Orin stepped into the observation room, looking at the nonsense happening in the interview room. The assassin was held down by several guards while another checked her mouth for false teeth or caps. It wasn't beyond a dangerous interloper to have poison in them. One crack of the tooth and they'd be dead, taking the secrets of their mission with them.
The guard stepped out of the room.
"Sir, we have not found anything in her mouth."
"Alright. Check her body for weapons. Be respectful."
"Of course. Will you be joining our guest in the interview room?"
"Soon. His highness will arrive shortly, and I should be here when that happens."
With a nod, the guard returned to the room and checked Seraphina for weapons. When they opened the jacket, a raven poked its head out and cawed at them. The guards gasped as they stepped back.
"Don't," Seraphina begged. "Please don't hurt him. He's harmless."
Orin sighed as the guard appeared.
"Find a cage for the bird. It can stay in the room if it behaves."
A guard nodded and went in search of a cage. In the interview room, the guards lifted Seraphina from the table and checked her for additional weapons. As she moved, the long black hair fell from the hood of her jacket. A few guards knew her, but the newer ones were clueless. Some thought the raven-haired beauty was tempting but knew to be wary. If she was cuffed like a criminal, she would not be trusted.
One stopped, staring at Seraphina. Realising she was being watched, she lifted her gaze to the guard. The guileless blue eyes stared at him as a sculpted brow raised. Clearing his throat, he quickly darted his gaze away.
Orin watched as the arrows were removed from the quiver and set on the table next to the bow. As much as it was expected, he found the view disheartening.
When Seraphina was checked and cleared, she was handcuffed to the table. One of the guards took the items from the table to the observation room.
Orin was looking at the items when Hawthorn and Kohen entered. The king looked at them indifferently, so Orin passed them to a guard.
"Please place these in the trunk of the lead car."
The guard took the weapons, and with a nod, he quickly left the room.
Hearing metal rattle, Orin turned to the doorway. A flustered guard showed him the only thing he could find, a metal rat trap cage.
"Is that all that there is?"
"Yes."
"It will have to do. Alter or do whatever is necessary to accommodate the bird."
The guard placed it on a table, removed the springs attached to the door, and checked it. Orin watched as he fumbled, trying to figure out how to shut it now that the mechanism had been altered.
"It's fine. We can use one of the springs to hold the door down."
The guard took it into the interview room. Seraphina said nothing as she looked at the abysmal cage. The bird cawed as the guard reached in to pull him out.
"Please be careful with his wing."
Bram was safely stowed in the small box-like cage. Seraphina thought that he looked sad, but there wasn't much she could do about it at the moment. She was grateful they'd agreed to keep him here rather than tossing him outside.
Left alone again, Seraphina sighed. Seconds had barely passed when the door opened, and a guard delivered a small plastic cup. She looked at the water and then at the guard. Offering a challenging smirk, he said nothing as he exited the room.
Seraphina grumbled that she was surrounded by idiots as she picked up the cup. She held it to the cage for Bram to drink the water. Slowly her eyes lifted to the mirror that she knew was a lie. Seraphina wasn't sure but figured that on the other side, the king, his advisor, and his lead guard would be watching her.
Kohen turned to his king. In the darkened room, the light from the interview glowed against him. The stern figure had been a formidable leader since the passing of his father. He commanded with ease, drawing everyone in with a sense of awe. Kohen surmised that it helped that Hawthorn was charming and handsome. Some women whispered their scandalous dreams about him to each other when Hawthorn entered the room, while others gathered the courage to approach the king.
But Kohen knew no one could obtain his interest, at least not his permanent attention. Fleeting was always on the agenda for the king.
"Your majesty, what are your instructions?"
Hawthorn looked at the woman that drove him crazy.
"Observations for a while, I suppose. It's been a while, has it not?"
"It has. I am surprised that Seraphina has taken this long to surface."
"Yes," Hawthorn hummed. "I find myself curious about the situation and why she has returned after all these years."
"To kill you." Orin reminded his king. "She had a bow and arrow. It was drawn back, and she was seconds from firing it at you."
"I was fully aware of her little nest in the sky long before you sent Kohen to tell me."
Hawthorn watched as the bird drank the water.
"What is that nonsense all about?"
Orin noted the distaste in the king's tone.
"She gives her water to the bird. Has she gone mad after all these years?"
"Seraphina seemed quite lucid. Perhaps it is a pet."
The king hummed, narrowing his eyes. He wasn't convinced.
"We should move quickly on interrogating her, my lord. There is a human loitering in a nearby street."
"Her driver?"
"That appears to be the case. If she doesn't return within a certain time, I'm sure he will notify someone. Then this place could be swarming with the police, maybe even the army."
"But who exactly is Seraphina working for? Is she even working for anyone at all?"
Hawthorn turned to Orin when he got nothing in response.
"News?"
"No, but after all these years of celebrating and this is the year that she decides to turn up. Don't you think that it's a little curious?"
The king knew what his guard was referring to. His beloved sister, Nesrin, had passed away. It was the kindest way to put it and perhaps the only way to calm his mind. If Hawthorn thought about Nesrin's demise, he'd slaughter thousands of humans as punishment for the crime. It wouldn't give him any happiness, and it wouldn't bring his sister back, but that didn't matter. Hawthorn wanted to punish humanity for murdering Nesrin.
"Oh, I do. I'm sure she's got her motives, but I think there is a grander picture here."
"Will you be returning to the ball?"
"No. I'd like to play a little game with Seraphina. You may conduct an interview. If she behaves, reward her with nourishment. If not, then deny it all."
"And the bird?"
The king rolled his eyes with contempt. It was not in his nature to be cruel to those who could not defend themselves, even if it was annoying.
"Leave it be. I think that she will arc up if you threaten it. We want information, and I believe she will withhold everything for that bird."
With a nod, Orin turned from his king and entered the interview room.
Seraphina's gaze lifted to the guard as he walked in. She didn't stop giving Bram the water. He was thirsty, which was far more important than being friendly to a foe.
"Hello, Seraphina."
"Orin," she said tersely.
"It's been a while. Where have you been?"
"Here and there. Nothing for you to worry your little brain about."
"Who is your friend?"
"An injured bird that gets anxious if I leave him at home."
"Does he have a name?"
"No. If you hurt him, I will impale you in the eye."
"You wouldn't have a chance,"
Orin paused when Seraphina's eyes rose to his. In his silence, he realised she firmly thought it would happen.
Clearing his throat, he gestured to the water.
"Would you like a drink for yourself?"
"What good is water to a vampire?"
Orin gave her a sarcastic smile, one that dared her to drink it.
"Water still has its benefits for us. Be a brave girl and rehydrate yourself."
"I fed before I came here."
When he heard that, Orin knew the king's idea to play good cop bad cop with a meal would not work. She wouldn't be hungry for a while which meant that they could be sitting here for days.
"Why were you trying to kill our king?"
"He is not my king," Seraphina whispered.
"We can do this all night, Seraphina. Are you going to be a good girl and tell me what I want to hear, or are we going to play these games? You will die of hunger if you're not careful."
She smiled sweetly at Orin. Seraphina had prepared for a moment like this in case she was caught. Nourishment would not be needed for quite some time.
"I can last, but will you?"
Orin shifted back in his seat, stunned at the statement and the supremacy on Seraphina's face. Neither the bad cop nor the good cop would win this game.