Sunset to Sunrise (6 page)

I countered with an attack on her morals. She’d left me with little else. “First of all, I thought you said this was a casual visit. And more importantly, what kind of organization that claims to protect humans would willingly hand one over to a demon just to secure a business deal? That’s fucking twisted. And you think Alexa’s morals have been compromised?”

She did shift uneasily in her seat then. At the mention of her sister, Juliet’s gaze dropped to her lap. “Look, I came to visit with her, but this offer has been in the works for you since you got out of lockup. Like I said, I don’t make these decisions.”

“But you do though,” I insisted. “By being here right now saying this shit you’re agreeing with that decision. Which I’d say makes you all a hell of a lot worse than either me or Alexa.”

Was I tempted to take the deal? Hell yes I was. Having the ability to appease Shya and free Alexa from his mark would make me the happiest man alive. She didn’t deserve to be branded as if she belonged to him. And she had done it for me. The powers that be over at the FPA knew exactly what strings they were pulling.

I considered Alexa. What would she say if she knew? I knew exactly what she would say. Alexa would never sacrifice an innocent life to get rid of that mark. She would wear it for all eternity first.
Fuck.

“I’m not interested,” I said, feeling the crushing blow of defeat as I spoke. “Whoever made that call, to hand over the dreamwalker, they’re a fucking idiot. You know Alexa better than that, don’t you? She would never be ok with that. She’s so much better than you give her credit for. It’s a shame that you don’t see that.”

Juliet swallowed hard and slammed her empty bottle down. “Don’t try to tell me who my sister is. I’ve known her a lot longer than you have.”

“But you don’t know her as well as I do. She’s not who you think she is, Juliet. Alexa was chosen for something special.”

“Wow. You’re totally in love with her, aren’t you?” She searched me, the wolf peering out from within her.

I didn’t try to hide it. The truth was undeniable. “It’s no secret that I love your sister. I would do anything for her. And I know she would never want me to accept any deal from the FPA, especially one involving her, behind her back.”

“She must love you too. She wouldn’t give up on finding you. Why aren’t you together?”

“What does our personal relationship have to do with any of this?” I was defensive. I didn’t like having my feelings put under the microscope to be picked apart by an outsider.

“Not a damn thing. I’m just curious. Still trying to discover who my sister is now. Sorry.”

I couldn’t look at her anymore. It was too hard. Instead I stared around the room, selecting the one I would soon take this confusion and anger out on.

“Alexa is a very complicated person. She’s caught in between two worlds. It’s been tough on her. She loves so much that it consumes her. But that love is not for me alone.” I don’t know why I said it. It wasn’t any of her damn business. Still, it felt good to say it to an outsider. “We will never be together.”

When Juliet spoke next, her tone was soft and gentle. Soothing. “Because of Arys Knight?”

I cringed inwardly at that name. “Because of many things, but yes, especially because of Arys. He is her other half. They were created to exist together.”

“What does that mean exactly?”

Her curiosity was too strong. The FPA didn’t know the details of the twin flame bond. I would not be the one to enlighten them.

With a shake of my head, I smiled as if I had a secret. “It is not my story to tell.”

A group of women on the dance floor caught my attention. They were drinking and laughing. Easy targets, every one of them. I had found my next conquest. I wondered if I could lure two of them to my bed. Perhaps even three.

Juliet’s gaze was heavy upon me. It took great restraint to keep her from becoming the target of my constant hunger. Of all the ways to force Alexa’s hand, targeting her sister would be among the most effective. But I could never.

“There’s nothing I can say to get you to work with us, is there?” She tried again, leading me to believe she had been instructed to pull out all the stops. “What if we gave you Sylvia?”

Sylvia. The mention of that bitch’s name brought forth an ugly desire to tear her to pieces. She had been sent to torture me several times during my stay with the FPA. Taunting me with her naked, bleeding flesh while I was restrained, she had truly enjoyed her job. I had most certainly not forgotten Sylvia. One day she and I would definitely meet again. Though it would not be because the FPA were a bunch of shady dickheads willing to sell out their own people to get a tidbit on Shya.

“Tell whoever it is that brainstormed this offer that Kale Sinclair cannot be bought,” I said, swinging my stern gaze back to her. “I didn’t exist for over five centuries by aligning myself with humans. I’m not about to start now.”

I half expected Juliet to try another angle, but she merely nodded in acceptance. “I guess I understand. If I were you, I wouldn’t want to work with us either.” She rose to leave, pausing to add, “Thanks for your help earlier. And for the free beer. If you change your mind, get in touch.”

She dropped a card on the table before me and left. I was relieved to see her go. The scent of wolf faded taking with it much of my tormented hunger.

I eyed up the small group of partying women, deciding which of them I wanted the most. Because she was never far from my mind, I decided to check in on Alexa first. Again I reached her voicemail. Frustrated and uneasy, I called Jez’s phone next. When she too didn’t answer, my unease became worry.

I felt trapped, knowing I’d never get to Vegas before sunrise even if I were able to grab a late night flight. Besides, it’s not like I could run through Sin City to save her if I didn’t know where she was. But someone could find her. Someone who wasn’t me.

Calling Shya was not what I wanted to do. Instinct told me Alexa needed help and he was the only one who could track her. So I caved. Listening to the phone ring fed my impatience. It was a ridiculous way to reach a demon, but I sure as hell wasn’t about to do it the old fashioned way with a summoning.

He didn’t share my concern, or at least, he didn’t let on if he did. In a bored tone, he assured me that Alexa was likely fine, but he would send Falon to check up on her. It was as good as I was going to get. Though Alexa and Falon detested one another, he would have to do.

I felt restless and useless. The group of women continued to tempt me, but I couldn’t just lock myself in my room and binge away the worries that plagued me. Not yet.

Abandoning the wild, growing party at The Wicked Kiss, I was soon speeding down the street with the windows open and the stereo up loud. Following up on the tip Phillip’s guy had given me was a good way to stay busy. If this growing rebel cause was serious, it would have to be dealt with.

The drive across town to the Clover Bar Cemetery calmed me. Being away from the nightclub freed me of many urges. The Wicked Kiss was a source of both satisfaction and temptation. It was a place where the cycle never ended. It just kept repeating itself until the nights and faces ran together in one forgettable mess of memories.

It had once kept me satisfied enough to avoid the kill. Willing victims were a means to an end, a way to appease the bloodlust without leaving a trail of bodies. The concept was genius; it worked for most of the vampires that fed there. It had worked for me once too. Until it didn’t.

The cemetery had seen better days. It was nice, big, and well taken care of. Yet the flowers decorating the graves were far from fresh, and fall’s yellow leaves lay in drifts. I walked the main path for a while, listening to the sounds of the city at night. Traffic, sirens and the occasional shout all sounded especially far away. The cemetery had its own silence that made me feel like I was walking in another world. The rest of the city continued to operate around the clock as usual, but here there was a sense of peace I didn’t feel anywhere else.

Weaving through headstones, I followed the vampire energy that emanated from the south corner. I cloaked my own energy so that I could approach without being sensed. I fully suspected the rebel group to be nothing more than a handful of idiots with big dreams.

I rounded a corner to find far more than a dozen vampires. I counted fifteen vampires gathered. Phillip was leading their meeting. All eyes were on him as he preached the good word of taking back the city.

“There are no rules for us,” he said with his voice raised in false authority. “We are beyond rules. Hell, we’re beyond life. We didn’t beat death just to be controlled by a self-appointed ruler.” He waited for them to utter shouts and cheers of agreement. “Arys Knight must be stopped, or we will all be nothing more than servants in his empire.”

I stifled a snicker. Lingering behind a tall angel statue, I listened to them carry on about how Arys was a dictator intent on making them all submit. Phillip seemed to be the kind of guy that liked to hear himself talk. Half of what he said was a joke, completely laughable. What made it less funny was how many were listening to him.

Arys would have laughed it off. I didn’t need to know him well to know that. I wanted to laugh myself. Until I heard something that wiped the grin from my face.

“What about the werewolf? She’s the one with the real power. It’s her that we need to get rid of.”

I tensed, awaiting Phillip’s reply. These assholes didn’t understand that Alexa had no desire to rule them all. This wasn’t a fucking fantasy novel for Christ’s sake.

“He’s the source of their power. Get rid of him, and she has nothing,” another shouted. They were very wrong about that.

“They are tied together. We have to kill them both.” This came from a female vampire, one I unfortunately recognized from a night of blood-drunk revelry and regrets.

Phillip held up a hand to silence the small crowd. They bickered amongst themselves for a few minutes before falling quiet.

“We take out the one who currently poses a threat,” he proclaimed. “Knight is the one throwing his weight around this city. He’s the one recruiting vampire slaves for the demon. That’s where we start. We kill Arys, and the wolf won’t be a problem.”

I groaned, hating myself for wanting to join them. Before I could ask myself what the hell I was thinking, I stepped out from behind the statue and emerged from the shadows.

Everyone turned to face me. Phillip raised his lip in a sneer, watching with undisguised suspicion as I came forward.

“Well, well, I didn’t expect to see you here,” he said, stepping in front of his followers. “Your sudden interest in our endeavor is baffling. Can’t help but think it’s bullshit.”

“I told you I wanted to help. I might be your best shot at success.” I ambled up to him casually, giving them no reason to suspect I was up to something. I was there to talk.

“Yeah, well, I’ve decided it’s a conflict of interest to have you involved. There’s no way to be certain you’re not pulling one over on us. I’m afraid I’ll have to insist that you keep your distance.” Phillip regarded me with a calculating appraisal. He was smart to question my intent. It was respectable.

A voice rose above the rest then, causing me to cringe. “We shouldn’t be so quick to presume the worst. Kale has suffered greatly because of Arys’s wolf. Why wouldn’t he want to be part of this?”

Rebecca shoved through until she stood next to Phillip. Her delicate features twisted into a frown as she dared him to argue. I did my best to remain expressionless. I did not want or need her to come to my aid.

“That is exactly why I don’t trust him,” Phillip replied, never taking his eyes off me. “He’s too infatuated with that wolf. We can’t count on him to do what he says.”

“He kills our kind.” This shout immediately got others agreeing in loud, angry tones.

“Which you all are plotting to do right now,” I said with a roll of my eyes. I was surrounded by idiots.

Rebecca slithered over to me, her movements more like a glide than a gait. She grasped my arm and squeezed. “I trust you, Kale. In fact, if you’d like to go somewhere private and talk about it, I’d be all ears.”

This was exactly why I only screwed women who were going to bleed for me. It wasn’t often I made the mistake of getting too involved with my own kind. I didn’t want or need these awkward moments that followed. I wanted nothing more from my lovers than blood and then silence.

“Maybe another time, sweetheart. I’m busy tonight.”

She didn’t take my rejection well. Shoving away from me with her dark ponytail swinging, she snarled, “Fuck you, Sinclair. Your crazy ass will fuck this up. We don’t need your help.”

Phillip crossed his arms over his chest and cocked his head to the side. He stood there like a bully on the playground, daring me to take a run at him. It was damn tempting.

“So that’s your big plan then?” I challenged. “Take out every vampire with more power than you until there’s nobody left between you and the demon that wants you to serve him? Sounds like you really thought that through.”

Phillip’s lips twitched. He hadn’t really considered the disadvantages to getting rid of someone like Arys. Unfortunately, there were many. A city without a powerful leader was vulnerable. Rather than trust Arys to protect them by forming an alliance, they mistakenly believed they were safer without him.

“You work for that demon, don’t you, Sinclair? Seems to me like you’re the last person we should trust when it comes to what’s best for vampire kind.” Spreading his hands wide, he turned to indicate the group at his back. “Seems to me like you’re outnumbered here. So we can let you walk away or…”

“Right.” I nodded. “I get it. I was a young, ignorant asshole once too. Like most assholes, you’ll learn the hard way. But that doesn’t mean you’ll survive it. Good luck. You’re going to need it.”

I turned my back on them, almost hoping that Phillip would try something. I could use a good fight. When he didn’t, I slipped back into the shadows and put distance between myself and the team so clearly headed for suicide.