The Beautiful Monster

After two weeks of poking around and trying to find information on Alaric, Melina and Tyler believed that they finally got a lead on one of Alaric's followers or ex-followers.

People didn't know much about Alaric or his whole operation. He was incredibly secretive, which made Melina and Tyler's job even harder. However, a friend of a friend always knew someone or something.

"He usually frequents Bar 99," Tyler said as they got ready in the motel room that they got for their stay in Columbus, Ohio.

They were here to track down Alaric's follower, demand information from him, and then make a decision on what to do next based off what they heard.

Melina listened to Tyler as she got ready in the bathroom, leaning close to the mirror to put on her makeup. They had to dress like normal bar patrons.

She opted for a pair of black skinny jeans and a white blouse. Pants were easy to fight and run in. She didn't want a fight to happen tonight, but she was always prepared for one just in case.

"It would be nice if he didn't like Alaric anymore and spilled some secrets," Melina commented. She doubted that would happen, but she tried to be optimistic.

It got her through the rough days. So much darkness had followed her through the years. She learned to keep following the light and soaking it up whenever she could. Her optimism was her best weapon against her dark thoughts.

"I hope so," Tyler said, adjusting the collar of his short sleeve button down shirt as he walked into the bathroom.

He fixed his short hair in the mirror, brushing his fingers through the blonde strands. "The contact that knows him said he's a quiet guy, but we'll see what we can get out of him."

Melina was surprised that they found someone willing to point them in the right direction. It took a little bribery, but it was worth getting the information that they needed.

She finished up her lipstick before placing the tube back on the bathroom counter, taking another look at herself and figuring that was good enough.

"I really hope Alaric is gone," she told him, peering at him through the reflection.

Tyler wrapped his arm around her waist, drawing her close to his side.

"Me too. It's been fun running around with you, but I'm ready to stop too," he said before kissing her on the top of her head.

Melina smiled at the sweet touch. She turned to face him, taking his hands.

"We've got this," she told him. Before they did anything that could possibly be dangerous, they always took a moment to hold each other, to take one more look at each other. There was no telling what could happen when they stepped out the door.

Tyler smiled back and nodded.

"We've got this," he repeated her words. He started to lean toward her to kiss, but they jumped away from each other when they heard a loud bang from the door of their motel room. He hurried out of the bathroom just in time to see the door get kicked down by three men.

"Heard you were looking for Alaric. He sends his regards," one of the men smirked. His hair was blonde and twisted into spikes, a leather jacket adorning his muscular body.

The other two men, one with shaggy hair and the other with a shaved head, looked just as big and intimidating. They were obviously vampires.

Melina moved to Tyler's side, feeling her heart rate spike. Panic threatened to creep in, but she focused, knowing that she had to defend her and Tyler from this unexpected threat.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"Well, I told you to come here and visit my buddy," the blonde man said as he patted the bald man's shoulder.

Melina's eyes widened when she realized that this had all been a trap. They had been tricked, and they landed right where Alaric and his followers wanted them to be.

"We can't kill the witch, but we're supposed to take care of you," the man with shaggy hair said as he glared at Tyler.

All of Melina's fear melted away, being replaced by anger. She refused to let them kill Tyler. She would die defending him if she had to. She stepped in front of Tyler, waving her hand and sending a lamp toward the man with shaggy hair.

The shaggy-haired man cried out as the ceramic lamp shattered against his head. He dropped down to his knees, sharp pieces sticking out of his face.

When the blonde man ran at Melina, Tyler pushed past her to tackle the man, sending them both crashing to the floor.

Melina looked up at the bald man, letting Tyler handle the blonde man. She jumped onto the bed closest to her, waving her hand to make the sheets on the second bed wrap around the bald man.

She moved her hands in an outward motion, tightening the sheets around the man so much that he struggled to breathe. She glared at him, hearing him gasp for breath before falling to the ground, passed out.

She didn't get to revel in victory long before the shaggy-haired man grabbed her ankle and yanked her down onto the bed. She struggled as he climbed on top of her, pinning her down.

She turned her head to see Tyler and the blonde man still wrestling on the ground, trying to overpower each other. She looked back up at the shaggy-haired man, trying to free her wrists from his hands.

"Not so fast, beautiful," the man sneered at her, enjoying watching her struggle beneath him. "I might have some fun with you after we take care of your little boyfriend."

Anger burned through Melina. She wasn't going to scream her way through it, though. She was going to kill the man on top of her. She looked up at the man, staring into his eyes and concentrating. She had a new spell that she wanted to try out.