Chapter 12

Rowan heard a loud noise coming from the stairwell. Ash and her mother heard it as well.

"Mary-Lynette!" Rowan and Ash called out. Ash was louder than her and drowned her voice out. The facade was clearly done with. Over. Their mother had to have figured it out. Looking over at her, Rowan noticed that a wide grin decorated Dahlia's face. She knew something they didn't. Rushing over to the staircase, Rowan joined her four siblings. Ash had Mary-Lynette's head in his lap, trying to make sure she was okay. His fear radiated out from him like a waterfall of emotion. Rowan could feel it, and she knew her mother could as well.

As Dahlia walked over to her children, Ash looked up at her. His face said it all - he was going to kill her. Kestrel grabbed his arm.

"Ash. Think about this for a minute. This isn't anyone's fault. It was an accident." She was genuinely frightened for her brother and his soulmate. As annoying as he was, he was still her brother and she still loved him.

Lifting Mary-Lynette's head enough to slide it onto Jade's lap, Ash stood up, ready to face his mother. He no longer cared if she knew about him and Mary-Lynette. Look where pretending had gotten them.

A gentle tug on the silver cord got his attention for a moment. It was enough of a distraction to make him an easy target. Dahlia had him pinned on the ground in a second.

"Well Ash, is there something you want to tell me now?" she asked, sneering down at him.

"Actually yes," he grunted. Trying to get up. Realizing he had no chance, he gave up before speaking again. "Mary-Lynette is my soulmate. That's right. I said it. My. Soulmate."

Ash took her moment of astonishment to right himself so he towered over his mother defiantly.

"Unfortunately for you, I already knew all this from the moment you stepped into this house and talked to her telepathically." Dahlia smiled up innocently at her only son. She knew it would come down to this, but she hadn't been able to help herself. Toying with people was in her nature. Playing along with her son's little charade had been entertaining while it lasted, but enough was enough. She was tired of him pretending that he was seducing her. Though she knew his habits, there had been reports of him joining up with the scum who made up Circle Daybreak. Showing up with vermin had been worse than her deepest suspicions. She hadn't thought that he may have found his soulmate. Although it would explain him standing up to his father; convincing him to allow the girls to stay in the middle of nowhere. It was just an excuse to come back. At the precise moment she saw the two of them together, everything fell into place like pieces of a puzzle.

Dahlia Redfern was not one to come straight up and say something though. Her late husband had often left her to deal with vermin when he didn't have the time to kill them himself. Instead of killing them immediately, she toyed with them; Dragging out the suffering until they were begging to be killed. It was her way of entertaining herself while her husband was away, and it had become more than a habit - it had become her entire personality. Now her position had been reversed - she was the hunted.

Towering over his mother, Ash felt what used to be one of his favourite things - power over life and death. He could choose to end his mother's life at any moment. The old Ash would have felt empowered by this situation. He would have relished in the fact that he could end his mother's life. Now that he had met Mary-Lynette, things had changed. He no lingered enjoyed this kind of power. He still liked the feeling, but quickly pushed it away, not wanting to be responsible for this act. Deep inside, he knew that Mary-Lynette wouldn't forgive him or look at him in the same way if he did it. Suddenly he heard a voice in his head.

Ash, Ash, Ash. I thought I raised you better than this. Really? Her? Look at her. That's right. Take a good, long look.

Ash refused to turn his gaze from his mother, knowing the instant he did, she would be on him.

See? Not that pretty, a little too brainy. Too confident. She's not right for you Ash. She's nothing like the girls who are good for you. The ones who don't know about the night world and who you're not afraid to feed from. At least they're useful. This little twit here is nothing but a burden. Now she wants you to change her? Why? Do you even know? She's just using you to gain immortality. This is why it is forbidden to fall in love with a human. They're manipulative, and deceitful, and they will betray you without a second thought.

No, Ash thought. That couldn't be true. Mary-Lynette loved him, and he loved her.

But she sent you away once. She clearly does not feel the same way about you. Chances are, she's planning on leaving you herself after she's immortal.

"NO!" Ash yelled out, blinded with fury. "You're lying! Stay out of my head you poisonous monster!"

With that, he stormed out of the house, picking up Mary-Lynette and carrying her in his arms.

"And if you try following us, I will kill you!"

"No you won't Ash. I know you. But just think about what I said." Dahlia called to him from her position on the ground. Her previous expression of fear had turned into a cruel and mocking smile.

So much for becoming the hunted.

A/N: So, what did you think? So the voice was Dahlia... interesting. By the way, everyone who guessed, you are all freakishly good guessers! Give yourselves pats on the back. Actually, just give yourself straight-up hugs! I was sitting reading the reviews, shocked at how accurate some of the guesses were!

Also, I apologize for this chapter being short. I guess I just haven't been feeling very inspired lately - I think my muse has decided to take a much-needed vacation. :( I miss her terribly!

Special thanks to:
musicbaby2013
Paranormalcy
starr1095
HannahxLuzha
mj-a4evaxx
kinanbon x3
smilinggalxoxo
Your reviews mean the world to me and they are definitely what keep me writing and constantly trying to come with ideas! :D

So I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll hopefully get writing and get the next chapter up soon! (Maybe my muse will come back.)

Don't forget to review and let me know what you're thinking!

Happy Writing!

P.S. I was aimlessly looking at L.J. Smith's website in hopes that the release date for Strange Fate was up (and before 2014 :/) and stumbled across an interesting little bit of information. It would seem that I accidentally said Mary-Lynette lived in Ohio. According to the summary of the book on her site, she actually lives in Oregon... Oops. My bad. I shall change it immediately. Sorry!