Chapter 266
The following evening Katelina prepared for her shopping trip. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the old landline phone, its light up buttons a guilty reminder of someone she was supposed to call.
She groaned and lifted the receiver from the cradle. She was an adult in her own right, and didn't need to report to Mommy, but since she didn't know how long they'd be in Munich she'd better get the call out of the way. The last thing she needed was to be listed as a missing person again.
Her mother answered on the third ring. "Hello? Who is this?"
"Hi, Mom. It's me. Katelina."
"Kately! Where are you calling from this time?"
She breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently the caller ID didn't say Vampire Citadel. "Jorick's office. I just wanted to let you know we're going to be away for a while."
"You've been nothing but away since you met him!" her mom huffed. "If his computer-what's-it job is so lucrative, then why hasn't he bought a house yet? Are you still living in that van?"
Katelina sighed. It was the same conversation she'd had before. "We don't live in a van! He owns a house in Maine and he travels for business. I already told you that. If you don't have anything else to talk about-"
Her mother sighed. "Fine. It's your life. But be warned it's going to take me a long time to forgive him for luring you away without giving you time to tell anyone!"
"He didn't lure me-" she broke off. There was no point. "Forget it. What's new with you?"
"Oh, not much. Brad's going back to school."
Brad. He'd dated Sarah, Katelina's best friend, until she disappeared. Brad thought that she was kidnapped by drug dealers or other shady characters related to Jorick, and he was partially right. She'd been taken and murdered by vampires who mistook her for Katelina. It was a guilt Katelina had to carry forever.
Her mother prattled on. "He's going to be a pharmacy tech. I'm not sure if it makes more money, but we discussed it and agreed he's getting too old to be a bartender. He'll be thirty-one next month."
Her words pulled Katelina from her funk. "You discussed it? Oh God, you guys aren't still-" she couldn't say the words.
"We're friends, Katelina, if you must stick your nose into things. I am allowed to have friends."
"But not the kind who stay the night. Ew! Mom! You're sleeping with my old best friend's ex-boyfriend!"
"Old best friend? What does that mean? Do you know something about Sarah?"
Katelina stifled a groan. Shit! She needed to stay on the offensive. "No, I don't and that's beside the point. Mom, he's young enough to be your son! What can he possibly see in you?"
"You don't think he could find me attractive because I'm old? Is that what you're saying?"
It was, but she knew better than to admit it. "No. I'm saying that you're too- different. I've seen his apartment. Talk about a Spartan 'everything-in-it's-place' kinda guy. Your chaotic clutter would drive him nuts. And he likes to go dancing, and to hot tub parties and crap like that. And he always wanted Sarah done up to impress his friends."
"Maybe I like to go to hot tub parties and go dancing. It might surprise you, but I'm not a grandmother." She broke off. "Am I?"
"God! No!"
"All right then. I married your father right out of high school, had you a year later, and then he died when you were three. I stayed single because I owed it to you, Kately. I didn't want you to be one of those girls whose mother drags in a man, only to later break up with him and bring home another. You're not a child anymore. You're grown up, off with some bum-"
"Hey!"
"- and you don't need me to take care of you. I don't owe you my celibacy. As for being 'old', I'm not old enough to be his mother. He's only thirteen years younger. And, though you don't believe it, I still dress up pretty damn nice. Now I don't want to hear any more about it."
"What about Dad?"
"What about him? Kately, I loved your father very much, but we were only together for five years and that was a long time ago."
Katelina struggled for understanding. "If you're not ridiculously devoted to his memory, then why do we have to do Grave Day every November? I thought it was because you were still in love with him! That you couldn't get over it!"
Her mother gave a sad laugh. "No, honey, it's because I wanted you to remember him. You were so young when he died. You don't have any real memories of him, so I tried to give you some. Maybe I went about it the wrong way, but I never meant to give you the impression that I was emotionally crippled."
"I never thought you were emotionally crippled! Just- committed. Forever. Like people are supposed to be."
"There's nothing wrong with being committed forever, if that's what you want and it works out, but honey, no one should chain themselves to someone, living or dead, just because that's what you're supposed to do. Commitment isn't a prison."
"Sure it's not." The words were out before she could stop them, but it didn't matter. "Look, I have to go. I have an appointment to go shopping. I'll send you a postcard or something."
Her mother sighed. "Fine. I'm sorry if you're mad, but I'm not going to pretend to be something I'm not just to make you happy. I love you."
"Yeah, I love you too. Goodbye."
She dropped the receiver into the cradle and flung herself on the couch. She suspected that a psychological breakthrough was hidden in their conversation, but she didn't want to think about it.
Later she headed out to meet her escort. His keycard wouldn't get him into the Executioners' block, so she had to wait for him in the main corridor. Tall and dark, he turned up on time dressed in his gray uniform. He introduced himself as Neil and his uncomfortable eyes told her that Jorick was right; he understood the penalties for failure and was terrified of them.
In the elevator, their fellow passengers stared at them curiously and Katelina shrank back into the corner. If only he wasn't wearing his uniform, then she wouldn't look like a prisoner being escorted!
The first floor was less packed than usual, no doubt because of the casualties of the recent battle. The atrium's ruined doors had been replaced, and she stopped to peer inside. The debris had been cleared away and the six story high ceiling had been repaired. Several vampires in coveralls were retiling the floor.
Katelina's eyes moved past them to the back wall. The waterfall was silent, and the pool beneath it was empty and oblivious to the fact that it had been used to execute vampires only three days ago. She'd never forget the way that Alex, Fabian and Jeda had been thrown into the sundrenched water.
The memories made her sick and, without a word to her guard, she turned for the shopping mall. She didn't look back, but she could feel him following. Though he was a vampire, he was too nervous to be intimidating.
She ducked through a doorway draped in vines and emerged in a large, round room. The ceiling was made of thick, milky glass over light bulbs, to imitate a skylight and sunshine. The trick worked and between the light and the warm red bricks, the shopping area felt comfortable and inviting. Or would have if it didn't have a handful of pale vampires shopping in it.
Open fronted stores lined the walls, selling everything from vacuum cleaners to computers. Katelina walked past them and through a second doorway that led to an identical room. The difference was that the next batch of stores sold only clothing and jewelry. The displays were a jumble of eras and styles; as if all of history had crowded into one place and someone had put price tags on it.
