Claudius dismissed the comment with a roll of his eyes. “That’s what happens to those who try to blackmail me.” A satisfied smile flitted over his lips. “It was his own fault. If he’d simply taken care of the lawn as I hired him to do – ”
“Instead of nosing around, eh?” Troy asked, grinning. “But you’re right, it was when he demanded you pay him to be quiet – ”
“Yes, quite,” Claudius said impatiently. “He got everything he deserved, and so will those who aided him.” He glanced towards the cage. “The question now, is what to do with Jorick’s human.” He smiled. “Or perhaps I should call her Patrick’s? It is a curious situation. I wonder if they shared her?”
Troy and a couple of the others gave an obligatory chuckle, but offered no suggestions.
“Kill her? Turn her? Keep her as a pet? She’s not beautiful by any means, but she is amusing.” He glanced towards her again. “She’s very determined to keep her secrets to herself. That has to be worth some enjoyment?”
“I say kill her,” Troy declared. “She’s too big of a pain in the ass to be any fun.” He grinned at a sudden idea. “Though killing her might be fun.”
“You’re blood thirsty,” the other vampire commented. “If I didn't know, I’d say you were in a hurry to see her dead. Why is that?”
Troy balked and Katelina felt a moment of hopeful satisfaction. Maybe they’d kill him!
“It’s his way,” Claudius said dismissively. “He enjoys the kill. As for her, I believe I’ll wait until I’ve spoken to that idiot from The Guild to make a decision.”
They all nodded and then their voices dropped as the five began making plans for something that Claudius deemed “important.”
Katelina listened intently at first, but their voices were quiet and hard to distinguish from one another, not to mention that they talked over each other frequently. What she could discern still meant nothing because it was full of unfamiliar names.
She tried to digest what she’d been able to overhear, but her mind was too jittery to concentrate. All of her nerves jangled inside as though ready to leap through her skin and run away. If only it was that easy!
Silence fell and she opened her eyes in time to see Claudius leaving through a low door on the side wall, followed closely by the others. She looked around wildly, but there was no one else that she could see. The large chandelier went out, and the room fell into darkness.
She shivered from fear and cold. Her body ached and her face was bruised and painful. She gingerly ran her hands over its swollen surface to ascertain the extent of the damage. She had at least one black eye and a large lump on her the right side of her head. Her lips felt swollen and her nose was tender, but she didn’t think it was broken.
She stretched her arms and legs slowly, biting into her lips to keep from exclaiming. When the pain began to subside she slowly stood. Once she had her balance, she threw one arm over her exposed breasts and held tightly to the bars with the other. She made a circuit of her confinement, rattling the bars quietly as she tried to find some weak point to exploit, but nothing presented itself. She sunk to the floor, defeated and blinking back tears. Her hand wiped cruelly at her eyes while she berated herself for her weakness and stupidity. Her angry internal tone couldn’t stop the sobs that wracked her body. All of the pain, anger, and humiliation of the last hours poured from her in a liquid shower of tears. She squeezed her eyes shut and a vision of the twelve year old boy swam behind them. His eyes fluttered open and closed as he fought for consciousness against whatever they’d done to him.
When the tears began to subside, she slumped into the farthest corner again, physically and emotionally exhausted. She curled into a tight ball and leaned her head against the bars. Waves of sleep washed over her but she fought them off and told herself that she needed to be alert and awake if she had any hope of living.
Her thoughts ran in circles and she came to the sickening conclusion that Jorick was not going to save her this time. She’d told herself this before, but hadn’t really believed it. All night she’d waited, half expecting the door to burst open and reveal him like a shining knight, but now she knew it wasn’t going to happen. Cold disappointment slid through her stomach, greasy and bitter.
Jorick. He’d gone to get her food and go to some mysterious meeting. The last he knew she was waiting for him to return. Would he even know what had happened to her? Why hadn’t she done what he’d told her? Why hadn’t she stayed in the room? How could she have been so stupid as to fall for Kateesha’s self-confessed trick?
Katelina still didn't understand exactly what had happened. She decided that Kateesha had obviously implanted ideas, or thoughts, into her head, but she didn't know how she’d done it. Jorick had said not to look into their eyes or else they could trick her – and she hadn’t. She hadn’t even seen Kateesha until the fog had begun to lift. How had she been able to do that to her?
Her stomach rumbled, but she ignored it. She pressed her eyes closed and fought both fatigue and another round of tears. How she wished that she’d never gone to that small dilapidated house, never gotten that phone call, and never met Patrick. Tears broke loose and she surrendered, letting sobs take her again.
**********
Chapter Nineteen
Katelina wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep when the light and noise woke her. With a trembling hand she wiped away the crust of the previous night’s tears and then tried to focus on her surroundings. The room, which had been dark and empty the last time she’d looked, was now filled with light and vampires running around in a mad dash of activity.
She covered herself as best she could and stood to stare through the bars. Claudius was seated in his large chair, his sulky face contorted with rage. He waved his arms furiously as he gave instructions to Troy and a group of vampires. She pressed her face against the cold metal cage and strained her ears to catch his voice over the sounds of the others, but she failed to discern much of what he was saying.
Around them, other vampires scurried. Some hurried through the room and up the stairs while others disappeared through the door on the far wall, only to reemerge and then head up the stairs as well. Claudius was emptying the place and, as the population of vampires dwindled, Claudius’ voice became clearer. One phrase in particular struck her ears, “Go to Sorem, I will meet you there later.”
She gripped the bars tightly, uncertain what her fate would be. The last group of vampires made a sign of allegiance to Claudius and then turned and hurried to the stairs, leaving him and Troy alone. His attention no longer diverted, Claudius turned his face towards Katelina. His green eyes glittered with cold malice and his features were twisted in a black fury that made her heart pound. In a single, graceful motion he stood and moved purposely towards the cage like a cat stalking prey. Troy shadowed his steps, wearing a cruel and expectant smile.
A whimpering noise escaped Katelina’s lips as she backed against the far end of the cage. Even as Claudius reached into his pocket and produced a key, she tried to tell herself this wasn’t happening. But as Troy took the key and jammed it into the padlock, the click echoed in her mind and forced her to face the facts before her.
The metal door groaned in protest as Claudius forced it open. He stepped inside the rusty cage, and before she could react he grabbed her arm. His lips curled back in a snarl to reveal dangerous white fangs; a warning against any resistance. Though she drug her feet in fear, he tugged her out of the cage with seemingly no effort.
Troy looked her up and down as crude laughter slid past his sneering lips. Katelina felt her cheeks turn red under his prying gaze and tried to cover her naked body with her free arm, but Claudius jerked her to him and snarled in her face, “Evidently we weren’t thorough enough in our search!”
Terror and confusion shone in her eyes and her voice was lost to fear.
He shook her violently so that her teeth clacked together sharply. “What do you have to say to that? Do you still want to insist your innocence? Where is t
hat device?” He clawed at her body with his free hand.
“I don't have any ... device!” she cried. Tears stabbed her swollen eyes. She didn’t understand why he was doing this again.
“Liar!” He threw her to the floor. Her elbows locked painfully, but she saved her face from slamming into the concrete. She tried to roll away, but he knelt down quickly and grabbed a handful of her hair in his fist. He used it to pull her head back and force her to look at him. “Where is it?”
“There isn’t one! I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
Troy stood behind them, his arms crossed over his chest and a sneer on his face. “Then how did he find us?” he asked suddenly.
At his words, the white hot spark of hope flamed inside her. “He’s here?” she asked, unable to stop herself. “Jorick’s here?”
“Not here, not yet, but almost,” Troy replied. “Too bad he’ll be too late.”
Claudius’ face contorted with rage, until he looked more like a beast than anything that had been human. He shook her like a ragdoll and bellowed, “This was his plan, wasn’t it? To use you to find us? To play me as a fool? I am no fool!”
She tried to get away from him and her hair pulled until she thought her scalp would rip away from her head. He forced her head back and leaned over her, his fangs bared, ready to strike her exposed throat.
She screamed and struck out, pummeling his face and chest. In surprise, he released her and she fell back against the cold cement floor. Crab like, she tried to crawl away on her back, but he grabbed her wrists and pinned her down.
He loomed above her, a terrifying figure with savage teeth. His breath was hot on her face, scented like blood and death as he hissed coldly, “Guild or no Guild, there will be nothing left of you when he gets here.”
“He’ll kill you,” she threatened weakly, her voice hoarse.
“He won’t make it this far before my coven beats him back and leaves him with no option but to run! I’m not afraid of him, and it’s time he understood that!”
She struggled and thrashed her head from side to side as she searched for an escape. All she saw was the deserted basement and Troy. The bald vampire stood some paces off from them, a sick smile on his lips.
Her heart roared in her ears. Sweat beaded on her skin. It made her wrists slick in Claudius’ hands, but still she couldn’t get away from the weight of his cold body pressing her into the floor.
She tried to fight him off, but her efforts were futile. She was no match for his strength, still she refused to surrender without a fight. Horrified thoughts flashed through her mind; terrible images of different things he could do to her.
Troy looked amused. “How like a human to fear that more than anything.”
Claudius’ head snapped up. Intelligence returned to his eyes as he stared at his underling. “You can hear her thoughts? What is it? What does she fear?” He turned back and sneered into her face “All her fears will be realized before I am finished with her!”
Troy’s face went white and he shifted uncomfortably. “Yes,” he answered hesitantly. “It comes and goes. I can’t always – ”
“I don’t care right now!” Claudius shouted. “What does she fear most?”
He hesitated again before answering. “She fears what all women fear, my lord.”
“Does she?” His voice was low and snake like. “How pathetic and primitive! Does she not realize the things I can do to her?” He leaned his face close to hers. “Do you?”
She whimpered in reply and looked over his shoulder at Troy’s leering face. She could almost feel him inside her head, scraping against her mind and violating her most secret thoughts.
“I will take that as a no. When I have finished I will peel the skin from your bones and drink from your entrails while you beg for death!”
He released her wrists and raised himself up to unfasten his pants. Panic consumed her and she swung her fist. The blow connected with his jaw but she cried out as pain erupted in her knuckles. He jerked back and then snarled, “You will pay for that!” Before she could make another attempt to fight back he slammed her against the floor by her shoulders.
Her head bounced with the impact and dark spots erupted behind her eyes. Her limbs went limp and she thought she might pass out. He took the opportunity to force her thighs apart and wedge his body between them. The pressure of his hips pulled her away from the brink of unconsciousness, and she stiffened fearfully. Her hands balled into fists that pounded uselessly against his back and shoulders.
“Taste your fear,” he whispered to her and then drew a deep breath. “Taste it! The way Arowenia did before he murdered her!” He thrust himself inside her. Her screams echoed through the room as her delicate flesh gave way. Troy stood behind them, watching. His sick, evil laughter was an accompaniment to the symphony of her shame.
She choked on her sobs. The tearing pain radiated through her from between her thighs as he thrust into her again and again. Her mind went blank; there was nothing but the pain and the need to make it stop. Her hands continued to claw and beat at him, though her efforts were unheeded. He hung above her, his face suspended inches from her own. What little humanity had been left in his eyes was gone, leaving them empty. There was nothing but an animal staring down at her. His mouth opened wide and he sunk his gleaming fangs into her shoulder. She screamed as the wound from the cellar was ripped open. Pain raced down her arm and into her hand, crippling it, so that the fingers curled uselessly.
He tore at her like a dog, growling low in his throat. She felt the gush of blood; wet against her skin as it trickled over her shoulder. He pressed his face to the wound and sickening lapping sounds reached her ears. Her stomach clenched and visions of the boy from last night filled her head; the ruined child discarded so casually. His lips sealed around her shoulder as he continued to draw blood from her.
His presence suddenly filled her mind and made her shudder. He was inside her thoughts, ripping and shredding her. Liquid fire coursed through her veins, and her arms and legs spasmed, no longer under her control. Screams tore from her bruised and aching throat. Her eyelids fluttered uncontrollably and the spasms grew worse until she was almost in a seizure state, both inside and out. Pain and colors and images flashed behind her eyes too fast to comprehend. Old voices and older agony tore at her as he drank her blood and continued to thrust into her.
Somewhere there was a crashing sound and a scream, but whether it was in the fog filled hell into which she’d fallen or outside of it she couldn’t tell. Everything was pain and screams and horror. There was nothing but heartache and betrayal and death. The smell of something burning assailed her senses. The thick fumes filled her lungs and nose. She choked and gagged, strangled by the heavy smell, suffocated by fear and pain – and then it stopped.
Claudius’ head jerked up from his meal. The lower half of his face dripped with her blood so that tiny drops fell and splattered on her skin. He sniffed the air and growled low in his throat. Troy met his eyes and he barked, “Go see what it is!”
Troy made a sign of obedience, and hurried up the stairs. More screams floated down into the basement from above and the smell of burnt flesh grew stronger.
Katelina choked and it drew Claudius’ attention back to her. “So he made it past them. No matter. He won’t save you but he will see you die.” He reared back his head and struck below the mess he’d already made, ripping open a new wound.
She felt his lips lock and the searing pain began again. Her body shook, too weak from shock and loss of blood to fight anymore. She felt herself sinking into the realm of nightmare and darkness again, slipping beneath the pounding surface and into the black depths of inevitable death.
The air reverberated with a strangled cry and the burning world of hell evaporated as Claudius released her. His attention was drawn to a figure that came crashing down the stairs and landed in a heap at the foot. It lay dead, the limbs at impossible angles and a slow puddle of blood spreading out from it.
Footsteps pounded down the stairs, skipping most of them in their haste. A deep voice roared a single word, “Claudius!”
A smile spread across the blonde vampire’s lips and he raised a hand to wipe his face. His assailant appeared and raced towards them. He was only a blurry swath of colored motion to Katelina’s burning, tear filled eyes.
“You will die!” he bellowed as he grabbed Claudius and ripped him from Katelina. She screamed in pain and rolled into a ball. She tried to use her trembling hand to stem the flow of blood gushing from her shoulder. There was so much blood – too much. As she writhed in agony, her face came to rest in a crimson puddle of it. The liquid was already cooled from its contact with the cold cement.
She blinked back burning tears and tried to make sense of the images flashing in front of her. Claudius was on his feet, an arrogant smile on his face, his pale hands held before him like claws. This new vampire drew close and she forced her eyes to focus on his black, disheveled hair and torn clothing. His pale face was a mask of fury, his black eyes snapping....
“Jorick,” she whispered in a hoarse voice as she came to realize who it was. “Jorick.”
He had come.
Claudius was tackled to the floor. His hands scrabbled for Jorick’s throat and cold laughter hissed through his pale lips. He threw Jorick off of him and climbed to his feet. “You fought your way through to retrieve your pet, how touching. What a shame the effort was wasted.”
Jorick stood quickly and slammed Claudius back into the cold stone wall. “Hardly.”
“If your goal was to fight a losing battle, then you’re right, you were a success, but if it was to kill me, and rescue her, you’ll fail at both. She’s mine now, and unless someone stops the blood she’ll soon be dead, like Arowenia. A just fate, don’t you think?”
Jorick hesitated for a moment as his eyes skipped to her bleeding figure. Claudius took advantage of the distraction to grab Jorick by the shoulders and throw him away. He crashed into the empty metal cage, and both vampire and cage sprawled loudly across the floor.
Amaranthine Special Edition Vol I Page 20