Chapter 4

Christian's foot steps echoed as he hurried towards the exit, not daring to glance behind him. His head was spinning, his beliefs wounded by what had happened back in the classroom.

Everything he had believed, all of it, he had always thought that soulmates were fake, that the connections were false. Even when Thierry had found his soulmate and was finally reunited with the old soul Christian had doubted Thierry's judgement. He remembered when he had been a child, the first time he had heard the term soulmate…

1986, Las Vegas, Thierry's mansion

Christian's parents had been killed before they could even name him. The Night World council had ordered their death on charge of betrayal but Christian's family was notoriously cruel and would never go against the Night World. But his parents' power was growing, their influence was spreading and it made the council nervous.

When they died Christian wasn't spared. They didn't even find him underneath the floorboards, were his mother had hidden him under a trap door to protect him.

Luckily for him Thierry was meant to be visiting his parents to congratulate them on their new baby and discuss the growing problem of the council and the rise of the old powers. When he arrived alone he knew instantly that something was wrong. As he ventured further into the house he saw two bodies, their skin tough and leathery with no flesh beneath. The eyes that had once been bright were now hollow and protruding from their chests were stakes of wood, penetrating their hearts.

It was at that moment that the unnamed baby let out a high pitched wail and Thierry located the trapdoor. He picked up the orphaned baby and smiled gently, his dark eyes kind. The baby ceased crying and stared up at Thierry curiously, his keen green eyes bold and beautiful.

From that moment Christian had belonged to Thierry, who in a way adopted him. He named him Christian, the name that he would have given to a son had he been able to have one. Christian lived at the mansion in Las Vegas, the head quarters of Circle Daybreak, those who opposed the darkness of the Night world and didn't believe that humans were nothing but food and vermin.

When little Christian first heard the word Soulmate he was six years old, hyperactive and inquisitive. He would ask questions endlessly as children that age natural did, eager to know everything about the world and about what was going on around them.

Christian arrived in the kitchen one day and he saw Marion, a pretty human girl sitting on Zach's lap, a vampire who despised humans. He knew that they both hated each other, he had heard them shouting at each other and making threats only last week but now they held hands and Zach leaned forwards and kissed Marion.

"Why are you kissing Marion? I thought you hated her," Christian asked, confused. Zach looked at Christian and frowned.

"I could never hate my soulmate," said Zach and he kissed Marion again.

"Its true kid. Another happy soulmate couple," said Nilsson, Thierry's best friend, from behind Christian.

"What is a soulmate?" asked Christian.

"The other half of a person. The one who is your perfect partner, who is meant to be with you forever. Once you find them you can never be completely happy without them," explained Nilsson, "But don't worry kid, being soulmates isn't a bad thing from what I've heard."

A month later both Zach and Marion were dead. Christian overhead Thierry informing the members of Circle Daybreak. Marion had been captured by the Nightworld on a mission for Circle Daybreak and Zach had tried to rescue her. He was staked and she was sucked dry.

Christian pulled his mind back to the present and shook himself. The past wouldn't help him now, even though he could learn from others mistakes.

He spotted the black corvette parked across the street and quickly crossed. One he had slammed the door shut the car began to move and Christian leaned back.

Zach and Marion had died because of their connection. He wouldn't let the same happen to him and Ruby. He wouldn't let death win.

Ruby heaved as she was sick again down the toilet. She groaned, wiping sick from her mouth with a flannel while her stomach squirmed. She hadn't been able to eat anything at dinner, the sick feeling in her stomach had been growing all evening but now it was receding and she could stand up straight.

Sighing heavily she wiped at her mouth again and rinsed the flannel before chucking it into the washing basket. Before snapping the light switch she flushed the toilet and lanced at herself in the mirror, seeing her reflection so pale and ghost like startled her.

It wasn't what she had eaten at lunch; she didn't have a stomach bug it wasn't anything physical she could think of. This had started when she had been hurled into the new world of waltzing light with only Robert for company.

Her stomach jerked as she though about the connection with the gorgeous boy. It confused her, more than anything that had ever perplexed her before but there was something behind the confusion and disbelief, something that had echoed in Ruby's mind afterwards.

Soulmates…

Ruby gave a snort of laughter that died quickly. It was utterly ridiculous but the thought had been so serious that Ruby could not forget it. She had never imagined that soulmates existed, thought that it was something that belonged in fairytales but she couldn't deny that something extraordinary had happened.

Completely muddled Ruby crept across the landing and into her bedroom. She snuggled up under her covers and fell asleep, pondering the mystery of the connection with Robert.