Hear Me When the Sun Goes Down Read Online Free PDF

You’ve been through something like that before?”
    “I’ve spent most of my life going from one crisis to the next in service to the Order,” he shrugged.  “It’s been a long time since I’ve found myself in quite that position though.  Jakob showed up in the nick of time.”
    “I’m sorry you got put into such an awful situation because of me.”
    “You didn’t make me do anything I didn’t want to, and I know you never wanted to hurt me.”
    He sounded so certain of that.  Where was all the doubt that I’d compelled him into helping me in the first place?  “I’m still sorry you had to go through it, and I’m sorry about the people you lost.  How many did Jakob um…?”
    “More than half,” Bishop replied morosely, his expression darkening.  “There were some out in the field, but too many of us were here when the summons came.  Too many died for no reason other than the fact that Volkov tweaked his temper.”
    “I’m sorry.  You should’ve sent for me sooner.”
    “I honestly didn’t think you could get him to change his mind.  I’ve seen him like this before… Usually he doesn’t stop until there’s no more blood left to spill.” 
    I thought about the members of the Order I’d met on my visits to Vetis – they’d been nothing but nice to me, apart from the couple that did a number on Rob at Volkov’s bidding.  “What’s going to happen to the rest of you guys?  What happens now that Volkov’s out of the picture?”  I realized I had no idea if he’d been killed or taken away with that poker still sticking out of his chest as I’d ordered.  I decided it didn’t matter, I’d already avenged the pain he’d caused us.
    “Jakob’s declared the Order banished from Vetis lands.  The rest of us are packing up as we speak.”
    “Holy cow, can he do that?” I gaped at him.
    “He’s an Ellri , he can pretty much do whatever he wants.” 
    “Does that mean you’re going too?” 
    “I’m not completely sure what it means for me, right now,” Bishop admitted.  “Maybe this is a good time to go back to San Francisco and make a fresh start.”
    He didn’t mean with me, did he?  He’d said something about another chance at starting over before Aubrey interrupted us and brought Volkov down on our heads.  Was that what he’d come to talk to me about?  I chickened out of bringing any of that up though, going with a generically supportive stance.  “You said before that’s where you really wanted to be, working back on your home turf again.”
    “It’s part of what I wanted,” he said softly.  “Listen, Anja… before all of this craziness happened, I was trying to talk to you.”
    Holy schnikes , he did want to talk about starting something up between the two of us again.  I had to get out of there before I ended up giving something away.  “You know we should probably save that for later.  I’d better get upstairs and face the music, see what people have to say about my lies.  My knee is already feeling tons better, I shouldn’t keep hiding out down here.”
    His brows drew together into a single dark line.  “No one will think you’re hiding out.  I’m pretty sure you’re entitled to a little R and R after what we’ve been through.” 
    “Unfortunately, that’s not what being the Elder of the West is about.  They’ll take it as a sign of weakness, trust me.  No, for good or ill, Jakob’s stepped forth to claim me, and now every relationship I’ve forged since I got here will be called into question until I can go and schmooze with them all.  Not to mention Jakob himself.  I’d better go find out what being claimed by an Ellri entitles him to.”
    The furrow between his brows deepened.  “I don’t like the sound of that.”
    “Neither do I, but I don’t have a whole heck of a lot of choice, do I?”  I flashed him the briefest of smiles.  “At least it’ll get Aubrey off my back.  Not much he can do to me now, is