Sunrise at Sunset (28 page)

Katrina paused. “Some friends, fellow vampires.”

His eyes widened slightly at the revelation. “When?”

“They’re on their way now,” she replied softly. “They’ll be here any time.”

Caleb’s heartbeat quickened, and his appetite suddenly abandoned him. He pushed his plate away and reached for his water glass.

“Go ahead. Finish eating your pizza,” she offered supportively.

His eyes flickered to hers.
Oh hell, more vampires
, he lamented.

Around nine o’clock that evening, Caleb was cleaning up the kitchen when he heard the faint ringtone of Katrina’s cell phone. As he finished rinsing the remaining dishes, she walked through the kitchen with the phone to her ear.

“I’m going to the garage now,” she noted before flipping the phone shut. She stopped by Caleb, neatly using her arm to corral him around the waist, and ushered him to walk before her. “They’re here,” was all she said as they headed for the small hallway near the garage.

A feeling of nervous anticipation passed through him as she gently urged him further down the hallway to the garage door. She punched in a series of codes on the wall’s security panel faster than he could gather the sequence. He heard the garage door opening beyond, and the lock on the small door leading into the garage clicked twice. She opened the door and followed him inside.

A late-model black sedan with tinted glass and a car rental vanity tag on the front bumper pulled into the empty garage bay closest to where Katrina and Caleb were standing. A man appeared to be driving.

Caleb noticed that it was dark outside and felt the cold night air tickle his bare arms and begin to permeate his cotton T-shirt. It was a very tempting sight being just a few feet away from access to the driveway.

Katrina immediately noticed his body language as he looked outside. “Don’t even think about moving,” she stated in a flat, commanding voice from behind him as she tapped the garage door button to close the bay door.
If who I think is watching is out there, you need to stay where you are, Caleb
, she thought. But rather than explain herself, she decided her gruff command would have to do.
He probably thinks I’m a real bitch
.

The car’s engine shut off, and the driver’s side door opened as Caleb gave a heavy sigh. He turned to give her a dirty look over his shoulder as the bay door closed fully.

“Be nice. We have company,” she whispered with a brief poke in the small of his back with the tip of her finger.

A dark-haired man over six feet tall who looked to be somewhere in his late thirties to early forties exited the vehicle. He was of solid build and wore dark gray casual slacks and a white, long-sleeved dress shirt. His pale complexion matched Katrina’s.

“Katrina!” he exclaimed with a bright smile that displayed his perfect white teeth. He walked around the back of the car to the passenger side.

Katrina moved past Caleb and hugged the man warmly. “It’s good to see you, dear friend,” she greeted him in a brighter mood than she had displayed recently.

“It’s been too long, my dear,” he replied in a rich English accent.

Caleb felt an immediate pang of jealousy as he watched the exchange, though he kept his facial expression pleasant and respectful.

The man glanced at Caleb with bright hazel eyes and appeared somewhat amused. He disengaged from the embrace with Katrina and immediately moved past her to reach out his right hand to Caleb.

“Alton, I’m pleased to introduce you to my mate, Caleb,” Katrina offered from behind the man with a smile and a gleam in her green eyes.

Caleb took his hand and immediately noticed the man’s firm grip. He also carried himself with an air of authority. Caleb momentarily wondered if he were titled or not. “Pleased to meet you, sir,” he greeted the man.

“Alton,” the fellow offered congenially.

“Sir Alton,” Caleb ventured formally.

“Just Alton,” the man corrected him in the crisp British accent with a disarming smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Caleb. I’ve looked forward to meeting the man who stole Katrina’s heart.”

Caleb grinned and glanced at Katrina, who winked at him.

The moment was broken suddenly by a loud banging sound coming from the truck, which startled Caleb enough that his body physically jolted with surprise. His heart skipped a beat, and he stared at the trunk warily. Both Alton and Katrina looked sharply towards the rear of the car, but neither seemed surprised.

“Alton, open this trunk right now!” came a muffled female voice from inside.

Alton moved past Katrina to the rear of the car and activated a button on his key remote, and the trunk lid snapped open. Caleb moved closer to where Katrina stood, keeping well away from the trunk.

A short, blonde-haired woman appearing to be in her mid-twenties gracefully slipped out over the edge of the roomy car trunk and frowned up at Alton sourly. “It’s about time, Alton,” the young woman snapped. “Next time you can ride back there.”

Her face was beautiful, and her hair was straight and trimmed at jaw level in a bob reminding Caleb of a Charleston dancing girl from the 1920s. She was approximately five feet and a half, and her petite body was hugged by a pair of denim blue jeans and a dark, snug Alice Cooper concert T-shirt. Her general appearance was like one of the young college students Caleb taught in his history classes, except for the unusual hair style. But she didn’t appear much younger than he was, actually. Following a moment’s reconsideration, Caleb noted that her T-shirt seemed out of tempo for her age. Still, he found her to be striking on a number of levels.

The young blonde’s bright blue eyes seemed to gleam as her attention was diverted to the sight of Caleb standing awkwardly before her. He was still trying to ascertain why she was in the trunk.

“Hi. Caleb Taylor,” he offered a little nervously while extending his hand to shake hers.

“Hi.” She returned his handshake and offered an appraising grin. “I’m Paige, Paige Turner.”

The pun almost made him chuckle. “Heavy reader, are you?” he quipped with a smirk.

Paige’s eyes widened brightly at the reference, and her pearly-white teeth gleamed at him as she grinned broadly. “Oh, I like you already.”

Though she was friendly, Caleb was unsettled by the view of her glinting teeth. It made her look almost sinister. In addition, Paige’s eyes were a penetrating blue and appeared to target Caleb as she stared at him.

Katrina smiled subtly at the exchange between her friend and her mate. Her eyes darted to Alton speculatively, and she noticed that the corners of his mouth were upturned in a subtle smile. She was pleased everything was off to a good start.

Paige moved quickly to Katrina to embrace her energetically. Katrina smiled brightly as her arms warmly enveloped the shorter woman.

“Missed you,” Paige muttered as she popped a kiss on Katrina’s cheek. “Been too long, Katrina.”

“You too, Paige,” Katrina replied warmly with a quick, sisterly peck to Paige’s cheek.

A quiet moment passed before Katrina and Paige released from their hug, both still smiling appreciatively. Caleb wondered what the back story was with them.

“Let’s get everybody settled inside,” Katrina suggested, breaking the momentary silence as she noted Caleb’s reaction.

Caleb moved immediately to the car’s open trunk and removed two large leather duffle bags. Alton opened the rear car door and effortlessly pulled out two large black suitcases from inside. He followed Katrina into the house. Caleb shouldered both duffle bags, one over each arm, and headed through the garage.

“Very gentlemanly,” Paige observed as she followed Caleb. “But I can carry my own bags, thank you.”

Caleb smiled. “I’m happy to oblige.”

At the doorway leading into the house, he thought he heard the sound of Paige inhaling deeply from behind his head.

“Hm, nice vintage,” she whispered.

A small shiver went up Caleb’s spine as Paige playfully giggled.

Caleb took Paige’s luggage to one of the guest rooms upstairs. The youthful blonde vampire silently followed Caleb into the room and stared at him intently with a smile on her face as he placed her bags on the bed. Her expression was both appraising and unsettling, and he only briefly made eye contact with her to smile in a welcoming fashion before quickly departing.

“Thank you, Caleb,” Paige called in a remarkably upbeat tone of voice that contrasted to her intense gaze.

“You’re welcome,” he replied before barreling downstairs.

Katrina directed Alton to a guest room next to Paige’s, but further away from the stairs. She smirked and shook her head upon hearing Caleb’s quickly retreating footsteps down the stairs.

“He doesn’t know what to make of Paige,” Alton surmised with an amused expression.

“It took me years. How about you?” Katrina countered with an upraised eyebrow.

He chuckled deeply. “She’s really quite charming once you get used to her dynamic personality.”

“Oh, I can appreciate her fully now,” Katrina countered. “But it wasn’t immediate,” she recalled with a smile.

“Part of that’s because you were always so serious,” Alton noted pointedly. “But I sense that Caleb has tempered that somewhat.”

Her smile faded slightly as she admitted, “We were doing fabulously, but we’ve been arguing a little bit since Chimalma made her appearance.”

He nodded supportively, but said nothing.

“I mean, I’ve tried to be especially patient with him,” she continued. “I’ve really been more openly affectionate and understanding than in the past.”

“And he makes you happy, I suspect,” he suggested. “His personality likely encourages you to feel that way.”

She smiled shyly. “Yes, I’m very happy. I haven’t felt this in a long time, Alton. I’m in love, after such a long time.”

“He’s very different from the others,” Alton noted. “I could tell that upon first meeting him.”

Katrina smiled while reflecting on Caleb’s many appreciable attributes. He was very different from the men in her past, except perhaps for one.

“And what’s been his reaction to our little plan?” he asked.

She frowned and replied in a cooler tone of voice, “You know there’s nothing for him to react to. We’re going to do what needs to be done, what we should have done half a century ago.”

He raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You mean, you haven’t told him anything?”

“He knows what he needs to know,” she countered evenly. “Nothing more.”

Alton’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “That’s a little overprotective, even for you. No wonder you’ve been arguing more lately.”
Katrina scowled. “I tried that with my last mate, and he committed suicide. You know that, Alton, and I’m not making the same mistake twice.”

Alton remained silent.

“Caleb’s a gentle soul,” she explained with some exasperation. “And he’s experienced enough violence in his past already. Chimalma’s not going to get to him, much less warp his mind and emotions.”

Alton sighed softly and raised both eyebrows appraisingly. “I respect that, Katrina. But I recommend caution. Such isolation could breed resentment, as well.”

Katrina shook her head in resignation. “I’m trying my best here.”

He considered his former pupil and reached out to embrace her, causing Katrina’s former irritation levels to subside somewhat. “Come on,” he offered. “Let’s go chat a little bit with Caleb before the night gets away from us.”

After a moment, Katrina pulled away from him with an appreciative smile and turned to lead the way downstairs.

They were no sooner downstairs when Caleb’s nervous voice could be heard in the kitchen. Both vampires exchanged curious glances and hastened in that direction. Upon arrival, they saw Caleb backed up against the kitchen counter bar while Paige stood before him with her arms crossed.

“A Coca-Cola?” she asked cynically. “I said thirsty. Hello? I’m a vampire. Maybe the next time you say you’re thirsty, I’ll bring you a glass of soapy water.”

“I’m really sorry,” he apologized.

Alton covered his mouth with his hand to hide the smile forming, while Katrina’s expression became steely.

“Problem?” Katrina asked pointedly.

“Maybe just a little,” Caleb answered nervously. “It seems I’m not quite certain where to find some blood for our guests.”
“Oh, I already found some blood, all right,” Paige noted with a sly expression as she smiled at him.

“Paige,” Katrina chastised her in an ominous tone.

The young vampire adopted a sour expression and looked up at the ceiling with her arms crossed.

“He doesn’t know where I keep the blood yet,” Katrina informed Paige levelly. “I don’t feed in front of him.”

Caleb had never observed her while she consumed blood, except from him, obviously.

Paige’s eyes reflected sincere surprise, and her eyes darted to look at Caleb before turning to stare at Katrina with a puzzled look. “You’re kidding,” she scoffed incredulously. “There was a time when you used to drink before other humans as you drank from the human serving as the donor.”