Chapter 44
Though Katelina struggled, she was no match for Claudius, for his fiery anger, his desire to make her suffer. He'd had something else in mind, some other torture, before Troy had suggested something worse; the darkness that society pounded into a woman's brain, taught her to fear above everything else.
I have to get away.
Claudius released Katelina's wrists and raised himself up to unfasten his pants. Panic consumed her and she swung her fist. The blow connected with his jaw but she cried out as pain erupted in her knuckles. He jerked back and then snarled, "You will pay for that!" Before she could make another attempt to fight back he slammed her against the floor by her shoulders.
Her head bounced with the impact and dark spots erupted behind her eyes. Her limbs went limp and she thought she might pass out. He took the opportunity to force her thighs apart and wedge his body between them. The pressure of his hips pulled her away from the brink of unconsciousness, and she stiffened fearfully. Her hands balled into fists that pounded uselessly against his back and shoulders.
"Taste your fear," he whispered to her and then drew a deep breath. "Taste it! The way Arowenia did before he murdered her!" He thrust himself inside her. Her screams echoed through the room as her delicate flesh gave way. Troy stood behind them, watching. His sick, evil laughter was an accompaniment to the symphony of her shame.
She choked on her sobs. The tearing pain radiated through her from between her thighs as he thrust into her again and again. Her mind went blank; there was nothing but the pain and the need to make it stop. Her hands continued to claw and beat at him, though her efforts were unheeded. He hung above her, his face suspended inches from her own. What little humanity had been left in his eyes was gone, leaving them empty. There was nothing but an animal staring down at her. His mouth opened wide and he sunk his gleaming fangs into her shoulder. She screamed as the wound from the cellar was ripped open. Pain raced down her arm and into her hand, crippling it, so that the fingers curled uselessly.
He tore at her like a dog, growling low in his throat. She felt the gush of blood; wet against her skin as it trickled over her shoulder. He pressed his face to the wound and sickening lapping sounds reached her ears. Her stomach clenched and visions of the boy from last night filled her head; the ruined child discarded so casually. His lips sealed around her shoulder as he continued to draw blood from her.
His presence suddenly filled her mind and made her shudder. He was inside her thoughts, ripping and shredding her. Liquid fire coursed through her veins, and her arms and legs spasmed, no longer under her control. Screams tore from her bruised and aching throat. Her eyelids fluttered uncontrollably and the spasms grew worse until she was almost in a seizure state, both inside and out. Pain, and colors, and images flashed behind her eyes too fast to comprehend. Old voices and older agony tore at her as he drank her blood and continued to thrust into her.
Somewhere there was a crashing sound and a scream, but whether it was in the fog filled hell into which she'd fallen or outside of it she couldn't tell. Everything was pain and screams and horror. There was nothing but heartache and betrayal and death. The smell of something burning assailed her senses. The thick fumes filled her lungs and nose. She choked and gagged, strangled by the heavy smell, suffocated by fear and pain - and then it stopped.
Claudius' head jerked up from his meal. The lower half of his face dripped with her blood so that tiny drops fell and splattered on her skin. He sniffed the air and growled low in his throat. Troy met his eyes and he barked, "Go see what it is!"
Troy made a sign of obedience, and hurried up the stairs. More screams floated down into the basement from above and the smell of burnt flesh grew stronger.
Katelina choked and it drew Claudius' attention back to her. "So he made it past them. No matter. He won't save you but he will see you die." He reared back his head and struck below the mess he'd already made, ripping open a new wound.
She felt his lips lock and the searing pain began again. Her body shook, too weak from shock and loss of blood to fight anymore. She felt herself sinking into the realm of nightmare and darkness again, slipping beneath the pounding surface and into the black depths of inevitable death.
The air reverberated with a strangled cry and the burning world of hell evaporated as Claudius released her. His attention was drawn to a figure that came crashing down the stairs and landed in a heap at the foot. It lay dead, the limbs at impossible angles and a slow puddle of blood spreading out from it.
Footsteps pounded down the stairs, skipping most of them in their haste. A deep voice roared a single word, "Claudius!"
A smile spread across the blonde vampire's lips and he raised a hand to wipe his face. His assailant appeared and raced towards them. He was only a blurry swath of colored motion to Katelina's burning, tear filled eyes.
"You will die!" he bellowed as he grabbed Claudius and ripped him from Katelina. She screamed in pain and rolled into a ball. She tried to use her trembling hand to stem the flow of blood gushing from her shoulder. There was so much blood - too much. As she writhed in agony, her face came to rest in a crimson puddle of it. The liquid was already cooled from its contact with the cold cement.
She blinked back burning tears and tried to make sense of the images flashing in front of her. Claudius was on his feet, an arrogant smile on his face, his pale hands held before him like claws. This new vampire drew close and she forced her eyes to focus on his black, disheveled hair and torn clothing. His pale face was a mask of fury, his black eyes snapping....
"Jorick," she whispered in a hoarse voice as she came to realize who it was. "Jorick."
He had come.
