Part Eleven:
 

Rating: PG-13
 

Ash pushed the lit button outside of apartment 30-G. A doorbell could be heard ringing from inside.

Suddenly Arianna was nervous. She hadn't met any other Night Worlders aside from Ash, his aunt, and Zaid. And from what little information she'd gotten out of Ash, she wasn't sure about how she felt in regards to Quinn. Her stomach twisted in knots and she realized that her muscles were tense.

Relax, she told herself. They can probably smell fear. Or would that be a predominantly werewolf trait? She didn't have time to think about it because just then the door opened, revealing a very good-looking boy.

Oh, God, I didn't know he was hot! Arianna was suddenly nervous for a different reason, and the feeling increased when the boy's dark eyes swept over her appreciatively. His eyes seemed black, like the obsidian arrowhead in her suitcase, but that was impossible. No one could have black eyes. It simply wasn't possible for a normal human to-

And that was just it. This guy - Quinn - wasn't a normal human. Hell, he didn't even seem like a normal vampire! Arianna's gut told her this, and she always listened to instinct.

He wasn't very tall - but still taller than she was. His body was compact, but lithe and flat-muscled. He had dark shiny hair and a slightly insane smile. He stepped back, giving them room to enter the apartment.

As Arianna passed by him she noticed something strange. She felt almost as if she wasn't alone in her own mind, as if someone were looking in on her thoughts. Then she felt another person's presence - Quinn's. He was in her mind.

Get out! she thought, gathering her mental energy and shooting it out at him. She discovered it was much easier than it used to be. She remembered how hard it had been to send mental messages to Vicky, to gather her energy and condense it, fighting to keep it together and in some sort of form, and then to channel it. That was always the most difficult part. But now, as she sent a shock to Quinn's mind, she found it was much easier to send out her energy than it had been before she was in the accident.

Quinn stumbled a bit - but not much - from Arianna's mental attack. She saw anger rise up in his fathomless black eyes, and then he was on her, slamming her against the closed door. She screamed - or tried to - but his hand was over her mouth.

No, not over it, she realized. In it. His fingers were in her mouth, feeling around her teeth. What the hell was he doing? She tried to bite his hand, but to no avail. She continued struggling.

"Get off me!" she yelled, her voice muffled. "Leave me the fuck alone!"

Ash grabbed Quinn's arm and tried to pull him off Arianna. "Let go of her!" he said, just before Quinn threw him into the wall. Arianna took this opportunity to punch Quinn, but he only laughed.

Just keep still. She heard Quinn's voice in her head. I'm not trying to molest you or anything. I just need to check-

Arianna didn't wait for him to finish. She called on her psychic energy and shaped it, driving it straight into Quinn's mind. He cursed in pain and released her, standing back. They glared at each other. Ash was on the floor, finally coming to. He'd hit his head hard against the wood paneled wall where Quinn had thrown him.

Quinn turned his head to look at Ash, and Arianna didn't waste a second. She bolted for the door, but someone grabbed her around the waist and tugged her back just as her fingers closed around the knob. She screamed and swung her fist, catching someone in the arm.

"Hey, stop." It was Ash. He was wincing in pain and had one hand on the back of his head.

"You are not leaving me here!" she declared, trying to free herself from Ash's iron grip. "Did you see what this freak just did? He's crazy! I won't stay-"

"I was just checking to see if you were a vampire." Quinn spoke calmly and a little madly. He truly seemed insane. "You gave me a mental shock when I used my psychic powers-"

"To hell with you vampires and your psychotic powers," Arianna muttered.

"That's psychic!"

"Not from my point of view, buddy."

Ash decided to step in before the situation became an all-out war. "Can we all sit and discuss this calmly?" he suggested.

"Yes, why don't we?" Quinn gallantly took Arianna's elbow and guided her to the sofa. Her muscles tensed and her brown eyes were filled with undisguised suspicion. She sat, but her eyes never left Quinn's form as he seated himself on an antique armchair. Ash sat next to Arianna, draping an arm along the back of the couch behind her. He saw Quinn's eyes quickly take in the positioning of Ash's arm, and how close he was to Arianna on the sofa. Good. Quinn had to know that Arianna was not available, even if they weren't technically a couple.

In the half-hour that followed, Ash explained to Quinn how Arianna came to know about the Night World, her decision to join it, and her need to stay in a place far from New York. Quinn, having felt Arianna's psychic power first hand, agreed wholeheartedly that she was a witch and that Ash had broken no laws in telling her about the Night World. And after one look at Arianna he agreed to let her stay with him.

Arianna found an opportunity to talk to Ash privately while they transported her luggage to the guest bedroom, which had obviously been occupied by females in the past. Arianna eyed the floral bedspread with distaste. Flowers weren't her thing.

She pulled Ash aside before he returned to the living room. "Ash," she whispered. "Do you really think it's safe for me to stay here? I mean, nothing against your friend, but I didn't get a very good first impression, you know? Think about it, I walk into the place I'm supposed to be staying at and a vampire attacks me as soon as I'm in the door. If you were me, would you wanna stay here?"

Ash considered this. "I'll tell you what," he said finally. "I'll give you the names of all the Night Worlders across the country that I'd trust you with. A bunch of them owe me favors, and some are just nice like that. That way, whatever state you're in, you'll have someplace to go. Deal?"

"What about money?"

Ash thought for a second. "I'll set up a bank account that you can take money out of. I'll do it while I'm here. You'll be able to get money out of any ATM machine anywhere. And I'll get us each a cellular phone, so we can stay in contact."

Arianna nodded thoughtfully, chewing her lower lip. "But do you have to leave me here?" she asked. "This guy freaks me out."

Ash sighed. "I'm a little worried, myself," he confessed. "But I'll be here - for a while, anyway - and if you want to learn about the Night World, Quinn's the guy to see."

"Okay…" she agreed. "I'll stay."

Ash grinned. "You trust me?"

Arianna looked up at him, her face serious. She didn't answer for a while. "You don't know me, Ash. I don't trust anyone. The two people I trusted are dead. I'm alone now. Don't expect me to trust you right away. It's not going to happen."

Ash shrugged. "I get it. You have trust issues. A lot of people do. No big deal."

Arianna gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand, thanking him without words for understanding her.

Ash smiled back, looking extremely handsome. He put an arm around her shoulders and guided her into the living room where Quinn was waiting.

He had his back to them. Arianna could see the light reflecting off of his shiny, dark hair. When he turned around, the light reflected off his eyes as well. He was very attractive. His lips, especially. Arianna wondered what it would be like to kiss - no, she wouldn't go there. She didn't feel like courting danger any more than she knew she would have
to in the coming years.

"I hope you're ready, gorgeous," Quinn said. His voice was deep and strong, just like his gaze. "I'm about to teach you how to survive."