The glint in his eyes, and a final teasing snap, left her imagination running full tilt.
Back in the ballroom, the stars were hung. A giant grandfather clock and massive fireplace were wreathed in green garlands. A platform was set up at one end, like a stage. The pair of titans placed a beat up stone table in the center.
That’s where they’ll sacrifice their victim.
Vampires hung a giant curtain over a long narrow cage. She looked away from it and her heart sank. How could she stand by and let them murder a helpless caged someone? But how could she stop it? Though she might be strong, she couldn’t defeat all the vampires.
She forced herself out the door. Jorick had taken books upstairs. Reading one would be better than helping set up a crime scene. She could bury her head under a pillow and try not to think about what was going on.
Good luck.
“Just who I’m looking for.”
Katelina turned to see Sorino and Kai. The vampire was dressed in a black velvet suit, complete with white ruffled shirt and a short, red lined cape. He held a silver headed cane in one white gloved hand, and a top hat in the other. Conversely, Kai was dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, his beat up backpack over one shoulder.
Katelina scowled. “What do you want?”
“You may not be acquainted with the Feast, but I assure you it’s no place to take a human. If you would be so kind as to keep an eye on Kai?” Sorino hung the cane on his arm and unfastened the boy’s chain.
“The last time I did, we got attacked.”
Sorino chuckled. “And I made a tidy profit. I’d be happy to do so again.”
She wanted to tell Sorino to stuff his hat where the sun didn’t shine, but then what would happen to Kai? So much for waiting in her room for Jorick.
She purposefully turned her back on Sorino. “Come on, Kai. We can find something to do.”
Sorino chuckled, and the teen followed her through the house and up a set of stairs. On the second floor they ran into Marna. The brunette vampiress smiled. “You aren’t going to the Feast, are you?”
Katelina shook her head.
“There are a few of us skipping it and we thought we might have our own party in the TV room. Would you like to join?”
Katelina looked to Kai, but the teen stayed as expressionless as ever, so she nodded.
“Wonderful! I’m helping Annabelle get ready then I’ll be in. I think Hannah’s already there. See you later.” With a smile the vampiress headed off.
As she said, the braid wearing Hannah was already seated on the couch. The once over she gave them was cool, though not hostile. When Katelina offered her a stiff smile, she returned it.
Kolli strolled through the door, his blonde hair mussed in a modern style, and his hands in his pockets. “They’re all locked up,” he announced cheerfully. “Just don’t let me forget to let them out at sunup.” He suddenly noticed Katelina and Kai. “Hello! How are you?”
Katelina stopped herself from saying “Guilty,” and settled for, “Fine. How are you?”
“I’m good.” He took a seat between them and Hannah. “Who’s your friend?”
“This is Kai, Sorino’s human.” After Katelina said it, she hated herself, but it was what it was. “He asked me to look out for him.”
“Probably a good idea,” Hannah said.
The conversation dropped off, and Katelina tried to resuscitate it. “Who’s locked up?”
“The human servants,” Kolli answered. “For their own protection. Don’t want anyone getting hold of the wrong human.”
She forced a smile and nodded. Would the vampires really get so crazed that they went after any available human?
“The guests haven’t fed all night, only the staff has.”
As the thought ran through her brain, Katelina looked sharply to Kolli. He nodded and followed it with, “It’s part of the ritual.”
The silence fell thick again, and Hannah turned on the TV. They were watching a movie about killer sharks when Marna came through the door. She carried a tray with several glasses and a large decanter of crimson.
“The best part has arrived,” Kolli teased and took the tray from her.
Marna blushed as they poured four glasses of blood and handed them around. Katelina tried not to lift hers near her nose. She didn’t want to gulp it like a newbie.
Kolli took his seat and held his glass aloft. “Cheers!” Then he downed it in one quick swig that filled Katelina with relief.
When her glass was drained, Katelina realized Kai might be thirsty. “Do you want something?” He tapped the backpack, and she remembered the protein bars and water he carried.
Hannah poured herself a second round. “I heard Brandle may join us.”
Brandle. Katelina knew the name, though she wasn’t sure why.
“Really?” Kolli asked with surprise. “Isn’t he pretty old?”
“I heard he was turned in the four-hundreds,” Hannah replied. “Not fourteen-hundreds, but four-hundreds. As in four-oh-oh.”
Kolli whistled. “That makes him thirteen-hundred years older than us.”
Hannah cocked an eyebrow. “Older than you. I wasn’t turned until 1811. And she’s not more than ten or twenty.”
It took Katelina a minute to realize they meant her. “Me? No, I’ve only been… I was…” but she couldn’t say it. “It was only a couple months ago.”
“Are you serious?” Marna asked. “No wonder you’re not ready for the Feast.”
Before Katelina could ask what was so major about the Feast, another vampire walked in. Long blonde hair fell around his shoulders, matched by a trim beard and mustache. His face was young and beautiful, marred only by the scar that ran from his forehead to his cheek, over the lid of his right eye.
The eye itself was milky in color, a contrast to the dark brown of the other. His shoulders were broad, though his waist was narrow, and the modern jeans and pullover looked like they were made for him.
“Good evening.” He held up a hand in greeting. When his strange eyes met Katelina’s, she felt the world give way, but it returned quickly.
Kolli stood. “You must be Brandle. I’m Kolli.”
“Aye, Kolli, that I am. And who are our other fine friends?”
Kolli made the introductions, and Brandle nodded to each. When they’d finished he poured himself a glass and took a seat.
It was several minutes before Hannah said, “If you don’t mind, Brandle, may I ask why you opted out of The Feast?”
He shrugged, his eyes on the television. “I’ve never liked it, or her for that matter.”
“Who?”
“The Goddess of Night. Nyx. Nox. Batna. Talto. Satrina. Morrigan. Whatever name you want to call her. She is no more real than the others, just an excuse to revel. I don’t need an excuse. I revel when I desire to.” He offered Hannah a wink and a fanged smile.
“You don’t believe in any God?” Marna asked. “Not even the True God?”
“The God of the Catholics, the Jews, or the Muslims?” he asked.
“I think they’re the same,” Kolli answered uncertainly.
Brandle waved it away. “It’s no matter. Religion is something no man will ever agree on, so they shouldn’t speak of it. Worship who you will, and leave me to worship who I will.”
“Or who you won’t?” Hannah suggested with a giggle.
Brandle chuckled and the tension lessened.
When the movie ended, Katelina heard the soft sound of music drifting from downstairs.
“The dancing has started,” Kolli announced and checked his watch. “Another movie?”
They all agreed. While Marna set the DVD up, Kai pulled out his bottled water and took a swig. Katelina felt a foreign longing and looked to see the boy eye one of his protein bars. “If you want it, eat it.”
“Eat what?” Hannah asked.
Brandle shrugged. “Go ahead, boy. Don’t starve on my account. I’m long past being bothered by it.”
; “Watching humans eat is kind of gross,” Hannah commented. “All the mashing and the chewing.”
Katelina thought of the countless times vampires had said that to her, yet it didn’t bother her.
“It comes with time,” Brandle said to her thoughts. “And it goes with time.”
“Were you really turned in four hundred?” Kolli asked.
“423, or thereabouts.”
“That must have been so exciting,” Marna enthused.
The bearded vampire laughed. “No more exciting than 523, or 1523, or 1923. Things stay the same, only the clothing and the methods of war change.”
“Did you fight a war?” Kolli asked.
“I’ve fought in many, for both immortal and human causes, and in the end none of them made much difference. But of course you won’t believe me, because you’re young.” Brandle flashed his dazzling smile. “Enjoy the enthusiasm.”
Hannah batted her eyes and earned another laugh. Her smile said she took it as a compliment, but Katelina didn’t think she was getting anywhere. It was like an adult teasing toddlers; after sixteen-hundred years of life, they were children to him.
The next movie played through. More intelligent than the last, it lacked the terrible effects but managed to have some of the same clunky acting. Katelina hoped the third selection was better.
Marna got up to eject the disc, and Brandle made a show of stretching. “This is a party, isn’t it? We should play a game.”
“What game?” Hannah asked.
He scratched his chin and looked thoughtful. “Hmmmm. How about…Hide Fox?” They blinked and he grinned. “I’m sorry, Hide and Seek they call it now.”
The selection seemed childish, but if the others thought so they didn’t say. It was agreed that Kai would remain in the TV room, with the door locked to be safe, and the base would be the door itself.
“I’ll be ‘it’ first, shall I?” Brandle volunteered. “You’d better hide quickly, I count fast.”
He hid his eyes and the others took off. Katelina stood helplessly in the hall behind him, trying to come to terms with a group of adults playing a kindergarten game.
“Most children’s games were once the fodder of adult entertainment,” Brandle said, his back to her. “It’s sad you’ve lost that.”
She thought of Andrei’s comment about the winter games, “This sort of entertainment has fallen by the wayside in favor of more sophisticated diversions, but we should not forget the hilarity of watching one another make fools of themselves.”
Brandle interrupted her thoughts. “You’d better hide. Or I’ll catch you.”
With a final glance to the locked door, and the vampire leaning on it, Katelina hurried down the hall. Most of the doors were shut, so she settled for the only open one. Inside was Annabelle’s pale blue sewing room. Brandle called loudly, “All ready? Here I come!” and she dove behind the couch in desperation.
It took him less than a minute to find her. “You’re it,” he announced gleefully. Back in the corridor, Kolli was already leaning against the door looking smug, and Hannah and Marna appeared after a shout of “olly olly oxen free!”
“Again, shall we?” Brandle rubbed his hands together. “Good luck.”
Despite the enthusiasm, Katelina felt weird turning her back and closing her eyes. She strained her ears as their footsteps dashed away. At least one went upstairs, one to the right, and one went down.
She counted to fifty, and decided that was high enough. “Ready or not, here I come!”
She waited for an answer, but they were smarter than her childhood friends were, so she started down the hall. A row of closed doors greeted her. She cringed at the thought of going into private bedrooms. What if someone left the Feast early or skipped it? Did she want to walk in on something?
Upstairs didn’t seem much better, so she opted for whoever went down. At least she knew those would be public rooms.
On the first floor, music from the ballroom filled the corridors with a lullaby like song. Though she didn’t know the tune, she hummed along, imagining cherry blossoms and singing birds.
The mental images were shattered by a scream. Katelina jumped and spun around, then realized where it must have come from. The Feast.
The quartet switched to a lively tune, and the scream came again. Her feet acted on their own, taking her to the polished marble corridor. Milky plastic lined the floor and walls, and crinkled under her feet as she drew up to the closed double doors. She knew she should go, before she did something stupid, something that landed herself and Jorick in trouble.
The scream came a third time, and the scent of blood wafted out. She was never sure which drew her through the doors, but she hoped it was her sense of justice.
Though the cavernous room was dark, her vampire eyes picked through the gloom. Revelers were dressed in an assortment of formalwear; from hoop skirted ball gowns to sleek modern ensembles. Jewels glittered at their throats and wrists, on their fingers, and in their hair. Men wore tuxedos and old fashioned suits with white gloves and flowers in their buttonholes.
The quartet played at one side of the stage. In the center stood someone in a black cloak, their face obscured and a bloody knife raised. Strapped to the stone slab was a girl in her underwear, the dark rings of her nipples visible through the thin white material. Her hair was tangled around her head. Her eyes were wide with terror, and her mouth was open in a silent scream. Blood spread from a wound in her chest and ran down the sides of the stone in rivulets. The guests moaned as one, and moved toward the tiny scarlet rivers.
As if that was a cue, the giant black curtain lifted to reveal the long cage. Not one but many, set together in a row. Katelina gaped as she did a quick count. Twenty. Thirty. How many humans did they have? The giant clock gave three somber echoing chimes. As the last died, the attendants pulled the cage doors open. The first wave of people sprang out, but were quickly knocked to the floor. The scent of blood got stronger as vampires ripped into their still living prizes. With howls of frenzy, the immortals crushed one another, desperate to get at the bleeding screaming humans.
The rest of the captives stayed in their cages, mashed against the back. It did them no good. The attendants ripped them out and flung them to the eager crowd. Their screams rose like a tidal wave and crashed through the room, obscuring the music with the wails of terror and agony. Blood sprayed and shreds of clothing flew through the air. A shoe sailed toward Katelina and landed at her feet. It was dirty white canvas with magic marker polka dots, splattered in blood. Someone had drawn those dots. And now their blood was on it. Their blood.
Katelina’s stomach tightened. The room swam. She looked to the crowd of waving pale limbs, snatching hands, glittering fangs, and crimson stained faces twisted into unrecognizable shapes. Her emotions flashed between desire and terror, both so extreme she could barely stand them. Her head spun and she grabbed the wall for support. The smell of death grew stronger, and the music of the dying swelled, the call to come and feast.
Without another thought, she answered it.
Chapter Eighteen
A loud crash startled Katelina and she looked up. Some of the cages had been knocked over.
Cages?
She blinked and wiped moisture from her face. Her hand came away with blood.
But I took a shower after the fight with Sarah.
Except it wasn’t Sarah’s blood. She shook through the confusion and looked down to see a half-naked young man with a dove tattooed on his chest. Ragged bites peppered his shoulders and arms, and gore was smeared on his face, heavy around his stubbly beard. Shirtless, he wore only a pair of ragged jeans and a single shoe.
Katelina stumbled to her feet and looked around. Vampires were huddled over their prey, drinking. Though there was still plenty of noise, some of the screams were silenced by death. She knew she shouldn’t, but she picked through the crowd for familiar faces. Tol and Ren shared a girl, their crisp white tuxedos drenched in crimson. She thought she
recognized William, but the flash was too fast to be sure. Demetrious fought with another vampire over a limp bearded man. Borne and one of his girls drank from a young male, while Sorino ripped a victim from Petta’s hands.
It was too much. Katelina turned away when something caught her eye. Against her better judgment, she looked to a couple seated on the floor, their limbs tangled. The dark skinned male had his fangs buried in the woman’s neck. Their bodies moved together and, though Katelina couldn’t see it, she assumed the woman was biting him back. Blood smeared sex in the middle of the ballroom.
Katelina shuddered and started to look away just as the woman turned her face. It was Sarah.
A whimper pulled her attention to the tattooed guy. He crawled toward her over the slick floor, then collapsed. His dark eyes locked with hers and she dropped into a screaming pit of terror. Death. Blood. Kidnapped. Hauled in a van. Hands bound. Stuck in a cage. Starved. Nowhere to pee. Nothing to drink. And now this. Like a horror movie. Why did I always enjoy horror movies? It’s Karma. My brother. Where is he? Is he dead? I promised to take care of him. Where is he?
God, I need to find my brother.
Katelina jerked away from the mental connection. Her chest heaved, and her throat hurt. She realized she’d been screaming, but no one noticed. No one cared. It was just another sound, like the tattooed guy was just another death. A sacrifice to the Goddess of Night. A sacrifice whose blood was all over her hands. All over her face.
She staggered for the door and tripped over half of a body; short hair was soaked in red. A naked maimed torso turned into a mass of jelly and fibers, with legs gone. Her stomach twisted in disgust as she climbed to her feet and ran.
She raced through the plastic lined hall and up a back staircase without stopping. She couldn’t stop. If she did it would catch her. He would catch her. He, and his brother, and all the others who were screaming and being ripped to shreds.
She ran through the fourth floor, past storage areas, seeking the safety of her bedroom. If she could take a shower, get the blood off of her, it would be fine. He wouldn’t haunt her if she was clean.
Masque of the Vampire (Amaranthine Book 8) Page 26