Kieran stood in Benoit's foyer, taking in his surroundings under the watchful eye of the butler. He recognized a few trinkets lining the walls and shelving. A wooden crucifix with a familiar stain adorned the wall to his left. A golden chain with a pair of needle-like fangs hung from it like a trophy. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

He turned his gaze to the butler, hoping his thoughts weren't on display, and was met with a frown of disapproval. He wouldn't be surprised if Benoit paraded the man around specifically to stare in judgement at guests she disliked. Somehow, she managed to keep people around, despite the fact she was headstrong with a flair for being pugnacious. That might have been part of her charm. It was one thing to witness her moods, but another to be on the receiving end.

"I've no more advice for you, you wretch," Benoit said with a sneer as she came around the corner. Immaculately put together, the only thing lacking from her menacing aura was a matching Victorian gown.

She probably still had the black and yellow one that gave the impression of an angry hornet stashed away, waiting for a special occasion.

Kieran sighed and bit back a retort. He needed help, not a fight. His life was a running theme of keeping his thoughts to himself. When he did voice a differing opinion or stood up for himself, it rarely ended in his favor. He'd long since learned to back off and roll with the punches to get closer to what he wanted.

It had worked a treat with Jack, much to his surprise. A lovely reward for giving up.

"I am here about Jack, but not for advice," he said. He hoped Benoit's list of contacts would be worth the visit.

"Yes, yes. He came to speak with me about our delightful affliction. A bright spot in an otherwise dull day," she said, waving her butler off. She smiled innocently, and her tone turned saccharine. "I hope he returns. Perhaps I can introduce him to my poor Augustin. They can commiserate about you being an unfortunate blight upon this world."

The cold reminder of his past lover gripped his lungs, and he swallowed. Where would his life be if he'd kept his mouth shut. Would he be as concerned with Jack's well-being? Would he have even tried to pursue Jack? Seduce Jack as a gift for Augustin? He certainly wouldn't have been as inclined to get attached if his loneliness had been buffered by Augustin's presence.

"He came to see you?" Kieran asked, shifting his attention from his past hurts to the fresher one of Jack placing more trust in Benoit. In Jack's eyes, she must have been something of a neutral party.

The thought did little to ease his pain.

"Looking for a second opinion on you, yes," she replied. She ran her eyes over Kieran and looked away with a delicate sniff. "Be grateful. I was mostly neutral. Although, I must wonder what you've done now to scare him off. He seemed inclined to give you another chance."

So he hadn't ruined their relationship beyond repair. Hope bloomed in Kieran's chest, despite the dire reason for darkening Benoit's doorstep. "He's gone missing."

"Avoiding you is not missing," she said with a dismissive roll of her eyes.

"A detective with the police questioned me as to his whereabouts," Kieran said through gritted teeth.

Benoit narrowed her eyes at Kieran and stepped forward, invading his space. "I let your claim on territory go," she hissed. "I let the fire within my territory go. They were terrible men and a malignant tumor within this community."

Kieran stood his ground as he stared down at Benoit.

"You have a worrisome knack for not getting caught, so I let it be. But if your little crusade—"

"A man broke into my shop, killed me, and made an attempt to take Jack," Kieran said quickly, bracing for the sharp impact of a hand. If Benoit wished to slap him for interrupting, then so be it. It wouldn't be the first time, and he highly doubted it would be the last. He took a steadying breath as his eyes flicked from Benoit's raised hand to her frown. She nodded for him to continue, and he licked his lips.

"I've left no trail. That man was not sent in retaliation. He was solely after Jack. Somethin' else is goin' on, and I was in his way," he explained, subtly leaning away from Benoit.

Lowering her hand, Benoit turned from Kieran and shook her head in dismay. "I called a cab around two o'clock on Wednesday. He took it to the library—the Morris Bay branch. There is a chance he changed destinations during the ride, but I'm certain the poor dear didn't know that was an option."

The tightness in his chest unwound, and Kieran sighed. "Thank you. I'll start there."

"I'll pursue my own inquiries. I fear I may have fallen behind on keeping track of others while being focused on you. I only hope this is an outlier," she said. She pursed her lips and faced Kieran. "Either way, I've a Swiss switchback you may be interested in. You can do the dirty work."

Even when stating a fault of her own, it still came off as a criticism of Kieran. He wouldn't be surprised if Benoit was his mother's reincarnation. No wonder he put up with her needling.

"I'll call you when I know more," he said before letting himself out.

---

"Drop dead gorgeous" was the description the librarian had given Kieran. A blue-eyed blond man somewhere in his twenties and a tall, balding man in his forties with tattoos stretching up his neck were the pair that accompanied Jack out of the library.

"They didn't look anything like his normal friends," the librarian slurred through her daze, only slightly slumped over in her office chair. "They didn't…didn't feel right. But he didn't look put off by them. Nothing like how he gets when poor Freddy's off his meds."

"Do you have security cameras?" asked Kieran, lightly tapping his fingers along the desk between them. He glanced at the computer and hoped he wouldn't have to track down a security guard as well. The less people he had to enthrall, the better his chances of earning Jack's forgiveness. Although, rescuing his sweet siren might help keep the balance.

"Most are for show," the librarian lamented. "The one by the main entrance works. That's how they left."

"I would love to see the footage from that day. It will help me locate my friend. I only wish to confirm whether or not these men are truly familiar to him. He's been manipulated before, you see."

"Yeah… I remember the trials. Poor thing got sent to Hillsbrook right after. Probably the only reason he's tolerant of Freddy and doesn't give him judgmental looks," she said, her words becoming clipped as she frowned.

Hillsbrook was the lunatic asylum on the outer edge of Portswain. He guessed he wasn't supposed to know about Jack's stay there. If it ever had the chance of being brought up, he would do his best to avoid calling it a lunatic asylum. He would need a refresher on current terminology.

Kieran focussed his attention back on the librarian and smiled as he leaned closer. "The footage. Do you have access to it?"

"Let me just pull it up. He wasn't here long." She pulled up the library's monitoring system and skimmed along until she located the right day and time. "Here we are," she said, angling the monitor.

They watched as Jack was led outside by a young man who had a firm arm around Jack's shoulders, looking as pleased as anything. The tattooed man followed closely behind, carrying Jack's laptop bag; he had a tired look about him with slow and heavy blinks to match his dragging feet.

The librarian hummed as she slowly shook her head. She rewound the footage and paused it. "They look close. Maybe he has a new boyfriend? That poor kid deserves someone nice."

"He's hardly a child," Kieran muttered, his eyes glued to the man with an arm around Jack. He looked like one of the men that had been mentioned in the articles Kieran had come across as he tried to learn more about Jack.

Michael Farragut, who was supposed to be in prison for being a lackey with too much blood on his hands. And hadn't Jack mentioned a Michael as being his first encounter with being enthralled?

"Younger'n me," said the librarian, squinting up at Kieran. "Younger'n my youngest. Don't worry, kiddo. You'll understand when you're older." She reached over and patted Kieran's hand.

He already understood. Even when his youngest sister was on her deathbed, she was still his baby sister. Being frozen in time left him feeling uneasy when his thoughts lingered on it.

"You're absolutely right. I must be going now. Thank you for your help," he said as he stood. The librarian made to stand, but he held up his hand and motioned for her to stay. "I'm sure you've plenty of paperwork that needs to be seen to."

"Always is," she mumbled with a tired sigh.

"You should remain here and finish it."

"Maybe order some more books?" she asked, a hopeful tinge to her voice.

Kieran's smile widened, and he nodded. "A lovely idea."

"Jack sent an email the other day, requesting obscure vampire books," she said with a soft laugh. "He was fine with ILL, but I think I'll get some in for the library. Just for him." She tacked away at her computer with a smile, humming to herself.

Kieran quietly left the librarian to ride out her enthrallment in peace, his thoughts lingering on Jack's request. He was stuck between apprehensive and amused. He chose to take it as a good sign.

He prayed he would find Jack before Farragut could do any irreversible damage. A vampire who ran his thralls into the ground and toward an early grave was never good news for the rest of them.

His only hope was that Farragut was as messy as he was arrogant.