Amaranthine Special Edition Vol II

by Naylor, Joleene

  “The two who stopped by at Christmas seemed friendly enough,” Alex said. Jorick started to object, and Alex added, “I mean no disrespect, only that the black haired Executioner knew you were here, but the woman was surprised to see you.”

  Jorick nodded impatiently. “Obviously Beldren and Zuri didn’t report it. Beldren mentioned the paperwork involved.”

  Fabian cut in. “This is all very well, but rather than waiting for her to pick us off, let’s attack first! There are only three of them.”

  Micah nodded eagerly. “And the Executioners are split up. She’s off with Joseff and the other two are roaming around the house.”

  “You’re sure where she is?” Jorick raked an impatient hand through his hair. “If you kill them - or try to - and survive, The Guild will hunt you.”

  “Let them.” Micah’s grin grew until it seemed it would split his face in two.

  Katelina bit her lip. She didn’t know who was right. She wanted to see Senya dead. On the other hand, Jorick’s plans would be hampered if they were fugitives. At this point, she didn’t care whether the destination was tropical or not, so long as she could hide there and forget everything that had happened.

  Oren cleared his throat. “We’re planning to strike the Citadel soon. The Executioners will be the first line of defense, so if we can whittle them away before the attack, so much the better.” His expression turned sinister. “Besides, I haven’t forgotten her.”

  He met Jorick’s eyes for a silent exchange and then turned to Alex. “We should attack in two groups, one from each side.”

  Katelina stared at them incredulously. When had the fight gone from possibility to certainty? How could they attack three Executioners with no planning or preparation?

  The basement door opened and closed and Loren hurried down the stairs. He skidded to a stop next to Jorick, his eyes glowing and his bloody nose wiped clean. “I know why she’s here! I listened in!” He grinned proudly.

  “And?”

  “She asked Joseff a bunch of questions about Jorick and Katelina. Where they’ve been and if anyone can prove where Katelina was in the daytime. I guess there’s been a couple of murders and some human woman did it. She said the first two were in Maine and now there were two here, all within an hour of where ever Jorick is at the time. She thinks Katelina did it. She used Kateesha as an example.”

  Katelina gaped. “But Beldren said the murder wasn’t related to the ones in Maine!”

  “He also said there’d only been one in Kentucky.” Jorick’s eyes were hard and calculating. “What else did she say?”

  “She’s talking about arresting you guys.”

  Katelina squealed in horror and Jorick growled low. “Katelina has already been taken to amuse Malick once. It’s not happening again.”

  “No, it’s not. We already decided to kill ‘em all? Remember?” Micah laughed heartily.

  Oren nodded. “Alex, Loren, go tell the others that we attack in ten minutes.”

  “What?” Loren looked to Micah for confirmation and the bald vampire held up his hand for a high five. With a grin Loren gave it to him enthusiastically. Then, he and Alex hurried away.

  Oren turned to Jorick. “What talents do the other two Executioners possess?”

  Jorick gave Katelina a reassuring squeeze. “Zuri, the shorter of the two, is a Titan. He was one of the greater guard before I left.”

  “What the fuck is a Titan?” Micah asked.

  Jorick turned to him with mild surprise. “It’s what you are, so I assumed you’d know.” Micah blinked stupidly, and Jorick explained, “It’s a vampire who’s abnormally strong. You’re only a child by vampire standards, but you can fight with the Masters. Did you think you came by your strength by accident?”

  “I never thought about it.”

  “And the other?” Fabian interrupted. “What is he?”

  Jorick rubbed his chin. “His thoughts were mixed. He’s either a Demon Eye or a Ghost Hand - or both.” Before Micah could ask, he explained, “A Ghost Hand has what you’d call telekinesis; the ability to move objects with the mind, and a Demon Eye is able to see small glimpses of the future. But, the future is always in flux, so the ability is a double edged sword.”

  “Could he see what we’re planning?” Fabian asked sharply.

  “I doubt it. He’d have to concentrate on a particular person and I doubt he could see more than thirty seconds or a minute at most.”

  Micah snorted. “That sounds pretty fucking useless.”

  “Not if used correctly,” Fabian said.

  Oren picked up the previous conversation. “We have one who can disappear, one who’s extremely strong and one who can either see the future or move objects with his mind?”

  “It would seem so.” Jorick nodded.

  “But can we win?”

  “Of course we can!” Micah looked too enthusiastic for Katelina’s taste.

  The door suddenly opened and Luna hurried to them. She caught Fabian’s arm and met his eyes. They held one another’s gaze, like Oren and Jorick often did. Katelina wondered if they could read each other’s minds. Oren had inherited the gift from Jorick, and it was Oren or his wife who’d turned Fabian.

  The idea was suddenly a little disturbing.

  Fabian looked away and Luna gave him a soft smile, then she turned to Oren. “What’s the plan?”

  They had a hurried discussion on strategy. They agreed to keep Senya in sight at all times, lest she sneak up on them, and that Zuri should be left to Saeed, who Jorick suspected might be a Titan as well. The last Executioner was harder to plan for.

  Luna nodded. “I will pass it on.” She gave Fabian a last, reassuring smile, then hurried up the stairs.

  Katelina met Jorick’s eyes. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

  All the vampires looked at her, as if suddenly aware of her presence.

  Fabian glowered. “You’re not taking the human up there! She’s already proved to be a liability!”

  Before Jorick could answer, Katelina cried, “You can’t leave me down here alone! What if they come looking for me?”

  “I guess we could try to hide her,” Micah commented with no conviction.

  Fabian dismissed the suggestion with a gesture. “The human is the weak link. Whether down here or up there, she’s likely to get killed. Only up there, she’ll be a distraction!”

  Oren all but groaned. “Oh, take her and let’s be done with it. I’m weary of these constant debates about what’s best to do with her! You should have left her at your den!”

  Katelina’s head snapped towards him. “Then who would have driven your ass all day while the sun was up?”

  Jorick laid a hand on her shoulder. “Enough.” His eyes settled on her face. “The choice is yours, do you want to come or do you want to stay?”

  It was a déjà vu moment. He’d asked her the same thing last night, and she remembered the outcome of that decision. It was something she didn’t want to repeat.

  “I’ll stay.”

  Jorick selected one of the bigger boxes to hide Katelina in. He gave her a deep kiss and a smile. “I’ll be back for you shortly.”

  Though she nodded, fear flickered in her eyes. He laid a cool hand to her cheek and whispered in her ear, “I will return for you.” She wanted to clutch at him and scream that she loved him, but the words wouldn’t come. All she could do was nod as he stood up and hesitantly withdrew his hand.

  The lid shut and she was left in darkness. She shivered as she heard the vampires stacking boxes and coffins around her. She understood the point; the more wood and metal between her and the Executioners, the more likely to disguise her scent. But if she needed to escape, those boxes would be a trap.

  She could barely hear their footsteps, or the sound of the door close. Black pressed around her. Despite the dubious construction of the box, she was sure she’d suffocate before Jorick returned.

  If he returned.

  Minutes passed, long and drawn out. Had
it been half an hour? An hour? She didn’t know. She counted her heartbeats and then she heard something else pounding. It stopped and she heard the soft, dull sound of feet running down the stairs.

  She caught her breath and tensed in expectation. Something scraped near her, the sound of wood against wood, followed by the dry clatter of a box shattering as it hit the floor. Again and again it repeated, growing louder as an unseen person worked their way to the bottom of the stack where she lay.

  Her stomach twisted. She might be weaker than the Executioners, but she wasn’t going to just let them take her! She readied herself to strike, wadding her hands into claw-like fists.

  Suddenly, a bright crack appeared above her. The lid was thrown away and a full blast of light slammed into her face. After the blackness it was too much. Her ready hands struck out blindly until someone grabbed her arms.

  “Fucking chill!” Micah snapped. “We have to get the fuck out of here!”

  She blinked and the bald, tattooed vampire slowly came into focus. “Where’s Jorick?”

  Micah hauled her out of the box and flung her over his shoulder. She had a brief view of him streaked in blood and tried not to scream as her aching arm was jostled. “Where is he?”

  “He’s a little busy.” Micah bounded to the open basement window, clearing the heap of ashes in a leap. “We took out the teli-whatever, but the bitch and the strong mother fucker are still going. We’re getting the fuck out of this place!”

  “But Jorick!” she shrieked hysterically.

  Micah hefted her up and jammed her out the window. She landed face down in the snow. “Jorick’s fine! Move!”

  She had a second to scramble out of the way before he was through the window. He snatched her up with one arm and hauled her to a sleek black sports car. The driver’s door stood open and he threw her through it. She landed across the passenger seat and cried out as her wrist slammed into the molded arm rest.

  Micah offered no apologies. He flung himself into the driver’s seat. The motor was already purring, and he slammed it into gear. The wheels spun and threw chunks of frozen snow. The car leapt as he ground the gas pedal to the floor.

  “Everyone all right?” he shouted as the squealing tires found the gravel road.

  A familiar voice came from the backseat, “Yeah, I guess.”

  Katelina sat up gingerly. She took a deep breath and tried to swallow her panic. “Loren?”

  She peered over the seat to see the teen covered in blood. He raised a weary hand in greeting. Next to him in the seat were two lumpy, immobile mounds that she guessed were other vampires.

  “Jorick?” she cried in terror.

  “He’s back at the house still.” Loren jerked his thumb towards the wounded. “That’s Alex and Torina. They’re a little unconscious.”

  “What the hell’s going on? Why isn’t Jorick here?”

  “I told ya, he’s busy,” Micah said impatiently. “For fuck’s sake!”

  “And what the fuck is ‘busy’ supposed to mean?” She turned to glare at him and noticed that he had long scratches down his face. “Where are we going?”

  “Jorick said to go. He told Micah to get you and had me haul these two out.” Katelina could hear Loren’s smile as he added, “We killed one of them.”

  Micah rolled his eyes. “Quit worrying. Jorick’s gonna be fine. This little escape is just a precaution since the bitch says she’s taking you in.”

  “Yeah,” Loren agreed. “Jorick’s tougher than she is!”

  Katelina gulped down her fear and tried to relax into the seat.

  “Music?”

  Katelina looked up to see Micah jabbing the radio buttons. “How the fuck do you make this thing work?”

  She suddenly realized - “Isn’t this Senya’s car?”

  Micah and Loren snickered like junior high boys. “As a matter of fact, it is.”

  “Then how did you get it started?” She looked to the heavy cluster of wires hanging out from under the dash. “Seriously? You hotwired it?”

  “I did,” Loren said proudly. “It’s pretty easy.”

  Katelina closed her eyes. At least something was easy in this insane night!

  **********

  Chapter Twelve

  The night sped past to the beat of classic rock. Katelina watched naked trees and snowy hills fade to towns and back again. Her stomach grumbled and she tried to figure out where they were going. It was ten hours to Oren’s den. At the most they had eight hours of darkness.

  If Jorick had asked Micah to take her, things must have been very desperate. She leaned her face against the cold window and assured herself again and again that Jorick would be fine. Each time she believed it a little less.

  It was after midnight when Micah announced, “We need gas, and Lunch’s growling stomach is driving me fucking nuts.”

  Katelina glared at a passing tree and imagined slugging him.

  A truck stop glowed in the distance. Micah pointed to it and asked, “Who’s got cash?”

  “Not me,” Loren chirped from the back seat.

  Micah snorted. “What’s new? I think I’ve got a five, but that’s it. Looks like you’re buying, Lunch.”

  “Stop calling me that,” Katelina snapped. “And I don’t have any money.”

  “Ah, fuck. All right then, check the glove box. Maybe the bitch left her purse in here.”

  Though Katelina couldn’t imagine Senya with a purse, she did as instructed. The first thing she found was a gun.

  “Holy shit!”

  Micah rolled his eyes and steered into the truck stop. As he parked, Katelina gingerly moved the weapon aside and rifled through the contents of the glove box. There was a collection of IDs, all with Senya’s photo and different names; a cell phone, which Katelina pocketed; a package of wet wipes that Micah grabbed; and several road maps dotted with familiar symbols.

  Loren snatched one of the maps. “What’s that?”

  “It’s a map of the dens,” Katelina answered absently. “The different marks mean different things, like who’s on their side and who isn’t.”

  Micah snorted. “I suppose Jorick told you that.”

  “No, Verchiel.” She glanced up to see the scorn in his eyes doubled. “There’s no money.”

  “Eh, I’m hungry, anyway.” Micah glanced back at Loren, “I bet you are, too?”

  The teen nodded.

  “And we should probably revive those two.” Micah jerked his thumb towards Torina and Alex. “Do you think we can catch two people with Lunch dragging us down?”

  “You can’t hunt people!” Katelina cried, too horrified to notice the insult.

  “Sorry to say, Princess, but yes we can.”

  Loren cut in. “What if we just revived Alex? One person would be easier to kill than two.”

  “You don’t need to kill anyone!” Katelina cried. “Verchiel fed off that Santa Claus guy and left him alive!”

  “Santa Claus?” Micah snorted and waved it away. “I don’t wanna know. If it was just me or Loren, then yeah, we could drink offa someone without killing ‘em, but we need more than that for the three of us.”

  “You can hunt animals!” Katelina gestured to the darkness beyond the glowing oasis of artificial lights.

  Micah snickered. “You ever seen that commercial where they stack up all the breakfast cereal to show how much you’d ‘need’ to eat? Imagine those bowls are little raccoons.” He and Loren laughed and Katelina glared. “Besides, unless you wanna get stuck along the side of the road, we need money. Last I looked, Bambie and friends don’t carry cash.”

  Katelina waved her fist furiously. “I won’t be part of this!”

  Micah slipped the car into gear and drove to the back of the station. “We don’t want you to, Princess. You look like shit. Anyone who saw you would run.”

  Katelina looked down at herself. Her coat was dusty and her jeans were filthy. The knees were blackened with last night’s snow and God knew what else. Maybe part of Rachel.<
br />
  The thought made her stomach heave.

  Micah parked next to a rusty teal car and cut the motor. “You guys see any cameras?”

  Katelina made an inaudible reply and crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes moved on their own. They started at the garbage dumpsters, moved to the heavy steel door, and then to the rusty metal sign that said “Employee Parking Only”. There was nothing that looked like a camera.

  “I don’t see any,” Loren commented.

  Micah nodded. “Me either, so now we wait.” He popped the top on the wet wipes container and tugged several out. “Here.” He tossed them back to Loren. “Clean up some.”

  He threw several in Katelina’s lap, and then wiped his own face. She wanted to refuse them, but his remark made her self conscious. When she was as clean as possible, she turned her attention to the darkness beyond the tinted window. Micah couldn’t really mean to kill someone. He’s probably just winding me up, she told herself. He wouldn’t really…

  Micah stiffened, suddenly alert. With a wicked grin he tossed the wet wipe container in the back, tipped Katelina a wink, and slipped silently out of the car, leaving the door unlatched. In a crouch, he moved stealthily from the vehicle to the dumpster. Then he dashed to the building where he pressed his back against the brick wall.

  Katelina watched him with a mixture of amusement and fear. “What the fuck is he doing?”

  “Getting ready. There’s someone at the door. She’s probably putting her coat on and stuff before she comes out.”

  Loren was right. A youngish woman in a hooded parka stepped outside, an unlit cigarette in her hand. Micah’s smile grew and suddenly Katelina understood.

  “No! He can’t-”

  He pounced. The woman never had a chance to scream. Like something from a movie, Micah snapped her neck and her body went limp in his hands.

  “Oh my God! Did he - he didn’t just - you can’t-” Katelina’s words ended in a strangled cry.

  “Hey, it’s okay.” Loren patted her shoulder and she jerked away.

  “No it’s not! He just - it can’t really be that easy!”