Frost's Soulmate

Someone Else

"Trying hard to think pure
Bloody hard when I'm raw
You talking out so sexually
'bout boys 'n girls and your friggin' dreams
So now you feel lusty
You're hot and confused
So now you've been busted
You're caught feeling used

You had to do someone else
You should've been by yourself
Instead of here with me
Secretly"
-Skunk Anansie

He walked to his office and sat down at his desk putting his feet up on it. Quinn and Hannibal pushed Jayce into the room.

“Sit,” Deacon ordered. Jayce obeyed looking around nervously. “Account for where you were last night and tell me who can substantiate it.”

“I was out, and I didn’t get the names of everyone around me.”

Jayce had been Deacon’s employee for over a hundred years. Deacon himself had turned the young man. “You’ve been with me long enough to know the low tolerance I have for betrayal and lying. I suggest you tell me where you were before I lose my temper.”

“I told you-”

“You really aren’t very smart, are you?” Deacon asked. “I want to know where you were ‘out’ does not answer that question.”

“At your club.”

“That narrows it down to ten buildings in this city,” Deacon said rolling his eyes towards the ceiling. He hadn’t moved, still sitting with his feet propped up showing no emotion something he knew was making Jayce nervous. “Get a little more specific.”

“I was at the Habitat.”

“That’s better. I’m sure that the video tapes of last night will be able to confirm that.” Jayce’s eyes widened before he wiped the emotion from his face. Deacon arched an eyebrow at the younger vampire. “Something wrong?”

“No.”

Deacon watched him closely. “Good. Well, you can go for now, but don’t leave the building.”

“Of course.” Jayce left hurriedly.

“You let him go?” Hannibal demanded.

“Do you think it was him?” Quinn asked.

“King, follow him, be discrete,” Deacon said. “He’s sure as hell hiding something.” Hannibal left. “Quinn, take the rest of the night off. Go do whatever the fuck it is you do for fun.”

“Thanks, Deac. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Deacon got up after Quinn had left. He crossed over to a wall and hit a panel opening it. TV screens showing virtually every room in the building came to life.

In one Mary-Lynnette and Ash sat in bed reading together. In another Nilson sat writing in a small notebook. Another showed Raven sitting in his living room; Mr. Whiskers curled up on her lap. He saw Quinn leaving with Mercury and a few others. Finally, he saw who he was looking for. Jayce was heading down a hallway towards a storage room. He kept glancing over his shoulder worriedly.

“No, you have nothing to hide,” Deacon murmured. He opened the door and went inside. Deacon shut the wall and exited the room. Halfway to the storage room he ran into Hannibal. “Lose your quarry?”

“I let him get too far ahead of me.”

“Follow me.”

“Why are you being so… nice?” Hannibal asked the question that had been plaguing him since he and Abagail had been caught.

“I blame Raven,” Deacon said honestly. “She has this… weird calming effect on me. You tell anyone that and I’ll kill you.”

“Understood.” They got to the storage room and Deacon kicked the door open. Jayce turned and growled at them.

“Abagail!” Hannibal exclaimed rushing to her. “Are you okay?” Her eyes widened as she saw the two of them.

“Untie me so I can kill this son of a bitch,” she growled.

“So… Jayce… do you have anything you’d like to tell me?” Deacon asked almost cordially.

“Deacon, I-” He never got to finish because Abagail was lose and she grabbed a knife and stabbed him through the heart.

“You are real lucky that you’ve been through some major shit,” Deacon growled. “But for future reference, I am the boss. Got it?”

“Whatever,” Abagail said brushing the dust off her clothes.

“Listen, little girl, you are only alive right now because I allowed the kid here to search for you. I could have left you to die and it wouldn’t have bothered me. I suggest you remember that. Hannibal, take care of her, I’m going to bed.”

One month later

Deacon had expected that soon he’d grow tired of his soul mate. He was dismayed to find that time only increased his desire for Raven. Business was booming and life was good. He’d get up early in the evening, shower with his lovely girl. He’d then work, checking over the books, meeting with the stockholders. Raven showed an aptitude for business so he put her to work with Ash and Mary-Lynnette. He’d eat with Quinn, Ash and the others and usually retire early.

Deacon slowly started to panic. This wasn’t right. He didn’t even lust for other women. Here he was at one of his clubs where women were dancing, wearing bikinis that would be illegal at most beaches. Blood was spraying down onto them, coating their bodies and he wasn’t even interested. Mercury walked over to him. “Hey, Deac, haven’t seen you around lately.”

“I know,” he said. “I heard you helped Raven pick out her outfit a while back. Thanks.”

“She needed all the help I could give her,” Mercury said with a laugh. “How are things?”

He knew what she was asking and smiled. “Good.” He let her lead him back to the back where a couch sat.

“What’s going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on, Deac, every one has noticed that you aren’t the same. You’ve changed.”

“I have not.”

Mercury leaned back and arched an eyebrow. “Bullshit.”

“Merc, I’m still the same guy I was,” he argued. She just started at him. “Okay… maybe things are a little different now.”

“A little? You weren’t even flirting with Emelia. I don’t care what you do. I’m just worried that the guys might start to doubt your strength since you have this obvious weakness.”

Deacon’s eyes narrowed dangerously and Mercury winced. “’Obvious weakness’?”

“You know what I mean. She’s nowhere near strong enough to fight off one of our guys and you know damn well that at the first sign of weakness some of them are going to be looking to take over.”

“Gee, you mean they don’t love me?” Deacon asked mockingly.

“I’m being serious. I’m just worried, okay? Everyone knows how you feel about her, so if they’re going to strike, it’ll be through her.”

“Everyone knows ‘how I feel?’” Deacon asked. “And how is it that fuckin’ I feel, Mercury?”

Mercury flinched, she knew that this was dangerous ground. Deacon wouldn’t kill her for overstepping her bounds as he would some but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t strike out. “Deac, I don’t want to fight with you. It’s bad enough to lose you to this girl I don’t want to lose you completely.”

“And who says you’ve lost me at all?”

“Don’t fuck with me, I know you’d never-” He kissed her. “Deacon, what are you doing?”

“I’m fuckin’ sick of every one knowing what I’m doing or should be doing. I’m my own man. I’m not part of a fuckin’ couple. No one owns me.” He crushed his lips to hers again. This time she responded wrapping her arms around him. They tumbled back onto the couch.

“You really want to do this here?”

Deacon laughed at that. “Hell no. Let’s get out of here. There’s a couple rooms in the back.”

Later, as he lied on the edge of the bed snoring lightly Mercury sat up just watching him. He still hadn’t been able to go through with it, just as she’d figured. He really was in love with this girl. Stupid soul mate link. She touched his hair lightly. She had loved him, as much as she knew how.

With a sigh she settled down onto the bed. She didn’t want to let him go, but she wasn’t going to be one of those girls that went crazy to keep their man. She had her pride. Besides, by pushing him she’d only push him away. Deacon Frost did not respond well to pressure. She could settle for being his friend and watching his back. Even if it was hard to watch him day after day with another woman.

At the penthouse

Raven paced holding Mr. Whiskers in her arms. It was long past dawn. Where was he? She finally sat down on an over stuffed chair. “He’d better be hurt,” Raven told the drowsing cat, “or else he will be.” The cat merely purred. “Why did I let myself fall in love with a man like him?” Mr. Whiskers just yawned stretching his body out contentedly.