Chapter 564
A loud crash startled Katelina and she looked up. Some of the cages had been knocked over.
Cages?
She blinked and wiped moisture from her face. Her hand came away with blood.
But I took a shower after the fight with Sarah.
Except it wasn't Sarah's blood. She shook through the confusion and looked down to see a half-naked young man with a dove tattooed on his chest. Ragged bites peppered his shoulders and arms, and gore was smeared on his face, heavy around his stubbly beard. Shirtless, he wore only a pair of ragged jeans and a single shoe.
Katelina stumbled to her feet and looked around. Vampires were huddled over their prey, drinking. Though there was still plenty of noise, some of the screams were silenced by death. She knew she shouldn't, but she picked through the crowd for familiar faces. Tol and Ren shared a girl, their crisp white tuxedos drenched in crimson. She thought she recognized William, but the flash was too fast to be sure. Demetrious fought with another vampire over a limp bearded man. Borne and one of his girls drank from a young male, while Sorino ripped a victim from Petta's hands.
It was too much. Katelina turned away when something caught her eye. Against her better judgment, she looked to a couple seated on the floor, their limbs tangled. The dark skinned male had his fangs buried in the woman's neck. Their bodies moved together and, though Katelina couldn't see it, she assumed the woman was biting him back. Blood smeared sex in the middle of the ballroom.
Katelina shuddered and started to look away just as the woman turned her face. It was Sarah.
A whimper pulled her attention to the tattooed guy. He crawled toward her over the slick floor, then collapsed. His dark eyes locked with hers and she dropped into a screaming pit of terror. Death. Blood. Kidnapped. Hauled in a van. Hands bound. Stuck in a cage. Starved. Nowhere to pee. Nothing to drink. And now this. Like a horror movie. Why did I always enjoy horror movies? It's Karma. My brother. Where is he? Is he dead? I promised to take care of him. Where is he?
God, I need to find my brother.
Katelina jerked away from the mental connection. Her chest heaved, and her throat hurt. She realized she'd been screaming, but no one noticed. No one cared. It was just another sound, like the tattooed guy was just another death. A sacrifice to the Goddess of Night. A sacrifice whose blood was all over her hands. All over her face.
She staggered for the door and tripped over half of a body; short hair was soaked in red. A naked maimed torso turned into a mass of jelly and fibers, with legs gone. Her stomach twisted in disgust as she climbed to her feet and ran.
She raced through the plastic lined hall and up a back staircase without stopping. She couldn't stop. If she did it would catch her. He would catch her. He, and his brother, and all the others who were screaming and being ripped to shreds.
She ran through the fourth floor, past storage areas, seeking the safety of her bedroom. If she could take a shower, get the blood off of her, it would be fine. He wouldn't haunt her if she was clean.
She skidded around a corner and slammed into a door she didn't recognize. She pulled away and tried the knob but it was locked. Her scarlet handprints smeared on the wood, bright against the golden brown. Where was she? Was she lost? Trapped?
A giggle sounded and she fell back. Had it come from inside? No. It was in her head. Or from downstairs. It was somehow distant, and more than she could take.
She spun away from the door and back the way she'd come. A different turn at a junction led to familiar territory. Soon she was in her room, peeling off her bloody clothes and climbing in the shower. The hot water washed the blood into a pink tornado that swirled down the drain.
When the water was clear she turned it off and climbed out. The mirror reflected her naked torso and her pale face. Her eyes were bright blue pools. Pink spots on her cheeks and the bright red of her lips spoke of the the fresh hot blood.
His blood.
Katelina wrapped herself in a towel and perched on the edge of the bed. She'd drank from that guy, maybe drained him, maybe killed him. She closed her eyes and tried to press away the burning guilt. She'd killed before. She'd stabbed vampires, clawed, cut, and slashed. She remembered the first time; a young vampire of Claudius'. She'd stabbed him in the heart, watched the life leave his eyes. Later she'd told herself it was okay because he wasn't human. He was a vampirea monsteronly now so was she, and she was living up to the title.
She could imagine what Micah would say. "So what? You've killed vampires. You've killed bugs. You've killed mice. You've run over cats and foxes. You felt bad for five seconds, then you moved on. Grow the fuck up and move on now. It's not like you really feel bad for the guy, you feel bad for you. You're wallowing in guilt because you want to pretend you're better than the rest of them, more human, but you're not. You're just like everyone else, so quit sniveling and go take care of that kid you promised you'd keep an eye on."
The imagined pep-talk didn't make her feel better, but it reminded her about Kai. She forced herself to stand, to dress, to leave the safety of the room and head for the TV lounge.
The door was shut, but not locked. She pushed it open to see the group seated on the floor playing cards.
"There you are!" Kolli said. "We thought you left us."
Hannah frowned. "Is it raining outside?"
Katelina realized she was referring to her soggy hair. "No. I took a quick shower."
Something like sympathy flashed through Brandle's eyes and he held up a hand. "I like to take random showers myself. What's plumbing for, otherwise? The best invention they've come up with yet. Shall I deal you in?"
Katelina slipped in between Kai and Kolli. "Yeah. Sure."
"It's Black Jack. You're trying to get twenty-one."
The contrast of an hour was almost too much; from a room filled with blood and screams to a game of cards. It was like watching TV with Sarah. First one thing, then another, with nothing in between.
She realized they were waiting and quickly murmured. "I know."
Brandle nodded. "All right. Let's play."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
