Wicked Sunset (Sunset Vampire Series, Book 4) (26 page)

He nodded with a look of approval.

“Well done, Caleb,” Ethan offered with a warm smile, shaking my hand while Paige still clung to me. “The best of congratulations to you.”

“Woo-hoo, we’re going to Yale!” Paige exclaimed, parting from our embrace.

We?

My own smile faded somewhat as I looked at Kat with concern. Paige’s enthusiasm waned as she spied my subdued mood.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “We’re going to Yale, right?”

“We’re certainly going to New Haven together,” I said.

“Paige, Caleb will be enrolling at Yale,” Alton said. “And you are indeed going to college, as well.”

She frowned and folded her arms before her. “Just what the hell do you mean by that, exactly?”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be right next door practically,” I said in a supportive tone.

She looked at me and then back at Alton with a perplexed expression.

“Gateway Community College, to be precise,” Alton said. “I estimated their general studies degree would be ideal for you. Such curriculums are broadly transferrable.”

“What!” she asked incredulously. “What a load of crap! So, I’m not smart enough for Yale or something?”

I nearly winced from her tone, though Kat was trying to repress a smirk.

I gave her a disapproving look.

Evil, evil, Kat.

“I need your schedule to be more flexible, which wouldn’t be the case as a Yale freshman undergraduate. We can discuss this further back at the estate,” Alton said.

“Community college, my ass,” Paige said.

I moved to stand before her, grasping her by the upper arms. “Listen, you don’t have to do this, you know. I’d understand, and I’ll be fine.”

She took a firm hold of my tie, pulling my face closer to hers. “Don’t even go there, twerp.”

My eyebrows rose.

“Listen, I’m still going with you. I just didn’t expect this little twist, that’s all.
Some
people aren’t willing to share their plans ahead of time,” she said, peering around me to glare at Alton.

“And I’m still very proud of you,” she said, letting go of my tie and straightening it. “You look all snappy and dapper in your chick-magnet of a suit, too.”

I beamed with pride. “Thanks.”

“Shall we go?” Alton suggested.

Ethan wrapped his arm around Paige’s slender shoulders. “Hey, either way, I’m still dating a college student.”

She snickered and draped one arm around his waist. “Yes, you are, you cradle robber.”

As Kat took my hand in hers, I couldn’t help thinking that each of our lives was drastically about to change.

* * *

Alton left for London two days after my debut visit to Yale. Before he left for the airport, and following what appeared through the dining room’s French doors to be a serious discussion between him and Katrina, he took me aside.

“Remember what we discussed on the plane,” he said. “And I’m just a phone call away if you need me.”

“Thank you for that,” I said. “For everything.”

I embraced him in a hug, which he returned in kind.

I felt very proud at that moment.

The feelings lasted for days after Alton returned to London.

Time flew, and before I knew it, it was July 17th; my birthday.

My twenty-seventh birthday.

Frankly, I wanted to ignore the occasion entirely, though I doubted that was likely to happen.

I gazed into the mirror, seeing the same face in the bathroom mirror I’d seen the day before, and yet, I was another year closer to thirty that morning.

I wasn’t sure exactly what it was I expected at twenty-seven, but I couldn’t have guessed a year ago that it would’ve involved having a vampire mate, or even realizing the existence of vampires, for that matter.

A year ago, I’d been preparing to start my first full-time position as a professor at a small Atlanta-based community college. And yet, barely a year into it, I’d been laid off due to the poor economy and Draconian budget cuts.

Now I was once again preparing for my return to college, only once again as a student.

Yale, no less; courtesy of the world’s most generous vampires…who aren’t supposed to exist.

“What a crazy-ass life,” I muttered.

I rubbed the shaving cream across my face and picked up my safety razor.

Kat made breakfast for me, and fortunately didn’t try to give me any more birthday gifts. The SUV in the garage was more than enough for me.

Alton had sent me a regal-looking birthday card that arrived via express courier service. Inside, he wrote:

Caleb,

My gift to you is your tuition, fees, and any associated expenses toward the completion of your degree at Yale. Make excellent use of your time, and make me proud.

Best wishes for a happy birthday.

Warm Regards,

“Uncle” Alton

I recalled our intense dialogue on the flight from New Haven, as well as both the declarations made and expectations given.

I frowned for a moment.

I’ll do my best to honor both.

Kat politely asked to read Alton’s card. She glanced over it, smiled, and handed it back to me.

“You’re okay with this whole uncle-thing, right?” I asked. “It’s not actually real, after all.”

“I have no objection, and it’s more real than you think. In fact, congratulations are in order,” she said. “It’s not uncommon for childless lords from his time to adopt aspiring young men into his
family
; particularly those deemed of high merit. And, call me biased, but I happen to find you of impeccably high merit.”

I nodded, though something in the back of my mind wondered if there were more to it than that.

Even so, she didn’t revisit the topic again.

The remainder of my special day was spent at home with her sharing quality time together.

Time was precious as the clock ticked down toward the fall semester, so I relished any time with her I could.

Of course, that evening, Ethan and Paige came over to visit. And, as I both half-expected and half-feared, they brought gifts.

He gave me a practical and much-needed backpack, which was fortunately made from good old heavy-duty canvas rather than something less durable. However, inside the backpack was an Amazon gift card of a sizable amount.

“
To pick up any last-minute items that need toting in your backpack
,” he wrote in my card.

I took the high road and thanked him, despite the fact he’d been way too generous.

Then I got a little worried over Paige’s gleeful expression as I jiggled the wrapped box she handed me.

Inside was the latest generation of Apple’s iPad tablet, which was something I’d been wanting for some time, but hadn’t gotten around to getting.

“The perfect gift for the nerdy reader in your life,” she said with a squeal before giving me a bear hug.

I chuckled. “Aww, thanks, Paige. This is great!”

“I think you can even subscribe to your favorite porn magazine on it, too,” she said in a conspiratorial tone.

My eyes shot wide open and I looked over at Kat, who appeared completely surprised.

“Hey, we’ve talked about his before,” I said. “Remember, there are actually no ‘real’ porn subscriptions for me.”

Kat strode over to me and placed a sharp fingernail beneath my chin as her emerald eyes gazed into mine. “Good. Let’s see that you keep it that way while you’re away at college, or else your dominatrix-mate
won’t
be very happy.”

I swallowed hard. “Got it.”

“Excellent,” she said, removing her finger.

Close call.

I glanced over to see Ethan and Paige barely containing their amusement, and I felt my cheeks burning.

“Great, no porn for Caleb. Now that that’s settled, how about we all go out to dinner?” Paige asked in a perky tone. “Birthday boy gets to pick the place!”

Later that night, after they dropped us off at the estate, Kat pulled out all the sexual stops and showed me why I had no need to consider pornography in my future.

We shared an amazing, passionate, and memorable experience together.

That was my twenty-seventh birthday in a nutshell, and decidedly the best birthday in my life.

The final two weeks of July were spent preparing, packing, and completing final details for Kat and me; me heading to Connecticut and her relocating to London.

Relocating.

Just the thought of being separated from her generated both anxiety and sadness. Suddenly, all of the fortitude I’d mustered had dissipated.

I don’t know if I can do this.

The excitement of attending Yale was palpable, but, in the end, I’d much rather have gone with Kat to London. Surely, I’d be able to enroll at one of Britain’s colleges, even with Alton’s assistance, if needed.

In retrospect, Kat and I hadn’t been separated for any length of time since she and Alton had pursued the renegade vampire, Chimalma, across the country.

That had only lasted for approximately a week, and it nearly drove me crazy.

I must be an obsessive relationship addict or something.

Maybe our time apart will be a formative experience.

Inhaling a deep breath, I returned to setting out some more clothes for packing. We were scheduled to depart Atlanta in two more days, and keeping busy was the best way to avoid dwelling on my anxiety.

Once I arrived at Yale, staying busy would likely be the last of my worries. Completing a PhD program seemed, by far, the biggest challenge of my academic experiences.

I slowly scanned the master bedroom that we shared, vowing I’d return someday to pick up where we had left off.

Someday.

Yet, I felt a growing sense of foreboding that things were about to change in profound ways; that life was changing forever, never to return to what once was.

That unsettled me more than I’d admit to anyone.

At least Paige would be there with me.

Paige.

Then another realization struck me.

Paige and Ethan will be separated, as well; and it’s all because of me.

A wave of guilt flowed through me. Leaving an array of clothes strewn across our bed, I went upstairs, grabbed the keys to my SUV, and headed toward the garage.

I felt compelled to do something while there was still time.

* * *

After parking my SUV, a gift I was certain to miss in my absence, I made my way into Atlanta’s regional hospital and headed for the administrative offices.

Soon, I sat in a rather uncomfortable waiting chair in a bland-looking hallway.

I never liked being in hospitals; even less now given my recent experiences.

“Caleb? Is everything okay?” Ethan asked.

As usual, he looked like some sort of Hollywood actor who portrayed a doctor on television.

Damn, some people have all the luck.

“Me? Yeah, I’m fine,” I replied. “I hoped we could chat, if you have a spare moment.”

“Sure,” he said with a welcoming smile. “Let’s go upstairs to my office.”

As we walked down the hallway, a few stray beams of afternoon sunlight crept in through parted blinds on a window to our right, but he neatly raised his clipboard he was carrying to shield his face as he sped past it.

Still, I heard a split-second long sizzling sound and noticed him absently rub his hand as we resumed our walk down the hallway toward the elevators.

Impressive. He’s probably practiced for all sorts of awkward daytime circumstances over the years.

I noticed how nurses and doctors alike spared him a greeting or admiring look as we passed them.

He’d really fit in with everyone since his arrival.

Upon entering his small office, he said, “Have a seat.”

I sat in the nearest guest chair and he rolled a small wheeled-stool to sit down before me, regarding me with a reassuring expression.

Not for the first time, I marveled at the amazing bedside manner he had.

“What can I do for my favorite repeat patient? Do you have a sudden case of pre-Yale jitters?” he asked, placing his clipboard atop his desk.

“Funny,” I said. “Actually, I should’ve taken the time to talk with you about this before now, so I apologize for that. But I’m hoping you’re one of those ‘better late than never’ kinds of guys.”

“Okay,” he said, frowning slightly. “Now I’m intrigued.”

I rubbed my palms across the thighs of my jeans. “I’m feeling a little guilty about Paige accompanying me to Connecticut.”

“Ah, but she’s your surrogate vampire, and Katrina is needed in London,” he said. “It only makes sense, logistically. You do have an uncanny tendency to attract trouble.”

I quirked my lips. “Busted.”

His responding chuckle was encouraging.

The memory of Kat bestowing the rarely used title and responsibility of surrogate vampire to Paige made me smile. I was both honored and pleased that Paige sincerely seemed to relish the role. She did such an excellent job of protecting and supporting me during Kat’s infrequent absences.

However, managing the interpersonal challenges from two vampires that frequently got on each other’s nerves could sometimes feel a bit overwhelming.

“Listen, the initial stages of a relationship are the most formative, and yet, I’m depriving you and Paige of that important time,” I said. “It feels wrong and selfish of me. But there’s still time to— Well, you know, I could always ask Kat to find someone else to take Paige’s place or something. Maybe Devon?”

Our conversation felt much more awkward than when I’d practiced it in my head on the way there. Part of me really wanted for Paige to accompany me, but the nobler part of me resisted.

“Caleb, listen to me,” he said. “I know how important Paige is to you, as well as how important you are to her. She cares for you very deeply, and I’m okay with that.”

I carefully considered my next words.