Summit at Sunset (Sunset Vampire Series, Book 3)

by Primo, Jaz

On the back side of the hotel, he came upon a small cluster of boutiques and shops presented in a manner reminiscent of a shopping mall. Light filtered down from above, and he looked up to see large glass panes laid out as an elaborate skylight that ran the length of the small corridor of shops. The light seemed terribly subtle for the clear skies, upon which he noticed that the panes were treated with what must be UV-dampening material. As he proceeded on his tour, he realized that all of the windows in and around the hotel and conference center were likewise treated.

  After nearly an hour of wandering, he retrieved a digital camera from his room and journeyed outdoors. The surrounding mountains were breathtaking, and the grass and trees were lush and green. Flower gardens decorated the hotel landscape, as well as a number of small fountains and park benches. He snapped photos as he walked and idly greeted a number of humans whom he recognized as other vampire companions.

  Once again, he noted the starkly different demeanors of the hotel guests from the hotel staff. The sole exception seemed to be the security guards who randomly patrolled by. The guards maintained a confident air as they casually strolled about the grounds. Caleb noted a seemingly large quantity of guards on patrol as he walked throughout the acres of land constituting the hotel property.

  Paige and the major must have their hands full coordinating such a large staff, he absently determined.

  He sat on a park bench facing a large expanse of forest leading away from the main hotel grounds. He made a mental note to explore the forest another time and instead merely appreciated the warm sunshine as it beamed down upon him.

  “This is excellent,” he muttered, closing his eyes and tilting his face skywards. “Finally, some peaceful relaxation.”

  Minutes passed as he basked in the sunlight, leaning back against the bench while stretching his legs out before him.

  “There you are,” came a familiar woman’s voice.

  The slight French accent was unmistakable, though Caleb started with surprise and opened his eyes to pan in the direction of the brunette-haired visitor. Only as the sunlight caressed Dorianne Rousseau’s pale skin was his mind finally convinced that she was human and not a vampire.

  “Hi, Dorianne.”

  “Dori,” she pleasantly corrected him. “Is this seat taken?”

  He made a welcoming gesture as he sat up from his reclined position.

  “Isn’t it beautiful?” she quietly observed as she sat down beside him.

  “It’s everything Europe should be,” he acknowledged with awe.

  He never thought that he would ever have the opportunity, or funds, to visit the places he had been since meeting Katrina.

  I’m one lucky guy.

  “I confess, I take it for granted sometimes,” Dori admitted. “My home is in Paris, but my career regularly takes me across Europe. It’s a nice perk of the job.”

  He offered a curious expression, hoping that she would say more, but she seemed oddly content to leave it at that.

  “I’ve been to London recently, and it was both unexpected and amazing,” he offered.

  He thought it best to leave out the part about mysterious vampires haunting the Tube.

  “I would imagine. Alton told me about your little subterranean adventure,” she said with a smirk.

  He frowned at how the normally secretive vampire had shared such sensitive information with her.

  “So, have you and Alton known each other long?”

  She warmly smiled. “We met nearly a year ago at a business meeting in The Hague, and he immediately caught my attention. My employer assigned me the responsibility of arranging a presentation for Alton and his associates, which, as a research analyst, I specialize in. Despite my practiced expertise, his eyes kept distracting me, and I practically had to fight to remain focused.”

  She paused to giggle while covering her mouth with her hand in a manner that Caleb found enchanting.

  “Following the presentation, I felt so embarrassed that I left the building as soon as I gathered my materials. But he took the initiative to find me before I returned to Paris and literally swept me off my feet. To say that I was pleased would be an understatement. We’ve been seeing each other regularly since then, actually. He’s, well, wonderful in so many ways.”

  Caleb enjoyed her recollection, but he was surprised that Alton had never mentioned Dori to him until the previous evening.

  How odd, he thought. I wonder if Kat knows.

  However, he conceded that Alton was a very private person and a hard nut to crack. He chuckled at how often Kat found it equally infuriating.

  “Have I said something amusing?” she queried.

  A single fleeting view of her beautiful, violet-colored eyes was all it took for him to understand how Alton might be intrigued by her.

  “Sorry,” he replied. “I kind of hate to admit this, but Alton’s never actually mentioned you to me.”

  An endearing expression played across her face, and she laughed in a beguiling manner.

  “Why am I not surprised?” she said. “I suppose he does keep his cards close to the vest. Likely, he was waiting to see if things worked out between us.”

  “I guess they must have then,” he surmised. “Because here you are.”

  “Yes,” she noted with a satisfied tone. “I’d like to think you’re correct.”

  They considered each other in silence, though something unsaid seemed to be settled between them. It was as if a mutual comfort zone, a chemistry, had been mysteriously established.

  Caleb felt strangely at ease around Dori, and he shared how he met Katrina when she had enrolled in his history class the previous fall. However, chemistry aside, he wasn’t quite ready to discuss how Katrina came upon him initially when he was eight years old. That was something altogether private, though whether Alton had already shared that with Dori or not he didn’t know.

  She attentively listened to him until he was finished, and the conversation moved to a variety of other casual topics. They seemed like old friends catching up on the events in their lives. Caleb enjoyed getting to know her, and before he realized it, the sun was advancing towards the western horizon.

  “We’d better head back,” Dori observed. “Alton mentioned our having dinner with you and Katrina when the conference adjourned for the day.”

  Caleb recalled the note from Kat, and they rose in unison from the bench. It had been a beautiful afternoon and an enjoyable time getting to know Dori better, though he felt as if there were so much more to know about her. He thoughtfully contemplated all that he had learned and savored the waning daylight on their walk back to the hotel.

  * * * *

  Katrina patiently waited as the remaining vampires departed the conference room. It felt like such a long day for their first meeting, and she wondered if successive days would feel the same. Part of her wished that she had declined to attend the summit at all.

  Caleb and I could’ve toured Europe alone, she brooded.

  Yet, she held a fond, sometimes annoying, dedication to her former mentor. She realized that she would have felt intense guilt for ignoring his plea for her assistance.

  So, here I am.

  Alton shuffled some papers and waited for a lingering attendee to depart before closing the door behind them.

  “The first day’s always the hardest, breaking the ice and whatnot,” he absently said in his crisp English accent.

  “You’ve got a lot more to break than ice,” she supplemented as she recognized the prevailing mindsets that had formed among the group. One third was receptive to forming a formalized interest group. One third wanted no part in any of it, and those remaining were undecided.

  “We have to sway the uncommitted to tip the scales,” Alton ventured.

  “Why does it matter? Those who want to join into a consortium are free to, and the others can do as they please,” Katrina declared.

  “But you’re mistaken, my dear,” Alton gently disagreed. “If this conference ends without a clear
consensus among the participants, everyone outside, those remaining to be recruited, will see only division. Then we’re left to forming little cliques around the world, like little fiefdoms all vying for vassals. No, I lived through that failed approach nearly a millennium ago, and I won’t endure it again.”

  She considered her eight-hundred-year-old friend and the life experiences that he drew upon to form his logic. Feudal England was something less than savory on a global level, particularly for her kind. Wars would be the likely result and the end of anonymity from the human race.

  “What’s next then?” she pressed.

  The edges of his mouth upturned slightly.

  “You and I need to frame a detailed agenda before moving forward, one based upon addressing the concerns voiced today.”

  “Much of today’s discussions were over semantics, actually,” she countered.

  “Indeed. But semantics conceal larger concerns, and the better prepared we are to shape the discussion around those, the more successful we’ll be,” he explained.

  “You’re almost relishing this, aren’t you? This is like some big parlor game for you, isn’t it?”

  “Oh, please,” he retorted with a flash of his hazel eyes. “Don’t assume that just because I was a feudal lord I’m playing at kingdom-building. I’ve seen the writing on the wall for longer than you’ve been on this Earth, and I knew it would come to this someday. I take it, then, you’d like to see the world cast into flames while we battle amongst both humans and ourselves?”

  “Of course not,” she snapped. “I just didn’t want to be at the center of the matter, that’s all.”

  He lightly patted his hand on her shoulder while standing behind her chair.

  His stare grew distant as he offered, “I know that, my dear. You always were the shy one, weren’t you? Never wanting to be the center of attention, yet always commanding it by your mere presence. I knew that you were an alpha the moment I laid eyes upon you.”

  She affectionately touched his hand in silent response. In truth, he had been the kindest of mentors to her and the dearest of friends.

  “Come, my dear, let’s go find our mates. We promised to join them for dinner, remember?” he offered with a final pat on her shoulder.

  Katrina rose from her chair with a curious expression at his revelation. “So, you’ve taken Dorianne as your mate?”

  He paused as he gathered his paperwork into a central stack and placed it in his leather satchel.

  “Actually, I meant to announce it at dinner tonight.”

  “I’m happy for you,” she sincerely offered. She cherished having Caleb in her life, and she wished the same happiness for Alton.

  He winked and held the conference room door open for her to exit.

  * * * *

  Caleb sat on a leather guest couch in the lobby while watching the stream of vampires exit the hallway leading from the wing of conference and special-purpose rooms. His eyes expectantly swept across the group as he looked for Katrina, while Dori patiently sat beside him reading a travel magazine.

  His focus settled on a younger vampire with gold-fleck eyes and short brown hair who was holding a leather briefcase in one hand. Major Pietari walked over to him, and the two of them waited for an available elevator car.

  “Hmm.” Something about the briefcase looked familiar to him. Then it occurred to him that the briefcase looked like the one the courier had earlier in the day when he had been visiting Paige in the security office.

  “What?” Dori asked as a host of vampires and humans reunited with each other in the lobby.

  Her eyes followed his to the major and his fellow vampire. She took a notepad and ink pen from a nearby table and wrote, Major Pietari and Baldar Dubravko?

  Caleb’s eyes focused on the notepad.

  She wrote: Something wrong?

  He reached over to take the pad and pen from her and wrote: Briefcase seems important. Something I saw this morning.

  Dori’s attention shifted to the two vampires just as they entered the elevator, and she spied the item in question. She turned to look at Caleb with a curious expression.

  He wrote: Who is BD?

  She took the pad from him and wrote, Croatian. Powerful. Wealthy. Big player here.

  The wheels in Caleb’s mind turned, and he wondered if the man in the security office had delivered the briefcase to Dubravko, or if it had just been a coincidence.

  “What are you two up to?” Katrina asked, causing both of them to start in their seat. She distinctly heard their heartbeats jump. Something wrong?

  Upon realizing that it was Katrina, Caleb launched himself from the couch and planted a kiss upon her lips.

  “Missed you today,” he muttered.

  More than you know, he silently added.

  “Mmm,” she murmured into his kiss. Upon parting lips, she whispered with satisfaction, “I see that.”

  A strong duality of urges rose in her as she craved his body’s blood and other carnal satisfactions.

  Alton exchanged a quick kiss with Dori and wrapped one arm around her waist. “Hungry?” he asked. “I don’t know about you, but I could drink a horse.”

  Dori groaned slightly and shook her head.

  “Full disclosure, I got that one from Caleb,” he innocently chimed as both Katrina and Caleb looked on with surprise at Alton’s playful levity.

  The four of them sat in the main dining room of the hotel chatting about their day. Due to the presence of other vampires in the area, both Katrina and Alton spoke of the conference in general terms, pointedly withholding any critical mention of their concerns moving forward. Instead, most of the conversation gravitated around Dori’s and Caleb’s assessment of the scenic mountainous area.

  When Caleb mentioned looking forward to seeing the nearby town of Podjelje with Katrina that evening, she looked back at him with hesitation, knowing full well that he was about to be disappointed.

  “Actually, my love, Alton needs my help preparing tomorrow’s agenda,” she carefully explained.

  His face fell. “But I thought –”

  “I must apologize to you both. My fault entirely, actually,” Alton diplomatically interjected. “But all’s not lost. Dori, perhaps you and Caleb could go to town together this evening. I’d hate for you to miss it on our account.”

  Dori’s eyes dashed to Alton, but quickly rested on Caleb. “It’s true that I’d hate to miss going to town. Won’t you accompany me, Caleb?”

  Caleb was disappointed in the news, but he agreed, “Sure. That’d be fine, of course.”

  Katrina extended her hand to gently grasp one of Caleb’s and supportively squeezed it. “Don’t worry, we’ll arrange time together.”

  The group fell silent for a time as Dori and Caleb ate their dinner and Alton and Katrina sipped at glasses of warm blood. Caleb’s eyes fell upon the blood-filled crystal ware and a question resurfaced from earlier in the day.

  “One of the things I noticed today while looking around was that most of the staff seemed on edge,” he said.

  “Surely being surrounded by vampires has to unnerve many of them,” Alton suggested. “For some, it may challenge religious beliefs or other preconceptions of reality.”

  “Yeah, that occurred to me,” Caleb agreed. “But what keeps people from exploiting those revelations?”

  Katrina’s eyes tentatively met Alton’s as she started to speak, but the stately vampire interjected on her behalf, “Caleb, a reflection on the rules that you agreed to with Katrina should plainly suggest that every human employed here risks their lives to be anything other than dutifully silent.”

  “But it’s still a significant risk for years to come even after the conference has long ended,” Caleb pointed out. “How can you monitor so many people for the remainder of their lives, no less?”

  “Some of the staff are volunteers who are already employed by a number of vampires in attendance here,” Alton explained. “Much the same way that many of the vampire secur
ity guards are in the regular employ of a number of us. And as for the few humans not already contracted by a vampire, they’re being handsomely compensated for their discretion.”

  “Yet threatened, as well,” Caleb suggested.

  “Cautioned, my love,” Katrina pointedly corrected. “Not threatened.”

  He accepted the admonishment and politely amended, “Of course, a poor choice of words on my part.”

  However, in his own mind he still felt that “threatened” was more accurate. While he didn’t want his mate or the other vampires he cared about to be threatened by exposure at the hands of a careless person, he also didn’t like the idea of people being ruled by heavy-handed fear.

  “Which is why a conference, or summit if you will, of this nature has never been attempted before,” Alton said. “This could be viewed as a risky venture as much as an opportunity. The mere congregation of vampires in such a small area at one time is unprecedented, particularly when mixed with the number of humans present. Still, it was hoped that the presence of human companions might ease the tensions of the human staff members. Thus far, I’ve been quite happy with the results.”

  “It explains the large contingent of security guards, as well,” Caleb said.

  “The human guards are more numerous during the day simply because vampires are more vulnerable and have to be relegated to finite locations,” Alton said.

  “Are you aware of any perceived threats?” Dori asked with a note of concern.

  Alton lightly patted her hand. “Of course not, my dear. Merely a precaution.”

  The group fell silent again as Dori and Caleb finished eating while the vampires nursed their drinks. Following the meal, Alton signaled to their waiter, and a bottle of wine and crystal glasses appeared at their tableside. As the waiter departed, and to all but Alton’s surprise, Paige suddenly appeared at the tableside wearing both her security blazer and a curious expression.

  “Am I too late?” she asked.

  “Right on time,” Alton answered as he served a glass of wine to each of them and raised his glass in toast.

  “Though you’ve each known me to be an intensely private person, you’re among my dearest friends. It’s in that spirit that I offer a toast,” he quietly announced. “To Dori, for gracing me with her presence in my life, honoring me with her love, and agreeing to be my mate.”