Part 12
Nolan was wondering why he bothered with the vampire hunting group. Valarie wasn't much of a leader. Shiva was acting weird. She seemed extremely smug and wouldn't tell anyone why. Valarie was looking for someone to blame and throwing all her rage at him.
It wasn't like anyone of them noticed him anyway. He was almost more inclined to join the Night World and kill the other hunters for being such idiots.
"Issues, much?"
Nolan looked up. He had been wandering around the small town, unable to sleep and unable to sit still. He should probably be heading for school. Maybe it was mind numbingly dull, but at least it was a distraction.
The girl he'd run into was Lina Kyoko, one of the local Daybreakers Nolan shrugged. "What makes you think I've got issues?"
"You're stalking around with a face like thunder." Lina's head tilted to one side. "Valarie?"
Nolan nodded. "Having a hissy fit over Ara Redfern."
"Don't worry, you're not the only ones. That girl is a pain up the ass to us as well."
Nolan's eyes rolled. "Doesn't surprise me. What's her deal, anyway?"
"Why don't you ask me?"
Nolan looked over Lina's shoulder. This seemed to be the morning for storming around in a foul mood. Ara looked as mad as he felt. She scowled at him and Lina.
"Okay, what's your story?" Lina asked. "And if you're only a made vampire, how'd you get the name of Redfern?"
Ara scowled again. "I was an ordinary human who made the mistake of falling for a guy who turned out to be a blood sucking bastard. Somehow he got permission to change me and did. I refused to marry him and call myself Blackthorn. So out of spite I married the guy he hated most instead, who happened to be a Redfern. Two weeks later I ran from him and have been running ever since. I thought Daybreak would be a place to be safe." She shook her head. "Only it turns out the son of a bitch who made me a monster is in the same safe house."
Nolan couldn't help feeling a tiny stab of sympathy for her. She'd suffered unnecessarily, even if she was cursed to be a leech. At least she was sticking with the good guys.
"Nothing sucks as much as that," he said bitterly.
"And what would you know about it?" Ara snorted.
Nolan frowned at her. "My soulmate was changed against her will. Only she went evil."
"Proves soulmates are a waste of time and a load of crap," Lina said, shaking her head. "Hadn't we better get moving before we're all marked tardy at school?"
The group began moving in silence.
"Some Daybreaker you are," Nolan said with a faint smile.
Lina shrugged. "I agree with most of their principles, but that one doesn't cut it for me. I really don't think established assholes like Malachite Blackthorn can change anyway."
Nolan shrugged. "His own twin was one of hunters until he dot himself killed."
Ara's eyes rolled. "Let me guess, I'm the one Valarie blames, right?"
"Well if one's dead, then why isn't the other?"
Both Nolan and Ara looked at Lina in surprise. She had *just* said she agreed with the Daybreak principals, and one of their biggest was the idea of stopping the violence between the species. Now she was suggesting they team up and kill Malachite Blackthorn? Lina was a very confusing Daybreaker.
"Good question," Ara said. "What are you suggesting?"
"Whatever either of you want to do to this jerk, I'm willing to lend a hand." Lina smirked.
Nolan looked at Ara, an eyebrow raised. He could just see the look on Valarie's face if she found out he was teaming up with Ara and Lina. He grinned. "Sounds like a plan."
Ara was smiling. "I think we can count Sivan in too. He and I have ties drifting way back. I was thinking I'd have to do this alone."
"Well now you've got us," Lina said, almost too cheerfully. "So, any plans?"
Nolan remembered Shiva giving Valarie Ara's address and leading them to the Daybreakers. He was supposed to be helping them take Ara down through that. Or something along those lines. He decided to keep that to himself at the moment.
"I've got some ideas. He'll be out of her lives by the end of the week." Ara's eyes were narrowed in hatred but her lips were smirking.
* * *
Nolan was wondering why he bothered with the vampire hunting group. Valarie wasn't much of a leader. Shiva was acting weird. She seemed extremely smug and wouldn't tell anyone why. Valarie was looking for someone to blame and throwing all her rage at him.
It wasn't like anyone of them noticed him anyway. He was almost more inclined to join the Night World and kill the other hunters for being such idiots.
"Issues, much?"
Nolan looked up. He had been wandering around the small town, unable to sleep and unable to sit still. He should probably be heading for school. Maybe it was mind numbingly dull, but at least it was a distraction.
The girl he'd run into was Lina Kyoko, one of the local Daybreakers Nolan shrugged. "What makes you think I've got issues?"
"You're stalking around with a face like thunder." Lina's head tilted to one side. "Valarie?"
Nolan nodded. "Having a hissy fit over Ara Redfern."
"Don't worry, you're not the only ones. That girl is a pain up the ass to us as well."
Nolan's eyes rolled. "Doesn't surprise me. What's her deal, anyway?"
"Why don't you ask me?"
Nolan looked over Lina's shoulder. This seemed to be the morning for storming around in a foul mood. Ara looked as mad as he felt. She scowled at him and Lina.
"Okay, what's your story?" Lina asked. "And if you're only a made vampire, how'd you get the name of Redfern?"
Ara scowled again. "I was an ordinary human who made the mistake of falling for a guy who turned out to be a blood sucking bastard. Somehow he got permission to change me and did. I refused to marry him and call myself Blackthorn. So out of spite I married the guy he hated most instead, who happened to be a Redfern. Two weeks later I ran from him and have been running ever since. I thought Daybreak would be a place to be safe." She shook her head. "Only it turns out the son of a bitch who made me a monster is in the same safe house."
Nolan couldn't help feeling a tiny stab of sympathy for her. She'd suffered unnecessarily, even if she was cursed to be a leech. At least she was sticking with the good guys.
"Nothing sucks as much as that," he said bitterly.
"And what would you know about it?" Ara snorted.
Nolan frowned at her. "My soulmate was changed against her will. Only she went evil."
"Proves soulmates are a waste of time and a load of crap," Lina said, shaking her head. "Hadn't we better get moving before we're all marked tardy at school?"
The group began moving in silence.
"Some Daybreaker you are," Nolan said with a faint smile.
Lina shrugged. "I agree with most of their principles, but that one doesn't cut it for me. I really don't think established assholes like Malachite Blackthorn can change anyway."
Nolan shrugged. "His own twin was one of hunters until he dot himself killed."
Ara's eyes rolled. "Let me guess, I'm the one Valarie blames, right?"
"Well if one's dead, then why isn't the other?"
Both Nolan and Ara looked at Lina in surprise. She had *just* said she agreed with the Daybreak principals, and one of their biggest was the idea of stopping the violence between the species. Now she was suggesting they team up and kill Malachite Blackthorn? Lina was a very confusing Daybreaker.
"Good question," Ara said. "What are you suggesting?"
"Whatever either of you want to do to this jerk, I'm willing to lend a hand." Lina smirked.
Nolan looked at Ara, an eyebrow raised. He could just see the look on Valarie's face if she found out he was teaming up with Ara and Lina. He grinned. "Sounds like a plan."
Ara was smiling. "I think we can count Sivan in too. He and I have ties drifting way back. I was thinking I'd have to do this alone."
"Well now you've got us," Lina said, almost too cheerfully. "So, any plans?"
Nolan remembered Shiva giving Valarie Ara's address and leading them to the Daybreakers. He was supposed to be helping them take Ara down through that. Or something along those lines. He decided to keep that to himself at the moment.
"I've got some ideas. He'll be out of her lives by the end of the week." Ara's eyes were narrowed in hatred but her lips were smirking.
* * *