*~*~ADRIAN~*~*

He should have known something was up when he’d felt her wariness. Adrian had let it go since she was talking to the thief and she was bound to become wary at some point but he should have known not to trust her with her own safety.

Marie was too reckless.

He’d experienced it earlier tonight and he still let her go off on her own again. When he felt her emotions become conflicted then disappear, he knew that he needed to see what was going on. Luke tried to stall for time but the man was finally forced to open the door when Adrian had stepped forward to do it himself.

When the door had opened, a sweet scent had rushed out. It was like he was inhaling sugar. Marie had looked up at him and looked ready to say something but he hadn’t wanted to argue with her in front of another vampire so he’d carried her out of there before she could speak. Adrian had still expected her to say something or tense up like she usually did but instead, she had leaned into him and relaxed completely.

Something was definitely wrong.

He stopped in front of the door and shifted her to one side so he could get the door open. Adrian went in and kicked the door shut behind them. Marie still hadn’t said anything and he was starting to worry. He put her on the sofa and she opened her eyes slowly and yawned.

“Marie?” She looked up at him and he didn’t like what he saw. Her eyes were glassy and her face was flushed. She looked drunk or drugged. “You need to tell me what you did back there. I need to know if you ate or drank anything." He touched her forehead and neck. Her temperature and pulse were normal. Her breathing was normal too.

"Drank Rose Red and talked. That's it." Her words were a little slurred.

"What's Rose Red?” He felt like he’d heard of it before but he couldn’t remember. Her nose scrunched up as her disgust rose.

"That pink liquid I've been drinking. I hate it." She scowled.

"You didn't react like this at the meetings. What's the difference?"

"There was more Rose Red." Marie shrugged before she leaned back into the sofa. Her eyelids drooped.

"You can't go to sleep. Keep talking to me." She shook her head.

"I'm not sleepy." He wasn’t going to take any chances. Adrian pulled her forward, to the edge of the sofa, to make it more difficult for her to go to sleep. Marie yawned and slumped forward.

"I'm going to call someone to look at you. Don't go to sleep." He turned to go to a phone but something stopped him. She held his shirt between her hands and wasn't letting go. Adrian tried to gently pull her fingers off but she held on with an even tighter grip.

"Don't need it. It's just Rose Red."

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"It's just to make sure."

"I'm fine. This is just how I am on Rose Red." She frowned as she shook her head. "I just need to rest."

"You knew what would happen when you drank it?" He turned back towards her. She let go of his shirt but watched him warily. Adrian sat down on the coffee table.

"Yes but I could handle it. It wasn't enough to prevent me from using magic." She looked away. Marie swayed slightly with the movement.

“What?” Adrian frowned. He did not like where this was going. “How does this affect magic?”

“Drink too much and you can't use magic." Marie shrugged. Adrian’s eyes narrowed as he tried not to lose his temper.

"How much is too much?" Marie shrugged again.

"Depends on how much magic you have."

"But you can still use magic?"

"It would take more than that to stop me." She had a smug look on her face. Adrian sighed as he shook his head.

"Why didn't you say anything?" He already knew the answer but he couldn’t help asking anyway.

"I knew you wouldn’t want me to." He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.

“Why did you drink the Rose Red? Did she threaten you?” Adrian didn’t see how the woman could have forced Marie to drink against her will but how else could he explain why she’d willingly drink something that would restrict her magic.

“It was part of the game.”

"What game?"

"It was how we decided who won. And I won." She looked at her hands before checking the sofa for something. Adrian picked up a bulky, white envelope off the floor and held it up.

"Is this what you're looking for?" Marie nodded. Adrian checked the contents. It looked like the building plans they had discussed before. He put the envelope on the table and turned to look at her. Besides acting a little drunk, her breathing and pulse were normal. Should he let her sleep it off?

Could he trust her to know whether she was in danger?

He snorted.

“Alright, I won’t call anyone to look at you. For now. But if something more happens, I won’t hesitate to call someone.” She just looked at him. He stood up and held his hand out. “Now let’s get you to bed.” Marie shook her head. She scooted back a little and pulled her legs up. Marie rested her head on her knees as she wrapped her arms around her legs.

“I don’t like to sleep afterward.”

“After what?”

“Drinking Rose Red.” Was this every day or did she mean only today? Either way wouldn’t be good. He needed her to be alert, not just for his case, but also for her own safety.

“You can’t keep doing this. You need to sleep.” Another head shake. He ran his hand through his hair. If he hadn’t said he wouldn’t use the blood link for anything other than communication or tracking, he would have forced her to sleep. Adrian shook his head as he watched her. There was no use thinking about things he couldn’t do. He came up with several solutions before finally settling on one. Adrian lifted her up and took her to his room.

The bed was big enough to fit both of them without having to worry about space. This way he could keep an eye on her and make sure she went to sleep. He put one knee on the bed while he leaned over. She was put down in the middle of the bed. Marie gave off feelings of confusion while she looked around. Adrian stood up and quickly removed his jacket, shoes, and tie.

“Not my room.” He laid down next to her and put an arm over her waist. She tried to get up but Adrian kept her from leaving the bed.

“Stay here and sleep.” His words were firm but he wasn’t sure he was getting through to her. She moved again and he held her down. He did not want her going anywhere in her state. Who knows what she might do? If she left the room half-drunk, she’d be an easy target for any vampires still wandering around. Marie shook her head and pushed at his arm but he kept it firmly in place. Eventually, she gave up and just looked at him. “Sleep. We’ll talk more tomorrow.” Marie frowned but her eyelids were drooping and soon she was asleep. Adrian hoped she had a good night’s sleep. He had plenty of questions he still needed to ask her.