Summit at Sunset (Sunset Vampire Series, Book 3)

by Primo, Jaz

  The ebony-skinned stranger held up the note in his left hand and extended it towards Caleb. “Katrina’s reputation precedes her, and she might not receive us in a manner that we would prefer. We had to take a small risk to draw her away while we instead reached out to you,” he explained. “The note explains everything. Please give it to your mate.”

  “Ever hear of trying email or a phone call?” Caleb challenged.

  The vampire shook his head. “You are most amusing, young man. But the new ways are not always mine. I still prefer the traditional methods of our kind. I leave you in peace. For now.”

  The stranger focused on something beyond Caleb, causing him to peer back over his shoulder. By the time he looked back, the figure had already blurred into the trees north of him.

  Caleb’s eyes scanned the surrounding area, finally settling on a lone figure standing less than fifty feet to his left. A woman in similar dark clothing to the stranger’s and carrying a hunting bow looked at him with a sneer. By the glow of one of the estate’s eaves lights, he confirmed that she had short auburn hair and pale skin. Her eyes momentarily flashed hazel, and she briefly winked at him before turning to disappear in a blur of motion.

  “Damned if life doesn’t keep getting stranger with these vampires,” he muttered after letting out a deep breath. Then he heard what sounded like two charging bulls coming from the forest of the neighboring property to the south.

  * * * *

  After a few minutes, Katrina stopped, realizing that there was no sign of the intruder, no scent, and no other obvious trail to follow. Paige instantly appeared at her side.

  “Nothing. No trace at all,” Katrina growled.

  Paige cocked her head to one side and whispered, “Wait. What if this weren’t an attack? What if it were a diversion?”

  Katrina’s face showed momentary surprise. “Diversion from what?” Then her mind instantly formed a picture of her mate, and she turned in a fury to speed back to their property.

  Paige became a mirrored blur at her heels.

  When they broke from the tree line, they instantly spied Caleb standing with his back turned to them at the north end of the yard.

  Relief poured through Katrina as she determined that her mate appeared unharmed. She stopped just short of him, reverting to a human-like speed. She walked up behind her mate and wrapped her arms around his upper shoulders and across his chest while resting her chin on the top of his left shoulder.

  Paige stopped beside him, curiously looking up at his face.

  “We lost them,” Katrina softly lamented. “Not sure who they were, but they’re gone now.”

  “Yep,” Caleb said. “They just left. The female vampire was the one with the bow.”

  Katrina’s heart froze and her eyes widened as she realized how easily she could have just returned to find her lover’s corpse. A sharp intake of breath from Paige marked the short vampire’s response, while her eyes reflected unsettled surprise at Caleb’s revelation.

  Caleb felt Katrina’s grip tighten around him to a nearly uncomfortable level.

  “I’m sorry, my love. You could’ve been killed. We were foolish to leave you alone and unprotected.”

  “Who knew, Kat? In the end, they only wanted to pass along a message,” he reassured her, though he still felt somewhat anxious. “Besides, you had no way of knowing.”

  “What message?” Katrina growled.

  He recited what the stranger had said and tried to hold up the note in his right hand, but Katrina’s continued embrace trapped his arms in too vise-like a manner for him to move.

  Instead, Paige glanced down and retrieved the message from his hand. “Crushin’ our boy, Red,” she casually observed as she unfolded the note.

  Katrina’s grip loosened considerably, and she kissed him on the cheek in silent apology. He appreciated their closeness despite the serious circumstances and relaxed in her arms.

  “It’s in Latin,” Paige offered, handing the note to Katrina. “I never quite mastered Latin.”

  Katrina released Caleb and quickly read the note. Despite the darkness, her vampire vision had no problem discerning the text.

  Paige watched her face for a reaction to the contents, and then absently sniffed the air. “I think your stinky dead meat is burning, kiddo.”

  “Crap!” Caleb cursed as he raced over to the patio grill. He grabbed the metal tongs and flung the grill cover open, only to be met by a billowing cloud of smoke.

  Katrina’s eyes flickered to him in a moment of distraction then concentrated on the note again as she wandered in his direction. Paige darted across the yard to retrieve the arrows and the Frisbee then returned to walk beside Katrina. She observed Caleb’s ministrations with mild amusement as he hastily pulled the meat off the grill and transferred it to a platter.

  A few minutes later, everyone returned inside the house, and Caleb checked on French fries baking in the oven. The vampires sat on barstools at the kitchen island counter while Caleb removed additional side dishes from the refrigerator to place them on the countertop. Then he went into the small downstairs basement to retrieve some blood for Katrina and Paige. As he heated it in the microwave for them, Katrina stared at Paige with a dark expression.

  “The note indicates that a group of moderates of our kind prefer the traditional manner in which vampire matters have been handled to this point. They don’t favor any form of union or organization. And since I’m well respected in the vampire community right now, they would prefer that I not allow my status to be misappropriated as a figurehead in Alton’s latest venture this summer.”

  Caleb placed a plate, flatware, and a glass of iced water on the counter between Katrina and Paige. He retrieved the two heated glasses of blood and placed one before each of the women.

  “Thanks, tiger,” Paige said before returning her attention to Katrina. “So, exactly what do you intend to do?”

  Caleb removed the fries from the oven and piled some on his plate. He filled the rest of his plate with half-burned, grilled brisket and slathered it with barbeque sauce. Then he sat on the remaining barstool between the two vampires.

  Katrina wryly smirked at the heaping portion of food on her mate’s plate then looked at Paige. “I’m not sure. But I’m not ready to declare either way for now. I think that I’ll keep an open mind.”

  “Alton’s counting on you,” Paige warned.

  Katrina frowned. “That may be. But then, so is Caleb. And his best interests come first.”

  Caleb stopped eating, and he peered at Katrina’s emerald eyes with a wary expression. Her gaze appeared steely and somewhat distant, and he recalled seeing that look once before. “Oh, no, you don’t,” he sternly warned as his heart rate rapidly increased. “You’ve got that ‘I’m going to lock him up safely in the house’ look again, and that’s sure as hell not going to happen.”

  Katrina arched an eyebrow at her mate and shook her head with a sigh. He’s never going to let me live that down, is he?

  She recalled when she had gained his permission to try and save him from Chimalma and secured him in the estate under Paige’s watchful eye until she and Alton could hunt down their enemy. It had nearly driven him crazy to be locked up in the house for days on end. Still, he did give his permission to let me protect him.

  Paige snickered and stole a crispy French fry from Caleb’s plate. He noticed her and curiously surveyed her as she crunched on it.

  “It’s okay, my love,” Katrina assured him. “I promise not to overreact.”

  Caleb accepted that and returned to eating.

  “Why don’t you tell me about the woman with the bow again,” Katrina prompted.

  He shrugged. “Beautiful woman with short, auburn hair.”

  However, he became distracted as Paige snatched a longer fry, dipped it into her glass of blood, and then ate it. He groaned. “Eww, gross.”

  “Hush,” Paige muttered and promptly procured another of his fries.

  “Ahem,” Katrina cl
eared her throat, used her hand to grasp his chin, and gently rotated his face towards her to recapture his attention.

  “Sorry,” he sheepishly offered as he stared into her eyes.

  She adopted a forgiving expression, briefly kissed him, and encouraged, “You were saying?”

  “She winked at me before she disappeared,” he recalled, to which Katrina adopted a less-than-amused visage as she released his chin.

  “Careful, kiddo,” Paige mock-warned. “She might have her eye on you for more than just target practice.”

  Katrina flashed her friend a dirty look, but Paige shrugged and innocently replied, “Hey, I’m just sayin’.”

  “But I still wonder about the male vampire,” Caleb said. “He seemed older somehow, like Alton does at times, although he could pass easily for his thirties or so. And his yellow eyes were unique.”

  Something that he said struck a nerve in Katrina, and her attention bored into her mate with sudden intensity. “Yellow eyes?”

  “Yeah, they were ominous-looking,” he replied. “Kind of eerie, actually.”

  Katrina pursed her lips as Paige watched with sudden interest.

  “Know that one, Red?” she asked.

  “I think so,” Katrina replied. “He sounds just like a vampire I encountered while traveling through northern Africa back in the early 1900s. If he’s who I’m recalling, then he’s an ancient one. I think his name was Hakizimana.”

  Caleb and Paige both looked at Katrina.

  “It means ‘God Saves,’” Katrina explained.

  “Yeah, well, I think he said his name was Ted,” he said.

  Katrina stared at him as if he had just turned into a frog before her eyes, while Paige exclaimed, “Ted? He said his name was Ted?”

  He chuckled while holding up one hand, admitting, “Sorry, I made that up. I just wanted to see your faces. It was priceless.”

  Katrina rolled her eyes and shook her head. Paige snickered while mussing Caleb’s hair with one hand. “Good one, tiger.”

  Then she stole another of Caleb’s French fries.

  He smiled at Paige’s compliment. “He actually never told me his name. You know, in the end, neither of them seemed overtly hostile. Still, I was ready to fight for my life, if necessary.”

  “You didn’t challenge him, did you?” Katrina asked.

  Caleb shrugged. “Not really. I was just resigned to stand up to them.”

  Paige stopped chewing a fry, and her pale blue eyes narrowed. She shot at glance to Katrina with a look of concern.

  Not a good approach, kiddo, she recognized.

  “On that topic,” Katrina sternly began, “the next time something like that happens, you don’t approach them. You run, either to me or Paige, as fast as you can. Understood?”

  He clenched his jaw, not wanting to just turn and run every time a vampire showed up on his turf. He thought that he made a fairly level-headed decision earlier that evening, and it had turned out to be correct.

  “So, I should just stand there and get eaten?” he snapped.

  Katrina took a deep breath. “No, but you’re not equipped to confront a vampire, particularly multiple vampires. Promise me you won’t do anything careless like that again.”

  “Fine,” he replied in a tight voice while stabbing two fries with his fork.

  She had misgivings about his sincerity, but let the topic drop. It’s only going to antagonize him further by harping on the subject, she resolved. But she worried about his taking too many chances around vampires. He was very fragile as a human, and his life could be snuffed out in a moment. That was something that she couldn’t endure.

  He slowly returned to eating, and the three of them silently sat through the rest of the meal. Katrina and Paige somberly observed him as they drank their glasses of blood. Even Paige’s previously playful mood of stealing fries had abated. When he finished, he cleaned up and then rinsed the dishes before placing them in the dishwasher.

  “I’m going to confer with Alton and see what he thinks,” Katrina finally offered. She popped a kiss on Caleb’s cheek then retreated down the hallway with the note in hand.

  He activated the dishwasher then leaned against the counter watching Paige. “Thanks for covering me in the yard this evening.”

  She darted from her seat to embrace him warmly. “No problem, kiddo. Babysitter’s always on duty.”

  Like I could do anything less for him. He’s such an important part of my life now.

  He fondly recalled her self-appointed nickname when he had first met her last fall.

  Geez, my friends would never let me live it down over that “babysitter” business, if they ever heard about it. Still, he knew that in her own quirky way she meant well. Paige is one of the best friends that Katrina or I could ever have.

  * * * *

  Chapter 3: Nights on the Town

  In the sublevel room, Katrina conferred with Alton on the note passed to Caleb in the backyard. However, the elder vampire had no additional information to provide her, other than that he was already aware of interests forming on either side of the issue related to the summer conference. He recommended proceeding with caution regarding further interactions with the faction, though she had already been resigned to do that even before calling him. Still, she promised to keep him apprised of the situation.

  When he asked her for confirmation as to whether she and Caleb intended to attend the conference, she told him that she hadn’t decided for certain. He seemed less than pleased, but wisely didn’t press the issue with her.

  I’ll do whatever’s in Caleb’s best interests, she reaffirmed after hanging up the phone.

  The following evening, Paige mentioned to Katrina that she wanted to take Caleb on another evening ride on her Harley. It was against her normal modus operandi, but given the previous evening’s events, she considered it the better part of valor to run her plan past Katrina first.

  “Sure, Paige,” Katrina said. “I appreciate your cooperation with me on this issue.”

  Paige stared intently into her friend’s eyes. “No problem. But someday soon, you and I are going to have a chat about how overprotective you still are with our boy.”

  “He’s a human, Paige. He needs protection from our kind.”

  “And yet, he’s not helpless,” she challenged. “Consider how far he’s come since you first met him last fall. Hell, he’s practically a firecracker by comparison.”

  Katrina silently acknowledged her friend’s point.

  “He means so much to me. I’ve already lost one husband and two children. I can’t bear losing him, too,” she whispered.

  “Then don’t drive him away by smothering him.”

  The silence grew between them as Katrina merely stared at her.

  “Listen, Red. I know you ‘love him more than life itself.’ I get it,” Paige said, “You’re just trying to protect him. You’re Wonder Woman to his Steve Trevor. But every good superhero knows when to lighten up a little.”

  Katrina chuckled. “You have a weird way with analogies, Shorty.”

  “I’m just special that way,” she quipped as she turned to depart.

  “Have fun, but please be careful,” Katrina said.

  “Not to worry, Red. I can be a superhero when I need to be.”

  “And just which superhero are you, exactly?”

  Paige paused with a thoughtful expression, one index finger lightly tapping on her chin. After a moment, she shook her head. “Aw, heck, I dunno, maybe Superman’s cousin. Superwoman?”

  “You probably mean Supergirl,” Katrina dryly corrected.

  “Whatever,” she countered with a dismissive wave, once more on a mission. “I’ll leave all the nerdy stuff to you and Caleb.”

  Having received the approval she needed, Paige located Caleb and was happy that he jumped at the opportunity for another cycle excursion.

  “I’ll even try not to scare you this time,” she teased.

  “Oh, yeah? Do your worst.”
>
  Paige’s bright blue eyes slyly narrowed, and she murmured in a lethal tone, “Oh, you really shouldn’t have said that, tiger.”

  Much to her satisfaction, a visible shiver coursed through his body, both from her tone and visage.

  They left the house an hour or so after he ate dinner.

  The nighttime ride with Paige filled Caleb with an odd sense of contentment. The weather was perfect, not overly warm, even in their leather jackets. The continuous rumbling of the engine grew soothingly rhythmic as he watched the landscape flow past them in a blur of motion.

  Life is good, he contemplated as he tightened his embrace around Paige’s waist.

  Paige felt Caleb’s grip strengthen around her. A blissful feeling passed through her, and she couldn’t imagine riding without him that night. While relieved that he had agreed to take an impromptu ride with her given his last experience, she nevertheless deliberately took corners a little sharper than normal in order to elicit the occasional tightening of his hug around her.

  I just love this little guy, she thought contentedly.

  Then she refocused on the real reason for their jaunt.

  After a time, Caleb wondered if Paige had any idea where they were actually headed, or if she were merely riding in the direction the cycle was pointed in at the time. He speculated that they were not only well outside Mableton city limits, but likely outside the county. Still, he had no complaints, and the gently rolling countryside was relaxing despite the darkness.

  Little did Caleb realize that Paige had affairs well in hand. She was touring the area using a progressive, methodical pattern, purposefully hunting for a specific target. Despite the odds against success, it made her feel proactive.

  Some time passed before Paige’s keen vision glimpsed a motorcycle like the one that had followed them the other night. She steered them off the main road and into the parking lot of a place that had all the telltale signs of being an old biker bar.

  A sea of cycles was arrayed across the half-gravel, half-asphalt lot. The wood-framed building appeared to be at least forty or more years old and in only modestly maintained condition. A wooden front porch sported a series of rough-hewn wooden beams that supported the ramshackle tin front awning.