I don't own the Night World

Rashel

I was doing my hair, usually I don't care but today I was carefully hiding two small, almost healed bite marks. It was late morning and I already missed him; strange I'd spent so long depending on myself but now the hours seemed to drag when he wasn't here.

I looked at myself in the mirror; I was sat at an ornate dressing table in mine and Quinn's room, which was also extremely decorative, two big green eyes looked back at me. Cat's eyes, as I'd always thought of them. My overall colouring was deeply contrasting, I have long dark black hair; very similar to my sisters, deep emerald eyes and pale alabaster skin. I finished my hair at got up to look around the room. There had been a note left on my nightstand addressed to 'My Kitten'. Quinn left very early this morning, I thought surly he couldn't have gotten any sleep; eager for his mission. I picked the note up and read it once again;

My Kitten,

You know I'm not going for long, but you should know that I'll be thinking of you every long second that we're apart. If you were anybody else I'd worry about your safety while I'm gone. But if you get them like you got me, they'll still be feeling the sting of you 4 hours after.

I don't tell you enough through words how much I truly love you. But as I write this note and watch you sleep soundly, I'm completely over whelmed. You have my Soul through the bond but you have my heart though choice.

Always yours, and only yours,

John x

I read it as though it was his voice saying it to me. I could imagine how his sombre tone would caress the words.

"Feeling a little lonely?" Shit, I jumped, forcing myself back into the room. I hadn't even known someone had approached me. So much for my 'ninja skills' "Forgive me, I didn't mean to catch you off guard, although I am a little surprised I did".

I turned to see Lord Thierry stood, gracefully leaning, in the door way. He looked so casual, wearing smart black slacks and a light blue shirt, his blonde hair neatly combed into place and dark eyes focused on me. His eyes, that had always looked so sad without Lady Hannah, were now studying me with a concerned glow. I realised then that I hadn't said anything and was staring at him.

"Good morning Sir, what brings you to me at this particular time?"

"Nothing business related today, I just wanted to talk to you." He motioned with his hand, making a sweeping gesture around the room "May I come in?"

"Of course Sir, it is your house after all" All the Soulmate couples lived in Lord Thierry's mansion. It's extremely huge and richly decorated, and Thierry himself offered everyone a place to stay. He had said it was a 'small token' compared to us, signing up to fight with him when the Apocalypse came. He walked effortlessly into the room and I indicated for him to sit in an armchair opposite the one I was now moving toward.

"You look beautiful today, Rashel" He complimented "As always. I know you're properly missing Quinn, so I'm offering you my company for the day"

"Thank you" I blushed at his earlier comment "And I'm really not overly misplaced, I don't want to interfere with your business."

"Oh' it's now trouble. I used to enjoy our talks and I'm sad we don't nearly spend as much time together" He sounded casual. When Quinn and I had first come to Circle Daybreak, Lord Thierry had been cautious toward us. He allowed us to join but my past did hinder his first impression of me, as he had already known Quinn and his past. I understood his reasoning, and so made it my duty for him to understand me and to know me, as a comrade and as a friend. I'd done this by proving my loyalty to the cause and by simply talking to him. We became closer though, when Lady Hannah had arrived. When she was taken from the mansion I proved to him them, though that mission, that he could truly and absolutely rely on me.

"How are things with you, Sir? I know it has been difficult with this recent backlash from Circle Midnight. We thought the Witches were totally on our side." Recent, unknown events had caused a new rebellion from the Witches' Midnight Circle. Incidents across the country were leading us to suspect that they may be shifting their power. This was the reason behind Quinn's mission.

"Yes, we have been contemplating gathering the Head Circle together, but there still in a state of shock from the death of The Crone." The Crone was what could be described as the Head Witch. Grandma Harman, descended of Hellewise, had died - murdered even - at the hands of a shapeshifter. This was before the alliance of'course.

"Have you spoken to Aradia? I'm sure she would offer you an interesting insight, properly a hell of a lot more useful than mine."

"Yes, useful maybe, but not as interestingly put, shall we say." He smiled at my words and looked like an old fashioned movie star.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything Rashel, you have grown to be one of my personal confidants and I welcome that relationship to become reciprocal." His words meant a lot to me; although I'm sure he viewed many people here in the same way, it was nice to hear him say that.

"Why didn't you assign be to the California mission with Quinn? We make an excellent fighting team and I'm just as capable as any vampire." This had been playing on my mind since the assignments were allocated at the start of week meeting. I had not been allocated anything, and was wondering why.

"Yes indeed, you are a very capable fighter. Just as good as some vampires, and better than many" he paused clearly considering his words, he looked deep in thought; miles away, and then sighed heavily but continued "There has been a rumour stirring, many have warned me not to tell you, and I never intended to tell you. But I trust you Rashel and trust that you will register this information clearly." I was growing curious as to what he was implying. "The rumour originated from the remnants of The Dark Kingdom."

The Dark Kingdom was where Delos Redfern, a Wild Power, had come from. He had met his Soulmate, Maggie Neely, when she had been drafted in to the kingdom as part of the slave trade. He had also killed Hunter Redfern there using his blue fire.

"People have been saying" Lord Thierry continued "that the darker forces of Circle Midnight returned there to...explore" I had an idea where this was going, and was mentally denying it. I was trying to keep control but by mind had other ideas. 'Imposable' A whispery voice slivered though my head. 'He burned' it added. 'He can't be...' I didn't want to even think the word but the look that crossed Thierry's face showed me that he had read my thoughts, and it also confirmed them.

So quietly that if a pin dropped I wouldn't have heard him he continued "He wasn't dead"

Those three words spun my head with great force. My breathing accelerated and I jumped two feet in the air and straight out of my seat, I didn't know what to do but I headed for the door. Thierry, who was already monitoring my thoughts, jumped and grabbed me by the shoulders; he looked down and forced our eyes to meet. "Calm down" he was trying to use mind control on me but I had developed a high resistance over the years and his attempted failed.

I lost my control.

"Why did nobody tell me? Who else knew? Am I the only one kept in the dark about this? I thought you trusted me!" I was screaming the words, sure that everybody in Las Vegas heard me. He had a good grip so I was unable to move but when I did get free...

"Rashel" he said in a calming voice, having given up on mind control he was doing it the old fashion way "it's alright, we'll sort this out. He's weak, he doesn't stand a chance." His words had silenced me.

"Let me do it"

"What?" I was walking an unpredictable line and he couldn't get a clear reading of my thoughts.

"If he's alive, and weak, I want to do it, I want to be the one to end it for Him." I said the word letting my disgust drench it.

"Killing for revenge...well it damages to Soul" He said the words with deeply sad eyes. I noticed that behind him Lady Hannah, Keller and Jez had appeared, each studying me carefully. They also wore the same sad expression 'They knew' I thought. Who else knew? Did Quinn know? Thierry continued albeit a little more frantic now, as if his words would sooth what was properly a mess of betrayed emotions in my head, 'I thought you trusted me?' was all I sent to him. "There's also something else, something that nobody knows, it the reason I came to talk to you, I have been –" His words were drowned out by a deafening scream. It echoed throughout the mansion, scratching every surface it touched.

It was mine. Later I would realise that this moment changed everything.