~ Marie ~

They stood on the edge of the ballroom. The room was smaller than yesterday's ballroom and the main color was blue instead of red. Marie scanned the area but didn’t see anyone coming their way. Most people were either dancing or talking in groups. She spotted the group of companions that Amelia had pointed out to her before. Marie turned around.

[Did the note give a time?]

[No, but I don’t think she’ll have trouble finding us.] She had reapplied the communication spell before they left the room. He’d wanted to keep in touch in case something happened during the meeting. Though when this meeting would take place wasn’t said on the invitation. Only that they were to meet at the dance and from there they would be led to the room where the meeting would be held.

Since they had no idea how long until it would be, they had already danced several songs before Adrian led her off to the side to rest. They went through a door and ended up on the terrace overlooking the gardens. There was a partial view of the front of the hotel from here. Adrian took a sip of his champagne but kept his eyes on the ballroom. They could still see who was coming and going from where they were standing even though they were at the back of the room.

[You said I could ask more today.] He glanced at her before he nodded.

[What did you want to ask?]

[What did Cecilia look like? There’s a possibility that the Order has information on her.] It was unlikely but she could at least look. He leaned against the railing and looked out at the garden.

[She had platinum blond hair and ice-blue eyes. Her height was similar to yours but her skin was very pale.]

[Did she have any scars or tattoos?] Her features would stand out but only if she didn’t change them. Scars would need extensive magic to fix so there might be a record of it. A tattoo would also need magic to hide them since there wasn’t a spell that could get rid of regular tattoos. He looked down at his champagne for a minute before he spoke.

[She did have a tattoo.] Marie leaned against the railing as she waited for him to continue. The breeze from the wind felt nice against her skin. It helped lessen some of the heat she was feeling. Movement at the front of the hotel caught her eye. Several people were walking towards the hotel. She tracked their progress as the group came closer. [There was something unusual about it.] He paused. [I remember now. It was a pink snowflake.] She barely heard his words as she saw someone she never wanted to see again. The group had already entered the building but her mind was stuck on the image she’d seen. Had she really seen him? Was he really here? A chill went down her spine. Would he be doing that here?

A hand grabbed her arm and flipped her around. She was confused by the sudden movement. Marie looked up into Adrian’s concerned eyes.

[You need to calm down. You’re attracting attention.] Marie looked around and noticed some of the vampires were watching her. She forced her emotions down. That shouldn’t have happened. She should’ve known better. Marie shook her head, trying to clear it. [What happened? What did you see?] She needed to keep it together. Getting other people involved would only get them killed. Marie shook her head as she looked away. She felt his hand tighten on her arm for a moment before letting go. Adrian straightened up and turned around. A moment later, she found out why.

“Adrian Forde?” A man stood in the doorway. He had blond hair and hazel eyes. His gaze swept over both of them before focusing on Adrian’s face.

“Yes?”

“I have come to lead you to my mistress. She wishes to meet you in her room.” Adrian nodded before they followed the man into the elevator. The man pressed a button at the very top. It didn’t have a number and instead was marked with the letter ‘S’.

The ride was silent as the elevator took them all the way up. Marie knew that this wouldn’t last long. Once they got back to the room, Adrian would question her about what she’d seen again. She needed to come up with something she could tell him that would stop him from asking her anything more. She was distracted by the elevator coming to a stop.

The elevator doors opened to reveal a single long hallway guarded by several men on either side. No one stopped them or even looked at them as they walked to the double doors at the end. The man guiding them opened the doors for them and waited for them to pass before closing it behind them. Their guide walked to the far side of the room where there was another set of double doors. The man went through them, leaving them alone.

The center of the room held a red sofa in the shape of a crescent moon. There was a small circular table next to it made of a dark shade of wood. The rest of the room was filled with pots and vases that held a large array of flowers. The opposite wall was completely made of glass and gave a clear view of the night sky. Adrian walked over to the sofa and sat down on one end. She was forced to sit to the right of him since there was no room on his left side. Marie did not like the idea of sitting between the two vampires but she had no choice unless she wanted to sit on the ground.

She glanced sideways at Adrian. He still hadn’t said anything but she knew he wasn’t going to let this go. She shouldn’t have reacted that way when she was surrounded by vampires. Marie frowned. She needed to focus on this problem first. Discovering why that man was here could come later.

The doors opened and a woman walked in. The vampire was wearing a white dress with red embroidery down one side. Her blonde curls cascaded down one shoulder. The woman looked like an elegant doll and she also looked familiar. It was the woman she met yesterday at the fountain.

[What’s wrong?]

[I saw her yesterday.]

[What?] The woman was escorted to the table by their guide. The man released her once they reached the table. Adrian stood up and waited for Lisa to be seated before he sat down again. He didn’t tell her anything so Marie stayed seated. The woman’s features were more easily seen in this lighting. The woman’s lips curved into a smile but her eyes remained cold as she looked at Adrian.

“I’m pleased you could join me today.”

“I was pleased to receive the invitation.”

“Refreshments?” Lisa gestured and the man walked over to a covered cart and removed the lid to reveal a range of bottles. “Anything specific? Darien can make most drinks.”

“A brandy for me and water for my companion.” Darien brought over the drinks on a silver tray. He placed two glasses in front of them before he placed a glass in front of Lisa. The woman smiled at the man before turning her attention to them.

“I wanted to hear more about your business. I heard you were planning an expansion.” Marie tuned out Adrian’s answer as her thoughts turned to yesterday. She must have done something to get Lisa’s attention but what? There was nothing she remembered doing that would mark her as unusual.

[What do you mean you saw her yesterday?] She was surprised to hear his voice since he hadn’t stopped speaking to the other vampire.

[Lisa showed up with another man. They stopped at the fountain where I was hiding and she looked right at me. She didn’t say anything. Just smiled and left. That was it.]

[That night she sent the invitation. Why didn’t you say anything?]

[You asked if I had any problems. I didn’t. No one attacked me.] She could almost hear him sigh. Her attention was so focused on their conversation that she wasn’t prepared for the light touch on her arm. She flinched before she forced herself to relax. Lisa continued to caress her arm.

“Where did you find such a lovely companion?”

“We met while I had business in her area. We've been together ever since.” More than she would like.

“My gentlemen are quite devoted but sometimes I wish I had a girl around.” Lisa grabbed her hand and lifted it with her left hand. Her right hand caressed the full length of Marie's arm. Marie tried not to flinch again as she felt pain near her wrist. Lisa had a firm grip on her hand and didn’t let her move her arm away. “I’m so sorry. I’m just not used to these long nails.” The vampire licked the nail that had cut her. “I would cut them but long nails are the ‘in’ thing now.” She let go of Marie’s arm and laughed. It was a soft tinkling kind of laugh that sounded fake. Adrian lifted her arm and looked at the scratch. There was a thin red line about three inches long near her wrist. It had already stopped bleeding but still hurt.

“Unfortunately, we have another meeting coming up so we must be on our way.” He continued to hold onto her hand as he politely smiled at Lisa. Lisa’s smile grew wider as she spoke.

“I understand. Maybe we’ll have another chance to talk again soon.” Adrian nodded as he stood up and pulled Marie up with him. Lisa stayed seated while the two of them walked out the door.

Adrian didn’t talk again until they were back in their room.

“I want to hear how you met Lisa again.” He leaned back after she was done and crossed his arms. “I don’t see how she would have become interested in you with just that.” His eyes narrowed. “Is that really everything?”

“Yes.” Marie looked him straight in the eyes. She didn’t understand why Lisa wanted to meet her either. Even if her illusion had caught Lisa’s eye, it wasn’t like illusions were rare. Marie couldn’t figure it out no matter how much she thought about it. There was a knock at the door. He waited until the person knocked again before he stood up and went to the door. Adrian held an envelope in his hands as he walked past her into his room. He was gone for a few minutes before he returned with several more. They were placed on the table in neat little piles.

“I was waiting for information from my broker.” He held the envelope he received up before placing it down on the table. “These are from Grace.” He started to pull the papers out, one by one. A small slip of paper fell out of one of the envelopes. Adrian picked it up and glanced at it before slipping it into his pocket. He noticed her gaze but shook his head. “It’s not part of the case.” She didn’t know if she believed that but there was nothing she could do if he was withholding information. If she asked him about it, he might remember to ask her about what happened earlier.

Marie returned her attention to the new set of information he’d been given. She read each of the papers carefully. Her hand was placed against her chin as she thought about what she’d read. “What is it?”

“This here.” She pointed to a single sentence. Adrian leaned forward to read what she was pointing at. “Both of the victims had been stabbed.” According to the information, the first victim had been stabbed in the chest. That person had died because of the wound. The second victim had been stabbed in an area that would cause some bleeding but there would be no danger from dying.

“Amelia had been cut across her back.” He examined each of the papers before looking back at her. “He stabbed each of them for a reason, why?”

“It’s probably the work of a magical item.”

“Magical item? This wouldn’t be the work of a blood ritual?”

“If the victims were close to the killer instead of having several floors separating them, then it’d be possible but I don’t think that’s it.” Marie picked up the stack of papers that she’d received from the thief. “With a magical item, they would be able to use less magic and be as far away from the victim as possible.” The killer would be able to flee to a safe spot and drain the companion as much as they wanted without being interrupted. Grace had several papers dedicated to items being sold at the auction. Marie flipped through a few papers before finding the one she was searching for.

“And this might be the item that’s being used.” The paper she pointed to listed several items from the auction, but what caught her eyes was the knife listed near the very top. He took the paper from her and looked over the information.

“Why do you think it’s this knife?”

“I won’t know anything for sure until I see the knife but the title lists a demon’s name. It’s called 'The Blade Of Verce’. Verce is the demon of diversion. It’s possible that this knife was given that name because it diverts energy from one person to another.” Adrian frowned at the paper before putting it back on the table.

“Why would the killer sell something that he’s using to gain power?”

“It’s just a guess but it’s possible this person didn’t know what they had to begin with. The first victim was killed because of the knife. The magic activated for a short amount of time. That’s when the killer realized what they had. After that, they were careful not to kill the person directly with the knife but instead focus on draining them dry.” He pulled out the envelope they’d gotten for hide and seek from his jacket.

“It’s a good thing we have tickets to the auction.”