Find Me When the Sun Goes Down (Forged Bloodlines #3) Page 14

  “Don’t get all offended or nothing, you’re plenty sexy.”

  The conversation was getting onto a weird tangent. “My point is, it’s supposed to be a mutually beneficial thing.”

  Bridget gave a lazy grin. “Way beneficial. But you should know that,” she nudged Maggie’s shoulder with her own. “You’re with that guy who thinks he’s sex on a stick. You’ve done it way more than me, right?”

  Maggie didn’t reply, and I spoke for her. “He hurts her on purpose, doesn’t mask the pain at all.”

  “So, stake the bastard in his sleep,” Bridget replied, problem solved in her mind and I had to admit, the direct method did have its merits.

  “I’m trying to convince her to let me help her get away from him.”

  “I can never escape him,” Maggie shook her head.

  “Anja’s right. You could come back to San Francisco with us, he’d never find you there.” That was what I was starting to envision, but I needed to get Bishop on board to keep Jasper from coming after her.

  “You’re both very kind, but Jasper owns me.”

  “Dude, that went out in the Civil War. Didn’t you see the movie?” Bridget snorted, and Maggie actually smiled before the sorrow reclaimed her.

  “My family owes him a terrible debt.”

  “Whatever you owe him, it can’t be worth this. Maybe…” Maybe I could call in a favor to Jakob? He was the only one I knew with access to incalculable wealth, or the means to squash Jasper like a bug without recrimination. “Maybe we can find a way to buy him off.”

  “It’s not money he wants, though it was the root of it. My father worked for him, you see. For years we had no idea the wealthy businessman whose affairs he managed was a vampire. We only knew he arrived at the strangest times, took Father to the city for days on end, and then would disappear for months. It was during one of those absences that my father discovered what Jasper was, and started plotting in his heart.”

  “What did he do?” Bridget asked, completely caught up in the story as I was.

  “Father said he was doing the world a favor, but I know it was Jasper’s money he wanted most of all. The next time Jasper came to call, Father set fire to his bedclothes and burned the house to the ground. Father took us to London where he assumed control of Jasper’s fortune. For a year we traveled the world, living like kings. Mum and I thought he’d been left an inheritance, we never guessed Father would…” Maggie paused to swallow uncomfortably. “In the end, Jasper wasn’t dead at all and he found us. He’s very good at the hunt.”

  I could imagine what happened then. “He killed your parents?”

  “No, that would have been too quick a revenge,” Maggie shook her head. “In exchange for sparing my parents’ lives I agreed to become his, in every way. That’s why I can never appeal for sanctuary. My family’s crimes are what began the cycle of violence.”

  “But you didn’t do anything wrong. There has to be a way out of this,” I insisted. “Couldn’t your parents go into hiding? Then you could get away.”

  “The last time I tried to escape him, he caught me after only three days. He spent the next three breaking every bone in my body, only to heal them with his blood and re-break them again.”

  “Frak…” I breathed. “What a bastard.”

  “There’s more,” Maggie continued, her voice so soft I’m not sure I could have easily heard her without my enhanced hearing. “On the night he said all was forgiven, Jasper gave me a brightly wrapped box. Inside the box was my father’s finger, his ring unmistakable. Jasper said he would delight in sending me reminders of home piece by piece if I was that homesick.”

  “Oh hell no, that is some sick shit right there.” Bridget sucked in a breath, a little green around the gills.

  “He’s very good at the hunt,” Maggie repeated softly.

  We all sat in subdued silence for long minutes. I didn’t have any answers for her, but I couldn’t let it go either. I only knew I had to find a way out for her. Maggie shivered, and I realized it was pretty cold out for those who could feel it.

  “Come inside and we’ll figure this thing out,” I suggested. Maybe if Bishop heard the story directly from Maggie he’d change his mind?

  “No… I can’t go in yet. Please don’t make me.” There was an edge of panic to her voice that bordered on the hysteric.

  “I don’t want to make you do anything.” That was the entire point, but neither did I want to leave her out there all alone. An oversized dog trotted into the courtyard, its scent reaching me on the breeze.

  “Holy shit, that’s a big dog,” Bridget murmured, going very still.

  No, not a dog… a wolf.

  Ignoring us, it sat in front of Maggie, laying its oversized head in her lap. Instead of being startled by the sudden appearance of a dangerous animal intruding into her personal space, her fingers sank into its ruff and the wolf’s eyes closed with a chuff of deep contentment. All at once I knew it was Tucker.

  “We’ll leave you alone for a bit. Come on, Bridget.”

  She didn’t object, remaining quiet until we reached the hedges. “God, this is a weird place,” she muttered with a backwards glance at the pair. “What are you gonna do about that asshole, Jasper?”

  “I don’t know yet. Apparently they’re all kinds of good with him treating her like that. Bishop said it’s not against any laws.”

  “Fuck the law. I say you kick his ass, An.”

  “It’s not that simple. What she said about her family wronging him, I don’t know if that changes things in vampire society. I’ll have to ask Bishop about it.”

  “What if he says no?”

  “I’ll figure something out,” I said grimly.

  We came upon the opening in the hedge and the flare of a match in the darkness caught my attention. As the match was lifted, I saw the same guy I’d noticed at the feeder club watching me the night before. He met my gaze as he lit the cigarette, letting out a long plume of smoke without taking his eyes off of me. Dressed in similar clothing as before, he leaned against the side of a tree.

  “Geez, stare much?” Bridget muttered. “Do you know that guy?”

  “No, not really.”

  He didn’t raise the cigarette to his lips again, just held it loosely in his fingers. Almost like he’d wanted me to see him more than he wanted a smoke.

  “He sure seems to know you. Let’s go talk to him, see what’s up his butt.” She took two steps forward and I clamped my hand around her wrist, pulling her back.

  “Bridget, what did I tell you about not looking for confrontations here? This is a dangerous place. What if he’s trying to lure us away from the house?” My eyes flicked back to the tree, but he was gone, and I found that even more unnerving than his stare.

  “Oh please, he could have jumped us in the courtyard. We were way farther away from the house. Besides, you’re a badass vampire, remember?”

  Someday I’d remember that on my own, but at the time all I felt was small and helpless, at the mercy of too many others stronger and more powerful than I pretended to be. If I was stronger I’d figure out a way to save Maggie.

  “He was probably just a guy out taking a smoke. What’s so weird about that? Come on, let’s go inside, I’m freezing my boobs off out here,” Bridget demanded, but I couldn’t shake the feeling there was more to it than that. Not that it was strange for a vampire to be hanging out at a house of vampires, but I wondered why I hadn’t seen him inside with the others before.

  “There’s something about him.” Had the watching vampire overheard our conversation? Was he a spy for the Order? That could make things very, very bad.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Bishop paused at the door, the furrow in his brow growing more pronounced as he realized Anja was nowhere near the hall. She hadn’t been in the room, and Rob claimed not to know where she’d slipped off to. Even Fisher had given him a clueless shrug when he’d demanded a report. Had she left the estate? A quick call down to the guard shack d
isproved that theory, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was in trouble. Bridget was missing too, and Bishop wasn’t sure if he felt better or worse about the unpredictable girl accompanying her on whatever hair-brained scheme they’d cooked up together.

  His phone beeped, calling him back to duty, and Bishop weighed the risk of disregarding it against the reward of Anja’s safety. Ignoring the text from Angel, he waved Fisher back over. “I need you to drop whatever you’re doing and help me find Anja.”

  “I… was about to go report to weapons testing…” Fisher protested, changing his mind once he saw Bishop’s expression. “But I could do that later.”

  “Good man. Talk to Brody, have the wolves do a sweep of the grounds for her as well. Call me the minute you find her. Maybe try…” Movement in the corner of his eye caught Bishop’s attention, his heart giving a lurch when he saw it was Anja at the end of the corridor. “Nevermind,” he bit out, equal parts relief and anger replacing the unreasoning panic as he left Fisher behind to reassure himself she was alright.

  Anja’s face lit up when she saw him stalking towards her, and he was struck by how beautifully fragile she appeared in her creamy dress. The need to touch her overwhelmed him, and Bishop pulled her against his chest in a crushing hug. “Where have you been?” he demanded roughly, his voice tight.

  “Need air… to talk…” Anja squeaked, and he let up his hold. “We went for a walk out back.”

  “Alone? Are you crazy?”

  “No, with Bridget.” Anja gestured to her friend who gave him a saccharine smile, and Bishop could only scowl in reply.

  “Like that’s supposed to make it better.”

  “Okay, I’m outta here,” Bridget dropped the smile. “Laters, An. I’m gonna go see if Felix is ready to go.”

  “That was rude,” Anja scolded. “Why are you getting so grumpycakes with me? I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “I’m not…” Bishop forced a calming breath. “You weren’t around, I got a little crazy. Considering the circumstances around here I don’t think that’s entirely out of line. Promise me you won’t go wandering off again.”

  “I didn’t leave the estate,” she protested, and Bishop resisted the urge to kiss away the pucker that lingered on her brow.

  “I’m just concerned for your safety. We don’t know anything about the hunter. So far he’s only killed in town, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t have access here at any time.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal. Besides, I wasn’t alone, I had Tucker with me and then Bridget.”

  “I meant someone who could be of use,” he snorted. His phone beeped again, and Bishop resolutely ignored it. “Promise me you’ll be more careful.”

  “I still don’t think I did anything wrong,” she grumbled. “But what are we talking about here? You want Rob to stick by my side 24/7? Like even if I’m alone in our room?”

  That wasn’t a pleasant picture either, but necessary for the moment. “For now, yes. He might as well earn his money instead of playing dress up and taking Bridget out to bars.”

  “You’re not paying him are you?”

  “No, why?”

  “Then I don’t get why you think he’ll do what you tell him to do.”

  “He’ll do whatever I think is best for your safety.” Bishop could see she knew he was right, and he waited until he had her complete agreement before he let the subject drop. “Alright, I hate to say hi and goodbye like this, but I’m being summoned again.”

  “Wait… I need to talk to you about something serious.”

  “What is it?”

  “This thing with Maggie, it’s worse than we thought,” she began, and Bishop cut her off before she got too far into it.

  “This again? Anja, I told you we can’t get in the middle of a domestic dispute. The law is clear.”

  “No, you don’t understand…” Anja began to babble about embezzlement and fire, something to do with amputated fingers, and Bishop lost all sense of what she was trying to say. None of it changed the fact that he couldn’t intervene, even if he wanted to. “Did you hear a word I said?” Anja’s head tilted to one side, mouth drawing into a pout.

  “I did, but it doesn’t change anything. My hands are tied.” If it was back in San Francisco, he’d just have a chat with Jasper, and that would take care of it, but here… There were so many strings tying his hands, he had no idea where the other ends originated from.

  “But what about what he’s doing to her family?”

  “Anja, it’s not our problem,” he hissed. “Like it or not, she’s his property. Now can we drop it? I don’t want to fight with you.”

  “Then stop saying such stupid things!” she all but yelled, and Bishop pulled her into an empty parlor before she attracted too much attention.

  “Hey.” He cupped her face in his hands, thumbs brushing over her cheeks until she calmed down. “It’s not that I don’t want to help her, I do. I’m not a complete bastard.”

  “I never thought you were a bastard…”

  Bishop stilled her lips with the pad of his thumb. “It’s not that simple. Things are different here. I can’t just stride in there and demand he let her go. But I tell you what I’ll do. I’ll do some digging into their… situation. Maybe I can track down her parents and we can move them to safety to begin with, alright?”

  “Really?” Anja’s expressive eyes lit up with excitement for a second before they narrowed in suspicion. “You’re not just saying that to shut me up, are you?”

  “Of course not. If I wanted to shut you up I’d do this.” Bishop leaned in for a kiss, swallowing her outraged response, coaxing her until she went soft and pliant in his arms. When he pulled away her lips were rosy and swollen, a slightly dazed look to her eyes. “See, works every time,” he couldn’t help but dig.

  “You can shut me up that way anytime.” Anja wrapped her arms around his shoulders, demanding more than a single kiss and Bishop was happy to oblige. Her body molded to his and he was reminded that he’d yet to welcome her into his bed the way he’d wanted to since her arrival. “I’m sorry, for last night and tonight,” she got out between kisses. “I don’t want to fight with you either. Let me make it up to you.”

  The little minx nipped at his ear with her sharp, white teeth, and it was all Bishop could do not to take her right there in the parlor. His hand slipped under the creamy skirt to feel the soft curve of her thigh, pulling her closer. “We should go upstairs…”

  “I don’t think I can wait that long.” Her words were like a caress against his ear, but still Bishop didn’t allow himself to lose control, even when she tugged at his belt.

  “Someone could walk in.”

  Her cool fingers wrapped around him. “Then you’d better hurry.”

  She shocked him with her wantonness, but it was no less than what he felt when he looked into her eyes. Their lips crashed together, hands fumbling to push clothes away as he pressed her up against the wall, too consumed with need to stop long enough to find even a couch to lay her down on. His fingers found her slick and ready for him, and Bishop brought up one of her legs to wrap around his waist.

  His phone beeped again, the tone reserved for emergency calls, and Bishop’s hands froze, a groan of frustration wracking his entire body. Damn that woman! He sucked in a steadying breath, focusing all his will to remember his sense of duty. “I should go…”

  “Let her wait for a change, I’ve already waited long enough. You’re mine.” Her mouth closed over his possessively, her hands demanding as she guided him home. There was only so much a man could take, even a man of Bishop’s considerable discipline. So he took what she offered, sliding into her, his moan of satisfaction muffled by her golden hair.

  Anja came alive in his arms, her body arching against his as she locked her ankles around his waist, urging him deeper. Entranced by the sight of her, lips parted in breathy pants, eyes half lidded with ecstasy, Bishop sank into her again and again,
lost to her tight embrace.

  A tentative knock on the door cut through the haze of pleasure and his rhythm faltered. They were coming for him, wondering why he hadn’t responded to the page. Bishop knew he had to withdraw…

  “Don’t stop,” Anja begged him on a ragged moan. “Don’t you dare… stop…”

  Bishop buried his face in her neck, rocking into her again, fighting against the urge to fall until he was sure she would follow. The knock came again, and he felt her body tremble on the edge of release. His fangs slid into the smooth column of her throat and Anja gave a hoarse cry as she shuddered around him.

  Something primal within him responded to the sound of his name on her lips and Bishop surged harder, his senses overwhelmed with the goodness that was Anja. He welcomed the sting at his shoulder as her teeth pierced him in kind, nothing tentative in that claiming, spilling into her with his own guttural cry as she drew against his flesh. They pulsed together, her softness pinned between the hard wall and the press of his body as he murmured endearments against her skin in a language he no longer spoke until they fell still.

  “Am I forgiven?” she said in a small voice, and his soft laughter rumbled through them both.

  “Nope. We’ll have to do that a dozen more times, and then it’ll be my turn to make it up to you.” His tongue laved at her throat, glad to see the wounds already closing there. “But for now, I do have to get going.”

  “I know,” she sighed. “Wake me up when you come to bed, okay? Even if it’s late. I miss talking to you.”

  “Talking? I’m waking you up for round two of you making things up to me,” he teased, gently disengaging himself to straighten his clothes as he heard the tentative knock on the door again. “Hold your horses, I’ll be right there,” he barked, running a hand through his hair.

  “How do I look?” Anja tugged on her skirt, oblivious to the crazy way the haircombs hung loose in her hair. Bishop rescued them before they tumbled to the floor.

  “You look perfect, as always,” he smiled, tucking the combs into her hand and pressing a kiss to it before he strode to the door. “I’ll see you later.”