Hunter's Strike

“So…. we’re having a party out here?” Angie looked around the pool area warily. The pool was empty, the paint peeling. Dirt and leaves littered the bottom, along with some beer cans. Weeds grew all around the deck. Trash lay scattered all over the place. “When?”

Callie waved her hand at the mess. “Psh. We can have this cleaned up in no time.”

“We?” Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “Evangeline and I already have plans for the night.”

Angie gave him a quizzical look. “We do?” Then she nodded knowingly. “That’s right. We have a… thing to go take care of.”

“Donovan.”

“Right, we have to go see a pirate Gabriel knows. How could you not know that, Callie?” Angie laughed weakly.

Callie grabbed her wrist suddenly. Angie looked at her in alarm. Callie’s smile seemed strained. “Silly me, how did I not see that? I must be tired from being out all day.”

“We’ll see you later.” Gabriel turned and walked away.

“Callie, are you okay?” Angie asked her. “You’re kind of hurting me…”

Callie’s grip on her arm loosened. Her head was bowed, her long curls shading her eyes. She let out a few short laughs. “I’ll be fine. Just a bit tired."

"Maybe you should take care of this later."

"No. I have to get this done so we can have the party on Friday."

"We can have it on Saturday."

"I have something else to do on Saturday."

"What is it? Can I help?"

"It’s something important I decided to do."

"Oh, well don't overwork yourself. I'm sure whatever you do will be just fine." Angie tried to pull her hand away, but Callie gripped it again.

"Do you mean that?" She lifted her head, looking into Angie's eyes. Her own baby blues were pained. "No matter what?"

Angie could tell she was talking about more than just the party. Her eyes softened. She placed a hand on her shoulder. "Callie, you're my best friend. I know you well enough to know that no matter what you do, it's always the right decision."

Callie's eyes grew wide. "Angie, thank you so much for being there for me. If I had working tear ducts I'd be sobbing all over you right now."

"I'm grateful." Angie smiled and Callie was sure it was the closest thing she'd ever see to sunlight.

xxxXXXxxx

Gabriel was waiting in front of the building by the time Angie caught up with him. "Are we really going to see Donovan?"

He nodded. "I'm going to go and settle my contract with him tonight."

"And you want to bring me? I'm shocked."

"Something seems to happen every time I go off by myself. I thought maybe you'd want to be there this time."

"You're right, I do." She gave him a warm smile. "Thanks for thinking about me. For once."

He turned away. "Anything to keep you from complaining later."

"Uh huh, right." She hooked one arm under his and pulled him in the direction of the bus stop.

When they arrived at the stop, Gabriel pulled his arm away. He was visibly uncomfortable. He took her hand in his and kept his eyes turned away. Angie wondered if something other than Donovan Blackswell was bothering him.

The bus arrived and it was packed. Just because it was after dark it didn't mean people didn't have places to be. Not in this city, anyway.

They managed to squeeze through the crowd at the entrance to a small space in the middle of the bus. Gabriel grasped the bar overhead and pulled Angie through. The bus pulled out of the stop with a lurch and Angie stumbled. Gabriel caught her by wrapping his free arm around her waist and letting her fetch up against his chest.

"Sorry." Angie mumbled. She tried to step back, but there wasn't enough free space. She managed to create a couple of inches of room between her and Gabriel and grabbed the railing on the seat next to her. Gabriel dropped his hand from her waist.

"The next bus shouldn't be so crowded. Maybe we'll even get a seat." Angie said optimistically.

"Hopefully." Gabriel kept his eyes on the window.

The next bus was just as crowded as the first, though one seat opened up right away. Gabriel gestured for Angie to take it. She spent the remainder of the ride looking up at him while he stared out the window.

When they were finally off the bus, she let out a breath she felt she'd been holding for the entire trip. "We need a new car. Definitely."

"That can be our next errand. After we're done here. I'd like to point out that we have poor luck with automobiles." It was true. Just last month their car had been blown up by a hunter. When Angie had borrowed her brother’s car, it had been broken into by a vampire.

"Noted." The pier was laid out in front of them. Angie scanned the docks carefully. “Which one is Donovan’s?” Her eyes fell on the wooden pirate ship. “Wait, I see it.” She looked back at Gabriel. “Did you really ride around on that boat?”

“Until I met Nora in Paris.”

“Dumping your best friend for a pretty girl.” Angie tsked.

Gabriel put his hands in his pockets and started walking. “It wasn’t like that.”

Angie hurried after him. “Then tell me what it was like.”

“I was already done with Donovan by the time we reached Paris. I was young back then, and impulsive. When I saw a chance to leave I took it.”

Angie’s eyebrows pressed together. “Weren’t you friends though? It seems cold to just abandon him without even a letter or anything. Is that how it is with vampires? You just leave once you’re bored?” There was a note of concern in her voice.

“Things between us were a bit more complicated than that.”

“Hold up.” Angie grabbed his arm and stopped walking. Gabriel stopped and looked back at her. “Is Donovan your ex-boyfriend?”

Silence stretched out between them. Angie’s expression was dead serious. Gabriel let out a small sigh. “Maybe he saw it that way, but I was really only there for his amusement. I owed him money for the voyage and he decided how he wanted to be paid. In that kind of situation no one can expect me to develop any real feelings for him. No one except that idiot.” His expression soured.

“You told me you were his First Mate.”

“We visited various ports before reaching Paris. I was part of his crew for many years. The whole time he had my debt hanging over my head.”

“But still!” Angie’s voice rose up high. Gabriel looked at her in surprise. “You left Nora too eventually, and you two were married. Is that what vampires do? They just wander through life without becoming attached to anyone? Not even each other??”

“What are you-”

“Are you just going to leave me too, one day?!” Angie shouted. She was surprised to feel tears in her eyes. Her hand slipped from his arm.

He caught her hand in his before it could drop. “I’m not going to leave you.”

“Why, because I’ll die before you get bored of me?”

Their arms seemed to stretch out an impossible distance between them, a gulf that could never be crossed, with their hands clasped in the middle.

Gabriel lifted his free hand up, reaching towards her face.

Just then, Donovan dropped out of the sky, landing on his feet next to them. “Oh ho! What’s this I’m conveniently interrupting?” He grinned. “Or inconveniently as it were.”

Gabriel turned towards him, dropping Angie’s hand. For a brief second his glare was murderous, before his expression settled to one of simple annoyance. “Where did you even come from, Blackswell?” There were no convenient perches around them for at least fifty feet.

Donovan laughed heartily. “Now why would I reveal my secrets to you?”

Angie took this moment to compose herself. She rubbed at her eyes irritably. What was she even getting all worked up over anyway? It wasn’t like her to get hysterical like this.

“I’ve come to settle my contract with you.” Gabriel told him. He reached into his back pocket. Donovan backed up a step warily. Gabriel pulled out his checkbook and a pen. “How much so that I never see your face again?”

Donovan visibly relaxed. “Now now, there’s no need to mess with finances. I’m sure we can settle this through other means.”

Gabriel flipped open the book and clicked the pen. “How much?” His voice was like steel.

Donovan’s shoulders slumped. “Come now… you can’t be serious…” He looked defeated. “I wasn’t really going to make you pay your debt. I just wanted to see you again…”

Angie looked back and forth at the two vampires. She wondered whether Gabriel’s description of their relationship was one hundred percent the way he had described it.

She decided to step in as mediator. “How long are you and your crew planning on staying in New York, Donovan?”

Donovan turned to her gratefully. She couldn’t blame the poor guy with the way Gabriel was glaring at him. “We’re scheduled to depart at the end of the week.”

“Then how about you both take some time to catch up tonight?” she suggested. Gabriel glanced at her. “A nice, friendly reunion to… uh… remember the good times before you part ways forever.”

Donovan’s expression cleared. “Those are amicable terms.”

Angie nudged Gabriel lightly with her shoulder. He returned his checkbook to his pocket. “One night won’t kill me.”

“See? There we go.” Angie smiled. She backed away a step. “I’ll just leave you two to get reacquainted then…”

Gabriel grabbed her forearm. “You’re coming, too.”

She felt her cheeks flush. “I don’t see why you’d need-”

“Please.” She felt then that Gabriel really didn’t want to be alone with Donovan.

“All right.” She gestured to Donovan. “Lead the way.”

xxxXXXxxx

From a distance the ship had looked tiny among the cruise liners and cargo ships. Up close it was massive. The sails towered several stories above the deck.

“Red sails?” Angie asked as they boarded. “A bold choice among seafaring vessels. I’m impressed.”

Donovan gave her a short bow. “You’re too kind, my lady.”

Gabriel had his hands in his pockets as he surveyed the ship through critical eyes. Not much had changed on board in the four hundred plus years he’d been away. There were some new faces, but still some old ones as well.

Angie counted about a dozen people roaming the deck. “Are they all vampires?” she asked in wonder. Vampires were notoriously anti-social. Bringing them together into a group always spelled trouble.

Honestly it wasn’t surprising Gabriel didn’t get attached to anyone.

“Some are vampires, some are not.” Donovan answered her. “I will say that right now you’re the only human on board.” He gave her a toothy grin.

“Human?” A dark skinned vampire with blond hair looked over in interest. He approached Angie and poked her arm lightly with one finger.

“Uhm… excuse me?” Angie raised an eyebrow.

The vampire’s eyes widened in awe. “I say. A real live human…” He poked her again.

Donovan put a large hand on the vampire’s head and shook him. “Didn’t you and your brother just get out of a scrape with a couple of humans?” he asked. “As I recall that fool brother of yours is still down in the med bay getting silver pulled out of his hide.”

“Tch, those were hunters.” The dark vampire crossed his arms over his chest. “They barely count as human.” He began looking Angie all over, even her back. “Look at this one though, she’s not even armed!”

“Uhm…” Angie said with increasing urgency, shrinking back, closer to Gabriel. “You’re starting to make me wish I was…”

Donovan grabbed the vampire by the back of his shirt and dragged him backwards. “This is Nigel, dear Angie. You can feel free to ignore him. He’s harmless.”

“Oy!” Nigel yelped. “Is that anything to say about your Man-at-Arms?”

“It is when he gets bested by three hunter spies! Now get yer arse down below decks and help mend up your worthless brother before I keelhaul the pair of you!”

“I can feel a lot of love on this boat.” Angie whispered to Gabriel. She was surprised when he chuckled lightly. When was the last time she’d seen him laugh?

Nigel was reluctant to leave, but then brightened up. “Oh, I’ll tell Florence there’s a human girl on board. That’ll get him on his feet.” He turned and jogged away.

Donovan started barking orders, taking control of his ship. “Princess, go and clear my cabin up! Make it ready to accommodate guests! Nymph, where are you! Nymph!”

“Right here, Captain.” Nymph appeared at his side as if out of nowhere.

Angie’s eyes widened in amazement. She’d never seen anyone so delicately beautiful in her life. Nymph caught her staring and smiled kindly. Angie felt her cheeks flush again. This was turning out to be an embarrassing night.

Donovan turned to Nymph. “Ah, there you are.” He placed his hands gently on their shoulders. “Go see about some refreshments for our guests.”

“I’ll go and inform the galley.” Nymph turned and walked away.

Donovan gestured grandly ahead, indicating that Gabriel and Angie should go ahead of him. Angie stepped forward first, followed closely by Gabriel. Another crew member held a door open for the trio and they descended into the heart of the ship.