Chapter 46
Katelina lay in Jorick's arms, body throbbing with pain and terror. Oren slid the van door open so that it gaped like the mouth of a beast. The same van she'd been kidnapped in, the van that had brought her to this nightmare.
Jorick took a step towards it, but she stiffened and clutched at him. "No," she whimpered and gave him a pleading look. "Not in there again."
Jorick's brows drew together. "I thought you might like.." he trailed off and glanced at their companions. "To be alone?"
Katelina followed his gaze to see Kateesha and her evil, gloating smile. She shuddered and looked back to the van. Which was worse?
"Well?" Oren asked with impatience. "Are you taking the van or not?"
Jorick glanced at Katelina then shook his head. "No, we'll ride with you."
Oren's nose wrinkled. "You'll have to ride in the backseat with one of them."
Torina half draped herself over Jorick. Her voice was like warm oil. "You act like that's a bad thing." She looked up into Jorick's face, batted her eyes and pouted her full lips. "I'm sure that Jorick wouldn't mind sitting next to me."
He gave an annoyed grunt and pulled away from her. "You can sit in the front seat Torina - Katelina and I will take our chances with Kateesha."
Katelina's mouth opened and she tried to signal him that she'd rather sit near the slut than the bitch who'd tried to kill her, but as she turned her head she found herself staring in Kateesha's smirking face. The vampiress smiled and reached a hand up to stroke Jorick's face. "I'm sure you won't regret it, brother."
He gave her a warning look before he stepped away and walked towards the car.
A sick panic ran through Katelina. She whispered into Jorick's chest as softly as she could, hoping he could hear her, "Not Kateesha. She - "
He cut her off, his voice so quiet she wasn't sure if he was actually speaking out loud or if she only imagined it. "Later. She won't harm you with the rest of us present."
Katelina made a small whimpering noise in disagreement, but forced herself to relax a little. Jorick would be right there with her, and he'd protect her.
Thoughts pressed in on her, unbidden. She tried to force them away, but she couldn't silence the voice that whispered in her mind, "Did he protect you last night?"
Her head jerked up to see Kateesha's malicious smile. She narrowed her eyes and thought as loudly as she could, "Shut up!"
Oren opened the car door, then gently took her from Jorick's arms so that the dark vampire could climb inside. Katelina stiffened, both in pain and the sudden realization that she didn't want to be touched by anyone but Jorick. Somehow he was all right; safe. No one else was. Not now.
But Oren didn't do anything more than slide her into the car and settle her on Jorick's lap. The dark vampire nodded as soon as he had her arranged and Oren shut the door. Katelina gave Jorick one more pleading look before Kateesha climbed inside and seated herself next to him, the smile still plastered across her too-beautiful face.
Katelina resisted the urge to scream as she felt Kateesha's eyes on her. The vampiress whispered inside her head, using her own thoughts to form the words, "He'll never believe you. He doesn't care or he'd have been here sooner." For a sickening moment she found herself believing it, but as she looked at Jorick a soothing, calm descended on her, like being wrapped in a warm, dry blanket after coming in out of a cold rain. She turned her head and glared at Kateesha. "Leave me alone," she muttered angrily.
Kateesha blinked innocently as Oren and his sister climbed in. "What?" she asked, but Katelina didn't answer her. She just glared at the vampiress. After everything she'd been through she didn't need this. There had to be a way to keep Kateesha out of her head!
Oren started the car and they pulled out of the parking lot. Katelina settled against Jorick and closed her eyes. Her body relaxed as the warm, calm feeling continued to spread through her. She felt as if she was drifting on the edge of sweet dreams, and found herself absently wondering where Oren and Torina had come from. The last time she'd seen them, the house had been burning and everyone had been dying.
"They're the ones I had to meet," Jorick half whispered to her. "What was left of the coven scattered after that night and they've decided to help me kill Claudius." His words caught her attention and brought her back from her slumber like world.
"I wish you'd killed Claudius," she whispered and then added silently, "And Kateesha."
"So do I," Jorick whispered with an edge of sorrow in his voice. "But, don't worry, he'll die soon. I'll kill him myself."
A thick silence descended and left them lost to their own thoughts. Katelina fought against terrifying memories and fears. Before she got too lost in them, Jorick spoke, "I think we should take her to a hospital."
Torina turned around in her seat, surprised. "Do you really think so? Can't you just take care of it?"
Jorick shook his head, his voice firm, "Not that way."
"I thought you already had," Oren said without looking back.
Jorick cleared his throat uncomfortably. "No."
Before Katelina could ask what they meant, Torina asked peevishly, "How long will that take? Wouldn't it be easier to just give her some blood or else turn her and - " she broke off when she noticed Jorick's hard stare at the back of Oren's head. "Are you listening?"
The lion-maned vampire suddenly made a small noise of understanding. "But do you know where a hospital is?"
"There's likely to be one in any of towns we're already going to go through," Jorick replied matter-of-factly. "They're everywhere now. Most towns have their own."
Kateesha made a scoffing noise in her throat. "That sounds like a wonderful idea - and when they want to know what happened to her?" Her eyes glittered hard and mean in the dark and the reflection from the dash lights made her look more evil than usual.
"A dog, of course," Jorick answered. His words stirred something buried in Katelina's brain, but she couldn't grasp it.
"And when they want to call their police to come in and take statements?" Torina demanded. "They don't allow wild dogs to just run loose, you know. Humans are all paperwork and red tape and keeping track. You may have been hiding from their world, Jorick but - "
He interrupted her angrily, "I am well aware what they are." He took a deep breath, and thought for a moment. "A wolf then. Some large canine animal - does it matter?"
"It matters," Oren said quietly. "You know the rules."
"Then what do you propose?" Jorick demanded. "Have you got a better idea?"
"You know my opinion," Oren said flatly. "But what's done is done."
Kateesha laughed delightedly. "Still arguing like children."
"If you won't just give her some blood, then can't we sew her up ourselves?" Torina asked sulkily. "It can't be that hard!"
Jorick's tone remained cold. "Are you volunteering?"
Kateesha chuckled again while Torina's nose wrinkled. "No."
"How about you, Oren?" Jorick asked sarcastically. "Kateesha?"
The vampiress next to him purred in response, "Oh, I'd be happy to try it."
Again Jorick ignored her. "Unless one of you happens to be a doctor of medicine then she needs a hospital. She's sustained damage to her shoulder and despite my best efforts it's still bleeding."
"Try a hot knife," Kateesha suggested smugly.
Torina rolled her eyes and made a dismissive gesture. "I still say give her enough blood to heal her or turn her."
Oren interrupted before Jorick could reply, "Fine. We'll take her to a hospital. But if it goes wrong, Jorick, then we'll leave and may the consequences be on your head."
"So be it," Jorick agreed.
Katelina leaned back and stared at the car's headliner. She still felt floaty, as though she was above it all. But the word dog- Patrick. Yes, she remembered now. Patrick always had bad luck with dogs. At least that was what he'd claimed.
She closed her eyes and searched her memories.
Her fingers trailed over a freshly knotted scar on his shoulder. "You disappear for weeks and come back with this. What happened?"
"My brother's dog," he laughed. "He has it in for me. It's nothing serious."
A new voice interrupted the scene. It was Claudius arguing with his underlings. "The human, Patrick, was plainly marked."
And so he was, she thought wearily. Marked again and again, no doubt by Claudius himself. Or was it Troy who'd done it? Was that what Kateesha meant? Had it been the same for him as it was for her? Had they tortured Patrick with it? But just thinking about that monster and his bloody, leering face made her sick, so she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on the soothing feeling that wanted so desperately to consume her.
