Sunset Rising (Sunset Vampire Series, Book 5)

by Jaz Primo

  * * *

  I sat at the desk in my bedroom, checking emails while finishing my beer. I had hoped to see something from Paige, but she was still incommunicado.

  I wasn’t overly surprised; even at the best of times she only checked her email about once a month. She was mostly a texter; not that I had valid a mobile number for her anymore.

  I couldn’t send a text message to her if I had to.

  It made me feel like crap.

  In fact, since returning from Tar Hollow, it felt as if other portions of my life had also sort of turned to crap.

  Yet, aside from assorted irritated personalities, Paige was the only person actually absent from my life.

  That had to say something about her importance, didn’t it?

  And I had totally screwed things up with her.

  I took another swig of beer and reached into my backpack to retrieve my earbuds, which I plugged into my phone.

  After queuing up “Flaws” by Bastille, I started writing out a list of assignments that I needed to work on.

  Afterward, I jotted down some research sources that I needed to track down.

  By the time I had finished that, I felt tired so I took a shower.

  While rinsing my hair beneath the hot water, I felt a shift of cool air around me.

  When I opened my eyes, Kat stood before me, looking at me with a sympathetic expression.

  Her body was stunningly beautiful.

  She reached out to massage my upper shoulders and neck and I felt like melting before her.

  As soon as she kissed me, I felt like other things, as well.

  “Rough night?” she asked.

  “Crappy night, if you must know.”

  “I think that you hurt Roman’s feelings,” she said.

  “Yeah, well, you might’ve come to the same conclusion that I did if you had been there,” I said.

  “I was there,” she said. “I saw and heard everything.”

  “Oh.”

  “You don’t like Dane and Lyra, do you?” she asked.

  “Dane seems like a real jerk,” I replied. “And Lyra…hell, she’s hard to read, but I’m pretty sure I don’t like her, either.”

  “Hm. They both said similar things about you,” she said.

  “Screw them,” I said while rinsing my head under the hot water.

  “Funny. Dane said that about you, too,” she said.

  “Figures.”

  I wiped the water from my eyes and looked into hers.

  She traced the edge of my chin with her fingertip.

  “In retrospect, I suppose that your introduction to them could’ve been handled differently,” she said.

  “So, why did you do it that way then?” I asked.

  She inhaled a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

  “I wanted to see what you’d do,” she said.

  “Why the test?”

  “You were away for only a week,” she replied. “But you seemed quite different when I finally found you; as if something important had changed inside of you while you were away.”

  “I still don’t understand what that has to do with them,” I said.

  “You’re edgier now,” she said. “The Caleb who left New Haven wouldn’t have confronted two vampires so aggressively.”

  “I thought that was it for me,” I said. “It made me feel angry.”

  She took my face between her warm palms and kissed me.

  “Exactly,” she said. “You’re angrier since you’ve returned.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Why?”

  I leaned against the ceramic tiles of the shower and let the hot water wash over both of us.

  “Paige is gone, people are mad at me for leaving,” I said. “And any day now, you’re leaving town again for God knows how long. I don’t even know if I’ll see you for Thanksgiving.”

  “Oh, Caleb, don’t be angry,” she said. “Things will improve eventually.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s sort of hard for me to take the optimistic road right at the moment,” I said.

  She hugged me. “Hey, I talked to Alton today and we worked out arrangements for Thanksgiving.”

  “Really? That’s something positive.”

  “How do you feel about spending the holiday in the Mediterranean?”

  “Not Slovenia,” I said. “And please not another vampire summit.”

  “No, nothing like that,” she assured me. “We just need to meet with a special vampire influencer in the area while we’re there. Alton and I believe that we can shore up another ally relatively easily.”

  I considered the selection of locale.

  “I’m intrigued,” I said. “Tell me more.”

  “We’ll spend a few days there,” she said. “The hotel is close to the sea and has an amazing view. And the beaches will be very romantic at night.”

  Admittedly, it sounded tempting.

  “Just us?” I asked.

  “Alton, you, me, and maybe we can talk Ethan into meeting us there, too,” she said. “Then you two could talk and lighten things up between you.”

  “That’s if he’s not being with Paige somewhere,” I said.

  Her expression turned somber. “I understand that’s not likely.”

  “What have you heard?” I asked.

  “Oh, Caleb,” she said. “You could make a lesser woman jealous with your complex female friendships.”

  “Hey, Paige is like a sister to me.”

  She gave me a wan look. “Well, at least that concept has stuck with one of you.”

  How was I supposed to respond that?

  She handed me the bottle of shower gel.

  “Here, soap me up,” she said, turning around to face the wall. “And maybe massage it in a little bit while you’re at it. I’ve had a long day, too.”

  I smiled and started with her shoulders and back, kneading my fingers against her tense muscles.

  She moaned with pleasure.

  * * *

  The next morning, before I left with Roman for classes, Kat told me that she would be packing to return to London that night.

  “Already?” I asked.

  “Alton needs for me to meet with a Belgian vampire leader and then brief our team,” she said.

  “Why can’t he do it?” I asked.

  “Because he’s in Belarus.”

  “Belarus?”

  I started to say something more, but didn’t really know how to proceed, nor was I curious enough to want to pursue the matter further.

  Vampire politics were getting more and more convoluted.

  “Where’s my two newest fanged handlers?” I asked.

  “They’re upstairs in their rooms,” she replied. “And please try to be polite. They’re highly qualified and they’ve already earned Alton’s trust, which you know isn’t easy to acquire.”

  “Fine, fine. I’ll try to be civil,” I said. “But they do understand that I have nighttime things to do, don’t they?”

  She gave me a wan look. “They’ve been briefed on your need for research, as well as some social time away from the house.”

  That made me feel somewhat better.

  However, I still didn’t like them.

  “Please try to get along,” she said.

  I kissed her. “Yep.”

  Then I headed out the door, accompanied by an unusually quiet Roman. He was yet someone else I had to try to patch things up with.

  Sometimes relationships seemed like more trouble than they were worth.

  * * *

  My day had been rather uneventful, but mostly I was satisfied just to have a day pass without a major incident.

  I texted Kat from the main library again, where I was doing some additional research. Fortunately, she was going to be able to have dinner with me before going to the airport to catch her flight.

  She texted me: I’ll send the twins to escort you.

  My thoughts returned to the very old book before me; though it was less a book and more a c
ompilation of years of medical research notes that had been bound together by an early European physician and researcher.

  A student aide walked over to me and looked at the various books stacked around me.

  “Would you mind if I reshelf some of these?” she asked. “It would help me get out of here earlier this evening.”

  “Sure,” I said, and sorted through the ones that I didn’t need anymore.

  It was a shame that I couldn’t just check most of them out and then review them back at the house, but they were all part of a rare collection that had been bequeathed to the university’s foundation. As such, nothing could be removed from the reading room.

  Fifteen minutes later, I looked up from where I sat to see Dane and Lyra entering the room and looking less than enthused about it. He wore a long black leather trench coat that appeared to drift away from him as he walked, while she wore a somewhat Goth-looking outfit, complete with dark eyeliner.

  “And the vampires have arrived in cliché fashion,” I murmured.

  They both stopped before the table I sat at, Dane staring down at me while Lyra nibbled on the edge of one of her fingernails.

  “It smells musty in here,” Dane said.

  “These stacks house a rare and very old collection,” I said.

  “Damn, I split a nail tip,” Lyra said, seemingly oblivious to what I had said.

  A young guy carrying a short stack of old books eyed her longingly while walking by.

  “Ew. Go back to your panel van, freak,” she said with a mock look of horror.

  The guy quickly averted his gaze and hurried on his way to a nearby table.

  “Studying hard or hardly studying?” Dane asked.

  “Research,” I said. “Or maybe just killing time.”

  “I can think of a helluva lot better places to kill some time,” he said.

  “Or kill someone,” Lyra added.

  I frowned at her.

  “What?” she asked.

  Dane thoughtfully rubbed at his chin. “Look, I love chit chat as much as the next fellow, but we’d better get going,” he said. “The General is expecting us.”

  A student sitting within earshot of us looked over with a curious expression.

  “Oh, I just love those funny nicknames of yours,” I said.

  Dane looked over at the guy. “Yeah, me and those nicknames,” he said, giving the guy a hard look.

  The student quickly returned his attention to the book before him.

  I gathered up my notes into my backpack and then remembered I had stowed a couple of books from the public stacks to take with me to check out.

  “I have to stop by the circulation desk on the way out,” I said as we exited the reading room. “Have you two known Kat very long?”

  Lyra remained silent.

  “Not as long as some,” Dane replied. “But long enough to know that she doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

  “I might be an exception to that,” I said.

  I noticed a glint in his eyes. “Maybe, but then, who would want to keep a lady waiting?”

  “Touché,” I said.

  “Oh, I’m just getting started,” he said.

  They walked ahead out through the main entrance while I checked out the books I wanted.

  I walked outdoors and saw them leaning against the wall near the doors. However, I kept my stride and they followed a few steps behind me.

  “Do you walk everywhere?” Dane asked.

  “Walking’s good for a person,” I replied. “Besides, parking’s at a premium around here and the fees are outrageous.”

  He chuckled.

  I stopped to let them catch up to me.

  “You’re amused?” I asked.

  “The parking fees? I’d wager the tuition alone is absurd,” he replied.

  As if I had any idea what Alton and Kat were paying for me to be at Yale. It suddenly made me see myself as one of those typical spoiled rich kids.

  Crap! Was I one of them now?

  I turned and started walking again.

  “Yeah, absurd,” I said.

  “Where do you want to go later tonight?” Lyra asked.

  I looked over at her with a curious expression, but she gave me a flat look.

  “Dane,” she clarified.

  “I dunno, sis,” he replied. “Depends upon what time we’re free. Maybe we’ll just wander about; get to know the place better.”

  “Hey, I can recommend a potential place to check out that’s fairly close,” I said.

  “Yeah, I bet you can,” Lyra said. “It’s probably known for its milkshakes and is chock full of lonely nerds who date their hand, just like that guy back in the library.”

  “Hey, haven’t you heard?” I asked. “Nerds are the new cool.”

  I glimpsed a fleeting smirk from Dane, but Lyra gave me a flat look.

  “So, there’s this bar called Yalehoos,” I said. “It’s one of my favs; great beer selection.”

  “Thanks for the heads up,” said Lyra. “I’ll be sure to avoid it.”

  She was definitely a tough nut to crack.

  Though I was making an honest effort on Kat’s behalf to be polite, I really didn’t like her.

  “Now, now, sis,” said Dane. “The lad’s just trying to be helpful.”

  I looked up in time to see her give Dane a dirty look.

  “Lad? I’m not as young—or inexperienced—as I might look,” I said.

  “And I don’t feel a day older than I look,” he said.

  “So you’re siblings, then,” I said, changing the subject. “There’s got to be a story there.”

  “But that’s neither here nor there,” Lyra said.

  “Hey, just making small talk,” I said. “If you don’t mind me saying, you two seem like an unlikely pair to be here with me. Where were you before here?”

  “Oh, all over the bloody place,” Dane replied.

  Lyra snickered.

  “Speaking of small talk,” said Dane. “And, if you don’t mind me saying, word on the street is that your surrogate vampire—that’s a really weird thing, by the way—has deserted you.”

  “Smart girl,” Lyra quipped.

  I pointedly ignored her.

  “So, you’re saying people are talking about me on the street?” I asked. “My star must be rising.”

  I glanced over to see the corners of his mouth edge up slightly.

  “Well, street’s a bit of an exaggeration. It was really more of a run-down cul-de-sac,” he replied. “But there was pavement, as I recall.”

  “Somebody please kill me,” Lyra muttered.

  “Yes, please,” I said.

  Dane chuckled, but Lyra actually appeared affronted. I reveled in my momentary victory and mulled over his earlier reference to Paige.

  “Suffice to say, with Paige, it’s complicated,” I said. “We’ve had a bit of a falling out.”

  “Sorry to hear that,” Dane said.

  I looked over at him to see what appeared to be a look of sincerity.

  Then I looked over at Lyra. “I won’t bore Lyra with the details,” I said. “Any more than she already is.”

  She refused to meet my gaze.

  We remained silent for the remainder of our walk to the restaurant to meet Kat.

  Chapter 19

  Caleb

  Kat had been gone for days. Since she had returned to London, my relations with Lyra were still rather chilly, but at least I was forming a cautious respect for Dane. To my surprise, our mutual efforts at sarcasm and trading barbs fostered an odd fellowship between us.

  As for Roman, I worked to try to mend the hard feelings that had formed, but it was also still a work in progress.

  Between breaking in new strangers, strained relations with Roman, and Paige’s absence, the house felt oddly empty; certainly not some place that I wanted to spend a lot of my spare time.

  As such, I spent more time away from the house, typically at my local haunts. Fortunately, I was surrounded by m
y college friends, including Chance.

  On Thursday, most of the campus was gearing down for the Thanksgiving holiday break. The following Monday and Tuesday were technically class days, but many students planned to leave early for home.

  Even most of my friends were leaving town Friday or Saturday, including Chance.

  “I can’t believe you’re actually going home early,” I said to her during lunch.

  “I know, right?” she said. “Mom wants for us to have a girls retreat since my dad is out of town on a business trip through next Tuesday.”

  “Well, that’s cool.”

  “Yeah, though I think it’s mostly because Mom hates to stay at home by herself,” she said. “But at least my dad won’t be around getting on my nerves. And it means I get to engage in some wicked retail therapy.”

  “Sounds like you’re in for a good time,” I said.

  “What are you doing for the weekend?” she asked. “You could always be a third wheel with us, you know. We need someone to help carry shopping bags.”

  “Thanks, but I’m hoping to fly out of town on Friday,” I said.

  “Have you already reserved your tickets? If not, you may be screwed,” she said.

  My mind reeled as I realized that I hadn’t actually checked into that yet.

  “All taken care of,” I lied. “What about you?”

  “Train,” she said. “And you make it sound like you’ve got a travel agent in your pocket or something.”

  “Fortunately, I have access to an amazing guru who has the inside scoop on last minute ticketing.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Why do I get the impression that you’re referring to Katrina? I’ll bet you think she’s amazing with everything, don’t you?”

  “Well, she sort of is,” I said with a grin.

  She rolled her eyes. “Oh, God, Caleb’s in love.”

  Then her quirky expression changed to something darker.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “Isn’t that guy sitting over at that table your friend who you hang out with a lot?” she asked. “What was his name? Romie?”

  I glanced over my shoulder at Roman sitting by himself on the other side of the dining room.