The Hotel - 5

"Not quite what I expected," Kirby said.

"I know. Me neither," I agreed. "It's pretty damned imposing."

"And dark, like out of a horror movie," Jenn said, shivering.

I chuckled. "It's not that bad. With the chandeliers in the main rooms, and the windows, it's kind of cheerful."

"If you say so," she muttered, smiling when Kirby whispered something to her that made her grin in reply.

When Ramsey eyed the pastry counter again, Caitlin said, "Dinner's in less than an hour at this point, so restrain yourself."

Ramsey winked at her. "If you insist." Then he licked his finger to get the last of the scone crumbs off the plate. "Now what do we do?"

"If we let Felicia know first, so they hold dinner until we get back—" I grinned at Ramsey, "—we can take a walk down by the lake before it gets too dark."

Everyone agreed that sounded like a good plan, so after informing Felicia where we were going, we went to get our jackets, in deference to the fact it was already mid-October.

Since the sun was going down the air was definitely chilly when we got outside, but pleasantly so thanks to our outerwear.

"A month later and we'd be knee-deep in snow," Phil said.

"Let's hope it holds off that long," I replied, eying the already snow-capped peaks in the distance. "This is a nice place, but we don't want to be stuck here. We committed to giving our first two Halloween shows as soon as we get back."

"Technically, this is the first one," Noah pointed out. "Just without the sets."

"Can you see us dragging them up here?" I shook his head. "We can borrow some furniture from the hotel for the major set-pieces and leave it at that, which was Mr. Delaney's suggestion to begin with."

"The atmosphere's right for 'Dracula'," Jenn said. "Why did he want us to do that one instead of, well, whatever?"

"Think, Jenn," Ramsey replied. "October, Halloween, spooky mountain villa. Well, mansion and not really spooky, but…"

By then we were down at the lake. It shimmered gold and orange from the rays of the lowering sun.  

"Gorgeous," Caitlin murmured. "Too bad we don't have a camera."

"Silly woman, we do," Marsh replied, taking out his phone. Soon all of us were snapping pictures of the lake and its surroundings.

A few moments later, Caitlin let out a small gasp. Because I was right beside her, she grabbed my arm and pointed.

The Hotel - 4

"Damn," I said under his breath.

It was definitely a ballroom, with a polished, hardwood floor, several chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and a multitude of chairs and small tables along the walls. At one end was a platform, which I presumed was for the band or orchestra hired to play when there were dances or parties.

"This is the room Mr. Delaney set aside for your performance," Felicia told us.

"It should work," I said as I walked across to the windows. They had heavy dark blue velvet drapes, pulled back at the moment. The upholstery on the chairs matched them. There was also a set of double doors opening onto a large patio facing the lake.

"Where do we eat?" Ramsey asked.

"Always his first question," I told Felicia, grinning. "He's a bottomless pit."

"Am not," Ramsey protested. "Well, maybe…"

Felicia took us back to the entry hall and into a room across from the lounge. As with everything else we'd seen on the ground floor, it was huge, with a dozen tables, meant for four to six people each, scattered around it. Along one wall was a long credenza. "For breakfasts," Felicia explained. "We do them Continental-style, although we offer much more than just rolls and coffee. Lunch is served from noon to one, dinner between six and eight."

Ramsey checked his watch and emitted a very feigned moan. "That's ninety minutes from now." It was a running joke with him that he was always hungry. His looks belied it as he was hardly Falstaffian in his build. Instead he was every woman's dream—tall and slender with wavy blond hair.

Phil patted his shoulder. "You'll survive, I promise."

"There's a smaller, more private lounge through there." Felicia pointed to a door at one end of the dining room. The kitchen is there," she pointed again. "It's off-limits to the guests, however, unless you want Brenda to give you a tongue-lashing. She's the cook, if Mr. Delaney didn't tell you."

"He did," I replied.

"There are two more rooms which will probably interest you," Felicia said.

Going back to the entry hall again, she opened another set of doors. "This is the cocktail lounge."

It was dark and atmospheric, with paneled walls and deep red carpeting. There were tables, and booths—all empty—and no one was behind the bar.

"I'd have expected a lot of guests in here," I said, puzzled that there weren't.

Felicia smiled. "At the moment, you're the only ones in the hotel. More will arrive in a day or two."

"Just us?" Caitlin asked in surprise.

"Yes. Mr. Delaney wanted you to have the run of the place without any interruptions for the next couple of days so you could set up for your performance."

"That was nice of him, I guess," I replied.

"There's also coffee shop," Felicia said, taking us to it.

"The only modern room in the place," Phil commented, looking around.

Comparatively, it was. The walls were pale green above pale oak wainscoting, the tables had green-checkered tablecloths, and the order counter had a small pastry case beside it. Ramsey immediately gravitated to it, ordering a scone and coffee from the girl manning the counter. The rest of us decided to do the same and soon, after moving two tables together, we were seated. Felicia left us at that point, saying she was available if we had any questions.

Guardian Angels – Ambivalent - 22

Eight hours later, give or take, Paddy and Mike were heading to Mike's apartment. Even though Paddy didn't have his own apartment—since he didn't really need one—he'd used his break time to ostensibly go pack a few changes of clothes. He returned with a backpack containing jeans and shirts he'd bought at a nearby department store, as well as a few personal items. While he shopped, he wondered if maybe he should find an apartment. But why bother? It's not like I'd ever invite him to come visit. When the assignment is over I go back where I came from until I get a new one, with no one any the wiser except Vic and Evan. That thought didn't exactly make him happy, but it was what it was.

When they were inside Mike's apartment, Paddy looked around with more than a touch of interest. The living room wasn't large but it looked comfortable. A small sofa sat facing what for lack of a better word was the entertainment center, containing a television and a gaming system along with a decent collection of DVDs neatly stacked in their cases. The table along one wall looked as if it served as both a place to eat and a desk since there was a laptop sitting at one end. To one side of it was an arch through which Paddy could see a small kitchen.

To the other side of the table was a second arch opening onto a short hallway. Off of it were three doors. Mike took Paddy to one, explaining it was to what he laughingly called the guest bedroom. Inside was a single bed, a small dresser and a nightstand. Paddy dropped his backpack on the bed then followed Mike back to the living room after being told the bathroom was the behind the door closest to the arch.

"I can fix us some supper," Mike said hesitantly, looking anywhere but at Paddy. "It won't be much. Probably burgers and a salad, but it's food."

"Food is good. I'll help."

"No, no. Just…sit and watch TV? Maybe the story is on the news if we haven't missed it."

Paddy found the remote, turned the TV on and clicked through the channels. "I think it's a bit early still."

"Okay." Mike hurried into the kitchen and Paddy heard the refrigerator open and the rattle of pans and dishes as Mike set to work.

Getting up, Paddy went to lean against the arch, watching Mike. "My being here is making you nervous, isn't it?"

"I'm just not used to company," Mike replied, his attention focused on making hamburger patties.

Smiling at his honesty, Paddy said, "Well, since you're stuck with me for the foreseeable future, try to relax. I'll behave and not get in your way."

Mike finally looked at him. "I didn't mean it that way. Okay, I'm being an idiot. If you want to help and know how to toss a salad…"

"I think I can handle it."

He did, and soon they were sitting at the table in the living room, after Mike moved the laptop. By then the news was on and they both paid more attention to it, waiting for the story about Micky, than they did to what they were eating.

When the reporter said, "And now to a story about an incident at a local teen shelter," both men watched intently.

"A young man known by the street name Micky," the reporter continued, "was thought to have accidentally fallen down a flight of stairs at Crossroads House yesterday. He was rushed to the hospital, where he is now in serious but stable condition. An interview with the detective in charge of his case has revealed some new and disturbing information."

The shot split, showing the reporter and Detective Massey. The reporter asked the detective about Micky and what he had found out.

"'Micky', whose real name is Mark Franklin, was seen by a witness just before the supposed accident. According to the witness, a dark-haired man he describes as in his early forties was with Mr. Franklin at the top of the stairs and pushed Mr. Franklin, causing him to fall down said stairs. The witness, Mike Desmond, also known as Michael O'Donnell, immediately sought help for Mr. Franklin rather than trying to stop his attacker."

"Do you know anything about the attacker other than his description?" the reporter asked.

"At this time, no, although there is a possibility he was at the shelter a day or so previously, looking for a runaway. If it is the same man, and Mr. Desmond isn't certain that it is, he claimed to be a private investigator by the name of John Keefe. So far we've been unable to locate anyone by that name."

"Thank you for speaking with us, Detective Massey." The shot returned to the reporter in the studio. "If anyone has any information regarding the man who may or may not be going by the name of John Keefe, you are asked to call 555-1111. Your identity will be kept anonymous."

The Hotel - 3

Our bags were on a trolley standing in the hallway. Everyone got theirs, once they'd chosen their rooms. I wasn't terribly surprised when I saw Jenn and Kirby open the doors of adjoining rooms before Kirby said something to her that made her giggle. If I were to guess, it had to do with being able to sneak into each other's rooms when no one was watching. Not that they were at the point of sharing a bed, as far as I knew, but it was definitely in their future. Perhaps before we go back to the city I thought. The hotel was romantic enough, if you discounted its slightly spooky aura.

I put my bags on the dresser and began unpacking once I'd determined one of the doors beside the dresser opened onto a closet. The other was for a small bathroom with a clawfoot tub, a sink, and a toilet. Not exactly modern, but I supposed I shouldn't complain. At least we wouldn't all be sharing one, somewhere down the hallway.

After putting away my clothes and personal items, I set my laptop on the table, found an outlet, and plugged it in. Then I used the room phone to call the front desk, asking how to get online. Felicia answered and told me. Not that I was going to do it that minute, but it was good to know it really was possible.

"The rooms are fantastic, or at least mine is," Noah said, leaning on the doorjamb, looking around my room.

"Makes me feel like we're in some old hotel in Europe," I replied. "Are you unpacked?"

"Yep."

"Me, too," Jenn said, joining us. "Shall we go downstairs and explore?"

"Wait for me," Marsh called out as he walked toward us.

"We'll wait for everyone," I replied. "No sense in making Felicia play tour guide more than once. Which rooms did you all choose?"

When they told me, I gave them the appropriate key, as well as everyone else as they congregated outside my room. Once they'd all locked up we took the elevator down to the entry hall.

"Are you ready to see everything?" Felicia asked.

"Lead on, Macduff," Kirby replied. He wagged a finger at us. "Do not tell me I'm misquoting. I know it's 'Lay on, Macduff,' if we were doing The Scottish Play." He was referring to 'Macbeth', which was believed to be cursed. Therefore it was never mentioned by name in theatrical circles.

We laughed, and followed Felicia as she led us through a large doorway on the left wall of the entry hall. "This is the main lounge. It was the living room when the mansion was still, well, a mansion."

It was huge, with deep wine-painted walls above mahogany wainscoting. There was a flagstone fireplace at one end and several seating areas with sofas and chairs, also mahogany, set around coffee tables. Two chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and as in the entry hall, there were sconces along the walls with lights meant to look like candles.

"You could throw a masquerade ball in here," Ramsey commented.

"Nope. That happens in the official ballroom," Felicia told him. She took us through a doorway at the far side of the lounge and down a short hallway, flinging open a set of doors.

The Hotel - 2

"We have two young women who serve as maids and general help, our bartender, who also helps Logan when necessary, and an assistant cook, as well," Edwin replied to Caitlin's question. "And you are?" He smiled at her.

"Caitlin. I'm the resident costumer."

"A pleasure to meet you." Edwin looked at the rest of our company. "Austin, would you do the introductions, please?"

"Gladly. The other women are Jenn and Tessa, both actresses. Kirby, Phil, and Ramsey are our actors." I gestured to each person as I named them. "Noah acts, too, and will be our Renfield, but he's primarily our make-up artist. Marsh does lighting and tech,"

"Not that we need me for the tech end, since we're not using any sets," Marsh added.

I chuckled. "Making my being here superfluous."

"Not even," Noah protested. "You're the founder of our little troupe, as well as the resident director in between your designing chores."

At that moment a young woman appeared, dressed in black slacks and a white blouse. "This is Felicia, our reservations clerk," Edwin said. "She'll show you to your rooms. Once you're settled in, feel free to come back downstairs and she'll give you the grand tour."

"My pleasure," Felicia said. "If you'll follow me." She led the way to an elevator at the back of the entry hall, between two flights of stairs leading to the second floor. "It's old, and slow," she said with a smile as she pressed the button to open the grilled door, "so be prepared."

"Is this original?" I asked when we'd all crowded in.

"Yes. From what I've been told, the man who built the mansion was elderly and in a wheelchair so he needed it."

She'd been correct, the ride up was slow, but we got to the third floor, stepping out into a long hallway with the same dark oak paneling as the downstairs entry hall. There were doors on either side, belonging, Felicia said, to the guest rooms. "Feel free to take whichever ones you want. You'll be the only people up here."

"Seriously?" Kirby said, looking surprised.

"Yes. Mr. Delaney set the entire floor aside for your use."

"No keys?" I asked as I opened one of the doors.

Felicia took a key ring from her pocket. "I have them, but it's perfectly safe to leave your doors unlocked."

"Still…" I held out my hand and she handed me the keys. Each one was marked with a number corresponding to the ones on the room doors.

"I'll see you when you come back downstairs," she said before leaving.

"It looks like there's ten rooms, and nine of us, so have at it," I said to the troupe. I liked the room I was looking into. It was large, with beige walls above dark wainscoting. A huge bed and two nightstands stood against the side wall, with a matching dresser across from them. A table with two chairs sat in front of a large window which looked out, I discovered, over the lake. "I hope they have WiFi," I murmured.

"We do," Logan replied from the doorway, startling me. "I have your bags, if you'll come claim them," he told me and the others while handing me the keys to the bus. "I put the wardrobe boxes and the ones labeled 'Props' and 'Lights' in the room you'll be using for your performance."

I thanked him, pocketing the keys.

The Hotel - 1

My name is Austin. I'm the founder of a small theatrical troupe that travels to homeless shelters and senior centers in the city, putting on shows for those who are unlikely or unable to visit a legitimate theater. Sometimes, to help make ends meet, we hire out for special performances. This was one of them.

* * * *

It was mid-Tuesday afternoon and we'd been on the road for at least an hour. I was driving the refurbished school bus we used when we needed to transport the entire troupe and our gear at the same time.  We were almost forty miles from the city where we lived and worked, and hadn't seen any signs of civilization in the last fifteen minutes, other than a tiny town off to the side of the two-lane highway. Soon after passing by it, we'd turned off the highway onto a narrow one-lane road. As we went around the last curve leading to our destination I exclaimed, "You have got to be kidding me."

I stared at what I'd been told would be a house that had been turned into a small hotel, sitting on the edge of a mountain lake. There were definitely mountains, and a lake, but what I saw was not just a house. Well, not my definition of a house. It was a damned mansion, or close to it.

"It's big enough," Ramsey said as he peered out the side window of the bus.

Phil snickered. "For an army."

"At least there should be more than enough room for all of us," I commented.

"It's three stories," Caitlin said, using her finger to count them. "So there better be."

"Us and the ghosts." Noah made a 'woo-woo' sound.

"Stop that!" Caitlin swatted his arm.

By then, I had pulled up in front of the hotel. Everyone piled out, heading to the large porch. The door opened, revealing a burly man with wiry graying hair and Edwin Delaney, the man who'd hired us.

"Welcome, Austin," Mr. Delaney said. "I'm pleased you and your company could make it. If you'll give Logan—" he nodded to his companion, "—the keys to the bus he'll take it around to the lot and bring your bags inside."

I did as he'd asked then said, "It's not often we get a chance to work in such lovely surroundings, Mr. Delaney. In fact, I can safely say this is the first time."

"I'm looking forward to your show. As I told you I would, I've set aside one of the larger rooms for your use. Oh, and please call me Edwin." He stepped aside to let us enter. "For your information, Logan Goodman is my general factotum. He's responsible for the upkeep of the hotel and grounds. His wife, Sophia, is the housekeeper, and their daughter Brenda's the cook."

"Only the three of them?" Caitlin asked, looking around the large entry hall. There was a dark mahogany reception desk with a very modern computer sitting on it. Wine upholstered sofas and several chairs ranged along each of the side walls between the doorways to other rooms on the ground floor. A huge chandelier hung high above the desk and there were sconces along the walls to light the area.

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

As soon as Linden and Helmut left, Roderick moved to make room and patted the bed, embracing Piers tightly when he climbed in beside him. "Do you like it here," he asked.

"I love being in your arms."

"That's not what I meant and you know it, although I'm glad that you do." Roderick kissed the nape of his neck.

"I knew that." Piers shivered at the touch of Roderick's lips, turning in his arms to look at him. "It's different, but I do like this place, and I'll love it I'm sure, now that you're here."

"Believe me, for the foreseeable future I'm not going anywhere else. There are rumblings from certain corners about overthrowing the King, but until that happens I'm staying here." He smiled wickedly. "Of course the fact that I prodded a lot of the regional kings into thinking along those lines had nothing to do with their accepting the idea that it might be possible."

Piers laughed. "You're an instigator."

"Moi?" Roderick grinned. "No. I just like dropping a word or two in the right ears. If it works, so much the better."

"Will there be a war?"

"I doubt it. Too many of them are tired of his despotic rule. I think they'll all pull together and figure out a way to either convince him to step down, or barring that he will be assassinated."

"Then we'll be free." Piers curled up tightly against Roderick. "Finally."

"We've always been free, love. It just took me a while to realize that."

"But you did." Piers looked up at him, giving him a heartfelt kiss. "That's what counts. And now, you need to sleep and finish healing because I have plans for you for tomorrow night, and you'll have to be in peak condition."

"Oh do you now?" Roderick hugged him tightly. "I think I'll be up for that."

"Several times I hope," Piers told him with a wide grin.

"Most definitely!"

The End

Guardian Angels – Ambivalent - 21

Why the hell did I open my big mouth? Paddy chastised himself while he and Mike walked to the shelter. As they did, he kept his eyes and his internal senses open for any sign of Mr. Keefe. Not that he expected the man to pop out and take potshots as Mike. If he was a professional, and everything pointed to that, he wouldn't be that stupid. Paddy had the idea that Keefe was supposed to make Mike's death look like an accident, if what he'd done to Micky was any indication.

Kill him in a way that won't point back to whoever hired him.

It was Paddy's primary job to keep that from happening. The problem was the way he'd set it up—suggesting he'd stay with Mike. He was becoming quite fond of his young charge. More than fond. Hell, whoever came up with that word was looking for a euphemism for liking someone more than they should.

Not that liking him that way will do me a whole hell of a lot of good. In the first place it's absolutely forbidden. And Samuel would be damned good and sure I never got to see Mike again once this is over. Besides which… Paddy covertly watched Mike as they walked. Dia uilechumhachtach (God almighty), Pádrig O'Brian, get a grip as Dave would say. Mike's not the least bit interested in me except as someone who can help him find and stop Keefe. Hell even if I was human and the age I appear to be, I'm too old for him to see as anything other than… than a man who's been hired to keep him safe.

* * * *

Mike could almost feel Paddy watching him. It made him nervous, which surprised him. After all the two of them had spent a great many hours together in relatively short time they'd known each other. Most of it pretty intense what with Mr. Keefe and all. So why, now that I'm used to Paddy being around, is it bothering me that he's going to be staying with me night and day.

He took a quick glance at his bodyguard. I guess he's my bodyguard now. At least that's how I've been thinking of him. He's not bad looking for his age. Mike chuckled, shaking his head when Paddy looked at him in question. Hell, he's not really that old. He's just… World wise? Worldly? Something like that. I wonder why he keeps his hair so long. Maybe so he'll feel younger? It looks good on him. Enough of that. Even if he is interested in me, am I interested in him?  

That was a question Mike had no real answer for, he realized. Yes, he found he liked Paddy. Liked his…friendship. Liked that he'd come into his life despite the circumstances surrounding why he had. But beyond that… If he walks away when this is over will I wish he hadn't? On some level, of course I will. I don't have all that many friends. Losing one will leave a void. But is that all it will do? Will I always wonder 'what if'? What if he hopes we can become more than friends but does nothing because I don't allow it. What if I make the first move and he reciprocates? What if he doesn't? Do I want to see what could happen? Do I see him as possibly more than just a friend? I don't know!

* * * *

Paddy would have given just about anything to know what was on Mike's mind that had him looking so serious—and so puzzled at times. He could have found out. He had that ability given what he was. But he was not going to pry into the young man's thoughts. After all, I might not like what I saw.

He smiled wryly to himself before saying, "You look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. Stop worrying. We're going to catch Keefe, with Detective Massey's help, and then our lives can get back on track again."

"You go your way, I go mine?" Mike replied with a trace of regret. Or so it sounded to Paddy.

"Probably, once Keefe is in jail and we find out who hired him."

Mike nodded. "I'm not so sure I want to know that. If it was Mandy… It can't be. She loves me. Or she did." He sighed. "I suppose Vic was right. She could hate me now, since Father left everything to me."

"It is possible. Or it could be another relative, or…who knows who else."

"There's no one else who would profit from my dying. I don't have enemies damn it. I'm not that kind of guy. Hell, I don't have many friends so how could I have enemies?"

Paddy chuckled. "I'm not sure the two are mutually exclusive but I get your point." He put his arm around Mike's shoulders. "We will find out though, one way or another."

Paddy was surprised when Mike didn't immediately pull away, instead just replying, "God I hope so." He was sorely tempted to leave his arm where it was but didn't. No sense in asking for trouble.

By then, they were close to the shelter. When they turned the corner Mike sighed in relief. "I was half expecting to see police cars again."

"I know. I was too," Paddy admitted.

"I hope we never do again. Well other than the occasional one that shows up when the cops are looking for someone. Although I'd rather that didn't happen either. But given who stays with us it's inevitable from time to time."

"I'm sure, unfortunately. Okay, let's get in there and hope it's not quite as chaotic as the last couple of days have been."

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

"I'm going to be alright, Piers, I promise," Roderick said, his voice weak but firm. "Helmut found me in time." He smiled slightly, adding, "Obviously."

"How could you have let them—I mean you're old, almost ancient, they shouldn't have been able to—"

"They were older, the King's elite guards, they got the drop on me."

"If Helmut hadn't gotten there in time—"

"Do you think you could finish at least one sentence, Piers," Linden said with a chuckle.

"This isn't funny, Linden," Piers hissed, never taking his eyes off Roderick, or releasing his hand. "He almost bled out."

"But I didn't, Piers. It takes more than a few cuts to kill me."

"A few hundred," Helmut muttered, remembering how he'd found Roderick. The vampire was hanging by ropes from the rafters in the bedroom. It looked as if claws and knives had pierced every inch of his body. Some of the wounds had closed but it was apparent that the weaker Roderick had gotten, the less his body was able to heal itself.

After cutting him down, Helmut had transported him, bloody and close to death, to the estate just long enough for the servants to feed him. While there, Helmut found out that the King's agents had indeed come to the house soon after he'd taken Piers and Linden away. They had searched every inch of it, and the surrounding buildings, threatening to kill the servants if they didn't reveal the location of the young men. Luckily, the servants were able to tell the agents they didn't know. Sensing that was the truth, the agents had left them alive.

"All right, a few hundred," Roderick admitted. "But what's past is past. I'm here; we're all here, and safe." He looked to Helmut for confirmation of the last.

"Safe as houses."

Roderick cocked an eyebrow. "Considering the last couple I've been in I'm not certain that's a recommendation, Helmut."

"In this case it is. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to leave Piers to play nursemaid and take my boy back to our house."

"For fun and games?" Linden asked with a grin.

"For housecleaning," Helmut growled, straight-faced. "And if it meets with my approval, then possibly a reward. So move it."

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

"Piers, asking every fifteen minutes is not going to get him here any faster. When I get the word that it's safe I'll go get him, and not before."

"I know, Helmut, but—" Piers wandered away, muttering "Sorry" under his breath.

"It's times like this I wish he could go out during the day," Linden said. "There's so much to do then."

Helmut nodded. "I was hoping that taking him to feed earlier would help alleviate some of his tension. I guess not."

"Nothing will until Roderick's here. If it were me I'd be feeling the same way."

"Seems to me you did at one point, and gave me a major heart attack as a result." Helmut hugged him, then said, "Go see if you can find something to keep him busy." When Linden grinned wickedly, Helmut smacked his ass. "Not that, boy."

"I know. Just teasing you." Linden kissed him quickly and went in search of Piers.

Piers wasn't the only one worried. Three days with no word from Roderick had Helmut doing his own pacing, just not when the young men were around. When he'd taken Piers to the town several hundred miles from where they were living to feed he'd also placed a call to emergency number Roderick had given him. There had been no answer, only the message that that number was no longer in service.

"If I have to go searching for you," he growled, afraid that his friend had either been caught, or had moved on to a new hiding place. If it was the former there was little Helmut could do and he knew it. If the latter, then he'd just have to wait until Roderick could get in touch with him. The only other option was to go to where he was supposed to have met Roderick to bring him back and hope the vampire had left him some kind of message.

"Guess if that's what I have to do—" Seconds later he was in a dark alley in a major Asian city. He checked to be certain no one was watching then moved swiftly to the street. He would have transported directly into the building Roderick was using but the vampire hadn't sent him a visual for it. He did however have the address.

Casually strolling down the still crowded thoroughfare, Helmut paused in front of a closed shop, using the darkened window to check the doorway of the building he needed. It was vacant and unlit, both pluses. He crossed the road, opened the door and stepped into a ill-lit hallway that reeked of cooked food. Taking the rickety stairs to the second floor two at a time, he stopped when he got there to decide which way he needed to go. The rooms he needed were at the far end of the hall. When he got to them he tried the door. It swung open at his touch. Carefully, every sense alert, he entered. The main room, simply but elegantly furnished, was empty. He passed through it to the far door. It, too, opened at his touch.

"Oh hell, Rod," he growled seconds later.

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

Linden stepped out of the house Helmut had transported them to and asked in astonishment, "Where in the world are we?"

"The place where I grew up," Helmut replied, coming up behind him, wrapping his arms around him.

"It's—breathtaking," Piers said softly.

"It is, isn't it? It's been a long time since I've been here. I forgot how beautiful it was, even at night."

"Is your family…?" Linden looked down the narrow dirt road that ran between the few buildings that comprised what he supposed had once been a tiny town.

"They're long gone, and before you start feeling sorry for me, I mean they no longer live here, or even want to. When it was safe, they returned home."

"Safe?" Piers asked.

"Remember what I told you about my connection with the revenant? My grandfather fled here after that war to escape the revenant's followers, bringing his wife and children with him. His son, my father, met and mated with a shifter who lived a few hundred miles from here. He remained there and, in time, my brother and I were born."

"So you have family still?" Linden looked up at him, seeing a flash of pain that came and went in an instant.

"Somewhere, yes," Helmut admitted. "I've been estranged from them for a long time. They don't quite approve of me, of what I am, because I won't be siring any children. Males are supposed to add to what I suppose you'd call the pack for lack of a better word."

"That's horrible," Piers exclaimed, echoing Linden's thoughts.

"It's life," Helmut told him with a slight shrug of a shoulder. "Come, let me show you the rest of your new home," he said, changing the subject.

"Our new home?"

"For the foreseeable future, yes. I hope you don't mind terribly that it doesn’t come up to the standards you're used to."

"No mod cons?" Linden asked, afraid the answer would be that there weren't. He was happily surprised when Helmut told him that indeed there were, up to a point.

"The last time I was here, I installed a couple of industrial grade generators, one for the house I always use, another for the one across the street. I will have to make a trip to town to get gasoline for them before the few appliances I have will work. I do have kerosene for the lamps that should still be good. And of course there are the fireplaces so we won't freeze. However," Helmut chuckled, "there's no television, not gaming systems, so you're going to have to rough it as far as that's concerned."

"Well, damn," Linden muttered, but he wasn't all that certain he minded, at least not for the moment. He had the feeling there would be more than enough to do to fill their time for now.

Guardian Angels – Ambivalent - 20

Detective Massey chuckled. "That's walking a fine line, but I'll go with it. However…" He paused, looking thoughtful. "You changed your name when, Mike?"

"Two years ago, so I could get into the Thirty-Day program."

"Good. That works. I let it slip to the reporters that I checked you out and discovered your real name was Michael O'Donnell and you changed it after you ran away from home."

"How could you check, and why would you?" Mike asked.

"I'd figure, because you were a runaway, you wouldn't have wanted your family to find you. So, being the smart cop that I am, I ran your name through the system and found out you'd legally changed it from O'Donnell to Desmond."

Looking a bit panicked, Mike said, "But you won't really do that?"

"No. I'm sure I wouldn't find anything. However"—Massey looked sternly at Mike—"it might be a good idea if you did go the legal route at some point if you want to avoid trouble in the future. Another officer might not take your word for it that Desmond is now your legal name." Then he shook his head. "How did you manage to get me to go for this—this plan you've concocted?"

"You want to catch Mr. Keefe."

"I do. I don't like killers. Especially hired ones. Now we just have to make certain he doesn't manage to get his hands on you."

"That's why I'm around," Paddy said.

Massey looked doubtfully at him. "What sort of experience do you have?"

"I'm a licensed private investigator, working for Vic Kingston."

Massey nodded. "I know who he is and have dealt with him a time or two, so that gives you legitimacy. I didn't realize he'd begun adding people to his firm."

"We're old friends," Paddy told him, not blinking an eye. "I came to town, needed a job, and he hired me on an as-needed basis."

"All right. I'm still going to put someone else on Mike, just to be sure he's well protected. You can't be with him twenty-four seven."

"I could be if we were rooming together."

"What?" Mike stared at Paddy.

Paddy shrugged. "It's one option. They umm…raised your rent. You need a roommate to share the expense now. That is if there's more than one bedroom."

"There is, but…"

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Well no. But…"

"If I assigned a man to you," Massey put in, "he'd be watching from outside. Having Mr. O'Brian on the premises might not be such a bad idea. We can presume from the fact that Mr. Keefe managed to open the well-secured door to the shelter's basement that he has above average breaking and entering skills"

"Vic's boyfriend is a security expert. I'm sure we can get him to upgrade the protection on Mike's apartment," Paddy told Mike.

Mike snorted. "What security? All right. If we can catch Mr. Keefe all this will be worth it."

"Exactly." Paddy turned to Massey. "How soon can you get the story to the TV stations and the newspaper?"

"It should hit the five-o'clock news tonight, and the paper in the morning. I will put a man at the shelter. Probably as a new volunteer."

Paddy chuckled. "The shelter's going to wonder what's going on. Two in a couple of days."

"Just people willing to do their civic duty," Massey replied with a grin. "Now, unless you two have any more wild ideas, I do have a job and they like me to handle all my cases, not just Micky's."

"Okay. We'll keep in touch," Paddy said as he got up.

"I will too, and with luck we'll catch this bastard before he attacks another innocent kid."

"Or me," Mike muttered.

Paddy nodded. "Or you."

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

"Get your charges out of here now!"

Helmut spun around to see the vampire who had helped with the destruction of the revenant standing in the middle of the room. He immediately went on the defensive, growling, "Why should I do what one of the King's minions orders?"

"I am no more his minion than Roderick is, now. Fortunately, the King doesn't realize that yet. He does however know that your friend has switched allegiances. Roderick escaped by the skin of his teeth and is in hiding. It would behoove you to remove the young men to somewhere safe. The King's agents are on their way to kidnap them even as we speak. He plans hold them hostage to force Roderick to reappear."

"Damn. Thank you my friend, we owe you." Helmut clapped his hand on the vampire's shoulder and then vanished from sight.

Seconds later, he reappeared in Piers' bedroom where the two young men were in the middle of a hard-fought game of chess. Linden looked up, started to smile, and stopped when he saw the look on Helmut's face. "What's happened?" he asked fearfully.

"It's Roderick, isn't it," Piers cried out, springing to his feet.

"He's safe for now, but you two aren't." Without another word, Helmut gathered them to him.

"Damn," Linden said when he dared to open his eyes again. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere where no one will find us," Helmut told him.

"Even Roderick?" Piers asked fearfully.

"Even him, but don't worry, we have contingency plans. I'll get him, too, when the time is right."

Piers stared at him in disbelief. "Why not now? Why wait?"

"Piers, I swear he is in a safe place, but my going to get him at the moment would bring the King's agents down on him. Trust me; we know what we're doing."

"If Helmut says it's so, then it is," Linden said in stout defense of his lover. "You need to stop worrying, and the best thing for that is to explore this place and see what's what."

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

Two weeks later, Roderick knew he would soon get the answer to Helmut's question.

He understood and agreed with the vampire Pavoni's reasons for wanting to be able to run his region by his own laws. As he had said, "The King is too old; his laws are archaic, based on times so long past they are lost in the mists of antiquity. You and I may be old, Roderick, but I believe we have kept up with the times. My subjects, many of them, are young, relatively speaking. I cannot expect them to live by laws that I myself find too restrictive." He had outlined the ones he meant and Roderick had to agree he was correct in his assessment that they were outmoded in today's society.

Pavoni had suggested that Roderick talk to a few of the other regional kings, giving him the names of some who he knew agreed with him. Therefore, before returning to report in to the King, Roderick had taken a whirlwind tour of the world after sending Piers and the others back to the estate.

Because his own attitude had changed, Roderick now heard what he had loath to listen to on other visits with the vampires in question. They were all chomping at the bit, wanting to break free of the King's despotic rule but afraid of the consequences. The King might be a despot, but he was a powerful one with equally powerful subordinates unwilling to give up the benefits that came with standing with him as he ruled with an iron hand.

After his visits with the kings, Roderick returned to the estate. There were things he needed to do before reporting to the King. The most important one was ensuring the safety of everyone he cared about, from Piers on down to the least of the servants. To that end, he summarily dismissed the guardian vampires, replacing them with ones he trusted not to betray him to the King. Something he realized he should have done years ago.

Then, with Helmut's assistance, he came up with a safe place to send Piers and Linden if the shit hit the fan. Actually, it was Helmut's suggestion. As a shifter he had access to a few well-hidden areas that no one but another shifter could get to, and only if they knew of their existence. One of them was his secret, one he had never revealed to anyone.

With everything that he could think of in place, Roderick was ready to leave the estate.

"Keep them safe, my friend," he said to Helmut before gently kissing Piers yet again, whispering, "I love you. I'll be back soon, I promise."

"And I'll be here, waiting for you." Wrapping his arms around Roderick's neck, Piers kissed him, pouring all his love into it, knowing the kiss more than any words would tell him how he felt. Then he watched as Roderick walked swiftly from the room and out to the waiting limousine.