Tempt Me When the Sun Goes Down (10 page)

Jakob only had eyes for Nelleke, searching her features for some sign of the truth.  “But why would Maeja never tell me?  All those years…”

“You truly did not know?”  Nell’s lips mashed together, as if she was afraid to say anything more. 

“No, of course not,” he balked.  “She never let on.  I… I have a daughter.”  He stared at her, blue eyes blazing with an intensity that started to make me uncomfortable, I could only imagine what Nell must be feeling.

“Yes,” she said simply, blinking rapidly as her eyes grew shiny with emotion.  I didn’t know if she was going to cry with happiness or suddenly bolt from the room and I held my breath, waiting to see which way the tide turned.  “I am understanding if you wish me to leave,” she finally said, her head bowing in apology.  “I came here under false pretenses.”

“I have a daughter,” he repeated, a touch of wonder coming into his voice.  “And she is fine and strong.  Do you hear this, Ulrik?  I have a daughter!” Jakob laughed, his entire being lit from within with joy.  Launching himself out of the chair, he caught Nelleke up in a big hug, swinging her around and around.  At first I wasn’t sure how Nell would take to being manhandled like that, but after a moment, her laughter floated around them, slightly muffled by his chest. 

“I heard,” Bishop grinned.  “Congratulations.”

I had to admit, despite my anger at Jakob, it was heartening to see him so profoundly moved by the idea of meeting his daughter, and I blinked back my own tears to see them reunited.  They fell into a rapid fire conversation in a Scandinavian language I couldn’t hope to follow, and I joined Bishop and Carys by the drinks. 

“How long have you known Nell was his daughter?” Bishop asked, handing me a glass of aquavit to toast with.

“Ah, since that night we burnt Lodinn.  I sort of promised her I wouldn’t tell, but…”

“No, I get it,” he said before I went into more detail.  “It was a good save before things got messy.”

“And to think she’s been out there all this time,” Carys murmured, watching the pair carefully.  Something about the way she said it made me nervous.  She couldn’t be jealous of Nell’s position, could she? 

“She’s been with her mother in the vale.  Seeing as how Jakob’s been avoiding it for the past couple of centuries, it’s easy to see how they haven’t crossed paths before.”

“Let’s hope she returns to where she belongs before she gets in over her head.”

Bishop’s brows drew together in confusion.  “Why would she be in over her head?  No one would be stupid enough to challenge Jakob’s daughter.”

Carys took a deep drink before she spoke.  “Not openly, but it’s easy to stumble from such a high pedestal.  Believe me, I know.”

“I feel pretty good about Nell’s chances of holding her own,” I said.  “A shieldmaiden’s no pushover, after all.”  I tossed back the rest of my drink and set down the glass.  “I should get back to Rob, he’s got to be climbing the walls by now.”

“The curse has been in place for centuries, I hardly think another night will matter one way or another,” Carys said with a wry twist of the lips, and I shot her an unfriendly scowl.

“Easy for you to say, you’re not the cursed one.”   

“Do you think any of what Jakob told you will be of help?” Bishop asked, his own drink forgotten. 

“I don’t know, I hope so.  I’m hoping it’s a good sign that there’s just one curse to break, not a separate one on Carys and on me.” 

“I still think you’ll on a fool’s errand if you ask me,” Carys sniffed haughtily.

I bit back the obvious retort that I
hadn’t
asked her, and gave her a bland smile.  “Still, it’s all I have to work with, Jakob being such a dumbhole about this.”

“A dumbhole?” Carys’ lips turned down in disapproval.  “I must say, I find your lack of deference to your Sire shocking, dear sister.  Why he tolerates your tone is a mystery to me.” 

“Oh, come on,” Bishop snorted.  “I’ve seen you get under his skin on purpose plenty of times for no reason other than being bored at the time.  It’s not like you treat him with particular reverence either.  ”

“I shouldn’t have to, I’ve earned a place by his side,” she insisted, her eyes narrowing at me again.  “You’re little more than a newborn, aren’t you?  I can tell by looking at you.”

I didn’t feel like I owed her any part of my personal history.  Ignoring that slight, I asked a question of my own.  “Is that where you want to be, by Jakob’s side?”

Her chin came up a notch in a challenging tilt.  “You think you deserve it more than I?”

“No,” I replied with an honest smile.  “I think it’s
exactly
what you deserve.”  Let her have all the honor and glory of being Jakob’s favorite, the price was too high for me. 

Her face fell, trying to decide if I’d slighted her in some way.  “It is a place of great honor and power,” she insisted.

“Enjoy it then, I hope you’re happy.  I have my own power that isn’t dependent on his moods.”

“I find that hard to believe,” she said frostily, but Bishop came to my defense. 

“Actually, she’s got quite a lot of influence,” he smiled.  “Anja’s the Elder of the Western Lands.”

Carys’ head spun so fast her curls jiggled against her forehead.  “They let a female become Elder?”

“Why not?  We’re not living in the dark ages anymore,” I laughed.  “I think you’ll find there have been a lot of changes since Lodinn snatched you.  Women can do anything men can, and sometimes better.”

“Well, of course they can,” Carys snapped.  “I simply didn’t expect men to ever realize it.”  She looked so discombobulated by the notion, I almost felt sorry for her.  Almost – until she opened her big fat mouth again.  “The West… I don’t recall that House, Ulrik.”

“The colonies were split into the Houses of the East and the West,” Bishop replied, explaining in terms she could understand.  “Anja rules over half, and actually, another woman rules over the East.”

“Oh, the colonies,” she sniffed, but I couldn’t care less if she was impressed by my title or not.  “And is Vetis still the coveted seat of power in the civilized world?”

“That depends on your definition of power,” I shrugged.  “There have been quite a few changes since they lost Sylvius and the Order was banished.”

“What happened to Sylvius?” Carys frowned.

“He died earlier this year,” Bishop said gently, and there was genuine grief in her expression when she turned to him in dismay.

“How sad.  I was always a favorite of his.”

“Yes, he was a sweet old man,” I agreed.  “He didn’t deserve what Aubrey did to him.”

“Aubrey?”  A furrow appeared on her smooth brow.  “I’d forgotten about him.  What did he do to Sylvius?”

“He murdered him,” I said coldly.  One of the reasons I’d never found it in my heart to forgive Aubrey entirely for what he’d done.

“Ah, I never thought he had it in him,” she replied with what might’ve been admiration, I didn’t know her well enough to tell.  “Then he’s Warden to Simon Corley?”

“No, Aubrey is Elder of Vetis now,” Bishop explained.  “Simon was banished after an assassination plot against Anja.”

Carys turned her cool blue eyes on me.  “My, you’ve been busy, haven’t you?”

“Don’t look at me, it wasn’t my idea,” I shrugged.  “I would’ve preferred to get through the Gathering without an arrow sticking through my chest, but Corley had other plans.”  I couldn’t think of that night without remembering that last fight with Bishop.  How I’d begged him to admit his feelings for me!  That had been the final nail in the coffin, so to speak, for our relationship.  Glancing up at him now, I wondered if he was thinking about the same night from the grim look on his face. 

“Anyway, I’d better get going.  Rob might need to stop and eat again before we get back to Vetis.”

“Why don’t we all go?” Carys suggested, her face suddenly lighting up like a Christmas tree.

“Where, to Vetis?” Bishop asked. 

“Yes, why not?  This place is lovely, of course, but I think I might find it more comforting to find myself among familiar surroundings.  I’ve a real yen to see those old halls again, and I really should make myself known to Aubrey.  Especially if he’s in power,” she added, tapping her lower lip thoughtfully.

“I don’t know…”  Bishop looked with uncertainty to the couch where Jakob and Nelleke sat in deep conversation.

“Jakob, you’ll take us to the Vetis House, won’t you?” Carys took the decision out of his hands, flying to Jakob’s side to settle by his knee. 

“You wish to stay at Vetis?” Jakob blinked in surprise. 

“More than anything in the world,” she replied with a dazzling smile. “I know you wanted to ease me into this time, but I’m ready to take my place among our people.”

“I hadn’t thought to leave yet,
älskling
.  Perhaps in a day or two when I’ve had a chance to get to know Nelleke.”

“You can bring your lovely daughter along, of course,” she replied without skipping a beat.  “The better for you to present her to proper society.”

“I am not wishing to be made the fuss over,” Nelleke protested, but Jakob overrode that with a grand smile.

“Of course you shall be presented, my dear, and with much fuss,” he proclaimed.  “All the better for us to continue to get to know one another.  I would very much like the opportunity to spend time with you all.”

All of us under one roof?  Talk about non-mixy things.  We’d be lucky if we all survived the week without trying to kill each other.  “Right, well, I’d better get going then.  I’ll see you all there later.  Nell, are we okay?”  I hesitated before Nelleke, hoping she wasn’t going to say anything about my lapse before with the pencil, but she was all smiles. 

“We are better than the okay,” she grinned.  At least she wasn’t holding a grudge over me spilling the beans.  I wondered if that would change the first time Jakob disappointed her?  Hopefully she’d never have to experience that the same way I did, given the different nature of their relationship.  Then again, there was no reason to expect Jakob would be any less domineering with his biological daughter than he was with his progeny. 

“Good, bye then,” I smiled back, offering a faint smile to Bishop who looked like he wanted to say something else to me, but in the end he simply nodded.

* * *

“Sorry that took so long,” I apologized once I got to the lobby.  Lee looked pretty tuckered out, and so did Rob, come to think of it.  He slouched low in his chair and barely straightened when I joined them.  “I would’ve been back sooner, but Nelleke showed up and it turned into a big old father/daughter reunion.”  I waved my hand back and forth. 

“Nelly’s here?”  Lee perked up at that, his eyes going to the elevator and I could tell he wanted to go up and say hi in the worst way. 

“She’ll be coming back to Vetis with Jakob and those guys, so I’m sure you’ll get a chance to have a nice long visit with her,” I added, smiling at the way his face split into a wide grin.

“Well, what do ya know?  This visit just got a lot more interestin’.”

“You don’t know the half of it.”  I went over what I could recall of the conversation, what little Jakob remembered about the curse and even how I’d nearly staked him if not for Nell’s timely arrival.  They both listened to me without judgment, which was nice, but Rob didn’t look particularly heartened by any of it. 

“It was definitely a gypsy curse, does that help?” I asked when I was done, and he gave a slow nod.

“We might be in for a stroke of luck there.  Stevo and his clan are from gypsy stock.  He’s a city boy, but he’s got family that still follow the old ways.”

“Really?”  My brows lifted in surprise.  “Wouldn’t that make them your family too?”

“They’re related by blood, yeah, but I’ve never met most of them.”

Lee’s mustache twitched to one side.  “Is Nelly alright then?  That must’ve been quite a shock for her to walk in on, you about to end her Pa and then havin’ her business brought out into the open.”

“I know,” I winced in sympathy.  “I didn’t mean to break my word about keeping her secret, but I panicked!  She seemed fine when I left.  I think… I think it might be good for Jakob to have found his daughter.  He needs to learn how to focus on someone other than himself for a change and she might be exactly the right person to help him do that.” 

“What you should’ve done was kill him,” Rob growled.  “She’s much better off without a dad like that.”

“I almost did. But I couldn’t kill him in front of his own daughter.”

“Why not?” he scoffed.  “Do you think he’d hesitate if the situation were reversed?  I happen to know from prior experience that he wouldn’t.” 

I didn’t want to hear that story, so I quickly changed the subject.  “Let’s get back to the house before it gets too late.  Do you need to stop off for another bite to eat, or will you be good until we get to Vetis?”

“I’ll be fine, providing I can have a proper meal once we get there.  None of those sherry glasses of blood for me.”

I especially did want to get back before Carys and Jakob arrived and created a big hullabaloo.  “I’m sure we can take care of it there.  Let’s get going.”   

* * *

It didn’t take long for the hullabaloo to get into full swing.  When we got back to the house, I found Maggie and Tucker happily tucked away in the suite playing cards, without a care in the world.  I promptly called down for a sturdy feeder for Rob while they dealt us in for a game of gin rummy. 

When the feeder came (a nice fella named David), we excused ourselves to the bedroom where I supervised.  I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination, but it seemed like Rob’s instincts were less brutal the more regular his feedings got.  Or maybe he was trying extra hard to impress me.  All I know is, by the time we took care of his third feeding for the night, all I had to do was nudge him gently on the shoulder and he released David, without a fight. 

But before we could resume our game, a sharp knock sounded on the door.  Tucker’s head came up, tilting to one side, a low pitched whine emanating from him. 

“It’s for m-me,” he said, stumbling to his feet. 

“Lee?” I asked, knowing the older wolf could handle anything that came our way.  He dropped me a quick wink and then lumbered to the door, in no particular hurry.  The knock came again, loud enough to rattle the pictures on the wall. 

“Keep yer pants on,” Lee called out, pulling the door open to scowl at Brody out in the hall.  “Ain’t you never been taught respect, friend?” 

“I’m here to collect the boy.  He’s got more important duties to tend to than babysitting a human,” Brody sneered. 

Tucker shuffled forward, but Lee barred his way with a gentle arm, his other hand poking Brody in the chest.  “I reckon you don’t hear too good.  The way I understood it, Tucker’s in Miss Anja’s employ for the duration of her visit.  Weren’t that the way it seemed to you?”

“That’s changed since Jakob’s arrival with Lady Carys.  We need all of our men, even that mongrel.”

“Only mongrel I see here is you.”  Lee punctuated that with another hard poke to the chest.  “Best you put some respect in your voice when you come to Miss Anja’s door.  Unless you want to find out first hand what kind of trouble her protection will bring ya if you go after one of hers.”

“The boy isn’t hers, he’s…”

Lee turned to Tucker, offering him a nod of encouragement.  “Who do you reckon you belong to, son?”

“I-I…”

“He belongs to himself,” I called out, hearing about all I could take of Brody’s rude interruption.  “There’s no slavery here, Tucker’s a free man, same as anyone else.  There’s no reason why you have to stay here working for this pig if you don’t want to.  Do you want to go with Brody, or stay with us?”

“I w-want to stay with you,” Tucker said, his eyes glued to the tops of his shoes.  “With you and M-Maggie.”

“It’s all settled then, isn’t it?” I smiled, turning back to the cards on the table. 

Brody’s mouth opened and closed without speaking, his neck turning a bright red that crept up the side of his face.  “Yes, Your Grace,” he finally muttered, slinking away.

“T-T-Thank you,” Tucker mumbled, still looking pretty miserable over the turn of events, and Lee clapped him on the shoulder.  “You stick with me, boy.  I’ll make sure you’re alright.”

“I guess
Lady Carys
has arrived,” I said with a roll of the eyes.  “This ought to be fun.”

And it was.

The arrival of the
Ellri
, his new daughter,
and
favored progeny came with all the fanfare I’d expected and more.  It meant a change in rooms for us as Jakob was given the larger suite to share with Carys.  For one horrifying moment I thought he was going to make the three of us room together, but it turned out I didn’t have to worry.  Carys didn’t like to share. 

I didn’t mind.  I preferred the Swan room anyway.  It was just as nice without being ostentatious.  I only felt bad for Maggie, who’d have to bunk down with the feeders, but she said she didn’t mind.  Rob set up to sleep on my couch, and Lee took Tucker with him back to the security wing when it was time to bed down for the night. 

I ventured down into the Great Hall only long enough to witness Aubrey completely kissing up and down Carys’ behind.  Not literally, but he probably would’ve if she’d allowed it.  He looked positively giddy to see her again, offering her his perch on Simon’s old throne.  I bet he would’ve flayed the skin off his own body if he thought there was a chance it’d make her smile. 

Bishop hovered nearby, dancing attendance on her as well, and I couldn’t tell if he was genuinely trying to make her happy or pressed into service.  I had a newsflash for him – nothing would ever make that woman completely happy.  But it was none of my business, so I snuck out of there as soon as I could – not that anyone noticed.  Besides, I had other more pressing concerns for the moment. 

“You alright?” Rob asked as soon as we stepped into the Swan room.  He’d been quieter than usual lately, and it was easy to see he was uncomfortable among his old friends.  I could understand his embarrassment over it, and didn’t try to draw him out for the most part. 

“Yes, I’m just tired.  I feel like I’ve been going, going, going, you know?”

“I reckon I do at that,” he said with the hint of a smile.  “I’ve done more gallivanting about in the past two nights than I have in two months.  I’d forgotten how exhausting it was keeping up with you.”

“If you’d rather stay in tomorrow…”

“None of that now, I was just having a bit of a laugh.”  His voice dropped to a gravelly whisper for my ears only.  “Of course, there was a time when staying in with you would tire me out a far cry more than following you to hotels and such.”

I barely bit back a
the things you say
, knowing if I said it, it would add a level of intimacy to the conversation I wasn’t ready for.  “I wouldn’t want you to do anything you’re not up for,” I finally managed to get out. 

Rob’s lips twitched into a sexy grin.  “You might be surprised what I’m up for.” 

Holy smokes
, was I in over my head!  “I know this curse has taken a lot out of you.”

He took a step closer, and another.  “I’ve the strength to give you what you need well enough.”

“Um…” 
Frak
, what was I going to say again?  “What is it that you think I, um… need?”

“I know the hunger you’re feeling.”

“Beg pardon?” was all that tumbled out when he advanced another step and I retreated, backing up slowly.

He licked his lips, leaving them juicy and ripe for the tasting.  “Under the skin, burning hot until you feel like you’ll go up in flames.  I can satisfy that craving.”

My mind literally went blank.  All the words winked out of existence, leaving only the last five he’d just uttered.  My lips parted, but not a sound came out except for the breath that rushed past my teeth as he backed me up against the door. 

“You need to feed.”

I wasn’t sure if that negated or supported the double entendre he’d been weaving, but it did un-stick my tongue.  “Oh… oh right.  Yes, I guess I do.”  I’d spent so much time making sure he was well fed, I’d neglected my own appetite. 

“Go on then, have a taste.  I’ve fed well enough today.  I’ve got enough to spare.”

My mouth watered at the thought, that tantalizing taste earlier at the feeder club enough to make me thirst for more.  But it was
such
a bad idea on so many levels, the least being, he needed to hang onto his blood more than I did. 

“Oh… I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”  Our boundaries were already fuzzy enough.  Throwing feeding into the mix was bound to make it even murkier.

“You sure?”  He leaned in close, inhaling slowly, as if savoring the scent of my hair.  “I think we can do better than good.”

Part of me was very, very interested in letting him try to make it up to me, especially because I remembered all too well just how good he could make it.  But another part of me hadn’t forgotten the pain of his betrayal yet, and even as his lips brushed against the outer whorl of my ear, all I could think of was the way he’d been neck deep in Bridget. 

“No…” I ducked out of the way, stepping clear of the door to put a wingback chair between us.  “I think that’s definitely not the direction we should be going right now.”

“Right then,” he nodded, shuttering away his disappointment so quickly, I wondered if he’d even felt it.  “Do you want to go back out to hunt?”

It took me a few seconds longer to regain my equilibrium.  “No, I think I need to grab a quick drink.”