Midnight brought a cessation of the rain.
The gusts of wind were dying down to gentle zephyrs. The storm had mostly moved westward, leaving the city partially water-logged and damaged.
Within the semi-darkness, the dim lights from the lamps bounced off Cedric's pale spun gold hair, catching the golden amber color of his eyes and reflecting it like an animal's eyes.
He had heard from yet another group of his men of the possible whereabouts of his sister at a small fishing village nearby. The rumors of the local people suddenly spotting a Bigfoot running around in the swampy bayous was something he had to investigate.
Those rumors were not fake. There was indeed, one such beast run around in the bayous looking very much like one of those legendary Bigfoots. Except of course, it wasn't a Bigfoot.
It was a werewolf.
Although it was a long shot, he had to go and search for Viviene himself. He could not entrust something this sensitive to his men because as always, it took a wolf to find a wolf.
His human body, while superior to his beast body in many ways, was not one that could handle what needed to be done to find Viviene. As enlightened and cultured as humans could be, it came with the cost of dulled senses.
The only way was for him to access his heightened senses of sight, smell, taste, touch and superior strength was to switch bodies and turn on beast mode.
Cedric's eyes were grave. Each time he made the change and exposed himself to the outside world, he increased his chances of being seen and worse yet, being hunted down.
He sighed as his thoughts returned to his nephew and the young woman who was caring for him.
One more time.
Just one more check on her and the boy and he would be satisfied that they were safe inside.
That Talia knew Devin was a werewolf made her special.
That she knew Devin was a werewolf AND treated him with so much gentleness made her an angel sent from above.
It gave Cedric a tiny sense of peace knowing that if something were to happen to him, Devin would not be completely alone. He would still have Talia to depend on.
He took the stairs two at a time until he reached Talia's suite.
Although all the bedrooms were upstairs, climbing four sets of stairs to check on Devin was a bit on the excessive side. He made a mental note to have Hubert move Talia and the boy down to the second level across from where his suite of rooms were.
It was to have been Viviene's suite but she had never even been here. The rooms had been beautifully decorated and no one had ever occupied them. Perhaps Talia and Devin could put those rooms to good use.
The fourth floor hallway was dark, with only a single dim bulb at the base of the floor to prevent tripping, but Cedric was a wolf. His eyes could see better in the dark than most people could see in the light of day.
He gently opened the door and poked his head into Talia's room.
His only intention was to check on them before he left, but as his gaze fell onto the girl who was lying on the bed, his heart began pounding with a thundering beat.
It was so loud, he was afraid it might awaken the girl and the child, but they continued to lie there, deep in sleep.
Devin was facing towards Talia, his tiny fists clutching onto her nightgown. His face was peaceful as he breathed, making tiny baby snoring sounds.
Talia had her arm under Devin as she cradled his head. Her mouth was slightly open as she breathed, opening up like a tiny pink rosebud.
Her long dark hair cascaded around her, framing the two of them into a stunning image that turned Cedric's insides into melted caramel.
For a single moment, he imagined that she was cradling his child's head as both mother and child were sleeping. Just for a moment, his world was complete.
But then he snapped back into his reality.
She was not his, and when he found the boy's mother, Devin would also be gone from his life.
Once Devin left, so would Talia. He was and always would be completely and utterly alone.
It was a harsh dark reality that he had to endure all these long cursed centuries and nothing was ever going to change.
He turned away and gently closed the door. Then he went back down to the foyer.
It was time.
"The car is ready, Your Royal Highness." He could hear the sound of his manservant's voice at the doorway.
Hubert walked into the foyer and gave a quick bow.
"Your overnight bag is in the trunk of the car and there are refreshments and snacks within the car. The driver is waiting and ready whenever you are."
"Excellent." Cedric said and reached into his breast pocket. He pulled out a small packet and handed it to Hubert.
"Give this to Talia when she and Devin wake up in the morning. Keep a close eye on them both. They are to remain within the estate until I return."
"Yes, Sir." Hubert nodded.
Cedric passed by him. At the door way, he stopped and looked back at Hubert.
"Oh. Keep your earpiece on and maintain vigilance, in case I need to contact you."
"Of course, Sir. That has always been a given." Hubert nodded.
The Duke strode out into the darkness where a dark four-door Lincoln was parked with its headlights off, waiting.
The driver was waiting with the back seat door opened for the Duke to enter. Once Cedric was settled in the back seat, the driver waved to Hubert.
"Mic check, Team Coyote." Hubert mouthed into his microphone.
"Check, Boss." The driver who was part of Team Coyote muttered.
Once the car drove off the premise, Hubert sighed.
"Team Jackal."
"Yes Boss?"
"He's coming to the gate."
"Yes Boss."
"Team Dingo."
"We're here."
"You know what to do."
"Yes Boss."
If the Duke knew of the multitude of ways that Hubert and his group strived to keep him safe, he would be floored.
It seemed as if Cedric was driving off all by himself with only a driver to keep him company.
Truth was, there was a small team of six men who were following along, maintaining their distance and sharp-shooting anyone who came near the Duke with suspicious intent.
It had been a fruitless wild goose chase for the past twelve months and they had come up empty-handed all this time. It was as if the Duke was chasing a ghost.
Duke Cedric had nothing to go on except rumors of possible sightings and an old love letter that was found among her belongings which indicated where she was bound for.
It was paltry indicators, but it was better than nothing. All they knew was that Devin's father lived somewhere within the bayous.
Hubert sighed and closed the front doors behind him. If ever there was a God, he hoped that God would feel just a slight bit sorry for the Duke and help him through this rough time.
If only…