“We’ll handle it,” Katelina said quickly. “You and Mom need to stay here. It’s no place for a new fledgling, or a human.”
Patricia silenced Brad’s arguments. “That’s fine. We have things we need to do. Brad’s in school. We need to clean up the house and—”
“Are you crazy?” Katelina gaped. “You’re a vampire. You can’t go on with business as usual. All that stuff doesn’t matter anymore.”
“Like it didn’t matter to you?” Oren asked sarcastically.
Katelina shot him a dirty look. “I didn’t try to go to college.”
“Technically, Brad isn’t a vampire,” Verchiel said. “There’s nothing to stop him.”
Patricia took Katelina’s hands. “You worry about you, dear. We can take care of ourselves.”
It was an argument Katelina wasn’t going to win, so she surrendered. “We’ll discuss it later.”
Sorino snapped straight. “Good. I’ll make the arrangements. We can leave tonight.”
Micah cut in. “Okay, that’s it. What’s the deal? What are you getting out of all this?”
“Excuse me?” Sorino asked innocently.
“Don’t give me any shit. You don’t give a damn about killing Lilith or saving anyone. You’ve been here to steal shit, not that I care. I don’t want a bunch of old pots or moldy books but—”
“Speaking of books,” Sorino interrupted. “I have yet to find what happened to those we took from Lilith’s den in Quebec.”
“They must have gotten lost,” Jorick said.
“Yes. I’m sure.” Sorino eyed him suspiciously. “As for why I’m accompanying you, our concerned friend, let’s say I’m bored and I find this most entertaining.”
“Maybe we don’t like being your entertainment,” Micah snapped.
“Or maybe you don’t care,” Sorino said. “I handle the arrangements, provide the plane, rent the vehicles. All you have to do is come along for the ride. Is that so much to ask? If anything, I’m being taken advantage of.”
Jorick scoffed. “If anything, it shows your endgame is that much more valuable. But I agree with the basic sentiment: As long as you don’t do anything to endanger myself or Katelina, I don’t care what you’re up to.”
“And if he endangers the rest of us?” Oren asked with mild disapproval.
Jorick shrugged. “You’re capable of threatening him yourself.”
Sorino smiled. “Good. Now that we know where we stand, I’ll make the arrangements.”
As he slipped out the door, Katelina’s mother leaned close and whispered, “I don’t like him. He gives me the chills.”
The only thing she could say to that was, “Me either.”
When everyone had left the kitchen, Oren caught Jorick’s elbow. “What do you plan to do with her mother while we’re gone?”
“So you’re coming?” Jorick asked.
Oren was quiet a moment. “Yes. You helped me with my battles, even after we’d achieved our original goals. I’ll help you finish yours.” Jorick nodded and Oren repeated. “What about her mother?”
“I don’t know,” Katelina admitted. “I guess they can go back to Brad’s apartment.”
Oren looked irritated with himself. “They’re welcome to stay here, for the time being. Not forever, but until we return. Her partner can have one of the rooms upstairs. I’ll have Micah move his junk out of it.”
Junk? Did he mean the stuff the bald vampire had stolen from Claudius’?
Oren went on, “Etsuko has volunteered to help her adjust. Though Katelina will have to teach her to hunt eventually.” He gave her a pointed look. “In the meantime, we prefer to drink from bottles, so it shouldn’t be an issue.”
Katelina was too shocked to reply, so Jorick said, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He shifted uncomfortably. “I can’t say that the timing or circumstances are ideal, however, I do understand the…duty to share immortality with one’s family, however inconvenient.”
Of course he did, Katelina realized. It was what he’d done; taken it back to his wife and sister. They’d even gone so far as to turn his brother-in-law.
“It’s a different time,” Jorick said. “When I was turned you gave up your mortal life — family and all — to essentially be reborn as an immortal.”
Yes,” Oren agreed. “But as you said, it is a different time.”
Katelina left the two men to pack. She was halfway through when she remembered her shower puff in the upstairs bathroom. She thought about sending Jorick, but with no idea where he was, it was easier to go herself.
As she headed down the upstairs hallway, she overheard Xandria. “I know you’re leaving tonight, so I had to tell you now, just in case. I mean, you’re going to a war. Something might happen and then you’d never know how I feel.”
Katelina wasn’t sure whether to smile or not. They were a weird couple, but at least Loren would be happy.
Except the voice that replied didn’t belong to the teen. It belonged to Zander. “I don’t understand.”
Xandria gave an exasperated sigh. “You’re not a monk, are you? Or a eunuch? I’m trying to tell you that I’m attracted to you. I know I’m just a human, but I think there might be a spark between us.”
Katelina’s jaw tightened. So there it was. Even after they’d warned her, Xandria couldn’t resist throwing herself at the beautiful immortal. What had she once said? Have fun or go crazy? It was a philosophy she apparently lived by.
“I apologize if you have mistaken my intentions,” Zander said uneasily.
“You’re saying you don’t have any feelings for me?”
“If by feelings you mean those of a carnal nature, than no. I am sorry.”
Xandria made an unhappy noise. “Me too.”
Katelina felt the stab of the woman’s disappointment and tried not to enjoy it. It served her right.
Two hours later, Katelina stood in the living room, her suitcase packed at her feet. “We’ll be back soon, Mom. I know you want to go look around, but things are crazy in town. There are roadblocks and curfews. They’ve arrested people as terrorists. If you’re caught running around after nine, they might arrest you. You can’t be out in the sunlight or—”
“I know how it works, Kately. I’ve seen the movies.”
“It isn’t like the movies. The sunlight thing kind of is, and you need to drink blood, but you can’t hypnotize anyone, and you can’t fly, and you can’t turn into a bat, and garlic won’t kill you and—”
“Kately! Stop. Your redheaded friend made me a list.” She flashed a piece of paper. “Brad and I agreed to accept your friend’s offer, and stay here. It’s not much farther to Brad’s school or work. I assume I’ve lost my job.”
“Even if you haven’t, you can’t go out in the daytime! I just said-”
“I know. I heard you. I was only musing aloud, dear. That young woman, whose name starts with an X, she’s volunteered to help Brad clean up the property. I wish I could, but I understand about the sunlight, and the curfew.” She gave Katelina a hug. “Don’t worry about us. You just stay safe.” She pulled back to meet her daughter’s eyes. “I hope you can help Sarah. I suppose we all have the capacity for darkness. Maybe some people’s circumstances bring it to the surface. There was a reason she saw therapists, sweetheart, even before the vampires. I know you love her. So do I, but I love you more. If it comes to a choice between you, I’m sorry, but save yourself.”
Her mother pressed a kiss to her cheek and released her. “All right. Off you go.”
At the door, Katelina glanced back to Oren. He stood stiffly in front of Etsuko, his voice so low Katelina could barely hear him.
“—be back soon. If they get to be troublesome…”
“Oh, no, Oren-sama. I will enjoy the company. And it will take my mind off your absence.”
“Yes…well…Make Xandria help you. She doesn’t do anything all day except smoke, watch TV, and have relations with Loren.”
Not
if he finds out about Zander, Katelina thought.
“I thought Loren-san was accompanying you.” Etsuko said.
“He is, so that will leave a hole in her schedule. Feel free to fill it with something useful. Dusting, perhaps.”
“Please do not worry for us. Oren-sama will face many dangers and will need to concentrate on those.”
Oren cleared his throat. “We’ll be fine.”
Etsuko stepped a little closer and clutched Oren’s shirt. “Please, be careful.”
Katelina felt Oren’s hesitation. Finally, he tugged her hand free and folded it in his. “We will return, Etsuko. I will return.”
Katelina thought she saw the shine of tears in Etsuko’s eyes. Oren lifted her hand to his lips. Before he kissed it, Jorick tugged Katelina out the door.
“Come, little one. Let them have their moment.”
“I wasn’t…” But she was. “It’s bizarre to see Oren…”
“To see him what? In a relationship? Not really. He was married for nearly two hundred years.”
“Yes, but I didn’t see much of it. Jesslynn was killed a few days after I met her. Besides, he didn’t have a relationship like that with her. Did he?”
“Once upon a time. Most romances begin soft and caring. It’s time that hardens them.” He led her to the rental van and opened the door. “After you.”
When everyone was loaded up, they headed to the airport. Despite the warning to leave their humans behind, Sorino sneered at the idea of leaving Kai in someone else’s care. Katelina suspected he was more worried about losing his mobile snack station than the boy’s welfare.
Katelina spent the flight to Phoenix trying to stay calm. Why couldn’t she live in a tiny European country? The kind of place you could cross in a day by car? Why did they have to travel hundreds of miles all the time?
Thanks to the time zones, when they landed, they’d gained two hours. Though they’d been in the plane for more than three, local time said it was only an hour and a half since they’d left.
The airport was small, though larger than the one in Ohio. A stucco building advertised a restaurant that was closed. They waited outside for Sorino’s rental van to show up. Micah smoked, and Katelina gazed toward the mountains. Smaller than some she’d seen, they looked like something straight from a Wild West movie.
I told Micah the west was out here.
The rental vehicle appeared, more mini-bus than van. They piled in. As they drove through the city, Katelina watched buildings move past. Almost everything had red tile roofs, even the fast food places. Palm trees grew like oaks. Cacti were peppered around, treated as shrubbery. Instead of grass, the yards they passed had rocks. It was like being on Mars.
The hotel they stopped at was seven stories and looked like something from the thirties. Katelina expected to see Superman swoop down from the rooftop. On a corner downtown, taller buildings on both sides gave it a fenced in feeling.
Inside, marble floors, chandeliers, and copper doored elevators continued the vintage theme. Katelina eyed a giant vase while Sorino marched to the counter. He’d apparently called ahead and paid by credit card, because they checked his name, then gave him keycards. He handed them out, still wearing that sneaky little half smile.
Micah took his with force. “I’ve got my eye on you. Don’t think you’re gonna get away with shit.”
Sorino’s reply was a purr. “Good. If you’re watching then I won’t need to worry about anyone sneaking up on me.”
Micah growled his reply and stormed toward the stairs.
Katelina waited until they had their key and were on the third floor to ask Jorick, “What is Sorino up to? You can read his mind.”
“I can read what he allows me to. You forget he’s nearly as old as I am.”
The answer didn’t comfort her.
Though she hoped for a dream from Samael, pinpointing Lilith’s location, nothing came. She woke the next evening no closer to finding her than when she went to sleep.
After a quick shower, she got dressed. She stuffed her dirty clothes in her suitcase, then fished the golden dagger out. If they were going to look for Lilith, she wanted to be armed.
Even if it is just a dagger.
Jorick was waiting when she exited the bathroom. She gave him a quick kiss and commented, “I wish you’d start carrying a sword or something.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Because we end up in fights, and you’re never armed. I know Micah’s lectured me on being able to take care of things without a weapon, blah, blah, but I’d feel better.”
“Where should I carry this sword? In my pocket? Or should I strap it to my belt like Jamie?”
“Obviously not. You’d never get through airport security.”
“Of course I would. I’d do it the same way he does.” Jorick waggled his fingers, imitating mind manipulation. “In the meantime, you can stop worrying. You might recall that Sorino has a suitcase of weapons. I’m sure he brought them.”
“That’s another thing. Not only is he paying for transportation, he’s supplying the weapons. I know he’s up to something.”
Jorick caught her hand and brought it to his lips. “I believe he stole those from Lilith, so it’s not really supplying. But, should it be necessary, I’ll take his heart myself. Then you can have Kai as a matching pet for Xandria.”
He laughed as she elbowed him. “Very funny.”
“I thought so. If you’re ready?”
She followed Jorick downstairs. The scent of nearby humans made her stomach tighten. While they waited for the others, she wondered if she couldn’t have a little taste. Jorick could enchant them, and make them forget…
No! For crying out loud, she was acting worse than a fledgling.
The clock in the lobby said it was only eight o’clock, but the sun was down. That seemed wrong. In Ohio it wasn’t dark until well after eight. She almost asked Jorick about the discrepancy, then realized he wouldn’t know. He might think he was omnipotent, but he wasn’t.
Zander and Brandle were the first to join them. Katelina eyed Zander’s robes and wondered what the hotel employees thought of him. Though, with the vibe he put off, maybe they didn’t look long enough to form an opinion. She remembered dealing with ancients when she was still human. Their presence was overwhelming.
“Good evening,” Brandle tipped his head. “What’s on the agenda?”
Katelina shrugged and Zander said, “The Night Goddess will guide us.”
Torina joined them, wearing a deep purple dress that fit like it was made for her. “Not to disparage your so-called Goddess, but I prefer a map to an invisible guide.”
“Faith is a map,” Zander responded.
Torina made an incredulous sound, then turned to Jorick. “I assume we’re dining soon?”
“When everyone gets here.”
“My brother should be along in a minute. Without Etsuko to distract him, his morning routines are much faster.”
As Torina suggested, Oren was there a moment later, followed by Verchiel. The redhead gave them a nod, his attention on his phone.
Torina teased him, “What are you looking at? Porn?”
“No, I did that last night.”
The vampiress flinched back, lip curled.
Verchiel laughed. “Seriously, though, I’m looking for known dens. There’s one a few miles from here, in the middle of nowhere. It’s marked with a pending change that says it’s been abandoned, but it used to belong to Zachariah, fledgling of Horace.”
Katelina perked up at the name. Brandle made a low noise of understanding. “You think he’s returned to his old den, and taken his new queen with him?”
“It seems like a good place to start,” Verchiel said. “If it’s a dead end, there are other local vampires we can question.”
“I thought Sorino had people watching the dens of all her new recruits, to see if they went there?” Katelina asked.
“He probably has them watching current
dens. The note says Zachariah abandoned this one two years ago.”
It sounded fishy to her, but as long as they had somewhere to look, who was she to argue?
It was forty-five minutes before Sorino and Kai sailed through the lobby doors. “There you are. While you’ve been wasting time here, I procured another rental vehicle. Sadly, no driver this time. One of you will have to do the honors.”
He snapped his fingers. Kai held the keys out. Micah snatched them and looked over the group, as if daring someone to challenge him.
The van was smaller than the mini-bus. Verchiel crammed between the front seats and set up the GPS on his phone. When everyone was ready, they pulled into the flow of traffic.
Katelina could smell Kai in the back. Every mile that passed, he smelled tastier and tastier. Finally, Micah pulled over and announced, “We either feed or I’m draining that kid dry.”
Sorino sniffed. “You only think you are.”
“I am. I bet everyone in here would fucking help me. Now, let’s take a walk and see if we can’t find something, huh?”
Katelina swallowed down her desire to taste Kai. “We’re in the middle of a city. What are we going to find?”
“Dinner.” Micah threw the door open and hopped out. “Half an hour, we roll out. Don’t be late. Come on pipsqueak.”
“He wants us to drink from people?” Katelina asked.
“I’d go out on a limb and guess that’s precisely what he means.” Brandle unfolded himself and climbed out. “Do you prefer to hunt alone or with company, Zander?”
“Company is fine,” he answered.
The others broke off in little knots, leaving Katelina and Jorick alone on the sidewalk. “I—we can’t drink from people,” she whispered fiercely.
“Unless you’re hoping for a Chihuahua, that’s what you’ll have to do,” Jorick replied. “Come, little, one. I can enchant them. They’ll never know you’ve been there.”
She wanted to refuse, wanted to hold the moral high ground, but she was thirsty, and she could smell the blood all around them.
A bar two blocks down glowed with neon signs, orbited by a knot of smokers dressed to impress. “One of them?” Jorick asked.
Goddess of Night (Amaranthine Book 9) Page 31