Hi,

I've got another question for you and I'm really curious about this. If you were in Anna's shoes and the head vamp just implied he might hand over the magical artifact you so desperately wanted - all you have to do is follow him down another secret passage - what would you tell him, like literally?

Please let me know! Enjoy the read :-)

Lara

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Chapter 51

They were walking down another secret passage, another one she had missed on all her earlier visits, only this time, they were going down. Alexander had led her to a broad staircase that was as modern as offensively posh. Low, blue-tinged light made the marble steps look like solid pools of water. Her own footsteps were the only sound she perceived as they made their way down the steps; the head vampire's were too low for her to pick up on.

She had agreed to this out of sheer curiosity. And yet, low as the chance of obtaining what she came for was, it still was there. If she couldn't get the magical artifact from Alexander this night, she was determined to accumulate enough information to come back at a later moment and take it by force.

Alexander was walking in front of her in long, measured steps. The bizarre combination of darkness and blue light made his white tailored shirt stand out like a glow stick. It made her oddly aware of his broad shoulders and the way he moved.

They reached the bottom of the staircase and walked into a long corridor. The walls were barren of shackles or axes, or any of the other decoration Ryon Club sported.

Alexander led the way without saying a word. Even from where she was she could feel the electric power the head vampire radiated like a constant, tangible aura. She imagined, if she reached out, she might be able to touch it with her bare hands.

Seeing the head vampire, being this close to him ­ something about that look in his eyes bothered, no, almost disturbed her. Something lay hidden behind those endless worlds of blue in his eyes and a part of her wanted to know just what.

No. She shook her head. She had to find a way back into that tranquil place inside of her, where nothing and no one could touch her. And she would.

Alexander stopped before her abruptly. She'd been so occupied with her thinking, she barely managed to stop in time and avoid running into him. They were standing in front of a door, one of many in the corridor. All of them secured with high-tech fingerprint door locks.

Alexander turned and looked at her. "If you help me gain the information I need and do me one small favor that will cost you nothing in terms of time or magic and will do no harm to you, I will give you one of the objects, Anna," he said softly.

She didn't like hearing her name from his lips. Less did she like not knowing what she was walking into. But she wanted that object too badly to say no to his offer. She watched his face, the way he held himself. No telltale signs, no nervous ticks, no breathing. Not a single thing she could have used for reference. The head vampire was as unreadable and enigmatic as a white-canvas-masterpiece.

"No bloodletting, no favors or errands in the city or elsewhere, no mind-entering vampire powers and no information I'm not willing to give", she said, watching his face.

A slow smile crept on his face. "It is none of the above."

"I have to have your word on this."

"You have," he said.

The seconds ticked by. Her mind was racing. She couldn't think of anything else worth losing. No blood, no information, nothing that would cost her something. If there was a trap that would cause her a loss of some sort, it was too insignificant to factor in.

"Agreed."

The head vampire turned and pressed his forefinger on the black panel above the lock. The door moved noiselessly, an automatic slide door that opened as if operated by invisible hands.

"After you, Anna," Alexander said, stepping aside.

She moved past him and walked into the room. At first all she could see was Zack's wide back. Alexander's second in command turned as soon as she entered. For once his broad jaw wasn't set in a mirthful grin. Zack's green eyes were fierce, piercing her. It was only then that she noticed the ruffled auburn hair and the stains of blood on his shirt.

She scanned the room and froze.

"He is not talking. He might talk to you," Alexander said from behind. He was so close, if she shifted backwards an inch, they would have touched.

She blinked and looked again, just to make sure she had seen right. Yes, it was him.

He was strapped to a gurney-like bed, covered by a dark red blanket. He was pale as a ghost. His right shoulder and arm were badly burned. She suspected he might be burned in more places she couldn't see.

She had no idea how Alexander had gotten his hands on him and she wasn't going to ask. She straightened.

"What do you want to know?"

Alexander laughed softly.

* * *

She couldn't believe she was doing this. Her hands were loose at her sides as she was standing in front of a man that had once been part of her nightmares. Now she was so very similar to him. Hunted by the Circle and the Death Squad. Persona non grata in a city she once called her home. Now for the first time, she could understand the words he once said to her.

Get some perspective. You know nothing of innocence and guilt. You have no idea what it means to be rogue. What it feels like when every single day of your life is about death and survival. What you and your Circle don't know is this: Magic needs an outlet, and it will find one. It's not something that can be controlled by half-hearted doctrines and flimsy beliefs.

She was aware of the vampires at her back, Alexander above them all. The question he wanted answered most disturbed her more than she liked to admit.

Medici's dark brown hair was stuck to his forehead, sticky with sweat. He was as pale as a sheet. This was no trick, no playacting he might have used. The Raven was dying.

"Medici," she said.

His brows furrowed, but he didn't open his eyes.

Suddenly Zack was beside her, prodding Medici's shoulder with his hand. The Raven groaned and opened his eyes. Faster than she could see, Zack was gone from her side and she was the only one standing in front of the gurney.

Medici's light brown eyes cleared and focused on her. For a long moment he said nothing.

"We meet again, Anna Johnson. I see you've finally given in," he finally said.

She stared at him. It wasn't Medici and the fact that Alexander held him as prisoner – what disturbed her most was the question Alexander wanted her to ask.

"I knew you could become one of us. Even back then, I could see it," Medici stopped and coughed, then groaned again.

She ignored Medici's words, focused on what was important. Alexander's question was spinning in her mind, reverberating from its confines, because, perhaps, she herself already had the answer to it.

"Did you collaborate with a vampire that forcefully entered New York?" She said.

The words were out before she could stop herself. This was the question Alexander wanted answered. However, she needed answers too. Did the red-haired, Asian vamp she and Andy encountered enter New York from the outside? Was he the one Alexander was looking for?

Medici stared at her for a long moment, then turned his head towards Alexander and Zack.

"I'll talk to her, alone. No vamps. No cameras. No recording." His words came slowly and were a little slurred.

She turned and looked at Alexander. His eyes searched hers, as if there was some sort of connection or intimacy they shared. For a moment she could feel his eyes on her core, as if he could touch her by looking at her alone. She withdrew, let her eyes go unfocused, and merely nodded.

Alexander stared at her, before turning around and leaving wordlessly. The other vamps followed, slinking after him in smooth, inhuman strides. Alexander was waiting in front of the door, watching her. His blue eyes were the last thing she saw before the sliding door closed noiselessly.

She turned back to Medici. "Did you or did you not collaborate with a vampire that forcefully entered New York?"

He stared at her for a long moment. The usual madness that seemed to obscure his eyes like a film was gone. She was staring at clear brown eyes that saw and understood exactly what she was.

"I already told them. I stopped collaborating with vamps after my unhappy union with Thomas Burke. Too unpredictable, the lot." He laughed, then coughed some more. She searched his eyes and face. Raphael Medici was human, but he might as well have been a century old vampire – with him she could never tell if he was telling the truth.

"Did you notice anyone, vamp or other supernatural, entering the city without the authorities' knowledge?" She avoided Alexander's name, knowing Medici was less likely to answer if he thought he was helping Alexander in particular.

"No," he said, closing his eyes.

"Bullshit," she said. "Even I know something is going on in the city. Don't tell me you don't know. I know you know more about what's going on in New York than you admitted. What do you know?"

He opened his eyes, watching her. "And what good will it do me? What will I get out of it?"

She'd anticipated that he would make demands. Now she understood why Alexander had wanted her to walk in and question the Raven. Medici wouldn't trust the head vampire to grant demands he made. Apparently he would trust her.

She snorted. "Let me guess. Your freedom?"

"We both know I won't last long." He was breathing faster. "But if I die, I don't want to die here. Bring me to our third hiding place."

She remembered. The third hiding place had been underneath Torren's Tower in the northern part of the city.

"And I don't want Alexander or anyone else to know about this agreement," Medici said.

She cocked her head. Alexander would never allow her to take Medici somewhere else – even if the rogue witch was dying. Not even for the information he wanted.

"You know that's something I can't guarantee."

"Yes, you can. Getting me out will be the first thing you do, before you set a foot out of the club."

It was a simple question of which option to take. Pay the price and get the information, or keep the valuables in your pocket and gain nothing.

In theory, she could break through whatever barriers Alexander had set up around the club and portal out with Medici. She examined the rogue witch's face and the way he was breathing. Medici truly looked like death himself. Something told her he might not even make it past that night.

She nodded slowly.