Miss Me When the Sun Goes Down (17 page)

“You do,” he said simply, handing over a piece of folded parchment.

Ignoring the ridiculousness of that statement, I took the paper, unfolding it to find Jakob’s flowing script inside. 

Anja,

Perhaps I don’t understand you as well as I thought, but I do see the truth of your words.  Sanctuary is a time honored tradition, and you would do well to re-establish it in your domain.  I give you this house, not as a bid for your affections, but as is your due as my progeny.  Still, know that it comes with my love. 

Yours,

Jakob

“Holy smokes… are you serious?  This house is really mine?” I gaped up at the place, eyes agog. 

“Seems that way.”  Rob held up a small ring of keys.  “Would you like the tour?”

“Would I…”  My grin stretched a mile wide as I snatched the keys from his hand, bounding up the stairs to find the right key to open the front door.  The door itself was massive, filled with leaded glass that gave me a distorted view into the darkened foyer beyond.  The lock was stiff, but opened without too much trouble, and I stepped into a large open hallway, leading to an impressive wood staircase directly across from the door.  The house came fully furnished.  To the left and right of me there were open rooms, one of them laid out as a sitting room, the other showed rows of books lining the walls.

My hand reached out to turn on the lights, but found a metal plate with two pushbuttons on it instead of the usual flip switch.  How shiny was that?  The house was full of vintage touches
, from the twelve foot ceilings to the decorative wallpaper trim and antique light fixtures.  The gleaming hardwood floors were covered with somewhat faded, but comfortable rugs that complimented the soft, romantic colors.  The extensive wood paneling and moldings were stained a deep, rich mahogany, lending a slightly gloomy cast to the rooms, especially with the heavy curtains at the windows. Once I had the lights blazing though, the rooms glowed with warmth. 

It took me a full fifteen minutes to do a complete circuit of the downstairs
– I had to keep stopping to go back when I spotted some cool detail I’d missed on the first pass.  Besides the sitting room and library, there was also a formal dining room as well as a private study adjacent to the library. 

A full eat-in kitchen lay in the
rear of the house, with an enormous pot rack hung over the breakfast bar.  The white enameled appliances were of an older style, but still in good condition.  There were two bathrooms, one behind the stairs and one behind the pantry, and there was also a back stairway that led from the kitchen to the second floor. 

Upstairs was also fully furnished, the five bedrooms all good sized, and another full bathroom at the top of the stairs complete with a clawfoot tub.  What I thought was a closet led to another stairwell to the attic, which was roughly finished, but not as well maintained as the main floors.  With a little clean up effort and maybe something to disguise the entrance, I could see it turning into a pretty decent hide out shelter for vamps in need.

I sat down on the edge of the bed in the master bedroom, coming up with a mental list of what I’d need to make it habitable for more than a night or two.   

“You like it?”  Rob pulled me out of my illegal scheming and back to reality (as unreal as the current reality felt, sitting in my new house).

“What’s not to like?” I smiled, my hand smoothing along the massive oak headboard.  “One bathroom up here is going to be a tight squeeze for all of us though.  I sort of wish there was one in the master, but I guess that’s typical for a house of this age.” 

“This isn’t the master.”

“No?”

“Come with me, there’s another floor yet.” 

“Shut the front door…” I gaped at him, too stunned to move right at first.  I could’ve been wrong, but I thought I saw a hint of amusement behind his eyes as he jerked his head towards the stairwell. 

Rob led me down the back stairs and through another door into the basement.  To my utter surprise, there was a whole other living space down there, furnished much more modernly than above.  There was a master suite decorated in cool, soothing tones, the bed low to the ground and ultra modern, with an Asian flair.  If I’d swooned at the clawfoot tub upstairs, I grew practically misty eyed at the jetted tub and the steam shower.  A flat panel TV was tucked away behind sliding panels across from the bed, and
I found another mounted to the wall in the adjoining lounge area.  The closet alone was bigger than the bedroom in my old apartment.  I was going to have to do some serious shopping to fill even half of it.

Besides the ginormous master space, there was also a small office and two other bedrooms, with a Jack and Jill bathroom between them.  The narrow windows were completely covered by black out shutters, a vampire’s paradise. 

“Now… what do you think?” Rob asked, and I definitely saw the hint of a smile there.

“I think it’s the nicest place I’ve ever stayed.  And it’s really mine?”

“Lock, stock, and barrel.  We can go fetch your things anytime you like, I saw to turning on the hot water and such.”

“I was thinking we’d want to rent a truck, but we won’t need to move any of the furniture, just our personal things
.  We might be able to manage it between us if you can stick around long enough to help out.”  My fingers were already itching for pen and paper, eager to start making lists.  “Hmm, with only three bedrooms down here, it’ll be a tight squeeze to get Ellie and the guys settled in.  Maybe I can turn the office into a bedroom too?  In that case, we’d need a truck after all to bring my old bed…”

“Your lot won’t need to all hole up in the basement
. I’ve already made inquiries into fitting the house with automatic shutters.  There drapes should do fine until then, they’re designed to keep the light out.”  

“Wow, you really thought of everything,” I blinked, impressed.  It did sound nice to have the basement all to myself, at least for a while until I got sick and tired of the solitude.   

“Wasn’t me, it was Jakob.”

“Is that what you came to do
?  Pass along Jakob’s message and that’s it?”  I steeled myself for his answer, dreading the idea of another goodbye so soon on the heels of the last one, but he shook his head. 

“No, I’ll be rooming here, the better to keep you safe.”

A rush of elation swept through me, but I kept my reaction as mellow as I could manage.  “You know you don’t have to do that. I have the guys to see to my safety.”  Not that I wanted him to go, but he didn’t seem too happy to be back, and I didn’t want him to feel obligated.

“And where are they now?”  He raised a single brow.

“That’s not fair, I gave them the night off,” I said, defending them from the implied accusation.

“Exactly, they can’t be trusted.”

I didn’t follow the logic of that, but brushed it aside, a bigger issue taking precedence.  “I thought you had other stuff to do, or did you finish it?”

“S’not important,” he shrugged. 

I could argue otherwise, but it seemed the decision had already been made.  “Then you’re sticking around this time?”

“It seems I don’t have much of a choice.”  There was definitely an extra kick of gravel to his voice at that.

“Rob, if you don’t want to be here, you can tell Jakob no.  That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?  Jakob tracked you down and forced you to come back?”

“It’s fine.  I just had other plans is all.”

“But your life should be your own.”

“Yeah well, we all gotta dance to someone’s tune, don’t we?  Even you.”

“Even me,” I frowned, remembering my fears of Jakob’s compulsion.  If Rob was really invulnerable to compulsion, I wondered what Jakob had over him to ensure his cooperation?  Or wasn’t he immune to the power of an
Ellri
?

“
Maybe we can talk to Jakob in a few weeks when he’s had a chance to cool off.  Maybe if he can see that I’m handling my new position alright and the guys are able to keep me safe, he won’t insist on you playing babysitter?”

“I’ll take this room then, if you don’t mind,” he changed the subject, stepping into the room closest to mine.  “The better to…”

“Keep me safe, I get it,” I finished for him.  It was bigger than the room over the garage he’d been staying in before, but not by much.  Still, it was nicer, and had a set of bookshelves built into one wall.  “I don’t mind at all.  It’ll be nice to catch up with you after we get settled in.  I’m guessing you’ll be pretty surprised by some of the stuff that’s happened in the short time you’ve been gone.”  I offered a smile which he didn’t return, and I had to turn away to keep the disappointment from showing.  Was he really that mad at me for Jakob making him ditch his plans to come protect me? 

“Man, I can’t wait to show the place to everybody,” I said, changing the subject.  “We should call them to come right over.”

“Just let me know when you’ll be needing a ride, miss,” he said formally.  “I’ll take you ‘round to collect your things.”

“Alright,” I nodded, hovering in the hallway, not sure if I should say something else or not.  He ignored me, going to a linen closet to pull out a set of fresh sheets to make the bed.  Taking the hint, I retreated to my new room to call the guys, giving them the address and telling them to bring over whatever they could fit into the car. 

I avoided Rob for the most part, finding fresh towels in the back of the closet that didn’t smell too much of cedar.  I’d need to pick up all my things and toiletries too, but I figured it might be best to leave Rob alone for a while.

I was exploring the kitchen, glad to find a few staples there like tea and coffee, though there was no real food for Maggie, when I heard them pull up outside.  Running to the door, I pulled it open, enjoying the excitement on their faces as they got a look at the place for the first time.

“This place is gas!” Ellie cried out as soon as she got inside and even the dour Isak looked impressed as he followed along.  I took the tour all over again with them, noticing added features like the dumbwaiter and the laundry room tucked away in the rear of the house.  I didn’t mention the basement level right away because I didn’t want out and out armageddon breaking out as they scrapped over who got what room. 

Maggie’s eyes got all soft and dreamy as she caught sight of the tub and I knew what she’d be doing before the night was out. 

“So, you like it then?  You think you’ll be happy living here?” I asked Maggie down in the kitchen over a cup of tea. 

“Yes, I think I could learn to like it very much.  I’ll be happy to see you in a proper bed again at any rate.”

“You and me both,” I admitted, though I’d done my best to make them think I didn’t care one way or another.  “What about you, Ellie?” I called out, not quite sure where she was, but certain her ears could pick me up.

“Oh yeah, it takes the biscuit. 
There’s a hot tub out here!” she yelled from the back porch.  There was indeed a hot tub out there (not a Jacuzzi with jets, but an older fashioned wooden tub of steaming water).  “Oh, hullo, Rob.  Didn’t expect to see you here.  How’s tricks?”

“Same old.  You?”

“It’s tickety-boo,” she replied, in a similar tone.  “Right, well… bye, then.  I’m off to go collect the rest of my gear.  Gunnar!  Shake a leg!” she thundered, commandeering him like a servant. 

“I guess we should all go, right?” I suggested.  “See what needs to be moved before sunup and what can wait for another night.”

Rob didn’t miss a beat.  “I’ll go start up the car.”

“
No, you can hang here. We’ve got it covered.”

“
I go where you go.”

“
Even with the guys here?”

“
Even with.”

That sort of made it unnecessary to keep them around, but then again, I wasn’t sure if Rob was really back for good.  “
Alright.  I’ll see you guys over there,” I called out, following Rob back to his car. 

Once we were in the car, I felt like I had to say something to acknowledge the elephant in the room.  “
I’m sorry about this,” I ventured.

“‘
Bout what?”

“
That you’re stuck on babysitting duty again.  I know it’s not what you’d like to be doing right now.”

“
You’re not wrong there.”

Ouch
.  Was he trying to make me feel bad on purpose?  “Well, I’ll try to make it as easy on you as possible.” 

“
Go on about your normal life, try not to worry overmuch about me.”

“
Now we both know I can’t do that, can I?”  I tried again for a smile, but didn’t get anything.  “So listen, I have a story to tell you,” I said, launching into a brief description of my tangle with the Order and helping Javier and Abel.  Rob listened without comment, and I couldn’t tell if he approved or thought I’d been incredibly rash.  I decided to ask for his help anyway, all he could do was say no.  “So… the question of the day is, do you think you can help me get a forged license for Abel?”  I steeled myself for the rejection that was sure to come, but instead I found him fairly receptive.

“Might could put something together for them.  It’ll take a fair lump of cash though.”

“That’s not a problem.”  With Jakob’s gift of the house, it seriously freed up my operating budget, even with the higher utility bills. 

“Right then, I’ll put some things into motion,”
Rob replied as he pulled up in front of my building. 

“You can wait down here if you want,” I offered.

“I’ll come up, see there’s no nasty surprises waiting for you, yeah?”  Rob turned off the car, but before he could get out, I called him back.