Down below

Chapter 29.

   Orion was still sound asleep when she left for Cédric's which was a secluded manor estate with a private drive and no neighbors for miles. Fit for a vampire like the Marquis. She managed to remotely disable the security cameras and climb through the fence. The building looked deserted apart from one window on the first floor where the lights were on. She climbed up the woody wines of a hydrangea bush growing on the wall and peeked inside the room. There was a wooden desk illuminated by an expensive looking lamp with a comfy looking leather chair. An open laptop was on the table, but it had the screensaver on. "Somebody must be here then", she thought when a man appeared in the window, startling her so badly that she lost her balance. The next moment a cold, strong hand caught her by her right wrist and pulled her up into the room.

'Hello!' the man said in a smooth English accent. 'And who might you be?'

   Elianah didn't respond, she assumed a fighting stance. The man was well over 6 foot tall, dark skinned with brown hair, dressed immaculately like a lawyer or CEO. He was definitely a vampire based on his otherworldly hazel eyes and Brazilian supermodel look.

'That really isn't necessary. If I wanted to hurt you, we wouldn't be having this discussion. Are you Elianah by any chance?'

She blinked and nodded warily.

'Marvelous. I'm David.'

'Where is he?'

'Not here, I'm afraid. I assume that quick meeting as he called it, didn't go so well after all.'

Elianah frowned, guilt washing over her.

'Right.' David said, moving his jaw slightly forward as he was lost in thoughts.

'Can you please tell him to contact me when he's back?' Elianah said.

'Who did you two meet?'

'Nobody.'

David grabbed her by the neck and pushed her against the wall in a heartbeat, staring calmly into her eyes.

'Let's try again, but this time, do me the courtesy of answering truthfully.'

'I can't. He made me promise not to involve anyone.' Elianah croaked. 'If he was dead, you would feel it, wouldn't you?'

The vampire tilted his head to the side and inspected her face in a leisurely fashion, as if he wasn't holding her up by her throat. He sighed and let go of her.

'I will tell him that you came by. Feel free to use the door on your way out.'

'Is he...is he alright you think?' she asked.

'He's indestructible.' David replied with a flair of an English gentleman and sat down into the chair by the desk.

   His words gave some solace to Elianah. If the Marquis was alive then he must have taken Loki with him. He wouldn't go back on his word. He wouldn't. She checked her watch. It was close to dinner time. She teleported back to her street with ease. Her powers seemed to have grown and the spells didn't take as much effort as before. She picked up some food from the local shop. The flat seemed as she left it when she stepped inside. She focused and could hear Orion, his breathing was erratic. He was shivering. She put down the shopping and rushed into the bedroom. He was curled up into a ball, buried under the blanket. She had never seen him like that – ill and vulnerable. His forehead was drenched in sweat, his face ash gray, his jaw clenched. She sat down on the bed and took a pill out from the box.

'Hey, how are you?' she asked, touching his forehead gently. It was burning hot. 'Have you taken the antibiotics?'

He moaned weakly and covered himself with the blanket even more. She checked the water bottle – it was half empty. At least he drank some.