A Bloody London Sunset (Sunset Vampire Series, Book 2) (28 page)

They stopped, looked at each other, and then back at Caleb.

“What do you think, Red?” Paige asked. “Gil’s probably fine back at the house.”

Katrina smirked. “Well, he did actually win tonight, I suppose.”

“Great, thanks!” he replied. “Maybe you two could go through the woods to retrieve my clothes hanging up in the trees?”

The two vampires exchanged amused glances.

“Better yet,” Paige clarified, “
you
get your own clothes, and we’ll get the ropes and other equipment from in and around the building.”

“Besides, I still have to pick up my
heart
from the third floor,” Katrina retorted.

“Oh, all right,” he replied sourly.

Paige and Katrina victoriously smacked each other’s open palms in midair as they walked towards the concrete structure, appreciating their easier task.

“I really didn’t know he could rappel,” Katrina noted quietly.

“Ha! I still don’t,” Paige snickered, and then added seriously: “He’s full of surprises, though, and with some additional training --”

“Oh, don’t encourage him,” Katrina chided, but smirked. She was proud of him for trying, despite the anxiety it had caused her.

Meanwhile, Caleb proceeded into the nearby woods with a sigh.
At least I won this round
, he considered proudly. However, he realized his victory was partially due to the aid of another vampire. He wondered if he would ever really be prepared to confront vampires on an equal footing.

* * * *

Saturday morning, Katrina spent time sorting though emails. It seemed that her recent territorial declaration was the focus of conversation in the vampire community, and some were wondering if she were creating some form of organizational structure. A few vampires were even interested in joining such a structure under the right circumstances. However, Katrina had hoped her initiative would serve as a subtle deterrence rather than an open invitation, and it annoyed her that the declaration was only partially successful. She discussed her concerns with Alton, but he seemed rather amused, conceding that such a result had been within the spectrum of possibilities.

Funny
, she thought irritably.
Alton never mentioned that as a possibility leading up to my decision
.

Alton reassured her they would discuss it further when she and Caleb came to England in March. It occurred to her that their trip to the United Kingdom was taking on more and more significance, which wasn’t encouraging.

In the meantime, Saturday afternoon Caleb learned the proper techniques for basic knife-fighting from both Katrina and Paige, including some advanced combat techniques. After a few hours of repetition, both vampires were impressed with his ability to observe and duplicate the methods demonstrated, though Katrina intended to test him every few days to ensure his continued competency. Early on, Gil asked to participate, but after only a short time was relegated to being a stand-in for demonstrations rather than a student.

That evening, the four of them went out to dinner and then perused the downtown Atlanta area for impromptu diversions. For Gil, that primarily amounted to seeking out prospective clubs and bars that looked promising. Once they were downtown, Gil recalled conversations with patrons at the previous weekend’s club activities about a couple of bars that sounded interesting to him. Paige rolled her eyes, but conceded to let Gil lead the way. However, Caleb’s limited experience with Gil engendered a wary sensibility regarding the former rock singer’s choices and decisions.

Fortunately, the two bars that Gil selected were in reputable sections of the downtown area, which relieved Caleb. The first was a popular bar named Atlanta Tap, frequented by a number of the college students and the urban twenty-something crowd. The music was loud, and the atmosphere was lively, and the four of them stayed for a couple of hours. However, the mood and conversation between Gil and Paige seemed somewhat distant and tentative.

The second bar, Downtown Blues, presented them with a mostly thirty-something or older crowd. It was styled with rock and soul music memorabilia and hosted a live classic blues band. The bar offered a number of locally brewed beers, as well as a decent selection of food on their menu. Caleb and Gil took the opportunity to order something to eat, while Katrina and Paige contented themselves with watching them while nursing their beers and appreciating the live music.

While Paige hardly ignored Gil, her attention was often subtly distracted as she observed the interactions between Katrina and Caleb with satisfaction. Her blue eyes caught Caleb’s as he and Katrina laughed at a joke he had made, and Paige winked at him approvingly. One of the primary reasons for her journey to Atlanta had been to determine what was happening between Katrina and Caleb, and she had not only done that, but also managed to aid in mending a rift in their relationship. She reflected on how she had been able to lay the groundwork to help mend the social rift between Caleb and Devon Archibald. Additionally, she had learned so much more about Caleb’s past and why Katrina had been so drawn to him initially. Finally, she was able to spend some long-overdue quality time with Caleb. All in all, it had been a productive and informative visit to Atlanta, and she was content to have helped the two people who were perhaps most dear to her.
They’re like family
, she affirmed.

After a couple of hours, everyone agreed it was time to leave. While Gil excused himself to use the restroom, Caleb paid the tab for everyone as Katrina and Paige left the bar to wait outside for them. On his way to the exit, Caleb saw the merits of a restroom break before joining the women. As he passed through the initial men’s room door, he overheard Gil speaking somewhat loudly. Gil’s somewhat angst-ridden tone of voice caused him to pause just inside.

“...so this scene is lame and getting lamer by the minute, dude,” Gil complained. “Everybody’s nice enough, I guess. But Paige has turned out to be a real drag for a vampire.”

Caleb’s eyes widened as he listened to the conversation, and a momentary feeling of shame ran through him as he reflected on his eavesdropping. But then, the conversation suddenly seemed important enough to override his social sensibilities.

“What? Hell yeah, Skeet, a frickin’
real
vampire! Fangs, super-fast speed, the works. Oh man, I think I can snap a pic with my cell, and I’ll show you her teeth. Dude, they’re real. I ain’t freakin’ lyin’!” Gil blurted excitedly. “It’s like I’m some kind of ’blood on tap’ for her, but she always has a way of erasing the teeth marks so they don’t show.”

Caleb realized that his own rule number one had been broken, and though he never recalled Paige’s mentioning the rules for her own companions, he was nevertheless confident that was a universal one. One was never to reveal the true nature of a vampire’s existence to anyone, no matter the emotions or motivations driving such an inclination. Katrina stressed that rule above all others as the most important to maintain the safety of a vampire. Anonymity was their best friend in a twenty-first century world where humanity probably wasn’t ready to deal with the realities of vampires among them. And yet, somehow he wasn’t entirely surprised that Gil seemed oblivious to that fact.

“You want to see a picture?” Gil asked. “I guess I could try to snap a pic, if she’ll let me. But Dude, you’ll just bitch about how it looks like makeup and photo editing.”

Gil paused. “Really? Yeah, I remember Doug. He works over at that rag magazine, right?”

Another pause. “A thousand bucks for one picture? Ah, hell, are you trippin’ me?!”

Caleb’s anger flared as he realized where Gil’s conversation was heading.

“Hell, yeah,” Gil said. “That would pay some serious rent for me, dude. And with me between bands, I need all the spare Benjamins I can lay my hands on. Besides, she doesn’t even read the
Inquirer
. She’ll never know. And hey, would they pay for additional shots?”

Caleb started to burst into the room and yank the guy’s cell phone from his hand, but paused as Gil said something that stopped him in his tracks.

“What’s she like? Ah, hell, she’s a great lay,” Gil replied emphatically. “But it ain’t like I’m hookin’ up prime time with her, either. She can be bossy and kind of bitchy at times. Paige is more of a nighttime gig only, if you’re followin’ me. And there’s this guy I think she has a torch for or something. I dunno, it’s shit!”

Caleb had tried to reassure Gil that Paige was only a friend.
Then again, am I the one getting the wrong picture?
He pushed that thought from his mind and instead refocused on the situation at hand. He stormed into the room, fuming over the gall of Gil’s indiscretion, and saw the young man looking back at him with wide-eyed surprise. Caleb walked directly up to Gil, reared his arm, and punched him squarely in the face with a balled-up fist. However, he winced as his knuckles were impacted slightly by the leading edge of Gil’s teeth.

“Shit!” Gil exclaimed after recovering from the blow. “What the hell?!”

“Don’t even think about doing that, asshole!” Caleb demanded.

Gil glared back at Caleb abashedly and stammered, “Hey man, chill! I was just joking, you know?”

Caleb considered punching him again, but then shook his head, spun around, and walked purposefully back out of the restroom. He stalked back though the bar and exited out onto the street, still shaking his head with aggravation. His mind raced with a host of emotions: fear that humans would find out about Paige and Katrina, anger that Gil was such a creep, and concern that the balance of another human’s life was essentially in his hands based upon “the rules” he was supposed to follow. Another realization struck him.
Maybe there are two people’s lives in my hands. Surely, that other guy -- Skeet? -- will have to be addressed as a loose end or something.
An anxious feeling formed in the pit of his stomach, but his concern for the two dearest women in his life far outweighed his reservations at that moment.

Katrina and Paige were idly chatting, and both looked up with curiosity as Caleb approached. They immediately noted the troubled expression on his face, and their countenances turned more serious.

Paige sniffed at the air, and her eyes went immediately to Caleb’s right hand and his bleeding knuckles. Katrina noted the scent and Paige’s attention, and her eyes quickly focused on his hand with a curious expression. Caleb blinked once slowly, looking at each woman in turn, and absently flexed his sore right hand.

“Bars are dangerous places for you, it seems. Is everything okay, kiddo?” Paige asked. “And hey, where’s Gil?”

He frowned. “He’s still in there...probably still talking on his cell, I think.”

“Caleb?” Katrina ventured with concern evident in her voice. She could tell by his distracted expression that he was troubled, and she was confident that his knuckles hadn’t been injured by accident.

He looked at Katrina only for a moment before his gaze focused on Paige fully. “Listen, there’s something you need to know about Gil. I’m afraid he’s just not right for you.”

But Paige misinterpreted his comment with a smirk. “Is he taking a hit from a joint in there? He’s kind of a pothead at times.”

“That’s not the problem, believe it or not,” Caleb replied before staring into her bright blue eyes in penetrating fashion. He fell silent, not exactly sure how to proceed.

Katrina watched silently, waiting for him to say more, and suspected the news wasn’t good.

“Go ahead, tiger,” Paige encouraged as she grasped him gently by the shoulders and directed him towards a small, darkened alley close by. “Tell me more.”

The three of them relocated down the dark, narrow alley a short distance away, although Caleb glanced warily into the darkness.

“We’re alone,” Katrina assured him with a gentle brush of her hand across his back.

Caleb’s eyes darted briefly to Katrina’s before settling his gaze on Paige. “Rule number one was broken.”

Paige’s eyes widened with surprise, and Katrina pressed closer to Caleb to place a supportive hand on his shoulder. By the look in his eyes she knew he hadn’t been the one who broke the rule.

“Tell us what you know,” Paige encouraged in a serious, yet reassuring voice as she continued to grasp Caleb gently by the upper arms.

He quickly recited everything that he had overheard from Gil and tried not to include any of his own reflections or emotions so as not to influence the presentation of facts. He focused on maintaining eye contact with Paige in the same manner that Katrina did with him on occasion to give the vampire the opportunity to gauge his emotions further. It wasn’t as if he were trying to mislead anyone, but he wanted Paige to know he was both serious and forthcoming with everything. During his recollection, Paige occasionally squeezed his shoulders in an encouraging fashion, which he appreciated.

But the one item of information he deliberately left out was the accusation that Paige had affections for someone else. He wasn’t sure the topic was wise to mention at the moment.

Paige frowned momentarily as she detected a change in his body language, but patiently listened as he described his own animated response towards Gil. Both vampires adopted amused smirks when he recounted punching Gil in the face.

When he finished, he stood silently and felt Katrina’s fingernails stroke the back of his neck in soothing fashion.

Paige removed her hands from his shoulders and softly cradled his face between her warm palms. She stepped up to him and placed a light kiss on his forehead. “I know how hard this must be for you,” she offered tenderly. “But thank you for having the courage to come forward.”

He nodded while she cradled his face in her hands. “I won’t let anyone or anything threaten you or Katrina, if I can stop it.”

Paige smiled in a warm, appreciative manner, and softly, yet deliberately, kissed his lips. A small charge seemed to pass through her as their lips touched, and for a split second her eyes widened with surprise.
He’s a good kisser.
She was also struck by the sincere, protective nature of the young man, as well as the fierce sense of dedication he had shown to her. As humans went, she had never met anyone quite like Caleb before, which only added to his aura of intrigue.