Raving Moon, Lords of the Night Book One

Chapter 26: The Gun

That night, Gates woke up early and was scrounging through the bookcases and boxes in my study when I awakened. She had placed a framed old painting of the three of Carl, Rodmilla, and myself on my desk. We looked the same, only our hairstyles and clothes had changed. She still wore the same hat. Carl still had the same smile.

She looked up from her rummaging and studied me.

"You okay?"

I took a moment to personally reflect. Physically, I felt better than I had in some time. Mentally, my mind was clear. My connection to death was stronger than ever. I sensed Roddy like a bright torch in the night. Looking deep into that flame, I glimpsed something unexpected. Her dominance was evolving into something new. A miracle.

"I'm fine. Great, actually."

"Good. Your partner was nearly hysterical when she called me. She thought she might have to cut you down." Rodmilla laughed. "Rookies."

"Rookies."

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

I moved from the door, taking a look at the items she'd unboxed. An old vinyl record of The Beatles. A fake badge we used to carry around for moments when we interacted with the police.

"I think I know why you wake so early."

"If you say I'm pregnant I'm going to throttle you." She shook her head, but noticing my expression, she didn't laugh. "If you say it, the bruises your girlfriend gave you are going to feel like love taps."

"I think you're developing a new linge de sang."

To say she was skeptical would be an understatement. Bloodlords with more than one linge de sang were nearly as rare as vampires like me, but they weren't unheard of. The change explained a lot, like her new sleeping pattern and reignition of her volatile temper. She glared at me for a long time before breaking into laughter.

"Clearly, Ariane hit you in the head a little too hard." she reached into her back pocket and pulled out a rolled up piece of paper. Inside was a sketch of Carl she'd done back in the 30s. "I'm going to borrow this."

That was her way of asking.

"Sure, Roddy. You can borrow it."

She sighed and carefully rolled it back up. She sat on the edge of my desk and played with the brim of the hat sitting beside her.

"Ariane said you guys ran into trouble at Agatha Home. Did it have anything to do with your case?"

Roddy could be shrewd when she wanted to be. I needed to tread carefully. Until I knew what was happening, I didn't want her setting the place on fire. I sat in my office chair and the two of us discussed Agatha Home. I skirted around Mr. Red attempting to dominate me, but I made it clear I suspected that House Agatha was hiding something big. I also told her Airane and I were going back to Kraken Island to follow a lead. Surprisingly, she accepted my story with only a few admonishments. Rodmilla saw most problems as nails and couldn't stand when we didn't act like hammers. She found subtlety annoying.

Ariane knocked on the open door, yawning and wiping sleep from her eyes. Having taken off her specter suit, she stood in the doorway wearing her underwear and bedhead. I took in the sight of her, my eyes running from head to toe. She was fit and beautiful. She blushed and shook her head as if she could hear my thoughts. Roddy nudged me with her foot and hopped down from the desk.

"Okay. I think it's time for me to head back to the gym," she said as she started putting things back in their boxes.

Ariane crossed her arms over her stomach, suddenly self conscious.