Page 48 of The Paranormal Investigation Bureau
Blackout
Chapter1
Beyla
Ididn’t really know what had gotten into Arden, or why he insisted on sleeping outside my door. But I didn’t really regret inviting him to sleep with me. It should have been awkward, that he wanted to snuggle and kept muttering about inviting Bevan, but it really wasn’t. I’d avoided letting men get too close after Derrick, but Arden certainly knew how to snuggle.
I was perfectly capable of defending myself now. No one would hurt me like Derrick did ever again. As soon as the casts came off, Kaine started teaching me to fight.
My powers woke up early, back when I took that Vicodin. Kaine took me along on one of his cases. He was interviewing one of his sources at The Library of the Profane, and he wanted me to see it because he knew how much I loved to read.
The librarian there was a witch, and her twin sister worked at the Museum of the Profane. We clicked, and they kind of adopted me. Kaine taught me everything I knew about using my fists, and Ripley and Ravyn? They taught me a good bit about being a witch.
I needed to call them about this. Ripley had access to every book in the Library of the Profane, and she was married to a god. Ravyn did an independent study, with the best curse breaker in the entire world, and she also somehow landed herself a god! They were always willing to share their knowledge, and I needed help.
I just needed to escape Arden first. It was great snuggling with him, and I slept like a baby. I felt safe in his arms, even if I could take care of myself. But now I was awake. I needed to get moving. Arden was passed out, and if he was anything like Nyx, he didn’t even remotely have the same sleep schedule as I did.
I fully intended to call Ripley and Ravyn on a three-way line while I ate breakfast, then head to the studio early to warm up and clear my head for whatever Bellatrix had planned now that she was down an evil triplet. She was already pretty nasty when she thought she was outnumbered at rehearsal, but this new development meant it was going to get a lot worse. Julian was never going to replace Bevan, but now she would know that for sure.
Ardenreallydidn’t want to let me get out of bed. When I tried, he crushed me to his chest and threw his leg over me.
“Stop, Beyla. It’s too early to be awake,” he groaned.
“For you, maybe. Let me up, and you can go back to sleep.”
“But this is so nice. It would be even better with Bevan.”
“Yes, it’s nice, but I have things to do, and I’m not a late sleeper. I’m not sure what’s gotten into you, but I really need you to let me up.”
Arden got all crabby and pouty about it, but he eventually let me go, after nuzzling my neck with his nose and squeezing the shit out of me. I had a feeling that was a gryphon thing. I didn’t know many of them personally, and most of my knowledge of them was about how to fight them… not how nice it was to snuggle with them.
I wouldn’t give him a chance to rethink letting me go and pull me back into bed. I darted to my feet and grabbed my things, shutting the door behind me and briefly leaning against it to catch my breath.
Arden and I would have to have a conversation about this, that is if I could ever take a break from this curse. It was nice to have someone so protective of me—someone that wasn’t a grumpy dragon—but I didn’t know why he was doing this, and wanted to invite Bevan. I needed to talk it out with him because I wasn’t entirely mad at the prospect of either idea.
I whipped up an easy, filling breakfast, and sat at the table with my cellphone out. Ripley and Ravyn would both be awake now. The museum and the library opened early, but they had kids now, and liked to take the time to make sure they were fed and played with before they went to work. So, I dialed their numbers and waited.
It sounded like utter chaos at both their places.
“Hey, kid. Kaine said they sent you undercover on your first job,” Ripley said.
“How can we help?” Ravyn asked.
I needed their help, but I also babysit their kids, and I needed an update.
“Before we get to that, how are the babies?”
“Gabriel took Michael to Hell, to visit with Lucifer. He wasn’t interested in his descendants before, but Lucifer took an interest after meeting Gabriel. He’s spoiling Michael. He tried to send them home with a Hell horse last time they were there… like we can care for a horse on the library grounds!
“Tempest is insisting everyone call her George. She won’t answer anymore, not unless you call her George. Reyson has been trying to see if she can shapeshift into a boy, and then back to a girl, but she’s four years old and doesn’t understand him. She also really enjoys looking like her twin sister, and even if she can, she won’t. We’re all okay with that. Reyson has endless patience with her, which is impressive, considering she’s the first demigod he’s sired.
“Matilda is still deep in the princess phase. Bram keeps buying her dresses and tiaras. She’s probably the pinkest Hellhound ever, and completely adorable!”
No one really knew how it happened, but Ripley’s second birth was twins, each with different fathers. Reyson was the God of Chaos, and Bram was a Hellhound. They both somehow fathered a twin. George and Matilda were almost identical, and looked just like their mother, but George had silver eyes like her dad, and they both had tiny differences they got from their dads.
I babysat for their eldest, Michael, who was a warlock, and the twins whenever they wanted to go out alone, and I loved those kids. The last time I saw Ripley, she was pregnant again.
“How’s pregnancy treating you this time?”
