Chapter 111
Katelina stared at the window where light leaked around the dressers. Despite the precautions, the room was far from dark, and whether because of the light or her nerves, she couldn't find sleep.
Jorick stirred beside her and murmured, "You should rest, little one."
"I know, but I can't." She stopped short of mentioning why; the panic, the worry, the hovering thoughts of certain death. He'd know them all, anyway.
A sudden wave of relaxation crashed over her, and she could hear him soothing her, "Sleep. Everything is fine. Everything will be fine. Sleep-"
"No." Despite the good intentions, she didn't want him to use his mind tricks on her. "You know I don't like that."
He sighed resignedly. "Yes, I know. But, I thought rest was a higher priority this time. You'll need your strength tomorrow, and it seems a waste for you to ignore the resources available."
"I hardly call you 'enchanting' me to sleep a resource."
"Why?" He rolled her over to face her and met her eyes with a challenge. "If you were tired and had sleeping pills, you'd take them, wouldn't you?"
"Maybe." He narrowed his eyes, as if reading the truth from her, and she relented. "All right, if I was tired enough, then yes, I would. But," she added quickly. "I'm not that tired."
"If you say so." His shoulders moved in an almost imperceptible shrug and he rolled onto his back. "But, I did offer."
"I know."
They fell into silence and she stared at the shadowed ceiling. Maybe she should take him up on it. After all, they'd have a fight tomorrow and-
And why didn't he just use that mind control to win? "He could just take them over and-"
"I thought you just said I shouldn't use it?"
She flinched at his mind reading. "I meant on me. I'm not trying to kill you."
"No, but they are, and that's the problem. Influencing someone requires a certain level of concentration, and it's rather difficult to concentrate while you're fighting."
"You could stand off to the edge, couldn't you? And do it that way? Or do you need eye contact or something?"
"That helps, yes. But, it's faster to just kill them."
His cavalier attitude struck her as wrong. "What about someone strong. Someone you can't beat easily?" Like Kateesha.
"If they're strong enough to pose a challenge, then their minds are probably too strong. As for Kateesha," he broke off and pulled in a tight breath. "I've told you before that I can't read her mind. If I could, I'd have known what she was up to before she ever betrayed us."
She didn't remember the conversation, but he had a valid point. "Why can't you read her mind? I thought you could read everyone's?"
"No, not everyone's. There are those who are far older and more powerful than me, and those who are stronger, and those who have a natural immunity. I imagine Kateesha falls into the latter category, or perhaps it's because we had the same Master."
Katelina shivered as she thought about the dark demoness and her vengefully gleaming eyes. Behind her, she imagined a shadowy master figure. "I don't suppose you can read Malick's mind, either?"
"No. And I doubt I'd want to." Jorick changed the topic with an attempted smile. "All of this talking isn't leading to sleep. We can talk tonight. In the meantime-"
"Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm just- wound up."
He gazed at her sympathetically, then drew her to him and held her close. His familiar scent filled her nose and his strong arms chased away the imaginary phantoms. "It's going to be all right, little one. Trust me."
Despite the comfort of his presence, she wasn't convinced.
***
When Jorick shook Katelina that evening, it was with reluctance that she woke at all. He stood next to the bed, and her tired eyes found their focus in his face. She asked sleepily, "A little early isn't it?"
"Not at all." He pulled on his long black coat, more for appearances than anything else. "We have a long night ahead of us. Come. Get up, get dressed." He started towards the door and then stopped and looked back to catch her eyes. "Dress warmly, but don't encumber yourself." He waited, as if gauging her reaction, then slipped quietly out the door, no doubt to feed.
Katelina yawned loudly and climbed out of bed. Her stomach was a nest of butterflies and her every nerve tingled with expectant terror. Now that the time had come to actually go, all she wanted to do was hide somewhere far, far away. Maybe California. She'd heard it was nice this time of year.
Instead of running for warm beaches, she brushed her hair and tied it back in a bun. Then, she dressed as warmly as she could without being "encumbered", as he'd so poetically put it. She stared into the mirror above the chipped sink, and let her eyes linger over the face presented to her. Fearful blue eyes stared back, ringed in red from lack of sleep. Dark smudges underneath them revealed a lack of rest in general. Her skin was pale; skin that hadn't seen real sunlight in over a month. Maybe she really should go to California, after all. She could use the tan.
By the time she was dressed and ready to go, Jorick had returned. His expression was grim and his voice emotionless. "You're ready?"
"Yeah, I guess." But even as she nodded, her stomach twisted and her heart raced. She wanted to suggest they just forget it. So what if Oren was counting on them to go in and handle the dirty work while he was elsewhere? What had Oren ever done for them?
"Enough," Jorick said softly. His eyes flicked from the digital alarm clock to her face. "He's done enough."
"I doubt it," she grumbled.
"It doesn't matter. We're not going for Oren, anyway."
She sighed heavily. "Fine. Then, how are we getting there?"
"We're not walking, if that's what you're worried about." The shadow of a smile danced across his lips. "We have a ride."
"A ride?" She cocked her head skeptically. "What sort of ride? It's not that horrible Micah is it?" She wasn't sure she could deal with him right now. Though, he did have cigarettes.
"No. It's Loren. He agreed to drop us off near Kateesha's den. The war coven is meeting farther down the road, so they won't notice." Jorick's smile was almost smug, and his fangs glittered with an odd self-satisfaction.
The motel room was slowly becoming too warm, and Katelina shifted from one foot to the other. Her eyes strayed to the clock and then back to Jorick. She felt like jumping up and down just to relieve the tension. "We're going sometime this year, right?"
"Yes. He should be here any moment." Though Jorick appeared outwardly calm, his impatience needled at her mind and he glanced around the room, like a vacationer who was checking out and trying to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. She wished that she could hear his thoughts, like he could hear hers.
"Do you really?" he asked lightly. "Once you hear something you can't unhear it."
She was suddenly concerned. "You're saying I wouldn't like them?"
"Who am I to say what you'd like or wouldn't like?" The conversation was cut off when a car pulled up outside and the engine fell to an idle. "He's here." Jorick met her eyes and she could feel his conflicting emotions. "If you really must know, I'm trying to decide whether to leave you here where you'd be safe, or take you with me." She opened her mouth, but he went on, over her would-be objections. "I can't help it, Katelina. I want to protect you. I don't want anything to happen to you." He met her eyes, asking for understanding. "You wanted to know what I'm thinking, and that's it. But, I already agreed you could go, if you wished it, and I won't break my word. The choice is still yours."
"I'm going."
He nodded his head, but there was no satisfaction in it. "In that case, come." He waited for her by the door, then took her hand and led her outside. She paused on the threshold and glanced back with an all too familiar sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu; it was like leaving her apartment all over again.
Loren's small gray car was parked at an angle across two snowy parking spaces. Jorick opened the back door and waited for Katelina to slide inside first. Once she was seated, he climbed in next to her. Katelina glanced up to see Loren in the driver's seat, and in the passenger seat was-
"You're bringing her?" Micah demanded, a sneer on his tattooed face. He hadn't bothered with a coat, or even trying to look normal. His bald head gleamed under the dome light, and his arms were crossed over the black vest he wore like a shirt.
"Yes," Jorick answered calmly.
Micah snorted. "Thank God you're not officially with us. I ain't watching out for her." He muttered something under his breath, but turned his face and attention forward.
Jorick growled low and Katelina could feel his annoyance. Still, he stayed silent.
The air quivered with tension. Loren was focused on the road as he drove out of town and into the country. Not once did he utter a single syllable. Micah, on the other hand, made several rude remarks. He suggested that Jorick could use his coffin to bury Katelina in once Kateesha had finished with her, and followed that up by insinuating they'd never get inside, anyway. Jorick commented occasionally, but for the most part he stared out the window, his hand wrapped tightly around Katelina's.
Loren pulled the car to a stop along the side of a snow covered road. The ditch loomed deep and black on one side of them. "All right," he said suddenly, as if to prove he hadn't gone mute, after all. "Just walk down to that corner and then head south along the road for about a mile. You can't miss it."
"Thank you." Jorick opened the door, and climbed out smoothly. Katelina followed uncertainly, her eyes on the back of Loren's head. She felt like she should say something to him, but she didn't know what.
Before she could find the words, Jorick closed the door and Loren revved the engine loudly. Jorick pulled Katelina out of the way just as the car jumped forward, spraying chunks of snow behind it.
"That was fast!" she snapped, as she watched the car disappear. "I thought you made up?"
"I told you that we put aside our differences," Jorick answered quietly. "I never said that we were the best of friends."
They stood in the middle of the road and silence soon replaced the roar of the engine. Katelina's heart pounded as the reality of the situation became clear. There was nothing to distract her terrified mind anymore. They were going into a vampire den, they were going to go face Kateesha again and they were going to die.
Jorick caught Katelina's hand in his and said softly, almost hypnotically, "It will be all right."
A cool calmness began to descend and she started to sink into it and let her panic dissolve. But then, she recognized it for what it was, and jerked away from the artificial emotion. "Don't."
"Just trying to help," Jorick said innocently and shrugged. "Let's get moving."
She sighed heavily and nodded her head. "All right. Let's go."
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