Part Two:
 

Rating: PG-13
 

Ash Redfern looked around. There was a commotion down on the road. It had scared away the deer he had been hunting. After an inhuman jump he was on a lower elevation, and he could see perfectly what was going on.

Well, this looks interesting, he thought. Three cars were on the road: a large red van, a blue Honda, and a maroon minivan. All seemed to be having trouble due to the rocks that were sliding down towards them, and occasionally hitting them. The van looked pretty beat up. He could hear screams coming from inside it. As he watched, the minivan went over the edge of the cliff. Next went the Honda. Those people were goners. Ash was no stranger to death. He'd been planning on causing a little today, while hunting, but that damn deer had gotten away.

He stretched his muscles. He was bored. People always said New York was exciting. And it was, if you were in New York City - which Ash wasn't. That's why he was standing on a mountain in upstate New York watching a
red van try to dodge boulders. He shook his head. They weren't going to make it.

The van toppled over the side, but something strange happened as it did. A white light flashed out of the windows, shattering the ones that weren't already broken. By some unseen force, the roof was ripped open and something enveloped in that same light was thrown out.

Straight towards Ash.

It was a body hurtling toward him. A girl, Ash realized. He was only fifteen, but he was strong and quick. After all, he was a vampire. He jumped and caught the girl right before she would have hit a tree. There was a thunderous crash and the screeching sound of metal scraping metal, and then absolute silence. Ash looked at the girl in his arms. Her arms and head were bleeding, but she was still absolutely beautiful. The white light had dimmed to a soft glow that continued to fade, as though her smooth skin was absorbing it. Before his eyes, her wounds healed and the blood disappeared from her clothing. By the time the light was gone completely, it looked impossible that the girl could have gone through a fatal car crash. Ash raised his eyebrows. Not human, he thought.

The girl's long eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes. They were a warm brown, with a fiery inner light that gave them an almost reddish appearance. She stared at Ash, and pushed him away. She jumped to her feet.

"Mark!" she screamed. She began to climb down the hillside but Ash grabbed her arm.

"Was Mark in that red van?" he asked. She turned to him, her eyes wide. Silently, she nodded.

"Oh," Ash shrugged. "Then don't waste your time. He's dead by now."

"What?" Her chest began heaving. "No! I was in there, too, and I'm alive…right?"

"I guess so," Ash told her. He wondered how old she was. Around his age, he guessed. He was sure he could find some use for her.

"You guess so? What's going on? Who are you?" She sank to her knees. "Never mind," she told him. "I don't care. I know he's dead. They're all dead. I can feel it."

Ash raised an eyebrow. She could feel it? Definitely not human. Then he noticed the pentacle she wore around her neck. So that explains it, he thought.

"You're a witch."

She looked at him in alarm, and stood up. "What?"

"You. You're a witch," he repeated. "A real one."

"No I'm not."

He put a finger on the small silver star around her neck. It was circled by another band of silver, and it had a glowing orb in the center that changed colors. It rested right below the hollow of her throat. She took a step away from him. "Who are you?"

"I just saved your life," Ash informed her. "The roof of the van opened, and you came flying out. I'd like to know how you did that. It was pretty cool. There was this white light all around you, and I caught you before you hit this here tree. Then all your wounds went away, and so did the light."

Astonished, she glanced at her arms. "They're gone…" she whispered. She touched her head. "I'm fine. Are you sure I'm not dead? Who are you?"

"Ash Redfern." He held out his hand. She didn't move. "Now is when you take my hand and we shake them," he informed her. She still didn't move.

Sighing, Ash dropped his hand. "You're a real difficult person, aren't you?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Thought so." He put his hands in his pockets. She was staring at him. "What?"

"What's wrong with your eyes?"

He shrugged. "They change colors. What are they now?"

"Brown."

"And now?"

"Green. How do you do that?"

"Runs in my family." Ash moved to take her hand. "Look, we'd better go, before the cops come-"

"Please don't touch me." She hugged herself with her arms. "Do whatever you want to me, just don't hurt me. I'll come willingly. I don't care anymore. I know everything is hopeless and there's no one around who will hear me scream. I don't know who you are, but I can probably guess at what you want."

Ash's slightly tilted eyes widened. Permission, he thought, but he could tell that the moment someone laid their hands on this girl she would attack by pure instinct.

He moved towards her again, slowly this time, and when she didn't move away, he rested his hands on her shoulders. For some reason he cared about this girl. There was just something about her… He wouldn't leave her here alone, even though he could. Gently, and not really knowing why, he leaned down and kissed her.

She shivered. Ash couldn't ever remember invoking that response in a girl. He leaned back. "So, my kisses are cold?" he asked.

"No," she answered. "But you… You're different. I don't know…"

"You're right," he told her. "I am different. But so are you. You're a witch."

"Fine, I admit it. I'm a witch. Happy?"

"You are, but not in the sense that you think." Ash released her. "You were born a witch-"

"Yeah, I know, I'm a natural witch." She showed him her palm. "The line is right there, by the thumb."

"That's not what I mean! Just listen to me!" Ash could see the fear in her eyes in response to his outburst. She fought it down, though, and remained silent. "You're a witch because most likely your mother or father was a witch, and one of their parents before them. It's in your blood. They might not have known it, but you can be a witch and not
know. All psychics are lost witches. In short, you're not a human, and you belong to the Night World."

She stared at him as if he was crazy. She took a step back.

"I'm not a lunatic," he told her, but she didn't look too sure. He shrugged. "I guess I'll have to show you, then."

Before her eyes, she saw his skin pale and his teeth poke out from under his top lip, indenting the bottom one and becoming very, very sharp.

Oh, Goddess, those are fangs, Arianna thought. He's a vampire, and those are his fangs. I knew it. They're out there. There are really vampires. Or maybe I hit my head harder than I thought and this is all a dream. In that case, I'd better not tell Mark, or he might get jealous.

"You see?" Ash asked, speaking easily around his fangs. "I'm part of the Night World, too. It consists of vampires, witches, werewolves, and shapeshifters. You're a lost witch. That light you exhibited earlier proves it. As a lost witch, you're a member of the Night World. And now you can join it fully, because everyone will think you're dead."

"I'm not scared of you," Arianna told him.

His fangs disappeared back into his mouth. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean, I'm standing here chatting with a vampire, and I'm not scared. I must be losing my mind." She took a deep breath through her nose. "Wait. Is that-"

"The cars have caught fire. We gotta get out of here." Ash grabbed her hand. She tried to pull away but her wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. "It's for the best. They'll think you're dead, and you can join the Night World. Or would you rather live among humans in countless foster homes, with foster parents who don't love you, but feel obligated to do their good deeds in life?"

Arianna pushed him, trying to stare down the ravine at the blazing, crackling flames that licked the edges of the road, like hungry tongues, reaching for her, to take her as they had taken her friends and family, but his arm was like and iron band around her. "Let me go!" she said.

"You're coming with me," he said. "And that's all there is to it." With that, he leaped, sailing through the air, going higher up the mountain. She screamed, and threw her arms around his neck. She smelled good, and Ash was surprised by how slim she was.

She heard his voice in her head. Don't worry about it. You're not in any danger.

Can you hear me? she sent to him.

Yes, he replied. Loud and clear. You're going to make a very powerful witch.

I already am one, remember?

"Yeah," he said aloud, landing silently. Reluctantly, he released her.

"Where are we?"

"First tell me your name," Ash demanded.

"Arianna," she told him. "Where are we?"

"Near my aunt's house." He looked around. "Yeah, we're close. Where did you live?"

Arianna felt a pang of sorrow at the "did." But he was right. She could no longer live there.

"The Bronx," she replied. "New York City."

Ash nodded. "I'll take you back there for some things after we check in with my aunt. I've got a friend with a car. He can drive us."

"He won't mind?" she asked.

"He never minds driving around girls with great bodies." Ash looked at his watch. "He won't be around until later, though. We've got time to kill."

"Thanks."

"Huh?"

"I suppose that was a compliment. So, thanks."

"Oh." He had hoped she wouldn't catch that. "No problem."

Arianna glanced at her surroundings and sat in the grass. "I guess I have to trust you," she said.

"Yeah, I guess so. Welcome to the Night World, babe." Ash didn't tell her that he wasn't one to be trusted, but he guessed she already knew that. She also knew that she had no choice, however, and was making it clear that she was relying on him against her will. This chick is smart, Ash thought. And hot.

"So, now what?" she asked him.

Ash thought for a second, then pulled her to her feet. "Come on," he said. "Let's walk."

They walked in the woods for a while, not saying anything. Finally, Arianna sighed. "They're dead," she whispered. "They're really gone. I was supposed to go, too. Why didn't I? Why did I have to stay behind?" She was crying. The grim reality of the afternoon was hitting her, and it was too much for a fourteen-year-old girl from the Bronx to handle.

Ash didn't know what to do. He knew what he wanted to do, but he didn't think that would be appropriate or well received at the moment. He decided on putting his arms around her, and she leaned against him. He stroked her hair. She wore it loose, and it hung down her back, almost to her waist. It was silky, and dark brown in color, but where the sun hit it turned red and copper. Ash rested his chin on top of her head, and inhaled deeply. She smelled of exotic flowers. It heated his blood.

He couldn't take any more of this. Cupping her chin in his hand, he tilted her head back. He knew his eyes were blazing, and that it might even scare her. He also knew that looking back on this, she would feel as though he had taken advantage of her. But he remembered how sweet her lips were from that first kiss he had stolen on the hill, and his memory was too good to let him go any longer without sampling some more.

Pressing his lips firmly against hers, he demanded she respond. He could feel her hesitation - at kissing a stranger, or at kissing someone other than "Mark," whoever that was. He wasn't sure. Or maybe she was hesitant to let herself enjoy kissing a stranger, or enjoy kissing someone other than Mark. But she was going to enjoy it, Goddamn it. He was Ash Redfern, and come hell or high water, she was going to enjoy his kisses.

When her lips parted under his, Ash needed no further bidding to deepen the kiss. He threaded one hand through her hair, and wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her to him. He kissed her hungrily. There weren't many cute girls around here, and now he'd stumbled onto one that was as beautiful as sin. He didn't plan on letting her go too soon.

Arianna threw her arms around his neck, and matched the pace he was setting with his lips. She surprised him. He hadn't thought she could kiss as well as he hoped she could, but she proved him wrong. He was glad. She ran her fingers through his ash-blond hair in a way that made his scalp tingle.

Ash broke off the kiss for a second to catch his breath. He'd never needed to do that before. If there had been any doubt in his mind earlier about her heritage, it was gone now. She was the most bewitching female he'd ever encountered. Resting his head on her shoulder, he stared at the light blue veins in her neck. Her blood was probably so sweet… If it was as intoxicating as her kisses, he didn't think he'd be able to live through feeding from her, because that's what she was. Intoxicating. Addictive. Illegal.

She kissed his neck and he thought he would go out of his mind.

"God, don't do that," he said, breathless. "Unless…"

Arianna took his face between her hands. "Just kiss me," she whispered.

Ash didn't need to be told twice.

How old are you? he asked telepathically, since his mouth was busy at the moment.

Fourteen, she answered.

Damn, he thought. Imagine when she's older.

What about you? she asked.

Fifteen, he told her, finding it hard to think because of what her lips were doing to him. He moaned, and his arms tightened around her. She strained against him, kissing him with a passion most fourteen-year-olds didn't know or possess. But she had just lost everyone dear to her, and she needed a distraction.

Ash was only too happy to oblige.