Heart Of Protectors {#2}

Part 24

[Part 24]

"Beware." Roger-Luc warned as she donned on the last of her makeup, standing before the full length mirror to check her appearance. While she wasn't the main focus of the party today, Renee wanted to keep herself primmed up for the photos that would most probably be taken -mostly candid -by the overly eager Vanda.

She also wanted to dress up nicely for Jean-Jacques, for this was probably the first time she saw him in at least half a year. A year had gone by so quickly that she could barely keep up, but still her heart ached softly at the thought of Jean-Jacques. It had not helped that Jean-Jacques had moved his operations -back into the field -to France to soothe out rough relationships between the French and North American Council. By situating himself back in his homeland, Jean-Jacques could convince the French Council to join his family in retaliation to the Russians and Ukrainians. Louis was still adamantly staying in the States with his family, but the last Renee had heard was that the French Council had demanded Louis's return. Roger-Luc had been totally relieved to find himself belonging solely to the North American Council, for they had moved from their homeland when Roger-Luc was only a young child, and thus considered American in the eyes of the French vampire Council.

"Beware of what?" Renee asked in confusion, adjusting the strap of her dress so that it kept the cloth up and over the important areas. She had opted for a one-shoulder dress, and while it was a dangerous choice considering there was possibility that the strap could go haywire anytime, Renee thought she pulled it off pretty well, showing off a clean, pale, unblemished back all the way to the base of her spine.

"Leon." Roger-Luc amused expression was at his sister twirling in front of the mirror to make sure she looked alright from all angles. "He has missed you quite a fair bit. Every time I visit to help Dante out with babysitting, he screams for you."

"Poor boy." Renee commented with a grin at the dignified expression that her brother put on at her comment. "He has to deal with you every other day?"

The dignity in his expression faded away to shock and horror, as if he had not expected to find his sister turning on him. She chuckled at the lost and helpless expression on his face, almost forgetting the one important fact that he was supposed to be the scary, dangerous vampire between the both of them. Roger-Luc had gotten on very well with his new skills and abilities, and while he was still very much missed around the house, Renee had adjusted to her brother's apparent "rebellious streak that sent him running away from home indefinitely."

"I'll have you know that I'm a very good guardian." Roger-Luc boasted proudly as if to make up for the momentary lapse in confidence. "Leon said he loved me more than he loves Jack."

Renee choked on her saliva, coughing and laughing at the same time. "Jack isn't the best person to compare with."

Roger-Luc could only shrug helplessly again. "Beats being the least loved person. How's Dad doing?"

The maneuver to changing topics wasn't very subtle, but Renee let it go as she turned back to her bed, planting her butt heavily on the sheets. So far, Roger-Luc was probably the only man she ever dared to let herself go with, and that fact itself made her question if she was approaching her love life correctly. What if she couldn't get to be comfortable around Jean-Jacques in the future? Was she really planning to spend her whole life with him even if she didn't feel comfortable showing him her unglamorous moments?

"Fair, but he's not taking care of himself. There was talk about a major investor pulling out, and he's having troubles keeping his other clients calm. You know how Daddy Pierre gets; he’ll overwork for days on end to keep his credibility.” Renee replied honestly, for what kind of a sister would she make if she kept the truth from Roger-Luc, who only wanted to know the well-being of their father?