Chapter 239
She woke in the late afternoon, more exhausted than when she'd gone to bed. Nightmares clung like cobwebs; flashing fangs, lifeless eyes, pain, pleasure, burning vampires. She needed Jorick, and where was he? He'd stormed off and left her alone in the middle of a vampire fortress!
She peeled off the bandage and checked the wound in the mirror. The puncture marks were bigger and rougher than usual. They nearly blended into one another, as if Verchiel had tried to bite clear through her neck in his frenzy.
Her wrist was sore, but she could finally get it wet. She took a shower and dressed in the same old clothes again. As she flopped on the bed, she decided that she should start carrying extra underwear in her pockets. Then she wouldn't feel so disgusting.
The room closed in on her. The noise from the TV did little to break the suffocating atmosphere, and in desperation she called to the sixth floor for food. When it was delivered, she had to stop herself from latching onto the delivery boy and begging him to stay.
She poked through the scrambled eggs and contemplated a life without food. Meals were like little landmarks on the map of the day, but vampires generally fed only once. Jorick spent the free time reading, Rachel and her crew had been renovating, and Oren and company made war plans. What did normal vampires do? Was there even such a thing as a normal vampire?
The TV bored her and she thought about calling her mother. She could wish her a belated happy New Year. She wondered what the Citadel came up as on caller ID. She imagined her mother getting a call labeled "Vampire Citadel". For some reason it made her laugh more than it should.
Several hours had passed when a knock sounded on the door. She doubted it was Jorick, so she made no move to answer.
Like yesterday, the knock repeated and then the door opened. Instead of Greneth's sneering face, a red head poked inside. "Hello?"
She stared with wide eyes, then leapt off the bed, her hand on her throat. "What are you doing here?"
Verchiel stepped into the room. He was back to normal, including his cheerful grin. "About yesterday-"
"I don't want to talk about it! Where's Jorick?"
Verchiel shut the door and stepped towards her. "Malick has him jumping through hoops."
She backed away warily. "Just stay where you are!"
He sighed. "Look, Kately, about what happened-" he searched for words. "It's just a thing, you know? That's a risk you take when you hang out with vampires."
"Funny, it's never happened to me before!"
He grinned good-naturedly and came to a stop before her. "Sure it has. Lots of times. Don't make me count off the scars and guess who made them."
"I said get back!"
"What? Are you afraid I'm going to do it again?" He snapped his fangs at her teasingly.
She jumped away, a hand to her throat. "Maybe."
He rolled his eyes. "Have I ever attacked you before? Seriously, I wouldn't have gone after you yesterday if I wasn't starving to death." He stuck his hands in his pockets; the picture of casual innocence. "I didn't even recognize you at the time."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"I dunno. Just telling it like it is. People do the same kind of things when they're starving to death. Ever hear of the Donner party?"
"That's different!"
He leveled his gaze with hers. "You're right. I attacked you on base instinct. They put forethought into murder and cannibalism. Good point."
She turned away from his logic and stared at nothing. The part that Jorick was upset about, the part that was the most disturbing-
"Wasn't my fault. I can't help what you did."
She spun around and slammed her fist uselessly into his shoulder. He caught her wrist and discarded it with a laugh. "There's no need for violence. What? Is Jorick worried I taste better?" She gaped, horrified, and he laughed. "Ah, he'll get over it in a couple of days. It all comes with the territory of being a vampire junkie."
"I am not a vampire junkie!"
His insanely red eyebrows shot up. "You could have fooled me. Who else would have followed Malick into a cage with a starving vampire?" He turned suddenly serious. "Malick will use you to keep control of Jorick. That was just a demonstration of what he can do. If he has to use you again, it will be much worse."
Before she could contemplate Malick's horrible plans, Verchiel was his chipper self again. "In good news, I'm grounded for awhile for 'disobeying', so we can pal around. Isn't that wonderful?" He ruffled her hair and she jerked away. "Go make yourself presentable because this room is boring."
***
She knew she should stay put, but after the last few days, she was desperate for a friendly face. Na?ve or not, she didn't believe Verchiel would attack her again. She couldn't really reconcile the smeary memories of the blood crazed vampire in the cell with Verchiel, anyway. It was as if they were two separate entities. She decided that was the way to leave it.
She finger combed her hair, tugged at her clothes, and pronounced herself done. Verchiel asked, "Are you sure?" then snickered and led her to the elevators. While they waited for one to arrive, a woman in a short skirt and a low cut blouse ambled up, a dark male vampire on her arm. She gave Verchiel an obvious once over. He returned the favor and she ran her fingers over a collection of knotted scars on her neck and shoulder. Before he could comment, the dark male snarled and pulled her tighter to his side. Verchiel smirked, and when the elevator doors slid open, he motioned for the pair to go ahead of them. Katelina assumed they'd wait for another elevator, but he walked in behind them, seemingly oblivious to the thick tension.
The pair thankfully exited at the second floor, while she and Verchiel's destination was the first. When the elevator stopped, they climbed out into a broad, tiled hallway. Between the elevators was a bank of silver trimmed glass doors that led into the atrium. Katelina had been in there on her last visit and had tossed a penny into the pool at the base of the waterfall. She'd wished to never come back, yet there she was. What could she expect from a wish made on a vampire waterfall?
Verchiel led her next to a copper wall fountain and stopped. "So what do you want to do? I think there's a new movie playing." He eyed her clothes. "Or maybe you should go shopping."
The idea of a vampire city, complete with entertainment, still boggled her mind. She couldn't comprehend a shopping center, not that it mattered. "I don't have any money."
"You don't need to. Old Jorick's back on the payroll. Besides, The Guild probably handles at least half his stash. How else do you think he's paying for the room and all the meals? We can charge it to his account."
"That will just piss him off more."
"So? He should have thought of that." He gave her a wink and caught her arm. "Come on. He's got plenty to spare. I doubt he'll notice."
