Read Online Tempt Me When the Sun Goes Down by Lisa Olsen - Free Book Online Page A

he reported, averting his eyes. 
    “Ah well, no matter,” she sighed, pulling on a silky dressing gown.  “I am rather tired anyway, I suppose it can wait until tomorrow.” 
    “Yes, you must rest now,” Jakob agreed, turning down the bed for her and kissing her brow once he’d tucked her in, like a small child. 
    “But… you’ll be here when I wake, won’t you?”  A touch of fear slipped into her voice as she looked between the men.  “Both of you?”
    “Of course, älskling ,” Jakob replied instantly, glaring at Bishop to do the same.
    There were so many reasons why he should get the hell out of there while he could, but Bishop found himself giving her a solemn nod.  “I’ll be here.” 

Chapter Seven
     
    Why does everything always end up being harder than it has to be?  I kept asking myself that question over and over again as we got back into the car to head over to Leila’s apartment.  Taking Rob out to feed turned out to be a bigger ordeal than I’d thought it would be.  His willpower was nonexistent, and I could see why he’d been limiting his feedings as the only way to exercise control over his actions.  Thank goodness we had Lee to play lookout or we might’ve ended up in a sticky situation in the teeming city. 
    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