Another side of Lucius (2)

In the dim, musty confines of the underground cell, Lucius held the burnt and broken chain in his hands, running his fingers over the rough, frayed edges. He furrowed his brow in frustration as he examined the evidence of Kat's escape.

"How did she manage to escape?" he asked, his tone casual despite the gravity of the situation.

"Someone must have used black magic to release her," William who was standing nearby replied, his eyes also scanning the area for any clues.

Lucius nodded, still studying the chain. "Any idea who could have done it?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.

"It's possible that Samara had something to do with it," he said, his voice low and serious. "She's the only one who knew Kat was down here besides us."

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Samara, huh? I wouldn't put it past her," he mused, tossing the chain aside. "But let's not waste time speculating. Just find Kat."

William ran his tongue over his sharp canines, briefly glancing at his nails and then at Lucius. Without a word, he made his way out of the old cell leaving Lucius behind who was still examining the the flour and walls of the cell.

....

Leah and Ami were engaged in a video call, with Leah clutching Lucius's phone tightly as they spoke. After coming back to her room, she had immediately logged into her Instagram account, Leah had called Ami right away, knowing that her friend would be worried about her.

Leah began to recount the events that had taken place, from the moment she had left the birthday party and also how she met Lucius. As she spoke, Ami's face registered a mix of shock and concern.

"That's a lot," Ami said at one point, clearly overwhelmed by the story Leah was telling her.

"Yeah, I know," Leah replied from her bed. "It's a little overwhelming for me too." She let out a sigh as she turned, settling on her stomach with her legs wriggling in the air. Resting her chin on her palm,

"Are you sure it's safe for you to be there?" Ami asked, Worry etched on her face.

Ami could not help but ask Leah if it was safe for her to be in a house full of vampires. The past few days had been a nightmare for her as she had been unable to locate her friend and had not been able to reach her on her phone. However, seeing and hearing Leah's voice on the video call had brought a semblance of calm to Ami, although the concern in her voice was still evident.

Leah, who had heard the worry in her friend's voice, smiled reassuringly and chuckled a little. "It's safe, trust me," she said. "The Valdez family are very nice vampires."

As soon as Leah mentioned the name Valdez, Ami's expression darkened. "Did you just say Valdez?" she asked, her tone indicating that she was deeply troubled by the name.

Leah was taken aback by her friend's reaction. "Um... yeah," she replied tentatively, wondering why the name Valdez had such an effect on Ami.

"Shit," Ami cursed, her forehead creased with worry. "You're in the house of the most powerful and ruthless vampire family in the world, Leah," she continued, her voice laced with concern.

"They are powerful, so what. Being powerful doesn't make them bad people," Leah argued, trying to reassure herself as much as her friend.

"They are not people, Leah, they are vampires," Ami retorted firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument. "And you know nothing about them, you just met them a few days ago. Those people are murderers, i know these people, they're bad news." Ami said, trying to make her friend understand what she was saying but Leah didn't seem to be listening to her.

Leah, on the other hand, seemed to be unfazed by Ami's warning. She pushed her hair behind her ear and calmly responded,

"Look, Ami, i know that Vampires aren't saints at all. But these people are really nice compared to other Vampires I've met in the past." She was starting to get annoyed that Ami wasn't understanding.

Ami was about saying something but she suddenly stopped mid-sentence, her eyes narrowing, as she stared at her friend's face through the phone screen.

"How are you feeling, Leah?" Ami asked, completely drifting away from their conversation.

"I feel normal, I think," Leah replied, feeling confused about the sudden change in topic.

"Oh no," Ami said, her voice laced with concern. "You're under a spell, Leah."

Leah's heart skipped a beat as she heard Ami's words. "What spell?" she asked, her confusion growing.

"It's a blur spell," Ami said.

"A blur spell," Leah said shocked.

"It's a spell that makes a person compliant." Ami explained.

Leah was still in shock, struggling to comprehend how she could have been under a spell without even realizing it.

"Why would Lucius put me under a spell? Vampires can't cast spells," she said, her voice shaking with disbelief.

Ami, who had been trying to find a logical explanation, then suggested, "You told me that some witches also live in the manor, right? Then maybe Lucius asked one of them to cast the spell on you."

Leah nodded, her mind still racing with questions. "But why would he even do that?" she asked, a slight frown forming between her brows.

Ami paused for a moment before speaking again, "Maybe because he has been lying to you."

Confusion marred Leah's face as she tried to process everything. Now that she thought about it, she remembered the day she woke up with a weird feeling when she tried to ask Lucius a question.

It felt like she didn't need to ask him anything at all. If it weren't for Anastasia, who told her they were in Rome during their morning walk, she wouldn't have bothered to ask about that either. Why would Lucius lie to her?"

"I don't understand, why would he lie to me?" Leah asked Ami.

"Because you don't have any mark on you - at least not a witch's mark," Ami replied in a low voice, her response only adding to Leah's frustration.