Doris and Henry were still in love after 94 years together. The petite brunette leaned back in her seat, the vintage couch much like the one she had grown up with. It had taken a small fortune to remodel the old billiard hall into an authentic 1920’s speakeasy. She slid one arm along the back of the couch, her fingers brushing through the fine, blonde hair on the back of Henry’s neck. The young man that sat between them let out a quiet whimper, his head rolling against Henry’s shoulder. The pair had been drinking from him off and on for the past hour and he was having trouble remaining conscious.
Two humans sat across from them, neither seeming to care about the young man that was slowly dying between the two vampires. They were hunters. More mercenary, really, than anything else. Not servants to the salvation of the human raise, but the value of the dollar and the thrill of killing for the highest bidder. Their attire left much to be desired, and they certainly didn't match the decor the vampires had spent years perfecting.
Their meal at least matched the vampiric lovers; the whole hipster movement certainly made it easier for Doris and Henry to blend in and for their meals to match their home. They were a very nostalgic pair.
“Gotta say, you've made a lot of improvements on the place since last time we were here,” one of the hunters, Greg, said, looking around the room, “got the pool table restored yet?”
Doris smiled, eyes locked on the hunters as she brought their meal's wrist to her lips before sinking her fangs in and taking a drink. The hunters were unperturbed by the sight of a young man’s slow death. She pulled back after a moment, dropping his wrist.
“That was the next project.” Henry replied.
“A TV wouldn’t be a bad idea,” the other hunter, Wes, remarked, having been mostly silent through their brief visit. He never seemed especially intent on the charade of pleasantries with Doris and Henry, despite the heavy payment he and his friend received for their ‘assignments’. Little tip-offs to keep the locals off of the vampires’ trails.
“What do you have for us tonight?” Doris asked, her bright red nails continuing to play along Henry’s neck and shoulders. Touching him was a favorite pastime, just little things, a brush of fingers, holding his hand, being mates meant that they were connected, closer than just being changed at the same time with the same maker. Lovers in life, they had become even closer in death.
Wes reached into his denim jacket pocket to pull out a clunky cellular phone about twenty years out of date, “pretty big news. Something you’re gonna want to pay for.” He exchanged a sly grin with his partner, “isn’t that right, Greg?”
Greg grinned, “oh yeah, it's big, gonna need a little extra this time, sorry.” if his tone of voice was anything to judge by, he really wasn't very sorry at all.
Beyond the need to speak or share their thoughts in words, Doris already knew by the tensing of Henry’s muscles, and the very subtle tilt of his head that he didn’t appreciate this little game the hunters played, but they probably did know something important. They weren’t the smartest humans, but they rarely lied.
“The usual fee isn’t enough?” Henry asked, calm and cool, relaxing a little more with the touch of his mate’s comforting fingers on his neck, stroking and playing an unknown melody with a gentle rhythmic tap. Doris and Henry were fortunate to have each other’s companionship. It was very rare for any two vampires to connect so deeply as them. Mating was the only bond deeper than that of a sire, or the desperate lust for blood destined to haunt their waking hours.
“Two hundred this time,” Greg replied, “totally worth it, you'll see. Could probably even resell the info.”
Henry remained patient, lapping at a small cut on his meal’s arm as he considered his response, and whether or not new spies were in order, “that’s twice your usual fee.”
“Yeah, well, you'll understand why when we tell you. If word got back that it was us, well, we’ll need the extra cash to get somewhere far away from a certain someone.”
Doris knew without even biting them that the blood of these hunters was sour. Perhaps it was all in her head, but it seemed as if backstabbers and sociopaths had the foulest taste.
Henry exchanged a curious glance with his mate, “certain someone?” He whispered in her mind, not at all liking the sound of this. Whatever news they had for the vampires would likely cause them trouble.
“I assume one of their hunter compatriots. I doubt they know of Donovan, if they did I'm sure they would go to him and charge quadrupole the amount.” She didn't like it either but curiosity truly was building and slowly getting the better of her. Besides, maybe this would turn out to be a total letdown and they could take the extra hundred out of their hides. Either way, it wouldn’t be much of a sacrifice.
“Alright, what do you have for us?” Henry asked in his sharp Boston accent. Even if he were human, very few people would test the note of menace hiding behind his smile.
Wes avoided meeting Henry’s eyes, while still simultaneously trying to look unphased with the smarmy grin plastered on his face, “we’ve got a good thing goin’, huh, Greg? No reason not to tell them now. They’ll pay. They’re always good for it.”
In Henry’s mind, these hunters were quickly becoming just as much of a nuisance as the June bugs swarming outside.
“Yeah, got two words for ya, shark week. A lot of hunters coming into town for it too.” Greg said, grinning as he spoke.
“And I suppose that’s supposed to be a clever euphemism?” Doris scoffed, disregarding the soft groan her meal gave in a last ditch attempt to move or stand. Too late for him now. Far too late. It was a shame the thin ones had so little endurance. He tasted excellent.
The hunters looked at each other and shrugged, “dunno, just what it's always been called,” Greg replied, “it's a big vamp hunt.”
Henry didn’t bother with any witty remarks, “you will steer them well away from us.” Not a question. An order.
“Of course,” Greg scowled before mumbling, “can't have ‘em offing our meal ticket.”
If they had been human, Doris and Henry wouldn't have heard him at all, but they weren't, “watch your mouth.” Doris snapped, her fingers clenching in the back of Henry’s shirt.
“Nails,” Henry reminded her gently, “this is a new suit. I’d like to keep it for a few more weeks, darling.”
By now the vampire’s false smile for the hunters had disappeared. The pretense of niceties were over now. “You’ll find your money in the usual place. Leave now, you’ve worn out your welcome for the evening with both of us.” He paused, “we’ve almost finished with this one. He hasn’t been the most satisfying meal,” Henry let the thinly veiled threat hang in the air, pushing their expired victim off of the couch to make more space for his hand to settle on Doris’s leg comfortingly.
Greg held up his hands as the pair stood, “easy, just, uh, one more thing, a freebie. Group of hunters in town, one of ‘em got himself, infected. He’s gonna turn, they want to find who did it before that happens, so, that's why we’re havin’ shark week. We were gonna take care of him, they're not gonna find who did it, and we got paid a bunch of money to take the guy out. Gabriel, that's the guy’s name.”
Henry and Doris made it a point to avoid hunters, and even the more useful ones like these were rarely in their company, but it was always useful to know a little about what the locals were doing. Especially given certain rules that had been reinstated by Donovan. Not a friend of Doris or Henry, but far more powerful.
“I can’t help but wonder which of that hunter’s friends would have hired someone else to kill him,” Henry remarked, holding up a hand to keep Greg and Wes in their spots.
“Todd, it was Todd,” Wes blurted out, “his cousin, niece, whatever, is friends with Gabriel.”
This time, Henry’s smile was genuine, while two fangs peeked out from behind his bloodied lips. Not a pleasant smile, as far as these two were concerned. “Good night, Greg. Wes.”
Doris leaned her head against his shoulder, “we shall see you again,” she wiggled her fingers at him, “ta.”
Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!
The pair were out the door like a shot, done with any pretense of attempted calm, they couldn't hide their fear after an exchange like that. Business deal or not, vampires were dangerous creatures.
Henry settled back into the couch, reaching up to brush a lock of hair from Doris’s face, “we’ll have to clean this up soon.”
She cuddled in against him, “but not yet.”
----------------------------------------
Louise stood in the apartment doorway, poking her fork into a carton of fried rice. So much for a smoke break. She’d tried texting him, but he just brushed her off and said he was going for a walk. Then when Lee didn’t show up, she started to worry. It shouldn’t take half an hour to drive to the gas station across the street.
The only reason she wasn’t freaking out now was because Lee had finally texted her that he was picking up a few extra things. Why he chose tonight of all nights to run an errand, she had no idea. She was seriously considering grabbing a crossbow from her trunk and patrolling the parking lot before that text, and honestly right now wasn’t too sure it would be a bad idea. On the other hand, Gabe did have neighbors. Maybe a gun under her jacket might be a little less conspicuous.
Shit, what if Gabe lost it? Or some monster pulled a freak stunt and tracked him down? He wasn’t himself right now. He might not be able to defend himself, if the hunt they’d gone on was anything to judge by.
At this point, Louise wasn’t even sure how long she’d been waiting for both of them. Or how much longer she should keep doing so. The food was already cold.
Louise, we need to talk. That is the message she was greeted with when she looked at her phone for the, what felt like, hundredth time that night.
She stabbed her fork into the carton of rice and set it down on a small table by the door where Gabe kept a basket of odds and ends, including his wallet and a set of spare keys. If this was about an impromptu hunt, he could forget about it.
Meet me at Gabe’s, then. Not leaving him alone tonight. Too dangerous. Her fingers sped across the digital screen as she typed, determined not to take her eyes off of the parking lot outside for too long, just in case Lee or Gabe decided to show up. Both of them were going to get a good earful when they did.
When both of them pulled up at the same time, one right after the other, she immediately knew something had happened, she also knew they were going to try to keep it from her. That condescending ‘for your own good’ bullshit wasn’t going to fly, because it never did. Whatever this was, it had to have something to do with Gabe.
Lee was the first one out of his car but he didn't make a beeline for the door like she expected him to, no, he waited for Gabe, nevermind the fact she had left them both multiple texts and voicemail. They should be begging her forgiveness. Or at least look a little more ashamed, but they both almost looked cheerful, talking to each other as if one of them wasn’t on the verge of losing his freaking mind and soul.
“What in the everloving hell were you two doing?” She demanded, shouting across the parking lot, unafraid of waking neighbors or the warning look Gabe gave her.
“Jesus Christ, Louise!” He snapped at her once they were close enough to talk without splitting anyone’s eardrums.
“We got held up at the store, well, to be exact, Gabe got pulled over, and I ran into him at the store right after that.” Lee explained in that infuriatingly calm way of his.
“Yeah,” Louise asked, stabbing Lee in the chest with her index fingers, "then why weren’t you answering your phone? Why just one message and that was it?”
She had half a mind to just lock them outside and barricade the apartment door. Let them sleep at the office or in their cars tonight to teach them a lesson. If it weren’t for the fact that she was here to keep an eye on Gabe and help keep him safe, she’d do it.
“My phone died, I only just got it plugged in and saw your messages.”
“There you go, mystery solved,” Gabe chimed in, not too helpfully, “so let’s just chill out, you two can crash on the sleeper sofa, and that’s that.” He seemed a hell of a lot more like himself than when he’d started his hour long smoke break and apparently joyride.
She scowled, “what about you, Gabriel?” She crossed her arms over her chest, “you seem awfully more comfortable than when you left for your hour long smoke break.”
At the sound of his full name, he somehow managed not to cower under her gaze. Barely. “I had some time to de-stress. Thought about what a jerk I was being. I realized maybe I can beat this thing. Hey, did you get extra fortune cookies with the food? I think I forgot to check,” he clumsily changed the topic and tried to side-step her into the apartment.
She moved in front of him, “you're not getting off that easy, mister,” she poked him firmly in the chest, “I don't believe you, I'd like to, but Gabe, this is a big thing, it isn't something we can just brush off.”
For a second, just a second, he looked mean. Predatory. Then he was Gabe again, and Louise wasn’t entirely sure what had just happened, but the moment thankfully passed.
“Okay, I’m sorry. I took the book back and I didn’t want you to freak out. Lee saw me leaving and followed me. I dropped the book off, and he passed out in the yard. Low blood sugar, I guess. We just didn’t want you to worry.”
She immediately turned on Lee, “you passed out? From what?”
It was Lee’s turn to feel her wrath, and clearly he hadn’t been expecting it. “Honestly, I’m not sure. I don’t even remember following him.” He removed his glasses so he could polish them with the bottom of his shirt, “but I’m fine now, I think. We’ve been so busy and stressed out this week, I just suppose I was dehydrated.”
Gabriel dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out his car keys, holding them out towards Louise, “here. Just in case I lose it or try do something stupid. Better now?”
She snatched them out of his hand, shoving them in her pocket, “yeah, but you're still not off the hook, now, get inside before I change my mind and make you sleep outside,” she stepped aside, motioning for them to come in, “well, hurry up!”
It didn’t escape her how childish they both looked, hustling inside before they got another earful. She wasn’t too excited about the visit she was going to have with her uncle tonight, either. Louise had a gut feeling it wasn’t going to be good.
----------------------------------------
Almost thirty-five years in the business, if he counted the hunts with his old man back in middle school when he still hadn’t learned how to hit a bullseye twenty feet away, and Todd couldn’t honestly say he’d ever walked into a monster’s lair to have a sit-down chat. Good thing Lulu knew how to take care of herself, or he’d have had this talk sooner. The Springfield in his boot holster was also another small comfort.
He made damn sure to park close enough that a quick escape could happen just in case, and kept his voice low when he walked up to the front door and got Louise on the phone to let her know he was waiting outside. If the soon-to-be bloodsucker was asleep, he’d be lucky. Could Gabe even sleep at night anymore? It was about 2 AM at this point, so Lee had probably called it quits for the night at least, which was just as well. The guy acted real funny the day they went to pick up that book, and Todd still wasn’t quite over it.
“I’m outside,” Todd whispered over the phone. The door swung open, and he bit back a curse when he caught sight of Lee and Gabe sitting on the couch in the dark watching TV.
Louise took him out onto the back porch, refusing to talk to him inside with Lee and Gabriel around, “what is so urgent that you just had to talk to me?”
“Lulu, I don’t want you getting hurt,” Todd told her simply. Best to start slow.
She rolled her eyes, “I can take care of myself. What do you think is gonna hurt me?”
Todd gave her a very stern look, “little lady, I may not be around all the time, but I’m still your uncle. You talk to your daddy with that tone?”
“You know I do,” she crossed her arms over her chest, “so, what is it? You should just say it and be done with it.”
“Alright,” he held up his hands, “you got me there. Always been a mouthy little girl, and that’s what makes you such a firecracker. Lulu, I’m gonna shoot it to you straight here, I like that kid in there. I really do. It’s too late for him though, and I think you need to get away from him if you’re not willing to take the shot.”
She glared at him, “he’s going to be fine and no one's gonna take him out. Not without going through me first.”
“He’s drinking blood! I saw it!” Tough love, that’s what this called for.
“When? When did you see him drink blood?” She got closer to him, getting up in his face, “he wouldn't do that.”
“When he got that book. Got up in the middle of the night to make sure he was alright, and I saw him drinking a little glass tube of blood. Don’t know where he got it, but he damn sure liked it.”
She looked inside, her eyes falling on Gabe, “I just can't believe it, there's no way.” She looked back at Todd, “there's just no way.”
Todd was doing his best not to raise his voice, but it was getting harder, “I’m not telling you to walk right in there with a stake and a bottle of holy water, I just figured it’d be smart to let you know.” He waved towards the balcony doors, “that man in there isn’t the Gabe you used to know, or he won’t be for much longer. You need to bite the bullet and accept it before you get hurt.”
She shook her head, “I'm not going to abandon him and I'm not going to get hurt,” at least she sounded sure of herself but Todd knew better, “if you're so worried, maybe you should leave.”
“You—“ Todd hesitated, taken aback, “you want me to leave?”
“If you're not going to help us help Gabe, yeah, I want you to leave. You can come see me again when this is over.”
So, that was it. Fine. They probably had a couple of days left before Gabe snapped and started looking at the rest of the hunters like a four course meal. By then, Todd’s buddies should have taken care of him. Didn’t have to let the others know. The way Louise was reacting right now convinced him it was for the best.
“Well, alright then,” Todd agreed, “I’ll pack my things up and head on home. Ball and chain should’ve cooled down by now anyway.” He put a hand on her shoulder, “anything I do, I just want you to know I’m looking after you.”
Her scowl deepened, “what's that supposed to mean?”
“It means I love you,” he shook his head, “that’s all.”
He didn’t have much else to say, so he left. It’d be a long drive home, but at least he protected his niece. He always would. No matter what.