
Midian nodded. "I think he's responsible for the killing," she said. Her voice was shaking slightly.
"I wouldn't put it past him," Ash put it in. "And Kestrel's dating him."
Rowan sat down on the bed and sighed. "Oh dear. That can't be good."
^Not to state the obvious^ Mary-Lynnette thought, but she liked Rowan too much to make the comment out loud. She went to stand by Ash, whose shifting eyes hadn't moved from her since she had arrived.
*Trust me* his expression pleaded. "Let her explain," Ash said, wrapping his arms around Mary-Lynnette from behind. "Or do you want me to?" His eyes became a guilty dark orange.
Midian sighed. "I lived tin the same enclave as they did. My name back then was Marissa. My so-called boyfriend Blake and Ash were best friends. They weren't exactly the nicest people in the world." Her voice was harsh and there was a trace of something else. Mary-Lynette wondered if it was self-hatred.
"Anyway," Midian went on. "Blake liked to torture me. One of his favourite things was killing people and making me think I'd done it. That's what I thought was happening here. I escaped from the enclave, and well - " she gestured vaguely. "Here I am."
"And now Blake seems to have found you again," Rowan said, pursing her lips. "I think I remember him."
"I take it this is one of those dangerously hot guys who know you should stay away from but can't help being drawn to?" Mary-Lynnette asked, sneaking a look at Ash. At least in her case they'd had a decent excuse of soulmates to keep them together.
"They can't be, I'm sure," Ash said dismissively, almost as if reading her mind. "Blake isn't the type to settle for one." Then he remembered Midian and opened his mouth to amend himself.
Midian waved him silent. "I know, don't bother," she said. "So we have a suspect, but no proof."
"And with him Kestrel is a sitting duck," Rowan said, standing up. "They're at the pizza place, right?"
"The other issue we might have to be careful about is Blake convincing Kestrel to join him," Ash said.
There was an uncomfortable silence. Kestrel stuck by her sisters like there was nothing else that mattered to her. She had told Mary-Lynnette once she wanted someone in her life. Her ideal man would be a renegade lamia who didn't follow the rules, took what he wanted when he wanted, was a little rough around the edges and knew how to please a girl.
This guy Blake seemed to have all the required qualities, plus that of a low-grade sociopath. Socio or psycho, she thought, not really sure what the difference was, but one of them applied here.
"Rowan and I will go get Kestrel and take her back to the house," Mary-Lynnette said finally.
"Mark and Jade shouldn't be alone," Rowan said firmly. "Ash, maybe you and Midian can go back to the farm house than stay here by yourselves."
Mary-Lynnette still wasn't comfortable with the idea of leaving him with Midian. Neither was Midian for that matter. "Then we can decide what to do with Blake."
Mary-Lynnette sighed, as she followed Rowan out the door. Something told her Midian was going to do what she wanted to anyway And it was likely to be disastrous.
* * *