DYING LIGHT | James Patrick March [paused]

06

"Elizabeth." James turned a frown pulling at his lips.

"When Donovan told me someone was alive in your midst, I had to see for myself." The blonde coo'd. James had always found his wife's beauty enchanting, otherworldly. "I never expected infidelity from you."

He scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "I was just being friendly, darling."

"You're not friendly, James." Elizabeth reminded with a hum, letting herself into his room, "You're only friendly to meet your own ends. What are those ends?"

James followed, straightening the lapel of his coat as he closed the door. "A tad ironic to accuse me of being unfaithful, don't you think?"

"I never claimed devotion to the end of the universe. That was you." Elizabeth reminded, pouring herself a drink. "Your ends, James. What are they?"

"She's here to commit a murder." James responded sharply, unhappy to give up her secret but unable to fathom anything else to appease his scornful wife. "I'm simply interested in doing my part."

"She's very beautiful." Elizabeth noticed, "What use does a pretty girl like that have for murder?"

"The reason all normal people kill." He hummed, pouring himself a drink, "Revenge."

"How boring." Elizabeth sighs, "if only I believed you." Her platinum hair is tied nearly atop her head, a long black dressing gown sweeping the floor at her feet as she stalks closer.

"Have I ever given you reason to mistrust me?" James asks with a half smile, his heart pounding. Every ghost in the hotel was a minuscule risk to her compared to Lilith finding herself in Elizabeth's crosshairs. "She's simply a friend." He realized that was the wrong thing to say.

"You don't have friends, James." She said severely, "Nobody likes you." He places a hand over his heart in mock hurt, "You'd have to lower yourself with equals to someone to have a friend." He didn't respond to that, lifting his drink to his lips instead. "All the same, I'll have to make the acquaintance of this new friend of yours."

James fought hard to control his facial expression, "Certainly. Do your best not to scare her away before she's committed her sins."

Elizabeth rose her eyebrows at him, "Of course. I'd hate for you to miss out on any sin." He regretted saying it, realizing how she'd misinterpreted the sin. She passed closely, "Good night, Jimmy."

"Good night to you." He was unable to keep the venom out of his tone as he opened the door for her, closing it tightly once she was gone. It was odd. Of course, Elizabeth always frustrated him but he never quite loathed her company as he did tonight.

The atmosphere the countess brought was the opposite to what he felt when Lilith was in the room. Heavy and dark, not in the way he enjoyed anymore. James hated the idea of their energies clashing. Elizabeth's aura was all red and black, it had no business being anywhere near the pure white and yellow of Lilith's, even if it was slightly marred. If Elizabeth could see her soul, Lilith wouldn't live long. If she even had a sense for the woman's purity, it would be too late.

He'd promised to do all he could to protect her and he'd accidentally sent her to the one entity in the hotel he hadn't a hope in hell of shielding her from. Whatever Elizabeth did was final. He only hoped she had the wit to stay alive.