by Lisa Olsen
“Any time, darlin’. You consider that an open invitation,” he beamed. “I can’t thank you enough for the doors you opened for me up here.”
“I’m sorry we’re going back before planned, I hope this doesn’t put you out too much.”
“Naw, it’s fine. I can charter a plane for myself at any time.”
I gave him a sidelong look. “Then why did you bum a ride with us?”
“Wasn’t never about how I got here, it was about who I arrived with. Thanks for lettin’ me ride on your coattails for a spell.”
“My pleasure.”
“You take care now, darlin’, and give my regards to the lovely Jenessa.”
“You got it. Give ‘em hell, Mac.”
I almost expected Tucker to say goodbye in wolf form, he’d spent so much time that way during my stay, but he slouched beside the car in a pair of cargo pants and a weathered Beatles t-shirt.
“Thanks for all your help on this trip. I hope I didn’t keep you running too much.”
“N-no worries,” he smiled bashfully, ducking his head down and to the side. “I’m s-sorry you’re leaving so s-s-soon.”
“I know, but this is for the best, I promise. Hey, if you ever find your way out to California, definitely look me up. I can offer you a place to stay for as long as you want, and I know Maggie’d be glad to see you.”
“Yeah?” His head came up a notch at that. “M-maybe s-s-s-some day,” he allowed with a half shrug.
“Take care, Tucker.” I leaned in to kiss his cheek, and he turned two shades pinker, a faint smile on his lips.
“I will have the last taste of your lips, petal.” Jakob spun me around by the shoulders, hauling me up against his body for a deep kiss, pressing me back against the side of the car. Essentially trapped, I tensed in his arms, feeling more invaded than anything else, until I remembered who I was supposed to belong to in the eyes of vampire society. He was giving them a good show. Forcing myself to relax, I kissed him back, trying not to think about how awkward it was going to be facing both Rob and Bishop in the car on the way to the airport.
When he finally let me up, I took the bull by the horns, my voice swelling dramatically as I declared, “I’ll count the hours until you’re once more by my side, älskling.”
His eyes brimmed with happiness over my performance, and his tone matched mine as he kissed my amber ring. “I’ll return to you as swiftly as I can. Until then, keep the home fires burning for me.”
I had no idea what the next line was for our impromptu play acting, so I settled for giving his face one last lingering touch and climbing into the car with as much grace as I could muster.
“What the crap was that?” Bridget demanded as soon as we pulled away.
“I have no idea,” I admitted, waggling my fingers at Jakob through the rear window. “Viking theater?”
“Parting is such sweet sorrow.” She fluttered her eyelashes at me and I kicked her in the shin.
“Oh, stop it. Hey, if it saves him a little face and lets us get back home without having to wait for him to chaperone, it’s worth it. It was just a kiss.” I said that more for Rob’s benefit than anything else, but he didn’t take his eyes off the road.
“Keep telling yourself that,” Bishop muttered from the front seat.
“You have something to add to this conversation?” I prompted him, leaning forward, but he shook his head.
“I dunno, An,” Bridget agreed. “It sure looked like you promised him a whole hell of a lot more than a kiss when he returns to your side.”
“Guys… it’s not that big of a deal, I promise. When we get home things will get back to normal, you’ll see. The people will settle down and we’ll be back to business as usual. Jakob knows he can’t force me to do anything I don’t want to.”
“Oh, so you wanted his tongue down your throat then?” Bishop simmered.
Where was this coming from? It was a single kiss, it’s not like Jakob bent me over the hood of the car and had his way with me. “Why is that kiss bothering you so much? I thought you just wanted to be friends?”
Bishop’s mouth opened and closed before he took another breath, choosing his words carefully. “I… am saying… as a friend, that it looks like Jakob wants more than friendship from you. That’s all. If you want to kiss him, that’s your prerogative.”
“Am I missing something here?” Felix blinked. “If Jakob wants you, he takes you. What makes you think he can’t force you to do anything he wants?”
“Because Jakob and I understand each other. Sure, he could compel me to do just about anything, but he won’t. He knows it’ll damage what we have.”
“What do you have?” Bridget asked.
“We’re friends, nothing more.”
Bishop wasn’t buying it. “Don’t be too sure about that.”
“You don’t believe Jakob and I can be friends?” Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
“Not without him having a hidden motive, no.”
I raised a single brow at him. “Like you do?”
Bishop met my gaze in the rearview mirror. “There’s nothing hidden about my motives. You know exactly where we stand.”
“Hot damn, do you think you guys are gonna have a duel over Anja?” Bridget’s grin was a mile wide, prompting Felix to snake an arm around her waist, pulling her closer.
“You got a thing for swords, babydoll?”
“You know I do,” she purred at his ear.
Eewh. When had this turned into that kind of conversation? “Guys, can we talk about something else?”
The request was met with deafening silence while Bishop stonily looked out the window and Felix was more interested in seeing down Bridget’s top than contributing to the new topic. I didn’t mind so much though, better an awkward silence than awkward conversation.
“Can I say one thing?” Bridget asked, after my mind had already switched tacks.
“Sure, Bridge, what’s up?”
“If they end up fighting over you, can I watch? ‘Cause that would be hot.”
Lord, beer me strength.
Chapter Fourteen
I was right about it being awkward with Rob and Bishop on the trip, especially with Rob acting more distant than normal to help further our façade, but things got really uncomfortable when his cousin met us at the airport.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” I smiled when I spotted her waiting in the private lounge, a huge military surplus duffel at her feet. “Hey, everybody, this is Laveda. She’ll be flying back with us to the States. She’s Rob’s cousin.” I waved to her and then to each person in turn. “This is Felix, Bridget, Gunnar, and Bishop.”
“We’ve met,” Bishop said stiffly, looking like he wanted to fade into the fake potted palm in the corner.
Laveda, on the other hand, lit up like a kid getting a puppy for Christmas. “Bishop… you’re looking fit as ever,” she smiled invitingly, head tilting to one side to expose the smooth column of her throat.
“Thanks, you’re very…” Bishop swallowed, at a loss for words and Laveda positively beamed.
“Ta, that’s the look I was going for.”
“Oh, how do you two know each other?” I asked, wondering again how old Laveda was.
“We had an arrangement, back in the day,” she answered readily enough while Bishop studied his shoes.
“It was a long time ago.”
“Not so long, really. Not long enough to forget me, I hope.”
“No danger of that.” Bishop’s lips curved into a half smile and I felt a stab of something murderous before I could shove it away. Bishop wasn’t mine to be jealous over anymore. And even if he was, I could hardly get upset over a past… whatever it was.
“What kind of an arrangement?” I asked.
“The kind where money exchanges hands,” Rob said flatly and Laveda smacked him on the bicep.
“You make it sound like I’m a right slapper. I’m not Maeve, you know. It wasn’t like that at all, I gave of my own free will.”
I had to be missing something. They were almost talking like she’d been trading sexual favors for cash, but I hadn’t gotten that kind of a vibe from her before. She had a quick tongue alright, but she didn’t seem like a… “You paid her for…?”
“Blood,” Bishop said shortly, but Laveda’s wink kept my imagination hopping.
“Among other things,” she purred. “It’s good to see you again, Bishop. You’ll have to give us a ring once you’re settled in San Francisco, yeah?”
“I don’t ah… It’s good to, you know…” I’d never seen Bishop so tongue tied around a woman, or in any situation. Where was the hardened vampire cop, capable of dispensing fear with a single withering glare? “Excuse me, please.” He shouldered his bag, heading for the automatic doors to the tarmac even though our plane wasn’t ready for boarding. Rob, Gunnar and Felix took the opportunity to retreat as well, seeing to the loading of our baggage.
“So, Bishop got his fang on with you, huh?” Bridget insinuated herself between Laveda and me the moment Bishop stalked off, and I could see she was primed for gossip. “Finally, a chance to get some good dirt on Bishop. How is he, really? ‘Cause he looks like he could go all night like a lumberjack,” she grinned.
“He did have remarkable stamina,” Laveda admitted, and I bit my lip, wishing I could fade into the potted palm at the turn in conversation. “That one’s always been easy on the eyes,” she sighed heavily. “I’m not a fan of the hair all short like that though. Nothing to hold onto, you know?”
“I knew it,” Bridget cackled with glee. “See, Anja, it’s not tacky to compare notes, it’s natural. I swear, you’d have thought he wasn’t ringing her bell from all the details she didn’t share when they were going out.”
Laveda’s amber eyes widened slightly, freckles standing out against her pale skin. “Hold a tic, have you and he…?”
“We have a convoluted past,” I said carefully, refusing to look at Rob, who I could imagine was even more uncomfortable than I was with the topic or he wouldn’t have skedaddled like that.
“Shit, I’m sorry, my bad. I didn’t reckon to meet up with anyone who’d had the pleasure. Bishop was never one for entanglements, as well you know.”
“It’s all good, we’re all adults here,” Bridget responded when I couldn’t think of anything to say. “I know what you mean about the short hair though. I think if I had to pick one bad thing about Rob, that would be it.”
“You and Rob?” Laveda blinked, her eyes darting to me for the briefest second before they went back to Bridget. “I thought you was with the handsome fella in the striped suit?” she said, tossing her head at Felix.
“Oh yeah, I’m with Felix now,” Bridget readily admitted. “Rob was more of a… crazy, thrill-ride, like going on Space Mountain six times in a row.”
“Six?” My brows rose despite my best efforts to stay out of the conversation.
“Give or take.” Bridget gave a self-satisfied smile.
“Blimey, is there anyone going on this plane ain’t been shagging each other?” Laveda’s voice carried, reaching the far corners of the lounge. I didn’t know her well enough to know if she found the entire topic in bad taste, or just the bits with Bridget bonking her cousin.
Rob appeared at her side within three seconds of the declaration, taking a light hold of her elbow. “Come and have a sit over here. There’s a few things we need to get straight.” His voice made it clear there was no room for complaint. I flashed him a quick look of thanks, steering Bridget back to Felix’s side to wait for the go ahead to board the plane.
Felix was on the phone, talking to Cordelia from the council by the sound of it, going over plans for the inauguration given our early return to California. I was more than happy to relax with Gunnar and Bridget while we waited. I had plenty on my mind that had nothing to do with Jakob’s goodbye kiss or Bishop’s adventures in Lavedaland.
“What got your panties in a wad?” Bridget asked after I gave noncommittal answers to a few questions in a row.
“Hmmm?” I looked up, only catching half of that. “Oh, no wads, just worries. I mean, you guys were great in understanding about Jakob and all the lies I told about who I am, but Jarrod and Leander and those guys from the Hart… What are they going to think? I’ve straight up lied to so many people… it has me a little nervous.”
“You are still the same person,” Gunnar observed after a moment’s thought.
“But they might not think so,” I pointed out. “They might wonder who that person is entirely.”
“If they’ve got half a brain they’ll realize you didn’t have much of a choice. Isn’t that the vampire creed?” Bridget asked. “Ellri get what they want and the rest of you have to do whatever they say?”
“That is the prevailing opinion, yes.”
“And Jakob compelled us not to speak of him. You are not at fault for that,” Gunnar reminded me.
“I guess so,” I allowed. “I feel nervous going back, like I’ve been caught wearing my mom’s pantyhose and high heels, you know? Like they all know what a fraud I’ve been this whole time, pretending to be something I’m not.”
“You might not be a badass vamp from back in the day, but you pulled it off, babycakes.” Bridget wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “So you got caught in a few lies, that makes you a politician.”
Cool beans.
We were allowed to board the plane then, and we funneled through the sliding glass doors to the jet waiting out on the tarmac. Instead of taking a seat near the entertainment center with Felix and Bridget, or even hanging with Laveda or Rob, I made my way to the rear of the plane where Bishop sat looking out the window.
I admit, part of the reason why I chose to sit in the back was because I was trying to distance myself from Rob every bit as much as he tried to avoid me. There was another reason why I wanted to sit by Bishop though, as curiosity got the better of me.
“Do you mind if I join you?” I asked, prepared to retreat if he looked like he’d rather have a spot of privacy, but Bishop perked up, waving me to the seat next to him.
“Not at all,” he said, all smiles. At least, until I spoke again.
“So, you and Laveda, huh?” I didn’t say it in an accusatory manner, I didn’t have any business demanding an explanation of his past any more than he had a right to know my current affairs. I couldn’t help but be a tad curious about it though, and I didn’t know Laveda well enough to broach the subject. (Not without Bridget wanting intimate details I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear, anyway.)
Bishop immediately bristled, squirming in his seat. “It’s not what you’re thinking.”
“I’m thinking you shared a lot more than her blood from the sound of it.”
“We weren’t involved. It was business, nothing more.”
“Then why were you so bajiggity when you saw her again?”
“I’m a private person, you know that. Laveda is very…” he let out a long breath. “I don’t like people knowing my business, that’s all.”
“We all know you’re a vampire, Bishop, it’s not that big of a deal. And hey, she’s beautiful. I totally get how intimate it can be, especially with a regular.”
The corners of his mouth turned down into a frown. “Who are you feeding from regularly?”
“That’s not what I…” I stopped myself before it turned into a different conversation. “I’m sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up. It isn’t any of my business who you shared what with before you met me. I was just under the impression that you hadn’t been with anyone exclusive for a while.”
“I told you, it wasn’t like that.”
“Seems like it was to her.”
“Laveda knew exactly what it was and what it wasn’t.”
“Which was what?” Okay, so I knew I’d said it wasn’t any of my business, but I couldn’t help myself.
Bishop didn’t appear offended by my prying, if anything he seemed like he wanted the opportunity to explain himself t
o me. “It was only for one summer while I was working on a special project for Volkov in Germany a few years back. And before you get all uppity with me, that didn’t make her a teenager, I’m not that depraved.”
“I didn’t say a word.” I pressed my lips together for emphasis. So, Laveda was older than she appeared. Good to know.
“Taking a human for a blood companion is common, you know that. But with my work, I didn’t have time for attachments, and it was quicker and easier to have someone I could count on when I needed to feed without the hassle of hunting. Laveda was running a bar near the town I was based out of, and she was… hospitable. Her blood is… well, her family’s heritage is especially tempting, and my bloodline made me particularly appealing to her as well. I’m not saying there wasn’t a physical component to our association, but it wasn’t a relationship.”
“So she’s not a professional blood companion then?”
“No, she’s not a professional, despite Rob’s opinion of the arrangement.”
I hadn’t thought so. “Then why are you so uncomfortable?”
“How would you feel if the last guy you slept with showed up and announced to the room how much he’d like to get you back between the sheets again, in front of your new guy? That’s sort of what this feels like. I’m not ashamed of what I did with Laveda, she’s a nice girl and we both got something out of it. That doesn’t mean I like her going on about it in front of you.”
I ignored the part where both Bishop and Jakob fit the bill as a recent guy I’d slept with who’d declared he wanted me back right in front of Rob, I figured that wasn’t his point. Then again, the last regular guy I’d been with before my life went catawampus was dead by Jakob’s hand, so there was little chance of that either. Only I wasn’t Bishop’s girl, not anymore.
“But you and I, we’re not together anymore,” I said gently. “You could be sitting up there with Laveda right now if you wanted to and I wouldn’t have the right to say boo about it.”
“That’s not where I want to be.” The look in his green eyes left no doubt where he’d rather be and I took in a deep breath.
“Bishop, we agreed to be friends. I don’t want you putting your life on hold, waiting for me to…”
