Summit at Sunset (Sunset Vampire Series, Book 3)

by Primo, Jaz

  “That bad?” she quietly asked.

  “That bad,” Paige confirmed. “You saw how debilitated he was when you entered the vault. Another hour and who knows if you would have found him alive.”

  Katrina sat stunned, while Caleb’s face washed with shock.

  “You never told me that,” he quietly accused.

  Paige paused. “What kind of guardian would I be if I inflamed the situation at times like that? Besides, you’d just get upset and use up the oxygen faster.”

  Katrina admired Paige’s grasp of sound logic.

  Hard to be upset with either of them, I suppose. Paige made the sensible decision. Would I have acted any differently?

  Caleb’s irritation dissipated, and he turned to grim thoughts as Paige’s comments sank deeper into his mind. He glanced up at Katrina with a serious expression, only to find her intently staring at him. Her green eyes were penetrating but not angry, and he noticed that the corners of her mouth were upturned ever so slightly.

  “I’m not angry with either of you, my love,” she reassured him. Truth was, she was merely grateful that they were still alive.

  He was somewhat surprised by that revelation. “But what about the third rule?”

  She shrugged. “I suppose that we’ll need to start considering that one in a situational context in the future, won’t we?”

  Despite knowing full well that both of them were trustworthy, it took a conscious effort on her part to be flexible about her control issues.

  Maybe there’s hope for me yet, she entertained.

  Both Caleb and Paige considered her with upraised brows, and then exchanged curious glances with each other.

  Katrina was amused by their reaction, but cautioned, “However, let’s not get too crazy with the whole feeding thing, okay?”

  They both nearly simultaneously replied, “Got it.” Their eyes darted to each other over the coincidence.

  “Okay then,” Paige resolved, relieved that her best friend’s concerns had been somewhat placated and that her own strong feelings for Caleb remained effectively unmentioned. “First, I’m still kind of thirsty, so I’m gonna go round up some more of the red stuff. Then I’m getting to work on finding the asshole that locked us in the vault.”

  Someone’s going to become very dead very fast when I find them.

  “Keep me posted,” Katrina grimly instructed.

  Her eyes darted to her mate, and the horrible thought of his near-death in the vault flashed in her mind. It had been a close call, and she intended to see that justice was handed out swiftly to those responsible.

  “I’ll check in with you later,” Paige promised. Her eyes briefly fell upon Caleb. “Besides, kiddo here needs some rest.”

  She flashed him a smirk then rose to depart the room with a nod to Katrina.

  “Paige?” Katrina prompted before she had reached the door to exit the suite.

  “Yes?” she suspiciously asked while glancing over her shoulder.

  “I’d rather that you not drink from him recreationally,” Katrina informed her friend.

  “Understood,” she replied while gazing at Caleb in a penetrating fashion that slightly unnerved him. Then she winked and departed, closing the door to the suite behind her.

  Katrina rose from the couch and went to lock the door to the suite, while Caleb wearily leaned back into the couch cushion. When she turned around, she maintained a neutral expression, but her eyes had a calculating look about them.

  She joined him on the couch, warmly embracing him in her arms. Her arms protectively encircled him, and she felt his rapid heartbeat against her body. She sensed that something else was bothering him, something beyond the vault incident.

  “I trust both of you, you know,” she reassured him. The possessive nature of her personality railed against her declaration, but she bent it to her will.

  He drew in the sweet scent of cherry blossoms emanating from her body and appreciated the soothing quality of it. “I’m glad. I’d never violate my fidelity to you, and I doubt that Paige would want that either.”

  “I appreciate that, my love,” she contentedly replied. She trusted him implicitly and was merely happy to have him safely in her arms again.

  He marveled at how understanding she was about the situation and hoped that she realized that his commitment to her was sincere. In his mind, there was no other prospective mate for him.

  Her soft lips found his, and they tenderly kissed. Her fingers caressed the side of his face as their lips met again and again, until finally he had to pull away in order to catch his breath.

  She realized that he must have felt exhausted. “Time for a shower and some oxygen-rich sleep, I think,” she quipped.

  He hauled himself upright with a tired groan and began stripping out of his shirt. She watched him walk towards the bedroom, appreciating his masculine form as the removal of his shirt revealed his lean chest and back muscles. She found him so attractive, and she tentatively bit her lower lip as carnal visions played across her thoughts.

  “Well, maybe some sleep after I’m finished with you,” she slyly muttered as she slipped her shoes off.

  She purposefully slipped off the couch to follow him into the bedroom.

  * * * *

  Paige barely had time to finish a quick shower and pull on some sweatpants and a t-shirt before a knock sounded at her suite door. Still drying her hair with a towel, she flung open the door, expecting it to be the major or perhaps even the hotel manager.

  Instead, Ethan Reynolds stood in the hallway holding a large Styrofoam cup with a lid on it. Her eyes flashed to the cup before looking up into his eyes, which reflected concern and maybe something else.

  “Ethan?” she asked. Her eyes appreciated the way that his jeans perfectly fit his slim waist, as well as the snug fit of his black t-shirt against his muscled chest.

  He started to say something, but stopped and instead extended the cup to her.

  “Brought you a little something,” he said with a supportive smile. “I was worried and wanted to check in on you.”

  She reached out to accept the warm cup and caught the faint scent of blood. Smiling, she gestured for him to come inside.

  Realizing that she still held a damp towel over her hair, a wave of embarrassment washed over her. “Sorry, I’m a bit of a mess right now,” she stammered as she closed the door behind them.

  He entered and turned to look down at her. “Nah, you look great, actually,” he assured her.

  She casually tossed her towel on the nearby couch and popped open the lid to the cup. The scent of blood permeated the air, and she took a moment to drink from it. The warm liquid tasted amazing to her, though not nearly as much as Caleb’s had earlier.

  “I raced down to the basement when I heard they found you,” Ethan gently offered. “I was pretty worried, but then I saw you both standing inside, and I felt so relieved.”

  Her blue eyes darted to his, and she glimpsed the sincerity reflected in them. Surprisingly, it deeply touched her that he felt that way. She frowned at the confused feelings she had, but registered a more familiar sensation run through her as she practically ogled him: desire.

  “Sorry about earlier,” she apologized, recalling how she had barely acknowledged him at the vault. “It wasn’t that I –” she began.

  She was interrupted by the sudden crush of his lips against hers.

  He moved like a whirlwind, sweeping her into his strong arms and nearly lifting her from the floor. Her earlier feelings of desire peaked, transforming into a wave of sexual energy that cascaded throughout her body. The sensation was almost electric as their lips pressed together in a prolonged kiss that nearly took her breath away.

  Still in his arms, she lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist. His lips pressed to hers, drawing the breath from her lungs. He swung the two of them onto the couch, pressing her into the cushions with the strength that only another vampire could wield.

  The heat streaming from b
oth of them was palpable, and Paige’s dormant sexuality sprang to life. Her body’s reaction surprised her, but she relished every second. Only then did she fully realize the impact of the subtle tension that had been rising between them ever since the evening that Caleb had introduced them.

  Much to her satisfaction, his body was everything that she had previously only playfully imagined. His body pressed against hers, and she felt firm fingertips against her soft skin. Her lips locked onto his, and she felt her t-shirt being lifted upwards.

  In a matter of moments, clothes were shed, and their bodies were joined. And finally, time stood still.

  * * * *

  Early the next morning, Katrina slipped out of the suite while Caleb slept. She joined Alton to strategize for the upcoming resumption of the conference, or as she preferred to call it, the “organized debate and argumentation” sessions. While happy that Caleb was once again safe, she couldn’t help wondering what was coming next.

  Maybe I should’ve handcuffed him to the bed, she darkly reflected as the conference prepared to reconvene. That might actually keep him out of trouble.

  Later that morning, Caleb made his way to the dining room for something to eat. He was keenly aware that a number of staff and guests stared at him as he passed. Embracing his newfound, notorious celebrity, he simply waved or politely wished them good morning.

  He sat alone at a table in the corner, glowering into a cup of hot tea as he waited for his food to arrive. After massaging his sore eyelids with his fingertips at length, he stared wide-eyed across the table at Paige, already seated and intently studying him over a cup of coffee.

  “Morning, tiger,” she merrily offered.

  He felt a rush of happiness at the sight of her. “Good morning, babysitter.”

  She adopted a playful grin as the waitress set a large plate of eggs, sausage, hash browns, and biscuits before him. He thanked her and hungrily appreciated the array of food as she departed.

  “That’s a honkin’ plateful,” Paige said in a mock-southern drawl.

  He reached for a packet of grape jelly.

  “Hey, I gotta make enough blood for two nowadays, you know,” he countered.

  Paige’s smile faded a little as the memories of feeding on him in the vault washed over her. She recalled the rich taste of his blood and felt a momentary urge for more. Instead she sipped at her coffee, admittedly a poor substitute, and refocused her thoughts.

  The revelations of mere hours ago washed over her. Despite her surprising, yet satisfying interlude with Ethan, she nevertheless felt a strong emotional draw to the young man before her.

  After shoveling in a few forkfuls of food, he looked up to note her contemplative expression. He absently reached up with one hand to touch the place on his neck where she had bitten him, which immediately drew her attention.

  “Sore?” she softly asked.

  “Nope, never better,” he replied with a shy smirk.

  It was no worse than when Katrina drank from him, actually. Yet, there was something more to having shared his blood with her. He couldn’t explain it, but he felt an increased closeness and an increased sense of affection between them.

  Following a few bites of food, he looked up to find her staring at him again. “What?” he asked.

  She was caught between conflicting feelings at that moment. As she stared at him, she saw an attractive, innocent man who she had sworn to protect, as well as someone who was a best friend. Granted, she enjoyed flirting with him and occasionally contemplating sex with him. But it was much more than that. She loved him, unlike anyone else she had ever known. And then with sharing his blood the previous night, those feelings were heightened. It had been more than feeding; it was intimate.

  Even the sex that she had shared with Ethan, while surprisingly good, had been merely that: sex. Oh, she liked the handsome doctor, but then, they hardly knew one another. The sex was easy to understand and manage, unlike the complex spectrum of feelings that she felt for Caleb.

  “Paige?” he asked with a perplexed expression.

  She looks almost dazed.

  She broke from her reverie. “Yeah, I heard you, kiddo,” she answered. “Eat up.”

  He shook his head and continued to eat. Minutes later, Dori appeared and plopped down into a chair between them.

  “There you two are,” she energetically said. “I’ve been looking for you, Caleb. We have interesting things to talk about, you and I.”

  “Yeah?” he asked between forkfuls of egg and sausage.

  Before Dori could respond, Ethan appeared at the tableside wearing the trappings of his trade in the form of a white lab coat over slacks and dress shirt. Completing the look was a stethoscope lazily draped around his neck.

  “Good morning, everyone,” he greeted in a friendly tone.

  The three of them all looked up with smiles, though Paige’s was more of a satisfied grin. His eyes caught the blonde vampire’s only briefly before fully focusing on Caleb.

  “How are you feeling this morning, young sir?” he asked in a practiced tone.

  “Uh-oh, he’s got that doctor’s voice going on,” Caleb teased. “Me? I’m fine today, Doc. All the oxygen’s returned to my brain.”

  “Leaving only the usual minor damage,” Dori quipped. “We hardly noticed the change.”

  “Ha, good one,” Paige snapped and happily slapped open palms with the brunette.

  Caleb adopted a bland expression and cast a withering look towards the women. “Oh, so very funny…not.”

  “Well, if you notice any blurred vision, disorientation, or headaches, come see me immediately, okay?” Ethan insisted. “Enjoy your day,” he added and turned to walk away.

  Paige’s eyes followed him as he walked away, and then turned to notice that her two tablemates were watching her with curious expressions. “What?” she snapped.

  Caleb and Dori innocently shook their heads.

  “Oh, whatever,” Paige blurted and rose from her seat. “I gotta run down some leads on last night. I’ll let you know what I find out.”

  She quickly departed the dining room, leaving the two humans with perplexed expressions.

  “What was that about?” Caleb asked.

  “Not sure that I care to say right at the moment,” Dori wistfully observed with a knowing tone.

  Then she noted Caleb’s curious expression and changed the subject. “Listen, I finally have some information related to our little storage building excursion.”

  “Like what?” He felt that the topic was old news given all of the recent excitement.

  Dori explained that she had acquired old photographs of mines in the surrounding area from museum archives. One photo clearly showed the same area where they had been apprehended by the authorities. As recently as thirty years prior there had been an actual open entrance into a mine where the storage building presently stood.

  Caleb was encouraged that they hadn’t been barking up the wrong tree in their search of the site.

  “Did you show everything to Alton?” he inquired.

  “Yes,” she glumly replied. “But he wasn’t as interested as I expected him to be.”

  He silently pondered their situation. “So, with our being under virtual house arrest, how are we supposed to get back there?” he asked.

  “We sneak out, of course.”

  “Lady, I like your style. What’s the plan?”

  “I’m working on that, but I should have something by tonight,” she said.

  “What can I do to help in the meantime?” he asked before lifting another forkful of food to his mouth.

  She rose from her seat. “For now, just try to stay out of trouble. Think you can manage that?”

  He rolled his eyes and offered her a sour expression as she walked away. Then he happily returned to his breakfast.

  * * * *

  By midafternoon, Paige was silently fuming during a protracted interview, or rather interrogation, from Major Pietari pertaining to her and Caleb’s
experiences leading up to and during their vault detainment. His insistence that she go over the details three times merely to be thorough sounded rational, though she somehow had the notion that he was enjoying himself.

  However, she didn’t give him the satisfaction, and instead patiently recounted the information upon request. In the end, it had seemed to her to be a waste of more than two hours of valuable time.

  Finally, she was able to return to her duties, which meant engaging in her own investigation. Sitting before the video surveillance monitors, she poured over the stored video streams from the previous night just prior to her and Caleb’s entering the elevator, as well as anything potentially useful that had been recorded after the systems came back online.

  In addition to the vault camera’s having been switched off, she noted that the basement cameras were unable to capture anything useful, either. Someone had been quite artful and clandestine in avoiding any other camera viewing angles.

  An inside job, she resolved.

  She reverted to a live video feed, quickly scanning the plethora of images before her, and zoomed in on a view from the shopping area near the main lobby. Caleb walked into one of the shops with Maddy Baker and Aiden Henderson in tow. She was pleased that he was interacting with other humans, instead of obsessing over Baldar Dubravko or any other vampires at the conference.

  Upon further consideration, Paige considered it likely that their unplanned detainment had been part of a darker scheme. To her, the two most important questions were: which vampire took the initiative to act, and upon whose authority or sanction?

  The minutes passed as she reviewed the conference participants and any known affiliations for those who were representing absent parties. Despite her dedication to the investigation at hand, her mind wandered a couple of times. And on both occasions, the subject of such wandering was none other than the handsome and charming Dr. Ethan Reynolds. To her surprise, she found herself smiling like a school girl who was experiencing her first crush.

  I need to get laid more often, she chastised herself, refocusing on the task at hand.

  * * * *