Crimson Kiss

22 Missing (Marcus)

I sighed and groaned as I leaned against the limo door. I needed to see Ivy and I was getting impatient with Amira for taking so long getting ready. Why did this have to be tonight? I had things to do. I had people to feed on. The only good thing that had come of this whole problem with Ivy, was that Ezra had been locked up and left to rot in a cell due to the fact he had almost killed Ivy. It was a law to report a killing of a Mortal so we could handle the body and dispose of any evidence. Ezra had been foolish for feeding on her, but I had to admit, I was curious as to how Ivy tasted, with her being a Witch and all. I had had every flavor of breed but never a Witch. It was forbidden as their blood contained magic in itself.
There had been rumores over the years that if a Vampire consumed the blood of a Witch, that said Witch would be able to control that Vampire and even kill him, if she wanted to. I understood the risks and understood that Dragos was punishing Ezra for drinking from her. So that told me he already knew she was a Witch. Had tonight been a whole ruse to kill her?
I looked up when Amira joined me, dressed in a ruby silk dress, and topped off with a black cloak, her hair pinned into place, her face bright and excited.
"Ready?" she asked me.
I sighed. "This is not a good idea," I reminded her.
Amira sighed. "I used my cards this morning before I went to see her. She will be fine," she reminded me, but there was a false note in her voice. I gripped her arm and made her face me.
"What are you not telling me?" I demanded.
Amira pushed me off of her. "Nothing!" she insisted but then bit her lip.
"Tell me," I begged. "You told me about the vision you had and you did the
right thing in doing so! And I am thankful you did because we both know that
Ezra-"
"Stop!" she warned me and glanced back at the door. "You can never repeat what I told you! No one knows but you and me! And it has to stay that way! Let things run their course and it will happen-"
I released her with a frustrated sigh. "When will it happen?" I demanded.
Amira opened the door and waved her hand for me to get in. I sighed and got in and she followed. As soon as the door closed, we started moving. "It will happen soon. By next Spring. I made the mistake in thinking it would be Ezra to do it, but it will be you."
I rolled my eyes. "How can you be so sure?" I asked her.
Amira smiled. "Because I have the same vision every night. And the cards do not lie, Marcus. Not a single thing has changed
Amira smiled at me now. "You did," she answered me. "You fell in love with her."
I glared out the window. "I did not do such a thing!" I told her but the words were sour in my mouth. In truth, I did feel something for her but I was not sure what it was.
"What about Ezra? I asked.
Amira sighed. "Dragos had ordered his release for the time being and he is to attend her presentation to the Court. The hard part is keeping him from the knowledge that she is a Witch," she told me. I glared out the window.
"How are you supposed to do that?" I demanded as I watched the houses and cars zip past us. It almost seemed impossible to keep her safe at this point. I sighed. "Dragos will kill her if he find out-"
Amira groaned. "Then change her!" she snapped at me.
I looked at her. "I would never take that choice from her. And besides, I have never changed anyone before. I would most likely kill her before I can stop myself-"
Amira laughed at me. "You should give yourself more credit, Marcus. Ezra practices self control in all things. So should you-"
A fierce growl rumbled from me. "Do not compare me to him!" I warned her.
Amira rolled her eyes at me. "I wish I had been right before," she sighed. "Had I known, I would have pushed her more toward you rather than Ezra. There is no telling what will happen now."
I could only agree with her on that. As we pulled up to Ivy's house, I could already smell her. I smiled and hopped from the cra before it had fully pulled to a stop and stopped, standing frozen on the sidewalk before he house, looking at the ground.
"Amira," I said, my voice suddenly strained. I was looking at a blood trail on the ground. I looked around some more and found some glass on the ground as well. "Amira-"
I heard her breath catch and she came up beside me. "I can smell more than one person here! Mortal. Someone new. Someone we do not know." she said and bent down to dip her finger in the blood. She touched the finger to her mouth and stood up suddenly.
"Whoever was here, is no friend to us. The scent is faint, but still here. This happened hours ago. Where is she?" she said and turned to look around some more. I turned to look up the steps. The door was still open and there was something at the top of the steps. I bounded up the stairs and reached for it. "Her phone," I said and sighed, sticking it in my pocket. "What do we do?"
Amira sighed and shook her head. "I can track her... I just need something from her room first." Without another word, Amira vanished behind the house and was back a few seconds later with a scarf in her hand. She held it out to me and I took it from her, holding it to my nose, inhaling her sweet scent. Amire studied the ground around us.
"There was a struggle. She was not surprised to see someone. Whoever was here, Ivy did not know them," she said as she walked back to the limo. She pulled her bag from the back seat and fished her phone from her bag. I grimaced for a moment and then hurried to her side.
"Who are you calling?" I demanded.
Amira looked up at me, her face confused. "I am calling Ezra and Justin. They can help look for her. Ezra knows her scent better than any of us-"
I was shaking my head and she fell silent. "Not Ezra," I insisted. "I do not trust him!"
Amira sighed and threw her hands up. "Marcus! Ezra knows her scent! He will be able to find her faster than any of us! And Justin would kill me if I went out looking for her without him!"
I rolled my eyes. "Justin I can trust. He has never givin me a reason not to!"
Amira sighed and we stared at each other for a long moment. "Fine!" she sighed in defeat and held her phone to her ear. I walked back to the blood on the sidewalk and sighed, hoping she was OK. It was odd, I had come to care for her so much and yet I knew almost nothing about her. I was not sure when I had started to care for her. And I was not sure why I cared for her the way I did. All I knew was that since Amira had told me about her vision, I had been unable to stop thinking about her. That night, when Ezra had almost killed her, I had stayed in her room, watching her sleep, making sure she was still breathing. I would not let her die and I was going to find out who had her. Whoever it was, I was going to kill them.
"What happened?"?
I turned to face Justin and sighed. "We need your tracking expertise, Justin!" said.
Justin looked around the sidewalk and sighed. I can smell Freya here. It is really faint. Almost as if someone who had been near or around her had been here. However it is not enough for me to track her," he said and looked back at me.
I growled in frustration. "She can't have just disappeared!"
Amira's head suddenly shot up. "She went to the Pagan shop yesterday to get some Dogrose. Perhaps the shop keeper could help us?" she said.
That was good enough for me. I walked back to the limo and the others followed. "You think it was her?" I asked Amira.
"Delphine is one of the oldest half Witches I know. I have kept her secret because she has helped me once or twice before. We can trust her," she insisted.
I narrowed my eyes on her. "How can you be so sure?" I demanded.
Amira shook her head at me. "I can't," she answered. "She is half Witch after all-"
"What if she is a Hunter?" I demanded. "Should steak us as soon as we walk through the door. We would have no idea what we are walking into if we do this-"
"Do you have any better ideas, Marcus?" Amira demanded.
I opened my mouth to speak, but then closed it. Everything I thought of, I already had an answer for, and I could already see how it would play out. But enlisting the help of a known Witch? This was more than dangerous. This was deadly. Suicidal. I normally don't fear Dragos. However, it was a crime to make deals with Witches. A crime that could result in death, no matter his status.
"If we do this, and Dragos finds out-"
Amira shook her head fiercely. "He won't!" she assured me.
I sighed and then nodded. I followed Amira down the street, our movements becoming a blur, passing Mortals and cars at a blinding speed. Amira curved around and dipped to her left, turning down a narrow alleyway and came to a stop in front of a small, ivy covered shop, dimly lit from within. I glanced at the window. "Madame Delphine," I nodded to the woman sitting behind the counter. "I know her. She is a Witch," I muttered.
"Yeah, so it would be wise not to provoke her," Amira warned me.
I scoffed and rolled my eyes and threw the door open. I walked into the room, my boots clanking loudly on the old wooden floor. I felt my body slam into a wall, forcing me to stop. Only there was no wall around me, I was standing in the middle of the room, looking at the inside of the shop. I heard something to my right and I knew we had been had.
"That is far enough," Delphine said as she came around the counter.
"I barrier spell," I muttered.
"You are not welcome here," she told me.
I smiled a wicked smile at her. "Lucky for you, I don't care," I answered.
Delphine smiled and nodded. "Don't try me, Vampire, it won't work in your favor," she warned me. I grinned at her now, showing my fangs, my eyes turning bright, glowing blue.
"Is that a threat?" I asked her, trying to edge forward.
"We are looking for Ivy!" Amira said before I could speak.
I watched Delphine's face crease for a moment. "What happened to her?" she asked.
Amira glanced at me and I sighed. "We can't seem to track her," I answered. "We were hoping you could help us?" I watched as her face filled with disbelief and I knew this was a waste of time. I smiled and knocked a smile and turned back to the door. "She is not going to tell me."
Amira sighed and threw her arms up. "Please!" she begged. "We pose no threat to Ivy!"
I watched Delphine smile. "Perhaps not all of you," she said and then her eyes slid past Jayson and landed on me. "However, there are a few I have my concerns about, some more than others. You never know who your enemy is until you make the first move." Delphine sighed and looked at us all over once. "How do I know I can trust you?" she asked me.
I felt my face creace with humorous disbelief. Was she serious? Was the word of a Prince not enough for her? I sighed. "What is it that I can promise you to make you happy?" I asked her. Delphine smiled and her face became triumphant. "You will no longer spill innocent blood!" she ordered me. I felt a sudden pressure come over me and I gasped. She was cursing me? This bitch had another thing coming if she thought I was going to submit to the likes of her. I growled and charged at the barrier, trying to breath through. As I thrashed against the invisible wall, the pressure became more intense. Amire was beside me as soon as I hunched over. "Marcus!"
"This will all stop if you agree," Delphine reminded me.
I glared up at her, ready to speak but a sudden, stabbing pain went through my middle and I gasped wildey for air. I growled at her and bared my teeth at her once more. There was no way I would agree to her tems. I was a Vampire. It was in my nature to feed on Humans. I needed blood to survive. Before I could speak, a searing pain stabbed at my head and I fell to my knees.
"Submit, and it will all stop," she reminded me once more.
"Never," I spit back at her.
Delphine smiled and shrugged at me. "Fine by me," she said and turned away. "Good luck on saving Ivy," she told me. I felt my still heart break. "I heard that the Goddess's Coven took her. She won't last long if she refuses them."
I glanced at Amira and Justin. "What if he did agre?" Amira demanded. "If we all agreed never to hunt another Human, would that appease you?"
Delphine turned to face her, her skirts sweeping the floor with her movement. "It is not me that I seek to appease, bloodsucker," she said and smiled. "The Goddess stands for all living and breathing things. Ivy is a Witch and new to her power. She will be the undoing of one of our Coven's she is is turned-"
"What if I could guarantee you that would not happen?" Amira interrupted her quickly and I knew what her next words would be. Was it wise to tell this Witch what she had seen? Was it wise to try and play nice with an enemy? I was shaking my head before anyone else could speak.
"Amira, Dragos-"
Amira turned to face me now. "I know the risks, Marcus," she said steadily. "And I am willing to take them if we can get in and out of that Coven's leir alive. We just need to know where they are-"
Delphine laughed at us now and I heard Justin growl beside me. "You really think I would turn on my sister Witches?" she asked us and rolled her eyes. "You have no idea what game you are playing-"
Amira stepped forward and crossed her arms at Delphine. "I know you, Delphine. You are not part of the Goddess's Coven. You practice alone. You answer to no one. So why are you protecting them?" she asked. I raised an eyebrow and turned back to look at Delphine.
I watched her hesitate for a moment. "I do not believe in everything they stand for. Some of the things they do. I do not agree that the Goddess would approve-"
"They took Ivy!" I reminded her quickly. "What do they want from her?"
Delphine sighed and shook her head. "Someone has to be feeding them information. Someone had to have been tracking her. We Witches are especially careful when we track people. It could have been someone she knows? Someone from school?"
Amira and I glance at each other, thinking. Then Amira laughed in amazed disbelief. "Who was the one who kept telling Ivy to stay away from Ezra? And from me? Who was the one who was warning Ivy since she showed up at Pinewood?" she demanded.
I closed my eyes in annoyance. "Freya," I said through gritted teeth. "You mean to tell me that snarky, little bitch is a Witch too?"
Delphine crossed her arms now. "I think I have said enough-"
I rounded on her now, my anger bubbling. "Oh you have not said nearly enough-"
Amira caught my arm quickly. "Marcus, we can track her, but we are going to need help!" she said and headed for the door. I glared at Delphine one more time and then followed Amira to the door. Before I could pull the door open, it slammed closed in my face and I sighed, turning back to face Delphine who was still standing rooted on the spot.
"One thing before you leave," she said.
I gave her a mocking smile. "And that would be?" I asked her.
"I have seen what Ivy will become," she reminded me. "And I know Amira has told you what she has seen about Ivy and Ezra. It will be her choice. Honor your promises to her and it will work out in your favor. Ezra will have no restraint if he takes the throne-"
I walked back toward her and hit the barrier. "What do you mean?" I demanded. "What is that supposed to mean? If he takes the throne?"
Delphine shook her head. "I can not say because it could change what is yet to come," she reminded me and I scoffed at her. "Just know that she must remain Human for as long as possible! Do not let her change until the last possible second. You have to live long enough for her to make the change-"
I shook my head. "Stop speaking in riddles, Witch!"
Delphine sighed. "Amira's vision of Ivy becoming one of you will come to pass and you will be the one to turn her. It will be your blood to do so. Once Ezra know's, he will try to kill you both. Be warned."
And with that Delphine vanished behind a curtain and I was left standing alone in the shop/. I sighed and joined Amira and Justin outside but came up short when I saw who else had joined the party. Ezra stared at me, his face like stone.
"Who invited you?" I asked.
Ezra sighed and Amira stepped between us. "We need all the help we can get! Ivy is our priority right now! After we get her back home, safe and alive, you both can have a go at each other as long as you wish!" she reminded us.
"She is still mine, Marcus," Ezra reminded me, his voice like ice. "She always will be."
I smirked at him. "We will have to see about that!"