036 The Mark Of My Love

"Oh, my, God!" Menoetius exclaimed, staring at the entry of the bar with his jaw dropped.

Erebus came in, with Kitty in front of him, looking a bit too awkward to talk.

Menoetius just got back from his investigation of Maple Avenue, and Metis didn't even get to fill him with what happened yet.

"Me...Metis, am I hallucinating?" Menoetius stammered at Metis without even taking his eyes off Erebus and Kitty.

Metis pulled his ear with her hand: "What do you think?"

"Ouch!" Menoetius didn't even spare a shred of mind to notice what Metis just did, "Is this really happening? You two are back to--"

Metis put one hand over his mouth to stop him from saying the word "together". Obviously it won't be back together because they haven't been together before, because being an old school, Erebus didn't want to make a move before Kitty's 18th birthday.

"Hi..." Kitty said awkwardly. To be honest, she wasn't that sure about how much they'd want her back. Except Erebus, who was exactly the reason why she would even consider this.

"We are sorry about what happened before. It was a very complicated situation handled in a too hasty way. Please accept our apology." Metis stepped out of the bar and bowed to Kitty.

"Please, it wasn't your fault. I do understand that you were putting his interest as a priority." Kitty jumped away from Metis's bowing and replied in a hurry. She was more used to people being horrible to her instead of nice.

"That's alright. We were just passing by. I'm taking her back to the hotel." Erebus patted Kitty on the head, "How's the meat, Metis?"

"Still dead." Metis answered Erebus, but her sight fell on Kitty for a second.

"Keep it up." Erebus simply nodded.

"Yes, my Lord." Metis bowed at him.

"You are not coming back?!" Words burst out of Menoetius and everyone was staring at him, "I... I mean... I just thought you moved to the hotel because Kitty was mad at us..."

"Her home is there." Erebus waved his hand and left with no more explaination.

"What's all hers?" Kitty asked as they walked out of the bar.

"The bar." Erebus sighed a bit, put his hand on her head, "And everything that comes with."

It felt as if Erebus was speaking in code that Kitty couldn't understand. But obviously, Metis did.

"I... I have a favor to ask..." Kitty hesitated for a bit and out with her question when they got in the car again, "I think Emma is still alive, and I need your help looking for her."

"I'd love to do that as a favor to you, but..." Erebus deliberately took a pause and satisfied to see that Kitty's eyes fixed on his with an appealing look. He just loves her attention on him that he couldn't resist to pull that prank: "but that's the favor I asked from you first, so."

"You are so evil." Kitty fell back to the car seat with a laugh, "You wanted me to help you investigate on Perses?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. He seems to be hell bent on killing you, and I need to know why. And I think it has something to do with what happened to your village too, because Perses is in the prison right now, so if his men are trying to kill you, it must be an order he gave before."

"Well, you asked the right person." Kitty gave him a mischievous smile.

"Wait, what?! You know something about it?" Now Erebus was really surprised.

"It pays to talk to people, especially when they think they have a power over you." Kitty made a naughty face, "The man who took me told me a lot. He was the one who confirmed to me that Emma was still alive, and they have her. And he told me, the order they got, was to 'wipe out the village and leave no survivor'."

"You think that's why they are after you? Because you are a survivor?" Erebus asked with a frowning, "Seems a bit far-fetched, considering you don't really know much."

"Well, I know it's Perses who did that? Maybe that..." Kitty's words died down into a murmur. Perses and his men's action didn't really strike her as the cautious type.

"Maybe... I feel like there's more to that..." Erebus seemed as if he was in deep thoughts.

"Also, I think Emma is a witch, and that was why they chose our village." Kitty added.

"A witch? Tell me." Erebus rose an eyebrow at that.

"I met a--... Hmmm..." Kitty started her sentence only to remembered that she promised to keep Winnie's identity a secret. She turned to Erebus with a sorry look: "I cannot tell you why... I made a promise..."

"It's okay. Tell me what you feel comfortable with." It took him no time to give her a pass on it. Information wasn't nearly important to him comparting to Kitty.

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Kitty touched his arm with her forehead as if playing with him. Erebus felt a fire lit inside him and he started to wondering if Kitty DID pick up some stray cats' cute habits.

"I have reliable sources saying that a witch's daughter came to this city, right around the time when the village was burned, and the daughter is only three years old, likely with blue hair."

"Like yours?" Erebus asked.

"Yeah, and like Emma." Kitty nodded.

"So her being three years old, means it's more likely that she was taken into the city instead of came on her own. And the only thing that was strange enough to catch some attention around that time, was the tragedy of your village, who happened to have a three-year-old with blue hair." Erebus combed Kitty's deduction.

"Exactly." Kitty nodded again, excited that Erebus made the same deduction as hers.

"How did you know the witch's daughter is three years old?" Erebus asked.

"Because my source is sure that her mom's life line ended three years ago, and a new line started right where it ended. Which could either be a resurrection, or a new born. And it's less likely that the witch resurrected."

"Hmmm, makes sense." Erebus nodded, but he quickly added, "Have you ever thought if you were the daughter?"

"Yes, actually." Kitty stuck out her tongue and gave him a bitter smile, "We did suspect it was me, but we tried, and I couldn't use magic. Besides, she is sure that I'm not the daughter now."

"How?" Erebus took a glance at her and noticed that Kitty was a bit sad.

"Hmm, she can trace the kid somehow. We cannot be sure where that kid is, but we are sure that the mark is not on me. And that's where I need your help." Kitty looked up to him.

"Don't worry, we'll find her." Erebus put his hand on Kitty's head, and she rubbed her face against it. He could tell she didn't want to show the fact that she was sad, and it have never been so hard for Erebus to hold on to the fact that she is his mate, for life. If only he could tell her now:

You might not have the mark of a witch's daughter, but you have the mark of my love...

"Metis, what does the Lord mean by 'the meat'?" Menoetius asked with an innocent look.

"Do you really want to know?" Metis pulled up a pair of rubber gloves, and turned to look at him.

"Where are you going?" Menoetius suddenly got scared to answer her question, so he just changed a question and followed her.

"The basement, and you can stop here." Metis held out a hand to stop him, "Go get Tartarus here."

"Okay..." Menoetius tried to look into the basement, but it was too dark to see anything.

The basement door shut and Metis disappeared behind it. Menoetius didn't leave right away, he put his head on the door and tried to listen instead.

"Yes, my Lord." Said Metis.

Silence.

"He told Kitty?!" It was rare to see Metis surprised.

Silence.

"Yes, my Lord. I'll see if he can tell us more." Metis said. And somehow Menoetius felt a cold and darkness in her voice that he had never heard of before in her tone.

And now he knew why Metis wouldn't let him in the basement. The "meat" Erebus asked about was the killer they caught, and by "dead", it means they still hadn't talk. Guess they won't be "dead meat" when they spill the beans, but that resurrection, was NOT going to be a pleasant one...