Raving Moon, Lords of the Night Book One

Chapter 22: The Proper Response

The barracks at headquarters was large enough to house seventy percent of Gorgon City's throne force. Those who took part in the altercation in Stygia were ordered to remain at HQ until the following night. Lord Clovis wanted all of the details first thing. By noon, Ariane and I were the only ones up and about.

We finished our Transylvania Burgers and sat in one of the lounges.

"I notice some of you sleep in coffins." She was tired, but tried to hide it.

"Some need it, but most don't. It's cliché, but some of the young find it reassuring. Art has informed reality in this respect. The media fills people's heads with a lot of nonsense death doesn't get rid of."

She chuckled.

"So they climb into coffins because movie vampires made it look normal."

I scoffed, seeing the humor in it all.

"It's better than walking into a room with dead bodies strewn about."

"True."

We laughed for a while. I collected our trash and tossed it into a nearby bin. On the way back, my mind went to Carl and Sheila. Ariane typed on her phone as I sat across from her. She glanced up with a smile distorted by a subsequent yawn.

"Do you know Jerald Thompson?"

"The shooter from the Kraken Island incident?" She leaned forward, covering a second yawn. "I only know what was in the file."

"I'd hoped you could tell me about the man or give me an idea of where he got the weapon from."

"I've never been heavily involved in House affairs. Most of my time has been spent taking care of my father and studying for my degree."

I knew her father, James, he was a kind and gentle man with a ferocious and violent inner beast. His brother Earl was one of the strongest shapeshifters in North America, but James preferred to stay away from the stress of House politics. I wasn't surprised he chose to keep his daughter out of the arena as well. Ariane knowing Thompson was a longshot, but one worth taking.

"Do you know anyone who might be able to shed some light on things?"

"I can ask around though... people have already stopped talking to me."

"It's the uniform. From now on, people will always wonder whether they're speaking to the woman or the tattoo."

She looked down at the mark on her arm, then back up at me. There was sadness there, maybe regret.

"I didn't ask for this, you know. When my tio and papa came to me, I refused."

I wasn't surprised. Martyrs were rare.

"You'll get used to it. It just takes time."

"I'm not sure I want to get used to it. My own people look at me as if I've betrayed them..."

"You're doing this for them. Don't forget that. This is a long time coming, a necessary shift if we're going to avoid our way of life crashing down around our ears." I closed my eyes, trying not to remember the days before the last beast war. Men and women I called friends died fighting a brutal combat. Equality had its price. "Progress isn't free."

"Progress demands the tireless exertion and passionate concerns of dedicated people."

"I like that."

"Paraphrasing Dr. King."

I smiled. She smiled too. Our eyes locked, her brown irises seeing into me. I felt vulnerable, and my heart quickened. It wasn't her inner beast which jarred me, but the intensity of her stare. I hadn't felt anything like it in years, not since I quit cold turkey. As my lust for blood dwindled so had my desire for other things. I'd never given it much thought, but, in that moment, sitting feet from a woman as beautiful as Ariane, I noticed what was missing.