Goddess of Night (Amaranthine Book 9)

by Joleene Naylor

  Torina nodded. “He made your daughter a vampire. Show her, Katelina. Smile for her.”

  Her mother narrowed her eyes. “Well?”

  It was a terrible way to reveal the truth but, with no other option, Katelina displayed her fangs.

  Her mother surveyed her dispassionately. “False teeth?”

  “No,” Torina said. “Those are her real teeth. Just like yours.”

  “Mine? I don’t—” Patricia broke off as she touched her own fangs.

  Torina nodded. “For whatever reason, your daughter decided to make you one of us; a vampire.”

  Her mother’s eyes dropped to her hands. She turned them over, examining them. Katelina hadn’t taken the time. Now that she did, she could see the difference, especially in her skin. The wrinkles were smoothed. Gone was the gray pallor and dead dry look. Her hair, though not quite the right shape thanks to the missing layers, was glossy with highlights Katelina’d never noticed before.

  “It’s a shock,” Torina agreed. “My brother sprang it on me unexpectedly.”

  Katelina thought of Torina’s story about being attacked. That probably had been a shock.

  Patricia looked to her daughter again. Her little girl lost eyes made Katelina’s stomach clench.

  “I’m sorry, Mom. I should have thought it through better. But you were in a coma, on hospice. You didn’t look like you’d last the night. I couldn’t let you die.”

  “This is a dream,” Patricia murmured.

  “If you want to believe it’s a dream, go ahead,” Torina said. “After a century or two you’ll either be stuck in the longest nightmare of your life, or you’ll learn to accept it.”

  Verchiel stuck his head in. “How’s it going?”

  “You!” Patricia reached to push up her glasses. “Where are my glasses?” She squinted, then her eyes went wide. “I can see without them!”

  “That’s part of vampirism, I’m told,” Verchiel said.

  She waved him to silence. “I need a drink. Do you have any tea?”

  “I don’t think you can drink tea anymore,” Katelina said slowly.

  Verchiel tapped his chin. “She might be able to, if she doesn’t use sugar or milk. It’s only water that’s been strained through tea leaves. However, I think you’ll find some nice, tasty blood would be much thirst quenchier.”

  Patricia wrinkled her nose. “No. I don’t think so.”

  “Go get her a drink,” Torina ordered.

  “I’ll go.” And Katelina was out the door before any of them could stop her.

  Jorick met her in the living room. “How’s it going?”

  “Is she calm?” Oren demanded. “I won’t have her tearing the house up and trying to attack—”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Katelina said. “It’s going about like you’d expect. She thinks she’s dreaming.”

  “You left her alone with Torina and Verchiel?” Jorick asked, amused.

  Katelina eyed him suspiciously. “You’ve been listening in?”

  “Not really,” Oren said dismissively.

  “I have,” Jorick said. “She wants tea.”

  “Better to get her blood and be done with it,” Oren said.

  Micah pushed between them. “What the fuck? You’re letting the Guild dog educate her? Isn’t there some shit about how I own your fledglings?”

  “No,” Jorick snapped. “You released her from the blood debt. What she does is none of your business.”

  “I don’t think I released her, grease stain. You said I did but—”

  Katelina moved around their squabbling and into the kitchen. Etsuko stood at the counter, pouring scarlet liquid from a bottle into a pink plastic glass.

  “This will be less distressing for Patricia-san. She will not have to see the color of the blood.”

  “Thank you.” Katelina leaned on the counter, eyes on the crimson contents. “Do you think I made a mistake?”

  “Kate-san is referring to turning her mother?”

  She nodded. “Jorick thinks I did. He didn’t say so, but he was mad about it. I know that’s why he refuses to help.”

  “Kate-san’s intentions were good.”

  “They said she was going to die. I couldn’t let that happen. She’s my mom.” A strange thought occurred to Katelina. Etsuko had been a human slave to a Japanese coven, raised by vampires. “Where’s your mother?”

  Etsuko gave a small shrug. “I have never met my mother. Though I can imagine the connection Kate-san has with Patricia-san. It would be difficult to see her suffer and not wish to help.”

  “Exactly.” Katelina deflated a little. “But did I help, or make a mess of things?”

  “Only the future can tell the outcome of actions.”

  “Right.” Katelina tightened her hold on the glass. “I’d better take this in. Thanks.”

  Back in the library, her mother was still seated on the weight bench. Katelina handed the drink off. Her mom sniffed it suspiciously, then gulped. She blinked at the empty glass. “What..?”

  Katelina took it back. “Jorick swears that goes away and you’ll learn self-control eventually.”

  “He’s right,” Torina said. “You don’t see me drinking like that.”

  “It’s a pity.” Verchiel grinned. “I think it’s kind of attractive. The desperation, the gluttony, the desire, the—”

  “Shut it right there,” Katelina warned.

  Patricia looked from one to the other. “All right. I’ve had enough of this. Kately, where is the phone? I need to call Brad.” When no one moved, she barked with more authority, “Where is the phone?”

  “Mom—”

  “It’s in the kitchen,” Torina said.

  Katelina rounded on the vampiress, but Verchiel offered a smile. “Sorry, Kately. I have to agree with Torina. What were you planning? To leave him wondering where she went? That worked well last time.”

  Katelina knew what he meant: Sarah. “It worked fine. You notice how fast he moved on. He’ll make a website. In three months he’ll be living with someone else.”

  The slap made Katelina stumble. She held her cheek and stared at her mother.

  “That’s enough, young lady. I’m tired of your opinions about my relationship.”

  “And I’m tired of your opinions about mine. I’m tired of you saying Jorick is a bum or a criminal, or that we live in a van! You don’t know anything about it. You want me to accept Brad, but you can’t accept Jorick.”

  “If he’s such a good honest man, why did you have to run away to be with him?”

  “I ran away because vampires were after me!” Katelina snapped. “The same fucking vampires that kidnapped Sarah and tortured her nearly to death. I got lucky and Jorick kept that from happening to me. But yeah, that makes him such a bad guy. And you know what else? He had a job! He was a fucking Executioner! A vampire policeman. Is law enforcement good enough for you? Of course they enforce the law by killing everyone, but hey, whatever works. And you know what else? He doesn’t own a goddamn van. Oren borrowed it so we could haul everyone to a vampire war. Yeah, that’s right, I was driving them to attack a coven that time I stopped by. Jorick, and Oren, and Torina, and everyone else were asleep in the back because it was the fucking daytime! And we weren’t overseas for a computer job. We were overseas because Jorick’s master was a psycho who killed hundreds and Jorick stopped him! Malick had nuclear launch codes and took over a silo in Russia. If it wasn’t for Jorick, you’d be in the middle of a god damn nuclear holocaust! So if you want me to quit insulting Brad for sitting around moaning about his supposed girlfriend, then jumping into bed with you, maybe you should quit saying crap about Jorick all the damn time!”

  Her mother gaped and finally strangled out, “You watch your language.”

  Verchiel took hold of Patricia’s arm. “Come along, dear. I’ll show you to the phone.”

  He led her out. Katelina shouted after them, “What in the hell are you going to tell him? There are laws you know. Laws!”

&nbs
p; She threw up her hands and dropped on the weight bench.

  “Don’t worry.” Torina smoothed her dress. “If anyone knows about the Laws, it should be an Executioner.”

  Without looking up, Katelina muttered, “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Brad was hysterical, but to Katelina’s surprise, her mother didn’t mention vampires. “Katelina apparently checked me out of the…wherever I was…Yes…Yes…I’m fine…Are you home?” Patricia’s face paled. “Just…no…we’ll talk about this later. Kately. Give him directions to where we are…what curfew?”

  “We could go pick him up?” Verchiel suggested, while Brad tried to explain the new circumstances in town. “It might be easier. We can get through the roadblocks.”

  “Brad? Brad. Brad! Listen, someone’s going to come get you…Some friends of Kately’s…We’ll talk about things when you get here…Yes. Yes. I’ll see you soon. I love you, too.”

  She hung the phone up and turned accusing eyes on them. “You’d better not hurt him.”

  “Me?” Verchiel asked innocently. “I wouldn’t hurt a fly. All right, who’s up for a road trip with me?”

  Katelina didn’t want to go, and she didn’t want to stay. Moving to Spain was a better idea. That would take care of everything: her mom, Brad, Sarah, Lilith. No one would think to look for her there, and she could have some peace.

  Xandria and Loren left with the redhead. Patricia demanded fresh clothes and a shower.

  Torina loaned her a dress and sent her to the upstairs bathroom. Katelina waited patiently. When the shriek came, she knocked on the door and stuck her head in. “Are you all right?”

  “My hair! What in the hell?”

  “They shaved it when they did the surgery. You had swelling on the brain or something, and…I don’t know.”

  “I suppose it will grow back.”

  Katelina cringed. “Actually, it won’t. It’s a vampire thing.”

  Patricia pursed her lips. “I don’t want to hear that word again.”

  Katelina sighed. “Yeah, me neither, but good luck with that.”

  The crisis handled, she headed downstairs and flopped on the couch next to Kai. A nature show played on TV. She watched a lion tear across the savannah.

  “Where’s Jorick?”

  “I think he’s reading somewhere,” the boy replied.

  That sounded like him. She needed support, and he’d tuned out, his nose stuck in a book.

  Several minutes of silence followed before Kai said, “Your mother is taking it well.”

  “I guess. Mostly I think she’s decided to ignore it. Now she’s going to drag her boyfriend into everything.”

  Kai cocked his head. One green eye peeped out from his bangs. “Wouldn’t you want Jorick with you?”

  “That’s different. Jorick and I are a real couple. Not…not…” She looked away from Kai’s probing gaze. She could still feel the echo of Brad’s panic at the hospital, his terror that her mom might be dead. “It’s hard to take them seriously. He was Sarah’s boyfriend for two years.”

  Kai shrugged. “Jorick had others before you.”

  “Yes, but…the age difference.” It was a mantra she’d recited, though it was getting harder to stick to. Kai’s unwavering stare made it even harder. “There’s no way he’s in love with her,” she said finally.

  “Why? Is she unlovable?”

  “Of course not. I mean, by the right person.” She faltered again as Brad’s memories returned; the overwhelming, soul crushing heartache. The same heartache she’d once felt when she thought Jorick was dead. “You’re right. I know you are, but…”

  “It makes you uncomfortable,” Kai said. “So you pretend the relationship is invalid because validating it means you must accept being uncomfortable.”

  “Maybe,” she admitted.

  Why is the kid always right?

  Her mother was showered and dressed before Brad arrived. Etsuko greeted her, and happily took her into the kitchen for “refreshment”. Katelina didn’t bother following.

  Verchiel was first through the door. Brad came behind him, his eyes glazed and movements wooden.

  “You enchanted him?” Katelina asked.

  “I had to. He kept asking questions, then he got belligerent. He’s determined we kidnapped Patricia and did something terrible to her.”

  “You better let him out of it before Mom sees him. I don’t feel like explaining that to her.”

  “If you think it’s best.”

  Verchiel stepped back. Katelina watched as his influence drained away. Brad blinked, his good hand to his head, then focused on Verchiel. With a sound of fury he lunged at the Executioner, pinning him to the wall with one arm. “Where the hell am I? Where’s Patty? I swear to God if you’ve hurt her, I will rip you into little pieces!”

  It was the sort of thing Jorick shouted. Katelina didn’t find it scary. She pried Brad away and pushed him back. “Mom is fine. Chill out.”

  “Kate!” Brad glared. “What in the hell is going on?”

  “Brad?” Patricia leaned out of the kitchen. At the sight of him, she lit up. “Oh thank God you’re here.”

  “Patty!” Brad hurried to her, everyone else forgotten as he pulled her to him. “You’re awake. And you’re okay? They didn’t…No one…?”

  Katelina looked away and cursed Jorick. Why the hell didn’t he help her deal with this crap?

  Because he’s punishing me.

  She turned back to see her mother’s head on Brad’s chest. He glared at the rest of them, half challenge, half fury. “Someone tell me what the hell is going on?”

  Etsuko entered, bowed, and introduced herself. “If Brad-san would please to take a seat, I am sure everything can be explained.”

  She showed him to the folding chairs. He seated Patricia first, then took the other. Katelina tried to think of what to say, how to get around everything, when Verchiel said, “Patricia is a vampire, like the rest of us.”

  Brad choked. Katelina cried, “What are you doing?”

  “She wants to keep him, doesn’t she?” Verchiel asked. “Just because he’s human doesn’t mean she can’t have him. As long as she marks him, she can keep him as a pet. Or you could, Kately. You have Xandria, already. A second wouldn’t be that farfetched.”

  Brad jumped to his feet. “What in the hell?”

  To Katelina’s surprise, her mother pulled him back down. “It’s all right. I was shocked at first. I’m still not sure I believe everything, but something has changed. Look at me.”

  Brad gave her a quick once over. “You look fine.”

  Patricia laughed. “I’m better than fine. I haven’t looked this good since Katelina was a child.”

  “It was the bed rest?” Brad didn’t sound like he believed his own words.

  “No, sweetheart. It was something Kately did. The woman,” she motioned to empty space. “She said Katelina is…she used the word vampire, but I’m not sure that’s it.”

  “But vampires…” Brad sank back into the chair and put his head in his hand. “Sarah’s one, isn’t she?”

  Katelina stiffened. This wasn’t what she’d imagined.

  “Yep,” Verchiel said cheerfully. “How did you know?”

  “When she came back…she wasn’t herself anymore. She looked different, she acted different, she smelled different.” He gave Patricia a sideways glance. “I don’t mean we were close or anything…”

  “I know.”

  He sighed. “She was wrong and her teeth…She tried to hide them, but I saw them several times. They were pointed, like yours, like Patty’s are. Like Katelina’s were when she showed up for Easter, or that guy who was at my house last night. I’m not stupid. Only, it seemed so ridiculous.”

  Katelina unconsciously raised a hand to her mouth. She thought she’d done a good job hiding her fangs.

  “I was glad when Sarah left again. I thought that would be the last of it, that we could go on ignoring it, but
I should have known better.” He took Patricia’s hand. “I’m sorry. I know you tried to talk about it once, and I shut you down. I just wanted it to go away.”

  “What do you mean she tried to talk about it? Talk about what?” Katelina demanded.

  “About how weird everything was,” Patricia said. “Katelina, give me some credit. You might have gone to a salon, but it wouldn’t make that much difference. Your skin, your hair, your eyes. And your flimsy stories about running away with Jorick, about Sarah going to look for you and ‘staying gone’? You should have told us the truth to begin with.”

  Katelina looked for words. “But…but I couldn’t. You’re not supposed to tell humans! Not unless they’re marked slaves.”

  “Eh, it happens,” Verchiel said.

  “Then you kill them!” Katelina cried.

  “Sometimes. But your mom’s one of us. It’s all good.”

  Brad caught Patricia’s chin. He tilted her face this way and that. She opened her mouth, and he looked at her teeth. “Are they sharp?”

  “I don’t know.” Patricia giggled. “I won’t lie, I have an overwhelming desire to bite you, but I’m full.”

  Katelina shot Etsuko a grateful look. She hadn’t thought about what might happen when her mother was faced with her mortal boyfriend. God, she could have drained him dry!

  “I bet you two would like some alone time,” Verchiel said. “Why don’t you go for a walk? It’s a nice night.”

  Brad stood and Patricia followed. “Yes, I think we need to talk.”

  Patricia led him toward the kitchen and the backdoor. “I’ll be back, Kately.”

  With a huff of relief, Katelina collapsed on the couch. “Thank God that’s over.”

  Verchiel laughed. “Over? No, Kately, it’s only just begun.”

  Katelina found Jorick upstairs, sitting in a corner, lost in a book.

  “There you are.” When he didn’t comment, she tapped the pages. “Thanks a lot.”

  “For what?” he asked without looking up.

  “Being there for me. I appreciated it.” He turned the page noisily and she huffed. “You’re going to keep ignoring me? Haven’t you punished me enough?”

  He lowered the book. “Punish?” She felt the burn of a mind reader. His features melted in understanding. “You’re right, I didn’t want you to turn her, for a myriad of reasons, but I’m not punishing you. There’s nothing for me to do.”