Author's Note: I don't know if all this stuff is correct, so please forgive any discrepancies. There were several other hotels that I found while tip-toeing around the internet, but The Halkin seemed like a place that Serena would be blown away by, while still staying in the area around Hyde Park. Which is the only landmark that she can name right off the bat.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji or any of it's characters. I only claim Serena, as well as the demons and descendants that I introduce. I do not own The Halkin, nor am I sure that all the details are correct. Again, I just thought what I found on the internet was cool. If there is a Phantom's Gallery in New York, I didn't know and don't own that either, nor do I have any idea who works there.
A Demon's Mate
Chapter Thirty One
Lucien had certainly made the flight enjoyable, and Edwin had been quick to smack his colleague back in line whenever he overstepped himself. Literally. His flirting never really went away but it wasn't completely directed at her either. The blonde would even flirt with his partner occasionally and she realized it was just him.
'He'd probably flirt with a tiger about to eat him and get out of it unscathed.' The other man reached over the seat without halting his current conversation with another stewardess and smacked Lucien again. 'Well, maybe not completely unscathed.'
Edwin had started talking on the phone in some strange foreign language while she and the blonde were playing with the touchscreen in her seat. They were looking through the movies when Serena yawned. Lucien laughed at her apology and suggested that she fold her nifty chair into a bed so that she could relax while they choose the entertainment. The red head had just slid under the fluffy blanket when Edwin leaned over the wall to talk to Lucien in the same strange language. Her eyes grew heavy at the soft sounds. Serena didn't notice either of them watching her as she succumbed to sleep.
"I don't understand what the Elder is thinking." Lucien whispered as he watched the girl frown in her sleep and went back to his own seat. "He should be here, not us. And having the other two watch her in Tokyo."
"It is not our place to question. He has his plan and we have our orders. We are to watch the girl as she makes her way to the manor and that is what we will do." Edwin stood and walked around the wall to pull up the blanket that had slipped while she had gotten comfortable.
"Yes, yes. I know." The other demon sighed and sat back in his seat.
The next time she opened her eyes, Serena found Cindy's smiling face leaning over her and sun streaming through windows scattered about the cabin.
"Miss Walton, we'll be landing at Heathrowe in two hours. In the meantime, we have afternoon tea if you wish or I could bring you breakfast instead."
"Ugh, no more tea. I'll just have orange juice." She stretched a little and let out a yawn.
"Morning, beautiful." Lucien's head popped over the wall. "Well actually, it's afternoon now, it was morning when you went to sleep, but you get the point."
"Morning. How can you look as fresh as when you got on the plane?"
"It's one of my skills." He smiled, turning on the charm again.
"Well, I'm sure I look like a mess." She pushed back her hair that had escaped its braid and sat up a little.
"Not at all. There's nothing sexier than a woman who's just awoken, all tousled and warm." He winked at her and Serena saw a heavy arm reached across the seats. The sound of the smack filled the cabin and their fellow passengers turned to look.
Lucien's head disappeared behind the wall and she heard a soft 'ow.'
"I apologize. It's a compulsion, really. He can't help it." Edwin stood and she winced, hearing vertebrae cracking back into place. "I told the stewardess you may have wanted to freshen up before we arrive."
"Thank you, I would." Sliding down to the other end of her little bed, Serena stretched again after she stood.
There weren't that many other passengers in their cabin and they had seemed to have all been placed on the other side. It struck her as odd that the three of them had been seated so close together but the others were spread apart. Shaking it off, she grabbed her little complementary toiletry bag and purse before hurrying to the restroom so she didn't have to wait in line. Passing the small galley that was dedicated to Upper Class, a little box fell off one of the shelves and spilled it's contents all over her.
"Miss Walton! Are you alright?" Cindy and another stewardess came rushing over.
"I'm fine. It's nothing." When Serena took her arms down and dusted herself off. Edwin and Lucien were standing there as well. She looked down at the box that had flown at her and almost screamed.
"Tea leaves? Why is always tea leaves? If I didn't know any better I would say I'm being stalked by tea." The red head noticed the strange looks. "I'm not crazy. I've drank nothing but tea the last few weeks and when I swore that I would never touch the stuff again, it's everywhere. Now, it's smacking me in the face."
"You should drink that tea." Lucien crossed his arms with a strangely serious expression. "Show it who the boss is."
Edwin smacked the blonde as he rolled his eyes.
"Thank you." Serena sighed. "However, I'll take it as a sign and I'll have the afternoon tea."
Cindy smiled and held up the box that had so unjustly ambushed her. "I'll have it ready when you come out. I assume you'll want the Earl Grey?"
"That's fine." She waved it off and stepped into the bathroom. When she looked in the mirror, the girl groaned at her hair sticking up and the raccoon eyes from rubbing her mascara in her sleep. "I really do look like a mess."
'And of course, I was in such a hurry that I didn't get my stuff out of the bathroom or pack anything in my carry-on to change into. Because I'm a genius.' She pulled what little was left of her braid out and tried to smooth it back before re-braiding it. 'I need a shower. I don't even have a hotel! Crap, what am I going to do? I knew that I needed a place to stay but I totally lost what I was going to do when I got on the plane. Damn flirt, it's all his fault.'
She sprayed some of the perfume that was in her purse over herself after brushing her teeth and washing off the rest of her makeup. Trying to smooth some of the wrinkles out of her slept-in dress, Serena opened the door to find Lucien on the other side. The blonde was looking around the plane with his back to the door and turned when she came out.
"Did you need something?" The red head asked suspicious.
Not missing a beat, the man pointed to the restroom.
"Oh, right. Sorry." Serena blushed and headed back for her seat. She didn't see Lucien watching her until she was back in sight of Edwin. The demon waited a few seconds and then returned to his seat with a smile.
When Serena got back, her bed had been put back to a seat and the used sheet and blanket taken away. Edwin was doing something on his phone but looked up as she came closer. The man gave her a rare smile before returning to whatever he was doing. Lucien came bouncing down the aisle next, Cindy right behind him with her tea tray. The girl hurried to pull out her little table for the woman to set it on.
As well as a fresh tea, complete with saucer, Cindy also set down a small carousel filled with little cakes and finger sandwiches.
"Thank you."
"So, where are you staying while in London?" Lucien popped back over the wall.
Serena set her cup down and bit her lip. "Actually, I haven't quite figured that out yet."
"There is an app that you can use to find a hotel." He pointed to the screen set in the other wall of her little suite.
"Really?" She touched the screen and navigated around the various windows. "Well, will you look at that."
"Pick The Halkin. It's beautiful and it is right off of Hyde Park."
'Hyde park?' Serena suppressed a shudder as she remembered her last visit to the park. 'I do need to be somewhere near the townhouse to have any hope of backtracking to find the manor. But, Hyde Park is huge. I don't even know which side I need to be on to be able to find anything familiar. I'll also need a map.'
She scrolled down until she found the hotel that he was talking about and promptly choked on her tea. Shaking her head at the price, Serena moved on down the list.
"Hey, where are you going? You just passed it."
"I am aware of that. The Halkin doesn't fit into the budget." Her voice was firm as she looked at prices first and then the pictures.
"Budget smudget. I'm guessing from how you reacted to this plane, that this is a once in a lifetime trip. Gotta live it."
"Well, I'd like to be able to live after it too. I already spent way too much on this ticket because I was in a hurry." She shook her head and kept moving.
"There is no substitute for a good hotel in a great location that will also be safe." The man made a motion for her to go back up the page.
"Safe?"
"I told you that The Halkin is a very nice hotel. They take care of their guests and it's an area that is well patrolled."
She bit her thumbnail, still staring at the screen. "But, it's so expensive."
"It's worth it." He whispered over her shoulder and Serena was reminded of the little devil cartoon that was supposed to sit on your shoulder and talk you into things you shouldn't do.
"No, I can't do it. It's nowhere near the budget." She shook her head and moved down the list again.
"A good hotel is always in the budget."
"You don't even know what the budget is." She thought for a moment. "I don't even know what the budget is."
Picking up the AeroMobile phone that the stewardess had shown her when first boarding, she called her bank and waited through the prompts. Serena couldn't help but notice that Lucien was still hanging over the wall.
"Do you mind?"
"Not at all." The blonde smiled at her glare but backed off. He disappeared behind the wall before she could see his smile turn into a smirk.
"You're account balance is $62,625.91." The robotic voice came over the line and the red head almost stopped breathing.
"What?!" Serena pulled the phone away to stare at it. "That can't be right."
She hit the option to repeat but the number hadn't changed in the few seconds that elapsed. She hit the zero button and waited to for a member representative to come on the line. The voice that came over the phone was friendly as it introduced itself and waited for her reason for calling.
"Yes, there has been a rather large deposit made into my account and I was hoping that you could tell me where it came from."
"Of course. If you could verify some info for me." After giving her birthdate and the last four of her social, Serena waited for the woman to explain the mistake and tell her how much was really in the account. "Miss Walton, it seems that there was a deposit made from a Phantom's Gallery, New York in the amount of $59,600 two days ago. There is also a large debit on your account from Virgin-Atlantic Airways that we would like to verify while I have you on the phone."
"No, that's one's right. It should be a little over 4600."
"That's correct. I will go ahead and take the flag off of that. Is there anything else that I can help you with?"
"No, that's all. Thank you." Serena hung up and called the gallery that had agreed to feature her work shortly before she had left for Tokyo. After waiting through the greeting, she was happy to hear the familiar voice of the same man that she always dealt with come over the line. "Todd, this is Serena."
"Oh, you must have seen the deposit."
"I did. What is that?"
"You wouldn't believe it." He gushed. "This gentlemen came in off the street and liked one of your paintings. You know, the one of the campus where everyone is in shadow and it's a little creepy? Anyway, he insisted on buying them all. He even took the sketches, Serena. Oh, he was beautiful and didn't bat one of his super-long eyelashes when he was told the final price."
"Are you serious?" Serena felt a little trouble breathing in her shock.
"He could have had me without even drinks."
"Todd, about the pieces." She rolled her eyes.
"Joyce almost started to weep tears of joy when he handed her his card and it went through. We had it crated and they were all shipped off this morning." She could hear him take a sip of something over the phone while she tried to digest what he had told her. "Now, when are you coming back? And I hope that you were working while you were in Tokyo. Joyce wants some more to feature. In fact, she'll start breathing down your neck the minute you step back into the country. She may even meet you at the airport."
"I don't know yet. I kinda took a side trip to London."
"What?! Are you okay?" He sounded concerned. "Can't have a favorite artist get lost on another continent, now can we?"
She heard the smile in his voice and rolled her eyes again. "Look, I gotta go. Thanks, Todd."
"Serena wait, there was something about that man..."
She hung up to see Lucien had sneaked back around the corner while she was occupied and was now seated on her ottoman.
"I'm assuming that your budget has changed?" He smiled and something in it made her suspicious. But she didn't see how he could have any connection to the purchase at Phantom's. There was no way that he could be in New York, then Tokyo, then on a plane to London in that amount of time.
"I guess it has."
"Then stay at The Halkin." The blonde poked her in the side with a smile.
"I take it that's where you're staying?"
"Maybe." He looked at her slyly. "Just think, you could have a built in tour guide and dinner partner."
"Would Edwin be coming on this tour and dinner?"
"I could show you around alone." The blonde leered slightly and she shook her head.
"I think that you are damn dangerous alone." She sighed and turned back to the monitor. Pulling up The Halkin again, she looked at the price once more. "That is really expensive."
"That's a very nice hotel. Take the Belgravia Suite."
"I don't need the Belgravia Suite. I'm not planning on spending a lot of time in the room anyway. I just need a place to shower and sleep. The deluxe is fine."
"It's all about atmosphere. You're going to regret being a penny pincher."
She glared at him and hit the button anyway.
"You should have taken the suite." Lucien shook his head. "Maybe they will let you upgrade when we get to the hotel."
"I don't need to upgrade," The red head ground out.
"Oh, you just don't know how to spend money." He waved her off and sat back against the wall.
"No, no I don't."
"Well, I'll teach you. This trip is going to be great. Whether you want it to be or not."
"Will that get you off my ass?"
"Trust me, if I were on your ass, you'd know it." He smirked down at her and something in his eyes made her blush.
Edwin turned but a smack was already heard around the cabin. Serena glared as the man watched her in disbelief, holding his head.
"Very nice, my lady." Edwin glared at his partner before going back to the phone.
************************A Demon's Mate***********************
Ciel closed the door to his office and shut out the chatter of the servants. After Tanaka had helped him dress, the Earl had gone back to Sebastian's room but found nothing that gave clue as to where the butler had gone or why. He could only assume that it had to do with the confrontation that occurred the night before. The only thing that he was certain of was that he didn't have much time without Sebastian's protection and he needed a plan.
Walking to the desk, he finally noticed the box sitting on the center. A black ribbon was tied around the package and was fashioned into a fancy bow at the top. There was no one else that Ciel could think of that would use a black bow, but Sebastian. Taking his seat, he didn't like his back being to the window anymore and stood again. He took the box and went to the chair that Serena had always sat in when she interrupted him.
There was nothing identifying of it's contents on the plain paper that wrapped it. As he pulled on the bow, the Earl realized the ribbon was made of leather. Another identifier of who left it. Just under the paper, he found a note.
'I'm sure that you have noticed by now that I have terminated our contract.'
Ciel didn't bother to read the rest and crumpled the paper into a ball, throwing it into the fireplace. In his anger, the teen ripped the box open and looked inside. Past the tissue paper was a book, not very exceptional, except for the scorch marks covering the outside leather. When he opened the front cover, he found the book was hand written. It's pages had been yellowed from age and fire damage but one could still read the words easily. Another note fell out from the front cover.
'I assume that you threw the other note on the fire without reading it. Temper, temper.' Ciel's fingers clutched around the note and resisted the urge to crumple this one too. 'This is the last one that I have enclosed, so I would suggest that you read it. As I had told you at our first meeting, I have never made a contract with a child. To be honest, I was purposely delaying the search for your family's killer, giving you time to grow up. I found this interesting tome while I was rebuilding the manor that first night we arrived here. You know when I speak of, you were crying over your parents' grave like a lost little child. Although, I suppose the comparison is apt in this case. After I had figured out what secrets lay inside this book, written by Tanaka, I had also come to be amused by life at the Phantomhive estate and this new master I served. I have kept this book, for when I felt that you were ready for it's contents and when I was ready for this contract to end. With recent revelations, that time has come sooner than I expected and without the ending that I had planned on.
Now I leave it for you, my last gift. Inside lay the secrets that you have so desperately been searching for. You can open this book and study it's pages until the answer comes to you, or you can throw it on the fire with the other note I left. You now have the option of living out the rest of your life with our deal no longer in effect and it's consequences nothing but a bad dream. The choice is yours.
I say farewell to an interesting master. An incredible feat, I assure you, for a human to hold my interest so long. I find that this is one of the very few times that I have said farewell and actually meant it.
It was unsigned, but it didn't need to be. Ciel set the letter to the side, smoothing out the page and set the journal on the ottoman in front of him. Leaning back in his chair, the Earl stared at the innocuous looking book.
In the hallway, Tanaka left the others to make a phone call.
*********************A Demon's Mate*******************
Serena admitted that Lucien had been correct. The Halkin certainly lived up to it's hype. The dark brick facade was a sharp contrast to the welcoming light and airy lobby. Large, curved windows on the first floor bounced natural light off the creamy walls and natural stone floors as the concierge welcomed the three of them. Lucien tried once more to get her to upgrade so that they would be on the same floor and again she resisted.
Edwin apologized again and explained the brain damage that his friend needed to suffer from. "He's like a giant gnat. He'll just keep irritating you until he's smacked away."
"I'll keep that in mind." She glared at the blonde currently involved with the concierge to get his own key. He flirted with the man just as easily as with her and she realized that Lucien was an equal opportunity. Looks and gender didn't seem to matter very much.
After the men insisted on escorting her to her room and the door closed behind her, Serena looked around in wonder for a minute. Natural light streamed through the open curtains and reflected off the soft, pale fabrics that covered everything. A small desk as well as a lounge area, with loveseat and ottoman occupied the space with the bed, but for some reason it didn't feel crammed in. A remote sat on the desk and she assumed it went to the TV that was built into the wall, until she pushed one of the buttons. The drapes closed and she jumped a little. Another button made the lights dim to a soft glow.
"Okay, that's cool." She said to herself as reopened the drapes and set the remote down.
In the bathroom, she was amazed again. The walls and floor were covered in a light brown marble with shots of color throughout it that made the space relaxing while still holding more light. The shower and tub were separate, allowing for a deeper tub than you could get with a combo. She looked at the bath and promised to use that before she left.
Serena finally got the shower that she had been craving. The toiletries provided by the hotel were nice, but not really her taste and the red head was reminded that she needed to find a store and purchase some of her own. Feeling pampered by the soft robe and slippers that had been provided, she still laid the towel she had used on the floor and soaked up the water from the marble.
Back in the bedroom, she forced her fingers through her hair in the absence of a brush and scrunched it a little to make it curl. The red head prayed that it would look halfway decent when it dried.
Comfort was definitely the priority, when picking out clothes, as she planned to explore the area surrounding the hotel to find a store. Pulling out jeans and an old favorite button down shirt, Serena laughed at the fact that the first thing she went for was black. She went light on the make up again and felt the need to slip on some bangles to dress it up a bit as she rolled the long sleeves up to her elbows. After finding her sunglasses in the bottom of her purse, and slipping on a pair of flip flops, she decided that she was ready and set off for the elevator.
Checking that she had her key, Serena looked up as the elevator doors opened in the hallway and saw Lucien's smiling face.
"Perfect timing. I was just coming to see if you were ready to explore yet."
She hesitated before getting on the elevator he held open. "You're not one of those guys that picks up foreign women in the airport and shows them around before killing them and dumping their bodies in the Thames, are you?"
The blonde looked shocked and frowned. "I don't...think so."
"Just checking."