She let her misery rule for a few minutes, then reminded herself that the Executioners were going to blow the building up. She needed to find Micah. They had to get out, before The Guild decided they were expendable.
Micah wasn’t in the basement—no way would he have stayed out of a fight. She told Sarah a final goodbye, then headed back upstairs. She’d just cleared the basement door when she almost ran into the bald vampire. He was the color of a lobster, with blisters on top of his head.
“There you are! What the fuck—” he broke off. “You okay? You look like your dog died.”
She held up the handful of necklace, but it meant nothing to him. “Okay. Whatever. Hey, I think this is yours.” He offered her the golden dagger she’d lost earlier, complete with scabbard. “I found the sheath upstairs while I was checking for intruders. The knife was in Torina’s room. It is yours, right?”
She nodded and took it. The hilt felt cool against her sunburned hand, but it brought no comfort. She was surprised at how disappointed she was to see it, as though it was a cursed object she’d been well rid of. And why not? It was a dagger Memnon had used for hundreds of years to sacrifice innocents to the Night Goddess. Some of that evil had surely rubbed off.
Nonetheless, she muttered, “Thanks,” and stuffed it in her back pocket.
“You’re welcome. You ready to go or what?”
She looked back to the basement. Sarah deserved a burial of some kind, but…
Verchiel joined them, looking refreshed enough to make Katelina suspicious. He met her eyes, then motioned to Micah. “You’ll need to go get the body out of the basement. We can’t risk leaving any vampires behind.”
Micah gaped. “Body? What the fuck?” He looked to Katelina. “What were you doing down there?”
“Finishing things,” she said.
Micah trudged off, looking irritated. Verchiel patted her awkwardly on the shoulder. “I sent the others ahead. Since Jorick insists on hopping, they’re going slow.”
Katelina bit her lip. “What about the other bodies? I mean, I know Oren and Sorino…” She choked. “But Lilith’s minions?”
“We threw them out by the pool. The sun is already taking care of them. Brandle wanted to take William.”
Of course he would.
Verchiel told her how to get to the alley, then left to get a blanket and “help the lug head”. She followed the directions, and soon saw Jorick and the others ahead of her. Oren carried a lumpy blanket, no doubt Torina’s body. Jorick leaned on Brandle, his broken leg all but useless. In front of them bobbed Zander and Loren’s heads.
Katelina didn’t have the energy to catch up. By the time she limped her way to the end, the others were already loaded in a pair of black SUVs parked in the shade.
She ducked through a slice of sunlight to climb into the nearest one. As luck would have it, Jorick was inside, a bedspread heaped in his lap. She sank next to him in relief.
He wrapped his good arm around her and pulled her against him. She breathed in his scent and relaxed for the first time in hours. Behind her, sitting stiff in the back seat was Zander. Flecked with blood and dirt, his sunburn was mild compared to the others, but his eyes were haunted. Brandle sat next to him, his shirt torn. Various wounds were scabbed over. He looked tired. Still, he managed a halfhearted smile when she met his eyes.
She looked back to Jorick. “I know the windows are tinted, but when we pull out of here and into the sun…”
“They won’t offer full protection.” Jorick lifted the bedspread. “We’ll need to cover ourselves.”
It was better than nothing, so she nodded her understanding and looked out the window. Sorino came down the alley, lugging a blanket wrapped body. He circled to the back of the vehicle and banged on the glass. The driver, a nervous looking human, muttered under his breath, but released the hatch. Katelina watched as Sorino shoved Kai’s body inside, then hopped up himself, slamming the hatch closed.
She knew she should say something, but she couldn’t find words. Instead she closed her eyes and tried to push away memories of Kai.
Verchiel and Micah arrived last with Sarah’s body. After they were in the second vehicle, the SUVs came to life. Katelina helped Jorick cover them with the bedspread. With the world blocked out by flowers, she closed her eyes. It was finally over. All of it. The only thing left was to bury the dead and try to forget.
Katelina didn’t peek out from under the blanket until the vehicle stopped. Then, she only looked to see they were at Zacharias’ den in the desert. Inside, she threw off the bedspread and sank gratefully to the floor. Her eyes had barely closed when she dropped into a familiar landscape. Green grass waved in the breeze and trees were heavy with flowers.
She turned to see Samael standing in a shaft of sunlight. Threads on his golden robes glittered. His long black hair shone like silk.
“It is done.”
Katelina nodded and stepped closer to him. “Now what?” He turned to her, his expression curious. She looked away. “What will you do now? You said before you’d celebrate.”
“And I shall, though perhaps not in the way you imagine. I do not need to destroy great swaths of the world, nor revel in blood to enjoy my accomplishments. A quiet celebration can be more meaningful than one which draws attention.”
“What about the prophecy?”
He looked at her, as if to say, “Again?” but quoted, “Thus will begin the new age. Mankind will be subjugated to the will of the vampires and by this will they shall live and die. It shall be as an apocalypse for all of mortal kind, when the Heart has been given to the broken body within the temple of the Raven Queen and the sleeping wreak their wrath. Then all will tremble at the might of the master and his consort in the time of the Great Destruction. Cities will be leveled and the works of mankind shall be destroyed on the Master’s alter, and scattered at the feet of his consort. All will bow before their terrible might, and he shall wield the blade of Creation, forged by the Gods. With it he will strike his foe from the Earth, and so his dominion will be complete.”
She nodded. “Yes. That’s the one.”
“Do you not see it fulfilled? Does mankind not live and die by the will of the vampires? They live because vampire kind needs them; as food and as servants. Have cities not been leveled? The one you call home, the village in the south, a portion of this city? Have the works of mankind not been destroyed? Relics stored in that desert compound, or works that Lilith smashed when she broke into the local repository in search of her useless bow? Did I not strike Lilith from the earth with the blade of Creation?”
“Yes, but all the ruling and subjugating and destroying. What about that?”
He stepped close. His eyes found hers. “Do you wish for more? As my consort, do you desire that I scatter the ashes of the slain at your feet? Ask for it, and I will.”
“No!” She looked away from his burning gaze.
“If it is your will then, for the time, it is also my will to allow mankind to continue. I have never desired dominion over them, or over anyone. Such was the reason she and I could never find happiness. She wanted to be worshiped, while I was content to simply live. I am still content to simply live. However, if the day comes when humans threaten my existence, then I can make no promise for their future. As they march forward, what they call technology destroys their world; their air, their water. They threaten annihilation and bloodshed. Though they are weak, their weapons can harm even our kind and have done so in flaming clouds.”
He touched her hair and circled her slowly. Though she couldn’t bring herself to look up, she could feel his eyes on her. “The time will come when they will destroy themselves in fire and smoke, but I will not allow them to destroy me. Or you, if you wish my protection. It is no less than you are owed. I will return to my palace in China. If you wish, you may come with me.”
Her answer stuck in her throat and he continued. “I will not offer you the flaming ardor of a lover, for such passion burns itself out. Ho
wever, I can give you protection from the weariness of the world; a world where friends and lovers betray, where those you hold dear die, or change until you can no longer abide them. In the halls of my palace, such heartbreaks will cease to be. Your memories of them shall fade away to twilight shadows. You will find a peace that many ancients can only wish for.”
“What about Jorick?”
Samael stopped in front of her. “Such isolation would not suit him. He is one who must be in the world, who must involve himself to feel valuable.”
She met Samael’s eyes. “I appreciate your offer, but I can’t leave him. I love him.”
He cupped her cheek. She gasped at the electricity in the contact. “Then I hope for your sake, such love can endure the cruelty of the centuries.”
He stepped back. The scene faded slowly, ghosts disappearing into a golden mist. Part of her wanted to run and grab him, to hold onto the sweet peace, but she knew if she did, she’d have to give up more than she could stand.
Samael’s voice floated to her as darkness closed in. “Do not fear. Should you wish it, I will come.”
Then he was gone.
It was Jorick’s voice that called Katelina back to the world. “Wake up, little one.”
She grunted her reply and curled into a tighter ball.
“It’s nearly eleven. You need to feed.”
She opened her eyes reluctantly. “Eleven at night?”
She felt his impatience, but he kept it out of his voice, “Of course. The sun has been down for more than three hours. Come.”
Despite his assurance, she didn’t feel like she’d overslept. She felt more like she’d been run over.
She sat up slowly and noticed that her hand was still clenched around something. She peeled her fingers loose to see Sarah’s necklace. The blue jewel from a hippie store that promised it would bring tranquility, and the best friend’s emblem.
Jorick laid a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, little one.”
“So am I.” And she was. Sorry for everything that had happened, sorry for the way it had ended—the way it had had to end. Tears blossomed in her eyes. She wiped them savagely. Sarah might have turned into a lunatic, but she was right about one thing. Katelina was selfish. Mind numbingly selfish. Everything she’d ever done, every act of kindness, was only to benefit herself, make herself feel better, make her life easier. All but the last one.
“We’re all selfish,” Jorick said. “It comes with the territory.”
“The vampire territory?” she asked bitterly.
“No, the human territory.”
“Yeah, I guess.” She stuffed the charms in her pocket, then let Jorick tug her to her feet. Like her, he was healed, but he was also clean and dressed in new clothes.
He handed her a bag of blood. Something snapped in her brain. She tore into the bag with her teeth and gulped it in a few swallows. A second bag followed. After a third he held out his empty hands. “Sorry. I didn’t know you were ravenous.”
She leaned back against the wall and licked the salt from her lips. “Me either. Where is everyone?”
Jorick scowled. “Waiting for Jamie. He’s on his way.”
She flinched involuntarily. “I suppose we’re in trouble for the public spectacle?”
“I don’t know.”
His words settled in her stomach like lead. Still, she followed him to the bathroom where she took a shower and put on clean clothes, transferring things from one set of jeans to the other.
With the crust of last night gone, they headed to the scruffy living room. Brandle sat in the chair, his legs crossed. Micah was flopped on the couch, his foot propped on a stack of magazines. Loren sat next to him, Paylin on his lap. Jayleth was on the floor, shaking his empty bottle, his face puckered in disappointment.
Verchiel sat in front of the tot. “You’re the one that drank it all.”
Katelina stopped behind the couch. “He probably wants something solid. I told Torina they can eat food.”
“Maybe,” Verchiel countered. “We don’t know how old they are.”
“Eh, about a year,” Micah said. When everyone looked at him, he shrugged. “What? Ain’t you all ever spent time with babies? Shit.”
Katelina leaned on the back of the couch. “What’s going to happen to them now…?” She couldn’t say, “Now that Torina is dead.”
Loren tickled Paylin’s tummy and made a face. His words came out in baby talk, “I fink Oren is going to keep ‘dem. Isn’t he? Isn’t he?”
Sorino waltzed into the room, tugging his gloves off. Katelina wondered where he’d been—had he been burying Kai? The thought brought a surge of misery that made her look away. She’d have liked to go to his funeral, no matter how informal, but maybe it was something the vampire needed to do alone.
Sorino cleared his throat loudly. “I don’t suppose there’s more of the bagged blood.”
“No,” Jorick answered. “I took the last of it.”
“I see.”
Katelina kept her eyes trained on the couch, on the ugly polka dot floral pattern, on the way the threads had come loose at the seam and stood up like a miniature forest.
“I don’t imagine anyone would like to contribute?” Sorino asked.
Micah chortled. “You want us to catch something for you?”
“That would be ideal,” Sorino replied.
Katelina bit back a bitter thought, Life’s hard without Kai to feed on.
Verchiel stood. “I suppose, under the circumstances, I could try to find something, though I’m not sure how much wildlife there is.”
Katelina looked up to see Sorino checking his pocket watch. “Fine. I shouldn’t need it for an hour or more.”
She scoffed softly. She’d never paid attention to his feeding habits before. Was he on a schedule?
Someone entered the room behind her. Sorino narrowed his eyes. “I told you to rest.”
No reply came. Katelina turned to see—
“Kai?” She grabbed Jorick. “You’re alive?”
“Of course he is.” Sorino sniffed disdainfully.
She released Jorick and moved forward uncertainly. “How? I saw you…you were…” Then she understood. Kai no longer smelled like a ham sandwich, but like one of them; a vampire.
Sorino had turned him.
“Yes,” the vampire said peevishly. “Long before I’d planned to. He’s not old enough. And it’s going to be an inconvenience without a human to handle things.”
Kai gave her a quick nod of greeting, then focused his attention on his master. Sorino made an impatient sound as he marched to the teen. “I instructed you to rest,” he barked, then dragged the boy away.
Katelina looked to Jorick. “I don’t suppose Torina…?” He shook his head and she sagged. No. Two miracles would be impossible. “When are we going to…?”
“The funeral?” Verchiel asked. “Assuming Jamie doesn’t arrest you—” She gaped and he waved it away. “I’m kidding. If he was planning to arrest you, he wouldn’t come alone. He’d bring the whole gang.”
It was something to look forward to. They dropped into silence. The men played with the tots while Katelina leaned against Jorick. “It’s sad about Torina,” she said quietly. “You know, I always kind of admired her, even when I didn't like her.”
“You should have told her that,” he replied.
She looked to the children and wondered what their lives would have been like had Torina lived. “Why tell her? She was a mind reader. She knew.”
“Not necessarily. She didn't practice it much. She said she respected other’s privacy. I think more likely she was afraid of what she'd see.”
Katelina thought about what Torina had said about Jorick, “…he was afraid of what he’d find; that you didn’t truly want him, or that you were secretly afraid of him….”
She shook it away. “I don’t know what she’d be afraid of. Everyone thought she was perfect.”
Jorick chuckled. “They do now, but it was diff
erent when she was alive. You'd have never said you admired her, even to me.”
“No. But it's expected after someone dies. When they're still alive it's weird.”
“Why?”
“Because you don't go around telling people what you think about them. How strange would it be if Micah swept through and said he was fond of us? But if we die he'll be able to say he was.”
“What's the point of showering compliments on someone who can't hear them? Wouldn't it be better to do it while they could hear?”
“I already explained it to you. It’s the way the world works.”
“Maybe the world needs to rethink that a little bit?”
She readied to reply when the door opened. Footsteps turned into Oren. “The Executioner is here. He brought his friends.”
So much for Jamie coming alone.
They headed outside where a pair of SUVs waited, maybe the same two that had rescued them. Jamie and Ark were already out, as were three guards, their long gray coats snapping in the wind.
“That’s quite a crowd,” Jorick commented, a warning in his tone.
Jamie attempted to smile. “You know vampires are pack animals.” The humor fell flat and he brushed it away. “Last night—”
“We were attacked,” Verchiel said. “There was no way to move the venue.”
Ark cut in. “So you say.”
Jamie motioned him to be quiet. “Eileifr is aware of the extenuating circumstances. You called immediately, and kept human involvement to a minimum.”
“Then what do you want?” Jorick demanded.
“First to make sure you were all right,” the Executioner said with some offense. “Then we’ll need your versions of what happened, for our reports.” He looked a little pained as he added, “Third we need to collect Verchiel.”
“Hey! I’m not a library book,” the redhead said.
Goddess of Night (Amaranthine Book 9) Page 41