Tempt Me When the Sun Goes Down (19 page)

“I’ve missed you, Ulrik,” she smiled, even as her head tipped back again at the strength of the man’s thrusts before sinking her teeth back into him. 

Bishop felt no particular desire to touch the guy.  In fact, the heady scent of the blood no longer called to him and he took a step backwards, head shaking from side to side.  “I don’t want this.”

Her hand flashed out to catch him, stronger than steel despite the delicate arch of fingers.  “Drink with me… it’s been so long,” she panted, eyes half lidded with pleasure.  “Feel how strong and alive this one is.  He was made for this.”  She placed his hand along the flare of her hip and his fingers closed around it reflexively.  “Do this for me and I will do something for you.”

His body responded to the throb of promised pleasure in her voice, a thousand memories of such shared nights flitting through his mind in a cacophony of carnal delights.  He pressed closer, his mouth meeting hers again before it sank to the bounty spread before him, a low groan emanating from him as the man shuddered and emptied himself into Carys. 

Somehow the man wasn’t there any more and it was his waist her legs wrapped around.  His senses on overload, Bishop’s fangs scraped at her neck and her head lolled to the side.

“Yes, do it,” she urged him, and he bit into her sweet flesh, overcome by emotion as the familiar taste of her burst across his tongue.  It felt good to lose himself, abandoning all doubts and fears.  In that instant there was only Carys, and he cared for nothing else in the world but bringing her pleasure as she moaned and writhed in his arms while he drank and drank.  He wanted to bury himself in her embrace and forget the rest of the world – but something held him back. 

Something was missing. 

With supreme effort, he tore his mouth away from her neck, setting her down on wobbling feet.  Her hands instantly went to his belt, thinking he had another position in mind, but Bishop caught her wrists, holding them gently still.  “Wait…” he said on a ragged breath, desperate to assert some control over his body’s actions. 

“What’s wrong,
cariad
?” she asked, her features stamped with confusion as she evaded his grasp.

His head started to clear without the lure of her blood pulsing in his mouth.  God, had he almost taken her not ten seconds after she’d had another man inside her?  Once that had been par for the course, but now the thought only sickened him.  So why then did he still feel the urge to take her in that dirty alley?  Was it compulsion or buried feelings that made him feel this way? 

Her hands diverted back to his belt and he stepped back, brushing them away.  “Stop it, I need to think.”

“What is there to think of?” she purred, cuddling closer, and this time he didn’t move away as her arms wrapped around his shoulders.  “You want me, just as I want you.” 

That wasn’t in question, he wanted her alright.  What kept him from taking what she offered was
why
.  Why did he want her so badly when he hated so much about what she’d chosen to become?

His eyes squeezed shut, away from her hypnotic gaze as he tried to clear his head.  “I don’t know what’s real and what isn’t between us anymore.”

“This is real enough.”  Her hand cupped the bulge in his pants with a familiar stroke that almost brought him to his knees. 

“What’s going on?”  The guy sprawled on the ground sat up groggily, touching the sticky blood at his throat.  Just like that, the spell was broken and Bishop was reminded that they weren’t alone in the alley. 

“You passed out, buddy,” he said, disengaging himself from Carys’ embrace.  Hauling the guy up to his feet, Bishop used his own blood to seal the wounds while he pulled his pants up.  There was no way to disguise the torn, bloodied shirt, but there wasn’t anything he could do about that.  “Go home.  Forget about what happened tonight,” he ordered.

“Yes, go home,” Carys echoed, her hand smoothing up Bishop’s back.  “We have no need of you now.”

Bishop stayed still long enough for the guy to stumble to the mouth of the alley before he stepped away from her touch, leading her back toward where he’d left the car parked.  “Is there anywhere else you wanted to go check out or do you want to go back to the house?”

Carys looped her arm through his, not caring how much leg her torn dress revealed.  “Eager to get me back to your bed, are you?”

“No, Carys, I meant that I have work to do if you’re done playing for the night.”

“Work,” she huffed as if the word left a bad taste in her mouth.  “You have no need to work now that I’ve returned to fill your nights.”

“Actually, yes, I do.  Jakob himself set me in my current position, so unless you want to take it up with him, I’m going to have to devote at least part of my time to it.”  While he normally didn’t like to think about it in those terms, for the moment it was convenient to hide behind Jakob. 

“I’ll have to have words with him on that score,” she frowned.  “At least once the curse is broken and all is restored between us.” 

“Good luck with that, I wouldn’t hold my breath though.”

Her chin came up in determination.  “I can handle Jakob well enough.  It’s the least he can do to repay me.”  Her hand smoothed up his bicep as they walked, caressing the bulge of muscle there.  “Soon this will all be over and all will return to the way it was before.”

That was a chilling thought.  “Is that what you want?  To go back to how things were?”

“Of course, don’t you?”

“Carys…”  He stopped walking, turning to face her.  “I’m not that same person anymore.  Over three hundred years have passed since we knew each other.  I have a job, responsibilities…”  He held up a hand when she opened her mouth to protest.  “A job that I’m good at and I happen to enjoy.”  Maybe not all the political bullshit since he’d taken Volkov’s job, but he still believed in what the Order stood for. 

“But you don’t need any of that now,” she insisted.  “Don’t trouble yourself over this, Ulrik,” Carys added, patting his arm.  “Once the curse is removed and we are both free from compulsions, you won’t want for anything but my company, just as before.”

Why did that thought make his blood run cold?  “And if I don’t want your company anymore?”  She simply patted his arm again, a glorious smile on her lips and he kept pressing.  “No, I mean it, Carys.  If we get to the other side of this thing and I don’t want to be with you, what then?”  Would she simply compel him again?  If that was the case, he wanted no part of the ritual.

“You needn’t be so dramatic,” she laughed.  “I have suitors enough without the need to compel your love if that’s what you’re worried about.  If you truly desire to move on, as you say, I shall respect your wishes.  I understand my ability to compel other vampires must be a trifle disconcerting, but you’ll see when I restore your true feelings.  We are bound by deeper ties than compulsion, Ulrik.  This I know.”

“Bishop,” he said.  “If you really want to respect my wishes to move on, then at least call me by my name.”

“Very well, Bishop,” she smiled.  “Now then, shall we continue the hunt?”

Never mind the fact that they’d just eaten, it wasn’t enough for Carys.  It was never enough.  Her initial hunger slaked, she didn’t settle for seeing the sights of the city or returning to Vetis.  No, her amusements ran to other avenues. 

“Do you see that couple, Ul…Bishop?  Don’t they look like they’re in love?”

His gaze flicked to the pair across the street, in their early twenties, holding hands as they strolled without a care in the world.  “Yeah, I suppose so.” 

“Shall we test that love?”

“Come on, Carys.  Is it really a test when you throw compulsion around like that?  Of course he’s going to stray, what man wouldn’t?”

“That’s sweet of you to say, but the true test lies in how they deal with it afterwards.  Come, let’s go introduce ourselves.” 

“No.”  Bishop decided the time was as good as any to test her resolve to respect his wishes.  If she compelled him to be her puppet and go along with every single thing then he didn’t stand a chance. 

“Don’t be silly, I…”

“I said no,” he shut her down cold.  “I said I’d take you hunting, and I did.  If you want to feed from them, that’s fine too, but none of your fucked up head games.  I didn’t sign on for that.”

Her eyes stretched wide.  “Such language…”

“Don’t act like you’re shocked.  Nothing shocks you anymore.”

“I must say, I’m not entirely certain I like this side of you, Ulrik.  Sorry, I meant to say Bishop,” she added with a winsome smile.

“You don’t have to, but it is what it is.” 

“Come then, no… what did you call it?  Fucked up head games,” she tried the profanity out.  “We’ll simply have a bite and move on.” 

“Fine.” Bishop escorted her across the street for round two of Carys does London.  So far she’d accepted his asserting himself in this small way – but could he trust Carys to hold to her word if he demanded his freedom?  One thing he knew for certain, once the curse was broken, all bets were off.

Tonight’s the night.

Almost from the instant I opened my eyes, I had Rod Stewart singing in the back of my mind.  Not that I could remember the words beyond him crooning how everything was going to be alright, but after a Google search on the lyrics, I started to look for another song to get stuck in my head.  I had enough problems to worry about without mental images of the aging rocker trying to take some girl’s virginity. 

Nerves had me up and pacing as soon as the sun went down and even a long, hot shower did nothing to soothe them.  When the knock on the door came, I spilled hot cocoa all over my sweater, I was so jumpy.  Hopping up to answer it, I couldn’t help but frown over the serious look on Bishop’s face. 

“Is something wrong?” I asked, wiping my hand off on the already soggy sweater. 

“No, I just wanted to catch you before it’s time to go.”

I glanced at the fancy diamond watch on my wrist, giving up when I couldn’t actually figure out the time amid the sparkle.  I knew the ballpark time in any case.  “I thought we weren’t leaving for another hour?  Rob’s not awake yet.”

“No, I know.  Do you think I could maybe come inside?” he asked with a nervous glance down the hall.

“Sure, come on in.”  We didn’t have to worry about keeping it down, Rob would sleep through anything.  “I’d offer you some cocoa, but I’m fresh out,” I smiled, licking a missed droplet off the back of my hand.  His gaze seemed riveted by the action, and I froze, hand halfway to my face.  “What?”

“I want you to have some of my blood,” he blurted out, surprising both of us, I think, with the delivery.

“Oh.  That’s a good idea, but ah, actually… I had something else in mind.”  It was part of why I was so nervous, as if having my heart sliced and diced wasn’t enough to worry about. 

I saw the answer come to him before I had to say it.  “Jakob,” he said simply and I nodded.  It was the only way I could think of to bump up my chances of survival.  “If you go in there and ask for his blood, he’ll know something is up.”

“Not necessarily, it all depends on how I ask him.”

“How
are
you going to ask him?”  Bishop didn’t look too thrilled by the idea, and to be honest, I was dreading it myself.

Taking a deep breath, I made my voice light, as if I wasn’t about to whore myself out in the process.  “The easiest way would be not to ask at all.  The easiest way would be to have a friendly drink with him and then…”

“Let him seduce you?”  His brows shot up along with his voice.  “You’re not seriously going to do that, are you?  I forbid it,” he glowered.

“I’m sorry, you what?” I shot back at him, shocked by the possessive words.

He seemed to realize his mistake right away, his hands coming up in supplication.  “Okay, not forbid… but you have to see that this is the wrong way to go.”

“It’s not something I’m looking forward to either, but neither is dying in a gypsy caravan park.  Lilias said I couldn’t have Maeja’s blood afterwards, but she didn’t say I couldn’t have
Ellri
blood beforehand.  Bishop, I have to do what I can to try and survive this.” 

“No, you’re right,” he nodded, his gaze falling away.  “Do what you have to do.”

“I’m sorry…” 

Bishop shook his head, but he still wouldn’t look at me.  “No, you don’t owe me anything.  Does Rob know what you have planned?”

“No, I thought I’d go get it over with before he wakes up.”

“Don’t let me keep you then.”

“Bishop…”  I couldn’t help but feel like I owed him more of an apology, despite the fact that there weren’t any formal ties between us.  Then again, who was I kidding?  There would always be ties between Bishop and me, whether we spoke about them or not. 

“It’s okay, Anja.  I’ll see you down by the car in an hour.”

“You’re still coming with?”

“Yeah, Carys wants to watch.”

“Of course she does,” I muttered, walking him back to the door.  “So, the two of you are getting to know each other again?” I ventured carefully, not wanting to come right out and ask him if he’d rediscovered his feelings for her again. 

“Some things haven’t changed much,” he sighed, shaking his head as he reached the door.  “I’ll see you later, Anja.”

“Later, Bishop.”  I stood by the door, torn between letting him go and calling him back, but what would I say?  He had every right to find his happiness with Carys, especially with the curse coming to an end.  No matter how the night went down, my relationship with Bishop was likely to never be the same again.  But there wasn’t time to ponder that as I went to the bedroom to change out of my chocolate stained clothes and into something worthy of seducing an
Ellri
.

* * *

“Of course I wish to see you,
älskling
,” Jakob smiled with pure pleasure as I reached the suite he shared with Carys.  Luckily, she was nowhere to be seen and neither was Nelleke, or I might’ve lost my nerve.  “Is there anything the matter?”

Just the fact that I might not live to see the dawn.
  “No, not at all,” I lied glibly.  “I feel like we haven’t seen each other very much this trip, and I wanted to come and see how you are.”

His chest puffed out with pride at the ego stroke.  “Join me for a drink then, we’ll catch up,” he offered, pouring us each a glass of aquavit.  I accepted the drink without argument and downed it in one gulp, holding my breath until the burning started to fade.  If Jakob thought my reaction strange, he didn’t mention it, he merely matched me and refilled both our glasses. 

“Are you expecting anyone soon?  Carys or Nell maybe?” I asked, trying to gauge how much time I had to work with.

“No, not particularly.  Carys left all aflutter about something or other,” he smiled, giving me the impression he had no idea what we were up to that night.  “And my Nelleke will be joining me for dinner in an hour or two.  For the moment, I am all yours.”  His blue eyes flashed playfully, and for once I let myself experience it instead of rolling my eyes at him.  He was definitely an appealing man, and it wasn’t like I’d never slept with him before.  So why was I so nervous?

“Well then, maybe we should, ah… take our drinks into the bedroom and catch up in private?” 

His eyebrows shook hands with his hairline as he took my meaning, but an instant later he’d recovered, lips curving with pleasure.  “Well indeed.”  He rose with fluid grace, offering me his hand.  “Let’s take the bottle then, shall we?”

You can do this, Anja, it’s just sex, no big whoop.
  Fortified by my little voice, I slipped my hand in his, and Jakob immediately scooped me up into his arms, cradling me close as he picked up the bottle and carried me into the bedroom. 

This was such a bad idea.

He set me into the center of the bed, immediately stretching out beside me, his golden hair mingling with mine on the pillow.  “I’ve missed you,” he smiled, leaning in, and I turned my head away, giving him the perfect opportunity to latch onto my earlobe with his teeth. 

“I missed you too,” I managed to squeak out as his tongue laved over the sensitive skin behind my ear. 

“I knew you’d come to your senses.”

Ugh
, how was I even going to kiss him when I’d rather knock that smug look off his face with the toe of my boot?  “Yeah, silly me, getting so upset over a tiny thing like the curse.”

“You know I never meant to hurt you.  I only wanted us to be together as we are now.”

“I know, Jakob,” I nodded, shifting beneath him to line my lips up with his throat.  The funny thing was, that part wasn’t even a lie.  I knew he’d never set the curse to deliberately hurt me or Carys, I knew it practically wasn’t even his fault for believing he had the right to play with people’s lives like that – he was a demi-god after all.  But knowing that didn’t make me want to end him any less, and it sure as heck didn’t make it any easier to let him have his way with me. 

His teeth scraped at my neck and despite my personal feelings for the man, it sent a sizzling jolt through me.  The man was skilled, I had to give him that. 

“Ah, petal, how happy we shall be,” he groaned, settling over my pulse.  “There is so much I would share with you and now we have Nelleke to make our family complete.”

Was he spinning a future with me as Nell’s stepmother?  “Jakob, I…”

“Hush,
älskling
,” he rumbled.  “Let me show you what you’ve been missing.”

“I wouldn’t say I’ve been missing it…” slipped out and his head came up in confusion. 
Shut up, Anja.  Shut up!
  “No, you go right on ahead, show away,” I managed with a forced smile, guiding his head back to my throat, but instead he kissed lower, pulling his neck and shoulders out of my range as he slipped his hands under my skirt. 

“I have long wanted to taste you here,” he smiled up at me, a thick finger brushing over the thin silk covering my cleft. 

You can do this, Anja.  You can…
  He kissed my inner thigh and I panicked.  “Wait… wait, wait, wait…” I squirmed, scooting across the bed as soon as he let up an inch. 

“What’s the matter, beloved?” he frowned in confusion.

“We can’t.  I mean,
I
can’t.” 

“Why ever not?”

“I’m too…”  My brain desperately grasped for a plausible reason to reject his advances after I’d been the one to suggest the bedroom in the first place.  “I, um… can’t relax knowing what rough shape Rob is in.  He’s growing weaker by the minute.”

“Ah, my sweet, tenderhearted, Anja.  I would be happy to share my blood with him if it would please you.  Shall I have him fetched?”  He stalked his way up the bed again, placing a kiss on my shoulder.  “I wouldn’t mind sharing if that’s what would truly please you.  Perhaps we could discover the best of both worlds together?” 

Great googly moogly
, share a bed with both of them?  “Well, why not call Bishop in here and let’s really make it a party,” I murmured half in shock, realizing only too late that he might actually take me up on it.  “No, that’s not my style, Jakob.  I’m a one man at a time kind of woman, at least in my bed.”  My heart seemed to have other ideas. 

“I understand.  Would you like me to go to him?  See that he is restored and then we can pick back up where we left off.”

“No, I’d rather Rob not know I was here in the first place.” 
Not a lie…
“And to be honest, I don’t think he’ll want to take your blood.” 
Also, not a lie…
  “In fact, he should be awake soon.  I probably shouldn’t have come, I’ll need to feed him.  He needs to feed so often now.”

“Then take my blood, petal.  Restore yourself.”

There it was, exactly what I’d come for freely given, but I couldn’t bring myself to take it.  Not when I’d led him to believe I wanted more from him than the blood.  I was no better than Carys, master manipulator.  “I should probably just go.  You’re having dinner with your daughter soon and Rob will be needing me.”

“I suppose it’s not the right time,” he allowed, surprising me by letting me go without a fight. 

“No, I guess not,” I agreed, scrambling to my feet and rearranging my skirt. 

“I’m glad you came tonight.  It felt good to have you in my arms again.”

I smiled at that, not quite sure what to say.  And then it hit me – this might be the last time I ever saw Jakob again.  Stepping forward, I placed a soft kiss on his lips.  “Thank you, Jakob.” 

“For what, petal?”

“For helping me to become the best person I could ever hope to be.”

“You honor me, Anja,” he said formally, inclining his head in a gesture of respect.  “I chose well indeed.”

I didn’t blame him for that, not anymore.  He was right, I was a much better vampire than I ever was as a timid, slightly nerdy, choir priss who couldn’t stand up to her own shadow.  “Goodbye, Jakob,” I smiled, giving his hand a squeeze and getting out of there before I slipped up and let the cat out of the bag. 

Rob was just sitting up with a bleary look on his face when I got back to the room.  Despite how rough he looked, Rob managed to give me a smile and suddenly I knew I’d done the right thing in not sleeping with Jakob.  Maybe I wouldn’t have the extra edge going into the ritual, but at least I had the satisfaction of knowing my last few hours on Earth weren’t spent corrupting every last relationship I had.  

I came to stand before him, my hands lightly resting on either side of his face.  Rob turned to kiss my palm before his forehead settled against my abdomen and I folded my arms around him, holding him close, neither one of us saying a word.  How long we held each other, I couldn’t say, but I felt closer to him than I had in a while. 

This was worth doing, he was worth saving.  I clung to that thought as I let him go, leaving everything else unsaid.  I’d either survive and we’d have plenty of time to work things out, or I wouldn’t, and I’d rather keep this silent understanding between us rather than rehash all the old hurts again. 

We both fed (separately), and then headed downstairs to meet up with the others.  The prevailing mood was glum, even Carys was without her usual inane chatter.  Bishop, in particular, looked haunted by my decision to seduce Jakob, but he managed to catch my eye, giving me a nod.