Remi stepped onto the stone walkway of his brother’s house. Ahead of him, Luc threw open the door, gesturing for him to rush inside.

“Hurry up, Remi!”

Jogging the rest of the way, he crossed the threshold, and after poking his head outside and looking around, Luc shut the door. Remi went to the kitchen at the back of the house and opened the refrigerator. He grabbed two blood packs and sucked one down quickly, before sinking his fangs into the next. As he drank, he took out another bag. Luc was observing the spectacle, but he didn’t say anything until the third was drained.

“What’s going on, Remi?”

“I don’t know!”

“Are you able to sit and talk?”

“Oui.”

“The library, then.”

Stalking off towards the room, Remi headed straight to the bar, giving a nod to Paulette, who was sitting on the settee with her legs curled underneath her. Reaching over the top, he grabbed a bottle of whiskey, and then he went to a chair and plopped down, as Luc took his seat.

“We had visitors, Remi.”

“And?”

“They were from The Directive.”

“What did they want?”

“Someone is on a murder spree, draining humans and dumping their bodies in a swamp.”

“Why are you telling me this... and giving me that look?”

“I think you know, Remi.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You can be honest with me, brother. I won’t turn you over to them. Not without a fight.”

“I’m telling you the truth!”

“Paulette said that you’ve lost control of your bloodlust.”

“I have.”

“And that you almost killed Michelle.” Remi nodded and put his head in his hands. “What do you expect me, us, to think? Especially after that last card game, when you nearly ripped that man to shreds.”

“I didn’t kill that asshole. Should have, but I didn’t.”

“Because I stopped you.”

“I wasn’t suffering then. I was angry because of what he did to Michelle. You know that!”

“Do you remember telling me that you’d take his body to the swamps for the alligators?”

“So?”

“That’s where the remains of those murdered have been found.”

“This is fucking Louisiana, Luc! There’re swamps everywhere! They’ve always been used as dumping grounds for dead bodies!”

“Do you see the commonalities, Remi? Why we suspect it’s you? Could you be doing this, lost in the bloodlust, and not remember any of your actions?”

“What? Non! C’est impossible!”

“Can you account for your nights?”

“Of course, I can!”

“Well?”

Cocking his head to the side, Remi said, “If you must know, I’m usually in bed with Michelle. Do you want a minute-by-minute breakdown of our activity? Oui. D’accord. You see, first, she takes off her clothes.” He gestured with his hands, spreading them out in the air. “All of them. She gets completely naked. Sometimes I help her with that part. Others, I’m much too busy with her—”

Paulette giggled, covering her mouth. Remi paused, gave her a wink with a smirk, and then raised his eyebrows at Luc.

“Fair enough. And when you’re not… occupied?”

“Playing online, winning everyone’s money or practicing against myself. Ask Michelle! She’ll tell you.”

“Where is she?” Paulette asked softly.

“Alive and asleep at home.”

She placed a hand over her heart and said, “Good.”

Remi took a long drink of the liquor and then wiped his mouth.

“Do you believe me? That I am not this mass murderer?” Luc nodded, sat back in the chair, and gave a reassuring smile to Paulette. “Can we get to why I came over, then?”

Remi knocked back another swallow.

“Go ahead,” Luc said, gesturing with a roll of his wrists.

Remi spent the next while going over everything that had happened the last few nights, as Luc and Paulette listened with rapt attention.

“This scent.... Did it have an aroma like blood?” Luc asked.

“Non.”

“And yet it caused such a visceral reaction?”

“Oui. It’s hard to describe. But when I smell it….”

Remi shook his head to clear it, and after raising the bottle to his lips, he took another swig, as Paulette stood and went to the shelves lined with books.

“Perhaps there’s something in the historical records that could help.”

“Couldn’t hurt to check. What’re you going to do in the meantime, Remi? Until we figure this out.”

“Drink a fuck ton of blood bags. It’s the only thing I know to do.”

“And Michelle?”

“I’ll be careful, Luc. I care about her deeply. What happened… what I did to her… shook me more than anything in my life.”

With her fingers poised on the spine of a book, Paulette asked, “Do you love her?”

Remi looked askance and mumbled, “I don’t know.”

“You should bring her here, where she’ll be safe,” Luc said. “We’ll take care of her.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“She doesn’t know what you did to her,” Paulette said, as she turned around to face him. “Does she?”

Ignoring the question, Remi emptied the bottle and set it on the table.

“Remi,” Luc said, nudging him with his knee.

“I’m not losing her.”

“Even at your own hands?” Paulette said, as she pinned him with a glare.

Remi stood and went to the door.

Throwing a glance back at Luc, he said, “We’ll figure it out.”

“Where are you going now?” Luc asked, as he stood.

“To grab most of your blood bags and head back home.”