Tempt Me When the Sun Goes Down (Forged Bloodlines Book 9)

by Lisa Olsen

  Despite his apparent weakness, the call of the blood lent Rob a preternatural strength and a ferocity that terrified me (not to mention scared the snot out of the poor guy he fed from). Not only did I have to physically restrain him from finishing the guy off, but I’d had to add a subtle compulsion to calm him down. Even then, I don’t think he would’ve been able to turn away from the fresh blood without me pinning him against the wall with one hand while I sealed the victim’s wounds with the other. If we were going to tackle this three times a day, I was going to have to figure out a more discreet way of finding him a meal.

  Lee agreed to stay down by the car when we got there. Leila was kind of twitchy around strangers sometimes, and besides, things were tense between the two men. There was no sense in making everything more awkward than it needed to be.

  “Let me do the talking when we get up there, yeah?” Rob said as we started up the stairs.

  “Why?” Not that I objected to him taking charge of the conversation, but as far as I knew, Leila and I had parted on good terms.

  “Last time I saw her it didn’t go too well.”

  “What happened?”

  He was silent until we rounded the banister and started up the next flight, choosing his words carefully. “I chased her out of Gran’s apartment. Scared her pretty bad, I reckon, but it was for her own safety. It weren’t safe for her to be around me.”

  “Ah.” I could see how that might make things strained between them. “I’m sure she’ll understand when we explain about the curse.”

  He let out a long sigh as we reached the last landing. “Maybe she will and maybe she won’t.” Rob rapped sharply on the door, his jaw held tight as though he expected something to jump out at him. Instead we were greeted by silence.

  “Maybe she’s not home?”

  His head cocked to one side, listening, and I did the same. “Nah, she’s home true enough.” He was right, I heard the whisper of bare feet against the linoleum in what sounded like the kitchen. Rob pounded on the door again.

  This time there was a startled scrape of a chair against the floor and Leila’s voice rang out sharply. “Go away!”

  “It’s me, come to visit at last.”

  “No, you’re not!”

  “Come and see for yourself, Bits. I’m the same as I was before,” he tried again.

  “Robby’s dead and gone. I won’t open the door for a corpse!” she flung out, sounding no closer.

  “Leila! Open the bloody door.” Rob pounded on the door hard enough for the frame to creak and I caught hold of his hand, pulling it to his side.

  “Calm down, she’ll never open it like that.”

  “Bloody useless,” he muttered in disgust, wrenching his hand free from mine to dig in his pocket. “I’ll let m’self in.” He produced a key, which turned easily in the lock, but Rob came upon an impenetrable barrier when he tried to step in. Apparently, he hadn’t been invited in since he’d turned into a vampire. I’d already been invited, but it wasn’t polite for me to force my way in and try to get her to invite Rob.

  “Let me try,” I suggested when his face twisted in frustration. His emotions were all over the place, and I did my best to offer him a supportive smile before I called to his sister from the doorway. “Leila? It’s Anja. We just want to talk to you, I promise.”

  “Only the dead talk, and they whisper like leaves on the grave. Begging, always begging…” Her voice faded to little more than mumbles that I couldn’t make out even with my enhanced hearing.

  It was clearly one of her bad days and I wasn’t sure what would reach her. “Would you rather come out and talk somewhere else? It doesn’t have to be here if it makes you feel unsafe.”

  Leila appeared at the end of the room, her dark eyes peeping across the edge of the wall. “I’m not the one in danger. I’m not the bleeding heart.”

  “I think maybe we should leave,” Rob said, his brow deeply furrowed, but I thought we were making progress. At least she’d come out of the kitchen.

  “We need her help, unless you have any other bright ideas?”

  “I’ve other family who might be in the know. It’ll take a while for me to put the word out, ask around a bit on their whereabouts is all.”

  Time was not on our side, not after seeing how unstable Rob had become. “I think we should maybe…”

  “You brung him low,” Leila accused, shuffling forward, her long hair falling over half her face as she approached. Despite the cool weather, she wore a short, summery dress of bright green over flowered leggings, her feet bare.

  “I know, and I’m sorry,” I said gently. “But that’s why we’re here, to try and break the curse. Don’t you want to help us?”

  “Don’t know much about curses.”

  I suppressed the squeal of happiness that she was actually talking to us semi-lucidly, casting about for the best way to draw her out, while Rob remained silent. “But you knew how to make him the charm, out of my hair, right? You know how to get around the curse, at least temporarily.”

  “That was only a bandage. The only way to save his heart is to cut out yours.” Her head canted to one side, dark eyes fixed on me. “Shall I fetch a knife?” she asked, with the same tone she’d once used asking me if I wanted a biscuit.

  “I’d rather keep my heart intact if it’s all the same to you.”

  “It’s not all the same to me. I want my Robby back.” She began to cry, tears falling with shocking speed, down her cheeks and the tip of her nose.

  “I know, Leila. I want him back the way he was too.” Without thinking, I crossed the threshold, pulling her into a hug and she let me hold her while Rob looked on, his face twisted with regret. I closed my eyes against the sting of tears, there was no time to dwell on what was, only to try to find a way to fix it. “Is there any way you can think of to save him without killing me or Jakob compelling me not to love him anymore?”

  “Curse magic is strong. Hatred lasts so much longer than love,” she sniffed. “Have you talked to Stephanos?”

  “You mean Stevo?” Rob’s brows climbed. “That’s a good idea.”

  “Who’s that?” I asked.

  “He’s a cousin, of sorts. Hasn’t got a lick of real magic in him, but he might could know how to point us in the right direction. Thanks, Bits, I know where to find him.”

  “Thanks, Leila,” I smiled, giving her one last quick hug. “Hopefully the next time I see you we’ll have this curse thing beat.”

  “Hatred lasts longer than love,” was all she said, her face somber.

  I left, too disturbed by that pronouncement to think of something else to say. Rob had moved on ahead, his feet quick now that he had a purpose. He paused to wait for me near the last landing, impatience shining from every pore.

  “Come on then, this is meant to be a hunt, not a stroll,” he teased. “Something wrong?” he added when I didn’t crack a smile.

  “You mean besides your sister offering to cut out my heart to save yours?” I snorted. “No, I was thinking about something else she said. I don’t believe that.”

  “What?”

  “That hatred lasts longer than love.”

  Rob started down the last flight of stairs, his eyes on the steps before him. “It’s true enough with us.”

  “If that were true you wouldn’t be sick right now. Unless you mean you don’t love me anymore.”

  He stopped, looking up at me with hooded eyes. “I don’t deserve to love you.”

  I stared down at him for long moments, torn between agreeing with the sentiment and pulling him close to make it up to me. In the end, I did nothing but start down the stairs again. “Let’s go find your cousin. Maybe he’ll have better news for us.

  * * *

  “How many cousins do you have anyway?” I asked as we set off down the street on foot, Lee trailing in the car behind. I wanted to tell him he could meet us back at the house later, but the look in his eye let me know that Lee wouldn’t leave me alone with Rob for the mo
ment.

  “Don’t know,” Rob answered honestly enough. “Seems there’s always more of ’em turning up out of the woodwork every time I turn around.”

  “I suppose that’s bound to happen when you live as long as you have,” I considered aloud. “Are they all… you know, special?”

  “How do you mean?”

  “Like you and Leila, you’re a lot older than you look. And Laveda, she’s got that thing that makes her extra tasty to fangers, as she likes to say. And all of you have a resistance to compulsion.” At least he had when he was alive.

  “Leila and me, we’ve only got this longer life because of our close ties to Jakob, sharing his blood. Ain’t most of them ever even seen the likes of him. But blood will tell. Most of our lot has a few quirks, as you’ll see.”

  “This guy, Stevo, he’s quirky too?” I was under the impression he wasn’t anything special seeing as how Rob thought he didn’t have a lick of magic about him.

  “That’s a nice way of putting it,” Rob snorted, his hand settling naturally against the small of my back as he guided me around the corner.

  We found Stevo (pronounced like Steve-oh) working a table in front of a chip house, hawking knock-off purses to passersby. He was good looking, if a little rough around the edges, wearing a t-shirt with a black open vest, jeans, and scuffed boots. His dark hair was longish and fell over his brow on both sides with a rakish tilt. The goatee was saved from a disreputable slant by his charming smile, which seemed to be the key to his sales pitch.

  His voice was high spirited and engaging as he called out, “Walk up, ladies and gents, walk up. You’ll never find finer this side of the Thames. At these prices, it’s practically a steal.”

  A small crowd gathered before the table, inspecting his wares. It gave me a few minutes to get a good look at him before he noticed us and the power of his smile was considerable. “How ’bout you, luv? A cracking bird like you deserves the finer things in life. How’s about you get your geezer to fork over a few quid and treat you like the queen you are?”

  “How’s about I lay you out for trying to chat up my girl?” Rob countered, but there was no menace in his voice, his lips curved into what passed for a grin.

  “Lord strike me… Rob?” Stevo gaped, the shill forgotten as he recognized him. “I heard you was…”

  “I am,” Rob said shortly, losing the faint smile. “That don’t change nothing between us, do it?”

  Stevo swallowed in hesitation before he produced another smile. “Nah, blood is blood, yeah? So long as you ain’t asking for mine,” he added with a nervous glance in my direction.

  “We’re not here to eat,” I assured him quickly, looking around to see if anyone was listening, but the crowd had thinned once he dropped his sales patter.

  His eyes narrowed at me in appraisal, raking over me from head to toe before he spoke again. “No? What you doing in these parts then? Ain’t the north end your stomping ground these days?”

  Rob jerked his head to the side. “Bend your ear for a tick?”

  Stevo stared back at him for a good fifteen seconds before he turned and yelled at a boy sitting on top of a newspaper machine. “Oi, Lash. Be a good lad and look after my kit, yeah?”

  “What’s in it for me?” the boy sniffed, not moving from his perch.

  “A fiver if you make a sale.”

  “Aw, but you’ll clear three times that.”

  “And so shall you when you’ve put up the blunt for the merchandise in the first place. Now get down here and be quick about it,” Stevo replied smoothly. “And be glad I don’t box your ears in the bargain,” he added when Lash hopped down to take his place by the table.

  We followed him into the chip shop and I held my breath against the cloying smell of grease, grateful when we emerged in the alley on the other side of the kitchen. “What’s all this about then?” Stevo asked once the door clanged shut behind us. “Must be serious, you coming to me for help.”

  “We’re here to get your help in breaking a curse,” I said, figuring I wouldn’t have to mince words around him.

  Stevo’s brows jumped in surprise, and he turned to Rob. “Is she serious, mate?”

  “As a heart attack.”

  “What kind of a curse?”

  I told him what few facts we knew, how Rob was affected and how Carys had been able to circumvent it in the past. It didn’t take very long to share all the intel we knew, unfortunately.

  He let out a low whistle, head shaking at Rob with pity. “You’re fucked, mate.”

  Rob bristled, his shoulders hunching closer. “Tell me something I didn’t know.”

  “There has to be a way to undo the curse,” I insisted, not very encouraged by his response. “Aren’t you supposed to have a line on that sort of thing?”

  His hands came up in a supplicating gesture. “Don’t look at me, I’ve never held any truck with that shite.”

  “No, but you know thems that do,” Rob said with a pointed look. “I’ve lost touch with them over the years, but you’re in with them, thick as thieves. Don’t deny it.”

  “I reckon so, but I can guarantee, they’ve never worked a curse like this before or I would’ve heard about it,” Stevo insisted. “Might take a while to come up with the answer that don’t make a cock-up out of it. I’ll do some asking around and see who’s skulking about the neighborhood these days. Is there anything you can tell me about how it was cast?”

  “No, not really,” I answered, my hopes sinking as I realized this wasn’t going to be as easy as I’d thought. “What we actually need to do is talk to Jakob, find out what he knows about this. Where he found the curse in the first place, and who did it for him. I’m assuming we’re actually dealing with two separate curses, one for me and one for Carys.”

  “Not necessarily,” Stevo disagreed. “It depends how it was cast. It could’ve even been set on Jakob himself since it’s his progeny affected.”

  I waggled my ring finger at him. “It’s set on my ring, I don’t know what it was for Carys.”

  Stevo picked up my hand, peering at the ring closely. “Very nice indeed. Real quality. You can tell just by looking at it.” He had it half off my finger with a dexterous twist, and I forced him into a lock and on his knees in the blink of an eye, sharp reflexes kicking in to fulfill the compulsion to keep the ring on my hand.

  “You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?” he winced up at me. “Remind me never to try and pick your pocket.”

  “Sorry.” I let him go with an apologetic smile. “I can’t take it off. I mean I’m literally compelled not to remove it, ever. I didn’t mean to go all Gollum on you.”

  “Right, well…” Stevo got back up to his feet, straightening his vest. “I’ll ask around, but I’m not sure if I can help.”

  “Thanks, mate. That’s all we’re asking for,” Rob smiled, extending his hand, which his cousin accepted. “I’ll be in touch.”

  “And once I’m in possession of any facts what could help, we can discuss my payment,” Stevo added with a cheeky grin. “Lovely to have met you, Your Grace,” he said formally, taking my hand and pressing a kiss to the back of my fingers.

  I was surprised to find he knew who I was at all since I hadn’t mentioned my name and definitely not my rank, but all I did was nod and smile with a, “Nice to meet you too.”

  Stevo held up a cheap moonstone ring I’d had on my right hand only seconds before. “Just checking to see I hadn’t lost my touch,” he grinned tossing it back to me.

  Lee was in the chip shop, wolfing down a half a chicken when we emerged, and I was about to sit down to wait for him to finish, when I noticed Rob’s hands were clenched tightly into fists.

  “What’s the matter?” I asked him softly, but he didn’t reply, his gaze on the muscle-bound cook behind the counter. “Rob?” I reached for his arm, surprised to find his skin warm to the touch. “You need to feed again, don’t you?” I whispered.

  I already knew the answer by the tension in
his muscles and his temperature alone, but his short nod clinched it. Frak… what had we talked about not more than a few hours ago? If he was getting hungry already, why the hell hadn’t he spoken up about it?

  “Damn it, Rob!” I hissed. “I’m trusting you to tell me before the thirst gets to be too bad.”

  “It’s always bad,” he bit out through clenched teeth.

  Of course, I knew my blood would last him longer, but I wasn’t about to volunteer any time soon. The results could end up far too intimate than I was ready for. Still, I couldn’t take him anywhere in his current state. “Fine, let’s go take the edge off.”

  Maybe when we got back to the Vetis house we could raid Aubrey’s pantry. He’d offered to give me anything I needed, after all. Maybe he could provide a group of feeders that Rob could cycle through to keep him in the pink? Then again, I’d still have to be there for every single feeding, and it was a cinch Rob would end up trying to kill or get grindy with anyone who offered up a vein.

  Cool beans.

  Chapter Eight

  Bishop scraped his phone against the scruff beneath his lower lip, the raspy sound lulling him into a kind of trance as he sat in the darkened room. The drapes were all shut, he could feel the pull of the sun high overhead, but he couldn’t relax enough to fall asleep.

  Carys was alive. And they’d found her. Even more amazing was the fact that he didn’t want her. Not the way he used to at any rate. Sure, there was a pull there and she was still as beautiful as ever. Hearing her voice alone brought back a thousand memories, but most of them were more sour than sweet – and for the first time in his life, he understood that he didn’t have to put up with them.