Tempt Me When the Sun Goes Down (7 page)

His hands came up in a supplicating gesture.  “Don’t look at me, I’ve never held any truck with that shite.” 

“No, but you know thems that do,” Rob said with a pointed look.  “I’ve lost touch with them over the years, but you’re in with them, thick as thieves.  Don’t deny it.”

“I reckon so, but I can guarantee, they’ve never worked a curse like this before or I would’ve heard about it,” Stevo insisted.  “Might take a while to come up with the answer that don’t make a cock-up out of it.  I’ll do some asking around and see who’s skulking about the neighborhood these days.  Is there anything you can tell me about how it was cast?” 

“No, not really,” I answered, my hopes sinking as I realized this wasn’t going to be as easy as I’d thought.  “What we actually need to do is talk to Jakob, find out what he knows about this.  Where he found the curse in the first place, and who did it for him.  I’m assuming we’re actually dealing with two separate curses, one for me and one for Carys.”

“Not necessarily,” Stevo disagreed.  “It depends how it was cast. It could’ve even been set on Jakob himself since it’s his progeny affected.” 

I waggled my ring finger at him.  “It’s set on my ring, I don’t know what it was for Carys.”

Stevo picked up my hand, peering at the ring closely.  “Very nice indeed.  Real quality.  You can tell just by looking at it.”  He had it half off my finger with a dexterous twist, and I forced him into a lock and on his knees in the blink of an eye, sharp reflexes kicking in to fulfill the compulsion to keep the ring on my hand.

“You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?” he winced up at me.  “Remind me never to try and pick your pocket.”

“Sorry.”  I let him go with an apologetic smile.  “I can’t take it off.  I mean I’m literally compelled not to remove it, ever.  I didn’t mean to go all Gollum on you.”

“Right, well…” Stevo got back up to his feet, straightening his vest.  “I’ll ask around, but I’m not sure if I can help.” 

“Thanks, mate.  That’s all we’re asking for,” Rob smiled, extending his hand, which his cousin accepted.  “I’ll be in touch.”

“And once I’m in possession of any facts what could help, we can discuss my payment,” Stevo added with a cheeky grin.  “Lovely to have met you, Your Grace,” he said formally, taking my hand and pressing a kiss to the back of my fingers. 

I was surprised to find he knew who I was at all since I hadn’t mentioned my name and definitely not my rank, but all I did was nod and smile with a, “Nice to meet you too.”

Stevo held up a cheap moonstone ring I’d had on my right hand only seconds before.  “Just checking to see I hadn’t lost my touch,” he grinned tossing it back to me. 

Lee was in the chip shop, wolfing down a half a chicken when we emerged, and I was about to sit down to wait for him to finish, when I noticed Rob’s hands were clenched tightly into fists.

“What’s the matter?” I asked him softly, but he didn’t reply, his gaze on the muscle-bound cook behind the counter.  “Rob?”  I reached for his arm, surprised to find his skin warm to the touch.  “You need to feed again, don’t you?” I whispered. 

I already knew the answer by the tension in his muscles and his temperature alone, but his short nod clinched it. 
Frak
… what had we talked about not more than a few hours ago?  If he was getting hungry already, why the hell hadn’t he spoken up about it?

“Damn it, Rob!” I hissed.  “I’m trusting you to tell me before the thirst gets to be too bad.”

“It’s
always
bad,” he bit out through clenched teeth. 

Of course, I knew my blood would last him longer, but I wasn’t about to volunteer any time soon.  The results could end up far too intimate than I was ready for.  Still, I couldn’t take him anywhere in his current state.  “Fine, let’s go take the edge off.” 

Maybe when we got back to the Vetis house we could raid Aubrey’s pantry.  He’d offered to give me anything I needed, after all.  Maybe he could provide a group of feeders that Rob could cycle through to keep him in the pink?  Then again, I’d still have to be there for every single feeding, and it was a cinch Rob would end up trying to kill or get grindy with anyone who offered up a vein.   

Cool beans.
   

Bishop scraped his phone against the scruff beneath his lower lip, the raspy sound lulling him into a kind of trance as he sat in the darkened room.  The drapes were all shut, he could feel the pull of the sun high overhead, but he couldn’t relax enough to fall asleep. 

Carys was alive.  And they’d found her.  Even more amazing was the fact that he didn’t want her.  Not the way he used to at any rate.  Sure, there was a pull there and she was still as beautiful as ever.  Hearing her voice alone brought back a thousand memories, but most of them were more sour than sweet – and for the first time in his life, he understood that he didn’t have to put up with them. 

She was his Sire.  So what?  Plenty of vamps left their Sires (sometimes in a show of violence), it was the way of the world.  There was no reason he had to be tied to her hip any longer.  Like he’d said, he wasn’t Ulrik anymore.  Bishop had a full life with purpose and hopefully a chance at real love in his future if he had anything to say about it. 

So why then hadn’t he turned and left the moment his obligation to Jakob was fulfilled?

Carys didn’t need him.  Not that she needed any man to take care of her under normal circumstances, but Jakob would see to her education in modern times.  In fact, he’d probably eat it up, having her dependent on him again.  There was nothing stopping Bishop from going back to Rome, or even to San Francisco.  But the moment Carys had turned those baby blues up at him asking if he’d be there when she woke, he’d gone and promised to be there and it’d felt like the right decision.  Was that part compulsion or something more? 

Whatever the cause, it was too soon to drag Anja into it, especially with her dealing with her own mess.  Bishop put his phone away without calling Anja.  Instead, he set out to find Jakob, intending to have a few words in private while Carys slept.  He found him in Carys’ room, fingers sifting through her golden hair as she slept curled up against his side.  Again, he didn’t feel an iota of jealousy at seeing them together in bed. 

“Can I have a word with you?” Bishop asked, making sure to inject a note of respect into his voice for the
Ellri’s
benefit.  Jakob let out a long sigh, carefully disentangling himself from Carys’ hold to join him out in the darkened hallway.

“Surely you don’t begrudge me this first day with her,” Jakob scowled.  “You may have your reunion tomorrow night after I’ve had a chance to more fully make it up to her.”

“What?  No, you go ahead.”  Bishop didn’t even want to think about what Jakob had planned for making up.  “As far as I’m concerned, you can have her.”  Jakob’s brows shot up, but he held his tongue.  “I’m done, Jakob.  I’m out.”  As soon as he said the words, he felt an enormous weight lifted from his shoulders, his words coming faster and lighter.  “You wanted me to help you find her, and I did.  I hope the two of you are very happy together, but leave me out of it.”

Instead of being happy, Jakob’s scowl didn’t unfurl.  “It will upset her to wake and find you gone.”

“I don’t care.  The sooner she gets used to the idea that she can’t dictate my life for me, the better.  Carys is part of my past, my future is with Anja.” 

“I thought you wanted to forget about Anja.  You bade me promise to compel your love for her away.  I thought this was to prepare your heart to accept Carys again.”

“I know I did,” Bishop said, a momentary flurry of panic seizing him at the thought of Jakob taking away that love now.  “That was before I knew she’d split with Rob.  Before I saw her…”
and tasted her kiss again
.   

Another furrow appeared on Jakob’s brow to join the rest.  “What happened between the two of you when you sought Anja out in Chicago?”

Something magical
, and he’d gone and screwed it up by telling her the truth about Rob.  “Nothing definitive, but she still has feelings for me, I felt it.  Yes, things are murky right now, for both of us, but I sure as hell don’t need Carys complicating it any further.  I need to make a clean break.”

“Never mind that this clean break, as you call it, could conceivably destroy her fragile psyche?  She puts on a brave face, but she is little more than scared girl right now, and the changes she’ll have to adapt to are dizzying.”

“Oh, come on, Jakob, she’s playing you, straight and simple,” Bishop snorted in disgust.  “What is it about her that makes you so blind to what you’d see in another woman in a heartbeat?  You know what she’s capable of.  You could drop Carys stark naked in the middle of the desert on Tattoine and she’d end up queen of the Hutts.” 

Jakob frowned.  “I know of no such place.” 

“You obviously haven’t spent much time in Anja’s company.”  Not that he’d been with her when he watched the science fiction films at her suggestion, but he’d enjoyed the lively debate they had over the Jedi code of honor afterwards.   

“Anja has no place in this debate.  Carys is ill prepared for the challenges ahead.  Do you know that she cried in my arms after you left?  Said she’d ruined her chances with you by compelling you not to feel the bond you’d shared for fear of the curse.”

Bishop wasn’t sure he could believe Carys’ tears or not, but since Jakob was the one to bring up the curse…  “If you’re so worried about her well-being, then why not break the curse once and for all?  It won’t make a difference for me, but it’ll sure as hell fix things for Rob and Anja.”

“I thought you wanted to pursue Anja, not drive her into Rob’s arms.”  Jakob’s lips pursed in confusion, and Bishop shrugged.

“I think with the curse gone, Anja will be free to make her own decisions, free of guilt.”

“And you think that decision will be you?”

He thought back to that final kiss on the plane, the way she’d felt in his arms, the love he’d seen in her eyes.  “I hope that it is.” 

Jakob stared back at him, his expression inscrutable.   “In any case, I can’t help you with the curse.”

“But if you’ll just…”

“Enough!” he thundered, loud enough to rattle the old windows.  “Sleep now, Ulrik.  Tomorrow will be a busy day.”

“Tomorrow I’ll be on my way,” Bishop started to say, but Jakob waved him off.

“You’ll stay by her side until she allows you to depart, is that clear?”

“Why do you even want me here?  I thought you didn’t like how fond she was of me?  With me gone, you’ve got a clear shot at her.”

Jakob’s lips turned down, as though he’d tasted something bitter.  “I dislike to see her in distress even more.  If she finds it soothing to have you near, then you shall remain near.” 

“Fine,” Bishop glowered.  If Jakob wanted to order him to stick around, he’d do it – up to a point.  But that didn’t mean he had to suck up to Carys this time.  “But do you think we could take this freak show to some place less remote?  The sooner we can get her acclimated to this time, the sooner she’ll move on to some new interest and I can be on my way.”

“Agreed,” Jakob nodded.  “I have no desire to linger in this hateful place.  We’ll leave for London at dusk.”

* * *

Carys was on board with the change of venue right from the start.  When she wasn’t dripping crocodile tears, she spoke of endless hours spent entertaining Lodinn at the remote estate, only leaving the house a handful of times over the three hundred years she’d been held captive.  Of course, he’d kept her in torpor for most of that time, ignorant of the day, month or year, and she had very little sense of what to expect from the modern world.

Fearful of the car at first, Carys refused to climb into it without a push of compulsion from Jakob.  She’d squealed in fright when Bishop started the motor, spending most of the first hour with her nose pressed against Jakob’s lapel.  But once she began to grasp that it was perfectly safe and that they could cover great distances in a short time, she relaxed enough to enjoy the trip.  Particularly when they told her where they were headed. 

“It’s been an age since I was last in
Llundain
,” she smiled.  “Who is king now?”

“It’s actually Queen Elizabeth on the throne,” Bishop replied, only to catch Carys’ scorn.

“Surely not!”

“Not
that
Queen Elizabeth,” Jakob chuckled.  “Her descendant.”

“I see, of course,” Carys said, covering her embarrassment behind her hand.  “Well, I shall certainly look forward to visiting the city and all its many diversions.”

“You don’t know that half of it,” Bishop muttered, wondering if taking her to such a big city to start with was a mistake.  Maybe it would’ve been better to start with a small village first to acquaint her with some of the wonders of the modern age, but he wasn’t the one in charge of this train wreck.  All he did was drive and keep his mouth shut unless spoken to.

The city was dazzling at night.  After a leisurely drive through town (where Carys did little more than gape and cringe when she spotted something fearful, while Jakob droned on and on about progress), even Bishop felt dazed by the time they pulled up in front of the Savoy.  Ushered up to the Royal Suite, Carys eased under the vintage charm that combined the best of Edwardian elegance with modern amenities. 

Jakob worked his magic while she took a long, hot bath.  With the aid of a very hospitable concierge, soon all manner of packages began to arrive.  Women’s cosmetics and toiletries, and a wide selection of clothing and shoes – even an array of jewelry, enough to tempt her fancy.

Her reaction had been electric, squealing with delight over each new discovery, making Jakob’s chest puff bigger and bigger with pride at having pleased her.  Bishop tried to stay out of it as much as possible, holed up in a corner of the suite with his laptop, offering the barest of nods when she modeled the clothing for him.  After several costume changes, Carys settled on a red dress with a deep v-neck that hugged her curves and displayed a shocking amount ankle by her reckoning.  Her lips stained to match, she pinned her hair up with a twist and declared herself ready to go.

“Go where, my sweet?” Jakob asked, looking on indulgently.

“It’s far too early to stay in for the night, and there are people out there bustling to and fro, I can see them from the window.  I want to be out among them.”

“Very well,” he agreed, offering his arm.  “Ulrik?”

Bishop didn’t bother to look up from his laptop.  “You guys have fun, I think I’ll stay in and try to get some work done.”

“It’s no fun if you don’t come with us,
cariad
,” she pouted, and his teeth ground together, putting his hand up before the order came from Jakob.

“Fine, I’ll come too,” he said, pushing away from the table. 

“Lovely,” she beamed, waiting to take his arm as well before they left the suite.  They remained linked like that all down the hallway until Bishop took the opportunity to break away to push the button for the elevator.

“Where do you want to go?” he asked, wondering if he should have them bring the car around, or if she’d prefer to set out on foot.  It was too early for her to need to feed after having Jakob’s powerful blood.  Then again, that’d never stopped her from feeding before. 

“I hardly know,” she frowned prettily, blinking her eyes up at Jakob.  “Where shall we go,
minn hjärta
?”

The elevator door slid open, and a familiar blonde head caught Bishop’s attention.  “Nell?  What are you doing here?” he asked. 

Nelleke froze at the sight of them, her ruddy cheeks growing pale.  Dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a black leather jacket over a navy turtleneck, she looked more suited to sneaking onto a secret compound than in the glitzy elevator.  “I am…”  She swallowed, licking her lips before she continued.  “I have brought the spear of Odin to its rightful home and I am seeing some of the world.”

Her nerves were strung tight as a bow, but for the life of him, Bishop couldn’t figure out why.  “But what are you doing
here
?” he pressed, not believing in coincidences.  Only the fact that her short hair hung free instead of being braided back for battle kept him from reaching for the comforting weight of his gun.

“Anja is telling me of your quest,” she replied.  “I think to offer my assistance, but I can see you are not needing my help.”  Her gaze settled on Carys, studying her openly.  Carys returned the stare, but must’ve decided that Nell posed no threat, physically or otherwise, as her expression didn’t change.

“Yeah, that’s right.  But how did you know we’d be here at the Savoy?”  He hadn’t told anyone and they’d only made the reservation a few hours ago.

“I am skilled in tracking,” she shrugged, her chin coming up.  “This is why I am offering my services.”

“Introduce us to your friend, Ulrik,” Carys smiled, taking hold of his arm again, staking her claim.  “She seems very… capable.”

“This is Nelleke, she works for Maeja,” Bishop replied with a polite smile.  “May I introduce Carys, and... I forget, did the two of you meet before?” He looked to Jakob, who had an odd expression on his face.

“I have not had the honor,” he said, sketching a half bow.  “And how is Maeja?” Jakob asked gingerly, as if afraid to hear the answer.

Nelleke managed a curtsy without looking out of place in her modern clothes when Jakob acknowledged her.  “Maeja fares well, master.  I will tell her you have asked after her, I am certain she will be pleased,” she replied politely.