Paris - Magnus

I lifted my gaze and saw a group of little folk discussing in high-pitched voices outside the pub. They were probably talking about money; that was usually the case. With my usual calm, I stood back and waited to see if they would get out of hand, but my presence must have been felt, for soon they calmed down and split into smaller groups that went in different directions. 

 The evening had been relatively quiet, but the night was young, I thought with a sigh. Many rumors circulated through the city, and I kept a vigilant ear on them all. As far as I knew, Masson and Dominic's hopes had been shattered. Dominic. My heart screamed for him; how long had it been? I rubbed my temples and shook my head. I was living in a time bubble where everything felt so abstract, and I struggled to hold on to memories that felt so close yet so far away, even though my longing for him was still so strong. 

Instinctively, I pushed the feelings aside to ponder politics instead. All of France's vampire princes were dead. Fuck, I rarely swore, but that news sent chills down my spine. I hadn't liked them, but at least they maintained some semblance of order in the chaos. It had been a matter of time, I sighed to myself. Ever since the day Anthony died, civil war had been inevitable. 

War and death lay in the nature of vampires. It disturbed me that Clocksworth had handed the throne to Lumiere and had completely disappeared without a trace. I hadn't had this much to do for hundreds of years. When the vampires were without a strong leader, everyone else had to deal with the consequences. Chaos and violence; no one dared approach their district for fear of becoming a meal for the creatures that had begun to prowl the streets. 

 Lexie had been right; the shadows were back, and they weren't just after her. It had escalated terrifyingly fast, as if someone had a demon factory pumping out horrors on demand. Dark beings that usually stayed in the shadows and sewers had emerged, and the fear and anxiety they spread through the city had drawn more of them out.

 As soon as darkness fell, they crawled forth. I took a deep breath and looked down at the shimmering two-handed axe in my hand. I could barely remember the last time I had needed to use it, but over the past few weeks, I hadn't been able to leave home without it. 

 "Magnus." 

I turned toward the voice and greeted the other two guardians approaching me. 

 "Ready?" asked Einar, standing with his legs apart in his golden armor, shield on his arm and sword in hand. 

 I nodded and met Jorvis's tired eyes. "It's going to be a long night." 

 "About time we had something to do, don't you think?" he grinned under his long beard and struck his staff against the ground, making both him and me shimmer for a moment, and an instant later, we stood in full armor. 

 In the distance, panic-filled screams grew closer and closer. "They're here," muttered Einar, raising his shield. 

 "Les Griffes or whatever new monstrosity they've sent here," Jorvis grumbled, spitting in front of him as our eyes scanned the shadows around the houses. 

 "Don't let them cross the border!" I growled, feeling the lion roar within me, longing to tear them apart. 

 With a roar from my lips, I finally let him out, and my body shifted from its human form into the roaring, golden shimmering lion in all its glory, with the magical armor sparkling over my fur. I felt adrenaline pumping through my body, bolstered by the magic surrounding us and inspired by the roars of my lion brothers. 

 "There'll be at least five rounds of beer after this, boys," grinned the hairiest of us. 

 "My treat," Einar laughed, taking a swift leap toward the first group of monsters that poured out between the houses, thirsting for blood.

Belmont

"I need to talk to Marianne first," I said, fiddling with the pink heart-shaped pendant around my neck. 

 "Does she even know everything Lu is up to?" Nico asked. 

 I shrugged. "I don't know, but I don't think so." 

 "She wouldn't accept it," Clock muttered from the window. "She's always followed the rules." 

 "And what rules are those?" Nico asked, irritation in his voice. "I know you upper-class vampires think you're worth more than the rest of us, but it would be nice if you enlightened us on how we should live our damn lives instead of despising us." 

 Clock raised an eyebrow, meeting his blazing eyes with a calm demeanor. "I've always stood by your side, Dominic; think it through, and you'll see it too." 

 "Marianne isn't upper-class," Mass mumbled. "She's like us; she doesn't even know who created her." 

Everyone turned their heads in surprise and looked at him. "Has she said that?" I asked, astonished, and Mass nodded. 

 "We hung out quite a bit when you guys were in the U.S., tinkering with cars and stuff," he grinned. 

 "Then maybe you should talk to her," I offered. 

 He shook his head. "I don't want her to hate me."

 "Why would she hate you for telling the truth?" 

 "Because she lives inside the illusion of how amazing Lumiere is," he muttered, evident jealousy in his voice. 

 "She's stuck in the past," Clock stated. 

"So it's time she opened her eyes to what's happening around her." I ran my fingers over my forehead and through my hair, lowering my gaze as I pondered. The plan was to make Lumiere understand what a terrible leader he was. Even though we knew he wouldn't abdicate the throne just like that, none of us had the guts to try to kill him. 

It was insane that we even thought about it. He was family too, but if we got Marie on our side, there was a better chance he would listen to us, and maybe we could solve everything in a more peaceful way. A pair of hands brushed my waist and moved toward my stomach until a familiar body pressed against my back, and soon Nico's chin settled on my shoulder. 

"I think you should talk to her, Bel. I believe she would appreciate it coming from you." 

 I shot a quick glance at Clock, but he didn't react to either Nico's suggestion or his embrace, so I nodded briefly. "Sure, I'll talk to her as soon as I get the chance." 

 "Then you can be there to comfort her afterward," Nico smirked, giving Mass a teasing wink. 

 "Ah, come on!" Mass laughed, but everyone could clearly see how his cheeks turned red, and it was quite obvious he wouldn't mind being there for her. The thought was nice in a way, but at the same time, guilt squeezed my heart. Lumiere had always been a significant part of my life, always selfish, cold, and blunt, but also caring and brotherly in his own impersonal way. 

Were we really doing the right thing? It was as if Nico could hear my thoughts because suddenly he kissed my neck and whispered, "Think of all the bullshit happening in the hospital, Bel; think of all the lives he's destroying." 

 I sighed heavily and closed my eyes; he was right. We were living in a nightmare we all wanted to wake up from. My legs felt so heavy; maybe it was because I was about to break the heart of someone who was like a sister to me. I hated Lu for everything he forced me to do; this was even worse than burning bodies in the backyard. 

I climbed the many stairs up to the tower where she had her room. Of course, she was sleeping with Lumiere in their bedroom, but when given the choice, she spent most of her time like Rapunzel, up high with the best view. I should watch that movie again soon, I thought, remembering Flynn, who was easily the most handsome and best Disney prince ever, which sparked the brilliant idea of forcing Nico to watch Tangled with me later that evening.

Now I stood in front of a different situation, outside her door, knocking while fiddling with the BFF necklace. No one answered, so I waited a few minutes before knocking again and stepping into the open space. 

"Marie? Are you here?"

"Belmont!" she giggled delightedly from the beams above where she lay, staring up at the ceiling.

"What are you doing?" I asked hesitantly, positioning myself directly below her.

"Philosophizing," she replied with a dramatic flair, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"About?"

"About why we exist," she said, her voice dripping with mock seriousness.

"Oh!" I laughed and scratched the back of my head. "That's heavy stuff."

With a mischievous grin, she sat up and dangled her legs above my head like a carefree child. "Yes, but why do vampires even exist?"

"Um, no idea actually."

"Well, to keep the population of humans in check, of course! Like lions and wildebeests; there can't be too many, or there won't be enough grass left for everyone." I furrowed my brow as I glanced up at her, and I had a feeling this conversation wouldn't lead to anything positive. "But we don't kill humans anymore; you remember Anthony's rules," she sighed, rolling her eyes before doing a hilarious imitation of our dear prince, "we drink from bags!"

"So you're saying we're not doing our job?" I asked cautiously, trying to keep up with her wild train of thought.

"Exactly!" she laughed excitedly, blowing a huge bubble with her pink gum that popped with a loud snap. "Darling, do you see what humans are doing to our world?! The Earth is overpopulated, and they're destroying everything they touch!"

"So, what do you think we should do about it?" I wondered, biting my lip as I awaited the answer I already knew I would get.

"More vampires with fewer rules!" she declared, giggling and winking at me before jumping down and landing right in front of my feet like she owned the place.

"Is that what you and Lumiere are up to?" I mumbled tiredly, bracing myself for her next chaotic idea.

"Something like that, yes," she said with a conspiratorial grin.

I shook my head at her satisfied but naive smile. Did she even have any idea what Lu was up to? Which led me to the question. "Have you even been there?"

"Where?"

"The mental hospital."

She tilted her head and looked straight into my eyes with an innocent smile that was anything but. "Why wouldn't I? I was the one who found the place!"

With horror, I felt my throat tighten, and a large lump grew in my chest. Fuck... fuck... fuck... FUCK! How was this even possible? How could she be a part of such a vile plan? My sweet  Marianne; like a candy with a soft, sweet center, but with a chaotic edge.

"So you know what he's doing there?" I sighed and rubbed my temples.

"Of course," she said, a hint of mischief in her eyes.

"And you think it's a good plan?"

Quick as a weasel, she was there, placing a hand on my cheek that slowly slid down to rest around the necklace. Her big eyes studied me intensely, and I understood she was trying to figure out why I was there. "Belmont."

"Yes?"

"Why are you always fighting?"

"Not always, right?"

She shrugged nonchalantly, "but often."

"We're too different," I concluded, sensing the widening gap between us.

"Maybe," she said with a hint of challenge.

Slowly, I brushed a strand of hair from her face, "listen to me, sweetheart, what you're doing over there is anything but okay; it's terrible and disgusting."

She lingered for a long time, fiddling with the necklace before she nodded slightly and whispered, "I know."

"So why haven't you said anything?"

She bit her lip, and suddenly she looked so small and fragile that I had to take a step forward and wrap my arms around her for fear she would collapse right there. Gratefully, she accepted my invitation and pressed herself closer to my body.

"I didn't think he'd—" she started, her voice trailing off as if her thoughts were too chaotic to pin down.

"We're going to stop him," I whispered soothingly in her ear. "Just stay out of it, and I promise he won't come to harm."

Two big eyes turned up to me, searching for some form of confirmation. "Promise?"she whispered, a mix of hope and sadness dancing in her gaze.

I bent down and kissed her forehead. "Absolutely."