A Bloody London Sunset (Sunset Vampire #2) - Page 3

"Daytime again," Katrina lamented while sitting at her computer in the sublevel room, or rather, her chamber. She finished putting her long red hair in a pony tail and stared at the computer screen while toying absently with the sterling pendant around her neck that commemorated her commitment to Caleb. As she finished reviewing a list of books she was interested in ordering from an online bookseller, her thoughts drifted to her sandy-haired young mate.

Caleb was so kind, gentle, and caring towards her, like her late husband, Samuel, who had died over five hundred years ago when she was just a human herself. To Katrina, Caleb was the complete package as a mate, and she loved him dearly. As she narrowed her book selections, she fondly smiled at how happy he made her. So much like Samuel, and yet, so different. But in a good way.

She refocused her attentions on the online order before her. The first book was a biography on the life of Theodore Roosevelt, which she could discuss at length with Caleb. She enjoyed their history-related conversations, being an amateur historian herself. Face it, survive five hundred years, and by natural selection, you're a historian. She fondly recalled taking Caleb's introductory history class the previous fall semester and the subsequent attraction she had felt towards him from that first day. Frankly, she had been caught off guard by that initial spark of desire for him.

The other book she ordered was a romance novel set in the late eighteenth century. She had been a vampire since the 1530s, so it was a period she recalled vividly, though without many of the glamorized trappings presented in historical romance fiction. Still, she had a soft spot for the genre and smiled at how Caleb would likely tease her over that. Alpha vampire and romance reader.

Yet I'm a woman. I deserve occasional romance, right? She had tried to demonstrate that to Caleb regularly and openly, mainly so he wouldn't be intimidated by her. However, being a woman doesn't mean being a pushover.

Fortunately for her, Caleb wasn't someone who challenged her for the alpha role. And while she wanted to claim that her commanding nature was important in order to protect him better, she admitted that she enjoyed being in control. Fortunately, he doesn't seem to mind that either, she thought with a smirk. He even seemed to enjoy it at times. Yes, he's so unlike my previous relationships.

She moved quickly from browsing the Internet, which was undoubtedly one of her favorite pastimes, to reading new emails. She read some jokes that Paige passed along, including viewing a humorous video of someone falling off of a ladder in a buffoonish manner while painting his house. There was another series of emails similar in tone to others she had been receiving for weeks. Most were from vampires with whom she hadn't previously corresponded. Each congratulated her on killing Chimalma or asked for further details of her exploits in doing so. Frankly, she was happy to leave the entire affair in her past, as those horrific events had nearly brought about her demise, and more importantly, Caleb's.

Still, she went through the process of responding to each message, as she had nothing more pressing on her agenda. She was merely passing time until Caleb called to inform her about the mysterious plans he had for them that evening. Lately, he had been very creative about their time together, and she approved of his most recent game, Find Caleb. Despite having only played once, she was already looking forward to future activities in that same vein.

As agreed the day before, Tanisha waited a little longer at her office than planned that Friday afternoon in order to transport Caleb to the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area. He removed a medium-sized backpack, heavy brown winter coat, and rolled-up sleeping bag from the trunk of his Honda Civic and transferred it into the back of Tanisha's light brown Cadillac Escalade.

"That's all you're bringing?" she asked.

"Yep," he replied. He glanced overhead at the sunny sky, appreciating the favorable weather conditions.

Once inside, he took a moment to appreciate the regal interior of the vehicle and the comfortable seating. It made his older-model Civic seem like a horse-drawn carriage. He smirked at how odd Katrina's garage looked with his car parked next to her sleek Audi. Maybe with the money I've been saving from sharing expenses with her, I'll be able to trade in my car on a new one in the next year or so.

"Nice ride," he said.

She smirked as the Escalade's engine purred to life. "Thanks. William teased me when he bought it, saying his African Queen had to travel in style."

Caleb grinned, recalling that he had called Katrina a "Queen of the Vampires" not so long ago.

"Not that I'm complaining, mind you," Tanisha added with a sober expression. "A little respectful attention is a proper way to treat a woman."

"Ah, so William calls you his queen, then?" he teased.

She grinned slyly as they pulled out of the parking lot. "Mm-hm. He's a caring and loving man, my Will. He still courts me even after ten years of marriage. But it probably isn't like with you and Katrina. We're a little more…"

"Conventional?" he interrupted with a grin.

"Hey, I'm not judging anybody."

He shook his head as they made their way to the highway for the short trip to Lithonia.

It was late afternoon when Tanisha pulled up at the side of Klondike Road, adjacent to the preserve. Caleb thanked her and reassured her that Katrina would be joining him very soon. After he removed his sleeping bag and backpack from the Escalade, he waved goodbye and watched her turn around and drive away. He briefly considered how well things were going with him and Tanisha and how he was thoroughly enjoying getting to know her.

He turned and headed towards an area where the forest was growing thicker. His plan was to transfer his scent to a number of surfaces, including large rocks and trees, so he could confuse Katrina from going directly to his location once she arrived.

There weren't many people around on that cold, late January afternoon, which suited him just fine as he was enjoying the peace and quiet. As he trudged amidst the lush pine trees, he realized it was time to call Katrina to reveal the location of their evening plans.

He was thankful to see he still had two bars of signal strength on his cell phone. Didn't think about that beforehand. He made a mental note to verify cell phone availability in future Find Caleb locations. Safety was a condition Katrina insisted upon, and he didn't want to cause her undue worry by overlooking something essential.

The phone only rang once before she picked up, and he smiled. That was fast.

"Caleb?" she asked.

"Hi, Kat," he greeted. "Tonight, it's time for another exciting episode of Find Caleb. I hope you're feeling up to it."

He thought he heard a brief, uncharacteristic giggle at the other end. "I'm always ready to find Caleb. Where's the location, and what are we playing for tonight?"

He was pleased to hear the anticipation in her voice, and he realized he was as excited to take part as she seemed to be. Alton was correct, after all.

"Tonight's hunt takes place at the Arabia Mountain Heritage Park and Nature Preserve. It's less than half an hour's drive via highway from the estate, and even during the winter, it's a beautiful location. The game starts as soon as you arrive, and tonight we're playing for an all-over body massage!"

She snickered. "Okay. Time limit?"

"You have until daybreak," he said smugly.

"Daybreak?" she asked with surprise. Just where the heck is this place?

He heard her typing furiously on her keyboard, followed by rapid mouse clicking sounds. Initially, he had been surprised that Katrina was so very tech-savvy, because he had always envisioned vampires as Old-World beings. He quickly learned that vampires utilized technology to the best of their advantage. They had to keep up with human society in all areas if they were expected to survive and maintain their anonymity.

"Caleb!" she exclaimed, "There's nearly two thousand acres for me to search!" That's a hell of a leap from the woods near our house, she fumed.

"It should be a challenge," he conceded. "But you have all night, and I've seen you move, or more pointedly, not seen you move. You're fast and can cover a lot of ground in a short time."

She sighed, though he wasn't sure if it were with resignation or disapproval, and he frowned. He wanted her to have both an enjoyable and challenging experience.

"It's supposed to be cold tonight, Caleb," she warned. "Are you sure you're prepared?"

"Oh, yes," he assured her. "I brought water, some snacks, a sleeping bag, and even some of those chemical warmers for camping. I also have some pepper spray in case I run into any unfriendly wild animals."

Silence.

"Pepper spray, huh? Hm. Well, okay. But if I haven't located you by 4 AM, or if anything feels dangerous, you'd better be signaling me somehow."

"I can agree to that," he replied.

"It wasn't a negotiable request, my love," she stated emphatically. Your safety is paramount to me, silly man, she thought while shaking her head.

He swallowed and amended his statement with, "Understood."

"Much better," she said in a more upbeat tone of voice. "I'll be there just after sundown. Be careful. Love you."

He smirked as the line went dead and tucked his cell phone into his belt holder. Then he went about covering as much territory as possible, spreading his scent around by brushing against trees and other surfaces.

By the time evening fell, it had turned very dark in the preserve. His scent-spreading efforts tired him out, so he stopped in a densely wooded area to eat some trail mix and drink some water. He was thankful he had packed a few bottles of water in his backpack. The nighttime air had a definite chill to it, and while activating a chemical hand warmer to place inside his winter coat, he mentally congratulated himself on bringing them. Fortunately, the cotton-lined leather gloves that he wore were doing an excellent job of keeping his hands warm.

He decided to trudge around a little more in order to stay warm and proceeded out of the trees and down a nearby hiking trail that led towards a high peak on the east side of the preserve. Despite the cool conditions, he thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors and was pleased he had selected the venue for their latest challenge.

As time passed, he contemplated the relationship he had formed with Katrina. It was so different from any he had experienced with other women. He was unused to being the focus of her attentions, and despite her tendency to be overly protective and somewhat commanding at times, he nevertheless loved her for it. There seemed to be nothing he wouldn't try to make her happy, including trudging around in cold, remote areas of Georgia during wintertime.

He glanced at his watch with a yawn, realizing nearly two hours had passed since he had last spoken with Katrina. Surely she's at the preserve by now. He felt a surge of adrenaline reinvigorate his system and tried to listen more closely to the sounds around him. He considered that he needed to keep more to the trees so she wouldn't easily see him and focused on trying to move more stealthily. Still, there's a lot of territory for her to cover, and she may be miles away from me right now.

After no more than half an hour of quietly maneuvering between pine trees and listening for unusual noises, Caleb settled down a few feet into the trees from a nearby hiking trail and laid out his sleeping bag to try to rest up a little. The cool winter air penetrated his jacket, and he activated another hand warmer, slipping the spent one he replaced into his pack. He absently placed his backpack against the trunk of a large pine tree. He unwound his sleeping bag, slipped into it, and sat up with his back against the same tree. Zipping the sleeping bag closed, he was able to hide most of his face inside the enclosure for warmth.

As he listened closely to the natural sounds around him, he failed to notice when he was lulled asleep.

"Well, what have we here?" a deep voice resonated as he lurched awake.

Caleb squinted into the darkness to see a large man towering above him. His heart rate soared instantly, as he was completely surprised that anyone else besides him or Katrina might be trudging around the preserve in the middle of a cold January night.

Maybe a park ranger, he wondered.

"I didn't expect campers out here during winter," the baritone voice observed. "But then, I haven't been hunting around here for very long, either."

A hunter then, Caleb mused. "You startled me," he said as he unzipped his sleeping bag. "I was just resting, but I'll be on my way now."

The tall man chuckled. "No need to leave on my account."

Caleb tried to focus on the man before him. Although it was dark, he distinguished blue jeans and a dark-colored sweater, though he wasn't wearing a winter coat or gloves. He appeared to be sturdy-framed, broad-shouldered, and African-American by his dark skin tone. A final quality sent a shiver through Caleb's body: the man had glowing violet eyes.

A vampire, he gasped with realization. What are the odds?

The vampire emitted another deep chuckle, and a scowl showed on his face as he perched his large hands atop his hips, glowering at Caleb from above.

"You're a vampire," Caleb muttered with as much reassurance in his voice as he could muster, fully realizing his revelation wasn't a positive one.

The vampire's scowl faded abruptly, and his arms went out to his sides in an aggressive posture as he demanded, "How so?"

"Your eyes," Caleb said as he slipped his hands from his gloves and grasped a small can of pepper spray in his jacket pocket. "The glowing eyes are a dead giveaway."

"Just how do you know so much about vampires?" the figure demanded.

Caleb turned on a small flashlight with his left hand and saw that the vampire's expression appeared unsettled. "I'm a vampire's mate," he announced boldly.

"Oh, really?" he asked with a white-toothed smile, revealing pronounced fangs. "And just who might that be?"

"Katrina Rawlings," he stated calmly despite his turbulent emotions.

The tall figure frowned, and his violet eyes narrowed slightly. "Seems like I've heard that name somewhere," he growled.

"My name's Caleb. Caleb Taylor."

The vampire squatted down to look him in the eye. "Devon Archibald, although it's not really going to matter much in a few more minutes."

Caleb's eyes widened, and he pressed, "Wait! I already told you I'm a vampire's mate."

Devon smirked and made an elaborate gesture of looking to his left and then to his right. "Well, where is she? I don't see, or sense, any other vampires besides me," he challenged. "I've been here since just after sundown looking for wild game and haven't seen anyone else but you."

"She's here somewhere," Caleb promised. "We're just playing a hunting game."

Devon grinned. "It looks like I won. Well, small game is better than no game."

Caleb's heart nearly stopped, and he immediately made an effort to glance past the man's shoulder as if recognizing someone. The hulking vampire frowned and glanced over his shoulder for just a second, giving him the time he needed to withdraw the pepper spray from his pocket. As Devon turned back to him with a frown, Caleb activated the dispenser, spraying the vampire's face.

Devon growled angrily, and his hands went to his eyes as Caleb launched himself up from the sleeping bag and lurched onto the hiking trail, using his flashlight to light the path before him.

"Ka-trin-a! KAT!!" Caleb shouted desperately from the top of his lungs as his heart pounded away in his chest. "Need help, Kat!!"

As he ran, horrific fear raced through his mind that perhaps she wasn't nearby, or worse, not even at the preserve. But she has to be, or she would've called me by now!

His thoughts quickly returned to his current situation and his desperation to be as far from the hulking vampire as possible. He gripped the pepper spray tightly in his right hand as he ran frantically along the hiking path. He considered glancing over his shoulder behind him, but decided to keep running instead.

"Ka –" he started to yell before being knocked to the ground from behind.

The pepper spray flew from his hand, but he managed to hold onto the flashlight as he hit the hard, uneven ground before him with a thud. His body no sooner hit the ground before he felt a huge hand wrap around the back of his neck, hauling him upright as he struggled to get his footing so his weight wasn't being suspended from his neck alone. His right hand darted to the vampire's grip on his neck as he clawed futilely to pry his attacker's hand loose.

"That was stupid!" Devon barked. "And now we end this."

Caleb was frantic, and his mind was a flurry of thoughts. His right hand slipped into his front jeans pocket, and he managed to extract his small pocket knife. The small blade was only a couple of inches long, but was easy to use because it had a thumb release on it.

"You better not!" he yelled, stalling for precious time as he stealthily opened the pocket knife. "Katrina's an alpha!"

"What?" Devon demanded.

Caleb tried kicking at the vampire's knees from behind, but he couldn't get a proper angle to be effective. He felt Devon's hot breath at the back of his neck, and he tensed his body, bracing himself for the painful tearing of his flesh that he recalled from Katrina's involuntary attack.

In a last-ditch effort for freedom, he swept the knife blade backwards and slammed it into the vampire's upper right thigh, burying the short blade to the hilt. The dark, towering figure howled with pain as he abruptly released Caleb's neck.

Caleb immediately darted up the trail with speed born of a fear-induced adrenaline rush, yelling, "KAT!"

His feet seemed barely to touch the earth as he darted across the uneven ground and around the abrupt turns in the trail. The light from his flashlight bounced frantically in front of him, but he hoped it would provide an additional indicator to Katrina of his changing location. Given that vampires could see in the dark, it was a moot point to avoid using the flashlight to elude his pursuer. Besides, he needed the benefit of seeing the path before him as clearly as possible.

Caleb's heart pounded as he ran through the night, and for a brief moment he thought he could get free. He wasn't certain how far or for how long he had been running. Time seemed suspended as the cold winter breeze chilled the skin on his face, and his lungs felt as if they were on fire.

He thought he heard a rustling in the night to his right and glanced in that direction for only a second, though he saw nothing. His body shook to an abrupt halt as it felt like a tree limb fell across his chest. He had only a vague sensation of falling backwards as his body plummeted downwards, and the breath was knocked from his lungs.

His back impacted with the cold, hard ground with a bone-jarring thud, and he thought he heard a gruff chuckle. He realized he was lying in darkness, uncertain as to what happened to the small flashlight. He felt his left leg being hauled upwards, and his body was being dragged across the ground.

He managed to force air back into his lungs, although the effort sent pain coursing through his chest. As the back of his head bounced across the hard turf, he reared back with his right leg and savagely kicked at the figure pulling on his other leg. The heel of his boot impacted with something solid, and a growl emitted from above him. But instead of his left leg being released, his body was lifted into the air and abruptly slammed painfully back onto the ground, again knocking the breath from his lungs.

Pain coursed through his body, and he felt a wave of nausea roll through his stomach. A hard set of fingers grabbed his hair from behind and drew him face-up from the ground, sending a fresh wave of pain through his neck and shoulders. He managed to use his aching arms to push himself up from the ground, while at the same time he felt a knee press into his lower back. His body was spent, and all that he wanted was for the pain to stop. Mercifully, he began to feel himself losing consciousness.

"I love you, Kat," he whispered desperately as he willed his final thoughts to be of the woman he loved.

His body was dropped face-forward back onto the ground following the sound of a speeding truck impacting a meaty wall. He managed to keep his face from impacting the cold earth as he heard intense hissing and snarling and what sounded like breaking tree branches. He reached behind him to rub at the back of his head with his right hand as he tried to focus on the commotion going on in the darkness around him.

He managed to spot his flashlight on the ground nearby and painfully crawled over to it. Grasping it tightly in his hand, he shined it in the direction of the hissing and growling.

Caleb watched as the burly vampire rushed at Katrina only to crash into the trunk of a large pine tree as she darted to the side. She raked some sort of blade across his upper shoulder and darted just out of arm's reach. Devon roared with rage and rushed her. It appeared that, while very fast compared to a human, the large-framed vampire's dexterity was much slower and more sluggish than hers. The advantage was clearly in Katrina's favor, and she used each opportunity either to slash or stab her blade into her opponent. To Caleb's confusion, each cut or stab she used seemed intended upon progressively disabling her opponent without actually making a fatal killing strike.

A loud snapping sound startled him as he propped himself up with difficulty. He heard a whooshing noise followed by the sound of another tree trunk's breaking. With a sudden burst of speed, Katrina appeared less than twenty feet from Caleb in some sort of combat stance, wielding a large military-style knife in her hand. He spotted Devon standing beyond her as he brandished part of a tree limb in his right hand. The huge vampire was dripping blood from multiple locations on his body, including a steady stream oozing down his dangling left arm and dripping off of the fingers of his hand.

"This was a mistake!" the hulking vampire barked as his violet eyes burned brightly in the darkness. "He was easy prey, that's all!"

"Did he tell you he was a vampire's mate?" she demanded savagely.

"Maybe he said something about that," Devon countered. "But I didn't believe he was telling the truth at the time."

Her eyes blazed bright green as she decreed in a cruel, flat voice, "Your last mistake."

"Whoa, whoa!" Devon insisted as he held the tree limb out to his side in a less aggressive stance. "Let's just calm down. This was all a horrible misunderstanding!"

Caleb issued a dry-throated cough and rasped, "You shouldn't threaten her with a tree branch, idiot."

His mind flashed to the time Katrina had revealed her vampire nature to him, and he had fearfully brandished a tree branch at her. She had neatly disarmed him, although at the time she had meant him no harm, unlike with the vampire before her.

"Huh?" the large vampire asked with barely a glance at Caleb.

Devon tossed the branch down beside him and held his hands up in a more peaceable gesture towards Katrina, who seemed to be selecting the optimum moment to attack. "Please, just for a moment, let's just stop," he entreated.

"You didn't grant Caleb that benefit a moment ago," she noted in a flat, lethal voice. Her focus swtiched to dispatching the opposing vampire and seeing to Caleb's injuries as soon as possible.

The vampire's eyes momentarily flashed with surprise, and he apologized, "No, you're right. That was a bad mistake, and I'm sorry. This doesn't need to get ugly for either of us. Really."

"You don't know ugly yet," she seethed through fury-lit eyes as she maneuvered closer to the hulking vampire. She had selected the preferred entry point under his guard and was ready to initiate a killing blow.

"I told you she was an alpha," Caleb spat with satisfaction, though his mind felt hazy and dazed. He managed to sit upright on the ground, despite the ribs on his right side's aching terribly. Pain coursed through his body.

Devon nodded and chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I'm seeing that now. But this is all wrong. I'm willing to make good on this and let bygones be bygones."

Katrina's mouth upturned in a cruel fashion as she maintained her combat stance and expertly brandished her knife in her right hand. Another minute, and she could focus all of her attentions on helping Caleb. "Goodbye," she whispered under her breath as she darted forward.

Devon saw Katrina's body in action and barked, "Please! Listen!"

Katrina scowled cruelly and lunged at the vampire as she shouted, "Too late!"

She darted around to Devon's left side, and her knife thrust underneath his injured left arm and upwards to his exposed throat. The huge vampire's eyes widened and pleaded to her as his arms went up over his head in surrender.

Just as Katrina's knife blade touched Devon's neck, she hesitated and stopped her intended killing strike. There was something about his eyes that made her pause, though she was on guard for any trickery. She felt confident that in his injured stated he would be of little challenge if she changed her mind. Her eyes darted to Caleb to make sure that he seemed stable.

Devon soberly regarded his opponent as he gauged the dangerous and feral nature of the red-haired vampire before him.

"My name is Devon Archibald, just as I introduced myself to your mate over there. I've just recently relocated to the Marietta area from Richmond, Virginia, and I had no idea this was your territory. I don't want to start any trouble with regional vampires."

Katrina regarded him dubiously.

"Please. I'll abide by any territorial claims you make, and I can even be helpful enforcing your interests, if necessary," Devon offered in a gruff voice.

"My primary interest is that man over there, my mate," she seethed, gesturing towards Caleb.

Caleb tried to stand and managed to stagger to his feet. Excruciating pain shot through his back, ribs, and chest, and he was forced to drop back to his knees onto the cold, hard ground. Both vampires regarded him for only a moment, though Katrina's gaze lingered for a second longer before returning to Devon.

"I offer my sincerest apologies for the misunderstanding. I promise it'll never happen again," he insisted before turning his attention to Caleb. "Besides, he looks hurt, and I can't afford for him to die on me now."

Caleb noticed Katrina's blazing eyes focusing on him again, and he thought he saw a worried expression wash across her features. Unfortunately, he felt like he was starting to black out, and he pressed his palms to the cool earth beneath him while lowering his head.

Katrina shot a dark look at Devon and carefully moved to where Caleb was on all fours. Her right hand brandished the combat knife while her left hand reached down to press softly on his shoulder.

"Lie down on the ground and try not to move until I can look at your injuries, my love."

He nodded, slowly lying on his side, and then curled up in his coat while hugging his ribs. He felt numb all over, and his head was throbbing as a mix of dull aches and sharp pains coursed through his chest, back, and ribs.

Katrina's attention returned to Devon, where the large-framed vampire was still standing statue-still. His face appeared calm but haggard, and he leaned heavily to his right to favor his injured left leg. She worried about Caleb's condition, and she berated herself for not having killed Devon already. But for some reason, she felt like she could turn this situation to both hers and Caleb's advantage.

"I concede the fight," he declared. "And I'll honor terms to you, if you'll just agree to a truce."

She frowned and momentarily reconsidered the merits of arriving at some agreement. Her more immediate concern was to aid Caleb, and any further issues with Devon could be handled at a later time, if necessary. "Very well," she agreed warily. "We will finalize matters later. Expect to hear from me soon, Devon Archibald."

Devon's eyes darted to Caleb where he was lying on the ground nearby and back to Katrina. "Understood," he agreed. "And once again, I apologize for the misunderstanding. I invite you to Marietta, where you must grant me the opportunity to solidify an agreement and reintroduce myself in a proper fashion."

Katrina nodded curtly, and Devon turned to depart into the thick pine trees next to the trail. But then he stopped and looked at Katrina with eyes that no longer glowed. "My word is honorable," he insisted. "What was your name again? Your mate mentioned it, but I don't recall."

"Katrina Rawlings of the Atlanta area."

Devon's eyes widened. "Wait, the one that killed the Aztec who was murdering other vampires?"

Katrina's face turned stony, but she nodded. "That's me."

Devon sighed, shook his head, and muttered, "Yeah, just my luck." He turned to look at Caleb and offered, "My respects to him. I've never encountered a human who fought so hard before. He's a tough little bastard, and he gave almost as good as he got."

Katrina scowled. "I'm sure he's happy to hear that."

"Thanks, asshole," was all Caleb managed to rasp in response as he glared at the vampire from where he lay on the ground.

Devon frowned deeply, turned away from them, and disappeared quietly into the forest. Caleb blinked, and when his eyes opened again the hulking vampire was nowhere to be seen. A fresh wave of pain shot through his ribs as he tried to take a deep breath, and his head felt woozy and ached.

Katrina moved in a blur as she both sheathed her knife and sped to Caleb's side. She knelt beside her prone mate with a concerned expression, removed the l