Noir
Chapter 42

As I walked into the common room surprise and irritation flowed through me. What was Elena doing here? The first thing out of my mouth was, "What the hell are you doing here, Elena? Is Gran all right?"

None of the Eton Witches besides myself and the woman who had raised me had left the Ancestral grounds in centuries, or so I had been told, so it came as quite a shock to see Elena in a chair as if she owned the place.

Her emerald green eyes narrowed at my greeting, and obviously just as displeased to see me as I was her, she drawled, "Well, if it isn't my favorite cousin. And Gran is just fine."

As I took in Elena's appearance, I noted she was dressed in a form-fitting black suit, accented with a red silk scarf, and her signature red-tipped fingernails tapped idly against her knee. The smirk that curved her lips sent a further wave of irritation through me. I hated that smirk.

My hands clenched into fists at the smirk. "So, why exactly are you here?" I inquired, trying to keep my tone civil, but not quite succeeding.

She leaned back in her chair. "Oh, you know me, I can never resist the chance to see how my favorite little cousin is doing." Her gaze traveled up and down my body, assessing me as if she were some sort of predator.

"I'm doing just fine," I replied, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling her gaze was giving me. "Again, what brings you here, Elena? Did you need something?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, you know. Just thought I'd check in and see how everyone is doing."

I narrowed my eyes, suspicion growing. "So you came all the way from the jungle just to check up on us?" I knew my words were filled with sarcasm, but I couldn't help it.

"Oh, you know me. I like to make a grand entrance," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "Besides, I thought it might be a fun surprise."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, fun. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do." I turned on my heel and started to walk away, but she called after me.

"It's nice seeing you again, Lyra," she said. Her voice was sweet, almost innocent, but I knew she was anything but.

I paused for a moment, my back turned to her. "You too," I replied, not trusting myself to say anything else. Then I turned around and continued on my way, doing my best to ignore the feeling that Elena's presence had only just begun to make itself known.

As I walked to my desk, I tried to focus on the task at hand: filling out the reports from our recent extermination job. But her words, her presence, they were like a fly buzzing around my ear, refusing to be ignored. It was frustrating, infuriating, but it was also something more.

I sat down at my desk and opened the first file, forcing myself to focus on what I was writing. But even as I wrote, I couldn't shake the feeling that Elena was watching me, judging me, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. And that thought made my skin crawl.

As the hours passed, I could hear her and Noir talking, they had once been friends, possibly more, after all. So, I tried to keep my mind on my work, but Elena's presence lingered in the back of my mind like a bad dream. I knew she was up to something, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

The day dragged on, and eventually, it was time to call it quits. As I stood to leave, I glanced up and found Elena leaning against the doorframe. "Well," she drawled, her voice low and suggestive, "I hope you have a lovely evening, cousin. Noir and I are going out for dinner." Her smile was predatory, almost feral, before turning, she walked away.

As I walked out of the common room and toward the kitchen to grab myself something to eat, I couldn't shake the feeling that my life was about to get a whole lot more complicated. And I had a feeling it was all going to be Elena's doing.

~~

Hours later, I heard Noir's footsteps pass by my door on the way to his room, taking note they were solitary. In the months we had been back, our relationship had become strictly employer and employee, his doing. However the incident in the jungle was never far from my mind. No one ever talked about it, and I had seen no evidence of possible transformation, but it didn't mean I could let my guard down. Pinching off a piece of cheese, I offered it to Atomic, who taking it between his paws began to nibble at the treat, his nose and ears twitching with enjoyment.

I stared at the ceiling for a while longer, trying to ignore the anxious feeling in my gut.

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Finally, I gave up on trying to sleep and got out of bed. I needed to do something to distract myself. I slipped on my jacket and grabbed my keys, deciding to take a walk through the city. The cool night air felt good against my skin, and the neon lights of the city were strangely comforting.

As I walked, I found myself thinking about the past. About how things used to be between me and Noir. We had been friends once. But that was before the jungle. Before the creature within him had emerged. Before he had changed. I didn't know what had happened to him during those months he was gone. I only knew that when he returned, he was different. Harder. Colder. And Elena seemed to be the only one who could get close to him now.

I stopped at a street corner, watching the cars zip past. The wind picked up, blowing my hair across my face, and for a moment I closed my eyes, trying to push away the memories. But they were like a fog, surrounding me, suffocating me. When I finally opened my eyes again, I found myself standing across the street from the abandoned warehouse where Noir and I had fought the vampire, werewolf and sorcerer. The building looked the same as it had that day, boarded up and covered in graffiti. It seemed like a strange coincidence, but then again, nothing about anything felt coincidental any more.

I took a deep breath and crossed the street, walking up to the building. The air was thick with the smell of mold and decay, and I could hear the faint sound of music coming from somewhere inside. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should go in, but then I remembered the promise I had made to myself. I would replace out what was going on, no matter what the cost.

With a deep breath, I pushed open the creaking door and stepped inside. The interior of the warehouse was dimly lit, with only a few flickering light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. The sound of music grew louder as I made my way deeper into the building. As I followed the music, I entered into a large room, a voice called out, "Hello, little Eton. I told you I would replace you some day."