Find Me When the Sun Goes Down (Forged Bloodlines #3) Read online

  “You will?” he brightened. “Because I’ve been thinking. Maybe we could get away for a while, to the Bahamas. They have these resorts, they’re all inclusive…”

  “Thomas, why would we want to go to a beach resort?” The scorn was back in her voice, I wondered how he didn’t pick up on it.

  “Well, they have all these activities you can do…”

  “In the sun…”

  “They’re not all in the sun,” he grumbled. The woman put him off though, hanging up so abruptly, I didn’t have a chance to duck back out, or hide or even think of a good excuse for standing there, when Thomas turned around.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I just wanted to call my… friend.”

  “That’s okay, I was just talking to the old ball and chain,” Thomas smiled, unperturbed. Somehow I didn’t think the woman would be so accepting if she’d known I was in the room for the conversation.

  “She seems… nice.”

  “She smells like spring flowers,” he gushed, and it took me a minute to think of an appropriate response.

  “Um, good. I couldn’t help but overhear, you sounded a little worried about staying here. Why is that?”

  “I heard Felix talking to security, it sounds like this hunter guy is the real deal. He won’t let me go anywhere without an entourage. Not that I don’t like having an entourage, but he even said we had to miss the tour tonight.”

  “I hear you, Bishop’s the same way. But I wouldn’t worry too much about it. The Order’s on his trail, I’m sure they’ll catch him soon.”

  “I hope so, I didn’t even get to eat roasted chestnuts.” Thomas gave a mournful sigh.

  “Roasted chestnuts?”

  “I always get ‘em when I come to England. There’s nothing like a hot roasted chestnut.”

  “I’m pretty sure you could request some and they’d bring them to you,” I suggested and his face lit with simple joy.

  “You are a genius! Felix! Felix, I need some chestnuts!” Thomas took off for the hall, and I made sure to close the door after him, more paranoid of eavesdroppers than he’d been before I called my sister.

  Hanna answered right away and from the time of day I knew she’d be at work.

  “Hey, I wondered when you were going to call me back,” she replied, obviously working on something else at the same time.

  “Called you back about what? Did you leave a message?”

  “Try three. Mom wants to make sure you’re going to be there on time for Thanksgiving, or if she should postpone it until your mono is better. You know how she gets.”

  “Oh, Thanksgiving.” I’d completely forgotten about the holiday and that I’d told my parents that I had mononucleosis to disguise the fact that I’d had to drop out of half of my classes at CCCFA. That meant they were still in the dark that I’d dropped out of school completely. “You know, I’m not really sure I’ll be back in time. Things are kind of up in the air right now.”

  “Back? Where are you?”

  “I’m in England, actually.”

  “That’s funny, I thought you said you were in England,” she snorted.

  “That’s because I did.”

  “Um, how are you in England and this is the first I’m hearing about this?” Her head canted to one side.

  “I’m sorry, there wasn’t time to tell you, and I’ve been busy since I got here.” It sounded lame even as I said the words. Something like this I would have shared with her in a heartbeat before I started leading my double life.

  “What happened to school?”

  “About school… see the thing is…”

  “Oh no… Tell me you didn’t, Anja.”

  Disappointment I expected from my parents, but to see it in Hanna’s eyes… “It’s for the best. I’m getting an interesting education on my own this way, really.”

  “Mom and Dad are gonna have a cow. And not a cute little baby cow either, we’re talking a full sized heifer.”

  “I know, but it couldn’t be helped.”

  Hanna let out a long, slow breath. “Just tell me you have a plan?”

  I didn’t. Things were more up in the air than ever, but I smiled and nodded. “Of course.” Was it good or bad that lying came so much easier now? “Listen, don’t tell Mom about this yet. There’s a chance I’ll be back home by Thanksgiving and I can tell them in person. That way they won’t kill the messenger.”

  “You got it, kid, I’m staying out of this one,” she snorted. “This is because Bishop got transferred, isn’t it?”

  I froze at the mention of Bishop. “What do you know about that?”

  “Not much,” she shrugged. “Mason said he got transferred to another branch and work has been crazy busy since then.”

  “Mason said that.” Not Spencer, but Mason. So he’d told her his name. What else had he spilled the beans on? “Um, Hanna, what else did Mason tell you about what he does for a living?” If she said one word about vampires I was going to kill him.

  “Oh, the usual song and dance about how he couldn’t talk about it or he’d have to kill me,” she laughed. “You must know how it goes — you’re dating Bishop, right?”

  “Yep, I know all about it,” I said through a strained smile. “Listen, Hanna, I have to go, but I promise to call you when I know more about my plans.”

  “Okay, talk to you later. Who knows, I might have interesting news by then myself,” she smiled mysteriously.

  “Can’t wait to hear it.” With Mason feeding her bits of the truth interspersed with the lies, I couldn’t imagine what she might be hinting at. I wondered if I should mention it to Bishop or not, but then again, we had enough on our plate to deal with after the disastrous night before. Best to let things settle down before I brought more worry to his door.

  No sooner had I gotten back to the hall when I was ambushed by Fisher. “There ya are. I’ve been looking all over for ya.”

  “Yep, here I am. Why?”

  “I’ve been sent to fetch ya, Order business.”

  “Order business?” That was never good… “Is there something wrong? Is it Bishop?” My heart twisted painfully; was that how it was done?

  “It’s no like that,” Fisher said quickly. “Angel sent for ya is all.”

  “Oh, she sent for me. Cool beans,” I smiled weakly. Just who I wanted to see, the person who kept taking Bishop from me when I needed him most. “I might as well get it over with, let’s go.” Fisher took my less than enthusiastic response in stride, leading me down to the lower levels into a small conference room.

  I’d expected the woman in charge of the Order to be hard and capable, probably dressed like a mercenary, the way so many of them were. She was all of those things, but I didn’t expect her to be so flippin’ beautiful. It caught me off guard, and I wondered how she’d decided to enter the Order. Was there a romantic tragedy in her past? Because a woman that fine had to have been turned by an amorous Sire — where did he figure into her life?

  “I thought we should meet, the two women in Bishop’s life,” she said with a cold smile, raking over me with a critical eye.

  So that’s how it was with her. All at once it became crystal clear why she’d been running Bishop ragged. She wanted him for herself and I’d messed up her dibs! “It’s nice to meet you, Angel. I’ve heard all about you,” I lied on all accounts.

  “Surely not all. Plenty of secrets abound within the Order.”

  “Bishop’s been pretty open with me, he knows he can trust me.” Now that I’d started, I couldn’t seem to stop lying, and I hoped my ears weren’t burning red from the magnitude of that lie. Though he’d started to open up to me, Bishop was by no means preaching full disclosure.

  “Has he now? I’ll have to have words with him about that. We can’t have just anyone privy to our secrets, can we?” She arched a brow and I thought maybe my boast had backfired; I didn’t want to get him into trouble for spilling Order secrets. It was time to lay things out on the table.

  �
�I’m not a threat to you,” I said, meeting her squarely in the eye. “Bishop is more than capable of keeping his loyalties to the Order and to me at the same time.”

  “I try to never underestimate my opponents. It’s part of why I’m still alive in such a dangerous profession.”

  “I didn’t realize I was your opponent. I can’t imagine what you think we’re competing for.”

  “Can’t you? Perhaps I have overestimated you, at that.”

  Meow. “Was there something in particular that you wanted? Or are you just trying to draw a line in the sandbox?”

  “Actually there is. Winter?” A tall vamp in a lab coat came in looking distinctly uncomfortable. I could only assume he’d heard most of the conversation. “Winter needs to take some blood samples from you for his research. You don’t mind, do you?”

  Uh oh… “Actually, I kind of do mind.”

  “Come now, you can’t possibly be squeamish about blood,” Angel laughed, her eyes narrowing in scorn.

  “Hardly.” I really didn’t like her. All at once I spun a plausible objection. “But I am careful of who I allow access of my blood to. When you get to be my age, it’s not a small thing.” It stood to reason that my blood might be worth something if it was as powerful as Bishop seemed to think.

  “I can assure you, it would be safeguarded against abuse,” Winter interjected. “I merely wanted to study the aftereffects of the ACBT on your system for any lingering damage.”

  “ACBT?”

  “Anti Coagulant Blood Toxin, that’s what we’re calling it,” he smiled brightly. “So far it’s been a most effective weapon in testing.”

  “You’re developing it as a weapon?” My stomach churned. I couldn’t imagine anyone having to go through such an ugly way to die. And all because of me?

  “No, that’s already been done,” Angel interjected smugly and Winter continued.

  “But I wanted to expand the research, you see. Make certain one can completely recover without any lasting damage.”

  A weapon. Did Bishop know about this? Was it going to be used as a means of execution? Would it be used against any vamp on the street? Otherwise, why test to see if one could completely recover? “As you can see, I’m fine.”

  “On the outside perhaps, but how can we be sure on the genetic level? Are there markers in your blood that could taint future generations? We need to know these things before we allow the widespread use of ACBT within the Order.”

  “Maybe you should have thought of that before you started developing it as a weapon,” I scowled.

  “I thought Bishop might have discussed this with you already. Didn’t you say he was open with you?” There was an almost taunting lilt to Angel’s words. Really didn’t like her…

  “He mentioned something about the test, but I have to admit, I was a little distracted at the time,” I fired back, leaving her to decide just how Bishop had been distracting me. My barb hit home, leaving no doubts in my mind that she had serious designs on Bishop.

  “I have more important matters to see to.” Angel rose with a frosty stare. “Are you refusing a direct request from the Order?”

  I opened my mouth to say something hasty about how her request didn’t stand a Firefly’s chance on a Friday, when Winter appealed to me one last time.

  “I beg you reconsider,” he pleaded. “I only want to make sure we’re not unleashing something disastrous onto the vampire community.”

  How could I say no to that? “I’ll do it, because it’s the right thing to do,” I caved. She could take her direct request and stick it where the sun didn’t shine.

  “Fine. Winter, see to it at once. Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Gudrun.”

  “Please, call me Anja. Any friend of Bishop’s is a friend of mine.” I smiled sweetly, guessing it would drive her up the wall, and it did. I knew that was going to come back and bite me in the behind, but I didn’t care, she drew the worst out of me.

  Winter didn’t hesitate, conducting me back to his lab where he drew no less than five vials of blood with profuse thanks. As Fisher escorted me back up to the hall, I hoped I wouldn’t come to regret going against Bishop’s wishes. He hadn’t voiced any reasons why it might prove disastrous and he hadn’t mentioned the ACBT either. Not for the first time, I wondered what else hadn’t told me.

  Rob was waiting for me when I entered the hall. “Everything alright?”

  “Yes, why? Did something happen?”

  “You being carted away by the Order isn’t bad enough?” he joked, but I could see the worry behind his eyes.

  “It’s fine,” I smiled, laying a hand on his arm. “They wanted to run some tests to make sure I’m really fine after what happened last Halloween.”

  “I thought the locals in California took care of that.”

  “That’s not all they took care of,” I muttered darkly, still not able to believe Jenessa would be part of something like that. “Did you know they’re trying to turn what happened to me into a weapon?”

  “Don’t surprise me,” he shrugged. “Would be useful, that.”

  “Well, it surprised the heck out of me,” I frowned over his cavalier attitude.

  “I’m more concerned with the testing. Are you sure that was such a keen idea, things being what they are?”

  “What else could I do? If there is a lasting effect, I want to know about it. Not just for me, but for whoever else they inflict it on.”

  “No use in worrying over it now, I suppose. What’s done is done.”

  I hoped Bishop saw it that way. A passing servant offered a glass of blood and this time I took it, wanting to replace the blood that was drawn. Drinking it down quickly, I didn’t stop to savor the taste until the crystal glass was empty, my eyes closing as a wave of longing struck. I didn’t open them until I was sure I could stand next to Rob without wanting to lunge.

  When I opened my eyes, I saw Tucker lingering by the door, his attention fixed on me. I don’t know why, but I got the feeling something was definitely wrong from the way he fidgeted, almost like a puppy dancing at the door to go out.

  “Excuse me for a minute. I see someone I need to go talk to.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Tucker darted behind the door, out into the hall as I approached, and I wondered if he’d lead me through the corridor like Lassie, stopping every few feet to see if I’d follow. That proved to be a silly fantasy as he lingered right outside the door.

  “Hi Tucker, what’s going on?”

  “M-M-M-ag-g-g…”

  The poor thing. “Slow down,” I said, taking a page from Maggie’s playbook. “What about Maggie?” Whatever it was, I didn’t think it could be good.

  “M-Maggie’s crying…”

  All at once I understood the reason for his distress, and I nodded, flashing a look over my shoulder to where I saw Jasper laughing by the fireplace. “Take me to her.” Instead of taking me upstairs to her room like I’d thought he would, Tucker led me to the rear of the mansion, ducking through the kitchens to a back door near the neglected vegetable gardens.

  Despite the ruin of the garden, the rest of the grounds were passable and Tucker didn’t hesitate in leading me into a warren of tall hedges. It wasn’t quite a maze, but with enough twists and turns, I was glad to be able to see the house above the top of even the highest branches. Once through the overgrown brambles, we stumbled upon an open courtyard choked with weeds. Or that is, I stumbled upon it, my heels catching on a loose stone. Maggie sat upon a stone bench, shoulders shaking as she wept in silence.

  “Tucker, go and get Bridget for me,” I said softly, wanting a few minutes alone with her.

  “I sh-should stay…”

  It was obvious he didn’t want to leave her, and I laid a hand on his shoulder. “It’ll be alright, Tuck, I promise. Just go and get Bridget. She might want another human around to make her feel better.” Tucker bowed his head in acquiescence, slinking off through the thicket. I approached Maggie slowly, not wanting her to st
artle. She glanced my way once and then turned her face up to the moon which was half obscured by clouds.

  I sat beside her, and when she didn’t object, asked the question of the hour. “What did he do?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” she replied, her voice strained and raw.

  “It does to me, and it should to you too.”

  “I shouldn’t be here, I should be preparing.” Maggie glanced up at the house, but she didn’t move a muscle.

  “Preparing for what?”

  “He invited Berg to join him tonight.” I wasn’t sure what that meant. Berg was a big, hulking, bear of a vampire I’d met earlier. Was Jasper going to spend the night with him instead? That sounded like a good thing. “He means to share me,” she added, head hanging in shame.

  “Sweet Mary…” My eyes closed as the full import of those words sank in. “Has he done this before?”

  “Not very often, but yes. It’s… considerably more unpleasant to endure the two of them.”

  “I can imagine.” Actually, I couldn’t, not really. I’d never suffered anything like that before, but my imagination was overrun with ickiness. “Maggie, you can’t let him do this to you. No one deserves to be treated like this. Let me help you get away from him.” I wasn’t sure how to do it, but I had to try.

  “You don’t understand. When I say I deserve this, it’s not because I crave this life. I…”

  “Where’s the party?” Bridget lurched into the courtyard, stumbling over the same rock that tripped me up. “You’re missing a band.”

  I could have kicked her in that moment, as Maggie clammed up tight, but I was the one who’d sent for her in the first place. “It’s okay, Bridget’s a friend.” I waved her over. “Bridget, tell Maggie here that it’s not supposed to hurt when a vampire drinks from you.”

  “It kinda stings a little, but feels good at the same time.” Bridget plopped down on the other side of the bench. “Oh, and Felix is sooo much better at the blood thing than you are. No offense, I mean I don’t have those kinds of sexy feelings for you, An.”

  Apparently their relationship had taken things to the next level. “I wasn’t trying to make you have sexy feelings for me,” I frowned.