~ Marie ~

Marie put the phone down. Connor wasn’t picking up his phone. Given the time, he should be awake. He was probably away on a job. Marie had left a message for him on his voicemail but he probably wouldn’t get back to her before she left.

She picked up the books she’d been reading this week. Marie had hoped to find something on vampire customs so she wouldn’t have to depend on Adrian to tell her things but she wasn’t able to find anything in her own collection or through a bookstore. Since that didn’t work out, she spent her time studying and practicing dance moves. Marie took her books into the study and left them on the table before heading upstairs. She packed her duffle bag with a few jeans and t-shirts. Sleeping in a dress didn’t sound comfortable. She took her bag downstairs and placed it by the front door. Tomorrow she’d put her vitamins and anything else she remembered in the bag.

Marie went back into the study and went back to doing more research. She should use what little time she had left researching.

She sat up and stretched. Her body had pain in weird places from sleeping on the floor. A yawn escaped as she put her papers in a pile. She still felt really tired. Would another nap help? She wanted to be alert later tonight. A glance at her watch told her it was eleven in the morning. There was still plenty of time to sleep and then get back to her research.

The next time she woke up, it was already five in the afternoon. This was not how she wanted to start the night. She jumped off the bed and took a shower. Marie started up her coffee maker first before she grabbed her vitamins and packed them in her back. She also packed a little bit of money, just in case. Marie went back to her kitchen and grabbed her coffee before she sat down on the sofa. Time passed slowly after that. Eventually, she grabbed a book from the study and sat down to read.

Marie looked up from her book. She could feel a presence at the front. The book was put to one side as she stood up. There was a knock and she waved her hand to open it with magic. Adrian opened the door wider.

“Ready?” She nodded before picking up her duffle bag and following him outside. Marie closed the door before she placed her hand on the door. She closed her eyes before she activated the extra defenses on the house. The duffle bag slid off her shoulder while she was busy. She finished setting up the defenses and opened her eyes. Marie looked for her bag on the ground but didn’t see it. She turned. Adrian was walking towards the car with her bag. He opened the trunk and placed her bag inside before going to the passenger side and opening the door. She didn’t understand why he was treating her this way but got inside. He closed the door before he headed to the driver’s side and got in.

*~*~*~*~*

“That is where we’ll be staying.” The drive took two hours to get to the hotel and they still weren’t quite there. They were stuck waiting behind a line of cars. A line that looked to be trying to get to the hotel just like them. Marie looked out the window at the building. From here she could see it very well. The hotel looked to be about twenty stories tall, maybe more. As they got closer, she could see how neat and tidy the area surrounding it looked. Adrian moved the car forward a bit before stopping again. “When we get to the front, we’ll head to the counter to check-in. After that, we’ll head straight to our room. The staff will bring our bags later.” The line moved forward again. “Don’t talk to anyone or look anyone in the eye. I'll tell you more when we reach the room.”

They reached the front of the line and pulled into the parking lot. Adrian stopped right t the front and left the car running as he got out. He was given something by one of the staff members before he continued into the building, without looking back. Marie followed behind him, careful to look down.

She entered the lobby. The decor was done in shades of blue and gold. The light from the chandeliers was reflected on the shiny surface of the floor. Marie stopped next to Adrian as he talked to the person at the counter. The employee slid something across the desk. He grabbed it before he turned and walked away. Adrian stopped in front of an elevator and waited for it to come down. Not once did he look her way.

Once the elevator doors opened, they stepped inside. They got off on the tenth floor and made their way down the hall. There were no numbers or marks on the door. There was nothing to tell them apart. Each door looked exactly like the last one they passed. She had already forgotten what path they had taken from the elevator. Adrian, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly where he was going.

He stopped in front of a door and swiped his card. The card reader turned green without making a sound. He gestured for her to go first as he held the door open for her. The first thing she saw was a living room with two sofas and a coffee table. The wall to the left had a counter that ran along the entire wall while the back wall and wall to the right each had their own door. Adrian shut the door and came to stand beside her.

“This is how things will go in front of other people. There are several more rules we need to talk about before leaving but, right now, I want to talk about the sleeping arrangements.” He gestured to the other doors. “The door directly across should be the master bedroom while the one to the right should be a smaller guest bedroom. Which one would you like to use?”

“The smaller one.” He nodded just when there was a knock at the door. Adrian glanced at the door before looking at her.

“I want you to stand over there with your head down. Don’t move or speak to anyone.” Marie did as he instructed while he turned around and opened the door. Two staff members entered the room. Adrian directed them on where to place their bags and they went to work, placing things in both rooms. Once their work was done, they left, leaving the two of them alone again.

She looked up as soon as the door was closed and noticed he was looking at her. His expression was bland but she didn’t think she’d like whatever he was thinking. He slowly smiled but it was his polite one.

“I think the dark red dress would be good for tonight. I have someone coming up later to do your makeup unless you want to do it yourself?” Marie shook her head. She didn’t know how to put on makeup nor did she bring any with her. He nodded before he went into the other bedroom. She frowned at his back. When was he going to tell her why she was here? Marie turned and headed into her room.

Script was written on the back of the door before she poured her magic into it. She made sure that the magic filled every nook and cranny of her room. This would keep her emotions from going outside the room. Since Adrian was a master vampire, he should have better control but it was better to be safe considering he wasn’t the only vampire in the vicinity. Marie quickly got dressed and looked at herself in the mirror.

The dress didn’t have straps of any kind which left her neck and shoulders completely exposed. She didn’t get very much time to herself. There was a knock at the bedroom door. She opened it and stepped back but Adrian stayed where he was.

“They should be here in a moment. I just wanted to let you know that you can speak to them and ask them questions if you need to.” Marie nodded. He continued to stare at her. Was that it? “You’ve been obedient so far but will you really follow my orders even if you don’t like them or think they don’t make sense?”

“I already agreed.” His eyes narrowed.

“Your safety depends on it.” He stared straight into her eyes, his expression serious. She stared back at him. “No blood magic.”

“Why?” She didn’t like to have her options limited for no reason.

“It won’t be needed.” Marie pressed her lips together.

“Fine. Until your favor is over, I won’t use blood magic.” Hopefully, nothing would come up which required it. “Anything else?” Marie knew she would regret the question as soon as it left her mouth. The smirk on his face confirmed it.