After Sundown: Redemption

by Eden Robins

  He was taking control of her mind. That was the only explanation. He was using mind control. Like she had read about in the books and seen on the videos. Vampires had this power. Yes. That had to be it. Why else would she find such pleasure in his actions?

  Alyssa made up her mind. She had enough parental manipulation while growing up. She didn’t need or want someone who had the ability to make her lose control of her body and mind like this. She succeeded in pushing aside the incredible feelings his lovemaking had aroused in her as she showered and dressed.

  Alyssa walked out of her bedroom and stopped short at the sight that greeted her. Her emotions came crashing back to her. A large bouquet of deep red roses sat in a beautiful vase on the counter. An envelope with her name scrawled in skillfully scrolled writing lay at the base of it. It amazed her that a man as hard and tough as Christian could write so beautifully. And she had no doubt they were from him. Who else would have left her flowers in the middle of the night? Picking up the note, she hesitated before opening it. What would it say? Did she want to know? The thought of Christian sending her roses warmed her, but made her wary at the same time.

  She carefully opened the envelope. She read his words once, then again. They caused her heart to do a little flip-flop.

  Alyssa,

  You have lifted me out of the darkness, into the light of your soul and brought daylight to my life once again.

  Cristobal

  His words, so heartfelt, so romantic, surprised her. She just didn’t expect it of him. When she had told him that he was the strong silent type, she meant it. What he expressed in the note and how he wrote it, left her in a quandary. Her angry, resentful feelings were still there. But so was the caring that was getting stronger with each passing day. She didn’t want someone taking control of her life. At the same time she did want this man to be part of her life.

  The doorbell ringing broke her reverie.

  She walked to the door and peeked out the peephole. Her Aunt Joyce. Alyssa glanced back at the roses indecisively. She’d like to put the flowers away because she knew her aunt would drill her about them. She didn’t know if she was ready to talk about her feelings for Christian to anyone.

  Aunt Joyce knocked again.

  “Alyssa. Are you there, dear? It’s Aunt Joyce.”

  Sighing in resignation, Alyssa unlocked the door and let her aunt in.

  “Hi.” Alyssa gave her a peck on the cheek.

  Her aunt gave her a concerned once over.

  “How are you feeling, sweetie?”

  “I’m fine. Come in and sit down,” she assured her aunt as they sat side by side on the couch. Her aunt took Alyssa’s hands in hers.

  “Are you really okay?”

  “Yes. A good night’s sleep has a way of making me feel better.” Knowing that sleep was not all she did last night, Alyssa practically choked on her words.

  “When I saw that man lunge towards you at the reception, my heart stopped. And then when you fell and hit your head, well, I was so worried. I thought—”

  Her aunt stopped speaking. She was looking over Alyssa’s shoulder with interest. A satisfied smile curved her lips up.

  Uh, oh. Here it comes. Alyssa knew just what Aunt Joyce was looking at and what she was going to ask next.

  “Who are those lovely flowers from, dear?”

  Alyssa thought about lying, thought about just telling her aunt they were from one of her colleagues at work.

  “Coffee?”

  “What?” Her aunt looked confused for a moment.

  Good. Now if only Alyssa could keep her that way, or distract her.

  “Coffee,” she repeated. “I haven’t had any coffee or breakfast yet. Would you like me to make you a cup?”

  Her aunt stood up immediately.

  “No. You sit down. I’ll make you coffee and breakfast. You need to rest today.” Then her aunt looked at the way she was dressed.

  “You aren’t going to see patients today, are you?”

  “Yes. I have to. It’s been almost two months since I saw most of them. Luckily it’s summer and a lot of them go away on vacation, but I still need to get back to them. I only have one more speaking engagement. The stalker has been arrested. What better time for me to go back?”

  Her aunt moved into the kitchen. She started the coffee as she spoke. Hoping she would forget about the flowers, Alyssa let Aunt Joyce take over.

  “I don’t know, Aly. You had a terrible experience last night. Don’t you just want to take it easy today and recuperate?”

  “No. I feel fine, honestly. I think going back to my practice will be the best thing for me.”

  Her aunt put bread in the toaster and took eggs out of the refrigerator. She set a pan on the burner, sprayed it with nonstick spray and turned on the stove. Once it was hot enough she cracked two eggs into it.

  “Well if you’re sure. I just don’t want you to do too much. Come sit down. Everything’s ready. “

  Her aunt buttered the toast, put a piece on each of their plates, then placed a fried egg on top. While Aunt Joyce put the plates, utensils and napkins on the table, Alyssa poured each of them some coffee and added milk and sugar to both cups. Her aunt and she both enjoyed their coffee the same way, sweet and light.

  They sat down and began to eat. Her aunt said nothing. Just ate her food and stared at Alyssa with anticipation written all over her face. The silence stretched out until she couldn’t bear it anymore.

  “They’re from Christian,” Alyssa blurted out.

  “Mr. Galiano? How nice.”

  Aunt Joyce’s nonchalance didn’t fool Alyssa. She knew her aunt was very interested.

  “I take it he watched over you last night? He seems like a man of his word. I knew that if he said he would stay with you, he would.”

  “Yes, he stayed with me.” Alyssa didn’t say anything else. She hoped her aunt would change the subject.

  Wishful thinking on her part, of course.

  “And did he have to give you some?”

  Alyssa almost choked on her coffee.

  Chapter Eleven

  She coughed so hard her eyes watered. The coffee had gone down the wrong way. Aunt Joyce stood up and pounded on her back.

  Fearing her aunt would try the Heimlich maneuver next, she waved her away and spluttered aloud, “I’m fine.”

  That was all the energy Alyssa could expend. The remainder went to clearing her throat and taking gasping breaths. Obviously assured she could now breathe, her aunt sat back down in her seat.

  “Are you sure you’re okay, dear?”

  She ignored Aunt Joyce’s second question. She was more concerned with the first. The one that nearly choked her.

  “Did he give me some what?” Alyssa asked incredulously. She knew her mouth hung open, but couldn’t help it.

  Her aunt looked at her in confusion for a moment. Then her face cleared as understanding dawned.

  “Some of your medicine, dear. I thought the paramedic told Christian to make sure you took the pain medication he gave you, if you needed it.”

  Alyssa mouth snapped shut.

  “What did you think I meant?” Aunt Joyce asked.

  Alyssa tried not to look guilty.

  “I, uh, wasn’t sure.”

  “I see.” A wide smile spread across her aunt’s face.

  She didn’t say another word, but Alyssa felt like crawling under a rock. The knowing look in her aunt’s eyes said it all. She decided to change the subject.

  “So, I’m going to start seeing my patients again today, tomorrow night is my last speaking engagement and then, hopefully, my life can get back to normal.”

  “What about Christian?”

  Alyssa felt a headache coming on. She massaged her right temple. Her aunt just didn’t give up.

  Jonathan jumped onto the table and interrupted their conversation, meowing pitifully while studying their food. Aunt Joyce gave him a stern look and then proceeded to cut her egg into small pieces and feed it t
o him. Jonathan gobbled it down and began purring loudly when Aunt Joyce petted him. Alyssa smiled as her aunt took the cat in her arms and laid him on her lap. Jonathan settled down immediately, looking like a king on his throne. Though Aunt Joyce continued to pet him, her eyes focused expectantly on Alyssa once more.

  Her cat’s arrival had given Alyssa a moment’s reprieve from her aunt’s interrogation. She thought about what exactly her aunt was asking her. What about Christian? She tried to answer honestly.

  “I’m not sure. I don’t know where a relationship with him could possibly lead.”

  “What do you mean? He’s obviously a reliable, honest and responsible man. And he’s got a great face and body to boot.”

  Alyssa laughed out loud. Her aunt appeared quiet and demure to those who didn’t know her. She was quite petite and had the kind of face that reminded people of their grandmother. Looks were deceiving in this case though. Her aunt was an outspoken woman, always had been. And she wasn’t afraid of what other people thought of her. She lived her life the way that she felt it should be lived. And she was always honest with Alyssa, sometimes too honest.

  Unfortunately, in this case, Alyssa couldn’t reciprocate. She tried to imagine telling Aunt Joyce that Christian and Vlad were vampires and that the agency employed mystical creatures such as elves. Her aunt would think she had gone crazy. It wouldn’t be pretty, not pretty at all.

  She tried to think of an alternate explanation to dissuade her aunt from pursuing the notion that she and Christian might have a future together. She would have to come up with something that stopped all further speculation. The idea hit her like a brilliant strike of lightning. Why hadn’t she thought of it earlier?

  “The reason there can’t be anything between Christian and I is because of Tom.”

  “Tom? Tom who?” Her aunt’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.

  “You know Tom Hardly. The therapist I share office space with?”

  “Oh, that Tom,” her aunt said with a dismissive wave. “What does he have to do with this?”

  Her aunt was watching her closely. She had to make this look and sound good.

  “Well, you know how we’ve dated a few times?” Alyssa didn’t wait for an answer. She didn’t want to give her aunt a chance to protest. “He and I have decided to see each other exclusively.”

  “Since when? I thought you didn’t like Tom in that way? You told me he was too wimpy for you.”

  Alyssa lifted her chin stubbornly. Her aunt was making this difficult. She just wanted to tell one little white lie to get her aunt off of her back. Instead she had opened a whole new can of worms.

  She had met Tom when she was looking for office space to rent. She had just finished her appointment with the leasing agent when he showed up to view the same property. The agent introduced them and they hit it off immediately. They eventually decided to share space and had been friends ever since. He was a kind, intelligent man, who was somewhat attractive in a preppy, suburban, white bread kind of way. Alyssa felt absolutely no attraction to him. They had dated a couple of times, but both agreed that there wasn’t any chemistry between them and they should stay just friends.

  “I never said wimpy. I said he and I didn’t seem to click in that way. Since the last time we discussed this, I’ve changed my mind. I’ve decided to give Tom a chance. He’s a nice man who I can have an interesting intellectual conversation with. We enjoy each other’s company.”

  “If that’s the case, then what happened last night with Christian?”

  Alyssa had enough. She didn’t want to discuss this with her aunt any longer. She was a grown woman and didn’t need to explain her actions like this. Tamping down her frustration, she pasted a pleasant smile on her face.

  “That was a mistake. It should never have happened. Now, can we please talk about something else? I have to leave for the office soon.”

  Her aunt studied her a little longer, than finally nodded.

  “Okay, Aly. If that’s what you want. But I think Christian is a much better man for you.”

  “Thanks for your opinion. But I’ve made my choice. Now tell me how much money you raised last night at the charity event. There seemed to be a good turnout.”

  They talked for a little bit longer as Alyssa finished her breakfast. Her aunt insisted on washing the dishes. Alyssa made sure Jonathan had plenty of food and water before she and Aunt Joyce walked outside together.

  Her aunt gave her a big hug and Alyssa hugged her back. She started to pull away but Aunt Joyce held her close a moment more.

  “You know the reason I’m so nosy is because I care, don’t you, honey?”

  Alyssa gave her aunt another squeeze.

  “I know, Aunt Joyce.”

  “I just want you to be happy, really happy. You deserve it.”

  “I know.”

  Aunt Joyce released her. As she pulled back, Alyssa saw there were tears in her aunt’s eyes. She wiped them away quickly and then gave Alyssa a wobbly smile.

  “You have a good day. Take it easy, don’t do too much and be careful, okay?”

  “I will. And thanks. I love you.”

  “I love you too, sweetie.”

  Alyssa drove down Scottsdale Road. She didn’t notice the traffic congestion, or the fact that it was already 100 degrees, even though it wasn’t even noon yet. Her thoughts were not focused on the drive to work.

  She pondered the conversation she had just had with her aunt. She dwelled on the man responsible for that talk. And, as Alyssa was finding to be the case whenever she spoke about Christian, or even if she were just thinking about him, she just couldn’t seem to make a concrete decision about the man.

  She arrived at her office in Old Town and found her parking space taken. Releasing a sigh of frustration she smiled and shook her head. She loved working in this part of Scottsdale because of the unique character of the place. But it was a tourist haven. Parking was a nightmare, even if you had your own reserved space. The roads were almost always congested and during the fall, winter and spring the sidewalks were full of tourists shopping for southwestern gifts, taking pictures of the old wooden cowboy standing tall, or just strolling around sightseeing. Beautiful Native American jewelry made by the renowned jewelry designer Gilbert Ortega could be found in his large gallery off Scottsdale Road. Giant bronze statues of horses, Native Americans, or cowboys could be seen outside one popular gallery in particular. The old Southwest feel of the place attracted people from all over. The fact that the Grand Canyon was only a few hours drive away also added to the tourist trade.

  But there was another side of Old Town. The artistic, free-spirited side of it, where artists of every ilk displayed their wares and were sometimes onsite to greet and talk to customers. The new age crowd was also alive and well in the area. Their shops and art galleries were scattered throughout Old Town. And there were little hideaway cafes that locals frequented because of the great food and atmosphere. And Mexican food. Arizona was known for it. Alyssa couldn’t go more than a week without it. Julio’s Barrio was her favorite. Their rich green chili, fresh fish tacos, or lime-infused shrimp fajitas were the best in town. The family who owned it had been making and serving fantastic Mexican food in the state for over thirty years.

  Among all of this was the political heart of Scottsdale. City Hall, the Department of Revenue and many other city government offices were located in Old Town. So if one was looking for an area mixed with the old and the new, the serious and the fun, this was the place. It was a mishmash stew of people and sights, brimming with life. For Alyssa, the best part of Old Town was that everyone felt comfortable and almost reveled in their individuality, despite the contrasting mix.

  The worst part was the parking.

  After finding a parking spot not too far away, Alyssa walked into her office and smiled at her receptionist.

  “Good morning, Stella.”

  Stella had been working for them since the day she and Tom opened their office. And she was very e
fficient at keeping their appointments organized and running the office smoothly. More importantly their patients felt comfortable with her. They were lucky to have her.

  Every year since Stella turned sixty, she talked about retiring. It had been three years and so far the woman had stayed with them. She and Tom knew that Stella really enjoyed working and was the type of active person who couldn’t just sit at home, but they humored her. Each year they begged her to stay, told her how invaluable she was to them and persuaded her to keep working for one more year.

  “Ms. Edwards. How are you? I saw what happened on the news last night. Is everything okay?”

  From her expression, she knew Stella had been truly worried about her welfare.

  “Yes, Stella. Thanks for asking. I’m fine and the man who attacked me is safely behind bars. Hopefully I won’t have to worry about him ever again.”

  “Let’s hope not. I’m glad you’re okay. And it’s nice to have you back. Your patients missed you.”

  “Thank you. It’s nice to be back. Uh, exactly how much did my patients miss me?” Alyssa narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

  Her receptionist laughed as she handed Alyssa a large pile of message slips.

  “They missed you this much.”

  Alyssa tried not to groan as she saw the amount of callbacks she had to make.

  “I’ll be buried under this mountain of messages for most of the day if you need me.”

  “Ah, the price of fame,” Stella sighed, holding the back of her hand to her forehead.

  Alyssa chuckled.

  “Thanks a lot.”

  Stella ignored her sarcasm.

  “Anytime. Your first appointment is at ten.”

  “Right.” Alyssa nodded as she walked into her office. “I’ll try to get a few calls in before then.”