Amaranthine Special Edition Vol II

by Naylor, Joleene

  “They’re fine. I mean, great. I just…we didn’t get you anything.”

  “I don’t need anything, hon. After a hundred or so Christmases, you start to run out of things you want. Kale and I agreed we didn’t want presents this year. We didn’t even get each other anything. That made it easier for him to help do the shopping last night.”

  As if summoned, Kale stopped next to her and slipped his arm around her. She snuggled against his naked chest and Katelina looked away.

  “We should change and go feed.” Kale nodded to Katelina. “She can eat while we’re gone. Then we’ll see what torture Rachel has planned.”

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d think I was the only one that likes the holidays!” The twinkle in Rachel’s eyes showed there was no venom in her words. “Let’s go dress.”

  Jorick scanned the room uncomfortably. “I don’t know about leaving you here alone.”

  Katelina wasn’t sure either, especially with Joseff lurking around, but she didn’t want to troop through the snow.

  She watched the others leave, Joseff behind Rachel and Kale. Saeed picked up stray wrapping paper from the floor and then followed them. Only Yaul and Alex were left, chattering over their CDs.

  “I guess it might be all right.”

  Jorick frowned. “It’s your choice.”

  She agonized over it, then a small part of her laughed. What kind of life was it when deciding whether to stay at the house or go outside was a major decision? Joseff and Saeed were gone and, as she debated, Alex and Yaul left to join them. Surely she could handle being alone.

  “I’ll stay.”

  Jorick brushed a kiss across her forehead. “All right. I’ll be back quickly. If anything happens…”

  The sentence was unfinished and Katelina didn’t know what the rest of it would be. If anything happens - what? Scream for him? Hide in the basement? Make a cross out of artificial holly? She doubted he knew either, so she didn’t ask.

  When he was gone she fetched the gym bag from the basement and headed to the bathroom. Rachel was right, she was out of clothes. The jeans she changed into were the same pair she’d worn to rescue Kale and she didn’t want to think about the underwear. She needed to do laundry, though she hadn’t noticed a washing machine. Maybe they went to a Laundromat?

  Though the fuzzy pink sweater was warm, it made her feel like an overdressed doll. Barbie: the winter vampire edition. Nice.

  Her food was still tucked into the snow drift outside. She sifted through it and pulled out a semi frozen summer sausage, ice cold cheese, and a box of frosty crackers. Once inside, she couldn’t hack through either the meat or the cheese with the plastic knife. They’d have to thaw.

  She dropped onto the couch and stared at the Christmas tree. In her mind’s eye, she pictured the tiny tree she and Jorick had bought. The scene shifted; the tree was covered in bleeding entrails, a puddle of gore at its feet.

  A sudden noise pulled her from her thoughts. She looked up to see Joseff standing in the doorway, fully dressed, his dark eyes narrowed. She looked away quickly, refusing to let him see the fear on her face.

  His voice was a low growl, “I have my eye on you - both of you. Kale might be ready to forget, but I remember that night.” He stepped closer. “I remember coming in the front door to find the destruction; Claudius’ head on the floor and his heart in Kateesha’s hand! I remember the self-satisfied expressions on Jorick and Oren’s faces when Kateesha demanded our allegiance. And I remember you.” He was so close that he could have touched her if he wanted to. “You stood pressed against the wall, covered in blood and quaking. Funny how you don’t quake any more. Jorick’s trained you well since then.”

  Katelina jerked away from him and tried to stand. He was suddenly in the way and knocked her back onto the couch. She struggled to sit up. He leaned over her, his face close to hers. “You don’t fool me. They claim everything’s forgiven. It isn’t. The hatred, the anger, the thirst for vengeance. I see it every time I look in the mirror, and I see it right now, shining back at me in your eyes. I know what you are and what you want. We’re the same. but don’t think that will earn you any pity when the time comes. When you make your move, it better be a good one, because you won’t get a second. Are we clear?”

  Katelina’s heart pounded in terror, but she refused to let him see her weakness. She summoned up her courage and stared him straight in the eyes. “Get out of my face. Now.”

  “Or what?”

  “Joseff?”

  They looked to see Saeed in the doorway. He shifted his muscled bulk from one foot to the other. “We have extended our protection to this human.”

  Joseff jerked away and roared, “Maybe you have, but I haven’t! What is wrong with all of you? You had no love for Claudius, but she killed your Mistress! And her master killed your brother! How can you forget that?”

  “I haven’t forgotten,” Saeed answered with no emotion.

  “Then how can you shelter her? Am I the only sane one left?” A strange smile twisted across his face. “The stupid human is the only one who makes any damned sense around here! At least she knows to hate us as much as we hate her!”

  “You are the only one who hates,” Saeed said quietly. “And it will consume you.”

  Joseff made a loud, furious noise and stormed out of the room. Saeed watched him go, then turned to study Katelina. “He did not harm you?”

  With the immediate threat gone, her bravery disappeared. “N-No.”

  Saeed nodded and moved to the chair. Without another word, he flipped open his new book and seemed instantly absorbed.

  Katelina shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. The scary part was that Joseff was right. When it came to a lack of forgiveness, they were the same. That thought scared her more than any other.

  When Jorick returned, she didn’t need to tell him about Joseff. He plucked it from her mind and turned a furious face to Kale. “Do you have so little control over your coven?”

  The blonde vampire was confused. “What?”

  Without looking up from his book, Saeed said, “Joseff had an unfriendly conversation with Jorick’s human.”

  “Joseff!” Rachel spun on her heel and looked for the offending vampire. “Damn it, Joseff, where are you?”

  “Leave him.” Kale turned to Jorick. “I’m sorry. I thought he was with us. I didn’t notice when he disappeared.”

  “I suggest you do a better job of controlling him, before he does something your diplomacy can’t repair.”

  “He wouldn’t really do anything,” Rachel said. Something on her face said she wasn’t so sure.

  Rachel’s entertainment was dated. She put them through several “games” and was gearing up for a round of Charades when a knock sounded on the front door. Everyone went still, eyes moving from one to another. Joseff was still missing, but it was unlikely he’d knock, which meant-

  Jorick sighed. “It’s Beldren and Zuri.”

  “Friends of yours?” Yaul demanded.

  “No. They’re Executioners.” There was a collective gasp that Jorick talked over, “They’re probably following up to make sure Kale got home safely, since you reported it to them.”

  Rachel wiped her nervous hands on her jeans. “He’s right. That’s probably what it is.”

  The Executioners knocked again. No one moved and, after the third knock, the door opened and heavy footsteps moved through the house.

  Beldren appeared in the doorway, looking just as Katelina remembered. He was slender with a long, blonde ponytail and green eyes. Behind him was Zuri, his complete opposite. Shorter and broader, he had a thick shock of messy black hair that stood almost vertical. They both wore long black coats and around their necks were the twisted silver medallions that signified their office: The Guild’s police force and death squad.

  Beldren’s eyes swept over the room. Surprise registered on his face before he slipped the impassive veneer back. “Jorick! I didn’t expect to see you here.”

/>   “Then who were you looking for?”

  Beldren narrowed his eyes, as if he could sense Jorick scraping around inside his head. “Obviously I was looking for the vampires who are supposed to live here.” He tugged out his cell phone and hit a couple of buttons. “Which of you is…Kale?”

  The vampire in question stood. “Can I help you?”

  “You’re the master here? Have you seen anything suspicious in the last few days?”

  Jorick cocked an eyebrow. “Define suspicious.”

  “I was speaking to him,” Beldren pointed out impatiently. “If you must know, there’s been a murder.”

  Murder. The word left Katelina with a sick sense of deja-vu. “Another one?” As soon as the words were out she covered her mouth. It was too late.

  “This is the third one, if you count the two Verchiel investigated in Maine,” Zuri broke off as Beldren glared at him.

  “As my thoughtless partner so helpfully explained, there were two murders in Maine and now we have one in Kentucky, though no one can agree whether they’re related or not.” His gaze flicked over the assembled vampires and his voice dropped low, as if he was speaking only to Jorick. “There is some speculation that the other two were perpetrated by a human, or humans, but this one definitely was.”

  “How do you know?”

  Beldren took a deep breath, as if preparing to deliver a dramatic line. “Because she called it in. At noon. From an outdoor payphone. The only vampires who can withstand that kind of sunlight are ancient Masters, and they’re all accounted for.”

  Rachel piped up, “Where was the murder at? This last one, I mean?”

  “About an hour from here. You’re the closest den we have marked, so we thought we’d ask if you’d seen anything, or if you had any humans hanging around.” His calculating eyes landed on Katelina. At a low growl from Jorick, they moved away.

  “We might be glad to have the human around, after all,” Alex said. “She can wake us up if anyone breaks in.”

  “As if she would.”

  They all looked up to see Joseff behind the Executioners. He glared at them with open hostility. “Since no one’s seen anything, you’ll be leaving, right?”

  Beldren looked down his nose at the newcomer. “We’ll take our leave in our own time.”

  Rachel stood and moved to Kale’s side. “Before you go, if you please, does this have anything to do with the kidnapping?”

  “Kidnapping?” Beldren looked at Zuri, who shrugged. “What kidnapping?”

  Before she could say anything else, Jorick planted himself in front of the Executioner. “If this is related to the other murders, why isn’t the idiot here?”

  Beldren’s eyes glowed, like an old woman with gossip. “No one’s seen him since he came back from the second investigation. His car was gone, but when we left on the twenty-third, it was back in the garage, so your guess is as good as mine. I’m not convinced they really go together, anyway. Maine to Kentucky is quite a leap for a serial killing human. It’s more likely that the two in Maine were connected to one another, probably part of a feud, and this one is a jilted human getting revenge. She left one of them alive and killed the other three with wooden stakes, if you’d believe it. The murders in Maine were with a gun. They even got a human in the second one, right between the eyes. I hear that Verchiel had to leave the human’s body. Apparently it was a race to get everything cleaned up before the police woke up.”

  Jorick snorted. “Sounds right.”

  Beldren suddenly smiled; or as close to a smile as he seemed capable. “If I see him, should I pass on your regards?”

  Jorick’s scowl deepened. “Hardly.”

  Beldren turned serious again. “You’re not planning to stay here, are you? I don’t want to have to fight to update the database.”

  Jorick’s eyebrows rose curiously. “No. We’re visiting for the holidays.”

  Beldren looked at the Christmas tree, then nodded. “Good. In that case, we’ll be going. We’ve got the survivor waiting in the car. We’re taking him back to the Citadel. Though he says he doesn’t remember anything useful, he might with a little…prodding.” Beldren’s smile suddenly seemed genuine. “Until next time.”

  He turned on his heel, snarled at Joseff, and stalked out, Zuri behind him. Everyone else stayed frozen in place, collectively holding their breath, until the door slammed.

  Rachel heaved a sigh of relief. “I’m sorry, but they make me nervous.”

  “Yeah, me too,” Alex agreed.

  “They’re just a bunch of black coated cowards on a power trip,” Joseff snapped. “They have to hide behind official titles and shiny jewelry to do their dirty work.”

  Rachel turned to Jorick. “Why didn’t he understand what I meant about the kidnapping?”

  “Because they don’t know anything about it,” Jorick said, a gleam in his eyes. “When you reported it, who did you talk to?”

  “We called the number you’re supposed to call to report things. I started to explain what was going on. The lady cut me off and patched me right through to someone.” She glanced at Joseff. “It was a woman. I can’t remember her name. She said she’d take care of it immediately. The reception was pretty bad, so she must have been on a cellular phone.”

  Jorick rubbed his chin. “Migina? Griselda? Senya?”

  “Wait! That last name! I’m sure that was it. I remember because it made me think of a sunset.”

  Katelina shuddered. Senya was anything but a sunset - unless it was a blood colored sunset. Cold, cruel and vindictive, she was the epitome of the perfect Executioner.

  “What does that mean?” Yaul demanded. “And what the hell did he mean the database?”

  Jorick waved it away. “They like to keep track of where everyone lives.”

  “It’s on their cell phones,” Katelina volunteered. “There’s a whole app for it.” Everyone stared at her and she looked at her feet. “Um, Verchiel showed it to me when we were - when he took me to The Guild.”

  Jorick snapped, “And what else did he show you?”

  Yaul snickered. “Jealous?”

  Everyone ignored him.

  “Just that. He said it’s a pain to update because they have to submit changes and then have them verified by someone else. He showed me two women who were listed in Indiana, but are really in Florida.” She looked up suddenly. “It has everything! Where they are, who turned them, what powers they have, whether they’re loyal to The Guild or not, who lives with them, how old they were when they were turned. It probably has physical descriptions if you scroll down. It’s kind of creepy.”

  “Apparently we’re in it,” Kale commented. “Which is interesting, if it’s so hard to update. We haven’t even been here a month.”

  “They sent your summons to the Citadel here,” Jorick said. “I assume that would be tantamount to verification.”

  “I suppose.” Kale didn’t sound convinced. “If there really is a murderer, we’d better keep our eyes opened.”

  Katelina shivered. It was just one more thing, as if there wasn’t enough for her to worry about.

  **********

  Chapter Seven

  The next morning, Katelina woke to the usual scene. The idea that it was “usual” was disturbing, so she dismissed it in favor of a shower. When she finished, Jorick was back from feeding.

  “Oren’s on his way.”

  Katelina wasn’t sure whether to be happy or horrified. The sooner Oren got there, the sooner they could have the stupid battle and she and Jorick could leave. By the same token, the sooner Oren got there, the sooner they’d have to go to the stupid battle. Not only would she have to drive, she’d have to endure Oren, and then there’d be another bloody fight.

  Rachel and Kale seemed to materialize behind her. Kale asked, “Is Traven coming with him?”

  “No.” Jorick snorted contemptuously. “He claims he has too many new coven members and needs to integrate them before he can trust the coven to work together.”
>
  Kale squeezed Rachel’s hand reassuringly. “How many new recruits does he have?”

  “Four.”

  Katelina’s eyebrows shot up. “Counting the two from Maine?”

  Jorick nodded. “I told you he’d be recruiting.”

  Rachel dismissed the conversation with a wave. “It’s a ten hour trip, right? That’s plenty of time to get some painting done upstairs. You might want to change, Katelina, so you don’t ruin your clothes. I’m sure I have some that will fit.”

  Armed with cans of paint, Rachel gathered a small army and headed upstairs. Katelina, wearing borrowed jeans and a bright salmon t-shirt, cast a pleading look to Jorick. He offered her a cheery wave and disappeared.

  Alex and Yaul helped, or pretended to. They spent more time texting on their phones than working. The non-stop chime notifications made Katelina feel violent. It was apparently a shared feeling because when Rachel finally sent them on their way, even Saeed seemed glad to see them go.

  While they worked, Kale drifted in and out, more show than help. Joseff managed to control his furious hatred of Katelina long enough to hold Rachel’s ladder. It only lasted so long, and he eventually disappeared.

  It was three-thirty a.m. when Rachel called a halt for the night. They’d gotten three rooms done, and that seemed like a good place to end. Katelina used the ugly t-shirt to wipe her face. She was glad she’d borrowed clothes because she was covered in paint. It was even in her hair.

  So much for the shower I took this morning.

  They headed downstairs to find Alex and Yaul in the dining room, bent over their laptop. Behind them were two new vampires. Micah, a bald vampire with a goatee and a tribal tattoo down one side of his face, and Loren, a sixteen year old with dark curly hair and large, innocent brown eyes. For once, Micah was dressed for the weather. He had a leather jacket thrown over his usual tank top. Loren was in his year-round hoodie, neon red earbuds hanging out of the pocket.

  Rachel stiffened then quickly relaxed, though her smile was too cheerful to be real. “Well, hello. You must be with Oren?”