Summit at Sunset (Sunset Vampire Series, Book 3) (30 page)

He felt himself blush. “You’re not too bad, yourself.”

A pang of guilt followed as he realized just how much he had enjoyed it.

The petite vampire breathed in, suddenly sensing just how little air was remaining in the relatively small vault.

What if nobody finds us in time?

Perhaps it was that simple moment’s realization of potential doom, or that her partaking in his blood created increased feelings for him. Either way, Paige resolved that there were things that she wanted to say to him just in case conditions worsened.

“You mean so much to me,” she said. “I can’t imagine life without you, in fact. I—I love you, Caleb,” she whispered as her throat tightened from that earnest declaration.

The powerful level of emotion behind her admission frightened her. It was a unique feeling in her century of existence, and she was happy that the darkness precluded him from seeing the emotions reflected on her face.

“I love you too, Paige. You’re so much more than just a friend after all we’ve been through together. I can never repay you for saving my life -- twice, no less.”

She paused, uncertain that he appreciated the depth of her feelings, or the revelation that she had just shared. It was a dangerous admission on her part, and she resigned herself to the satisfaction of knowing that at least she had said it to him and fully embraced it within herself.

“In as much as I’m your surrogate vampire, I suppose you’ve become a sort of surrogate companion to me, kiddo.”

She was almost shocked at laying her feelings out in the open as she did and at the sense of emotional vulnerability that accompanied it. Yet a part of her worried that if someone didn’t find them soon, it might be her only chance to reveal such things to him.

He was extremely flattered and humbled by her declaration, though he found it somewhat odd that she would take such a moment to reveal those feelings. Their circumstances made it all seem strange, somewhat out of place.

“I’ve felt that about you for some time, too,” he confessed. “I realized that when I came out to California to find you. But Katrina’s my mate, and I’d never want to compromise that.”

“I know that,” she said. “And I would never want to put you in a circumstance where you’d have to compromise yourself. You and Kat are great together, and it makes me happy just to see you both so happy.”

However, part of her was genuinely jealous of her red-haired friend and angry that fate could be so ironic where her heart was concerned.

“Except that I broke a serious rule in this vault,” he darkly concluded, not looking forward to the time when he would have to confess it to Katrina.

“Hey, this was a special circumstance,” she cautioned him. “You’re not taking the fall for breaking any rules. I’ll damn sure set Red straight about this.”

“I wish you could find a worthy mate, someone who’d make you happy,” he whispered, recalling how poorly her previous boyfriend, Gil, had worked out for her.

She scowled in the darkness.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m okay for now,” she declared, though perhaps more for her own benefit than his. “But if I were looking for a mate, I’d want him to be a lot like you,” she whispered as her eyes watered slightly.

He grinned at the compliment, unable to see the strain reflected in her features.

“But, of course, somebody that’s much more assertive and rugged than you. And someone who dances somewhat better than a Muppet,” she teased, trying to break the solemnity of the moment. She fondly recalled the humorous comment that he had made about his dancing back in February, which suddenly seemed like a lifetime ago.

He started to chuckle, but felt as if it required some effort to take in a full breath. As he started to scoot away from her, she reached out with both arms and easily pulled his body back against hers. The temperature in the vault was very cool, and her body felt warm and soothing for him to lean against.

“Rest now. I’m sure it won’t be long before someone checks the vault,” she optimistically offered as she gently used her hand to press his head back against her shoulder so that he would be more comfortable.

The truth was that she was beginning to have doubts as to their chances of being discovered in time and wanted to make him as comfortable as possible without alarming him to the danger. A surge of sadness coursed through her system as she felt so powerless to rescue him from their circumstances.

If it’s the last thing I do, somebody’s going to pay for this
, she angrily vowed.

Caleb mulled over their trapped circumstances as he leaned his head back against Paige’s shoulder. Then time passed, and he felt increasingly tired. He failed to take note of when he lost consciousness.

*    *    *    *

Chapter 8: New Guests

Nearly two hours had passed as Dori watched over the shoulder of the security officer at the video surveillance console. She deftly sidestepped Major Pietari’s concerns over her continued presence by pointing out that she had extensive background working with video surveillance in a previous job. As the officer systematically reviewed each camera’s views leading up to the mysterious blackout, she closely watched the monitors for anything noteworthy. Finally, the officer changed to the live camera feeds.

“That was our second pass, and still nothing other than seeing the captain and Mr. Taylor near the lobby elevator after leaving the dining room,” the officer said.

Dori scanned the miniature screens before her and thought that something looked out of place. “Wait, can you pull up the shot of all screens just prior to the blackout?”

The screens reverted to a still-frame of all camera views, which Dori closely scrutinized. “Okay,” she prompted, “now go back to a live view of all cameras.”

The miniature boxes all reverted to live feeds, and she studied the multiple monitors before her. “There’s one missing from that monitor,” she prompted with a pointed finger to a grayed out box which had been populated earlier on the right-most screen. “What is that?” she asked.

The security officer cocked her head to one side and clicked on the small gray window. When the cursor hovered over the window, it popped up with the message:
Vault – View Disabled.

“Activate it,” Dori ordered in a suddenly authoritative voice.

The small screen was black instead of gray, but still showed nothing.

“It’s the vault interior,” the officer explained. “The camera must have become disabled during the malfunction.”

Dori flashed the officer a dubious look. “Can we turn a light on in there?” she asked.

The officer pulled up another screen and activated a button for lighting. The view of the small window lit up to reveal two people sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall of deposit boxes.

Dori grabbed the radio and announced, “This is Dori. They’re in the vault!”

*    *    *    *

Paige was startled by the sudden whirring sound coming from the vault camera. She took note that the red operational light was illuminated, and by its glow they could see the camera point in their direction. Then the lights brightly snapped to life with glaring intensity.

She unwound herself from around Caleb and leapt to her feet, leaving him slumped against the vault wall. He tried to rouse himself and squinted against the bright ceiling lights, but he was having trouble moving in a coordinated fashion. He was also unable to catch his breath for reasons that he had trouble fathoming.

Paige turned her body slightly and stood in front of where he lay so she was in a position to defend him. Fortunately, a vampire’s physiology could operate in a much lower oxygen environment than was possible for a human.

Moments later, the vault door lock mechanism made a loud series of clicking sounds, and the large steel door began to open.

Paige relaxed once Katrina, Alton, and the hotel manager appeared in the doorway with relief evident on their faces. Caleb craned his head around to see the incoming individuals and tried to move but found himself still feeling lethargic.

Katrina’s eyes focused like lasers upon his struggling form. A feeling of concern surged above the relief she felt from finding him safe.

Paige surveyed Caleb and quickly knelt down beside him as Katrina moved towards them.

“Caleb,” Katrina’s soft voice issued, laced with urgency.

Paige pulled him into her arms as she knelt beside him in order to stabilize him better. Alton and the bank manager remained silent as they observed Katrina’s and Paige’s attentions to the young man.

Caleb’s cloudy thoughts began to clear, and he struggled to fill his lungs with fresh air. At the same time, he felt a returning sense of control to his limbs. He stood with success, momentarily swooning as he established his footing.

Katrina’s hand appeared out of nowhere to stabilize him.

What’s wrong with Caleb?
She gazed at Paige searchingly.

“Minor oxygen deprivation,” she replied.

Katrina then realized how dangerous the pair’s situation had become before the vault was opened. She sharply looked up at both Alton and the bank manager, who displayed similar expressions of concern.

Caleb pulled free of Katrina’s grip, resulting in a surprised look on the redhead’s face. His mind raced with a series of confused thoughts. However, he remembered some of the last topics that he and Paige had discussed before he lost consciousness, including his regret at having broken a cardinal rule by offering his blood to another vampire.

“We have to talk, Kat,” he tersely stated. “I’ll confess everything. These rules just are a death sentence waiting to happen.”

He barreled unsteadily towards the open doorway, though it was crowded with figures by that time, including four other vampires: the major, two security guards, and a very concerned-looking Ethan Reynolds.

Katrina and Paige stood statue-still with perplexed expressions while watching him depart.

“What happened?” Alton insisted with a curious expression as most of the faces in the small vault looked first at Paige and then at the departing stormy figure of Caleb.

Katrina appeared bewildered as she watched Caleb whisk past her without saying a word. Her mind raced with why he would be so angry about the rules at a time like this.

A
broken rule?
she pondered as he stormed away.

“We received a cryptic note from the front desk about the vault. It was unlocked when we got here around ten-thirty or so, and then someone locked us in here,” Paige irritably recounted to Alton.

“I never got a look at who it was, and they shut the door too fast for me to reach them. They had to be a vampire to move that fast. You can see the briefcase on the floor over there that drew us both in here in the first place. This was a trap, pure and simple, and I was an idiot not to see it from the start.”

“What’s wrong with Caleb?” Katrina demanded with a steely voice.

Paige heatedly retorted, “Wrong? I’ll tell you
exactly
what’s wrong. I had to feed, and I think it almost came close to costing me your friendship, that’s what. Instead, you have a mate
and
a best friend riddled with guilt. So, thanks for all the helpful
rules
that we had to confront in here.”

Katrina stared at her with a stony expression.

What gives? All I’m trying to do is figure out what had happened.

Paige pushed past the group to exit, and Katrina demanded, “Now just where are you going?”

“To try and stop my friend from making a mistake,” she grumbled on her way out of the vault.

Ethan’s soft brown eyes caught hers as she exited, and he started to say something. However, she paused only briefly to acknowledge him before proceeding after Caleb.

Alton and Vlaeva watched Paige depart then looked at Katrina, expressions of curiosity evident on their faces.

“Well, I don’t very well know either, now do I?” she fumed as she turned to follow Paige to get to the bottom of what was going on.

Why the hell do I end up being the bad guy half the time?
she fumed as she stormed from the vault. All that she ever tried to do was keep Caleb safe, but she felt that everyone was always so critical of her.

“We better look into this carefully,” Alton suggested while pointing to the briefcase. “However, I’d wager that an equally intriguing story just left the room.”

The hotel manager studied Alton introspectively.

“Indeed.”

*    *    *    *

Paige darted in a blur to reach the elevator doors before they closed, arriving a moment too late.

“This wasn’t your fault, Paige,” Caleb barked from the other side of the closed doors as the elevator car ascended to the floor of his suite.

Her eyes blazed bright blue in momentary frustration as she turned to head for the stairwell fire escape. Katrina just managed to catch up with her at the steel exit door and looked at her friend with a mix of concern and aggravation.

“Paige, what the hell’s going on?” Katrina demanded. Her concern was changing quickly to irritation, and she wanted some answers.

“Oh, just follow me and find out,” Paige insisted as she flung the door open and sprang up the stairwell.

Wasn’t an alarm supposed to sound when I opened that door?
she fleetingly pondered.

The two vampires exited the stairwell door on the floor where Katrina and Caleb’s suite was located and were waiting beside the elevator by the time that the doors opened.

“Crap!” Caleb exclaimed as he was startled by the sudden appearance of both vampires. He frowned at his poor track record involving surprises and elevators.

“Paige, just let me do what I have to,” he declared while barreling past both of them. Proceeding down the hall towards his room, he added, “Kat, I have a confession to make, and I’d rather do it in private.”

Katrina raced ahead to snatch his arm, catching him in midstride. She spun him around, causing him to teeter slightly. Stabilizing his stance with her hand on his arm, she stared into his eyes with concern. He refused to meet her gaze, however, which bothered her even more.

“What happened?” she demanded in a calm voice.

“Nothing, except that I tried to help a friend,” he explained. “But thanks to the rules, Paige decided that she had to practically rape –”

“Don’t you dare use that word, Caleb Taylor,” Paige interrupted him with narrowed eyes. “That’s not what would’ve happened, and you know it.”

Katrina’s eyes widened with surprise as she frantically tried to decipher why he would try to use such a harsh word to describe what had happened. She also wondered which rules he was referencing.

“Let’s take this inside,” she quickly suggested as she maintained a hold on her lover’s arm while gripping Paige’s upper arm in her other hand. She didn’t want to discuss the topic in an open hallway on a floor occupied by curious vampires with keen senses of hearing.

Time to get to the bottom of this
.

She towered above both of them with a determined expression, and neither tried to resist her as she led them to her and Caleb’s room. He already had his card key out, and since Katrina’s hands were full, he unlocked the door.

Katrina pushed them both into the suite before her and slammed the door behind them.
If I have to get a little rough just to get some answers, then so be it
.

“You,” she ordered with a pointed finger at Caleb, “sit quietly on the couch.”

He silently perched on the edge of the couch with his arms defiantly folded before him.

“And you,” Katrina stated, pointing her finger at Paige, “start talking.”

Both vampires moved into the living room with Paige sitting on the chair across from Caleb while Katrina sat next to him on the couch. She calmly listened as Paige recounted what had happened in the vault, including all the details related to their rules dilemma and the final solution for Paige to feed successfully.

“You know, I’m the one dying of thirst now,” Caleb impatiently interjected.

Katrina said nothing, but moved to the small refrigerator in the kitchenette area to retrieve a bottle of water for him. She felt a momentary pang of guilt at having neglected to consider how thirsty he probably was after being locked in the vault. She made a mental note to ask if he were hungry after they finished discussing what had happened.

“Please continue,” she instructed Paige as she handed the bottled water to Caleb.

Paige proceeded from where she had left off, and Katrina’s face was stern as she listened quietly to her friend. However, Paige deftly excluded details from the intimate discussion that she had shared with Caleb involving her feelings for him.

Katrina patiently listened as her friend recounted the events that both led up to, and followed, being locked in the vault. She casually observed Caleb in her peripheral vision as he drank the entire container of water. She couldn’t help but notice that he appeared tense and agitated.

Once Paige finished, Katrina felt a host of emotions cascade upon her: anger towards whomever had trapped both her friend and mate, frustration over the seeming ineffectiveness of the security systems, and a pressing uneasiness over what had transpired between Paige and Caleb while isolated in the vault. In the end, she merely sighed with resignation.

“Who could have predicted that such a situation might occur? This is the first time that I know of where a human has been co-sponsored in some way between vampires,” she insisted. “But you two should be lawyers given how handily you interpreted and generated loopholes to my rules for him.”

Paige resented her tone and snapped, “Thanks, Ms. Sarcasm. Why don’t you take another minute to try to understand our circumstances? The air was being used up pretty quickly by the time that I finished feeding. The situation looked pretty dire, though I wasn’t about to tell him that.”

Katrina was surprised by her friend’s candid assessment of their plight within the vault.

“That bad?” she quietly asked.

“That bad,” Paige confirmed. “You saw how debilitated he was when you entered the vault. Another hour and who knows if you would have found him alive.”

Katrina sat stunned, while Caleb’s face washed with shock.

“You never told me that,” he quietly accused.

Paige paused. “What kind of guardian would I be if I inflamed the situation at times like that? Besides, you’d just get upset and use up the oxygen faster.”

Katrina admired Paige’s grasp of sound logic.

Hard to be upset with either of them, I suppose. Paige made the sensible decision
.
Would I have acted any differently?

Caleb’s irritation dissipated, and he turned to grim thoughts as Paige’s comments sank deeper into his mind. He glanced up at Katrina with a serious expression, only to find her intently staring at him. Her green eyes were penetrating but not angry, and he noticed that the corners of her mouth were upturned ever so slightly.