Revenant's Kiss (Chronicles of the Afterlife) (48 page)

Jennifer tried to mentally prepare herself for the possibility that pissed or not she might be going
in search of Ethan just to find she’d be forced to kill him. That idea took the wind from her sails, at least
where her anger with his mind reading crap was concerned. She’d already intended to head to the club
anyway, she checked the time, if she left now she could probably get there and have forty minutes to
spare before the sun was up.

Grabbing her keys she went to the front door and gave Kahn’s head a quick pat, "I’ll be back."
Although she could not guarantee that this was the truth she closed and locked the front door behind
herself and made her way to her car which Tom’s people had left parked in the street. She was just
glad to find it here at all, she had expected the possibility that Tom would do everything in his power to
keep her at home. But apparently he was beginning to catch onto the fact that he could try to stop her,
but one way or another she finished what she started.

✦✦✦✦✦

Unlike the previous occasion that she’d driven and had Marcia with her Jennifer pulled directly
into the parking lot of the club. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting to find but to see it was quiet
like nothing was out of place wasn’t it. She couldn’t say why she’d been expecting some kind of
anarchy, she simply had, but the place was quiet. For reasons she couldn’t explain she found herself in
such a rush to get out of the car and into the building that she almost fell out of the vehicle in her haste.
Slamming the car door she shoved the keys in her pocket and pulled the one that Ethan had given her
from around her neck before she raced around to the back end of the building. There was nothing about
the silence of the surroundings that should have bothered her, this place was usually dead on week
nights. Maybe it was because she had expected the vampire to be waiting for her and he wasn’t, he
hadn’t even called. Given the circumstances she didn’t think it was too much to ask for, then again a
vampires sense of time wasn’t exactly on the same level as a normal persons. She’d just made her way
over to the back and was looking for that damned invisible door when it slid open all on its own. She
had the 9mm in hand before she could blink but her aim just as quickly faltered to the floor when she
was confronted by Ethan’s second. Her mind tried to pull up his name so she wouldn’t end up giving
him a nickname to replace it, at which point his real name would be forgotten, possibly for good. Before
she remembered it he stepped forward and motioned the rest of the team out behind him. "Go," he
ordered and without a glance in her direction at least one of the vampires took off.

"What’s going on," Jennifer demanded but paused when the remaining twin, who she quickly
labeled Meredith, so she didn’t go around calling him the remaining twin, stepped into her path. Part of
her didn’t know what to expect so when he got to his knee in front of her she wasn’t sure if she should
stay still and hope for the best or shoot him before he could do anything.

"I’m in your debt hunter," she was about to stutter out that she hadn’t done anything to deserve
any debts when he explained curtly. "You helped in the rescue of my brother, and even after his death
was inevitable you objected his sacrifice." Before she could twitch he was back on his feet, her normal
disposition would have been to tell him to take his debt and shove it. But he may have had the most
miserable expression on his face she’d ever seen, twins were said to be close and he’d had his brother
with him for who knew how long. He was alone now, "I’m yours to call on if ever you have need of
me." She nodded at him unsure what she should say because it wasn’t like he had a cell phone, if she
needed him she’d have no clue how to find him. As soon as he’d said his peace though he was gone,
which Jennifer had to admit she was more then a little grateful for.

Once that was done though she looked to the other vampires and found only three, Jim, Lydia,
and the second whose name she was still working on. "Where’s Ethan, and why are you leaving?"

Jim made to say something but Ethan’s second put a hand up to stop him, "the two of you go
now. You know the plan," the Cowboy looked to be debating with himself on whether he was going to
listen.

In the end he walked up and offered her his hand, when she just stared at him and his offered
appendage he smiled. "Don’t be like that, it’s goodbye for a little while, the least we could do is shake.
If you prefer I could get down on a knee and pledge my devotion like Scotty did."

"Shut up," Jennifer caved in and gave him her hand which he shook.

"Sorry we can’t stick around an’ all," he still had hold of her hand when Lydia whizzed up next
to them. "Come on L," he dropped her hand and grabbed onto the weeping vampire next to him.

"Why are you crying, what’s wrong?"

"I’m so sorry about Ethan," Lydia wailed before Jim could tow her off.

Jennifer immediately turned back to the Second in command, "where is he?"

"Gone," for a hopeful minute she thought he meant that Ethan had run off, though she should
hardly have been hopeful of that as it might mean he’d turn somewhere someone couldn’t stop him if he
did. But from the look on the seconds face it was clear that was not what he’d meant at all, she never
would have believed Ethan had run off without them anyway. "It is no longer safe for any of us here," he
told her before holding up the same sword Ethan had let her take hold of not but a few hours ago. "He
would have wanted you to have it," was all the vampire in front of her supplied before depositing it into
her hands.

"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.