Revenant's Kiss (Chronicles of the Afterlife) (16 page)

"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 payment 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.

"I...." but she stopped unsure what she would have said anyway, apologize, she wasn’t sorry,
she could not afford to be sorry.

"You are lucky, if you had twisted this blasted thing any more to the right or left you might have
ended up with my blood in your mouth." Jennifer grimaced at the idea, she had no actual concept of
how much blood it took to be turned into a monster, she didn’t want to find out.

"Did I ruin our deal," she had to know, she could force herself to kiss him if she had to.

"No, I think it is too beneficial for both of us to call it off over a little shed blood. However as
compensation I think I’ll be keeping this little memento." Jennifer made to snatch the Bowie knife out of
his hands but he shook his head, "an eye for an eye and all that."

"But...." what could she say, that she loved that knife, that parting ways with it felt like another
monumental loss.

"That is what I thought," he tucked the knife in the back of his pants without cleaning the blood
off. "Now if you don’t mind Jennifer we should seal this little deal and move on with business don’t you
think." He put his hand out as if waiting for her to hand something over, "come now if we’re going to
exchange information I’ll need your phone."

"Seriously," Jennifer asked incredulously.

"Deadly," he was back to smiling and Jennifer wanted to smack him, no better, she wanted to
shoot him.

"Fine," aware that she was making a face the entire time she dug her phone out and slapped it
into his open palm. "This is juvenile," she protested already trying to come up with excuses if anyone
caught her talking with a vampire on the phone.

"Now we’re all set to go," as soon as her phone was back in her hands, he was back in his seat
behind his desk faster than she could see.

"Good to know," Jennifer quickly glanced down at the number he’d added into her phone, the
contact was listed only as E. "So talk, who is this guy, background, usual hunting grounds, and more
importantly what the hell is wrong with him?"

At the last question he sat up a little straighter in his chair, or at least that was what she’d thought
until he took the Bowie knife out and shoved it into a drawer. She hated that it would go uncleaned
sitting in a drawer, she supposed it wouldn’t matter now, it was no longer her property. "Don’t look so
heart broken, one day if you ask me very nicely maybe I’ll give it back." He said this but she knew that
whatever he would want for it she wouldn’t be willing to give him. "Let’s start with the easy answers
shall we, he goes by Dimitri, as far as I know he is one of our kind that has chosen to stay out of any
business that would involve him with humans and assume the front of a full name."

"So he has no last name, no place of residence, that’s impossible he has to live somewhere."
She glared at him behind his desk, the expression had no effect on him.

"There are those of us who live underground," he didn’t elaborate.

"So he was living with a coven, which one?"

"And here we are already, to the part that gets quite complicated," he shrugged.

"That’s it," Jennifer sarcastically imitated the gesture, "are you not going to tell me which one?"

"I am though it will do you no good to know the information, up until two nights ago he was
staying with Ada." Jennifer swallowed hard, it probably wouldn’t have taken superhuman vampire
hearing to have heard it.

"Why did he leave, it makes no sense, he would have full protection there, and why is he
suddenly running around like a lunatic killing all these people?" That last question really needn’t an
answer, how many times had she witnessed monsters kill for entertainment.

"He is not quite himself I should think," Jennifer gave a derisive snort.

"I suppose you’d have me believe before two days ago he was just gentle as a little lamb." She
was pacing now in front of his desk and she was fully aware that he was tracking her every move like a
caged animal that really wanted to pounce but couldn’t.

"I wouldn’t bother, now the real problem doesn’t lie simply within him, I’m afraid we’ve much
more dire circumstances presenting themselves." She stopped long enough to look at him and measure
his sincerity, he’d played her for a fool before, she wasn’t keen on falling for anything again.

"So are you trying to build suspense or are you going to get it over with and just tell me." When
he didn’t immediately just spit it out she irritably took the seat she’d abandoned.

"You really don’t remember seeing this before do you," he asked out of nowhere as soon as she
was sedentary.

"I think I’d remember seeing a vampire like this before, you’re kind is hard to kill, but bullets put
them down long enough to take care of the rest. This vampire...." she paused remembering the way
he’d moved, the way he’d been oblivious to pain, she remembered the way seeing him like that had
terrified her into paralysis. "He wouldn’t go down, I’ve seen some strange things hunting vampires
before he might just top them all."

"There in lies all your confusion, the word vampire may no longer apply to his condition." He
said this as if simply saying it would explain everything.

"That’s really funny, seriously frickin’ hilarious, and here I thought the only thing that could cure a
vampires condition was to kill it." He did not seem to like that retort very much if the way his expression
locked up was any indication.

"Exactly."

"What," now she was really confused, she knew that in more then one way vampires were
already dead. So what the hell was he talking about, "what are you talking about?"

"Do you know anything about the mechanics of the undead?" He watched her shake her head
and seemed to take this as an indication that she wanted a lesson. "Do you believe in magic?"

"Okay seriously, I’ve had just about enough run around for one night, why don’t we save
mechanics for later and you just tell me what the fuck is going on." She had to fight with herself to stay
seated, she was building up enough nervous energy to pace a hole in his carpet.

"Fine, but I don’t think you’re going to like the answer, the term vampire will no longer apply to
Dimitri because he has been infected with something else, if you will. I believe now you would call him a
zombie."

Jennifer couldn’t help it, the minute his words sank in she was overtaken by a fit of laughter that
she didn’t think would stop any time soon if she didn’t force it back down. "Zombie," just saying the
word made her giggle, how stupid did he think she was?

"Think very hard Jennifer before you decide what is real and what you think is make believe."
She was waiting for him to elaborate further but he didn’t and she was too exhausted to put up an
argument with him at the moment.

"Fine, zombies then, tell me, how exactly did this vampire get infected with a zombie virus?"
She wasn’t expecting an answer, really what could there be, how could she believe that a dead corpse
became a dead corpse.

"I’m still gathering intel on the exact details, though I have my suspicions, admittedly this
condition is usually a human one but clearly vampires aren’t entirely immune." He paused perhaps to let
this information sink in but he seemed to notice that she wasn’t taking a word he said seriously. "Think
on it Jennifer, the night before last you encountered him and he was seemingly not more than a blood
drunk vampire on a rampage, but he had his wits. Tonight there was considerably less of them, enough
still to run when outgunned and pursued but I suspect by tomorrow there won’t even be that much left. I
think it takes only slightly longer in our kind than yours but clearly his higher brain functions won’t hold
out long. He won’t even possess the instinct for self preservation just the unending need to eat," he
shook his head again when even after this speech she looked at him like he was the one who’d lost all
higher brain function. "Tell me something Jennifer did you examine his victims from the previous night?"