History Repeats Itself

Chapter 15 - Die on my terms

Xander watched the man get up from the table and leave. He wanted to believe those words. And though Samuel hadn't given them much information, he had given them enough. And if he knew Jade, she probably understood a lot more than he did. He turned to her, wanting to question but she shook her head.

"Meet me at my place." Xander wasn't sure that was the best course, but the fire in her eyes told her that he wasn't going to win, so he nodded and stood as well. He let her leave first and then followed her out, glad the club was crowded enough that their escape might not have been noticed. At least, that's what he was hoping for deep down.

He easily climbed into his car, checked his surroundings, and then pulled out, noticing that Jade had quite the start on him. His phone pinged and he looked down, seeing Jade, and sent her address. Well, it wasn't like he could stalk her like she had him. He put the address in and followed his GPS, hitting her place thirty minutes later.

"You're a slow driver," she told him as she opened her door for him,

"Traffic, thank you." Jade chuckled as she nodded.

"Sure. Have a seat." Xander walked in, glancing around at the warm yet dark house. He thought he'd see all kinds of gothic-looking pieces, black swords, demonized objects, but nothing was like that. Sure, it wasn't all pink and feminine, but it was cozy, and comfortable, and screamed what he knew and understood of Jade. "Look your fill yet?"

"No," he told her, sitting down on the couch. "Tell me what that was about?" Jade took her jacket off, tossing it behind her, and sat down next to him, curling her leather-clad leg under her.

"I have a target on my back, according to him. That my one course of action was already labeling me and going back wasn't smart. However, I don't regret it. I do believe it's a vampire. And I do believe the council is controlling it. What I can't figure out, what I'm not even sure Samuel can say, is how. Vampires aren't controlled. We're not puppets on a string that does one's bidding, not like that."

"Could it be," Xander started, leaning forward and resting his forearms on his legs, "that the analogy of the headless horseman is truer than we might think?" Jade blew out a breath and shrugged.

"There is no one in our history that I have ever heard of that, dead or alive, that's summoned do their bidding. Now, that's not saying much as a lot of our history is mute to others. But to keep something like that under wraps, how would you?"

"Jade, the council, from how you have described them, sounds powerful. More than I can imagine. If they are like that, you don't think they could keep something like that out of reach of every vampire? Especially when delving into the past is forbidden. That asking questions, is forbidden?"

"I don't know." And that was the truth. Jade wanted to believe him, he could see that but at the same time, she wasn't sure. "How could something like that be possible? Even better yet, how far back would that date? Samuel was five hundred-plus years old, and he remembered hearing something. In fact, I'm going to call it a purge because there seemed to be certain targets. There were older vampires around, but I'm not sure how many would want to talk to me, especially if rumor might start spreading about the bullseye I've now been set with."

"You do know, you just don't want to think about it." Jade snapped her eyes to his and he nodded.

"Don't think I hold allegiance to the council, Xander."

"Don't you?" he countered.

"No, Xander, I don't. However, I owe allegiance to my life. It might be dull and boring, same shit day in and out, but I don't want to die. Not at their hands." Xander finally leaned back, and she swallowed hard. She should have known that she wouldn't get by on mincing words with a cop and he grinned as the thought flickered over her face.