"Oh my God…" Liam groaned. "Keep it under control, will you?"
I quickly pressed a hand to my chest, horrified. "There's no way—"
Narrowing his eyes, he said, "You should know better by now."
I dropped my hand and swallowed. "Well, sorry. It's stupid, I know."
"It's human," he corrected.
"Yeah, I guess it is," I said sheepishly.
Callum finished up with the officer, bent down to pick up a jacket off the grass, and made his way over to us, deliberately walking at a slow pace since there were a lot of humans around who didn't know that he was a vampire. I didn't know if it was my exhausted brain or what, but I couldn't help but admire the way he walked. God, this man.
He reached us and handed me the jacket. "Here," he said. "You look cold."
It was made of soft brown leather, and when I grasped it in my hand, I could smell Callum on it. Tugging it on, it was cold at first but quickly warmed with the heat of my skin. The other leather jacket he had given me had been destroyed, and I missed it. "Thanks," I breathed.
"It's too big for you," Liam said bluntly, eyes going from my neck to where the jacket hit me at the top of my thighs.
Callum gave him a look, then turned to me. "It will also mark you as…mine," he warned. "I know you were not pleased the last time I tried to—"
"It's fine," I told him. "I get it. And I'll take whatever protection I can get."
Pleased, Callum said, "Good." His face dropped into a blank mask. "Speaking of…"
"Yeah?" I asked suspiciously.
"Please stay the night at my house."
It would be stupid to refuse the offer. Lilynn was after me with a vengeance, and my apartment didn't nearly have the security that Callum's place did. The code to my building was "1234", for heaven's sake. "Okay," I said.
Both of them looked surprised.
"That was easier than I expected," Callum said.
"Yeah," Liam added.
The wind blew the smell of charred metal over us and I was suddenly incredibly tired. "So," I said, gazing out at the people inspecting the tent, "what now?"
Callum's hand brushed mine as he shifted to look in the direction I was. I wanted to grab it and hold on for dear life, but I couldn't. I was supposed to be his extra security detail, just here to discuss some logistics about tomorrow.
"Liam," he said.
"Yes, Master?" Liam answered obediently.
"Take Dahlia home?"
"You're not coming?" I asked, whipping around.
His mouth twitched and he replied, "No. I have to finish up here."
"Oh," I said stupidly. "Of course."
"Just paperwork and some smoothing over of…things," he said. "It shouldn't take too long."
"Yeah, yeah, of course," I said, waving a dismissing hand. "Do what you have to do."
"What car should I take?" Liam asked, and an irritated look came over his face. "Since those bastards blew my car up?"
Callum dipped a hand into the pocket of his jeans and tossed Liam a set of keys, which Liam caught without blinking. Vampires. "Take mine," he said. "It's parked around back."
"What about you—?" I started.
"I'll fly home," Callum said.
"I'd fly, too, if it weren't for you," Liam sneered at me, but in good humour.
"I thought you liked cars," I came back with.
"I like nice cars," he said, and then shot Callum an apologetic glance. "Sorry, Master. But your car isn't…" He struggled for some polite words. "… very…expensive?"
"It's all right, Liam," Callum said, shaking his head. "I prefer to remain inconspicuous."
Liam was insulted for a moment, then shrugged. "Yeah, I'm not good at that."
Smiling at the ground, I tugged the jacket closer around me. I saw a pair of heels come into my field of vision and looked up to find Ophelia smiling at me with her perfect rosebud lips. She held out my purse.
"I managed to snatch this," she said, "before the officers could take it as evidence."
I took it. "Thank you," I said sincerely.
"My pleasure," she said. She turned to Callum. "Shall I stay here with you, master?"
"No, Ophelia," Callum said. "Take Lester and Raven and go home. I want you all there."
"Okay," she agreed without question. She nodded at Liam and me. "See you two later, then."
"Bye," I said.
She walked away after flashing me a smile.
Liam threw the keys in his hand up and caught them again. "Well, I'll go get the car," he said, and walked away towards the back of the estate.
Callum faced me. "You are sure you are okay?" he asked, frowning slightly.
"I thought we had a deal," I said with a tired smile, "that you wouldn't ask me any unnecessary questions."
He laughed, and I saw a bomb technician whirl around at the sound. He watched in amazement as Callum smiled wide at me. People really didn't see a lighter side to him very often, and I was so thankful that I did. That dimple on his right cheek was the most heartwarming thing.
"I forgot about our deal," he said, eyes crinkled at the sides. "But didn't you tell me you would—"
"—tell you the truth when you asked me if I was okay?" I finished for him. I smiled reluctantly. "Yeah, I haven't forgotten."
He made a motion to touch my face but quickly withdrew his hand, glancing at the technician who was trying to eavesdrop on our conversation. I saw the technician's head drop and focus on the remnants of a backpack in his hands.
"Good, I'm glad," Callum said quietly.
"I'm fine, to answer your question," I said. "Really."
"All right," he said, lips still curved upwards. "I think I believe you."
"And how is everyone else?" I asked, glancing around. I saw a few huddles of workers in their stained white uniforms. "Did anyone get hurt?"
He shook his head. "No, there were no serious injuries."
I took a deep breath and let it out. "Well, that's a relief." I ran a hand over the top of my hair. "God, I can't believe Lilynn did this."
"I can," he said brusquely.
"Liam said you guys tried to track her down?" I asked, looking up at his face.
"Yes," he confirmed, lips pursing, "She learned some tricks from her time spent with Damien."
I massaged my aching temple. "Great."
Fingers brushed my shoulder. "Try not to worry about this right now," he said softly. A car honked and Callum added, "There's Liam."
"Okay," I sighed. I turned to see a burgundy Honda Civic waiting by the entrance to the parking area.
"I will see you soon," he said, giving me a reassuring smile. He looked tired.
"Yeah, I better see you soon," I smiled back. "Don't leave me with Liam for too long."
He flashed the dimple again, giving me a nod. I walked over to the car, and he returned to the police officer he had been conversing with.
Sliding into the passenger seat, I shut the door and leaned my head back against the headrest. Liam maneuvered the car onto the small winding road.
"Seatbelt, sunshine."
If we got into an accident after tonight's events, well…I'd be damned. I clicked the buckle into place regardless, though.
We drove in silence. It was warm and stuffy in the car and it smelled a bit like wet clothes. The ride lulled me to sleep, and I was jerked awake when Liam turned the car to the right all of a sudden. He had turned off into the parking lot of a Starbucks along the side of the highway.
"What are we doing here?" I asked sleepily, sitting up in my seat.
"Give me a minute," Liam said tersely and got out of the car.
I watched as he went into Starbucks, something I would have never thought I'd see. A couple minutes went by and he came out with a Styrofoam cup in one hand. I frowned slightly at him as he opened the driver's side door and plopped into the car.
"Here," he said, jutting the cup in my direction.
I took it. "What—?"
"You said yo
u needed a cup of Earl Grey," he said, gruff. He started the car. "So, there's a cup of Earl Grey."
My mouth opened and closed. I put the cup to my nose and inhaled. Oh, God, it was heavenly. It was just what I needed. I looked over at Liam, who was looking at oncoming traffic to see when we were free to pull back out onto the highway. "Thanks, Liam," I said gratefully.
He waved a hand at me without looking in my direction.
I smiled and bit my lip. He pulled back onto the road and glanced at me, catching my smile.
"What?" he said aggressively. "Don't look at me like that."
I pressed my lips together to suppress the smile. "That was just – I just didn't expect you to have a sweet side."
An eyebrow went up and he made a face. "A sweet side?" he repeated, disgusted. "Please."
I didn't goad him any further for the sake of his ego. Taking a sip, I shook my head. Liam really did come through sometimes. I took another one, savoring the heat as it slid down my throat. Yeah, he wasn't half bad.
"Would you please keep the slurping sounds to a minimum?" he grumbled.
And then he would go and say something like that.
Chapter 27
* * *
Callum found Liam and me watching an episode of Survivor in one of his living rooms. As he strode into the room, I straightened up on the sofa and was shocked to see his shirt sullied with a great deal of dirt and black blood.
"Is all that from tonight?" I asked, staring at his shirt.
Callum's jaw clenched as he angrily ran a hand through his hair, which was a great deal more disheveled than the last time I had seen him. Liam had straightened up, too, and took in Callum's state with a frown.
"No," Callum said, and collapsed beside me on the couch. I shifted to look at him. "No, I had a minor incident on my way here."
Liam's eyes flashed. "What? Were the others with you?" He meant Ophelia, Lester, and Raven.
Callum shook his head and I noticed a line of black blood trailing down from his right temple. Only another vampire could make a vampire bleed.
"Vampires attacked you?" I asked.
He swallowed, and said, "Twelve of them. Hired by Lilynn, no doubt."
Liam cursed. "We should have been there, master."
Callum waved a hand. "It's fine, Liam. They just took me by surprise. I was in the air."
"They attacked you while you were flying?" I asked stupidly. I tried to picture it mentally and it just looked ridiculous.
"Hmm," he acknowledged. "They must have been waiting for me."
I eyed the blood. "What happened?"
"I took care of them," he said in a way that sent chills down my spine.
Too often I forgot what Callum was. Goosebumps ran along my arms. His eyes met mine as if he could smell the fear, and there was a ring of black around his irises. The telltale Letalis Flora tingle found its way to my fingertips, sensing a dangerous vampire nearby. I was becoming used to the feeling, I think, because it didn't shock me like it used to. It was almost a comfort that I had a backup system in place if my human instincts weren't enough.
Liam cleared his throat from where he sat. "Uh," he said hesitantly.
Callum's eyes snapped away and he looked down at his hands in his lap. He seemed to be trying to compose himself. I shook myself as well. I felt odd – this was the first time the two of us had had a vampire vs Letalis Flora problem. I knew it must have been from his residual adrenaline from the attack, but it was still unnerving. I swallowed and clasped my shaking hands.
"Well," Liam said, looking between us, "that was weird."
There was silence until Callum said, "I am sorry, Dahlia."
"I'm sorry, too," I murmured. "I don't know what happened."
He put a hand on my knee for a moment, and then took it away. He was still trying to calm down.
"Lilynn couldn't have thought twelve vampires were going to succeed in killing you," I said to change the subject.
"I think her goal was to be an annoyance. The bombs, the vampires…it seems she is trying to buy time," Callum said.
"For what?" I asked.
"I am not sure." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "For the party, perhaps? Or something else she has planned."
"Should I try to find her?" Liam offered, expression serious.
"No, that would be a death trap," Callum replied. "Everyone needs to stay here for the time being. I have to come up with a plan." He suddenly looked incredibly tired.
"Yes, master," Liam said with an endearing amount of confidence in his voice.
"Liam," I said lightly. "Do you think you could bring some sort of wash cloth?"
Indignant, he stood up and said, "No," but then added, "I can show you where one is, though."
I rolled my eyes and stood as well. "Fine." I looked down at Callum and said, "I'll be right back."
He nodded and closed his eyes. I had the urge to do the same thing. It had been quite a night.
Liam led the way out of the room, down the hallway, and showed me into a bathroom. He handed me a small towel from a rack. "Here you go. Go be a good girlfriend."
I took it, shooting him a look. "Hey," I said, "be nice."
He flashed a grin. I turned on my heel and walked to the door.
"Have a good night, sunshine," he called out teasingly from behind me.
Before I turned down the hallway, I paused in the doorway. "Why do you call me 'sunshine'?" I asked blatantly.
Slightly startled, his smile dropped. He looked at the floor, slowly shrugged, and then raised his eyes to meet mine. "I don't know." He paused for a couple seconds. "I guess I think –" he took a deep breath and let it out "-that you'll be the death of me."
Frowning, I stared at him for a few moments, not knowing what to think. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?
He noticed the frown and tried to explain. "You know, because sunshine and vampires don't –"
"Yeah, I get it," I said softly, lowering my head. I couldn't even begin to understand what he meant. "Good night, Liam."
* * *
Callum looked like he was sleeping, so I walked into the room as quietly as I could. I stopped about a foot away from him, taking in the disheveled hair and the messy shirt and his eyelashes against the pale skin of his cheeks. I bit my lip and tried to suppress the flutters in my chest.
"Stop staring and come here, would you?" he muttered, eyes still closed.
I let out a breathy laugh and sat down next to him. One of his hands reached for me, but I swatted it away. "No, no, we've got to clean you up a bit," I said.
I brought the towel to his temple and began to wipe the blood away. The wound had already healed. With his head resting on the back of the couch, he was silent as I worked.
Putting the towel down, I asked, "Do you have another shirt? I'm sorry, but I think this one is done for."
He cracked an eye open and he gave me a pained look. He made a big deal about sitting up, lifting the tee-shirt over his head, exposing a clean white tank top. He tossed the tee-shirt on the floor. My cheeks flushed a bit when he caught me checking him out.
"Are we done cleaning up now?" he asked.
Smiling, I settled more comfortably on the couch. He drew me closer to him and I laid my head on his chest. This was quite possibly my favourite place in the world. For a moment, I forgot about all the dangers out there and felt a sense of peace. The moment was fleeting, however, and my mind reengaged, trying to find solutions to the various problems at hand.
"So, what are you going to do about your party?" I asked quietly.
"Have it anyways," he replied, smoothing a hand over my hair.
"You can't be serious?" I asked, craning my neck to look at his face.
The one dimple came out. "I cannot let Lilynn's efforts make me look vulnerable. You may not know this about me, but I have several enemies who are simply waiting for an opportunity to take me down."
I snorted and shook my head, burying my face in his chest before saying, "No,
Mr. Knightley, I had no idea."
"Hmm, yes," he said, amused. "Well, I also believe Lilynn has been launching these attacks not only to attempt to weaken us, but to buy time."
"For what?"
"I am not sure. But I am not willing to postpone the party to a later date when she is more prepared."
"I suppose that makes sense," I mused. I lifted my head again. "But what about the estate? The bombs caused so much damage."
"The police have closed off the area until they have conducted their investigation, so we will have to move the location. A friend of mine has offered his house."
"And the cake?" I asked tentatively. "Did it make it?"
Callum smiled. "It is not beyond repair."
"Good," I said.
That creeping feeling of guilt came over me that all this was happening because of me. I had the urge to finish it once and for all. But she was impossible to find. She even knew how to elude vampires. Maybe I could let her come to me. But that would be stupid. That would be stupid and reckless.
"What are you thinking about?" Callum said lightly.
I swallowed, fingers curling around the fabric of his shirt. "Maybe I shouldn't–"
"I know what you are going to say," Callum interrupted. "And the answer is no."
I sat up, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "Callum, me attending the party is an unnecessary risk," I tried to reason. "I know you've hired me to attend, but you'll get a full refund, I promise."
"Money is of no concern to me," he grumbled. "You know that."
I dropped my head. "Yeah, I know." I looked up at him again. "But come on, she is almost guaranteed to try something if I'm there."
"She will try something regardless," he corrected. "And do not think for a moment that I would let you out of my sight tomorrow night."
I gave him a reluctant smile. "Look, I still think –"
"Dahlia," he interrupted, lightly grabbing my forearm. "I have lived long enough to know the importance of carpe diem."
Pulling out the Latin. I frowned at him. Was this going to be a philosophy lesson?
He noticed my skepticism with a quick laugh. "No, listen," he said. "You cannot let other people dictate how you live your life. This party is trivial and frankly, more political than celebratory. But it is my 300th birthday and you know what they say: you only turn 300 once."
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