Sunset Rising (Sunset Vampire Series, Book 5) (29 page)

“
Welcome to Saint James,”
the clergyman said. “I’m Thomas, one of the reverends here. How can
I be of service?”

“
Hi,” I replied, reaching
out to shake his hand. “I’m Caleb. I was just passing by and wanted
to take a peek inside. The stained glass is beautiful.”

“
I see,” he said. “Yes,
the architecture is remarkable here. The church was built during
the late 1850s, so we do host the occasional curious tourist from
time to time. Feel free to take photos of the interior.”

“
Thanks,” I
said.

“
Certainly. Enjoy your
evening,” he said.

I watched as he returned to replacing
hymnals along each of the pews into their respective holders.

My thoughts returned to Alton and how
rapidly things were changing around me and Kat. Things were
evolving so fast. I ventured that pretty soon I’d feel much like
one of the relic images depicted in the stained glass.

Just a couple of years ago, vampires were
merely mystical creatures from movies and novels—pastimes of
popular fiction, but little else of substance to me.

Now I felt as if the world around me was
something foreign, if not alien in some ways.

How much of what I believed the world to be
was misconception, much less outright fantasy?

More to the point, beyond being Kat’s mate,
it was hard for me to determine exactly where I fit in amongst the
ranks of Alton’s vampire-centric organization.

“
Caleb, wasn’t it?”
Reverend Thomas asked, suddenly standing beside me.

“
Hm?” I asked.
“Yes.”

“
I don’t mean to pry, but
I couldn’t help but notice that you appeared somber, as if perhaps
something might be weighing heavily in your thoughts,” he said. “Is
there anything that I can do to help? If you’d like to talk, I
think you’ll find that I have quite a sympathetic ear.”

He seemed nice enough, but how was I
supposed to broach the subject of vampires while standing in a
church? One of the cardinal rules of being Kat’s mate was never to
reveal the truth about vampires to anyone. Rules aside, and given
the fantastical nature of such a claim, mentioning vampires to him
might result in little more than his referral to a
psychologist.

“
As I look at these
stained glass images, I can’t help wondering if people from days
gone by understood the world around them. Sometimes I feel as if I
don’t even know what’s real in the world anymore,” I said. “Much
less knowing exactly where I fit into it.”

“
Ah, well, that would
indeed feel troubling,” he said. “Still, you’re not alone. As has
always been the case with humanity, the world is rapidly changing
before our very eyes. Granted, it’s moving at a much more
accelerated pace in recent years.”

“
Yes, but in here it feels
as though time were suspended,” I said. “I can sort of understand
why Alton likes it.”

“
Alton?” he
asked.

“
Oh, a friend of mine,” I
said. “It was through him that I learned of your
church.”

“
Well, the church is
hardly mine. It belongs to God and those served by its presence in
this parish,” he said. “Incidentally, would you be referring to
Alton Rutherford?”

“
Yes,” I replied. “I
understand that he supports the church, perhaps even worships
here.”

“
Supports, yes,” he said.
“Mr. Rutherford is a very generous benefactor, though one wouldn’t
necessarily refer to him as among our regular
parishioners.”

“
Ah,” I said.

He studied me for a moment. “Wait, you’re an
American. You must be Caleb Taylor then,” he ventured.

I frowned. “You’ve heard of me?”

“
You’re Katrina Rawlings’
mate, I presume?” he asked.

My eyes widened.

He held up one hand. “Please, don’t be
alarmed. I shouldn’t have been so forward.”

“
How did you
know—”

“
Rest assured, Mr.
Rutherford and I go back a long way together,” he said. “You have
nothing to fear.”

I hadn’t really taken notice before, but he
did have an unusually pale complexion.

“
No way,” I
said.

“
I beg your pardon?” he
asked.

“
Nothing,” I
said.

He gave me a patient look. “Oh, many years
it’s been since I’ve seen that expression used on me. Is it so very
strange that I might be a vampire and a reverend?”

I didn’t know what to say at that
moment.

“
No way,” I
repeated.

“
We’re all children of
God,” he said. “Only some of us have been at it longer than
others.”

I felt dumbfounded, nearly numb.

“
How is that even
possible?” I asked.

He gestured to the nearest pew. “Please,
take a seat.”

I weighed the options of leaving versus
staying, but my curiosity won out.

I sat down and he sat beside me.

“
Caleb, at one time or
another most of us wonder what our place in the world is,” he said.
“It’s a challenge to know where we’re supposed to fit in. I’m happy
to say that I’ve found my place, and it’s quite
rewarding.”

“
Have you served here for
very long?” I asked.

“
Oh, quite a number of
years now,” he said. “Time gets away with me just as it does
everyone else.”

It was hard to wrap my mind around the
contrast before me.

“
But you’re a vampire,” I
said.

“
Being a vampire is what I
am,” he said. “But it doesn’t have to define
who
I am.”

I hadn’t considered it that way.

“
When you think about it,
that’s really no different with anyone else in this world,” he
said. “We each have free will to decide who we choose to be in
life; those decisions are part of what defines us as
beings.”

“
Yes, but how do you talk
to people—minister to people—knowing what you do and what they
don’t even realize?” I asked.

“
I do what any other
reverend does,” he said. “Only mostly at night.”

“
Yeah, I can imagine,” I
said.

Then something occurred to me.

“
So, pardon my asking, but
being a vampire, do you actually believe there’s a God?” I
asked.

He looked at me with an amused expression.
“Did you happen to notice my outfit? This collar is neither a
fashion statement nor a disguise, you know.”

“
A vampire reverend with a
wry sense of humor,” I said.

“
A keen sense of humor is
even more important in the ministry,” he said. “And yes, I’d like
to believe that there is a God.”

“
But you don’t know,” I
said.

He shrugged. “Who does, really? Yet, I have
faith that He might be there, after all.”

“
But what if He isn’t
real?” I asked.

“
Better yet, what if
everyone’s had it wrong and He is really a She?” he
countered.

I hadn’t even considered that.

“
Look, Caleb, the manner
in which I choose to conduct my life is helping others,” he said.
“Even if there is no God, though I’m hopeful there is, at the very
least I can feel that I’ve made a positive difference in people’s
lives. That has to be worth something, wouldn’t you
agree?

“
And, let’s be frank,” he
continued. “If there really isn’t a God, it isn’t going to
disappoint any of us for very long after we take our last breath,
is it?”

I mulled that over for a moment.

“
You make some pragmatic,
if not compelling, points,” I said.

He slowly gazed around the room. “Yes, well,
I’ve had a long time to refine my views on the matter. Mind you, I
keep some of my views to myself.”

I was tempted to ask him how old he was, but
that seemed very forward to ask that of someone who I had just
met.

“
I appreciate our chat,” I
said. “Though I still can’t say that my initial quandary has been
solved.”

“
Ah, the eternal question
as to where you belong,” he said.

“
Yep,” I said, still
reeling over the concept that I was talking to a vampire
reverend.

“
Caleb, I’m sorry, but
that’s a question that only you can answer for yourself,” he said.
“Remember that, while your experiences or relationships may guide
or influence your decision-making, only you can truly decide the
person you want to be.”

“
I’ll bear that in mind,”
I said. “Well, it’s getting late, but thank you for the visit. I
appreciate your time.”

I started to rise, but then paused and
looked back at him, weighing the merits of a further query.

“
Yes?” he
asked.

“
I apologize if this
sounds invasive, but as a minister, how do you reconcile your whole
blood-drinking thing?” I asked.

“
You are ever the curious
one, aren’t you?” he asked. “Oh, the things you must have already
seen to be so matter-of-fact about such topics.

“
However, if you must
know, I’ve never taken blood from a parishioner. I’ve also never
killed anyone since becoming a vampire, either.”

“
Then how—”

“
For years, I relied upon
the measured—shall we say, charity—of others,” he said. “However, I
suspect that you’re well aware of modern blood bank services,
aren’t you?”

“
Oh, I see,” I said. “I
meant no offense in asking, of course.”

He maintained a pleasant expression. “I can
assure you, none taken.”

I rose. “Well, I’d better get going now. Um,
thank you for your time and it’s a pleasure meeting you, Father
Thomas.”

He shook my hand again. “Yes, a pleasure
visiting with you, Caleb. And please be sure to stop by again for
another chat. I’m here to help, and it may be comforting to be able
to speak with someone who understands your unique challenges.”

“
Thank you,” I said. “Um,
about our chat—”

“
As with all our
parishioners, our discussions remain confidential,” he said. “It’s
just between us and God.”

He accompanied me to the front of the
sanctuary.

“
Please give my best to
Mr. Rutherford,” he said.

“
I will.”

As I walked toward the entrance, I spied the
box for food bank donations. I reached into my pocket and pulled
out a sole ten-pound note, which I folded and stuffed into the
narrow slot at the top.

When I turned to look back, Father Thomas
smiled and inclined his head toward me.

I opened the front door and nearly walked
into a young couple who were entering.

“
Oh, sorry,” said the
man.

I held the door open for them.

“
Thank you,” said the
young woman.

“
Father Thomas, we’re so
sorry about running late for our counseling session,” the man said.
“We had a flat on the way.”

“
No apologies necessary.
I’m here all night, you know,” Thomas said.

“
And what a night. It’s
getting to be almost pea soup out there,” the woman
said.

“
Well then, you hang up
your coats while I brew us a nice hot cup of tea before we begin,”
Thomas said.

I shook my head as I closed the door behind
me and stepped into the night.

Suddenly, the world had become a much
stranger place than I gave it credit for.

As I stepped out onto the sidewalk, I failed
to see either Dane or Lyra nearby. I also noted that an eerie fog
had set in.

“
Oh,
that
pea soup,” I said while
removing my smartphone from my jacket pocket. “Great. Just
great.”

I texted Dane,
Where the hell are you guys?

Chapter 24

Caleb

The ominous fog thickened fast and a light
mist fell.

London wasn’t a quiet city, and yet, the
conditions seemed to mute the sounds of traffic as if they were
happening in another part of the world.

I considered the warmth and relative safety
of the church before proceeding up the sidewalk in the direction of
the hotel.

A vehicle passed by and was quickly
enveloped into the mist. Moments later, the muted sounds of heavy
footsteps came from behind me.

My phone buzzed and I looked down to see a
text reply from Dane.

Thought you’d taken holy orders. Relax.

As I returned my phone to my pocket, the
footsteps grew louder and I reached into my jacket with my free
hand to grasp one of the UV flashlights.

I reached for one of my combat knives and
turned to face the figure approaching me.

I first glimpsed a long black leather coat
before my eyes focused on Kat’s face and long red hair. She pursed
her lips with amusement.

“
Wondered what you’d do,”
she said.

I relaxed, inwardly relieved to see her.

She stopped before me and bent down to give
me a warm kiss, sending a wave of happiness through me.

“
Surprised to see me?” she
asked.

“
Actually, yes. But it’s a
very happy revelation,” I replied. “Where’s Dane and
Lyra?”

“
I gave them the night
off,” she said. “Shall we hail a lift back to the
hotel?”