Sunrise at Sunset (48 page)

His eyes widened slightly, and he recalled a conversation with Alton at the estate where he’d been told about the personalities of some of her unsuccessful former partners. But he also recalled what Alton said about facing his fears in order to accept Katrina successfully as a mate.
Where is the happy medium to be found?

He blinked, sighed, and whispered somewhat dejectedly, “I’m really trying my best, but I keep getting it wrong.” He found it ironic in his momentary feeling of failure that a Vince Guaraldi Christmas tune was playing in the mall. He almost muttered, “Good grief,” in classic Charlie Brown fashion, but thought better of it.

Katrina frowned and asked, “Getting what wrong?”

He shook his head. “Never mind. I’ll try to use better judgment in the future.”

His response confused her, and she looked somewhat bewildered.
What’s gotten into him recently
?

He looked into her eyes, noting the confusion and consternation in her expression. “Can we not argue about this? Please, just kiss me and forgive me,” he asked gently, hoping to try and salvage the remainder of what had been an enjoyable evening.

Katrina still felt confused, but at least he was beginning to sound a little more like himself again. However, she also recalled the conversation with Paige last evening about being more easy-going with him. She sighed while softening her grip around the base of his neck and kissed him warmly on the lips once. “You’re forgiven, my love,” she whispered sincerely.

When she pulled away from him, he adopted a hopeful expression. “So, where’s Paige gotten off to?” he asked absently while turning back to his left.

But Paige was already sitting next to him again, and she smiled back at him with a smug expression. “All done talking?” she asked.

“For now, I think,” he gratefully replied.

“Well, never mind all that,” Paige insisted playfully. “Haven’t you bought my Christmas gift yet, kiddo? The mall closes in another hour!”

Katrina shook her head with a smirk as he cast the sprightly, blonde-haired vampire a bland expression.

On the way back to the estate, they stopped by Caleb’s apartment to pick up some additional clothes. It was the first time since the drama unfolded with Chimalma that he’d been back to his apartment. The gate guard on duty recognized Katrina’s car and immediately opened the gate once Caleb waved to him from the back seat. He also noticed that they parked next to his old Honda Civic.

“Hey, my car’s back,” he noted brightly.

Katrina’s eyes glanced at him in the rear view mirror. “Of course. I told you that night as we left the restaurant that I’d see to it.”

“You can thank me later,” Paige replied dryly as she exited through the passenger side of the vehicle.

Caleb grinned as Katrina exited and pushed her seat forward for his egress. The garage seemed deserted, as it was nearly eleven o’clock, and many of the apartment residents’ vehicles were already parked for the evening. The three walked to the elevator, conversing casually about their shopping excursion.

As the elevator doors opened, he flashed back to the night Harry Maddox appeared wielding a pistol. But that felt like something from another time after all that happened since then, and he was impressed that he felt no fear. Some of that might have been due to the two dangerous vampires flanking him. He smiled absently and noticed both vampires staring at him curiously.

“Just thinking about how happy I am that we’re here together,” he replied evasively.

Both women smiled back at him, but Katrina detected there was a double meaning in his statement. Her arm snaked about his waist as the elevator made its way to the third floor. As she stood next to him, she contemplated her feelings about returning to the apartment building for the first time since the encounter with Harry Maddox. Despite the building’s being Caleb’s actual residence, she would have preferred that he was residing with her at the estate. While some of her feelings were due to her concerns over his safety, more of her motivation stemmed from the desire to have him near her so she could share in his life on a daily basis.

Paige’s eyes darted to her friends, and she noticed Katrina’s grasp on Caleb. The petite vampire absently turned her body so she was the first one standing before the elevator doors when they opened. The elevator bell dinged, and the doors slid open to reveal a peaceful hallway. Immediately following their exit from the elevator, it began its descent. The corridor was very quiet, and they only heard the sound of a television from inside one of the apartments as they walked to the end of the hall.

Caleb fumbled in his pockets for his door key and placed it into the deadbolt, but when he twisted his key to unlock it he noticed that it was already in the open position. He paused for a second as he tried to recall if he’d locked it when they last left. There was no resistance to his twist of the doorknob, and the door began to open.

“I thought we locked that,” he noted curiously as he pushed the door inward.

Katrina’s eyes widened as her left hand darted out in a blur to grasp his wrist, preventing him from opening the door further. She shook her head at him and used her right hand to push him towards Paige.

Paige pulled Caleb behind her and nodded once to Katrina with a stony expression. Katrina rushed into the apartment like a bullet. At that very moment, there was a
ding
followed by the sound of the elevator door’s opening just down the hall.

Paige changed positions again, moving Caleb against the wall and behind her slightly as she faced the direction of the elevator. A brunette woman appearing to be in her forties and carrying a grocery bag made a peculiar facial expression at the odd scene before her. Caleb recognized her as the lady who lived with her husband two doors down from him.

“Oh, hi, Mrs. Ackers,” he greeted her with a friendly smile as he moved to stand next to Paige, whose expression had softened slightly.

“Hello, Caleb,” the woman noted with a pleasant smile as she moved towards them and closer to her apartment door, though her eyes stayed warily focused on Paige.

“This is my friend Paige,” he offered with a glance at the short vampire to his left. “She’s a best friend of mine and Katrina’s who’s visiting from out of town.”

Paige smiled.

Katrina appeared at Caleb’s right, though only at human speed.

His peripheral vision registered Katrina’s appearance. “And I don’t believe that you’ve met Katrina yet. She’s my…the love of my life.” He smiled warmly at the reference, thinking the word “girlfriend” just couldn’t do justice to everything that Katrina meant to him. He would have liked to have said something more substantial, like “fiancée,” and he marveled that it was the first time he’d ever given thought to that level of commitment with anyone.

Katrina’s hand found Caleb’s and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“Pleased to meet both of you,” Mrs. Ackers offered. “We’ve missed seeing you recently, Caleb. I hope everything’s okay.”

“Everything’s fine,” Katrina spoke up with a sincere smile. “He’s just been hiding out from the world for a little while.”

Mrs. Ackers smiled and nodded. “Oh, that’s enviable. We’d all like some time away now and again. Well, nice to have met you both. Take care, Caleb.”

“’Night, Mrs. Ackers,” he replied with a quick wave.

The woman opened her apartment door and slipped inside. The door closed firmly, and they heard the dead bolt slide immediately into place.

“Hiding out from the world?” Caleb asked as he looked up at Katrina.

Paige grinned, but Katrina changed the subject. “Never mind that. There’s nobody inside your apartment, but it looks like your place was rummaged though pretty well.”

They made their way inside, and Paige closed the door behind them. Before Caleb focused on the interior of his place, he reached out with his hands to touch both vampires on the shoulder. They both looked at him curiously.

“I’m very grateful to you both for everything lately,” he offered sincerely. “I’ve never felt safer.”

Katrina smiled warmly, while Paige considered him with a smirk.

“Finally starting to appreciate us vampires now, aren’t you?” Paige asked with a penetrating expression.

He smiled and blushed a little. Then he turned to gaze upon the mess that was his apartment. Clothes were strewn over everything, his books taken from their shelves and tossed chaotically around the floor. His couch was tipped over on its back, and his kitchen stools were knocked over. The kitchen appeared fairly untouched except for a drawer and two cabinet doors left open.

His bedroom was a mess as well, with his sheets thrown off the bed, and many of his clothes from the closet and his chest of drawers were scattered around the room. The mirror above his dresser was broken, and his baseball bat was lying on the dresser top. It was difficult to determine if his place had been vandalized, or of someone had been looking for something.
But then, what do I have that somebody would want?

“Crap,” he muttered irritably. He felt like his world had been violated by the unknown intruders.

“Gawd, what a slob,” Paige observed dryly.

Caleb cast a withering expression in her direction, but Katrina smirked.

“Probably done by either Chimalma or one of her hired mercenaries, because Maddox was dead before he ever stepped foot on this floor,” Katrina noted absently.

Caleb sighed with resignation. “I guess I better try to get some of this cleaned up.”

“We can clean this up later. Just concentrate on retrieving some clothes and things you need for now,” Katrina corrected him. “And don’t worry, we can run everything you bring through the laundry at my place.”

The two vampires righted the furniture while Caleb picked up some clothes and threw them onto his bed. Katrina watched him for a moment and sighed. Her expression changed to disappointment as she looked around the room.

“You don’t want him to move back here, do you?” Paige asked in a discreet whisper.

Katrina pursed her lips and shook her head as she whispered, “No, I really don’t.”

“Yeah, I kind of figured that,” Paige replied knowingly. “But he probably doesn’t know that you feel that way. Maybe this is a good time to chat with him.”

She smiled down at her short friend and nodded. Paige turned on the television and plopped down on the newly-righted couch as Katrina walked into Caleb’s bedroom, closing the door behind her. He looked up curiously when he heard the door close and stopped sorting through his clothes.

“Caleb, I want to talk to you about something,” she said while holding his hands in hers.

“Yeah?” he replied, appreciating her gentle manner.

“I realize that things have been way beyond stressful lately, and you likely feel as if you’ve suffered a forced relocation from your apartment,” Katrina began gently. “But the truth is, despite some bumps along the way, I’ve really enjoyed your being at the estate with me.”

He smiled. “I’ve kind of gotten used to being there myself.”

“Do you feel comfortable there?” she asked carefully.

He considered her for only a second before answering, “You could say that.” The truth was he was still getting used to life with a vampire. However, after his honest chat with Alton, he knew he was more than up to the task. And frankly, Katrina’s estate felt like the Taj Mahal compared to his little apartment. The manor hosted all the amenities and grandeur he’d previously only seen on television shows about the rich and famous.

She guided him to sit next to her on the edge of his bed. Staring into his pale blue eyes, she smiled warmly at him, and he grinned back in response. “Would you consider moving in with me?” she asked simply. “On a permanent basis?”

Caleb swallowed, and his heartbeat increased slightly. It was an exciting prospect to say the least, and he really liked the idea of living with her. But he didn’t want to seem like he was taking advantage of her. He realized that his net worth was likely only a pittance in comparison to hers, and he felt a momentary pang of shame for some reason. His grin faded into a more serious, introspective expression.

She noted his expression and increased heartbeat with some concern. She frowned and took both of his hands in hers again. “What’s wrong?” she asked gently. “You can be honest and tell me anything, Caleb.”

He paused, uncertain of how to explain his feelings. He also recalled his most recent conversation with a certain English vampire involving brutal honesty. But Katrina was more than just a vampire; she was his lover and companion. Finally, he looked into her eyes with a slightly embarrassed expression. “I really love the idea, Kat,” he began. “But I don’t want to feel like I’m taking advantage of you like some kind of mooch. Maybe if I could pay for utilities or something.”

She smiled warmly, happy his concern was of a material nature and not a deeper emotional reservation. “Don’t be silly,” she chastised softly. “This will be perfect for both of us, and it’s a great opportunity for you to build up your savings account. You know how you’ve talked about getting a part-time job to make extra money.”

His mind raced back to the interview with CRE and the debacle that started the Chimalma nightmare. He shivered slightly at the recollection, causing a deeper frown to appear on Katrina’s face. “Yeah, part-time work hasn’t exactly worked out so well for me recently, has it?” he ventured distractedly.