Chapter 509
The masters stepped back and Sadihra and Wolfe stepped forward. The priest gave them a small nod of encouragement. "Wolfe, fledgling of Anslem, and Sadihra, fledgling of Dominik, today we ask God to bless your union, in the presence of your covens and your masters.
"The bond of matrimony is not to be entered lightly, for our lives are long. There is no crueler fate than eternity tied to one you do not love. Neither is there a greater joy than to wake each night in the warm assurance of a bonded love that is true.
"Wolfe, fledgling of Anslem, do you on this day, and every day henceforth, ask that God bless Sadihra as your true and only wife?"
Wolfe looked into Sadihra's eyes and smiled. The expression was one Katelina had never seen on him before. It felt weird to see it now, like watching a coworker cry.
"Yes," he said softly.
"Sadihra, fledgling of Dominik, do you on this day, and every day henceforth, ask that God bless Wolfe as your true and only husband?"
"Yes," she said.
"Then let your rings be symbols of your pledge and prayers."
Wolfe slipped the golden ring from Sadihra's left hand to her right, then she did the same for him. When they finished, the priest handed them each a candle. "May you be a light for one another in a world of darkness."
The masters lit the candles. Though the sudden rush of light made Katelina blink, her eyes quickly adjusted to see Sadihra and Wolfe split up and start lighting the candles in the candle stands.
The priest continued, "And as you are a light for one another, may your love be a beacon for those around you, that they may bask in your shared commitment and the joy of your union. May the truth of love bring light to them, with the knowledge that even in the darkest of nights there is a moon."
With each candle that the couple lit, the room brightened, until the golden glow chased away the twilight gloom. Their task completed, they moved back to the altar and joined hands. The music started again. A woman stood and sang something in German. Though Katelina didn't understand the words, she could feel the sentiment burning through her, like the light the priest had spoken of, the warmth that came from knowing you loved and were loved in return.
Her eyes were drawn to Jorick and her stomach fluttered when he met her gaze. The fears she'd harbored melted away. She realized how silly they were. The intimidation at Jorick's new skills, her fears of commitment, her secret terror that Jorick wouldn't love her now that she was different. Sadihra was right. Nothing had changed. That she was immortal made no difference, unless, like Sorino's explanation of the prophecy, they looked for a change. Because if you looked for it, you would always find it.
The song ended. The priest gave a prayer, then turned back to the couple. "You will now complete the bond of blood."
The words caught Katelina off guard. She watched with surprise as Wolfe lifted Sadihra's wrist to his mouth. Their eyes met. He bit. She took his hand and did the same, so that they formed a circle.
They held it for a moment, then broke apart. The priest handed them tissues to press to their wounds. Then he announced, "May you have a life of peace and love. Go now with the blessings of God, and the goodwill of your covens and your masters."
The electric lights came up. Music played. The couple nodded and smiled at their guests as they walked out the back of the church. Katelina took her place in the procession. As she passed Jorick she shot him a smile that she hoped was half as beautiful as Sadihra's.
***
The reception went on forever. Xandria escaped early to "find food" with Etsuko as her escort. One by one, Katelina noticed the vampires in their circle disappearing, until she and Jorick were the only ones left.
Though Sadihra was still beaming, Wolfe's smile had thankfully disappeared. Katelina didn't think she could look at it and speak to him at the same time. His good mood was still obvious when he thanked them for their final congratulations and wished them a pleasant night.
Katelina looked forward to having Jorick to herself, but when they got to the room they found Xandria and Loren. The pair were flopped across chairs smoking cigarettes.
"Oh my God, where did you get that?" Katelina jerked the cigarette from Loren's hand. She drew a long puff and let it out with a sigh of satisfaction. "God, I needed that."
Loren scowled. "That was mine."
Xandria pulled a pack from her pocket and tossed him another. "Here. It's not like you've really got the hang of it, anyway. You have to actually inhale."
Jorick waved a cloud of smoke out of his face. "I hate to break up the party, but-"
Xandria slapped herself on the knee. "Kate! I have a message for you."
Katelina exhaled a long stream of smoke. "From who?"
"Lemme look." She rifled through her pockets to produce a slip of paper. "Someone named Patricia is looking for you. She called one of the other suites. I guess she asked for you, then Jorick, and when whoever answered the phone said they didn't know you, she got nasty. The information desk wants you to call her and tell her to stop."
Patricia? As in her mother? But how in the hell did she get the phone number for one of the suites?
Then she remembered. She'd called her mother last month from the stronghold. Surely vampires were smart enough to have private numbers?
She sucked down the rest of the cigarette in a long, unhealthy drag that would have sent her human lungs into a coughing fit. Then, she picked up the phone. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk to her mother, but after everything that had happened she didn't know how.
She reminded herself that nothing had really changed. She hadn't really changed. Things would only be different if she thought they were.
She punched in the string of numbers. The phone rang. Katelina had just decided that no one was home when her mother's voice came across the line, "Hello?"
"Hi, Mom."
"Katelina! Where the hell are you? I tried the number you called from last time but I got some idiot with an accent who didn't know you."
"Sorry. We switched rooms. The front desk let me know you called."
"You couldn't have let me know that? I already had to get a print out of my phone bill to find out where you called from. Why are you still in Germany?"
"I told you, it's"
"Jorick's job. Yes, I know. With all the money you claim he makes, I bet he didn't even take you anywhere for your birthday, did he?"
Birthday. March fifteenth. In the rush of everything, she'd completely forgotten about it. She was officially twenty-six, and thanks to Micah she'd live to see a thousand.
"Hello? Are you still there? Kately?"
She pushed back to the present. "Yeah, yeah. Sorry. Bad connection. What did you need?"
"Now you want to know what the big news is. I'm tempted to leave you wondering." A moment passed then she nearly squealed, "Sarah's home!"
The words hit like a lead punch to the stomach. "What?"
"Sarah. Your best friend. She's back. She showed up last night. I'd have called then, but I didn't have a number for you. I had to wait until the phone company opened today so I could get a printout andnever mind." Her mother's tone softened. "I know what the police said, what everyone said, but she's here. She's alive. It's a miracle."
Miracle. Except there was no such thing. "Mom?"
"Do you want to talk to her?"
Before she could reply a familiar voice came on the line, "Katelina?"
The hotel room seemed to shrink and expand. Colors blurred, then sharpened. Sarah. Sarah was-Sarah was dead. She'd been tortured to death by Troy and Claudius. There were witnesses. The voice on the other end, the one she'd recognize even in her sleep, the one she'd talked to billions of times over the years- it couldn't be-but it was-
"Are you there?" Sarah pressed.
Jorick frowned and took Katelina's hand. "Darling?"
She croaked, "It's-Sarah?"
The voice on the other end replied, "Thank God! I've been worried about you. You'd better hurry and come home." Katelina thought she heard something almost sinister in her tone, "We have a lot of catching up to do."
