Raphael
I didn't like him.
Maybe it was his smile. Maybe it was the way he looked at us—not like hunters, not like threats, but like an opportunity.
A chance for him to gain something.
"Sit down, boys." His voice was rough, like he had breathed in too much smoke or spent too long near the dying.
I remained standing. Gabriel sat down slowly, Michael followed.
I remained standing.
He chuckled softly. "The cautious one. I like that."
"We're looking for someone," Gabriel said directly.
The man leaned back. "You're looking for many things. But knowledge is expensive."
Michael
I watched him closely.
He wasn't a warrior. Not a killer. But he knew things—he was the kind of man who survived by adapting.
"What do you want?" I asked.
He took a slow drag from his pipe and smiled. "A simple question. And a simple answer: gold, favors, or blood."
Raphael growled. "Forget it."
Gabriel placed a hand on his shoulder. "What kind of favor?"
The man raised an eyebrow. "You're hunters, aren't you? I have… problems. People making my life difficult."
Michael crossed his arms. "You want us to kill for you?"
The man smiled again. "Not kill. Just send a message."
Gabriel
I felt Raphael tense beside me. He wanted to strangle this man where he sat.
I understood him.
But we needed answers.
"What kind of message?" I asked calmly.
The man exhaled a cloud of smoke. "A man owes me money. But he turned to people I can't afford to cross."
"Vampires?" Michael asked.
"Worse." The man grinned. "Men with power."
I exchanged glances with my brothers.
This was getting complicated.
Raphael
"If we do this, we get the information?"
The man placed a hand on his heart. "You have my word."
I didn't know what unsettled me more—the task or his grin.
But we had no choice.
I stepped back and growled: "Tell us what we need to do."