Vampire Hunter’s Revenge

Chapter Five

Eva had scarfed down half of the pad thai before she stopped long enough to take a sip of whiskey. That was when she noticed Zack was watching her, and had barely touched the food himself. There was something in his gaze that caused a warmth to spread through her chest and across her cheeks. "I hope you weren't expecting manners," she joked, taking another sip to try and hide the faint blush.

"Of course not. We're Hunters. And you're starving." He leaned forward then, setting his glass down and taking a few bites of the food himself.

Now that he was no longer focusing on her, Eva allowed herself to take a real look at him, remembering Kristin's teasing earlier. He was attractive, she wouldn't deny that. It was a rugged sort of handsome. Black hair just long enough to fall across his brow, the scruff of a five o'clock shadow covering his jaw. Deep blue eyes that hid the hell within, unless you knew how to look. He was muscular, but in a lean, almost swimmer-type way, not broad and bulky like Damian. Her cheeks burned hotter when suddenly those striking eyes glanced up to catch her staring at him.

"You know... Kristin could have brought me food..." she spoke quietly, trying to cover the fact that she'd been gawking by wondering why he was there.

Zack nodded with a smile, exchanging his fork for his glass. "She could have kept you company, too. But I've never been the type to let someone else have all the fun."

There was no hiding the deep red flush on her cheeks this time. Eva ducked her head a little, absently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I can't promise I'll be good company," she replied, hoping her voice remained as casual as she tried to make it sound.

"You're the one recovering," the man reminded her with a smirk. "It's my job to be good company for you."

That was something she didn't have an argument against. Instead of trying, she turned her attention back to the food in front of her, this time eating at a more normal pace now that the edge had been taken off her hunger.

"So it looks like you guys have a pretty solid home base here," Zack commented, gesturing around at the bunker they were in, and the Oasis Inn above them. "Do all your Hunting locally?"

Eva nodded, swallowing her mouthful before answering. "Plenty of monsters in the City of Angels to keep us busy." She took a small sip from her whiskey. "Sometimes I envy you travelers though. You get to see different places, meet and work with different people. A variety of cases, so it never gets boring."

The man shrugged, his blue gaze lowering to the glass in his hand, idly watching the amber liquid swirl around the ice cubes. "It's not as glorious as you make it sound."

She gave him a wry smile, her own brown eyes revealing the truth of understanding. "Nothing about this life ever is, is it?"

Zack chuckled dryly, lifting his glass in agreement before taking another drink. "No, it's definitely not." They continued to eat in silence for a few moments longer, before the man decided to bring up something he'd been wondering about ever since he met the Hunters here. "If you don't mind me sayin'... you and Adam don't seem to be very cohesive as partners."

Eva's fork paused, hovering over her food, and she shook her head with a heavy sigh. "No, we're not. We shouldn't even be partners."

He looked up at her across the food, surprised by her blatant response. "Then why are you?"

The woman shrugged, stabbing at her food a couple times before taking another bite. "He needed someone experienced to teach him. Everyone else already had a partner."

"We do what we gotta do. I know you know this. So what's the problem?"

She paused again, shrugging dismissively. "He cares too much. Bad things happen when you care too much about your partner." Her voice was quiet, and she avoided looking up at him, continuing to pick at the pad thai in front of her. Even so, those two sentences told Zack everything he needed to know.

"That what happened to Damian?" he asked quietly, his voice soft with understanding.

Eva nodded, her voice barely above a whisper as she replied. "And me."

The man set his fork down and picked up his glass, leaning back in the chair. His blue eyes never left the broken woman in front of him. He didn't ask any more questions, but he had a feeling the conversation wasn't over quite yet.

Eva picked at her food a little more, but it was clear to both of them that she was no longer hungry. "He was the best," the Hunter whispered after a moment, her eyes still staring unseeingly at the pad thai. "He got caught because he tried to protect me."

She didn't need to explain; Zack was well aware of the dangers of Hunters letting their emotions get the best of them. "And you got caught because you went back for him," he offered quietly, and she nodded in confirmation.

A moment later, she took a deep breath to regain control of herself. Setting her fork down and picking up her glass, she took a large drink before sitting back on the couch. She cleared her throat once, then continued, her voice was more strong and steady. A mask just like everything else. "Kristin doesn't like it when we Hunt alone. But I can take care of myself, and it's better than worrying about getting him killed."

She wasn't wrong there, either. Sure, she'd gotten caught when she went out alone. But she'd also gotten caught when she went out with three other Hunters. Zack took another drink, before absently twirling the glass to hear the ice clink together while he thought. "So what is there to Hunt in LA, besides vampires?"

Eva shrugged again, but there was no mistaking how she relaxed slightly with the change of subject. "Anything and everything you normally find in urban areas. Demons, ghosts, curses, gods... Even had a werewolf not too long ago."

"What's your favorite?"

"Hauntings and curses. They're usually pretty simple. Straight forward. Guilt free."

"I'll start looking around, see if I can find any we can tackle when you have your strength back."

The woman laughed and grinned as she took another sip of whiskey. "Good luck convicing Kristin to let me out of this room as long as Damian's still out there." It didn't matter where she went, what she did, or who she was with. The moment she stepped foot out of this room, the vampire would be able to find her. Depending on the day, Eva might feel brave enough to risk it. But that didn't mean that Kristin would feel the same.

Zack gave her a comforting, yet understanding, smile. "I'll talk to her. By the time you're ready, I might even have her convinced."

The smug smirk on his face made her stomach flutter, and she distracted herself from it by finishing off the remaining whiskey in her glass with one large swallow. When she lowered the glass once more, Zack already had the bottle in his hand and was reaching forward to pour her a refill.

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" she asked playfully.

That smirk faded slightly. "I'm trying to help you feel better. Getting drunk is about the only thing that helps me anymore, so it's kinda my go-to."

"It is much appreciated." What a life they lived, where 'numb' was the only sort of 'better' they could hope for. It was nice though, being around someone who understood. Someone who wasn't trying to make her smile and laugh, or contanstly telling her to look on the bright side. Sometimes it was nice to just be numb. Eva took another large drink of whiskey to get there a little bit faster.