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

“This is where you live?” It was like a prison cell. Okay, so maybe not prison, but like how I imagined a reform school maybe. There were no decorations, no touches to show anything about the man who lived there. Nothing but a bed, a small table next to it and a locker box at the foot. No windows, no TV, no bathroom. Who could live like that? Actually, Bishop probably loved it. It was Spartan but orderly, and I knew that would appeal to him.

  “Yeah, this is home sweet home,” he replied, echoing my thoughts.

  “It’s kinda small isn’t it?” After the open, loft style apartment I was used to, it felt almost claustrophobic down there. Wouldn’t he rate a better room, being a big cheese in the Order and all? The bed would be cozy though, nothing bad about that.

  Bishop’s brows drew together into a single dark line. “This… isn’t going to work, is it? You can’t stay here with me.”

  Panic flared at his resigned expression. “I’m not going home, I just got here. I don’t care how small the room is.”

  “Home?” The furrow between his brows grew more pronounced. “No… I meant, this isn’t good enough. I’ll make arrangements for a better room for you.”

  “I’d rather stay down here with you.” I hadn’t flown halfway around the world to sleep apart.

  “I’ll stay with you while you’re here,” he smiled, understanding my distress.

  “What if we’re here permanently? Will you be able to stay with me, or is there some rule that says you have to live like a monk down here?” I perched on the edge of the hard bed.

  “If we’re going to be here for more than a few weeks I’ll find us a place in town. It’s frowned upon, but I don’t care. The farther away from all the political crap I can keep you, the better.”

  “I’m sorry if my showing up here makes things awkward for you. What’s going on? Why have you been so busy you can’t take my calls? Is it really that crime ridden over here?”

  “No, it’s not that. Most of the time I’m running private security details or dealing with house surveillance. I haven’t hardly set a foot onto the streets,” he scowled and I could see that didn’t sit well with him.

  “I didn’t think that was what the Order’s for.” I’d understood that vamps were supposed to get their own security force, as evidenced by Kursik’s synchronized staff.

  “It’s not supposed to be, but things here have gotten all muddled. The Order is supposed to be independent of the Houses, but we’re in Corley’s breast pocket here. It’s always been that way to some extent with our HQ housed in the same building, but it’s gotten a lot worse since the last time I was here.”

  “How long ago was that?”

  “Back in the twenties.”

  “As in, Roaring?” My brows rose. It always surprised me when he talked about another era so casually.

  “Yep, they were pretty roaring,” he chuckled. “Maybe I’m spoiled with running things my own way back home, but I don’t like the way the wind is blowing here.”

  “Maybe it’ll blow you back home sooner than you think. Have you talked to your new boss about it? Did you find out who was behind the transfer?”

  “She can be difficult to talk to sometimes. Angel is very… focused. So far there hasn’t been time to get into it.”

  She. I wondered what this Angel was like. The vampire world I’d encountered so far was pretty male dominated when it came to positions of power. It was good to hear about a woman kicking butt and taking names. “I hope you get it straightened out soon, Mason and those guys are scrambling to fill the hole you left behind.”

  “I want to hear all about it, but let me go make a call about your room. There’s no cell reception down here. Don’t move.”

  I leaned back against the mattress. “I’ll be waiting.” While he watched, I unbuttoned the top button of my blouse, fingers tracing lightly over my sensitive skin. Bishop hesitated, hunger flaring sharply on his face. “Go on,” I smiled, enjoying the power I had over him in that moment. “I won’t start without you.”

  “Start anything you like, as long as I’m there to finish it,” he winked, slipping out of the room.

  Chapter Eight

  Bishop moved like a man with a plan, eager to get back to Anja before some other disaster reared its ugly head. It felt like he’d been putting out one fire after another since he’d stepped off the plane. The thing was, most of them weren’t all that serious. For whatever reason, Angel, hadn’t seen fit to spread the wealth and give some of the other guys their share of the assignments. Whatever the reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that she had it in for him.

  “Hey, Fisher.” He caught up to the younger vampire in the hallway. “Just the man I wanted to see.”

  “I’m surprised to find ya wandering the halls so soon. Did ya tire of your lady already?”

  “Not hardly,” Bishop chuckled. “But speaking of Anja, I need you to make arrangements for one of the suites for her. Can you do that for me?”

  “Of course,” Fisher readily agreed. “I wondered when ya took her down to your quarters. Do ya have a preference as to which?”

  Bishop did a quick mental rundown of the mansion, taking in what he knew of the other guests and Anja’s tastes. “Try and get her the Swan, I think she might like that one best. But anything in that sector should be fine. If anyone gives you any guff about it, come and see me.”

  “Yeah, no worries, I’ll take care of it. Ah, listen… I was going to wait until ya had a decent interval to give a proper greeting to your lady, but Angel’s asked for ya to report to her as soon as possible.”

  Damn, might as well get it over with. “Thanks, man.” Bishop clapped him on the shoulder. “I’d better pay the piper up front.” Heading back the way he’d come, Bishop retraced his steps until he stopped before the room at the end of the corridor with the number one on it. Rapping respectfully, he waited for permission to enter.

  “Come,” a feminine voice sounded from within, and Bishop stepped inside. Angel’s quarters were quite a bit larger than his, but just as Spartan. The only added comforts were a larger bed, a small writing desk, and a sitting area with two well worn chairs. The space suited the woman well, she had a no-nonsense air about her.

  Angel was beautiful, as the name implied — with lustrous black hair and deep brown eyes above a smooth, alabaster complexion — but Bishop had always thought her cold. Once he’d found it appealing enough, but now, he felt only discomfort whenever he was in her presence.

  Angel sat at the desk, fingers flying over the laptop there. “I understand we have a new guest in the house,” she said without turning around.

  “Actually, we have a few.”

  “There’s only one that concerns me.” Her dark eyes slid over him as she closed the computer with a snap.

  Yep, she was pissed. “You don’t need to concern yourself with Anja at all, she’s mine to worry about.”

  “That’s just it.” Her head canted to one side as she studied him. “Will you be able to attend to your duties with the same level of dedication we’ve come to expect from you?”

  Bishop bristled at the implied criticism. “I know my job, Angel. I’ve been doing it for longer than you have, remember?” He’d been the one to train her when she came to the Order.

  “How could I forget,” her voice fell and Angel cleared her throat. “Very well, I just wanted to remind you we don’t suffer fools lightly here. That includes a fool for love.”

  “Understood, ma’am.”

  She stared at him with those cool, brown eyes, completely devoid of feeling… or were they? Was there emotion burning tightly controlled inside?

  “I’ll expect you for our regular briefing tonight. There are preparations to be made for the gathering.”

  He pressed his lips together to keep from saying something rude. Hadn’t they been making preparations for weeks? Bishop itched to come right out and ask what was up her… but respect for the chain of command kept a civil tongue in his head. “Will that be all?”

&nbs
p; “For the moment.” Angel turned her back on him. Bishop’s fists clenched tight enough to make an audible sound as he turned and left before he lost his good intentions. With Anja right next door, he took an extra moment to let go of that anger before he let it taint his reunion with her.

  The sight of Anja laid out on his bed was enough to banish Angel from his thoughts. There was the sign of heavenly perfection… Bishop barely gave her time to react to his appearance before he stretched out beside her on the bed, half covering her body with his. The feel of her in his arms, the need to hold her close… she soothed him on a deep level he only now realized he’d missed. He’d been a fool to let her stay away for so long.

  “I missed you.” Anja let out a sigh against his cheek. So soft… he worried about bruising her with the rasp of his jaw.

  “Same here. Work’s been keeping me busy, but lying here in the mornings… You don’t know how many times I wanted to call you.”

  “I wish you had.”

  “Fat lot of good it would have done me. You’re dead to the world during daylight hours and you know it,” he chuckled. “By the time I knew you’d be up and around I’d already be on duty, and there never seemed to be a good time to call.”

  “You can make it up to me now.” She reached for him, her expressive eyes widening slightly to feel him at full attention after only the briefest of touches.

  “I won’t say no to that,” Bishop murmured against her skin, inhaling deeply as he nuzzled along the underside of her jaw. “God, you smell good. Why do you always smell like cloves? I almost attacked a ham in the kitchens the other night when it reminded me of you.”

  “It’s my lip stuff,” Anja giggled. “I always wear it before I come to bed and I put some on in the plane. You like it then?”

  “Mmm,” he inhaled deeply, lips brushing against the corner of her mouth.

  “You can’t get it anymore, unfortunately. I bought up all the ones I could find at the store, but they stopped making it. I tried looking online…” The rest of her words were muffled as his lips crashed into hers, taking possession of her mouth in a deep kiss as he lost what little self control he possessed. Later, there would be time to hear all about what he’d missed since he left, but for the moment he needed to feel her under him.

  Bishop’s hands made short work of the rest of her buttons, not giving her time to object as the cool air puckered her bare flesh. A sharp knock sounded at the door but Bishop firmly ignored it, his fingers brushing over delicate ribs to rest on the curve of her breast.

  “Bishop?” Fisher’s voice came muffled by the heavy door.

  “What?” he growled, kissing lower.

  “The arrangements you asked me to see to have been made. And… Angel is asking for you again.”

  Ugh, that woman… Bishop buried his face in the crook of her neck with a groan of frustration. What had he done to deserve such treatment?

  “We’ll have plenty of time later,” Anja whispered, stroking the back of his hair.

  “Maybe if we’re real quiet, he’ll go away,” he whispered back conspiratorially, drawing a laugh from her parted lips.

  “Okay, you pod person, who are you and what did you do with my Bishop?” She lifted his face by the chin, peering at him critically. “The sooner you go take care of business, the sooner you can come back to me.”

  “You have a point there,” he grumbled, stealing a final kiss. “I’ll be right out,” Bishop called out louder, waiting for Anja to re-button her shirt before he opened the door.

  “I’ll show your lady to her rooms if ya like,” Fisher offered. “She’s been given the accommodations you requested.”

  “Good. Thanks, Fisher. I’d better get back to it,” Bishop sighed. “Try not to get into too much trouble.” He raised a single brow at her.

  “Who me?” she blinked innocently. “I never go looking for trouble, it just sorta finds me.”

  “Exactly.” Bishop shook his head as he stalked off down the hall.

  *

  “This had better be good.” Bishop gave up all pretense at civility as he stormed into the briefing room on the next level. Pitch and Rush looked up from the map of the city laid out on the scarred table. Angel barely registered his arrival, keeping her back to him as she wrote on the old school chalkboard with precise script.

  “There’s been another one,” Pitch said, his bleak expression leaving no doubt as to the subject matter.

  “That makes three this month,” Bishop scowled, both relieved and annoyed it wasn’t another bullshit meeting.

  “Four if you count Carruthers,” Rush added, tapping the map with his pencil. There were seven marks on the map in all.

  “I thought we couldn’t be sure it was the same MO?” Bishop frowned over the map, noting the new location, and Rush have a half shrug.

  “Can’t say as it’s not, either.”

  “I think it’s best not to make any assumptions at this time.” Angel turned around to regard them evenly. “For the moment we can agree we have a very serious hunter problem.”

  Finally, she’d decided to acknowledge it. Bishop would have made it their top priority on day one, house security detail be damned. “Enough of this beck and call garbage. Let’s get out on the streets and find this fucker.”

  “That’s precisely what I intend for you to do,” Angel smiled. Bishop would have considered it a victory if he wasn’t halfway convinced she had another reason for sending him out of the mansion that night. “Pitch, you’ll take this quadrant here. Rush, you’re there. Bishop, you work on the south end, and I’ll be here.” Her finger stabbed at the map.

  “Don’t you think that leaves us spread a little thin?” Bishop frowned. The section he’d been given held the oldest killing and the least chance of finding the hunter. “We have enough staff to more than double that coverage.”

  “That could be exactly what this hunter is counting on. To draw us out where we may be of little use to the house,” Angel replied in a tone that made Bishop bristle.

  “With all due respect, we’re not here to guard the house. They have their own security for that.”

  “A pack of mongrels,” Angel spat derisively. “I’ll not have an attack on the mansion leave us unprepared. If you feel you are unequal to the task, I can assign you a helper.” The last word was packed with condescension.

  Bishop’s jaw tightened, but he bit back the retort that begged in the worst way to be let out. “I can handle it,” he said shortly.

  “Good, we’ll meet back here at dawn for a debriefing.”

  There went his night with Anja. Bishop turned to grab his gear, intending on stopping by Anja’s room to explain why he had to go back to work, but Angel laid a hand on his arm.

  “A moment, Bishop,” she said, waiting for the others to leave. “I understand this is not how you would have spent your night, but as we all know, the Order comes first.”

  “You don’t have to remind me.”

  “If you like, I can speak to her, help her understand where your loyalties lie.”

  That was the last thing he wanted. “No, I’ve got it covered, thanks. Anja gets it, she knows exactly what the Order means to me.”

  “Good. I’d hate for there to be any bruised feelings.” Angel turned to acknowledge a distinguished looking gentleman in a long, white coat. “Winter, thank you for joining us.”

  Bishop frowned at the doctor’s arrival. What was Angel up to?

  “Not at all. I was fascinated to read your report, Bishop,” Winter replied with a cheery grin, oblivious to any tension in the room.

  “Which report was that?” Bishop looked from one to the other and Angel smiled.

  “The one you filed on the unfortunate attack your Anja suffered in America.”

  “Bad business that, but really, an incredible advancement in chemical warfare,” Winter continued, an eager light to his eyes. “When Angel told me she was here, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to expand my research.”

  F
ear settled in a cold, hard ball in the pit of Bishop’s stomach. He wanted to experiment on Anja? “The best person to contact would be Jenessa. She’s already made great strides in that area, I believe.”

  “Yes, of course, I’ve already been in contact with her about sharing research. The thing of it is, I wondered if Miss Gudrun couldn’t see her way clear to agreeing to some simple tests. Nothing too invasive, I promise.” The doctor waited and Bishop was at a loss how to decline without drawing suspicion.

  “I’ll ask her about it. It wasn’t a very pleasant experience for her, so you can imagine she might not want to relive any of it.”

  “I’ll be respectful of her wishes, on that you can rely,” Winter promised.

  “I’m certain she’ll want to do the right thing,” Angel observed aloud. “And now, if you’ll excuse us, Winter, duty calls. I’ll give you a ride into the city, Bishop.”

  “That’s okay, I’ll take one of the cars on my own. I need to take care of something else first.” At the very least he had to make his apologies to Anja.

  “Oh, but there aren’t any, you already gave yours up to those human friends. Come now, time for the hunter to become the hunted.”

  Anja was going to kill him…

  Chapter Nine

  We rode the elevator up to the main floor, but had to take the stairs to get to the upper levels of the house. I wasn’t sure what to say to Fisher, he seemed like a nice enough guy, but I didn’t know what he thought about my unexpected arrival. We took a turn to the left at the top of the grand staircase and I decided to risk a couple of questions. “So, you’re in the Order too?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Sorry you got stuck playing tour guide then. I’m sure you have more important things to do.”

  “I don’t mind at all. It beats losing at cards to the gate guards,” he chuckled good naturedly.

  “So… things aren’t all that busy for you lately?”

  “Aye, we’ve enjoyed a bit of quiet, it’s true. It’ll pick up next month though as we prepare for the New Year.”

  “Is London a pretty orderly city then, as far as policing vampires?”