Chapter 521
Katelina woke first the next evening. She watched a spider spin webs in the rafters and wondered how many bugs it took to keep it alive. One a day? One a week? She didn't know much about arachnid biology, just as she knew almost nothing about vampires'.
Jorick woke and the others followed. Katelina marveled that, despite the lumpy bed, she wasn't sore, achy, or stiff. It was another perk of vampirism.
Xandria bounced urgently, and Katelina realized she needed to go. She excused herself to lead the woman upstairs. The smell of her blood made Katelina's stomach tighten. She thought about taking a nibble, but quickly dismissed the idea.
Outside, the sun was down and stars popped out in a clear spring sky. Xandria hurried to crouch down behind a clump of dead vegetation while Katelina stood sentinel-like a few feet away. The smell of Xandria's urine wafted on the breeze and quieted her hunger. No wonder Jorick called them disgusting human bodily functions.
Jorick and Oren passed her with a little half wave. She tried not to be impatient as Xandria finished and utilized the toiletry items from her messenger bag. When she was done, they followed the men toward a grove of trees and underbrush. At the edge of the thicket, Katelina could hear the vampires' voices. A few more steps and she could make out their words.
Oren's tone was practiced patience. "I know you don't want Micah around, but he is her legal master. Even you can't expect to circumvent that law."
Xandria shot her a questioning look as they drew to a stop. Katelina realized the woman couldn't hear the men with her human ears, but they couldn't risk moving closer. She shushed her and focused on the conversation. She'd missed Jorick's answer and caught only a portion of Oren's reply.
"-You're worried the blood was what tied her to you and now she'll only be attached to Micah?"
"Yes. No. I don't know." Jorick broke off with an aggravated sigh.
What in the hell?
Oren scoffed. "At least you don't have to worry about the idiot anymore. If Micah's blood severed your link, it certainly obliterated the small one he had."
"Except it doesn't work that way. The link was formed while she was still human. Turning doesn't erase emotional bonds."
Link? Did he mean the fondness she was supposed to feel for Verchiel since that blood-drinking incident?
Oren sounded smug. "Then you've answered your own question. If her bond with the idiot remains, so does yours."
"But what if the blood is the reason she thinks she loves me?"
Katelina caught her breath. How could he even contemplate that?
Oren was equally impatient. "She thought she loved you before you gave her blood, didn't she?" A moment of silence, then, "Didn't she?"
"Not exactly-There was an incident, before we were-officially introduced."
What?
The vampires' footsteps stopped and Oren demanded, "What are you talking about?"
"When she was with Patrick. She was hurt. I gave her some blood and erased her memory."
Katelina clutched a tree. Was he serious?
Oren coughed uncomfortably. "Then why did you refuse to give her blood when she was injured at Claudius'?"
"I gave it to her, before you got downstairs. Her brain was hemorrhaging, and she'd lost too much blood. If I hadn't she'd have died."
At least she remembered Jorick telling her about it. She'd freaked out at first, but now-
Jorick went on. "I didn't completely heal her because I didn't want to give her too much until I was sure of her feelings. I wanted to avoid this problem in the future."
Oren made an aggravated noise. "That's why you refused to turn her?"
"Yes. I'd have never known if she loved me as a man or as her master."
"Yet you're torturing yourself with it, anyway. What difference does it make? You love her, and she loves you. Be glad it's worked out and let it go."
Jorick scoffed. "That's easy for you to say. Etsuko was devoted to you the moment she saw you."
"Dazzled is a more appropriate word," Oren muttered uncomfortably.
"She loves you."
Love? Really?
"She thinks she does," Oren said. "Love is ninety percent convincing oneself of the feeling. There's no storybook romance, Jorick. I'm surprised after all these years you're actually looking for it."
Jorick's reply was sharp, "How do you know there isn't? Because you've never experienced it?"
Oren asked what Katelina was thinking, "What's gotten into you, Jorick?"
"Nothing. Everything. I don't know. Never mind."
"You're really afraid of losing her, aren't you? I've taken your jealousy and obsession as a bit of a joke, but I had no idea how serious you were. I'd ask why, but-"
"I had forgotten I was alive." Jorick's voice was raw. "I said I died with Velnya, but it was before that. Malick accused me of being cold and he was right. Even Velnya could not warm me. Then, watching Katelina, I don't know. There was something about her, something childlike and trusting, even as she was clearly a woman. One moment she needed to be protected and the next she needed someone to hold her back. The mixture was at first fascinating then intoxicating and I-I'd forgotten what it was like to crave someone. I know you don't want to hear it, but your sister and I-in our encounters there was only a quick heat then coldness again. With Katelina, I wanted her in every way there is to want someone. I wanted her body. I wanted her blood. I wanted her soul."
Oren cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Erm, yes. Well, you have her, she has you. Quit looking for phantoms and enjoy it. Isn't that what you said to me?"
At Jorick's words, the heat rose in Katelina's cheeks and she couldn't stop the silly smile. That was the sort of speech most women waited a lifetime for and never heard. She wanted to throw her arms around his neck and-
The vampires' footsteps resumed, headed their way. She pulled herself from her reverie, grabbed Xandria, and started down the path as though they'd just arrived.
The men came into view. Katelina caught a flash of Jorick's grim expression before it melted into a smile. "I thought you'd gotten lost. Have you fed yet?" He stopped in front of her. "Never mind. I can tell you haven't."
"She probably needs help," Oren muttered.
"I can find something for you," Jorick suggested. He nodded to a squirrel hopping among the tree branches. The creature went still, held by his will. "Can you reach it?"
Oren scoffed. "You'll have to get it down for her."
His attitude deflated her happiness. "I can catch something myself, thank you."
"Can you?" Jorick chuckled. "In that case." The squirrel sprang to life. With a shake of its head and an angry chitter, it took off.
"You don't have to act like I'm less than you," she snapped.
"Not less, only new and unpracticed. Never mind. Don't let us detain you." Jorick gave her a wink. "When you're finished we'll leave."
He pressed a kiss to her forehead, then the pair headed back to the house. Katelina turned purposefully into the trees. "Come on."
Xandria trailed after her, stomping on every twig, dead leaf, and acorn she could find. Katelina's tread was only marginally better, so she couldn't complain.
After a few minutes Xandria asked, "You know how to hunt. Right?"
"How hard can it be to find an animal in the wild?"
Xandria shrugged. "Sanjay used to sniff for them."
Katelina grumbled, but stopped and inhaled deeply. The woodland smells assaulted her senses: decaying leaves, damp earth, the green of new life, tree bark, and fungus. Under it ran thin threads of wet fur and blood. She concentrated on the strongest until the others disappeared, then motioned Xandria to follow.
The prey was a raccoon. Without Jorick's ability to mesmerize, it ran as soon as it saw them. A pair of something dark and furry did the same. Finally Katelina leapt out of the brush and tackled a fox. The small animal bit her hands, arms, and face, and would have gotten away if she wasn't fed up.
The fox's heart beat furiously against her chest, but the smell of the blood was too much. Impatiently she bit into it. The warm fluid filled her mouth and gulped down her throat, flavored like dark shadowy places and bloody raw meat. For a second, the world dropped away and left her peering out from under a fallen tree, cubs nipping at her feet and tail.
She jerked back to reality. The fox lay dead in her arms, its body still warm. She quickly pushed it aside and looked away from its accusatory stare. The last animal she'd killed was a mouse that chewed a hole in her favorite sweater. She'd discovered the still-living rodent in a trap baited with peanut butter, and looked in its black bead eyes as its breaths slowed then stopped. After that, she used a live trap. Sarah would empty it and set the mice free in the park.
But how many vampires have you killed? Her conscience asked. Do you feel guilty about them?
***
Jorick waited for her, leaning against the car with arms crossed and an eyebrow quirked. "I thought a deer got the better of you."
"Very funny. I managed just fine, thank you."
He wiped a streak of blood from her chin and nodded to her muddy knees. "I can see that. Maybe you should change?"
She dragged a pair of jeans and a fresh shirt from the trunk and ducked behind a tree. When she came back, Oren stepped out of the house, his cell phone to his ear. "Yes-Of course-yes-That sounds adequate. Tomorrow then?...Thank you." He hung up and nodded to Jorick. "Some good news at last. Baltheir found a potential den. It goes on public auction tomorrow. He has a human lawyer handling the purchase for him, then he'll sell it to me himself."
"Sounds good," Jorick responded with minimal interest.
"I'll call you tomorrow with the location, except I don't have a number. If you'd get a cell phone-"
"I'll call you." Jorick pushed off of the car. "Thank you for your hospitality." He turned to Katelina and Xandria, suddenly brisk. "Let's go."
"What about the other two?" Xandria asked.
"They aren't here, and they aren't my problem." Jorick slid into the driver's seat.
Katelina rolled her eyes and climbed in. "You know Micah will use this as an excuse to drag things out? Let's get it over with so he doesn't pop up all the time like Malick did."
The fire in Jorick's dark eyes cooled. "You're never completely free of your master. Whether you want to or not, you will bleed for them, kill for themdie for them. Look at Joseff. He helped with an attack on the half-cracked notion Thomas might have been involved in Kale's misfortune. When Kale was legally killed, he went on to kidnap Thomas, torture, and maim him in retribution. In the end he died for his master."
"That's different. Joseff was crazy, and he and Kale were friends."
"Of course they were. When you share a master's blood you can't help but care for them."
Something slammed into the window. She spun, ready to crush a skull, but it was only Loren's face squashed against the glass, his palm flat on the window.
Micah opened the back door and climbed in. "You weren't thinkin' of leaving us behind, were you?"
Katelina silently echoed Jorick's groan.
