Chapter 35
Katelina and Jorick drove through the silent dead streets, until they came to what looked like an abandoned warehouse. The rusted aluminum monster squatted among weeds. Its broken windows were like shiny teeth that gleamed in the streetlights.
Jorick parked the vehicle and Katelina followed him across the ruined parking lot. He moved as a shadow, swift and silent, as he slipped towards the building. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't imitate his quiet tread as she picked her way through the undergrowth and broken beer bottles.
They reached the door to the warehouse and she nervously traced the peeling paint with her eyes. Jorick glanced around once to make sure they were alone and then tugged the door open. It stood like a yawning black mouth and Katelina suddenly wondered if maybe she should have stayed behind, but she didn't have long to contemplate it. Jorick plunged inside and she had to follow him hurriedly or risk being left behind.
Her eyes didn't adjust to the blackness as quickly as his so she caught his sleeve and held on tightly as he navigated through the ruined building. He glanced back at her and nodded.
The silence was so thick she felt she would choke on it. Her ears strained for every tiny sound: a rat scampering across the floor, the breeze whistling softly through the broken windows, the flap of a sheet of plastic that hung against the wall. Her eyes searched the gloom and she tried not to jump at every shadow. Really, she didn't understand why Jorick's business couldn't have been in a nice restaurant, or at least somewhere with electricity!
She was so busy eyeing a pile of mysterious refuse that she didn't notice Jorick stop suddenly and ended up bumping into him. He held his body rigid, so completely still that Katelina swore his heart had even stopped beating.
Her search of the gloom revealed nothing, but her clutch on his sleeve grew tighter. She opened her mouth to ask what was going on when he broke the silence with a single word, "Kateesha."
The woman seemed to appear from nothing. Her dark skin gleamed in the pale light, and her black hair flowed behind her as she came across the dusty room. Her long dress was low cut and barely contained her ample breasts. The fleshy mounds threatened to break loose at any moment.
She walked towards them slowly, with an almost liquid motion. Her eyes landed on Katelina and she licked her lips delightedly. "Jorick, you brought some entertainment? A gift, perhaps?" Her full lips curved in a savage smile at the idea.
"She's with me." His eyes flicked towards Katelina then back to Kateesha.
"A human? I had no idea you were looking for a pet." Her laughter was as smooth as silk and as rich as imported wine. It made Katelina want to laugh along with it, though she knew she really didn't want to.
"She is no pet." His voice was firm and his gaze unwavering.
"Interesting." Kateesha came to a stop before them and her eyes narrowed in scrutiny. She caught Katelina beneath the chin and lifted her face into a shaft of light. "I've seen much prettier, Jorick."
"Perhaps," was all he said while Katelina scowled at the insult.
Disappointed, Kateesha dropped her hand and studied him. "I didn't intend to discuss our business with company." Her eyes glittered dangerously and her tone indicated a subtle, sinister meaning as she glared at him.
"It's her business, too. She was Patrick's."
Comprehension dawned on Kateesha's face. "Ah, the human's little lover!" She nearly clapped her hands in amusement and her smile grew wider. "How intriguing! I had no idea you found such an interest in them anymore, all things considered." She eyed him meaningfully. "Still, I don't think-"
Jorick cut her off. "She is here. We will either discuss it now or we won't. It makes no difference to me."
Her musical laughter echoed off the walls. "Very well, Jorick. You always were the grim one, weren't you? All work and no play," her voice gave suggestions of the games she'd like to play with him before she switched to a more business like demeanor. "I assume you've seen," she paused and glanced warily at Katelina. " - it?"
He nodded, but gave no other sign of what he was thinking. "Yes, I have. The move could not have happened any later. The Guild came."
Kateesha caught her breath and released it slowly before she echoed, "The Guild?"
"Yes. Jesslynn and the children were killed, along with the mad one." He leveled his gaze with the vampiress, gauging her reaction.
"How did they know to look there?" her voice rose slightly, high with a touch of either panic or outrage. "Yes, they'd been fighting off and on, but he hadn't made a public move against Claudius in ages. They knew you were helping them, but Michael told Claudius that he and his brother were responsible." Her eyes flashed. "Why should they think it was at Oren's den?"
Jorick's expression revealed his suspicion. "I don't know. I believe someone told them."
Offence flared on her features. "Well, it wasn't me, if that's what you're implying." She looked thoughtful, apparently mulling the news over, and her voice was regretful when she spoke again. "Damn, Jesslynn." She shook her head in disbelief, so that her long hair rippled. "She was crazy, but strong."
"Yes. But if it wasn't you, then I fear who it might have been." He shifted his arms and inadvertently dislodged Katelina's hand from his sleeve. She gave him a startled look and wordlessly he laced his fingers with hers in an effort to comfort her.
"What about Michael?" Kateesha asked. "I heard that he escaped. Oren was right, you should have had a guard on him."
"It had nothing to do with a guard," Jorick muttered. "Besides, Michael didn't know the location. We were careful to keep it from him, unless you told him."
"No, I didn't, but he knew Oren was involved, so if he told them that - "
"They still wouldn't have known the location, and they did. It wasn't just Bren blustering. He knew for a fact that she'd been there. Claudius told them that she was there. He had to find that out from someone."
She ignored his insinuation and made one of her own. "I see that you survived unscathed."
"Yes. Malick's goodwill saved me - " He glanced at Katelina. " - us - this time, but he's already sent word that it will not do so again."
"Ah, Malick." The name rolled off Kateesha's tongue like imported chocolate. "He always did have a soft spot for you, didn't he?" She trailed her fingers over Jorick's face. "Of course, he's not the only one."
Jorick pulled back enough to let her know that her touch was unwanted. "Either way, we still need to decide what to do now."
Kateesha glanced towards Katelina again and sniffed disdainfully. "It's safe where it is, I think. He doesn't suspect Benjamin - who could? He is too new and too- human."
"I fear that if someone has betrayed its hiding place once, they may do so again. Oren is in danger from Claudius now, as is his coven."
"You must let Oren stand on his own. Always has he refused your advice - he made Torina did he not? If he'd left her alone or even refused to stand behind her he wouldn't be in this position, and neither would you. You've always tried to save him from his own destruction, but your advice falls on deaf ears. There comes a time when you must let them go." She tilted her head at him and stared into his dark eyes.
"Yes. I'm afraid I have other things to tend to now. Oren must stand alone," there was an edge of sorrow in his voice, and more than a touch of guilt.
Kateesha reached out and patted his shoulder comfortingly. He didn't flinch from her this time. "It is as it should be, though I wonder if these things you speak of are for the cause or more for yourself?" She glanced at Katelina, who was still lost between feelings of loathing and admiration for the dark skinned woman.
Jorick's eyes narrowed dangerously and his voice was hard. "And who said that it was my cause?"
"I believe Oren was under that impression, but perhaps you have something more important in mind?"
His scowl darkened. "Do you question me?"
"No, Jorick, my brother, I do not question you. I question your new obsession - you forget I can read your very thoughts if I choose."
