Kiss Me When the Sun Goes Down (18 page)

Mason’s hands came up in surrender.  “Okay, Mr. Grumpypants, you want to be all business, then fine.  Hanna said that Anja will be wearing a strapless jobbie in a midnight blue with crystal sparkly things around the waist.  Is that what you needed?”

“Yes, that’ll do fine, thanks.”  In his day, the gentleman dressed according to what the girl he was courting wore to a formal party.  Bishop intended to do no less, selecting a navy double breasted suit with a white shirt and a conservative navy tie.  He’d been growing his scruffy goatee out since their first date, and it now resembled more of a well groomed beard than before.  He liked it.  It made him feel different, more respectable.  Worthy of being on Anja’s arm. 

“I’d better skedaddle too.  Hanna should be almost done getting gussied up for the party about now.  You should see the dress she picked out.”  He let out a low appreciative whistle.  “I should’ve taken her out to a fancy party a long time ago.”

“Just stick close to her tonight.  You know these things can get out of hand at the drop of a hat, and there will be a lot of unfamiliar vamps in town.”

“Hey, it’s me,” Mason scoffed.  “If you want to worry about something, worry about yourself.”

“Why, have you heard something?”  Besides checking up on Carter and Gunnar’s security arrangements, Bishop had spent the last few nights with his ear to the ground, making sure there were no rumblings of anything that could sour the evening, and he’d come up empty. 

“No.  Because tonight, is your night, bro,” Mason sang, dancing out of reach barely in time to evade Bishop’s cuff.  “Later, dude.”

* * *

I
tried not to read anything into it that Bishop wasn’t there when the party kicked into high gear.  I hadn’t gotten any messages from him, and Mason seemed to think he’d be there with bells on, so I thrust myself into my Elder duties and tried not to notice the way the clock marched on without him. 

The party was an overwhelming success so far.  The locals came out in strong numbers, on their best behavior, dressed in their finest.  The details all seen to, Maggie relaxed on Tucker’s arm with a glass of champagne in hand, looking delicately beautiful in a powder blue, floor length gown, heavily beaded with seed pearls all around the bodice, and the jeweled choker I’d given her for Christmas.  Tucker was dressed as formally as I’d ever seen him, in a creamy jacket over jeans and an open necked shirt. 

For some reason, ties seemed to be a problem for both of the shifters, as Lee had on a dark jacket over jeans, with no tie either.  I had no objections, they both looked nice, and despite the fact that many wore fancy gowns and tuxes, they fit it well enough. 

Carter was also looking sharper than usual, in a gray suit with a black open necked shirt – no tie on him either.  Only Gunnar and Felix seemed to embrace neckwear, my bodyguard in his basic black suit and tie, and the Warden in a navy pin striped suit. 

I noticed almost immediately that there was no sign of Bridget on Felix’s arm, but I didn’t ask him about it.  Maybe she had a headache or maybe she’d gotten bored and gone home.  Maybe she was off in a room somewhere with a thirsty vamp.  I couldn’t care less, as long as it wasn’t Bishop who was neck deep in her. 

A brief flash of worry sliced through me, what with Bishop’s absence, but I immediately dismissed it.  Bishop would never ever betray me like that, especially after seeing what I’d gone through with Rob.  I’d stake my life on it.  No, wherever he was, I could be certain he had a good reason for it.  That feeling of trust lent me an air of peace that made it easy for me to breeze my way through the receiving line, chatting easily about the new house and some of its history. 

I flatly refused to sit in the throne Felix had set up in the corner, it wasn’t my style.  Bakareh set himself up there, and I didn’t mind at all.  There were a ton more people crowding around to get a glimpse of the Child King in person, glutting himself on the fresh blood being served; that left me able to mingle instead of the mind numbing smile and shake hands that usually went on for the first hour or two of these kind of parties.

Amunet came to see me, perhaps eager to escape her master’s court.  The stunning beauty wore the traditional dress I’d first seen her in, dripping with ornate jewelry, her black hair hanging in shining waves.  Perfect lips curved into a smile as she approached, surprising me by embracing me warmly.

“Anja, so lovely to see you again,” she smiled, standing back to place her hand on the arm of a gorgeous guy in a tux, who looked vaguely familiar. 

“Always a pleasure to see you too, Amunet,” I replied, finding that I meant it.  It wasn’t her fault her boss was a pain in the rear. 

“Thank you for being so accommodating with Bakareh’s wishes.  I know it can’t have been easy for you to arrange the after hours visit to Disneyland.  He sends his thanks as well.”

“Funny how he’s not much for giving them in person,” I observed, but didn’t push it.  “I’m glad he had a good time.  Did the two of you go too?”

“Yes, we had a most exhilarating time, didn’t we?”  Amunet smiled up at the man candy, and that’s when I placed him. 

Holy smokes
– was that Chad, the guy from the dive bar down by the docks?  Boy howdy, did he clean up nice.  “Maybe I’ll have to go next time,” I replied, but I don’t think she heard me, they were lost in each other’s eyes for long seconds before she turned to face me again.

“You look altogether well.  That’s a lovely dress.”

“Thanks, I like it too,” I smiled back, smoothing my hands over the skirt.  It was a deep sapphire, strapless, the bodice gathered and tucked so that it fit me like a second skin.  The sheer chiffon skirt was asymmetrical, falling above the knee on one side and almost to my ankle on the other.  A band of silver set crystals crossed the front waist, adding a touch of sparkle that matched the diamond choker Jakob had given me.  It was fun and flirty, and I felt pretty in it. 

“It is gorgeous, you must tell me where you bought it,” Jennike gushed, sidling up to the conversation.  Her voice lacked the usual spite, and I tried to figure out if she actually meant the compliment, or was baiting me for a later dig.  The Elder of the East wore an attention grabbing dress in gold lamé, the skirt scandalously short, revealing long legs, her back completely bare.  The front was relatively modest by comparison, with long sleeves and a high, draping neckline.  Her dark hair was pulled up into an elegant twist.  The diamonds at her ears and throat no doubt cost enough to feed a small country for a year.  It was probably the swankiest thing money could buy in the eighties, but to me the overall ensemble looked kind of tacky. 

“The ladies at FF Fashions were kind enough to make it for me.  I’ll have to let them know you approve,” I smiled back politely. 

“If you’ll forgive me, I see someone else I should say hello to,” Amunet excused herself, and I was about to offer to come with her when Jennike grabbed my arm, linking it through hers. 

“Shall we take a turn about the room?” she asked, leading me into a light stroll as I calculated exactly what kind of political suicide it would be for me to pull my arm free and tell her to shove it. 

When she didn’t immediately explain the odd request for a private talk, I took the bull by the horns and made an observation of my own.  “I have to say, I’m surprised to see you here tonight.  I was under the impression that you didn’t care much for the West.”

Her eyes went wide with surprise.  “Whatever could’ve given you that idea?”

Life was too short to pussyfoot around.  I decided to lay my cards on the table.  The worst that could happen was she’d get offended and stomp away, and I’d be no worse off than I was before.  Actually, the worst that could happen was she’d try to scratch my eyes out, and I was pretty sure I could take her. 

“Come on, Jennike, I’m not a total moron,” I replied, keeping my voice light.  “Admit it, you took one look at me and decided I wasn’t someone you wanted to be bosom buddies with.  I’m not offended.  To be honest, you’re not the first person I’d pick to invite over for a Buffy-athon either.  So what’s up?”

Jennike didn’t lose her poise, and I have to say, I admired that.  “You know how to get right to the point.  I like that about you, Anja,” she smiled, continuing our meandering pace.  “Alright, I’ll be honest too.  My nose might’ve been the teensiest bit out of joint when I heard about your meteoric rise to fame.  But you’ve come a long way since then.  Sorry if I was a bitch, but you know how it is.”

I didn’t, but that was beside the point.  “So that’s what this is now?  You want to bury the hatchet?”  I wasn’t naive enough to think that Jennike did anything without her own gain in mind, but I couldn’t figure out what being nice to me did for her. 

“Why shouldn’t we be allies?  After all, we’re in a similar boat politically.  Both looking for a greater sense of respect and legitimacy in the eyes of the other Houses.” 

“I agree with what you’re saying in principle, but tell me again why I should listen to a thing you say when you’ve got Simon Corley in your back pocket?  We both know he hates me more than Shield hates Hydra.”

“That’s true,” she allowed after a pause over my unusual comparison, and I gave her points for being honest about it.  “But as you say, it’s my pocket he’s in, not the other way around.  Simon has his uses, but don’t for a moment think he dictates policy to me.  I am the Elder of the East, and no one else.”

I wanted to ask her about all the vamps from England squatting in Canada, but I didn’t want to let on that I even know about it, and give up that advantage.  “What are you looking for then, Jennike?  An accord?  We already have treaties signed between the East and the West.”  Most of them were drawn up when Tommy was in power and favored the East more, but it wasn’t anything I thought worth pursuing. 

“Something I think will benefit us both greatly.” 

“I’m listening.”  Thanks to our slow walk, it didn’t appear that anyone else followed the conversation, though I did spy Gunnar walking several feet behind us, keeping pace. 

“When I heard of how you dealt with Carys, in her own House, it made me sit up and take notice.  I think it made a lot of the Elders do the same.  It was even enough to get Bakareh out of his shell to come here and check you out himself.  That’s no small feat, I’ve been trying to lure him out of his hidey hole for years,” she smiled. 

This was about Carys?  “What do you mean dealt with?  I left Vetis with Carys ruling just fine on her own.” 

“But only because you allow her to.  It’s well known that you could’ve taken her seat of power had you wanted to.” 

“What do you...?”  What the heck were people saying about me now?  “Please tell me exactly what you think you know about Carys and me.”

“Simply what everyone else knows.  That you are both children of Jakob, and that Carys was once his favored daughter, until he chose you.  He set each of you to rule your own Houses, but Carys was filled with jealousy when you stole her progeny.”

“I didn’t steal...” I started to say, but she cut me off with a pat on the arm.

“Oh, it’s no crime as far as I’m concerned, sweetie.  Bishop is yummy,” she approved with a predatory grin. 

“Okay, but I left Vetis alone, without Bishop.”  Or Rob, or anyone remotely resembling a romantic partner.  If anything, Carys was the one who’d gotten grabby with
my
man. 

“Yes, but not before you bested her in battle.”

Was that what people were saying?  “What makes you think that?”

“Do you deny it?”

“Well...”  Okay, so I had beaten her in a physical fight, but the only ones in the room had been me, Rob and Carys.  And I couldn’t imagine either Rob or Carys blabbing about it.  I did tell Bishop about it later, but it didn’t seem like the kind of thing he’d share around either.  “We did have one tiny little show down, but it wasn’t that big of a deal.  It wasn’t like I called her out and we fought in the arena or anything.” 

“But you bested her.  Legally, her life was forfeit to you, and all of her holdings.” 

Holy Hannah
, had I walked away from another House and not even known it?  I’m not going to lie, I indulged in a brief fantasy of kicking Carys out on her behind.  But what would I do then?  Rule both Houses from home?  Appoint Felix as regent or something?  It didn’t matter much because I hadn’t claimed it, and I didn’t think Carys would underestimate me again if we ever went up against each other in a fight. 

“I still don’t get how you or anyone else knows about this.”

Jennike gave a one armed shrug.  “Word travels fast in our circles.  You’d be surprised to hear what’s gossiped about.  Half of the men are wound around her finger, of course, but there are plenty out there that recognize Carys for what she is.  I never knew her personally, she was a tad before my time, but she seems like the worst sort of female.”

“No argument there, but what makes you say that?”

“Carys is a relic, a throwback to the past when women were nothing more than property.  I don’t need a man’s adulation to define my self worth.  And I certainly didn’t need a man to place me in power.  What I have in life I took for myself.  Simpering and making doe eyes at the other Elders only demeans our position in my eyes.” 

“That sums her up pretty well,” I had to agree, looking at Jennike with a new perspective.  We’d never be besties, she was too hard and calculating for my tastes, but I started to appreciate the shrewd mind behind her cold beauty.  “Not that it matters, but neither did I.  Jakob didn’t give me anything, I was elected into office.”

“Really?  How interesting.  But surely your position as his daughter had something to do with it.”

So not
all
of the gossip had made it to her.  “Actually, it was all based on a lie.  I was claiming that Carys was my Sire at the time because I couldn’t come forward as Jakob’s daughter.”

“Oh, that’s right,” she nodded in understanding, lips curving in delight.  “Very sneaky, my dear.  I approve, one hundred percent.  Whatever it takes to get the end result, right?”

“No, not really.”  That was the difference between us.  I hadn’t schemed my way into power, nor would I ever want to be an end justifies the means kind of ruler.  “I’m still not entirely sure what you want from me, Jennike.  Yes, I fought Carys and won.  No, I don’t intend to claim Vetis as mine any time soon.  So what is it that you think I can do for you?”