Chapter 89
Jorick and Katelina spent the remainder of the day in the bedroom where Katelina could ignore what had happened. Jorick left a couple times to bring her the last of the pizza and something to drink, and both times she sensed his return before he actually appeared.
She lay in his arms, in the ridiculous bed, and stared at him uncertainly. He offered her a crooked smile. Moments stretched, and then he said finally, "Well?"
"Well what?" Surprise washed over her, and her brows furrowed in confusion at the misplaced emotion. "What was that?"
"What was what?" Now Jorick looked confused. "Can't you hear me?"
"Of course I can hear you. You're talking aren't you?"
"That's not what I mean." He broke off and stared at her thoughtfully, then his voice sounded inside her head. Unlike Kateesha, it was actually his voice, so that it sounded like he was speaking, "You can't hear my thoughts?"
The intrusion made her physically jump. "Whoa. What was that?"
"So you heard that?" Jorick asked absently. "Interesting."
She rubbed her forehead and glared at him. "What's 'interesting'?" She took in his facial expression and a strange suspicion occurred to her. "You do know how this linking thing works, right?"
His eyes shifted away from hers guiltily. "Actually, no." He continued before she could object, "Well, I've never done it before, have I? It's actually a rather antiquated process."
"What do you mean?" She thought back to the discussion in Claudius's den.
Jorick gave a half shrug. "As Troy said, no one does it anymore." He flinched at her furious gaze. "Sorry. Your thoughts are very loud. I think they're louder than mine." He offered her a jovial smile, but the emotion didn't ring true. "As I was saying, it fell into disuse in the 1700's because it made the master too vulnerable. The last documented case of it was when a master used his human link to murder a rival coven, and after that it was looked on with suspicion, or even fear."
She imagined murdering the others and smiled. "How does it weaken the vampire?" She refused to use the word "master".
He blinked again. "On the short term it weakens a vampire to give some part of himself away, the same as it does when he turns someone. On the long term it's because his human could hear his thoughts, or so they say." He gave another shrug. "Either way, I've never actually known anyone who did it."
She started to ask what the point of it was, but he obviously read her mind again because he answered before the words left her lips. "Since the master is supposed to see and hear what the human can, they could send them not only on missions, but also out in daylight, and it would be as though they were there, without actually having to expose themselves to danger. It was considered very useful, especially during the old wars, before The Guild gained control."
"The Guild," she muttered with distaste. Images of the black clad Executioners came to her mind and she shuddered.
"The Guild is much more than that," Jorick said quietly. "You can't imagine that all the vampires in the world could be controlled by a handful of Executioners?"
She felt amusement wash over her and realized that it was his; she could feel his emotions!
"The ones you saw are only for North America, the new world. There are many others, all answerable to the headquarters in Munich where the oldest of all the vampires resides."
"Like a world government," she murmured.
"Of course." He tilted his head at her questioningly. "How else would it be done?"
"I don't know." She dropped her head back to the pillow and sighed. "So you don't know how this linking thing works?"
"I already told you, I have a vague idea. I knew how to do it, at least." His smile held a little too much smug pride. "I imagine we'll figure it out as we go. It's probably like being turned. What kind of vampire you become depends on what raw materials you had to begin with." He frowned. "Though you also inherit gifts from your master, but I believe you need to be predisposed to it."
Katelina wasn't sure she wanted a lecture on vampire abilities, or details about being "turned", so she shifted the conversation back. "Can you feel what I feel, then?"
Jorick snapped back from his reverie. "What? Oh, you mean your emotions? No, I can't, which is just as well. I can barely hear over you as it is. I can't imagine feeling every changing sentiment too."
"Well, I can feel yours."
That got his attention. "Really? But you can't hear me?"
"Apparently not. That or you never think anything. Either or."
"Very funny." He stared at her silently for a moment and then she heard, whispered in her mind, "But you can hear this?"
"Yes. But I don't like it. Don't do that."
He nodded to himself. "It seems I have to consciously send it to you. Very interesting."
"It's not interesting," she cried and smacked him on the shoulder. "It's annoying. I don't like it."
His eyes grew wide and then he smirked. "Oh, there. For a moment. I felt that."
"What? Me hitting you? Because I can do it again if you-"
"No," he cut her off. "Anger. But I couldn't really catch it. It was like chasing a ghost. Very interesting indeed."
"It isn't interesting at all." When he only laughed, she rolled over and glared at the wall. Here she'd almost died and he found it all so interesting!
Jorick cleared his throat loudly. "I didn't find that very interesting." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. "You know I wouldn't have done this if I could have found another way."
She sighed heavily as his guilt consumed her. "Yeah, I know." She stared at the smooth wall and thought back to that night. She pictured Jorick walking across the yard, his hands in his pockets as he disappeared into the darkness. Her voice was thick when she asked, "Where did you go?"
He didn't bother to pretend not to know what she meant. "I went for a walk."
"Where?" She couldn't name the emotion that slinked through her mind, but it made her chest feel tight and uncomfortable.
"I went to the beach. I didn't want to be here when you- when you left."
She nodded silently. "So you heard-"
"No," he answered flatly. "My hearing is good, but not that good. I came back because I thought you'd be gone already. Of course, when I got closer, then I could hear-" he broke off and nuzzled his face against the back of her neck.
She felt his mournful regret. "It's all right," she murmured softly. "What matters is that you came."
"Is it?" he asked seriously and tightened his hold on her. "Despite the terrible sin I committed?"
She rolled her eyes impatiently. "Oh stop it. You know very well I've forgiven you. I understand why you did it. That doesn't mean I have to like it," she added. "But, I understand." "And I'm sorry for the way I reacted," she added silently.
"It's all right," Jorick murmured. "I imagine it was quite a shock."
She couldn't stop the incredulous snort. "That's an understatement."
