Chapter 17

Mark was fuming. "What the hell is wrong with you people?" he screamed.

"Mark, calm down." Mary-Lynette instructed her younger brother. "The whole neighbourhood will be able to hear you! We have to keep things quiet. Please?"

Her brother stared at her as he took a step forwards. Mary-Lynette glared, taking a step towards her brother. Ash stepped between the two siblings, not wanting them to start fighting.

"Mark, listen," he started. "This is only to protect you!"

"Ya but what about Jade?" he countered. "You don't care about her, do you? There was a reason your sisters were scared of you when you showed up last summer! You can't be trusted! You've left them behind before! You're doing the same thing again!"

Ash shook his head. " Mark, you don't understand. That was different. I was different. I'm positive that Jade would prefer to be separated from you temporarily rather than permanently."

Seeing the tension, Mary-Lynette stepped in between the two boys. "Mark, you've gotta agree that he's got a point. I don't want to leave either, but it's our only choice."

"But I still don't understand what this apparent danger is!"

That's when Mary-Lynette realized that Mark was just being dragged away from his home without being told why.

"Mark, we'll explain on the drive. Okay? I swear we will explain what's going on as soon as we're safe. Please go pack? We don't know how long we're going to be there for, so be sure you have everything you might want."

Mark sighed dejectedly. He didn't like this. However, who was he to argue? Being careful to keep his mind shielded, he walked to his room and started filling a bag with clothes.

A few hours later, the family SUV was packed, and the sun was setting. The Carter family were in their rooms getting some sleep before they started their long drive. Mary-Lynette and Ash sat in her room, neither speaking. The silence was eerie. Slowly, Ash began to speak.

"Mary-Lynette, I was thinking that before we leave, it might be smart to exchange blood again. It would make you stronger just in case. And we might not get another chance for a few days or so."

Mary-Lynette nodded, seeing the logic in what her soulmate was saying. As they were already seated on the bed, Mary-Lynette figured it would be pointless to move. Ash leaned in close, keeping eye contact with her for as long as possible before his needle-sharp teeth pierced her skin. Their minds came together, blending into one, as Ash began to drink. Warmth radiated from his mouth, and Mary-Lynette felt truly safe for the first time that day.

Why haven't you felt safe? Ash prodded, his colourful mind surrounding her.

I dunno… It's just stupid. I just feel as though I won't feel totally safe until we're out of Briar Creek.

Don't worry. We'll wake up your family as soon as we're done, and then we'll be gone. Let's just not worry right now.

Okay. By the way Ash, I love you.

I love you too.

As Ash pulled away, Mary-Lynette stole a kiss quickly. He smiled slightly as he took an unsharpened pencil from the nightstand and made a cut at the base of his neck. Mary-Lynette placed her mouth on his skin, and began drinking the blood. As usual, it tasted old and magical.

Okay, I see your point from last night. I guess sometimes we have to take fate into our own hands. Like this, for example.

She felt Ash smile mentally as he tightened his arms around her. She allowed herself to fall into his mind, and for a few moments she was content to just be held in her soulmate's arms, forgetting about all her present troubles.

Ash had to pull her head from his neck. She had drank enough blood for the night. She glanced up sheepishly, wiping her mouth to be sure there was no blood on it. She didn't want to frighten her family when they woke them up. They were freaked out enough without knowing that their daughter had just exchanged blood with a vampire again.

As Ash caught her eyes, he bent down and kissed her softly on the lips. She melted into the kiss. When it was done, Ash stood up. He held out his hands and pulled Mary-Lynette up off the bed, pulling her into a tight embrace. Finally, they walked hand-in-hand out of the room, only pausing long enough for Ash to pick up Mary-Lynette's backpack off the ground and swing it over one shoulder. Together, they went to wake the rest of the Carter household.

Everyone in the vehicle, they were almost ready to pull out of the garage. Mr. Carter and Claudine sat in the front, with Mark, Mary-Lynette and Ash in the back. Mary-Lynette sat in the middle as a sort of moderator between the two boys, who didn't see eye to eye very often. The back of the SUV was full of bags and boxes. The Carters had packed everything they could manage - books, clothes, and everything they might need in the next two months. It had been agreed upon that Mr. Carter would drive first until he was tired, then Ash would take over. This way people simply believed that they were taking an unannounced vacation if they were caught leaving. Later on, Ash would be able to drive them to Vegas as he knew the route much better. They would drive in shifts until they reached Las Vegas and Lord Thierry's mansion.

There wasn't much room in the back seat of the SUV, and Mark liked his personal space. Not wanting to start a fight, Mary-Lynette sat closer to Ash, who put an arm around his soulmate, pulling her close.

Go to sleep, he told her. You need your rest. Plus, the blood exchange will probably make you tired. You might as well sleep now before it's my turn to drive. You'll be getting shotgun, y'know.

She just smiled, resting her head on Ash's shoulder. She closed her eyes, meaning to just rest them. Within moments, she was fast asleep.

Claudine smiled as she looked back and saw all three teenagers fast asleep. Mark was using his sister as a pillow. Mary-Lynette was leaning on Ash, and Ash had his head laying on top of Mary-Lynette's, arm wrapped around her shoulder. It was so adorable, she couldn't believe that one was a vampire, one was on her way to becoming a vampire, and the other was in love with a vampire. That resulted in a high probability that he would become a vampire too. Claudine sighed. She hadn't imagined that vampires could exist, let alone that she would be on the run from one. Nevertheless, Ash seemed to be a decent boy. After all, he was saving them from his mother, wasn't he? Well, if Mary-Lynette loved him, she could like him for her sake. Jade was a good girl too. It was really a pity that she couldn't come with them. Oh well. Mary-Lynette certainly seemed happier these past few days. Turning her attention back to the front, Claudia silently thanked the stars that her two step-children had both found someone to love indefinitely.

Mary-Lynette woke up to someone gently shaking her shoulder. As she opened her eyes, she found Mark waking her up. Ash and her parents were nowhere to be seen. Looking around, she recognized the general layout of a gas station surrounding them.

"Where is everyone?" she asked sleepily.

"Well, they're inside paying for gas and picking up some snacks and stuff. They're still in there if you wanna go in." Mark informed her. Mary-Lynette nodded, then exited the car, still feeling half asleep. She groggily made her way towards the bright lights of the building and pushed open the door. She quickly made her way towards a bathroom to freshen up, and came out slightly less sleepy thanks to some cold water. Glancing around the building, she saw her parents and made her way over to them.

"Hey." she mumbled, letting them know she was there.

"Mary-Lynette!" they seemed shocked to see her.

"Just figured I'd freshen up a bit and grab something to snack on." she explained. "Where's Ash? He wasn't in the vehicle."

"He went… Ummmm….. Behind the gas station for a while…" her Dad seemed unsure of exactly why Ash was behind the gas station. Mary-Lynette understood though. He probably was hunting.

Not worrying too much about her soulmate, Mary-Lynette wandered through the small store, picking out a few things - some pop to keep her awake, some chips, cookies, and even some beef jerky. Heading back towards her parents, she doubled back to grab another pop and some other snacks to be sure there'd be enough for both her and Ash to share. Meeting her parents at the cash register, the bored-looking clerk checked them out. They headed back to the SUV, where Ash was already waiting in the driver's seat. Staring slightly, Mr. Carter and Claudine climbed into the back seat, allowing Mary-Lynette to sit up front with Ash. They needed their sleep and preferred Mary-Lynette to be in the front seat so she could keep Ash from nodding off.

As he started the engine, Ash leaned over and gave Mary-Lynette a quick peck on the lips. A jolt of electricity traveled through her, waking her up.

Well that's one way to make sure I'm awake. she joked.

With that, they pulled off into the night once more.

With her enhanced senses, Mary-Lynette was glad that there were not many cars travelling the opposite direction as them. Each time a car approached, she had to cover her eyes with her hands to keep the light from penetrating them. It was just so bright! Ash looked over sympathetically after the tenth car had passed them.

I wish I knew a way to help you…. You'll get used to it once you're a vampire. The light is a lot worse when you're just starting to go through the change.

Mary-Lynette just nodded. They had agreed to speak using the soulmate bond as much as possible so they didn't wake their sleeping passengers.

So, tell me more about Circle Daybreak. Mary-Lynette was curious. She wanted to know what she was walking into before she got there.

Well, they're basically an organization who believe that the Night World and humans can co-exist in peace. Lots of the members - or at least the one's you're going to meet - have soulmates of their own. The leader, Thierry Descoudres, has a soulmate too. I'd tell you more about them, but they'll probably want to tell you their stories themselves. Anyways, there's this thing about what we call Wild Powers. There was a prophecy about them and it's a huge race to find them. Essentially what's happening is that there is a huge disagreement between Circle Daybreak and the rest of the Night World about humans. In order to defeat those who still wish to treat humans as inferiors and to use them as slaves, four people known as Wild Powers are needed. Wild Powers are extremely strong. So far, we've found three. The fourth one is still out there somewhere.

Mary-Lynette was surprised. She hadn't expected to be caught up in the middle of a war. She hoped that Ash was right and that these people would be willing to help her! They just sounded so - busy.

Ya, they are. Ash told her, hearing her thoughts. But they'll be thrilled to finally meet you, and they'll be more than willing to help; especially once they learn about your circumstances.

Though she would never admit it out loud or to anyone except Ash, Mary-Lynette was frightened. How was she supposed to walk into a room full of people she didn't know and expect them to protect her? What if they didn't think she was worth protecting? What if they didn't think she was good enough for Ash? It was more nerve-wracking than making her valedictorian speech in front of her class.

Mary-Lynette, don't worry so much. Ash said, taking one hand off the wheel to caress her cheek. Gazing into her eyes, he spoke again. They'll love you almost as much as I do!

She giggled at her soulmate and blushed. Suddenly a voice from the back made her jump.

"Hey! Hands on the wheel!"

Typical Mark.

A/N: Yet another chapter is finally finished! Holy wow! I've written two chapters today already! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry if you find it kind of boring, but we'll be getting back into the action once again.

No reviews from the last chapter yet, so I'll be expecting you all to submit lots for this chapter! All you gotta do is push the little button and type a few words to make my day. :)

Well, what do you guys think? What was your favourite part and what was your least favourite? Anything I should change or make sure to do better next time? Anything I spent too much or not enough time on? I need to know! Pretty pretty please?

Well, Happy Reading and Happy Writing! :D