Chapter Nineteen: In the End

*~*~Adrian~*~*

A soft groan escaped her lips as he caught her. Adrian tried to be careful as he shifted her around and lifted her into his arms but she still tensed as he picked her up. Once he found a safe place for her to rest, he’d come back down and take care of Mark. He glanced back at the boy with a smile on his face. The bond had begun to fade away to the point it was almost nonexistent but now it was as strong as it ever was. He wasn't even wounded anymore.

Adrian's smile faded away as he turned towards the opening. He needed to get her out of here before Mark woke up. Given her current situation, she would only look like a tempting meal. 

“Master?” Adrian spun towards the voice and took a step back, prepared to react to anything. Mark propped himself up on his elbows as his gaze went from Adrian to his surroundings. The young vampire scanned the area before his gaze landed on Marie. “Is she going to be okay?” His voice was soft as his gaze bounced from Marie to Adrian and back again. Realization hit him like a sledgehammer. Mark was still in control. 

But how?

“You’re not hungry?” Adrian’s voice sounded uncertain even to his own ears. On the best of days, Mark had control issues. It came with being a new vampire. For him to be this calm, especially in this situation, was strange. Even if Marie wasn’t wounded, the area itself was drenched in the blood of both vampires and humans. Adrian seriously doubted that anyone had kept Mark fed. He should have been affected by his surroundings.

“No. I feel great.” Adrian felt a flash of surprise and confusion coming from the boy as he checked his body for injuries. Mark pulled his shirt down before standing up and checking the rest of his body. Was this because of her spell? Adrian decided it was best to move the conversation upstairs. He didn’t like how pale Marie was or how rapidly she was breathing. Adrian didn’t have an extensive knowledge of magic but even he could tell she had gone past her limits. 

“Let’s go upstairs.”

“Yes, Master.” Mark snapped to attention before falling in step behind him. They passed through the narrow opening into the other cavern. It was difficult to go through with Marie but he barely managed it. He heard a loud gasp behind him as the boy followed him out. Mark must not have been awake when this massacre had taken place. His shock was matched only by his disgust. There was a small amount of fear as well. “What happened?” Adrian had felt the same thing when he’d first come across the bodies. Now only anger remained. Adrian let out a mental sigh as he forced the emotions down. He needed to keep his emotions calm for Mark’s sake. Speaking in anger would only add to Mark’s stress. There was no telling when her spell would wear off. Still… How could anyone who led a clan, who had people that depended on them, willingly massacre them like nothing?

“They were killed to summon a demon.”

“Demon?!” Mark scanned the area frantically. Adrian felt the boy’s fear increase drastically. 

“The demon has already been taken care of.” Picking his way carefully through the carnage, Adrian made his way to the stairs. Mark nodded and his fear went down a little but didn’t completely go away. It was understandable. There was just so much death down here, it was suffocating. He followed Adrian silently after that and seemed to be focused on his own thoughts. Adrian was getting worry and sadness from Mark but he still was in control. Given his lack of hunger, it should be fine to leave him alone for the time being. 

Adrian focused on his own thoughts as they made their way upstairs. There were several things he would need to look into later. Specifically how to deal with demons and keep his clan safe from any further threats. Also look into why Westfall would go to such extreme measures. He hadn't heard any rumors that would lead him to believe they were desperate. His clan had very little to do with them. Adrian could say the same thing about Bel Meade. Maybe he’d need to fix that. 

“Is she going to be okay?” He heard the concern in Mark’s voice and felt his worry.

“Yes.” Adrian would make sure of it. He was only able to talk to Mark right now because of her. There was no way he would sit by and do nothing. After entering the kitchen, he led the way into the first room he came to. As gently as possible, he laid her down on the sofa. Mark leaned over the back of the sofa as he watched her, his brow furrowed. Adrian took out his cell phone and dialed the only person that could help her. Dialing the number instead of just using telepathy helped him focus on something else for a moment. The phone rang only once before it was picked up.

“What do you need?”

“I need you and Alex over to 1037 Sumner Drive. Bring two cars.”

It’s going to take us thirty, maybe thirty five minutes to get there. Do you need someone closer?”

“I’ll wait.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Dammit! He’d hoped Tristan was closer. Adrian tried to keep the frown off his face. There was nothing to do but wait. Tristan was the only one in his clan skilled in healing magic. Adrian put his phone away. He wanted to pace, just like Mark had started doing, but that wouldn’t help. 

“Mark, I need you to wait outside. Once you see Tristan, lead him here. Then I want Alex to take you home.” Mark frowned but he nodded before going outside. Adrian knew he wanted to stay but there was no telling how long her spell would keep his hunger in check. Better for Mark to wait outside, where the smell of blood wouldn’t reach him.

Adrian checked on Marie again since he had nothing else to do. Her skin felt cold and her pulse was weak. Should he call Tristan back? He stared down at his phone. No, he should try his own form of first aid first. And if that had no effect then he would contact Tristan for advice.

He sat on the table next to the sofa after giving her more of his blood. Vampire blood was good at healing small wounds but anything bigger than that and the body would only gain a boost to its healing. He was worried she had internal damage based on her symptoms. He hoped he was wrong. If that was true then his blood would only have a minimal effect. He watched for several more minutes before a little bit of his tension went away. 

Thankfully, it looked like his blood was helping. Her color had returned and her breathing had evened out. He smiled. Adrian would not be sharing this information with her. Knowing her, she would probably think that he’d done it on purpose in order to lengthen the time on the blood link. His smile became lopsided as Mark asked how she was doing. The boy meant well but it wasn’t helping. It was nerve wracking as it was to watch over her and not be able to do much. Marie shifted and Adrian focused back on her. She shifted a little more before her eyes fluttered open. 

“Marie?”

“Hmm?” Her eyes wandered the room before focusing on him. There was a brief feeling of confusion coming from her before it faded away. Marie swallowed and grimaced before she tried to lift herself up. He put a hand on her shoulder to keep her in place. His blood might have helped but she was far from healed.

“You shouldn’t move. I have someone coming that knows healing magic.” He felt irritation coming from her now as she shook her head and tried to move his hand off her shoulder. When that didn’t work, she frowned. Would she try something else? Down in the cavern, Adrian had seen her eyes go from orange to brown. At first, he’d assumed it was a trick of the light. The lightning she’d held in her hands was affecting her eye color.  However, the way she’d turned away from him made him think she’d been trying to hide her eyes. Adrian stared into her eyes. They were clearly brown now.

Her emotions changed to frustration before it went back to her standard irritation. He waited but she didn’t do anything else. 

“I want to sit up.” She tried to push his hand off her shoulder again as she spoke.

“You need to rest.” Marie glared at him. Her emotions made it clear she wouldn't give up. Unless he was willing to hold her down the entire time, eventually she would get her wish. And harm herself in the process. "Alright." He moved his hand before he helped lift her into a sitting position. Once she was sitting up, she leaned back against the sofa and scanned the area. He felt her resignation before she shifted to make herself more comfortable. Marie waited quietly as he studied her. She was still in pain and exhausted. Even though she didn’t want to rest, should he really be asking her questions? 

“What?”

“I wanted to talk to you about what happened.” There was nothing else to do and if he felt she was pushing herself, he could always stop. “What happened before I got here?” A brief explanation was given but he could tell she was keeping certain facts hidden. “You suspected Susan before you even left the house. How?”

“The talisman she showed me was identical to the one I had taken off of Mark’s barrier except for one thing. The spell wasn’t complete. Probably to prevent it from activating upon touching a barrier. If I had a barrier active, I would have been able to tell the magic came from her.” Marie shrugged. She didn’t give any outward sign that it hurt but he felt her pain spike for a moment. “And of course, I already knew how much vampires like to have me interfere in their affairs.” Adrian couldn’t stop the amused smile that crossed his face. A thought occurred to him as his smile faded away.

“Was this demon the same as the one summoned to the apartment building?”

“No. This one specialized in granting strength. Compared to the other one, this demon was incredibly weak.” Weak? If the demon had been any stronger, they might not have had a chance. “The issue was that the demon possessed a vampire. If it had possessed a human, the amount of strength it could use would greatly differ. A human body can only take so much stress before the body would break down. With a vampire, the threshold is much higher and so the demon used a greater amount of strength.” 

“You say possessed. Does that mean the demon was the one in control?”

“Not yet. The demon was there in his body but the demon hadn’t taken control yet. It would have only been a matter of time though. They don’t like to take orders for long.”

“Why did he catch on fire? Was that because of your spell?” She frowned as she shook her head.

“The spell I used was meant to forcibly separate the demon from its host. If Eric had chosen to let go, he would have been fine but he continued to hold on and because of that the demon was able to use the connection to kill Eric before the spell could do its job.”

“So the demon got what it wanted in the end.” Marie nodded. Adrian felt her frustration and apprehension. Since she went after demons frequently, it was likely she would run into this demon again. Based on what she said about death and power, this demon had been given a boost. “What about the other demon?” He felt an odd flicker in her emotions before she went back to being calm. It was too quick to tell what it was for sure but it felt like she was wary of him learning more about the demon. Why?

“The other one was the demon of knowledge.”

“And that makes him stronger?”

“He’s a demon that knows everything because he has the power to answer any question you ask. It wouldn’t matter what you asked. He would have the answer.”

“You figured out his name then?” 

“I deciphered the last script right before Susan came.”

“His name?” His eyes narrowed as he waited. Marie pressed her lips together before she finally answered.

“Azurabel.” He had a name now at least. Not that it narrowed anything down. If what she said was true, then he could have been asked anything at all. Something else for him to research later. Maybe then he would know why she was cautious about the information. Mark contacted him again through the bond asking how she was. This time Adrian was happy to give him the answer he wanted. Mark’s worry faded away at the news, replaced with happiness. The conversation reminded him of something. 

“What spell did you use on Mark?” A brief flash of surprise before it faded into exhaustion. She yawned before answering.

“A healing spell.” Should he continue with his questions? There was still more he wanted to ask her but with her fatigue increasing, it would be better to stop after his next question. What did he need to know right now? Any other questions could wait until later. 

“How long will it keep his hunger in check?”

“Hunger?” Her confusion turned into interest. She tilted her head to the side. “I’ve never used the spell on a vampire before but it was probably more of a side effect, considering his body probably wouldn’t have healed if he was hungry.” A hungry vampire did heal slower than normal but the rate depended on how hungry the vampire was. “If I had to guess, I would say he should be fine until whenever he normally gets hungry.” She gave him a one shoulder shrug. So she wasn’t sure. He would just need to keep an eye on Mark then. 

Time passed silently after that, with the both of them occupied by their own thoughts. His head jerked up as a car passed by. It stopped briefly before the car went back the way it came. His eyes went back to Marie. Now that she wasn’t in any immediate danger, his time should be spent exploring the house.

“I’m going to look around.” She stared back at him. The look she gave him did not make him feel confident she was going to stay put. “The link is still active. I will be able to tell if you move.” Marie frowned but didn’t say anything. Adrian walked away. If she did decide to test his words, he could be downstairs before she'd gone very far.

Adrian surveyed the damage before crossing his arms. He didn’t understand why they had gone to the trouble of destroying everything. The first floor had been clean and tidy so he’d wrongly assumed the rest of the house would be fine. He sighed as he surveyed the damage. Not only had they shredded all the documents and possibly every single piece of paper in the house but most of the furniture was ripped apart. With more people, he might be able to find something of value but right now it didn’t look like anything had escaped unscathed. He decided to end his search early. It was time he checked on Marie, anyway. 

As he was descending the stairs, his hearing picked up the sound of cars coming up the driveway. Mark contacted him and confirmed his suspicions. The door opened right as he reached the bottom. The man he had been waiting for walked in, closely followed by Mark. The boy seemed to be telling Tristan everything he could think of regarding Marie’s condition. Tristan gave him a quick nod before he went back to listening. Once the boy was done explaining, he looked around. Mark glanced his way and Adrian felt a brief amount of surprise as the boy straightened up. Mark gave him a quick nod before turning around and leaving. Adrian sent a quick telepathic message to Alex and Mark to keep what happened here a secret for the time being. He needed to think about what he was going to say to his clan.

“This way.” Adrian led Tristan back to where Marie was. She hadn’t moved an inch from where he had left her. Marie eyed the two of them as they entered. Her pain and exhaustion were still the same. Tristan gave her a brief bow before sitting beside her.

“Tristan. Part of the Stone Oak clan. I’m going to touch you so I can heal you, okay?” She nodded. Tristan put his hand on her wounded shoulder as a glow surrounded his hand. Marie tensed for a moment, her pain increasing. Slowly, her pain started to fade and he saw the tension leave her body. She kept a close eye on the two of them as her exhaustion began to rise in response. “How are you feeling now?”

“Fine.” Tristan smiled before he placed a hand over her eyes. Adrian felt her surprise and anger before they both faded away. Her head dropped back onto the sofa as her body sagged.

“What did you do?”  Even though he could see when magic was being used, it didn’t give him the ability to differentiate between spells.

“Just some magic to get her to sleep.” Tristan stood up and repositioned her so that she was laying down on the sofa again. “What’s the Guardian doing here?” Mark must have said something to him since Adrian had yet to say who she was. He sat down on the arm of the sofa before giving Tristan a quick summary of what had happened since the night Mark had been kidnapped. As one of his oldest friends, the man could be trusted with the whole story.

For the time being, his clan had been told that he was keeping Mark at another of his safehouses until his urges were brought under control. His goal had been to avoid triggering a blood feud between the clans until he had enough information. Figuring out what could be said and what shouldn’t was going to give him a headache but it was better not to give the whole story. He might not be able to pretend that nothing had happened with Westfall but he also didn’t want some of his clan going after any survivors. If there had been any.

“Who do you think betrayed Noah?” Adrian shook his head. The threat had to have come from within Noah’s clan. Who else would be able to get close enough to shove a stake in his heart? Adrian grimaced, remembering Marie's words. He wanted to believe there was no one who would betray him. Several of them had willingly followed him after leadership had changed. They had their chance to leave. He gave himself a mental shake. No. Until he gathered more information, he wouldn’t go around suspecting his own clan.

“Were there any major injuries?” Tristan blinked at the change in subject but didn’t comment on it. Both men studied the sleeping Guardian. Her color was better and her pain was almost nonexistent.

“Seemed like that would have been the case but no.” 

“What is it?” He felt the other man’s confusion.

“Based on what Mark told me, it sounded like her body was going into shock but based on her injuries, it doesn’t add up. Her worst injury was her shoulder. The muscles were torn. The rest were cuts and bruises.” Tristan shrugged. Adrian frowned as he crossed his arms. If she didn’t have any major injuries, why would her body be so affected? Hmm. He went back over the fight in his head, trying to remember if anything unusual had happened. 

Wait. 

That spell. 

That had to be it. She had used her blood to write the spell before passing out. He hadn’t seen her do that before. Adrian considered telling Tristan about it but he wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be a secret. It seemed more like something of a last resort. Adrian thought back to her bright orange eyes. It was one of several secrets she was keeping. Maybe his relationship with the Guardian wasn’t ending just yet.