Chapter 531
Near the Canadian border, they stopped at a gas station papered with tourist advertisements. Katelina studied one for Niagara Falls. Her childhood was colored with her mother's dream of an "American Vacation." Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and Niagara Falls. The places sitcom stars had visited with their fake families. "Are we going near there?"
Sarah squinted at the poster. "I don't know. I wish I had my phone." She moved to a rack of maps and unfolded one. After careful study she said, "I think we're going past that. We could stop."
Katelina nodded enthusiastically. "I'll tell Jorick."
She found him in the passenger seat of the SUV. When she explained, he shook his head. "Canadian Executioners are waiting for us in Toronto. I doubt sightseeing is on their itinerary."
"Isn't Niagara Falls in the U.S.?"
"Partially. The overlook you want is Canadian."
"Isn't it before Toronto? The Executioners would never know."
The guard Cornelius made an affirmative noise. Jorick shot him a look that said to shut up. "That's as may be, but we need to be indoors before sunrise. Let's not push our luck."
She rolled her eyes. "How about Sarah and I stop and you guys play it safe? When will I be near it again?"
"You have forever, Katelina. You can view it today, tomorrow, two hundred years from now. If it matters to you, we'll come back."
His words held a truth she hadn't yet accepted. "I may have forever, but that doesn't mean it does. A freak earthquake could wipe it out tonight."
Jorick sighed. "Fine. We'll stop. But only at one overlook."
"One? What else is there?"
His voice was over patient. "Niagara is a city, sweetheart. There are three waterfalls and enough to keep someone busy for days."
"They only show one on TV and call it Niagara Falls. Several old sitcoms filmed vacation shows there."
"I forget most of your education came from TV." Jorick unfolded a map and studied it. "We'll stop at Horseshoe Falls. It's the largest."
She checked her new watch. Two a.m. and a heart rate of sixty-one. Thanks, Mom. "Will it be open when we get there?"
"It's a waterfall. You can't turn that off."
Jamie approached the SUV, the other guard, Roger, on his heels. The Executioner nodded to Katelina. "Is your friend a whisperer?"
"No."
"Then one of us needs to ride with you across the Canadian border. I have a passport for Jorick, but The Guild didn't send one for you or your friend." He gave his fellow Executioner a pointed look.
Jorick swung out of the vehicle. "I suppose I'll sacrifice myself."
"That's fine," she said. "But you're riding in the back."
When Sarah was presented with the extra passenger, she nodded unenthusiastic understanding and followed the SUV. She glanced to her rearview mirror over and over, as if she thought Jorick might attack her. Katelina felt her discomfort and tried to send reassuring mental messages.
The bridge was long, and the border checkpoint was fairly deserted. What looked like a row of toll booths blocked their path. Katelina's tension doubled. She wasn't sure if it was hers or Sarah's, only that it was suffocating.
The SUV went through first, then it was their turn. Sarah pulled up and wound down the window. The officer gave them a series of questions in a monotone. Katelina was too frozen to answer, and Sarah's replies were sketchy at best. Finally he held out his hand for identification. When no one moved, he withdrew it empty, his expression unwavering, and ducked into the little shack.
Sarah met Katelina's eyes and mouthed, "Oh my God, now what?" But the officer returned and motioned as though he was handing something back to them.
"Enjoy your stay."
They pulled away, and Sarah flicked her eyes to the rearview. "What in the hell? Was that what Katelina called enchanting?"
Jorick shrugged. "You could say that. I believe there's a toll up ahead."
"I have change," Sarah said. Katelina wondered where her money came from. How did she have change? How did she pay for a storage unit or gas? Did the money come from all those people who disappeared?
***
Katelina saw the waterfalls before they stopped the car. She climbed out on a mostly deserted street, her eyes on the thundering water in the distance. With her vampire sight, the flow was crystal clear, like a photo, even as it tumbled down into foggy banks of iridescent mist. Multicolored lights gave it a surreal look that was at once both fairytale and sci-fi.
Jorick joined her at the railing. They stared in silence until she murmured, "It's beautiful."
"Not the lights. Modern humans are never satisfied with nature as it is. They have to dress up a wonder, as if it wasn't wondrous enough on its own. I liked it better before."
"When were you here?"
"It was in the 1800s, before I left the Executioners. None of this was here then." He waved his hands to indicate the brick and glass buildings, benches, ornamental trees, and broad viewing areas.
She turned her attention back to the play of light on water, and thought of her mom and her dream vacation. A soft ache spread through her chest. She wished she could share it with her.
Jorick's hands tightened on the railing. "You're missing him."
"Not missing. It's just that she alwayswait. Him? Him who?"
"Micah."
Katelina choked. "Good lord. Don't tell me you're going to start being jealous of him?"
"I'm not worried about romantic ties between you. I can read his mind. Past a handful of general male crudeness, he views you as a sister or prot¨¦g¨¦e. A god- daughter, perhaps."
"Then what are you worried about? I certainly don't think of him"
"Though your generation has turned all emotion into something romantic and sexual, there are many types of love, and very few involve mating. There is the love for friends, family, children, siblings, parents, mentors. If pressed, how many women would choose a friend or family member over their mate?"
She peeled his tense fingers loose and squeezed his hand. "Jorick, I swear there is no weird master/fledgling connection that could make me choose someone over you. Stop worrying before I think you enjoy it."
He swept her up in a kiss that shot fire down her spine. He let go and stepped back toward the SUV. "We should go. Morning-"
"I know." She glanced farther down the street where Sarah stood. A person-shaped shadow moved from beneath an ornamental tree. Before Katelina could decide if it was human or vampire, friend or foe, Sarah spun around and jammed her knee in their stomach. Her victim gave a grunt of surprise. Sarah tackled him to the ground and straddled him, snarling in his face.
I guess that answers the question.
