Masque of the Vampire (Amaranthine Book 8)

by Joleene Naylor

  “Except as a prisoner?” Verchiel asked cheerfully.

  Jamie stepped between them. “Verchiel, Jorick, we need to check in with Eileifr. The rest of you can go to your rooms until you’re sent for.”

  “Ain’t that nice?” Micah asked.

  Jamie handed out the papers. “Your rooms are on the fifth floor. There’s a restaurant here on the sixth, or you can order room service, which will be added to your bill. If you need any information, check with the welcome desk.” He cast a weary look over them. “And stay out of trouble.”

  Micah scoffed. “What do you think we’re gonna do? Rape the women and pillage the fucking villagers?”

  “It’s hard to tell,” Jorick replied. “You aren’t known for your intelligence.”

  “Fuck you, Executioner dog.”

  Jorick turned his back on the seething vampire and met Katelina’s eyes. “I shouldn’t be long.”

  Before he could continue, a pair of Executioners appeared. She knew the tall thin one, with chestnut hair, green eyes, and elven features was Ark, the head of the Executioners, but she couldn’t think of the other’s name, though the blond ponytail and green eyes were familiar.

  “You managed to drag them back?” the blond asked.

  Jamie nodded. “Hello, Beldren. Ark. We’re on our way to see Eileifr.”

  “About time,” Ark said icily.

  Beldren ran his eyes over the group. “What a ragamuffin lot. You always did like to throw yourself in with the oddities, Jorick.” His gaze lingered on Verchiel, then stopped on Katelina. “Your human isn’t human anymore?”

  “No,” Jorick answered.

  Beldren shrugged. “Welcome to immortality.” His focus shifted to Jorick. “You won’t believe the rumors floating around. You’ve done everything from leading a revolt to waking the dead. Did you really kill Malick?”

  “Yes,” Jorick answered.

  Ark sucked air through his teeth, but didn’t comment.

  “How interesting.” Beldren’s eyes lit up. “Speaking of interesting things, we had a complaint while you were gone. Kidnapping. Possibly unlawful murder. Collaboration to commit an unlawful attack. You should see the pile of paperwork.”

  Katelina gaped. Kidnapping? Did he mean Xandria? She’d had a master named Sanjay, but he was on Malick’s side and disappeared. Had he filed a complaint?

  Though Beldren seemed to enjoy dragging it out, Ark cut in irritably, “It’s a woman named Anya. She claims you and your fledgling attacked her house and took her younger brother.”

  Anya. Anya and her brother Thomas. It felt like a million years ago when they’d partnered with Kale’s coven to storm Anya’s den and drag her sneering sniveling brother away.

  Jorick made a low noise and Beldren shrugged. “I thought I’d warn you. Eileifr will probably throw it at you when you walk in.” He leaned casually against the wall. “Now that Malick’s not in charge, Eileifr is chomping at the bit to show there’s no favoritism; that The Laws apply to everyone.”

  “As they should,” Ark added.

  Katelina’s heart froze in her chest. Would Jorick end up in prison for something that wasn’t his idea? She remembered Kale’s coven and their thirst for Thomas’ blood, the way Joseff ripped Thomas’ limbs from his body, then buried him in the dirt.

  Jorick’s voice ripped her from the evil memories. “Good. Then I imagine he’ll review my unlawful appointment of Executioner.”

  “That’s one of the rumors.” Beldren straightened. “We won’t keep you. I’m sure you’re anxious to get debriefed and hand in your paperwork.”

  Ark nodded to the binder in Jamie’s hand. “I doubt Verchiel has completed his.”

  The redhead put his arms behind his head. “You know me. Wait ‘til the last minute.”

  “It’s going to be quite a minute, considering you were gone for three months. Good luck with that.” Beldren nodded to Jorick. “Nice to see you again. We should get together before Eileifr throws you in prison.”

  His words left Katelina grasping for calm. They wouldn’t really put Jorick in prison—would they?

  Jorick squeezed her hand. “Relax little one. He was joking.”

  But something in his eyes didn’t seem sure.

  Chapter Two

  After Jorick left for his meeting, Katelina realized she didn’t have a key to their apartment. With nowhere to go, she and Xandria followed Micah and Loren to their room. Micah’s bald head gleamed under the lights. Tattoos and a brown goatee gave him a biker look that his tank top and motorcycle boots echoed. Loren, meanwhile, looked sixteen, with a mop of dark curly hair, large doe-like eyes, and a hoodie that was tied off under the stump of his missing left arm.

  They boarded the elevator. Katelina gazed through the glass walls at the stories tall atrium. The rock wall was repaired so the waterfall flowed unobstructed to the pools below. The ceiling that had been a blasted mess was fixed, and the maze of plants and benches looked as fresh as ever. Only the missing fountain stood testament to Malick’s revolt.

  On the fifth floor, Micah found his room. After three tries he unlocked the door. “Fucking cards,” he muttered as he pushed his way inside. “What’s wrong with a key?”

  “They’re low tech,” Loren replied. “People can pick the locks.”

  “And they can hack this computer shit.” Micah threw his bag on one of the beds and Katelina looked around.

  The room was like a motel, with a pair of twin beds on each end and two coffins in the middle, in case the guests preferred a more traditional sleep. A small table and seating area were near a dresser and a wardrobe. Through an open door Katelina could see a bathroom, though she wasn’t sure if they had human facilities or just a tub and sink.

  In place of a window hung a modern art painting; swirls in blue and green with a violent red triangle stamped over the top. Loren tilted his head this way and that. “I don’t get it.”

  Xandria dropped into one of the chairs and lit a cigarette. “It’s symbolism. The green and the blue represent the rest of the world, flowing down expected paths, while the red triangle is someone who refuses to go with the flow, who stands out, who goes against the norm. It’s a challenge to the viewer to do their own thing, regardless of what is expected by the peaceful but boring society.”

  Katelina blinked at her. “You got that from an ugly painting?”

  “It’s not ugly. It’s jarring. That’s the point.”

  Loren broke into a grin. “Are you an artist?”

  “No. I used to know someone who was.”

  Xandria’s eyes dropped and the atmosphere thickened. Before Loren could push the subject, Katelina said, “Are we making bets on whether Jorick’s really done with this Executioner crap?”

  “I think he secretly likes it.” Loren dropped onto one of the beds. “It gives him a chance to stick his nose into everything.”

  Katelina took the other chair and tried to ignore the nagging feeling that the teen was right.

  On a roll, Loren asked, “What do you think Oren and Etsuko are doing?”

  “He’s bitchin’ and she’s working on her needlework,” Micah answered. “She ought to have that fucking house coat done by now.”

  “It’s a kimono,” Katelina said, though she wasn’t sure if that was the right term. Girls wore kimonos, but did men?

  Loren’s shoulders sagged. “You don’t think they’re doing something romantic?”

  Katelina scoffed. “Oren is as romantic as a shoe. And Etsuko’s idea of romance is to wait on him hand and foot.”

  Xandria ground her cigarette out against the leg of the chair. “What about you and Jorick? What’s your idea of romantic?”

  Katelina’s cheeks burned as all eyes turned to her. There wasn’t time for romance lately. Between fighting wars with vampire cults and crazy ancient masters, surviving was more important than flowers. “I don’t know.”

  Xandria waved an encouraging hand. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You’re a grown wo
man.”

  Micah’s snicker was crude. “Shows what kind of romance you got in mind.”

  Xandria shrugged. “Even if it is, it’s only sex. That’s not embarrassing. Everyone does it.”

  Katelina understood where Xandria was coming from. As a modern, enlightened, revolutionized twenty-six year old woman she should be able to talk about it without turning red. She was modern enough not to feel guilty about sex, and she could even discuss some aspects of it with the right people, but chatting about it in front of Loren and Micah…she wasn’t modern enough for that.

  “Romance is about more than sex.” She tried to look disapprovingly at Micah. “It’s about someone making you feel loved, like you’re the only one in the world they want to be with.”

  “Does he?” Xandria asked.

  “Most of the time,” Katelina answered. “When he’s not fighting battles and killing lunatic vampires.”

  Loren cut in, “You can’t expect him to be glued to you all the time. That other stuff is important.”

  “I never said it wasn’t. I’m not that insecure. I meant he does it when it counts.”

  Xandria flopped back in the chair. “He is hot. How did you meet?”

  Katelina shrugged. “I was sort-of dating a guy named Patrick—”

  “How can you be sort-of dating someone?” Loren asked.

  Micah grinned. “We aren’t in high school, shrimp. Not everyone is ‘going steady’.”

  “They call it ‘going out’, and I get that. I’m just saying—”

  Katelina interrupted him. “Patrick didn’t want a commitment. I thought it was because of his drugs and his friends, but it turned out he was a human slave for a vampire named Claudius. Anyway, he got murdered. After a month with no answers, Jorick called and offered to explain, if I met with him.”

  “How did he know what happened?” Xandria asked.

  “He and Oren were fighting Claudius,” Loren said.

  Katelina nodded. “Patrick was Claudius’ slave but he spied for Oren and Jorick. Anyway, when Jorick and I had our meeting, Claudius’ vampires attacked. Some of them escaped. Since they’d seen me, they thought I was involved in the war, so I couldn’t go home. Eventually I figured out Jorick was a vampire, and one thing led to another.”

  Micah scoffed. “That is the crappiest ‘how we met’ story I’ve ever fucking heard. Patrick was working with Jorick, so the minute he’s dead, Jorick swoops in?”

  “It was a month later,” Loren argued.

  Katelina cleared her throat uncomfortably. “He was actually sort of after me before, I guess.” She wasn’t sure she’d made peace with this part of the story yet. “Patrick asked him to ‘keep an eye’ on me for a few months. I forget how long he said it was. He rented the apartment across the street and—”

  “And stalked you?” Micah asked. “Jesus. You women got a twisted idea of romance.”

  Xandria straightened up. “It’s kinda sexy. This hot vampire hero watching you from afar, secretly protecting you from the evils of the night, asking nothing in return…Damn. Where can I sign up?”

  “You’re serious? It’s fucking sick. Help me out, pipsqueak.”

  Loren shrugged. “I dunno. It sounds like a romance novel to me.”

  Micah choked. “It’s only sexy because you think he’s hot. If he wasn’t mister goth-metal-moody-cliché-on-fucking-legs you’d be pissed.”

  Katelina shrugged. “I was pissed. I’m still kind of pissed. But…I don’t know. I guess it’s hard to stay mad at him.”

  “Because you think he’s hot. Jesus! You women are worse than men. I don’t care how hot the bitch is. If she’s been stalking me for months, ain’t no way she’s getting more than a one-time fuck.”

  Loren chortled. “You’d still sleep with her?”

  “If she’s hot. Ain’t gonna turn that away, even if she is psycho.”

  Xandria dragged the conversation back. “Ignoring them, how did you fall in love with Jorick? I mean, when did you wake up, or look into his eyes, and think, ‘Oh my god, I love this man’?”

  “I don’t know.” Katelina tried to remember their first days together. “I think before we stormed Kateesha’s stronghold. He offered to let me stay behind in the motel, but I was afraid if I wasn’t there he’d get killed. I guess that’s when I realized his wellbeing was more important than my own fears.”

  “Fuck, you were linked then,” Micah said. “Maybe he made you care.”

  “Linked?” Xandria asked.

  “It’s some ancient vampire shit where they give the human a bunch of blood and it links them. I dunno. Word was he could control her.”

  “He could not!” Katelina snapped. “It didn’t work like that. He could hear my thoughts, and I could feel his emotions when they were strong. And he could talk to me in my head, but he wasn’t secretly controlling me, or making me do things.”

  Loren motioned her to calm. “Chill, chill.” He glanced to Micah. “It’s a touchy subject. Leave it.”

  Micah lit a cigarette and blew a stream of smoke at his young friend. “I’m just sayin’, he’s a whisperer. Who knows if what you feel around him is real or planted there. That’s why I hate those fucking mind readers and all their mumbo jumbo.”

  “Whisperers’ suggestions go away once they’re out of range,” Katelina jerked the cigarette from his fingers and took a puff. “Unless you want to keep them.”

  He ripped it back with a dark look. “Maybe you wanted to be in love? You women enjoy it. But, who am I to cast doubt on a deceitful dog of The Guild who stalked you for months?”

  Xandria shifted in the chair, so her legs draped over the arm. “What did he do to you, Micah?”

  “I hate his type. Old fucking vampires who think they’re hot shit because they’re five hundred years old. So what? That doesn’t make them better than me.”

  “He is more powerful,” Loren said hesitantly.

  “So that gives him the right to mess with people’s heads and try to run the fucking show?”

  “That has nothing to do with age,” Loren said. “He’s just bossy.”

  Before anyone could reply, a knock sounded on the door. Loren answered it, and Jorick walked in, a sheaf of papers in his hand. Katelina moved to him and wrapped her arms around him in relief. Thank God Eileifr hadn’t thrown him in prison.

  She felt a momentary buzz in her head, more prickle than anything painful, and knew Jorick was reading her memories. As if to prove it, he shot Micah a dirty look. “Come, little one. I got a new key card from the desk, and papers for you and your human, though I don’t think we’ll be here long enough to fill them out.”

  Hope surged in Katelina. This was what she’d been waiting for. “They let you go?”

  Jorick glanced past her, to the other occupants. “We’ll discuss it later. For now let’s get some rest.”

  Katelina followed him to the door and Micah called, “What the fuck? You ain’t gonna tell us what they said?”

  Jorick paused on the threshold, his tone icy. “It’s none of your business.”

  Micah called after them, “Told ya. He’s no better than the rest of the ancient fuckers.”

  Katelina and Xandria followed Jorick through the halls. They took an elevator to the second floor, where they walked through part of the entertainment area. A spa, a movie theatre, and other amusements were crammed together like a shopping mall.

  Jorick’s card got them through the locked door into the Executioner’s block. Inside, the hallway wound around in a rectangle. Katelina couldn’t remember which apartment number was theirs, but Jorick went to door three without hesitation.

  The rooms inside smelled musty, and a fine layer of dust covered the coffee table. Since it was The Guild’s idea to send Jorick away, the least they could do was have someone clean!

  Katelina moved to the doorways. The small bedroom was empty. The bathroom hamper had a towel hanging out of it, and a roll of toilet paper was balanced on the sink counter. The bed in the mast
er bedroom was still unmade and the closet doors open. It was as if someone hit a pause button.

  “This is where you live?” Xandria asked.

  “No,” Jorick answered. “We were forced to stay here, but Eileifr said we’ll be free to go soon.”

  Katelina narrowed her eyes. “How soon?”

  “There are reports to file.”

  Katelina looked to the paperwork Jorick held. Not reports, but the identification applications. “You haven’t written any reports.”

  “I gave a pair of guards a rundown and they’re writing it up. When they’re finished, I’ll give it a once over and sign it.”

  Katelina’s hands moved to her hips. “You’re serious? Those reports are the only thing between us and freedom, and you’re letting someone else handle them?”

  He grinned. “It will be fine, little one. In all the years I worked for The Guild I never wrote anything. Reports are for underlings to worry about.”

  “And the important guys just run around and kill people?” Xandria asked. When Jorick shot her a dirty look, she held up her hands. “I didn’t mean it was a bad thing. I’m only asking. I’ve never been with vampires who had an official job.”

  Xandria stepped closer. Her scent made Katelina’s stomach rumble. Jorick smirked and caught her hand. “I’m hungry too. Shall we visit the restaurant?”

  The restaurant was on the sixth floor in the “human” section. With an open front like a mall eatery, it encouraged visitors to drop in and sit at one of the tables. It was a shambles the last time Katelina saw it, but now it was restored, with light green walls and a shiny black bar that ran for a section of one wall. The tables and chairs were painted with the same dark gloss. Vases of orange flowers, on emerald table clothes, gave bright pops of color.

  A waitress approached their table. In other visits, Katelina thought her flirty demeanor, low cut blouse, and thick knotted scars were disgusting. Now she was busy trying to ignore the warm, roast-beef-sandwich smell of her blood.

  As Jorick ordered and earned a flirty wink, Katelina bit her lip and tried to quash the desire to drain the woman dry. She was grateful to see her sashay away.