Outwardly Scarlett appeared calm and cold inwardly she was confused. Who was he? He seemed so familiar to her, enough that she'd kissed him. But she couldn't seem to remember his name – had she ever known it? She didn't know. She'd been going over it in her mind the whole drive down from Las Vegas to San Francisco.
But one thing was for sure he must be forgotten, besides the fact that romantic situations were a distraction he was a Daybreaker, one of his comrades had tried to kill her with a bamboo handled blade, she mustn't forget that. Red would know.
The car pulled up to the hotel Red had said he'd meet them at, Quinn was taken roughly from the car by the wolves as Scarlett gracefully got out. She left them to it, she was going to get weak soon, she hadn't seen hadn't seen Red in nearly two weeks and her first encounter with a vampire in that time was Quinn.
She walked quietly into the dimly lit hotel room Red was already there. She halted until he noticed her, upon doing so he smiled, a warm, even fatherly smile. But it wavered at closer inspection of her. She knew she had color in her cheeks, that last battle mixed with lack of blood would be noticeable only to Red.
Not speaking she merely held out her arm. On the underside the presence of the essence was obvious, her black blood showed through where both normal humans and Nightworlders showed blue blood. It was hers. The Essence resided in very few, and it took some very powerful rituals to acquire it. But the rewards were more than worth it.
It didn't merely increase Power and so on. It increased everything from her vampire powers to her strength, healing time, speed and agility and her other magicks. Not to mention the ultimate power any vampire would kill for……immunity to wood.
But it wouldn't work if she were low on power like now. Also unlike normal vampires she didn't just drink human blood. Some of the more powerful aspects of the Essence required another type of blood – vampire blood – that was really the only slight downside to it, so not much of one she had decided long ago.
Red indicated to her to come, he stood up to meet her, closely scrutinizing her veins, ''Dear me, we have been a busy girl.'' He commented, but that was not the truth. The reality was she'd had to much energy to 'sit tight' as Red had ordered and had reverted to her former partying self – secretly of course.
Seeming to be talking telepathically now, Red looked away, Scarlett went to the window, wanting to feel the cold night air on her face. She let a small smile grace her lips at the spectacular view commanded by the penthouse of Golden Gate bridge. She remembered how, when she had first come to San Francisco someone – she couldn't remember who – had taken her to the very top of the bridge. The view and experience had been one of the most breathtaking of her life. And something else about that memory had made her treasure it, but like a lot of things she seemed to remember only half of the memory and nothing of others perhaps this was one of them.
The door opened admitting the two wolves, who between them half dragged and half carried their prisoner. Quinn.
They held him firmly upright as she approached, a darek light in her eyes. His defiance was still therew, she liked it. Though his surprise as she took a firm grip on his shoulders and lowered her head to his neck was truly satisfying.
Her canines extended, indenting her lower lip, she pulled her head back slightly to look him in the eyes, he asked more bewildered than frightened, ''What are you doing?''
In her sultriest tone she answered, ''Dinner,'' then viciously bit into his neck, he smothered a yell.
She relaxed as the blood flowed down her throat, rich and intoxicating, with the hidden promise of the Night World.
Aradia listened as Merric described the girl he knew as Charlotte, his words only made her more sure that this girl was the one from her vision. That however presented a massive problem. She wads obviously allied with the Night World. After all she had Quinn. Although like Ash she wondered what had made her switch sides.
Then she had a thought, ''Was she ever on out side?'' a silence followed her words. Merrics answer saw one of challenge to any who doubted his loyalty.
''When we met neither of us were. I left to get my head together after…after a friend of mine was killed, murdered by the Night World. He had a human soulmate. Charlotte, she knew. I needed to change. But that was the last time I saw her. She went missing a month after I left.''
He said it all matter of factly, but Aradia could sense confusion underneath, what if she'd left of her own volition? Forgetting her soulmate in the process.
Merric still fiddled with whatever he held in his hands, Aradia felt an odd aura coming from it. She kept quiet however, now was not the time. No one was really saying much though, and even blind Ariadia could almost see the tension in the room as a physical manifestation.
''Alright, out first priority is to get Quinn back. Alive.'' Thierry said calmly.' Merric, where will she have taken him?''
Merric shook his head, ''I don't know. Scarlett didn't seem to recognize me, something was different……'' he trailed off, she sensed his head droop. Then in her minds eye she saw Merric look over what he held in his hands.
Sharply his head snapped up. Coinciding with that Aradia felt a short burst of psychic energy from the object on Merrics hands – a dagger!
She strode for forward reaching for it, but her finger tips had barely brushed the daggers wooden handle when she pulled back, gasping.
A circle of candles burnt brightly, a girl with long black hair stuck to her head by sweat, knelt on her hands and knees panting. Another person in the circle with her, a man, with roguish red/brown hair and golden hawk like eyes, his face – handsome normally – was alight with a gleeful smile.
The girl – Charlotte! – slowly held out her wrist, her companion slowly drew a red handled blade down a prominent vein. Blood welled out along the cut. But even as it made it's crawling progress down her arm it grew darker and darker, until, finally it was a deep midnight black. Both the blood itself and the blood visible through the skin in the veins were black.
A smile lit both of their faces and the vision blinked out.
As Aradia came to she realized that someone had caught her, looking up at the person who had caught her she felt rather than saw it was Ash, all humor gone from his face.
Taking a shaky Aradia took the seat that was offered and described her vision. A sense of dread creeped up her back. She knew now what had drawn her to the dagger.
The blood, but ti was no normal blood. It was an ancient force she'd been taught about once. Briefly as a child by Grandma Harmen it was an old magick called The Essence, it was one of the old powers that resided in few and killed the rest who tried to acquire it.
When Aradia explained this, someone asked, ''So can we still kill her?''
Thierry answered but Aradia, ''We can't kill her.'' His voice calm. Rashel who hadn't said a word since Merric had admitted that Scarlett/Charlotte was his soulmate spoke up.
''How can we not? She killed David and Gillian. She still might kill Quinn!''
Aradia was not the only one who looked at Thierry for an answer to that one. He and Hannah shared a look and Aradia knew what was coming. ''Because she's the fourth Wild Power.''
A deafening silence ensued, nobody moved or spoke at all for a moment, then Merric turned sharply and slammed the door as he left.