Contiuned From:
The Arc
The Arc: 2
The Arc: 3

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I was dressed in my usual. I had on a royal blue polo shirt, black jeans, black Nikes, and white jogging socks. It was too hot out for the blazer, but I wore it anyways, only to hide the black shoulder holster complete with the 9mm Browning Hi-Power. I had a small Firestar in a bellyband under my shirt for a left cross-draw. I’d found out, through practice with stopwatches,
that I was a few seconds delayed drawing with my left, and those few seconds could tear my heart out. I didn’t draw left unless I absolutely had to. My silver cross hung around my neck and matched the silver content in the two knives on each forearm in their sheaths. They were special made and I had four of them. Two had to be replaced when I left one in a vampire and had to toss the other. Oh yeah, did I mention the knife that was more of a short sword in it’s spine sheath? No? Well, it’s there. The sheath for that was complete special order. It wouldn’t fit anyone else. Save for maybe Micah.
Speaking of Micah, he walked beside me to my left, smart enough to leave my gun hand empty. He was wearing blue jeans that looked a little loose, but in fact, fit him quite well. He had on white jogging shoes and a slightly oversized men’s dress shirt, left untucked. His shoulder-length, curly, deep brown hair was combed and tamed rather nicely. He’d left it frothing around his shoulders, knowing how it framed his face just right.
We walked, side-by-side to the front doors of The Arc hotel and lounge. I knew where we were going so I bypassed the secretaries and headed straight for the elevator. I’d explained everything to Micah in the jeep on the way here. He was a bit unnerved by the fact that neither of us, or Jean-Claude had sensed trouble. Maybe it’s just something that’s coming, we thought.
Quietly, we stepped out of the elevator and we walked down the hall. I stopped in front of the correct door. I stood there for a few moments, bracing myself, collecting myself. It wasn’t until I felt Micah’s hand slide into mine that I remembered he was standing beside me. When I looked at him, he wore that mixed smile. Only, this time, it was a little less mixed.
“Whatever is going on this time, I’m with you,” he said, without me asking. “You are my Nimir-Ra, and I your Nimir-Raj. I told you I would do anything to be in your life, and I still hold to that. I keep my promises, Anita. Trust me, we get through it together every time. What’s one more?” His greenish-golden eyes were shining at me. The speech was wonderful. Not really needed, but wonderful. It let me know he didn’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon.
I squeezed his hand in mine and smiled back. “Right. What’s one more? Together.” I whispered that last, as if trying to reassure myself. With that though, I raised my hand and knocked.
The same girl, Liz, that I’d met the previous night answered the door with a neutral expression. Her long black hair was draped over her shoulders, coming just to the swell of her breasts. She donned a white button-up shirt with a spiffy black jacket over it. There was a lace choker the column of her neck with a silver cross hanging from it. Good taste. Her pants were black and narrow, following the shape of her small legs. Her dainty feet her covered in narrow, square-toed, low-heeled boots.
“Elisabeth, right?” I said, trying to add a pleasant lilt to my voice.
“Liz,” she corrected. “Call me Liz.” Her voice seemed to have a permanently depressed undertone. How sad. What had happened to this girl. “Who is this?” she asked, indicating Micah with a confused look.
“My company,” I said.
“Micah. Micah Callahan,” he said, extending his hand.
I glanced sideways at him. I was trying to be snippy, because I didn’t want to be here, didn’t want to deal with monsters on my day off. Then again, when it came to dealing with monsters, I was sleeping with three of them. Yeah. Three.
Liz looked at his hand. “Yeah. Hi.” Her voice was bland when she said it. Something definitely happened to her when she was younger. She turned without a second glance, leaving the door open. As an invitation I think.
I stepped in first and Micah followed, the door shutting behind him. The click of the lock made me jump a little. There was a demon, a fish-guy, and two normal-looking people in this room. I had weapons, but they didn’t offer that much comfort. I felt Micah’s hands on my shoulders, gently.
“Are you okay? You’re awfully jumpy,” he whispered in my ear.
I shook my head. “It’s nothing. Just paranoia.” My voice was low, even though at least two people in this room might be able to hear us anyways.
“I’m here. You’re not alone, Anita.” Micah gave my shoulders a reassuring squeeze and then moved back to my left side. God, he was smart.
Hellboy stepped from a hidden part of the room, a beer in one hand. He seemed momentarily confused at our being here. Maybe it was just Micah being here. He does look noticeably different than Nathaniel. After a moment or two, he seemed to register at least me because he sat on the bed and cringed as it groaned under all that weight.
Micah’s eyes were a tad wider than was polite, but I’m sure “Red” was used to it by now. When you’re 7' and bright red, staring would be a common occurrence. Shaking his head slightly, Micah seemed to regain more manners and put on a pleasantly blank face. Why could all the men in my life mask themselves so well when I was still practicing? It didn’t seem very fair.
“Who are you?” Hellboy asked, quirking an eyebrow.
“Ms. Blake said she’d be bringing company,” John said from the other room. It poked his head in. “I forgot to mention that didn’t I?”
Hellboy sighed. “Yeah, Meyers. You did.”
“It doesn’t matter. Can we just get on with this?” Liz droned from a chair in the corner. There was a lit cigarette in her hand and I didn’t remember hearing a lighter.
The trouble started when Fish-dude entered from the adjacent room. Micah’s nostrils flared at the scent of fish and his gaze darted to Abe. Shit. I squeezed his hand in mine, trying to tell him not to lose it. He was an alpha and could pass for human if he wanted to, save for his eyes of course. He had a tremendous amount of control, but nothing is limitless. His muscles twitched and I felt his beast watching the fishy substitute walk across the room.
Abe stopped in mid-motion. His head craned in our direction and his eyes grew wide. I’d completely forgotten about the snack on legs for my boys. Tomorrow night was the full moon and that’s why I had the next two nights off. Even if I’d remembered, I’d have thought Micah could contain himself. He could. I knew it. I’d seen it. But did he want to? That was rhetorical.
“What? Somehow I think the tension level just went up a few notches,” Meyers said from the chair across the table from Liz.
“Captain Obvious strikes again,” Liz muttered.
“With his sidekick, Slightly Obvious,” Red finished.
“I’m sorry,” I said, speaking to Abe. “I really am. I forgot.”
“Okay. What is it between you three?” Hellboy finally poked into the situation.
“Perhaps I owe some explanations first. Well, technically, you owe them first. But I’d say ours are pretty damned crucial right now.” I looked to Micah for confirmation. Far as I knew, he was open about his lycanthropy, but I didn’t want to take any chances. He must have felt my stare because he gave the barest of nods and swallowed hard, eyes locked to Abe.
“Then start explaining.”
“This is Micah. Micah Callahan. My boyfriend and Nimir-Raj.” I saw all but Abe go confused and didn’t give anyone a chance to interrupt with questions. If I did, we’d be here for a
week going into detail about pard law and such. The terms were enough for the strangers. “Nimir-Raj is leopard King. He plays King to my Queen. Micah is a wereleopard. Together, we head the local pard, or pack. Nathaniel is a wereleopard as well. It’s the full moon tomorrow and everyone is tense. It’s how it usually is. We didn’t eat before we came, so Micah’s running on empty. In effect, his giant inner kitty likes the way Abe smells.”
Meyers jumped the gun. Literally. He was up and had a gun pointed at us in 3 seconds flat. I glared at him.
“You shoot my boyfriend and you won’t be getting help from anyone in this town. I guarantee it. If you’d let me finish. Micah has control. More than Nathaniel. You got lucky we weren’t here very long last night. He was getting ancy. Abe,” my attention switched to him, “you won’t be getting eaten by anyone. I promise. I won’t let it happen.”
I could see the fish-man relax slightly. He seemed to trust me. Then again, if he knew my past and could get into my head, then I was sure he knew that I kept to my word. Especially when it came to protection.
“There is no immediate danger. Please, have a seat.” Abe gestured politely to a second table and chair set. We gladly took the seats and Micah took a deep breath. I felt his beast calm and curl back up, napping until the right moment to pounce and stretch.
“You’re turn. Explain.” My tone was flat, tired, and firm. I wanted all this done as soon as humanly, or inhumanly, possible.
“We make up a section of the B.P.R.D.” Hellboy said, as it that said everything. It didn’t.
“That what?” I said, eyebrows elevated slightly.
“The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense.”
I could suddenly see why they had an acronym. It sounded like the monster version of RIPT (Regional Investigation Preternatural Team).
“We’ve all got something about us, you could say,” Meyers added.
“My ‘something’ is obvious. I’m a big red demon. I’m strong. And I have some knowledge of the freaky things. I take the monsters down,” Hellboy announced proudly. I think everyone was just going to introduce themselves and what they did. I only assumed that because he quit talking and the room was quiet for a moment.
Liz sat up straighter, if that was possible, and put out her cigarette. “I don’t have anything, appearance wise, to see. But you could say I pack a punch when I want to.” She propped her left arm up on her knee on her elbow. Her hand was raised and where we could see it. With what sounded like something suddenly combusting, her hand covered in a bright blue flame, casting a blue glow on her pale, pale skin. It was impressive. She closed her hand into a loose fist and the flames extinguished. I had to blink to get the image from my mind. It was a handy trick.
Next was Abe. He was still standing, but leaning against the hotel dresser. “I, like Red, am more physical than anything. I’m the water bug of us. I do the wet work, while Red does the dirty. I also, as you found last night Ms. Blake, have a unique frontal lobe. That was what the professor always said. I prefer the term smart. My abilities are hard to explain.” His large eyes blinked at us. Well, I think they blinked. It was like a frog’s eyes, that thick filmy coating slid over his eyes and then back again.
Micah and I turned to Meyers. “I’m nothing special. Transferred in from Quantico. I’m the Nanny.” A slight grimace graced his face at the title. Okay. So he was Hellboy’s watchdog. That seemed only a little backwards.

“Do you know how to use that gun?” I asked, head inclining towards the firearm on the table.
“Yeah,” he said, and his voice held a lilt of confusion.
“Good. It’ll come in handy in this town. Hope you guys don’t have plans for tonight.” I added that last part before I forgot.
“Why?” Hellboy asked suspiciously.
“Because you’re meeting the others. Not the leopards, wolves, or hyenas. Not even the rats. But my... boyfriend.”
“There is more than just werewolves? You’re kidding right?” Meyers asked. His question got overlapped by Hellboy’s.
“You’re boyfriend? He’s right here.” He pointed to Micah.
“My... other ones.” My voice was a bit uneasy. But that’s what Asher and Jean-Claude were. I was, in effect, dating four men. Five depending on what you count as dating.
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Micah and I didn’t stay long enough to hear the whole story. We got as far as the weird hellhounds. I even forget what they’re called.
At any rate, Dolph had impeccable timing. My cell phone rang and I jumped out of my seat. Micah held in his laughter.
I shot him a glare as I flipped the phone open. “Anita,” I drawled.
“You didn’t just wake up, that much I know.”
“What is it Dolph?”
“I’ve got a body for you. Though there’s not much left.” I could tell he was grimacing by the sound of his voice.
“Fine. Give me the address.” he did. I wrote it down on Micah’s arm because no one had paper. I thought hotels left those little comment pads? How are we doing? Shitty.
“I’m only a little ways away. Twenty minutes tops. Can Micah be there?”
“No! No shifters, Anita. No civvies. Why? You let another corpse feed off you?” There was a sting to his voice that hit home for me. I was used to it, but it still hurt a little. He’d been having issues at home. He finally had a break down and was forced to take two week’s unpaid leave after he trashed an interrogation room with Jason in it. All because his son was marrying a vampire and considering being twenty-five until the world ended. Or until he gets decapitated, whichever comes first. I had managed to postpone the decision some. That earned me a thousand brownie points with Dolph. Though, he was still angry at him because I was sleeping with the monsters. Namely Jean-Claude and Asher.
“Not that it’s remotely your business, Dolph, but no. I’ll be there soon.” I hung up. Dolph had taught everyone around him not to say goodbye before-hand because he never did himself. Trust Dolph to just hand up on you. Never take it personally. Anymore, I beat him to the punch. I was tired of hearing his smart-assed comments.
Micah looked over at me. “Dolph need you?” His voice held and hint of disappointment, but his expression was pleasantly neutral once more.
“Yeah,” I sighed. “Made it seem messy and my coveralls are at home with my raising equipment. But we don’t have time to drive back and get them.”
No sooner that I set my phone down did it ring again. I didn’t jump this time though. Yay for me. “Hello?”
“Anita?”
“Jason.” What was Jason doing calling me? Better yet, what was he doing up this early?
“Message from the master,” he said teasingly,
“Hurry and deliver because I’ve got a murder scene to get to.”
“I can’t come this time? C’mon, maybe you’ll get dragged up another flight of stairs and slip in chunks of meat.” His voice was a little breathy for comfort.
“Knock it off.”
“Fine. He said, and I quote, ‘Tell ma petite to bring her demon, Micah, and Nathaniel to Danse Macabre.’”
“But I thought we were meeting at the Circus for Hellboy’s sake?” I could feel his gaze on the side of my face.
“Don’t shoot the messenger, Anita. Those were his dying words.” Jason was smiling at his own joke, I could just see it. Though it wasn’t really so much a joke. When vampires are tucked away into their coffins and caskets, they die. Hell. It doesn’t matter where they are. When the sun rises, something happens and they just die. Something leaves their animated corpses and they feel like cold, hard, wood underneath your hand. That’s how a vampire who hasn’t fed feels. Like they do when they’re dead to the world.
This was going to sound heartless, if not a bit odd, to our in-town guests. “I don’t care if they were his dying words. He could have at least called before he went off to die.” I fought to keep my voice calm. Danse Macabre was Jean-Claude’s dance club and one of the hottest in town. No, the hottest. It was one of the only places where you could dance and touch the vampires, even let them feed off of you, in public. It wasn’t exactly the place for a red demon and a blue fish-guy. Not to mention the pyro. Oh yeah. There was Meyers too. I had a feeling that tonight was not going to go well.
“Hey. It’s close to Halloween. They should blend in. There’s a little something I left at your house for you. Stephen has his duty to do up Nathaniel and Micah. Everything’s covered.”
“Yeah? What about Damien? I thought he wasn’t working tonight.” He was part three of an accidental second triumvirate with Nathaniel and I. It’s usually a good thing to have all your bases covered when it comes to power.
“Someone called in. He’s working tonight so he’ll be there.” Jason knew I was looking for an excuse not to go. We both knew all my bases were covered. Damn. My boys knew me too well.
“Fine. When?”
“Full dark, of course.” He said it like I should have known the answer. Truthfully, it was a dumb question on my part.
“Fine. But I’m late.” I snapped the phone shut as we was about to say goodbye. I looked to Hellboy and Co. “At full dark, you’re going to Danse Macabre. I’ll send Damien by and you can trail him there. Wait for us wherever Damien says to and, for God’s sake, don’t argue. I’ve got a body to see.”
Micah stood, keys in hand and ready. “Let’s go.” He faced the group of newcomers. “Thank you so far. Until tonight, I suppose.” He smiled and turned me with a hand at the small of my back towards the door. We were down the elevator and reading Micah’s arm in less than ten minutes.

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The Arc: 5