Chapter 176
Jorick's eyes narrowed at Verchiel. "Did you want something or have you simply come to irritate us?"
Verchiel grinned. "A couple of things, actually. First, I wanted to make sure little Kately was all right, and second, that there were no hard feelings." He gave Jorick mock Bambi eyes. "You can't really be angry. I did keep her away from the bloodhound, after all."
"That's why I haven't killed you, but if you expect me to be grateful, you're going to be disappointed. If she hadn't been with you, then you wouldn't have needed to hide her from Senya!"
Verchiel cocked his head to one side. "Ah, come on. We both know that's not true. She'd have been here with Grumpyboots, who would have let Senya haul her off. And where would you both be now? You know what Malick wanted her for."
"Get out!" Jorick snarled, but Verchiel continued as if he hadn't spoken.
"He was going to use her to make you agree to come back. Lucky for her he changed his mind."
"I said get out!"
Katelina stared, wide-eyed at the prospect. "What? But..."
Oren laughed. "How sad. It probably would have worked."
Jorick glared and Oren shrugged in reply.
"I imagine he has a new plan in the works. You know how much he enjoys his chess games." Verchiel flashed a bright fanged grin. "Anyway, I wanted to stop by so you could thank me properly and we could make up and -"
Jorick jerked the door open and pointed through it furiously. "I said get out!"
Verchiel gave an exaggerated sigh. "Oh, all right. If you insist. I had hoped we could be friends."
And then Oren asked the question Katelina was wondering. "Why?"
"Why not?" Verchiel caught Katelina's attention and winked. "Maybe some of Kateesha's affection got passed on, huh? She was pretty Jorick-obsessed." He backed out the door, the same too cheerful smile on his face. "Well, I guess I'll see you all later! Have a nice trip home and all of that."
"It will be better for the knowledge that we won't see you again," Jorick spat emphatically.
"That hurts." Verchiel batted his eyes and then suddenly his face went serious and his voice dropped low. "I don't suppose you got my note?"
"What note?"
Verchiel winked. "Never mind. I guess you did. Makes one wonder what Malick sent Senya to do, doesn't it?"
Before Jorick could reply, the redhead was gone. He slammed the door and gave a wordless growl of frustration, then spun around and directed his fury at Oren. "I'm not surprised the idiot let Alistair get away, but how did he escape from you?"
Oren's eyes bulged. "Because he was faster than me!"
"And you couldn't go after him?"
"And leave your human bleeding on the floor? I did you a favor in defending her and this is how you thank me? Next time I'll leave him to it!"
Katelina objected to being talked about as though she was a house plant, but she didn't have time to voice it. The anger in Jorick's eyes flickered and then died. "No, you're right. You did defend her." He took a deep breath. "I'd rather you made sure she was all right than chase after him."
Oren watched him warily. "That's what I assumed."
With a generalized nod, Jorick helped Katelina to her feet. "Come, little one, we'll get you cleaned up."
Jorick took her to the bathroom and cleaned her wound. As Oren said, it was a tidy puncture mark, much like the one Jesslynn had left long ago. Though it would probably heal with no fuss, she wasn't sure the terror would fade as easily. When she closed her eyes she could see Alistair's cold, icy glare.
"We'll be home soon," Jorick told her gently. "Then you'll be safe."
"He was at Oren's and he followed us here. Why won't he follow us home?"
"He might," Jorick admitted. "But once we're away from here, I can dispose of him."
She wasn't sure if she was comforted or not. Alistair had beat Oren easily, but then, compared to Jorick, Oren was kind of a wimp. Or at least she thought of him that way. If Jorick had been there, he'd have slammed the other vampire through the wall and ripped his heart out.
"Yes," Jorick answered to her unspoken thoughts. "And I still will when I catch him."
She shivered at the thought of seeing him again - of being bitten again. "When he - attacked me there were- I saw things. He said he'd make me remember who he was."
"I've told you before that a vampire's bite is a complex connection. We can make someone see things, memories, if we want. A vampire has to choose to share, though, for them to be clear."
"I don't want him to share!" She wrapped her arms around herself. The blurry scene was still there, behind her eyelids, and so were his leftover feelings of outrage and sorrow. It was like when she'd thought Jorick was dead. She never wanted to feel it again. "I thought all of Kateesha's followers joined either Anya or Kale?"
Jorick paused, the washcloth halfway to the sink. "They did. If I remember, Kale said Alistair was with Anya."
Katelina bit back a frustrated scream. "Does that mean we're fighting with her?"
Jorick didn't seem to have an answer.
***
When her wound was clean, she changed her shirt and washed her hands. Though she wanted to shout, "I told you so", it seemed pointless. It would have been better had she been wrong. How could anyone like Kateesha enough to feel those things for her?
Jorick pulled Katelina into a tight hug and released her. She thought he was going to apologize for being absent. Instead, he took her hand and led her back into the bedroom.
Oren was seated in his usual chair. Without looking at them he asked, "Did you find the information you wanted?"
It took Jorick a moment to catch his meaning. "Oh. Yes." His forehead puckered angrily. "The buffoon was correct. Senya left earlier this evening, alone, and no one knows what her mission is, not even Ark."
In the aftermath, Katelina had forgotten his errand. "How do you know?"
"I asked him."
"Oh." She sat on the bed and stared at her hands. The whole situation made her feel very small and she hated it. "So, does it have anything to do with us?"
"I don't know." Jorick's eyes moved to Oren and some silent communication passed between them. "We have no way of knowing where she's headed. She may be going to nose around Oren's den while we're gone, or she may be on an unrelated errand. Who can tell?"
Katelina touched her neck gingerly and checked her fingertips for blood. There was none, but the brush with Alistair served to remind her who she was with. These were vampires and they lived in perpetual darkness for a reason.
The thought twisted a bitter expression on her face, and Jorick caught her gaze. "It's all right, little one. We're not getting involved, unless it already concerns us."
He'd misinterpreted her unhappiness and then added a condition anyway. There was always a condition. What had Malick said? That despite Jorick's assurances that he wanted peace, he had to keep taking on new battles in order to feel alive. The thought sent a shiver down her spine and painted a crimson hued picture of a future she wasn't sure she liked. She hoped Malick was wrong.
