Part 16
He couldn't believe it. Cayla...pregnant with his child. To think how foolish Ardon had been on his first discovery of their soulmate connection. He'd already been madly in love with Astara, who he had known forever. He had been convinced she was the one for him. Until he'd given into instinct and his true soulmate.
He'd been putting off breaking up with Astara. He'd known she would be outraged - she and Regan had been on the war path since his discovery of the soulmate thing with Cayla. That had just made the sex and the affair more appealing. So caught in the thrill of passion most of the time neither he nor Cayla had bothered being careful, so the pregnancy thing was both their faults.
He hadn't been planning on letting Astara know about that. But somehow Astara had found out *before* he had and tried to kill him. Only, thanks to the surprising help of Blaise Harman and a guy he wasn't even sure *was* entirely a guy known only as 'Karma' he had managed to escape.
Now Ardon was stuck in a crappy motel outside Vegas, away from this soulmate and growing baby. The former love of his life had tried to *stake* him. He kicked the coffee table in anger. Part of him knew he deserved this. He'd been crude and cruel to both women. And if that was how he treated them, how was he even going to cope with this new baby?
Sighing, Ardon dropped on the couch moodily. There was nothing he could do to see Cayla. Not until Blaise told him he could.
He was already sick of his own thoughts. There had to be *something* he could *do*, stuck here until the baby was born would drive him insane.
* * *
Verlaine cursed in annoyance at the vampire corpse on Astara's bedroom floor. Her plans for messing with Ardon and his sickeningly spoiled girlfriend had gone to hell. To top it all off, Ocean Geller had been in town for over two months and she hadn't figured out how to make that work to her advantage yet. There should be some way she could use Ocean to kick Ardon's worthless ass. Astara being dead so soon was not how she'd been planning things.
"Your plans are always terrible anyway."
Verlaine almost jumped at the unexpected voice behind her. "What the hell are *you* doing here?" she demanded, glaring furiously at Ocean. "Did you kill her?" She nodded at the mummified vampire corpse.
Ocean shook her head. "She was already dead when I came here."
Verlaine glanced over at her. "What are you doing here?" she repeated.
Ocean just shrugged, smiling secretly.
~Puppies~ Verlaine thought with disgust. "You despite my moron brother. I'd imagine you'd despise the girlfriend - the one he left you for - even more. And I'd also think you'd hate the other girl he knocked up. The one who's supposed to be your new best friend."
"What?" Ocean's expression of shock was almost comical.
Verlaine's eyebrow arched. So there was still some amusement to be had., and damage she could do. Maybe this day wouldn't be a waste after all.
"Oh, he got that little soulmate of his pregnant."
"No...she'd never sleep with him. He's scum."
Verlaine snorted. "Wake *up* and smell the *affair. You think Cayla would tell you if she'd been manipulated by that soulmate connection?"
"What's your problem?" Ocean snapped, rounding on her.
Verlaine stepped back, surprised at the venom in the other girl's voice, the anger blazing in her eyes, "You get your kicks from destroying other people's lives? What's wrong with you?"
Verlaine frowned, folding her arms. "There's nothing wrong with me. Get out of my way." She wasn't going to justify herself to some stupid little fleabag.
"Who was he?"
Verlaine stopped in the doorway, her back to Ocean. "None of your fucking business," she hissed.
"Oh. Makes sense now. You got a broken heart, so not to get hurt again you turn your rage on everyone else and crown yourself the Ice Bitch."
Verlaine felt hot tears rising in her eyes. Was this bitch psychic as well? "He was my soulmate. H was human. My brother found out and had the Council kill him." There was an awkward pause. The tears had spilled. Verlaine hadn't cried since the execution. She had been banished from her family and lived ever since in exile.
"Say hi to your soulmate for me."
Verlaine didn't understand what Ocean meant. Nor did she see the stake until she felt it.
* * *
He couldn't believe it. Cayla...pregnant with his child. To think how foolish Ardon had been on his first discovery of their soulmate connection. He'd already been madly in love with Astara, who he had known forever. He had been convinced she was the one for him. Until he'd given into instinct and his true soulmate.
He'd been putting off breaking up with Astara. He'd known she would be outraged - she and Regan had been on the war path since his discovery of the soulmate thing with Cayla. That had just made the sex and the affair more appealing. So caught in the thrill of passion most of the time neither he nor Cayla had bothered being careful, so the pregnancy thing was both their faults.
He hadn't been planning on letting Astara know about that. But somehow Astara had found out *before* he had and tried to kill him. Only, thanks to the surprising help of Blaise Harman and a guy he wasn't even sure *was* entirely a guy known only as 'Karma' he had managed to escape.
Now Ardon was stuck in a crappy motel outside Vegas, away from this soulmate and growing baby. The former love of his life had tried to *stake* him. He kicked the coffee table in anger. Part of him knew he deserved this. He'd been crude and cruel to both women. And if that was how he treated them, how was he even going to cope with this new baby?
Sighing, Ardon dropped on the couch moodily. There was nothing he could do to see Cayla. Not until Blaise told him he could.
He was already sick of his own thoughts. There had to be *something* he could *do*, stuck here until the baby was born would drive him insane.
* * *
Verlaine cursed in annoyance at the vampire corpse on Astara's bedroom floor. Her plans for messing with Ardon and his sickeningly spoiled girlfriend had gone to hell. To top it all off, Ocean Geller had been in town for over two months and she hadn't figured out how to make that work to her advantage yet. There should be some way she could use Ocean to kick Ardon's worthless ass. Astara being dead so soon was not how she'd been planning things.
"Your plans are always terrible anyway."
Verlaine almost jumped at the unexpected voice behind her. "What the hell are *you* doing here?" she demanded, glaring furiously at Ocean. "Did you kill her?" She nodded at the mummified vampire corpse.
Ocean shook her head. "She was already dead when I came here."
Verlaine glanced over at her. "What are you doing here?" she repeated.
Ocean just shrugged, smiling secretly.
~Puppies~ Verlaine thought with disgust. "You despite my moron brother. I'd imagine you'd despise the girlfriend - the one he left you for - even more. And I'd also think you'd hate the other girl he knocked up. The one who's supposed to be your new best friend."
"What?" Ocean's expression of shock was almost comical.
Verlaine's eyebrow arched. So there was still some amusement to be had., and damage she could do. Maybe this day wouldn't be a waste after all.
"Oh, he got that little soulmate of his pregnant."
"No...she'd never sleep with him. He's scum."
Verlaine snorted. "Wake *up* and smell the *affair. You think Cayla would tell you if she'd been manipulated by that soulmate connection?"
"What's your problem?" Ocean snapped, rounding on her.
Verlaine stepped back, surprised at the venom in the other girl's voice, the anger blazing in her eyes, "You get your kicks from destroying other people's lives? What's wrong with you?"
Verlaine frowned, folding her arms. "There's nothing wrong with me. Get out of my way." She wasn't going to justify herself to some stupid little fleabag.
"Who was he?"
Verlaine stopped in the doorway, her back to Ocean. "None of your fucking business," she hissed.
"Oh. Makes sense now. You got a broken heart, so not to get hurt again you turn your rage on everyone else and crown yourself the Ice Bitch."
Verlaine felt hot tears rising in her eyes. Was this bitch psychic as well? "He was my soulmate. H was human. My brother found out and had the Council kill him." There was an awkward pause. The tears had spilled. Verlaine hadn't cried since the execution. She had been banished from her family and lived ever since in exile.
"Say hi to your soulmate for me."
Verlaine didn't understand what Ocean meant. Nor did she see the stake until she felt it.
* * *