A Bloody London Sunset (Sunset Vampire Series, Book 2) (11 page)

When Katrina returned to the estate, she found Caleb lounging on the couch watching television in her chamber, but his body language seemed tense.

“I’m back,” she offered encouragingly. “I’m glad that’s out of the way.”

But he failed to look up at her as she leaned over the back of the couch to gaze down at him.

“You didn’t kill him, did you?” he asked in a dark tone.

Her lighter mood turned subdued. “No, but we came to what I believe was a very suitable arrangement.”

He made a derisive sound. “It figures,” he noted with displeasure.

“Caleb,” she placated, “please try to understand. Devon didn’t target you maliciously, though he did fail to observe the courtesy of taking you at your word that you were a vampire’s mate until proving otherwise. I spared his life, and he’ll repay his debt to us by assisting us for a period of time.”

“Well, that’s just great, Kat,” he spat. “So, I nearly die, and he gets community service. How nice that you made a new friend in the end.”

She resisted the inclination to sigh and instead fluidly moved around to the front of the couch, perching next to where he was half-sprawled across one end.

“My love,” she urged patiently, “he’s not a friend. And this arrangement will be of mutual benefit to you, as well. He will serve as a protector to you as needed.”

He turned to her with a stoic expression and answered flatly, “I already have Paige as an additional protector. I don’t want his assistance. I want him dead.”

She was taken aback by her mate’s vehemence and frowned. It was so unlike the peaceable, good-natured young man she had known thus far. She reflected upon his recent exposure to violence, including the near-fatal attack of Chimalma the past December and considered that perhaps he wasn’t coping well. H
ow is an innocent, gentle person supposed to react to such violence in his life?
More to the point, what to do now?
Patience above all else
.

“My love, it’s true that Paige is your assigned alternate guardian, but she’s in California,” she explained. “You need someone besides me who’s also local.”

His jaw tightened noticeably, and he glared sidelong at her. “Look, I can’t make you kill him. Hell, I’m completely powerless to do anything about it, in fact. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to accept anything from him whatsoever.”

“Caleb, please try to --” she urged.

But he interrupted her. “Look. Pardon me if I take it personally when someone tries to kill me. And I don’t care about the justifications, or the vampire politics, or whatever the hell’s going on here. I just hate him. Okay?”

She realized further discussion on the matter would be futile and resigned herself to taking the issue one day at a time. Still, she felt her decision was a reasonable one and hoped he might see the potential benefits once his temper over the topic had abated. However, she feared it would be more of a long-term process.

“I’m going to take a shower,” she announced. “Perhaps someone would like to join me?”

“Thanks, no,” he replied. “I took my shower while you were gone.”

She returned a slightly dejected expression and sighed. “I see,” she replied and rose to make her way across the room to her dresser. She picked out something comfy to change into following her shower.
Apparently, it’s going to be a less than amorous evening for both of us
.
It appears I’ll have time to call Alton with an update, after all
.

* * * *

Chapter 3: Photographic Memories

For days, Caleb silently fumed over Katrina’s pact with Devon Archibald. It felt as if she had chosen the huge vampire over him. And while admittedly sanguinary, he wanted nothing less than revenge for having narrowly avoided death at the hands of his unexpected adversary. Seeking sympathy, he called Paige. And while she had listened patiently, his brief conversation with her had been useless; she had all but openly agreed with Katrina’s decision. He came close to hanging up on her and decided to avoid talking to her for a while for spite.

His friend and teaching mentor, Tanisha, had been very curious on Monday morning as to how his camping event had gone that previous Friday evening. Unfortunately, he could scarcely tell her what actually happened. His reflection on their conversation had only raised his ire, accompanied by a sense of betrayal by his mate.

Still, he followed the rules he had promised to uphold and lied to his friend. He told Tanisha that he and Katrina had a nice enough time, but he didn’t care to revisit the location anytime soon. Fortunately, his outward wounds had healed well enough that she didn’t see any evidence of his physical injuries, though his body still felt very sore and achy in places. However, his perceptive friend did detect something was bothering him, so he admitted that he and Katrina had argued Sunday night, and he was still somewhat upset over the event.

Tanisha advised him, “You know, Caleb. Part of loving someone is admitting to yourself you may not always be happy with your partner, but remembering that you love them. Sometimes you have to let go of festering resentment, or it will eat you alive inside and prove detrimental to the overall health of the relationship. In the case of arguments, it’s hard to look beyond pride or ego on both people’s parts and instead be brave enough to make amends for the benefit of the relationship.”

He conceded the logic of her advice, but countered, “So, what do you do when William makes you angry by making a decision you believe is short-sighted, particularly where he didn’t take your feelings fully into account?”

She paused to consider Caleb carefully. “Well, first, I’d ask him if he thought my feelings were important enough to him to consider more seriously.”

“And then?”

“Then,” she continued with a smirk, “if I thought he was sincere, I’d let him know how disappointed in him I was. And if he weren’t sincere, he’d spend a few nights thinking it over while sleeping on the couch.”

He smiled as she giggled and silently considered her solution might not work quite that well with Katrina. His alpha-vampire mate was cut from a little different cloth than the average person, even for a vampire. Instead, he merely sighed and thanked her for her advice. He half-considered calling Alton, but quickly discarded the idea because the stately vampire apparently agreed with Katrina on her decision. Of course, he was still boycotting Paige, as well.

By Tuesday afternoon, he was still vexed over the entire affair, though he realized he needed to work through his feelings somehow. However, Wednesday passed with no resolution.

By Thursday evening, he had two evening classes left to teach and needed to refocus his attentions on the upcoming lectures. He went to the student union to eat dinner and was happy when Tanisha unexpectedly joined him. Apparently, she was teaching a section of Early American History on Tuesday and Thursday evenings for an adjunct professor who had just had surgery and couldn’t teach for the remainder of the semester.

After a quick meal, his first evening class went well. But as his second section started, something odd occurred. He finished roll call and was bringing up the PowerPoint presentation for his lecture when he spied a quick blur of movement outside of his open classroom door. A pale-skinned, muscular man appearing to be in his early thirties and sporting a crew cut stood in the hallway curiously staring back at him. Another shorter man of Native American heritage in his twenties appeared beside him. He also stared at Caleb while whispering something to his taller associate. A chill went down Caleb’s spine as he realized their odd mannerisms and piercing eyes suggested they were likely to be vampires. It was when the taller one smiled and revealed two slightly extended fangs that Caleb finally had his answer.

He immediately looked down at the computer screen at the instructor station before him and tried to remain calm as he navigated through Windows. He announced, “Just a little delay getting my PowerPoint to come up, everyone. Go ahead and open up your books to chapter eight and review the questions at the back of the section for discussion. You might want to jot down some quick answers in case I call on you, as well.”

He casually slipped his phone from its belt carrier and opened the facing to scroll to Katrina’s number. He glanced up discreetly and noticed both of the men had disappeared, and he paused to consider what to do next.

If he dialed Katrina, she might send that monster Devon, exactly the guy with whom he didn’t want to contend. But she would be angry if he didn’t call her. Then again, neither of the men, or rather vampires, looked particularly threatening. Certainly, while unnerving, it hadn’t caused the same feelings of fear he had felt that night in the wildlife preserve.

He sighed, finally deciding a text message might be the better part of valor. But instead of texting Katrina, he texted his friend and protector, Paige. Granted, she was in California, but she could at least advise him before he made a rash decision. And his class was just beginning, so he had a little over an hour on his hands to consider other options.

He hastily sent the message:
2x fangs outside class. Not scary right now. Plez advise. C.

He set his phone aside and pulled up the PowerPoint for his class. A quick glance through the room indicated his students were still reading or preparing answers to the textbook questions. His cell vibrated, and he read Paige’s reply:
Don’t panic, kiddo. Stall for time. P.

His reply was,
Wish U were here. Thx.

He started his PowerPoint slideshow and glanced down to read another reply from Paige:
Me 2. B careful. Luv U.

Sighing, he slipped his cell phone back into its pouch and anticipated that Paige was likely already on the phone to Katrina. So he did the only thing he knew he could do: he began lecturing, despite the anxiety forming in his stomach. But he was becoming a much better actor over time and barely skipped a step as he played his role as an engaging professor of history.

* * * *

Katrina sat at the desk in her study going over some financial paperwork she had requested from one of her overseas bank accounts and an elite credit card company she used regularly.

She sighed, lamenting that her mate was very put out with her as of late, and wondered how much longer it would take before they either had another disagreement or managed to resolve his most recent conflicted feelings. Either way, she dreaded the thought of further arguments with him.
Gotta love those lose-lose scenarios
.

The cordless phone on her desk rang, and she snatched the handset out of its charger station before the second ring. One quick dart of her eye at the caller ID revealed it was Paige.

“What’s up, shorty?” she quipped.

But instead of a snappy comeback, she heard Paige’s tense voice at the other end. “Red, our boy’s in a little trouble tonight.”

“What kind of trouble?” she demanded.

“He’s at the college teaching a class, and apparently two vampires have shown up outside his classroom. He texted me to say he’s not scared, but wanted advice. I told him to stall for time and stay calm, but I think you better haul ass up there.”

“Thanks. I’m on my way,” Katrina snapped as she slapped the phone onto the desktop and sped out of the room.
Dammit, Caleb, why the hell didn’t you call me first?
she fumed while grabbing her cell phone, keys, and combat knife.

* * * *

After Caleb finished his brief lecture, he selected individual students to answer each of the questions at the back of the chapter. He realized only about half an hour had passed, but it was more than enough time for Katrina to arrive. There was no doubt in his mind Paige would have immediately called her following his text messages.
Maybe Kat’s searching the campus for the vampires while I’m teaching
. He thought it odd that she hadn’t appeared to indicate her arrival, but at least there had been no reappearance of the two vampires in his doorway, either.

The question and answer session with his students was completed in record time. Failing to have a plausible reason to detain them further, he adjourned his students approximately fifteen minutes early, wishing them a good evening and cautioning them to prepare for a possible quiz next Tuesday. The students cleared the room before he even had time to shut down the instructor computer fully, and he found himself going downstairs to his office in near silence. As he unlocked his office door, he considered whether he should try calling or texting Katrina. He postponed making a decision in lieu of loading his briefcase with items he wanted to take home with him. Unfortunately, the briefcase was too small, so he transferred everything into a backpack he kept in his office for such an occasion. An eerie feeling crept up his spine as he wondered where Katrina was.

He finished preparing his backpack for the journey home and decided to open his office blinds just enough to see what might be going on outside. Fortunately, most of the park-like surroundings outside the campus buildings were well lit by lamp poles scattered throughout the grounds, so he had a reasonable view of the immediate vicinity.

Suddenly, he noticed his two unexpected visitors standing beside a large pine tree approximately thirty feet away from the building. He had almost overlooked them because they wore dark clothing and were both standing on the shaded side of the tree sheltering them from the ambient light.

His heart leapt in his throat as he noticed one of his history class students stop near the men as they engaged her in conversation. Beth Wilkins must have lingered after class and appeared to be heading across the grounds to the parking lot on the opposite side of campus. He wasn’t sure what the vampires intended for him, but he knew Beth was in a particularly vulnerable situation and would have no idea of the potential danger posed to her.

He made an instant decision and grabbed his leather jacket before pulling his office door closed behind him. His heartbeat increased anxiously, but he deliberately walked out into the cold night air towards the trio. He adopted a stern expression and stopped perhaps twenty feet from the two vampires, who noted his approach with curious expressions.

Beth noticed the distracted attention of the two figures, and her head slowly turned to gaze at Caleb with an almost relieved expression as she clutched her book bag tightly to her chest. Apparently, even she had begun to grow wary of the two men, even though not realizing the true extent of their danger to her.

“Beth, it’s getting pretty late,” he observed. “Do you need someone to escort you to your car?”

Beth swallowed and replied appreciatively, “No thanks, Professor Taylor. I’m parked fairly close, but I better get going.”

“Okay, see you next Tuesday,” he replied with as casual a voice as he could muster.
I hope I’m around to see you on Tuesday
, he thought anxiously.

She turned and walked away with hurried steps, glancing back over her shoulder twice before disappearing around the corner of the science building. Caleb’s gaze settled on the two vampires, who appeared mutually amused by him.

“Caleb Taylor, I presume?” asked the tall vampire with the crew-cut. “Your student spoke very highly of your skills for a professor that’s so young.”

“I found my niche early, I suppose,” he quipped, although his false bravado was shaken by the growing feeling of vulnerability forming from not seeing anyone else in the vicinity.

The shorter Native American-looking vampire smirked. “I can see why Pete wanted to stop and see if you were the real deal. You’re gutsy for a human.”

Caleb gathered the taller vampire was named Pete, and he frowned, wondering what they wanted with him exactly.

“Oh, he’s the real deal, all right,” came Katrina’s level, steel-edged voice from somewhere behind him.

He started to glance behind him, but quickly decided it was more prudent not to take his eyes off the two vampires before him. He was glad for that, because he would have missed the priceless expressions of surprise and dismay as they looked past him to where Katrina must have been standing. But Caleb was startled noticeably as Katrina’s body suddenly appeared before him and to the left, slightly blocking his vision. His eyes caught sight of the handle of a combat knife protruding from underneath the back of her leather jacket.

“Who are you, and what do you want with my mate?” she coldly demanded.

The two vampires stepped back slightly and held their arms out to their sides as if expecting to engage in combat at any moment. There was a palpable increase in the tension growing in the air around Caleb, and he flexed his muscles with anticipation.

“Wait,” the taller vampire insisted with his hand held up. “We’re not here to cause trouble. I’m Pete Crenshaw, and my friend is Eric Holata. We’re from North Carolina and were just passing through town on our way to the Rockies.”

The shorter vampire spoke up. “Yeah, we heard about how you and your mate killed that South American vampire. We just wanted to know if everything we heard was true.”

“Why did you approach him? Why not me instead?” Katrina demanded.

The two vampires fell silent. Then Pete replied, “We, uh, heard about how you were an alpha –”

Eric interrupted, “We thought it would be easier to talk to your mate. There was no need to disturb you over something so trivial.”

So, word’s getting around about either Katrina’s stern attitude or temper. Or maybe both
, Caleb mused. He felt more at ease about the situation with each passing moment.