Follow Me When the Sun Goes Down (16 page)

“Unless someone was to hang around and catch them at a vulnerable moment.”

“Did Khalid have security with him?”  I already knew
Jean Pierre did not.

“Yeah, he had a pair of riders with him at the time.  They didn’t see anything amiss.”

“And we didn’t see anyone else around Jean Pierre, but who knows what might’ve happened if we hadn’t been nearby.”

Rob picked up both of my hands, capturing my complete attention.  “All the more reason for you not to pull any more stunts like giving Gunnar the slip.  What were you thinking?”

“I know, I’m sorry.  I guess I wasn’t thinking about being in danger at all.”

“Are you going to tell me about what happened to get you in such a tizzy?”

“I had a brief run in with Angel before, and that sparked an argument with Bishop.  But you know what, it’s not even important anymore.  I’m done with all of that drama,” I promised resolutely. 

The furrow between his brows pinched tighter.  “I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Of me being done with drama?”

“No, of Angel upsetting you.  Maybe I’ll have a few words with her myself.”

“Oh, please don’t.”  That was all I needed, Rob getting into the middle of it and letting Angel know how much she got to me in the first place.  She’d probably hear about my visit to Bishop already, and I didn’t want to give her any more ammunition against me.  “I told you, it’s not a big deal.  She can keep all her smarmy comments to herself, it doesn’t have anything to do with me anymore.”  Maybe if I said it enough, it would be true. 

“
Right then, as you wish.  What else is on the agenda for tonight?”

“I should probably
let Felix know I told Corley to go suck a lemon instead of signing his deal tonight.” 

“Did you now?”  A single brow came up in amusement.

My mood started to improve as I shared the details of the ‘negotiations’ with the Warden of Vetis, especially when Rob found it all so entertaining.  “Then you don’t think I went too far in blowing him off?”

“Nah.  Last thing you want is a villain like that up knocking at your border.  You did the right thing, true enough.  Do you want to go back down and find Felix then?”

“Actually, what I’d really like to do is curl up in front of the fireplace and have a cup of cocoa.  But I’m probably supposed to go back down and see what else Felix has scheduled for me.”

“Tell you what.  You go get changed and I’ll call down and let Felix know you need time to recharge the batteries, yeah?” 

“That sounds great.  And would you mind asking for some hot chocolate to be sent up too?  With cinnamon?”

“I think that can be arranged.”

All of a sudden the rest of the night sounded much more promising.  “Join me with a cup of tea?”

“I’d like
nothing better.” 

Yep, definitely promising. 

The next night started with a formal meeting of all the Houses.  Of course Macallister wasn’t invited, and I couldn’t ask him along as part of my entourage as it was for Elders, Wardens and one security member only.  I wasn’t about to leave Rob out in the cold.  The meeting itself was kind of boring.  I’d already met most of the people in the room, and Corley led the proceedings in an aloof monotone that threatened to lull me to sleep.  The only time I roused myself from my apathetic stupor was when he asked me for our census numbers.  

Thankfully, Felix had those right at hand and I started to pay more attention, listening to the other Houses give their counts.  The West and the East had the highest numbers, probably because we had the largest geographic space.  It also made us some of the wealthiest in the room by my calculations.  I could
’ve been wrong, but I thought I caught a degree of respect coming from a delegate or two after that. 

After
the meeting, I had a brief pow-wow with Felix back in our suite.  I finally had a chance to tell him how things went down with Vetis, and he didn’t seem upset at all to hear I’d made a command decision to tell Corley to pound sand. 

“I didn’t want to say anything to influence your decision, but I think you made the right call in the end,” Felix responded, his approval clear.  “I can’t see Vetis muscling in on our turf as anything but a bad move.”

I let out a short huff of breath.  “Felix, you’re
supposed
to say something.  You’re my advisor, right?  I value your opinion.  From now on, you tell me if you think I’m about to do something boneheaded, okay?”

“You got it, boss,” he grinned from ear to ear. 

“What’s next on the agenda for tonight?” 

“I’m still trying to get something on the books from both Belonoc and Thyssa, but we haven’t firmed anything up yet. 

“So, I can have some time to myself?” I ventured, trying not to sound too hopeful.

“Sure thing.  Just don’t go too far
.  If I can swing a meet, I’ll text you.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“You’ll be staying in for a while then?” Rob asked after Felix left.

“Yes, I was thinking about giving Maggie a call to check in and see how things are going back home
.  Why?”

“I thought I might go see if I can talk to
Jean Pierre’s people.  See if I can’t learn anything new.”

“I thought he left all of his security staff at home?”

“Yes, but he’s been assigned two from the security here at Vetis.  I figured I could share a couple of drinks, see if I can get them talking about the man.  Try and suss out if there’s anything afoot.”

“That’s a good idea.”  I nodded my approval.  “Go ahead, I’ll be fine here on my own.”

His hand splayed across the door, a slow smile spreading across his face.  “You’re not on your own, so I can leave with my mind at ease.”

“You mean Bridget?” I snorted.  She was still passed out in the bedroom as far as I knew.  Hung over,
by my understanding. 

“I mean your bodyguard out here
.” Rob pulled the door open and I saw a large wolf partially obscuring the hallway, pretending to sleep.  I say pretending because even though his eyes were closed, his ears were alert and his tail thumped when Rob opened the door.

“Looks like I’ll be safe as houses then.  You go on and take care of business, I’ll go make my call to Maggie.”  Tucker’s tail thumped faster at the mention of the pretty girl, his head coming up, and I smiled down at him.  “I’ll tell her you said hi, okay?” 

Tucker gave a single chuff, laying his head back down.

By my calculations it would be late afternoon back in
California, and I wasn’t sure if Maggie would be up at all, but I sent the invite on Skype anyway, figuring it would disturb her less than a phone call if she was still asleep.  She answered the call after a few seconds, her smiling face filling my screen moments later.

“This is a nice surprise,” she said, and I recognized my study in the background.  I should probably get the girl her own office, I thought to myself.  “How are things going?  Are you enjoying the Gathering?”

“So far, so good.  I haven’t made any serious
faux pas
yet.”  At least, I hoped not.  “It’s been a blast meeting everyone.”  We talked about some of the people and the hunt.  I mentioned the events on the upcoming itinerary, particularly the masque, which I was really looking forward to. 

“Have you been to a masque before?” Maggie asked after I started going on about trying to find a costume in time.  I was leaning toward maybe Valkyrie or possibly Sue Storm, definitely a superhero of some type.   

“I’ve been to a costume party before.  Why?”

Maggie bit back a smile.  “A masque isn’t a costume party.  We would call those a fancy dress party.  This is more like people dressed in finery with masks, but usually with entertainments planned like either a concert or a play.”

“Oh, right.  Yes, I’ve been to those a long time ago.  I guess the word masque threw me off, that’s not what we called it in my language,” I dodged, hating to have to lie to my close friend about my past.   

“Good, because I’ve already Fed Ex’ed you a package from the seamstresses that arrived after you’d left.  It’s a ball
gown with a matching mask, suitable for the occasion, I should think.  It should arrive tomorrow.”

Another dress?  I wonder how much that one was going to set me back.  “Great, that’s one less thing I have to worry about.”  Though I had been looking for an excuse to get into
London to do some shopping.  Now I’d just have to think of something else.  “So, how are things going there?  Have you seen or heard from Marcus yet?”  Just because I’d asked him to work with Maggie didn’t mean he’d followed my instructions. 

“Yes, they’re going fine.  We’ve received a fair number of petitions for you to review.  Marcus has taken the liberty of going through them and I’m emailing over some urgent ones I think need your attention before you return.”

It sounded like they were right on top of things.  “Good,” I nodded.  “I promise I’ll get to them tonight if you send them over.  Listen, have you heard any stories of unrest out on the streets?  Bishop said something about people standing up to the Order.  He made it sound like Armageddon out there.”

Maggie thought it over for a moment before she replied.  “Marcus did say I should stay in the house where it’s safe for a while until things blow over, unless he comes for me.”

“Did he now.”  Something about the way she said it made me stop and take notice.  “Does he do that a lot?  Come for you?”

“Well, we do see each other quite a lot.  For business,” she added quickly.

Business my foot.
  I could see the telltale blush even with the less than crisp image on my computer.  “Maggie, it’s totally fine if you like him.  You don’t have to hide it from me.”

“It isn’t like that.”  She shook her head.  “Marcus sees me as a challenge.  I’ve seen his type before.  There’s nothing about me in particular that he wants.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that, you’re a beautiful girl.”

“The world is full of beautiful girls.”

“And none of them have your heart, or your kindness, or your loyalty.  Marcus could do a lot worse than to earn your love.  But make him earn it, Maggie.  I agree, he could be the type to want to play a lot of games.”  Not that I was a genius in the world of love. 

“Don’t worry, I’ve got my feet firmly on the ground where he’s concerned.  How about you?  How was it seeing Bishop again?”

I recognized deflection when I saw it, but I let her redirect me.  “It was… both harder and easier than I thought it would be.”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, when I first saw him…” I thought back to that instant in the hall, the way I’d felt when he first turned around.  “All these emotions came rushing back, stronger than I thought they would.”

“And what happened?” she asked, leaning forward, an eager light coming into her eyes.

“He opened his mouth.”

Maggie laughed, her hand coming up to cover her mouth.  “Maybe that’s for the best.  You’ve other admirers who’d never leave you in the lurch.”

“That’s a matter of opinion.”  I let out a long breath before I remembered something else I wanted to tell her.  “Oh, I met Bishop’s brother, Aubrey.”

“What’s he like?”

“I think the word you’d use is dishy.  He’s kind of a scoundrel though, I don’t think I’d let him near you if you were here.”

“He’s not dangerous
, is he?”

“Aren’t we all?”

* * *

I took care of some business after my call with Maggie, reviewing the petitions she sent over, as well as a report from Marcus with some interesting numbers on an increased vampire population since I’d declared
San Francisco as the new power base of the West.  At least half the council was in the process of procuring permanent homes in the Bay Area, as well as a swell in the local vampire scene.  Vamps from as far away as Spokane, Washington had turned up in town, looking for a fresh start.  How he got this data, I had no idea, but the report looked credible enough. 

I’d never meant to cause such an uproar with my spur of the moment declaration to stay in my hometown, and it served as a lesson to think things through before I made any sweeping decisions again. 

It was after midnight, and I hadn’t heard back from Felix or Rob, and Bridget hadn’t made so much as a peep.  I decided to get out and stretch my legs, trusting Tucker to provide the required back up to satisfy Rob’s security demands and let Gunnar have some time off.  Besides, if I slipped out one of the many side doors, nobody would even know I was missing.  Not wanting Rob to worry, I sent him a quick text. 
Going out for a walk, don’t worry, have protection with me.

“You want to go for a walk?” I asked Tucker out in the hallway.  It was hard not to talk to him like a dog when he wagged his tail, and I forced myself to remember, there was a man inside there.  One that seemed to understand me just as well as in his human form.  “I’m sorry, you don’t have to come along like that if you don’t want to.  You can switch back to regular clothes and come with me if you’d rather.  Tucker made a sound, something in between a sneeze and a light growl, and he trotted along beside me, apparently content to stay in wolf form. 

Avoiding the main hall, I slipped through the kitchen and out to the adjoining garden, toward the overgrown maze.  It was cold, but still no bite of snow to the air, the sky clear enough to see the constellations winking in the velvet sky above.  The night became as peaceful and calm as I’d hoped it would be once we got away from the lights of the house and my pace slowed, in no hurry to get anywhere. 

The sounds of tiny scurrying feet had Tucker’s head pitched low, close to the ground.  “Go ahead, see what’s out there,” I urged him.  “I’ll yell if I need you.”  My own senses told me we were utterly alone in the ruined maze, not a sign of anything bigger than a badger within a hundred yards.  Tucker gave a low whine, but I waved him ahead.  After a moment’s hesitation, he bounded off ahead and I could hear him chasing something down with enthusiasm. 

Anja’s Song
played in my head, as it had a lot lately, and I hummed along, enjoying the earthy smell of growing things and the brisk air on my cheeks. 

I guess I wasn’t paying attention. 

I didn’t notice it when the scurrying stopped and Tucker’s playful sounds faded into the distance.  Content in my own little world, I forgot to be vigilant.  I forgot the world of politics and intrigue, just enjoying the night, and the solitude, and the swell of music inside my own head. 

Luckily, instinct saved me.  Countless hours of training with Rob honing my reflexes came into play when I caught a dark shape in my peripheral vision only seconds before it attacked.  I stepped out of the way as the gloved hand reached for me, my leg rising at the same time my hands came down on the back of his neck to smash his face into my knee.  A low cry of pain let me know I’d hit my mark, and I followed up with a kick to the groin, glad I’d worn my boots. 

My attacker fell to one knee, but didn’t go down completely, his head bowed.  That spelled vampire.  Any one else would be lying in the fetal position, I was sure of it.  I could hear Tucker coming now, moving fast on four feet, his howl echoing eerily through the maze.  I was torn between running back to the house and letting Tucker play chew toy and trying to see who it was who’d jumped me.  Curiosity won out, and I reached for his head to tip his head back by the hair.  My fingers slid over hair too short and soft to catch hold of, and his arm came up to block mine. 

“Wait…” he coughed, but I didn’t let him catch hold of me.  I kicked his leg out from under him, sending him toppling to the leaf strewn ground as Tucker rounded the last corner with a menacing growl.  Instead of leaping for his throat, Tucker hesitated, his front paws dancing back and forth as he gave a low pitched whine. 

“What is it?” I asked, not stopping to think that Tucker couldn’t answer me.

The guy’s hand came up, his voice hoarse, almost unrecognizable.  “Jesus, Anja… give me a sec… to catch my… breath…”  Almost unrecognizable
– until I realized who lay in the dirt at my feet.