*~*~ADRIAN~*~*

“Blood?” The taste on his tongue was familiar. He scanned the area and tried to get his bearings. Adrian was kneeling in front of an unconscious Marie. Pain radiated from her as she slumped to one side. One of her arms was still chained to the wall. As carefully as possible, he pulled the chain out of the wall and laid her down on the ground. She made a noise but didn’t wake up. The shackle around her wrist was quickly disposed of. Adrian went to work pulling his chains off before he examined her. There was a wound on the side of her neck. He leaned forward and checked to see if it was still bleeding but it had stopped already. She didn't appear to have any other wounds.

His memory was hazy. Adrian remembered getting up and walking over but after that, just a blank. Whatever they gave him caused this. His body felt better but he was worried he would relapse.

If that was the case, he needed to help Marie as much as possible. He pulled her onto his lap and positioned her so that she was leaning against his arm. Adrian bit his tongue, drawing blood. He pressed his mouth to hers, forcing the blood into her mouth. Hopefully, the boost her body gained would help her until he could get her some help. Marie tried to turn away but he kept a hand on her chin to prevent her from moving away. He leaned back and wiped some of the blood that had dripped down her face. Her eyes opened and she looked around before focusing on him. She frowned as her brow furrowed.

“Blood?” Her voice was slightly raspy as she spoke, annoyance clear on her face.

“I wasn’t sure how much I had taken.”

“You didn’t take that much.” She tried to sit up but he was faster. Adrian stood up, lifting her into his arms. “I can walk.” He smiled. Adrian preferred this Marie to the one he had seen earlier.

“Rest. You would have healed yourself if you were fine.”

“I am fine.” Adrian chose to ignore her as he walked to the cell door. He shifted her a bit before he kicked the door. The door slammed open, hitting the bars with a loud clang before swinging back and forth from the force of his kick. The door swung a few more times before it slowed. Adrian turned sideways and used his shoulder to nudge the door open.

“What did that talisman do?”

“Causes pain every time I use magic.” He frowned. She said it like it wasn’t a big deal. “Do you remember the way back?” Adrian shook his head.

“No. I was unconscious when they brought me here. Do you know?”

“I don’t know how to go back the way we came but I tagged Gregory with a spell. If we follow it, it should lead us to an exit.” Had she been planning to follow them from the start?

“Are you sure they would be heading towards an exit?”

“The Doctor wouldn’t go somewhere without two exits. He’s good at getting away.” It made sense that they would want an exit nearby. He glanced down at her. Would she be able to fight if they needed to? Adrian looked down the hallway she’d come from. On the other hand, since neither of them knew the way back. They might wander for hours trying to go that way.

“Alright. Which way should we go?” He’d hope that their captors had left by the time they got there.

“Right.” Adrian could see a glint of light here and there on the ground. Was this a result of her spell? He followed her directions as he listened for the sounds of people.

“How do you know this… this doctor?”

“Dr. Lenus.” Adrian frowned. He knew he had heard that name before and now he remembered where he’d seen it. It was the name of the special guest Dante had told him about.

“How do you know Dr. Lenus?”

“Left.” He turned just as she spoke. The little bits of light were going the same direction they were. He wondered if he should mention it to Marie but decided against it. It was better to use her directions along with his sight in case he made a mistake. “How did you end up down here?” A frown tugged at his lips. She was trying to change the subject again but he wasn’t going to let her this time.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Will you answer my question if I answer yours?” Surprise then wariness came from her as he waited for her to come to a decision. Marie finally looked him in the eye and nodded.

Adrain was under no illusion that she would tell him everything but now he might get some answers. He needed to know what was going on. There was something very personal about her relationship with the doctor.

“Gregory left a note in the envelope he gave us. It said he wanted to meet me for a talk.” The look she gave him said it all. “I knew it was a trap but…” Even though he had known, he’d still been caught off guard. “He knew about my magic sight. Used it against me.” He wasn’t even able to defend himself. Adrian frowned. He’d been careful in concealing his secret. The only person who knew, outside of a trusted few, was Marie and she’d never tell anyone. How did Gregory find out?

He looked down at her. Marie’s focus was turned inwards. Her emotions contained only anger and a little bit of fear. His eyes were drawn towards the blood on her throat. How much longer until they reached an exit? Despite what she said, he had a feeling she was worse than she seemed. If she was truly fine, she would have asked to be let down again, struggled, or both but she hadn’t.

“How do you know Dr. Lenus?” She stared straight ahead before she sighed.

“I’ve known about him for a while now. He’s been committing crimes longer than I’ve been a Guardian.”

“What kind of crimes?”

“Right.” She was silent for several moments. Was she trying to figure out what she could leave out of her explanation? Adrian wondered why she was going to such lengths to keep him from knowing anything. The man was a danger to them both. “He kidnaps people. Men and women but mostly it’s children. Go straight the rest of the way.”

“What does he do with them?” Marie stared down the passage. Up ahead, Adrian could see a white room. He stopped at the opening and surveyed the area. “What is this?”

The room was completely white. In the center of the room, was a metal table surrounded on a raised platform surrounded by different machines. The only one he recognized was the heart rate monitor. At the back, on the right side, was what looked like an office with doors on either side. To the left of where they were standing was another hallway. Adrian could see it held several cells from here.

“He experiments on them. Pulls them apart. Sometimes they survive, sometimes they don’t.” Marie’s voice was soft as she closed her eyes. He could feel so much sadness and anger radiating from her. “Put me down.”

“Later. After we get out of here.” She shook her head before looking up at him.

“Down there should be several cells. We need to check to make sure there is no one still locked inside.” She had a point. If he found someone, he wouldn’t be able to carry her and free anyone who was locked up.

But something about this felt wrong.

He couldn’t put his finger on what it was. While she wasn’t in great health, she also wasn’t in any immediate danger. There was no one in the area that he could sense and he couldn’t see any magic. It should be safe enough for him to check and come right back. Then why was he hesitating?

Adrian slowly put her down. He didn’t let go until she was steady on her feet.

“Alright. I’ll take a quick look.” Marie nodded before pointing to the door to the left of the office.

“I think that is the exit. That’s where the spell leads anyway.” He could still see the light but it was spread evenly over the area so he’d have to trust her on this. Adrian looked her over again. Nothing stood out to him but his bad feeling wouldn’t go away. Marie looked at him with her head tilted to one side. Her confusion was increasing with every second he stayed. Adrian shook his head and walked towards the hallway. He couldn’t shake the feeling he was making a mistake.