Though Robert was doubtful about leaving Lottie in his house when half of him still thought Tenebrae still ran through her veins, there was still two people who needed to go home. And one was still reeling from the effects of Hyde blood. First he dropped off Lily with an awkward kiss goodbye at her house, and in the distance saw Bulstrode towering over everything in the room. It seemed everyone in his life either belonged to MIO or Tenebrae, but neither seemed very desirable a place to belong.
Bella walked silently by his side all the way to the Empire, but just before he could walk her through the door, she spun on her heels and stopped him dead. Those eyes. Those beautiful emerald green eyes that he could just drown in.
"Change for me", she murmured.
"Why?"
"Because I love him. I love you".
"I can't just change. I need to be punched or something".
"Can be easily done, but I can think of something a little better". With that she pressed her lips against his and he felt his Hyde side bubble up. He pulled back, smiling.
"Do you like me now?" he asked and cracked a bone in his neck as he moved it. She nodded, then turned towards the door and gave a nonchalant wave.
"Hyde. Keep an eye on that Lottie. Though I know you will anyway".
"Ah, Lottie", he thought to himself. "Two rules of life: Never trust a Hyde and never trust a shapeshifter". Confidently he swung his black, suede coat around the corner and headed back to his house...
"So, anyone dead while I've been gone?"
"Afraid not, brother. Oh and I see you've blessed us with Hyde again", Olalla answered, closely followed by Lottie. In chains.
"Shame. Why's Lottie chained up?"
"Garson thought it would be for her own good".
"I'm a telepath. What the heck is handcuffs going to do?" Lottie interrupted and promptly broke out of them, sending them clattering to the floor. "By the way Ravi's downstairs, he needs your help with a vision he's having, Garson's in the kitchen eating a cheese and pickle sandwich and Maggie's upstairs reading Pride and Prejudice. Any questions surrounding my telepathic powers should have been cleared up by now, it's just a matter of if you trust me. So?"
"I'll see", Hyde replied, heading into the lab. "And tell Garson to not pinch all the pickle. Again".
The lab was a mess. Papers were strung all over the tables and Hyde could smell smoke from somewhere. In the middle of it was Ravi on his front surrounded by more paper covered in tiny writing and diagrams. "Robert, just who I wanted".
"Well, you got the next best thing", Hyde growled. Someone thought Jekyll was more superior to him? "What do you need?"
"I'm having another vision. This time it's...different".
"Tell me more". Hyde pulled up a chair just beside his brother and flopped into it.
"I'm in like, this metal room, and there's a chamber in the middle with lots of pipes coming from it. It's really cold in there and there's ice growing on the walls, but there's someone in the chamber. I couldn't quite see their face, but it wasn't human. Nothing could survive that cold". Ravi shivered. "I've drawn it. Look".
"Ah. Another one to add to Maggie's collection", Hyde quipped and took a look at the picture. "Doesn't look like Tenebrae, does it?"
"What else could it be?"
"Another very cold room with a dead person inside. Like, a morgue?"
"Why would I be in a morgue? Why would I want to be in a morgue?"
"I don't know what your little pet likes to get up to. Maybe he does hang out in morgues. Who knows?" Hyde shook off how this serious conversation had somehow became a matter of where the Reaper liked to hang out on his weekends. "So, what now?"
"I don't know. Just keep an eye on Lottie. She's dangerous, and with Tenebrae".
"Maybe she's harmless. Nobody batted an eye when Olalla turned up".
"But she had proof of her heritage. This one has just got a taste for monocane".
"I don't trust her, I'll give you that. But I believe she's a Hyde. A Hyde I need to watch out for".
"She's a telepath, right?"
"Yep. We can't have any secrets anymore Ravi. She knows everything and everyone. Probably before you even knew yourself".