Tempt Me When the Sun Goes Down (22 page)

There was something in the way she said
now
, that made him turn, leaving the light behind as he joined her in the shadows.  “What is it?” he asked, when he reached her side. 

“You said if I loved you I would let you go.  And maybe if I loved you less, I could do so.  But you belong to me, Ulrik, and you always will.”

Bishop opened his mouth to protest, but the words died in his throat as her will took hold of him. 

Her hands slid up his chest as she inched closer, a smile curving her lips.  “I am the one you love, I’m everything you’ve ever wanted and more.  You love
me
.”

“I love you,” he repeated, and in that instant, he knew it was true.  Carys was the one he loved, she was everything he’d ever wanted and more.  It seemed so simple, how could he ever have doubted it?

“Do you remember that night we first met?” she asked, her smile stretching wider as he saw the light.

“Of course.”

“That is how I would have you remember me.  Erase any displeasure of past hurts or slights, remember only the good times we shared.  We will start a new life together.”

“New life,” he repeated, his hands settling on her hips, where they belonged.  It was happening, they were finally free to be together as he’d always wanted them to!

Her face tipped up to his, blue eyes surprisingly bright in the fading light.  “Tell me then, do you love me?”

An overwhelming rush of love went through him, and he could barely contain the words.  “I love you Carys, I’ve always loved you.  When I thought you’d died, it destroyed me. I wanted to die too.”  The pain washed over him as he relived that terror, but one touch from her and it all went away. 

“Shh,
cariad
,” she whispered, tipping her lips up to his.  “We will never be parted again.”

“Never again,” he pledged, covering her lips with a passionate kiss. 

I looked up and there Bishop was, looking right at me – and I swear, time stood still.  If it was in a movie, it would’ve been in slow-mo, the people around us shot through a filter, hazy and soft, with a shower of silver sparks.  I swear, that’s what it felt like.  Even the music faded as I was caught by the power of those green eyes.  He was coming to talk to me, I could feel it, and in that moment of clarity, I really wanted him to. 

And then he turned away, distracted by something in the shadows.  I waited for him to turn back to me, but he didn’t, disappearing from view.  Curiosity getting the better of me, I followed him away from the noise of the party, surprised to see him talking to Carys.  Even more surprised when she put her arms around his neck.  The music started up again, a raucous number with several voices singing, and I scowled as it drowned out their words. 

I inched closer in sick fascination, unable to pull away and leave them to their privacy.  I had to know if it was just Carys pitching herself at him again or if he truly was considering a reconciliation with her. 

Finally, I was able to pick out his deep voice.  “I love you Carys, I’ve always loved you.  When I thought you’d died, it destroyed me.  I wanted to die too.”

“Shh,
cariad
, we will never be parted again.”

“Never again.” 

They crashed together in a passionate kiss, and I stopped stock still, my ears burning along with my heart.  I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move… all I could do was stare at the pair of them, like a horrible train wreck you can’t look away from even though it makes you feel sick to your stomach. 

He loved her.  Really a lot, from the way he was trying to devour her up against the pink trailer and Carys was eating it up, her hands all over him. 

I felt flushed all over, like I needed to feed, but at the same time, the thought of eating made me feel queasy.  Finally, my feet became unstuck, and I backed away as silently as I could manage, scared to death that at any moment either one of them might notice me there.

Not particularly watching where I was going, I backed up into a solid wall of muscle, my hair whirling around my shoulders as I realized I’d crashed right into Rob. 

“Everything alright?”

No.
  “Yes, I’m fine.” 
Such a big lie
.  I had to get him out of there before he noticed the couple grappling in the shadows and my humiliation would be complete.  “Let’s um, let’s go get a drink.”

“Already got one,” he replied with a half smile, raising his glass.  I took it right out of his hand and drained it in one burning gulp.   

Rob’s brows rose in question.  “Thirsty?”

“Yep, thirsty is what I am.”  I shoved the glass back into his hand, looping my arm through his as I all but dragged him back to the light of the fires.  “Can you get me another, please?”

He looked at me long and hard for a moment, and then gave a simple nod.  “Sure.  Be right back.”

“Thanks.”  More than the drink, I needed a few minutes alone to pull myself together. 

Bishop was with Carys again. 

So what?  I’d known it could happen –
would
probably happen.  It was part of why we hadn’t tried to start things up again even though we felt…  what was I feeling?  It was funny, fifteen minutes ago I couldn’t have articulated it, but now it was crystal clear – loss, plain and simple.  Even though there were no promises made between Bishop and me, I realized in that moment how deeply my love for him ran. 

I could’ve sworn he felt that way too, but what had people been hammering into me since I’d joined the undead club?  The bonds between Sire and progeny were particularly strong.  I couldn’t compete with that.  It was stupid to think I had a shot.  Or it was stupid of me not to have taken the shot earlier when I had a chance?

“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” I muttered, pushing my hands through my hair. 

Then again, that probably would’ve been worse.  I didn’t think I could face that kind of heartache.  To have Bishop’s love only to find it eroded away in the face of rediscovering Carys… no, things were definitely better this way. 

“You okay?”

I looked up to see Bishop staring down at me with concern, Carys clinging to him like a cheap cologne.  Why did everyone keep asking me that?  Ah, who was I kidding?  I had a terrible poker face.  “No, I’m good, really good,” I lied through my teeth, drumming up a saccharine smile.  “Not as shiny as you guys, apparently.” 

“Yes, shining does seem to describe it perfectly,” Carys beamed, and I wanted to smash her teeth in with her own shoes.  Instead, I forced a civil tone.

“So, are congratulations in order?”

“I’d say so,” Carys replied, her hands roaming boldly over his chest, and I clenched my hands so tightly together, I scented my own blood as my fingernails did a number on my palms. 

Maybe Bishop caught it too, or maybe he picked up on the fact that I was a hair trigger away from tearing out every last golden hair on her head.  For whatever reason, he turned to Carys and whispered something near her ear, something I couldn’t catch, thanks to the stupid gypsy music.  Carys looked up at him and smiled prettily, actually batting her eyelashes at him before she leaned in and whispered something back that brought a flush of heat to Bishop’s cheeks. 

“I will,” he rumbled.

“I’m counting on it,” she replied, leaning up on her toes to deliver a scorching kiss that left him breathless.  “Always a pleasure to see you, sister dear,” she smiled at me, pausing for a few unnecessary moments to bask in her triumph and make sure I got the message –
her man, mitts off
.  And then she sashayed away, reclining on a pile of cushions set out on an old threadbare carpet.  Bishop stared after her, eyes glued to the swish of her hips and I wondered why he hadn’t gone with her.

“So, you and Carys, huh?” I prompted when he just stood there.   

That got his attention, and his head swiveled back in my direction.  “Yep.  It’s funny how things work out, isn’t it?”

“I thought you were still sorting out your feelings for her.  What happened to not deciding anything tonight?” 

A flicker of something crossed over his features, but it was gone just as quickly.  “Yeah, I dunno, everything got really clear, you know?”

“Yes, I think I know what you mean.”  Boy howdy, did I know.

“I mean, I’d be crazy not to be with Carys, she’s everything I’ve ever wanted.”

Not too long ago I’d been convinced it was me he wanted, but then again, I’d never been a genius at love.  He was staring at her again, and she waved in our direction.  “Crazy is what it is,” I murmured, focusing all of my energy on not breaking.  If I could get through the next few minutes without falling apart, I knew I could take it.  “That’s great that you found each other again,” I managed to get out.  “Was there something you wanted to talk about?”  I was surprised they weren’t off in a dark corner somewhere rediscovering each other.  My imagination took that idea too far and I had to force myself to think about something else before I lost it for good.

“I just thought… I mean, I wanted to say…”  Bishop shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

“Go ahead, you can tell me anything.”

“I hope this doesn’t change too much between you and me.  I know Carys isn’t your favorite person, but I hope we can be friends.”

“Friends.” 
Cool beans.
  Exactly what every girl likes to hear.  I tried to figure out what it meant that he’d put off his reunion nookie to make sure I was okay with it, and came up blank.  He stared at me like I held the balance of the world in my hands, and I forced a smile.  “Of course we can, that goes without saying.  We’ll always be friends.”

“Good.”  The tension drained out of his shoulders, and his easy smile returned.  “I really hope you work things out with Rob.”

“You do,” I replied in a flat tone, trying to keep the disbelief from my voice.  My eyes searched for Rob, wondering why he hadn’t returned with that drink yet.  I found him hovering near the edge of the crowd, drinks in hand, watching us warily.  Our eyes met and he gave me a slow nod, and I understood he was giving us some privacy. 

“Of course.  I’ve only ever wanted your happiness, Anja.  And now, we can all have what we want.”  His gaze went back to Carys and I couldn’t look away from the love and adoration I saw in his face.

“Yep.  Everything I’ve ever wanted,” I murmured.

“Well, I’d better get back to her.  She doesn’t like it when I’m gone for too long.”

“No, of course not.”  Because
that
wasn’t too controlling of her.  

“Thanks again, so much for everything you did.”  Bishop smiled at me, leaning in to kiss my cheek in appreciation.  “All those years without her, I never would’ve even known she was still alive without your help, let alone breaking the curse.  None of this would’ve been possible without you.”

“Yay me,” I said, somewhere between a laugh and a sob, but he didn’t notice my distress, his attention was wholly focused on Carys.  “Bye…” I called out when he walked off.  Her greeting was enthusiastic, and all of a sudden, I didn’t want to sit around the campfire any longer. 

Turning to leave, I saw Rob approaching hesitantly, and I closed the distance between us, relieving him of first one drink and then the other.

“You weren’t kidding about being thirsty.  Do you need something stronger?”

Did they make anything stronger than that gypsy brew?  My burning throat thought not, but then I realized he meant another kind of drink entirely and I shook my head.  “No, I’m good.”

“They seem happy,” Rob observed mildly, his head nodding toward where Carys cuddled in Bishop’s lap on the nest of pillows. 

“Yes, they do.”

“I’m sorry if that hurts you.”

I looked away from the painful sight to another just as hurtful – the pity in Rob’s eyes.  “No, I’m fine.  Things with Bishop and I were always… it wasn’t meant to be, you know?  There were always too many things between us.  First Jakob, and then the compulsion thing, and then…”  I shook my head.  It was neither the best time or place to get all weepy over Bishop and our missed chances.  “I’m sorry, I know the last thing you want to hear is about me and Bishop.”

“I want to be here for you, in any way I can.”

“Thanks.  That means a lot to me.”

Rob picked up my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.  “I mean to be near you however you’ll have me.  If that means as a friend and nothing more, then I’ll take that.  I never did deserve you…”

“Don’t say that.” 

“It’s true enough.  You’re worth more than ten of me or anyone else here – and that includes Lady Pain-in-my-arse.”  The corner of his mouth tugged up into an almost smile.  “If he can’t see that, then he don’t deserve you either.”

An over the top statement, but it was exactly what I needed to hear in that moment.  I don’t know who started it exactly, but his arms wrapped protectively around me and I lost myself to the solid comfort of his embrace.  The scrape of his jaw against my cheek, the smell of home made gypsy brew with a familiar tinge of old smoke and bay rum.  It felt good to be back in his arms, safe.  “You’re really sweet, you know that?” I smiled, pulling back to see his face.

“Now you’re just being nasty,” he pretended to scowl.

I laughed, as expected, and everything didn’t seem so bad.  “You want to get out of here and go for a walk?”

“Nothing would please me more.”

We strolled away from the noise and the lights, vampire enhanced vision keeping us from stumbling along the way.  My hand fit perfectly in his, the rough pads of his fingers brushing over mine.  Soon the raucous party was only a distant hum in the background, the chirping crickets and soft scurries of small rodents our only companions.  I felt calmer with him by my side, more at peace.  Still, I wasn’t sure what to say, not having recovered that easy comfort with him yet.

“Sure is dark,” I ventured after a while.

“It’s the new moon.  A time for beginnings.” 

“That seems true enough for you,” I allowed.  “It must feel like an entirely new life for you with the curse lifted.  No more cravings or weakness.   You can finally have a normal life.  Well, as normal as it gets for the pointy-fanged crowd,” I smiled, but Rob was all kinds of serious.

“Living with the curse was worth it when I had you in my life.”

“Don’t say that, not even in a joke.  You could’ve died.”

“Who’s joking?  I should’ve been dead long ago,” he shrugged.  “If I’d lived a natural life, I’d have turned up my toes by now, but thanks to Jakob’s blood and yours I’m still kicking.”

“That’s true.  It’s weird to think about how different our lives have been until now.  What you’ve seen and done.”   

“I’ve had a long enough life, more than most men, but I never lived until I met you.” 

A part of me melted at the sentiment, but could I give him what he needed now, after everything?  Part of me loved Rob – enough that it almost killed him – but I wasn’t sure if I could let the past go.  And I’ll admit it, I was straight up scared he’d hurt me again.  “Rob, I…”