Page 93 of Resurrection

“Apparently not. Could you have maybe let me know?”

Gabe tried to recall the details of the organization, but they were sparse. Like he’d drafted an idea, got together a handful of his most trusted vampires, but that was all the further he’d gotten. “I’m not sure I was much involved.”

“Your money funded it.”

“Okay, but I was in the ground. Who had control of my money?” Gabe threw back. He didn’t want to fight with his witch, but would if he had to. And he had to admit the intensity of the gaze and scrutiny Seiran had on him, made him a little hot.

Or maybe that was just Seiran’s blood running through his veins. Not that it mattered, he’d take the fiery passion any way he could. It was one of the things about Seiran that had always appealed to him.

“Max.” Seiran cursed. “That…” He made to get up, but Gabe held firm.

“He’s always been a bit on the manipulative side. Even when we were humans.” Gabe recalled back to Max’s mortal days. He actually didn’t really miss being in that storm. There was always a new city to conquer, an organization to plunder, and riches to obtain. Gabe hadn’t really needed any of that. He’d been more about the adventure, discovering new places, and learning everything about new cultures. “Was I gone long this time?”

“Are you all healed?” Seiran asked. “Memories where they are supposed to be?” His gaze looked over Gabe, letting go of his hair long enough to tug at Gabe’s shirt. But all the damage from the fire was gone.

“Yes. A little stiff, but otherwise fine. Memories seem to be there.”

“But you woke up in the garden? That’s bizarre. But we put the grave dirt from the bed there. Wasn’t sure if we should carry it all the way back. Do you need more blood?”

“Kaine gave me some of yours that was in the freezer.”

“Yeah. Figured I’d save some for a bit. Just in case.”

“Thank you.”

“How do you feel?”

Gabe thought hard about that. “More me? Less like I was ripped early? More in control. Even the hunger when I woke was only passing. Necessary.”

“The revenant isn’t pulling at you?”

“No,” Gabe agreed. It was silent. Always there as was the nature of a vampire, but not the beating presence it had been.

“It’s been about two weeks,” Seiran said. He looked tired, like he’d barely slept. “Not long…” But still hard, Gabe could hear that in his voice. Maybe he hadn’t been pulled that early last time, or something about resting in the garden this time with the bond renewed had better helped his regeneration.

“Kaine said you were at work? I didn’t mean to interrupt your day.”

“I’m going through evidence. Endless fucking evidence. I’m a thousand years behind. And learning things I didn’t want to know.”

“Okay. Like?”

“Like some vampires don’t die even if you behead them?”

Gabe flinched. Yeah, false rumors spread easily enough. Vampires were hard to kill in general. Beheading slowed them down enough for fire to really destroy them before the earth could rebuild them. Total body destruction, really, it was a bit of a crazy balance. “Only way to really kill a vampire is by burning it to ash. Usually, aboveground. Good luck getting them to stay there that long.”

Seiran was silent for a minute contemplating. “Is Tresler really dead?”

Gabe tried to recall what he could, but he’d only heard about Tresler’s death. Whatever tie the old vampire had over Gabe in the past was gone. “I don’t know. You were there, I wasn’t.”

“Technically, I was dead. Shot in the head. Sam burned it all down that day. The earth tried to take him back, but Sam burned everything. How the house didn’t burn down…” Sei shook his head. “That guy is like a hammer to the forehead. Nothing delicate in his magic.”

Gabe laughed. “Yeah? You’re one to talk.”

“Hey!”

Gabe curled himself around Seiran in the chair, reveling in the feeling of him being there. His memories back in place made him breathe in deep, the scent of Seiran, the pulsing beat of their magic settling together, and even the sound of his heartbeat. However, he had a feeling something was up. “Why the question about Tresler?”

Seiran tensed in Gabe’s arms, then curled in to rest his forehead on Gabe’s shoulder. “Just hold me a little longer, then I’ll tell you, okay?” There was a hint of a tremble in Seiran, some of the confidence vanishing beneath a tide of fear.