Miss Me When the Sun Goes Down

by Lisa Olsen

  I paused for a breath and another smattering of applause filled the silence. It felt weird to keep speaking from my seat behind the booth, so I rose to my feet before I went on, nerves disappearing as I warmed to the subject. Every frustrating aspect of Jakob’s high handedness lent my words a degree of passion I hadn’t known I possessed. “The Ellri haven’t concerned themselves with our development for hundreds of years. They have no concept of the bureaucracy that’s sprung up in the wake of their laws. I think it’s time we started to question the way things have evolved. Let’s at least start to talk about what is or isn’t working today.”

  Byrne had fallen silent, regarding me stonily, the microphone impotent at his side.

  I had them. It was an exhilarating sensation, knowing I had the rapt attention of each and every person in the room and I decided to drive my point home by bringing up someone close to many of us in the room. “We all knew Scotty. Did he deserve to die because he turned Marta without permission? Maybe he had a very good reason for breaking the law.”

  “Yeah, not enough cash,” someone called out.

  “This is exactly what I’m talking about.” I seized upon the point with excitement. “We all know what greases the wheels around here, it’s money. Money decides who lives and dies, and money decides whose petitions are granted, isn’t that so, Mr. Byrne?”

  “I don’t um…” His hand came up, but the microphone was too low, his voice sounded tinny and small. “There’s a time honored process…”

  “Why should our lives be dictated by money?” I ran over the rest of his answer, convinced it’d be a pile of gôu pì. “Is that fair?”

  “No!” the crowd sounded.

  Fueled by their response, I kept going when I probably should have sat down and shut up. “Why should we be ruled by someone we have no choice over for that matter? Who decides who is appointed the next Elder? A handful of old men who are completely out of touch with the populace?” I shook my head, gaining steam. “Maybe that’s the way it was done in the old world, but this is America. This is the land of democracy. Everyone should have the same rights, rich or poor, purebred bloodline or mongrel.”

  The crowd erupted into enthusiastic applause, the hoots and hollers drowning me out, until I held my hand up and they quieted. I turned to the magistrate, waiting until I had his eye before I spoke. “You said now is not the time for chaos, and I agree. But it is absolutely the time for change. As our magistrate, I hope you’ll take our concerns to Felix and the council in LA.”

  “You should go, Anja!”

  I couldn’t tell who yelled that out, but the crowd immediately took up the chant.

  “Anja, Anja, Anja…”

  Holy guacamole – what had I done? All I wanted was for Byrne to pay attention to our concerns, not to take up the banner and charge LA myself! But in looking across the sea of faces in the room, I saw absolute faith and trust written there. They deserved better than the oily politician up on the stage. As if he’d echoed my thoughts, the magistrate stormed off the stage in a huff, accompanied by the only enthusiastic cheers he’d received all night.

  With Byrne gone, it was safe to talk more openly about thoughts that had been percolating in the back of my mind since I’d taken over the position of Jarl. A position I took seriously, even if Bishop or even Jakob didn’t think I was up to the task. Remembering Rob’s encouragement, I put my hands up and the room fell silent.

  “I don’t want you to think the kind of change I’ve talked about is something that happens overnight, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take control of our futures. Like I said, some of the laws are good ones, and I think they’re designed to keep the peace between us and the humans, which does keep us safe in the end. In the meantime, I think we should all consider the concept of sanctuary.”

  It was a concept I’d been toying with ever since I tallied up the contents of the strongbox they’d paid me with. I could afford a place of my own now, instead of sleeping on the couch. I could get a place big enough for all three of us, and maybe even a place to give sanctuary to those that needed it every now and again. I stopped short of coming right out and offering it just then though, that would have been premature, and definitely against the law.

  A ripple of excitement went through the room. We all knew I was talking about something much closer to treason than general reform now. “Sanctuary doesn’t mean throwing the laws out the window, it means we rely on each other, as a community, to help each other out when we need a little breathing room and the Order is on our backs. If we’d had a safe place for Scotty and Marta to hole up for a week or two, they might have straightened out their paperwork and they might still be alive today.”

  I was pretty sure such talk could get me hauled in by the Order or worse if word got out, but I knew I had the crowd from the way they responded. And if Byrne or someone ratted me out, I could always deny it. There wasn’t any proof I’d done anything wrong besides suggest they all pull together and help each other out as a community.

  “Again, I’m not saying you should ditch the normal channels entirely, but if something hits a snag, or your money doesn’t stretch far enough, it shouldn’t be an automatic death sentence.” The sea of faces around me shone with rapt attention, but Ellie looked one step away from declaring herself a recipient of my brand of sanctuary, and I knew it was time to cut it short before I took it too far.

  Raising my glass, which had been replaced with a flute of champagne at some point, I waited until everyone else had their glasses in hand again. “To Scotty and Marta. May their sacrifice give us purpose and determination to find the future we can all live long enough to enjoy.”

  “To Scotty and Marta,” was echoed around the room, glasses tipped back solemnly.

  Leander leapt to his feet, holding his glass even higher. “To Anja Gudrun, Jarl of the Northwest. You’ve given us much to think about, and more importantly, you’ve given us hope.”

  “To Anja!”

  In the wake of the toast, I was bombarded by vampires on all sides. Many I’d met before, but there were quite a few new faces, all eager to lend their support and gratitude for my brave words. Once I had a few minutes to sit and reflect on what I’d actually said, I started to think they were more reckless than brave, but it was too late to take them back now.

  It was many drinks and more than a few dances later that I felt my bodyguards stiffen even before I saw him. Byrne approached, lips pressed into a contrite smile, his hand extended. “I don’t think we’ve been introduced. I’m Terry Byrne, magistrate of the greater Northern California district.”

  I took his hand, disliking the way his palm slid against mine, but I resisted the urge to wipe it off on my dress once he let go of me. It was time to play bad-ass vampire to the hilt, and I drew every smidgen of protocol I’d learned around me like a shield.

  “Greetings Mr. Byrne, magistrate of the Northern California district. Your reputation precedes you,” I replied, letting him take from that what he would and offering no introduction of my own. I figured by now he knew who I was, but just so he understood my position, I decided to throw in a bit of pomp I’d picked up at the House of Vetis. “I invite you to hunt in my domain and I offer you sanctuary come the dawn.” Not that I had a place to put him up for the night, but I couldn’t resist the bluff, if only to see his eyes bulge that much wider.

  “Your domain?”

  I shrugged a bare shoulder, doing my best to appear calm and confident, all the while wondering if he could somehow tell I was a total fraud. Then again, I’d held my own against the Wardens of the West and Vetis – why should I sweat a talk to the local magistrate? “Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Byrne?” It was a deliberate move on my part not to invite him to sit down, leaving him standing beside my table like a waiter.

  “That was an interesting speech you gave. I’m not sure how it’ll be received by the boys holding the real power down south, but…”

  “I’m the real power here.” I cut him
off, doing my best impression of the Spock eyebrow lift. “In case you haven’t heard, there’s a big vacancy where Lyons used to sit. Until someone tells me differently, this is how it’s going to be in my territory.” Heck, even if they did tell me differently, I’d probably keep advocating for change.

  Byrne slid into the seat on the other side of the booth without being asked, and I recognized it for the power play it was. “I’d be careful with my words if I were you. The Order has many loyal to it.”

  “More like many afraid of it.”

  “Most of us can’t afford not to be.” He leaned forward, arms on the table as he studied me more closely. “But you, you’re not afraid of the Order?”

  Heck yeah, I was afraid. Despite my brave front, the idea of coming up against even one of them scared me to death, but I couldn’t let him know that. Besides, I did believe in everything I’d said. “I’m not afraid of doing what’s right, and this is what’s right. If I need to rattle a few cages to make my voice heard, that’s what I’m going to do.” I left out the part where somebody had to do it if he was too chicken to do his job, figuring that would be ornery.

  “I can see you’re trying to help, believe me, but you’re going about it all wrong, you know.”

  “What’s wrong with talking about the issues at hand? I’m not recommending people chuck it all and revolt against the system, I’m only saying it’s time for some changes.”

  “That’s not the way things are done. You’re going to rub a lot of people the wrong way if you keep spouting that stuff in public forums. If you want to preach reform, the way to do it is behind closed doors. That way nobody loses face.”

  “Like you?”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “That’s what you’re really worried about here, isn’t it? You’re worried Felix and those guys are going to hear that your district is getting too uppity and you can’t keep your people under control.”

  “The thought has crossed my mind once or twice.” Byrne’s oily smile spread wider and I could appreciate his position.

  “It’s true. You can’t keep people under control when they’re being unfairly persecuted. Change the law or change the process, but things can’t continue as is without things boiling over sooner or later – with or without me talking about it.”

  “It’s not so easy.”

  Ugh, I couldn’t help think that if I had Jakob with me, he could change it all with a simple decree, but I’d have to do it the hard way. “If you’re not willing to speak up for us, that leaves me no choice but to do it myself.” That meant a call to Felix at the least, and possibly a trip down there. Idly, I wondered if he’d loan me his plane if I asked pretty please with sugar on top. Then again, I could always compel Byrne to change his beliefs and champion our side, but frankly, I didn’t credit him with the smarts to pull it off.

  “So that’s it then. You’re throwing your hat in the ring for Elder?”

  “Me? God, no!” I nearly choked on my drink, glad I could stop breathing until the urge to cough passed. Was that all he’d taken out of what I’d said? I’d rather be flayed alive than find myself in the Elder’s shoes. “I just want to make sure whoever the new Elder is understands that we need a leader who can bring us into the twenty-first century, that’s all.”

  Byrne leaned closer, his voice dropping. “If you play your cards right, I might let you do a little persuading.”

  Eewh, was he trying to hit on me? “I hardly think I need your permission.”

  “I meant, I might be the one who needs persuading before too long.”

  “You?” I snorted. “You’re a pencil pusher.”

  “Not for too much longer, I think.”

  He was nuts if he thought he had a shot at Elder. “How old are you again?” I asked pointedly.

  “Old enough to know how to play my cards right. I’m telling you, Anja, if you want to change the system, the best way is to play by the rules until you’re in the right position and then make the changes.” Pure avarice oozed through his pores, and I could tell what was coming next. “Of course, if we were to team up together, I think we could make it straight to the top.”

  “You and me, work together?” The idea left a sour taste in my mouth that had nothing to do with having reached the raspberry in the bottom of my champagne flute.

  “Why not? Your wealth and power coupled with my political knowhow – I think we’d be a shoe in. You said it yourself, you don’t want to be the Elder, but wouldn’t it be better to be the power behind the throne?”

  “Have you gone balmy in the brainpan?” I replied, my voice pitched low. I didn’t want to cause another scene. “I barely know you, and to be frank, what I do know doesn’t instill a lot of confidence in you.”

  “I have some growth opportunities, I know. But with you as my mentor…”

  Oh wow, was he barking up the wrong tree. “Whoa, back this crazy train up a bit. Let’s get one thing clear – I’m not putting you or anyone else on the throne, so you can get that out of your head right now.”

  “Hey, I’m just putting it out there. Like you said, this is your territory now, and I want to make sure you know I’m in this game to play.”

  “I guess that’s the difference between us, Mr. Byrne. I’m not playing any games.”

  His lips twitched, as if he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to smile at a joke I’d made or if I was serious. It wasn’t a game to me at all (apart from the whole me pretending to be someone I wasn’t 24/7), and I stared him down until he looked away first.

  “It was nice to meet you, Miss Gudrun.” He rose from the table, realizing he wasn’t going to win me over. “I hope the next time we meet will be equally pleasant,” he added, the tightness around his eyes indicating that he’d found it anything but.

  Cool beans. I always did like to make new friends.

  Chapter Eleven

  To tell the truth, I was glad to get out of there at the end of the night. Maybe the club would be more comfortable when it wasn’t such a gala event (and when I didn’t have so many hangers-on), but I felt almost claustrophobic with the bodies pressed on all sides, jockeying for position around me.

  The girls had a great time though, and it was good to see Maggie chattering along happily with Ellie for a change. I was glad to have Gunnar playing chauffeur as the night left me feeling bone tired. Too bad Ellie had other ideas, reminding me sharply that she hadn’t eaten yet. It was tempting to foist it off on one of the guys again, but Ellie was my responsibility, and I wanted to make sure she made good progress in controlling the hunger.

  We went to an all night Laundromat, one of the few places open in our neighborhood that didn’t sell some form of porn. Isak watched from a nearby vantage point while Gunnar ran Maggie home. I knew she was hungry, but Ellie seemed almost feverish, her eyes bright and shiny as she made a beeline for the first guy she saw, grabbing hold of him clumsily with her will, without preamble.

  The guy followed without a sound, and she forced open the employees only door at the back, shoving him in and shutting the door behind them. “I’ll be right out here, okay Ellie?” I knocked on the door softly, leaving her the veneer of privacy, even though I could hear them inside as clear as day. The only sound that came back to me was of heavy breathing, and the low guttural moan as she bit into his flesh.

  Looking up, I spotted a bag lady sitting next to a shopping cart crammed to the brim with odds and ends, garbage bags hanging from every rung. I did my best to smile past my embarrassment, and she gave me a gap-toothed one in return. God only knew what she thought they were doing in there.

  The sharp tang of spilled blood sifted through the cracks in the doorframe, making my mouth water despite the dingy surroundings. In my head, the count started, even though I wasn’t the one doing the drinking. It had become almost a habit for me, counting my way through the bloodlust – except for when I’d fed with Jakob. I hadn’t once thought about counting, it had all been a hazy blur of hunger and sexual desire wr
apped up into a potent cocktail of lust and blood. It was lucky I hadn’t found myself in an even more compromising position when my head had finally cleared.

  The count hit the critical zone, and I realized I’d been holding onto the wall so tightly, there were chunks of drywall under my fingernails. I stopped breathing, finding it easier to think when I didn’t have the delectable scent of blood filling my senses. “Ellie, I think it’s about time to go now.” I knocked softly on the door, but Ellie showed no signs of stopping. In fact, she gave no sign she’d heard me at all. “Ellie?” I knocked again.

  Another muffled groan sounded through the door, and I decided I’d given her all the privacy she was entitled to for now. Forcing the door open, I slipped inside the supply room, using my body to shield the bag lady from getting an eyeful. Ellie’s jaw still clamped around the guy’s neck, ignoring all else. He didn’t object, but I suspected he had little strength left in him from the way his head lolled to the side.

  “Ellie, it’s time to stop.” I shook her shoulder, and she made a growling sound deep in her throat. “Ellie, I said that’s enough.” I shook harder, having to pull her off of him when she wouldn’t respond. For a long moment she struggled at me, eyes dark and unfocused, before she seemed to realize who I was and where we were, the fight going out of her.

  She swiped at her mouth with the back of her hand, smearing the already smudged lipstick across her face. I wanted to ask her if there was something wrong, but the guy distracted me by slumping to the ground. “You’d better heal his neck, quick. He’s still bleeding.” Her teeth had bitten deep, the wound angry and torn.

  “Right-o,” she nodded, hunkering down beside him. I could see the glazed cast in her eyes a scant second before she launched at him again, and I easily deflected her aside before she did more damage.