Sunrise at Sunset (43 page)

“I consulted with Alton about this, and I think we’re probably okay. But it’s best to exercise a little caution for the time being, just to be on the safe side,” Katrina offered with a supportive expression.

“Hey, it’s not like someone’s going to walk up and just shoot you in public anyway,” Paige teased with a smirk.

A moment later, two men wearing Atlanta Police Department uniforms walked into the restaurant and scanned the dining room. The taller officer smiled and spoke briefly to the employee who had smoked a cigarette outside earlier. The young man looked around and then pointed to where Caleb and the two vampires were seated. Paige and Katrina took notice almost immediately and exchanged eye contact with each other while appearing to remain relaxed.

“On second thought, just forget what I said,” Paige murmured flatly.

Caleb noticed Katrina’s and Paige’s expressions were pleasant but guarded, and he stopped chewing his steak. He looked up slowly as the officers proceeded across the room towards them. He felt Katrina’s hand touch his thigh lightly underneath the table.

She smiled, bent over to kiss him on the cheek, and whispered, “Keep eating, and whatever happens, just don’t move from your seat.”

He didn’t think that sounded very encouraging, but continued chewing his mouthful of steak. He deliberately looked away from the officers towards a tableful of kids and parents sitting at the larger booth across from them.

The two officers stopped short of the table and smiled. The taller officer, whose nametag read Purvis, offered, “Evening folks. We’re sorry to bother you, but we were wondering if you’d mind helping to settle an argument my partner and I were having after we pulled up next to your Audi.”

Katrina smiled pleasantly and replied, “Sure, how can we help?”

The shorter officer, named Evans, spoke up, “Well, I think you have a 3.6 liter engine, but my partner says that’s it’s at least a 4.2. I bet him dinner that he’s wrong. Who’s correct?”

Katrina smoothly replied, “Funny you should ask. It’s a 4.2 liter V-8 turbo. So I suppose Officer Purvis gets a free dinner tonight.”

Purvis smiled proudly while Evans placed his hands his hips, though his right hand landed at the front of his firearm. Paige shifted subtly in her seat and reached up to brush her hand across a strand of hair at her temple with a smile.

An older waitress approached the taller officer from behind and said, “I’ve got your booth ready now, gentlemen. I’ll take you to it.”

“Well, hell,” Evans replied amiably. “Thanks for settling things, anyway. You folks have a good evening.”

Purvis rubbed his hands together with a smirk. “Thanks so much, in fact. Y’all take care.”

The officers followed the waitress across the dining room towards an empty booth against the far wall. Caleb’s eyes darted between Paige and Katrina, and he noticed both vampires staring at each other for a moment before looking at him with knowing smirks on their faces.

“I think we’re all probably just a little on edge with everything that’s happened in the past few days,” Paige offered.

Katrina nodded as she reached down to pat Caleb’s thigh and muttered, “See? Even vampires get edgy sometimes.”

Caleb smiled and felt the butterflies in his stomach start to subside a little bit as their waitress walked up to the table. “You about ready for blackberry cobbler, darlin’?” she asked with a wink.

“Maybe I’ll get that to go,” he replied.

“Sure thing. I’ll be right back with the cobbler and your check,” the waitress countered. “Is it together, or will I be splitting it up?”

Katrina neatly handed her a credit card and replied with a possessive arm around Caleb’s shoulders, “We’re definitely together. Thanks.”

Once the three of them exited the restaurant, Paige led the way through the parking lot while Katrina walked beside Caleb with her arm draped around his waist. He carried the fairly sizable container of blackberry cobbler in both hands, but leaned into Katrina for a moment with his shoulder.

“Thanks for dinner, Kat,” he offered appreciatively.

“You’re welcome, my love,” she replied.

Paige teased, “That’s a honkin’ slab of cobbler you’ve got there, tiger.”

He grinned, but Katrina remarked a little sarcastically, “Yeah, I think our waitress liked him…darlin’.”

“You can’t be jealous of the waitress. There’s just no comparison,” he admonished her mildly, before adding with reverence: “You’re like an angel compared to human women.”

Katrina slowed to bend down and kiss him appreciatively on the lips. He had no idea how happy she was to hear him use that reference.
You were only eight when you last referred to me as an angel
, she mused.

“We can sometimes become possessive about our mates, Caleb,” Paige offered in a serious tone after making certain there was nobody else in hearing range.

“I prefer to think of it as protective,” Katrina muttered with a frown as she deliberately tightened her grip around his waist.

Caleb silently considered the brief exchange between them as they approached the car. Paige stopped to walk with him around to the passenger side as Katrina slipped into the driver’s seat. Paige opened the door and slid the passenger seat forward as she took his cobbler from him.

“Hey, I thought I was riding shotgun tonight,” he pointed out.

Paige smirked and used her free hand to hustle him into the car. “You don’t like shotguns, remember? Into the back seat, lover boy. And buckle up, while you’re at it.”

She handed his cobbler back to him with a grin and hopped into the passenger seat as Katrina smiled and started the car. To everyone’s satisfaction, their return journey to the estate was pleasantly uneventful.

Back at the estate, Katrina took Alton aside in the sitting room to relay their evening’s experiences while Paige and Caleb unloaded the car. Alton listened thoughtfully and paused for a few silent moments before commenting.

“I think your approach is prudent for now,” he agreed. “But it’s important to begin moving back to a state of normalcy as soon as possible. Being overprotective will likely just encourage unhealthy behaviors and reactions. And I mean for both Caleb and yourself, you understand.”

She narrowed her eyes slightly. “Fine. I understand.”

“You can’t just hide the two of you away from the rest of the world and expect anything healthy to come of it,” he challenged. “Besides, I seem to recall there’s much of the world you want to share with him. Remember the cabin?”

She smiled slightly. “Yeah, I remember,” she replied.
I want to show Caleb so much of the beauty the world holds and share each moment with him to renew the experiences for myself, as well.

Caleb popped his head into the room and said, “I’m going to take a shower.”

He bounded halfway up the stairs, but Katrina barked, “Caleb!”

After a moment, his head peered back around the corner with a grin. “Yeah?”

“Move your things to the sublevel room first,” she instructed him with a satisfied smile. “I want you in my bed tonight.”

He winked and quipped in his best southern drawl, “You got it, darlin’!”

He disappeared, and Katrina shook her head as her eyes looked to the ceiling.

“Darling?” Alton asked curiously.

“Just never mind,” she responded flatly.

By later that evening, everything seemed to have gone well. The house was in an improved state of order, and Katrina placed some calls to an out-of-town firm to perform maintenance on the more substantial damage inside the house sometime before the end of the year. Having utilized the company on a number of occasions, she appreciated their sense of flexibility and discretion to accommodate special requests or nighttime working hours, which were handsomely rewarded with high bonuses upon completion.

Caleb slept soundly in the sublevel room snuggled in Katrina’s arms when he abruptly awoke sometime after 2 am to the sound of growling. His eyes popped open, and he quickly realized that she was the source of the growls behind him.
Must be having a bad dream
, he thought sleepily.

Katrina’s body abruptly lurched, and she made a harsh snarling sound as her arms tightened around him. He felt the sudden clamping of fangs into his upper left shoulder and yelled out in pain. It felt like someone had jammed two spikes into his flesh, and the pain seared through his shoulder and neck. He automatically tried to thrust himself away from her, but realized too late that her teeth merely tore at his flesh, causing him to gasp for breath before shouting in agony.

Chapter 12

Being Observed

K
atrina abruptly awoke and felt flesh and blood in her mouth, instantly recognizing Caleb’s flavor and scent. Her fangs retracted, and with horror she saw blood beginning to seep from the vicious wounds that her teeth caused.

“Holy shit, Katrina!” Caleb yelled furiously.

She screamed in anguish as the door to the sublevel room slammed aside and lights flashed on.

He was half out of the bed, and she was reaching for him as Paige and Alton appeared at Caleb’s side.

“Oh God, Katrina,” Paige gasped. “What the hell did you do?”

“She bit me!” Caleb shouted, not realizing the extent of the damage, but feeling warm fluid spreading down his back and shoulder.

Alton moved in a blur and reappeared holding a bath towel from the nearby bathroom to press it against Caleb’s back. He was still trying to rise from the mattress, but Paige held him down.

“Stay put, Caleb,” Paige urged as her eyes were illuminated in deep blue from the tempting lure of his blood.

Katrina’s eyes were full of horror and shock as she tried to move towards Caleb, but his right arm lashed out against her as he stared at her in contorted pain and utter shock.

“Just stay the hell away from me!” he shouted vehemently.

“Sh, Caleb,” Alton issued soothingly while pressing the towel against his bleeding shoulder. “Be still. Be still.” He moved the towel away for mere seconds to glance at the wound. The flesh was torn around both punctures, though one slightly more than the other. Blood poured from the wounds, and he pressed the towel against them again. “We have to close the wounds, now,” he insisted urgently.

Katrina made a move towards Caleb’s back, but her lover’s right arm flashed up against her.

“No!” he resisted angrily. “Not her!”

Paige’s eyes darted at Caleb and then Alton. “Well, I don’t think I can do it, Alton,” she offered shakily. “You’ll have to do it. I’ve never even tried healing anything like that before.”

“Katrina will do it,” Alton insisted darkly. He continued to press evenly against the wound with the bloody towel and pointed the index finger of his free hand at Katrina. “You did it, so you fix it,” he demanded.

Alton pointed his finger at Caleb where it could be seen by the young man and ordered, “And you, lay still and let your mate help.”

The pain was greater than Caleb’s angst, and he silently lay there, gripping the pillow beneath him in his right hand. His left arm was drawn down against his body after being placed there by Alton, while Katrina slid over to him and took the towel in her own hand.

“I’m so sorry, my love,” she muttered with a near whimper. “I’ll make everything okay again. I’m so sorry.”

“You’ll have to stick your tongue in the deeper wound, or it won’t close properly,” Alton instructed as he loomed over them. “He’s not a vampire, so there’s nothing to start immediate healing from the inside.”

Katrina removed the towel and pressed her tongue into the deeper gouge on Caleb’s back while also pressing her fingers against the shallower puncture. Her red hair fell like a tangled mantle across her lover’s back. Caleb felt immediate pain flash through his shoulder and upper back. He gasped and sucked air in through his clenched teeth.

“Easy, son,” Alton said as his hand lay against the top of Caleb’s head. “It’ll be over soon.”

Paige covered her mouth with one hand and tried not to breathe too deeply in the blood-scented air. Her eyes were still glowing bright blue as the blood urge grew inside of her. Her free hand reached out to grasp Alton’s shoulder, and he glanced back to note her own struggle.

Katrina sucked on the blood flowing from Caleb’s wound while also pressing her tongue into his shoulder and forcing her saliva into the wound area. As she did so, tears fell across her cheeks for the second occasion in only two days. And after nearly a quarter-century since her last crying spell, both recent instances related to Caleb. It was a clear indication of how much he meant to her, but she hated the feeling of vulnerability accompanying the emotional display.

Caleb felt some relief as a numbing sensation began to spread across and through his shoulder, and he was able to breathe a little easier. However, he was still shocked by the event.

“Try to relax more, Caleb,” Alton encouraged. “Your lack of tension will curtail the blood flow.”

Katrina removed her tongue and began pressing it against the surface of both puncture mark areas, tears still flowing across her cheeks. Within minutes, the blood flow stemmed, and she licked Caleb’s shoulder to remove excess blood and maintain the numbness around the wound area. She was mortified at having bitten him, despite its being an unconscious act.

Her thoughts pointedly recalled waking from having a nightmare. She had been attacked by faceless assailants and was defending herself. In her dream, her defense turned into attack as a bloodlust overtook her, and the attackers became the prey. She recalled feeling elation as she lunged at each faceless figure. When she turned around to confront another attacker, it was Chimalma standing before her. She lunged, sinking her teeth into Chimalma’s shoulder. And though Caleb thankfully hadn’t been part of the nightmare, another reality-based nightmare began when she woke to find her lover beneath her fangs. She shivered momentarily at the horrific recollection.

Alton frowned as he watched his close friend and former pupil wrestle with the emotions washing over her.

“What the hell happened?” Paige pressed while stroking Caleb’s head and running her fingertips through his hair.

“I heard growling and snarling, and suddenly Katrina’s fangs were tearing into my back,” Caleb recalled numbly. “I didn’t do anything.”

Alton glanced down at Caleb, and his eyes flashed to Katrina. “A dream? A nightmare?”

Katrina ceased her ministrations on Caleb only long enough to say, “Nightmare, no idea I was hurting him.”

“Hm,” Alton responded as he glanced pensively at Paige. She shook her head back at him and shrugged.

By the time much of the blood was licked away and Paige had retrieved a damp washcloth to clean Caleb’s back further, conditions had improved significantly. Both of the wounds were sealed closed, though they were red, swollen, and ugly-looking.

“I need a needle and syringe,” Alton requested.

“In the nightstand,” Katrina instructed as she gazed helplessly down at Caleb.

Alton found a fresh needle and syringe, as well as the small bottle of reddish looking saline solution in the nightstand drawer. “How old is this?” he asked while holding up the bottle of red-tinged solution.

“Last month,” Katrina explained. “Caleb had the ‘flu.”

“Good enough,” Alton replied. “Give me your arm.”
She held out her left arm and hardly winced as Alton slid the needle into her skin. After withdrawing some blood, he injected it into the saline solution, and shook it to mix the contents. Finally, he filled the small syringe with the blood and saline mixture.

“That’s probably too much,” Katrina noted, but Alton’s eyes flared with momentary irritation.

“I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you, thank you,” he admonished the red-haired vampire.

He moved to Caleb’s side of the bed, kneeling down beside the young man. “Caleb,” he explained gently. “I’m going to apply some of your mate’s blood inside your shoulder so it will heal more quickly. I promise you’ll feel no pain.”

“O-Okay,” he mumbled softly.

Alton looked sharply at Katrina, who stared back with a sad expression. “Well? Don’t just sit there. Numb his shoulder so I can apply this,” he snapped irritably.

Katrina nodded and bent over to press her tongue gently against Caleb’s shoulder. He soon felt the pleasant numbing sensation. Alton effortlessly injected the mixture. He withdrew the needle and motioned with his finger to the shoulder. Katrina pressed her tongue against the skin to seal the injection point.

Finally, Alton said, “You need to lie here and rest, Caleb. By morning you should feel better. However, I’m afraid you may have a small scar on your shoulder where Katrina tore the flesh.”

“Okay,” he offered numbly. “Thanks for helping me.”

Alton placed his hand on Caleb’s head again and patted him softly. “No thanks needed, lad,” he assured. “Rest well.” He turned his attention to Katrina. “Make sure he rests easy. See that he falls asleep,” he instructed.

“No,” Caleb objected. “I don’t want to sleep next to her tonight.”

Katrina’s mouth dropped open in shock, and her eyes welled with fresh tears. “Caleb.”

“Stop talking!” Alton snapped authoritatively. “Both of you!”

Both fell silent, and Paige stepped back slightly.

“Caleb, how long did you pray to have her back safely in your arms the past couple of days? How many times has Katrina saved your life since you’ve known her? Has she shown you anything but love and concern since declaring herself to you?” Alton insisted. “And Katrina, how many times have you assured Caleb that you were protecting him? How many times have you proclaimed your love to him?”

Silence.

“Both of you think about those questions before blame or anger is issued any further,” Alton instructed. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as Paige remained silent behind him. “Caleb, you’re to lie in this bed and try to get some rest. Remember Katrina is your mate, and will care for you,” he instructed. “Katrina, you will care for Caleb to ensure that whatever is required is done to help him sleep. And until we get this sorted out, you are
not
to fall asleep next to him. You will stay awake to watch over him until he wakes up, and only then will you sleep alone. Understood?”

Katrina appeared sullen as she stared up at Alton and answered, “Understood.”

“Caleb?” Alton asked pointedly.

“Yes, sir,” he replied.

“Good,” Alton replied with aggravated satisfaction before turning to Paige. “And as for you, get out. We’re leaving them in peace for now.” He harbored no argument as Paige glared at him and followed him from the room. His hand flipped off the light as he departed, sliding the door closed behind him.

Katrina silently stared down at Caleb in the darkness, seeing every detail of his form before her. She felt intense sadness at what happened and was at a loss to understand it. “I’m so sorry, Caleb, my love,” she muttered sadly as her voice nearly cracked.

“What did I do wrong?” he asked in a tight voice.

“Nothing, my love, nothing,” she reassured him. “It’s all my fault. I don’t understand. This shouldn’t have happened…, ever.” She bent down and kissed his bare back numerous times as a tear rolled down her cheek. “I love you,” she whispered forlornly. “I just want to die.”

He remained silent and tried keeping his breathing even. He felt just as confused as she sounded.
Everything was going so well, and I’ve been so happy to have her back.

“Don’t die,” he said finally. “That won’t help anything.” It was the best reply he could muster in his current state of mind. He just kept thinking to himself,
Katrina attacked me like an animal!

She lay against him and ran her fingers soothingly through his hair as she stared blankly before her, going over her nightmare imagery again and again. “Sleep now, my love,” she cooed to him soothingly after a few minutes. “Sleep, and we’ll make all this go away somehow, I won’t let this happen again…never again.”

His left shoulder became soothingly numb as her tongue pressed on his skin.

It seemed like forever before he finally drifted off to sleep. During the remainder of the night, his body went through the semi-fevered reactions from his immune system.

Katrina dutifully remained awake to watch over him. She committed herself to understanding what happened that night and to making sure it never happened again. It seemed as if some evil curse Chimalma conjured from the grave were haunting her.

Hours passed without incident.

Caleb woke with a start, quickly sensing Katrina lying next to him in the darkness, propped up on her right arm and staring down at him as he lay on his back. After shifting slightly, he felt a strong soreness in his left shoulder and neck area, although he was surprised it wasn’t worse than that.

“Good morning,” she whispered, gently caressing his forehead.

“Morning, Kat,” he muttered as he lifted his arm to glance at his watch. He winced slightly as a small ache ran through his shoulder. The glowing numerals indicated it was nearly 9 am, and he marveled at being able to sleep soundly given the previous night’s disturbing experience.

He felt her soft lips touch his forehead in an affectionate kiss. “You’re angry with me, aren’t you?” she asked softly.

He rubbed at his eyes with his fingertips, wincing slightly as he felt a pain shoot through his left shoulder again. Though still irritated and bewildered, he didn’t want to cause her mood to dampen further when she was already trying to be so kind.

“I’m okay,” he replied evasively. He yawned and stretched his legs in bed.