Masque of the Vampire (Amaranthine Book 8)

by Joleene Naylor

  Chapter Twelve

  Katelina readied for the onslaught, knees bent and hands at the ready, only Trevor charged past her toward Kai. The boy dispassionately delivered a roundhouse kick that knocked Trevor’s knees out from under him. When he regained his footing, Sarah tackled him.

  Katelina shouted to his masters, “Call him off!”

  Callise drew back, her lip curled. “Saul, I expect you to report this.”

  “Report what?” Katelina demanded. “Your servant attacked us!”

  A snarl caught her attention. She whirled around to see Trevor with his foot in the center of Sarah’s chest and his hand wrapped around Kai’s throat. The dangling boy’s face was calm as he reached into his jacket.

  In a flash Katelina understood. Kai was Saul’s prize. It was Trevor’s job to do the messy work and fetch him, like a rich man whose butler brought him a slice of pie. Only Kai wasn’t a snack.

  With a snarl she slammed into Trevor. They crumbled to the ground in a heap. Kai sprawled nearby. Before Katelina was up again, he had a knife drawn and unsheathed. Calmly, he stabbed the fallen redhead in the back. Trevor cried out and flailed his arms.

  Sarah jerked the knife out. Katelina pulled back on her haunches, ready to call an end before things got worse, when Sarah rammed the blade into Trevor’s head. The vampire’s screams fueled her as she ripped the blade free and stabbed again and again.

  Katelina shook off her shock to grab Sarah’s wrist. As the bloody weapon fell to the ground, her friend cried, “What in the hell are you doing?”

  “What am I doing? What are you doing?” Katelina shouted over Trevor’s gurgling moans. “You’re going to kill him!”

  “Are you stupid? He was going to kill us!”

  “No, he was only after Kai.”

  “I saw it in his mind!” Sarah shrilled. “Would you rather I let him murder us?”

  Katelina couldn’t find words that sounded sane, so she pulled her friend to her feet and turned to the teen. “Are you okay, Kai?”

  The boy stood and dusted himself off. Though Sarah continued to shout, Katelina tuned her out. She spun toward the party guests, but only Callise remained, and she looked furious.

  “Where’s the other one?” Katelina demanded.

  Footsteps sounded and Saul rounded the corner. On his heels was—

  “Jorick?”

  “Katelina!” He pushed past Saul and hurried to her. He wiped blood from her face and growled.

  With a nod to Trevor she explained, “It’s his. Sarah went berserk.”

  “I’m not berserk!” Sarah shouted. “He attacked us!”

  With a snap of Jorick’s fingers she fell quiet, her face slack. In the ensuing silence, Jorick turned to Saul and Callise. His eyes glittered dangerously, and his mouth was a thin line. “Tell me again what happened.”

  Saul took a wary step back, but Callise cried, “These servants are unruly. I expect Andrei to do something about it immediately.”

  “These servants are with The Guild,” Jorick said coldly.

  Callise pressed her lips together and Saul muttered, “They seem young to have a position of authority.”

  “It’s not your call,” Jorick snarled. “As for the human you told me you wanted for sport—”

  Saul interrupted. “Andrei said—”

  “Andrei said the humans in his employ were provided for your enjoyment, and asked you not debilitate or kill them. However this human isn’t one of Andrei’s. Sorino charged his care to these two and it was their responsibility to defend him. If that means injuring your subordinate, so be it. I will file a report and any charges Sorino cares to make against you. Should you have questions, feel free to speak with Jamie.”

  “This is outrageous!” Callise cried. “Being charged for trying to drink from a human?”

  Saul silenced her. “No, no, pet. He’s right. The human is Sorino’s property. There was a misunderstanding.”

  Callise glared. “Then why did they not say so?”

  “You didn’t give us a chance,” Katelina snapped.

  Jorick motioned her to silence. “We’re done here.” He addressed Katelina and Kai. “Come.”

  Sarah followed like a robot as they made their way to the house. Only after Jorick led them to an empty room and shut the door did he release her. She sagged, then snapped to attention, angry eyes darting around. “Where am I? How did I get here? What’s going on?”

  Jorick spun to face her. “I misused the power of The Guild to save you from the consequences of your actions, something that won’t happen again.”

  Sarah stepped back from his fury. “If you mean fighting him—”

  “I mean trying to kill him.”

  Katelina laid a hand on his arm. “She was defending Kai.”

  “No, she wasn’t. If she wanted to defend Kai, then break the servant’s leg, or stab him in the knee, or, better yet, come get me. Instead she used it as an excuse to attack.”

  Sarah crossed her arms. “I should have let them kill the kid?”

  “The worst they’d have done was taste him. Andrei has forbidden them to kill his servants.” He narrowed his eyes. “What were you doing out there?”

  Sarah snapped back, “Katelina and the kid were practicing mind reading.”

  “What?”

  Katelina felt the familiar nudge in her head, but she’d had enough of it. With an angry look she envisioned a brick wall clomping down on Jorick.

  His surprise doubled and he withdrew, though she knew he’d gotten what he wanted. “Since when did a human become an authority on mind reading?”

  “Since he’s the only one willing to help me.”

  “You haven’t asked anyone else,” Jorick replied testily. “Regardless, I forbid you from wandering off alone.”

  “If I’m with Sarah—”

  “You might as well be alone.” Jorick scoffed. “She’s barely older than you, and has less self-control. Another incident and she’ll be reported to The Guild. Between this and Niagara, that makes twice she’s gone crazy since she’s been in our company.”

  “I’m not crazy!” Sarah shouted and stepped toward him threateningly. Splattered in blood, her face wadded in fury, it was hard to take her sanity seriously. “You may command Katelina because she lets you, but you don’t tell me a damn thing!”

  She threw a final growl and stormed out.

  Jorick shook his head. “As I was saying—”

  “You were forbidding me?” Katelina replied sarcastically.

  Jorick coughed. “Perhaps forbid was a strong word. I’m only trying to protect you. If we can get through this—”

  “If we get through this we retire to Maine and safety and peace forever. Number one, I doubt it and, number two, I can take care of myself.”

  She expected an argument about her weaknesses. Instead he relented. “Fine. But from now on there are rules. You have to stay in the house. No running all over the grounds and no being alone with guests. You have to stay where there are members of the coven or the staff, someone who knows you aren’t fair game. And you can’t take Sorino’s human, or any human, with you unless I’m there. Humans are too likely to cause confusion.”

  Katelina wasn’t sure about the terms. “How am I supposed to practice if I can’t have Kai?”

  “Practice with someone else. You may think he’s helping you, but you’re going about it wrong.”

  Katelina glanced to Kai’s impassive face. “That’s how Sorino trained him.”

  “By the time Sorino realized Kai had the gift, he was already doing it on his own. You aren’t. You need to start smaller.”

  “Does it get smaller than a human brain?” She flinched and looked quickly to the boy.

  Jorick waved it away. “You mean weaker. And no, probably not. Except Kai isn’t an average human and it’s easiest to form a connection with someone you’re close to.”

  “Like you? But how am I supposed to know if I’m reading your mind or if you’re helping me? I
need someone who isn’t a whisperer.”

  Jorick looked annoyed. “In case you’ve forgotten, Kai has some whisperer abilities, but fine, try Sarah. You’ve known her a long time. Your bond should be strong.”

  Katelina hesitated. “Do you think she would?”

  “You’d have to ask her. In the meantime, we need to get back to work. I have no intention of letting you out of my sight for the rest of the evening.”

  They were in the lounge, watching over an escalating game of cards, when Sorino came for Kai. To Katelina’s surprise, Jorick didn’t mention the earlier encounter. As they walked away, she realized Sorino probably knew. He and Kai were linked. What Kai saw, he saw.

  Which means he saw my bumbling attempts at mind reading.

  The realization made her feel worse.

  By dinner, Katelina was gloomy. She hadn’t seen Sarah since she’d stormed away. After their meal, she let Jorick lead her upstairs.

  To her annoyance, he flopped on the bed with a book. “I assumed you’d go next door and speak to your friend.” He flipped a page. “She had dinner early and is hiding in her room. While you’re practicing mind reading on her, you might suggest she try quieting her thoughts. They’re almost as loud as yours used to be.”

  “Used to be? You mean I’ve gotten quieter?”

  “Yes. That’s why you feel it now when someone reads your mind: because they have to dig harder to get to your thoughts.” His eyes moved along the text and he chuckled at something he’d read. As he turned another page, he commented, “I thought you were going?”

  “You just want rid of me so you can read in peace.” When he didn’t reply she sighed. “Never mind. I’m going.”

  She knocked on Sarah’s door. When no answer came, she pressed her ear to it. She could hear the soft sound of breathing. Her friend was awake.

  “Sarah? It’s me.”

  She could almost sense Sarah’s sigh before she crossed the room and opened the door. “Come to check on me? I’m fine.”

  She stepped back and Katelina walked in. The room was like hers and Jorick’s, small with a pair of beds, a wardrobe, and a night stand. Katelina sat on one of the beds and Sarah took the other. She’d obviously bathed and changed since the earlier fight. All evidence of Trevor’s blood was gone.

  “You’re sure you’re okay? You kind of—”

  Sarah cut her off. “Got mad? I had a good reason. I don’t get these…people. They kill everyone, but if I attack someone in self-defense then it’s wrong. How does that work?”

  Katelina’s unfinished sentence was actually, “You kind of freaked out on Trevor,” but she didn’t bother to correct her. “There are a bunch of Laws.”

  “So I keep hearing. Why was it okay for Claudius to kidnap us, torture us, even kill us?”

  Katelina rubbed the back of her head uncomfortably. “The laws about humans are really loose. So long as vampires don’t reveal the truth to humans, or kill them in a way that reveals vampires’ existence, no one cares, unless they’re owned. Since Kai’s marked by Sorino, he doesn’t count as a human, but as property. It’s like the difference between killing a feral cat and someone’s pet. No one cares what you do to the wild one, but if someone owns it you have to pay them for damages.” The comparison made Katelina’s stomach turn. “I’m not saying it’s right; just that it’s the way it is.”

  “Sure. Accept it, even if it’s wrong.”

  Katelina rounded on her. “What do you want to do? Go rogue? Kill whoever we want and wait for The Guild to send an annihilation squad? That’s what they do when you break the Laws, Sarah. They label you a rogue and they kill you or imprison you so long you wish you were dead.”

  Sarah flopped back on the bed and threw her arms over her face. “This whole thing— it’s not what I thought it was. There didn’t seem to be any rules or laws or annihilation squads keeping peace, only a bunch of monsters, outnumbered by the normal people.” She sat up. “If there’s so many of us, why are we hiding in the dark? Why are there all these rules about people knowing? If the ancients are so damn powerful why don’t they rule the world?”

  The words sent a shiver down Katelina’s spine and transported her to another place, with another speaker. Sorino read the prophecy of Lilith, the same prophecy he’d tried to sell a copy of to Bassile. The scroll claimed that once Samael was woken they would wreak their wrath upon the world and subjugate the humans. It was a terrifying scenario.

  “Because they can’t! Imagine a world ruled by immortal lunatics. The older they get, the crazier they go. Do you want to live under their rule?”

  “We already do.”

  Katelina wasn’t sure what to say, and Sarah sighed. “It doesn’t matter. I only meant their rules don’t make sense.”

  “I think the problem is they started with something concrete and logical. There weren’t many vampires, and there were a lot of wars so they weren’t expected to live hundreds of years, plus each area had its own ruler, with different laws that worked with their culture and ideals. Then the Kugsankal started consolidating. To get everyone on board they had to add the different ideas into the mix, like Christianity did when it moved Christmas to December and incorporated all the Easter traditions and what not, so it ended up with a muddy mess of complications. The more complicated it is, the more the ones in power like it, because it keeps everyone confused and wary all of the time. The common vampire is so afraid of breaking a law they don’t cause trouble.”

  Sarah shrugged. After a moment of silence she said, “Andrei talked to me after breakfast.”

  Katelina tried to figure out the topic change. “Oh?”

  “He summoned me to the study and showed me all of these papers…Apparently he considers me a survivor of Claudius’ coven.” Sarah scoffed. “Anyway, the rest of the coven was killed in a war, so as the sole survivor he offered me a buyout of my share of the company.”

  Sole survivor? Katelina ran through a mental list. Joseff and Kale and Rachel were dead. And a couple went with Anya, but then maybe they were killed during the Thomas fiasco.

  Sarah went on, “He’s going to get things drawn up, and by the time this ridiculous party is over I’ll have enough money to go out on my own.”

  On her own. She had no intention of going to Maine with them.

  “As if Jorick really wants me. And I don’t blame him. I’m interfering in your relationship, just like I did when we used to live together. Remember? You never had a serious boyfriend.”

  “That had nothing to do with you.”

  Sarah motioned the objection away. “That’s why I got my own place when I got the newspaper job, so I wouldn’t be in the road.” Katelina started to interrupt, but Sarah held up a hand. “It’s okay. I’m not looking for reassurance. I might still come with you for a little while to get the feel of things, and it will take some time to find a suitable house and all of that. We’ll keep in touch. It’s not like I’ll disappear without a word.”

  She gave Katelina a meaningful look that left her feeling guilty.

  When Katelina crept back to her room she still hadn’t mentioned mind reading, nor could she think of a way to bring it up at breakfast. It shouldn’t be hard. She’d known Sarah since they were young, but asking permission to poke around in her brain seemed too personal.

  After breakfast Jamie caught up with them. Though his face was smooth, Katelina could feel his irritation. “We need to talk, Jorick.”

  “Oh?” Jorick asked innocently.

  “Don’t pretend you don’t know. You told them to speak to me if they had any concerns.”

  Of course. Saul and Callise.

  “Did they have concerns?” Jorick asked.

  “Of course they had concerns. Sorino demanded a large cash settlement or else he’ll press charges. I appreciate you dumping this on me.”

  Jorick shrugged. “You’re the head of security. Did you really want me to handle it?”

  They fell silent. Katelina imagined Jorick sending Jamie imag
es of his preferred method for dealing with the snobby vampires. No doubt it involved their hearts crushed to pulp.

  Jamie sighed. “No, you’re right. I don’t want you handling it. I’d prefer it didn’t need handled at all.”

  “Then talk to Sorino about marking his human more prominently.”

  “Unless you want him to wear a name tag…” Jamie broke off. “Never mind. Just keep your fledglings under control.” He cast a dark look at Katelina and Sarah, then walked away briskly.

  “I’m not anyone’s fledgling,” Sarah muttered darkly.

  Katelina stopped from correcting her.

  A new group of entertainers arrived. While Jorick checked them in, Katelina and Sarah headed for the TV lounge. Three vampires from Andrei’s coven were already watching a show, so they sat on the other end of the couch and tried to disappear into the leather.

  The program ended and the news came on. They ran a short segment on the missing hiker. Her teary eyed mother acknowledged the search was winding down and thanked all the volunteers and agencies who’d tried to help locate her daughter. A photo of the girl flashed by, replaced in Katelina’s mind by the scene in the secret room; the girl’s throat torn, her pale half naked body spread out in a pool of her own blood. Anger flared through her. Sarah was right. It was crazy they could kill anyone they wanted unless they were “tagged”, as if humans only had value as property.

  The segment was followed by the usual; bad weather was coming their way. A helicopter crash killed three overseas. The two kidnapped children from Quebec were found dead at Watt’s Point Preserve, their bodies mutilated and their throats cut. Another child was missing from St. Anthony. Though no one knew if it was related to the Heartless Killer, a map showed large red dots where he’d struck in Ontario and Quebec.

  It was depressing, and Katelina closed her eyes against it. Sarah nudged her and nodded toward the door.

  In the hallway, Sarah patted Katelina on the back. “You’re always sensitive about stuff with kids.”

  “Am I?”

  Sarah laughed. “You don’t even know what bothers you?” She sobered. “It’s sort of refreshing. We’ve been in opposite roles since you came back. I was always the one taking care of you...the one who understood how the world worked, who always explained it to you and protected you from all the nasty stuff. But now that we’re… this, you’ve been the one taking care of me, the one who understands how this world works. It gets tiring. I’m not used to being the weak link.”