Chapter 5

One day about a week after Hannah had gotten there Hannah and Thierry were entering a museum when a shot rang out. Thierry immediately pushed Hannah to the ground and they worked their way to an alley out of sight from where the bullets had come from. "You stay here, I'll be back," Thierry promised.

Before Hannah could say anything he was gone. While he was gone Hannah glanced self-consciously around her, but even so she didn't hear the man come up behind her for he moved as silently as a cat. Suddenly she felt a gun poke her in the back and she cringed as a voice whispered, "You will come with me, or you will die. The master will be extremely happy with me for bringing you to him alive—so he can kill you himself." The last was said almost like an afterthought.

Hannah cringed and mentally yelled for Thierry. Help! Thierry the gunman is down here and has a gun in my back.

From Thierry there was no reply and Hannah become to fear that something had happened to him—but then seconds later her fears proved groundless for Thierry landed on top of the man holding a gun on her. The gun went off—whether accidentally or accidentally on purpose and Hannah fell to the ground unconscious. "Hannah!" Thierry screamed both mentally and out loud. "If she dies so do you," Thierry told the werewolf he had captured. The werewolf snarled, but couldn't say anything for Thierry had gagged him with his handkerchief. Thierry tied him up quickly then leaned over Hannah searching for the wound.

"We need to get you some help and quickly," Thierry said, softly. He gently picked her up and carried her to his car. He put her in the backseat not caring about the blood then went back for the werewolf only to find the bonds cut and him gone. Thierry decided to worry about that later for Hannah was dying and he needed to get her to a healer immediately

The Harmon store was closest and he headed there. "Come on Hannah you can't die on me after I just found you."

Hannah awoke at the sound of his voice and said, "Just remember I love you with all my heart Thierry and I'll see you in the next life."

"You're not going to die I'm getting you to a healer."

"But if I do—" Hannah said weakly. "Don't forget your promise."

"Let's not talk like that," Thierry said pulling up in front of a store. "You'll be okay." He got out of the car and entered the store.

"Can I help you?" asked an old lady behind the counter.

"I need help Hannah has been shot," said Thierry. "And she'll die if you don't help."

"Why should I?" asked the lady. "You know the laws no helping humans." Thierry thought he saw a glimmer of sympathy in her eyes, but she was just being cautious he knew for if she was willing to help the wrong person it could mean her death.

"Because I love her and we're soulmates," said Thierry, knowing he was taking a risk—but if he was right it was a small one.

The woman nodded, as if she had decided something in her own mind then said simply, "Bring her inside I'll see what I can do."

~~~Thierry and Hannah~~~

"Will she die?" asked Thierry sometime later infinite sadness in his eyes at the thought. He had placed Hannah on a cot in the store's backroom and grandmother Harmon leaned over her for that was who she was.

"Yes unless we can figure out a solution. There's not much I can do, but I think that if you give her blood the wounds will heal."

"But won't that turn her into a vampire?"

"Not if you just give her enough to put her on the edge of becoming one. The wounds should heal and in a few days her body should shift back to human. It will have to be precisely timed, but it can be done."

Thierry nodded and cut his wrist without a second thought. He would give his life for hers in an instant if he had to. He placed the dripping wrist over Hannah's mouth and tilted her head up so she would drink. Hannah swallowed more by reflex then anything else. She was still largely unconscious. Soon Thierry could almost see the wounds begin to heal themselves. The wounds soon disappeared and Hannah was sleeping more naturally then the state of unconsciousness she had been in previously.

"While she's sleeping why don't you sit down and tell me how you became soulmates to this one," the woman suggested.

"Hannah," Thierry corrected almost automatically.

"Hannah then," Grandmother Harmon said. Thierry searched her face for a moment trying to decide if he could trust her. Finally the sparkle in her eyes and the smile lines around her eyes and mouth convinced him that she could be trusted.

"It all started a few thousand years ago. I hadn't been a vampire more then a few years and I was a wild one. I met this girl who was no more then 17 or 18 by the name of Hana of the Three Rivers and my life changed forever . . ."

Thierry told his story and took his time at it. He had just finished when he heard Hannah groan. He was instantly at her side. "You okay Hannah?" Thierry questioned anxiously.

Hannah's eyes opened and stare into Thierry's worried, anxious ones and her heart immediately went out to him. "I'm fine," Hannah assured him, "Just tired." Hannah tried to sit up and Thierry helped her sit up, "And weak," she added.

"It's no wonder you lost a lot of blood," said Grandmother Harmon walking silently up to them. "You're lucky to be alive at all."

"She's right Hannah," said Thierry. "I'm glad you're okay thanks too Grandmother Harmon."

"It's I who should thank you for taking in my granddaughter Thea."

"How'd you know?" asked Thierry. "Nobody is supposed to know that I took anyone of them in."

"I have my ways," said Grandmother Harmon, mysteriously. "Tell her I said hello would you?"

"Of course," said Hannah. "Hey, how'd you heal me anyway? The bullet wound was pretty bad."

"I gave you some of my blood," said Thierry. "Enough too heal the wounds—not enough to change you over into a vampire."

"Then why am I still so weak?" asked Hannah.

"Because you lost a lot of blood and only food will replenish what you lost," said Thierry. "That and rest. I'm just glad you're alive at all."

"Me to, me to," Hannah muttered. "There's no way I'm ever mentioning this incident to my mother, because she'd never let me out of her sight again, I guarantee you. Besides there's no way she would understand how I was healed so quickly."

"That would be best," Thierry said and Grandmother Harmon nodded in agreement.

~~~Thierry and Hannah~~~

Over the next few weeks after she had recovered from her wounds; she and Thierry went everywhere together. They went to museums, concerts and ate out almost every night. He took her dancing, to the opera and to the movies. They also walked in the garden.

It had become a habit for them to be seen together and people started to whisper just like they had done in Medicine Rock. Everyone in Las Vegas knew Thierry Descouredres—or at least knew of him. They also knew he had never had a girlfriend, although he was extremely handsome and eligible. Thierry heard the rumors, shook his head whenever he heard a new one and ignored them. They ranged from the entirely plausible too the nearly impossible.

Before Hannah knew it, her three weeks were almost up and she sighed sadly at the thought of leaving. Over the last couple of weeks, she had gotten to know most of Circle Daybreak members better and they had gotten to know her. Everyone liked Hannah and not just because she had made Thierry so happy. One day, only a few days before Hannah was to leave, she and Lupe went shopping. They raided the department stores and Hannah bought her mother a pretty necklace and herself a lot of clothes. Thierry, of course had wanted to spend the day with her, but she had told him she, and Lupe had planned a shopping trip. He had wanted to come along, but he had understood that she needed some time away from him and that she needed to; spend time with her other friends. Everywhere she went people stared at her strangely as if she had three heads. "Why are they staring at me?" asked Hannah, feeling self-conscious.

"Haven't you heard the rumors?" asked Lupe.

"Rumors?" asked Hannah. Lupe told her, Hannah laughed at some of them and a look of horror passed over her face for others. She shook her head, "How can people be so disgusting?" Hannah asked Lupe.

Lupe shrugged, "You know Thierry is a very important man in this town and he has never before been seen with a girlfriend, so of course there are going to be rumors."

Hannah shook her head again and changed the subject. By this time, they were sitting in a sidewalk cafe drinking cokes and eating sandwiches. Hours later, Hannah looked at her watch. "We'd better be getting back Lupe," said Hannah. "It's almost dinner time and Thierry was going take me out."

Lupe nodded and they headed for the car with all their packages. As they got to the car and Lupe unlocked the door, trying to balance all her awkward packages someone grabbed Hannah from behind. Hannah screamed and Lupe turned dropping all her packages in the process. "Your money, ladies or she gets it," said the man holding a knife to Hannah's throat. The, man's breath was horrid it smelled like booze. His hair was greasy and uncombed. He was dirty all over and his clothes stank of sweat, grime and beer.

Lupe's amber eyes flashed, "Do you know who you are attacking, mister? That is the girlfriend of one of the most influential men in this city. His name's Thierry Descouredres If she gets hurt or killed, he will track you down like a dog and it's too horrid to think of what he could do to you when he found you."

The mugger quivered, he had heard the name and not always in the best of terms. The man could be brutal, suicidal and he had just had to grab his girlfriend. Why oh why had he not said not when that mysterious stranger had called and offered him a lot of money to kill one single girl? He had thought that the job would be simple. A piece of cake. If only he had known what he was getting himself into . . . The man's knife hand began to quiver and finally dropped half an inch. Hannah seeing her chance stepped on his toe and when he screamed, in pain Hannah smashed her elbow into his throat and then punched him in the face. The knife dropped like a ton of bricks and the man fell to the ground unconscious.

Lupe grabbed Hannah and held her, tightly as she tried to calm down. Just then the police arrived apparently someone, had called them. They picked up the man's unconscious form and handcuffed him. "Man, you really did a number on him," said one of the officers as he took their statements.

Lupe and Hannah picked up their packages after the policemen left and put them in Lupe's car. They both, got in, but this time Lupe drove for Hannah was too shaken up to do more then stare out the window.

When they got back to Thierry's mansion and Lupe had told him what had happened, Thierry's reaction was predicable to say the least. He blew his top, literally. His face turned as red as a beet, he clinched his fists tightly until his palms turned white. Lupe guided him over to a couch, trying very hard to get him to calm down. Finally he calmed down enough for Lupe to finish explaining what had happened. "She handled herself real well, Thierry. First, she stomped on his toe hard then she elbowed him in the throat. I wanted to help, but there was nothing I could do without causing undue attention to me being a werewolf. I made sure he knew who he was dealing with though and what you'd do if anything happened to her."

Thierry looked at her his expression unreadable, but finally he took her hand. "Thank you for what you did, Lupe. I'm just relieved she was not hurt."

"Maybe you should go and check on her," suggested Lupe.

Thierry nodded and slowly got up and walked out of the den. He entered Hannah's room a few minutes later to find her crying silently. He sat down on the bed and gently held her until the tears stopped. "Are you all right?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, but I've never been so scared, well maybe when I was kidnapped by Maya, but it was just all so . . ." Hannah searched for the right word and finally found it, "Useless."

"I know, but these things happen, especially in a big town like this," said Thierry. "I'm just glad you're okay. If anything had happened to you, I don't know what I would do."

Hannah snuggled closer to him and he held her until she fell asleep, totally exhausted, from her trials. He got up and headed to the den. There he paced and paced some more. Once or twice the door opened, but was closed immediately after seeing what kind of mood Thierry was in. Nobody could blame him for if that had happened to their soulmates they would be in a bad mood too.

A few days later Hannah left, heading back to Medicine Rock, her bags overloaded with all the stuff she had bought as well as presents from everyone. She waved good-bye until the plane took off and Thierry was of course sad to see her go, but he would see her again, soon he hoped.

~~~Thierry and Hannah~~~

Six months later

Hannah drove up to the college she was attending in Los Angeles California. She was close enough to Las Vegas to visit doing weekends, but for now she lived in a dorm. Thierry had used his influence to get her a dorm by herself. Plus Thierry was paying for her to go. She had only gotten a partial scholarship and when her mother said she could not afford it Thierry had stepped in and paid for it himself. All her mother knew was that mysterious benefactor had given Hannah a chance to go to one of the best schools in the country. She didn't know it was Thierry. She drove up in her old car, and parked in the visitor's parking lot and went to the dean's office. She had registered the week before and the dean had wanted to see her before she went and found her room. As she entered the lady at the desk looked up "May I help you?"

"Yes, I have an appointment to see the dean," said Hannah, nervously.

"Please take a seat the dean will be with you momentarily. Hannah sat and a few minutes later she was shown into his office.

"Please take a seat," said the dean, gesturing to a; leather bound chair. Hannah sat down again and waited for the dean to speak. "Now Miss Snow, the reason I asked you here is because you came to this university under very unusual circumstances. You have a Thierry Descouredres paying for what the scholarship did not cover, but he is not your father."

"Is there a problem with that, sir?" asked Hannah.

"Not necessarily. It's just that fathers usually pay for this kind of thing," said the dean.

"My father is dead sir and my mom could not afford to send me to such a nice college. Thierry is a friend of the family, and he is also very rich so when I mentioned the problem to him, he offered to pay for my tuition," explained Hannah. All right so it was a slight white lie, but she did not think he would believe the truth.

The dean nodded not sure he believed that, but Hannah Snow seemed like a nice girl. Oh, he believed her father was dead and her mother couldn't afford to send her here. The part he didn't believe was that Thierry Descouredres was just a friend. It was something in her voice that gave her away. And another thing; was her eyes. Her gray eyes seemed way older then her years. Otherwise she was just a normal teenager. "The other thing is that you have a room of your own with no roommates, this is unusual for your first year. But Mr. Descouredres pushed for you to have a private room, why?" asked the dean.

"Thierry just thought I could study better without other girls distracting me," said Hannah, which was partly true.

The dean nodded making no comment, "Very well, Miss Snow you may go. Do you think you can find your room by yourself?"

"Yes sir," said Hannah as she rose and left. The dean shook his head. A strange girl that one, he thought.

~~~Thierry and Hannah~~~

Hannah found her room with little problem and when she unlocked the door what she found astonished her. There were three dozen red roses sitting on her dresser. Hannah slowly approached them and picked up the card that was lying beside it.

To my dearest Hannah,

I got you these flowers to brighten up your day. Hope you enjoy them. Meet me out front at 6:00 p.m. and I will have a surprise for you.

Love,

Thierry

PS: The gang says hello.

That was how they had begun to refer Circle Daybreak at least the soulmates of that; group. Hannah glanced at her watch it, was 5 o'clock. She should have just enough time to finish unpacking and take a shower. An hour later at exactly six o'clock Hannah stepped out the front door of her of the building where her dorm room was located. Thierry was waiting outside as she came down the steps. "Thierry, did you drive all the way up here just to see me?" asked Hannah.

Thierry laughed and took her hand escorting her towards the waiting limo.

~~~Thierry and Hannah~~~