Certain lines and events belong to Black Butler: Book of Murder.
Thorne's eyes open slowly, the sun starting to shine through the curtains into the room. Melissa is lying with her back pressed against his chest, his arm around her waist.
Melissa yawns as Thorne shifts, "It's been a long time since I woke up like this."
Thorne grins sleepily, "Am I still the best person to wake up beside?"
"For now," Melissa replies, "I think I'm growing on Oliver."
"The head of the reincarnation division?"
"Yeah."
"He's nice. Good-looking too."
Melissa huffs, "You're taken, brother, eyes to your demon and let me get the handsome keeper."
A shriek interrupts the two. The sound is soft enough that you'd have to be listening to hear it, and with their advanced hearing, it's easy for the two soul keepers to hear.
They both get up in a hurry, running down the hall. Several other doors open as well, the other guests and servants having heard the shriek as well. Thorne is the first to reach the room, freezing in the doorway.
"Dear me," Thorne whispers, suppressing a scowl at the thought of someone hurting his lover.
Melissa covers her mouth with her hands, faking shock.
"How dreadful," Irene Diaz whispers as the other guests appear in the room.
"Well this is a shock I never would've expected," Charles muses before turning to Melissa, "Now you, who are you and when did you get here?"
"Melissa Stirling, I arrived during the night," she replies, tearing her eyes away from Sebastian's body on the ground. "I was traveling home when my carriage was attacked. Nicolas, my brother here, had told me about this party he would be attending nearby and I managed to find my way here."
"We need to change your bandages," Thorne says, faking worry as he takes Melissa's arm to inspect the bloody bandages.
Ciel suddenly appears in the doorway, his eyes wide.
"You just had so much fun creating him," Melissa whispers to Thorne as they watch Ciel fake denial.
"Of course," Thorne whispers back with a small grin. "I felt like a newbie all over again."
"Really? You?"
"Indeed."
Thorne moves to kneel next to Sebastian with Arthur, inspecting the damage done. He feels lightly across the demon's chest, fingertips finding the wound from the fire poker.
I'm fine, Sebastian says, reaching through his link with the soul keeper. I'm fine, Thorne, I promise.
Doesn't mean I'm happy about it, Thorne grumbles. Who did it?
Mister Grey, the demon replies.
Thorne suppresses a scowl, pulling away as everyone leaves the room for breakfast.
A while later, the two soul keepers join in the checking of Patrick Phelps. Dashing through the hall to Ciel's room, they find Phelps dead on the floor clutching the carpet.
"Rigor mortis has already set in," Arthur notes. "He's been dead for quite some time. These look like puncture marks on his neck."
Snake, Thorne thinks. He must be after Phantomhive for the circus deal.
So you've drawn the same conclusion, Sebastian muses.
Intruding on my thoughts now, are we?
Well, I have to find entertainment somewhere amidst all this work, the demon replies.
Thorne chuckles, Indeed.
YOU ARE READING
The Queen's Panther
Fanfiction| boyxboy | Ciel x OC1 | Sebastian x OC2 | Young Earl Raven Thornheart lost everything that day two years ago. His family. His home. And his freedom. But now, accompanied by a mysterious butler, he's back to take his position as the Queen's Panther...
