Hear Me When the Sun Goes Down (2 page)

“
Right, like when I got us all tossed into the dungeon to be tortured and killed,” I said with a sour grimace, but Felix wouldn’t be dissuaded.

“
We survived, that’s the important thing.”

“
Easy for you to say, you weren’t the one tortured,” I muttered, flopping back on the couch.

“
Sorry, boss, I don’t mean to make light of what they done to you.”

“It’s not just me,
I’m not the only one they tortured.”  My eyes went to Rob, who quietly nursed his drink.  “Rob, are you really okay?”

“
Course I am, miss.  Jakob’s blood saw to that.”  But he still wouldn’t meet my gaze.  Instead, he tipped back the last swallow in his glass and stood.  “Maybe we should let you get washed up and changed.  I could use a new shirt m’self, yeah?”

My
gaze dropped to the jagged hole over his chest, and I swallowed uncomfortably.  “Yes, if it’s all the same to you guys, I seriously do need a few moments of peace and quiet to get my head together.” 

“I could stand to wash off the dungeon stink myself,” Bridget declared, rising to her feet.  “You coming?”  There was a vulnerability behind her eyes despite the rough invitation as she waited to see how Felix would reply
.

“
Sure, I think I can give you hand with that,” he said with a wolfish grin, and she positively glowed with relief when all traces of betrayal slid from his tone. 

To my surprise, Gunnar was less eager to leave my side.  “
Do you need me to run a bath for you, boss?  Or do you need some blood?  I could call down for a donor very quickly.” 

“
Thanks, but no.  I’m feeling a lot stronger, I can manage on my own.  You go on and get some rest too.  You can’t have had a very easy time of it either.” 

He looked like he might argue for a moment, but nodded as he lumbered for the door.  “Call me if you are needing to go anywhere.  I will be in my quarters.” 

I could hear the water running from Felix’s bathroom before I made it to my bedroom with Rob’s help.  The knee still hurt like crazy, but I didn’t want to think about getting the bullet out yet.  A hot bath sounded heavenly, and Rob steered me to the bedroom, stopping at the door as though barred by an invisible forcefield. 

Though I felt a zillion times better than I had in the great hall when Jakob had first brought me out of the dungeon, my hands were shaking as I
let go of him.  “Why do I feel like I’m about to fly apart?” I asked, not actually expecting him to have much of an answer, but he did.

“
It’s aftermath.  You’ve been through a traumatic experience.”

“
I have?” I snorted.  “What about you?  You look as cool as a cucumber.”

“Things aren’t always as they appear,” he said gruffly, his fingers sifting over the charred ruins of my hair for a moment before he turned to leave.  “I’ll leave you to it.”

“Rob, I…” I started to say, but he was gone without another word.  Hobbling into the bathroom, I looked into the mirror and saw what he saw for the first time.  The blackened ends of my hair stuck out at odd angles over one eye, and I wondered how long the pale scar at the top of my cheek would stay there as a reminder of my time in Volkov’s dungeon.  The rest of the damage had been healed, apart from the bullet in my knee, but my skin was crusted with dried blood from the many cuts and punctures. 

Deciding not to bother with the zipper, I gave a sharp tug and the tattered fabric gave way, the ruined dress pooling at my feet. 
The hot water felt heavenly at first, but it soon became cloudy and pink with blood and grime.  It became sickening to sit in it, and I drained all the water out, scrubbing furiously at my skin until it was pink and tender, the water coursing over me as I huddled in the bottom of the tub.  More fragments of hair washed away once I lathered up, damaged from the heat of the poker, and I lost the tenuous hold on my emotions.  Rob was scarred for life and there I was, crying over my stupid hair. 

The water over my face felt good, drowning out the tears that fell as I struggled to process the aftermath, as Rob put it. 
As the events of the recent past started to fade, fear for the future snuck in to fill me with a different kind of dread.

I’d swapped out one danger for another. 

I no longer had to fear my heritage being found out, and Jakob’s protection should keep me safe from any political intrigue, but now I had to worry – what would Jakob want in return?  There had to be a reason why he’d stayed away for so long, would there be repercussions in his openly claiming me as his?  And just how much of me had he claimed?  Would Rob pull back into his shell for good?  Shouldn’t I want him to, for all of our protection?  These questions and more kept me in the tub until long after the water turned cold.

There wasn’t much I could do with the choppy bits of hair in front but push them back under a wide headband and hope Maggie could work her magic when I got home.  The simple hairstyle made me look younger somehow, the scar on my cheek the only visible reminder of my ordeal unless I stared too long into my own eyes and caught the hollow vacancy there.

By the time I emerged from the bathroom, not exactly tired with so much of Jakob’s blood coursing through my veins, I still felt emotionally beat down and fragile. Rob was cleaned up, waiting in the sitting room for me.  Felix and Bridget hadn’t surfaced from the bedroom yet, and I took the opportunity to exchange a few words with Rob while we had the chance. 

“Rob, I think we should talk.”

“About what, miss?” he said, his voice neutral.  I caught the meaning, anything we said would likely be picked up in the other room.

“About what things will be like now that Jakob’s back.  You’ve been with him longer than I have
.  What’s he like when he’s out in public like this?”

“I’ve no idea.  He’s been away from the public eye as long as I’ve known him,” he shrugged.  “He’s always had a sort of local following, wherever we went, but it was with humans, not like this.”

“Any ideas what we can expect?”

A frantic knock sounded at the door
and Rob was up like a shot, to reveal Tucker standing there, his face pinched with panic.

“What is it?” I gasped, hobbling to the door.

“It’s J-J-J-J…”

“Jakob…” I prompted.

“Jakob is k-k-k-k-k…”  He couldn’t seem to make much headway into what he wanted to say, far too agitated, and I laid a hand on his arm.

“Slow down, it’s okay.  Take a deep breath and start again.  Jakob is…”

“K-k-k-k…”

“Coming?” I guessed.

“Killing!” he burst the word out all at once, eyes bulging.  “He’s k-killing everyone in the O-O-O…” 

“Jakob’s killing everyone in the Order?” I felt the color drain from my face. 

“Y-y-y…”

The pain in my knee forgotten, I raced out of there before he could say another word.  It caught up with me as I careened to a stop in the great hall, just in time to see what was left of a corpse crumble in upon itself in a pile of ash.  A pile large enough to contain the remains of quite a few vampires, by the look of it.

The crowd watched in relative silence, too transfixed by the spectacle to take much notice of me at first, but Jakob spotted me as Rob and Gunnar reached my side.  “You look much refreshed
.  Come and sit by me, petal.”  Jakob patted the spot beside him on the couch.  Rein Faust, from the House of Belonoc, stood before the ashy pile, wiping a bloody smear from the edge of his blade. 

“What’s going on here?” I demanded, even as Jakob motioned for another Order member to step forward.  I didn’t recognize him, but I sure
could identify the hopeless look in his eyes as he went down on his knees. 

“A necessary evil, one that I’m sure will help you rest better during the day,” Jakob replied, none too pleased with my refusal to join him, but I didn’t care. 

“You think I’ll rest better if you slaughter the Order?  What good is that going to do?  You already stepped forward and cleared me of the charges.”

“
They must be made to pay for their crimes,” he said indulgently, as though I was too slow to master the concept. 

“I’ve never even seen this guy before, he never did anything to me.”

Jakob ignored me, focusing his attention on the poor vamp.  “What is your name?”

“Bell,” he replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

“And were you aware of the torture that was administered to my child?”

“Yes, master.  But we were ordered to…”  He never got any further as Jakob gestured to Faust, who lopped the man’s head off.  This vamp was younger
and it took longer for his body to decompose upon itself, long enough for me to see the panic in his eyes. 

“Jakob, please…” I limped to his side before he could call the next one forth.  “You have to stop this
.  They didn’t do anything wrong.”

Jakob’s lips compressed into a thin line as he took in my pained progress.  “You make my argument for me,” he frowned.  “The Order has overstepped its bounds and must pay the price.”

“This isn’t the answer.  Does Bishop know about this?”  He couldn’t be on board with the plan.  It took me a while to find him, standing near the giant fireplace, his expression as grave as I felt.

“Ulrik has little say in the matter.”  Jakob waved away my concern, leaning to one side to motion forward the next supplicant.  This one I recognized, his name was… Rush, maybe, and he’d been nothing but nice to me. 

I stepped directly between Faust and the guy kneeling obediently.  “Hey, I’m the one who was wronged.  Shouldn’t I get some say in this?  Volkov is the one who did the torturing, and we already took care of him.  These guys were only doing what they were told.  None of them were even there when I was… when he hurt me.”

There were too many whispers to gauge the crowd’s opinion on the matter, but I got the sense that most of them were shocked that I’d stood up to Jakob in the first place, let alone championed someone from the Order.  I could see the exasperation gathering at the corner of Jakob’s mouth, but he gave in with a rough breath.

“Very well, I’ll concentrate on the ring leaders.  Bring me Corley.”

“He’s gone, your eminence,” Faust reported.  “Banished and fled Vetis lands.”

“That’s something, at least,” Jakob snorted.  “Who rules in his stead?”

Bishop leaned away from the fireplace, his voice cutting through the room.  “Aubrey
Cantrell does.  And it was Aubrey who condemned us in the first place.”

Jakob’s eyes narrowed to thin slits, nostrils flaring as he took in a breath.  “Bring him to me.”

Now that was one person I didn’t mind seeing brought to justice, but Jakob’s particular brand of it still sent a flicker of worry to my stomach.  I’d never seen this side of the
Ellri
before, and it definitely lent credence to Rob’s worries over what he’d do if he ever found out about our feelings for one another. 

Rush scrambled away to wait with the last few Order members gathered, and I
perched beside Jakob while we waited for someone to dredge up Aubrey.  I pictured him packing in a flurry of activity, too greedy to resist stealing the silver even though it cost him his freedom.  But it was a calm Aubrey who was brought before us. 

Tall, with sandy blonde, curly hair, there was none of the usual good humor in his eyes that were more gray than blue today.  From the way Jakob regarded him, it was easy to see he liked him even less than Bishop
, and I wondered if it was because Carys had made him, or if there was some other old beef between them. 

Aubrey’s
upper crust accent spoke of the best education and refinement money could buy, and he was utterly composed as he sketched a bow before Jakob.  “You summoned me,
f
ó
stri?
”

“Don’t think to claim kinship with me, boy,” Jakob spat at him.  “You know well enough my feelings for you.”

“I see nothing has changed since our last meeting.”  Aubrey seemed to take the rejection in stride, his lips pulled into a contrite smile as he knelt.  “I had hoped the years might soften your feelings somewhat.” 

Jakob’s chin lowered as he looked down on him.  “And you think to increase my love for you by torturing and killing my progeny?”

Aubrey’s eyes flicked to mine with alarm, his gaze raking over me critically.  “Torture?  Surely not.  She seems relatively unharmed.”

“You’re either in deep denial, or you’ve got your head so far up your ass you don’t know what’s going on in your own house,” Bishop growled, coming up to the front of the crowd. 

“If there was any mistreatment of her, I deeply regret it,” Aubrey said, more to Jakob than to me, but in the next instant his eyes held mine, and I could see the emotion behind his words.  “I never wanted to hurt you, sweets.”

“You sure have a funny way of showing it.  What did you think the Order was going to do to me?
  Lock me in a room full of kittens?” I balked.

“Detain you?  Question you?  I certainly never thought they’d harm an Elder. Haven’t you been saying all along the Order’s gone completely out of control?  Please, Anja, you must believe me, I never meant you harm.” 

He sounded so sincere, I didn’t want to look at him anymore.  I could feel my anger starting to crumble and I wasn’t ready to forgive him yet.  This was strike two against Aubrey, and I couldn’t afford to forget his involvement in the masque that ended up with me shot through the heart after joining him on stage.  “I don’t know what to believe.”  I shook my head, looking away.

Jakob wasn’t buying it either.  “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you for what you did to Anja.”

“She never let on you were her Sire, I was upholding the law.”  Aubrey switched his focus to Jakob, hands reaching out to him, fingers twitching in desperation.  “I didn’t want her to sully the name of my Sire, and you have to admit, there were lies on her part that raised my suspicion.  In truth, I suspected Bishop as her Sire.”

Jakob nodded slowly, his eyes giving away nothing until he spoke.  “I can understand that,” he said finally, with calm acceptance and my eyes bulged in indignation.

“You can understand that?” I blurted out.  “Why don’t you tell him why you really sicced the Order on me?  Because I shot you down after you made a pass at me and you hurt me the best way you could think of.”

“Am I to be blamed for not being able to resist her manifold charms?  You forged a delectable creature, master
. I’m not made of stone.” Aubrey defended himself smoothly, drawing a faint smile from Jakob.  Those stormy eyes flicked back to me, and I struggled to decipher what brewed behind their depths.  “I wanted you, it’s true, and when you rejected me I lashed out.  But I never truly meant you harm.  Once I’d learned of your treatment, I would have seen to your release, make no mistake of that.” 

With great difficulty I tore my gaze away, looking to Jakob to render the final judgment.  Jakob shifted in his seat, waving Aubrey away.  “I sense no collusion here.  We’re done with the matter, be gone.” 

“I thank you, master.”  Aubrey bowed low.  “Anja, I hope to earn your forgiveness in time.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” I muttered. 

“At least let me try to make it better.  I see your leg still pains you?  Let me send for a physician.”

I didn’t want him trying to make anything up to me, and I couldn’t honestly trust any doctor the guy recommended anyway.  “I’ll go see the Doc downstairs.”  I waved the suggestion away with one of my own, until a thought occurred to me.  “He is still alive, isn’t he?” 

Jakob looked to Bishop blankly, and I understood that Jakob had no idea who he had and hadn’t killed so far.  Cool beans.  “He’s alive as far as I know,” Bishop replied tautly and I couldn’t help but wonder how many had fallen before Tucker came to get me. 

“That’s settled then.”  Jakob fixed me with an indulgent smile.  “Rob, see to her needs, but don’t go too far
.  We will have words yet.”

Was Rob in trouble
too?  If he was worried, Rob didn’t show it as he stepped up to help me from the couch.  Bishop surged forward like he was about to take my other arm, but Jakob had other plans for him. 

“Bide a moment, Ulrik, we have much to discuss.”  Without another word Jakob rose and commandeered Aubrey’s study, clearly expecting Bishop to follow.  

I offered Bishop a faint smile of commiseration as we went our separate ways to carry out Jakob’s wishes, eager to be away from the prying eyes of the vampire elite.  It was easy to see Faust was dying to talk to me and Macallister kept trying to catch my eye as I grabbed hold of Rob’s arm like a lifeline.

“Come on, Rob, let’s go while the getting
’s good.  Time to see to my needs,” I added for his ears alone.

His face remained impassive until we were in the hall, where once more Rob swept me up, holding me easily in his arms as he
strode the rest of the way to the elevator and the Order levels below. 

“No rush,” I murmured, content in his arms, comforted by the steady thump of his heart.  The elevator doors slid shut, and his gaze traveled over my features hungrily, lingering on my lips. 

“Time to see to your needs,” his gravelly voice rumbled, chest swelling as he leaned in close, only to jerk back as the doors popped open again and a small contingent of the Order shuffled in, Rush among them.

“Thank
s for your help, your grace,” he gushed enthusiastically.  “We thought we was goners for sure.”

In th
e moment I started to question the wisdom in that, but I forced a smile.  “I’m sorry I didn’t get there sooner.  I’m sorry any of you had to die because of what happened to me.”

“Ain’t none of us wanted to see you come to any harm, ma’am,” another one said.  “We all know how Bishop dotes on you.”

Which only further cemented that Volkov had been largely acting alone.  “Do any of you know where we can find Winter?” I asked as the doors opened with a ding.

“Y
ou bet, I’ll take you to his office straight away,” Rush offered, leading the way. 

The last time I’d been down there I’d had Fisher by my side, and I was grateful for the help.  Otherwise Rob and I might’ve spent the better part of the night wandering the lower levels looking for him.  On second thought… that might not have been such a bad thing, provided it gave us a spot of privacy. 

“Here you are, ma’am.  And if there’s anything else at all I can help with, just sing out.  My name’s Rush,” he grinned, pulling the door open.

“Ta for that,” Rob nodded in acknowledgement, carrying me into the empty examination room, the stain
less steel tables reminding me of the morgue back home.  “Go on and fetch Winter then, there’s a good lad.”

I felt a pang of disappointment as
Rob gently set me down on the hard table, but it melted away when his lips covered mine as soon as the door clicked shut again.