Gabriel was proving to be fascinating. Donovan could see into the young man’s mind, miles away. Catch glimpses of his thoughts. His relationships with the other hunters were what drew his attention the most. And the jealousy! Especially with that girl, Louise. The growing bond, though, had him feeling as though Gabriel was his and his alone. This was going to take some time to grow accustomed to. He wasn’t used to having this close of a bond with anyone.
Donovan had kept his other ‘children’ at a bit of a distance, most of them having been turned for status or some other gain. They were all gone now. Those tentative links fading with the passing of time, as things tend to do. Now was not the time to dwell on the past, no, he had a bright future to look forward to. He knew this would take time, however, and he wanted to savor the chase, the hunt, and the eventual reward.
Feeling the surprise and shock from Gabriel as he watched a vampire step into sunlight made him feel almost sad, in a way, he wanted to reveal that little secret, even had an entire speech planned out. The fight, the struggle, the death of the Chupacabra, had been exhilarating. Prolonging this venture had been an excellent idea.
A gentle knock sounded on the parlor door, rousing him from his reverie. “Donovan,” his servant called his name, “I have a guest. The hunter, and one of his cohorts.” He need not specify which hunter, Donovan knew very well. “There’s a third, but he usually waits in the hall, so he shouldn’t be a problem. They’re here to gather a monthly list from me; should I introduce them?”
This couldn’t have worked better if he had planned it himself, “yes, introduce them.” He would have to speak with Ruben about his lack of proper decorum, for now it would have to suffice, he did get to meet Gabriel in person at least.
Thankfully Donovan’s meal the previous evening had restored him somewhat, though the after-effects of dining on drugged blood were not altogether pleasant. A lesson he had learned all too well some centuries ago when the streets of London were so choked with opium addicts, one could almost smell the perfume of the drug on their flesh.
His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the sound of conversation in the hall, interspersed with slightly louder remarks flung out by one of the hunters. An older man’s voice. Not Gabriel’s.
“I’m busy at the moment, but my friend may very well have work for you,” Ruben snapped testily, opening the door to the parlor and holding out an arm to lead the pair into the room. Gabriel, and the one called Lee, from what Donovan had gathered when he’d been testing their mental link, stepped inside.
Of course, the other one didn’t really matter. For the sake of good manners, Donovan acknowledged Lee with a nod of his head, but his attention was far more focused on Gabriel, who, for a moment, almost looked like he’d seen a ghost.
“You...” Gabriel rubbed at his eyes, “sorry, wasn’t staring. I thought you looked familiar.” He wouldn’t remember the dream. Not yet. Donovan had made sure of that.
“I told you to go home and get some more sleep,” Lee chided Gabriel under his breath in a manner he very likely thought wasn’t overheard, before quickly looking back at Donovan, “the Collector didn’t tell us until just now that he even had a guest. We’re really sorry if we’re interrupting anything.”
“Not at all, it’s a pleasure to meet you both.” Donovan gave Ruben a meaningful look.
“Pardon my manners, Donovan, this is Lee and Gabriel.” The old man attempted some semblance of a smile, but instead he only looked like he was sucking at a stubborn bit of food in his dentures. Neither of the hunters seemed to appreciate the effect, but remained politely quiet.
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Lee nodded at Donovan, “we don’t normally barge in like this...” He trailed off, glancing over at Ruben, unsure what else to say.
Gabriel decided to do the talking before the old man could even open his mouth, “We had a lot of ground to cover with our other clients today, and didn’t have time to call. Just swinging by to pick up a grocery list. The Collector needs a little help stocking up on the Poligrip, y’know?”
Ruben looked as if he’d just been slapped, his dignity and age thus insulted, “Donovan already knows what sort of things I need procured. There’s no need to create such a ridiculous story, as we’re in the same business together. Also, I would like to point out that I never use Poligrip.” He looked back over at Donovan, repeating himself, “I never use Poligrip. My teeth are perfectly sound.” An unnecessary lie, but his reaction was amusing.
It took a moment for the old man to recover from the affront to his dignity before he finally continued to make the vampire’s introduction for him, “Donovan has just arrived. His visit was--unexpected. A pleasant surprise, you might say. Please, make yourselves comfortable. My list isn’t quite finished yet. It will take me some time to prepare,” he gave Donovan a quick look, seeking silent approval. Always aiming to please and painfully obvious about it.
“We really shouldn’t impose. We could wait out in the hallway, if it’s more comfortable,” Lee interjected, clearly uncomfortable, and he couldn’t seem to stop glancing over at Gabriel as if at any moment he would sprout a second head.
“It will only take him a moment, come, sit, you can be on your way soon enough.” Donovan motioned toward the chairs, “it will be far more comfortable and we can have a nice chat.”
Gabriel certainly looked tired enough, which may very well be why he didn’t decline, indicating a spot for Lee to sit near him with a nod of his head. “I didn’t really think the Collector had any friends,” he admitted, relaxing in one of the chairs with a deep sigh. Ruben glared at him darkly before leaving the room. He’d become very bitter in his old age.
Donovan laughed, smiling as he spoke, “I would hardly consider him a friend, more of a, business associate. I am, however, curious as to what he wishes obtained. He always has had rather--eclectic collections.”
“We aren't at liberty to disclose-” Lee began, only to be interrupted by Gabriel.
“Occult junk. Creepy knick-knacks. Pretty much anything a sane or religious guy would douse with holy water and bury in the backyard.”
“Gabe,” Lee whispered, giving his friend a pained look.
Donovan’s smile was reserved for Gabriel alone, “that does sound like something he would enjoy,” he paused for a moment, “I was a hunter once, a long time ago, now I content myself with more, leisurely, pursuits.”
“What’s long? Three years?” Gabriel inquired, giving him a once-over, sizing Donovan up, “you’re like what, thirty-five at most?”
Oh, if only they knew the truth, “no, I'm older than that. I've been told that I age well,” he replied, “however, I am flattered.”
Lee seemed to sense the strange feeling in the room, the intensity of Donovan’s eyes as he watched Gabriel, despite his otherwise casual demeanor. “Gabe,” he nudged his friend’s shoulder, “I really think we should come back another time.”
Gabriel shrugged, mistaking the way Lee seemed to be on edge for polite discomfort, “if the old geezer didn’t want us talking about him, he shouldn’t have left us in the same room.” How very blunt the young hunter was.
“It is refreshing to hear such straightforwardness, so rare these days.”
“My friend isn’t feeling very well today,” Lee finally interjected, “he’s not normally like this.”
“Lee, calm down, I’m fine,” Gabriel gave his friend a sidelong expression, “why are you so uptight?” He unconsciously leaned forward in his seat, edging just a little closer to Donovan.
It was a very subtle movement, which might have gone unnoticed by the master vampire if he didn’t already have a mental link to Gabriel. Just one night of drinking his blood, bottled, watered down by herbs and wine, was more than enough to compel the hunter to seek Donovan out, whether he was aware of it or not. Donovan looked forward to seeing the results of further blood ingestion. This was proving to be a very entertaining afternoon. A nice change from the last forty or so years spent in maddening isolation.