Chapter 606
They headed back to the main room. Everyone else was already packed up for the night. Like old tea cups, she mused.
Verchiel motioned to the boxes. "I already told Jorick, the coffins are pretty small to share. You might want your own."
Panic fluttered in her chest. They wanted her to sleep in a box by herself? Were they insane? She couldn't
Then she realized she could. Before, she'd shared with Jorick because he didn't trust the other vampires not to kill "his human". Now that she was one of them, what reason did she have not to sleep alone?
Because I don't want to.
Regardless of what she wanted, Verchiel was right. They couldn't both fit in a box, so she resigned herself to slowly climbing into her own. The lining was musty, but it was better than bare wood. She stretched out slowly, noted a lack of padding, and watched as Jorick slid the lid into place.
"Wait." She stuck her hands up before he could close it all the way. "We're in a basement with no windows, right? There's no sunlight. Do I need a lid?"
Jorick blinked. "No, I suppose not."
"No lid?" Verchiel asked. "There's thinking outside the box."
"No, thinking outside the box would be to push a pair of them together and sleep on the lids." Her eyes lit up as she forced the lid back and climbed out. "Why don't we?"
Jorick was clearly baffled. "There's no reason we couldn't, I suppose."
"Good." Without waiting for further confirmation, she pushed a heavy wooden box against its neighbor. "There." She scrambled on top, testing the lid. "It seems sturdy enough."
Jorick climbed next to her. "Yes, I imagine it is."
She stretched out. "This is much better than being shut inside."
"If you say so." Verchiel made a show of yawning. "You kiddies have fun out here. Personally, a box sounds wonderful to me. How about you, Jamie?"
With a chuckle, the Executioner followed the redhead into the next room, where Katelina heard the scrape and bang as they dropped lids into place. A thick silence fell. Katelina snuggled closer to Jorick. "Why haven't we done this before?"
"I don't think there's been a time when it was appropriate." He draped an arm over her. "Most cellars have a window of some kind, hence the lids."
She yawned and closed her eyes. "I suppose you're right." A heartbeat passed, then she asked, "Do you think Mom will be all right?"
"Oh, I'm sure. I'm not lucky enough to lose her this quickly."
Despite his chuckle, Katelina smacked him on the shoulder. "That's not funny! You don't want her to die, do you?"
He sobered. "Of course not, Katelina. If, for no other reason, than it would break your heart. But you will have to face it one day."
She got comfortable again and closed her eyes. "Maybe."
He stroked her hair. "No, little one, it's inevitable. Everything dies."
"You don't."
He made a soft noise at the implication. "You're not considering-"
She sighed and opened her eyes. "No. She wouldn't make a good-" The word vampire stuck in her throat. "She's not much of a blood drinker."
Jorick kissed Katelina's nose. "That's probably for the best. Sleep, little one, and let's hope there's good news tomorrow."
She nodded against him, and soon relaxed. Dreams drifted past, thick with fire and smoke. At last she stood in her mother's hospital room. Furniture was broken. Everything was in disarray. Her mother lay in the bed, crushed, bleeding, hooked up to a million tubes and wires, wrapped in gauze, more dead than alive.
Hang on, mom.
She moved closer and bit into her own wrist. Her mother's eyes opened, not blue but glowing red.
Katelina stumbled backwards and tripped over the overturned cart. When she landed, she was no longer in the ruined hospital. A sundrenched courtyard greeted her, filled with flowers and a pair of intertwined fruit trees.
The fear, anger, panic she'd felt only a moment ago were gone, replaced by soothing peace. Nothing made sense, but it was all right. It didn't matter.
She stood uncertainly and looked to her arm. The wound she'd made was gone, as was her baggy sweatshirt, replaced with an Asian inspired gown.
"Hello."
Katelina felt the voice more than heard it. She turned to see a figure standing by an ornamental pond. Long black hair hid his face. Golden robes hung from his narrow shoulders.
"Samael?"
At her whispered question, he raised his head. She met his eyes, dark and burning like the heart of a thousand suns. Once, it was more than she could bear. Even now she had to look away after a moment.
A spark of anger flared in her chest, then disappeared. She struggled to hold onto it. "How could you?"
"How could I what?" He walked to her, his movements fluid like the water rippling in the pond. A heartbeat passed and he stiffened. "She has been there."
Katelina looked up against her will to meet his gaze. "Yes. You both were. You destroyed my town. You nearly killed my mother!"
"Not I."
"I don't understand. If you weren't here-if it wasn't a fight-why was everything destroyed?"
Samael's expression remained impassive. "I cannot guess her motives."
Brandle had suggested the battleground was chosen to send a message. Was the attack itself a message? Was it a warning?
She felt the shadow of panic, suppressed beneath Samael's artificial calm. Tomorrow, when she was awake in the real world, there'd be nothing to dampen it.
"Peace, child. What will be, will be. You change nothing with your worry."
"No, but you could change things, by killing her."
"Such is my plan. Sleep now. I will join you soon, in flesh, then I will find her, and she shall suffer for her crimes, her and those who stand with her."
The words popped out before she could stop them. "But you're angry at me."
"Angry? No. Disappointed, perhaps, but not angry. Only one creature deserves the sum of my rage, my hatred, and she will feel my wrath."
There was more Katelina wanted to know, like where he was, how long until he'd be there, but her questions swirled away as the garden disappeared, and the darkness took her again.
