Tempt Me When the Sun Goes Down (26 page)

“Maybe I’d better pick something out after all.”

“Great, I can’t wait to see it,” I laughed on my way to go check on Rob and see if he was ready to go out hunting yet.  If we were going to be staying on for another week or so, we might as well test his self control to feed again.

* * *

Rob was awake, sitting up on the couch with an unlit cigarette between his lips when I got to the room.  He instantly tossed it into the fireplace as soon as he saw me.  “Hullo,” he yawned.  “Did I miss anything?”

“Not really,” I replied, keeping my voice light on purpose.  “Oh, except Carys declared herself Elder of Vetis.  And there’s going to be a costume party on Halloween.”

“Is that all,” he said with a shake of the head.  “Makes me think I should get my hands on more of those stims.”

“Don’t you dare!”

His lips curved into a half smile at my outrage.  “Easy, luv, I was only joking.  I don’t like to think of what I’m missing out on, is all.” 

“You’re not missing out.  Carys is just… ugh, you know what?  I don’t want to talk about Carys.  Let’s go out and hunt.  Or do you need something to tide you over until we get there?”  He’d only fed the one time the night before, and that was before the ritual.

“No, I’m fine.”  His hands came up to cut me off when I was about to question it.  “Lord strike me, it’s the truth.”

I felt his arm and he was right, cool as a cucumber.  “Wow, so you are.  I could get used to this.”

“Me too,” he smiled, picking up my hand to press a kiss to the back of it.  “Thinking back on the past months, I’ve been so obsessed with blood, I’ve not had time to think of anything else.  Now, it’s like the world’s stretched out at my feet.  I can do anything… as long as I have you by my side.” 

A flutter of unease went through me.  Could I make him that kind of a promise yet?  I wanted to be by his side, I was just so leery of being hurt again.  Apparently I could remove the anger and hurt from his betrayal, but not the fear.  “Let’s start with hunting.  That’s great you’ve got your self control back, but I’m actually kind of hungry.”

He tugged my hand closer, lips brushing across my wrist in a sensuous slide.  “We could always stay in and I could see to that for you.”

This time the flutter that went through me was definitely the good kind, but I held back, not ready to step into that kind of intimacy yet.  “No, I think I’d rather get away from here before we get caught up in the next bout of Carys craziness.”  I could tell he was disappointed, but he agreed easily enough. 

“As you wish.” 

Rob came through like a champ.  I didn’t have to tell him when to quit feeding, he stopped all on his own and healed the guy without a peep from me.  He didn’t even bat an eye when I chose to feed on my own, giving me a spot of privacy, even though I picked a guy big enough to share, in case he decided he wanted more. 

I think maybe he sensed that I needed the space, or maybe I wasn’t as subtle as I thought I was being.  Either way, Rob gave me all the room I needed to get used to our new routine and find my way back to him. 

His need to feed only once a night did free up a ton of time.  Once I was sure I didn’t need to watch him like a hawk anymore, I was fine with letting him go off on his own, or taking advantage of one of the house feeders.  That gave me some time to focus on work and meeting with some of the other Elders who started to drift into town for the upcoming party. 

It also gave me enough breathing room to notice how much time Maggie and Tucker were spending together, and I tried to free her up as much as possible to let them have some privacy.  Now that Tucker wasn’t under Brody’s oppressive thumb anymore, he seemed more confident, more playful, which was exactly what Maggie needed to combat the steady barrage of changes Carys hit her with about the party.  I swore to make it up to Maggie once we got home, but for the moment, all we could do was try to ride out Carys’ whims and hope for the best. 

Jakob improved steadily, and though he wasn’t his usual god-like self, he was up and around in a couple of days with Nelleke by his side, doing her best impression of a mama bear protecting her cub.   

I was on my way back from visiting him when a petite hurricane landed on my doorstep.  Rob immediately had an elsewhere he had to be when Riona and Briony, my favorite seamstress sisters, arrived with a flurry of bickering chatter.  One was dark where the other was light, and they both barely came up to my collarbone, their hair springy with shiny curls and their eyes bright. 

“We’re here!” Riona declared with a brilliant smile, only to have her blonde sister elbow her in the ribs.  

“She can see that, Ree.”

“I know, I was just being friendly.  Honey fetches more flies than vinegar, you know.”

“Who wants a bunch of nasty flies?” Briony muttered irritably.

“It’s nice to see you, ladies,” I said after I’d recovered from my surprise.  I’d known Maggie had contacted them, but hadn’t expected them to fly all the way here.  And I sure hadn’t expected them to worry about making anything for me, I was sure they had their hands full with Carys.  “I’m assuming you’ve met with Carys and found out what she wants?”

“Oh yes, we met with her straight away,” Briony nodded.  “She doesn’t fill a bodice out the way you can, but not all of us are that lucky.”  She looked down at her own chest in dismay.

“Someone needs to stop fixating,” Riona said in a singsong voice, and her sister’s eyes narrowed dangerously. 

“I’m just saying she has a nice set on her.  And I’m not the only one fixating.”  Briony poked a finger at Ree’s chest.  “You have more stuffing in there than a Christmas goose!”  Riona immediately crossed her arms over her chest with a scowl and the tiny blonde smiled with triumph.  “Thank you for the recommendation, by the way.”

“Maybe it wasn’t her that did the recommending?”

“Of course it was, she’s here, isn’t she?” Briony rolled her eyes before giving me an expectant smile.  “You did recommend us, didn’t you?”

Technically it was Maggie, but I smiled and nodded, not wanting to start off another argument. 

“Now we’ve already got your measurements, but we thought we’d talk designs.  Are you looking to steal the spotlight?”

“I wouldn’t say…”

Riona cut me off with a shake of the head.  “Of course she’s not here to do that, this is Carys’ party, isn’t it?”

“So?”  Briony shrugged.  “There’s nothing wrong with a little friendly competition.”

“They’re sisters.”

“So?  We’re sisters and you completely tried to upstage me at my birthday fete.” 

“I did not!”

“Then why else did you wear red?  Red is my signature color!”

“Ladies… please,” I interrupted before I had to worry about taking away their scissors.  “Can we maybe get back to the party?  I know it’s short notice and all…”

“See how she doubts us?” Briony said with a shake of the head.

“They never learn.”

“No, I don’t doubt you,” I insisted quickly before they turned on me.  “It’s just, I know you’ll be designing something for Carys too.”

“And half the party,” Riona nodded.

“Oh, then I definitely don’t need anything too fancy,” I decided.  There went my idea of something Elvish.  Ah well, it wouldn’t have been fun without bullying Carter into playing Legolas with me. 

“What did you have in mind?”

“Something to break all of the hearts in the room?”

“No, not all of the hearts,” I replied, my imagination kicking in.  “But maybe just one.”

There’s just something about a ball that brings out the girly in a girl.  Maggie’s Red Riding Hood costume was adorably paired with Tucker’s Wolf.  Lee wore old school lawman Wyatt Earp’s tin star with panache.  Gunnar surprised me by showing up as a New Wave Raver from the 80’s, complete with a streak of purple in his hair, at least three different colors of blush on his chiseled cheekbones, and more eyeliner than I had on. 

Everybody got into the festive spirit, even Rob, who wore his old 40’s army dress uniform.  I think maybe he secretly liked the idea of dressing up from another era for one night, and I was sad he hadn’t told me what he’d planned on wearing so I could come up with something to match, like a slinky 40’s chanteuse. 

I still didn’t know what Bishop was going as, and I deliberately didn’t ask about what Carys would be wearing, except to make sure I wouldn’t accidentally copy anything she had in mind.  Jakob had mumbled about dressing in something appropriate to his roots, and I figured he’d either show up dressed like Dracula or a caveman.

I was more fortunate than most to have some super nice dresses, courtesy of FF Fashions, but considering the tight timeframe they had to work with, the fae sisters completely blew me away with my gown for the party.  I went back and forth with them on ideas, everything from whimsical to geeky chic before I settled on something beautifully classic, and one of my favorites for a while – Christine from
Phantom of the Opera
. 

I’d always loved the musical, but when the movie came out, I’d wanted to
be
Christine.  Plucked out of obscurity and thrust into the limelight, where she found success and love – all the while stalked by a man who was equal parts sexy and psycho, who ultimately only wanted to possess her.  It seemed fitting, in a way.

When I asked them to come up with a dress that was Christine-inspired, I never thought they’d have the time or energy to duplicate anything as fancy as the movie, but come the night of the ball, they delivered a miracle.  Maggie helped me with the hair and make-up, and I couldn’t have gotten into the corset and dress without assistance.  Wearing a dress like that changes everything about the way you stand, the way you move, the way you hold your head.  The first time I got a look at myself in the mirror, decked out from head to toe in finery, I
was
Christine. 

“That’s a very pretty necklace.”  Rob came up behind me to press a kiss to my bare shoulder and my hand immediately flew to my throat.  Bishop’s necklace went perfectly with the dress, the garnet drop settling just above the bodice. 

I probably should’ve told him where it came from, but all I said was, “Thanks.”  Besides, I wasn’t wearing it as some kind of a message, it was just a pretty necklace, like he said.  I’d be lucky if Bishop looked once in my direction all night.

“You look fantastic,” I smiled, reaching up to straighten his tie.  “This look definitely suits you.  After this is over, maybe we can go to your friend’s bar and share a private dance or two?” 

“Pandora’s Cross?  Might could manage that,” he considered aloud.  “On one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“Will you sing for me?”

Such a change from the last time we’d been there and he’d been angry when I singled him out.  “I’d love to,” I agreed easily enough.  Now that it didn’t bother me to sing in public, I didn’t mind at all. 

“You nervous about tonight?” he asked, his hands settling on my hips and my head tilted in confusion.

“No… Why, should I be?”

“I know you was worried about a repeat of the last ball we went to here.”

“Oh that.  No, not especially.  I mean, I’m pretty sure if Carys wanted to have me murdered she’d have done it by now.  Not that I’m particularly looking forward to playing nice with her, but I am happy about the chance to talk to some of the other Elders again.”

“I suppose I should ask now, before you’re swarmed with admirers.  Would you save a dance for me?”

That made me smile from ear to ear.  “Absolutely I will.  You’ll get the very first dance, in fact.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” he said, his voice stern.

“You can hold any part of me you want,” I replied, eliciting a rare smile from him. 

“The things you say…”

I was perfectly willing to muss my lipstick or any other part of me as long as he promised to put me back together again, but Rob let go of my hips, his attention focused elsewhere.  “Someone’s coming.”

“The house is full of people, it’s probably not even for…”  Someone pounded on the door.  “… us.”

Rob gave me an
I told you so
look and went to go answer it.  I smoothed my skirt out and strolled into my sitting room, stopping stock still when I got an eyeful of who it was. 

“Sweet zombie Jesus… that is the best thing I’ve seen all year,” I gaped at finding Jakob decked out as Thor from the Marvel movies, with a red cape and everything. 

Jakob’s chest puffed out with pride.  “It does suit me, does it not?”

“Yep, you’re definitely a man who can live up to the silver screen image,” I nodded, my gaze falling to Nelleke, who stood beside him.  I’d expected her to dress as a Valkyrie or a shieldmaiden or something, but she turned up on Jakob’s arm dressed like Tinkerbell from
Peter Pan
.  Liberally sprinkled with sparkly fairy dust, the tough warrior looked positively dainty in her petite green dress, all the way down to the puffs of marabou on her slippers.   “And Tinkerbell, you look absolutely adorable.”

“You are liking it?” she asked, a touch of uncertainty creeping into her voice. 

“Oh yes, you definitely pull it off, Nell.  Lee will absolutely bust when he sees you!”

Her brows crumpled in confusion.  “Bust is good?”

“Yes, it’s very good,” I smiled, wondering not for the first time if there was a real spark between those two or not. 

“I am feeling a small amount foolish now, dressed in this children’s costume.”

“Oh, Nell, trust me, there is nothing childish about the way you wear that costume,” I assured her.  “Isn’t that right, Rob?  Tell her she looks all kinds of grown up.”

“You do,” he smiled.  “I would add that I’d love a dance if you have room to spare on your dance card.”

Nelleke immediately looked to me to see if I’d mind and I gave her an encouraging nod.  “Yes, I like this very much,” she smiled shyly.  “We are ready to go down to the dancing now?”

Jakob raised a hand.  “Bide a moment, daughter, I would have a few words with my Anja.”

I didn’t like the sound of that.  “Uh oh, what’d I do this time?”

“Not a thing, petal,” he chuckled.  “I had thought to speak with you in private.  Perhaps Rob could show Nelleke down to the festivities and I might escort you myself?”

“Oh, isn’t Carys expecting you to escort her tonight?”

“It’s my understanding that Carys is already presiding over her guests with Ulrik by her side.”

“Ah.”  Of course.  “Well, I sort of promised Rob the first dance, but if you need to talk, that’s fine.  Rob, do you mind?”

“Not at all,” he replied, holding his arm out to Nelleke.  “I’ll be back to collect you for that dance,” he added with a brief wink. 

Jakob didn’t speak again, even after they were both gone.  “So, what’s up?” I prompted after a few moments of awkward silence.

“I have something to discuss with you, something difficult to broach.” 

Uh oh.
  “Like what?”

“I wouldn’t hurt you for the world.”

And yet he frequently managed it just fine.  “Spit it out, Jakob.  Whatever it is, I can take it.”

“I have given my word to leave the West until such time as you invite me to return.”

Good gravy
, he wasn’t going to ask me to take him back, was he?  “Jakob, we talked about this.  You know I don’t feel that way about you.  We agreed that you’d stay out of my hair and leave the West alone.” 

“And I would not go back on my word once given.  Except that I have promised to show Nelleke the world, and there is much I would show her in your province.” 

“Oh.”  Was that all?  “You want to take her sightseeing in the West?”

“Yes, would it pain you much for me to do so?”  The mighty god of Thunder reached for both of my hands, his blue eyes fixed to mine.  It was hard not to laugh at the absurdity of it all, but I managed a smile instead. 

“No, I think it’s incredibly sweet that the two of you are getting to know each other.  Better late than never, right?”

“Then you don’t object?”

“No, of course not.  That doesn’t mean I want you camped out on my doorstep either.  You’re still banned from the house.”  Most people were since we’d had Leila re-consecrate it. 

“I accept these terms,” he grinned, dropping my hands to offer me his arm.  “Shall we join the festivities?”

“Actually, I think I’ll wait here for Rob to get back, if that’s alright with you.  I think it’ll mean a lot to him for us to walk in together.” 

“Then the compulsion was a success?  You are reunited with him?”

I wasn’t sure I could call our reunion a complete success, but the compulsion part had worked right enough.  “Yes, for the most part.  It made things easier, at least.  I don’t think about Bridget at all anymore when we’re together.”

“I had feared I was too weakened to accomplish it.  While I admit, I still don’t understand your choice in Rob, I’m glad if I was able to lessen your heartache.  You have only to say the word if you wish me to remove your pain over Ulrik’s desertion.”

“I keep telling you, he didn’t desert me,” I started to say, but he waved me off. 

“If you ask me, he chose poorly.”

“That’s sweet of you, Jakob.  But it wouldn’t have mattered even if he did pick me, I’m with Rob now.”  Or would it?  What would’ve happened if he’d come to me that night at the campfire instead of going to Carys?  Would I have chosen differently?

Jakob merely smiled and leaned down to kiss my forehead.  “I’ll see you down at the ball.  You look scrumptious, by the way,” he added with a wolfish grin as he moved to the door with purposeful strides. 

“Thanks, I’ll see you down there.”

Rob stood out in the hallway as Jakob pulled the door open, and I smiled to see him there.  “Perfect timing.  Are you ready?”

Instead, he stepped into the suite, barely managing a nod to Jakob in passing and I could tell from the bunch of his shoulders that something was wrong. 

“What’s the matter?  Is everything okay down at the party?  Did Carys do something?”

Rob didn’t mince words, his speech gruff and clipped.  “You had Jakob compel you to love me?”

Frak
!  What had he heard?  “No, of course not!” I insisted.  “I already love you, I just asked him to make it more…”

“Palatable?” he bit out.  “You’re not thinking of Bridget every time we’re together no more?”

“I didn’t want to keep getting hung up on the past, that’s all.  You did what you did, and we’ve moved on, that’s all that matters.”

“That’s
not
all that matters,” he rasped.  “You shouldn’t have to let him muck about with your head to make yourself be with me.”

“I didn’t have to make myself be with you, I
want
to be with you.  I only had trouble getting past this one thing, and Luca said…”

I’d managed to shock him out of his anger.  “Luca told you to do this?”

“Well, no, not in so many words.  But he said we were doomed if I couldn’t give you my whole heart and that the only way to let it go was to surrender myself to another’s will.  What does that sound like to you?  Rob, I did it for us.”

Rob was silent for long seconds, deep in thought. 

None of this was working out how I’d wanted it to.  Instead of smoothing things over, things were choppier than ever.  I had to make him see what I’d done was a good thing.  “Look, we’ve both made mistakes in the past.  What’s done is done, why not move past this together?  You still want to be with me don’t you?”

His brows bunched together at the question.  “Course I do, it’s all I want.”

“Then let’s go down to the party and start our new lives together.”

“You sure?”

“
Absolutely
I am.”  I looked deep into his hazel eyes.  He of all people should understand how little I trusted compulsion.  Letting Jakob into my head had to prove how far I was willing to go to make things work. 

“Alright then.  Let’s go have that dance.”