Chapter 444
Katelina woke to find a dark silhouette sitting next to her. She jumped and regretted it as pain shot through her. "Boris?" He nodded and she gasped, "You're back."
"I did not leave. I was here, but you could not see me. It is one of my talents, though not useful on Harn. He can see through such tricks, and so hampers any escape."
Katelina remembered fighting Senya in the Raven Queen's cave. Like Boris, she was a phantom, a vampire who could hide their presence, but it hadn't worked on Neil, and he'd been able to direct their attacks.
"Senya was a phantom."
"Yes. We had the same master. But that is old news." Boris moved closer. "Do not worry. You are in great pain now but you will heal as you" he broke off. "My mistake. You are mortal still. You will not heal with rest. But from all the vampire blood you are stronger at least. You can endure what would have killed a lesser mortal." He touched her arm and she bit back a cry. Boris didn't mean to harm her, did he? "You gave them cooperation?"
"I-I don't know." The memories weren't there, only a murky sense that something terrible had happened. "They took me to a room then-Harn was there and Braydon and-and Braydon had to carry me back." She shifted and stifled a cry. "My legs. He said my legs were broken but-" But who had broken them and why?
Boris studied her. "Very odd. You do not know what he wanted from you?"
She concentrated on the vague threads of thought. "He wanted me to contact Samael. Mentally. But I don't know how."
"Do you have mental abilities?" She shook her head and an idea seemed to dawn over him. "This Samael, he is your master? You are linked?"
She hurt too much to correct him.
"Then that is all right. If you are linked you do not need to call to him, he will call to you. Or that is what I have heard. Linking, it is something I have never tried. I have heard that you must be a dream stealer for it to work. A mind reader," he clarified.
"They will want you to be in pain all night. This is why they did nothing to heal you. But-" he trailed off, as if he was considering something. "They feed me very little. You have lost blood, but not enough to be dangerous to you. If you would be willing to an exchange. A little of yours for a little of mine, the benefit would be mutual. You cannot heal completely, or they will notice, but enough to ease your pain, yes? And enough to take the edge from my hunger? I am not an animal, but if I must smell your blood all night and yet have none-" She understood. It was like hanging a steak in front of a starving man and expecting him not to eat because he'd once made fake papers for the cow.
She nodded and imagined him licking his lips.
"I should go first, so the bite will be healed?"
He moved down the length of her and finally lifted her foot. She stifled a cry. He apologized, and quickly took off her shoe. The cool air kissed her toes. She felt his breath on the top of her foot for only a moment before his teeth sunk in.
Though she couldn't see Boris in the dark, she imagined she could feel her blood flowing out of her foot and into his mouth in wet, greedy gulps. She forced herself to calm down and waited for something to happen, for the connection to kick in. When a vampire bit a human they could turn it into whatever they wanted; heaven or hell, and even share memories with them, but Boris didn't seem interested in doing anything except drinking.
Just as she started to worry, he broke away and replaced her shoe. "They will not look at your feet," he explained. "In case it does not heal."
She wasn't sure if it was really logic, or a foot fetish. As long as he kept his end of the bargain she didn't care.
She cleared her throat as a reminder, and he knelt near her head. "You have had much vampire blood, yes? So you understand this." He rolled up his sleeve. "They will not check me for wounds, I do not think, so we can do this the easy way. You should lay still." He held his fleshy forearm above her mouth. "You can bite through?"
Rather than answer, she lifted her head. Her lips brushed against his skin and she forced away the nagging voice in her head. It was probably right. Jorick would be angry. But she had to do something.
She bit as hard as she could. Boris gave a little gasp as her dull human teeth cut in. It took a moment for the blood to hit her tongue, but when it did she forgot everything else. The liquid was lukewarm and tasted like rich tobacco and burning alcohol. She swallowed again and again. Shadows moved in the back of her mind. The wraiths lacked substance, and the sounds were soft, but they hovered at the edge of her consciousness.
They disappeared and she was left with her open mouth snapping at empty air. She blinked as the world came back to her in all its horror.
"That was enough." Boris hastily rolled his sleeve down. "Someone is coming."
Before she could ask who, the door was thrown open.
***
Boris used his phantom powers to disappear. Katelina swung her gaze to the door. Malick had said she'd be left until tomorrow. Had he changed his mind?
"Go," a male voice snapped from the corridor.
A female replied, "Yeah, yeah, fine."
Faltering footsteps came inside. The door slammed shut before Katelina could see anything. The female gave a tiny shriek and then a flashlight snapped on. "H-Hello? Please, don't kill me or anything. I'm just here to check on the human prisoner. I don't have any blood, except mine, and it doesn't taste very good."
The voice was familiar. Katelina's fear lessened and she squinted toward the visitor. In the ambient glow from the flashlight she could see a woman with shoulder length red hair and a leather jacket, carrying a bucket. It took Katelina a moment to place her. Was it really-
"Xandria?"
The woman hurried to Katelina. "Kate? You're the prisoner?" She crouched in front of her and dropped the bucket with a clang. "Oh my God! You're covered in blood!" Before Katelina could stop her, Xandria ruffled up the slashes on her jeans and shirt. "Did they heal you?"
"I-I don't know," she lied. She followed Xandria's gaze to see that her exposed skin was smeared in dried blood but smooth and whole. The swelling had gone down in her hands, and when she moved the pain was bearable.
"They must have. But why did they do this to you?" Xandria sat back on her haunches. "I don't understand what they want with you. Is it because of Indonesia?"
Indonesia. That was where Katelina had met the strange woman. As humans with vampire "owners", they'd had an instant bond. Then it turned out that Xandria was on the other side. Her master was one of the Children of Shadows.
"You and your hot vampire got out, right?" Xandria pressed. "You got my note? Did you use the pass phrase I left you?"
Katelina knew who Xandria was, but the woman had no idea who Katelina was; didn't know that she was with the vampires who'd come to fight the Children. In her ignorance, Xandria had planted the explosives like she was supposed to, then, when she and her master left, she'd written Katelina a note with a passphrase in it, one meant to tell the attackers that she was on their side and could escape unharmed.
Katelina didn't feel like explaining the truth, so she nodded.
Xandria smiled. "I'm glad it helped. I was worried. Hey, where's your little friend? The hottie who was all bitten up?"
The question brought back a vision of Kai lying broken and bloody in the parking lot. Misery tightened her chest and etched lines in her face.
Xandria looked worried. "He's okay, isn't he? He seemed like a nice kid."
Katelina forced the lump of sorrow down her throat. "What are you doing here? I thought you were with the Children of Shadows?"
"We were never really with them, we were just on loan. Or rather my master was." Xandria rolled her eyes at the title. "He was in charge of all the explosives. It's kind of his specialty. I guess he needs something since he's not much to look at. But since it all blew upha ha! Blew up, get it?we're back with this old dude again. Seriously, he scares the hell out of me. Have you met him?"
"Yeah."
"I wish we'd just get away from him. We got recruited in January, and ever since it's been one thing after another. I was hoping Cye would join us, but I think he took off."
Cye. As in Cyprus, Malick's puppet and the dead pseudo leader of the Children of Shadows. Katelina didn't have the heart to tell her about his death, so she made a non-committal noise.
Xandria dropped into silence and tapped the bucket thoughtfully. Then her face lit up. "They sent this for you to-you know, use. I know it's gross, but it's better than peeing in the corner."
Her eyes went wide, and she flashed the light around the empty room. "Sorry, I felt like there was someone watching us. They said there was a vampire in here, but I guess he's gone? Anyway, I'm supposed to give you this and make sure you're alive and that your cell mate hasn't eaten you. They were gonna send a vampire, but they were worried they might take a bite of you. Since I'm the only human in the whole damn place, I got volunteered. I was worried about it, but now I'm glad." She patted Katelina's knee. "I'll try to sneak you down some water or something later."
A loud bang sounded on the door and the male shouted, "Are you done yet?"
Xandria rolled her eyes and called back, "Hold your horses." She stood and tugged at her clothes. "That's the master in all his glory. His name's Sanjay. Gotta go." With a wave she hurried away.
Boris was suddenly sitting next to Katelina. She jumped and stifled a cry. Though the blood had helped, she still hurt.
"You know her?" Boris asked.
"Sort of. I met her once. She's kind of crazy."
"Kind of?" He snorted. "You should rest now, yes? Harn will come for me soon, and I will spend the night working." He sniffed the air. "In fact, he is here now."
As though to prove his words, the padlocks rattled and the door opened. Katelina didn't want to see the cold vampire, so she feigned sleep. She heard Boris stand and leave, then the door shut.
Alone, she tried moving, and figured out how to use the disgusting bucket. Her legs still hurt, so she crawled to feel her way around the cell. She found a floor drain and with difficulty dumped the bucket. The revolting task finished, she moved to the other side of the room and lay down, exhausted.
