Chapter Four: A Toast

~ Marie ~

Adrian picked a spot off to the side for them to stand where the crowd was slightly thinner. 

After her helpers had come and gone, he had led the way back down to the first floor. This time instead of walking behind him, she walked beside him. He tucked her hand under his arm and slowed his speed down but her instructions to look at the ground still remained in effect. They had to maneuver through a sea of vampires until they’d reached their current spot. Now they seemed to be waiting for something. She couldn’t see much from their position. 

[Once the announcement is done, we can leave.] Adrian had asked to create another blood link before they’d left the room. He said it was so they could communicate but she knew it was so he could keep tabs on her. The lights shut off and a spotlight turned on. It illuminated a small area towards the front that was free of people. The guests stopped speaking as a man entered the spotlight and raised his arms. 

“Welcome to the 25th Crimson Ball. My name is Jorge Garza. I am pleased to see so many new faces this year as well as several familiar faces. I have many new activities planned for the week as well as many new prizes. Before we get started, I would like to send out a thank you to…” She switched her focus to the waiters going through the crowd providing glasses of some kind of clear liquid. Champagne? It was hard to tell in the dark. “Now for a quick toast.” A woman stumbled into the spotlight. She wore a white, floor-length dress that exposed her neck and shoulders. 

The woman tried to step back but the man kept a firm grip on her neck and shoulder. They were too far away for Marie to hear whatever the woman was saying. The host whispered something in the woman’s ear before he leaned down and bit her. The woman gasped and the sound seemed to echo around the room. 

[I will make this quick.] Adrian spoke to her as he placed his hands on her shoulders. Her body tensed as his fangs sank into her shoulder. No sooner had he sunk his fangs in than he was pulling them out. She flinched as she felt his tongue swipe across her wound. [Don’t heal it all the way. It’s important that the marks remain.] She closed her eyes and sent magic to her wound but she was careful to heal it just enough to stop the bleeding. She didn’t want to give him an excuse to bite her again. 

She opened her eyes but there wasn’t a difference. The room had gone completely dark. She heard the sounds of vampires still drinking in the dark. 

Marie searched the dark but it was hard to tell where Adrian was without any light. 

Adrian had stepped back and she couldn’t tell where he was. She wanted to use her light spell to see but that wouldn’t go over well. 

[I’m right here. Go forward slowly and I’ll lead you out of here.] He took her hand while he placed his other hand on her back. Slowly, he guided her out of the room. Marie felt the texture of the floor change. The plush carpet felt different from the hard floor she’d been on just a moment before. He stopped. [Don’t move.] Adrian let go of her and disappeared. A door in front of her opened, letting light in. She closed her eyes then blinked rapidly as she tried to get accustomed to the light. Adrian offered his hand and she took it. He tucked her hand under his arm before they walked through a set of double doors and into a large ballroom.

Tables were set up to the left. On top of the tables sat large bowls filled with several different colored liquids. People moved around the edge of the room while the center held a dance floor. Several couples danced to music played by the orchestra seated in the right back corner. She glanced at Adrian. He seemed to be looking for something as he scanned the room.

[Let's go ahead and dance.] Marie pressed her lips together as she followed him onto the dance floor. She’d been hoping they wouldn’t have to dance at all. Practicing had gone well but how well would she do here, dancing in front of so many people. He led her to the edge of the dance floor just as the last song ended. They got into the proper position right as the next song started. 

This song was slow so there was time to remember the steps. She mentally counted in her head and tried to match what Adrian was doing. After a few turns around the room, she began to feel a little confident in her ability to dance. Her shoulder itched but she forced herself to ignore it as she looked around. Why were there so many vampires here? Was this just a diversion or was there something else going on?

He twirled her and the sudden action broke her out of her thoughts. She focused back on the dance and went back to counting, afraid that she’d missed a step because of the twirl.

[You’re doing great.] Marie glanced at him. He smiled. She ignored him as she went back to counting but the dance was getting easier. She didn’t feel as worried as she did in the beginning. He twirled her again and she was able to go into the next step without thinking about it. The song ended and they stopped. Adrian let her go and led her away from the center of the ballroom. She wondered what they were going to do now when he stopped at the edge and got back into position. Marie took his hand and placed the other on his shoulder. 

Another song started to play. This one sounded different from the first one. He pulled her closer. That gave her a hint that helped jog her memory. She couldn’t remember the name of the dance but her body remembered the steps. They spun around the room before he did a brief stop and dipped her. There were a few times where she thought they would hit someone but Adrian knew when to turn her away from anyone that got too close. Marie was starting to enjoy the dance. She didn’t think she was coordinated enough to dance without his help but this was still nice. They spun around the room one more time before the song ended. 

They walked off the dance floor and headed towards the chairs at the back of the room.

[I'm going to leave you by the chairs. You can either sit down or stand up but don't move from the area.] He led her to the far back wall where several chairs were lined up. Adrian let go of her hand and walked off into the crowd. He stopped beside a group of people to talk. What was he talking about that he needed to leave her behind for?

"This must be your first party." Marie glanced to her left to see a woman in a black dress sipping from a glass. Her hazel eyes glanced down at Marie before looking back at the dance floor. "If you look to your right, you'll see several companions." The woman tucked a stray strand of red hair behind her ear.

Marie looked at the area she pointed out. A mix of men and women were chatting and laughing. "Once you gain a certain amount of experience, your Master might allow you to join us there." The woman took another sip. "For those without any knowledge, it's easier to keep you out of trouble by limiting who you can speak to."

The woman placed her empty glass on the tray of a passing waiter before crossing her arms.

"Though some knowledge should be shared. I just wanted to pass along a warning." This time she looked right at Marie. "There's been… incidents involving companions who go out by themselves. I would advise you to stay by your Master until you learn the rules but, ultimately, it's up to you." The woman shrugged. "Enjoy the party." With that last remark, she walked away to join the group in the corner. 

Marie thought over what she’d learned. So she was stuck here because she didn’t know anything but then why invite her at all? This didn’t make any sense. The song stopped and she scanned the crowd. Adrian was talking to another group of vampires. What was he planning? Was there another reason he left her here by herself?

He looked up and their eyes met. Adrian smiled before he turned his attention back to one of the vampires. A few more songs played before he made his way back over.

[Let's head back to the room. We’ll order something to eat and you can tell me what was said to you.] Adrian had seen her conversation then. He offered his hand to her. She took it and they left.

Once they got to their floor, she tried again to figure out how he knew which door was theirs. But by the end of their walk, she still had no idea how he could tell the difference between the doors. Maybe it was something only vampires could tell with their advanced senses. Adrian closed the door behind him before he went over to the phone.

"What would you like to eat?" 

"Coffee." She had only gotten to drink one cup before leaving the house.

"Food." Marie wasn't hungry. Adrian frowned at her as he crossed his arms.  

"Toast then." 

"That doesn't count." She crossed her arms. 

“It’s something you eat.” His eyes narrowed before he turned away and picked up the phone. Marie decided to take this chance to go to her room. She knelt beside her duffle bag and looked through the contents for a moment. A small bottle was pulled out and opened. She shook several vitamins out onto her hand before shoving the bottle back into her bag. Marie gazed at her jeans with longing but, since she wasn't sure if they would be going out again, she couldn't change yet. She stood and turned to find Adrian leaning against the doorway watching her.

"What are you holding?" His gaze was firmly fixed to her clenched hand. It wasn't a secret but his wanting to know every little thing made her want to hide the pills. Instead, she opened her hand and showed him.

"Vitamins." 

"You wouldn't need to take those if you ate something other than toast." Marie shrugged. It was a habit at this point. She followed him back to the living room and sat on the sofa opposite him. "Why don't you tell me what was said to you while we wait?"

"She told me that you had me stay silent so I didn't get into trouble and maybe, with enough experience, I could join the other companions."  An amused smile crossed his face as he listened.

"Anything else?" She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should keep it to herself but decided against it. Maybe his reaction would tell her something. 

"She wanted to give me a warning." The smile disappeared from his face as he leaned forward.

"About?" 

"She mentioned there had been incidents involving companions." Marie wasn't going to mention the other part of her warning. She didn't think Adrian needed any reminders. He leaned back and looked away. One hand went to his hair and touched it before he laid both hands on his lap.

"Yes. Unfortunately, there are vampires out there that will see it as their chance to feed on you. Though if a vampire does come after you, you can’t attack him. It’s against the rules for a human to attack a vampire here. That’s one reason why you need to stay beside me and not wander around." So he wasn't going to tell her after all. She didn't doubt his words but that was not what the woman was talking about. Marie was sure of it. If this was a normal part of the party then the woman wouldn't have used a word like incident. 

Fine. She’d wait.

There was a very good chance that whatever had happened before would repeat. Why else would he bring her here?

The silence that had begun to fill the room was interrupted by a knock at the door. Adrian stood up to open the door while she stayed seated. He didn't say she had to stand every time someone was at the door so she wasn't going to.

"This isn't what I asked for." A plate of chicken and vegetables sat on the table in front of her. Marie reached over and grabbed her cup of coffee. It was the only part of her order that was correct. She tossed the vitamins into her mouth before taking a sip of coffee.

"You have a problem with chicken?"

"I'm fine with chicken."

"Then try it. Tell me what you think." Tsk. He knew what the problem was. Marie sighed as she picked up her fork. It tasted good but it was missing something. She had no cooking experience so she didn’t know what it was but something was definitely different. "What do you think?"

"I like your food better." The words were out before she had fully thought them through. She ignored his gaze. Instead, she focused on the food, spearing one of the pieces of broccoli and shoving it in her mouth. 

"Thank you for the compliment." She nodded without looking at him. The rest of the meal was eaten in silence. Once she’d finished a third of her plate, she pushed it over to the side. 

Marie sat back and took a sip of coffee. She had only taken a quick look before. The counter had multiple doors along the bottom. Marie wondered what was being kept in there. A normal hotel had a microwave and a fridge. Or at least the one she’d stayed in previously had had one. With a hotel as nice as this was, it was unlikely that they would have a microwave in the room. Maybe a fridge with blood for the vampires. 

“Done?” She looked back at him and nodded. His plate was completely clean. Adrian sipped the last of his champagne before setting the glass down. “Would you still like a tour of the grounds?”