Chapter 666
Torina returned, readying for an attack. The pounding on the door stopped. Katelina motioned her companions to silence. She strained her ears. Beyond the door was only silence.
She leaned away to meet Torina's eyes. The vampiress sniffed the air. She motioned wildly, a second before the door splintered. Katelina leapt back. Gret kicked what was left of the door open.
"It's you again?" she demanded. "I'm" She broke off when she saw Torina. "You must be his new concubine."
"Excuse me?" Torina readied to pounce.
Several loud bangs sounded over each other. Katelina saw Kai holding the gun, smoke curling from the barrels. Their attacker stumbled back and looked down at her stomach, where a ragged hole ran crimson.
"You little" the insult strangled off as Kai calmly aimed the second pistol and pulled the trigger. The bullets spread. Though three slammed into the wall, the fourth penetrated their enemy's forehead with a sploosh of blood. She staggered, then straightened, shaking her head.
Katelina readied the dagger, looking for a better weapon; something larger. The lamp maybe? Or the chair. She decided on the latter and flung the furniture with all her strength.
Something slammed into her. She fell back, smacking her head on the desk. She shook out of it to see William knock Kai to the floor. The boy calmly clocked him with the heavy pistol, but it only made William angry.
William? Where the hell did he come from? How many minions did Lilith have in the hotel?
Torina knocked William off Kai and kicked him in the ribs. He groaned, swept to his feet, and disappeared, only to reappear behind the redhead. Katelina saw the glint of a blade and charged them. William disappeared a second before she hit. She and Torina landed in a tangle, barely missing the dresser.
"What are you doing?" Torina cried as she pulled away.
Before Katelina could explain, Gret kicked her to the side, swinging a bladed club. It found its mark on Torina's arm, leaving a slash of scarlet.
The redhead pressed her hand to the wound. "You're going to pay for that."
Kai was on his feet again, this time brandishing a golden sickle. Katelina recognized it as one that Sorino took from the defunct Children of Shadows cult.
How interesting, Katelina thought, using a weapon forged to destroy another group of Lilith's worshipers to fight this one.
William swung a notched sword, then disappeared. He popped up in front of the bathroom door. After a sniff, he frowned and went for the doorknob.
With a roar, Torina slammed him face first into the wall. A low wail started, muffled inside the bathroom. Torina's influence had slipped from the children.
Gret pulled up. "Babies? We're not interested in children. Only in his concubine."
William hit Torina in the stomach. She stumbled back into the bed while he disappeared and reappeared near the dresser. "Kali might reward us for bringing her children back."
"They aren't hers." Torina swung to her feet.
Kai shuffled back against the wall, partially forgotten. Katelina tried to catch his eye, hoping he'd called to Sorino for help. There was no way they could handle this on their own.
"They are hers," William said, lifting the sword. "I recognize their scent. She took them to feed on."
He didn't get any further before Torina tackled him, knocking the sword aside with a clang. As they went down, they shoved Katelina into the desk. The furniture snapped, leaving her sprawled in a pile of splintered wood. She looked up to see William fling a bloody Torina aside. "You get the concubine; I'll get the children."
Bloody? No, not
Torina moved and Katelina relaxed. William snatched his sword and evaporated to turn up again in front of the bathroom. Gret grabbed Torina's arm, and he shouted, "Not her! The blonde!"
He disappeared inside, the door swinging shut behind him. With a confused grunt, Gret released the redhead. Katelina sat up, but couldn't get to her feet before Gret was on her. She caught her breath as the bladed club whistled past her head. Her enemy readied for another strike. Katelina said a prayer and kicked. The blow buckled Gret's knee and she crashed back. Her head bounced off the bed frame to leave her dazed on the floor.
Torina waited with the lamp as William banged out of the bathroom, his arms full of the screaming tots, his sword in his belt. She swung her impromptu weapon at his head. He dropped Jayleth to deflect the blow.
The lamp shattered in slow motion; pieces of glass and ceramic flew in a wide arc. William snarled, a bloody cut across his forehead. He tossed Paylin to the bed, then wrenched what was left of the lamp from Torina; a metal stake with a dangling lightbulb.
Paylin screamed; a high pitched wail that shook Gret awake.
"Shut up!" William swung the remnants of the lamp at him like a club. Torina threw herself over the toddler like a shield. There was a crunch, a cry, and a splash of blood, then Torina fell still.
William ripped the makeshift weapon away and shoved Torina's limp body to the floor. Katelina froze. Was Torina-could she be-? No. She couldn't be killed that easily. Just a moment ago she'd thought And she wasn't
Sudden pain shot through Katelina's shoulder blade. She jerked involuntarily, and spun back to see William rip the bloody metal piece from her back. He stabbed again, but she dodged and swept up a broken piece of desk to use as a shield.
Gret was on her feet, her attention on Kai. He swung the golden sickle with a swoosh. It stuck in her shoulder and pulled free from his hand. The vampiress tore it from her arm. With a snarl, she swung it at him in a splash of scarlet that crumpled the teen to the floor.
The remnants of the door flew aside. Sorino charged through, hair wild, his face creased in fury. He leapt over the first bed to knock Gret to the floor, next to Kai. Twin daggers flashed in Sorino's hands as he sliced, severing the fingers that held the scythe.
With a shout, Micah and Loren burst inside. William looked from them to Katelina, then disappeared. She had a nanosecond flash of him knocking Micah away before he was gone.
Katelina dropped to Torina's side. Pain radiated down her arm as she rolled the vampiress' limp body. She started to shake her, then saw the gaping hole in her chest.
No.
"Hey." Micah crouched next to her. "Is" he broke off when he saw the injury. "Oh fuck, no."
Loren tripped over the remnants of the desk to kneel next to them. "Torina?"
Jayleth pulled himself up onto unsteady legs and waddled to her. He dropped, reaching. His hands slid away, slick with her blood. He floundered and wailed. Micah absently pulled the boy from Torina and bounced him gently. "Shhh, there tyke. Shhhhhh."
Katelina could hear Sorino and Gret wrestling, the universe going on even as one world ended. She didn't like Torina, but-but tears still burned her eyes. Torina was like death and taxes; a redheaded certainty that would always stroll in looking better. That she could be-
She looked helplessly to Micah, as if he could fix it. Only he couldn't. No one could. Over his shoulder, she saw Sorino stand, lifting Gret by her throat. She waved bloody fingerless hands and kicked. Her clothing was shredded and she was covered in thick scarlet slashes that left skin flapping. Sorino slammed her into the wall. Her head bounced. Once, twice, three times. With a roar, he rammed a dagger into her chest. The vampiress' body arched as he twisted the blade, then fell still.
He threw her aside and knelt swiftly. He gave a cry, like a wounded animal. Katelina's chest tightened. Not-not Kai-
Katelina pushed past Micah and Loren, but stopped at the corner of the bed. She could see Sorino kneeling on the floor, cradling the boy. His neck hung limply. His hair fell back to reveal the face of an angel; perfect cheek bones, pale skin, and long eyelashes, marred only by a lumpy scar on his forehead and splatters of blood.
Misery and fury crashed over her, so deeply intertwined she couldn't pull one emotion from the other. She staggered under it. Sorino stood, lifting Kai. Without a word, he swept out of the room.
She tried to shake away the agony and hurried to the door. "Sorino?" She saw him disappear into one of the rooms, but she didn't follow. His silence said everything she didn't want to hear.
No.
She turned back to see Loren scoop up Paylin. Micah was still crouched next to Torina. He absently bounced Jayleth with one hand, and brushed Torina's curls back with the other. His fingertips smeared a droplet of blood across her cheek in a long streak of scarlet, like the trail of a tear.
"Fuck!" Micah swung to his feet, adjusting the child before he walked in erratic half circles. "Fuck!"
Sorino's agony still echoed inside Katelina; she didn't have room for Micah's. Still, she had to do something. She tentatively laid a hand on his arm. He pulled away. "What the fuck? Where is that goddamn bastard? I'm gonna tear him into fucking little shreds!"
He shoved the toddler into Katelina's' arms, then stormed out the door.
Loren looked around helplessly. "What do we do? We can't leave them alone."
Though he meant the children, his eyes lingered on Torina's bloody body. It felt wrong to leave her lying there, waiting to be dealt with until after-
After what?
Katelina wasn't sure, but she knew she couldn't sit there soothing children and looking at Torina's corpse.
"Here." She pushed the child at Loren. "I'll be back."
"Hey! But"
His words were cut off by a blast that shook the building hard enough to knock the picture off the wall.
"Holy shit!"
Katelina hesitated. "Maybe you'd better get near an exit."
"An exit to where?" the teen asked. "It's after seven in the morning! We'll fry!" He dropped the squirming children to the bed. "I will, at least."
He was right, but she didn't have the heart to say it. She didn't know what the answer was.
Not for any of us.
