Chapter 14

"So how long are you going for?" Mary-Lynnette sat on the small couch in front of the bed watching as Ash rummaged though the rows of clothes looking for something for the night. She tried her best not to let on how much she would rather this didn't happen.

She couldn't see from beyond the doorway the pained look on his face, "till 2 or 3 in the morning. These things that Thierry wants me to do include bar and club hoping. Any earlier then that wouldn't be normal."

"Normal for you?" The words came out of her mouth before he could monitor the impact they could have. She couldn't see his wince

"The old me. I never ended the night before the early hours of the day, it was the border of when some humans would start to rise and their world began to start again. I have to play my old instrument so that no suspects anything of me." He held up a satin midnight blue shirt against himself, checking in the walk-in's closest mirror.

Mary-Lynnette bit into her lip until she could feel the break of layers of skin, holding back before blood began to well up. Was there a point to this? Was there even a point of arguing the case? She wanted to say yes, but…. Well what could she do? Just by his face she could see that he didn't want to go….

I want him to fight it, say something against all of this. But then that was just being selfish, if there was ever a time to be that way, this wasn't the time. She couldn't help, though, the feelings that pushing through.

She walked forward to the doorway of the closet and watch him flick through the rest of the clothes, the multiple colors and layers of shirts, muttering to himself about each and every one of them. At the moment he had white jeans that hung loosely against his hips and a sea foam green button down shirt….

"What are you wearing?" she eyed the clothing with distain.

"Please, I know, I don't need another opinion of what I should wear to a club that I've—" he stopped a moment, "I'm not good at this anymore."

Mary-Lynnette sighed, pushing further into the closet and grazed her fingers over the multiple hangers and finally selected something. "Here try this on…. and put this on with it." She handed him a maroon button down that had intricate black swirls and patterns along the left bottom of the shirt along with fashionable jeans and dress shoes. "Keep the black tank you have on now and leave a few of the buttons open." The words had come out stiff and uncomfortable, it had left Ash confused with a look that he couldn't quite place.

It had happened so fast and before he could say anything to her, she left saying only, "Be back before 2 in the morning."

And it was left at that.

For two weeks this was the routine, Ash left in around 11 and wouldn't return till the late hours of the early morning. He had never found her once still awake, but always trying to fight it. Mary-Lynnette, always with a book in hand, and a fire that had long since died would be waiting for him, there was never a smile, just this look of worry and concern etched in her face even in sleep. It was all because of him.

Like every night he would pick her up, with such little effort that she never woke up, and placed her gently in bed. Ash would take his position on the couch and fall asleep. Mare would already be gone doing something around the mansion by the time that he would open his own eyes to face what little of the day was left for him.

They barely spoke to one another, Ash, embarrassed and guilty, had begun to avoid her because of the disappointed he painted on her face. Mary-Lynnette ashamed of her actions and selfishness avoided Ash when he was awake; she knew that guilt that she was placing on him. Avoiding each other only proved how much had yet to understand about each other.

Each night as Ash walked through that door and with each step he was afraid that one night he would no longer find Mare there, waiting for him, asleep on the couch with another half read book laying per cautiously on her lap.

"I'm not getting anything new that we haven't already learned from other positions out there. Either they've caught on to me or there is nothing new taking place at the moment."

Everything he did was getting him nowhere. Nothing he did or said proved that there were any new facts. If anything it seemed like they were being pushed further and further away. After all that he had done to make sure that they were working things out and just starting to understand one another, barely scratching the surface of what so many others around them had already dove into and embraced.

The clubs were driving them apart and it scared him.

Lord Thierry looked over the twelfth report that Ash had written out and he was true to his word, even Thierry could see that. Nothing had really changed in their progress.

"There aren't any more leads to the new blood slaves that has been spreading around the nightworld?" Even Thierry sounded tired and doubtful, but not for the same reasons.

Ash leaned back further in the chair, letting the wood press against his flesh in hopes of feeling something other then defeat. "Nothing new but the same old rumors of the base. None of them make sense and none of them tie into one another. Whoever started it, if there actually is one, is making damn well sure to leak out information so that we can't pinpoint them. I can't keep hopping clubs and asking the same questions, I'm already pushing my lucky with the rats that leak everything to me."

The vampire rubbed his temples, "No, I suppose not. But I ask that you still continue to head back out to the clubs and try to get any information you can on anything. At this point, without the fourth wildpower, neither side can make a move or a stand. We can only protect them for so long before an accident happens. No matter what we try or how hard we protect them, one day someone will slip up or an incident we can't control we end up with us losing them. With that we lose this battle."

Now I feel like a complete ass…. He groaned inwardly.

"You have something more that you want to save to me." Again he stated the fact, not the question.

"I know this battle is killing both sides, I also know that others are suffering in all of this—but I still need some time. If what you are saying is true then what little free time we have…. I want to spend it with the one person that matters to me."

"Out of everyone here I know more then anyone how you feel. But I can't let you stop to have days with your soulmate while others are still fighting. It isn't fair and a request that isn't right to ask. You shall continue to head to the clubs at night and make reports to me. Hunter Redfern is up to something and quite frankly I don't like it."

Even though Ash had known the answer he still didn't like the results that played out at him. But Lord Thierry was right; it was not right to ask for things that he was. However, he it couldn't help the want of the request.

"Instead of going to a different club every night. Head out to a club that you think could hold valuable information. 4 days of the week I expect you to be there, no less then that. Understood?" Thierry demanded with a smile.

There was only place to look for her and there was an excitement that was now bubbling up more then when Mary-Lynnette had first appeared before at the airport with luggage in tow.

Tomorrow night would change things; it would help him connect with Mary-Lynnette. Tomorrow night will help him to understand her and her to understand him.

Hopefully tomorrow night things would change, at least for the small and brief moment, for the first time since him and Mary-Lynnette had met, he was taking her out on a date.