Chapter Sixteen

Katelina followed Jorick through the door and into
the darkness. They took the small car through the silent dead
streets until they came to what looked like an abandoned warehouse.
The rusted aluminum monster squatted among weeds. Its broken
windows were like shiny teeth that gleamed in the streetlights.
Jorick parked the vehicle and Katelina followed him
across the ruined parking lot. He moved as a shadow, swift and
silent, as he slipped towards the building. No matter how hard she
tried, she couldn’t imitate his quiet tread as she picked her way
through the undergrowth and broken beer bottles.
They reached the door to the warehouse and she
nervously traced the peeling paint with her eyes. Jorick glanced
around once to make sure they were alone and then tugged the door
open. It stood like a yawning black mouth and Katelina suddenly
wondered if maybe she should have stayed behind, but she didn’t
have long to contemplate it. Jorick plunged inside and she had to
follow him hurriedly or risk being left behind.
Her eyes didn’t adjust to the blackness as quickly
as his so she caught his sleeve and held on tightly as he navigated
through the ruined building. He glanced back at her and nodded.
The silence was so thick she felt she would choke on
it. Her ears strained for every tiny sound: a rat scampering across
the floor, the breeze whistling softly through the broken windows,
the flap of a sheet of plastic that hung against the wall. Her eyes
searched the gloom and she tried not to jump at every shadow.
Really, she didn’t understand why Jorick’s business couldn’t have
been in a nice restaurant, or at least somewhere with
electricity!
She was so busy eyeing a pile of mysterious refuse
that she didn’t notice Jorick stop suddenly and ended up bumping
into him. He held his body rigid, so completely still that Katelina
swore his heart had even stopped beating.
Her search of the gloom revealed nothing, but her
clutch on his sleeve grew tighter. She opened her mouth to ask what
was going on when he broke the silence with a single word,
“Kateesha.”
The woman seemed to appear from nothing. Her dark
skin gleamed in the pale light, and her black hair flowed behind
her as she came across the dusty room. Her long dress was low cut
and barely contained her ample breasts. The fleshy mounds
threatened to break loose at any moment.
She walked towards them slowly, with an almost
liquid motion. Her eyes landed on Katelina and she licked her lips
delightedly. “Jorick, you brought some entertainment? A gift,
perhaps?” Her full lips curved in a savage smile at the idea.
“She’s with me.” His eyes flicked towards Katelina
then back to Kateesha.
“A human? I had no idea you were looking for a pet.”
Her laughter was as smooth as silk and as rich as imported wine. It
made Katelina want to laugh along with it, though she knew she
really didn’t want to.
“She is no pet.” His voice was firm and his gaze
unwavering.
“Interesting.” Kateesha came to a stop before them
and her eyes narrowed in scrutiny. She caught Katelina beneath the
chin and lifted her face into a shaft of light. “I’ve seen much
prettier, Jorick.”
“Perhaps,” was all he said while Katelina scowled at
the insult.
Disappointed, Kateesha dropped her hand and studied
him. “I didn’t intend to discuss our business with company.” Her
eyes glittered dangerously and her tone indicated a subtle,
sinister meaning as she glared at him.
“It’s her business, too. She was Patrick’s.”
Comprehension dawned on Kateesha’s face. “Ah, the
human’s little lover!” She nearly clapped her hands in amusement
and her smile grew wider. “How intriguing! I had no idea you found
such an interest in them anymore, all things considered.” She eyed
him meaningfully. “Still, I don’t think…”
Jorick cut her off. “She is here. We will either
discuss it now or we won’t. It makes no difference to me.”
Her musical laughter echoed off the walls. “Very
well, Jorick. You always were the grim one, weren’t you? All work
and no play,” her voice gave suggestions of the games she’d like to
play with him before she switched to a more business like demeanor.
“I assume you’ve seen,” she paused and glanced warily at Katelina.
“ – it?”
He nodded, but gave no other sign of what he was
thinking. “Yes, I have. The move could not have happened any later.
The Guild came.”
Kateesha caught her breath and released it slowly
before she echoed, “The Guild?”
“Yes. Jesslynn and the children were killed, along
with the mad one.” He leveled his gaze with the vampiress, gauging
her reaction.
“How did they know to look there?” her voice rose
slightly, high with a touch of either panic or outrage. “Yes,
they’d been fighting off and on, but he hadn’t made a public move
against Claudius in ages. They knew you were helping them, but
Michael told Claudius that he and his brother were responsible.”
Her eyes flashed. “Why should they think it was at Oren’s den?”
Jorick’s expression revealed his suspicion. “I don’t
know. I believe someone told them.”
Offence flared on her features. “Well, it wasn’t me,
if that’s what you’re implying.” She looked thoughtful, apparently
mulling the news over, and her voice was regretful when she spoke
again. “Damn, Jesslynn.” She shook her head in disbelief, so that
her long hair rippled. “She was crazy, but strong.”
“Yes. But if it wasn’t you, then I fear who it might
have been.” He shifted his arms and inadvertently dislodged
Katelina’s hand from his sleeve. She gave him a startled look and
wordlessly he laced his fingers with hers in an effort to comfort
her.
“What about Michael?” Kateesha asked. “I heard that
he escaped. Oren was right, you should have had a guard on
him.”
“It had nothing to do with a guard,” Jorick
muttered. “Besides, Michael didn’t know the location. We were
careful to keep it from him, unless you told him.”
“No, I didn’t, but he knew Oren was involved, so if
he told them that – ”
“They still wouldn’t have known the location, and
they did. It wasn’t just Bren blustering. He knew for a fact that
she’d been there. Claudius told them that she was there. He had to
find that out from someone.”
She ignored his insinuation and made one of her own.
“I see that you survived unscathed.”
“Yes. Malick’s goodwill saved me – ” He glanced at
Katelina. “ – us – this time, but he’s already sent word that it
will not do so again.”
“Ah, Malick.” The name rolled off Kateesha’s tongue
like imported chocolate. “He always did have a soft spot for you,
didn’t he?” She trailed her fingers over Jorick’s face. ”Of course,
he’s not the only one.”
Jorick pulled back enough to let her know that her
touch was unwanted. “Either way, we still need to decide what to do
now.”
Kateesha glanced towards Katelina again and sniffed
disdainfully. “It’s safe where it is, I think. He doesn’t suspect
Benjamin – who could? He is too new and too… human.”
“I fear that if someone has betrayed its hiding
place once, they may do so again. Oren is in danger from Claudius
now, as is his coven.”
“You must let Oren stand on his own. Always has he
refused your advice – he made Torina did he not? If he’d left her
alone or even refused to stand behind her he wouldn’t be in this
position, and neither would you. You’ve always tried to save him
from his own destruction, but your advice falls on deaf ears. There
comes a time when you must let them go.” She tilted her head at him
and stared into his dark eyes.
“Yes. I’m afraid I have other things to tend to now.
Oren must stand alone,” there was an edge of sorrow in his voice,
and more than a touch of guilt.
Kateesha reached out and patted his shoulder
comfortingly. He didn’t flinch from her this time. “It is as it
should be, though I wonder if these things you speak of are for the
cause or more for yourself?” She glanced at Katelina, who was still
lost between feelings of loathing and admiration for the dark
skinned woman.
Jorick’s eyes narrowed dangerously and his voice was
hard. “And who said that it was my cause?”
“I believe Oren was under that impression, but
perhaps you have something more important in mind?”
His scowl darkened. “Do you question me?”
“No, Jorick, my brother, I do not question you. I
question your new obsession – you forget I can read your very
thoughts if I choose.” She laughed again and patted his shoulder
before she stepped away. Her face grew thoughtful and she paced in
a slow circle, her hands behind her back.
Jorick watched her with detached curiosity and she
ceased her circuit to stare back. Her eyes moved to Katelina but as
quickly went back to Jorick, as though the human wasn’t worth
recognizing. “I question whether any of it is wise. Perhaps it
would be easier – safer, even – to simply – ” she finished the
sentence by mimicking the motion of a dagger slicing across her
throat.
“No!” His sudden outburst caused Katelina to flinch
back. He looked at her; her wide eyes reflected her inner fear, and
he quickly regained his composure, though his voice still shook
with rage. “No one will harm her, or they will answer to me!”
Katelina thought again of the green motel and what a
pleasant place it seemed now by comparison, so much better than
being threatened by vampires in an abandoned warehouse!
“I didn’t mean it as a threat,” Kateesha said
mildly. The hint of a smile played at her full red lips. “I simply
meant it would be safer. Claudius is hunting her now, and if he
finds her, then he finds you as well. And if he finds you, who else
will he find?”
She stepped closer and put her hands on his
shoulders. She leaned close to him and her voice took on the tone
of a concerned friend. “Listen to yourself, Jorick! When did this
take such a strong hold on you?” She stared into his eyes and then
smiled slowly, as though a silent conversation had taken place. “Of
course. You always were a sucker for the weak and helpless, weren’t
you? But a human? After what they did– ”
Jorick cut her off with a gesture. “Enough of this,
Kateesha! I did not come to discuss my life choices with you. I
think that she should be moved. We’ll no longer have Oren’s inside
information. Elsa won’t risk telling him anything now. She may have
had a soft spot for Michael, but in the end she’s loyal to
Claudius.” He leveled his gaze with her and squeezed Katelina’s
hand reassuringly.
“Yes,” Kateesha murmured. “Had she chosen to turn
him herself then perhaps she’d have more loyalty, but we must do
the best with what we have now.” Amusement shimmered in her eyes.
“It’s ironic though, is it not? Had Claudius not forced her to make
Michael her fledgling she’d have never helped us at all.”
“Yes,” Jorick agreed. “But she’s made it clear she’s
done. Michael is dead now and though she swore not to betray Oren’s
involvement, she won’t give him any more information. I’d have
suspected that she changed her mind, except the Executioners came
too quickly. Oren met with her the night before their arrival and
as of that time she had not betrayed him. They aren’t mobilized
that quickly.”
Kateesha nodded. “She has always been truthful with
us, for the most part. I assume she didn’t say who told
Claudius?”
“No,” Jorick answered. “She obviously didn’t know
about it or I believe she’d have mentioned it.”
“If Claudius knows of your involvement and Oren’s,
then I wonder who else’s he knows about?”
“Are you suddenly afraid of him?”
Kateesha laughed. “Hardly. You misunderstand, my
brother. I only wonder whose names he gave to The Guild.”
The dark skinned Goddess fell silent and began
pacing again while Katelina took some time to clear her head and
make sense of all she’d just heard. Her mind whirled, trying to
figure out who Kateesha even was and how she and Jorick knew one
another.
Kateesha spoke suddenly, “No, I think it’s fine
where it is.” She stopped pacing and stood with her hands clasped
behind her back. “There’s no way anyone can know its location – not
yet.”
Jorick’s dark brows drew together impatiently.
“What’s to stop me from moving it myself?”
“If you were to do that, it would make things look
very, very bad for you, Jorick.” She smiled, but there was no
warmth in it. “Someone betrayed Oren to Claudius, after all. If you
were to do that he might think it was you. And since he lost his
wife in the deal, I don’t doubt he’d be happy to help with a little
eye-for-an-eye retribution, if you take my meaning.” As if to be
absolutely sure her point was made she let her eyes linger on
Katelina.
“Mmmmmmm,” Jorick murmured. “Then we have nothing
more to discuss.”
She cocked her head to one side. “That’s a shame,
but if you prefer imperfect flesh for your pleasure, who am I to
question you?” She came closer and stopped near enough to touch
him. “If you change your mind, you always know where to find
me.”
“Of course, but my mind hasn’t changed in all these
slow centuries, and I don’t think it will anytime soon.” Without
waiting for a reply, he turned on his heel and dragged Katelina
after him, leaving Kateesha behind. Her answer came regardless, in
the form of cold laughter that echoed all around them as they
retreated through the darkness.
After the strange silence in the warehouse, the car
seemed too loud. Jorick’s anger was palpable; the air seemed to
pulse with it. Katelina didn’t know what to say to make it better.
She stuttered a question, “Oren wouldn’t really…” but couldn’t
bring herself to finish it. Would Oren really kill her because his
wife had been killed? As if it was all Jorick’s fault.
“No,” Jorick said the word with force. “He wouldn’t
dare.”
She nodded but found no more words for fear of
enraging him more. She wasn’t afraid that he’d hurt her, or even be
mean to her. In truth she wasn’t sure what she was afraid of, but
she didn’t want to make him any angrier.
 
They pulled into the motel and, after parking the
car, walked around behind the building to their windowless room.
Once they were inside, Jorick shut the door and clicked all of the
locks into place. He absently ran his fingers through his long,
dark hair before he threw himself on the bed where he crossed his
arms beneath his head and stared at the ceiling.
Katelina stood uncomfortably near the foot of the
bed, unsure what to say. There were questions she wanted answers
to, but she wasn’t sure how to ask them.
He sighed heavily and his eyes moved from the
stained ceiling above his head to her anxious face. He studied her
pale features and pulled one arm loose to pat the bed beside him.
“Come here.”
She hesitated for a moment and then mentally gave
herself a shove and walked towards him slowly. “Yes?” She
swallowed, and reminded herself quickly of her earlier resolve not
to fall into those eyes again.
“Here,” he whispered the word, so that it seem
almost like a caress, and patted the bed again.
She forced a ball of nervous air down her throat and
climbed slowly onto the bed until she was sitting next to him. Her
hands suddenly absorbed her interest as she tried to force all
thoughts from her mind, especially the ones about how close he was
to her.
He gently cupped her face and turned it towards him.
“You don’t need to be afraid,” he said gently. “My anger isn’t with
you.”
His raven hair fanned out on the pillow, thick and
shimmery like some exotic silk. His dark eyes were trained on her,
his smooth skin as flawless as marble. She nodded, like a child
confronted with their first glamorous idol; lost and star gazing at
something more beautiful than she could ever hope to be.
He raised himself up on one elbow. “Even if it were,
I wouldn’t hurt you.” His face was suddenly very close to hers so
that his breath brushed her skin.
She managed a nod in return and tried desperately
not to notice him; not to notice the feel of his hands or the
warmth of his breath or the nearness of his well-muscled body. But
her attempts at ignoring him failed and she found herself staring
into the dark pools of his eyes, lost in endless lakes of onyx. He
leaned closer, though she was unaware of it until she felt his lips
against hers, soft like warm rose petals. What little resolve she
had vaporized, and she leaned towards him. She slid her arms around
the base of his neck and opened her mouth to deepen the kiss as a
low moan slipped from her throat.
He gently caressed the back of her neck and made
goose bumps race along her spine. His other hand slid gently down
her arm and her flesh responded as though her shirt didn’t separate
his touch from her. He seemed to flow against her – his hands
caressing her, his lips tasting her, his body a warm blanket
pressing her down into the bed, where she went willingly. She
snaked her arms around his back and slid her hands under his shirt
to find his smooth skin hot to her touch.
Her heart hammered in her chest and the memory of
her dreams came back to her; fresh and hot like the moment she
found herself enveloped in. A tiny part of her mind was telling her
to stop. It tried to remind her of the horrible things she’d seen
and the dark secrets she’d already learned and yearned to hide
from, but somehow its persistent buzz was nothing more than the
sound of a fly in her ear.
His lips left hers and slid down in a soft, moist
trail across her face to her neck. He stopped to taste the hollow
beneath her jaw and she moaned. Her body rose to meet his. She
pressed herself against his warmth and felt his strength pressing
back.
She slid her hands and down the length of his back,
then over his torso, and delighted in the moan that escaped his
lips.
He leaned up, and pulled at her shirt until she had
no choice but to let him slide it over her head. He dropped it to
the floor. Her eyes followed it and the nagging voice in her head
grew loud and clear as she studied the garment puddled against the
ugly carpet. Don’t you know what he is? What do you think you’re
doing?
The voice was silenced when his hands moved across
her naked stomach. She met his dark eyes as he cupped her breasts.
A soft smile played on his lips as he gently kneaded them. His
intense gaze made her blush, so she closed her eyes and let herself
drift away, enjoying his touch. It had been so long since anyone
had touched her like this, or at least it seemed so long.
The thoughts disappeared as he brushed his lips
across her tender skin. She gasped and held his head in place, her
fingers twining in the long dark silk of his hair as he teased her.
She arched her back to press herself deeper into the recesses of
his mouth, taken over by the burning need to feel him.
She untwined her hands and tugged at his shirt. She
needed to feel his naked flesh against her; to touch him. He
stopped, and leaned back again to quickly peel the clothing off and
toss it to the floor where it landed in a tangle with hers.
He quickly returned to her open arms. She pulled him
tightly to her. His hot, muscular chest pressed against her. A
shudder of delight ran through her as his mouth sought her naked
shoulders and traced a trail of kisses along them.
He soon peeled away all her clothes so she lay
beneath him completely naked. His hands seemed to be everywhere at
the same time, liquid pleasure drowning out her thoughts until
there was nothing but her longing for him, her ache to have him, to
feel him surrounding her until there was nothing left in the world
but him. No nightmares, no fear, no death. Just him, and her and
waves of pleasure.
She forced him back, and tugged at his pants. He
helped her and leaned back on his knees to discard the last of his
raiment. Her eyes raked his naked body and she found herself
staring at a pale expanse of male perfection that made her chest
ache.
He didn’t give her long to contemplate his well
sculpted form before he was back, his lips on her skin, his body
gently pressing between her thighs. She opened herself to him
willingly. Her knees gripped his waist and her hands found his
broad shoulders. She gasped and tightened her hold on him as he
slid into position. The tiny part of her brain that had been
buzzing earlier gave a single shout, trying to get her attention,
to tell her that it was almost too late, but it was drowned out as
he entered her, possessing her and filling her.
She moved beneath him, her body rocking in time to
his, her eyes half closed. Waves of pleasure radiated through her.
She gripped him tightly and could feel his muscles moving beneath
his skin as he thrust again and again. He lay flat against her, his
lips suckled her neck and his tongue licked her smooth skin. She
moaned and tilted her head back, letting him have more. Then the
pain came for just an instant; almost like a pin prick. As it
faded, it was replaced by something she’d never felt before. It was
as though he was everywhere at once, both inside and out,
surrounding her in rapture until she could only make tiny
whimpering sounds. Images flashed behind her closed eyelids, too
fast to comprehend or understand, and feeling after feeling rolled
over her, all wrapped beneath a thick blanket of ecstasy. She
started to think that her brain might not be able to handle it,
that she would die from the pure pleasure.
She could never say how long it lasted. It might
have been a moment or an hour, but in a sudden heated rush it was
over, and she lay panting, her mind wrapped in a fog of
endorphins.
He released her but he stayed where he was, his head
bowed. Finally, he slid off, and dropped next to her in the bed.
Wordlessly, he gathered her up in his arms and pulled her to him.
He buried his face in her hair. The long blonde strands mingled
with his raven tresses as he nuzzled her neck, and murmured things
too quiet for her to really hear. He gently brushed her hair away
from her face and traced the contour of her cheek with his
fingertips, his breath still heavy and ragged.
She turned her head toward him, seeking his face,
but found only his dark hair. He held her so tightly that she could
feel his heart pounding in her chest. It left her unable to
distinguish which beats of the intertwined rhythm belonged to her.
She swallowed and closed her eyes, trying to calm her erratic
breaths. The quiet buzzing in her mind was muttering the word
regret, but it didn’t register. Did she regret what had just
happened? Would she regret it tomorrow?
He loosened his hold on her and pulled back to study
her, a soft smile on his perfect lips. As she gazed into his black
eyes she decided that nothing mattered but the warmth reflected in
their depths and that regret was something to think about in the
morning.