Chapter 17

Mic watched as Richie left with the promise of seeing them tonight. Just great she thought, just who she wanted to see so soon. She rubbed her temples as her damn headache was still running rampant in her skull. She looked up at Gia exasperation in her gaze. "Holy shit."

"I couldn't have said it better myself Mic." Gia wandered into the living room and turned the stereo on and yelled into the kitchen as she flopped down on the couch, "Gonna tell me all the parts you left out now?"

Mic raised an eyebrow at her as she followed her and sat in the opposite armchair. "Why would you think I did that?"

"Because I've known you all my life? OR maybe its because I happen to be a seer and can TELL when someone's holding back?" Gia shook her head and laughed, "I Shoulda gotten a job as a lie detector; seriously who has ever been able to lie to me girl?"

Mic smiled "Yeah all of those reasons are good ones, damn. Well Gia, I hate to tell you this, but I seriously think you're his life mate, I dunno I just this feeling as well as the fact he bit you, and I’m picking a vibe up from you there's something else"

Gia reached for a magazine and flipped through the pages a study in nonchalance. "Oh really, what vibe is that?"

"That you already know this, how do you know?" she asked watching her intently.

Gia tossed the magazine back onto the coffee table with a sigh, "I don't know a thing, sometimes the things I see or feel don't mean what they seem to mean. I doubt seriously a one night stand could be anything other than a one night stand. Jesus Mic, he’s a fucking rock star, and Upier to boot, a nice one no doubt, but still, his life style isn't conducive to long term relationships."

"Gia he may not realize it now but he will in the future. He has no choice in the matter, plus he likes you I can tell. At least you get a nice one," she grumbled.

Her brow arched as her voice went silky smooth, "What is little Michaela not telling her friend?"

Mic leant back in her chair and closed her eyes. "I think I just fucked up big time, I can't be sure, but how the hell do you explain I can suddenly make shit appear out of thin air since last night, and that oh god, when we were, well you know.. it was electric, so much energy god dammit"

Gia's eyes widened, "Holy hell, you don't think?"

"What that I'm his life mate? Yeah that's exactly what I think, but I'm hoping I'm wrong, I really am, but my head, shit it hurts, and don’t you think its a little odd that we both meet two guys on the same night ... Jesus Christ, Gia I can't stand him, he makes my skin crawl. I mean he's hot but he infuriates me."

Gia leaned back and closed her eyes again, the urge to either run or hit something overwhelming her. She'd seen a piece of herself inside of him, she felt its absence even now. Rubbing her chest she sighed, "It's the damnedest coincidence ever created that’s for sure. Mic we can't let the elders find out. They'd try to kill them you KNOW it."

"God no, they'd probably prosecute us for finding this shit out. And we're not sure yet. We need to see what happens and then decide what to do, but I ain’t looking forward to that at all. Noo way"

"To say the least it will keep him safe. He's not evil Mic, not one inch of him is. Why would the Rom lie? Why would they suddenly stop a relationship that had went on for centuries?? I just don’t get it." Gia shook her head as she worried over the thoughts, her hand still absently rubbing the ache she couldn't reach. "Do your parchments explain that?"

Mic nodded "It appears, as I explained earlier, we had a good relationship with the Upier. Something happened, not sure what, But a Romany's Upier was captured along with one of our people. What it came down to was that she chose for her life mate to live which caused the deaths of some Romany. From that point on they were considered off limits and evil..." Mic explained.

“Seems unreasonable to ostracize all of them over one situation, but then when have the Rom ever been anything other than hot headed? OK so what else Mic, don’t leave anything out."

Mic sat back "That's essentially the facts, I just need to research more around the PSI stuff and also I need to see what will happen of you and Richie don't stay together. Shit, its just a nightmare of scenarios to consider and Jon, god, Jon, I mean what if its really him? He might not understand, he has no idea" she rambled.

She didn’t want to examine the implications of her and Richie. It had to have been just just a one night stand. She'd done what she was supposed to, she'd guided him into understanding. That was all she usually did, so dammit why'd it hurt and why god why was she still visualizing that flickering flame in the center of his soul? She took a deep breath and managed to smile.

“He's not that bad, you're just mad cuz you gave in Mic. Don't damn him before ya know him eh?"

Mic sighed "I know, I am angry more at myself and now that I realize it, if this was him, I was completely aware of what happened, I can remember it all now dammit, so he didn’t take advantage of me." She sat back and scanned her mind and looked at Gia.

"I'm not convinced you're telling me the truth, you're hiding something from me, tell me"

She stood and fiddled with the channels of the stereo, "what could I be hiding Mic? Hell its not like you didn't walk in on us. I can't say it didn’t happen and act innocent."

"You saw something in him, you gotta tell me, it will help me work out all this shit" she pleaded.

Gia's eyes wandered the room before settling on her friend. "I saw strength, kindness, humor. I saw a decent guy who wasn't evil. I saw confusion, talent desire, charisma, shit he’s got that oozing from his pores." She stopped a moment and considered her next words. "I saw a thirst for knowledge for, I dunno what."

Mic nodded "AND what about you.. you saw something in him to do with you didn't you? Gia tell me dammit!"

Gia shook her head, "It had to be a visual, not real ya know? It couldn't be what it seemed to be it couldn't!" She rubbed at her chest distractedly. "It's not possible, really, its not." She glanced up at Mic, her eyes shadowed with doubt, "I saw my soul inside of his.. well a piece of it, like a flame. It's not possible, it's just not."

Mic gasped "You didn’t, oh god Gia, and look at you, you've rubbed your chest ever since he god damn left, Holy shit!" Mic had read about this, there was no doubt now in Mic's mind that she was his life mate, hell not just life mate, there was soul involved too. There was no doubt in her mind now.

"It's just an itch or something Mic." Gia refused to believe it was anything important. It just couldn't be. Her thoughts began to tumble as the worry grew. She was too young, he was too, it just wasn't possible.


~~~~

Richie arrived at the hotel and unlocked the door only to find pitch blackness."Kidd? are you in here man?" Richie fumbled around for the light switch and flicked it on.

An arm flung itself over his eyes. "Cut the fucking light out man."

Richie turned off the light "What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked throwing the key on the table.

Jon groaned at how loud his friend seemed, "I'd call it a hangover but I didn't get that fucking drunk. Just a killer headache man."

Richie chuckled casting his mind back to Mic who kept rubbing her temples all morning. "Well if it helps ya, Mic's feeling the same way, remember her?"

Jon nearly growled, "I remember you got the better end of the deal. I bet your fuck of the night didn't accuse you of doing her without her consent."

"Hey she wasn’t just my fuck of the night, she's a nice girl too ya know, and so is Mic if you took five minutes to get to know her. Besides, I told her you wouldn’t take advantage of her." Richie growled not intending too but the need to defend Gia roared within him.

Jon snorted then started to laugh, "Hell all the groupies are nice, nice and juicy, nice and easy. Fuck of the day man. Jesus don’t grow morals on me now." He rolled over and threw his head under the pillow. "Fucking headache, had it since that girl left."

Richie felt his fist tighten and his blood slowly boil, Jon was right, it had always been this way, that was the deal, why did he feel so strongly now. He sat down in the dark on the bed as he felt a little light headed and lay back. "I know what they are, but she's a nice girl, they are different Kidd, she was amazing last night," his mind twisted off.

Jon turned over and looked in the direction of his friend’s voice. "You sound a bit unsure man. God she musta been a really good fuck. What'd she do, give you head?" A weak grin coasted onto his lips, he knew not many girls even attempted that one on his friend.

Richie watched the smirk on his friends lips, woah he could SEE that smirk even in the dark? "Fuckin cut that out Kidd, no she didn’t for that matter." Anger began a slow build inside of him and he was glad it was dark when the tingle of extending fangs became evident. Richie forced his anger into submission he wasn’t ready to tell Jon what he was, not yet and especially with the mood he was in.

Jon stood and shambled towards the bathroom and his travel bag. "I gotta have some damned aspirin in here." He looked into the mirror bleary eyed, If Richie wanted to get in a twist over a chick that was his call, they'd be leaving town tomorrow as it was. Finding the aspirin he swallowed a couple quickly and went back to his bed. "Wake me up tomorrow man."

"We're going out tonight with the guys, remember? I invited the girls along, they're both coming , even Mic, don’t ya wanna see her again?" Richie teased his friend, hoping to get a rise from him.

Jon groaned, he had forgotten all about tonight. "Fuck, I forgot. and I couldn't care less if I saw that groupie again, or her cute little sidekick. She’s got attitude."

Richie laughed, he agreed Mic did have attitude but she was so Jon's match, he thought for a second before speaking, "Yeah she has, she told me you wouldn’t come if you knew she was, said your ego would be too bruised" Richie lied but knew Jon would never leave it at that.

"Oh did she? We'll I'll be there and we'll just see whose fucking ego gets bruised. Til then I’m sleeping off my headache man."

Richie grinned, he knew it. He lay back feeling suddenly like his body was parched for something itself, his mind closed around the sandy blond that had haunted his dreams and now haunted his reality. Richie couldn’t put his finger on it, but she was different, and he was so oddly drawn to her more than most woman he's been with before. He took his mind back to Mic's statement about the PSI Upier and had to wonder if there was a connection there. Tonight was shaping up to be very interesting indeed.

Rubbing his chest, his thoughts suddenly zapped miles away as he felt a disturbance in the pit of his soul, a disturbance that brougth emerald green eyes and a sweet smile floating into his memory.