Love At First Death

Elysia perched on the edge of the couch in the library, flipping absently through a dusty book about the history of the castle. It wasn't particularly riveting, but it was better than sitting alone in her room, wondering what Lucian and Damien were bickering about now.

She was just starting to wonder whether all this talk of curses and secrets was getting to her head when the door creaked open. Damien stepped in, his expression grim.

"Damien?" she asked, closing the book. "You look... worse than usual. Did Lucian get under your skin?"

He ignored her jab and walked over to the liquor cabinet in the corner, pouring himself a glass of something dark and amber-colored. "We have a problem," he said, finally turning to face her.

Elysia tilted her head, her curiosity piqued. "What kind of problem? Did Lucian steal your favorite brooding corner?"

"Detective Harper," he said flatly.

Elysia blinked. "The cop? The one who was all suspicious about the morgue and promised to come back with a search warrant?"

Damien nodded, taking a slow sip from his glass. "She's missing."

Her mouth fell open. "What? Missing as in... disappeared?"

"Gone without a trace," Damien said, his tone calm but his eyes stormy.

Elysia frowned, leaning forward. "But... she was so sure of herself. She said she'd be back with a search warrant and everything. How does someone like that just vanish?"

"That's exactly what I intend to find out," Damien said, setting his glass down with a sharp clink.

Elysia felt a shiver crawl up her spine. "You think it's connected to... you know, all of this?" She gestured vaguely to the castle around them, as if it represented all the eerie and unexplained events she'd been caught up in.

Damien's jaw tightened. "It's too much of a coincidence to ignore."

Elysia stood up, pacing the room. "Okay, but what does that mean for us? Are the cops going to come looking for her? Or worse, are we going to be next?"

"She told her partner about her suspicions before she came," Damien said, his voice steady but laced with tension. "If she doesn't show up soon, they'll come asking questions. Questions we can't afford to answer."

Elysia stopped pacing, her heart racing. "Wait a second. Are you saying– "

"I didn't do anything to her," Damien cut her off, his tone sharp. "But someone clearly did. And whoever it was, they don't want anyone digging into what's happening here."

Elysia swallowed hard. "This is starting to feel like one of those horror movies where the clueless girl ends up being the next victim."

Damien's expression softened, just slightly. "You're not a victim, Elysia. Not as long as I'm here."

She raised an eyebrow. "Right, because I'm totally convinced you're Superman."

Damien gave her a look that was almost a smirk. "Stay here. Don't wander off. I need to figure out what happened to Harper before things spiral further out of control."

Elysia crossed her arms. "And what am I supposed to do in the meantime? Twiddle my thumbs and wait for the next creepy visitor to show up?"

"Read a book." Damien said, already heading for the door. "Just don't leave."

Before she could protest, he was gone, leaving her alone with her racing thoughts.

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit room far from the library, Lucian leaned against a stone wall, his usual smirk firmly in place as he examined a small file he'd pilfered from Detective Harper's belongings.

"Poor little detective," he mused, flipping through the papers. "So close to the truth, yet so very far."

A shadow moved in the corner of the room, and Lucian glanced up, his expression unreadable.

"Let's see how far Damien's willing to go to keep his little secret," Lucian said, his voice low and dangerous.

The shadow didn't respond, but Lucian's grin widened. He closed the file and tucked it away, whistling a cheery tune as he left the room.

Back in the library, Elysia stared at the closed door, her mind racing with questions. Something about this whole situation didn't sit right with her.

"Well," she muttered to herself, grabbing a lantern from the nearby table. "If Damien won't tell me what's going on, I guess I'll have to find out for myself."

And with that, she slipped out of the library, determined to uncover the secrets that were now impossible to ignore.