A Bloody London Sunset (Sunset Vampire Series, Book 2) (43 page)

“That could have been your head,” she declared sternly. “You could be dead right now from that, if not strangled, or your neck snapped by that vampire downstairs. Although I noticed that you managed to get off a lucky shot to his jaw before anything fatal happened. So yeah, you could say I’m not happy right now.”

He swallowed hard and managed to whisper, “But I heard a woman scream and thought you were in trouble. I had to help you somehow.”

“So, you think I’m the only female vampire around here,” she countered, but realized he had no way of knowing that. Her features softened somewhat, and she sat down next to him while maintaining eye contact.

He noticed that her eyes began to return to their normal hue.

“My love,” she said gently, again touching his cheek with her palm. “My foolhardy, but brave, love.”

Alton appeared at the top of the stairs and walked over to where they were seated. He glanced down at Caleb with a slightly raised eyebrow and touched Katrina on the shoulder lightly. “They managed to take one of two notebook computers that must have been their data collection systems. And at least one of them escaped through a metal grate leading into the city sewer system,” he reported. “The area seems clear for now. Counting the one up here and the escaped one, there must have been six of them. It was pretty clear that none of them intended to be taken alive.”

“Not surprising, given the way they fought,” Katrina replied. “So, is this just the tip of the iceberg?”

“It would seem,” Alton replied absently, as if already deep in thought.

“Hey Alton,” Caleb offered. “I found your couch.”

Alton looked up with a smirk while shaking his head. “Trouble-making scamp.”

* * * *

It was after midnight by the time Katrina and Caleb returned to the hotel. They stopped by Alton’s office building to change back into their normal clothes before making their way back to their suite. Despite his pain-wracked body and exhaustion, Caleb insisted on a shower before collapsing into bed.

Katrina lay beside him, observing him sleeping soundly, and appreciated how peaceful and innocent he looked.
He shouldn’t have accompanied us tonight
. She felt more comfortable having him close by, but detested his being in harm’s way, even though he had been so insistent about it and complained so little once it was over.
Caleb’s a real trooper that way
.

She glanced at her wristwatch, noting it was after two o’clock, and stared out the window to the city beyond. While still overcast with thick dark clouds, the cold misting rain from earlier had stopped, leaving the city with a gloomy appearance.
Perfect vampire weather
.
Perhaps a walk?

After tying her hair into a neat pony-tail, she slipped into jeans, a sweater, and some leather boots and grabbed her leather jacket. It wasn’t as if she needed it, but it was all about a proper public appearance and not attracting too much attention. It was at such times that she appreciated many of the qualities of her body’s stamina, including the lack of impact from cold weather.

Following a final glance at Caleb, she slipped quietly from the hotel room and proceeded downstairs. She went to the underground corridor connecting to Alton’s office building and into the underground Tube station. From there, she walked to a nearby Tube system exit and onto the streets of London.

She wandered for an hour or so, appreciating the change of scenery from Atlanta. It had been many years since she last roamed the streets of London alone at night. Memories of another time flooded her thoughts, a time when such wandering was a requirement for stalking prey, a meal.
Sort of
g
lad those days are long gone
. She loved to hunt as much as the next vampire, but it was tedious to have to hunt so frequently and an inefficient use of her spare time. But with the evolution of blood banks, refrigeration, and easy blood access came the boredom and the need for diversions that kept life interesting.

Now Caleb kept her life interesting.
He fulfills me in ways that I haven’t enjoyed since being human
. Memories of her late human husband, Samuel, came to mind. He had been a wonderful husband and a caring father to their children. Samuel was taken from her all too soon, and the children followed. After her turning, centuries of failed partners left her bitter and jaded. Finally, Caleb entered her life, first as a child helping her out of a dire circumstance, and later as a romantic partner, a true mate. Not since Samuel had she found such an excellent pairing for her: a lover, a soul mate. Life felt complete again.

As the late-night walk continued, she tried to imagine life without Caleb. Just the thought of his absence sent a wave of sadness through her.
He’s going to grow older and eventually di
e. It was at that moment that she made the critical decision:
If it’s his preference, I’ll turn him. He’d like that, I bet. He’d be an amazing vampire.
But she also realized that he wasn’t quite ready yet.
Or rather, I’m not ready yet
.
I like him as a human for now, and he still has some maturing to do. Given a few more years, he’ll be ready.
Like fruit on the tree, it needs time to ripen before it’s plucked.

She reflected on how much he already seemed to have matured in the short time she had known him. Gone was the timid young man she had first met. He had gained self-confidence and a boldness of character. Yet he also needed to temper his enthusiasm with a better appreciation for the dangers facing him.
That’s the maturity he needs to gain most of all
.
It will come in time with a little mentoring from me
.
Paige will be helpful, as well.

The thought of her friend and former pupil caused a pause in her musings regarding Caleb. The perky vampire had acted strangely as of late. Certainly, a reasonable period of time had been expected to pass for an investigation into the deaths of Gil Yeager and his friend to leave Paige in the clear. However, it had already been ruled an accident by the authorities. Just another senseless drug-related death, the
L.A. Times
had proclaimed. Marijuana had been found in both victims’ systems, and the late-night conditions, coupled with the sharply curving seaside road, had provided an easy explanation for the men’s deaths.
So, what’s kept Paige from restoring contact with us the past four weeks? It’s certainly bothered Caleb recently. Naturally, I’m going to have to deal with that soon, I think. She’s important to us: a close friend and his surrogate vampire.

She sighed, glanced at her watch, and was surprised that she had been wandering the city streets for nearly three hours. She had enjoyed her walk through town, but daylight would be coming before long. Besides, she didn’t want Caleb to wake and find her gone.
It’s not like he couldn’t call my cell phone
. Her eyes widened as she felt inside her coat pockets and failed to feel a phone.
I must have left it lying on the nightstand.

She walked quickly in the direction of the hotel, making sure not to move inhumanly fast for fear of being noticed or caught on one of the numerous public cameras casing the city. Vampires had to be more cognizant of such technological developments if they wanted to maintain their anonymity. She finally decided to use the Tube for her journey back to the hotel and arrived within thirty minutes.

When she entered the suite, her keen hearing detected a rapid heartbeat, and her eyes immediately targeted Caleb as he stood in the dark living room before the large window looking out upon the city. She easily saw his concerned expression as he stood with his arms folded before him. She tossed her jacket onto the couch and moved in a blur to stand behind him, wrapping him in her arms.

He winced slightly as pain ran through his chest and shoulders as she hugged him. However, he clenched his jaw against the discomfort, not wanting to admit it to her. He didn’t want her to exclude him from adventurous events in the future if they should arise.

However, she easily detected his body’s reaction and noted his lack of verbal acknowledgement to it.
He’s trying to hide it from me again
. “What are you doing up?” she asked.

“I woke up about ten minutes ago and found you gone,” he said in a tired voice. “And I worried you were out on an additional adventure with Alton or something.”

She smiled, appreciating the warmth of his body, as well as his concern for her wellbeing. “I didn’t mean to worry you, my love,” she replied. “Just enjoying a walk.”

He realized her opportunity to be outdoors began at sunset, and he tried to be supportive of that. Still, she seemed somewhat somber, and he frowned.

“Everything okay?” he asked tentatively as his arms reached behind him to embrace her awkwardly.

“More than okay,” she assured him. “Everything’s perfect.”

He smiled at her tone and sighed happily.
I couldn’t agree more.

“Now, back to bed,” she ordered mildly, though she anticipated no argument.

She removed her arms from around him, and he slowly walked back into the bedroom. He turned off the lamp on the nightstand and sat gingerly on the edge of the bed while swallowing some ibuprofen and sipping from a nearby glass of water.

Meanwhile, she slipped out of her clothes, quickly slid beneath the covers, and held the sheet and blankets up for him to nestle underneath. Given that the room’s temperature felt a little chill to him, he kept his sweatpants and t-shirt on and lay carefully back in bed. She covered him up, gently nestled next to him, and kissed him affectionately on the back of the neck. She lay next to him in the dark, listening to his strong heartbeat and regular breathing as he drifted back off to sleep. And despite not really needing the sleep, she dozed for a couple of hours herself.

* * * *

By Thursday, Caleb was still quite sore, but made an effort to mask it from Katrina, deliberately telling her he felt just fine. However, she knew better and purposefully selected low-impact activities for them. When he had toured the city with the Fullers, he located a few museums and tourist sites that could be accessed indoors via the Tube. She selected a couple of locations not far from the hotel, and they used the Tube to cover the distance to them. Once there, she found frequent excuses to sit and “observe” paintings, sculptures, or other interests to allow him to rest. He was silently appreciative.

Halfway through the day at one such “observational stop,” he put his arm around her and commented quietly, “You know it. And I know you know it. But thanks for not saying anything, just the same.”

She smirked, having deciphered the nature of his comment, and kissed him lightly on the lips.
Anytime, my love
.

They returned to the hotel early, and Caleb took a long nap before dinner. By evening, he was still quite sore, but felt much more rested. They went out to dinner at a locally owned restaurant specializing in Italian and had a wonderful, romantic time together. They laughed, held hands across the table, and shared a bottle of dessert wine until late in the evening.

Another perfect day together
, Katrina thought happily as she lay beside him in bed that night.

The brief remainder of the week went smoothly with no interruptions from wayward vampires, or assailants, or even any adventurous errands with Alton. Katrina and Caleb spent time together relaxing and enjoying each other’s company. It felt like a real getaway, a true vacation. Thanks to the more sedate pace of activities, Caleb’s body also recuperated, and by late Friday he felt more his usual self.

During the early part of the day, the Fullers returned to take him out on the town. However, they made sure to use a car and stay in the daylight, completely avoiding the Tube. It was very enjoyable, and Caleb was able to see sights located on the outer parts of the city, including a brief drive out to the country to see a more pastoral side of England.

Alton shared part of the early evening with them and took them out to dinner again at Shakespeare’s. This time, Caleb tried the Shepherd’s Pie and discovered that, much to his surprise, he found mutton somewhat tasty.

“I’ve really enjoyed seeing you again, Alton,” he offered at dinner. “And thanks for saving my life the other night.”

Alton observed him with an appraising expression. “No thanks are necessary, dear boy. And it’s been wonderful seeing you again, to be brutally honest. Perhaps we’ll see each other again this summer. There’s a European conference on the horizon I’ve asked Katrina to attend, you see.”

Caleb’s eyes rose with speculative interest, while Katrina looked at Alton sharply, muttering, “Perhaps. We’ll have to see.”

Alton assumed a diplomatic expression and quietly sipped from a glass of rare vintage wine. “Our information systems staff have discovered that Davison was accessing reports of our surveillance activities in London,” he informed them. “He was copying those reports and providing them to his contacts stationed in the Tube tunnels. It’s likely that Caleb and the Fullers interrupted a ’data drop’ that day at the station. And I suspect they took the leather couch as a bit of an inside joke, operating right under our noses, so to speak.”

He paused for a moment to let that sink in before changing the subject. “I hope, despite a couple of speed bumps, you’ve enjoyed your holiday to England,” he ventured.

Katrina glared at the dark-haired vampire from across the table and chastised, “Speed bumps? You have a gift for understatement, Alton.”

“It’s been very educational, actually,” Caleb replied easily and added with a smirk: “I learned never to turn my back on a wounded vampire.”

Katrina arched an eyebrow as she glanced at her mate, while Alton nodded.

“Well said, my boy. Now finish your wine. It’s very old and expensive.”

Katrina merely rolled her eyes while Caleb grinned. He once again marveled at the fact that he was sitting down to dinner with beings who had lived on Earth for five hundred years and more.
Vampires are absolutely amazing
.
Well, when they’re not busy trying to terrify or kill you, that is.