Sunset Rising (Sunset Vampire Series, Book 5) (30 page)

“
Let’s stroll for a bit,”
I said.

“
As you wish, my love,”
she said. She reached down to grasp my hand and walked alongside
me.

Despite the foreboding setting, there was an
oddly romantic feel to walking beside her in the mist and fog.

“
Did your meeting go
well?” I asked.

She didn’t answer me immediately.

“
It was interesting,” she
said. “Alton and I are delving into some things more cautiously,
given your unusual knowledge of our guest. But let’s not talk about
that now.”

Part of me wondered why she sounded so
hedgy. However, another part of me really didn’t care. I was happy
to finally spend some quality time with her.

We walked in silence for a time while
holding hands. The mist lightened up but the fog remained dense.
Despite the slight chill, it felt like being encapsulated inside
our own private bubble of reality.

“
I was rather surprised to
hear that you were visiting a church,” she said. “I didn’t think
you were especially religious.”

“
Not especially,” I said.
“I was curious.”

“
I see,” she
said.

“
Father Brookins was very
welcoming,” I said.

She looked at me. “So, you met Thomas, then.
He’s an interesting fellow.”

“
He’s a vampire,” I
said.

“
Oh, I know. Though you’d
hardly suspect it,” she said. “What are the odds that you would
wander into a church and find the only vampire clergyman in
London?”

“
I learned about Saint
James the Less from a file I was sorting for Marla,” I said.
“Though I didn’t know anything about him until going there
firsthand.”

“
Thomas doesn’t like to
embrace his nature,” she said. “He’s unusual, even for a
vampire.”

“
I like him,” I
said.

“
Are you going back to see
him again?” she asked.

“
I dunno,” I said. “Maybe.
It depends.”

“
Anything that you want to
discuss?” she asked. “Are you having a crisis of faith?”

“
Not
especially.”

Then something strange struck me.

“
Have you
ever?”

“
Crisis of faith?” she
asked. “Yes, but it was a long time ago. And I’ve moved well beyond
it over the years.”

“
Years?”

She squeezed my hand. “All right, then, more
accurately centuries. There’s no need to accentuate my protracted
existence, if you please.”

“
Oh, please,” I said. “It
makes you seem so much more exotic.”

“
You mean ancient,” she
said.

I grinned. “Cradle robber.”

She yanked my hand and pulled me against
her. I felt her teeth playfully nip at my neck and I laughed.

Then she kissed me there.

“
I love and adore you,” I
said, taking her into my arms and kissing her.

“
I’m very happy to hear
that,” she said between kisses.

I spied a coffee shop across the street.

“
Hey, I’ve got an idea,” I
said. “Perfect for a nibbler like you.”

Minutes later, we sat at a small corner
table sipping hot tea. She picked at an orange-frosted scone while
I ate a hot sandwich and crisps with a frosted chocolate cupcake
for dessert.

She smiled at me. “I
think
you’re
the
nibbler here.”

“
Fog makes me hungry,” I
said.

“
Breathing makes you
hungry,” she teased.

We spent more than two hours just sitting
and chatting about nothing and everything. It felt like the times
we had spent together when we first started dating more than a year
ago.

It was the best of times.

By the time we left the shop, it had started
raining outside.

“
How do you feel about
either a taxi or the tube?” I asked.

“
Good idea,” she said,
retrieving her phone from her pocket. “Try hailing a
cab.”

I stepped out to the curb and raised my hand
while looking up and down the street, but I didn’t see any
available taxis in the vicinity.

“
I think we’d better plan
to find the nearest tube access,” I said.

As I dropped my hand, a pair of dark SUVs
sped down the street and came to a screeching halt before us.

I turned to look at Kat and she winked at
me.

“
They just happened to be
nearby?” I asked.

She stepped forward and opened the rear
passenger door of the lead SUV for us.

“
You don’t think I’d leave
us stranded out on such a foreboding night?” she countered, gently
ushering me into the back seat.

“
Where to, General?” asked
the driver.

“
Home,” she
replied.

As we proceeded, I stared out the window at
the nearly deserted streets.

“
What about Thanksgiving?”
I asked.

“
As we planned, it’ll be
in the Mediterranean,” she replied.

“
When do we
leave?”

“
Tomorrow night,” she
replied. “Looking forward to it?”

I almost hesitated to answer with my desired
reply, but then braved it.

“
Yes, though I’d like it
better if Paige were there,” I said.

“
I know. I passed along
word to Ethan,” she said. “I also left messages with some of her
older contact points.”

I looked at her with a hopeful
expression.

“
I can’t make any
guarantees, Caleb,” she said. “She’s unpredictable, though I
wouldn’t get my hopes up if I were you given how things went
between you two back in Ohio.”

It made me sad to think that Paige might not
be part of our upcoming holidays. She felt like family to me now,
and the holidays were all about family. Even Ethan felt like
extended family.

Before I realized it, our SUV pulled up in
front of the hotel. During our short walk and elevator ride to our
room, my thoughts wandered back to Paige.

God, how I miss her.

As I lay in bed beside Kat, I reflected on
the events of the day, including Alton’s stern counseling with me
that morning.

Alton saw so much promise in me. Yet, none
of that mattered if I wasn’t devoted to fulfilling those
expectations.

Before falling asleep, I recalled something
Father Brookins had said during our meeting.

Remember that, while your experiences or
relationships may guide or influence your decision-making, only you
can truly decide the person you want to be...

* * *

When I awoke, I felt strangely more settled
about my life, though I couldn’t point to any specific reason why.
Maybe I was merely looking forward to Thanksgiving.

It was, after all, my favorite holiday.

Kat was busily packing two suitcases for
herself. Fortunately, most of my things were still packed from my
arrival two days prior.

“
Kat, one question,” I
asked.

“
Just one?” she countered.
“Will wonders never cease?”

I gave her a bland look. “Fun-ny.”

She appeared a little too pleased with
herself.

“
Where precisely are we
going for Thanksgiving?” I asked. “Alton seems to like the whole
surprise aspect, but today’s the day we leave and I’m dying of
curiosity.”

“
But Alton wanted to
surprise you,” she said. “We’re even leaving during the day so that
we arrive before sunset. I hope that you appreciate his
efforts.”

“
Do you know our
destination?” I asked.

“
Of course,” she
replied.

I folded my arms before me. “I thought mates
don’t keep secrets from each other.”

“
It’s not a secret. It’s a
surprise.”

I gave her a flat look.

She placed her hands atop her hips. “Caleb
Taylor, you’re going to be surprised and like it.”

I shook my head and carried my suitcases to
the front door.

Two hours later, we boarded a Sunset Air
flight for points unknown. Kat and I shared a luxurious private
cabin with Alton, but he remained tight-lipped about our
destination.

Almost five hours later, we landed and I
eagerly disembarked the flight, only to stand inside a closed
hangar. Two men wearing business suits stood nearby and Alton
motioned to them.

“
These gentlemen will
escort you outdoors,” he said.

Kat stood to Alton’s right, watching me.

The taller of the two men reached out to
shake my hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Taylor. I’m Wes
Chamberlain, daytime security coordinator.”

“
Nice to meet you,” I
said.

“
If you would permit me,
we’ll proceed toward that exit,” he said, gesturing toward the
nearest metal door.

As we exited the hangar, bright sunshine
beamed down upon us. I raised my hand to shield my eyes as both the
view and scent of the ocean assailed me.

Then I realized that the airport appeared to
be placed in the midst of the bay.

“
This is—,” I said.
“Wow.”

“
Mr. Taylor,” prompted one
of the guards. “It’s my distinct pleasure to welcome you to the
British territory of Gibraltar.

* * *

Gibraltar was beautiful.

Alton had outdone himself; something I let
both he and Kat know the moment I returned inside the hangar.

The temperatures were in the mid-sixties and
the abundant sunshine was an added bonus compared to the pea-soup
fog of London.

“
Enjoy the sunshine, my
love. However, the windows to our suite aren’t UV-coated, so please
mind the curtains during the day,” Kat reminded me.

It was the least I could do.

Our first day there was the day before
Thanksgiving, and was one of the most relaxing that I had
experienced in weeks. I toured part of the island with a local
resident—a charming young lady named Clarissa—who had been hired by
Alton. I was so happy that I didn’t even mind the security detail
that accompanied us.

Fortunately, Clarissa never even asked about
them.

That evening, Kat and I spent quality time
enjoying Gibraltar’s diversions. It was definitely a popular
tourist destination, teeming with a vibrant night life that
frequented its restaurants, clubs, and numerous festive outdoor
settings.

The next day was Thanksgiving. As Kat and I
were out very late the previous evening, I slept in the next
morning. I also saved my appetite for what Alton promised would be
a savory and traditional Thanksgiving menu.

The evening was designated as a formal
dinner. Kat and I attired in formal eveningwear; she in an elegant
silk dress and me in a dinner tuxedo.

Kat’s hair was pinned up into place high
above her shoulders, revealing the pale skin of her neck.

She looked ravishing.

Our setting befitted something from a fairy
tale with our dinner being served upon a banquet table on the roof
of our luxury hotel.

The evening felt remarkably warm thanks to
strategically placed heaters. However, even receiving a chill would
have been worth it; the view was breathtaking.

As an added surprise, Alton arrived looking
dapper in his tuxedo, but also accompanied by his human mate,
Dorianne Rousseau or, rather, Dori as she preferred to be called.
She looked stunning in her white satin evening dress, and her hair
was done up in a manner that completed the look of some fabled
princess.

She and I embraced and she gave me a
friendly kiss on the cheek.

“
Caleb, it’s wonderful to
see you again,” she said. “It feels like forever, in
fact.”

“
Dori, you look
spectacular,” I said. “And it does feel like forever since
Slovenia.”

As a special agent with Interpol, her help
had been absolutely instrumental in our survival at the vampire
conference in Slovenia over the summer.

“
Well, shall we take our
seats?” Alton asked, gesturing to the elegantly laid dining table
placed in the center of the open roof.

I noted the six empty chairs to our party of
four and looked at Kat, who merely shrugged to my silent query.

“
Are we waiting for two
others?” Dori asked.

She was one of the most observant people I
knew, especially for a human, but certainly even compared to most
vampires I knew.

“
Ethan said that he might
come,” Alton said. “Though I haven’t heard back from him in a day
or so. And as for Paige…”

A pang of disappointment washed through me.
I wanted so very much for both of them to attend.

Kat reached out to lightly touch my
shoulder.

“
I’m sorry,” she
said.

“
The night is still
young,” Dori spoke up. “But I think neither of them would want us
to miss out on such a grand event.”

She flashed me a supportive look; one that I
could scarcely discount.

“
It certainly looks
amazing,” I said.

“
Indeed,” Alton agreed.
“As host, I’ll place everyone.”

As if such a thing were even in
question.

Alton sat at the head of the table, with
Dori seated at the opposite end in the hostess position, while Kat
and I sat beside each other to Alton’s right.

It was then that I noticed the discreet
placement of a handful of vampire guards stationed around the roof,
accentuating the fact that holiday dinners had changed
significantly for me these days. Not even the continued tensions
between opposing vampire factions took a day off.