Chapter 313
Katelina clutched Jorick's arm and gaped as Sorino lifted his head to acknowledge them, then looked back to the map. He held a jeweler's glass to one eye and shook his head. "It isn't as old as you claim, Thadimus, and certainly not worth the price."
The mustachioed man frowned, then quickly smiled. "Perhaps you are mistaken, my friend? But come, the others have arrived." He turned to the newcomers and gave them a bright fanged smile. "Welcome to Thadimus' Treasure Trove. May you find what your heart desires. Come, come." He motioned them farther into the room at the same time as he waved the other occupants out. "Perhaps one of you would be interested in a rare map, commissioned by the king of Babylon? Five mapmakers lost their heads when they made a mistake with the river, see, just there? Hector, how about you? I could let it go at half price for a friend."
"No thanks, old chap, and I'm afraid I can't stay. Have to race the sun as it is, but I wanted to be sure they were delivered safe and sound. Until next time." He gave a loose salute, and then headed back the way they'd come.
Sorino pocketed his glass and gazed at the group with his usual cool expression. His eyes landed on Kai and something close to a smile flickered over his lips. "I trust your journey was uneventful?"
"What are you doing here?" Oren demanded. "Where's my sister?"
Sorino's nose wrinkled and he picked imaginary lint from his jacket. "She's here someplace, as are the rest of the motley crew. I could no more lose them than Jorick could." He caught the dark vampire's eyes. "That was a sneaky trick to play. Luckily, I had an ace up my sleeve."
"You mean your human?" Oren snapped.
"No. I meant the demon eye. What is his name? Cyprus?"
Katelina groaned and smacked herself in the forehead. They'd been so busy worrying that Kai might be linked that they'd forgotten about Cyprus. Of course, when they didn't meet up as planned, he'd used his abilities to locate them and brought the whole miniature army with him!
"That's how Hector knew to bring us here," Jorick said. "He knew Kai would be joining his master, and he'd already brought you here."
"Yes, as a matter of fact." Sorino adjusted his cuffs. "We arrived last night with your friends on our heels, so your diversion plan almost worked. We had a bit of a tussle at the airfield and once they realized Jorick wasn't with us, they left quickly enough. I imagine they'll be back once they trace your trip."
Katelina started to ask what friends, but then she guessed. Senya and the others. Could that have been who Hector meant when he'd mentioned a hideous woman who'd refused to pay?
Footsteps sounded and a familiar red head suddenly poked through the doorway. Verchiel broke into a grin and sauntered inside. "Well hello! It's about time you showed up! How are things, Kately? Jorick? And Neil! I see you're still alive! Did you have a good trip?"
"We're fine," Jorick snapped irritably. "And we're also tired, so if we can have the scroll and somewhere to rest-"
Thadimus chuckled. "The scroll? Come, come, it's not so easy as that, a priceless object such as the great vampire scroll! No, no, we'll have to discuss payment, and of course you must all have an equal chance to purchase." He held out his arms as if he might sweep them into a hug. "But rest and refreshment, now those I can do. Slaves!" He clapped his hands and the scantily clad women snapped to attention. "Take our guests to the reclining room and bring them whatever refreshment they require." He reached to the nearest girl and caught her chin in his fingertips. "And if they wish to have a taste of one of my exotic flowers, then perhaps a payment agreement can be reached."
Sorino swept to his feet. "Thank you anyway, but my own supply will be sufficient. Come, Kai."
The boy followed obediently and Katelina's stomach turned. She hoped one day Kai grew up and stood up to Sorino!
"Who's to say he minds it? Best to stay out of other people's relationships," Verchiel warned cheerfully. "You don't want them poking into yours."
Katelina turned her angry eyes on the redhead. "I thought your mind reading only worked when you were stressed?"
"What? You think I'm relaxed?" he asked innocently. "The world is stress, and we have been cast in the midst of turmoil like-"
"Oh shut up." Jorick caught Katelina's elbow. "Come, little one, before I have to take his head off."
"That would make a mess!" Verchiel called after them. "And you'd have to pay to have it cleaned up."
Oren snorted. "Hardly. There aren't enough brains in his head to make more than a spot."
Katelina refused to admit that she agreed.
***
Katelina needed to pee, so they stopped at a bathroom on their way. There was no toilet paper, and when Katelina banged on the door to inquire, the slave informed her that it would cost extra.
"You're joking!" Katelina cried.
"It's standard practice," the slave explained, her voice muffled by the door. "Would you like some?"
"No, I'd rather drip dry," she muttered sarcastically. "Jorick! Pay her for the damned toilet paper!"
A moment passed and then the slave said, "I'll be back." Katelina tapped her foot impatiently until the door opened and a slender hand reached through, holding a roll. "This is yours. You should keep it with you."
So far Katelina wasn't enamored with Egypt.
The reclining room was stuffed with couches and lounges, hung with exotic tapestries, peppered with palm plants and smoky with too much incense. Katelina sat stiffly next to Jorick and held back a yawn. Whoever had decorated Thadimus' complex would have done well working as a designer for whorehouses.
The silent women brought bowls of fruit for the humans and glasses of blood for the vampires. Oren took a long drink from his, then choked and nearly spat it out.
"It's goat blood," Sorino said. "Spiced with saffron. He does try to impress."
Neil frowned at his glass and sniffed the contents. "Why would you add anything to it?"
"To break up the monotony." Sorino took a long drink and handed his glass to Kai. Katelina looked away as the boy brought it to his lips. He really was more vampire than human.
The curtain over the door swished aside and Torina waltzed through, a mixture of fury and relief on her face. Hands on her hips, she glared from Jorick to Oren. "It's about time you showed up! What did you think you were doing, leaving me behind with this bunch of idiots?" She tossed her hair. "Honestly, Oren! It's going to take a lot for me to forgive this!"
"It wasn't my idea," Oren grumbled. "But you survived."
"Survived?" she demanded. "Survived? I'll show you survived!" She broke off to squint at Etsuko, who was staring at her through narrowed eyes. "Who in the world is that?"
"A human," Oren muttered quickly.
"Obviously, but why is she here? How many of them do we need?"
Etsuko's eyes narrowed until they almost disappeared.
Jorick snickered and Katelina imagined what would happen when he told Torina the story. The haughty redhead would laugh and then spend her time making Etsuko's life miserable, if for no other reason than to amuse herself. With a sharp hissing "shhhh", Katelina jammed her elbow into Jorick's ribs.
Verchiel sauntered through the door and made a beeline for Torina. He stopped just behind her and leaned his chin on her shoulder. She smirked, patted him on the head and then pulled away.
"Aw, you're not going to go cold on me just because your big brother showed up?" Verchiel batted his eyelashes.
Etsuko relaxed while Torina arched her eyebrows. "I didn't know I was ever warm to you, darling." The way she purred the last word gave Katelina the impression that she had indeed been "warm".
Oren downed his glass of blood in one gulp and made a face. "Where are the others?"
Torina rolled her emerald eyes. "If you mean the Executioner and that pudgy German girl, then God knows. They're always off somewhere alone. As for Micah and Loren, they went on a hunt, and good luck to them. The only animals in this God forsaken place seem to be the domestic ones, and their stench is enough to turn me off."
Verchiel leaned close and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, "I didn't know anything turned you off, sweetheart."
"Oh yes, lots of things do." She looked him up and down and smirked. "Short men, for a start."
He clutched his chest and feigned pain. "You wound me! And I thought we had something special!"
Katelina choked on a grape and looked away. Torina was one vampire she hadn't missed!
Oren waved the flirting pair to silence. "If you can't have a decent conversation, then go elsewhere. Some of us are trying to keep our meal down."
When they finished their dinner, they were shown to the communal shower room. Katelina gratefully slipped out of her travel stained clothes and took a lukewarm shower. Jorick joined her, against her objections, but he was too tired for more than a quick bath. It was just as well since the water, obviously on some kind of timer, shut off before Katelina had even had a chance to condition her hair.
They found their room further down the hall. Though it was small and cramped, and the bed was low and looked lumpy, they were alone in it, and that was enough to make Katelina grateful.
She threw herself on the bed and gave a satisfied sigh. "Thank God, some privacy at last!"
Jorick stripped off his clothes and, reached for the light. She had a momentary view of his perfect, naked skin before the room was plunged into darkness. He slid into the bed beside her and she snuggled luxuriously against him. Conflicting desires flickered in her mind; one carnal and the other sleep-deprived. Though his freshly washed scent filled her nose and his well-muscled body seemed to flow beneath her hands, her exhaustion won out and she drifted into dreams before he'd even told her good night.
