“Yeah, yeah, you called it,” Loren said. “So do you know what happened yet? If the Executioners are here it must be vampire related.”
Katelina condensed everything, starting with Canada, from Des and Sarah’s burgeoning relationship, to Kali’s true identity and the final battle at the ball. She followed it up with their theory on Sarah’s attempted escape and possible recapture.
Loren looked around. “You really think Lilith did this? Did she have a shit ton of dynamite or what?”
“No.” Des crossed his arms. “She uses her mind to make things explode.”
“Like Samael,” Katelina explained. “They throw psychic energy. They did it at the ball and nearly brought the house down, but this…this is way more than what she did there. I can’t begin to…”
“Comprehend it?” Micah suggested. “Join the fucking club.” He shook his head, as if bringing himself back to the moment. “So you’re looking for Sarah?”
“Yeah, but she’s not here.” Katelina sagged.
“She might be somewhere else in town,” Verchiel suggested.
“Where else would be ‘unexpected’?” Katelina asked.
“Maybe the ruins on Sycamore street? Downtown might be a better option, though. There’d be more places to hide since a lot of the buildings are still standing. She’d need protection from the sun.”
Katelina nodded, though her optimism was draining away. If Sarah was still loose, then Lilith would be looking for her. Shouldn’t she have shown herself by now? No Lilith meant no Sarah.
Not a mind reader, Micah clapped a hand on her shoulder. “I know this shit looks bad, but it ain’t no worse than a tornado. People bounce back from that crap all the time.”
“Yeah,” she said with no feeling.
Loren nosed through a pile of plaster with his foot, then retrieved a plastic knickknack. “Ah look, it’s a pig.”
“Put that back!” Micah barked.
Katelina shook away her secret fears. “No. Here, I’ll take it.” The teen handed it over. She studied the ugly little ornament. Sarah had bought it for her mom as a Christmas gift when they were in sixth grade. Since then it had been on the shelf in the front room.
“There’s a couple more.” Loren handed her an angel with a broken wing and a miniature kewpie.
“Okay, enough excavating,” Micah said sharply. “We got that chick to find.”
“You’re coming?” Des asked.
“Of course they are.” Verchiel descended the heap and headed back for the street. “They’d better hurry up or we’ll leave them behind.”
Katelina started to follow the redhead, but Micah caught her arm and held her back. “The loser giving you any trouble?”
She pulled free. “No, why would he be? You guys need to quit with all the suspicious crap. He’s not trying to pull anything, or make any moves on me.”
Micah gave her an indulgent smirk. “Right, princess, and bein’ a man yourself, you know all the signs. I tell ya, something doesn’t sit right with me when it comes to him.”
Loren shrugged. “He seems okay to me. I don’t think he’s up to anything.”
“You should listen to your friend,” Katelina said. “Besides, if he tried anything, I’d smash his head in.”
Micah grinned. “There’s my girl. I knew there was a reason I was willing to make you a fledgling.”
“You did it because you panicked,” Katelina said. “Either way, let’s go.”
As they back tracked through the disaster, she noticed things she’d missed before; a twisted mailbox, a shattered ceramic dog, a ruined tricycle. With each item she thought about the owners. Were they injured? Dead? Would they come back, or would their next stop be the cemetery?
What will mom’s next stop be?
It was more than she wanted to contemplate. She was grateful to climb in the backseat of Verchiel’s car and leave it all behind.
They’d gone a couple of blocks when Verchiel’s phone went off. He checked his texts, then announced, “We need to make a detour. Only take a second.”
“What kind of detour?” Micah demanded.
“An official one.”
With no more details, he steered them to the city hall. Vehicles filled the spaces in front of the building, some shiny black, others the buff colors of the military. Verchiel parked his bright orange car among them. As Katelina climbed out, she thought how ridiculous it looked; a bright orange sports car among all the business vehicles, like a vacation day in the middle of a work week.
“What are we doing here?” Micah tugged out a cigarette.
“No smoking inside,” the redhead quipped.
“Fuck, then I’ll stay here.” The lighter flared, eerily illuminating his face. “Lunch?”
Katelina ground her teeth at the familiar nickname, left over from her human days. “I’m going with him.”
“Suit yourself.” A shrug was followed by another cloud of smoke.
Though Katelina was tempted to grab a cigarette—the smell of the nicotine was like a little piece of normalcy among the chaos—she hurried after Des and Verchiel. “Why are we here?”
“This is where the humans set up base,” the Executioner said. “But we’re here for—there he is.”
Ark strode out the double doors, his coat billowing behind him, a pair of guards in his wake. “There you are.” He shot an irritated look over his shoulder. “Obrad is still inside dealing with them. They’ve taken the terrorist idea and run with it. They want to lock down the town. They’ve already detained several humans. It’s ridiculous.”
“Makes you wish you were a whisperer,” Verchiel commented.
Ark’s scowl deepened. “Once we get the coven evacuated, I don’t care what they do with the town.”
“What coven?” Des asked.
Ark waved it away. “Some locals. I think all the human memories that needed touched up are pretty much done. Jamie and Jorick—” he bit out the name “—are doing a final sweep of the school. Apparently there was a local carrying on about seeing an ‘exotic super woman’ destroying a building. When they’re done we need to move the coven and we’re finished.”
“That’s it?” Katelina exploded. “What about Lilith?”
“What about her?” Ark asked.
“She might be hiding, waiting for Sarah to come out.”
“If she is, she’s not our problem. It’s more likely she recaptured her prisoner and left last night.”
It was the same conclusion Katelina’d already come to. “But what about the people in custody?”
“What about them? It’s none of our business.” Ark looked to Verchiel. “Deposit your…friends somewhere out of the way, then meet me at the school.”
Verchiel saluted as Ark breezed away, his guards hurrying after him.
“Asshole,” Katelina muttered.
Verchiel waited until Ark was shut up in his large black SUV. “He is a little, but he has a point. What are we supposed to do?”
“How about not use terrorists as an excuse? The whole country’s been waiting for this; for something to make all these nonsense agencies relevant, to give them power to swoop in and detain people. But their prisoners are innocent!”
“I know, and it’s not fair, but there’s nothing we can do. Unless you can come up with some different people to trade for them? They have to catch the culprits, in order to stop mass panic.”
“The government is all a bunch of bullshit,” Micah said. “They’re power hungry fat cats waiting for an excuse to get more control. And the fuckin’ Guild ain’t no better. Maybe it’s a good thing they’re walking away. Do you want them involved any more than they are, Lunch?”
He had a point. Did she want Ark in charge of the place she’d grown up, of the people she knew? The answer was a decisive No. “Fine. But now what? I thought we were going to search for Sarah?”
“Looks like I’ve been drafted,” Verchiel said regretfully. “I can drop you guys off, but none of you are whisperers, are
you?”
“Nah,” the teen replied. “Micah is a titan and I’m nothing.”
“Oh, you’re something. It just hasn’t manifested yet. It can take centuries if your master was a new vampire. Anyway, without a whisperer you’ll be in for it if you get stopped by a patrol. I mean you can rip their throats out, but I think Kately is looking for kinder, gentler solutions.”
“Yes!” she cried.
Des rolled his eyes. “For Christ’s sake, take us to Jorick or Sorino.”
“Good idea. Then you’ll be their problem.” Verchiel winked to soften the insult. “All right, pile in, folks.”
At the school, Verchiel parked in a no parking zone. Ark was already there, heading into the building. Fuck him, Katelina thought, half hoping he’d pick it up from her mind.
She followed Verchiel past a group of armed National Guard soldiers, her nervous eyes on the ground as she tried to ignore their guns.
Inside, Verchiel led them through the lobby, where a handful of refugees sat in a cluster, then on past the gymnasium. Katelina had a quick peek through the open doors. The polished wood floor was obscured by rows of cots and privacy screens. A group of people worked on setting up more. She didn’t check to see if she recognized any of the refugees. Their slumped shoulders were enough without putting names to the defeat.
It wasn’t just the survivors that left her feeling melancholy. The school wasn’t the way she remembered it. The paint colors were wrong, and it was smaller. Towering ceilings were now claustrophobic. Shiny surfaces looked worn. Most of all, the building felt foreign, a space she had no connection to. Any left behind piece of herself was long gone, painted over in strange new shades.
In the cafeteria, bright flowers taped to the wall promised the coming of summer and summer vacation. Was that right? She did a quick calculation and came away with May tenth.
Time just keeps moving.
Down from the cafeteria, they stopped at a closed door. Katelina thought it might have once been a study hall, but the memories ran together.
Verchiel knocked. Katelina tried to center herself, and reached out to see who was on the other side. It took her a moment to recognize Jorick. Before she could comment, he’d pulled the door open. When he saw her, he lightened. “How did it go?”
As they filed into the room, she said, “Mom’s still out, and we didn’t find Sarah. You?”
“I’m sorry, little one.” He rubbed her back, then noticed Micah. “You found him.”
A voice came from the back of the room. “I told him it would be faster to come with us.” Katelina looked to see Oren sitting at a school desk, legs out and ankles crossed. His long tawny hair was pulled back in a ponytail. His amber eyes always made Katelina think of a lion waiting to spring and devour someone. Though Oren came off cold, she knew there was a danger to him, hiding under the surface. She’d seen it before, when he battled those who’d killed his family. She hoped she never saw it again.
At a desk next to him was his sister, Torina. Long red hair fell in perfect waves to her shoulders. Her emerald eyes flashed. Painted nails, high heels, and a form fitting dress looked expensive but elegant. With her curvy body, ample cleavage, and sexy pout, she was everything a vampiress should be—everything Katelina wasn’t.
Torina’s attention was focused on Des, her posture rigid. “What are you doing here?”
Micah made a beeline for the vampiress. “He’s with them.”
“Since when?” Torina demanded. “Last I knew he hated Jorick enough to walk away from all of us.”
The emphasis was a reminder of Torina and Des’ relationship. They’d been lovers. From what Katelina understood, Torina had gotten Des to join Oren’s war. But, when Des decided Jorick was a spy, he and Torina split ways.
“Where’s Anya?” Torina taunted. “Is she waiting in the hallway like a good little woman? I understood your relationship worked the other way around.”
Des shoved his hands in his pockets. “Cool it, Torina. I know you’re upset.”
“Upset? Hardly. You were barely a diversion and certainly not worth worrying about after the fact.”
Des flinched at the venom in her voice. Katelina wondered what he expected. To be welcomed back with open arms?
Torina continued, “Jorick said there were ‘others’, I never imagined you’d be among them. I’m surprised he thought you were worth bothering with.”
“He volunteered,” Jorick said.
“Did he? And Anya let him go?”
Des made a low angry noise, and Jorick said, “Anya is with Lilith now. He came to help us find Katelina’s friend, Sarah.”
Torina made a show of stretching. “Why? Don’t tell me she’s his newest conquest?” Des cleared his throat uncomfortably and Torina laughed. “I see. She’s worth racing across the globe for. How…sweet.”
“Torina—” Des began.
She cut him off. “Who else is in your merry band, Jorick? Did you bring Kateesha back from the grave as well?”
The name was enough to set Katelina’s teeth on edge, but she let it go and said, “A guy named Brandle we met in Canada. Sorino and Kai were with us, but—”
“They’re back,” Jorick said. “They showed up half an hour ago. They’re in the library with Brandle.”
“Sorino,” Torina curled her lip. “What’s in this for him?”
“I’m not sure yet,” Jorick admitted.
Torina motioned it away. “I understand. More help to recover dear little Katelina’s friend. How lucky for her that her hero is willing to work with the truly despicable, just to make her happy.” Oren growled a warning. She waved him to silence. “Never mind. If everyone’s ready, I am.”
She sailed past them and slammed out the door with enough force to knock the bulletin board askew.
Micah snickered. “I love a lady with a temper. Rawr!” He followed her out, still chuckling.
Oren eyed Des, even as he spoke to Jorick. “I understand your…reasoning. When necessary, an ally is an ally. If you’re right, and Lilith is behind this, you’ll need all the allies you can get. Torina won’t like it, but if you need a place to shelter for the day, our den is only thirty minutes away.”
“I appreciate that,” Jorick said.
Des nodded to the other vampire. “I never had a problem with you, Oren.”
Oren paused, as if choosing his words carefully. “Let’s keep it that way.”
Verchiel rubbed his hands together. “It’s a shame I’m going to miss all of this. You will let me know how it goes, right, Kately?”
If it goes, she thought. The way they were acting, she wouldn’t be surprised if one or more of them was dead by sunrise.
When everyone but Jorick was out the door, Katelina grabbed his arm. “Ark said there was a kid here who saw Lilith?”
Jorick nodded. “He saw her attack buildings on Main Street. She wasn’t alone. I recognized William and Anya. There were three others, but I don’t know who they were. From her coven, I imagine.”
“Did anyone see Sarah or Estrilda?”
The look on his face was her answer. Apparently he hadn’t needed to waste his time helping the Executioners after all.
So much for that.
She sighed and followed him out the door. With the lights turned low, a signal for bedtime, the echoing hallways were eerie. The atmosphere crackled with expectation, like the air before a thunderstorm.
As they reached the lobby, a low buzzing settled at the base of Katelina’s skull. She tried to shake it off, and looked to where Jamie stood, whispering with Ark and Obrad. He met her glance, nodded to the last of whatever Ark was saying, then headed towards them.
Jorick gave a greeting. Jamie’s reply was lost as the buzzing in Katelina’s head got louder, more insistent. She rubbed her neck. The tones morphed into sound; a voice with a simple message.
“Come.”
It was Samael.
Chapter Seven
Against her will, Katelina moved toward the
doors. She was vaguely aware of Jorick shouting behind her, and of someone holding her arm. She pulled free and headed outside.
The National Guardsmen were clustered in the light, their guns pointed at the darkness.
“Identify yourself,” one of them shouted. With the detached observation of a dream, Katelina noticed that his hands shook.
Something moved beyond the shadows. Then, she saw him. He stood, his head down. Waist length hair hid his face like a waterfall of darkness. Of slight build, a long coat hung from narrow shoulders. The wide sleeves reminded Katelina of a wizard’s robe. His shirt and slacks were also black. To the humans’ eyes, he was nothing but a piece of night.
She stepped closer to the soldiers, unheeded. Their terror throbbed. They didn’t understand what was there, or what they were facing, but they knew it was something that shouldn’t be there, something they needed to defend themselves against. Something wrong.
Some kind of monster.
Samael’s voice came silent in her mind, “Yes, I am.”
He stepped to the edge of the light. One of the soldiers fired. The others followed. Katelina covered her ears against the loud pops.
Samael raised his hand. The bullets stopped in midair. Katelina marveled at the way the brass jackets caught the light.
He flicked his wrist. The bullets tinkled to the parking lot. With a motion of his arm, he ripped the guns from their hands and sent them skittering across the cement. One of the men screamed. The others fell back, eyes wide with horror.
“What?” one whimpered as Samael drew closer. Katelina could feel the pull of energy that gathered in the vampire’s palm, the same explosive force Lilith used to destroy the town.
No! No more destruction.
Samael cocked his head at her, shrugged, then swept toward the men. He grabbed one up and snapped his neck. Though the others tried to run, a second and third followed before Katelina emerged from her half-trance.
She flung herself on Samael’s arm. “No! They’re just scared.”
Goddess of Night (Amaranthine Book 9) Page 11