Masque of the Vampire (Amaranthine Book 8)

by Joleene Naylor

  He pressed a kiss to her forehead, then the pair headed back to the house. Katelina turned purposefully into the trees. “Come on.”

  Xandria trailed after her, stomping on every twig, dead leaf, and acorn she could find. Katelina’s tread was only marginally better, so she couldn’t complain.

  After a few minutes Xandria asked, “You know how to hunt. Right?”

  “How hard can it be to find an animal in the wild?”

  Xandria shrugged. “Sanjay used to sniff for them.”

  Katelina grumbled, but stopped and inhaled deeply. The woodland smells assaulted her senses: decaying leaves, damp earth, the green of new life, tree bark, and fungus. Under it ran thin threads of wet fur and blood. She concentrated on the strongest until the others disappeared, then motioned Xandria to follow.

  The prey was a raccoon. Without Jorick’s ability to mesmerize, it ran as soon as it saw them. A pair of something dark and furry did the same. Finally Katelina leapt out of the brush and tackled a fox. The small animal bit her hands, arms, and face, and would have gotten away if she wasn’t fed up.

  The fox’s heart beat furiously against her chest, but the smell of the blood was too much. Impatiently she bit into it. The warm fluid filled her mouth and gulped down her throat, flavored like dark shadowy places and bloody raw meat. For a second, the world dropped away and left her peering out from under a fallen tree, cubs nipping at her feet and tail.

  She jerked back to reality. The fox lay dead in her arms, its body still warm. She quickly pushed it aside and looked away from its accusatory stare. The last animal she’d killed was a mouse that chewed a hole in her favorite sweater. She’d discovered the still-living rodent in a trap baited with peanut butter, and looked in its black bead eyes as its breaths slowed then stopped. After that, she used a live trap. Sarah would empty it and set the mice free in the park.

  But how many vampires have you killed? Her conscience asked. Do you feel guilty about them?

  Jorick waited for her, leaning against the car with arms crossed and an eyebrow quirked. “I thought a deer got the better of you.”

  “Very funny. I managed just fine, thank you.”

  He wiped a streak of blood from her chin and nodded to her muddy knees. “I can see that. Maybe you should change?”

  She dragged a pair of jeans and a fresh shirt from the trunk and ducked behind a tree. When she came back, Oren stepped out of the house, his cell phone to his ear. “Yes…Of course…yes…That sounds adequate. Tomorrow then?...Thank you.” He hung up and nodded to Jorick. “Some good news at last. Baltheir found a potential den. It goes on public auction tomorrow. He has a human lawyer handling the purchase for him, then he’ll sell it to me himself.”

  “Sounds good,” Jorick responded with minimal interest.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow with the location, except I don’t have a number. If you’d get a cell phone…”

  “I’ll call you.” Jorick pushed off of the car. “Thank you for your hospitality.” He turned to Katelina and Xandria, suddenly brisk. “Let’s go.”

  “What about the other two?” Xandria asked.

  “They aren’t here, and they aren’t my problem.” Jorick slid into the driver’s seat.

  Katelina rolled her eyes and climbed in. “You know Micah will use this as an excuse to drag things out? Let’s get it over with so he doesn’t pop up all the time like Malick did.”

  The fire in Jorick’s dark eyes cooled. “You’re never completely free of your master. Whether you want to or not, you will bleed for them, kill for them—die for them. Look at Joseff. He helped with an attack on the half-cracked notion Thomas might have been involved in Kale’s misfortune. When Kale was legally killed, he went on to kidnap Thomas, torture, and maim him in retribution. In the end he died for his master.”

  “That’s different. Joseff was crazy, and he and Kale were friends.”

  “Of course they were. When you share a master’s blood you can’t help but care for them.”

  Something slammed into the window. She spun, ready to crush a skull, but it was only Loren’s face squashed against the glass, his palm flat on the window.

  Micah opened the back door and climbed in. “You weren’t thinkin’ of leaving us behind, were you?”

  Katelina silently echoed Jorick’s groan.

  It was three a.m. when they got to Katelina’s home town and parked at the motel. Jorick went to the office and returned with two keys. He handed one to Xandria, then looked pointedly at Micah. “I assume you can make your own arrangements?”

  Loren fumbled in his pocket and frowned. “Um…actually…”

  Micah clapped him on the back. “Yeah, we’ll take care of ourselves. Come on, pipsqueak. Let’s take a walk. My legs are all fucking cramped from that tiny ass backseat.”

  As they wandered away, Katelina had a bad feeling about their jaunt. “They’re looking for a meal they can rob, aren’t they?”

  Jorick shrugged.

  The motel room had tiny windows and blackout curtains. With the bed clear across the room, Jorick declared it “safe enough”, then disappeared for a shower. He returned smelling of soap and said it was her turn.

  She bathed quickly. As she dried her hair, she wondered what Jorick was doing. Thanks to previous experiments, she knew she could do some mind reading with effort, so she tried to reach out for him. When nothing happened, she surrendered and threw the towel to the floor in disgust. It was as if, even in immortality, she still wasn’t good enough.

  But Jorick thought she was. His speech in the woods came back to her and she flushed. How could he think anyone would matter more than him? He was smart, charming when he wanted to be, amusing when he wasn’t being bombarded by responsibilities, and just puzzling enough to keep things interesting. And he took care of her. Not in a Stone Age women-are-less kind of way, but like a man should. He let her be tough when she wanted, and when it all got to be too much, he held her while she cried. Sure, sometimes he drove her crazy, but without that she’d be bored.

  She stopped from grabbing her pajamas. Maybe she needed to remind Jorick he was the one that came first with her.

  She didn’t have the nerve to walk into the room completely naked, but she talked herself into wearing only the towel. After a moment of anxiety, she pushed the door open and strolled in as casually as she could. Jorick was propped on the bed wearing only his trousers. His naked chest gleamed, smooth and perfect as marble.

  He looked her over appreciatively and patted the bed. She climbed next to him, carefully holding the towel closed.

  “You’ve gotten better,” he commented of her inability to be naked in front of anyone.

  She shrugged. “It just takes a while.”

  “The same could be said of everything.” He caught her chin and tilted her lips to his. The kiss was soft and inviting, like a whispered word in the dark. She slipped her arms around his neck to pull him closer. His hands slid down her back, tugging until the towel was free. Her naked breasts pressed against his chest and she arched her back as his stroking fingers found the base of her spine. His body was a solid wall of warmth she wanted to crawl inside of.

  The kiss turned harder. She parted her lips and a soft moan escaped as he slid his tongue into her mouth. Their fangs bumped. Cheeks pink, she started to pull back, but he tilted her head and plunged back for another kiss. Her embarrassment melted and her body flowed against his.

  He shifted until they lay down on the bed, his hand cradling her back. His full lips left hers to trail tantalizingly down her neck. He paused at the site of her mark; the scar he’d left to claim her as his.

  Anticipation tightened her stomach, and her body arched up instinctively, as if she could make him bite her. Though the physical act of sex was still enjoyable, the real pleasure came when the vampire drank their partner’s blood. With the connection they formed, they could send anything they wanted, including mind shattering pleasure.

  Jorick flicked his tongue along the ridge o
f the scar, reminding her of other times when they’d come together as one, wrapped in a haze of desire and ecstasy. He planted a final kiss before moving to the heavy globes of her breasts. She whimpered and writhed as he teased first one pink nipple then the other. His fangs scraped her tender skin. Instead of pain it sent shivering waves of need through her. For a wild moment she wondered if he would bite her there.

  His kisses moved, following the line of scars from before she was turned, down her stomach to her hip. Goosebumps danced up her spine and her legs tensed in expectation. Her pulse raced and her eyes squeezed closed. Every inch of her screamed for him, for his touch, his caress.

  He paused at the thatch of golden curls between her thighs. Her legs parted easily, and he pressed a kiss to her most sensitive spot. She gasped and clutched a handful of his hair, desperate to keep him there, but he pulled loose and worked his way back up. When he reached her shoulder, he paused to strip away his trousers. Impatiently she pulled him back to her. Her mouth sought his, and he crushed her to him. She skimmed over his well-muscled body, and dropped lower to find his hard length. His heavy breaths turned into a guttural growl as she stroked him. At the sound, her heart quickened. She imagined him inside her, thrusting, taking, filling, and her strokes turned faster.

  His growl deepened with every touch. Finally, he pinned her down. She reached to push him back and continue, but he caught her wrists and pulled her hands above her head.

  His hot weight pressed her into the bed as he ravaged her mouth, then moved lower. She bit her lip as he teased her shoulder with the gentle scrape of his teeth. Need coursed through her. She thrust her hips and silently begged him to bite.

  The pain lasted a second to be replaced by scarlet tinted pleasure. She moaned as she dropped into a world of his making, a world of ecstasy. But it wasn’t enough. She wanted more. Needed more. Needed all of him.

  Her teeth ached and she rolled her head to bite into his arm. His blood exploded in her mouth, hot and spicy. The taste of him, of heat, of desire. She swallowed again and again. Words and images moved beyond her sphere of understanding and waves of ecstasy assaulted her from every direction. She reached deeper and felt him everywhere, wrapped around her, woven through her, until she wasn’t sure which heartbeat was hers and which was his. Words that hovered in the background grew louder. Meshed over one another like schoolyard footprints in the snow, she couldn’t untangle their meanings. Emotions hovered and melded together, his and hers into one; heartbreak, terror, fury, desire. She clung to the last feeling and fire explode in her veins. Not painful, but electrifying. It seared through her consciousness, setting every nerve aflame.

  The world constricted around her, tightening until she thought she’d tear to pieces. Then it exploded in a thousand scarlet lights. She heard herself cry out as she let go of him. He followed, and lay panting, his head buried in the crook of her neck.

  The room settled around her. Though a shadow of her usual embarrassment hovered in the background, a slow smile spread over her lips. He was hers, and she was his. Every achingly beautiful inch of him, inside and out. His smile, his laugh, even his demons belonged to her, and nothing could make her let go.

  She ran her fingers through his silky hair. He looked up with a smile that matched hers. He pressed a final kiss to her neck, before he rolled over and pulled her to him. She snuggled against him and he gave a soft sigh. The words he’d spoken in the woods came back to her and her smile broadened.

  “With Katelina, I wanted her in every way there is to want someone. I wanted her body. I wanted her blood. I wanted her soul.”

  “You heard that?”

  She met his eyes and contemplated a lie. It was useless. “Yes.”

  He tensed. “All of it?” She felt the tickle of him in her head and his sigh deepened. “I should explain. Patrick…” He shook his head. “I didn’t know you. You were on a date with him when his brother attacked you. Your injuries weren’t serious, but you were upset. He brought you to me and asked me to fix you and erase your memory. He’d done what he could for us, so I agreed and gave you some blood.”

  “So we met clear back then?” she asked uncomfortably.

  “No. You were unconscious, and you were still out when we took you back to your apartment.”

  “We?” Had he…

  “I carried you up, then left. I didn’t count on ever seeing you again. Patrick intended to break things off. I didn’t realize how attached he was.”

  She pictured Patrick, hair tousled, sleep crusted in the corners of his eyes as he told her he couldn’t have a girlfriend or a relationship. Was that the reason? “Why haven’t you told me this before?”

  “I didn’t think it was important. The memories were gone, and there was no reason to restore them.” Jorick cleared his throat and absently rubbed her back. “And I knew you’d be angry.”

  She bit her lip and sighed. “I should be. I should be furious at both of you. But after everything that’s happened…I don’t know. Being introduced to vampires like that would have been horrible. It was bad enough as it was, and there’s no way to know how things might have ended up.”

  “You mean if we’d have ended up together?” Jorick asked quietly.

  She bit her lip and nodded. Patrick’s death was still a sad topic but, though she’d cared for him, she’d never loved him the way she loved Jorick. She knew now, just as she had moments ago, that Jorick was her home.

  She leaned up and captured his mouth in a kiss. When she broke it, she murmured, “What’s done is done. All that matters is that I have you now.”

  The next evening, Katelina held up a blouse and studied herself in the mirror. “How about this one?”

  Without looking away from his book, Jorick muttered, “Fine.”

  She turned around, hands on her hips. “You didn’t even look.”

  He sighed and made a show of studying her. “You’re fine, little one. The last outfit was fine, and the one before it was fine. No. Fantastic. Beautiful. Breathtaking. Whatever it is you’re looking to hear, imagine I said it.”

  With a shake of her head, she turned back to the mirror. “Did you even listen to me? I’m not trying to look good, I’m trying to look normal. As in not a vampire.”

  “Do you still have that pink sweater? No self-respecting vampire would wear that.”

  “It’s in Maine. And I’m being serious. I look too…too…good. My hair—” she flipped it and it fell back in perfect waves. “And my eyes. It’s like they glow. And my lips. It’s like I have on lipstick all of the time. And see how pale I am?”

  Jorick lowered his book. “In over five hundred years I’ve never heard a woman complain she looked too good.”

  “That’s because they weren’t trying to fool their mother into thinking they’re still human.”

  Jorick sighed and shut the book. “Your mother doesn’t know about vampires, Katelina. She won’t look at you and think you’re immortal. She’ll probably think you’ve been to a…barber for women.”

  “Salon,” Katelina supplied. “Are you sure? Now that Sarah’s back…How do you know she didn’t tell her?”

  Jorick slid to the end of the bed. “Is that what you’re worried about?”

  “Obviously.” Katelina spun to face him. “Sarah was kidnapped by Claudius. Everyone agrees on that. So no matter how she survived, she knows about vampires. You of all people should remember The Laws, Jorick. Humans who aren’t owned by a vampire can’t know. If she tells my mom…then what? What’s to stop The Guild from swarming in and butchering her? Beldren made it clear the Laws applied to everyone now. Just because she’s my mother won’t save her.”

  Jorick took her in his arms. “Don’t worry, little one. If Sarah told your mother, she’d have mentioned it.”

  He had logic. Her mother wouldn’t stay quiet. In her imagination she heard her hysterical voice, “Kately, Sarah said she was kidnapped by vampires! Do you know about this?”

  “You’re probably right,” K
atelina relented. “But what if she tells her later?”

  “Then we’ll deal with it. We can’t see the future.”

  “I suppose you’re right. I just worry. I only have one mother.”

  “Thank goodness for that.”

  “Hey!” She smacked him on the arm. “My mother’s nice.”

  He quirked an eyebrow. “If you say so. Are you ready to go? You really do look delicious.”

  She poked him in the stomach but forgave him. “I suppose. Are we taking the rest of them?”

  As though summoned by her thoughts, Micah pounded on the door and shouted, “Yo! You up yet?” When Katelina opened the door he asked, “What’s the plan, princess? We goin’ out on the town or what?”

  She cringed as she said, “We’re going to my mother’s. I suppose you and Loren can come.”

  Micah burst into heavy guffaws. “Mothers? I don’t meet mothers, babycakes. Me ‘n Loren will find something to do. You taking that human chick with you?”

  “Um…”

  “Good. We’ll take her. Bet we can get her to lure us some prey or somethin’.”

  Katelina objected, but Micah laughed and headed to Xandria’s room.

  Jorick grimaced. “I’m no fan of the Neanderthal, but I’ll stay too.”

  She gave him a dark look. “Nice try. Come on, we’d better go.”

  They parked on a residential road lit with street lights. The neighboring houses, with curtains in the windows, tidy lawns, and the occasional Easter decoration, belonged on a sit-com. Smack in the middle was a single story house painted neon green. Only a single light was on, and the Christmas lights were still around the front room window. Her mother’s minty blue bug sat in the driveway.

  With squared shoulders, Katelina marched to the front door. No one answered, and after the third knock she started to worry.

  “Calm down,” Jorick said, but then his forehead creased with concern. “I smell a vampire.”

  Katelina whirled around, expecting one to materialize behind her, the way Verchiel always did. When nothing happened she spun back. “Where?”