Revenant's Kiss (Chronicles of the Afterlife) (15 page)

"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.