The Good Daughter

Five

It took awhile for Marcel to find me in the dark, sticky bar, the busy man he is, along with the guy from the compound following.

I paid them no mind, ever careful of the way I carved my design into my most recent kill.

"A butterfly?"

"It's her thing." Marcel grumbled. "Are you done?"

"I don't know why I fought so hard not to get to this point." And done. I tucked my newly acquired knife into my jeans. "I was so uptight about it."

Wonder where I got that from.

"Three hundred bodies in six hours."

Rookie numbers. "They were delicious."

"This has to stop, Morgan. It's not you."

I stood. "Isn't it?! I'm more free now than I have been the past few decades."

Marcel put his hands up and slowly approached as if he were confronting a wild animal. "It won't feel that way when you come to your senses."

"Well. Unfortunately for you, that won't be any time soon."

Marcel closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh.

"What? What does that mean?" The man glanced between us.

"She's turned off her humanity."

"We can do that?!"

"Personally, I'm enjoying being guilt free. No more of that spoiled, whiny, self righteous, weight of the world bullshit. My god. How did anyone put up with me?"

"Morgan. I'm gonna need you to turn that switch back on or I'll have to make you."

I gasped dramatically. "Make me? You're telling me that you want Morgan, grieving Morgan, back? You'd rather see her in pain than let me take the wheel for a bit?"

Marcel's eyes narrowed. "You'd willingly give her control back?"

"Perhaps. After a time. She's been deeply hurt by her brothers' passing, that and Elijah's not here to make her keep control. If he was, you'd never see me, boring as that is."

"I'm so confused." The man took a step back. As if Marcel wasn't already between him and I.

I crossed my arms.

"Still. I can't allow you to have free rein in my city."

"What are you gonna do, Marcel? Bite me?" I threw an empty bottle at him, which he predictably caught. "Tell me, what does that smell like?"

"Vervain."

"Bingo." I tapped a finger against the tip of my nose."Stung like a bitch on the way down. Useful though."

The man was visibly afraid, and I reveled in it.

"Fuck. Morgan." Marcel was inching toward me, like I wouldn't notice. "Turn it back on so I don't have to hurt you."

"See that's why I know you'll let me go. You're too much of a coward."

"What do you want me to do?" The man shifted on his feet.

"Not now, Josh." Marcel never once took his eyes off me. "I'll handle this."

"Mmm, like you handled Nik and Elijah? Or am I gonna get special treatment?" I held a hand against the side of my mouth. "I shouldn't. I was the one who spilled the beans that you were alive."

"You what?"

"Oops. Morgan didn't want you to know that."

Marcel's jaw clenched.

"Of course, it would've come out eventually. Along with your involvement with Mikael. Morgan is always loose lipped when she's afraid, and she usually is when she's with Elijah nowadays. Especially since at the time she was trying to save her brothers. Poor, stupid Morgan."

Marcel rushed forward.