Revenant's Kiss (Chronicles of the Afterlife)

by Robles, Joyce

  "The second one," Phineas answered when he caught his breath. He watched her storm over to the door, for a horror struck second he thought she was going in to kill the new master. "Jennifer wait," he called taking chase after her. He’d released the other woman’s hand but she was following very close behind him at a panicked pace. "This is dangerous, just let me go in first and let him know why you’re here to see him."

  "Let's not pretend that he doesn't already know I'm here, so just stay out of my way Phineas," Jennifer grabbed the handle on the door and shoved it open with enough force that it slammed against the wall opposite. The room was devoid of anything but a few pieces of furniture, a waiting room was what she guessed. She moved toward the door across from the one that she’d entered, Phineas caught her before she reached the second entrance.

  "You’re making this more difficult then it needs to be," he warned her. He glanced back at Jennifer’s new associate as she brought the door closed behind her to block the view of the monsters that were watching them outside of the office.

  "Don’t get in my way Phineas I’m going to get this over with," before he could protest again she stomped her way over to the second door, twisted the handle, and threw the door open. "Son of a bitch," she cursed aloud as she stepped into the room and got a good look at Gabriel. He was nothing short of beautiful, and as before that word didn’t seem to hold up to describing him. His soft, honey brown eyes watched her reaction to him very carefully, but he didn’t seem the least bit concerned, as if he had indeed been expecting her. He smiled and damn him she wanted so badly to smile back at him, but this wasn’t a good surprise, it was bad. She watched as he cockily put his feet up on the desk in front of him, his smile never faltering. His Stairway to Heaven shirt was covered now by a light brown leather trench coat. It appeared old fashioned and looked as good on him as she assumed almost any cloths would. She shook her head and cleared her thoughts, she looked back at Marcia and Phineas who had stumbled in behind her "get out."

  "What," Phineas asked shocked.

  "Get out," she repeated without hesitation.

  "Now what could this be about," the vampire behind the desk asked with a smile

  "She came to ask permission for information," Phineas informed without hesitation.

  "Both of you get out, right now!" Jennifer demanded looking back at the two behind her again.

  "Master," Phineas looked over at the man behind the desk to ask for his permission to leave the room.

  "Stop asking for permission and go," Jennifer pulled the Beretta from her waistband and indicated the door. "Marcia, do not leave that waiting room without me, if anyone else enters the room you call for me. Are we understood," her only answer was silence from behind her so she glanced back at the back stabbing vampire and her senseless backup. "Did you hear me," after the second prompt the medium nodded and backed out of the office. Phineas didn’t immediately follow, "don’t make me shoot you Phineas."

  "You heard the lady," the vampire finally said from his perch behind his desk, then and only then did Phineas retreat out of the room.

  As if in after thought before he closed the door behind himself he added, "don’t shoot him alright." Jennifer’s only answer to this was to glare daggers at him, because what she really wanted to do was shoot Phineas and Gabriel both.

  She waited for Phineas to close the door behind himself before she answered Gabriel’s smile with a malicious one of her own. He thought he was so very clever. "I have to admit you had me fooled back there at the gas station. I can usually spot a vampire for the vermin they are with one look, but you’re very good aren’t you? You even managed to fool a medium, that’s tough work right there."

  "I have a talent for hiding what I am," he watched amused as she very civilly, out side of the gun in her hand, made her way to a seat across from him.

  "Was it a test, why bother, it isn’t as if Ada doesn’t already know everything there is to know about me." Jennifer demanded answers even though she knew full well she was only likely to get convoluted half truths.

  "There’s nothing wrong with testing your enemy," he watched her blanch away from his answer as if she’d half hoped he’d say something else.

  "Ethan," she laughed but there was no humor in the sound, "if you were toying with me, waiting to see if I’d figure out who you were why not just give me your real name, Gabriel." She was angry now, angry because she’d been attracted to one of them, because she hadn’t known what he was, and she knew that if he hadn’t been sitting in front of her now, if and when he’d called she would have answered the phone. She was angry because a very large part of her had wanted him to call her. The way she’d felt something in her chest shift back at the station hadn’t changed, she had never been attracted to the enemy beautiful or not, but she wanted this one, and it was the most violating notion she’d ever experienced.

  "Gabriel’s my first name, Ethan is my middle, they’re both legitimate." His answer didn’t please her not that anything he said at this point would appease her. "Did you enjoy my little game, I did win I take it since you’re so surprised." She scowled at him for a moment then forced her face to an icy neutrality.

  "You knew I’d have to come here, why, what do you know," she accused him.

  "I know a lot of things," Ethan admitted, the answer could mean everything and nothing.

  "You know about the vampire I’ve been tracking," he shrugged but didn’t answer. "Come on Gabriel, it won’t kill you to answer me." For a moment there was a flash of the potential beast that lay beneath his very human exterior, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

  "Don’t call me Gabriel, Ada and her apostles are the only ones who still call me that."

  "So, apparently every corpse around here is calling you that." He glared at her in that way only monsters knew how and that alone should be enough incentive to do what he asked. "Fine," she relented, "Ethan," as soon as she used the name he wanted he was all breathtaking smiles again. She shouldn’t want to make him happy but his smile made her insides melt, and that was a problem. She wanted to take the name back so he’d stop smiling but it was too late for that, and beside the point she needed to know what he knew. "You have a problem with Ada?"

  "She made me, of course I have a problem with her," his admittance seemed to take her by surprise, "I take it that is also a shock to you."

  "Most vampires aren’t stupid enough to outright admit they have a problem with not only their master but their maker."

  "She’s known since the moment that we first met that I despised her, there are no secrets between us on the matter." Ethan slid his feet off of the desk so he could lean on the surface with his elbows. "Why ask the others to leave us?"

  Jennifer stiffened at what his tone implied, it was all silk and seduction and gave every indication that he knew exactly the effect he had on her. Of course he knew, he was a vampire, he could probably read every tell tale sign, worse than that, he could probably smell it. So even if she wanted to deny that she was attracted to him, she wouldn’t even be allowed that dignity. To have it thrown in her face however as an excuse as to why she would ask to be alone with him was insufferable. "You really want to know," she laced the inquiry with as much seduction she could manage considering it was her. He smiled because either he believed her interest or he knew she was playing his game, either way it didn’t matter because the minute he smiled she felt her own drop. "You’re the new master here, you replaced Nickolei, which doesn’t say much for you, and you had me completely blind-sighted as to what you really were at the gas station. You’re dangerous and Marcia is a new part of my team, and she’s made it perfectly clear in the last half hour or so that she’s somewhat taken with the fantasy that vampires put up as a front. I know that she’s enamored with filth like you and that bartender because in that time frame she’s already pleaded to spare the bartender a tiny bit of torture."

  "So you had them leave because I’m dangerous to everyone, everyone but you that is," he
casually slid back into a more comforting, less questioning position in his seat.

  "I didn’t say that, but I can handle myself, Marcia probably wouldn’t hurt a fly intentionally." Jennifer took a second to glare at him for a moment, "what were you playing at back at the station, why did you want my number."

  "To see if you would give it to me," he smiled a very human smile, that alone was enough to make her shiver. And she was disgusted with herself for it because she could not tell if the shiver was fear or attraction.

  "But I didn’t," Jennifer insisted.

  "I did get the number," he sat forward again to resume his questioning posture.

  "But why, you wouldn’t have really called," this knowledge made something in her twist, something that actually hurt.

  "If I said I’d call I’d call," this did nothing but send an ominous shiver up her spine.

  "You needn’t look so worried, clearly that game has reached the end of its amusement. And if it hadn’t I hardly would have called with the intent to do you harm, killing you would clearly put an end to any plans that I’ve concocted between the two of us."

  "I would never have anything to do with you," Jennifer spat with enough venom to make a normal person flinch, she really wished she could make him flinch, but she supposed she’d never seen a reptile react quite in that fashion, and true to his kinds nature he sat stone still in his seat.

  "Come now," she nearly jumped when he stood from his seat behind the desk, she knew for him the gesture had probably felt normal but it was faster than the blink of an eye to her. "Let’s not start telling lies now, if you didn’t want anything to do with me you wouldn’t still be sitting there."

  She hated that she felt a blush steal over her cheeks, "I’m here for information," she reminded him.

  "And I have yet to admit to knowing anything of any value," he smiled leaning over his desk, his standing position giving him the added advantage of height.

  "I’ve been doing this for a long time," Jennifer informed him, "I know that your kind always knows what’s going on out there. Especially when one of your own is going around killing like a mad dog on a rampage, dragging all your nasty secrets out into the light for everyone to see."

  "Is that so," he didn’t move, just stayed leaning over his desk practically looming over her.

  "It definitely is, I suppose now the question is what is your price?" She leaned forward in her seat, and even though there was still a good span of distance between them closing even a little space felt like a mistake.

  "I think the real question is what are you willing to give me," his tone was all teasing but she knew from having worked with monsters before that he would give nothing away for free.

  "Half my teammates are in the hospital, another is dead, there isn’t much at this point that I wouldn’t give. I don’t think it’s wise to play games here, mostly because I don’t have time for them." That was one of the things that Jennifer hated most about his kind, immortality left them with a lot of time on their hands, she wasn’t blessed with that issue, so it always felt as though it took them forever to get to the point.

  "What if I asked for your blood," still teasing tone, yea right.

  "I’d tell you to go fuck yourself," Jennifer growled, she supposed it would have been too much to hope that he would be attractive and to the point.

  "And if I asked for you to fuck me instead," Jennifer inhaled sharply, she hated that his words were like silk, she despised even more the fact that they so easily made her heart race in anticipation.

  "You’d still be shit out of luck," she managed after a pause in which she’d been using to ensure she didn’t sound all breathless when she answered. She didn’t think that she should have bothered as she’d still sounded winded when she’d spoken.

  "You needn’t worry, I’m a dinner and a movie kind of guy, you’re safe from me for now." Jennifer was still formulating her response when he spoke again, "my price for information is simply information." He smiled again at the surprised look on her face, "I’m asking only to be kept in the loop, as they say, any and all developments in this particular case you pass word of back to me."

  "I can’t promise you that," Jennifer was mystified by just the request.

  "I’m not asking for all your trade secrets, I’m only asking that we keep each other informed, and to perhaps allow me and mine minor involvement as I don’t believe you’ve quite realized the gravity of the situation. There will come a time very soon when you will ask for my help and it would be my pleasure to offer you such assistance."

  "Never," she had come to vampires for information before in the past but only when there had been no choice, but she’d never been under any delusions, the only reason she had ever been given the information she’d been seeking was because she had been cleaning up after them. She had never asked for their help, she had never wanted it, and would under no circumstance intrust them with her safety or anyone else’s.

  "Don’t be foolish, it would be only a temporary alliance, nothing to trouble your little head over." Without having realized it Jennifer must have stood up at some point because she was practically looking him in the eye.

  "Fine, you win, we swap information only concerning this case and if I for some unfathomable reason need some help, I’ll give you a call." In the end she relinquished because she really did need information and it cost her nothing to tell him what little she knew, as for the second half she wasn’t concerned with calling him in for help, she would never do it. She hated that he was so prone to smiling, she wasn’t sure who she wanted to smack more whenever he did, him for being so damn attractive when he did, or her for finding it so attractive. "But I have another condition considering how much you’re asking."

  "Really," for the first time since she’d come into his office his motions were fluid still but human in their rhythm as he came around his desk. "Do tell I’m dying to know what your new demand could be," she tried not to pay him any mind as he came closer, instead she forced herself to look at his very regular cloths. That must have been what had thrown her for such a curve when she’d first seen him. He fit the bill for vampirism, he was beautiful, magnetic, predatory, but he was probably the first vampire she’d ever met that didn’t look like a stripper.

  "Your eyes," he paused in his forward motion and for a brief moment his smile faltered.

  "What about them," the smile was back but it didn’t quite reach those strange eyes.

  "Oh come now lets not play more games, we both know what I mean." She said emulating his playful tone from earlier before she took a moment to look him in the eye, even though she knew that she shouldn’t, "are you wearing contact lenses or are you hiding behind power?"

  "What a little witch you are, I wasn’t expecting you to be quite so observative, then again I wasn’t expecting you to request anything quite so personal either. It looks as though you want something to do with me after all." He didn’t wait for her to confirm or deny this particular accusation, he simply prowled forward close enough to take hold of her shoulders.

  "What are you doing," she hated that when she spoke it sounded like pleading just as much as an inquiry.

  "You asked didn’t you," just like that she was staring into those strange swirling eyes from inches away, and like a plug was pulled suddenly the bronze hue bled away and golden eyes stared back at her.

  "They’re beautiful," she blurted it out before she could control herself, she supposed she should have been glad he was disgusted by this.

  "Ada thinks so too," he dropped his hold on her and looked to the floor, in a flash when their eyes met again they were that strange swirling golden brown, an almost human color.

  "Why do they look like that," she was not entirely sure if this would be crossing a line but the question slipped out without her permission.

  "Power does what it will, when I was turned I woke with them," as if dismissing the subject he was smiling again. "That was two questions, what do you think would be adequate pa
yment for my answer to the second."

  "How about that I not shoot you," she suggested hopefully.

  "Hmm, interesting suggestion, but I think only something a little more personal will do." Jennifer took a step back from him not that it would do her any good.

  "What do you want," but she had a very bad idea she knew exactly what he wanted, she just prayed like hell he wouldn’t ask for it.

  "I was thinking of something a little bit more penetrating," he purred and she felt her knees shaking, which only really tempted her to shoot him. She was going to tell him to go fuck himself but that hadn’t really deterred him the first time either and before she could come up with something better to say he was back in front of her in the blink of an eye. Once again he didn’t wait for her to find her reaction, whatever that might have been, he simply pressed every inch of himself against her before claiming her mouth. A pleased little sigh escaped her before she could reign it in and it took all of her considerable will not to participate in the siege he was waging on her mouth. She could not fathom the ferocity with which she wanted to kiss him back, and that was what held her in check. If she gave into him she was terrified that there would be no stopping once it started. When he finally pulled back she could do nothing but stare into his eyes, she was yanked out of her daze when he jerked something out of her hand.

  Chapter 12

  For a moment she couldn’t look away from his face, considering what he’d just done she figured he would have been a little more pleased with himself, but he was frowning. It wasn’t until he moved to pull the knife that was imbedded in his stomach out that she realized what she had done unconsciously. She held in her exclamation of surprise unwilling to let him know that she hadn’t even known she’d reacted in any way outside of keeping her mouth still. "I’ll try not to take this personally," he growled as he extracted the Bowie knife.