Forget Me When the Sun Goes Down (Forged Bloodlines Book 11) (20 page)

Bishop nodded, settling into the seat Mason had left behind.  “How come you didn’t want to do the memory spell if you’re curious about the past?”

“Because there are some things I’m definitely not ready to remember.”  Even getting the CliffsNotes was too much to process. 

“I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

Bishop scratched at the side of his neck.  “I heard most of that.  It sounds like I’m responsible for a big chunk of those memories you’d rather not remember.”

Aw, that was pretty sweet of him to say.  “Actually, all the memories I’ve recovered about you have been good.  Okay, so sometimes they were about bad things, but the part where you were there for me, those parts were good.”

“Same here,” he said, his discomfort fading when I didn’t buy into the blame game.  “I thought I was going nuts back at the house.  Here I was supposed to be with Carys, and all I could think about was being with you.  I remembered loving her, but I didn’t feel it, not with any part of me.  But when I thought about loving you, it felt... right.”  He smiled at me, and all I could think was how beautiful he was.  The perfect smile, the gorgeous green eyes, just the right amount of beard without going lumberjack, even his eyelashes were sexy.  But it wasn’t even all about what he looked like, it was the
way
he looked at me that caught my breath.

Was he saying he still loved me?  I was too chicken to ask.  “Mason says we have a lot in common.  I wish I knew what those things were.”

“Besides an appreciation for
Firefly
and hobbits,” he grinned.

“Right, though those are pretty important,” I smiled back.  “He said something about music.”

“I found something in my phone, it’s called Anja’s Song.”  He dug for his cell and brought it up.  The phone’s sound quality wasn’t the best, but the melody was strong enough on its own to captivate my attention.

“It’s beautiful,” I sighed, my eyes sliding closed, the music greeting my soul like an old friend. 

“So are you,” he murmured, and my eyes popped open to find him watching me.  Electricity flared the moment our eyes met, the music swirling around us.  Bishop leaned forward, was he going to kiss me?  Did I want him to? 
Yes!
a tiny voice inside me screamed.  He moistened his lips, and I did too. I was ready, so, so ready.  “Anja, I...”

The pilot’s voice came over the cabin’s speaker.  “We’ll be touching down in Oslo in approximately ten minutes.  Please return to your seats, and make certain to have your passport and customs forms ready.”

Qingwa cào de liúmáng. 
I couldn’t catch a break!  “So, you were, um... saying?”

Bishop’s eyes flicked to the time on his phone.  “I guess we’d better get ready for landing.”  Not that we needed to mess with customs, since we could just compel our way out of any paperwork.  It’d made leaving the country without any passports possible so far. 

“Right,” I nodded, letting out a long breath as Nelleke and Jakob stretched themselves awake.  The moment was ruined. 

“But, ah... after this thing with Jakob is done.”

“Yes?”

“We’ll talk some more?” he asked, his smile hopeful.

“Shiny.” 

While Bishop and Mason monkeyed around with transportation and customs, I decided to try Aubrey one last time.  I’d been calling him steadily at every stop along the way, trying to reach Carys in a last ditch effort to bring her into the plan, in case Bishop needed it.  So far, he’d been ditching my calls, but this time he picked up, and I ducked behind a potted palm for a spot of privacy. 

“Aubrey!  Finally.  Didn’t you get my messages?”

“Can’t you let me have this one thing?” he hissed.  “I’ve wanted Carys my entire life and for once, she’s mine.  Can’t you just leave us be?”

He must not have listened to any of my voicemails.  “I’m trying to keep her yours.  I want Jakob to compel her not to love Bishop.”

“Truly?” Aubrey sounded intrigued, and I laid out the plan for him. 

“No good, I can’t get her to set foot in the vale, not after Jakob shunned her.”

“What did he shun her for exactly?”  I still wasn’t clear on that. 

“It hardly signifies.” Aubrey neatly dodged the question.  “The point is, she’s been left alone and unprotected ever since.” 

“I thought you said you’d never left her side?”

“That wasn’t strictly true.  I wasn’t there when she was cast out, and it took a while for our paths to cross again and I was able to set her up on my country estate.  But believe you me, she’s suffered plenty over the past year.  Needless to say, saving Jakob is not her top priority at the moment, nor am I convinced it should be yours.  If he dies, you’re set free.”

“How do you mean, set free?”

“It would erase his compulsion over you.”

I looked up at Jakob, who sprawled across three seats while Nelleke fussed over him, and lowered my voice.  “Jakob compelled me?  To do what?”

“He compelled both of you not to be able to compel other vampires.”

“I can compel vampires?”  I sounded like a parrot, just repeating everything he’d said. 

“Yes, all progeny of
Ellri
have this ability.  You’re special, Anja.  Wouldn’t you like to regain that exceptionality?”

“Why would he compel us not to be able to do it anymore?”  It sounded like a pretty big deal.  Had we abused it, is that why he’d taken it away?

“The point is, you were made for this, it’s your birthright,” Aubrey persisted.  “He had no right to take that from you.”

“Maybe so, but he’d have to die.  I couldn’t do that to him, he’s my Sire.”  Even if there were things I’d found out about him that I didn’t like, I didn’t want to see him dead.

“You wouldn’t have to
do
a thing, that’s the point.  Do nothing, sweets,” Aubrey crooned into my ear, his voice taking on a soft, lulling cadence.  “Simply let nature take its course.  Jakob’s time is over.  How many
Ellri
remain?  Less than a handful.”

“I’m not having this conversation,” I snapped.  “The question at hand is getting Carys here to keep Bishop from dying if the curse goes back into effect.  That’s it.”

“I think he’s fairly safe, she hasn’t spoken of him once since we left that infernal prison.”

Fairly safe wasn’t good enough.  “Maybe, but eventually she’ll get her memories back.  What if she
is
still harboring feelings for him?  What do you think is going to happen then?  If she finds out you had a chance to save Bishop’s life by telling her about this and you chose not to for your own selfish reasons – do you seriously still think she’ll want you?”

“That’s a chance I’m prepared to take.”

“Then you won’t even tell her about it?”

“I’m taking my shot at happiness, Anja.  I suggest you leave Jakob to rot, and do the same.”

“Thanks for nothing then,” I yelled, stabbing my phone with the tip of my finger three times before I caught it right and hung up.  The others all looked at me with varying degrees of interest and surprise.  “Wrong number,” I mumbled with a tight smile.  Whatever the outcome, we were going to have to do this the hard way.  If Bishop was willing to risk it, I had to trust that he knew what he was doing.

* * *

We landed in the smaller regional airport in Florø.  From there we took two cars for the hour and a half drive to the snow capped hills just west of Vadheim.  Jakob sat higher in his seat, the closer we got to the vale, and I could hear his heart pounding from across the car. 

“Is any of this ringing a bell for you?” I asked, as he pressed his nose to the glass like an eager puppy. 

“It seems familiar, yet I can’t recall a specific place.  Still, I feel... I’m... we are close, are we not?”

“We are nearly there,
far
,” Nell smiled over at him, patting his knee lightly before returning her hands to the wheel.  She drove on, bearing straight for the fjord.  More than once I started to doubt we were on the right track, but then it opened up below us like a hidden jewel.  There were no cars, no power poles, no modern conveniences visible, and the lights shining in the windows flickered from natural candle or fire light. 

“I am home,” Jakob whispered, his eyes misted over with tears. 

Nell pulled over by a copse of trees, and Mason pulled in behind us.  “We must approach on foot, nothing from the outside world is allowed in the village.”

“What about our phones?” Bishop asked.

“And our clothes are definitely new,” I frowned, not wanting to even bring up my laptop.

“These are fine if you are keeping them out of sight.  But there is no power, no internet, not any phones in the village.”

“Yeah, there’s definitely no signal around here,” Bishop reported, holding up his cell.  “Alright, let’s go.”

We started on the rocky path down to the valley below.  Jakob set the pace, being slower than all of us, but I didn’t mind.  It gave me more time to look around.  Though there was no snow on the ground, it was bitterly cold out.  Jakob and Nell both turned up their collars and shoved their hands deep into their pockets, and I was glad that cold didn’t affect me at all.  My breath didn’t even fog the air the way theirs did.

“Anything else we need to know before we cruise into town, or are we good as long as we’re with you?” Mason asked, carrying Hanna in his arms as if she weighed nothing more than a feather. 

“There is no feeding allowed.”  Nelleke’s voice became more authoritarian, her shoulders broader the closer we got to the village. 

“No bitey, got it,” he nodded. 

I felt a shiver along the length of my spine as we passed a certain point, and I wouldn’t have thought anything of it, if I hadn’t heard Bishop’s soft intake of breath at the same instant.  “What was that?”

“It is the magic barrier that is keeping our valley hidden from prying eyes,” Nell replied.

“But we can see the village just fine.”

“Only because you are looking for it,” she explained.  “All others that pass by are keeping on their way without ever noticing us.  It is also keeping out any with evil intent to our people.”

“That’s handy,” I nodded in approval, wondering if such a thing was hard to maintain, or if it was done once the spell was cast.  “Who cast the spell?”

“Maeja is very skilled with magics.  She is teaching me some, but I am not close to her power.”

Too bad.  If the blood thing didn’t work out, we’d need a good spellcaster, but Maeja would hardly be the one to volunteer if she wouldn’t give Jakob her blood.  “I think you did great,” I smiled at Nell, hitching my bag over my shoulder.  It would be dawn in a couple of hours, and hopefully Nelleke had a plan for where we’d hole up for the day. 

The air was perfumed with smoky peat from the fireplaces and the smells of horses and leather.  Surprisingly, there were some people up and around on the streets, though they hurried on their way once spotting us. 

“You are staying with me,” Nelleke declared, leading us to a house on the outskirts of town.  “If you are needing it, I can provide sheep’s blood.”

“Nah, I brought a box of Pop Tarts in case I get the munchies,” Mason replied.  “You guys go right ahead though.”

“No, thanks, I’m good.”  I waved her off, the idea of animal blood turning my stomach.  Bishop shook his head as well, but Jakob followed her outside. 

Mason set Hanna down on the small sofa and peered out of the curtained windows.  “Does anyone else here feel like we should pretty much hide out of sight to keep the villagers from coming after us with pitchforks and torches?”

Bishop went to another window, and I followed him, not sure what we were looking for out there.  It seemed pretty quiet to me.  “We should be fine as long as we don’t stray too far from Nell’s side,” Bishop said.

“Why would we have to worry about the townspeople coming against us?” I asked aloud.

“Because these people have lived their entire lives in isolation.  I’m thinking they don’t take too kindly to strangers.”

“Especially the pointy-fanged kind,” Mason added, coming away from the window.  “Should we sleep in shifts?”

“You guys sound like you’re expecting a full frontal assault,” I snorted, noting how they both seemed to be thinking along the same lines.  All I’d seen was a quaint fishing village in the pre-dawn hours.

Bishop shook his head, going on as if I hadn’t spoken.  “I don’t think it’ll be necessary, they probably won’t breach the house out of respect for Nell.  It’s out there we’ll have to be careful.  No going out alone, for any reason.”

“Yes, sir, commander, sir,” I said, giving him a crisp salute.  “Permission to go to higher ground and, uh... reconnoiter.”  I jerked my thumb toward the narrow staircase leading to the upper rooms.

“Permission given,” he smiled with a much more official looking salute. “Just don’t go too far.”

“I’ll stay within screaming distance, I promise.” 

In addition to the larger bedroom with the fireplace, which I assumed belonged to Nell, since it was the only one with any personal things in it, I also found two smaller bedrooms.  I chose the one decorated in shades of pale peach, setting my bag on the handmade quilt embroidered with tiny flowers and brightly colored, intersecting circles. 

The view of the village was better from the second story window, and I spent a few minutes spying on the neighbors on their way down to the fishing boats.  If any had paid particular interest to our arrival in town, they gave no sign of it, there wasn’t a pitchfork or torch in sight. 

As soon as I decided there wasn’t much to see, I left to check the view from Nell’s bedroom, which faced the rear of the house.  The rolling hills were spectacular, even in the moonlight, and I could only imagine what it must look like on a sunny day.  I spotted Jakob and Nell making their way back to the house from a paddock, something fat and white slung over Nelleke’s shoulders. 

When they got closer, I realized it was a sheep, probably Jakob’s late night snack.  Nell stopped at an open shed in her backyard and hung the sheep up by its rear feet before continuing on to the house.  Fresh mutton, cool beans.  I went downstairs just as the rear door banged shut. 

“Dibs on the peachy room next to the stairs,” I called out, plopping down on the hand carved rocking chair by the fireplace, where someone enterprising had built a fire.

“And I call the one next to that,” Mason chimed in.

“How many bedrooms are up there?” Bishop asked, and I gave him a sweet smile.

“Just Nell’s besides those two, unless there’s a hidden room I didn’t happen to notice.”

“No, there are just the three bedrooms,” Nell replied, drawing a furrow to Bishop’s brow. 

“Then where am I supposed to sleep?”

“Hey, you snooze you lose,” Mason grinned, clapping his hands together and rubbing them together.  “So, are we ready to go and see Maeja?”

“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea,” Bishop replied, the furrow only deepening on his forehead. 

“Then why did we come here?” Mason asked, confused.  “I thought she owed you guys for taking down Lodinn?”

“Yes, but we don’t know how she’s going to react to Jakob being here,” he explained.  “I’d rather this meeting take place with a few more hours between us and dawn, just in case there’s a problem.”

“Always thinking,” Mason grinned, tapping on his temple.  “That’s why I’ve pledged my undying allegiance to you forever.”

“If you feel that way about it, you can give up that room.”  Bishop raised a brow, and Mason clapped him on the back.

“Aw, you know, I totally would, man, but Hanna needs her rest.”

“She’s been resting for days now.”

“Girl’s gotta have her beauty sleep.  That’s why you can stay up, Bishop.  You’re already too pretty to be a guy.”

“Maybe the two of you should share a room?” I snorted, trying not to smile over the bromance.  “Nell, do you think he’s right?  Should we wait until tomorrow to go see Maeja?”

Nelleke paused to consider for a moment before she responded.  “It would perhaps be best if we wait.  Maeja does not customarily rise this early, and we will be finding her in a better mood in the early evening.”

“That seals it then,” Bishop said, vindicated.  “Let’s all settle in for the day, and we’ll regroup at sunset.”