Chapter 125
Katelina stared into the darkness and let her mind wander. She thought about the epic movies she'd seen. The final battle ended in a smear of blood, then the hero swept up the girl and rode away into their happily ever after. For Katelina, it was the day after the happily ever after, and it wasn't like the movies. All the troubles and tasks those simple words obscured waited for her. There were practical things for her to worry about: getting settled into her new home, taking out the trash, fixing the broken window, and trying to salvage some of the life she'd left behind. Instead of being over, her troubles were just beginning.
She thought of her abandoned apartment, her mother that she hadn't called for two months, and her best friend Sarah. Watery guilt settled in her stomach. It was her fault that Sarah had been taken by Claudius and murdered. Though, she didn't know what she could have done differently to save her. It was one of a thousand regrets she'd never be free of.
She rolled over in bed, seeking comfort, and noted the empty place. Jorick was already out, no doubt feeding. Feeding was a word she still wasn't used to. Vampire was another one. The discomfort did nothing to change her reality.
She closed her eyes and pictured Jorick: tall, dark, and immortal. His hair was as black as the night and his eyes were dark fire. It was no wonder she'd fallen for him. The mental image brought a smile to her face. She reveled in it for a moment, then forced herself to get out of bed. The basement bedroom was chilly, so she dressed quickly. Her eyes strayed to a tatty suitcase. Now that they were home, they needed to unpack. First, she might as well have something to eat.
She hurried through the basement and up the stairs. As she passed the bathroom she could hear the shower running and thought she heard Jorick singing in a disturbingly foreign language. Odd to think that vampires sang in the shower.
The kitchen was drafty, and outside the wind blew a bucket into the foundation. It was as if winter knocked to remind them it was there. It needn't have bothered. For once, she was aware of the date. It was already the fourth of December.
She switched the oven on and moved to the refrigerator. A folded piece of paper lay on the counter next to it with the words "Official Notice" printed on the front. As she picked it up, Jorick entered and stole her attention. His hair was wet and the scent of soap clung to him. He planted a kiss on the back of her neck and plucked the paper from her fingertips.
"Hey, I was looking at that."
"The electric bill is late." He crumpled it into a ball in his palm. "Loren wasn't here to pay it while we were gone."
"Oh." A strange sense of relief swept through her. "You might think this is stupid, but I was afraid it was from The Guild or something."
Jorick's head snapped up and he stared at her. "The Guild? Why would they bother us?"
"Thomas said he was going to report us to The Guild, remember? Because he claimed you broke the deal you made with Oren's stupid coven and ordered me to kill Kateesha and take her heart." As the words left her mouth the memories made her wince. It had only been a few days ago when she'd been cleared at a make-shift trial; only a few days ago when she'd thought Jorick was dead and, in a screaming rage, she had killed Kateesha with her own hands. Secretly, she was proud of that, but what followed - ripping out Kateesha's heart and drinking from it - left her more than a little embarrassed.
Jorick interrupted her thoughts. "It won't do Thomas any good. There's enough evidence in Kateesha's records to prove he broke his oaths by spying for her. They'd punish him, not you. Especially if they knew about Kateesha's ridiculous plan to wage war on mortals."
"Maybe." Katelina suspected The Guild would exonerate Thomas and find a way to punish her just because she was human.
"It doesn't matter." Jorick brushed the conversation away. "I imagine it's cold in here. I'll start a fire."
He disappeared and she turned back to the refrigerator. There was nothing in it that she wanted. Shopping was just another of those things they needed to do.
A knock on the front door made her jump. She heard Jorick answer it and then a familiar voice said, "Hey, wanted to let you know we're heading out."
She followed the sound into the living room. Just inside the door stood Loren, a teenage vampire. His short black hair curled around his?face and his large doe-brown eyes looked deceptively innocent. He made Katelina think of a cherub, though the persona hardly fit. Next to him was a bald vampire who had a tribal tattoo down one side of his face and a goatee. It was Micah, and she'd have been perfectly happy never to see him again.
Jorick's wary eyes expressed the same sentiments, though his words were polite. "Have a safe trip."
Micah suddenly saw Katelina and broke into a fanged grin. "Hey Lunch. You forgot this." He threw something at her. Instinctively, she shrieked and leapt away.
Jorick growled in wordless fury and slammed Micah face first into the nearest wall. "What do you think you're doing?"
Despite his position, Micah was unfazed. "You wanna go? I could use a little exercise before the long ass trip."
"Hey! Hey!" Loren caught Jorick's arm and tried to pull him away. "It's just her stocking hat, dude! You guys left it in the car!"
Katelina looked to the object on the floor. Sure enough, it was her hat. However, she couldn't summon a thank you. Not for Micah.
"Shut up," Micah ordered. "Don't tell him that until I kick his ass!"
Jorick released him and stepped back, wiping his hands on his pants as if he'd been contaminated. "As if you could. You'd be dead before you turned around. Idiot."
Micah tugged his tank top straight. "Look who's talking? You're the idiot who went ape shit over a fucking stocking hat. I thought Lunch could handle it since she's a vampire slayer." He broke off into laughter.
Katelina scooped the hat up and wadded it in her fist. He was next on her vampire slaying list. "Go bite yourself."
"I could bite you," Micah suggested. Jorick growled low in his throat and Micah added, "Ah, don't take everything so personally. I promise I won't enjoy it."
Loren laughed, but stopped when he realized he was the only one. "Okay, we'll see you guys later." He pulled Micah towards the door, his eyes on Jorick. "Do you have a message for Oren?"
There was a moment of silence and Katelina cringed. Though Jorick swore they weren't going to get involved, she was afraid he couldn't stay away. She understood that Oren was his fledgling, but enough was enough. To her relief, he said, "Nothing comes to mind. I saw him only two days ago."
Loren shrugged. "Just checking. Okay. Gotta get back and help set up the new war coven. Hopefully Oren's got some more people coming or it's gonna be a tiny war."
"We don't need anyone else." Micah looked at Jorick and suddenly his words had a different meaning. "Come on, Loren. We'll leave the losers to get all domestic."
"Who are you calling losers?" Katelina shouted after them. Her only answer was the slamming door and Micah's fading laughter. "Jackass!"
She and Jorick wandered back into the kitchen. She was still muttering insults to Micah as she prepared her frozen pizza. He'd hit too close to home. It was time for them to get domestic. It wasn't that she was sad to be free of the wars and killing, or that she wanted to go with them. Far from it. She was sick of being the only human pet among the monsters, and she was tired of all the blood. But, she didn't know how to start the necessary conversations about living together. It was a relationship stage she'd never made it to.
Jorick opened the refrigerator and poked a glass decanter. The crimson contents stirred in a thick congealed way. "I think it's time to throw that out."
She fetched a plastic knife from the cupboard and decided that was the best opening she was likely to get. "I think it's time to do a lot of things, like get some dishes."
Jorick waved a dismissive hand towards the cupboard. "You have plastic utensils and cardboard plates."
"Paper plates," she corrected. "I meant real dishes. I'd like to be able to cook something besides the same convenience food every day."
"I forget how spoiled you modern humans are." Though he sounded serious, he fought a grin. "When I was your age we were happy to have any food at all."
She tried to ignore the creepily grandfather-ish phrase. "I can't help if you were born in the savage wilds."
"I'd hardly use the word savage. We simply had different priorities - more important priorities. Besides, I didn't know you could cook."
Some secret spark of female pride flared in her. "Of course I can cook! I used to cook all the time!" She waved the plastic knife, daring him to insult her again.
"Really? I'm sorry, but you don't strike me as the homey type."
"Well, maybe I am." She tried to mentally calculate when she'd stopped cooking - or even when she'd started - and realized it was shortly after she'd first moved out on her own. It got boring quickly and, living alone, it hadn't seemed important.
As if he plucked the information from her mind, Jorick laughed. Then, he pushed himself off the counter and closed the gap between them. He caught her head in his hands and turned her face to his. "If you want dishes we'll get dishes, all right? Even if it is a waste of money," he added teasingly and neatly dodged her attempt to hit him. "Any other unusually expensive requests?"
"Actually-" She hesitated. She needed to phrase this correctly, or he'd object right away. "I thought we could go see my mom."
