"Wait," Jennifer nearly sobbed before the vampire could take off, she couldn’t be certain why she was so upset to find he was dead when she’d come with the very intent. She supposed the thought of having been able to see him again had made it bearable, or maybe she hadn’t believed she’d have had to kill him at all. He had been a two hundred and some years old vampire, she thought it was likely a part of her had hoped he’d simply shrug the bite off. "Where is he," it was very clear the other vampire had no intention of telling her so she made to go past him into the club and search.
"Ada has it," he referred to the body in a disconnected way that let her know this was not the first Master or perhaps friend that he’d lost in his life. "This place is no longer safe for any of us, least of all you," he informed her seriously.
She understood what he meant, if Ada had come here it was likely for more reasons then to retrieve a corpse, she would already be establishing Ethan’s replacement. "How did he go," Jennifer inquired and the inquiry made an already weeping Lydia weep louder.
"Thadeus," Jim tried to interject a plea but the second spoke over him.
"He opted to do it himself," Jennifer knew tears were streaking down her own cheeks but ignored them. There would be no yelling at the vampire now for keeping her in the dark about the fact that she’d been present in his head for the death of his own family, or the fact that he’d been strolling around in her head to help keep her alive.
"Why didn’t he call me," she would have come, she would have helped him, she would have done something.
"He could not allow anything to stop events from unfolding the way that was required." She was unsure what to do with that information, Ethan had believed she would try to keep him alive, and she wasn’t sure he was wrong.
"Where are all of you going to go," she finally settled for asking because digging any deeper into the details of Ethan’s end might make her weep as hard as Lydia was.
"Same place we were before he found us," Thadeus very nonspecifically answered.
"Which was," but she could tell the vampires were getting antsy standing around with Ada’s people likely in the building.
"Same place all vamper’s that don’ want a Master go, inta hidin’," she’d never considered that before. "Which speakin’ of I don’ think we have long here," he gave Jennifer an apologetic look.
"Did he give you my number," Jennifer asked Jim, "in case you need me?"
He shook his head, "don’ think he thought you’d want us to have it."
"Well I do," she wiped the tear streaks from her eyes and shoved the gun back in it’s holster. "Phone," she motioned with her hand for him to hand over his cell because he was a newly made vampire, there was no way he was phoneless. Sure enough he pulled one from his pocket and she caught it with her free hand when he tossed it to her, it took less then a moment to put her own number into his contact list. "I owe you guys one as well," maybe Tom hadn’t thought they’d needed the assistance, but nothing could have confirmed that reality for her better then tonight had. She passed the phone back to the vampire, but he gave no indication that he felt she owed him a debt of any kind.
"Thanks Jennifer but," she waved his next words off knowing full well he was only going to tell her that he and his weeping companion had to go.
"Don’t stick around for my sake," the once upon a time hunter nodded, and like the two vampires that had departed before him, disappeared with his Maker. Which left her alone with Thadeus, she was going to do her best to remember his name, which was not one of her strong suites.
"Was it quick," she demanded before he could disappear to, she couldn’t see any reason it wouldn’t have been but it was an answer she needed.
"Your fight here is far from over Hunter, Ada will come at you with perhaps more confidence then before." He took a step away but stopped to face her, "just remember that no matter the circumstance he has and always will be with you."
Great, Jennifer thought, emotional advice from a vampire, she was just thinking how corny those words had sounded when the vampire vanished. Ethan and his variegate group of vampires were gone, considering their leader was dead, probably for good. She gave one last glance to the sword in her hand before making her way back to her car, even if she wanted to stay, like the vampires said, it was no longer safe for any of them here. The next time she set foot in this place there would be no cease fire, the next time she was coming for Adelaide and it was going to end bloody one way or another.
Revenant's Kiss (Chronicles of the Afterlife) Page 35
