Chapter 336
Maeko interrupted them. She and her group bowed low, and then she said, "And what about us, Jorick-ue? Do we need to accompany you to the United States or should we return home?"
Jorick gave something close to a sigh. "The Heart is no longer an issue. I see no reason for Malick or his underlings to hunt you."
"Thank you, Jorick-ue. In that case, with your permission, we will return home." She straightened and met Etsuko's gaze. "Though perhaps Etsuko-san would like to travel with you, if you would allow it? She has never seen the United States and such a trip might be educational for her, as well as enjoyable."
Jorick nodded and Maeko bowed again. "We thank you, Jorick-ue. Though should she remain with you then either yourself or Oren-san should claim her so that she is legal in the eyes of your Guild." She turned to Katelina, bowed again, and then suddenly flung her arms around her. Katelina stiffened in surprise, and bent to return the hug.
Maeko's lips brushed her ear and she whispered, "Take care of Jorick-ue, Kate-chan."
The girl released her, bowed once more, and led her miniature entourage away.
Oren shifted uncomfortably. "And what about us? I can't return to the U.S. The High Council-"
Jorick cut him off. "The only one who would have made a fuss was Cyprus, and I believe he's past that now."
Verchiel wandered over, his hands in his pockets. "I know I'm not going to mention you to the High Council. Besides, Eileifr probably knows anyway." He gave them a wink. "You might have been able to hide things from a mind reader, but not from someone who can see the future."
"Yes you can," Katelina said quietly. "Or Cyprus would have known that Sadihra wasn't dead."
"All this super power shit," Micah muttered. "You don't get that with normal vampires."
"You mean modern ones?" Verchiel asked. "Yeah, not so much. No one waits for their powers to develop anymore before they turn someone."
Katelina started to ask if he'd waited, but then she didn't know if he'd ever made a fledging or not.
"Curiosity killed the cat," he answered to her thoughts. "I think I'm off to bed, too."
"Good," Jorick said stiffly. "The collective IQ will rise."
"Now, now, that's not nice! Or true. I'm leaving baldy here!" Verchiel grinned as Micah snarled, then he turned towards the fire and saluted. "You got lucky Neil. I was going to request you for all my missions from now on." Then, he turned for the buildings and disappeared.
Oren glanced to Katelina, and looked away as quickly. "I hear that you killed Senya?"
She started. "Uh, well-" Yes, she had. She'd looked into Senya's cold eyes as she'd taken her life. "Yes, I did. She deserved it. She'd killed too many people." Though she didn't say it, Alexander flashed before her mind's eye; his brown eyes full of terror as they threw him to the flames. With Greneth and Senya dead, everyone who'd helped to murder the child had finally gotten what they deserved.
Oren nodded and Torina laughed, oblivious to Katelina's thoughts. "Well, well. What a surprise."
"So it's true?" Micah demanded. "Fuck, you are on a goddamn spree, aren't you? Maybe you're better than I thought. You just need someone to train you right. Come on, gimme six months and I'll turn you into a vampire killing machine."
"Hardly," Jorick drawled coldly.
"I'd do a better job than you do. All that pussy princess shit. I'd teach her to be a real vampire."
Loren perked up a little. "What? Are you going to turn her?"
"No!" Jorick snapped. "And if anyone else tries it will be the last thing they do!"
Loren backed up a step. "I didn't mean anything! I was just asking, geeze. I thought maybe she'd gotten over her commitment phobia or something."
Micah laughed. "Commitment phobia? Really? Pshhht. How pathetic. And here I thought there was hope for her." He grabbed Loren's good arm. "Come on pipsqueak. We might not have spent the night battling in the fucking mountains but I'm tired as shit from all the boring ass waiting around. And I tell you what, tomorrow we're getting on a fucking plane and we are going to a goddamn beach if I have to kill someone."
Loren broke into a grin. "Bikini girls here we come."
"You got it, kid. Ocean surf and bikini bitches. Oh yeah!"
Katelina rolled her eyes as the pair walked off into the night. Oren watched them go. "An unlikely pair."
Jorick nodded, and when no more words came Oren cleared his throat. "I believe we'll retire as well. Until tomorrow."
Torina laid a hand on Jorick's arm. "Yes, good night, and should you find that your bed is a little too cold-" Katelina glared and the redhead broke into laughter. "Of course, I'm only joking." But, the sway of her hips as she walked away made Katelina doubt the truth in her words.
Oren stopped for a moment, his eyes on nothing. His lips tightened, relaxed, and then tightened again. Finally he said, "Now they can rest in peace." He cleared his throat and lifted his chin a notch. "I'm glad to see you've finally done something useful."
Katelina glared after him, a retort on her tongue, but Jorick laid a finger to his lips. "It's the best he can manage. Words were never Oren's strong point."
Etsuko bowed quickly. "Please excuse Oren-sama. I am sure he meant it well." She bowed again. "I wish you both good night." And then she hurried after him.
Jorick chuckled. "She's going to be harder to get rid of than he thinks. She's already apologizing for him."
"I can't imagine why," Katelina replied. "I warned her about what an ass he was."
"I see how well that worked."
Katelina fell silent and turned her eyes to the flames. Neil's body had been consumed, or at least she couldn't smell it anymore. The wood snapped and popped, sending sparks trailing into the night sky. She leaned against Jorick and thought about Verchiel's words. She'd seen so many deaths; too many, but maybe he was right. So long as she remembered them, they weren't really gone.
"So we're going home?" she asked quietly.
"Possibly. There's at least one stop we need to make first."
His words filled her with dread. "What kind of stop?"
"Oh, I don't know. I thought you wanted to go to some ridiculous, tropical beach, but if not-"
She perked up and then suspicion took over. "You keep promising that, but something always happens. I don't believe it anymore."
He chuckled. "Unless the True Council takes us prisoner, I will take you to the beach before we return to the Citadel. I promise. After all, what better time to do it then when we have a private plane already set to go for free?"
"You don't really think they'll take us prisoner, do you?"
He sighed. "No, that was an attempt at a joke. Apparently it failed."
"It often does," she teased. Despite the joviality, fear gnawed at her insides. "What about Malick and Samael?"
Jorick tightened his arm around her. "We'll let them destroy one another. It's over, little one."
The sentence was simple, but somehow she knew it wouldn't really work that way. Malick was far from defeated and, instead of resurrecting an ancient God to do their bidding, they'd unleashed a new horror on the world. No matter what Jorick said it wasn't over yet.
She only hoped they would live through it.
