Katelina tried to sound casual. “So he’s a – a vampire?”
Jorick nodded. “And a notoriously cheap one at that.” He yawned and Katelina blinked back in surprise. She hadn’t known that vampires got sleepy. Rather, she’d thought they just sort of passed out against their will. But, she supposed if they could be awake in the daytime they must have some sort of control. Interesting.
“Well, I'm going to go get comfortable,” he said with an edge of sarcasm to his voice. “I suggest you do the same. We'll have a chat with Benjamin tomorrow about changing rooms, but in the meantime, try to get some rest.”
She nodded and suppressed a gasp of surprise as he brushed a kiss against her forehead then shut himself up in the bathroom.
Once she was alone, Katelina stared up at the water-stained ceiling and thought quietly to herself. So Arowenia was being held in a junky little motel in the middle of Nowhere, New Hampshire? The complete irony of it wasn’t wasted on her. Given Claudius’ power, he’d be accustomed to nice things, and here his “property” was in the shabbiest of shabby motels.
She closed her eyes against the remaining darkness and let her mind slip away to forbidden places and thoughts until she drifted to sleep where dreams of vampires and blood replaced her more pleasant ideas.
When she woke in the late afternoon she stared groggily around. Her first thought of the day was that Jorick had been right – warm sunlight shone through the yellowing blind and splashed on every surface. She wondered vaguely if sunlight would fry him like it did the Hollywood vampires, but decided she didn't want to know. Besides, how could she ask a question like that?
She filled the time by flipping through all thirteen channels of “cable” and enjoying the natural light for a change, but it was short lived. The darkness soon began to steal over her surroundings and the sun had just disappeared when Jorick finally emerged, looking perfectly rested.
“I suppose you're hungry?” he asked as he straightened his shirt and flipped his long black hair over his shoulder.
“Yes, I am.” She glanced at his pale skin and wondered if he sucked the blood out of some unwary person when he went to fetch her meals. But that was something else she didn’t want to know. Her brain couldn’t cope with it yet, couldn’t reconcile Jorick as really being one of those creatures, despite the fact that his gleaming fangs constantly tried to remind her.
“All right.” He nodded as if to himself. “I'll be right back – ”
“So stay here,” she finished for him. She was starting to believe that the real world didn’t exist anymore; that she was the only normal person left, and that maybe she’d dreamed fluorescent lights and linoleum floored restaurants. Motels and strange houses full of monsters were the only things she’d seen in a week.
“Right,” he agreed. “I'll be back soon.” Without another word he was gone into the gathering darkness.
She went back to her television reruns and bit back the urge to laugh hysterically for no reason that she could name.
True to his word, Jorick returned quickly. He looked less pale and was toting a brown paper bag of gas station junk food. He gave her a quick apology because nothing else was open, then left to have a chat with Benjamin about getting a new room.
She'd made it through the ding-dongs and had started on the Nacho Cheese Doritos, when he triumphantly came back with a new key. She abandoned her meal to gather up her bags and follow him outside where the yellowish lights attracted the last of the year’s bugs and the chill in the air cut through her clothes.
They walked along the back of the building. A row of numbered doors was set in the wall, but no windows graced the spaces between them. As they walked along the small sidewalk, devoid of any real parking area, Katelina wondered if Benjamin got enough vampire guests to warrant this many windowless rooms. The thought that an unknown number of vampires might be hiding behind the peeling doors made her stomach lurch.
Jorick found their door and quickly unlocked and opened it to reveal a room much like the last, except for its lack of a window. Even the ugly carpet was the same.
After she’d deposited her bags on the bed, Jorick smiled in an obviously nonchalant way. “Well, I've got some business to take care of. If you want to just – ” but she cut him off.
“Hmmmmm, no, I don't think so.” She crossed her arms over her chest and tried to look stubborn.
“You're not going to be difficult, are you?” He sighed almost sadly.
“Yes, I was planning on it. I let you keep me completely ignorant there at the little mansion of the living dead, and look how that ended. I think you can just be honest with me this time,” her voice was firm. “If I’m in this as much as you are, then it only seems fair.”
“But that's the point. You aren’t in this as much as I am. In fact, I’m trying quite hard to keep you as uninvolved as possible. You can thank Michael and Patrick for any involvement you have.” He held the door open in one hand to reveal the dark sky, a strong contrast to the shabby, lighted room.
“Hardly,” she responded sarcastically. “Who called me and wanted a meeting? If you hadn't done that, I'd still be blissfully ignorant of all of this!” She waved her hands around to demonstrate what she meant.
“No, actually, you'd be dead. Instead, Sandra... Susie...” he paused and frowned. “What did you say her name was?”
“Sarah,” the name came out in an almost whisper and a strange ache sprouted in Katelina’s chest.
“Right.” He ignored the sudden shift in her mood and kept his tone serious. “Sarah died in your place. If you’d still been there, Claudius’ men would have taken you. You would have been tortured and finally killed – or worse, turned against your will and made to serve him. You would’ve had no warning and died in a pool of your worst nightmares. If you prefer that, then I’m sorry.”
“No, I wouldn't,” she said quietly. She felt almost penitent, but she admonished herself. She wasn’t going to let him put her in that frame of mind. “I'm just saying I am involved, and I'm tired of just staying put and being surprised by attacking vampires, not knowing if you're coming back!”
He smiled so that his fangs glittered in the electric light. “You worry? How touching.”
Something in her chest jangled at his apparent amusement. Her hands wadded into fists at her side and she snarled, “Don't mock me! It isn’t funny!”
He laughed; a rich ripple of sound. “I’m not mocking you, little one. You need not fear; unless I’ve been murdered, I’ll return for you.”
The words slid out before she could stop them, “That's what I'm afraid of.”
He released the door, and stepped nearer to her. He was so close that she could feel the heat that radiated from his body.
He pulled her close with one arm, until only her hand on his chest kept them from being pressed against each other. His voice was soft and his eyes caressed her. “I won’t leave you, don’t worry about that. It will take more than what Claudius has to kill me.”
She found herself sinking into his dark eyes, surrounded by a thick, soft warmth, like being wrapped in silky fur; drowning in it, and not caring.
“All right.” His voice held a note of defeat. “You can come. But you must do exactly what I say when I say it, do you understand?”
She nodded and tried to escape his gaze and bring herself back to the surface.
“Good. Come on then.” He released her and took a step towards the door, then stopped to wait for her.
She mentally shook herself and berated her weakness. That couldn’t happen again, she told herself. She needed to remember how dangerous he was; dangerous and beautiful. And that was what made him twice as dangerous.
**********
Chapter Sixteen
Katelina followed Jorick through the door and into the darkness. They took the small car through the silent, dead streets until they came to what looked like an abandoned warehouse. The rusted aluminum monster squatted among weeds. Its broken windows were li
ke shiny teeth that gleamed in the streetlights.
Jorick parked the vehicle and Katelina followed him across the ruined parking lot. He moved as a shadow, swift and silent, as he slipped towards the building. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t imitate his quiet tread as she picked her way through the undergrowth and broken beer bottles.
They reached the door to the warehouse and she nervously traced the peeling paint with her eyes. Jorick glanced around once to make sure they were alone and then tugged the door open. It stood like a yawning black mouth and Katelina suddenly wondered if maybe she should have stayed behind after all, but she didn’t have long to contemplate it. Jorick plunged inside and she had to follow him hurriedly or risk being left behind.
Her eyes didn’t adjust to the blackness as quickly as his so she caught his sleeve and held on tightly as he navigated through the ruined building. He glanced back at her and nodded.
The silence was so thick she felt she would choke on it. Her ears strained for every tiny sound: a rat scampering across the floor, the breeze whistling softly through the broken windows, the flap of a sheet of plastic that hung against the wall. Her eyes searched the gloom and she tried not to jump at every shadow. Really, she didn’t understand why Jorick’s business couldn’t have been in a nice restaurant, or at least somewhere with electricity!
She was so busy eyeing a pile of mysterious refuse that she didn’t notice Jorick stop suddenly and ended up bumping into him. He held his body rigid, completely still, and Katelina swore that his heart had even stopped beating.
Her search of the gloom revealed nothing, but her clutch on his sleeve grew tighter. She opened her mouth to ask what was going on when he broke the silence with a single word, “Kateesha.”
The woman seemed to appear from nothing. Her dark skin gleamed in the pale light, and her long black hair flowed behind her as she came across the dusty room. Her long dress was low cut and barely contained her ample breasts. The fleshy mounds threatened to break loose at any moment.
She walked towards them slowly, with an almost liquid motion. Her eyes landed on Katelina and she licked her lips delightedly. “Jorick, you brought some entertainment? A gift, perhaps?” Her full lips curved in a savage smile at the idea.
“She’s with me.” His eyes flicked towards Katelina then back to Kateesha.
“A human? I had no idea you were looking for a pet.” Her laughter was as smooth as silk and as rich as imported wine. It made Katelina want to laugh along with it, though she knew she really didn’t want to.
“She is no pet.” His voice was firm and his gaze unwavering.
“Interesting.” She came to a stop before them and her eyes narrowed in scrutiny. She caught Katelina beneath the chin and lifted her face into a shaft of light. “I’ve seen much prettier, Jorick.”
“Perhaps,” was all he said while Katelina scowled at the insult.
Disappointed, Kateesha dropped her hand and studied him. “I didn’t intend to discuss our business with company.” Her eyes glittered dangerously and her tone indicated a subtle, sinister meaning as she glared at him.
“It’s her business, too. She was Patrick's.”
Comprehension dawned on Kateesha’s face. “Ah, the human's little lover!” She nearly clapped her hands in amusement and her smile grew wider. “How intriguing! I had no idea you found such an interest in them anymore, all things considered.” She eyed him meaningfully. “Still, I don’t think…”
Jorick cut her off. “She is here. We will either discuss it now or we won't. It makes no difference to me.”
Her musical laughter echoed off the walls. “Very well, Jorick. You always were the grim one, weren't you? All work and no play,” her voice gave suggestions of the games she’d like to play with him before she switched to a more business like demeanor. “I assume you’ve seen,” she paused and glanced warily at Katelina. “ – it?”
He nodded, but gave no other sign of what he was thinking. “Yes, I have. The move could not have happened any later. The Guild came.”
Kateesha caught her breath and released it slowly before she echoed, “The Guild?”
“Yes. Jesslynn and the children were killed, along with the mad one.” He leveled his gaze with the vampiress, gauging her reaction.
“How did they know to look there? Why would they suspect Oren?” her voice rose slightly, high with a touch of either panic or outrage. “Yes, they’d been fighting off and on, but he hadn’t made a move against him in ages. They knew you were helping them, but Michael told Claudius that he and his brother were responsible.” Her eyes flashed. “Why should they suspect Oren? Everyone knows you openly refused to help him! Why would they now think that you and Michael were working with him?”
Jorick’s eyes shone with his suspicion. “I don't know. I believe someone told them.”
Offence flared on her features. “Well, it wasn’t me, if that’s what you’re implying.” She looked thoughtful, apparently mulling the news over, and her voice was regretful when she spoke again. “Damn, Jesslynn.” She shook her head in disbelief so that her long hair rippled. “She was crazy, but strong.”
“Yes. But if it wasn’t you, then I fear who it might have been.” He shifted his arms and inadvertently dislodged Katelina’s hand from his sleeve. She gave him a startled look and wordlessly he laced his fingers with hers in an effort to comfort her.
“What about Michael?” Kateesha asked. “I heard that he escaped. Oren was right, you should have had a guard on him.”
“It had nothing to do with a guard,” Jorick muttered. “Michael didn’t know the location. We were careful to keep it from him, unless you told him.”
“No, I didn’t, but he knew Oren was involved, so if he told them that – ”
“They still wouldn’t have known the location, and they did. It wasn’t just Bren blustering. He knew for a fact that she’d been there. Claudius told them that she was there. He had to find that out from someone.”
She ignored his insinuation and made one of her own. “I see that you survived unscathed.”
“Yes. Malick's goodwill saved me – ” He glanced at Katelina. “ – us – this time, but he’s already sent word that it will not do so again.”
“Ah, Malick.” The name rolled off Kateesha’s tongue like imported chocolate. “He always did have a soft spot for you, didn't he?” She trailed her fingers over Jorick’s face. ”Of course, he’s not the only one.”
Jorick pulled back enough to let her know that her touch was unwanted. “Either way, we still need to decide what to do now.”
Kateesha glanced towards Katelina again and sniffed disdainfully. “It’s safe where it is, I think. He doesn’t suspect Benjamin – who could? He is too new and too… human.”
“I fear that if someone has betrayed its hiding place once, they may do so again. Oren is in danger from Claudius now, as is his coven.”
“You must let Oren stand on his own. Always has he refused your advice – he made Torina did he not? If he’d left her alone or even refused to stand behind her he wouldn’t be in this position, and neither would you. You’ve always tried to save him from his own destruction, but your advice falls on deaf ears. There comes a time when you must let them go.” She tilted her head at him and stared into his dark eyes.
“Yes. I’m afraid I have other things to tend to now. Oren must stand alone,” there was an edge of sorrow in his voice, and more than a touch of guilt.
Kateesha reached out and patted his shoulder comfortingly. He didn’t flinch from her this time. “It is as it should be, though I wonder if these things you speak of are for the cause or more for yourself?” She glanced at Katelina, who was still lost between feelings of loathing and admiration for the dark skinned woman.
Jorick’s eyes narrowed dangerously and his voice was hard. “And who said that it was my cause?”
“I believe Oren was under that impression, but perhaps you have something more important in mind?”
His scowl
darkened. “Do you question me?”
“No, Jorick, my brother, I do not question you. I question your new obsession – you forget I can read your very thoughts if I choose.” She laughed again and patted his shoulder before she took her hand back and stepped away. Her face grew thoughtful and she paced in a slow circle, her hands behind her back.
Jorick watched her with detached curiosity and she ceased her circuit to stare back. Her eyes moved to Katelina but as quickly went back to Jorick, as though the human wasn’t worth recognizing. “I question whether any of it is wise. Perhaps it would be easier – safer, even – to simply – ” she finished the sentence by mimicking the motion of a dagger slicing across her throat.
“No!” he snapped. His sudden outburst caused Katelina to start and flinch back. He looked at her; her wide eyes reflected her inner fear and he quickly regained his composure, though his voice still shook with rage. “No one will harm her, or they will answer to me!”
Katelina thought again of the green motel and what a pleasant place it seemed now by comparison, so much better than being threatened by vampires in an abandoned warehouse!
“I didn’t mean it as a threat,” Kateesha said mildly. The hint of a smile played at her full red lips. “I simply meant it would be safer. Claudius is hunting her now, and if he finds her, then he finds you as well. And if he finds you, who else will he find?”
She stepped closer and put her hands on his shoulders. She leaned close to him and her voice took on the tone of a concerned friend. “Listen to yourself, Jorick! When did this take such a strong hold on you?” She stared into his eyes and then smiled slowly, as though a silent conversation had taken place. “Of course. You always were a sucker for the weak and helpless, weren't you? But a human? After what they did – ”
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