Moonlight Lovers

Twenty-two

ROALD looked back at Godric’s eyes as he held his gaze with a baffled expression. If a mere human was standing in front of him, it would be easier to just let the mortal forget what he saw. But Godric was not, and Roald was sure as hell he would not let the question go unanswered. From where he stood, he realized he only got two choices; admit what he had been keeping a secret for nearly a millennia, or make up something so perfect Godric would not have any idea that he's being lied to.

The younger blood being’s face hasn’t changed. He was evidently curious. And Roald understood why. Even he knew that the photograph wasn’t just any of Dahlia’s public pictures from back when she was still a theater actress. It was taken the night Godric asked Dahlia to dine at the popular restaurant in Woodfort; The Paulini’s. It was a private moment between the two as a couple.

But Roald had been lying for centuries now, he had gotten used to easily switching his facial expression, concealing what was really going on in his head, and keeping them from reflecting on his face and breaking his façade. He is determined to keep Dahlia his biggest secret.

“Ah, that must have fallen off while I was going through some documents from the last century. That was the picture I kept of her for her files,” he reasoned, walking toward Godric. He casually took the photo from him and glanced quickly at it before slipping it in between some stacks of papers on his desk.

Godric just raised an eyebrow at his gesture.

One of the responsibilities that the legislature had imposed on Roald was keeping all vampire-related deaths documented. Every human that knows about their existence must be classified, too. He oversees the investigation and observation of the people outside their society and makes sure they don’t go around exposing their kind’s secrets. This was put in place because except for the servants who had been working for the different covens of the vampire society for several centuries and had sworn to secrecy, the council had little faith in humans.

“I just don’t remember having a second copy of that photograph,” Godric noted.

Roald shrugged. “I may have asked Dahlia to have the photo duplicated in the past. I liked that photo of you together.” He laughed, clapping the younger vampire’s shoulder. “Come on. It was a long time ago, Godric. Can you loosen up?”

“Right, I’m sorry. I guess I’m just surprised to see her photo in your office, that’s all.”

“I know,” he simply said. He walked around his desk to clean up the paperwork lying on the furniture. “Actually, I was more surprised to see you here today. Don’t you always just ignore every summon letter I’ve sent you in the past?”

At this, Godric broke into a small smile. “Well, I finally have something to talk to you about that’s why I came.”

“Oh, no.” Roald grimaced, looking up at him. “Was your trip to Asmodeus that bad?” He guessed.

“No, it’s not about that one.” Godric shook his head. “But while we are on the matter, I gotta ask why you sent that man to take me to his brothel? And since when has there been one that’s approved by the council, anyway?”

Roald chuckled. “You just didn’t know about it. It’s been around for a couple of decades. I only decided to have Müller take you there despite Boris’s adamant demand not to tell you about the place, because as much as you hate that you are a blood being, I care a lot about whether or not you are still walking around unlike your brother. Besides, the unfair hunting restrictions Boris has ordered against you are just going to end up in even greater consequences, I just know it. A very difficult work, your brother is. I can never understand what goes on in his head, sometimes.”

Godric scoffed. “Tell me about it.”

Roald sat on the chair behind his desk. “So, what is it that you want to tell me about?”

Godric looked at him with a pair of serious eyes, slipping both of his hands in the pockets of his pants. “Remember what you told me a very long time ago about a rare kind of human blood that gives different satiation to a vampire? A spellblood?”

Roald darted his eyes at Godric. He crossed his fingers over his desk. “I’m shocked you still remember that.”

“Have you ever encountered one? In all your life after your Change?” Godric continued.

Roald shrugged. “I have read a documented case of one spellblood during my first years. But it was a very long time ago; a vampire in Egypt had a slave who was a spellblood. I am not sure if there are any more cases like that in the recent centuries.” He furrowed his brows this time. “Why are you suddenly interested in it?”

Godric dismissed his question. “Well, can you keep a secret, Mr. Council Member?” He briefly jokes, but immediately turns serious. “I can trust you, right?”

Roald looked at the younger blood being quite dubiously. “What is it?”

“Hosmurg,” he said. “I think I may have found a spellblood.

Roald’s eyes grew wide in amazement. His mouth opened and an excited breath escaped his mouth. “No way…”

SELENE’s hand was hooked around Caleb’s arms as they walked inside the brightly lit theme park in downtown Clairhill. She was laughing adorably at Caleb’s expression when he realized where she took him.

“What’s the matter? You don’t want to go here?” She taunted. “Are you scared of these rides, Caleb?” She followed, in feigned shock, to mock him even more.

Caleb chuckled. “I was just hoping you’d take me to somewhere a little less…people-y.”

Selene just shook her head and pulled him to the queue for tickets, laughing along. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”

“I’ll believe it if you say so,” he smiled.

When it was their turn to buy tickets to enter the theme park, Caleb insisted on paying when Selene started pulling out her wallet.

“But I want to reimburse you for the money you paid your friend for the movie tickets,” Selene explained

“Hey, it’s fine. It was just a small amount anyway. And I will not let a girl pay to hang out with me,” Caleb insisted

Selene finally stopped arguing and let him pay, thanking him sincerely. “I promise you, you will not forget this night,” she said.

And Caleb really looked forward to that.