Wicked Sunset (Sunset Vampire Series, Book 4) (34 page)

“Attention, everyone. The General’s taking a bit of personal time, if you know what I mean,” he announced in a mock-discreet voice, to which many chuckled. “So, first round’s on the house.”

Cheers flowed through the pub as people flowed toward the bar to collect their unexpected reward.

“Gavyn’s certainly a charismatic fellow,” I said. “I like him a lot.”

“He’s a character,” she agreed. “And one of the best around, for sure.”

The pub suddenly seemed alive again with bodies moving to and fro through the place, drinking and conversing.

Once again, Gavyn appeared in the middle of the room with beer in hand and loudly cleared his throat.

The room quickly fell silent.

“A toast to the General and her mate,” he called out.

“The General and her mate!” yelled everyone in unison.

“May God rest the poor man’s soul!” shouted one woman from the back of the room.

Hoots and barks of laughter erupted throughout. Even Kat giggled in uncharacteristic fashion and turned to look behind her as I grinned from ear to ear.

“Oh, get off with you now,” she chastised good-naturedly in a booming voice.

Another round of laughter permeated the room as she returned her attention to me. She looked much more relaxed than a few minutes prior.

The din of conversations quickly renewed throughout the establishment.

“Well, you certainly have a way of brightening the mood in a crowd, don’t you?” she asked.

“Me? Something tells me they’re glad to see you happy,” I said. “You didn’t look particularly pleased to see me when you peeked around into my booth.”

She shrugged. “I’m happy to see you, though I asked you not to come here.”

That bothered me.

Moments later, Gavyn appeared around the corner to place two cold glasses of beer onto our table with a thump. “Here are your first rounds.”

“Thanks, Gavyn,” Kat said.

“To your health, mum,” he replied and disappeared.

We each took a swig of beer, our eyes never straying from each other’s.

“You look absolutely amazing,” I told her, unable to take my eyes from her. “It’s so great to see you.”

“You, as well. Although, you’ve lost weight,” she said with a frown, reaching out to squeeze my sides until it tickled.

“I’m fine,” I countered, gently grasping her wrists in my hands.

She glanced at my half-eaten cottage pie. “You need to finish that while it’s warm. You obviously need it,” she said reproachfully.

“You’re mothering me,” I warned.

She scooted away from me just enough to permit me access to my plate. Then she wrapped her arm around my shoulders.

“I can’t stop touching you,” she whispered.

“I hope you never do,” I said.

She kissed me on the cheek. “Though a surprise, it’s wonderful to see you. But what’re you doing here? Is everything okay at college?”

“I missed you and wanted to surprise you. And besides, it’s fall break,” I said between bites of food.

“Is it already?” she asked, her expression suddenly distant-looking. “The days and nights have passed in a blur.”

“To me, it’s felt like an eternity since you left,” I said.

“My loving Caleb,” she whispered reverently.

She bent down to press her soft lips to my forehead in a lingering kiss. Then she sat beside me, silently watching me eat for a time.

“How long are you planning to stay?” she asked.

“I’d like to stay forever,” I said.

She adopted a wan smile. “Ah, but you have classes to finish, and I believe, a dissertation to continue working on.”

“True enough,” I said. “In that case, I suppose I’ll only be here for about three days.”

“We’ll have to make them memorable then,” she whispered, rubbing her hand suggestively along my thigh.

“Can you spare time for me?” I asked.

“I’ll make time,” she said.

That’s all I could ask. Hopefully, Alton would help out with that just as he promised.

I finished the remainder of my meal and took another swig of cold beer, which tasted great.

We conversed at length about my classes and how my research was proceeding.

“It may not be teaching, but I’m really enjoying being back at college,” I said. “Now, tell me more about what’s been going on around here.”

Her eyes momentarily scanned the room around her. “We can talk more about that later,” she said. “Suffice to say I’ve definitely been busy.”

“Relatively safe and nonviolent business, I hope?”

She ran her fingernails down the back of my neck, evoking a shiver that traveled down my spine.

“Everything’s fine, my love. Nothing you need concern yourself with,” she said simply.

I frowned. “Now I’m concerned…General.”

She grasped my chin in her hand and rotated my face to meet hers.

“You aren’t to call me that, Caleb,” she said firmly, her green eyes almost steely-looking. “That’s a term used by my subordinates. I’m your mate and your lover, not your general.”

Whoa, she turned awfully alpha on me all of the sudden.

“Okay,” I said. “Although I did feel somewhat subordinate just then.”

She released my chin with a sigh and caressed the side of my face with her soft fingertips. “I didn’t mean to sound so harsh,” she offered in a gentler tone. “You’ll have to excuse me. I’m not used to displaying my softer side around here.”

She kissed me on the lips warmly, to which I responded.

I decided not to press the matter.

Once again, the pub grew eerily silent, and Kat peered around the corner of the booth to catch a view of the entrance, her free hand pressing me further back into the booth in protective fashion.

My alpha heroine in action.

She relaxed as Alton walked through the room greeting people left and right until he arrived at our booth.

“Well, Caleb, I see you found the place all right,” he greeted.

“Hard to get lost. Your driver dropped us off right out front, after all,” I said.

“Just so. I do apologize for not accompanying you, but I had an important matter to attend to,” he said with a pointed look at Kat. “I trust you were surprised by your mate’s visit?”

“You have no idea,” she said. “Do I have
you
to thank for this?”

“Well, it was a combined effort, but I was happy to facilitate matters on your behalf,” he said.

“You could’ve mentioned it,” she said with a slight edge to her voice.

Gavyn appeared amidst a rustling of air to stand before Alton. “Evening, sir,” he said crisply. “I have a table ready upstairs, if you’re interested.”

“Yes, thanks ever so much, Gavyn,” Alton replied.

We followed Gavyn around the periphery of the bar to a circular staircase with polished oak railing.

I grabbed Paige by the crook of her arm as I passed where she was chatting with a couple of vampires.

“Hey, what’s up?” she asked, falling in alongside me.

Chapter 27

Caleb

Upstairs was a smaller, less occupied area with small booths along two sides and a large oak table in the center of the room.

“Please, be seated,” Gavyn said, holding a chair for Paige while I did the same for Kat.

After he sat down at the table, Gavyn snapped his fingers loudly.

A waitress quickly appeared at the top of the stairs, and he pointed to our table and made a circular motion with his finger.

Soon, fresh glasses of beer were brought up to us.

“To your good health,” he offered, raising his glass.

Following the toast, I said, “This is a wonderful pub you have here. And the cottage pie was excellent, thank you.”

“You’re quite welcome, Caleb,” he said.

“My apologies for not being here to conduct a proper introduction, Gavyn,” Alton said.

“Oh, and isn’t that a fine how do you do?” he said. “But I managed ever-so-awkwardly on my own, thank you.

“The young man crossed my threshold and I thought he was just another wayward American tourist. Just arrived, he said,” Gavyn recited, sounding much like an old-time storyteller sitting around a campfire. “Oh, really, I say, introducing myself like the silly git I am. Caleb, he says his name is. That name sounds familiar, I think to myself. But then, there’s a lot of Caleb’s in the world, aren’t there?

“I welcome him in and serve a beer. Then he hears the commotion in the parlor room, so I show him around.
‘Oh, is that a game of dice?’
he asks. Why, yes, sir, and why not try your hand at some games of chance, I offer; fool I am. My memory doesn’t kick in until a few minutes later, naturally, when this attractive blonde bird next to me wanders in to seek out her charge. Now, her, I’ve seen before, I said.”

Gavyn gestured grandly in my direction. “Then I’m realizing it’s nothing short of the General’s mate that I have before me. And to think, I offered him a dodgy game of hazard!”

There were chuckles around the table over that.

I looked at Gavyn, but then my eyes were once more captured by the vision of Kat before me.

She’s so captivating; I just can’t take my eyes off her.

I wanted her so badly at that moment. I literally craved taking her by the hand and off to the nearest bed.

Her eyes widened upon noting my intense scrutiny. She reached underneath the table to hold my hand as she fondly gazed back at me.

“There, there, Gavyn. Don’t be too hard on yourself,” Alton said. “You’d never met him, and he has a way with social engineering. He’ll overwhelm you with politeness and courtesy.”

I gave him a wan look. “Whatever.”

“Well, Sir Osborn, what do you think of our Caleb thus far?” Alton asked.

My eyes darted to Alton.

Sir Osborn?

The charismatic man who I knew as Gavyn regarded me at length and pursed his lips as if in deep thought.

“Quite a promising young lad, really. Certainly squire material, M’Lord,” he said in a serious tone, in stark contrast to his previous lighthearted tone and demeanor.

M’Lord?

The edges of Alton’s mouth upturned slightly. “Indeed?”

“Quite right, M’Lord,” Osborn said soberly. “Of that, I’m confident. Excellent bearing in this one.”

I looked at Kat, who was watching me with a partially amused expression.

“Caleb, permit me to formally introduce you to Sir Gavyn Osborn, owner of this fine establishment and honorable Knight of the Realm,” Alton announced in a grand tone of voice.

My gaze shifted to Osborn, who nodded his head in a suddenly regal fashion.

“If you’ll permit me;
former
Knight of the Realm, M’Lord,” he corrected.

“Gavyn has been my most trusted knight since 1202,” Alton continued warmly. “And a true friend. In addition, he’s one of the most accomplished swordsmen I’ve ever known.”

“Most gracious. And an honor it’s been to serve, I assure you, M’Lord,” Osborn said.

I stared back at Gavyn Osborn with awe.

Wow. An actual knight from medieval times.

A medieval vampire knight.

“And, Gavyn, if it pleases you, sir,” he said to Alton. “I’ve mentioned time again that I gave up on stuffy titles hundreds of years ago.”

“If it pleases
me
? You still throw
M’Lord
around at me all of the time, though, don’t you?” Alton countered.

“Well, that’s quite different, isn’t it? I mean, you being a Scottish duke; regal bearing, and all, no less,” Gavyn teased, returning to his previous off-handed tone.

“Former duke,” Alton corrected.

“Once a duke, always a duke, I say,” Gavyn argued.

“And I suppose Saint George slayed a dragon,” Alton said.

“Well, a large lizard, surely, M’Lord,” the former knight countered.

I laughed aloud.

Alton groaned. “Oh, bother.”

Gavyn grinned and glanced around the table. Then he stood and reached out to shake my hand.

“A pleasure to meet you, Caleb. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a pub to tend.”

I stood to shake his hand and thanked him once again for a delicious meal and his kind hospitality.

“My pleasure. And please do visit again while you’re here in London. In fact, consider it your safe haven,” he said meaningfully. “I often dreamed of owning a pub. This place is like my second home, and as such, you’re welcome any time.”

“I will, thank you,” I replied.

“M’Lord,” he said to Alton with an exaggerated bow and a flourish of his hand before him.

“Oh, do go on,” Alton said with a dismissive wave. “I’ll be in touch soon, Gavyn.”

He waved his hand in the air in a series of elaborate flourishes with a chuckle as he walked away.

“What a remarkable man,” I said.

“He’s one of the best,” Alton said. “Just like Katrina.”

Kat warmly smiled over the compliment.

“So, Alton, Scottish duke, eh?” Paige asked. “Why don’t we ever see you in a kilt?”

“What the devil for?” he asked.

She adopted a mischievous expression. “You could pull it off. I mean, you really do have such regal bearing,” she said. “You’re like Lord Grantham from
Downton Abbey
. Or more likely
Macbeth
.”