“This is Gabrielle Bradford,” she said in her most professional voice. “I have some news from the Council. Call me,” she added her mobile number, though she figured he probably had it already, and hung up.
She rubbed her eyes wearily and wondered if she’d have enough time for a catnap before she heard back from Julius. There were still a couple of hours until full dark, so she decided to take the chance. She tucked her mobile into her sling, snagged Razor off the sleeper couch in the corner of the office, and went to catch up on some sleep.
An annoying buzz woke her. It was the phone vibrating on the table next to her bed. She glanced at the clock; it was a little after six pm. Probably Kyle checking up on her she thought testily. She picked up the mobile; the message icon flashed merrily on the screen, an exact counter-point to her cranky mood. She hit the ‘read text’ button, and was surprised to find the message was from an unknown number. It read; “Gabrielle, thank you for your quick response. I would like to discuss in person. Name your favourite restaurant. I will book for 9pm. One person each as discussed. Julius.”
She sighed; she’d known he would find a way to force a meeting. She should have waited until tomorrow to call him, at least she would’ve been able to have an early night tonight. She knew the perfect restaurant though, so she immediately sent a message back. “Olivella. Old Mill Rd. Make it 8:30.”
Her mood immediately lightened as she pictured a huge, rare rump steak with a mountain of chips and a bottle of good Italian Red. Olivella belonged to a Shifter who was a friend of hers; they made the best steaks in the City, had an eminently noteworthy wine list, and their chocolate mousse was positively ambrosial. It had the added bonus of being in a largely residential area, so Gabi would easily be able to monitor any extra Vampire presences, and if push came to shove, Shawn would be in his office in the back, so she had extra back-up without Julius knowing it.
Her mobile chimed again. “Agreed” was the short reply.
She made a call to Kyle and was pleasantly surprised when he didn’t even bother trying to talk her out of it. He just asked what time he needed to pick her up and hung-up. Gabi wondered idly if he had female company; he was rarely so accommodating and so brief on the phone. She figured she would quiz him about it later, though after the way she had teased him about the last one he probably wouldn’t come clean anyway.
It was eight thirty on the dot when Kyle stopped her car a few blocks from the restaurant; Gabi had refused to drive in the van this time and had once again tossed him the keys to her car. He waited quietly while she scanned the area, casting her senses out to feel for the ominous, vibrating spots that indicated Vampire presences. There were just two; Julius radiating like a miniature supernova, and another fairly strong presence quite close to him. When she was sure it was just the two of them, she nodded to Kyle to drive on to the restaurant. They parked the car and Gabi checked the area again. The Vampires were already in the restaurant and there were no signs of any others nearby.
As she stepped out into the slight drizzle and grimaced up at the starless sky she wondered if they would be eating or drinking tonight – human food that was. She only knew the common folk lore that stated they survived purely on human blood, and she was intensely curious to find out the truth. She and Kyle made a quick dash for the welcome shelter of the doorway, being careful to keep to human speed. The maitre d’ quickly came forward to open the door and welcome them into the fragrant warmth of the cosy but chic little restaurant.
“Ah, Miss Bradford,” the maitre d’ greeted her enthusiastically. “It’s wonderful to see you this evening. And Mr Robson, it’s been too long since we last saw you.” The short, swarthy man helped Gabi out of her leather jacket, clucking when he saw her arm in a sling. “What this time Miss Bradford?” he asked with a slightly exasperated tone. “Not an out-of-control lion again, I hope.”
Gabi grinned, remembering the last time she came in bashed up and blamed it on a rogue lion. It hadn’t been a huge lie; there wasn’t that much difference between a rogue Werewolf and a rogue lion. At least her job as an animal trainer made it easy to come up with excuses for injuries.
“No, Jorge, not a lion this time,” she said, quickly wracking her brain for a new excuse. “Just a frisky thoroughbred stallion, managed to pop my shoulder out of joint, nothing too serious,” she explained, trying to keep her thoughts about Julius in the proper compartment in her mind as an image of him prowling his office popped into her head.
Jorge tsked as he hung up their jackets in the coat room. “You really must be more careful, Miss Bradford, perhaps you need to stick to little kitties and puppies, they’re much safer to deal with,” he fussed.
Kyle barked out a laugh. “You’ve obviously never met Gabi’s cat if you think they’re safer,” he muttered darkly.
Jorge shook his head, as though knowing his concerns wouldn’t change this young lady’s mind. “Your friends are here already; let me take you to the table. Shall I let Shawn know you are here? I’m sure he would love to see you,” Jorge babbled on merrily as he led them through the candlelight tables to a private alcove on the far side of the restaurant.
“No, that’s alright Jorge,” Gabi said quickly. “I’ll pop in and see him in his office once I’ve greeted my guests.” She didn’t want to expose her little advantage too early.
Julius rose lithely as she came around the edge of the partition which had been used to create a small private alcove. She watched his eyes skim her body, taking in her black hipster dress pants and deep maroon blouse as well as the black silk scarf she’d converted into a sling. He seemed to study her unbound hair a little longer than strictly necessary, she wondered if he could make out the hilt of her sword nestled into the nape of her neck. She pasted a cool, businesslike expression on her face as she acknowledged him.
“Gabrielle,” he greeted in a low, smooth purr. “Thank you for meeting us this evening.” He turned slightly to indicate his companion sitting at the table. “This is Alexander. One of my most trusted friends.”
The other Vampire had a barely concealed scowl on his face. He had a much slighter build than Julius and Kyle, with mussy, pale blonde hair and a face straight off the cover of a Mills and Boon romance. The image was so strong Gabi had to gulp back a disbelieving giggle, covering it with a discreet throat clearing and moving aside to introduce Kyle. She nodded a greeting to the disgruntled looking Alexander.
“Hey Jules,” she said cheerily. “This is Kyle, as I’m sure you are already aware. Kyle this is Julius.”
They nodded warily at each other; no one reached to shake hands, and Alexander’s face grew more surly by the second. Gabi sighed, lamenting the fact that males of all species felt the need to size each other up. She took the lead and sat down in the seat opposite Julius, leaving Kyle to take the one across from Alexander.
There was an open bottle of Chianti standing on the table, and before she could reach for it Julius was holding it above her glass, a questioning tilt to his eyebrow.
“Can I pour you a glass?” he asked politely.
She glanced around the table. There was a half full glass of red in front of Julius’s seat and Alexander had his hand around a short glass which smelled like it held bourbon.
“I trust it’s a decent bottle?” she challenged.
“One of the best, according to the maitre d’,” he answered smoothly, pouring before she could think of another smart ass comment. He offered Kyle, who declined in favour of waiting for a beer.
Julius settled into his seat just as a young female waiter appeared to take orders. She seemed flustered as she looked around the small group. As Gabi looked around the table she realised why. Kyle had the kind of face and physique that drew attention from women (and men) wherever he went, and tonight he was possibly the least attractive man at the table. With Alexander doing his best James Dean bad boy impersonation, and Julius exuding dark, brooding predator, Gabi could almost pity the girl, but she was having her own problems tryi
ng to keep her traitorous mind on the business at hand. Alexander brusquely ordered a refill of bourbon and Kyle ordered a beer and two platters of antipasto for himself and Gabi. Julius asked for another bottle of wine, and neither of the vampires ordered any food, Gabi noted with interest. The flushed girl left to collect the drinks, and Gabi reached for her wine glass, savouring the first sip slowly. Julius’s eyes tracked her every movement.
“How are your injuries?” he asked Gabi.
“Fine,” she answered flatly, trying to ignore Kyle’s annoyed frown. At least he was holding his tongue; she had warned him if he couldn’t be polite to keep quiet, obviously he was finding it difficult to be polite. Perhaps that was Alexander’s problem too; the hunky blonde Vampire had yet to say a word to anyone at the table.
“I would like you to forward any medical bills to my office,” Julius continued, “and let me pay for a driver until you are healed. It’s the least I can do.”
Gabi was thrown for a second, and somewhat amused. Not often you got beaten up by a bunch of Vampires, who then offer to pay your doctor’s bills. She allowed a small amused grin to appear as she dropped her gaze from his.
“No, that’s not necessary. My bills are covered already,” she drawled, tipping the wine glass and inhaling the pungent bouquet, “but, if it makes you feel better, you can owe me a favour.” She took a mouthful of wine and looked him straight in the eye to gauge his reaction. His mouth tightened, but she thought it was in amusement rather than annoyance when she noticed the cocky glint in his eye.
“Alright,” he agreed smoothly, “I owe you a favour. Do you have a specific favour in mind, or is it to be an open-ended one?” He leant back in his seat, bringing his own wine glass to his lips and appearing to savour the taste as he swallowed.
“Oh,” she threw back nonchalantly, “let’s go with open-ended.” She was enjoying the repartee.
“So, we are agreed,” Julius affirmed. “I owe you a yet-to-be-determined favour, at a yet-to-be-determined date, and you will forgive me for indirectly causing you harm.”
Gabi’s eyebrows quirked as he added the last part; but she decided to continue the charade. “I can live with that,” she declared. A low growl issued from the right of her; Alexander apparently wasn’t happy with the arrangement. Gabi had had about enough of his Neanderthal-like attitude. She leaned back in her seat and dropped her left hand down beside the chair; her fingers now millimetres from the knife strapped to her left calf, and she turned her attention to the taciturn Vampire.
“Lex Boy, are you always this cranky, or is it just a show you put on for pretty girls?” she asked him. Sticks and dragons, one day she was seriously going to regret poking a dragon, but she knew Julius would protect her tonight; they were in a public place filled with humans after all. She felt Julius and Kyle both tense, waiting for Alexander’s reaction.
He leaned forward in his seat, giving Gabi a venomous glare.
“My name is Alexander,” he ground out in a clipped, aristocratic, British accent, “and I’m cranky because I’m hungry, and Julius won’t let me snack on you!” he finished in a hard, sharp hiss, snapping his fully extended fangs at her aggressively. Fortunately their little alcove was completely private, and the hum of the other diners drowned out anything they said to each other.
“Alexander,” Julius snapped warningly, but Gabi wasn’t about to be cowed by an angel-faced bully, no matter how close he was to Julius. She leant slowly towards the angry Vampire, no hint of fear in her, keeping her eyes locked on his.
“I wish Julius had allowed you to try,” she said in a deceptively calm, quiet voice. “That set of fangs would make a really nice necklace.” She enunciated the last three words carefully, drawing them out. If a Vampire could spontaneously combust, then Alexander would probably have burst into flames on the spot, his expression threatened death by small increments for the arrogant bitch across the table. Gabi felt the swell of Julius’s power; he was obviously worried that this was about to get out of control.
“Gabi,” Kyle growled warningly just as the waitress appeared with their drinks and starters.
Gabi relaxed her stance and went back to innocently sipping her wine, as the waitress placed the platter of meats and cheeses in front of her and Kyle. The freshly made-up and newly perfumed waitress breathlessly asked for their mains orders, her disappointment obvious when Julius and Alexander declined, saying they had already eaten. Gabi and Kyle made up for it by ordering huge rare steaks with all the trimmings. The interlude seemed to calm Alexander, or perhaps that was Julius’s influence; either way, the obnoxious Vampire had lapsed back into a sullen silence. Gabi regretfully decided to leave the dragon alone for now.
“I apologise for Alexander’s behaviour,” Julius addressed Gabi, as though none of it was her fault for stirring up the angry Vampire, “he is somewhat annoyed with me for seeking out the assistance of your organisation. He feels it undermines my authority in the Clan. Makes me look weak,” he explained. He pursed his lips and shot a sidelong glance at Alexander. “He has yet to understand the severity of what we are about to come up against. Alexander hasn’t had much experience with Demons, so he is convinced we can deal with them on our own. He has forgotten that while Demons can only cross the Void at night, they are quite capable of moving around in sunlight if they escape detection for that long.” He sounded like he was trying to drum the lecture into Alexander’s head for the hundredth time.
As he said the last sentence a few more pieces of the puzzle clicked together in Gabi’s head. She glanced surreptitiously at Kyle, wondering if he had made the same connection. The Vampires needed the SMV’s help because they were vulnerable during the day. Danté had minions who were able to attack during daylight; this exposed Julius’s Clan in the most dangerous way, they could be slaughtered without even being able to defend themselves. Kyle nodded minutely, acknowledging the connection; the request for an alliance was beginning to finally make sense. Julius leaned over to re-fill Gabi’s glass before filling his own.
“You said in your message that you had some news for us from the Council. I trust that means you presented my case to them,” he asked Gabi, watching as she daintily shovelled the thinly sliced meat and cheese wedges into her mouth.
“Yes,” Gabi answered between mouthfuls. “I met with the Council this morning. They have agreed to consider your request for a meeting.” She winced and shook her head slightly. “I know that sounds extremely bureaucratic, but at least they didn’t dismiss the idea straight away.”
If Julius was disappointed he hid it well, his expression remained bland, even though Alexander snorted derisively.
“Alexander, perhaps it would be better if you waited for me in the car,” Julius said in a deceptively mild voice, a muscle tightening in his jaw. Alexander finally seemed to realise he was pushing Julius a step too far.
“No, I’ll restrain myself,” he capitulated, dropping his gaze from Julius and burying his nose in his drink. Julius took a deep breath watching Alexander for a long moment before addressing Gabi again.
“Did the Council give you a time frame of any kind?” he asked. “I understand the bureaucracy involved in any kind of Council, but we’re running out of time. I think Danté is preparing some kind of assault as we speak.”
“They want to try and verify some of the details you’ve given us; mostly the ones about the Dark Mage. They have sent an inquiry to the Magi High Council for any information they have on her. If they can establish that she is a dark mage, and that she is working with Danté, they’ll meet with you.”
Further conversation was stalled by the arrival of Kyle and Gabi’s main course. The waitress fussed at the table for a while, hovering, until Gabi felt a slight brush of Julius’s power and abruptly the girl seemed to realise that she had something else to do and scuttled off. Gabi raised a questioning eyebrow in Julius’s direction. He smirked back at her, unrepentant, like a school boy caught cribbing on a minor test.
“She
won’t be back to bother us for a while,” he said, as though that excused him.
“Useful talent,” Gabi remarked blandly, “what other tricks do you have up your sleeve?” She pretended she wasn’t particularly interested in his reply as she gingerly slipped her right arm out of its sling to cut into her juicy chunk of red meat. Kyle and Julius simultaneously leant forward to offer assistance. She glared them both back into their seats, but ground her teeth as she used the injured arm to hold the meat in place with a fork and sliced off bite-sized chunks with her left hand. She caught Julius and Alexander both watching her with an odd intenseness as she devoured the succulent meat.
“What?” she demanded. “A girl has to eat.” She was somewhat sensitive about her enormous appetite, she knew it wasn’t considered appropriate for a woman to eat like she did, and she often got incredulous stares when she ate in a restaurant.
Julius shook his head, and Alexander actually cracked a hint of a smile. “Sorry,” Julius apologized quickly, “we’re not passing judgement. It’s just been too long since we actually watched a human eat. It brings back memories, makes us yearn for the variety of tastes.” He got a distant look in his eyes.
“So, the legends got that bit right then,” Gabi nudged, “you can’t eat any human food?”
“Yes,” Julius confirmed. “We can’t digest solid food. We could eat it if we had to, but we would have to purge ourselves soon afterwards. It also doesn’t taste palatable to us, so to appreciate to the taste of a good rare steak we have to taste it vicariously through your reactions. We can, obviously,” he indicated their glasses “drink liquids, and as some of us get older we develop the ability to taste some of them like we did as humans; hence my appreciation of red wine and Alexander’s inclination towards bourbon.”
A Cat's Chance in Hell Page 14