Chapter Twenty-Two

When Katelina woke again, the room was filled with
inky darkness. She shivered and reached instinctively for Jorick,
but her hand clutched only empty sheet. She blinked at it in
confusion, then glanced towards the bathroom where she saw the door
ajar, light leaking out of it into the darkened room. Her limbs
were stiff, but she climbed out of bed and quickly retrieved the
black coat from the floor. She wrapped it around herself and then
crept softly across the room. The bathroom door opened easily to
reveal Jorick and Oren with their heads together, their expressions
akin to children caught with a cookie jar.
Oren, still dressed in the clothes he’d worn late
last night, stepped away from his co-conspirator quickly. Jorick,
however, continued to lean against the sink. His tattered black
clothes were gone, replaced by a pair of faded blue jeans and a
white button up shirt that he hadn’t bothered to tuck in. His bare
feet were a sharp contrast against the dark colored linoleum, and
that was what Katelina found herself staring at, unable to meet his
gaze. She remembered last night; weeping and screaming, saying
things she never wanted to. Her face flushed scarlet and she felt
humiliation wash over her. She berated herself for being so weak
and pathetic. The modern mantra might be “embrace your emotions and
tell the world”, but to her there was a wall between private and
public – and she had blown a hole in it with her breakdown. Jorick
and the others were always so calm and cool, so self-reliant and
able to handle anything. She was afraid of what he must think of
her after her fit.
“You’re awake,” Jorick’s voice was warm, and she
looked up to see him smiling at her.
She nodded, and relief flooded her. There was no
condemnation in the depths of his eyes; no pity or disappointment
with her and, though perhaps she imagined it, she got the sense
from him that he didn’t intend to discuss it at a later date,
either – that there was no need to talk about what had happened
ever again, unless she wanted to. The ghost of a smile flickered on
her lips in response to this silent revelation, but she couldn’t
find any words to say, especially not in front of Oren.
The blonde vampire shifted uncomfortably. He looked
from Jorick to Katelina, then cleared his throat loudly and
muttered, “Well, I’ll find Torina, I’m sure she’s tired of keeping
Kateesha entertained.”
Jorick nodded and Oren exited. When they were alone,
Jorick pushed himself off of the sink and came to a stop before
her. He took her hands in his and gently ran his thumbs over her
fingers.
Her eyes wandered over the unbuttoned collar of his
shirt, and the glimpse of pale chest it afforded, to his face where
dark eyes shimmered with concern.
“You’re... all right?” he asked hesitantly.
“Yes.” It was only one word, but she tried to pack a
world’s worth of inflection into it; her desire not to discuss her
weakness, her appreciation of his not thinking less of her, and her
thanks for how well he’d handled things when she’d been at her
worst.
He exhaled deeply and his shoulders relaxed. “Good.”
He offered her another smile, and she wondered if he was relieved
that they weren’t going to have a touchy-feely discussion, or if he
was just glad that she wasn’t hitting him or recoiling from him.
“I’ll go see if I can borrow some clothes for you.”
She nodded to his attire. “Those are from Oren?”
“Yes,” he admitted. “I didn’t have any more with me.
Thanks to the Executioners, I didn’t leave the manor very well
supplied.”
“It looks nice,” she offered shyly and looked away
from him as she blushed.
He wrinkled his brow unenthusiastically and frowned
down at the shirt. “I suppose so. The color’s all wrong, and it’s a
little small. But then you’re easily pleased,” he teased.
When she made no reply, he took the opportunity to
draw her against him and catch her in a deep kiss. Though it hurt
her swollen lips, she didn’t pull away. She was willing to take the
pain to get what she wanted; what she needed. And she needed to
know that he could still want to do this even after what had
happened.
The kiss ended, but he didn’t pull away. His breath
was warm against her face as he stared into her eyes. “You’re
beautiful, do you know that?”
She looked down to hide the flush of pleasure. She’d
been terrified that after everything that had happened he’d now
find her ruined, unworthy, and repulsive.
“You’re far from repulsive,” he stated, and her head
snapped up, eyes wide. She wondered if he was reading her mind or
had it been so obviously written on her face? Troy, the bald
vampire, had heard her thoughts, as could Kateesha, but could he?
She blushed at the idea that he’d listened to her secret
admirations of him, among other private things.
“Clothes. I’m sure that Torina has something she’d
gladly donate,” he said suddenly, as if to change the subject. “She
has a few dresses in the trunk – she’d have brought more, but the
rest of her ridiculously extensive wardrobe burned in the fire.
Personally, I think she’s more upset by the loss of her clothes
than anything else.” He offered her a weak smiled, so she knew he
was trying to make a joke, however sad it might be.
But sad or not, the mood lightened considerably, and
a weight was lifted from her shoulders. “Maybe you should go ask
her?” she suggested and pulled back from him. “I’m going to take a
shower - if I have time.” She wanted desperately to wash the
evidence of the last two days off of her skin and watch it swirl
down the drain to disappear forever.
He nodded his head and said almost sadly, “All
right, I’ll go ask her.” He leaned down and kissed her deeply
again, ending it reluctantly. “I’d much rather wrap you up and hide
somewhere far from all of this,” he murmured as he pulled her to
him.
“Me too,” she agreed softly and buried her face in
his chest. She tried not to think about anything: not about what
had happened, not about all the blood and death she’d seen, and not
about the fact two weeks ago she’d have run screaming from him
because he was a vampire.
“Take your shower, I’ll be right back.” He looked at
her, a mixture of longing and guilt in his eyes, but it was quickly
veiled and he moved past her and out of the room.
She closed the bathroom door and dropped the black
coat and the hospital gown to the floor. Her glance in the mirror
was only cursory. Her revulsion at her bruised face was so complete
that she had no desire to actually examine it. She turned the
shower on and wondered how Jorick could say she was beautiful when
she had a black eye and abrasions all over.
She used the miniature shampoo and soap provided
and, when finished, wrapped herself in a fluffy towel. The
curiosity was getting the better of her and she had almost relented
and wiped the steam from the mirror when the door opened. She
clutched at her towel, but it was only Jorick bearing a slinky
green dress and a pair of panties that dripped white lace. She held
the undergarment up and stared at it, incredulous. “Tell me, what’s
the point?” she asked rhetorically.
He shrugged his shoulders in reply, but his eyes
twinkled. “Don’t ask me, I’m not a connoisseur of lady’s
undergarments.”
He leaned casually against the wall and looked at
her until she cleared her throat loudly, then he asked innocently,
“Yes?”
“I’d like to get dressed.”
He grinned and gestured with his hand. “Be my
guest.”
“Alone?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
Jorick laughed; a warm rich sound that made her feel
better. “All right, if you insist.” He was still laughing as he
disappeared into the bedroom and shut the door.
She dressed quickly but took extra time to find the
front of the lacey stretch underwear. They were uncomfortable and
it felt like she wasn’t wearing anything at all. The thin dress did
nothing to combat the feeling of nakedness; it had no sleeves and a
plunging neckline that was held up by two thin, copper colored
spaghetti straps. Even the clingy, knee length skirt didn’t feel
like any kind of protection, not like her usual jeans and
t-shirts.
She glanced in the un-fogged mirror and let her eyes
travel from her ruined face, down to her exposed cleavage. She
crossed her arms over it and wondered why Jorick seemed to have a
mental block against bras.
When she exited the bathroom she found him seated on
the corner of the bed. He studied her appraisingly and nodded his
head in apparent satisfaction. “That looks better on you than
her.”
“I doubt it.” She couldn’t help enjoying the
flattery, even though she felt embarrassed and silly. She tugged at
the skirt and changed the topic. “So, what are we doing?”
“Oren’s gone to fetch food for you, and when he
returns we’ll be leaving for Sorem.”
“Sorem?” The word rolled on her tongue like a piece
of poisoned candy. “But that’s where Claudius is.”
Jorick nodded. “We have unfinished business–”
“Like what? Like the fact that I actually lived!
Let’s go back and see if he can finish me off this time? Is that
the idea?”
Jorick stood and quickly caught her waving arms.
“No,” he soothed. “I promise I won’t let him hurt you.”
“Really?” she snapped sarcastically, but the look on
his face made her anger evaporate. Her shoulders sagged. “I don’t
want to be near him,” she whispered.
“I know,” he murmured softly. “But so long as he
lives this won’t be over.”
“I thought Oren didn’t want to appear to be too
‘obviously hostile’? Won’t The Guild punish him again?”
“No. Not as long as the war is conducted properly.”
Jorick sighed. “As long as it doesn’t create any complications and
no one complains, they don’t care. And in case you’ve forgotten,
Oren already ‘appeared hostile’ when we rescued you.” She wondered
if Oren expected some sort of apology and scowled at the idea, but
Jorick continued. “Kateesha has pushed our hands, undoubtedly just
as she wanted to. She’s had her eye on Claudius’ coven since she
first agreed to help Oren, and I imagine she’s been waiting for
this opportunity for some time. Oren hasn’t seemed interested in
really finishing Claudius off, and Claudius wasn’t really
interested in finishing Oren. Now they’ll have to settle it, and
she assumes we’ll win and then she can have it.”
Katelina blinked at him in confusion. “But if you
and Oren defeat him isn’t it yours? Victor and spoils and all
that?”
He shook his head “The coven has been promised to
Kateesha. It was her price to assist in your rescue.”
“But-”
“It’s of no importance,” Jorick said quickly.
“Neither I nor Oren want it, not anymore. That was Jesslynn, not
him. What use will a straggling handful of unhappy vampires be?
But, if Kateesha wishes to think she’s manipulated us, it matters
not to me. Let her have what is left of Claudius’ coven when we’ve
finished and may it keep her busy for many years to come. So long
as she leaves me in peace I don’t care what she does.”
“So Kateesha is going, too?” Katelina asked weakly.
“Even though she...”
Jorick sighed heavily. “Yes, she is. I didn’t know
she’d set it up, not until Torina got the information from one of
Claudius’ men. Kateesha volunteered to go, and if I’d been thinking
straight I’d have realized how unusual that was. Kateesha only does
what benefits Kateesha. I should have seen that she had some vested
interest in it, but I had other things on my mind.” He touched her
cheek softly and then gave her a reassuring smile. “She won’t be
able to do anything to you as long as I’m with you. And besides, I
doubt that she would.”
Katelina’s eyes bulged. “What? You’re not defending
her?”
“No, no!” He rushed to explain himself. “She only
does things that are of benefit to herself. What benefit could she
possibly gain from hurting you?” Katelina’s mouth opened, but he
kept talking. “She killed Arowenia and sent you to Claudius because
she knew we’d rescue you. She just wanted to advance the war.”
“And can you read her mind?” Katelina demanded
angrily. “Because that’s not what she told me! She said–”
“Yes, I know what she said. And no, I can’t read her
mind. But this isn’t a music hall production. The villain isn’t
going to reveal their master plot to the victim. I know her well
enough to say she’s got what she wants, or will have as soon as
she’s taken what’s left of the coven.” He met Katelina’s gaze.
“Trust me.”
“I do trust you! It’s just... what if you’re
wrong?”
He rubbed her chin with his thumb. “I’m not.”
“But...” she trailed off with a sigh. How could she
say “It’s just that I have this nagging feeling” without sounding
stupid? Maybe Jorick was right. Maybe Kateesha had only told her
that because she thought it would upset her. Hell, none of the
vampires made much sense anyway. Still, the sense of foreboding
refused to go away.
She let it go and asked weakly, “You’re sure we have
to go?”
His face grew grim, and he tightened his arms around
her. “Yes. I’m sorry, but I owe Claudius now, and I always repay my
debts.” He opened his mouth to say something further when a knock
stopped him.
“It’s me,” Oren’s voice floated through the door
before it opened and the golden-haired vampire came in, a fast food
bag clutched in one hand, and a soda in the other. “I have no idea
what you humans eat.”
She took the offered bag and sat gingerly on the
edge of the bed. The scent of French fries and cheeseburger wafted
up into her face and she savored the smell. Last night she hadn’t
been hungry but today she was ravenous, and so without any shame
she stuffed several fries in her mouth at once.
Oren’s nose wrinkled in repulsion. “And they say
we’re disgusting when we feed.”
She glanced at him sharply and thought about
mentioning that she hadn’t invited him to watch in the first place.
Instead, she settled on saying, “I’m starving.”
“Obviously.” He turned to his friend. “I’m not
staying to watch this, Jorick. When it’s finished, we’ll be
waiting.” He shuddered and moved quickly out of the room.
She swallowed and looked up at Jorick. “What? It’s
not that bad?”
His only answer was laughter.
 
When she’d finished, Jorick rounded up the others
and they climbed into the giant car. Torina and Oren sat up front,
and the other three were in the back as it had been before. The
tension inside the vehicle was thicker than the fog gathering
outside, and they all gave in to it. The uncomfortable silence
seemed almost like a sixth passenger that was hogging the
conversation. The only things that kept it from being unbearable
was the muttering of the engine and the swish of the windshield
wipers cutting back and forth in their fight with the ever
gathering condensation.
Katelina’s watch said that only a couple of hours
had passed, but the trip to Sorem felt interminably long, and if
she thought she’d be happy to see the place she was wrong. It was
another small dingy town that looked as if it had been abandoned a
few years ago and left to squalor and decay. She stared in
disbelief through the window and wondered why vampires never lived
in modern metropolises. Wouldn’t they fit in better in a bustling
city than a decaying little village? She turned to Jorick, tempted
to ask him, but the impenetrable silence was too hard for her to
break. Oren, on the other hand, had no problem.
“We probably have seven hours until dawn.” His voice
seemed too loud against the quiet.
Jorick nodded and patted Katelina’s leg
reassuringly. “That’s plenty of time – assuming we can find
them.”
Torina wrinkled her nose at the dilapidated houses
that slid past them. The pink streetlights reflected in the misty
fog and gave the whole place a nightmarish quality. “Considering
the size, it shouldn’t be too hard.”
“You’d think that,” Oren murmured.
They drove in circles around the wet little town,
all of them peering through the windows at fog that refused to
lift. A single gas station was open. Its neon lights were like an
oasis in the dense, dark place, but by the car’s third circuit of
the town it had closed. The large green glowing sign shut off as
they passed and plunged the parking lot into darkness that made the
night seem bleaker.
It was the fourth circuit when Jorick suddenly
whispered, “Wait.” The brakes squealed as Oren stopped the car. The
raven-haired vampire stared out the window at a squat blue house.
“Yes. I think we’ve found it.”
Kateesha wound down the window and stuck her head
out. She inhaled deeply and, for the first time since they’d gotten
in the car, she smiled. “I can smell Claudius from here.”
Katelina looked at the sad little house and the
windows stared back at her, blank, dark and empty. Weeds grew
around the base of the structure, and the yard looked unkempt with
brown grass at various lengths; heaps of autumn leaves gathered in
every little hollow. She wondered how he could have known. Had he
smelled Claudius, as Kateesha claimed she did?
Oren met Jorick’s eyes. The two men nodded at one
another, then Oren slowly edged the car forward. They moved three
blocks down and pulled into the parking lot of the gas station,
where they parked next to a large green dumpster.
The doors opened and the car’s occupants disembarked
into the mist. Katelina stood next to the vehicle uncertainly. She
rubbed her naked arms and wished for one of Oren’s long sleeved
shirts. The smell of frost was in the air and she had to
concentrate to keep her teeth from chattering as she watched the
four vampires stretching and preparing themselves for what lay
ahead.
Oren reached back into the car and pulled several
cloth wrapped parcels from between the seats. He handed them out,
keeping the longest one for himself. Katelina watched as he
un-wrapped it to reveal a long machete with a carved wooden handle.
She glanced to see Kateesha and Torina each holding short shiny
daggers.
Jorick opened his to find a long, thin dagger. He
gave it a satisfied nod and stuffed the cloth wrapping in his
pocket.
“This should be adequate,” Kateesha agreed and
Torina gave a silent nod.
“Good,” Oren slammed the car door. “I’m afraid I
left most of my weapons stash elsewhere.” He gave Jorick a pointed
look. “I believe someone burned the house down on top of it?”
“Yes, well.” Jorick brushed his comment aside. “I’m
sure these will do.” He narrowed his eyes and looked at the other
three. “Claudius is mine.”
“Yes,” Kateesha purred. “So you’ve said. Only don’t
forget our arrangement.”
“I’m sure we won’t,” Oren replied. “I doubt you’d
let us.”
“Someone has to keep you focused,” Kateesha said
pointedly, looking straight at Jorick. “Otherwise some of you are
likely to forget their promises altogether and just disappear.”
Jorick growled low and Kateesha laughed. “Oh come
now, you know I’m right. It’s so much easier to do when things get…
complicated.”
Oren kept his face expressionless. “Enough,
Kateesha. We need to discuss our plans.”
“What plans?” Torina asked, brandishing the dagger
menacingly. “We just kill everyone we find.”
“Yes,” Oren responded impatiently. “But we need more
than that. For instance, what about the human–” he cleared his
throat and amended it. “Katelina? Is she going with us or staying
in the car?”
Torina gave her a quick once over. “She should stay
with the car.”
Kateesha walked around to stand next to them,
smiling. “Oh, I agree.” She ran a hand over Katelina’s arm that
made her shudder. “She’ll be a burden once we’re inside”
Jorick narrowed his eyes at the dark temptress and
she removed her hand. “And should they attack the car, who will
defend her? Who’s going to stay behind?”
“Why would they attack the car?” Kateesha
purred.
Jorick wrapped his arm around Katelina and continued
to eye Kateesha meaningfully. “You can never tell. I thought she’d
be safe the other night, didn’t I?”
Annoyance crept over Kateesha’s features. “You
should never have agreed to do that favor for Patrick. Look at what
it’s gotten you in to.”
Katelina flinched at the name and Jorick scowled.
“I’m not ‘into’ anything I don’t wish to be – you’re the only one
who wants things differently.”
Kateesha sneered haughtily. “You let protecting the
human go to your head! You were only supposed to guard her, not
fall in love with her. Did Patrick know?”
Katelina looked at her feet, her heart sick. She
didn’t want to hear this right now. She needed to believe in
Jorick; to trust him, and how could she with half formed suspicions
running rampant through her mind?
But Jorick didn’t answer, and Kateesha’s eyes lit up
at his silence. “He knew, didn’t he?” she laughed and licked her
lips delightedly. “How positively delicious! What a conversation
that must have been! I’ll bet you didn’t shed any tears when you
discovered he was dead, did you? Freed up his little human lover
for you to…”
“Enough!” Jorick roared. “You might as well get over
your pathetic dreams, Kateesha. Nothing in this world will ever
make me want you.”
Her eyes popped in outrage and then narrowed to
slits. Her lips curled back until she was no longer beautiful, but
ghastly. “You probably killed him yourself so you could have her!
Why? Look at her! Look at her!” She jabbed a long nailed finger in
Katelina’s good shoulder. “She’s nothing extraordinary! She isn’t
even pretty! It’s just because you crave a lost soul to look after!
You have to have some pathetic powerless creature to take care of
in order to feel strong!”
“I did not kill him Kateesha,” Jorick hissed coldly.
“But if you do not keep your thoughts to yourself, I may kill
you.”
“I do not fear you, brother. You’re far too busy
picking up stray animals to be any real threat.”
Oren stepped between the pair, his hands up. “Stop
this! We have allied ourselves and, no matter what the reason, we
have taken oaths. Let us now fulfill them. There will be time to
kill one another when Claudius is dead.”
Kateesha laughed hollowly. “You’re just hoping for
help in your new war against The Guild, Oren. But if you think
Jorick will assist you, you’re mistaken. He cares only for himself
– and his new obsession.”
Jorick growled, but Oren answered her, “My reason
does not concern you, Kateesha.” Though his voice was controlled,
it was obvious he found it difficult not to shout. “Enough of this
squabbling, we need to move out.”
“What about her?” Torina asked and nodded to
Katelina.
“She comes with me,” Jorick said firmly. “And that’s
final.”
Oren nodded. “Then let us go.”
With those words hanging in the thick air, the five
of them headed off towards the small, dirty house.