Chapter 146
Katelina woke to darkness. The coffins were shadowy monsters that loomed in the dusky room and reminded her where they were. Her spirit sank just a little at the knowledge, but she told herself that they wouldn't be there long. Only a night.
Jorick was already awake. He led her to the master bathroom, where she discovered that the house had electricity and running water. Both were luxuries not always found in vampire dens. Despite her modesty, she didn't want to be alone with vampires on the other side of the door, so she took a fast shower and pretended Jorick wasn't looking. With no such concerns, he took his time bathing and then dressed in one of his all black ensembles.
Katelina watched him slide into his shirt. "You're like a cartoon character."
"How so?" He glanced in the mirror, but needn't have bothered. Of course he looked perfect.
"You're always in the same clothes. It makes you immediately identifiable. Like Lisa Simpson who always wears that stupid orange dress."
He smirked and ushered her back into the bedroom. "I'll take your word for it."
She was going to give him an example he might understand, but Oren met them just outside the door. He looked from one to the other, and then let his gaze settle on Jorick. "Traven and his coven are still downstairs. I assume they're waiting to join us until they've all risen."
Jorick nodded his understanding and turned to Katelina. "I need to feed. Do you want to come with me or stay here?" The subtle shift in his posture betrayed his apprehension with the second option; an apprehension she shared.
"I can keep an eye on her," Oren suggested, his tone unenthusiastic. "I understand that she was already with you, so you had no choice but to bring her."
Katelina sniffed disdainfully. She wasn't crazy about watching Jorick feed, but it beat being stuck with Oren. "No thank you, I'd prefer to go."
Oren and Jorick both looked relieved and she moved to get her coat and stocking hat. As she climbed into her winter gear, a nearby coffin snapped open and the occupant sat up slowly, stretching and yawning.
"Jorick?" Micah's voice floated from the darkness. "What the fuck are you doin' here?"
"Visiting. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm afraid I have other obligations to attend to." He met Katelina's eyes and moved subtly towards the door.
Micah was not so easily dismissed. "I'll come with you. I need to feed too." He swung from his coffin, then stopped and sniffed the air. "You brought the human, again?"
Jorick scowled. "She has a name, and yes, she is here, and she's coming with me."
Micah laughed loudly. "Makes it pointless to hunt if you're taking the game with you. But I guess out here you have to. Nothing worth eating for miles. Hopefully Traven's bunch brought something."
Oren made a noise of contempt. "They didn't even bring their own boxes. I'm sure we're expected to feed them."
"Fuckin' rude." Micah moved to stand next to Jorick. His eyes flicked from the raven-haired vampire to Katelina and then back again. "All right, let's get going before I have to give your human a go."
Jorick growled low in his throat but Oren said calmly, "He only does it to annoy you."
"Whatever you wanna think," Micah said cheerfully. "I don't suppose Loren's up yet?"
Oren nodded. "He already left."
"The fuckin' rat didn't wait for me?" Micah smirked evilly. "Just wait, when we catch up to him-"
Jorick interrupted him. "Yes. Let's go."
The three made their way through the house and out the back door. The wind was cold and blew tiny snow crystals into their faces. Katelina was the only one who seemed to notice, though neither of the vampires wore coats.
The dark sky spread above them like thick ink with no visible stars. An outside light illuminated a large patch of the back yard, but the yellow edges faded away into black long before it reached the trees. The bright light threw shadows across the snow, twisting the shapes into a world of unrecognizable silhouettes.
Katelina cringed as macabre thoughts filled her head, and Jorick caught her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Micah, as full of bravado as ever, charged ahead of them, plowing up snow with his heavy boots and sniffing the air for Loren's scent. As they entered the trees, the two vampires slipped into stealth mode. Even their movements were noiseless. Katelina tried to imitate them, but was unsuccessful. When she blundered through a low bush of thorns, she let loose a string of curse words about Mother Nature in general.
"Does she always make this much fuckin' racket?" Micah complained.
"Yes!" Jorick tightened his grip on her hand. His reply didn't make her feel better.
"Seriously, man, you should just drain her and forget it." Micah grinned widely. "I'll help."
She didn't need to be linked to feel the wave of anger that rolled off Jorick. He took a menacing step forward and then apparently thought better of it. "It's only Oren's protection that saves you."
"Yeah, and I don't like you either." Micah jerked his thumb towards the sound of a gurgling creek. "Let's see if we can find the pipsqueak." Then he started off on his own.
The other two followed him reluctantly. Katelina stared at his broad back and imagined a large wooden stake protruding from it. If only she had a knife and knew how to whittle. "Why don't we let him go alone?"
"I like to keep him where I can see him," Jorick's tone was savage. "I don't trust him."
"And I don't trust you, Executioner," Micah shot back without turning around. "Anyone who used to be a fucking dog of The Guild isn't worth trusting."
Jorick growled, but didn't deign to answer.
Despite having Katelina with them, they managed to find a large buck nosing through the snow. His head snapped up as they drew close, and his wary eyes picked them out from the trees and underbrush. He stood perfectly still, waiting, his breath vaporous white clouds. Micah took a step towards him and he bolted in a spray of snow.
The tattooed vampire laughed loudly and bounded after the buck. Jorick hesitated and then barked, "Stay!" Before Katelina could open her mouth to reply, he'd joined the chase and disappeared from view.
"That's nice!" she called after him. "Come. Go. Stay. No wonder they all call me your pet!"
Alone, she leaned back against a tree and huddled into her coat. Cold wind ruffled her hair and she wondered where global warming was. Scientists insisted the world was getting hotter but, shivering in the cold, that idea seemed very far away. If they said the earth was headed towards an ice age, she'd believe them.
Minutes passed and she hummed softly to alleviate the panic twisting in her gut. Jorick was taking a long time to return and her imagination supplied plausibly horrific reasons why. Perhaps the vampire coven from the basement was out and had started trouble, or maybe Jorick and Micah had gotten in a fight and Micah had won. She imagined the bald vampire creeping through the darkness, drawing closer and closer, his fangs bared as he prepared to strike her-
Something snapped. She spun around and searched the blackness. Her eyes frantically bounced from one shadow strewn patch to another. A coyote called loudly in the distance, and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. She licked her lips, and tried to quiet her pounding heart. Fighting for calm, she drew a tight, strangled breath.
Something moved; a patch of darkness that was shaped like a man. It took a step forward, and for a second she could see a pale face and a set of cold, angry eyes. Death was written in their depths; an icy cold death that stole her voice. Then it disappeared.
