Follow Me When the Sun Goes Down (29 page)

“Right, well, I’ll expect you to keep me apprised of anything you hear from your old contacts.  We all know how those involved like to downplay certain events.  I know I can trust you to put your loyalty to me over your friendships for the good of the Order.”  There was no mistaking the intensity in his gaze.  If Bishop failed him in this, he’d fall as surely as those involved.   

“I know my duty, sir,” Bishop nodded grimly. 

She’d gone and done it now.  He’d do what he could to shield her, but if word had already reached Volkov about the anti-Order sentiments in the West… Anja might not have a House to come back to if she wasn’t careful. 

Life is a crazy thing.  You can be up one moment, down the next, and then ricochet even higher than you started.  As I woke the next night, I let myself linger in bed feeling lazy and entitled, doing nothing more than a bit of stretching and daydreaming.  I knew there were a couple of meetings with Faust and somebody else on the agenda, but that would be after midnight.  For the moment I lay there, enjoying the peace and quiet, listening to the low rumble of Rob’s voice as he talked to Bridget about something or other out in the sitting room. 

In just a few days time I’d managed to almost die, get closer to Rob than I thought I ever would, stand up for myself to Bishop and anyone else who came my way, clip Angel’s claws for good, expose Corley for the conniving jerkwad that he was
, and get him booted out of office.  Not too bad for a girl from the valley who hadn’t graduated college. 

There were still a few days left to the Gathering, but I didn’t sweat it anymore.  I had enough self confidence to know when to stall, when to listen to my advisors
, and when to tell someone to stick it.  I started fantasizing about when it’d all be over.  Maybe I’d send Felix and Bridget on home without me and get Rob to show me where he’d been born.  The subject of my daydream rapped on the door before sticking his head in.

“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty,” he called out with a rare smile. 

“If I’m sleeping beauty, I need to be awakened by true love’s first kiss.”  I closed my eyes and waited, feeling him moving closer to the bed.  When no kiss came, I cheated and squinked open an eye to find him staring down at me with a mixture of love and longing.  I puckered my lips, so he’d get the hint, but all he did was give the barest shake of the head. 

“Ah well,” I groused, propping myself up on my elbows.  “That’s okay.  I have a sneaking suspicion I’ve already had my true love’s first kiss.”  I sent my longing back to him on silent wings, and his chest swelled as he took in a sudden breath. 

“The things you say,” he rumbled, his gaze sweeping over me intimately in the lightest caress I could almost feel his fingers follow.  Almost, just not in the physical sense.  Especially not when Bridget barged in, flopping down on the end of my bed. 

“Come on, Anja.  I want to go down to the hall and Felix said I can’t go anywhere by myself.”

I tore my gaze away from Rob, not wanting to let on that anything had passed between us, or the fact that I was this close to shoving her out the door and attacking Rob with kisses.  “Then maybe you should’ve gone down with him,” I grumbled, falling back against the pillows. 

“He left super early, said something about the new Warden of Vetis and took off.”

That got my attention.  “What did he say about the new Warden?  Did Sylvius pick one already?”

“Beats me, like I said, he took off.”

I looked to Rob, but he just shrugged.  “I haven’t left the suite yet tonight.”

One of the downsides to his sticking to my side like glue, it sort of killed his effectiveness at information gathering.  “Okay, give me a few minutes to get dressed and we’ll go downstairs.  Rob, do you need the bathroom or anything?”

“I’ve already showered, I’ll be ready to go when you are.”

Too bad.
  But I narrowly kept myself from saying so aloud.  Curiosity had me racing through my preparations, and I picked the simplest dress from my wardrobe.  Watered silk in a pale pink with fluttery sleeves and a lace up bodice, it made me feel pretty and feminine, something I wouldn’t have wanted to accentuate before my fight with Angel.  But now I could afford to be seen as softer, and I left my hair to fall in loose waves around my shoulders after a quick brush through.  

Gunnar and Tucker had been admitted to the sitting room by the time I got out, and two more guards awaited out in the hall.  I thought about protesting, for the first time I felt truly safe at the mansion with both Corley and Angel gone, but decided the show of strength wasn’t a bad idea.  I did feel bad about all the time Tucker spent in wolf form though, and decided I’d have a talk with him about it before the night was through. 

The grand hall was busy as usual, but there were marked changes.  Instead of the lone piano player or a classical trio, a small combo played zydeco music from the corner of the room where the cajun tempo was considerably more upbeat.  There were even a few people dancing, a hopping, skip sort of a dance, instead of the measured steps the hall usually saw.  Corley’s huge throne-like chair had been replaced with a set of sleek leather couches, on which Aubrey lounged, surrounded by a set of vampires I didn’t recognize for the most part. 

“Looks like he actually made that prat the new Warden,” Rob muttered and my mouth dropped open.

“Shut the front door,” I gasped.  Aubrey was the new Warden?  I hadn’t for a moment thought Sylvius would pick him after calling him a young pup.  I wasn’t sure the Elder would retain any of it before his next bout of fogginess claimed him, but apparently he’d made a snap decision. 

Aubrey spotted me then, his eyes flashing with pleasure.  “There she is,” he called out, rushing to his feet to beckon me closer.  “My champion, my starlit sky, my goddess divine.”  He held out his hand to me.  The suit was gone,
replaced with a soft leather jacket over a loose gray t-shirt and dark jeans. 

“Hi, Aubrey,” I smiled awkwardly, crossing the room to take his hand, feeling all eyes upon us. 

“Hi Aubrey, is that all you can say?” A roll of the eyes was given as he pulled me close to deliver a kiss to my cheek. 

“Um, nice to see you again?”

“Nice indeed, sister dear.  Come, I must steal you away for a few moments.”  He tugged me off balance, leading me to Corley’s office.  No,
his
office. 

“Sure, why not,” I agreed, following until he turned to shut the door, excluding both Rob and Tucker.

“Give us a few moments of privacy, won’t you?” Aubrey smiled, only to find it easier said than done.

“I go where she goes.”
Rob stood his ground, blocking the doorway with his body. 

Aubrey’s smile turned brittle, but he kept his voice calm.  “I’m starting to get a bit tired of this, friend.” 

“Be tired all you like, I’m not letting her out of my sight.”

“I’m not accustomed to being addressed th
is way, or haven’t you heard?  I’m the new Warden of Vetis.”

“I don’t give two fucks what you are, mate.  She don’t leave my sight.”  Rob’s shoulders flexed, and I could tell what was coming next. 

“Boys…” I cautioned, laying a hand on Rob’s arm.  “Let’s not cause a scene.  I’m sure it’ll be fine.  He just wants to talk to me.  As a gesture of good faith, you’ll leave the door unlocked, won’t you, Aubrey?”

“Of course.”  He smiled wide.

“Like that could’ve kept me out,” Rob muttered, his eyes hooded as he stared Aubrey down.  Perhaps from the intensity of that gaze, or maybe because he had a burning need for a drink, Aubrey walked away, heading to the sideboard to pour us each a glass.  “I don’t like this,” he murmured, giving me one last plaintive look.

“It’ll be fine.  I’ll be out in a few minutes, I promise.”

“Your man needs an attitude adjustment,” Aubrey said once the door was closed, Rob and Tucker on the opposite side.

“I’m sorry, he’s just used to dealing with people on our home turf.  There, he pretty much gets to tell people what to do, you know?”

“As a matter of fact I do,’ Aubrey smiled, setting both drinks down on the desk without offering me one.  “Ah well, no harm done.”

“What did you want to talk ab….out!”  My word turned into a squeal as Aubrey picked me up, swinging me around, full of exuberant energy.   

“As if you didn’t know,” he crowed, positively bursting with good cheer.  “How did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Convince the old buzzard to appoint me Warden?”

“Oh, that.”  I caught hold of the desk as my head cleared.  “I didn’t have to do any convincing, I
only suggested you as a possible candidate.”

“The devil you say
. Sylvius said he never would have thought of me if you hadn’t suggested it.”

Interesting.  “I’m glad he took my advice to heart then.  I thought Vetis could use a breath of fresh air
, and I know you’ve been interested in politics for a while.  Um, how much did you get a chance to talk to Sylvius?”  I wasn’t sure how to broach the Elder’s infirmity, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

“Do you mean have I noticed he’s off his nut?” he smirked. 

“He’s not crazy, just forgetful.  When he’s lucid he really is in full control of his faculties.  Promise me you’ll listen to what he has to say at those times.  I can guarantee you’ll learn a ton.”

“Are you afraid I’ll put the old goat out to pasture?”  He’d read my mind, and I couldn’t help but scowl to find his thoughts running to getting rid of the Elder so soon.

“He doesn’t deserve that, not unless it’s his choice to step down.”

“You are something, aren’t you?”  Aubrey’s face softened, and he wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me close for an intimate kiss.  It was the second time in almost as many days that he’d pulled something like that, but it still caught me off guard. 

His lips nibbled and probed, but things had changed for me considerably since his last kiss and I didn’t let him get nearly as far this time.  I wriggled out of his grasp, a little alarmed at how difficult that was to do.  I didn’t dare make a peep or I’d have Rob bursting in, ready to crack skulls.  Besides, he’d startled me more than anything else and I just had to learn to stop standing within reach of his tongue. 

“Hey, there’s no one around to make jealous now,” I joked weakly, pushing at his chest until there was enough breathing space between us.

“Does there need to be?  We’d make a perfect pair.  Forget that cold bitch, Jennike, it’s you and me, sweets.  We could be magic together.”

“Jennike?  What does she have to do with anything?”

“She’s already been after me, sniffing around to see if I want to crawl into bed with her, and not just metaphorically speaking, I think,” he chuckled.  “But what do I need with her when I have you.”  He pulled me closer again, but I sidestepped him, insinuating a chair between us. 

“Whoa… but you don’t have me.  You and I, we’re not…”

“Not yet, perhaps.”  His eyes narrowed suddenly, his full lips turning surprisingly cold.  “It can’t be Ulrik, he’s not shown you an ounce of tenderness since you returned.”

“No, it’s not him.  He and I are over and done with,” I answered truthfully enough.

“Who then?  Who stands between us?” he demanded.  There was a look in his eye… I didn’t want to mention any feelings I had for Rob or anyone else for fear of what he’d do.  What had he said before about love triangles being unfortunate?  I started to think Bishop was right when he warned me about Aubrey. 

“Nobody.  It’s not like that.”

“How is it then?  You fancy me, I know you do.”  There was something in his face that caught at my sympathy, changing this from a scary confrontation into a sadly misguided one.  It wasn’t all a power play for him; Aubrey really did have feelings for me of some sort and I hated to crush them under my boot, but it was better to be as honest with him as I could from the get go.

“Aubrey, I like you, as a friend, nothing more.  I’m sorry if that hurts you,” I added gently, and the flicker of a smile crossed his lips, as though he couldn’t believe me for a moment.

“I’m sorry too, sweets,” he said, his jaw hardening.  “More than you know.”  This time the smile didn’t reach his eyes as he gave me a clipped bow and stalked off. 

Rob didn’t immediately
come in, and in the next instant I understood why.  Bishop stood waiting beside him, flanking the other side of the office door. 

“Hey, anything wrong here?” Bishop frowned when Aubrey pushed past him without a backwards glance.

“Just a little miscommunication.  Nothing a few drinks and some female companionship won’t fix.”  I tried to make light of it, not wanting to emphasize Aubrey’s reasonable mistake in gauging my affections. 

“You definitely have changed,” Bishop grinned, and it took me a second to catch the joke.  Was he flirting with me?

“I meant for him, dum-dum,” I lightly punched his shoulder, glad to see him smile at any rate.  “Were you hoping to talk to Aubrey or me?”

“Actually, it’s you I’m looking for,” he nodded, and I caught sight of Rob in the doorway.  He still half expected me to patch things up with Bishop, I could tell by the look on his face. 

“It’s okay, you can come in,” I waved to him.  I probably should have let Rob stay in the room before, Aubrey might not have made such an overt gesture.  Then again, knowing him, he probably still would have. 

“I thought we could speak in private,” Bishop frowned with both Tucker and Rob came in, the latter with a trace of smugness. 

“I’m sorry, this is about as private as it gets.  My life is pretty much an open book these days.”

“You talked to Aubrey alone.”

“Only because he was being a goon about it and forced the issue.  You don’t need to get me alone that badly, do you?”