Chapter 674
Katelina didn't peek out from under the blanket until the vehicle stopped. Then, she only looked to see they were at Zacharias' den in the desert. Inside, she threw off the bedspread and sank gratefully to the floor. Her eyes had barely closed when she dropped into a familiar landscape. Green grass waved in the breeze and trees were heavy with flowers.
She turned to see Samael standing in a shaft of sunlight. Threads on his golden robes glittered. His long black hair shone like silk.
"It is done."
Katelina nodded and stepped closer to him. "Now what?" He turned to her, his expression curious. She looked away. "What will you do now? You said before you'd celebrate."
"And I shall, though perhaps not in the way you imagine. I do not need to destroy great swaths of the world, nor revel in blood to enjoy my accomplishments. A quiet celebration can be more meaningful than one which draws attention."
"What about the prophecy?"
He looked at her, as if to say, "Again?" but quoted, "Thus will begin the new age. Mankind will be subjugated to the will of the vampires and by this will they shall live and die. It shall be as an apocalypse for all of mortal kind, when the Heart has been given to the broken body within the temple of the Raven Queen and the sleeping wreak their wrath. Then all will tremble at the might of the master and his consort in the time of the Great Destruction. Cities will be leveled and the works of mankind shall be destroyed on the Master's alter, and scattered at the feet of his consort. All will bow before their terrible might, and he shall wield the blade of Creation, forged by the Gods. With it he will strike his foe from the Earth, and so his dominion will be complete."
She nodded. "Yes. That's the one."
"Do you not see it fulfilled? Does mankind not live and die by the will of the vampires? They live because vampire kind needs them; as food and as servants. Have cities not been leveled? The one you call home, the village in the south, a portion of this city? Have the works of mankind not been destroyed? Relics stored in that desert compound, or works that Lilith smashed when she broke into the local repository in search of her useless bow? Did I not strike Lilith from the earth with the blade of Creation?"
"Yes, but all the ruling and subjugating and destroying. What about that?"
He stepped close. His eyes found hers. "Do you wish for more? As my consort, do you desire that I scatter the ashes of the slain at your feet? Ask for it, and I will."
"No!" She looked away from his burning gaze.
"If it is your will then, for the time, it is also my will to allow mankind to continue. I have never desired dominion over them, or over anyone. Such was the reason she and I could never find happiness. She wanted to be worshiped, while I was content to simply live. I am still content to simply live. However, if the day comes when humans threaten my existence, then I can make no promise for their future. As they march forward, what they call technology destroys their world; their air, their water. They threaten annihilation and bloodshed. Though they are weak, their weapons can harm even our kind and have done so in flaming clouds."
He touched her hair and circled her slowly. Though she couldn't bring herself to look up, she could feel his eyes on her. "The time will come when they will destroy themselves in fire and smoke, but I will not allow them to destroy me. Or you, if you wish my protection. It is no less than you are owed. I will return to my palace in China. If you wish, you may come with me."
Her answer stuck in her throat and he continued. "I will not offer you the flaming ardor of a lover, for such passion burns itself out. However, I can give you protection from the weariness of the world; a world where friends and lovers betray, where those you hold dear die, or change until you can no longer abide them. In the halls of my palace, such heartbreaks will cease to be. Your memories of them shall fade away to twilight shadows. You will find a peace that many ancients can only wish for."
"What about Jorick?"
Samael stopped in front of her. "Such isolation would not suit him. He is one who must be in the world, who must involve himself to feel valuable."
She met Samael's eyes. "I appreciate your offer, but I can't leave him. I love him."
He cupped her cheek. She gasped at the electricity in the contact. "Then I hope for your sake, such love can endure the cruelty of the centuries."
He stepped back. The scene faded slowly, ghosts disappearing into a golden mist. Part of her wanted to run and grab him, to hold onto the sweet peace, but she knew if she did, she'd have to give up more than she could stand.
Samael's voice floated to her as darkness closed in. "Do not fear. Should you wish it, I will come."
Then he was gone.
***
It was Jorick's voice that called Katelina back to the world. "Wake up, little one."
She grunted her reply and curled into a tighter ball.
"It's nearly eleven. You need to feed."
She opened her eyes reluctantly. "Eleven at night?"
She felt his impatience, but he kept it out of his voice, "Of course. The sun has been down for more than three hours. Come."
Despite his assurance, she didn't feel like she'd overslept. She felt more like she'd been run over.
She sat up slowly and noticed that her hand was still clenched around something. She peeled her fingers loose to see Sarah's necklace. The blue jewel from a hippie store that promised it would bring tranquility, and the best friend's emblem.
Jorick laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, little one."
"So am I." And she was. Sorry for everything that had happened, sorry for the way it had endedthe way it had had to end. Tears blossomed in her eyes. She wiped them savagely. Sarah might have turned into a lunatic, but she was right about one thing. Katelina was selfish. Mind numbingly selfish. Everything she'd ever done, every act of kindness, was only to benefit herself, make herself feel better, make her life easier. All but the last one.
"We're all selfish," Jorick said. "It comes with the territory."
"The vampire territory?" she asked bitterly.
"No, the human territory."
"Yeah, I guess." She stuffed the charms in her pocket, then let Jorick tug her to her feet. Like her, he was healed, but he was also clean and dressed in new clothes.
He handed her a bag of blood. Something snapped in her brain. She tore into the bag with her teeth and gulped it in a few swallows. A second bag followed. After a third he held out his empty hands. "Sorry. I didn't know you were ravenous."
She leaned back against the wall and licked the salt from her lips. "Me either. Where is everyone?"
Jorick scowled. "Waiting for Jamie. He's on his way."
She flinched involuntarily. "I suppose we're in trouble for the public spectacle?"
"I don't know."
