Summit at Sunset (Sunset Vampire Series, Book 3) (20 page)

“Of course not,” she snapped. “I just didn’t want to be at the center of the matter, that’s all.”

He lightly patted his hand on her shoulder while standing behind her chair.

His stare grew distant as he offered, “I know that, my dear. You always were the shy one, weren’t you? Never wanting to be the center of attention, yet always commanding it by your mere presence. I knew that you were an alpha the moment I laid eyes upon you.”

She affectionately touched his hand in silent response. In truth, he had been the kindest of mentors to her and the dearest of friends.

“Come, my dear, let’s go find our mates. We promised to join them for dinner, remember?” he offered with a final pat on her shoulder.

Katrina rose from her chair with a curious expression at his revelation. “So, you’ve taken Dorianne as your mate?”

He paused as he gathered his paperwork into a central stack and placed it in his leather satchel.

“Actually, I meant to announce it at dinner tonight.”

“I’m happy for you,” she sincerely offered. She cherished having Caleb in her life, and she wished the same happiness for Alton.

He winked and held the conference room door open for her to exit.

*    *    *    *

Caleb sat on a leather guest couch in the lobby while watching the stream of vampires exit the hallway leading from the wing of conference and special-purpose rooms. His eyes expectantly swept across the group as he looked for Katrina, while Dori patiently sat beside him reading a travel magazine.

His focus settled on a younger vampire with gold-fleck eyes and short brown hair who was holding a leather briefcase in one hand. Major Pietari walked over to him, and the two of them waited for an available elevator car.

“Hmm.” Something about the briefcase looked familiar to him. Then it occurred to him that the briefcase looked like the one the courier had earlier in the day when he had been visiting Paige in the security office.

“What?” Dori asked as a host of vampires and humans reunited with each other in the lobby.

Her eyes followed his to the major and his fellow vampire. She took a notepad and ink pen from a nearby table and wrote,
Major Pietari and Baldar Dubravko?

Caleb’s eyes focused on the notepad.

She wrote:
Something wrong?

He reached over to take the pad and pen from her and wrote:
Briefcase seems important. Something I saw this morning.

Dori’s attention shifted to the two vampires just as they entered the elevator, and she spied the item in question. She turned to look at Caleb with a curious expression.

He wrote:
Who is BD?

She took the pad from him and wrote,
Croatian. Powerful. Wealthy. Big player here.

The wheels in Caleb’s mind turned, and he wondered if the man in the security office had delivered the briefcase to Dubravko, or if it had just been a coincidence.

“What are you two up to?” Katrina asked, causing both of them to start in their seat. She distinctly heard their heartbeats jump.
Something wrong?

Upon realizing that it was Katrina, Caleb launched himself from the couch and planted a kiss upon her lips.

“Missed you today,” he muttered.

More than you know
, he silently added.

“Mmm,” she murmured into his kiss. Upon parting lips, she whispered with satisfaction, “I see that.”

A strong duality of urges rose in her as she craved his body’s blood and other carnal satisfactions.

Alton exchanged a quick kiss with Dori and wrapped one arm around her waist. “Hungry?” he asked. “I don’t know about you, but I could drink a horse.”

Dori groaned slightly and shook her head.

“Full disclosure, I got that one from Caleb,” he innocently chimed as both Katrina and Caleb looked on with surprise at Alton’s playful levity.

The four of them sat in the main dining room of the hotel chatting about their day. Due to the presence of other vampires in the area, both Katrina and Alton spoke of the conference in general terms, pointedly withholding any critical mention of their concerns moving forward. Instead, most of the conversation gravitated around Dori’s and Caleb’s assessment of the scenic mountainous area.

When Caleb mentioned looking forward to seeing the nearby town of Podjelje with Katrina that evening, she looked back at him with hesitation, knowing full well that he was about to be disappointed.

“Actually, my love, Alton needs my help preparing tomorrow’s agenda,” she carefully explained.

His face fell. “But I thought –”

“I must apologize to you both. My fault entirely, actually,” Alton diplomatically interjected. “But all’s not lost. Dori, perhaps you and Caleb could go to town together this evening. I’d hate for you to miss it on our account.”

Dori’s eyes dashed to Alton, but quickly rested on Caleb. “It’s true that I’d hate to miss going to town. Won’t you accompany me, Caleb?”

Caleb was disappointed in the news, but he agreed, “Sure. That’d be fine, of course.”

Katrina extended her hand to gently grasp one of Caleb’s and supportively squeezed it. “Don’t worry, we’ll arrange time together.”

The group fell silent for a time as Dori and Caleb ate their dinner and Alton and Katrina sipped at glasses of warm blood. Caleb’s eyes fell upon the blood-filled crystal ware and a question resurfaced from earlier in the day.

“One of the things I noticed today while looking around was that most of the staff seemed on edge,” he said.

“Surely being surrounded by vampires has to unnerve many of them,” Alton suggested. “For some, it may challenge religious beliefs or other preconceptions of reality.”

“Yeah, that occurred to me,” Caleb agreed. “But what keeps people from exploiting those revelations?”

Katrina’s eyes tentatively met Alton’s as she started to speak, but the stately vampire interjected on her behalf, “Caleb, a reflection on the rules that you agreed to with Katrina should plainly suggest that every human employed here risks their lives to be anything other than dutifully silent.”

“But it’s still a significant risk for years to come even after the conference has long ended,” Caleb pointed out. “How can you monitor so many people for the remainder of their lives, no less?”

“Some of the staff are volunteers who are already employed by a number of vampires in attendance here,” Alton explained. “Much the same way that many of the vampire security guards are in the regular employ of a number of us. And as for the few humans not already contracted by a vampire, they’re being handsomely compensated for their discretion.”

“Yet threatened, as well,” Caleb suggested.

“Cautioned, my love,” Katrina pointedly corrected. “Not threatened.”

He accepted the admonishment and politely amended, “Of course, a poor choice of words on my part.”

However, in his own mind he still felt that “threatened” was more accurate. While he didn’t want his mate or the other vampires he cared about to be threatened by exposure at the hands of a careless person, he also didn’t like the idea of people being ruled by heavy-handed fear.

“Which is why a conference, or summit if you will, of this nature has never been attempted before,” Alton said. “This could be viewed as a risky venture as much as an opportunity. The mere congregation of vampires in such a small area at one time is unprecedented, particularly when mixed with the number of humans present. Still, it was hoped that the presence of human companions might ease the tensions of the human staff members. Thus far, I’ve been quite happy with the results.”

“It explains the large contingent of security guards, as well,” Caleb said.

“The human guards are more numerous during the day simply because vampires are more vulnerable and have to be relegated to finite locations,” Alton said.

“Are you aware of any perceived threats?” Dori asked with a note of concern.

Alton lightly patted her hand. “Of course not, my dear. Merely a precaution.”

The group fell silent again as Dori and Caleb finished eating while the vampires nursed their drinks. Following the meal, Alton signaled to their waiter, and a bottle of wine and crystal glasses appeared at their tableside. As the waiter departed, and to all but Alton’s surprise, Paige suddenly appeared at the tableside wearing both her security blazer and a curious expression.

“Am I too late?” she asked.

“Right on time,” Alton answered as he served a glass of wine to each of them and raised his glass in toast.

“Though you’ve each known me to be an intensely private person, you’re among my dearest friends. It’s in that spirit that I offer a toast,” he quietly announced. “To Dori, for gracing me with her presence in my life, honoring me with her love, and agreeing to be my mate.”

“Congratulations to both of you,” Katrina offered. “May you be very happy together.” Of the group, she was the least surprised, given that Alton had alluded to a companion the previous fall during their tracking of Chimalma.

“Here, here,” Caleb added.

“So, you’ve finally taken the plunge, old man,” Paige teased, eliciting a groan from Alton while Dori giggled.

“I’m equally honored, dearest, as well as indescribably happy,” Dori demurred as she gazed upon Alton with adoration, at which each person sipped from their glass.

Paige pulled up a spare chair from a nearby table while Dori warmly repeated how she had met Alton. Though Caleb had already heard the story from her earlier in the day, he appreciated the charming tone that Dori used to deliver it.

Katrina held Caleb’s hand in her own while listening to the recounting, and she thoughtfully beheld him as she recalled their own courtship. However, unlike their story, Alton and Dori seemed to have shared a more methodical and graceful courtship. She was very happy for her friend and hoped that they would have a long, happy relationship together, though she fleetingly wondered if Dori would be joining the ranks of vampires at some future point. Likely, her former mentor had already weighed such prospects well before declaring Dori his mate.

One thing about Alton, he’s thorough
, she credited.

As Dori finished her brief story, Paige imperiously arched one eyebrow and asked, “And why are we just now hearing about Dori?”

“I’m not one to kiss and tell,” Alton slyly replied.

“Rather, you’re just not one to tell, period,” Paige remarked before sipping at her wine.

“Alton’s merely a very private person while he deliberates,” Dori diplomatically observed. “I respect that, actually.”

“As you can see, Dori understands me all too well,” Alton said with a gracious nod.

A few minutes passed in idle conversation until Paige upended her glass, sat it on the table, and announced, “Well, sorry, but I have to run. The major wants me to personally review the perimeter of the conference grounds and then check in with each of our second shift guards before our evening briefing.”

“He’s sure keeping you busy,” Caleb observed.

“It seems the major’s big on delegation,” Paige mumbled.

She patted Alton and Katrina on the shoulder, congratulated Dori and gave Caleb a quick peck on the cheek before departing the dining room in a virtual blur.

“I like her,” Dori said.

“Paige is a hoot,” Caleb happily agreed.

“She’s quite a character,” Katrina dryly observed while possessively watching her mate.

Caleb innocently shrugged, sensing that the peck to his cheek had caught Katrina’s attention and not in a positive way.

“Well, I regret that Katrina and I must leave you two for the time being,” Alton announced. “But I hope you’ll both enjoy the sites in Podjelje.” He glanced at his watch and added, “I believe the shuttle is leaving in the next twenty minutes or so.”

After hasty goodbyes, Katrina and Alton retreated to Alton’s room to prepare the next day’s agenda, while Caleb and Dori proceeded to the front of the hotel. As they boarded the small tour bus along with a group of fellow hotel guests, Aiden Henderson and his vampire companion, Talise, waved to them. Caleb and Dori took the empty seat in front of them and turned to visit. The journey to town was less than scenic for the human passengers as the bus traversed the often darkened mountain road, but the vampires occasionally commented on the splendid surroundings, including the heights of surrounding peaks.

The small town of Podjelje was a short distance from the conference site, but it seemed farther in the shroud of darkness outside. However, the town itself was well-lit by antique street lamps and the inviting luminance cast through the windows of small, street-side shops that appeared to have extended hours for the visitors. The bus pulled to the side of the town’s central street, and everyone disembarked. The driver announced that two hours remained before their planned return to the hotel, leaving ample time to browse.

Caleb noticed that a couple of the vampire security guards were among the group, while the streets were patrolled by no fewer than three other local police officers. He momentarily wondered if the townspeople knew the true nature of some of the hotel guests. Surely, it must have been unusual for a busload of tourists to show up in town well past sunset.

“A penny for your thoughts, Caleb?” Dori asked while they walked behind Talise and Aiden, who held hands in front of them.

“Aw, nothing really,” he evasively replied. “Just my usual musings.”

She glanced sidelong at him and observed, “I was wondering what we must seem like to the town. Most of these shops must have been asked to stay open well past their typical closing times.”

He sharply looked at her. “Are you a mind-reader or something?”

She shrugged. “Me? Hardly. Just considering all of the angles.”

“You’re Alton’s dream-mate for sure,” he quipped.

She giggled as they walked the quaint town street together. They perused the various shops for over an hour, which included a bookstore, two clothing boutiques, drugstore, hobby shop, antiques dealer, and local glassware vendor. Finally, they entered a candy shop where they purchased some chocolates to share.

They continued their walk, nearly reaching the opposite end of town, when Caleb pointed to a souvenir shop set off to one side of the street next to where the forest skirted the town limits. The four of them entered the moderately-sized building, noticing that the shop also served as an import service and distributor of fine silks.