Hunted (Belle Morte Book 3)

Chapter Seven

Roux

Once the disguises were sorted out, everything seemed to happen very fast. Seamus had prepared travel and accommodation, and while Ludovic was off with Edmond somewhere, Roux packed their bags. Then she unpacked them, double-checked everything, and packed them again.

Renie helped her carry them down to the vestibule where Ysanne waited, as silent and still as a statue.

She appraised Roux's new look, but didn't say a word. Then she looked past Roux, to the main staircase which led up the various wings on the second floor, and her eyes visibly widened.

Roux and Renie both turned.

Ludovic and Edmond were coming down the stairs, and Ludovic's newly human appearance was even more incongruous next to Edmond's ebony-and-ivory vampire beauty. Plus, he looked awkward as hell.

Roux made a mental note to teach him how to walk and talk a bit more casually. His physical appearance was human, but he still moved with the fluid grace of a vampire, and his speech patterns weren't quite the norm for a human guy of his age. There was no point putting so much effort into changing his appearance if people picked up all these little inconsistencies about him.

"Ludovic?" Ysanne said, and there was genuine uncertainty in her voice.

Roux gave herself a little inner fist-pump.

"Well, well," Ysanne said, as Ludovic joined them. "I see that Roux was not wrong about her talents."

Ludovic tugged self-consciously at his beanie.

"Seamus has made all the necessary arrangements. You are booked into the Old Royal hotel on Romsey Road. The car is waiting outside, and Seamus assures me that it is equipped with the necessary technology to find the hotel without need of a map. The boot is stocked with more than enough bagged blood to last the two weeks, and there is an envelope of money in the glove compartment. I trust that you will use it wisely," Ysanne said.

"Do we have, like, cover stories or anything?" Roux said.

"I would recommend that you use false names, but you will have to handle that yourselves. There is no need for a false back-story as you do not have to answer any personal questions. As far as any of the escapees' families know, you are merely representatives of Belle Morte. You will not have to explain yourselves further than that." Ysanne looked from Roux to Ludovic and back again. "Seamus has only booked one room for you both, so you may wish to pose as a couple when you're not with the families themselves."

"Excuse me?" Ludovic said.

"What?" Roux said at the same time.

That was something that neither of them had considered.

Ysanne looked unrepentant. "It is only a suggestion, of course."

"Then why arrange a single room for us?" Ludovic said.

"It seemed the most practical option. You can seamlessly blend in with the humans if you're just another happy couple," Ysanne replied.

A quick look at Ludovic's expression and Roux wasn't sure they'd be pulling off that routine any time soon. They'd have to work on that, because Ysanne had a point – they needed to blend in with the outside world, and no one would look twice at a normal, happy couple out and about the city.

"I would also prefer it if you two are not separated any more than is necessary," Ysanne said. "One room means that you'll both be together. The only time Ludovic should be acting solo is when he actually captures our runaways."