A Bloody London Sunset (Sunset Vampire #2) - Page 6

When Caleb woke on Sunday, he discovered quickly that he had slept until midday, which earned a round of teasing from Paige. However, Katrina was pleased he had slept that late, knowing how exhausted he had been from the previous day's events. Sunday was spent lounging around the house, although by early evening Caleb offered to grill some steaks and potatoes for him and Gil. Then the four watched the film Public Enemies in the theater room.

On Monday, Caleb returned to work, pleasantly noting that at least he had no evening classes to teach; those were only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. However, the day seemed to last longer than normal because he had some quiz grading to do before he went home for the day. He knew that he would be too distracted by his house guests if he dared take the work home. By early evening, an unexpected visitor arrived as he continued grading at his desk. Paige appeared at his office doorway with a sly grin and wearing a pair of form-fitted blue jeans and turtleneck sweater.

"Hey, tiger," she greeted in a perky voice. "So, this is Professor Central, huh? You about to finish up for the day?"

He smiled up at her from his chair. "Hey, Paige. Yeah, this is the place, my home away from home. Thankfully, I'm almost finished. What brings you around?"

She shrugged. "I'm just wondering if you might want to run an errand with me after work."

He was intrigued. "Okay, I'll bite. Where to?"

She leaned against his door frame and adopted an innocent expression. "Oh, nothing major, really. But while I'm thinking about it, would you mind loaning me your car keys?"

"What?"

But she merely held out her empty, open palm. Then she snapped her fingers impatiently. "Come on, come on. Keys, please."

He laughed and tossed her his car keys, which she snatched out of midair and turned to leave. "Thanks! I'll be right back, so just stay put."

He chuckled and shook his head as his mysterious friend disappeared from view, followed closely by sound of the nearest exit doors abruptly opening and closing. Her actions had piqued his curiosity, but he returned to grading quizzes so they could leave soon.

Minutes later, she returned with a satisfied expression, but he noted she was without the car keys in hand.

"Hey, what about my keys?" he asked.

"Oh, Gil's taking your car back to the estate," she replied off-handedly. "I sure hope he doesn't get my directions confused. I mean, I printed off a Google map for him, after all."

"Gil was here?" he asked. "Didn't he want to go with us on the errand?"

"Nah, but then, you know how Gil is," she replied evasively as she plopped down in the guest chair beside his desk and inspected the items and decor in his office.

Actually, I don't, he mused, but let the topic drop for the time being.

"Go ahead, finish grading. Let me watch the young history professor in action," she urged while perusing the titles of books on the nearby shelf.

He shook his head slightly, and then shrugged and returned to grading. Within another thirty minutes he had finished and stacked the quizzes into an orderly pile. As he filled his backpack with take-home items, Tanisha stopped by his open office doorway on her way out of the building.

"Goodnight, Caleb," she offered as she shifted her leather satchel to her left hand while reaching into her shoulder purse for her car keys.

"Oh, Tanisha, there's someone I want you to meet," he beckoned, rising from his desk and gesturing to Paige.

Tanisha smiled at him and took in Paige more fully as her attention shifted. Paige's bright blue eyes stared into Tanisha's with amusement as a smirk played across her face at the woman's mild surprise. However, Tanisha maintained her cool sense of grace and immediately extended her right hand to take Paige's in a polite grasp.

"Paige, I'm proud to introduce you to my friend and colleague, Dr. Tanisha Browning," Caleb offered. "She's our highly regarded Professor of Women's History. She's also a priceless mentor to me since I started at the college."

He turned his gaze to Tanisha with a wide grin and offered proudly, "Tanisha, I'm happy to finally introduce you to Paige Turner. She's like an adopted sister to me and one of the dearest people in my life."

Paige's eyes darted to him for only a split second at the grand introduction, but quickly refocused her attention back to Tanisha.

"Well, I'm pleased to meet you, Paige," the petite, hazel-eyed professor offered with an appraising smile. "Caleb neglected to tell me that he had an adopted sister."

"It's a dynamic title, of sorts," Paige replied as the two women released hands. "That's to say Caleb and I are like family, and he's also very dear to me."

One of Tanisha's eyebrows rose ever so slightly. "Oh, I see. I thought at first you might be related to Katrina."

Paige frowned with genuine curiosity. "Really? Why would you think that?"

"Although there's a difference in height, I sense you both have similar qualities," Tanisha observed with a glance at Caleb, who by that time regarded the sudden change in the nature of the conversation warily.

"Purely a coincidence," Paige replied easily. "But then, Katrina's a long-time, close friend of mine, so perhaps we've rubbed off on each other a little bit."

"Perhaps," Tanisha accepted politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you, nonetheless. Any friend of Caleb's is a friend of mine."

Tanisha glanced at him and prompted, "I'd better run, Caleb. Desta has a recital this evening, and Richard and I promised we wouldn't be late for it."

"Tell Desta I'm pulling for her," he offered as Tanisha headed for the building's exit.

When the door shut behind her, he released a heavy sigh. For some reason, he felt as if he had just dodged a bullet.

"She's perceptive," Paige observed. "You'll need to watch yourself with that one, kiddo."

Caleb countered, "She's a good friend, Paige, not a threat."

But she turned to face him fully. "Not to you, to her. If she even guessed about our true nature…"

He swallowed hard, understanding her meaning all too clearly. It hadn't been long since Katrina had nearly threatened to kill Tanisha for similar reasons. Concealing their existence was the first concern in every vampire's mind. Even the normally playful Paige became lethally serious as the topic surfaced, which unnerved him somewhat.

"Don't worry. I know," he replied dutifully. "Katrina's already warned me."

Paige seemed satisfied and didn't press the issue further. Instead, she recovered her previously playful smile and demanded, "Okay, enough stalling. Let's hit the road."

Caleb nodded and turned to collect his backpack when Paige's cell phone buzzed. The petite vampire fluidly slipped it from her waist and flipped the cell phone cover open with a flourish. "What's up, Red?" she asked.

He looked up at Paige, and her eyes glistened brightly as she gazed back at Caleb with a penetrating look. "Well, I'm glad Gil was able to follow directions. And yeah, our boy's right here," she confirmed. "Sure, everything's just fine. If you don't mind, I need to kidnap him from you for a short time tonight. I have an errand to run that he's going to accompany me on before we head back to the estate."

"Our boy?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

Paige grinned at him and continued, "Nah, tell Gil to go ahead and eat. Yes, I'll make sure Caleb eats before we come home. His jacket? Yeah, I'm on it. It's hanging on his door hook as we speak." She rolled her eyes, nodded her head, and used the fingers and thumb on her left hand to make the symbol for someone being very talkative.

He barely restrained himself from laughing out loud at that.

"Yes, I'll tell him you love him," she replied. "Okay, you overprotective nag, we need to get going now." She flipped the cell phone shut with a sigh and slipped the device into the holder at her waist. "She loves you, by the way," she offered before ushering him out of the office and locking and shutting the door behind them as she slung his backpack over one shoulder.

He chuckled while slipping into his leather jacket. As the two of them walked through the parking lot to Paige's rental car, he commented, "Hey, it's not kidnapping if I go willingly, you know."

A cold wind blew from the north, and she casually wrapped her right arm around his waist as they walked. "That's true, I suppose. At least for now, that is," she alluded.

What an odd comment, he noted warily. Just where are we going?

She activated the remote on her keychain to unlock the doors to her black rental sedan and followed him around to the passenger side as she heard his pulse increase in a slightly agitated manner. He opened the door and pulled the seat forward so she could toss his backpack into the back seat. Then he pushed the seat back and turned to stare at her with a curious expression.

"So, where are we headed, anyway?" he inquired after reconsidering her odd, earlier comment.

"You trust me, don't you, kiddo?" she asked gently.

He didn't even need to consider her question. He trusted Paige with his life and had done so on a couple of occasions in the months he had known her. The corners of his lips upturned, and he replied earnestly, "Of course, silly. You're my surrogate vampire, my guardian. I trust you completely."

She smiled warmly, stepped closer to him, and popped a kiss against his cheek. Then she held the passenger door open and said, "Good, you should. So, get in already, and we'll hit the road."

He got in and fastened his seatbelt, and within minutes, they were speeding onto the nearby highway entrance not far from campus. She played some rock music to break the silence as they traversed the cold February evening. Ten minutes later, he noticed they were traveling north on highway 75 out of Atlanta, and his curiosity increased.

When Caleb noticed their exit at the South Marietta Parkway, his heartbeat increased noticeably. The only reason he could divine for coming to Marietta was a less than desirable one, and he gritted his teeth. "Where are we going, Paige?" he demanded sternly, despite having a bad feeling that the answer had to do with Devon Archibald.

She glanced over at him and replied, "I just need to stop by to visit with someone for a few minutes, so relax. After all, it's not often you and I get to go someplace alone together. Just think about where you want to go for dinner tonight."

She was relieved that she had been able to assuage his curiosity for as long as she had. It was a good testimony to the degree of trust they shared. However, she hoped he would be agreeable from that point on since he obviously had an idea of why they were in Marietta.

He silently fumed for a time as they continued through the city streets.

"Nice little town, actually," she commented agreeably as she realized they were getting closer to their destination. She had memorized the MapQuest directions before leaving the estate to pick up Caleb.

He merely grunted and mumbled, "Except for one resident, in particular."

She failed to contain a smirk at his acidic wit, which she found amusingly out of place coming from someone who normally maintained such an upbeat and cheerful disposition.

When they pulled into Devon's driveway, Paige noted that his car was already there. She had called him earlier to arrange their visit and was encouraged that he seemed agreeable. Though they had interacted via email a couple of times, this was her first occasion to meet the vampire in person. Fortunately, Katrina had given her very detailed information about him and his background.

"We're here," Paige announced calmly. "We're simply going inside to chat for a few minutes, and then we'll leave. Okay?"

He reached for the door handle, but withdrew his hand and turned to look at Paige. "I think I'll stay here. You go ahead."

She chewed her lower lip and considered the situation for a moment before shrugging and exiting the car. After shutting her door, she walked calmly around to the passenger side of the vehicle and opened the door for him to exit. But he kept his seatbelt on and crossed his arms across his chest defiantly as he sat silently staring straight ahead.

Paige reached into the car and grasped the bicep of his right arm in her small hand and squeezed until she had a firm grip on him. "The reality is you're going in with me. So, how about a deal, tiger?" she offered plainly. "I'll play nicely, if you will."

His jaw clenched, and he turned to stare at her with incredulity as he recalled how she had used the same declaration with him when she had first met him last fall. He realized there was likely no arguing with her, but it galled him that she would force her will upon him. She knew full well how much he hated Devon Archibald.

"Fine," he replied levelly, conceding there was little to be gained from causing a scene.

She released his arm and adopted a pleasant expression as she waited for him to release his seatbelt and exit the vehicle. As she shut the door and used the remote to lock the car, he stepped aside to look around the mostly dark neighborhood as the cold north wind whipped around him. He noted the area didn't appear in decline, but it was an older-looking neighborhood.

"Are you scared?" she asked gently. It occurred to her that some of his anger could be masking a sense of fear, although she only detected moderate wariness from him.

"Just irritated," he admitted as he stared up at the house before him. It appeared somewhat ominous at night despite the warm glow from the front porch light. Why the hell did Paige have to bring me here?

"We have a very reasonable agreement with Devon," she reassured him. "And besides, I'm a burgeoning alpha. I can handle my own against a vampire, if needed."

He frowned at the spunk that she exuded under the circumstances and recalled how scary she had been at the estate when interrogating an intruder last December. He shivered slightly at either that memory or the biting wind, or both. "He's huge, Paige," he recalled quietly as events from the night at the wildlife preserve replayed in his memory.

"Babysitter's on duty, so don't worry," she replied. "Now quit stalling."

He felt her hand pat the small of his back gently, and he slowly walked up the driveway towards the house. He stopped at the foot of the small front porch for a moment and sighed, but he felt the gentle pressure of Paige's hand at his back again. He glanced back over his shoulder at her with a dark expression, but she merely stared back with mild amusement.

"Something funny?" he asked.

"Sorry, but Katrina's so right. You're really cute when you're annoyed," she observed with a smirk.

He rolled his eyes and felt her arm encircle his waist as she pulled him forward to stand before the front door with her. She reached out and rang the doorbell once.

A moment later, the door opened to reveal Devon Archibald wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a black t-shirt. He towered above both of his visitors, but had a pleasant smile on his face. "Please, come in," he offered as he stood aside for them to enter.

Caleb took a moment to stare up at the tall, muscular vampire. He intended to allow Paige to enter first, but he felt her arm press him forward, and she followed him into the small entry area.

Devon closed the door behind them, and then held his hand out to shake Caleb's politely. "Welcome to my home. I hope you'll permit me the courtesy of starting our introductions over by shaking your hand in a gesture of mutual respect and civility."

Caleb wasn't happy to be there, but he conceded that there was no reason for him to be rude in the vampire's own home. He extended his hand, only to have it disappear in Devon's. But the vampire grasped his hand with a courteous degree of pressure and shook.

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Taylor," Devon offered formally.

"Likewise, Mr. Archibald," Caleb replied, feeling a little silly."You can call me Caleb, I suppose," he added.

"Thank you," the towering vampire replied. "And please feel free to call me Devon."

Afterwards, the vampire moved to shake Paige's in turn. "It's nice to finally meet you in person, Paige."

"Likewise, Devon," she replied. "And thanks for seeing us on short notice. I hope that didn't create any hardships for your schedule."

"Not at all," he replied, gesturing towards the living room for them to enter. "Please make yourselves comfortable."

As they entered the living room, Caleb scanned the room warily before sitting next to Paige on the couch. He took particular interest in the pastoral paintings depicting wildlife and outdoor scenery, and he frowned at the seemingly domestic setting before him. His throat suddenly felt dry, and he coughed into his fist to clear his throat.

Devon started to sit down, but glanced at Caleb when he heard him cough. "Caleb, would you like something to drink?" he asked. "I have Coca-Colas in the fridge."

His eyebrows rose. "You do?"

Devon nodded as Caleb found himself feeling somewhat surprised by the revelation. It was his favorite cola, though perhaps Katrina had tipped him off to that.

"Well, um, please," Caleb stammered. "That would be nice, thank you."

"Glass or can?" Devon asked.

"Oh, a can would be fine, thanks."

Devon looked to Paige, but she shook her head. "No, nothing for me thanks."

The large vampire disappeared around the corner, and Caleb looked at Paige with upraised eyebrows. She nodded back at him reassuringly.

Well, he seems polite enough tonight, Caleb thought.

Devon returned with an open can of Coke and handed it to Caleb.

"Thanks," he replied, accepting the beverage. "Much appreciated."

Devon smiled pleasantly and sat in the reading chair opposite from them. "What brings you to grace my doorstep tonight?" he inquired.

"Caleb and I thought it would be a good idea to meet you in person," Paige began. "I'm not sure when I'll be leaving town, and I didn't want to miss the opportunity."

Devon appeared thoughtful while steepling his fingers before him. "I'm surprised Katrina didn't join you," the large-framed vampire observed. "I thought perhaps with Caleb being present for our first official meeting…"

She smiled in a manner that wasn't reflected in her steely gaze and casually placed her left hand on Caleb's thigh, of which Devon took immediate notice.

"I'm Caleb's guardian, his surrogate vampire. So, I have the latitude to act in his best interests as I deem necessary," she explained while looking at Caleb. Then she glanced at Devon. "Providing I don't run contrary to Katrina's wishes, of course."

Katrina had spoken at length with Paige regarding what she had said to Devon concerning their agreement, and she felt it important to mirror Katrina's words as closely as possible to avoid confusion.

"Of course," Devon replied with a nod.

"I was hoping you might tell me a little about yourself," she prompted. "That is, unless you feel uncomfortable discussing such personal matters with us."

Devon considered the two of them for a moment and told them much of the same background story he had related to Katrina, though he glossed over the details of his relationship with Nadida. Caleb found his tale somewhat intriguing from a historical perspective, and he almost forgot his anger at Devon during the recollection. Paige had already heard the story once from Katrina, but displayed respectful interest as the tale was relayed.

"And here we are," Devon finished and turned to Caleb. "But before we speak further, I'd like to offer my apology for attacking you that night at the preserve. I thought you were prey, but I should have curtailed my hunt after you declared yourself a vampire's mate. For that, I am particularly sorry, and I hope you'll accept my apology. And while the offer stands no matter your response, I harbor no resentment if you decline. In my past, I've been hated by people who didn't know me for who I truly was, and yet I haven't allowed it to make me a bitter person."

Caleb remained thoughtfully silent for a moment. "Yes, I can see where, in your past, you may have been hated by others simply because of the color of your skin, which is certainly reprehensible. But then, you weren't hunting them as food at the time, either. Despite that, and hatred aside, does the rabbit not dislike the wolf by its very nature?"

Devon's eyebrow rose in a degree of surprise and appeared introspective as he considered Caleb's response. Paige's hand tightened ever so slightly on Caleb's thigh, and she glanced at him with a slight frown.

Interesting. I hadn't looked at it quite that way before, she mused.

But before anyone spoke, he continued, "But I'm willing to accept your apology in the spirit in which it was offered. However, while I can't guarantee we might ever be friends, I can certainly agree to be polite and respectful in the future. And I appreciate the gesture of your apology."

Paige looked sidelong at her young charge with a curious expression, admiring his diplomatic craft. Devon, too, seemed impressed.

"Thank you," the towering vampire replied. "And yes, I can agree to polite and respectful dialogue from this point. I'm confident Katrina would encourage that, as well."

Caleb took a swig of his Coke as he glanced at a picture of an elk on the wall to his left. While he wasn't feeling as angry or anxious as when he arrived, he wasn't feeling overly happy about being there either.

"There's something else, actually," Paige interjected. "There's a small matter of your blood supply."

Devon looked taken aback and corrected, "I'm afraid you're misinformed. I don't maintain a blood supply here."

"Exactly," she agreed. "But if you're going to be around Caleb much, then I insist you do. I don't want you encountering him when you're hungry."

Devon nodded with understanding, but countered, "That's a rather expensive prospect for me, you understand."

"I appreciate your circumstances," she said. "I was there myself not so many years ago. However, I'm prepared to carry your delivery and blood supply expenses under my account at no cost to you."

Devon looked up with genuine surprise, and even Caleb cast a perplexed glance at his blonde-haired protector.

"Why?" he asked carefully. "Why would you do that? I mean, forgive me if I seem suspicious, but you have no direct vested interest in my agreement with Katrina, so I'm not sure what your incentive might be."

The corners of Paige's mouth rose, and she casually draped her left arm behind Caleb's lower back. "Understand: I'm Caleb's surrogate vampire. That means his interests are now my interests," she explained as her blue eyes penetrated Devon's.

Caleb smiled and placed his right hand on Paige's upper thigh.

"And that's all the incentive I need," she added with a glance at Caleb.

Devon's eyes went between Caleb's and Paige's faces, and he nodded, as if in understanding. "This is all very unusual to me," he observed. "I haven't met other vampires such as you and Katrina, and not merely because you're alpha females, either."

There was a brief pause as the dark-complexioned vampire considered the situation. "I appreciate your offer, and I accept. Are there conditions with this gift?"

Paige nodded and answered, "Just that you look after Caleb as called to do so and never allow your hunger to pose a threat to him."

"Done," Devon replied easily. "And thank you."

"You're welcome," she said, once more the perky, carefree vampire. "I'll email you when the first delivery is scheduled. Oh, and always feel free to call my cell if you have questions regarding most anything, particularly matters concerning Caleb."

She rose from her seat, and Caleb followed suit behind her. "Now, I better get him to a restaurant. He's not pleasant to be around when he's hungry, either," she quipped. "He's mostly stomach, you understand."

Devon grinned, shook the short vampire's hand and turned to Caleb to shake his. "I'll show you to the front door."

Caleb found that to be an interesting prospect given the front door was visible from where they stood, but perhaps it was just southern hospitality or something. Nevertheless, he was happy to be leaving, although he conceded the visit had gone better than he had expected.

As Devon opened his front door and stepped aside for them to pass, he offered, "Thank you for stopping by, and please come again anytime. Although I'm away at work a lot, so maybe call ahead of time so you don't waste a trip unnecessarily."

They nodded, and Caleb offered, "Well, feel free to visit our home as well. That is, if you happen to be in the neighborhood. And thanks for the cola."

"You're welcome, and thank you for the offer, Caleb," Devon replied. "But keep in mind what I said about hating blindly. I've seen what it can do to a person."

Caleb nodded with a polite smile.

Devon added, "But I'll also consider your hunting analogy, as well."

Paige and Caleb stepped outside into the cold night air as Devon watched them walk away. The front door shut quietly as they neared their car.

"Well, the vampire-human summit went pretty well overall," she said.

"Summit, huh? He tried to eat me not long ago, you may recall," he pointed out as she unlocked the car doors with her remote.

"I might also have under different circumstances," she countered slyly as she followed him around to the passenger side.

But he returned her sly expression with one of his own and quipped, "You know, under different circumstances, I just might have let you."

Her bright blue eyes stared mischievously into his for a moment. She grinned at him and playfully ushered him into the passenger seat with a flurry of her hands. "Don't tempt me," she challenged as she softly patted him on top of the head with the palm of her hand, and then shut his door.

She got into the driver's seat and started the car. Then she paused and turned to Caleb with a smirk. "I'm a wolf, you know. And yet, you don't hate me by nature, do you, Mr. Rabbit?"

He grinned and downed the remainder of his Coke before placing the empty can in the in-dash cup holder. He turned to her and replied matter-of-factly, "Ah, but I adore you, Ms. Wolf, because you're a friendly wolf."

"Think so?" she countered with a raised eyebrow. She grinned, gunned the engine, and whipped out of the driveway and down the street. Once they were navigating through the main streets of the town, she glanced over at him and asked, "Okay, Rabbit, where do you want to eat dinner then?"

He considered that at length and finally replied with a sneer, "Pizza buffet."

"Pizza buffet?!" she demanded incredulously. "Do you know how strong the stinky, dead, burned meat smell will be in there?"

He remained silent, but grinned back at her evilly.

"This is payback, isn't it?" she asked with a sour expression.

He chuckled and replied, "Yep."

"Evil bunny," she muttered and sped onto the highway headed back towards Atlanta. Once in Atlanta proper, she took him to a pizza place with a dinner buffet and nursed a cola while watching him eat. Despite the strong scent of cooked pepperoni, sausage, and all manner of meats in the air, she relented to nibbling at a slice of cheese pizza and some salad just for show. In the end, they had an enjoyable visit together and chatted and laughed just like two best friends enjoying each other's company. Afterwards, they returned to the estate, where Katrina was watching some television in the back living room.

Caleb squatted down to kiss Katrina on the lips as she lay on the couch holding the remote control. One brief smell of him told her exactly where they had been.

"Pizza and a lingering scent of…Devon's home." She noted the latter with narrowed eyes.

"That's right," Paige interrupted before he could be grilled further. "We had a brief meeting, which went very well, I might add."

Katrina looked up at Caleb, her right arm snaking out to encircle his waist and asked, "Indeed?"

He sighed, leaned against her while squatting on his knees and replied, "Yeah, it went pretty well, actually."

"How about some random vintage of blood for the pizza-beleaguered vampire?" Paige suggested dryly.

"Sure," he replied with a grin. "You too, Kat?"

"No, thank you," she replied and released her arm from around him so he could rise. Once he disappeared into the kitchen, Katrina focused her attention on Paige fully. "Why did you take him there without me?" she demanded in a whisper.

Paige positioned herself next to the couch, planting both hands atop her slim hips. "Think about it, Red. You're already in the doghouse for the agreement with Archibald in the first place. This way, I got to meet him, and Caleb didn't have to blame you for dragging him there. I get to be the bad guy instead of you for a change. Or are you so ready to be back on the skids with him so soon after your romantic redemption last night?"

Katrina was taken aback by her frank assessment, but she conceded that her friend made some good points. It was true that she was very happy with how things had gone between her and Caleb the previous night, and she didn't want things to change. "Okay, points well made, actually," she admitted. "I suppose thanks are in order."

"None needed, Red," Paige countered with a shrug. "It was nice to spend time alone with him, actually."

Katrina nodded. She knew how much Paige adored Caleb, and a little time alone with him was prob