Arjun (5 page)

“I'll take that as a no.”

His only reply was a nonchalant shrug. Worse than no answer at all.

I watched him carefully, watched him watching me with that same, slightly derisive air that made me feel like a plaything, just something that would, willingly or no, bend to his will. “May I ask you a question?”

“If you must.”

I did take that seat. I sensed no immediate danger and if he did attack me and I couldn’t defend myself, this close to an exit, then I deserved to die.

He remained on his feet.

“If you didn’t want me to find you, would I have?”

He was silent for a moment. “Honestly, I don’t know.”

I looked down at my hands in my lap. “I see. This is quite unconventional.”

There was no answer to be had in that expressionless mask. “I’ve told you the truth.”

“Except the part about you dying.”

He shrugged. “Well, I will die. Won’t everyone? But I have no intention of dying like a martyr. If I do kill Noir, that son of a bitch and I will do it on equal terms.”

A human fighting a vampire? On equal terms?

“You’re not human, are you?”

He raised an elegantly shaped brow. Gods above, but he really was attractive. “Why would you think that? Contrary to belief, there are humans who are able to fight vampires without anything else but training.”

“Maybe there are, but it seems as though they don’t live long enough to boast about it,” I pointed out and then sighed. “I’m getting tired of all this cloak and dagger acting. Clearly, you are not the person I thought you were. You say you have told me the truth regarding your situation. The Elders know nothing of your true self. Tell me why I should continue sitting here, waiting for you to say something relevant, when it seems like everything about you is nothing but a lie.”

He stepped forward then, close enough to touch, if only I reached out an arm.

Too close.

Much too close for comfort.

“What I tell you, what leaves my mouth is nothing but the truth. Four years ago, my fiance was abducted. She was pregnant with our child. A week later, I receive a note saying she had been turned into a vampire and all contact with me would stop as of immediately.”

“You make it sound so simple. Was it really that simple?”

“Is anything ever…simple?”

I hated it when people directed questions back at me. “Is that all? All you’re going to tell me?”

“In all honesty, Hwang, I think that’s all you need to know about the past. What concerns me is the future.”

He sat back down and I let out a breath. Sitting down, he was far enough to be out of reach. I liked having that kind of distance between us.

Strange. Before I knew the truth, I had been tempted to touch him, just to see how he would react.

And now, you couldn’t pay enough to get me to stand near him, much less tap him on the shoulder. “Future? Who says there’s going to be a future?”

If Jason couldn’t help me get close to Noir, then I saw little point in continuing my relationship with him. It seemed pointless, at best. At worst…no, best not to think about it. “Forgive me if it seems like I’m flogging a dead horse, but is Jason your real name?”

Once the words left my mouth, I winced. It was a completely unnecessary question. It didn’t matter what his name was. What was it Shakespeare said? Something about a rose being a rose no matter the name, right?

“It’s real,” he said, leaning back in the seat, hands crossing in his lap. “As to our future…I can make it so you can infiltrate Noir’s establishment and take him out. Those are your orders, aren’t they?” His eyes glowed. “However, what if you were to k>

“An interesting proposition,” I replied. “Go on.”

He seemed terribly amused. “By the time we’re done, a very strong vampire will be gone. I’m offering you a chance to come along for the…ride. What do you say?”

I met his eyes, let my gaze harden. I’m quite good at it, apparently. “You say your fiance was abducted four years ago. When you said this before, I believed you. After all, for a normal human being, the only way he is going to receive assistance is through the help of others with more influence, more power. I have little doubt, that if you put your mind to it, you could crush the Fellowship.”

“You flatter me.” The corners of his eyes crinkled, but there was no warmth to that smile.

“Why did you wait?” I resisted the urge to walk around the room and turn on all the lights, even the small chandelier dangling above us, shivering in the wake of the heated breeze that floated about the room. The small lamp by his elbow was providing light, but it seemed to make the darkness that much more obvious, that much more dangerous.

He ran his hand over his strong jawline in a parody of thought. “Why did I wait?”

“You had four years to exact your revenge,” I said. “Four years is a long time.”

“It is a long time.” He straightened in his seat. “Would you like a drink?”

I let my lips twist. “Remember? I don’t drink.”

“Ah, of course,” he said. “How could I forget? Well, then I hope you will excuse me while I pour myself a drink. Regrettably, I do not have any juice.”

Was he playing with me? It was an unpleasant idea. "That's fine."

I watched him as he proceeded behind a large desk and pulled out a small, crystal bottle off a high shelf along with a short glass. The amber inside was golden. “Does Martinez know you could have bought the damn bar?”

He laughed. “Unfortunately, or perhaps not, you are the only person who knows the truth, Ms. Hwang.”

“Not Pang?”

He stopped pouring as the glass became half full. “I do apologize. Jase…as you can see, was a bit of a test. I had to know who they would send. In order to find Shannon and find the vampire who took her, I needed someone strong, but someone unobtrusive enough to be given much notice.”

I blinked. “Unobtrusive?”

Bringing the glass with him, he took his seat again and watched me from under hooded eyes. “I have a plan that requires a very specific type of person.”

I have a plan that requires a very specific type of person
.

“And you think I’m that person…” I began, slowly. “You think I can blend into the background.”

He nodded. “No offense, but it seems like most women do. Which seems strange, considering just how many women I’ve been bet. “I’m h could n’t rayed by.”

“Not all women are traitors," I said, in direct violation of my own private thoughts, but I felt the need to defend my own gender.

His lips thinned. “That remains to be seen, doesn’t it?”

I let that go. For now. “Okay. So you have me. What happens now?”

“I will push myself into vampire society, get deeper and deeper until I find Shannon. Until I find out the truth. But in order to do that, I’ll need someone to watch my back. I’ve heard rumors of your abilities and I think you might be the one I’ve been looking for. You’ve got a special gift, I’m told. I could use it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said automatically.

Only two people were supposed to know of my ability: Elder Chang and Adrian.

How did he know?

He shrugged and swirled the liquor in his cup, the absence of ice making this a somewhat perilous task. “I suppose I’d think less of you if you copped out so easily. Be that as it may, I know what you can do. The best I could do is hire a vampire and I refuse to trust something I want to bring down. Or I could hire someone else and then get killed a day later through their incompetence. No, it’s better to get such a legend as yourself on my side.”

I shook my head. “I don’t…I don’t understand exactly what it is you plan to do. You plan on entering vampiric society? With me as your bodyguard?”

He looked at me approvingly. I wasn’t sure if I liked it. “You can understand, can’t you?”

So easy and yet… “So once you enter their society, then what?”

“I will petition to find out Shannon’s kidnapper. I will petition for her life. That’s all I care about.”

I drew in a deep breath. “You must have loved her very much. You will put your life on the life for a woman?”

“If that person had meant the entire world to you, wouldn’t you do the same?” he asked quietly.

“I’ve never felt that way about anyone, so I wouldn’t know.” I pushed a lock of hair out of my eyes. “This is much more dangerous than simply killing someone in front of Noir’s mansion.”