Wake Me When the Sun Goes Down (22 page)

A lump rose in my throat as I sat there listening to her voice
.
I knew I should call her back to keep her from worrying, but instead I deleted it.  Not because I didn’t want to talk to her, but because I’ve never ever been able to successfully lie to her.  Not even over the phone.  If she asked something too close to home, I’d be in deep trouble.  In the worst way I wanted to call her and tell her everything that had happened to me, but I knew she couldn’t handle it.  A problem to her was a gravy stain that wouldn’t come out, or how to balance the budget
.  M
y problems would be completely out of her depth.   

Suddenly I was much less eager to get up and go to rehearsal.  Who was I kidding?  I wouldn’t be able to keep going to college, at least not at
CCA
.  Even if I did manage to find a way to shift my course schedule to classes later in the day, what about my future?  I couldn’t conceivably travel with a
jazz ensemble or
even stay put in
San Francisco
if I fell into a death-like coma as soon as the sun rose. 

Sure
,
I could still get my degree online, or at night school, but then what?  I couldn’t keep sponging off of my parents indefinitely, especially if I kept missing school.  The best I could hope for was to find a job singing in a little vampire club.  Surprisingly, that didn’t sound so bad, but it would kill my parents to think of me as a lounge singer. 

That alone propelled me to get up and get ready for rehearsal.  I’d have to talk to the Dean, maybe tell him I had mono or something, see if I could work around the class schedule. 

There was no sign of either Bishop or my mysterious blonde visitor when I got to the auditorium, but everyone was abuzz with gossip about
Trent
’s death.  Keeping mostly to myself, I found I could listen to several conversations at once, and
still
keep a general gist of what they were talking about.  No one
had
any real idea of how he’d died, but there was all sorts of speculation that he’d been killed by a jealous boyfriend.  I found out his reputation as a bastard was more widespread than I’d thought.  Why hadn’t any of them warned me when I
dated
him? 

I made it home again without incident, nervous about getting ready for my date with Aleksandr.  Bridget was already dressed for work when I got there, eating a bowl of
F
ruit
L
oops and chocolate milk. 

“How was priss club?” she asked around a mouthful of cereal.

“About what you’d expect,” I shrugged, no longer bothered by her comments on my chosen profession.  “Working tonight?”

“No, this is the latest in club-wear.  Speaking of which… stay out of my closet, okay?  I don’t want you getting blood on any of my clothes.”

“When have I gotten blood on any of your clothes?”

“Still.  Not all of us have Daddy to buy us new clothes whenever we want.  I can’t afford to have you regularly raiding my closet.”

“Don’t worry, I have a date tonight, but I won’t be borrowing anything of yours.”  I figured something more refined was in order. 

“No?  Bishop has a thing for the school girl look, huh?”

“Actually
,
I don’t know or care what Bishop has a thing for.”  I knew it wasn’t the club
look;
he hadn’t stopped scowling over my legs the other night.  “I have a date with Aleksandr Kursik.”

“The Russian from the Bloody Hart?” she blinked.  “I thought you had a thing for the vampire cop?”

“He’s not a cop exactly, and it doesn’t
m
att
er if I had a thing for him or not
.  H
e’s made it extremely clear he’s not interested.”

“Yeah, okay,” Bridget snorted, and I shot her a scowl.

“What?”

“He’s interested alright.  I could tell by the way he looked at you.  Why don’t you just ask him what’s up his butt?”

As lovely as that turn of phrase was, maybe I didn’t want to know what Bishop’s reasons were
?
  It was easier to pretend he kept me at arms length because of some deep, dark secret.  If I came right out and asked him, he might actually tell me it was because he
found me disgustingly naïve,
clumsy or plain, or all of the above.  I preferred to keep my cushion of ignorance against heartbreak. 

“Because… I’m not going to waste my time chasing after him anymore.  He knows where I am if he changes his mind.  In the meantime, I have a date, so excuse me, I have to get ready.”  For once she respected my privacy enough to back off
,
and I escaped to the sanctuary of my room to get dressed.

Chapter
Eighteen

I went with the little black dress, suitable for concert premieres, dinner parties and cocktails with Russian vampires.  Since I was going for more of a sophisticated look, I twisted my hair up into a loose chignon, set delicate gold hoops at my ears and I kept the makeup to a minimum.  Of course I wore the cuff bracelet he’d given me, and my ring, which I still hadn’t taken off.  At that point, I wasn’t sure if I was capable of taking it off at all; the very idea made me uneasy.     

I decided to splurge on a cab to the hotel.  Though the cold didn’t bother me, I didn’t want to take
the
chance of mussing my hair on a longer bus ride.  That
,
and I wanted to look as though I didn’t care about money, even if it wasn’t true.  The opulence of the
Fairmont H
otel wasn’t lost on me.  I’d stayed in my share of fancy places over the years on vacation with my parents, but when I was ushered up to the penthouse, I couldn’t help but gawk like a country bumpkin as the elevator doors opened. 

There were two men dressed in identical gray suits standing outside his door, and they immediately stepped aside, opening the door for me to pass.  Another gray suited man met me on the inside, ready to lead me through the suite to the living room where Aleksandr waited.  They all moved in perfect silence, like they
took
their cues from an unseen and unheard presence, and it made me wonder… Was my host able to command them with the power of his mind?  Or had they simply gone through th
e
routine so many times, it was a symphony of synchronization? 

Kursik was there for the handoff, extending his arm to me.  “Thank you for joining me this evening.  You look radiant,
milaya
,” he smiled, his eyes bright.

“Thank you for inviting me.” I slipped my arm onto his with my best Regency impression of manners
,
and hoped for the best. 

“My gift suits you.”

“It’s exquisite
, thank you
.  I ah, haven’t seen anything like it for a long time.  Where did you find it?”  Belatedly I hoped I hadn’t asked something gauche, like how much something cost, but he didn’t seem to mind the question.

“From a shared acquaintance, I believe.  Please, join me for a drink. 
Champagne
?”

Nodding absently over the drink, I took a seat on the couch, far more interested in what he’d said.  “A shared acquaintance?”

“
M
ore than an acquaintance on both of our parts, I expect,” he chuckled. “I knew your maker well.  Did she never speak of me?”

She?
  I tried not to choke on the champagne, but ended up with some of it going up my nose and it took me a second to keep from coughing, not having to breathe definitely coming in handy.  “Perhaps
.  T
here are some things a lady never discusses,” I tried for a mysterious smile.  This was better than I could have expected!  He had a direct pipeline into my Sire, or at least, he thought he did
,
since he
believed
I was a few hundred years old.  But it could be the same person, especially since Bishop recognized the bracelet and it fit the style of the ring.  That meant… my Sire was the same vampire that turned Bishop!

Kursik seemed to find my response amusing, and his blue eyes twinkled as he raised the crystal flute to me in a salute.  “Good, then I can count on your discretion for anything that passes between us as well.” 

“Of course,” I pledged, trying to figure out how to steer him back to talking about my Sire, or maker as he called her.  “How did it end up in your hands, if you don’t mind m
y
asking?  This was one of her favorite pieces, as I recall.”

“You know
Carys
,
she didn’t want to leave me empty handed when she moved on.  I do miss that girl,” he sighed, draining the remainder of his glass and a gr
a
y suited sentry immediately
sprang
forward to replenish it. 

Carys
.  The name struck a chord with me, but I wasn’t quite sure why.  “Were the two of you together long?”

“No, not very, just a few years.” 
Just a few years.
  Longer than any of my relationships combined, and it was like nothing to him.  “But let’s not spend our time thinking of loves lost
.  L
et us instead turn to the delightful company
at
present.”

Cool beans.  That hadn’t gotten me very far, I was definitely no Mata Hari, but I decided to try again, especially since he
looked
at me like I was the next thing he wanted to sample.  “How did you know she was my Sire, by the way?”   

His brows rose a fraction in surprise.  “You caught my eye from the moment I saw you.  You reminded me of her straight away, but it was the ring that cinched it for me.”  Kursik picked up my hand and pressed a kiss to the ring in question, tugging me a little closer. 

“You think I look like her?  I ah, I don’t really see it.”

“Surely you jest,
milaya
.  The same bright hair, the same eyes… though you are blessed in certain areas she was not
.
”
H
is fingers caressed the side of my face, down the slope of my neck to brush across the delicate skin at my bodice and my eyes slid shut at the touch despite my best efforts not to be swayed by his pretty words.  “But beyond the physical resemblance, you share that same fresh innocence, coupled with raw power
,
it’s a heady combination.” 

Talk about a heady combination, I was already half in a swoon
.  H
ow had I thought I was in a position to resist giving th
e
man anything he wanted?  In that moment I didn’t much care.  I didn’t have a boyfriend to be faithful to, why not enjoy Aleksandr’s attentions? 

A cry of pain
from the hallway
broke the mood
,
and in a flash, the gray suits formed a
protective
line between us and the hallway that led to the door.  The big, hulking guy who’d been with him at the Hart materialized beside us as if from nowhere, a huge pistol in his meaty hand, easily the deadliest looking guy I’d ever seen.  A crash and a thud sounded closer and Kursik snapped his fingers.  “Booth
.
”

“On it, boss
.
”
Booth strode forward, shouldering his way past the minions to see what the trouble was. 

“What is it, who’s out there?” I asked, nervous despite the fact that he looked cool as a cucumber. 

“Be at peace,
milaya
.  No harm will come to you when you’re in my company.”  He used the opportunity to pull me closer, wrapping a protective arm around my shoulders.  “Whoever it is would have to be a fool to try and broach my defenses here,” he murmured.

“Oh
God
… I think I know who’s that big of a fool…”
T
he color drained from my face as I figured out what was going on.  Right on cue, the suits parted like the
R
ed
S
ea
as Bishop strode into view. 

“So, you finally decided to make your move
.
”
Bishop’s eyes set to bore a hole right through Aleksandr’s head. 
Frak
…
He
was about to ruin everything! 

“Bishop, what are you doing here?” I tried to get his attention but he ignored me.

“I’ll need to see your papers.”

“You’re making a big mistak
e…” I tried again, but I could have been talking to a wall for all the good it did me.

“My papers?  Are you mad?  This is harassment, plain and simple.”  Kursik rose to his feet with fluid grace, approaching Bishop without any fear
,
and to his credit, Bishop didn’t bat an eye when he got right up in his face.  “Where is my man, Booth?”

“He’ll be fine.  Eventually
.
”
Bishop gave a careless half shrug.

“This is inexcusable, violating the sanctity of my stronghold…”

“I’m sorry, are you questioning my authority to be here?” Bishop’s eyes narrowed and his shoulders seemed to swell even broader.  The enmity between them was
palpable;
I bet the testosterone in the air was off the charts.  Kursik was the shorter man and not nearly as built, but I knew he was stronger than he looked.  I still didn’t have a good idea which one of them was older and more powerful. 
I thought
the dirty looks might spill over into violence
,
but then Aleksandr took a step backwards, recovering his smile.

“Of course not.  I accept your governance here
,
I have no quarrel with the Jacari.  I merely question the cause for your visit.  Have I broken faith with any of the laws?”

“That’s what I’m here to find out.”  Now his eyes swung to me, taking in the dress and the way I
reclined
on the couch with what I took to be disapproval.  Aleksandr turned to look at me as well
,
and I almost wished they’d go back to fighting to lay off the scrutiny.

“Ah, I begin to see the reason for your call.  Do you lay claim to this woman?”

I held my breath, as Bishop’s eyes met mine, and I knew he wouldn’t do it
,
even before he opened his mouth to reply, so I cut him off.  “Of course not.  Bishop is like a brother to me.  You’d never be
jealous
, would you, brother?”  I challenged him to contradict me in front of Kursik
,
and he bristled, but remained silent. 

“Yes of course, that stands to reason,” Kursik nodded
,
as if it explained the intrusion perfectly.

“Do
you
lay claim to her?” Bishop asked, finding his voice.

“What if I did?  You’ve no authority to prevent it,” Aleksandr sneered, his posture challenging again.  I stepped in before the night ended in bloodshed. 

And not in a good way. 

“Excuse me, no one’s doing any claiming tonight if I have anything to say about it,” I interrupted crossly, tired of being talked about like a piece of luggage.   “You’ll have to excuse Bishop, his people skills leave a little to be desired.  You can see why I’ve been avoiding him for the past three hundred years or so.” I rose to my feet, desperate to get Bishop out of there before he said something to spoil all the progress I’d made so far.   “You’ll excuse me won’t you, while I have a private word with my brother?”  Without waiting for a response, I strode to the terrace door and stepped outside
.
I needed some fresh air.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I hissed as soon as he’d closed the doors. 

“Stop calling me your brother,”
Bishop
scowled immediately.

“What should I call you then?  Pain in my behind? 
Are you following me now?
”

“I was there when you got the invitation, remember?  Sorry if it ruins your evening, but I’ve the right to check his license to have you, and I mean to.”

“License to have me?  What are you talking about?”  More vampire laws?

“If he’s acknowledging you as his progeny he need a license, just like anyone else, I don’t care who his Sire was.”

“His progeny…” Was that what he was so riled up about?  He thought Kursik was my Sire?  “Bishop, you have it all wrong…”

“
It doesn’t look like you’ve got the best judgment right now
.  I can’t believe you’re taking his side like this.  I thought you were smarter than that.”

“You’re the one leaping to conclusions.  Idiotic conclusions I might add.  If you’ll let me explain…”

“No, you listen to me for once.  Try and get it through your head that you’re in danger here.  Whether he’s your Sire or not, you don’t want a man like Kursik laying claim to you.”

“
Since when do you care
?” I tossed back at him angrily.  What was this?  I don’t want you but nobody else can have you either? 

“
I don’t. 
B
ut this guy is dangerous
.”

“So you keep telling me. 
I can handle myself, remember?
”

“
You are going to get yourself killed
.
”
H
is eyes blazed with anger and I wasn’t sure who it was directed at. 

“
I’m already dead, right?
” I quipped, trying to lighten the mood but all it did was make him
somber
.