By the following morning, Caleb's demeanor had improved, and he was feeling more content. His arm had almost fully healed, thanks to liberal use of Katrina's saliva. Of course, the fact that she had not actually handcuffed him to the bed before she departed for the day's conference session was also encouraging.
He shaved and dressed with a hopeful feeling as he contemplated what plan Dori would have for their investigation of the mountain shack just outside of town. Then a pang of guilt followed as he recalled Katrina's concerns from the prior evening. She wouldn't be happy if she knew what he and Dori were planning.
He wondered if he shouldn't simply abandon further investigations both for his own welfare and for his mate's peace of mind.
A knock at his suite's door interrupted his thoughts, and he pulled a t-shirt over his head on the way to answer it.
Dori's really early today, he estimated.
As he opened his door, he was surprised to see Paige, once more relegated to her security outfit.
"Morning, Mister Trouble," she greeted.
She playfully dangled a pair of chrome handcuffs in her left hand at eye level before him.
"Katrina said to drop by," she slyly added.
"No way!" he challenged, immediately swinging the door closed against her.
At the last second, her hand slapped the door and effortlessly pushed against his full weight to sweep it open again. She slipped into the room, laughing as she closed the door behind her.
"Whoa, tiger," she offered with a giggle. "Red said that I'd enjoy your reaction, and boy, you sure didn't disappoint," she added, sliding the pair of cuffs into her back pants pocket.
His heartbeat raced while slowly stepping backwards and watching her with a wide-eyed expression.
"I thought -"
"Yeah, I figured as much. Red told me about her little threat."
Her eyes narrowed in a predatory fashion.
"Don't worry, kiddo," she assured him in a sultry voice, "If I ever do handcuff you to a bed, I won't be leaving you alone."
"Oh really?"
"I'm just sayin'."
"Well, since you put it that way," he suggestively countered with a smirk and deliberately reached out to take her by the hand.
I can tease, too.
She felt a momentary charge tingle across her skin as he grasped her hand, and her eyes darted to his. She was surprised how pleasing the thought of sex with him was to her, but was equally unnerved by her silent admission. Her gaze took in how well his t-shirt fit his muscular chest and how his blue jeans hugged his lean waist. Then she caught herself and quickly rotated her hand to grab his wrist.
"Enough kidding around, you perv. Let's get you some breakfast. Nice healing job on your arm, by the way."
She pulled him towards the suite door, thankful that she had not succumbed to a fleeting desire that she would later regret.
"Sure," he agreed while eyeing her suspiciously.
Despite his sense of fidelity to Katrina, he couldn't help feeling aroused by the fleeting idea of having sex with her. He considered her to be a powerfully attractive woman for whom he cared deeply. And his experience in the vault with her had only increased that sense of affection.
The two proceeded to the main dining room, platonically discussing a host of decidedly safer topics.
Katrina sat at the head of the conference table to the right of Alton while appreciating the reactions from a number of vampires around the table as both Hakizimana and Mara secured their respective seats at the opposite end of the room.
The yellow-eyed vampire had quite a reputation among his peers, almost like an ancient celebrity in his own right merely from his longevity. Certainly, he was the eldest vampire in the room, which was saying something with Alton being over eight hundred years old.
While not overly enthusiastic herself, Katrina particularly enjoyed the reactions of both Baldar Dubravko and Dominic Ambrogio over the newest participants. Both vampires seemed beside themselves and were lulled into silent contemplation versus their usual instigation of arguments among attendees.
Wonders never cease, she mused.
"At the risk of seeming obstructive," Hakizimana politely inquired, "Would it be possible to briefly enumerate the topics at hand?"
"Certainly," Alton neatly replied.
He proceeded not only to describe the active topics, but briefly recounted the other topics that had been argued into stalemates or had been tabled for later discussion.
Hakizimana briefly commented on the merits of some topics, while diplomatically conceding the difficulties of others. Most surprising to Katrina was how a number of the previously tabled topics garnered renewed life with the seemingly unbiased promptings of the ancient vampire.
Within an hour, a number of formerly reserved or silent attendees were openly discussing the merits of some of the previous agenda topics. It was perhaps the first time since the conference started that free-flowing dialogue was occurring.
"Point of order," Dubravko abruptly spoke up. "Shouldn't someone other than the chair recommend that previously tabled topics be revisited for discussion?"
One of Alton's brows imperiously arched, and he swept the faces in the room for someone to speak up.
Katrina sat up in her chair, meeting Dubravko's golden-fleck eyes directly.
"I motion that previously tabled topics be reopened for discussion at the discretion of any participants," she offered. "Who will second?"
Silence reigned for only a few seconds. Then no less than three vampires spoke up simultaneously in support. The final vote resulted in the vast majority of attendees favoring the motion. Dubravko, Ambrogio, and three others were among the only dissenters.
In and of itself, it was a momentous victory for the tone of the conference. Dubravko silently fumed across the table from Katrina, but she merely reflected quiet satisfaction.
Civil dialogue seamlessly resumed as if no interruption had occurred.
During breakfast, Paige absently watched Caleb eat while sipping from a Styrofoam cup of warm blood. She was determined not to let her appetite get the better of her in the future, obligations or not. Staring at the young man before her, she couldn't help thinking about his two-fold accomplishment from the previous evening.
First, he had been able to bring a powerful and elusive vampire to participate in the conference. And second, he had lived through the risky endeavor.
Glancing up from his plate of food, he noticed her staring at him.
"What?" he asked.
"You surprised me last night, kiddo," she conceded. "Quite a lot, actually."
"I'm full of surprises sometimes."
She giggled. "More like full of crap sometimes."
He cast her a dirty look as he speared a sausage link and bit off one end.
"Actually," she earnestly whispered, "I'm impressed and proud. I just wish that you wouldn't -"
"Take so many chances?"
"Yeah," she grimly agreed as tightness formed in her throat.
His clumsiness is glaring at times. I'd rather he not turn up dead anytime soon.
He was touched to see the depth of caring and concern reflected in her bright blue eyes.
"You and Katrina both," he quietly noted.
She sipped from her cup, trying to refocus her thoughts on something more constructive. In turn, he concentrated on finishing his pancakes. The remainder of their time together passed relatively quickly and quietly. Yet, there was a sense of contentment between the two of them in just sharing the table together.
Following breakfast, Paige disappeared to pursue a host of requirements placed upon her by the major, leaving Caleb to his own diversions. He strolled through the merchants' area at one end of the conference facility, absently perusing. Following a call to Dori's suite but getting no answer, he left voicemail about where she could find him.
He had grown somewhat bored, having seen the same shops on a number of occasions since being sequestered to conference property.
An hour into his wandering, Dori showed up next to him as he perused a rack of paperback books.
"Where's your cell phone?" she insisted, emphasizing her annoyance by prodding her fingertip against his shoulder blade.
He reached down to his hip and realized that he hadn't had time to pick it up when Paige had abruptly showed up at his suite.
"Oh, yeah. I must have left without it this morning."
"Yeah, well, you won't need it until later this afternoon anyway," she said. "Let's go outside and enjoy some sunshine."
They walked outdoors to the park bench on which they had sat together just days prior. Caleb noted the location was ideal to chat privately, allowing them easily to notice anyone who might approach. They sat quietly, appreciating the scenic surroundings for a short time before either spoke.
"I've figured out how we can sneak out," Dori finally offered.
"Yeah? How?"
"There's a linens truck that stops outside the loading zone at the rear of the building every day. The cameras are set up to observe the loading area, but the back of the truck obstructs the full view enough that we might be able to hop in unnoticed," she explained.
"What about guards?"
"Yes, there's always one on duty there, so we'll need a diversion," she agreed.
That seemed to be the sticking point, until something struck him.
"What if we could get someone else to help us?"
"You have somebody in mind who can keep it to themselves?" Dori asked.
"Maybe. How about Aiden?"
She observed him for a moment.
"Perhaps. But it's better if we don't tell him where we're going, just in case one of the vampires questions him."
He considered her qualification and realized that "one of the vampires" included Alton, Kat, and Paige. Excluding them wasn't something that he was proud of, but he also realized that they wouldn't support their venture, either. Still, he was convinced that what they were planning to do was imperative.
Besides, maybe we'll get lucky like I did last night.
"I'll talk to Aiden," he resolved.
They agreed to visit again after he met with Aiden. It was another half-hour before he was able to acquire Aiden's cell phone number and arrange to meet him somewhere private. In the end, they agreed upon the Frisbee golf course. Fortunately, Frisbee was something Caleb was well acquainted with.
The two enjoyed a couple of rounds against each other before Caleb felt comfortable bringing up the subject at hand. Finally, after neatly tossing his disc into the goal, he subtly broached the topic.
"Great," Aiden chided. "Now you want me to get labeled a troublemaker, too. You're a real pill, Taylor."
Caleb shrugged. "Hey, I just thought you'd care enough about Talise to help us make sure there was nothing to our suspicions, that's all."
Aiden's green eyes narrowed, and he glared at Caleb. "Whaddaya mean by that?"
"Nothing, maybe," Caleb casually replied. "Only that sometimes I get it right, that's all. And I'm all for making sure that nothing threatens Katrina. Or Paige."
Aiden scowled. "I see what you're doing. You're trying to play on my fears. Well listen, try playing to my intelligence instead. Why don't you tell me where you think some threat might be coming from, and I'll determine if it seems reasonable or not."
Caleb admired the man's logic and moxie. However, he didn't feel comfortable spilling all the details, just as Dori had warned him.
"Dori uncovered some new information that leads us to believe that Baldar Dubravko has an agenda focused on the failure of this conference. That's another reason why the newest additions to the group, who, I might add, formerly weren't interested in being here, found my argument compelling enough to attend."
Aiden tossed his Frisbee, missed the goal entirely, and cursed. Then he turned to stare silently at Caleb at length before nodding.
"Okay, but when you're done playing spy, I want to know the full details. So, what is it exactly you want me to do?"
Caleb was visibly pleased. "Agreed."
The afternoon was waning by the time Caleb was able to locate Dori. He had no sooner made it back to the main lobby when he noticed vampires milling around. A number of human companions were among the crowd. Frowning, he looked around for someone who he felt comfortable asking for details.
Seemingly out of nowhere Katrina appeared on the far side of the lobby, staring at him with an amused expression. He tentatively smiled back at her. She crooked her finger in the same telltale manner as the night before and wriggled it at him in a beckoning fashion.
She didn't seem upset or worried to him. Quite the contrary, she looked like a hunter who had just bagged its prize prey. Caleb swallowed, and his smile faded somewhat. Her emerald eyes were penetrating as he strode slowly across the lobby towards her. For that reason, he wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to know why she wore such an expression.
"Surprise, my love," she slyly offered and bent down slightly to kiss him on the lips.'
At least, something is destined to be a surprise, she silently affirmed.
"It sure is," he agreed. "The conference let out early today, I presume?"
"Given that it was the first positive meeting since we started, we thought it would be a good idea not to be greedy," she wryly explained. "Besides, it gives those attendees with partners an opportunity to spend quality time with them. Like us, for example. We won't reconvene until tomorrow morning."
"Oh," he replied.
It figures. Just when Dori and I finally have a plan of action, now I get to spend time with Katrina.
She took note of his distracted mannerism. "How does dinner sound?" she queried.
I wonder what's on his mind?
He took notice of the main dining room and saw a short line of people waiting to be seated.
"Sure, that sounds nice," he ventured and wrapped his arm around her waist to lead her in that direction.
But her body remained firmly planted in place, and his torso twisted with a lurch to look at her curiously.
She's like a statue when she does that, he marveled.
"Actually, why don't we briefly run by Alton's suite and pick up him and Dori? They can join us for dinner," she prompted.
It won't take long at all.
He suspiciously frowned. "Well, okay. That's a nice idea, actually."
He quickly wondered if his and Dori's plans would still be actionable after dinner or not. He doubted it with neither of their vampires preoccupied.
"Excellent. Let's go," she said, taking him by the hand to lead him to the nearby elevator.
Caleb knocked on Alton's suite door, glancing up at Katrina for what must have been the third time in two minutes to gauge her expression. For some reason, he couldn't help thinking that she was up to something.
Then again, between her and Alton, they're always up to something.
She contentedly looked down at him and soothingly rubbed his lower back.
Dori was the one who answered the door, and she looked none too pleased to be there. Her violet eyes were hard, as if she had just been arguing. She warily fixed Caleb in a manner that made him feel like turning to flee back down the hallway to the elevator. It was like a rabbit silently warning a fellow bunny, "Danger! Run!"
"Hi, Dori," Katrina warmly greeted her. "Caleb and I thought that you two might want to join us for dinner."
Dori absently reached over her opposite shoulder to scratch at her back. "Certainly," she politely replied. "We'll meet you downstairs."
"Dori," announced Alton's diplomatic voice from inside. "That sounds like Katrina and Caleb. Have them come in, why don't you?"
She said nothing and stepped aside to allow them to enter. Katrina pleasantly smiled at her as they passed.
Good girl, she noted.
Alton appeared to be tinkering with items from a large, black briefcase made of a composite material. Since the opened case lid was facing him, Caleb couldn't see what was inside. He observed Dori again, and she looked back at him with a miserable expression.
"Why don't you two have a seat, and I'll be right with you," Alton suggested.
Katrina's arm slipped around Caleb's waist, guiding him over to the couch, and he looked up at his mate with a curious expression.
She wistfully looked at him and murmured, "I love you."
"I love you, too," he sincerely replied.
"Caleb? Perhaps you would be so kind to remove your shirt for a moment?" Alton asked.
Caleb froze and then looked back over his shoulder at him. He noticed that the tall vampire was holding what looked like a large metal syringe, and it almost made him cringe.
"Just what the hell is that for?!"
Alton innocently shook his head. "It's really nothing."
"The hell it is. That's something."
Katrina reached over to help lift his t-shirt up, but he quickly slapped at her hands and pulled it back down.
"Just wait a damned minute! Somebody better tell me what the hell is going on here!"
"Shhh, nobody's doing anything to harm you, my love," Katrina soothingly offered as she patted him on the shoulder. "Just take your shirt off for a moment, and it'll all be over soon. It's a completely painless process."
"Oh no, not until somebody tells me what this is all about," Caleb insisted.
Another fleeting glimpse of Dori's visage indicated that he wasn't going to like the answer.
"We're merely inserting a small implant on your shoulder," Alton explained as if it were the most common thing in the world. "It rests just beneath the skin. You'll never even know it's there. Katrina will even numb the area for you."
"What kind of implant, Alton?" he pressed.
"It's a tiny tracking beacon," Katrina answered. "It's for your protection so that we can locate you in the event that you mysteriously disappear again."
He suddenly realized why Dori seemed so unhappy. Apparently, she had one installed, as well.
Well, that puts a big damned wrinkle in our plan.
"Great," he sarcastically retorted, "It's just like tagging a herd animal. Is that what we are now?"
Katrina's mouth became a thin line, and she frowned at him. "That's insulting, Caleb. Nobody's trying to demean you. We just want to keep you both safe, that's all."
"I think I'll pass," he flatly retorted as he stared into Katrina's eyes.
She briefly closed her eyes. When she reopened them, Caleb stared into the determined eyes of a resolute vampire.
"I'm afraid that's not an option, my love," she declared with a note of finality.
Enough games, Caleb. This is for your own good, after all.
"No," he repeated, though his resolve was shaken somewhat by her visage.
"Remove your shirt. Now," she commanded.
Her arm reached across him and firmly planted him against the cushion. She stared directly into his pale blue eyes and deliberately willed her eyes to flash at him brightly for a mere second.
He pulled away from her at that fierce sight. Then he realized that he wasn't going to win the dispute at that point. All he had left to maintain was his dignity.
"Fine," he relented and began stripping his shirt off.
It didn't give Katrina any pleasure to force her lover's hand in the matter. But more than anything, she couldn't endure another helpless feeling of wondering if he were okay, as well as where he might be. He was too important to her.
Caleb looked away from her and dejectedly sat with his shoulder slightly slumped forwards. He allowed his torso to be turned away from her, offering his back to them. Alton moved closer to him from behind the couch, and he felt Katrina's lips on his skin a little higher above his left shoulder blade.
She kissed him once, and his muscles tensed in response.
Despite the audience of Alton and Dori, Katrina deliberately kissed Caleb's shoulder twice more with her soft lips. Finally, she placed her tongue against his skin and waited for a time until it was properly numbed. Alton waited for her to pull away then deftly injected the tip of the needle. With a single push of the syringe, a tiny metal object was deposited just beneath his skin.
Before bleeding ensued, Katrina pressed her tongue against his skin, waiting for the entry point to seal.
A moment later, she lightly kissed the spot and said, "There. Done."
Now I'll have some peace of mind for a change.
He started to reach over his shoulder to touch the spot, but she lightly swatted his hand.
"Leave it alone for a short time so it can properly heal," she insisted. Then a brief memory of kissing his wounded arm as a child played through her mind, and she recalled having said the same thing to him as an eight-year-old boy. It was an odd recollection.
He slipped his shirt back on as Alton happily asked, "Well then, anyone hungry?"
The four of them proceeded to the main dining room for dinner, though Katrina and Alton did most of the talking over warm glasses of blood as Dori and Caleb traded dejected looks and mostly picked at their meals.
"I thought that we might take in a movie tonight," Alton merrily suggested. "There's a theater in Jereka that's open until midnight."
Dori forced a diplomatic expression. "I'm sure that's fine," she politely responded.
"I think it sounds delightful," Katrina replied in an upbeat tone.
Caleb was having none of it and merely frowned. He felt somewhat resentful towards both his mate and Alton. As Katrina's fingers lightly touched his hand, he immediately looked away.
Alton drove the four of them to Jereka in an SUV. Despite his aggravation, Caleb admired the vampire's keen driving skills on such a dark road. It seemed that the vehicle progressed at an unusually high rate of speed for the curving mountains road. He surveyed what little he could see through the side window of the back seat, pointedly ignoring Katrina beside him.
He's really angry about earlier, Katrina thought ruefully. Still, it's for their own good.
"I don't mean to seem impertinent, but I don't speak fluent Slovene," Caleb dryly observed. He had learned a few key phrases and courteously tried using them when possible, but he could barely hold a reasonable conversation with the locals in their native language.
"What?" Alton asked.
"The movie," Dori supplemented. "And neither do I, for the most part."
"It's in English," Alton supplied as he deftly maneuvered through a tight curve at a brisk speed.
Caleb gritted his teeth and wondered how the stately vampire had managed to arrange that little feat.
He probably purchased the theater or something, he speculated.
Once in Jereka, Caleb was impressed by how busy the small city was in the evening. People bustled about much like they would in any city in America. The theater was a quaint-looking structure reminiscent of an earlier period when theaters were a special and unique civic attraction.
Inside, people milled around as Caleb noticed that the movie posters were all labeled in Slovene. The universal smell of popcorn permeated the lobby, and his mouth watered. While Alton purchased the tickets, Katrina casually observed Caleb and Dori as they stood quietly waiting.
The film was a modern romantic comedy set in New York City entitled Love, Unexpected. A number of people were seated in the theater when they entered, most appearing to be college-aged. In an almost herding fashion, Alton led the way to their seats while Katrina brought up the rear, effectively ensuring that Caleb and Dori sat between them.
Caleb hastily mentioned, "I think I'll run to the restrooms before the movie starts."
"Me, too," Dori agreed.
Both were surprised when Katrina and Alton kept their seats. Once in the lobby, Caleb turned to his newfound friend.
"What do we do now?" he insisted. "Aiden already offered to help us."
"Oh, I am so furious at Alton," Dori fumed. Her eyes darted left and right in a flighty fashion that seemed out of character for the normally confident woman. "I don't know yet. Just give me some time to think about it. I'm not even sure if the implants poll us constantly or not."
"How do you even know about stuff like this?" he asked. There was so much that he still didn't know about Dori. She was a virtual mystery for all their time together.
Katrina appeared through the doors of their theater and swept the busy lobby to locate them.
"Kat's on us already," Caleb warned, turning his back on his mate.
"Just act as normal as possible, and we'll meet up tomorrow after the conference starts up again," Dori urged. "I should have some answers by then."
She quickly walked over to the nearby women's restroom, darting through the door to enter.
"The men's is on the other side of the lobby," Katrina pleasantly offered from behind Caleb.
What are you two up to? she wondered.
"Oh, thanks," he said.
Katrina waited for them to return to the lobby and accompanied them back to their seats. Then she disappeared again while Dori and Caleb reseated themselves next to Alton. Caleb noticed he had already acquired Cokes for each of them.
A few minutes later, Katrina quietly reappeared in her seat next to Caleb, handing him a large bucket of fresh popcorn.
"Popcorn? Extra butter and salt, just as you like it," she encouragingly whispered as the previews began.
"Thanks," he accepted good-naturedly and munched on the tasty snack. Dori snatched a handful or two as well.
The movie was enjoyable, and by the end of the film each of them had openly laughed a number of times. The romantic aspects of the feature weren't lost on Caleb, and at one point he gently grasped Katrina's hand when it appeared on his thigh. Despite still feeling annoyed with earlier events, he couldn't deny that he loved her.
For Katrina's part, she endeavored to keep the evening light-hearted. For one fleeting night, she wanted to act like any normal couple out on a date and leave all the dramatic vampire-themed events of the present behind them. Granted, such things would return to the forefront of their lives in mere hours, but she desperately needed to show Caleb that she could still be what she enjoyed being most of all for him: his mate and companion.
It was very late by the time Alton drove them back to the conference site. Dori dozed in the front passenger seat, while Caleb yawned nearly the entire time. He fought the drowsiness that threatened to overcome him, determined to see as much of his surroundings as the pervasive darkness would allow. The conference site had begun to feel like an oversized prison to him.
By the time Katrina and Caleb finally stood outside the door to their suite, he was no longer able to fight his fatigue. His red-headed mate observed him with amusement as he opened his mouth in a cavernous yawn, one that he thought would unhinge his jaw. He quickly squeezed past Katrina to enter the dark suite, making his way directly to the bedroom for much-welcome slumber.
Unfortunately, he ran directly into the back of the couch with a resounding "Umph."
"Careful. And try not to fall asleep before I can give you a goodnight kiss," she teased.
She shut the door and reached out for the light switch. It wasn't as if she needed the illumination, but she didn't want Caleb injuring himself on his trek to the bedroom.
As she flicked the light switch, every lamp or light fixture in the room snapped on. However, instead of the muted lighting that she expected, the room was filled with much more penetrating light.
"What the hell?" Caleb snapped as the lights in the bedroom and bathroom all popped on at once.
Katrina immediately felt intense pain, and her skin began to sizzle like bacon on a hot grill.
The next seconds passed like a lightning strike as Katrina's hand slammed into the light switch, though it failed to extinguish the lights. Her other hand reached for the suite's door handle, which fell away in her hand, leaving the door closed in place. She darted nearly blindly towards the bedroom but only saw more lights, so she sped into the coat closet beside her.
"Kat!" Caleb yelled with alarm as he had only caught a fleeting glimpse of his mate's scorched skin.
He immediately realized what was happening as he felt increased heat emanating from the nearest lamp. It was like the entire suite was a giant tanning booth. Grabbing one lamp, he jerked its cord from the nearby receptacle, rendering it harmless.
"Don't worry, Kat! Just hang on!" he shouted while racing to the various light switches in the room, though none of them extinguished the lights.
He wielded the lamp pedestal in his hand like a bludgeon and ran to each light fixture on the walls to smash the bulbs until they were dark and useless. He had to jump up in order to break the ceiling-mounted lights, but quickly progressed through the living room until all lights were broken. Then to save time, he raced to the bedroom and slammed the door shut, leaving him standing in complete darkness.
His momentary night blindness hampered his efforts to cross the room as he barked, "It's okay, Kat! The lights are out."
His efforts were met with his shin's painful, abrupt impact against the coffee table, which tripped him.
"Dammit!" he cursed while trying to maintain his balance.
He thought that he heard the nearby closet door open and felt a blur of movement nearby. The smell that followed nearly made him gag. It was like burned meat, and he shuddered upon realizing it was his mate's flesh.
"Oh God, Kat," he gasped.
"I'll be okay," her terse voice tried to reassure him.
Her anger was barely kept in check as she effortlessly moved through the darkness to part the curtains covering the windows. Although it was nighttime, the meager light filtering in through the coated glass from outside would allow her mate to see more easily.
"Jesus! Are you okay?" he insisted as his eyes began to adjust enough that he could make out her form near the windows.
He felt a blur of air rush past him again, and she disappeared from view. An acrid smell assailed his nose in her wake.
She opened the small refrigerator in the suite and withdrew two packets of blood she had stored there for convenience. She quickly assessed that her skin was only slightly damaged, and that fresh blood would speed the healing process.
"What can I do, Kat?" he asked. "You can have my blood right now," he immediately offered.
"No, my love," she countered while emptying the blood into a large ceramic coffee mug, which she placed in the nearby microwave.
He felt useless while watching her by the dim light emanating through the microwave's glass door, and his mind raced with a host of questions all at once. She moved to the nearby phone and punched a few digits even as her skin throbbed with pain from the burns that she had endured.
"Alton? Get to my room immediately. Something's happened," she ordered in a flat voice before pressing a button to end the call and get another dial tone.
She dialed again as Caleb carefully negotiated his way to her.
"Paige, grab your boss and get up to my room. There's been an event," she ordered and hung up the phone.
She turned to the microwave and retrieved the mug of blood. The thick substance felt soothing as it washed down her throat and into her stomach. She could almost feel the healing effects begin to accelerate as her body's cells began converting the blood to useful energy.
Vampires are nothing if not highly efficient biological machines.
Her eyes swept the room, falling upon the helpless, tortured expression on Caleb's face, and it almost broke her heart.
"It's okay, my love," she reassured him. "I'm going to be fine."
His tension abated somewhat, quickly changing to anger.
When I find out who did this...
A knock at the door interrupted his tumultuous thoughts.
"Katrina?" came Alton's voice from the hallway.
"Move!" Paige's voice ordered, followed by a clicking sound in the door lock mechanism.
Somebody rattled the exterior handle, but the door remained shut. Abruptly, a loud thud preempted the crashing of the door as it slammed into the wall and swung closed again. Finally, the door pivoted open, casting a swath of light across the floor of the suite as Paige, Alton, and Major Pietari crowded through the doorway.
"Why are the lights off?" Paige queried as her gaze swept the room. Her vision settled on Katrina's face, and her breath caught in her throat. "And what the hell happened to you?!"
"UV-light bulbs happened to me. Caleb broke out the lights because the switches were disabled," she added, noting Dori's cautious appearance in the suite's doorway.
Paige noted the light emanating underneath the doorway to the bedroom and moved in that direction. Caleb's arm swept out, managing to encircle her petite waist.
"Same thing in there," he snapped. The last thing that he wanted was for more vampires that he cared about to get hurt.
Paige's eyes darted to the young man and back to the bedroom door. "This took some time," she absently noted while affectionately patting his arm.
"We've been away all evening," he interjected.
"Are you okay?" Alton asked, staring at the red-headed vampire.
"I'll be fine," Katrina replied.
She sipped from the mug of blood and stepped into the light of the hallway so the major could get a better look at her burns, which were already beginning to heal. The pain still throbbed through her body, but at a greatly reduced rate.
Caleb stared at his mate, recalling memories of when he was only eight. That was when he first met her on that fateful summer day after she had been severely burned by the sun. Her skin had appeared scaly and blackened. His earlier grudge against her for the implant in his shoulder suddenly seemed somewhat petty.
Her eyes met his, and she tenderly smiled back at him, despite her obvious discomfort.
"The door handle was disengaged on the inside," Dori pointed out.
"She should've just kicked the door off its hinges in the first place," Paige admonished.
"I was caught off-guard and just wanted to block the painful radiation at the time," Katrina retorted.
"Somebody went to a lot of trouble to hurt her," Alton observed.
"I'll check the maintenance logs to see if anyone noted any contractors arriving on site," the major offered. "We took the surveillance system offline for a time tonight to diagnose and reinitialize the system, but I'll check the video logs to see if we can see a glimpse of the culprits." He looked at Paige. "Get this cleaned up and fixed, Turner."
He turned and barreled from the room like a man on a mission.
"Yeah, sure," she irritably replied. Somehow it didn't surprise her to get stuck with the cleanup detail.
A thought occurred to Caleb, and he moved to the nearby phone to dial one of the rooms in the hotel. Nobody paid him any attention as they continued to chat about what had happened. He heard someone pick up on the other end. It was Talise.
"I'm sorry for calling so late. But can I please speak with Aiden? It's important," he apologetically inquired.
"Who are you calling?" Paige asked.
A sleepy male voice on the phone asked, "Hello?"
"Aiden? It's Caleb. Listen, something important just happened, and we need your help," he insisted.
"We do?" Paige asked as the others watched with perplexed expressions.
"Just get dressed and get over to our room," he ordered and hung up the phone.
"What are you up to?" Alton asked in his crisp English accent.
"Somebody just pulled off a big electrical job here. Who better to help sort it all out than a master electrician?" Caleb asked with a sly expression.
By the time Aiden and Talise arrived at the suite, temporary lighting had been set up around the room. Additionally, the light bulbs had hastily been replaced in the bedroom and bathroom with ordinary ones. Paige and another security officer were discussing further investigative topics, while Alton and Katrina stood in a corner quietly conversing.
Caleb quickly briefed Aiden, and the sleepy-eyed young man used a multi-purpose tool to remove the panel from the light switch nearest the door. Dori and the vampires in the room quickly gathered around to watch.
Caleb noted with satisfaction that Katrina's skin only looked like it had sustained serious sunburns instead of the scarred tissue from earlier. Her skin was reddened and blistered-looking. She patted him on the shoulder with a reassuring expression.
"Wow, this is sophisticated," Aiden observed as he viewed the wiring before him. "Somebody really knew what they were doing here. See this? They installed a mini-breaker to act as the kill switch when the contact was activated."
"Hmmm," Alton murmured. "Rather elaborate for such a limited effect. Surely, they realized their trap wouldn't actually kill Katrina before she managed to escape the room."
"Yeah, but it's a hell of a message," Paige blurted.
And I need to find out from whom, she resolved.
Aiden politely passed through the group, making his way to another light switch, only to discover the same alteration to the wiring. The young man frowned and sharply looked at Caleb.
"Somebody had to crosswire all the suite's switches in series to all the other light fixtures, as well."
"Can any electrical contractor do that?" Dori asked.
Aiden shrugged. "Yeah, sure. But they'd need the electrical blueprints to know how everything was already wired. Normally, we'd balance everything so you didn't overload any one circuit in a suite like this, so you'd want to know how they tie into the main breaker panel. The phases all have to be balanced, you see."
Paige glanced meaningfully at the security guard standing next to her.
"I'll check the electrical room on this floor," the guard offered before departing.
"So, it wasn't necessarily an inside job," Talise ventured.
"Oh, there was an inside component to this, I'm sure," Paige said. Katrina nodded. "Somebody de-programmed the door to the suite, too."
"Yep, I've installed those types of locks on some of my previous construction jobs. They're pretty standard in places like hotels. Each door has a standalone lock, so it takes someone with access to the master key cards or somebody with one of the handheld programming units to make the changes," Aiden said.
"But it allowed me in the first time," Katrina countered.
"Aw, those locks are pretty dynamic, actually. You can program them to reset, or even deactivate, after the first swipe, if you want," Aiden explained.
Talise appeared impressed and moved to stand next to Aiden. "You're pretty handy," she observed in an approving tone.
He winked and kissed her on the cheek in response.
But Alton appeared less than amused exchanging knowing looks with both Katrina and Paige. "A rat in our midst, for certain," he said.
"I'll run down who has access to those components," Paige promised. She looked at Aiden. "Mind if I tap your expertise on this?"
He shrugged. "Sure. Not like I've got any other plans."
A couple of tired-looking maintenance men showed up outside the suite and politely knocked on the door jamb.
"Is this the suite with the faulty door?" one of the fellows asked in thick Slovene-accented English.
Everyone turned to stare at the men, who stood directly beside the ruined door as it barely hung from one hinge, seemingly aloof of its condition.
"You're kidding, right?" Paige incredulously asked.
"No offense, but you're gonna want to call somebody else, I think," Aiden sardonically whispered.
As the process of repairing things in the suite was going to take time, and rather than bothering to transfer to another suite, Paige offered the use of her room to Caleb and Katrina. When Caleb woke the next morning, he rolled over to stare into the perky-featured face of Paige as she lay fully dressed on top of the covers, perching her head on one arm.
"Well, look who's sleeping in my bed," she playfully chimed with a sparkle in her bright blue eyes.
He sleepily peered back at her. "Chasing me out?" he asked.
"Are you kidding? I've been waiting forever to get you like this," she teased. "Wanna try my handcuffs on for size now?" she asked with a daring gleam in her eyes.
Following a roll of his eyes, he stifled a yawn while stretching his muscles. "Maybe later. But thanks for letting me crash here. Where's Kat?"
"Too bad," she mock-lamented with a pouty expression. "Your old lady left for the conference room a couple of hours ago. Alton was pretty anxious to inform the group of last night's events in order to gauge their reactions."
"Think it'll help?"
"Not so much," she soberly replied, rolling off the bed to stand. "Some vampires are good at feigning their reactions."
"Any leads yet on who altered our room's light fixtures?" he asked while sitting up.
"Not yet. As the major said, the security system was offline for a while, which was probably when they snuck in to do the job."
"Perfect timing, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, a little too perfect."
He yawned and plopped back down onto the bed.
She adopted a more upbeat expression, planted her hands on her hips and badgered, "Hey, time to get up, twerp. Whaddaya think I'm running here, a hotel?"
After showering and changing into the fresh clothes he had brought from his suite, Caleb went to the lobby to acquire a card key to his and Katrina's new suite. Much to his surprise, there was a similarly-sized room available at the opposite end of Paige's floor. He couldn't help but wonder if either of the two most important women in his life had a hand in that.
Probably both, he determined. Still, it made him feel happy to know that Paige wasn't far from him. Well, that's when she's actually off-duty, which isn't very often lately.
As he turned to head to the dining room for something to eat, he caught a glimpse of Paige in a freshly pressed security blazer and slacks standing near the elevator intently watching him with her arms crossed before her.
He held up the new room key for her to see. She adopted a mischievous smirk and winked at him.
He deliberately went out of his way to walk past her on his route to the dining room and teased, "How convenient. Making access easier to feed on me?"
"That," she conceded in a light tone, "and I like to keep troublemakers close by."
He stuck out his tongue at her over his shoulder, and she giggled.
Once seated in the dining room, he ordered brunch and waited for his food to arrive. While he was perusing a day-old copy of The New York Times, Dori appeared at his tableside and pulled up a chair next to his.
"Why is it that I'm always finding you down here?" she teased.
He looked over the top of his paper at the beguiling brunette, hoping that her positive demeanor portended good news.
"I happen to like eating."
"Your appetite is epic," she remarked with a smirk.
"Somebody got up on the right side of bed."
She shrugged and accepted fresh coffee offered by a passing waiter.
Watching the man depart, she informed him, "I have discovered something interesting about Alton's new toys."
His eyes darted to her with rapt attention and he laid his newspaper aside. "Such as?"
"The handheld tracking device is fairly large and operates as a proximity detection unit," she said. "It's still nestled in the briefcase as of this morning, which means they intend to use it only if we turn up missing."
"How does that help us?"
"It means that as long as we slip out stealthily enough, we'll have a short time to investigate before they notice," she explained. "Then they have to take the time to hone in on us, rather than receiving immediate GPS coordinates for our position. If we do our job right, we'll have all the information we need before they locate us. Then, if we're correct, they'll be happy that we uncovered useful information."
"Yeah, but they're still going to be majorly pissed at us," he said.
Especially Kat.
She shrugged. "An acceptable risk for proving our point, I should think."
"You don't know Kat," he groaned and did a double-take when he saw her openly grinning at him. "What?"
"Your choice in women," she wistfully contemplated with a shake of her head. "Both of them."
He started to inquire further, but she took a final sip of her coffee and rose to leave.
"Do something relaxing today," she instructed him. "Then you and Aiden meet up with me in the gardens at four o'clock. And be sure to bring a small flashlight with you."
He watched her go with a puzzled expression, but he was quickly distracted by the arrival of his food.
Following his meal, Caleb spent the day fishing at the miniature lake at the rear of the conference property. He had been able to rent a rod and tackle at the courtesy shop skirting the small dock. The water was clear and the fish plentiful, but he released everything that he caught.
He savored a relaxing day appreciating the beautiful scenery around him and even ate lunch lakeside. In truth, it was the first day since his beating at the local police station that he actually felt "normal." Nearly all the soreness had abated in his muscles, thanks to Katrina's blood injections, and he had finally managed to avoid dwelling on the uncertain budget situation at his college.
It's not as if I have any control over what might happen, so I may as well try to live in the moment while things are enjoyable.
He reveled in his surroundings, frequently gazing across the lake's shoreline or up at the looming mountains blanketed in lush forest. Despite the recent dangerous events, it was an amazing place to visit, and he wished there weren't so much drama associated with his trip so that he could embrace it in earnest.
Maybe Kat and I can visit again someday. Only next time, alone.
The day quickly passed, and four o'clock came sooner than expected. He returned to his new suite to shower and change clothes, selecting a dark t-shirt and jeans. Though they hadn't coordinated their wardrobe, he found Dori similarly dressed as she stood beside Aiden. However, in lieu of t-shirt she wore a fashionable black cami and suede bolero jacket. She also carried a small leather satchel in one hand.
Caleb weighed the merits of his own ensemble and considered whether to return to his suite to change clothes.
I thought this was a spy mission, not a fashion show.
"The truck's already parked at the facility's freight entrance," she informed him, ignoring his self-deprecating expression.
The plan was simple and relied upon Aiden's skill with deception. Granted, there were a number of other unplanned variables, but it was the best opportunity available to them. It wasn't as if they could just blatantly commandeer a vehicle without being noticed and pursued.
"I just hope you two know what you're doing," Aiden offered. "But we had better do this quick. Captain Turner wants to meet with me in an hour. She had a few questions about the electrical fiasco from last night."
Caleb's eyes darted to his. "Don't even mention us while you're with her, Aiden. She picks up on things like a hawk. It's uncanny, really."
The young electrician held up his hands.
"Hey, no problem. I'm just planning to talk about electricity, nothing more."
They gave Aiden time to make his way to the freight area, and then took a circuitous route to a spot not far from the freight entrance. Caleb was pleasantly surprised when everything seemed to go according to plan. They watched as Aiden was able to distract the human guard, and only two other staff milled around the area.
As Dori predicted, a linens service truck was parked in the freight dock area. The driver and a hotel staff member placed two large loads of linens in the back of the truck and returned inside. Nobody noticed as Dori and Caleb slipped into the back of the truck. Even better, there were already large piles of sheets, towels, table cloths, and a host of other things to hide behind. After a final heave of linens onto the top of the piles, the truck departed the conference site property and made its way towards town.
Following a half-hour drive, the truck came to a final halt, and the engine shut off. After hearing the driver's side door open and close, Dori and Caleb waited for a minute to determine if the rear doors were to be opened or not. A flashlight snapped on, and Dori took note of the time.
She made the universal symbol for silence and crept to the rear doors. Carefully cracking open one door, she peered through the sliver. Following a quick motion of her hand, Caleb cautiously maneuvered his way to her.
The truck was parked at the rear of the cleaning service building in town. Dori slipped out and visually scanned the area before urging Caleb to follow. They stood in a wide alleyway serving as a rear shipping access for the two rows of buildings facing each other.
Making haste, they went down the alley to the main street and proceeded along lesser-traveled side streets towards their destination. The sun was on its downward trajectory to sunset, and Caleb anticipated that they only had a few hours before needing to worry about lurking vampires.
Within twenty minutes, they had made their way to the familiar field that led into the forest overlooked by the nearby mountain. Caleb admired Dori's keen sense of direction and wondered for the hundredth time about the woman's mysterious background.
When they finally arrived at the small storage building, Caleb noticed the lock had been replaced, and a heavy-duty metal bracket had been installed across the door and frame. But Dori seemed prepared and withdrew a small set of lock picks.
"You're a regular Jane Bond," he quipped.
She cast him a demure look and went to work on the lock with alarming efficiency.
He peered overhead at the sky, remarking, "It'll be sunset soon. We better do this quickly."
She cast him a wry look, asking, "So, now you're afraid that vampires are going to come swarming out here to get us?"
His voice was tight as he replied, "Aren't you?"
"Yeah, kind of," she admitted as the lock snapped open with a clink.
The door opened to reveal the same ramshackle interior they had seen on their previous visit. Dori reached into her leather satchel, retrieving a small electronic device about the size of a deck of playing cards. It was black and only sported a couple of buttons and multi-colored LED lights.
"What's that?"
"Hopefully, something that'll save us some time. I've been giving this shack a lot of thought since we were last here."
She pressed a button on the device and began waving it close to the benches and walls inside while closely watching the LED lights. When she waved it near the back wall where the tool-laden pegboard was mounted, the LEDs lit up like the Fourth of July. She continued waving the device in the manner of a magician performing a show until she had swept the entire back wall area.
"Find something?"
"Yep," she replied and moved the device to an area just to the right of where the pegboard ended about halfway between the floor and ceiling.
She pressed another button, holding it while a high-pitched tone emitted from the device. After what seemed like an eternity, Caleb anxiously peered outside the building, half-expecting someone to show up at any moment. He turned back to her as a mysterious clicking sound emanated from the wall.
The length of wall covered by the pegboard suddenly separated along its rightmost edge from the rest of the wall. Dori pressed on that section, which swung open to reveal a darkened cave-like corridor before them.
The scent of stale, moist air wafted out to greet them as Caleb muttered, "Well, I'll be damned."
"The photos were accurate, it seems," she noted with satisfaction. "This, my friend, is the entrance to the mine that was active until just a few decades ago."
She swapped the small handheld device for a flashlight from her satchel. He started forward with his own small flashlight, but she stopped him by pressing her palm against his chest.
"I think we'll overlook chivalry for now," she cautioned. "This time, it's ladies first."
He shrugged and followed her into the darkness.
Katrina sat in the conference room, appreciating the more positive tone of the meeting that day. Nearly the entire session had been productive at some level. She had to admit that the reappearance of the ancient Hakizimana had a positive effect on the other attendees. At least some things were finally falling into place, or so it seemed to her.
However, they were no closer to discovering who had installed the UV bulbs in the light fixtures of Katrina's suite. Everyone had reacted with surprise, shock, or concern upon Alton's announcement of the development. She was convinced, however, that someone in the room had some nefarious level of knowledge.
A knock at the door caused a pause in the discussions, and everyone looked up as one of the vampire security guards from outside carried a small note into the room.
"My apologies for the interruption, but an urgent message needs to be passed along," he announced and scouted the room for the recipient.
The guard strode over to Dominic Ambrogio, who accepted the message with a slight nod of his head. The dark-haired vampire quickly scanned the message as others curiously watched him.
"I'm afraid that I must withdraw early," he politely offered. "A matter of urgency requires my attention."
Katrina closely watched as the vampire rose and quickly departed the room behind the security guard. Her eyes darted to Alton, who watched with equal curiosity.
After the door closed, the discussion continued, and Katrina tried to refocus on the topic at hand.
As Dori and Caleb proceeded into the silence of the cave-like corridor, he was struck by the oppressive feeling of the environment. The darkness pressed in from all sides, while the rock walls had an eerie subterranean aura. Large timbers appeared at intervals to reinforce the makeshift walls and ceiling. A quick sweep of light to the ceiling revealed metal light fixtures placed at intervals.
"Hey, there are lights in here," he observed. "Let's find a switch."
They backtracked to the entrance where a nondescript switch was set almost flush with the cave wall. A flick of the switch bathed the corridor in a dull yellow illumination. The true depth of the corridor became eerily evident as they gazed down its length.
"Come on," she urged and led the way forwards.
After a couple of hundred feet, they noticed a darker, unlit corridor branching off to the right. A flash of their lights confirmed that it was lengthy and curved to the left again further in the distance.
Dori flashed her light down at the floor.
"Lots of settled dirt with no footprints," she announced. "Let's follow the lights."
Caleb followed her lead down the corridor.
Another corridor branched off to their left and was lit like the current path. They stopped and curiously looked down its length.
"Which way now?" he asked.
She seemed indecisive and nervously chewed her bottom lip with a contemplative expression. "Left," she decided aloud.
After following the side corridor a hundred feet or so, they noticed a sturdy metal door set into the wall. It creaked as Dori opened it, and she had to shine her flashlight inside to see. It appeared to be a large storage room of some kind. Heavy wood workbenches lined the walls, and a metal storage cabinet stood in the corner. The tables were strewn with a variety of hand tools, including light fixture ballasts. Cardboard boxes of various-sized light bulbs were stacked in a corner.
Dori peered further down the corridor and saw it bend to the right. "Let's move on," she suggested.
Around the bend, the passageway led on for another hundred feet or so until finally ending with a heavy-set metal door like the one on the supply room. It was closed and securely locked by an industrial-looking deadbolt lock. They retraced their steps until reaching the original passageway and proceeded further up its length.
After more than an hour of investigation, they uncovered two additional locked metal doors and a series of unlit corridors.
Caleb reached out to grasp Dori's arm to halt her. She curiously looked at him, and he consulted his watch.
"This is turning out to be a dead end," he said. "Listen, it's almost sunset, and I don't want to be caught out when the vamps come out to play. Besides, somebody's going to miss us before long. At least we can say that we tried."
"It's a little disappointing," she admitted. "You're probably right, though. They'll be missing us soon, if they haven't already noticed us gone."
They turned and walked back through the oppressive passageway towards the entrance. After passing the first illuminated side corridor, they picked up their pace. They abruptly heard Slovene-accented voices coming from the direction of the entrance, and they stopped dead in their in their tracks.
Caleb heard a voice that he recognized, and a sour feeling formed in the pit of his stomach.
"Why did you idiots wait on me?" complained Dominic Ambrogio. "Get in there, you fools!"
"Shit," whispered Caleb. "Sunset already arrived."
Dori reached into her satchel, retrieving an automatic pistol.
Caleb's eyes widened, not expecting a firearm, and he stared at her.
"Who are you?"
"Never mind that. Start backing up as quickly and quietly as you can."
He quietly retreated back down the passageway with Dori covering them.
"I can smell them," Ambrogio seethed. "And I recognize one in particular."
A shiver went up Caleb's spine as he heard the pounding of multiple boots coming closer towards them. Within seconds, a man wearing a woodland camouflage uniform appeared around a slight bend, immediately raising and firing an assault rifle. Bullets ricocheted around them, causing Caleb to crouch involuntarily.
But Dori expertly raised her pistol, firing twice. The man groaned, falling to the floor clutching his chest.
"Run!" she yelled.
The sounds of firing and ricocheting bullets reverberated through the corridor as they fled headlong into the darkness. Dori managed to grab Caleb's arm to divert him down the illuminated side corridor to their left. The echoing sounds of gunfire were nearly deafening in close quarters.
"You!" Ambrogio shouted from the end of the short passageway.
Dori turned and fired twice as Caleb dove headfirst into the storage room they had investigated earlier. A roar that chilled Caleb's soul followed, along with Dori at his heels. He turned to see the vampire's pulsating blue eyes and look of rage as blood ran down his forehead.
Dori managed to push against the door, but the vampire's arm reached inside, preventing it from fully shutting.
Caleb grabbed a solid-looking metal pipe and swung it downwards with all the force that he could muster from all the years of playing baseball in college. The pipe impacted the vampire's arm with a bone-crushing thud, eliciting an anguished, painful scream.
The arm disappeared, and Caleb helped Dori shut the door. Gunshots sounded, followed by the impact of rounds against the door. Fortunately, they failed to penetrate. Dori quickly slammed the door's deadbolt into place.
Both were breathing heavily while leaning against the door. Then a huge object slammed into the door, causing a reverberation that rumbled through Caleb's chest.
"Oh, he's mad now," Dori announced.
"Gee, you think?"
He looked back at the wooden benches and hurriedly pushed one against the door with Dori's assistance. His vision fell upon some empty cardboard light bulb packaging labeled UV Fluorescent along with high-value wattages.
Suddenly, he realized where the menacing light bulbs used in their suite must have come from. Dori caught his gaze and looked down at the tabletop.
"One mystery solved," she acknowledged. "Now if we can just live long enough to reveal it."
He didn't like the way she said that, but he found it hard not to concede the gravity of their situation.