Mystery

The house was still quiet when we returned, and I sighed with relief. I felt bad about asking Luc to shift into Lucia and was hopeful I could let him shift back into his masculine form once we reached my room.

That was just too hopeful though.

"Hey," I groaned internally as I heard Jinx call me from the kitchen and I looked up to see Luc's conflicted expression. It was clear that he wanted to continue supporting me, although I was walking slightly better now but he also was tired of being stuck in his fem form. "Lin?"

"Go ahead, I'll be upstairs in a moment so we can talk." I assured him and saw the relief in his eyes. His petite fingers lingered on mine as he walked away, and I slowly made my way to the kitchen. The witch was leaning against the counter, drinking some sort of beverage as her golden gaze looked up to meet mine.

"Where ya go?"

"To check on Katie." I admitted, shrugging as I collapsed into one of the chairs. Walking was just too much effort. "Last thing I need is for Sammy to become a vengeful ghost for me not keeping my word."

"Fair." Jinx admitted, and I kept my eyes on her as she took another sip, waiting to see why she called me. Jinx never kept tabs on where I went or what I did, just as I allowed the witch her own privacy. She wasn't my babysitter, and I wasn't hers; that was Lee's job. She took her time as she released a happy sigh, obviously enjoying her beverage. "You'll be happy to know we still got paid fully for the job."

"Yeah?"

"Joel decided the least he could do for us was let us keep the money." The witch shrugged and I couldn't help the soft smile on my face. Good to know that centaur was as soft as ever. "After all, we can't be awarded through any official channels, due to it possibly leading to you being discovered."

"Yeah," I agreed, leaning back in my chair as I waited for her to continue. Again, that wasn't worth calling me.

"I also got us a new job, but I'm not sure you'll like the client."

My eyes narrowed. "Who?"

"Drac." I frowned as I heard the name. She was right, I was very suspicious of why the progenitor of all vampires would want a zombie raised by me. He had enough pull that if he wanted, the angelic council would have approved his request. What was his game? "I guess it has to do with that daughter you got upstairs."

"Mmm." Was my answer, and I closed my eyes as I mulled over the suggestion. I would have to ask Luc directly if he knew why, but Lee did mention Luc looked quite a bit like him. Was Luc favored by both his father and grandfather? "I don't think she's a favorite of his, but honestly, I've never asked. We kinda met at the bar I was at."

"Surprised you talked to her on that day." Jinx scoffed slightly and I sighed as I opened my eyes. "Thought you were too locked into the past."

"Well, maybe you and Lee have a point about moving on." I shot back, choosing this moment to stand up. Jinx was giving me a mocking smile and I mimicked her expression. "After all, it's better than pining for someone I can't have."

With that I turned away, but I knew my words had struck a nerve with the witch. We constantly were pushing each other to move past Evan, while mourning him and allowing our love for him to keep us trapped. To see me attempting to move on had to sting, but I wasn't willing to let her talk down Luc, even if she didn't know it was him.

My mind mulled over my relationship with the former angel as I began my slow climb up the stairs. It bothered me immensely that I was having trouble remembering parts of my relationship with Evan, as if someone had simply…taken the memories from me. I was fairly certain I had the memories at one point but now, to simply forget them…

"Lin?" I looked up to see Luc waiting for me outside of my room, watching me with a worried expression.

"What's wrong?"

"I… heard." Luc offered and I nodded, waiting for him to continue. I was slightly surprised he had eavesdropped, but if Jinx had wanted to keep it a secret, she would have waited until the sun rose. "It's because of me."

"Oh?"

"Dracula is not as bad as… the other, but he likes to keep an eye on me too." Luc admitted, and I nodded, realizing he had avoided saying Requiem's name because of the witch downstairs. I made my way to the door and opened, inviting the vampire in. As soon as he glided through the door, I took the moment to remove my jacket, opening my wings to cast my magic.

"May no sound escape." I whispered, watching the sickly yellow cover the door and walls, soundproofing my walls as I turned to face the vampire. He was facing me, hands clasped together as he stared at his feet. My sigh made him look up, his red eyes finally resting on my face. "Why is Drac protective of you?"

"He… does not trust Requiem and probably is curious why he would allow me to leave after keeping me trapped for so long." As he spoke, I watched him slowly shift back to his masculine form, still trying his best to maintain eye contact with me, despite his obvious desire to look away. "Drac has made several requests to have me visit him, but Requiem denied them all."

"Hmm." I closed my eyes in thought, sighing as I did so. I was starting to regret my deal with the demon king more and more. "Why does Drac care? Are you a favorite grandkid or something?"

"Something… like that. Just like Requiem, he sees a lot of potential in what I could become." Luc sighed, and I opened my eyes to see he was still looking at me. "His desire is more based on wanting to use me, just like Requiem."

"I… see." I conceded, crossing my arms as I considered my options. "I really don't think I can refuse him."

"You shouldn't. I doubt he will have you raise anyone at all. More just willing to pay for your time." Luc urged and I frowned as I saw the urgency in his movements. Clearly he wasn't worried about Dracula hurting me like Requiem could, but he still thought it was a bad idea for me to refuse the Count. Interesting. "It'd be free money, and Dracula will likely leave you alone once he meets you, unlike Requiem."

"Do you know the deal I made with Requiem?" I finally asked and watched as the vampire shook his head. Of course not. "I'm not sure I can tell you."

"I doubt it. He likes to place secret rules to his deals." Luc admitted, finally unfolding his stance as he looked to the far wall. I took a moment to notice his adjusted stance and couldn't help as my eyes danced around his form. Luc was by no means built, but he had a sturdy frame, nicely accented by the dark clothing he wore. I had no doubt the golden accents were added by Requiem, as Luc had a habit of dressing in a more casual manner when given the option. It was probably his more regal dress that caused Jinx not to recognize him and I had to give that one to the Demon king. Saved me a lot of trouble.

"Whelp," I finally sighed, moving toward the bed as I sat down. Luc took a moment to watch me, staring at me curiously as I patted the sheets next to me. "Let's catch up. I'll give Jinx my answer about Dracula tomorrow."

"Catch… up?"

"Yeah, I'll tell you what I've been doing the past five years and you can tell me about what you've done to not go insane." I laughed softly and felt my heart jump at the soft smile I received. Luc sat down next to me, and my smile widened as he met my gaze. "After all, we have a few hours till sunrise."

"Okay."