Bound and Shackled- Various Black ButlerxOC

10. Setting the Trap

Ophelia didn't quite realize how much she missed the manor until she felt her head hit her pillow. Ciel had been anxious to finish his business in town to return to the estate and Ophelia was equally glad to be home. Although she found comfort in her familiar surroundings Ophelia couldn't soothe her nerves enough to rest. The events of the investigation tore through her mind and kept her reeling. She had studied the evidence they had gathered and had come to a few conclusions- the corpses in the Undertakers shop belonged to the women who had resigned from Baron Dumont's employ, all were unmarried and under the age of thirty, and their deaths were not natural. What Ophelia couldn't discern was why these women were targeted and just how they were killed. All women were drained of every ounce of blood, none of whom presented any obvious injury, and nothing was missing from their residence or person. All jewelry and money were left accounted for and there was no sign of any forceful entry.

Ophelia rubbed her necklace between her forefinger and thumb as she flipped through the undertaker's report for the umpteenth time. Something told her that these murders were directly related to the rash of kidnappings, but she didn't have anything concrete to base her suspicions on. She wondered if the maids blood letting was symbolic or occult. If the noble ladies were kidnapped by the same fiend who murdered these working-class women than why were none of them found murdered? Were the maids perhaps a proxy of some sort?

Ophelia set off to the library dressed in a nightgown and accompanied only by the low light of her candelabra. She searched the shelves high and low for texts detailing cardiovascular anatomy and physiology, occult practices, and historical references to bloodletting. She set her stack of books on an end table and began to thumb through some of her finds. Nothing from her medical textbooks described anything remotely like a complete disappearance of blood and an atrophied heart and none of the articles referring to bloodletting practices detailed how such a feat could be done without damaging the corpse. She felt herself growing irritable as she thumbed through the pages of a less than reputable source for dark magic practices. She tossed the book to the floor with a loud crash. She sat up and rubbed her temples with her forefingers. Just as she was about to rise to her feet and wander off to bed, she caught a glimpse of a dusty old book lying open at her feet that she hadn't noticed before.

She bent down to pick up the tome and traced her fingers across its heavily patina leather binding. The cover bore no title save an image of an inverted pentagram decorated with symbology she couldn't understand. She flipped through the pages all filled with gruesome hand drawn illustrations of devils, monsters, and tortured women until she came across a chapter titled Vampir. She began to read, and a cold shiver turned the skin of her arms into gooseflesh. The book depicted evil creatures hidden behind beautiful faces that possessed inhuman strength, talent, and charisma. The creatures often bewitched their victims using romance or sexual gratification before sinking their fangs to drain their victims dry of life and blood. She traced her finger over an illustration of a dark-haired man kissing the neck of a swooning maiden and felt her face blush. With one hand she traced a finger down from her jaw, over the curve of her neck, and down flush between her breasts.

"Having trouble sleeping mistress?" Ophelia jumped as she felt Sebastians hot breath on the shell of her ear, "I'm afraid that ghost stories such as this won't help soothe you. Perhaps I could be of assistance?"

"Oh Sebastian!" Ophelia said breathlessly, "I was researching the case, but I got distracted..."

"I see..." Sebastian smiled as he grabbed the book from her palm, "I suppose creatures of the night can be quite provocative."

"It's nothing like that!" Ophelia flushed, "I was just..."

"Of course, my lady." Sebastian chuckled as he flipped the text shut and placed it neatly on the table besides her, "I'm sure a virtuous soul like yourself wouldn't be tempted by such dark forces."