~ Marie ~

Marie ate her breakfast in frustrated silence. Adrian told her to stay in the room while he went out. Before he left he’d smirked and told her that if she didn’t finish the entire plate then he wouldn’t share any information. She’d used her magic to ease her headache before she tried to eat as quickly as possible. Why was he doing this? She stabbed a piece of ham and shoved it into her mouth. It wasn’t like he was going to continue to feed her after this. Marie finished up her plate before she leaned back and sipped her coffee. Thirty minutes passed before he returned.

“Done?” He smiled as he glanced at her plate. She crossed her arms in response.

“Did the knife get sold?"

“No. They skipped right over it. Didn’t even give an explanation.” Adrian took something out of his pocket and handed it to her. Inside the envelope was a single piece of paper. Most of it was blank except for four numbers written in black ink. 1408

“Room number?”

“Yes. The room is located off to the side, next to the stairwell. From the looks of it, it’s in a bit of a blind spot.”

“Why would Gregory have this?”

“When Amelia was being drained, do you remember where the signal was coming from?” She tilted her head at the change in conversation but thought his question over.

“It was several floors above us. I wouldn’t be able to tell you exactly where they were, only that they never moved from where they were at.” He nodded like that’s what he had expected.

“I think this is the location of our killer. It’s very likely that after they cut Amelia they went to their room and stayed there as they drained her. With the blind spot in the camera, no one would notice them coming or going.”

“How did Gregory know that we were looking for the killer?”

“I don’t know. It isn’t likely that a party coordinator would have been given the information.” He looked away with a frown before turning his intense gaze on her. “Have you met him before?”

“No. My first time seeing him was when he gave us the prize for hide and seek.” She had nothing to hide on that front. Marie still didn’t know who the man was but she was starting to think he was working for someone.

Someone who knew quite a bit about her.

“What are we going to do about the killer?” This was his favor so she’d listen to him when it came to this.

“We still have no proof that this person is the killer.” If he wanted proof there was only one way. They needed to catch the man in the act.

“I could act as a decoy.” He frowned as he crossed his arms.

“What about your safety?”

“As long as he doesn’t cut me with the knife, I should be fine since it doesn’t look like he knows too much magic.” Even if he did manage to get her with the knife, as long as she knocked him out or took the knife away from him then she shouldn’t be in any danger.

“What makes you say that?”

“If he knew magic, he would have known what he had to begin with. He would have also been able to get rid of the bodies and not leave so much evidence behind.”

“True.” Adrian trailed off as he ran one hand through his hair. “Alright, but I have some conditions.”

*~*~*~*~*

[I want you to tell me everything that happens. From when you are taken to when you enter his room. If you are unable to respond for any reason, I will break down the door. Do you understand?] Marie pressed her lips together. He didn’t need to use such drastic means. She could take care of herself.

[I understand.] This next part was a gamble. Marie was going to hang around the stairwell and see if the killer went after her. If he didn’t, they were going to meet up and try to get into the room another way. Marie looked around as she went up another flight of stairs. The stairwell was her best bet of getting noticed since it was likely the killer was using it to go from floor to floor. According to Adrian, there were no cameras anywhere in here. She went up another flight of stairs when she heard the door open two floors above her.

[Anything?]

[A door just opened.] The door swung closed with a soft click but she didn’t see anyone. Did they change their mind?

[Marie?] Marie glanced down when she heard another door open but it was too far down. She looked up to find herself face to face with the vampire that had attacked her before. He gave her a malicious smile before he reached out and grabbed her throat. The vampire squeezed it hard before he leaned forward and whispered in her ear.

“I was hoping I would see you again.” He straightened up and smiled showing fangs. “I know a place where you and I can be alone.”

[I’ve been caught.]

[Do you need my help?]

[Not yet.]

“Make a sound and I’ll snap your neck. Your vampire won’t be able to help you then.” He gave her throat a warning squeeze before letting go. The vampire switched to grabbing her arm. He yanked her up the stairs after him, not caring if she was able to keep up or not. The man opened the stairway door and scanned the area. After a minute passed, he left the stairway.

[I see you. Let me know the situation inside as soon as possible.]

[Okay.] The vampire opened the door Adrian had pointed out to her and shoved her through. She fell to the floor as the man closed and locked the door.

“Don’t try to escape or it’ll be worse for you.” The vampire left her on the ground as he went into the back room.

[There are two other people in here that I can see. Both of them are tied up and unconscious.]

[The knife?] Marie stood up and looked around. It looked similar to their room but the difference was this room was covered in bloodstains. This must be where he attacked the other victim before dumping him out in the hall.

[Don’t see it.]

[And the vampire?]

[He went into another room.] She spoke too soon. The man walked back in and sneered at her.

“Trying to escape?” From one blink to the next, he appeared in front of her. He grabbed her by the throat and shoved her against the wall. Marie struggled against his grip. He squeezed her throat tighter. “With the three of you, I should be able to get the power I deserve."

[I’m coming.]

“Try to last a while. I would hate for you to die too quickly.” The vampire gave her a savage grin as he pulled something out from beneath his jacket. The blade of the knife glinted in the light. She had no trouble reading the script now.

Marie placed her hands on his arm and closed her eyes. She shocked him and the pressure on her throat disappeared. Marie quickly opened her eyes. The vampire jumped back and cursed as he shook his arm. She threw a spell at the door. The door slammed open as Adrian stepped inside.

“Stay away from her.” The killer dropped into a fighting stance as his entire focus centered on Adrian. The vampire made the first move as he rushed towards Adrian, brandishing the knife. Marie stepped away from the fight and went to check on the hostages. A quick examination told her neither of them was in any danger. They had some light bruising but nothing life-threatening. She placed a quick barrier on them before turning her attention to the fight going on mere feet away from her.

The vampire Adrian was fighting was not as disciplined in his movements. His moves were sloppy as he completely depended on the knife to win the fight for him. It was the only reason Adrian hadn’t won already with his superior skills. She needed to distract the vampire for a split second. Marie thought quickly before writing out a quick spell.

[Face him toward me. Don’t look my way.] Adrian slowly moved the man around while avoiding his slashes. Once he was in position, Marie activated a spell that put out a burst of light. The vampire closed one eye to block out the light. Adrian took that chance to sweep his legs out from under him. The knife slid under a sofa, out of his reach. The killer scrambled to his feet and staggered out the door. She raced after him. The door to the stairwell slammed shut. She yanked it open and rushed inside.

[Marie, wait!] Adrian rushed in behind her.

[I’m not letting him get away.] She looked down the stairwell and saw the vampire further down. The man was running down the stairs as fast as he could. There was no way she’d be able to catch up even with teleportation.

But she didn’t need to.

Her eyes changed colors before she gathered as much lightning as she could. She grabbed the railing and forced her lightning through it. There was a yell from further down as the vampire was shocked. She released the lightning and stepped back.

[Let’s go.] She held out her hand. Marie closed her eyes and teleported them down the stairs. The vampire was still trying to run away. Adrian jumped over the railing and down several stairs before he caught up with the vampire.

He tackled the killer and they rolled down several steps before coming to a stop on the next landing. The man lashed out at him, attacking wildly at his face, chest, and arms. Adrian placed his knee on the other man’s stomach while he grabbed the other man’s collar with one hand and held his arm with the other.

The man still tried to attack with his other hand but all he could do was lash out uselessly. Marie teleported down and walked over to them. The vampire continued to struggle and to try to buck Adrian off but the other man wouldn’t budge. Adrian glanced at her.

[Stay back.] She ignored his order and approached. The vampire reached out towards her. Adrian knocked twisted the man’s arm and the vampire became preoccupied with getting his arm free. Marie quickly touched the vampire on the forehead. The vampire struggled for a few more moments before going limp. Adrian slowly let the killer go before standing up. [How long will he stay like that?]

[Three hours.] She had extended the amount of time just to be safe.

[Can you take us back to the room?] She nodded and teleported the three of them back to the killer’s room. He moved the killer over to one side before he knelt down beside the victims. “How long until they wake up?”

“They should wake up on their own soon.” Her voice was a little hoarse as she spoke. She placed a hand against her sore throat.

“Heal yourself.” She closed her eyes and took care of her injuries. Marie opened her eyes to see Adrian holding the knife. He looked it over, careful of the blade, before handing it over to her. “Can you break the spell without releasing any of the miasma?” She took the knife and looked it over.

“This isn’t like the medal. There’s no portal being opened when the spell gets used.” His brow furrowed.

“Why is it named after a demon?” Marie shrugged.

“The demon’s name wasn’t used. A demon’s name is usually made up of several different script that get twisted together.” She pointed to one of the script. “The only script that’s similar is this one here. The script for steal. This script is one of the ones used in that demon’s name but that’s the only one that’s remotely similar.”

“So there’s no miasma inside the blade?”

“No, there’s only magic. Do you still want me to take the spell off?”

“Yes, but can you do it without erasing the script on the blade?” That would be a little more difficult since the script was carved into the blade. The magic was a part of the blade itself at this point. Unless…

“Would it be fine to get rid of one of the script but not all of them?” He frowned as he thought for a moment. Once he agreed, she wrote several script in the air but stopped before activating the magic. “You shouldn’t look at this directly.” He only crossed his arms and waited. She’d warned him.

Marie activated the spell and a bright bead of light settled at the tip of her finger. She placed her finger against a single script. Sparks flew as she moved her finger down and melted the script responsible for the drain part of the spell. The spell tried to resist the break but it wasn’t long before the spell broke and all the script drained of magic. She looked over what she’d done before she dispelled the magic. Marie handed the blade back to Adrian. Only a small part had been damaged. If the blade was flipped to the other side no one would notice. Adrian looked the knife over before placing it down on the nearby counter.

“Let’s go.” Go? Why were they leaving? Adrian didn’t give her time to think as he picked her up and carried her out. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it again.

[Why are we leaving?] Adrian shut the door behind them as he went into the stairwell.

[I will inform the necessary people of what we have found. The companions will be returned to their vampires but we won’t be needed for what comes next.] Marie frowned. She’d have to let this go. The vampires would want to give out their own brand of justice. Interfering would just turn the vampires even more against the Order.

[I can walk.] A small smile tugged at his lips but he didn’t put her down. Adrian put her down just inside the room before closing the door behind them. He walked past her and into his bedroom. Marie went over to the sofa and sat down to wait.

Several minutes passed before he came back out. Adrian sat down across from her and smiled.

“Thank you for your help. With this mystery wrapped up, you don’t have to go out tomorrow if you don’t want to. You can stay in the room and read while I’m at my meetings.” His smile disappeared as his gaze became more intense. “Don’t forget that my favor is still in effect until this party is over. That’s what you agreed to.”

“I know.”

“Then you'll continue to obey my orders?”

“Yes.” Why was he bringing this up?

“Don’t leave this room on your own. That is an order.” Tsk. So that’s what he was getting at. “Will you follow it?” Marie pressed her lips together. It was frustrating but did she really want to meet that man like this? She mentally sighed. It was better not to see him at all if she could help it. At least, not with Adrian here. She didn’t want him caught up in something he wasn’t even aware of.

“I will.” He stared at her for a moment more before his expression softened.

“We should eat. Is there anything, in particular, that you want?” Marie shook her head. This time he ordered her roasted chicken with a side of potatoes and artichokes. She was happy to be getting more coffee with her meal instead of Rose Red.

After dinner, they went their separate ways. Marie sat on the sofa to read while Adrian went back to his room. She flipped another page and was pleased to see she was halfway done with her current book. Maybe tomorrow she should just stay in the room. With that much time, she should be able to get halfway through the next book before they had to leave.

Adrian came out of his room, adjusting his cuff. He’d changed his outfit. His tie and jacket were different from what he’d had on earlier.

“I’m going to a quick meeting. It shouldn’t take too long. If you need anything, you can use the phone to call room service.” He opened the door and left. Was the meeting over the killer they just caught? Or was it something else? She shook her head. It wasn’t any of her business. Marie went back to reading her book.

She glanced at her watch where it sat on the arm of the sofa. Half an hour had passed. Her watch was being used as a stationary clock this week since she wasn’t able to wear it with any of her dresses. She watched as the second hand made its way around the watch face.

Adrian had said it was a quick meeting. Quick to her was ten minutes. Marie frowned as she stared at her book. Why was she worried about him? Wherever he was, he should be fine. The killer had been caught so there was nothing to worry about. She stood up and walked towards her room. Marie nearly jumped in surprise when someone knocked on the door.

She hesitated for a moment before she turned away. It was better if she ignored it. Their case was done. Anyone knocking on the door was either one of the staff or a vampire. An employee could always come back later. A vampire on the other hand would only spell trouble for her. The knock came again. Marie frowned at it. Should she reinforce the door with magic, just in case?

“Not going to open the door, Marie?” The voice on the other side of the door froze her in place. What was Gregory doing here? Nothing good that was for sure. Her eyes narrowed as she crept towards the door. She stopped a foot away from the door and placed a quick barrier on herself. She hesitated again. Should she contact Adrian?

No. It was better if she didn’t since it seemed like the man was working for him. Marie straightened up and opened the door just enough for her to peer at him through the crack. The vampire smiled coldly at her.

“I wouldn’t close the door if I were you.” He put his hands behind his back and even took a few steps back but that only made her warier. “Not if you want to see your Master again.” The man laughed as if they were sharing a joke.

“Where is he?” Gregory gestured to the hallway with a graceful flourish.

“Follow me if you want to find out.”