Blood Knight (Bat-fam Fanfic)

Chapter 3

Everyone followed Dick and I into the dining area, Alfred popping out from the butler's pantry moments later with a late night meal already prepared. It did smell good, just not as much as the sweet scent wafting from where Dick had no doubt torn a stitch or two. It made me shiver with a strange sense of anticipation, that was when I noticed both sets of my fangs itched. My cravings must have crept in earlier than usual, excited by the smell of such delectable blood nearby, no doubt. Putting up a wall of resistance, I ran my fangs over the outer set, rubbing them to try and ease the itch, sometimes it helped and sometimes it made the inner set more sensitive from their retracted position.

Dick caught my attention as he guided me into sitting in a very fine chair, it felt like lacquered wood, maybe sixty years old or so. "I'll be right back, Jacky, just need to talk with Bruce for a sec."

"Whatever it is you're going to say can keep until later." Bruce said. On the surface it sounded like he was just being polite for a guest, but I had enough experience to tell me that there was a hint of a warning underneath.

I felt Dick's hand tense almost imperceptibly on the back of my chair. "There's something that can't." He insisted. It got me curious what he would put his foot out for.

There was a silence in which another inaudible signal seemed to pass between them before I heard more motion. "I'm sorry, Jacky, we'll only be a moment."

"Take your time, Mr. Wayne, really, there's no need to wait on me." I insisted. Whatever conversation they were going to have sounded serious and important, and I didn't want to be a hang up for them while they figured stuff out.

I fumbled with my silverware before giving up and asking Alfred to dish my plate for me. Normally I would be fine, but this table was just a bit too large and the smells coming off the food were mixing together making it hard to differentiate what was what. Off in the other room, Dick and Bruce were speaking in low voices, I didn't pay much attention to it until I caught Dick saying, "I think she's homeless. There's no way she could have heard me from the street," well there was one way, "I think she was going to sleep in that alley before she found me."

"But she doesn't look homeless, Dick, her health is well maintained, and she doesn't appear to be lacking in hygiene or food."

I missed part of the conversation as Alfred set my plate back in front of me, freshly laden with a few scoops of green bean casserole, what smelled like pork, and some sort of strawberry pastry to the side. Tim set a glass of water down and guided my hand to it so I would know where it was even though my ears could pinpoint the location just fine.

Picking up on the conversation again, Bruce sighed, "very well, you may ask and she can stay for a while but that means that everyone has to be extra cautious, especially Jason." Jason? Who was Jason?

"As long as Jason is never in the same room, she'll never know he's here. And as for keeping it from her, she's blind, as long as no one says anything, she won't find out."

"Alright, Dick, but be careful how much you trust her, you haven't confirmed if she's actually blind or not, it could be a ruse." What kind of person would fake being blind? I thought incredulously, a moment later the thought sank in and I realized that I was that kind of person. True that I was sensitive to light but I was far from blind and I was certainly capable of sleuthing secrets out of them without ever seeing what they looked like, clearly sight was big giveaway. I just didn't really care enough to do so.

Apparently it would be really easy to figure it out if I laid eyes on them, but why would I even want to know? It's not like it mattered to me, and I didn't even know these people. I stayed as long as I have because Dick asked me to, and I came across Dick because his blood smelled good. I had no stake in their secrets and no real interest in digging them up either.

After I had taken a couple bites out of Alfred's food, I could positively say it was absolutely scrumptious. "Alfred, this is really good. Thank you."

"I'm glad you like it, Mrs. LeClaire." He must not get a ton of compliments from the Wayne boys, no feminine side to them at all.

Bruce and Dick chose that moment to return to the dining area, conversation apparently complete. As Dick passed by on the way to his chair beside me, something on his clothes snagged on my blindfold and loosened the knot. I flinched from the sudden light that filtered in and quickly fixed it back into place. But in that split second, even though my eyes felt like they were being stabbed by a dozen needles, I had seen Dick's face . . . and what he was wearing.

I didn't see much of it, far more focused on looking at his face—which was incredibly handsome—to examine what he was wearing in detail. What I had picked up was that it was black with a blue 'v' like shape on his chest, and had interlocking plates that would have acted like armor a few centuries ago but could have just as easily been a stylistic choice in today's fashion world.

"I'm so sorry, Jacky, are you alright?" Dick asked, not sounding quite sure what to do.

"I'm fine, the needles will pass in a minute," that's what it felt like, a dozen sharp-ass needles driven into my eyeballs like knives. Then offhandedly, I remarked, "didn't know you were such a fan of black." The entire table quieted and I sensed that my remark had landed poorly with the Waynes. Then I realized the outfit must be part of the secret they were trying so desperately to keep from me. "Too bad I couldn't see more of it, it looked like it had a cool design, but it was just a big blur. It'd have to be a lot closer and a lot darker to actually see anything." I picked up on the collective nearly-inaudible sigh of relief.

What's so interesting about his clothes? They were unusual and had holes in them from the injuries, but what could possibly be special about them? That 'v' shaped pattern on the front was interesting though, and an eye catching blue. I wouldn't mind taking a second look at that if given half the chance.