“What was that?” I ask, bewildered, and she smiles.
“It’s a little potion that allows me to replicate someone else. In this case, someone’s thumbprint who has access,” she explains, and I stare at her in awe. I’m forever impressed by this girl.
“How do you do that?” Rion pushes, and she shrugs.
“With their blood. In this case, I preyed on Professor Morton,” she says, casually shaking the vial in her hand, and all I can do is blink at her in disbelief. This girl really is as psychotic as she says she is.
“Professor Morton?” I mumble, confused about who she’s referring to, and she smiles.
“The professor who made us roommates,” she explains, and I’m quickly reminded of the woman in question.
Without waiting for further interrogation, she pushes the door open to reveal another set of stairs.
“So we’re going into a second level basement in Institute One. That sounds like an awesome idea,” Rion mumbles with a snicker, but uncertainty wars inside of me at the unknown that lies ahead.
Despite that, Ocean takes the lead, and we’re greeted with the same decor as earlier. I keep a stepbehind her as Rion holds up the rear, the three of us trudging further down into the depths of Institute One, and I have no idea where Thorne is.
The staircase spirals, keeping our next step hidden from view, but I know we’ve reachedsomethingwhen Ocean gasps and her eyes widen. I quickly edge closer to see what has her attention.
There's no extra door separating us from what lies beneath.
Instead, we find ourselves on the edge of one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.
The sound of running water dances over my senses first as I blink at the sight before me. The entire room is made of marble, from the floor to the ceiling, as well as the ornate water feature in the middle of the room. Creams and golds glisten across every surface, intertwined in the marble as I gape up at the statue sitting above the water fountain.
Mermaids.
Each one is different. All five of them have fins for legs and exposed breasts as they loom protectively over the water, but their facial expressions…
Woah.
A shiver runs down my spine.
There’s something about them that leaves me on edge.
Turning my attention to the rest of the room, I swiftly find that there's not a single piece of furniture in here. There's nothing at all but the sound of running water filtering from the fountain.
Taking a deep breath, I let curiosity guide me, and it leads me closer to danger, drawing me nearer to the fountain as my heartbeat thunders.
The deep pool of water that sits beneath the ornate mermaids looks crystal clear up top, but a few inches down it turns dark and murky, making it unclear how deep it actually is.
“What is it we're looking for again?” Rion asks, and I shake my head.
“It doesn’t matter. If we’re correct in breaking down the riddle, then we're not going to see it if we're not a vampire, and none of us have pointy teeth and a foul attitude,” I grumble, a pang in my chest reminding me just how much I miss Kael right now.
“We have one.” The sound comes from behind us, and I startle at the sudden arrival, quickly calming when I see it’s Thorne.
But he’s not alone.
Wrapped in tendrils of black shadows, stands anunwilling guest beside him. Fear is bright in his eyes as he silently pleads with me to release him.
I don’t.
“Who is he?” I ask with a gulp, nodding at the new addition, and Thorne follows my gaze before returning his attention to me.
“A vampire.”
I clear my throat. “I don't trust him to look for us,” I admit, and he shrugs.
