Dreams of You

Chapter 23

Marinette

It wasn't an all-consuming, agonizing burn anymore. All it came down to was a sharp stab in her left arm. Marinette tried to shake it off, a silent groan escaping her lips.

"Still alive, I see?" someone grunted by her side.

Slowly, Marinette propped her eyes open... Not the best of the ideas. Lila's cold glare was not what Marinette wanted to see.

"How bothersome." Lila pressed her lips into a thin line, withdrawing the tip of a nail filer from Marinette's arm.

Marinette glanced around. She was on a bed in a typical hotel room, though on the fancier side. There was a conversation set across the room—a coffee table, a sofa, and two luxury chairs. A grand chandelier hung from the ceiling, its crystals' sparkle striking contrast to the marble of the fireplace to her right. Judging by the view behind the snow-white sheers and heavy drapery of the windows, it was somewhere higher up than most buildings in Dupont. Perhaps, one of those taller hotels in the centre of town?

"Where am I?"

"Nowhere you should concern yourself with," Lila muttered. With a scowl on her face, she settled down in one of the chairs across the room and started filing her nails.

Marinette closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. Though her head was still a bit fuzzy and her body stiff, only an echo of the pain remained. Was it the antidote that Félix gave her, her own healing powers, or a combination of both? She didn't know or have time to care because all of her trackers were back in her room and without them, Adrien would have a tough time finding her. Getting information out of Lila was her only chance right now.

"Why are you doing this, Lila?"

The woman smirked, not bothering to look at Marinette as she replied. "The crown would look much prettier on my head than yours. Don't you think so?"

It was all for the throne. How predictable. Boring even. Marinette shifted to a sitting position and tried to stand up, only to be stopped by Lila's glare.

"Move an inch, and my darling will be biting you again. Only this time, Félix won't be around to hand you an antidote."

"I just wanted to change my position. Lying on a bed while talking to you isn't very comfortable."

"You aren't here to be comfortable," Lila seethed. "Stay where you are or you won't live to see tomorrow."

Marinette sat back down, glancing one more time around. Not much she could find out about her location from the room's interior, but she could see an ocean out of the window, so they were on the south side of the building.

"You aren't seriously thinking Adrien would marry you after this."

Lila laughed, the sound of her voice sending chills down Marinette's spine. "Not only will he marry me, but he'll do so with a smile on his face."

"Adrien would never—"

"He will do everything I tell him," Lila cut in, glaring at Marinette. "I hold everyone he loves in my hand and just like you, he'll do anything to keep them safe. You two truly are a pair. Of ridiculously predictable idiots."

Marinette's fingers curled into fists. She could barely control the tone of her voice. "When Adrien finds me, he will—"

"By the time he realizes you're gone, it'll be too late."

Marinette halted. Lila didn't know Adrien already knew. Good. That was one place where they had the upper hand.

"I know about your dream connection, by the way," Lila added. "So, if you're thinking of getting in touch with him via that route, just a heads up: you won't be sleeping until the whole ordeal is done and over with."