(46) Two vampires, a ghoul and a shifter.

"Long story, short," Helmut said a couple of hours later as he and his friends sat in one of the parlors at the manor house, "I'm a descendant of one of the men responsible for the revenant's death."

Roderick cocked an eyebrow. "Just how long have you known this, and were you ever planning on telling me?"

"Forever, and not really," Helmut replied, shifting Linden in his lap when the boy insisted on wriggling around, muttering in his ear, "Stay still, damn it."

Linden smirked, but did as Helmut ordered, mostly.

"Can I presume that's the reason you took the job here?" Roderick asked.

"Yes. I had to be where I could deal with him, once I figured out how to get to him. Unfortunately, I didn't do very well at that. If it hadn't of been for two nosy brats—"

"If you had told me," Roderick said, a trace of anger in his voice, "then between us we might have been successful at that and saved some lives."

Helmut bowed his head in acknowledgement. "Those people will always be on my conscience, but I am what I am. I don't share secrets well, especially ones involving me personally."

"Believe me, my friend, I understand. We all have our secrets."

"And some of them can hurt the ones you love," Piers murmured so softly Roderick almost didn't hear him.

However, he did, and stood. "If you'll excuse me, I have things to do before dawn." Bending, he kissed Piers' forehead. "You, I'll see tomorrow evening. Go get some sleep."

"As if I had a choice," Piers grumbled, remaining where he was, watching disconsolately as Roderick left the room.

"Give him time, Piers," Helmut told him.

"One hundred years isn't time enough!" Piers bounced to his feet. "For him, for us, a thousand years won't be time enough," he said angrily as he fled the room.

Linden watched his friend leave, shaking his head sadly. "I wish—"

"There's nothing either of us can do, Lin. Roderick is the only one who can make the choice between love and obedience. And unfortunately, so far, he's chosen obedience."

"He needs a good, swift kick in the ass," Linden grumbled.

"Agreed." Helmut chuckled. "Are you going to do that?"

With a laugh, small as it might have been, Linden replied, "You never know, I might."