They headed upstairs for a meeting with the others. When Katelina and Xandria fell behind, the woman whispered, “That Jorick guy claimed you? Your master is going to be furious.”
“What? No. Jorick is my…boyfriend.” She still couldn’t bring herself to call him master.
“Shit. Seriously? When you were in Indonesia?”
“We were there to fight the Children of Shadows.”
Xandria stopped to stare. “Holy crap, really? That’s crazy! I have seriously been listening to Jorick-this and Wolfe-that for weeks. It figures the first sane person I meet is one of the bad guys.”
“Cyprus was the bad guy,” Katelina corrected automatically. The expression on Xandria’s face stopped her from going further. “Never mind.”
The others were waiting in the lunchroom. Katelina was barely through the door before a slinky vampiress sashayed inside. She stopped next to Oren, and gave Jorick and Jamie suggestive smiles. Then she noticed Katelina. “So it’s true. Micah did what Jorick refused to.”
Jorick growled a warning. “Torina.”
The vampiress tossed her wavy red hair. “You should have done it long ago, Jorick. It’s your own fault.” She glanced at Katelina. “I suppose I should welcome you to immortality.”
“Don’t strain yourself,” she muttered.
Torina cocked an eyebrow and touched Jorick’s arm. “You’d best be careful. Now that you’re not a pathetic human Jorick may lose interest.”
It was the same worry she’d already had. That someone else also thought it…
“No, I won’t.” He purposefully moved the vampiress’ manicured hand.
Torina leaned close to him, offering a view of milky cleavage. “If you ever get bored, you know where to find me.” She laughed, and turned to her brother. “Oren, I’m hungry. Be a dear and get me some blood.”
“Get it yourself, sister.”
“Where’s your little pet? Have her fetch it.”
Katelina made to defend Etsuko, but Oren beat her to it. “Etsuko is busy elsewhere. She is not my pet. She’s as immortal as you are, and your equal. I suggest you get used to it.”
Katelina and Torina gaped identically. Before either could reply, Maeko bounced through the door. Hikaru and Takeshi followed, a teenage boy behind them. Maeko bowed a greeting and pointed to the teen. “Kate-chan remembers Ryuu-chan?”
Loren and Micah appeared next. Though the burly vampire had obviously had blood to heal his injuries, his face was still bruised and swollen. Torina hurried to him. “What happened?”
“He got what he deserved,” Jorick snapped. “If everyone’s here?”
“Starting without us?” Sorino asked as he breezed inside. With his long brown hair, pale tapered fingers, and perfectly pressed suit, he reminded Katelina of a movie villain. It didn’t help that he led Kai on a chain.
“Kai!” Katelina hurried to him. “Are you okay?”
The boy shrugged, and Katelina guessed that Sorino had given him enough blood to restore him. The question was whether he’d given it in healing, as Boris had to her, or as a lover.
“Do you want to know?” Sorino purred.
Katelina’s cheeks tinted pink and Sorino chuckled. “I believe Verchiel’s sister is still missing.”
As if that was her cue, a short raven haired vampiress hurried through the door. Katelina was surprised to see that she’d replaced her usual black ninja outfit for jeans and a sweatshirt.
Ume stopped next to her brother and nodded to Katelina. Though she didn’t ask, Katelina could see questions in her violet eyes. If only she had the answers.
Jorick called the meeting to order. After an argument that left him growling in Micah’s face, the vampires agreed that if one went to Munich, they all went. Torina didn’t hide her displeasure, but she didn’t push the issue.
With the decision made they split up. Micah and Loren went to “loot what they could.” Ume volunteered to check on Etsuko and their laundry, and Katelina followed Jorick around as he made the final arrangements.
Human pilots appeared long enough to look nervous, then hurried away to prepare for takeoff. Less than an hour later, Katelina reluctantly climbed on board one of the two planes. Hethin followed, pushing Braydon before him. The brunette’s hands were bound. His face an emotionless veneer.
Jorick made a low noise next to her. “Apparently the Höher Rat wishes to speak to him.”
“You mean interrogate and imprison him?” she retorted.
“And why do you care?”
“I don’t.” Though he didn’t reply, she was sure he knew about the blood. It didn’t seem fair to her that something she didn’t remember should affect her.
Like I don’t remember being turned.
Sadihra appeared next, with Boris. The Russian didn’t hide his unhappiness as he was taken to the back of the plane.
“I suppose they want him as well?” Katelina asked.
“Of course.”
They took off. Despite her new immortality, Katelina tensed against the seat and mashed her eyes closed. Once the plane leveled out she relaxed a little. Jorick squeezed her hand.
“We won’t crash.”
“And if we do? You might survive but I—” The words died on her lips. She wasn’t human anymore. She was just as immortal as they were. Just as indestructible.
“You’re younger,” Jorick said. “And you’re weaker. Though with Samael’s blood…”
Xandria cleared her throat uncomfortably from the seat next to Katelina. They hadn’t spoken since the meeting, and she didn’t know what to say.
Xandria filled the silence for her. “What’s the deal with all this Kugsa-someone?”
“The Kugsankal,” Katelina said. “Or the True Council. It’s made up of three ancient vampires. From what I’ve heard they mostly hang out in the basement in a sort of sleep-like existence, but they’ve woken up recently thanks to Malick and the Children of Shadows. Basically, each country has its own vampire government, but the Kugsankal are over all of them.”
“They’re like the emperors of the world?”
“Yeah, sort of.” Katelina thought of her previous meetings with the trio. “They’re terrifying.”
“Like that old guy Malick?”
“Worse. They’re even older.”
Sadihra stood and announced, “We will have to remain in the plane for a few hours after we land, or risk the sun.”
The assemblage murmured their agreement, and Jorick turned to Katelina. “Why don’t you get some sleep? You could use the extra rest.”
Katelina woke hours later to find the plane stationary and everyone asleep. Though she couldn’t see outside, she knew the sun was burning in the sky.
She reached over Jorick’s slouched form and laid her hand on the window shutter. The sun had always been a concern for Jorick and her friends, but she’d never feared it. Now, sliding the window back could mean death. Not the kind of death she’d been through already, but real, total, death. The kind that there was no coming back from.
She dropped her hand to her lap. The skin was pale and youthful, like a freshly scrubbed child. She marveled at the way her fingernails gleamed and sliced them across the arm of her seat. To her surprise the material gave way.
Jorick stirred next to her. After his usual gasp he met her eyes and offered her a smile. “Good morning, little one.”
She didn’t bother to correct him. After all, it was her morning now. Now and forever.
The words had a terrifying ring that stole her breath. Jorick frowned and took her hand. “I know this isn’t the way we planned it. I understand your initial panic, especially considering who…” He didn’t finish, but she knew he meant “Who turned you.” With a low growl, he continued, “Beyond owing a debt to that…Neanderthal, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
“Except the sun. And my mother. God, Jorick. What am I going to tell her?”
He shrugged. “Do you need to tell her anything? You’re an adult. You could just stop visiting her.”
“No, I can’t. She may be a crazy old lady who’s dating a guy half her age, but she’s still my mother. God, how will I hide this? When I don’t age in a few years, she’s going to notice!”
Jorick rolled his eyes. “We might get lucky and she’ll die first.”
Katelina smacked him. He pulled away and rubbed his arm, an amused grin on his lips. “That almost hurt for once.”
Xandria stirred next to her, probably woken by their argument. She yawned loudly, and Katelina balked at her morning breath. God damn, the girl needed some mints!
Verchiel’s chipper voice came from the seat behind them. “That’s the way you all smell. Or at least, you used to smell. Just another perk of immortality.”
“I need to pee,” Xandria announced and strode toward the bathroom.
The other vampires woke, one after another and Sadihra announce it was safe to disembark.
As everyone gathered their luggage, Verchiel pulled a battered Ziploc bag from his pocket. “I forgot. This belongs to you.” He thrust the bag at Katelina, then followed the others out the door.
It took Katelina a moment to recognize the disposable camera and odd junk she’d lost when Arlen and his goons attacked them. It was sweet that Verchiel had taken the time to collect it.
Jorick scoffed. “More likely the Chinese Executioners found it and put it in with his personal effects.”
It was warmer outside than she expected, which was just as well since she’d lost her coat somewhere. Her eyes skipped from the collection of buildings to the other planes, then on to a parking lot where three black SUVs were parked.
Sadihra motioned everyone to wait and looked them over, as if mentally ticking them off a list. Katelina could almost hear it, “Jorick—check. The redhead—check. One prisoner—”
“Boris?” Sadihra demanded. “Where is he?”
The Russian vampire flickered and became solid next to her. Sadihra latched onto the cuffs around his wrists. “It will do you no good. We have vampires in the stronghold who are immune to those tricks.”
Boris muttered something that sounded like a curse. Sadihra turned back to them. “The human woman, who does she belong to?”
All eyes turned to Xandria. “Sanjay, but he’s still with the old guy.”
Sadihra frowned. “One of you will need to claim her, or she’ll be confiscated. Unclaimed humans are not allowed. And a claimed human without their master is even worse.”
Oren spoke up, “Jorick’s…fledgling took responsibility for her.”
“Then mark her and be quick about it,” said Sadihra.
It took Katelina a moment to realize they were talking to her. “Me? I don’t know how.”
Oren rolled his eyes. “She’s supposed to drink from you, but we’re in a hurry so skip that and just bite her.”
Bite her. Katelina cringed. They wanted her to bite a girl in the middle of a parking lot while they all watched?
“If you don’t want to, someone else can claim her,” Sadihra said impatiently.
Jorick interjected. “I think that’s for the best.”
Katelina weighed the possibilities and found them lacking. “No, I’ll, uh, do it.” She stepped closer to Xandria and tried to ignore the stomach rumbling smell of her blood. It was like spaghetti and garlic bread. “Where should I do it at?”
“There are traditionally favored spots, such as the neck or shoulder,” Sadihra said. “But you can do it wherever you want.”
The thought of biting another woman on the neck seemed strange. “Right. The arm it is.” She gave Xandria an apologetic smile. “Sorry this is weird.”
Xandria held out her arm. “It’s fine. I don’t want to be confiscated or whatever.”
Katelina steeled herself. If she didn’t think of it as bizarre, then maybe it wouldn’t be. It was no different than drinking from Boris. It was just a platonic, blood-sharing moment like that. One of those important, lifesaving—
She raised Xandria’s arm to her lips and the thoughts disappeared. The smell of her blood was strong. With no more thought than it took to bite a sandwich, she clamped down. Warm wetness flowed into her mouth, salty and tinged with a thousand flavors. There were sounds in her head, soft whisperings and over-bright visions. She saw a short, bald, Arabic looking vampire cringing at Malick’s feet. He stood and dragged her to the corridor.
“What is it now?” she asked in a voice that wasn’t hers. She wished they’d leave. She could deal with Sanjay but these other vampires made her nervous.
“He has a use for you.”
The scene was replaced by Cyprus, with his long auburn hair and haunted eyes. He leaned back in a chair while another vampire tapped Morse code on a radio key. “He says the Black Vigil will be in Uzbekistan the day after tomorrow.”
“Why would he betray them?” Cyprus asked.
“He says their leader is a bitch and he’s had enough of them coming to him for help and never compensating him.”
Cyprus frowned and looked at her, as if he’d felt her scrutiny. Her heart skipped a beat and she smiled. He returned it and turned back to the radio. That was part of what made him attractive. Unlike the rest of the assholes he didn’t treat her like a second class piece of meat.
The room faded and was replaced by the lunch room in Malick’s desert stronghold. She could hear screams in the background, so loud they made it hard to eat.
“It’s just a prisoner,” Sanjay said. “The master wants something from her.”
Her voice was still wrong when she said “He won’t get anything but a corpse if he keeps that up.”
“Katelina!”
The scene disappeared as Jorick ripped her away.
Verchiel caught Xandria before she hit the ground. “You got a little enthusiastic, Kately.”
Katelina wiped absently at her mouth to find blood. Xandria’s blood.
“It’s all right,” Jorick assured her. “We shouldn’t have expected you to do that when you hadn’t fed. She’ll be fine, and the bite will do as a mark. Come. Our ride is waiting.”
Verchiel hefted the unconscious woman over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes. “I’ll get her this time. Next time you have to carry your own victims.”
“She’s not my victim!”
Jorick glared at Verchiel and tugged Katelina toward the waiting vehicles. Her eyes moved to Xandria’s slack face. She was torn between guilt and the desire to bite her again. The second thought sickened her, and she looked away.
“We’ll feed once we reach the stronghold,” Jorick said.
They’d barely reached the SUV when Micah appeared from behind the vehicle. He clapped a hand on her back. “Good job, slave. At this rate we’ll make a real vampire out of you yet, not one of those so-called-vegetarian-pussies.”
Katelina drew back with a scowl and Jorick snarled, “Don’t touch her.”
Micah snickered. “Until that debt’s paid I can do what I want. Eh? Eh?” He punctuated each word by poking her in the shoulder. “So pipe down and—”
Katelina slammed Micah back against the vehicle. Surprised at herself, she let him push her away.
“Thank God. I was afraid you were gonna be a wimpy bitch.”
Jorick flashed his fangs, but Sadihra moved between them. “You can kill him later. We’re on a schedule now.”
The drive to Munich felt uncomfortably familiar. Katelina noted with surprise that a crimson uniformed guard drove the SUV and not the usual Scharfrichter. Were they all busy?
The SUVs stopped in front of a red roofed building. The guards led them inside and down a narrow corridor. The room at the end had been shadows and hints of heavy furniture to Katelina before, but now it was clear as daylight. She could even see the figures in the heavy paintings.
The back wall slid open on a secret room where four vampire guards sat at computer monitors. They quickly saluted and Sadihra spoke to them in rapid German. After a hurried phone conversation, one of the guards pressed a button and another wall opened.
Katelina caught Jorick’s hand as they stepped through into a corridor. She could feel the thrum of the Kugsankal, pounding up from the deepest recesses of the building. Though she sensed they were more alert, they weren’t as overwhelming as before. Perhaps because she was now immortal.
In the marble lobby, the information desk sat empty except for a sign that said “Closed. Please see the second floor office for information”. Chips in the floors, a cracked wall, and a broken pillar were all signs of the revolt they’d started on their last visit.
“We didn’t start it,” Verchiel whispered. “The Höher Rat did when they locked the stronghold down and refused to let anyone in or out. We just pushed things a bit.”
Hethin and the guards peeled off to the left, dragging Boris and Braydon with them. Katelina assumed they were taking them to the Scharfrichter office to be checked in, but where would they go from there? The dungeon? Half formed memories of screams and horrific experiments surfaced. Jorick had told her she’d dreamed it, but it didn’t feel like a dream.
Sadihra stopped in front of a bank of gilded elevators and took the clipboard from a waiting guard. “The Höher Rat wishes to speak with Jorick, Jorick’s human—erm—fledgling, Verchiel, Jamie, Maeko, and the human who belonged to Malick. The rest of you are free to check into rooms, though you will need to go to the second floor office.”
“If they want me to stay they can pay,” Oren snapped.
Verchiel adjusted his unconscious burden. “Your presence wasn’t requested, so they probably don’t care if you leave.”
Torina grabbed her brother’s shoulder. “Let’s go.”
Oren hesitated, and Etsuko cleared her throat. “Oren-sama has not asked my opinion, but if he would be willing to listen I would share it.”
Torina rolled her eyes. “I bet you would.”
Etsuko waited until Oren gave his consent. “I believe it would be best for Oren-sama to remain here, lest he is separated from Jorick-san again. Meeting up together was very troublesome, and I am sure Oren-sama would not wish to suffer such inconvenience.”
“Maybe if Jorick would get a phone it wouldn’t be such a pain?” Loren smirked.
Sadihra interrupted them. “The choice is yours. I’ll leave you to decide. Meanwhile, if the others would come with me?” She paused and studied Verchiel. “You can carry the human, though we will need to wake her up before she sees the Höher Rat.” She waved them to the stairs. “I apologize. The main elevators were damaged.”
Could it get worse?
As they walked down the steps Katelina tried to figure out what they would be tried for this time. She, Jorick, and Verchiel were no doubt in trouble for escaping during the revolt, and Jamie was an Executioner so they probably just wanted his testimony, but Maeko…What did she have to do with it? And Xandria. Was it her affiliations with Malick and the Children of Shadows that earned her a spot on the list?
Sadihra stopped before a plain door. She disappeared inside and returned with a bag of blood for each of them. “Drink quickly. We are running late for your scheduled appearances.”
Jorick ripped the bag open for Katelina. She swallowed the contents in one long gulp. When everyone was finished, they threw away the bags then followed the Scharfrichterin to a set of double doors.
“You will need to wake the human now.”
Katelina started to say, “I am awake,” then realized Sadihra meant Xandria.
Verchiel propped the woman up on a bench and snapped his fingers. Her eyelids fluttered, but she didn’t stir. With an impatient snort, Jorick laid his hand on her forehead. Xandria’s eyes opened slowly.
“Holy crap! Where am I?” She pushed Jorick back and jumped to her feet. Her memories seemed to return as she unconsciously gripped her arm. “I…I don’t feel good.”
“You probably need blood,” Sadihra agreed. “I am sorry, but we don’t have time to wait. You may go to the infirmary once the inquiry is over.”
“Inquiry?” Xandria asked.
“It’s a formality,” Verchiel said. “We’re at the stronghold. You slept through the trip.”
Formality. Yeah right. Katelina remembered Jorick telling her that, right before the Höher Rat ruled to keep them prisoner.
Katelina met Xandria’s eyes. She thought she saw a different kind of fear flash through them, as if Xandria was afraid she might finish her off given the chance.
Though Katelina wanted to run, she followed Sadihra into a huge pillared room. The stained glass ceiling shone with imitation sunlight. The walls, half plaster and half paneling, were hung with flags in red, green, blue, and yellow. What looked like an old courtroom dock sat in the center of the room, occupied by a pair of unfamiliar vampires. Behind it ran several benches where onlookers and prisoners waited. Six carved wooden boxes sat two to a wall, like jury boxes, but only the pair against the far wall were occupied by vampires in deep green robes. Between the councils, four vampires stood in a smaller box; three wore royal blue and one gold. They were all the Höher Rat—or High Council. Though they were not as old as Malick, she could still feel the heaviness of their years. After Samael it seemed like nothing.
Sadihra showed them to seats. Katelina and Xandria squeezed between Maeko and Jorick. As she wondered again about the child-vampiress’ summons, a memory popped into her head. A bonfire crackled against the night sky. Executioners murdered Oren’s immortal children, simply for the crime of being turned young.
Katelina’s heart skipped a beat. Maeko was young. Would they…She couldn’t finish the terrible thought.
The double doors opened and she looked up to see Hethin and a pair of guards bringing Braydon and Boris inside. They didn’t look like they’d been tortured, but she wouldn’t be surprised to know it was coming.
Katelina’s thoughts were barely settled when Maeko, Jorick, Verchiel, and Jamie were called to the dock. They took their places and a guard announced them, introducing Maeko as “fledgling of Jorick.”
The gold robed vampire banged the gavel. “The inquiry has begun.”
A vampire in the left box puffed himself up and Katelina held her breath, waiting for accusations about Maeko’s age. Instead he asked. “What were you doing in China?”
China?
When no one answered he pressed, “Is it not true that you worked together to free Executioner Verchiel from confinement at the Chinese Gāoguì Fǎyuàn, knowing that he was being held under suspicion of participating in an unsanctioned coven war, charges of espionage and foreign intrigue?”
Espionage? China? What the…?
“Those charges were ridiculous,” a vampire on the right said. “Executioner Verchiel was illegally attacked by agents of Malick the malcontent. He was only defending himself and his party.”
The left rebutted, “If both he and his errand were innocent, why did the United States’ Guild at first refuse to admit to the Gāoguì Fǎyuàn that Executioner Verchiel was one of their own?”
Xandria tugged on Katelina’s t-shirt. “What’s going on?”
“They’re all mind readers,” she explained. “The box on the left argues against the defendants, and the box on the right argues for them. Whoever has the best argument wins.”
The vampires on the right cut off their opposition. “The point of this trial is to determine whether the defendants did willfully and unlawfully free a suspected criminal and as such if they should be extradited to China to stand trial as the Gāoguì Fǎyuàn has requested. We are not here to guess at the United States’ motives.”
Katelina heard only one word: Extradited.
Her fear mounted as the vampires ran back and forth. They showed paperwork to prove that Maeko had been at the Chinese Guild seeking passage to Namibia, that Jorick and Jamie had only gone there because The Guild called Jamie and told him that a human had been captured with Verchiel, and Jorick had assumed it was her. There were a lot of calls logged between all the guilds; America wanting Munich to intercede, Japan looking for Jorick at Maeko’s request, Munich cancelling the APB because Japan refused to tell them why they wanted Jorick. Then there was a list of petitions to release Verchiel. America, Munich, and even Japan. The vampires on the left called it proof of motive, while the ones on the right said it showed that Maeko had used legal channels.
“Executioners Jorick and Jamie had no interest in Executioner Verchiel,” the right argued. “They did not even petition to visit him, only the human.”
“And yet it was during their ‘innocent visit’ that Executioner Verchiel was ‘released’. It’s clear from the defendant’s actions in this case, and from their previous actions, that they lack respect for the Sodalitas, or for any ruling government.”
The vampires on the right fell to whispers. Finally one popped up and said, “This may be the case, but the Sodalitas are better equipped to teach such respect, being the head of all vampiredom. As such, extradition to China is pointless.”
The vampires on the left had a prolonged conference, but evidently couldn’t think of an argument because the leader slammed the gavel. “It is this council’s finding that Executioners Jorick, Jamie, and Verchiel, and Maeko, fledgling of Jorick, will not be extradited to China. However, they are to remain in the stronghold until it has been determined whether or not they need to stand further trial for their actions in China. Final judgment has been made.”
He slammed the gavel and a guard hurried forward to usher them out of the box. Katelina’s heart stopped when he motioned Jorick to stay. Now what?
Another guard approached her and signaled her to join him. Though she wasn’t afraid of the Höher Rat as she had been before, the terror of the half-remembered dungeon was enough to leave her with trembling hands as she took her place in the dock.
The guard stepped forward again. “Presenting Executioner Jorick and his human.”
The gold robed vampire slammed the gavel. “The inquiry has begun.”
One of the vampires on the left raised a hand. “Except the human belonging to Executioner Jorick is no longer human.”
The right chimed in quickly. “We insist that her status be upgraded and she be allowed to speak for herself.”
The blue robed vampires in the middle had a quick discussion. One of them asked, “And who is her master?” Silence fell and Katelina moved closer to Jorick. If they’d make an incorrect assumption and legally tie her to him, all that blood debt crap wouldn’t matter anymore. Would it?
A heartbeat passed and a vampire on the right said, “She is the fledgling of Micah, of the United States, whose lineage is unclear and who is not present.”
Katelina’s heart sank and the gavel banged again. “Executioner Jorick is excused from these proceedings and may take a seat.”
She met Jorick’s eyes and refrained from clutching his arm. She always said she wanted equality. She could do this on her own. Couldn’t she?
Jorick hesitated, then stalked out of the box and took a seat next to Maeko.
The vampires on the left began again, “It is this inquiry’s mission to discover whether Katelina Mauldin, former human slave of Executioner Jorick, was taken by Malick the malcontent against her will, or whether she joined with him of her own consent.”
Katelina gaped. Were the seriously putting her on trial for being a victim?