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((Arrive at the monastery, a little intrigue (maybe a ghost or something—not a ghost, a vampir hunter!! Stafie or alive, haven’t yet figured it out. Makes sense it’d be a stafie, that way I can show good and bad of the creature... Daniel keeps warning Liza, but it has to serve a purpose...for her to..????face her feelings about the torture, realize she’s no longer vulnerable? Time at monastery will end with her basically killing a bunch of people, or nearly killing but for once not wanting to? No that’s too easy. Make it that she kills, Stefan understands the worst of her)
Stefan
I wake up the next morning with Elizabeta’s taste still on my lips. Goddamn, but that kiss—it took every ounce of strength in me to pretend it didn’t affect me nearly as much as it did her. when the truth is, I went to sleep hard as a rock, and with my mind in turmoil.
She’s a vampir. Everything I’ve been told to detest since I was young.
And yet the chemistry, when we let it blaze between us, is scorching. I’m no fool. She wanted to fuck me to distract herself from whatever nightmare woke her. But I’ll be damned if I let her use me, like she’s used every male for centuries.
(breakfast and he finds out Marin is dead)
“What?”
The nun who’d spoken repeats herself. “Brother Marin was found dead, outside. His head bashed onto the stones. Some say he was pale, paler than he’d been.”
Did Elizabeta do this? Or did Valeriu? One of them is responsible.
I stand. “Valeriu?” As I’d expected, he’s within reach.
“Yes?”
“Is it true, about Marin?”
“Ah, yes. Unfortunate, really. Such a bright soul.”
I clench my fist, then unclench it. “Has his family been notified, back home?”
“Not yet. But I presume the head master will, once I write to him.”
“What is this, the 19th century?”
“Well, the report I have to make can’t be put into emails, brother. Not when everything is trackable and hackable these days.”
“Right.” A beat. “May I see his quarters?”
“Of course. But why would you want to?”
“You forget I trained him. I wish to say goodbye.” (maybe before this, one of the scenes could be him and marin training, or Stefan training a group of dacians, so we can see his POV about it).
“Very well. Sister Andrea can take you.”
(in the room)
“Thank you, Sister. May I have some time alone?”
I wait until the door closes behind her. then do the perimeter of the room, assuring myself I’m alone, truly. When I’m satisfied, I go to his bed, and start searching. As I’d expected, I find a small box hidden in the wall. When I open it, I touch the item inside—a piece of paper.
“Dammit, Marin,” I whisper. “Was death the price you paid, then?”
(or is it a clue to getting the ring, maybe?)
I exit and head to Elizabeta’s room. “I know where the ring is.”