*~*~ADRIAN~*~*

This was different. Too different. The information he’d gathered on the previous disappearances did not match up with what happened yesterday. This was not what he’d been expecting. Adrian frowned as he debated whether or not to tell Marie what he knew. Would it even help? He sighed before he glanced at his watch. She should be waking up soon. They had some other things they needed to discuss.

Adrian knocked on her bedroom door. He couldn’t sense any of her emotions. A spell must be preventing him from feeling anything. Probably the same spell she used back at her house. Nothing against noises. He could hear her walking towards him. Marie opened the door and waited, arms crossed.

“I wanted to let you know that breakfast will be here soon.” She nodded before she shifted her weight from foot to foot. Something was off. This wasn’t the first time he felt that way. Yesterday, at the meeting, it felt like her emotions had disappeared. It was similar to when she suppressed them but it was more complete. He’d thought about asking her but knew better. Marie fidgeted again as her irritation rose. She exhaled and slowly her emotions evened out to a kind of calm. “Something wrong?”

“I’m fine.” A knock at the door forced him to leave it alone. For now.

Adrian sipped his coffee as he watched her struggle to complete her meal. She took a few more bites before she leaned back with her coffee. Only half of the omelet had been eaten. He frowned at the plate. She really didn’t eat enough. He wondered if she ever ate a full meal. Was there a way for him to get her to eat more? Adrian mentally shook himself. He shouldn’t concern himself with this. How much she ate wasn’t his business. Besides, there were other things they needed to be focused on.

“I wanted to change one of the rules.” Marie looked up at him before putting her cup back on the table. He could feel her wariness as she waited for him to finish. “You can talk normally when we’re around Jackson and Amelia. It won’t affect anything. At any meetings and in public, I’d still prefer you to stay silent. However, in case there’s something that needs to be said you can talk but” —Her wariness had started to fade away the more the conversation went on until he came to his condition then it shot right back up— “in front of any other vampires, you will need to call me Master.” Marie briefly frowned before she went back to a neutral expression. He barely kept himself from expressing his amusement.

Adrian knew she would rather remain silent than call him Master but he wasn’t doing it on purpose. In front of certain vampires, it would be seen as him having little control over his companion which would translate to him having no control over his clan or his business. Instead of trying to remember which vampires would care, it was just easier to have her do it all the time.

“I think we should practice now so that it’ll be easier for you to say it when the time comes.” She was definitely frowning now.

“I don’t need practice.”

“If you can’t even say it now when we’re alone….” He let the sentence hang. Adrian knew he shouldn’t mess with her but seeing her so adamant against saying it made him want to have her say it just once. Marie looked away, her arms crossed. He was about to let the matter drop when she glanced at him sideways.

“....master…” The word was barely above a whisper but he couldn’t help the smug look on his face. She looked away, her lips pressed into a tight line.

“I have another meeting soon. After that, we’ll come back to the room.” He wondered if he should mention the Garden Party now but decided against it. Later, he could explain things. “Your helpers should be on the way.” Marie nodded and they split up to finish getting ready.

Adrian glanced at her before he knocked on the door. This meeting would hopefully go better than his last one.

A young woman opened the door and stepped to the side to let them in. All of the rooms had the same layout for the living room, the only difference with this one was the bottles of alcohol lined up on the counter. He walked to the sofa and shook hands with the vampire before sitting down. Marie sat down next to him, though she made sure to keep six inches between them. The woman served them refreshments before sitting down. This time, Marie was also served champagne. He could smell the alcohol coming from the glass. Adrian considered speaking to his host about it but decided against it. The man barely wanted to meet him. Any complaints might be used as an excuse to throw them out. It was best not to say anything.

[You don’t have to drink any.] The champagne had a relatively low amount of alcohol even if she did decide to drink it but he didn’t think she ever wanted to. Back in September, when he’d followed her to the bar, he’d noticed that she had been careful not to tip the bottle far enough for the beer to touch her lips. Marie didn’t look at him as she took a sip. The move was so natural that no one who wasn't paying close attention would guess that she hadn’t drank any.

Adrian stopped paying attention to her and fully focused on his conversation. The man didn’t seem like he would be willing to partner with him. He felt her stiffen next to him. Her emotions fluctuate from anxious to frustrated before settling into apprehension. Marie took another pretend sip of wine before he felt her hand touch his. She squeezed his hand twice before letting go.

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Something was happening.

Adrian ended the meeting early and led her out the door. She didn’t speak until the door had closed.

“We need to get to the elevator, Master.” He kept the surprise off his face while he led her to the elevator. Once the elevator closed, she immediately pressed the button for the sixth floor. She frowned before she also pressed the button for the eighth floor.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s the same magic signature as yesterday.”

“Is it the same spell?” She shook her head.

“I can’t tell from here.” Adrian focused on the display as they waited. On the sixth floor, she rushed out squeezing between the doors before they had fully opened. Luckily, there was no one in front of the elevator or down the hallway.

He followed her as she turned down one hallway then turned at the next intersection. At the end of the hallway, he could see someone lying face down. Adrian rushed forward and knelt beside them. He turned them over gently. The man was barely alive and wouldn’t last much longer.

Marie knelt beside him and placed her hand on the man but there was nothing she could do. The man had already passed away. Adrian examined the body, looking for clues.

This man had been savagely attacked. There were multiple bite marks on his neck and wrist. Bruises peppered his face, neck. Based on what he could see through the tears in the man’s clothing, his arms and legs were bruised as well. The man had also been stabbed in the shoulder and there were several dark bloodstains on his legs. Unfortunately, this was as much as he was able to learn.

They needed to leave.

He stood up. They only had maybe a minute before they would have company. He picked Marie up and took her to the nearest stairwell.

[Someone is coming.] That was the only thing he said before he started jumping down the stairs, taking them five at a time. She tensed every time he jumped and gripped his neck tighter with every landing. At this rate, she might end up strangling him before they got to the bottom.

He stopped on the third floor and put her down. She wobbled a little as she let go. Adrian could hear someone coming downstairs. They were only a few flights above them.

He’d need to improvise.

[Sorry.] He put his hands on her shoulders before he leaned down and sank his fangs into her shoulder. Marie tensed but didn’t make a sound as her blood gushed into his mouth. [Try to relax and don’t look at them.] Her heart was beating a little too fast. He felt her irritation before it slowly evened out to her usual calm.

They waited for several heartbeats. He listened hard as he tried to pinpoint their location. Finally, the sounds were far enough away he felt safe taking his fangs out.

[Don’t heal it all the way.] The more marks on her neck, the better protected she was. Most vampires preferred drinking from a neck free of marks when it was someone other than their companion. He waited for her to finish healing before he picked her up. She tried to talk him out of it but as soon as he told her there were other people in the area, she gave up. The rest of the journey back to the room was silent. Adrian didn’t see anyone out in the hallways either. Not that the killer would just hang around, waiting to be found. He closed their room door behind them before he put her down on the sofa and straightened up.

“I’m going to make a quick call then we’ll talk.” He needed to get in touch with Dante. He was the best information broker he knew and one of the few outside his clan that Adrian trusted. Any information the man could dig up on the victims or the situation, in general, would be welcome. He might even be able to get the information much sooner if the man was attending the party as well. It was unlikely that Dante would miss the party when there were so many vampires attending.

Once he’d finished leaving a voicemail for the other man, he headed back to the living room. Marie was sitting up with her hand against her chin. He wanted to ask her about the magic but he needed to make sure he took care of her first.

“Hungry?” He was worried he had taken too much blood. For a normal human who ate regularly, the amount of blood he took would be about the same as donating blood. However, with the way she ate, he wasn’t sure if he had pushed her past her limits. She tilted her head to the side, confusion radiating from her. Adrian went to the phone and ordered orange juice, just in case. “Did you manage to check the magic?” He sat down on the arm of the sofa so he’d be prepared to open the door.

“It was the same magic.”

“So he was being drained just like the vampire from yesterday?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t sound sure.”

“It’s the same but…” Marie frowned for a moment before speaking. “The magic was too quick to get a good look but it was going in two different directions.”

“What? Why?” She shook her head.

“I don’t know.” There was a knock and he went to the door. It was one of the staff. They wheeled in a small cart that held a pitcher of orange juice and two glasses before leaving. He closed the door and poured out a glass. Adrian took the glass over to Marie but she just looked at it.

“Here. And I want you to drink the whole thing.” She pressed her lips together as her irritation briefly flared up. Marie sighed before chugging down the entire glass. She held out the empty glass while she grimaced. One more thing that she didn’t like. He placed the glass back on the cart before he went back to sitting on the armrest.

“Is it possible that this person was being drained by two different people?”

“Maybe.” He wasn’t going to get any more information from her. Adrian checked his watch. It was almost time for him to go.

“I need to leave soon for the Garden Party. You won’t be able to come with me since it’s a vampire-only event.” He had her attention now. “You don’t have to wait for me to eat. Just pick up the phone and press zero. Someone will answer and all you have to do is tell them what you want.” Confusion was quickly followed by disinterest as he continued to speak. “This is an order. You will eat something before going to bed.” She frowned but he knew that if he didn’t say anything, she wouldn’t eat. “I don’t know when I’ll be back so you can go to sleep whenever you want. I don’t have anything planned for later.” Marie nodded as he stood up.

Adrian was halfway to the door when something occurred to him. He stopped and turned to face her.

“Do not leave this room without me.” She pressed her lips together as irritation ran through her but she nodded while looking at him directly in the eyes. Adrian didn’t like it but he’d have to trust her to keep her word.