Summit at Sunset (Sunset Vampire Series, Book 3) (42 page)

“
No!
“ she screamed with anguish as her head rotated towards the coated glass windows to see her mate rushing outside across the large expanse of grassy field before the conference center.

All of the people in the lobby, both vampires and humans, ran to the UV-protected glass windows and strained to watch Caleb. Alton and Katrina rushed forward to command a front spot at the glass, and Alton placed a supportive arm around Katrina’s shoulders as the two vampires collectively held their breath.

“For God’s sake, just throw it and run,” Katrina urgently whispered.

“Everyone get away from the damned windows!” Paige harshly ordered, though her eyes were filled with horror as she tried not to think about Caleb.

Then she stood in a veritable daze, transfixed to the view beyond.

*    *    *    *

Caleb felt sheer terror rise in him as he immediately realized the death sentence that he faced if he didn’t hastily ditch the briefcase. With a determination born of both desperation and fear, he ran across the expanse of manicured turf that constituted the frontage of the hotel grounds towards the looming cliff facing into which the road leading to the conference center had been cut.

“Throw it, Caleb!” Dori yelled from somewhere behind him. “There’s not enough time!”

His mind raced with where to throw the briefcase to minimize the possible damage to innocent lives and the hotel itself, which he knew was covered in panes of glass along its façade. Then he spied the looming cliff that fell to the road below, and he spotted the dark limousine in the distance as it made the gently graded turn towards the road.

Given the short time that had passed, he just knew that the limousine occupant had to be Dubravko. The car had been delayed by the rolling length of street that wound its way around before tying into the road below.

He willed his legs to run as fast as possible towards the cliff’s edge. He swallowed to loosen the growing tightness in his throat and kept to his course. Reaching the edge of the sharp drop-off, he saw the black limousine making its steady way directly below where he stood.

Thankfully, the only vehicle in view was the oncoming black limousine. His eyes darted to the briefcase as its three LED digits transmuted into two.

In a panic, he used all of his upper body strength to throw the weighty attaché down to the road below. It plummeted through the air in a spinning arc and flatly landed onto the pavement with a bounce at the side of the roadway.

He started to run, but turned back to see the limousine sail past it. As the tail of the vehicle passed the briefcase, a huge explosion erupted. The shockwave was enormous, and the blast threw Caleb onto the ground.

Dori was standing halfway across the grassy field when the explosion erupted, and the concussion from the blast knocked her to the ground. A plume of red fire and black smoke mushroomed upwards into the sky above the cliff line as the onlookers inside of the hotel all simultaneously gasped. The glass vibrated all along the front side of the hotel. Some panes cracked, but thankfully remained intact.

“Caleb!” was all that Katrina could helplessly shout as the palms of her hands pressed against the glass. Alton placed a supportive hand against her back, though his face was a mask of concern as he stared at Dori’s prone form.

Paige was still wide-eyed with shock as she struggled to discern the state of Caleb’s body as it she saw it lying still on the ground. A grim possibility clouded her thoughts.

Please, please, please...not that.

*    *    *    *

Caleb felt strong hands grasping his body and rolling him onto his back as high-pitched ringing sounded in his head. He was groggy, and his eyelids felt so heavy that he had trouble opening them.

“Caleb? Caleb, can you hear me?” Dori pleaded from somewhere that sounded far away.

He pried his eyes open and saw Dori’s face come into focus, as well as three men wearing hotel security jackets. The sky beyond alternated between sunshine and dark puffs of smoke.

“Can you sit up?” one of the men asked.

“Y-Yeah,” he stammered as they helped him sit.

His head felt woozy, and his balance escaped him slightly as he almost swooned. Firm hands gripped his shoulders, and Dori squatted down on her knees before him. She reached out and lifted his eyelids as she gazed into his eyes.

He ran one hand across his face and felt something sticky. When he finally focused on his hand, he saw fresh blood.

“Is my nose bleeding?” he asked.

“He might have a concussion,” Dori surmised. “Get the cart over here.”

A golf cart appeared nearby, and they helped him onto the passenger seat. Dori moved around to the driver’s seat while one security guard stepped onto the passenger side and held onto the roof to keep Caleb from falling out. The cart slowly pulled away towards the main entrance of the hotel.

“What happened?” Caleb asked.

Dori looked at him sidelong. “The limousine flipped over lengthwise and exploded. I saw one person lying on the street. Well, most of him anyway. Then I saw another body on the ground, but it was smoldering in the sunlight. It had to be Dubravko.”

He tried to nod with understanding, but a sudden pain shot through his head and neck.

“Ow,” he muttered while reaching for the back of his head.

“Just sit still,” she suggested as she pulled alongside the main hotel entrance. “I think you need some attention.”

He chuckled despite his fatigue and muttered, “Oh, I think I’m about to get that, all right.”

Katrina’s going to be pissed.

He was half-carried through the main doors leading into the lobby by Dori on one side and a male security guard on the other. The room was a shouting match of voices and activity, and Caleb winced from the painful effect on his ears.

He was no sooner through the doors when he smelled the scent of cherry blossoms.

“Caleb,” Katrina whispered in his ear while gently cradling him in her arms. “Are you okay, my love?”

He managed a lopsided grin. “I am now.”

Her soft lips pressed to his, kissing him.

Alton and Dori watched with concern as Alton protectively encircled her with his arms, pulling her body close to his. Paige hovered over both Katrina and Caleb, trying to gauge the young man’s condition.

Caleb’s hearing began to buzz loudly, and the voices in the room sounded distant in his ears. The crowded lobby of vampires and humans seemed to spin around him, and he started losing his balance.

Fortunately, Katrina already had hold of him and neatly swept him into her arms. A moment later, darkness enveloped him, and he lost consciousness.

Ethan instantly appeared at her side.

“Let’s get him into the examining room,” he urged, leading the way towards his office.

It took less than a minute for the vampire physician to diagnose the young man on the examining table before him. Alton, Paige, and Dori all entered the room.

“I think he may have a mild concussion at the very least,” Reynolds determined with concern.

“What do we do?” Katrina demanded.

“He needs an MRI as soon as possible to check for traumatic brain injury,” Ethan explained.

“Is there a hospital nearby?” Alton asked Paige.

“There’s one in Jereka,” Paige supplied. “I’ll arrange a vehicle.”

“Time’s of the essence, everyone,” Reynolds soberly insisted.

Alton immediately suggested, “Helicopter would be preferable.”

Paige nodded. “I’m on it.”

Katrina stared down upon her mate with both concern and a growing sense of fear.

*    *    *    *

When Caleb awoke, he vaguely realized that he was lying in a hospital bed. His eyelids fluttered slightly as his vision focused on the dimly lit room around him. Heavy curtains covered the windows, but he could still see soft light emanating into the room from above them.

Is it sunrise or sunset?

A sense of time displacement washed over him, and he wondered how long he had been unconscious.

“Finally awake, are we?” a middle-aged nurse asked from across the room. Her accent was thickly Slovene, but pleasant.

“Where am I?” he asked as the woman came into view beside him.

“Jereka General Hospital,” she replied while holding his left wrist to measure his pulse.

“How long have I been here?” he asked.

“Almost four hours,” she replied. “It’s nearly evening now.”

He relaxed somewhat, confident in knowing he hadn’t been in a lengthy coma or anything. The events leading up to the explosion replayed in his mind, though he only recalled bits and pieces after that. His head still ached, and he was having trouble thinking clearly.

“I’ll let the doctor know you’re awake,” she offered before turning to depart. “He’ll want to speak with you.”

“Um,” he prompted to get her attention. “Is anyone else waiting for me?”

“I’ll check the waiting area for you,” she offered.

“Thanks.”

Lying in the bed contemplating all that had happened, he almost didn’t notice the doctor slip into the room. He was a tall gentleman with slightly graying brown hair and a bushy mustache. He displayed a polite demeanor as he observed Caleb.

“Mr. Taylor, how are you feeling?” the man asked. His accent wasn’t Slovenian, but Scandinavian. “I’m Doctor Stian Flagstad, Chief of Neurology here at the hospital.”

“Hi, Doc,” Caleb politely offered. “What...How bad am I?”

Flagstad smiled. “You’re a very lucky man, Mr. Taylor.”

“Caleb,” he prompted the doctor.

“Certainly, Caleb,” Flagstad continued. “We performed an MRI, and everything appears normal. However, I’d like to perform some additional tests and examine you further before making a final diagnosis.”

Caleb’s eyes swept the room as he fully digested what the doctor had told him. It was as if his mind were struggling to keep up with what was being said. He stared at the curtained window, and when he looked back at the doctor, he saw Katrina standing at the back of the room.

She looked beautiful to him with her red hair falling around her shoulders. However, she wore a concerned expression, and her arms were tightly folded before her.

His eyes widened with recognition, and he whispered, “Kat?”

The doctor frowned and turned to look over his shoulder with surprise. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you stepped in. I’m Doctor –”

“Flagstad,” Katrina finished as she stepped forward to shake the doctor’s hand. “I’m Katrina Rawlings. You were saying about Caleb?”

Flagstad seemed a little unnerved. “Ms. Rawlings, are you family?”

She moved to the side of the bed, reaching down to run her fingers through Caleb’s hair.

“We’re common-law partners. I also have a power of attorney to authorize any medical or billing forms that require attention.”

As she observed her mate in support, Caleb looked up at her and squeezed her hand.

“I’m glad you’re here,” he said.

The doctor paused for a moment, as if assessing the couple before him, before continuing. “We need to run some additional tests, and I’ll be happy to brief you further.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Katrina responded.

“I’ll let the two of you visit briefly,” he offered and left.

One of Katrina’s eyebrows arched as she focused upon her mate.

“You’re going to be the death of me someday. You know that, don’t you?”

“I’m sorry.” Worrying her was the last thing that he wanted to do. His head suddenly ached terribly, and he pressed his fingertips to his eyes. “My head’s pounding.”

“I’ll see what they can do about that,” she promised.

He laid his head back against the pillow and closed his eyes. The next few hours were eased by some medication given to him by the nurse, though it made him dopey, and he phased in and out of consciousness.

He thought that it must have been the middle of the night when he stirred, only to see both Katrina and Paige sitting in guest chairs next to his bed. He quickly fell asleep again.

When he awoke sometime later, it was to the voices of Dr. Flagstad, Katrina, and Ethan. He only vaguely followed what was being said, though the topic involved his diagnosis. He abruptly fell back asleep.

The next morning, Caleb felt much more rested. His head hurt less, and he had undergone a series of additional examinations and tests. By mid-morning, Dr. Flagstad briefed Katrina and Ethan on his condition, which involved a concussion, though with no expected long-term neurological or traumatic injury. He received brief instructions on what symptoms to expect, as well as advice to visit both his primary care physician and a preferred neurologist when he returned to Atlanta.

By late afternoon, he was anxious to be released. Alton ensured that a limousine with protective window screening was dispatched to pick him, Katrina, and Ethan up at the hospital. It was briefly tricky as the two vampires rushed from the shaded entrance of the building into the back of the vehicles. Each only suffered minor effects that appeared much like a bad sunburn, partly aided by shielding themselves with jackets over their heads as they rushed into the car. Fortunately, few people were nearby to see the strange display.

On the drive back to the conference center, Ethan reminded Caleb to take one of his prescribed pain medications. Caleb dozed in and out of sleep as Katrina nestled his head against her shoulder with her arm draped around him. He recalled the beautiful sunset as the vehicle pulled before the hotel entrance, but was only partially aware during the wheelchair ride to his suite.

*    *    *    *

Katrina gently laid Caleb onto the bed in their suite and pulled his shoes and socks off for him. Drawing the bed’s comforter over him, she made sure that his head was only slightly elevated on the pillow. Then she lightly kissed him on the lips.

“Kat?” he asked, stirring slightly.

“I’m here, my love,” she assured him while perched on the edge of the bed.

“I love you,” he urgently whispered. “I love you so much, and I need you to know that.”