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Chapter 17

Marisia hurries down the street having quickly put her gear on, there was only an hour or so left before the vampires vanished for the day. Suddenly she hears laughter, followed by screaming. Hopefully a vampire.

She dashes toward the sounds and sees three men people pursuing a young man who is dressed in a suit like he's already heading to work. She wasn't sure if they were vampires, but evil was evil. She creeps forward and kicks a guy's legs out from beneath him, and he thuds to the ground with an angry oof. The man runs off, stumbling and spouting gibberish but otherwise fine.

The attacker turns toward her from where he had fallen on the ground and his fangs flash. A vampire, excellent. She whips out her stake but he leaps up and lunges towards her snarling. She laughs wildly avoiding him easily, he stumbles and it's all she needs to plunge her stake in. He just stares down at the protruding stake like he can't figure out how a stake happened to become buried in his chest before dropping down dead.

His buddies didn't seem too happy about it as they turn toward her baring their own fangs. Bring it leeches. They race forward fingers reaching like claws and then someone else joins the fight. An annoying golden haired someone.

"What are you doing here?" She shouts angrily at Evan. "I have this perfectly under control!"

"Yes because it seemed like you could handle these two alone being twice your size and all." He says lazily back throwing a fist into a snarling face.

"I did! I took out one see!" She thrusts her stake into another.

"Yes, good job, I thought he had you for a moment. May I?" He asks grabbing her stake and her throwing it into the rapidly retreating vampire's chest who falls instantly with a thud. She marches over and rips it out, wiping it off on her jeans in disgust.

"Nice mask by the way."

"Leave me alone Evan, I don't need your help, or anyone else's." She begins to walk away but with stupid vampire speed he keeps pace easily.

"What made you so mad?"

"None of your business. But if you don't want to end up like your friends back there I'd go, I'm in an incredibly bad mood."

"I can tell." He still doesn't leave.

"What do you want Evan? I remember you okay, what more do you want from me?"

"Do you honestly not know the answer?"

"I'm not in the mood to think about it I've had an unbelievably horrible day."

"Want to talk about it?" She stops looking at him in disbelief but he seems sincere.

"Uh no thanks." They continue along in an awkward silence.

"Figured out the answer yet?" He asks suddenly.

"Huh?"

"The answer to your question."

"Honestly Evan my head is just too full at the moment to add your riddle. Can you please just tell me?" His gaze softens.

"Alright, you never told me how you well felt about what you remembered."

"What I remembered? I was flipping mad at Haydn."

"No." He says sounding frustrated. "About me, in your past lives."

"Oh," She doesn't know what to say. "I-well you seemed to terrify me out of my mind." He doesn't appear shocked.

"And now?"

"You're even more annoying than Haydn sometimes, but I don't think you exactly give me nightmares."

"Really why not?" She shrugs.

"I don't know, I guess I'm just tougher this time around." He grins.

"Seems like it to me. How did Haydn react to my visit?"

"He freaked, said you were even more dangerous than him." She rolls her eyes.

"But I am dangerous Marisia," His voice is quiet. "And you know it; I know you remember what I've done in your past lives you have every reason to run screaming at the sight of me." She stops again stunned and looks into his strange blue-green eyes which are full of contempt for himself.

"You haven't exactly done anything scream worthy, this time." She says trying to keep her tone light, though she remembers with perfect clarity the things he's done.

"I'm trying to be different. Have a chance against Calvin and Haydn."

"Right now you're the only one I'm not mad at."

"What did Calvin do?"

"He kissed me." He doesn't appear surprised.

"He used to do it all the time in case you don't recall you two dated quite often."

"I do, though Haydn seemed to have kept the whole engaged thing from me."

"I'm not surprised." He says wryly.

"Things seem different this time. I seem so different."

"Does it worry you?"

"I don't know should it?"

"Maybe," His answer shocks her, wasn't he supposed to comfort her? "Hey do you want me to sugar coat it?" He asks when seeing her expression.

"No." It was actually a relief for someone to not keep things from her.

"I doubt Haydn's told you this, but do you know why you keep being reincarnated?"

"No, I just thought I don't know that I had something to accomplish or something." He laughs but when he sees she's serious he stops.

"You're partly right, but it's not fait or what God wants or whatever."

"Then what is it Mr. Smarty Pants?" She asks crossly.

"When you were killed the first time, Haydn brought you to a very powerful witch when you had a little life left in you. She saw yours and his souls were already connected but he didn't want to lose you. So she agreed to have you reincarnated twenty five times, and so he could find you she took a bit of your soul and put it in him so he would know when you were reborn and he could find you, but it didn't always work and sometimes he couldn't find you before you were killed. And unfortunately yes this is your last chance. But the witch added a twist, your parents and Calvin would come back with you each time to protect you from him, and consequentially Calvin's soul was attached to yours as well, it didn't make you soul mates exactly just destined to be friends." He pauses.

"Now where do I come in? I just so happened to stumble upon you shortly after Haydn and what do you know our souls are connected too. Now just because people's souls are connected doesn't necessarily mean they are soul mates just destined to be friends like I said. But very rarely does a person have more than one other person's soul attached to their own and you have three which is extremely odd. Even rarer is knowing them all. Lucky you." He says with a wink.

"But selfish little Haydn decided you and him were soul mates and not Calvin or I, but that's not true. It could be anyone of us. I went to that same witch and a got a bit of your soul to find you as well; Calvin always seems to end up with you though. But we all have a fair shot. So," He pauses dramatically. "Who do you choose?"

She has complete information overload. Haydn might not be her soul mate after all? It could be Calvin or Evan? Geez why did she have to have three possible soul mates? Wasn't one more than enough?

"I-I don't know. It's so much." She stumbles still a bit dizzy from all of that biting. He frowns steading her.

"Hey I was just messing around with that last part; you don't have to choose one of us. It would be nice, but. . ." He looks at her more closely. "Is that from me?" He asks pushing her hair away from her neck to see the bandage there.

"No, it was Haydn, he went nuts again. I'm fine really." She shoves him away still wobbling a little.

"And he didn't seal it?"

"No I pushed him away and kicked him out." Evan swears loudly.

"Don't you know how dangerous that is?"

"I-no they never said something would happen."

"They?"

"My school."

"Right, that school for vampire hunters," He says voice dripping with disdain. "They keep such important things from you."

"Why is it bad?" She asks fear in her voice.

"When a vampire bites someone it lets out one thing in its well spit right?"

"Umm eww, but yeah. So?"

"Well that's like poison and when we seal it we let out a different thing in our spit that heals it, beats the poison and you didn't get it. I can't believe he didn't insist on doing that."

"He was confused; he didn't even remember biting me."

"Didn't remember? That's odd even for him. But you really must let me look at that."

"Its fine, I'm fine really Evan." Even though she was getting dizzier by the moment.

"It probably took a while to take effect. But now you're not looking so good." He says eyeing her worriedly. She knew he was right, but she can't think straight, she just really wants to get to bed.

"Really, I just want to find a hotel and sleep."

"No you're not fine." He rips the bandage off and she holds back a gasp. That really hurt. His expression doesn't reassure her.

"It's bad isn't it?"

"Uh no not really." He says voice strained, unconvincing.

"I'm not an idiot Evan, just tell me."

"Beyond bad."

"Great and how do you fix it?" She asks through gritted teeth.

"It's already scabbing over I'd have to bite again get the poison out and seal it, but that is going to hurt like hell."

"I doubt worse than last time."

"Are you sure you don't want Haydn or Calvin to do this?"

"No, I'm too mad at both of them right now."

"And you trust me?" His voice is quiet.

"As much as I would Haydn. Which I guess isn't saying much." He chuckles softly.

"Thanks I think."

"Can you just get this over with?"

"Here?" He inquires gesturing to their surroundings.

"Can you think of a better place?" She snaps.

"No-I just."

"Sorry, just please do it all ready." He leans down and she braces herself.

"You sure?" he whispers hesitating.

"Just do it!" He gently grabs her for she guessed a better position and to brace her. He leans down again and bites. It really freaking hurts she was already injured there and he seems to be making it worse. She struggles intensifying the pain and he grips her tighter.

Don't fight it. His voice whispers in her mind. You're making it worse, I'm almost done. She surrenders and goes limp allowing the fog that was starting to spread envelope her mind. She guesses it's a mind trick but is just glad the pain is fading. Unfortunately she's going away with it.

I'm fine Evan don't you dare.

Okay-okay chill. I was just trying to help. The fog recedes and the pain returns, but better that than to be unconscious and not know what's happening. Finally he pulls away after sealing the wound.

"I'm okay then?" She asks drowsily swaying on her feet still in his arms.

"I don't know about okay and you know what I probably should do, though I highly doubt you'll agree to it." She knows exactly what he means and there's no way she's going to let him.

"No way." She says out loud.

"I thought you'd say that, but really this is not a good situation for you. It's not safe for you to lose that much."

"But will it seriously hurt me?"

"Probably not, but it might. I can't be sure it really would be best."

"Nope I'm fine." She walks away determined to prove it, show nothing's wrong, although she still feels extremely dizzy. The world begins to wobble and soon she tumbles but he catches her.

"I really don't think so." He says eyes and mouth hard.

"I'll be okay in a minute; I just need to lie down." She insists shoving him away but she only succeeds in falling back into his arms.

"No you won't. And I know you really didn't want me to do this, but you'll be safe, I promise." The fog begins to close in and she struggles against it.

"Evan don't I'll be fine." She warns barely hiding her panic, desperately trying to throw him off. But the fog tugs her eyes closed and she drifts to sleep.

Marisia lurches awake to see Evan asleep in a chair across the room. Showed how worried he was. She seems to be in a hotel room similar to Haydn's. Marisia gingerly reaches a hand up to her neck to see if it's still injured but it feels fine. She tiptoes out of bed to the door to sneak out but a hand is on the doorknob before she can reach for it.

"Where do you think you're going?" A smooth voice asks.

"Home." She replies glaring up at Evan.

"Not yet you're not, I have to make sure you're okay. Besides, I thought you wanted to stay away from Calvin."

"I do, but now I also want to stay away from you." She reaches for the door again but he stops her.

"I saved your life, and you're angry with me?" He asks incredulous.

"Yes. It kind of made me mad when you flipping knocked me out and did what I exactly told you not to do."

"Yeah but you might have died if I hadn't."

"So, it still doesn't make me less angry with you for ignoring what I said in the first place!"

"You are the most difficult person!" He shouts back.

"Like you're not!"

"Can you at least say thank you?"

"Fine, thank you. Happy now? Can I please leave?" She says clenching her fists in an attempt to not punch him in the face.

"Yes that's all I wanted." He opens the door.

"Great, now stay away from me."

"Don't count on it." He says closing the door with his trademark wink. Ugh, she just wishes Haydn and Aaron had never entered her life.