(Addis)

Addis sat in his chair for a long time, staring silently at the wall for what felt like hours. His mind was a swarm of chaotic thoughts and his eyes merely glared at the blank spot as he tried to settle his rising concern.

Soulbound. A word Addis hated more than anything and the most useless connection that could have existed. The vampire had been Soulbound many times during his time in Dephus, and it typically never went well for the ones he was bonded with. If Addis discovered the bond early enough, he would merely kill the individual he was bonded to, severing the connection before it could bother him. In times like now, when the connection was already established, he would merely ignore it, allowing the bond to fade and the other party to be bonded to someone else over time, freeing Addis from its effects.

“No good…” Addis finally spoke, standing up from his desk as his thoughts raced. He could not simply ignore it this time, not with the way Adrian was beating Faye, but at the same time, the vampire had no desire to maintain such a bond with the human. Indeed, Faye was the worst person he could have been bonded with, given his servitude to Adrian and his overall attitude.

“I need… to do something.” Addis muttered, pacing across the room as he considered his options. He could try and trap Faye at the shelter: as Lena’s business partner certainly he could suggest such a thing without it seeming strange, especially if he mentioned how Adrian was abusing the human. That would allow him to keep the human away from Adrian while the connection faded and no one would be any wiser… but would Adrian allow it? Addis wasn’t sure if simply requiring him not to leave would keep Adrian from coming after him and the vampire did own Faye’s soul, even if it was bonded to Addis’s.

“Could I… take him from Adrian?” Addis mused, pausing in his stride as he considered the thought. Surely there must be a way for him to obtain Faye's contract from Adrian, therefore once again opening the option for him to allow the connection to fade while keeping the human from the vampire. That would require him to confront Adrian however, and it was very unlikely that Adrian would be willing to let Faye go. After all, the high vampire seemed quite attached to his arm candy and Addis knew he couldn’t kill Adrian in a fair fight, nor did he have a desire to engage in unnecessary combat. If he was willing to entertain the bond, eventually it would override any claim Adrian had to Faye, but that was not an option. “Hmmm.”

Addis walked over to the mirror again, summoning the image of the human. Faye had dragged himself up from the bed, and it was obvious that he was getting ready to head back to the party to face his owner. Addis needed a plan, and he needed one before Faye returned to the ballroom and to his owner’s clutches. Adrian would likely try to remove Faye from the building, take him somewhere more private where he could punish the human to his heart's content. Addis could not allow that but what could he do? What else was there? Addis gripped the mirror tightly as he growled, watching as Faye began to adjust the collar around his neck. If only he could just kill the human….

“No, it’s too late for that,” Addis growled, sitting down heavily at his desk as he continued to stare at the mirror. Even if he had discovered the connection early enough, killing a blood contract of another high vampire would only cause him problems he didn’t want to deal with, not to mention that Lena had her own interests with keeping Faye alive. The aftermath of killing Faye would be more annoying than if he just protected the damn idiot…

“Wait,” Addis’s eyes widened in realization, a smile once again beginning to spread on his face as he considered this new idea. That was right: Lena wanted Faye alive, as having any of the humans die under her care would tarnish what she was hoping to accomplish. Given the way Adrian beat Faye, surely Addis could convince Lena that Adrian might kill him if the beatings continued and therefore gain her permission to protect Faye. Adrian would have no choice but to hold back if he knew that Addis was protecting Faye for the princess and Addis would merely seem as if he were protecting the shelter’s interests, something he had already assured Lena he would do. All he had to do was make the princess aware of the beatings, and he would have his excuse.

“Hmm, Lena?” Addis quickly picked up the rotary phone on his desk, not bothering to type in a number as electricity ran through the line. He tapped his desk impatiently, becoming excited when he heard the princess’s voice on the other side.

“Hmm? Addis? When did you get a cell phone?”

“Oh, no, I’m using my desk phone,” Addis corrected her, wincing that she would dare suggest he would use such a device. “I have a proposition to discuss with you concerning one of our humans.”

“Oh, you mean Faye? Yea, I’ll be right there,” Addis grinned as he hung up the phone, impatiently tapping his fingers on the wood. Soon he heard the princess’s knock and his smile grew as he called her in. Lena carefully slid into the office, closing the door quietly behind her before walking up to the vampire. Addis gently motioned her to sit in the chair in front of him and once seated, she returned her attention to Addis.

“So, uh, you wanted to talk about Faye?” Lena offered and Addis nodded, dismissing the image of the human on the mirror behind her. The princess was oblivious, waiting patiently for the vampire to speak as he returned his attention to her. “I’m sure he didn’t break the glass on purpose. I mean he did seem to cut his hand pretty badly and–”

“Are you aware that Adrian is abusing our little human, and that’s the true reason for his tardiness as of late?” Addis offered and the shocked and horrified expression that graced Lena’s pleasant face answered the question for the vampire. Addis hummed thoughtfully as Lena stood, slamming her hands on Addis’s desk. Her fangs started to peek through her lips and her blue eyes gained hints of yellow as she growled.

“WHAT?! Why didn’t Faye just say so? If that’s the reason Faye’s been late every night, then at this rate he’ll kill him!” Lena exclaimed and Addis raised his hand, stopping the princess before she could continue.

“Surely Faye is trying to protect himself. I would imagine Adrian would not react well if he told us the truth, and we both know how… unreasonable Adrian can be at times,” Addis offered, smiling as he waved Lena back into her chair. The princess slowly sat back down, her frown still glued to her face. Addis had to admit, he did enjoy seeing Lena upset and as much as he saw her as too much of a dreamer, she was a dreamer with strong convictions. “I am only aware of the beatings because I… managed to see him when he arrived back at the shelter last night. I assure you, his wounds were quite major but I needed to be sure Adrian was the cause. I now have no doubts.”

“Then we can’t just keep sending him back to Adrian,” Lena fumed, and Addis nodded, signaling his agreement. The princess leaned back in her chair, looking away thoughtfully as the vampire waited for her to continue. “But Adrian owns him and if I try to take away Faye, there’s no way he’ll continue to support the shelter. And Faye will lose his safe place to stay…”

“Yes, and as we still do not have many patrons, we cannot afford to lose him or Adrian’s support,” Addis leaned forward, ready to lay down his proposal. “Which is why I suggest, let me confront Adrian tonight. Surely Adrian will be more… understanding if I remind him that our rules exist for a reason.”

“What do you mean?” Lena queried and Addis sighed heavily, fighting to maintain his smile. He didn’t have the time to sit here and fully spell out his idea. “How would confronting Adrian change anything? Wouldn’t that just make things worse?”

“Think of it as a visual reminder of exactly who is running this shelter. Adrian is only doing as he pleases because he does not believe we won’t do anything against him. Remember, as your patron, Faye is under the protection of the Heir Apparent of Dephus,” Addis quickly explained his suggestion to Lena, opening his hands to show his point. He needed to convince her quickly, as Faye would be leaving his room soon. He would not risk the human reaching Adrian before he could intervene. “Surely if he were gently reminded of this, he would withhold his aggression.”

“So, a power flex,” Lena mused and Addis nodded, standing as he slid around his desk to stand behind the princess. “Something to remind Adrian who really carries the power.”

“Yes. After all, Faye doesn’t know it, but you hold all the cards. That’s why Adrian has allowed you to have our little friend participate in your project, lest he lose his arm candy permanently. It is no secret that Adrian’s business is frowned upon, and he can’t afford to lose any of his contracts,” Addis reminded Lena, gripping the princess’s shoulders tightly. He needed a yes now. “It doesn’t matter that you have no intention of taking Faye by force, but the threat of it. Let’s remind Adrian who really has the power here, Lena. This is Dephus after all, and sometimes you have to play by the aggressor’s rules.”

Lena was silent for a moment and Addis could hear his heart pounding in his chest. It was likely that Faye had already left his room and was on his way to the party, and the vampire would have to move quickly to catch him. If Lena didn’t agree soon, he would have to just leave on his own…

“Sure, let’s do it. You can confront him first and if he won’t listen, then I’ll step in,” Lena agreed, smiling up at Addis and the vampire beamed as he released her, stepping back from her chair and snapping his fingers as his shadow pulled the chair into the floor. He laughed loudly as the princess fell, delighting in the annoyed look she gave him as she stood. Addis swept her an elaborate bow, looking up to meet her gaze.

“Well, I will be taking my leave now, as I believe Adrian will attempt to remove Faye from the premises. It’s after curfew after all,” Addis beamed as he slowly sank into the floor, determined to catch the human before he could reach his owner. He closed his eyes as he stood up straight, nodding to the princess. “I assume you know how to see your way out.”

With that, Addis completely vanished into his shadow, quickly chasing after Faye.