by Primo, Jaz
“Me? I’m just a simple French girl,” she demurred with a shrug.
Caleb scoffed as Alton suppressed a smirk.
Then her smile faded, and her visage turned serious. “I’m a Special Agent in Charge for Interpol, Caleb.”
Even in his slightly impaired state, he was both surprised and impressed. “Interpol?”
Dori nodded. “I’ve been with the agency for almost ten years now.”
Katrina frowned. “I suspected something of that nature. But precisely how did you meet Alton?”
Being on Interpol’s radar doesn’t bode well for our kind.
The woman fondly gazed into Alton’s hazel eyes.
“Alton and I met one night while I was on a surveillance mission,” she recalled with a distant expression. “Unfortunately, I didn’t realize my target knew about our presence. My partner was killed before I realized what was happening, and Alton saved my life just as a knife blade flashed in my peripheral vision.”
“I’ve a soft spot for lovely ladies,” Alton interjected with his charming English accent.
Somehow that didn’t surprise Katrina. She knew long ago that Alton’s modus operandi often involved old-school chivalry.
“We dated for some time afterwards,” Dori continued. “Though I must admit that it took me quite a while before I became suspicious of our frequent evening-only rendezvous. Eventually, he revealed his secret to me, and once I got over the shock of it, I found that I wasn’t bothered. In fact, there’s something quite romantically gothic about the whole premise.”
“So,” Katrina assessed, “you’re the special contact he used to acquire information about Chimalma when we were tracking her last year.”
Dori looked at Alton, who shrugged.
“Indeed,” he confirmed. “And a valuable resource she was, as well.”
Katrina’s eyebrows rose with curiosity, but her thoughts were interrupted by yet more knocking at the suite’s door. She answered it, and Paige strode into the room with a wide-eyed expression.
Alton and Dori stepped into the living room as she entered.
“What’s wrong?” Alton asked the petite vampire.
“I’ve never heard of anything quite like this,” Paige ventured with near-excitement in her voice. “Most of the vampires are mingling in the main dining room among their human companions. There’s a lot of talk about Caleb and how he risked his life like he did. Some want to confer a monetary offering, while others are talking about oaths of fellowship or something like it.”
“Really?” Katrina asked with surprise.
In all her centuries as a vampire, she had never heard of such a thing before. But then, in her lifetime, events on the scale of the conference had never been tried, either.
“That boy continues to surprise me,” Alton murmured almost to himself.
He walked to the bedroom to peek in on Caleb.
“How are you feeling, son?”
Caleb peered down the length of the bed past his feet to get a better view of Alton in the doorway. “Better, thanks. Just tired, mainly.”
“Well, get some rest,” Alton offered. “You have a number of well-wishers downstairs, in addition to the ones in this suite, and we all need for you to feel better soon.”
“Thanks,” he replied.
I have more new friends. Human and vampire friends.
“Oh, and Caleb,” Alton said. “Brutally honest, what you did today was impressive. I’m very proud of you, young man.”
“Brutal honesty?” he asked.
It was a term that Caleb and Alton used to indicate that their statements to one another were entirely forthright, without reservations or patronization. It meant a great deal to him to know exactly where he stood in Alton’s eyes, particularly given how Katrina looked up to him as her former mentor.
“Brutal honesty,” Alton confirmed.
“And what might the repercussions be for killing a vampire today?” It was only after saying it that such a fact solidified in his mind, and he felt almost numb.
Oh my God, this can’t be happening. I killed a vampire today and his human aide. I’ve never killed anyone before.
He anticipated that a human killing a vampire was likely an unpopular act, no matter the justifications or circumstances. But the starkest realization in his mind was that, despite the death of both a human and a vampire at his hands, he didn’t feel the remorse over the deaths that he would have expected.
Alton warmly responded, “Among those here at the conference, you’re most assuredly ‘in the clear’ in a phenomenal way. I’ve also spoken with the Slovene authorities, and they consider your actions as a ‘heroic act in their own country’s war against terrorism,’ or some such thing.”
“Among those here,” Caleb repeated as Alton’s comments slowly replayed in his mind. It occurred to him that those present might be sympathetic to his actions, but perhaps those allied with Dubravko wouldn’t feel so forgiving.
As if divining the young man’s thoughts, Alton continued, “The vampires that Dubravko represented won’t take kindly to their emissary’s death, but even they would be hard-pressed to decry your actions openly without garnering negative attention from the vampire community. Dubravko attempted to murder a host of his peers, after all. However, that doesn’t mean that you might not be a target of opportunity for them moving forward.”
Caleb sighed with resignation.
Great, I’m a target again, he groused. Although it wasn’t as if he would dream of taking back what he did. To him, anything was worth saving those that he cared about so dearly.
“But you’ve acquired many more allies than you had even a day or so ago, as well,” Alton reassured him. “Mark my words Caleb; you have a number of powerful supporters behind you now, aside from those in this suite, of course.”
The two female vampires stood in the living room listening to Alton’s and Caleb’s conversation. Katrina slowly nodded her head in determined agreement, while Paige glanced in Alton’s direction with a steely-eyed resolve.
Caleb earnestly smiled. “Thanks, Alton. Thanks so much.”
Alton’s expression turned serious. “No, thank you, dear boy. Many owe you a significant debt of gratitude today. And vampires don’t easily forget their debts.”
The tall, dark-haired vampire turned and proceeded across the living room towards the door to the suite, wrapping his arm around Dori’s waist as he passed her. They silently departed, pulling the door to the suite closed behind them.
“Someday, I want to know what that ‘brutal honesty’ term is all about,” Katrina whispered, almost to herself.
“I bet it’s probably some sort of guy thing,” Paige said.
“Hm,” Katrina said absently.
She had known Alton for centuries and doubted her friend’s off-handed assessment. Alton was typically very precise and deliberate in his vocabulary. However, to her, that was a minor mystery that could easily wait. For the time being, she had Caleb’s well-being and security to consider, as well as a host of other concerns related to the remaining conference agenda.
* * * *
Following a few hours of sleep, Caleb woke to discover a nighttime view through the bedroom window. The suite’s curtains were pulled open, and he noticed that a moon had partially risen. He imagined the night was rife with wandering vampires outside the walls of the hotel.
Stretching his legs while lying in bed, he immediately felt a number of sore muscles ache from his efforts. Appreciative that his headache of a few hours ago had temporarily subsided, he once again felt more like himself.
A flickering light on the nightstand commanded his attention, and he noted that it came from the display on his cell phone. Reaching over, he flipped open the face and dialed voicemail. The message was from Paul Wright and was short and sweet.
“Caleb, it’s Paul. I’m sorry, but I have bad news from the state regents and our president pertaining to next year’s budget. As we feared, the cuts were deep, and things d
on’t appear good at all. We’ve arrived at our worst-case scenario. Please call me when you get back.“
So there it was: he was about to become jobless. His dream career of a lifetime was over, or at least, suspended. He wearily placed the cell phone back onto the nightstand.
Pivoting up from the mattress, he had barely pushed his legs over the edge of the bed and sat up, when he felt a sudden wooziness roll over him. He grabbed the side of the bed with both hands to steady himself and slowly proceeded to stand up.
His bare feet had no sooner touched the floor when he started to feel slightly dizzy, and two small hands wrapped around his upper arms from behind to steady him in place.
“Easy there, hero,” Paige’s voice warned. “What are you doing up?”
He smiled, grateful that his friend and guardian was watching out for him. “Where’s Kat?”
“You know, I still can’t believe she lets you call her that. She hates nicknames.”
“Hey, you call her ‘Red’ and get away with it. Maybe I’m just a special case, or something.”
She giggled, wrapped her arms around his muscular chest, and pulled him against her petite frame. A tingle ran through her body as a rush of desire threatened to surface.
He felt the appealing warmth from her body penetrate his shirt.
Then he felt her lips at his left ear as she whispered, “You are very special, kiddo. In fact, after today, I’d say that you’re a human phenom of sorts to some folks. And, yes, you and I are both exceptions to her nickname rule. In truth, we probably get away with a lot more than she’d allow from anyone else. Actually, I’m sure of it.”
She held the wonderful young man in her arms, silently cherishing the moment. Certainly, the dashing and engaging Dr. Ethan Reynolds had captured her attention, but Caleb had captured her heart. Of course, he was already taken, and by her best friend, no less.
Some women have all the luck.
Still, it wasn’t as if she intended to challenge Katrina for Caleb’s affections. She frequently saw the love reflected in her friend’s eyes and refused to do anything to harm such a special thing. But there was sadness within her from not having anybody like that for herself, at least, not yet.
“I should just be grateful for what I have,” she mumbled under her breath.
Although quiet, he registered her comment and blinked with surprise.
Paige froze and swallowed hard, suddenly sorry for her audible slip. She realized how vulnerable she felt at that moment and dreaded saying anything further. But her heart outpaced her mind.
“I wish you’d do something to make me hate you,” she whispered in a tight voice.
“What?” he whispered as he pulled away from her, staring incredulously into her blue eyes.
Her pained expression spoke volumes.
“Sometimes it’s so difficult for me, wrestling with such strong feelings, unlike anything I’ve felt before. Then knowing that it doesn’t matter because you couldn’t possibly ever love me in the same way that you do Katrina.” She struggled as her brows knitted from the effort of holding back tears.
His heartbeat raced, and it tortured him that he couldn’t return the same level of affection to her that he felt for Katrina. In any case, even if he could, he realized that it would never be fair to either of them to pursue them both. A choice had to be made, and he had made it long before meeting her.
And I have no regrets.
“But I do love you,” he retorted as he turned to face her. “I’ll love you forever. It’s just a different sort of love. And I need you so very badly in my life,” he insisted, tightly hugging her to him. He took note of her taut muscles, though they relaxed slightly after a moment.
Paige felt her eyes moisten as she silently nodded. She didn’t trust her voice to respond as her small arms encircled his waist.
Moments passed before she lightly kissed him on the cheek and whispered, “Well, I didn’t get a chance to thank you for saving my life today. So, thanks.”
She allowed the silence to grow between them for a time.
“And as for that old lady of yours, she’s out at the site of your exciting briefcase finale,” she said, forcing a degree of levity into her voice.
He pressed a kiss against her cheek, which surprised her. She was awash with so many conflicted emotions that she felt like a circus juggler at that moment.
“You’re welcome. I can’t bear the thought of losing either Kat or you, much less both of you.”
She silently considered him at length, deliberately stalling to appreciate the closeness they were sharing.
I love this little guy so very much, she mused, smirking from the irony that he was actually a couple of inches taller than she was.
“Are we okay?” he asked.
She parted from their embrace, pulling away from him slightly while her piercing gaze transfixed him. Then her visage softened, and she nodded affirmatively.
“We will be...someday.”
He stared back at her affectionately.
“We better be. I won’t settle for less,” he challenged as a hopeful wave of relief washed over him. Somehow, he felt as if he’d just dodged some kind of catastrophic emotional bullet.
“So, how about a little evening stroll?” he prompted.
“Okay, tiger,” she agreed. “But no more heroism for today. If you start feeling weak or overly tired, you tell me. Got it?”
“Got it,” he calmly replied as he turned to lead the way to the suite’s front door.
However, his mind was still flustered by Paige’s emotional revelations.
* * * *
The night was far more beautiful than it had appeared from the hotel room. The air was cool and dry, and the sky was awash with a spectrum of stars. The moon cast a romantic glow on the area, and occasional park lamps further enhanced the romantic ambiance.
Caleb breathed in deeply, appreciating the scent and coolness of the fresh mountain air. He walked across the expanse of ground that he had spanned earlier in the day, but for some reason, that same distance seemed much further in the darkness.
As he walked, he realized that Paige had fallen behind him a short distance away. He paused to glance over his shoulder at her, and she smirked back at him.
“Go get her, kiddo,” she teased. “Or rather, be ready for her to come get you when she sees you standing there. I’m close if you need me, but do me a favor and stay away from the edge.”
He quirked his lips at her odd comments and kept walking towards the edge of the small cliff from which he had flung the briefcase. As he approached the edge, he saw a glow of industrial spotlights encircling a huge crater in the roadway.
The fencing alongside the road had been blown down for a short distance on either side of the crater, and the small cliff on which he stood seemed to have been whittled away significantly. Down below, some heavy tractors and a backhoe filled the crater with dirt and gravel.
He noticed that the black limousine was flipped over and had been moved to the side of the roadway. It was basically a twisted metal frame, burned and battered almost beyond recognition. There were also scorch marks on the undamaged part of the roadway where a fire must have been. Approximately two dozen workmen attended to various activities at the site, as well as a half-dozen or more authorities.
Surveying the scene below him, he spotted Alton talking to Katrina as they watched over the activities at the site. Dori was nestled beneath Alton’s left arm protectively draped around her shoulders. He was momentarily reminded of how Katrina often wrapped her arm around his own shoulders. It was a comforting scene, and he was pleased that the two seemed so happy together.
A handful of other vampires and some human companions watched from just outside the roped-off construction area. Caleb felt somewhat anxious as Katrina abruptly stopped talking to Alton and looked up to stare directly at him. He waved down at her, and she briefly returned his wave before adopting a concerned expression.
She doesn’t lik
e me standing here.
She moved in a blur from next to Alton and sprang halfway up the rocky façade of the cliff with a single leap. Then she appeared to half-claw, half-step the remainder of the way to the top where he was standing.
He was astonished that she was able to accomplish such a feat, and he staggered back a step or two.
“My God, Kat,” he nearly gasped.
To humans, vampires in action could be breathtaking, if not terrifying.
Nature’s perfect predators.
“You shouldn’t be up and around tonight, my love,” she stated with concern, drawing herself to her full height in an imposing stance. “And I can do much better than that. You just haven’t seen me in action very often.”
She was a vision of beauty in the moonlight, her pale skin illuminated against the night. Her emerald eyes glowed ever so slightly, but he wasn’t sure if it were strong emotion or hunger.
Despite the way her red hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, it seemed to glisten brightly in the moonlight. She was a vision of feral loveliness, and he momentarily wondered if biblical angels also looked that way to humans. To him, she was certainly an angel, the angel who had saved him from the hands of a cruel, abusive father.
“A beautiful angel,” he whispered as his pulse increased from the desire that flowed through his mind and body. “My vampire. My love.”
The corners of her lips upturned slightly, and then her eyes darted behind Caleb to see Paige standing close by. She nodded to the petite vampire before returning her full attention to Caleb.
My Caleb. But why are you here when you should be back at the room resting? A concussion is nothing to be trifled with.
“I need to be near you,” he replied to the question evident on her face.
She moved across the distance between them like lightning, coming to an abrupt halt to stand before him, and gazed down into his eyes. Her arm wrapped around his waist as she bent to kiss him passionately on the lips. Much to her satisfaction, he returned the kiss in kind.
“I need you too,” she whispered after parting from the kiss. “But you should be in bed resting, not standing next to the edge of a cliff.”