Undying Devotion

“He’s one hundred percent into you.” Arion fastened his seat belt.

“Will you stop!” She groaned.

“I’ll stop when you admit it.” He concluded.

“Why does it matter!?” Typing the address into the GPS she then started the car.

“I’m surprised that you told him I was living with you.” He suddenly added.

She frowned pulling the car out of the driveway. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“He seemed like he didn’t like the idea. Do men not normally come over?” He pondered out loud.

“If you must know, no they don’t.” She retorted.

“That would explain why you were so hostile toward me that first evening.” He muttered.

No, she simply just didn’t expect a demon, of all things, to be roaming her halls and had thrown her phone and pillow at him. Thinking about it now it was rather idiotic of her, but she remained silent.

“Regardless, Jessie seems hostile toward me.” He added after some time.

She couldn’t help but laugh, he sounded almost hurt. “We deal with the worst of the worst on a daily basis. It’s only natural to be cautious of people that appear suddenly in the lives of those around us.”

“It’s more than that, with Masie I can understand the reasoning there.” He paused with a frown. “But with Jessie, it’s more...” He trailed off unable to find the words.

“Are you worried?” She raised a brow as she glanced over at him and then back at the road.

“Of that! Hardly!” He huffed shaking his head, though he did respond rather quickly.

“If you’re worried, don’t be. I don’t indeed to start a relationship with anyone in this town. My time here was only meant to be brief anyway, before all this with you I was meant to return to the city. Plan’s change I guess...” She trailed off thinking about how she may be joining him in his world.

“Do you have family back in your hometown?” He suddenly asked.

“No.”

“Anyone waiting for you?” He pushed.

“No... There’s no one.” It was saddening to admit it out loud, she didn’t even own a pet. “I think I’m going to miss Masie the most.” The side of her lips crept up into a smile. “She’d really grown on me.”

“You know, if you decide to come with me, it’s not the end. You could come back and visit.” His tone was caring and sympathetic.

“Isn’t that risky?” She questioned.

“It can be, but honestly I can’t keep you confined to a world that you know nothing about. This realm is your home and it always will be.” His words were gentle as he spoke, it spread a warmth through her that she wasn’t expecting. “Though, I do hope that one day you will call my realm home too.” He added with a hint of longing.

He was good with his voice, she wasn’t sure if he was being genuine or just a really good actor. Deep down she wanted to believe him, but it all just seemed... too easy, it was a fairy tale life that had just fallen into her lap, that doesn’t just happen.

Having pulled up to the house that was their destination, she changed the subject. “Time to meet the parents!”

“Already!” He put on a shocked demeanor. “It’s just... we haven’t even started dating yet!”

She rolled her eyes as she opened the car door and exited the vehicle. She straightened her clothes and retrieved her small file binder from the back seat before heading for the door. The small dwelling was nothing special and it didn’t stand out. The garden was reasonably well kept and a black Volkswagen Touareg sat in the driveway, which looked oddly out of place.

Her eyes took everything in as she made her way to the front door. She proceeded to knock lightly as there was no doorbell, she stood back and waited for the door to be answered.

A rather plump-looking man in his late 40s answered the door. “Hello-” He paused taking the two in. “Can I help you?”

“I’m Detective Lankis, this is my partner Sawyer” She introduced herself and Arion, though she gave him a fake name. She concluded the greeting by showing her badge. “I was hoping Mrs Marquis and yourself could spare me a moment of your time?”

“Is there a problem?” The man appeared to become defective as he realized who she was.

“That’s what I’m hoping you can help me with, I’m looking for your daughter.” She explained.

Mr Marquis’s shoulders slumped as he sighed. “Heaven’s what has she gotten herself into now?” He stepped aside and motioned for them to enter. “I’ll get the Mrs, make yourselves at home, be right back.” He told her as he disappeared around the corner.

“Sawyer?” Arion asked in a hushed tone.

“Couldn’t introduce you as the Demon King Arion, now could I?” She responded with her own whisper.

He chuckled. “Could have just asked what my last name is.”

“You have one?” She queried as her eyes scanned the room. There were no photos on the furniture tops or walls, the house was well-kept and extremely tidy. A packet of cigars topped a small gold-rimmed coffee table in the next room. The furniture itself was what stood out to her, most of it looked imported, and expensive.

Arion nodded as the couple came back into the entrance hall, cutting their conversation off. The female, Mrs Marquis was of a more petite structure, her hair, makeup, and nails were done and she held a posture that screamed refined woman.

“What’s this about Trisha!?” She held her chin high as though she were looking down on the two even though she was so much shorter.

“M’am, sorry to interrupt your morning, we have reason to believe that Trisha has become a victim of a kidnapping.” She began to explain.

The woman burst out laughing taking Shannara by surprise. “You have the wrong girl, she’s probably just curled up in her apartment with her new boyfriend. Better yet she could have left with him for all I care. That girl has been a nuisance since the day we got her, she’s not missing! She’d old enough to look after herself.”

“Hunny!” Mr Marquis furrowed his brows as he shook his head at her.

“What! You want me to pretend that I’m not happy that she’s out of our house?” She tsked and flicked the hair that was framing her face over her shoulder.

“I take it you didn’t get along well with your daughter?” Shannara asked.

“She’s not my daughter!” Mrs Marquis snapped.

“But you did adopt her...” She pushed.

With a heavy sigh, Mrs Marquis rolled her eyes. “Yes, on paper at least.”

Mr Marquis made a disgruntled groan as though he wasn’t pleased with the situation. Shannara tried to focus her efforts on him since the woman was no mother of the year.

“Have you heard from her recently?” She asked the father.

He grimly shook his head. “Last I heard from her was around a week ago, she normally comes by for dinner every Wednesday.”

“I take it she missed this Wednesday?” Shannara noticed that the father seemed genuinely concerned while the mother couldn’t care less.

“Damn straight she did. She was meant to drop off rent for the apartment but never did. She must off run away!” Mrs Marquis piped in.

“So she’d gone from being in her apartment with a new boyfriend to running away now? Why run away if she has her own place?” She asked.

“I don’t think she’d run away... But when I went to her apartment she wasn’t there.” The father answered.

“What! When did you go there!” The mother’s carefree attitude turned to aggression toward her husband.

“You have keys? Could I request that you accompany me and I conduct a search of her apartment?” Shannara asked, ignoring the woman.

While the father nodded in agreement. The mother let out a screech. “No!”

Shannara frowned. “And why don’t you wish to cooperate M’am?”

“Because she’s not missing, your invading a person’s private space. And I bet you don’t have a warrant, you have no reason to investigate her apartment.”

Shanarra’s eyes narrowed on the woman and responded in a rather firm tone. “M’am I am not a police officer, I am a detective working on a serial killing case, in which your daughter is involved in. Stand in my way and you will become a suspect.”

Mrs Marquis raised her hand to her cheek with a shocked look on her face, as though she had been offended. Shannara didn’t care, they were going around in circles and something didn’t seem right with this couple, this house... the whole situation.

“If she had been reported missing, which she is! I would have no reason not to search her apartment. Now, I can report her as missing today and wait the few hours I need to, or I can have you come with me and make this a lot easier.” Shannara was sick of this high-class bullshit and it showed.

“Hunny, you don’t need to come. I’ll go.” Mr Marquis reached for his wallet and keys.

But the woman reached for him yanking him back to her side. “Don’t you dare!” She spat, now showing her true colors as all life drained from his face.

It was then that Arion stepped forward. “M’am, your only making things worse for yourself by acting like this. It’s quite suspicious, if you like I have another idea. I can hang back here, while my partner and your husband go to the apartment to have a look around.” He gently unbound her slender fingers from the man’s arm. “We only want to know where she’s gone.”

She looked up into his eyes as his soothing voice seemed to relax her. “I told you, she left.” She responded as though in a trance.

Shannara’s eyes widened as she watched the scene unfold. Was he using some kind of power or ability? Her hostility had just melted away.

The male fearfully scurried away, grabbed his wallet and keys, and stood beside Shanarra.

“How do you know she just left?” Arion asked.

Shannara didn’t like the way his hand was touching her shoulder, or how the woman angled her body toward him. And yet she couldn’t deny that even the air around them had changed, he was the center of attention.

“Because the money was inciting, we couldn’t say no.” Mrs Marquis let the words slip out and Shannara’s jaw dropped.

“Your her handler?” He questioned.

She shook her head and looked at her husband. Everything was starting to fall into place. She looked to Mr Marquis by her side. “Cut the act.” She stated dryly.

His shoulder slumped and his attitude changed. “Useless woman!” He spat with distaste. “If we assist, I want a deal. Keep our role in her... work out of the court proceedings.”

Her teeth ground together as her hands clenched into fists. They had known all along, her own parents. Not only did they know, but they were the ring leaders behind it, profiting off of the poor girl while she suffered.

“How much did you take for her, how much did he give you to keep your mouths shut?” Her tone was coated in venom as her eyes bore into the male.

“She wanted out, we gave her an out. He was willing to pay so we took it. No harm in that.” He commented.

How she wished she could punch this asshole. “Did you see him, meet him?”

“No, it was all done over the phone. Hey look, girls come and go. We give them a home for a time then they move on.” He shrugged his shoulders, trying to make it sound as though he wasn’t running a disgusting business of selling off women.

“How many?” She took an intimidating step toward him.

“What do you mean?” He backed up against the wall.

Her hand slapped into the surface beside his head as she glared into his eyes. “HOW MANY.” She repeated.

“J-Just Trisha, I swear!” He was panicked and fearful.

“I don’t believe that, since this isn’t even your wife.” Arion’s head lulled to one side as he looked over at the two.

“Are they here?” She asked Arion?

He nodded. “I can find them, take this bastard in. We don’t need him for what comes next.”

Shannara grabbed Mr Marquis by the shoulder and began reading him his rights as she ushered him to her car. They would have everything they needed to have his entire house a crime scene when she was done with him. This could also lead them to the arrest of Darren, closing down the entire operation. It was a small win.