Chapter 39
Questions echoed in Katelina's mind. Where was she? Why was she there? What was happening around her? Katelina's eyes darted around the tiny room. Blood streaked the white walls and floor, dark red against the chipped tiles and porcelain. Katelina blinked to try to make the horror she was seeing go away, to block out the thick pool of blood collecting at Kateesha's feet.
Her mouth hung open like a lost tourist, and Kateesha laughed obscenely. She licked the scarlet liquid from her lips and savored it like a fine wine. "So you came, you little fool!" She broke into laughter and then added, "How easy it was to trick you! Your mind is so open that any idiot could manipulate it!"
The vampiress smiled. "Don't worry, our company should be arriving any moment." She dropped the dead girl to the floor, then looked from the splayed and ruined body to the gaping woman in the doorway. "Oh, should I introduce you? This is Arowenia. Maybe you haven't met?"
Arowenia? Did she mean the Arowenia - Claudius' lover that had been kidnapped? But she was dead- And then all the answers snapped into place. Kateesha had killed Arowenia and by her own admission had manipulated Katelina.
Kateesha was suddenly in front of her, grinning evilly. Katelina dashed for the door, but she wasn't fast enough. Kateesha caught her around the throat and lifted her into the air, so that her feet just barely dangled above the floor.
"Where do you think you're going? I thought I told you we were expecting a few friends?"
"Let me go," Katelina rasped. She kicked her legs uselessly and tried to pry Kateesha's crushing fingers away.
"Don't bother. By the time Claudius has finished with you, there won't be anything left - or at least not enough left to tell Jorick who helped them catch you." She spoke with mock sympathy. "Poor Jorick! He'll be so bereaved to have lost his new favorite pet, won't he? And when he grieves over your gruesome death, who will be there for him? Faithful Kateesha, who he's overlooked all these long, long years!"
She dropped Katelina to the floor and made a slow, half circle around her prostrate form, smirking.
Katelina pulled herself to her knees and massaged her bruised throat, coughing for air. When she had her voice back she asked sarcastically, "Don't you think Claudius is going to be angry you've killed her?"
Kateesha crouched down next to her and stroked her head like a cat. "There, there," she murmured. "Don't you worry your little head about it." She suddenly grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her head back. "Of course Claudius won't know I had anything to do with it! I've made a deal already. They'll take you and tell Claudius that when they arrived it was too late to save the poor, unfortunate Arowenia, and that Jorick escaped, leaving you to their mercy." Her eyes gleamed with superiority. "And what do you think Claudius will do to the human lover of one who killed his property?" She snickered at Katelina's terrified expression. "If I were you, I'd try not to think about it too much - and pray he kills you quickly!"
"Why?" Katelina croaked, and then comprehension dawned. "You're the one who told Claudius about Oren- "
"Hardly. Not that it's any concern of yours, but until yesterday I was happy to hold the little bitch captive. After Jorick told me The Guild is involved- well, now I think my purposes would be better served this way. And I can get rid of you in the process. Two birds with one stone, I believe is what they call it."
A noise sounded in the bedroom. Kateesha stiffened and sniffed the air. Recognition dawned on her features and she broke into a grin and called out, "We're in here!"
Footsteps clomped through the bedroom and then a tall, broad shouldered man filled the doorway. His shaved head gleamed in the bathroom's light and his cold eyes stared at them from beneath sarcastically arched brows. He nodded to Katelina and smirked. "Not real impressive, is it?"
"No." Kateesha threw Katelina away from her, like something contaminated. "I was surprised, especially after all the rumors." She made a snorting noise as she stood and wiped her hands off on the soiled dress.
"I could have told you she wasn't much," the bald vampire remarked. "That's why I thought Michael was full of shit."
"Surprise," Kateesha sniffed. "He wasn't. Jesslynn told me that Jorick was taking her with him, but I'd assumed it was something more platonic than this." She wrinkled her nose. "His taste hasn't improved since the last one."
"Whatever. I'm just here to get them and go." He gave Kateesha a fanged grin. "So let's get this over with, huh?"
"Yes, Troy," Kateesha drawled. "Hurry up before Jorick returns."
Katelina sought for a nonexistent escape and tried to figure out what she was going to do. Despite Kateesha's concern, she doubted Jorick would return in time to save her. He'd always come before, just when she had no hope left, but somehow she could feel that he wasn't going to this time. And when he didn't what would happen? Would they really take her to Claudius? Would he kill her? Was this really how her life was going to end, to die in a pool of blood and terror?
Kateesha stood over her looking thoughtful, then suggested casually, "She has enough blood on her to look like a battle, but you should rough her up a little to make it more convincing."
Troy nodded in the affirmative and grinned. "Don't worry. I'm sure she'll be plenty roughed up by the time we get there." He turned his head and called over his shoulder, "Won't she boys?" Two voices agreed with him from the obstructed depths of the motel room.
Katelina's stomach dropped at the sound of his unseen accomplices. She might have been able to escape from one vampire, but not from three.
Troy grabbed her arm and pulled her to her knees. He slammed her face into the door and laughed when she cried out. As she wiped away the thin stream of blood trickling from her nose a sick certainty settled through her. Yes, they would kill her, and they would laugh while they did it.
He shouted directions and another vampire came in to collect the remains of the child bride. He slung her ruined body over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
Troy looked once more around the room. "You are gonna clean this mess up, right? I mean Jorick's dumb, but he's not gonna believe your story."
Kateesha cut him off. "I'm well aware of my 'story' and what I need to do. Not that it's your concern, but yes, it will be clean."
Troy couldn't let it go. "I don't know why you made such a fucking mess in the first place. It won't look like Arowenia escaped."
Kateesha was nearly out of patience. "I have no intention of saying Arowenia escaped. As far as Jorick will know you came and took her back and took this stupid human while you were at it."
Troy paused uncertainly, "And that's going to do what? Send him right for our door. That wasn't the deal."
"What, are you really that scared of him?" Kateesha laughed. "He doesn't have his inside informant anymore, so how will he know where you took her? Claudius has a dozen dens, doesn't he? Besides, if things go as planned he'll believe that she's dead."
Troy seemed to catch on. "He'll smell all the blood - "
"But there won't be any left. Exactly. The obvious conclusion is that you and your little friends drank it all. Since you wouldn't have killed Arowenia yourself, obviously it was his pet."
"Right. And when he hears that Arowenia is dead? Won't he find that a touch confusing?"
"Oh for the love of - Perhaps it would be easier if I just took down my barriers and let you pull it from my mind?" Troy looked a little too eager and Kateesha laughed. "Hardly. Let him hear it and make whatever inference he wants. You're the one who wanted the war to escalate, remember, not me. I could ask why that is."
"You could, but who says I'll answer?" He gave her a wide, fanged grin. "Come on, sweetheart, this isn't a movie motive-swap."
Kateesha sucked the blood from her fingernails thoughtfully. "I'm just saying, you're afraid of Jorick storming the keep and yet - "
"Not afraid. I just think we should be the ones on the offensive, not the other way around, and after this - " he nodded toward the vampire holding Arowenia's mangled body " - we will be. Finally. No more of this slinking shit."
"And you can earn the glory you think you deserve?" Kateesha asked with a flash of amusement. "And- get your own revenge. How interesting. I had no idea that you had a thing for-"
Troy snarled and Kateesha laughed again. "Relax, your secret is safe with me. For now. Take your little prize before I kill her too and leave you with nothing to give your boss."
It was a confusing tangle, but Katelina had gathered enough of it to understand. If only the knowledge would do anything to help her!
Troy growled low. "We'll be leaving now."
"Good," Kateesha purred. "Don't forget your part of this arrangement."
"What? Making sure The Guild doesn't know about your involvement? Daddy refuse to save you again?"
Kateesha's smugness disappeared and she looked as angry as Troy. "At least I don't enjoy screwing little boys!"
"Patrick wasn't little, darling. He was of age and then some."
Patrick? Katelina's eyes bulged. What in the hell?
Before she could think any further, Troy hauled her through the bedroom door, then stopped on the other side of it. "Lose my number after this, huh?"
Kateesha's answer was cold. "Gladly."
He snorted in reply and dragged Katelina towards the still gaping door, leaving a smear of Arowenia's blood on the ugly carpet behind them.
