Chapter 127
Katelina thought it best to call her mother before Jorick had time to back out. The only problem was that he didn't have a phone. She sensed his reluctance when he admitted that Loren had one. It was only a short walk to his house and, though Loren had already left, they could get inside.
She bundled up in a too-big black coat and pulled her stocking hat firmly over her head. With a resigned sigh, Jorick led her through the front door and out into the night. White snowflakes swirled and danced on the winter wind, but they failed to impress. In November, the first flakes had been something to stand and stare at. In early December they were a tiresome symbol of cold.
Jorick and Katelina trudged across the overgrown yard towards the beach and then through a stand of dark trees. She let him beat a path through the tall grass to the place she thought of as the edge of the world. It was where grassland and beach met in a sudden line. After that, the walking was easier, though the sand gave beneath her feet.
Silence hung between them, and she gazed out towards the water. Moonlight danced on the waves. She longed to see the ocean in tones of blue, gray, and green that only the sun could reveal.
"You can walk down here without me," Jorick interrupted and earned a dirty look for reading her mind. "Just because I can't be outside in the daylight doesn't mean you can't, yet."
"Yet?" she asked cautiously. He acted as though he'd never said it, and she decided that was the best way to look at it. She had enough to worry about.
She imagined the coming conversation with her mother and worked on her answers. She had them nearly memorized when a small house came into view. It was more modern than Jorick's, with large sliding glass doors and wide rectangular widows. A sidewalk surrounded by faded planters led from a wooden deck to the driveway where a lumpy tarp hinted at a motorcycle.
They walked past the deck and around the house to the front door. A collection of junk overflowed from what had once been a flowerbed, including empty pots, a shovel, and what might have been car parts. Apparently it wasn't just Jorick's house Loren refused to tidy.
"If they've already left, how are we going to get in? Can you do some vampire trick and unlock doors?"
Jorick winked at her and moved in front of an air conditioner filled window. He surveyed it, as if making mental calculations, then reached underneath and removed something. "Yes I can, when I have an extra key."
She rolled her eyes in disgust. "Very funny. And here I thought there was some cool 'thing'."
"Sorry to disappoint you. Still, I think I'm rather impressive as is."
"You would."
He open the door and motioned her to go first. She walked inside and immediately tripped over something. A loud hissing shriek told her that it was a cat and, as the light flicked to life beneath Jorick's fingers, she saw a streak of white fur disappear around the corner.
"He has a cat? Who's taking care of it?"
"It takes care of itself." Jorick motioned towards a kitchen door with a swinging doggy flap. "They're independent animals."
"I guess." She turned her attention to the d¨¦cor. The walls were hung with pictures of flowers and a blue couch was buried under a heap of clothes. Tangled video game controllers strung across the floor to a television and several game consoles. Stacks of CDs and DVDs leaned precariously against a recliner. A half wall, dotted with wilted plants, separated the kitchen from the front room. Though Loren didn't need to eat, or cook, the counters were cluttered with dishes and appliances.
"This isn't what I imagined Loren's house would look like."
Jorick shrugged. "His mother probably decorated it, before she died."
"Um, yeah." That would explain the pictures of the flowers and all the kitchen appliances. "What happened to his parents?"
"They died in a car wreck. He and his brother kept the house. And then of course-"
"His brother was killed by the rogue vampires who made him," she finished as she picked up the nearest CD. Nirvana. Why was that not a surprise? "You and Loren have houses, cars, electricity, and tons of crap." She nodded to the heap of CDs. "Where do you get all your money?"
"Various places. Some vampires have investments and stocks and bonds. Some have treasure hoarded from the old days, and others use the power of suggestion or steal from their-" he paused as if seeking a friendlier word. "Dinner?"
"Dinner" was no better than "victim", but she couldn't think of a better word either, so she ignored it. "Stocks and bonds? Don't accountants notice their client never dies?"
"Not if The Guild's accountants handle it. Of course you can do as you please. I prefer to keep mine away from them. The more you go to them, the more they know about what you're doing."
He hadn't answered her real question, so she pressed, "Where did your money come from?"
"As an Executioner there were certain expenses I needed to meet, and Malick was very generous with funds. Of course, I've added to that over the years."
"By stealing from your dinner?" It was something that had been gnawing at her for some time.
"They don't need it anymore," he teased. When she looked horrified, he laid a hand on her shoulder. "Have you ever seen me kill anyone for a meal, Katelina?"
"No," she admitted. "But you seem very casual about death."
"Of course. It's easy to be casual when it isn't something you fear. Large-scale coven wars are rare. The death toll of the vampire is not normally very high among the 'civilized'. Most vampires are killed in revenge for something, or simply get tired of living and kill themselves when immortality becomes a burden."
She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, unsure what to say or even if she wanted to say anything. The conversation just served to remind her of the strangeness of her new reality.
As if to save her, Jorick changed the subject. "I thought you wanted to call your mother?"
