Part 2
"You were with that vermin girl again, weren't you?"
Orion's eyes rolled. He should have known Diana would be watching his every move. She'd become suspicious when she had noticed him hanging out with Cassidy Fisher after school.
"So what if I was?" He had to make his voice sound almost bored.
Diana laughed dryly, tossing her gold braid over her shoulder. "She's vermin. Did you miss that point?"
Orion sighed. Diana was his twin, he loved her dearly, but sometimes he felt like throttling her. She was only older than him by about five minutes but never let him forgot it, she could be extremely possessive.
They had always been extremely close, part of the same crowd, the fast moving Night World kids from wealthy families like theirs. Lately, the endless money and getting what he wanted all the time had become boring to Orion.
When the family had moved to Silver Lake and he had discovered his soulmate in human Cassidy his life had suddenly changed. The biggest taboo of all in the Night World - he was in love with a human, punishable by death.
She had come that difference Orion had been looking for. Diana didn't know about the soulmate part yet. She was still following him through the mansion to his third floor room.
"But you do *know* what hanging out with vermin will do for out reputation?" Diana whined. "Think about *that*. And Mom told me Donatella is coming to stay with us at the weekend, maybe stay longer."
Orion stopped at his bedroom door. "Donatella's coming?"
Diana nodded. "She's so much better for you than a vermin bitch." She smiled encouragingly, yellow eyes glowing warmly.
Orion shook his head and went into his room, shutting the door in her face. He stared blankly at the darkening sky outside his large bay window. Donatella Gold was the only daughter of his mother's best friend, another well-to-do lamia family who owned a collection of art galleries and antique shops. There had been talk for years of getting her and Orion together.
Orion sighed, sitting on the window seat. He ran a hand through his blond hair, closing his eyes. ^Does it matter to anyone what I want?^ he thought.
It was starting to seem like it didn't to him. He hadn't even told Cassidy who he really was yet. He had told her about soulmates, made up some crap about his family being old fashioned rather than admit the truth about the Night World.
Cassidy didn't need to know yet. She was just a practical girl who would think he was insane if he told her he came from a long line of vampires dating back to cavemen times. Orion chuckled dryly. It sounded absurd even to him.
* * *
"You were with that vermin girl again, weren't you?"
Orion's eyes rolled. He should have known Diana would be watching his every move. She'd become suspicious when she had noticed him hanging out with Cassidy Fisher after school.
"So what if I was?" He had to make his voice sound almost bored.
Diana laughed dryly, tossing her gold braid over her shoulder. "She's vermin. Did you miss that point?"
Orion sighed. Diana was his twin, he loved her dearly, but sometimes he felt like throttling her. She was only older than him by about five minutes but never let him forgot it, she could be extremely possessive.
They had always been extremely close, part of the same crowd, the fast moving Night World kids from wealthy families like theirs. Lately, the endless money and getting what he wanted all the time had become boring to Orion.
When the family had moved to Silver Lake and he had discovered his soulmate in human Cassidy his life had suddenly changed. The biggest taboo of all in the Night World - he was in love with a human, punishable by death.
She had come that difference Orion had been looking for. Diana didn't know about the soulmate part yet. She was still following him through the mansion to his third floor room.
"But you do *know* what hanging out with vermin will do for out reputation?" Diana whined. "Think about *that*. And Mom told me Donatella is coming to stay with us at the weekend, maybe stay longer."
Orion stopped at his bedroom door. "Donatella's coming?"
Diana nodded. "She's so much better for you than a vermin bitch." She smiled encouragingly, yellow eyes glowing warmly.
Orion shook his head and went into his room, shutting the door in her face. He stared blankly at the darkening sky outside his large bay window. Donatella Gold was the only daughter of his mother's best friend, another well-to-do lamia family who owned a collection of art galleries and antique shops. There had been talk for years of getting her and Orion together.
Orion sighed, sitting on the window seat. He ran a hand through his blond hair, closing his eyes. ^Does it matter to anyone what I want?^ he thought.
It was starting to seem like it didn't to him. He hadn't even told Cassidy who he really was yet. He had told her about soulmates, made up some crap about his family being old fashioned rather than admit the truth about the Night World.
Cassidy didn't need to know yet. She was just a practical girl who would think he was insane if he told her he came from a long line of vampires dating back to cavemen times. Orion chuckled dryly. It sounded absurd even to him.
* * *