Chapter 315
Oren was sulking in the reclining room with a glass of blood. Etsuko was seated primly on the edge of a seat behind him, her almond eyes trained on the back of his head. Torina lounged on a low sofa, wearing a revealing purple dress and matching heels. Loren and Micah leaned on the back of the sofa, their attention on her cleavage.
"And there's Jorick, come to join the party." Torina held up her glass in a mock toast. "I'm sure the little slaves will be along to give you your breakfast shortly - unless you've already fed?" The corner of her mouth twisted in a lascivious smirk and Katelina blushed.
Neil skulked through the door, dressed in his gray guard uniform. His dark eyes skipped from glass to glass and his shoulders sagged. "Is it spiced, again?"
"Always," Torina answered. "If you don't like it, you can pay for the fresh supply." She nodded as one of the scantily clad slaves entered carrying a tray. "She's willing to give it to you for a price."
To Katelina's disgust, the woman stopped before Neil and offered her scarred neck. "Thadimus' prices are very reasonable," she said in a thickly accented voice. "For five minutes it is only-"
"No, no," Neil said quickly. "The, uh, the spiced stuff is fine." He grabbed a glass from the tray and downed it quickly. His nose wrinkled, but he gave a fake smile. "Good."
"Ah shit, of course it's not good." Micah jerked his head towards Katelina. "Wonder how much Jorick would charge us to have a little taste of Lunch? It's probably cheaper than Thadi-what's-its prices."
"It'll cost you your life," Jorick said coldly.
Micah snorted. "Shit, that's almost what Thadi-wack charges. Hey, who owns the Jap girl? She is a Jap, right?"
Katelina rounded on him, "Are you just an insensitive asshole or what? Her name is Etsuko! And no one owns her! She's a human being!"
Torina scoffed. "I imagine she belongs to Jorick's little fledgling since they're both from the same country." Her eyes danced as she goaded Katelina. "That little girl has three mouths to feed and only two humans. I doubt she'll share with you."
Katelina glared, but Jorick winked. "Let it go, little one. It doesn't matter."
But it did. Just looking at Torina sprawled on the couch as if she owned the place, and every male in it, made Katelina want to argue. Add Micah's normally abrasive personality and she was ready for a knock-down-drag-out.
The scantily dressed slave left and returned with breakfast for the humans. It was some kind of meat drizzled with a mysterious sauce and garnished with slices of fruit. Katelina thought of the pungent camel odor outside and hoped that whatever she was eating had been imported.
She'd barely finished her breakfast when Jorick stood and declared they should see if Thadimus was "ready to auction off the scroll."
Torina yawned and stretched. "I don't see what the fuss is over a musty piece of paper. You might as well let Sorino spend his money on it and keep your own."
"Then he'd refuse to let us see it," Katelina snapped.
"If he does and you actually need the thing, take it from him. It's not that difficult." She motioned them away. "Never mind. Go waste your money on random ancient scribbling and see if you're better off for it."
Katelina glowered, but Jorick steered her out of the room before she could say anything else. She dragged to a stop as they plunged outside into the courtyard. "What the hell? I wasn't finished!"
"There's no point in fighting with her," Jorick said with strained patience. "You're just upset because you perceive her as a threat."
Katelina's eyes bulged. "A threat to what?"
"Who knows? It's apparently a woman thing, and those are never logical." Amusement twinkled in his eyes as he caught her hands. "You're intellectually superior to her, so there's no need to prove it."
"Only intellectually?"
He gave an impatient sigh. "You're aesthetically superior."
"Aesthetically? Really? Can't you say 'you're more beautiful than she is'?"
"Fine. You're more beautiful than she is. Now can we go? Or do I need to feed your ego some more so that you can let go of a silly argument?"
Verchiel suddenly materialized next to them. "What silly argument?"
"None of your business." Jorick pulled Katelina away as though the red haired vampire was a venomous snake ready to strike.
Verchiel stuck his hands in his pockets. "Ah, I see. Comparing yourself to his ex. Never a good idea, Kately."
Katelina jerked away from Jorick. "She's hardly his ex! They had a-a brief- thing a long, long time ago and he dumped her because she was too much of a slut!"
Verchiel snickered. "Did he tell you that? Because that's not what I heard."
"Shut up and go away," Jorick said coldly.
Katelina hesitated. No one had ever really explained what had happened to end things between Torina and Jorick, and her curiosity was suddenly piqued. "Then what did happen?"
"Nothing!" Jorick barked. "Now, come!"
Katelina pulled her hand away. "I'm not a dog, Jorick! What happened between you and Torina to end your... your thing."
"Nothing in particular," he answered stiffly. His dark eyes were coals waiting to flame to life and consume Verchiel for bringing it up.
"Really? So you're saying you'd still be with her?"
"We just weren't compatible, all right? There was no break up, no big scene, no dramatic event. She wanted to be courted. I made a few attempts at it, a long, long time ago, and then stopped when her vapid shallowness got on my nerves."
"I guess her shallowness wasn't enough to stop you from seeing her now and then, though?" Verchiel asked innocently.
Jorick swore under his breath and Katelina spun towards him. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It has nothing to do with us. I stopped- seeing Torina long ago."
"Not so long ago." Verchiel coughed. "Oh come on, Jorick! Isn't it best to be honest and get it all out in the open? From what I understand, you and Oren's sister have had a little 'arrangement' for a long time. Though you took a break while you were married, and during her one attempt at a committed relationship, it only recently came to permanent halt. Or at least that's what she said."
"What? You're saying he's been sleeping with her all these years?" Katelina felt a knot of hot jealousy form in her stomach.
"Only now and then," Verchiel answered. "Nothing serious, just a little something to take the edge off when-"
Jorick grabbed at Verchiel but the redhead was already several feet away. "That's not very nice," he called. "And here I was trying to reassure little Kately with the knowledge that you'd given up your - what is it they call them now? Friend with benefits? - just for her, so there's no need for her to be jealous!"
Sorino stuck his head out the door, his expression cold. "What is this racket?"
"An idiot asking to die!" Jorick answered.
"For what?" Katelina demanded. "Telling me the truth?"
"It has nothing to do with the truth! He's trying to get you riled up!"
"Of course I am, because it's so much fun!" Verchiel's eyes twinkled. "Or it could just be my misguided attempt at a good deed. You never know."
Sorino looked down his nose at all of them. "I don't care what it is, do it quietly."
"Why?" Jorick turned his suspicious gaze on the thin vampire. "Are you and Thadimus discussing the price of the scroll?"
"Hardly. There are others coming first." Something smug settled around Sorino's mouth and he drew his head back inside. "I'll send for you when they come, shall I?"
"See that you do. And you-" Jorick spun back to Verchiel, but the red head only winked, mouthed, "think about it, Kately" and then disappeared.
Jorick's threat turned into a growl and he stormed back to the building they'd just left, but Katelina wasn't finished. "Was he telling the truth?"
Jorick stopped at the door and turned to face her. "About what? Fine! Yes! Torina and I occasionally had what you might call encounters. Occasionally! But before you use that bit of information to fuel your ridiculous jealousy-"
"Ridiculous jealousy?" she echoed. "Excuse me for being just a wee bit jealous of someone who's not only beautiful and oozes sex from every pore, but has been banging around with you off and on for a few hundred years! You're right. Nothing for me to worry about!"
"Obviously it isn't! As you pointed out, it's been over a hundred years, so if it was something of interest to me, don't you think it would have already come to fruition? If I still chose you, after 'banging around', as you so eloquently put it, then there must be a reason for that! As the idiot said, think about it!"
She wasn't sure whether to be angry, suspicious, or appeased, so she just sniffed disdainfully and quipped, "Just because she's too shallow and vapid for a real relationship doesn't mean she isn't good in the sack." Jorick rolled his eyes and she relented. "Fine. So it's over between you two and I shouldn't be jealous, but you might have told me."
He held her eyes and asked seriously, "Why? Are you any better for the knowledge?"
"Well- because." Because I want to know. What kind of reason was that? Because I'm so possessive I don't like the idea of you having been with anyone who's still alive to talk about it? That was the kind of answer he'd love. She struggled and managed to say, "So that when someone else told me I wouldn't be surprised."
"I didn't think anyone was going to tell you, as there's not much to tell." Jorick ran an impatient hand through his hair. "Fine. I'm sorry. Is there anything else you want to know?"
"I don't know. Do you have any other ex's I should worry about?"
"None that spring to mind. Do you? Or were you a virgin before we met?"
"Very funny." But his point was made, whether she liked it or not. "So who else is coming?"
"Sorino's friends, if you want to call them that. His fellow treasure hunters."
"He invited them here? In the middle of all of this?" She waved her arms to indicate Senya, Malick and Wolfe. "My God! He's an idiot!"
"A crafty idiot. No doubt he's up to something. Let's go in, before we have any more surprise guests."
"Don't you mean surprise guests starting conversations you don't want to have?"
He didn't bother to answer.
