Scharfrichter poured into the courtyard. They dropped to their knees before the True Council. Ishkur surveyed them with barely contained scorn, then looked to Inanna. Katelina could feel the silent conversation pass between them, even if she couldn’t hear it. Then Ishkur seemed to disappear, moving too fast for her to see.
Inanna turned to her dark eyed counterpart. “Utu.”
With a nod, he also disappeared.
She looked to her prostrate followers. “Rise.” They did as they were told, their eyes on the ground. Katelina looked among them for familiar faces. Hethin was there, but not Sadihra.
“There are others,” Inanna said. “Destroy them.”
The Scharfrichter saluted, then hurried back the way they’d come. Inanna turned to Jorick. “You have claimed Malick’s heart and so his coven. We will destroy them.”
“Fine. I don’t want them.”
Inanna nodded. “You and your bride have been helpful.”
Jorick moved to block Katelina. “As if we had a choice. You used her and her connection to Samael.”
Inanna’s face and voice were emotionless. “Yes.”
Jorick went on, “First you attempted to torture her to lure him, as Malick tried, then you released her with the hope that she would go to him and you could follow her.”
Torture? Did he mean the dungeon that he kept insisting she’d dreamed?
“Yes,” Inanna said. “To keep her imprisoned invited folly. The future it would have brought was the destruction of the stronghold. Better to take the fight to him.”
Katelina’s eyes bulged. Inanna had just admitted what Burton had hinted to, what Jamie had suspected.
“And after all of the effort, you let Samael go,” Jorick snapped.
“Ishkur suspects his destination.” Her eyes trailed over the battle weary group. “You have fought well.”
Then she was gone.
With Inanna’s departure, the rest of the world snapped back into being. Katelina was aware of Micah, Loren, and the others. The teen was on his knees, his hand over his ear. Lurid was pressed against the wall, and Micah wiped his face with trembling hands. The aftermath of the ancients’ presence.
The sounds of battle drifted to them, but for once no one moved to join. With an exclamation of relief, Verchiel sagged to the ground. It was Jamie who spoke everyone’s thoughts, “Let them handle it. We’ve done enough.”
The humans were hiding in a round cement building that looked like a yurt. When the vampires marched inside, Etsuko hurried to Oren. She bowed several times before she murmured, “I am glad to see Oren-sama return safely.”
She met his eyes. Her cheeks tinted pink. Oren’s face registered surprise, then he looked away uncomfortably. “Yes. Erm. Yes.”
Takeshi hobbled to Maeko and prostrated himself on the floor. He reeled off a string of Japanese that Katelina thought was an apology. Maeko shook her head, and helped him to his feet. “Takeshi-san has done well.”
Xandria practically attacked Katelina. “How did it go? Did you kill the old guy?”
She didn’t feel up to the story, so she just nodded. The woman gave a sigh of relief. “I don’t suppose you saw Sanjay?”
Sanjay. Xandria’s former master. No doubt the one who’d blown things up.
“They might have captured him.”
Xandria rolled her eyes. “That sounds about right. They’ll probably put him in prison for, like, twenty years.”
More like fifty, Katelina thought, but didn’t say.
Two of Samael’s servants bowed politely. The taller woman spoke, “I am Chen Zhilan, and this is my sister Chen Lin.”
A sense of déjà vu passed over Katelina as she asked, “You’re both named Chen?”
“Chen is our family name.” She looked past Katelina to Jorick and Jamie. “The master, he is gone?”
Jamie nodded and she looked relieved. “As I thought. We can think again. I remember the hotel. My sister’s birthday dinner. The cries that choked off. The silence was more terrifying than the sound and then…Our mother and father. They will be worried. And my boyfriend. May we go home?”
Katelina started to say yes, when Jamie interrupted. “We’re not the ones to ask. You’ll have to go through the Gāoguì Fǎyuàn.”
The Chinese Guild. Katelina knew what the guilds did to humans who tried to go back to a normal life. The pop singer Shelay knew, assuming there was any consciousness left after the Executioners had gutted her and left her in the ditch. Vampires couldn’t risk that humans would talk.
She could hardly believe the words that came out of her mouth. “You’d be better off staying with Samael.”
“I doubt they’ll let them,” Jamie said. “No one knows when or if he’ll be back. I imagine the Gāoguì Fǎyuàn will want to make repairs and reopen the park.”
Katelina rounded on him. “And when he comes back and finds his self-proclaimed palaces full of tourists again? What then?”
Jorick laid a hand on her shoulder. “That isn’t our problem, little one. Let the Chinese handle it.”
“You know what they’ll do
Jamie motioned her to silence and met Jorick’s eyes. A silent conversation passed between them, and Jorick sighed.
The door opened. Sorino walked in, Kai on his heels. The boy’s backpack was stuffed so full that the zipper was ready to pop. What in the hell did he have in there?
Oren asked the question aloud and Sorino sniffed. “Since I was cheated of my reward from Fethillen—” his suspicious eyes moved to Katelina, then back— “I compensated myself. There are certain documents. Nothing you would be interested in, and nothing that will be missed. Can you imagine they’ve kept them behind curtains all these years?” He gave a cold chuckle.
“You can have your prize,” Jamie said. “First you need to earn it.”
Sorino cocked an eyebrow. “I already have.”
“You will have,” Jorick said. He pressed a kiss to Katelina’s cheek and whispered in her ear, “Do you want to keep Xandria?”
As opposed to what? Turning her over to the Chinese? “Yes.”
With a sigh he pulled back. “Micah, Loren. Take Katelina and her human and make arrangements for the day.”
“Please take Ryuu-chan also,” Maeko asked with a bow.
Micah cocked an uncertain eyebrow. “Okay.” When no one offered additional information he clapped his hand on Katelina’s shoulder. “Come on. We’ll find some blood while we’re at it and get some of this shit healed up, huh?”
“Yeah,” she murmured, though bath and bed sounded better.
They found game in the hills and were restored by the time they reached the courtyard. Though not completely healed, Wolfe was on his feet and in command. He rattled off directions to a subordinate.
Katelina’s eyes moved from the Scharfrichter to the ruined gates. A military style truck was parked outside. Vampires dressed as police helped a man into the back. Katelina recognized Zhilan and Lin among the passengers.
Wolfe’s conversation ended and he turned to her. “You survived.”
“Of course— “
She cut Micah off with a nod to the humans. “What are you doing with them?”
Wolfe answered impatiently, “Normal procedure is to kill them because they can’t be allowed to go back to human society knowing. However, with Samael’s departure, their memories of his takeover have magically disappeared, so they may be allowed to live.”
Disappeared, or taken away by seven whisperers? Wolfe’s suspicious tone said he’d also thought of that. Before he could press her further, Jamie joined them. “Wrapping things up?”
Wolfe gave him a calculating look, as if trying to decide if he’d be as troublesome as Jorick. “Yes. The humans are being transported, Malick’s servants are dead or captured, and the crown has been returned.”
“I still don’t understand why Malick wanted it,” Katelina said.
Wolfe grunted. “It was a distraction. Everyone we identified from his mass murder went missing on the eleventh—the same day he took over the silo and demanded the crown. No one paid attention to the unusually large number of kidnappings; some were not even processed until the next day, because they were caught up in the missile crisis. Regardless, I’m sure he enjoyed getting his hands on it.”
All that for a distraction. Malick never ceased to amaze her.
They chose rooms in the hotel. Katelina wondered why they hadn’t done that the night before. “We did not know they were here,” was Maeko’s obvious answer.
Katelina wasn’t sure where her bag of clothes had gotten to, but she took a shower anyway. With only dirty clothes, she opted to slip naked under the blankets to wait for Jorick. A knock on the door left her clutching the bedding. When she ignored it, the door opened and Verchiel strolled in.
She blushed to her toes. “Um, I’m not really in the mood for visitors.”
The redhead dropped into a chair and yawned. “I thought you’d like to know that Jorick’s going to be late.”
She held the blanket tighter. “Oh?”
“He took Malick’s body to the hills. Last I saw he was tearing down trees for a pyre.”
“Don’t you mean chopping?”
He met her eyes. “No. I meant tearing them down with his bare hands.” A heartbeat passed. “He just killed his master, Kately.”
“I know it’s against the laws, but…”
“There’s no law against it, any more than there’s a special human law against killing your parents. It’s a social taboo, and an emotional one.”
“Everyone keeps making a big deal about being attached to your master.” He nodded and she pressed, “Were you?”
An unnamed emotion crossed his face. “Kateesha…” He broke into a grin. “You know how Kateesha was.” He stood and stretched. “It smells like bedtime. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
It was nearly dawn when Jorick appeared, still covered in blood and dirt. He gave the room a quick once over. “You’ll need to block the window.” Then he retreated to the bathroom.
Her initial response was that she couldn’t lift the furniture, but she could. In fact it was easy. When he returned, everything but the bed was in a stack. He blinked at the pile, then took his place next to her. She waited for him to say something about Malick, about his pyre. Instead he rolled over and pulled her back against his chest. He buried his face at the nape of her neck and inhaled deeply. Then he pressed a kiss to the tender skin and settled in for sleep.
“Is it really over?” she asked uncertainly.
“Yes.” It was just one word but it held paragraphs worth of feeling. “Malick is ashes. He can never hurt us again.”
Being free from the master’s malicious shadow felt unreal, and she steeled herself for the “but”. When it didn’t come she asked softly, “Are you all right?”
“My injuries will heal with sleep,” he murmured.
“That’s not what I meant. Are you…upset?”
There was only silence and she sighed. She’d just decided to surrender when he said, “I gave him the pyre he deserved. He was a maniac and a monster, but I believe there was once a spark of good in him. It has been dead a long time, perhaps before I met him. I once admired his strength, his ability to bend others to his will, to kill without conscience. Eventually I came to see those attributes as defects, but I had already emulated them. What I am is mixed up in what he was and I…I don’t want to be like him, but I can never erase his influence, as Kateesha could never become anything except the selfish blood-thirsty vixen she died as. We were tainted by his blood. Perhaps it’s just as well that Micah turned you. It saved you from the poison of my bloodline.”
Katelina’s breath stuck in her throat and she struggled to reply. “You’re not…Maeko!” she said suddenly. “You turned Maeko, and you can’t say she’s cruel or poisoned. It isn’t blood that made Malick or Kateesha what they were, but choice. Just as they chose to be tyrants, you can choose not to be.” She forced herself loose and rolled over to catch his face in her hands. “It’s never too late.”
She held his eyes and watched the emotions dancing in their depths. They settled into something hopeful, and he pulled her to him and crushed her lips in a kiss. When he broke away, he held her tight, and nuzzled her neck. “I love you, Katelina.”
“And I love you, Jorick.”
Safe in Jorick’s arms, sleep found Katelina quickly and the evening came too soon. Since she wasn’t the only one with clothing problems, Wolfe commandeered several of the Chinese’s black uniforms. The one piece suit was big on top, and narrow around her hips, but it was better than being naked.
When they met in front of the hotel, they looked like a terrorist cell in ill-fitting jump suits. Micah’s broad shoulders threatened to burst the seams, and Torina’s breasts looked uncomfortably squashed.
Sorino and Kai walked outside. The vampire finished a short cellphone conversation, then turned to them. “I suppose I should bid you farewell.”
“If only you’d done it sooner,” Jorick said.
Sorino gave him a bored smile. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. I assume you’re going back to Munich, then on to America?”
“Yes, thank God,” Oren huffed.
“In that case I don’t imagine I will run into you anytime soon. America is rather boring, though I have heard some promising rumors about Brazil.” He gazed past them and Katelina looked back to see Lurid approaching. “With this wrapped up, I imagine you’ll be back to your boring lives.”
Katelina nearly laughed. “It’s not wrapped up. Samael’s taken off to kill Lilith and jumpstart the vampire apocalypse.”
Sorino looked at her as if she’d dropped from the sky. “Vampire apocalypse?”
“From the scroll that you translated, remember? The prophecy? About the sleeping wreaking wrath and mankind being destroyed.”
Sorino snorted. “Oh yes, that. You believed it was true?”
“Are you saying you made it up?”
“Of course not. Whoever wrote the scroll did.” She gaped and he rolled his eyes. “Did you really believe they had a crystal ball that revealed the future?”
“It’s a prophecy!”
“A prophecy is little more than a guess at what might happen. Not all prophecies come to pass, unless we believe in them. Then we see their predicted outcome in the events that take place. I prophesy there will be war. When there is you can say ‘ah, he was right! There is war!’ but it was a lukewarm guess on my part, said only because I know there will always be war. We see what we choose to see. If you choose to look for a prophecy fulfilled, that is what you will find.” Sorino nodded to Lurid as he joined them. “We will take our leave from this excellent party.” He gave a showy bow, then snapped his fingers at his companions. “Our transport is waiting. Come.”
Kai cast a look back at Katelina. She felt him on the fringes of her mind, as if he had something to say but couldn’t decide on the words. Finally he settled for “Good luck.”
As soon as they were out of sight Xandria shivered. “I dunno about you, Kate, but that’s a vampire I hope I never see again!”
Wolfe distributed packaged blood, then accompanied them back to Beijing. The airport lights were an oasis of daylight in the night. Maeko stopped in front of the building and bowed before Jorick. “If Sensei does not require our help any longer, Takeshi-san, Hikaru-san, Ryuu-chan, and I will depart for our home.”
“Of course,” Jorick answered.
Katelina moved between them and imitated Maeko’s usual bow. “Thank you for everything you’ve done.”
Maeko bobbed again. “We were honored to help, and are happy that Kate-chan is safe.” She straightened up and beamed. “Should Jorick-ue or Kate-chan ever return to Japan, we would be honored to host their visit. And should Jorick-ue or Kate-chan need our help, please let us know and we will be happy to assist.”
“Thank you,” Katelina said again. “If you ever need anything…”
“Of course.” Maeko bowed then threw her arms around Katelina in a hug.
Wolfe stood by impatiently as Maeko and her crew said goodbye to each of them individually. When they were finished, the Scharfrichter led them into the airport. Vampires in black waited for them. They flashed ID badges at the airport staff and rushed them through the building to a jet.
Wolfe signed off on a clipboard, then waved them on board. When they were seated he swept onto the plane and sat next to Jorick, as if he was planning to make absolutely sure that they couldn’t escape.
She could still feel his eyes on them after the plane took off. She blamed his presence for the subdued mood, even Micah stayed relatively quiet, but as she watched the earth slip away beneath them she wondered if it was really his fault. Like characters in a fantasy movie, they’d completed their epic quest, done what they’d set out to do. The evil king was dead. His army captured or destroyed. The crown was returned to its owner, and all was at peace. The next part of the plot should be the celebration feast with wine and music and a big roast pig, but she didn’t feel celebratory. She just felt empty, deflated, and tired.
She hazarded a glance at Jorick and tried to read him. If she felt like this, how did he feel? It was his master, after all, his father in blood that he’d killed. If only he’d tell her.
The trip felt long. When they landed, they boarded the familiar vehicles and rode to the stronghold. Katelina felt the Kugsankal before she ever stepped foot inside.
“They’re wide awake now,” Verchiel said. “I imagine their trip stirred them up.”
Since no one had bothered to check out, Katelina, Jorick, and Xandria were given the same room they’d had. Katelina was delighted to find that her clothing was still there. She changed into something more comfortable, then ordered room service.
Though the plane trip had been seven hours, with time zones they’d arrived five minutes before they left. Plenty of night remained, but Katelina didn’t have the energy for it. Jorick seemed just as eager to sleep. After a meeting with the others she crawled gratefully into bed.
They woke the next evening to a knock on the door. Though she was tempted to ignore it, Jorick got up and let Sadihra inside. Katelina climbed out of bed. The Scharfrichterin welcomed them back, congratulated them on their success, then said to Katelina, “I came to ask if you were still able to be in the wedding.”
Wedding? “Of course.”
Sadihra gave a firm nod. “Then you returned just in time. The contract will be signed tomorrow at midnight. We will meet outside of the office just before. You may bring Jorick, of course.”
Xandria sat up in her coffin with a yawn. “What about me?”
Sadihra shifted uncomfortably. “The signing of the contract is a very small affair.”
Katelina felt a stab of hurt and knew it wasn’t hers, but Xandria’s. “No problem. I’ll just hang out with Etsuko or whatever.”
“I’m sure Verchiel would be happy to entertain you,” Jorick suggested wickedly.
“The redhead guy? Eh, I dunno. He’s hot and funny, but I don’t think he likes me that much.”
Sadihra quickly steered the conversation back, “The signing of the contract is a casual event; you do not need to dress formally.”
Katelina was confused. “Then what’s the dress for?”
“That is for the binding ceremony, which will take place on the twenty-fifth.” Sadihra changed tracks, “Are you going to continue your training with Micah?”
She hadn’t thought about it, and her surprise was on her face. Sadihra gave her a reassuring smile. “It would be a good idea. I heard that you did well in the battles, but the more you train, the stronger you will become. You do not want to rely on another’s strength.” Katelina nodded and the Scharfrichterin added, “Micah should still have the key to the training room. You may use it for the duration of your stay.”
“Thank you,” she said for lack of anything else.
“You’re welcome. I must go. I will see you later.”
When Sadihra left, Katelina threw herself across the bed. “Why did I agree to be in a wedding?”
“Because you’re incapable of saying no.” A lascivious smile appeared on Jorick’s face. “It’s one of your better qualities.”
Jorick was called to a debriefing with the Scharfrichters and Executioners. Katelina gave him a tight hug before he left. Though the message seemed straightforward, she was worried. She, Jorick, and Jamie had disobeyed the Höher Rat’s orders by following Sorino, then Jorick killed his master. She imagined him sentenced to prison in the dungeon. She could file an appeal, of course, and point out that Malick was evil, but would it do any good?
To take her mind off it, she tidied the room. The wrinkled Ziploc bag caught her attention. She fished out the silver cross and started to shove it in her pocket, an unlikely good luck charm, but stopped. Jorick knew she carried it, so why hide it?
She had to pick up her “witness” dress in the shopping center. While she was there she purchased a chain for the cross. The photo hut reminded her that she’d dropped off her disposable camera. She collected the prints and they headed back to their room. Xandria flipped through the photos, while Katelina looked over her shoulder. There was one of their rooms in Munich. The inside of a plane. The aurora borealis in Finland. An Uzbekistan skyline. Mountains in Egypt. A group of them huddled around a campfire in the African jungle.
“Hey look!” Xandria held up a photo of herself and Katelina from the Persatuan in Indonesia. “Remember this? Right before the attack?”
Katelina nodded absently as she fought the silver cross onto its new chain. She hung it around her neck and wondered if Jorick would notice.
Xandria brandished a picture. “That’s a good shot of Jorick. He’s hot, in an intense intimidating kind of way.” She stuffed the photos back in their envelope. “I know this is going to sound stupid, but can we look for Sanjay?”
Micah’s insistent knock on the door saved her from commenting. The bald vampire burst into the room. “Hup, hup. Let’s go. Time to get your lazy ass kicked.”
Her first reaction was to tell him to fuck off, but Sadihra’s words came back to her. The vampiress was right. She didn’t want to depend on someone else.
Xandria declined to join them, and it was late in the evening before Katelina staggered back to her room. Jorick sat in the chair, his nose in a book, Xandria noticeably absent.
“How’d the debriefing go?”
“We have orders to return to the United States,” Jorick said without looking up. “They agreed to postpone it until after the wedding. Eileifr seems perturbed.”
“Probably because you keep ignoring his orders.”
Jorick gave a noncommittal shrug. Katelina worked up the courage to ask, “What did they say about Malick?”
She thought she saw a cloud pass over his face. It was gone before she was sure. “What should they have said?”
“Nothing. I just thought…Never mind.”
She peeled off her shirt and his eyes moved from her breasts to the necklace. “Is that…?”
“Yes,” she challenged. “So?”
“Nothing.” He looked back to his book.
“Where’s Xandria?”
“She’s with Etsuko. Oren took them to look for her previous master. Apparently he wasn’t captured. He’s probably dead.”
“How did Xandria take that?”
“I wasn’t there. Oren mentioned it when he stopped by to ask if you were ever going to take care of your human yourself.” He smirked over the top of the book. “He has a point. If you can’t be responsible then you shouldn’t own a pet.”
“She’s not a pet! She’s a human being.”
“I’d argue the point but…”
She threw her bloody shirt at him.
Xandria joined them for dinner. Katelina didn’t need mind reading to notice her morose mood. She thought about asking if she was okay, but sensed an uncomfortable conversation coming; one she wasn’t ready to deal with. Right or wrong, she wasn’t sorry that Sanjay was dead. The vampire was responsible for blowing up the guilds in Turkey, Indonesia, Cambodia, Uzbekistan, Syria, and India. His bombs, and the attacks that had only been possible because of his bombs, had killed hundreds of vampires and humans alike. By helping the Children of Shadows, he’d helped Malick gather the army that butchered a house full of Samael’s descendants in Tajikistan, then rolled over Samael’s complex. If anyone deserved death, it was Xandria’s master.
It was ten to midnight the following evening when Katelina and Jorick arrived in front of the Administrative Offices. A small group had already gathered, including Hethin and Wolfe. Katelina looked at the witness’ casual clothes and wished she’d stuck to jeans. Despite Sadihra’s advice, she’d let Jorick talk her into a knee length white dress that showed cleavage. She’d never been sexy before. Being a vampire didn’t make any difference.
“Of course you’re sexy,” Jorick whispered in her ear. “You’re the sexiest woman here.”
Somehow, she doubted that.
Sadihra arrived one minute to midnight. Wolfe squeezed her hand and they followed the couple inside. A carved counter took up most of the space and a door on the back wall opened on a corridor.
The vampiress behind the desk led them to the Negotiation Room. Carved paneled walls and a heavy wooden table ringed in chairs made it look official. A vampire in a modern suit welcomed them, then motioned them to sit.
The official smiled warmly. “Are the masters present?”
Two vampires that Katelina didn’t recognize stood up. She could feel their years hanging around them. Were they Sadihra and Wolfe’s makers? When they introduced themselves as honorary masters, she decided they weren’t.
“And those who wish to join in union?”
Wolfe moved to the front of the room. Katelina felt Sadihra’s hesitation. The vampiress met her fiancé’s eyes, then joined him.
The official brought out a roll of paper and carefully unfurled it. “We are gathered today to witness this contract between Wolfe von Richter, fledgling of Anslem, and Sadhira’s honorary master Schorsch, fledgling of Cordiva, concerning the union of Wolfe von Richter, and Sadihra, fledgling of Dominik.
“By the statement of this contract, Wolfe von Richter will now pay the symbolic bride price of six silver coins to Schorsch.” He paused. Wolfe drew a bag from his pocket. He handed it to one of the older vampires.
Schorsch shook out the coins into his palm. “The bride price has been received and accepted.”
The official nodded. “Do we have the champions?”
Hethin and a dark haired Scharfrichter stood.
“Have the champions reached an accord?”
The dark Scharfrichter pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and read, “We have. From this day forth, master Dominik, here represented by Schorsch, will waive all rights of ownership to his fledgling Sadihra. From this day forth she will reside with her husband, Wolfe von Richter, and his master, here represented by Grimald, fledgling of Kesh.”
The official turned to the honorary masters. “Is this arrangement accepted by the masters?”
“It is,” they said in unison.
The official laid the paper on the table and handed Schorsch a pen. “With this signature, honorary master Schorsch does represent master Dominik, whose whereabouts are unascertainable, and in his name does relinquish all claims to his fledgling, Sadihra, from this day forward.”
The vampire signed the paper with a flourish, then handed the pen to the next. The official continued, “With this signature, honorary master Grimald does represent master Anselm, deceased, and does now claim for him all allowable rights to Sadihra, in so far as she is the bride of his fledgling, Wolfe von Richter.”
Grimald signed the paper then handed the pen to Wolfe.
“With this signature, Wolfe von Richter, fledgling of Anselm, does legally bind himself to Sadihra. From this day forth they will live together in the chosen coven.”
Wolfe added his name, then handed the pen to Sadihra. Panic was on her face, but when she met Wolfe’s eyes, she smiled.
“With this signature, Sadihra, fledgling of Dominik, does legally bind herself to Wolfe von Richter. From this day forth she will live with him, a full member of his coven, with all rights assigned to such a status, and will hitherto take his name as her own, being known as Sadihra von Richter.”
Sadihra signed her name then met Wolfe’s eyes again. The smile brightened. Her fear melted away.
“And now the witnesses will sign.”
When everyone had scribbled their signatures, the official looked over the contract and announced, “This document is legal and binding, and may only be broken by a ruling of the court. Congratulations and best wishes.”
Everyone broke into applause. Wolfe and Sadihra thanked the official, then their wedding parties. When Sadihra shook Katelina’s hand, she saw the relief in the Scharfrichterin’s eyes, as if a weight had been lifted from her, though she didn’t understand it. If she didn’t know better, she’d have sworn Wolfe was influencing her.
Except he can’t.
Sadihra caught Katelina and Jorick before they could get in the elevator. “You and your friends will both join us for the Polterabend the night before the wedding?”
Katelina hesitated. “Is that another vampire thing?”
“No, it’s a German tradition. It’s a party.”
A party before the wedding seemed strange, but so did two weddings. She agreed, and thanked the Scharfrichterin, then hurried into the elevator.
“That was weird.”
“No weirder than other marriage customs.”
“If you say so.”
Jorick lifted the cross from her chest. “You still have this.” She nodded and he sighed. “Why?”
“I don’t know. I’ve told you before, it’s sort of like a good luck charm.”
He dropped it. “For all the luck it’s brought.”
“Maybe. Or maybe things would be worse.”
He started to reply then pulled her to him. She laid her head against his chest. “Have you heard anything about Samael?”
Jorick tensed. “Why do you ask?”
“I meant about him attacking Lilith, or smiting ruin on the countryside. He said he’d found her.”
“When?”
“In China, before he left. He read it from Ishkur’s mind.”
Jorick made an unhappy noise. “He thinks he found her. Who knows if she’s really where Ishkur thought she was. No doubt she can mask herself, as Samael can.”
“I don’t understand why Ishkur hasn’t gone after him.”
“Maybe he has. I haven’t seen him.”
She started an impatient reply when the doors swished open. Jorick pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Enough of that. We had best find where your pet has wandered off to.”
Katelina endured another training session with Micah that ended with him flat on his back. She wiped her hands on her pants smugly.
Verchiel and Loren perched on the wooden boxes. Verchiel clapped his hands. Loren whistled and called, “Go Katelina!”
Micah stood, mopping the blood from his face. “You don’t need to sound so fucking delighted.”
“Come on, she’s doing a good job.” Verchiel hopped down and put an arm around her shoulders. “Our little Kately is growing up.”
She pulled away from him. “You better quit that or you’ll end up like him.”
Verchiel mimed trembling. “Between you and Jorick, I don’t know who to be more frightened of.”
Though she rolled her eyes, an image popped into her head of Jorick battling Malick. She saw the guard fall from the roof, a trail of blood leaking from his nose, injured by Jorick’s psychic fury. Samael’s question echoed in her mind, “Can you love someone you fear?”
Verchiel poked his face in hers. “What was that? Did you say you’re afraid of me?”
“No.” Katelina grabbed a bag of blood from Micah’s soft pack cooler. “You’re not scary.”
“Come on, I’m an Executioner. That has to count for something. I know I’m not as scary as Jorick but—” he broke off. “Oh-ho! It’s Jorick.”
Micah grabbed the bag from her hands and ripped into it. “What? You’re scared of the Guild dog? Why?”
“I’m not scared of him,” she snapped. “Just... a little intimidated.”
“It’s good for a woman to know her place.” Micah snickered, then rolled his eyes. “Fuck being intimidated. You gotta be strong enough to control him.”
She grabbed another bag. “Yeah? How am I supposed to do that? I always knew he was stronger than me but now…You saw him fighting Malick. You saw what he can do.”
“You think he’s gonna do that shit to you?”
“No.”
“Then what’s the fucking problem? Besides, with all the vampire blood you got, you’re like a mutt. You got it from Samael, and Jorick, and I don’t even know who the fuck else.”
“Me,” Verchiel said cheerfully. Micah’s eyes bulged and Verchiel held his hands up in a display of innocence. “It was an accident. But, don’t forget Braydon, Malick’s lackey who got sentenced to ten years servitude.”
“What the fuck?” Micah spun toward her. “Anyone else?”
“Boris,” she murmured. Something in Micah’s tone made her feel like a high school slut confessing to sex partners.
“Don’t forget Kateesha’s heart,” Verchiel added.
Micah choked. “Fuck me. That’s a lot of goddamn vampires. Anyway, as I was sayin’, look at all those. You probably got latent abilities up the ass.” He looked at Loren. “That’s how this shit works, right?”
“Close enough.”
“Cool. As I was saying, you probably got enough shit going on that with some training you can kick Jorick’s ass. Pretty soon you’ll be making people’s heads explode.”
Loren grinned. “That would be some cool shit!”
Despite his enthusiasm it wasn’t a gift she wanted. She wasn’t even sure she liked Jorick having it.
“He doesn’t,” Verchiel said quietly. “He’s getting there, but he hasn’t honed it to that level yet.”
She hoped he never did.
Sadihra’s Polterabend was held in a restaurant Katelina didn’t know existed. She quickly discovered that the difference between it and the one she’d dined in was that this one didn’t cater to humans.
Sadihra looked uncomfortably at Xandria. “I am sorry. Now that Katelina is one of us, I didn’t think.” She turned to Katelina. “I’m sure the other restaurant could send something down?”
“It’s no problem,” Xandria said. “I’ll go get something.”
Etsuko stood and bowed to Oren. “If Oren-sama does not object, I would like to escort Xandria-san to the restaurant.”
Oren nodded quickly. “Yes, yes, whatever you want.”
When they left, Verchiel commented, “Etsuko seems pretty handy to have around. I wonder if I could find one of those for a weekend.”
“I doubt it,” Oren snapped. “She’d have better taste than that.”
“I know when I’ve been insulted!” The redhead made a show of offence. “Perhaps I should go elsewhere?”
To Katelina’s surprise, Sadihra laughed. “Perhaps you should. There are women here you haven’t tried to pick up yet.”
Verchiel’s eyes lit up and he took off in the direction she pointed.
Sadihra laughed louder. Katelina studied her suspiciously. Since the signing of the contract something had been off. The way she’d gone from terrified to relaxed in an instant. It felt wrong.
Sadihra excused herself. Katelina quickly slid from the table and hurried after her.
“Yes?” The Scharfrichterin asked.
“I have a weird question for you.” Katelina tried to find a way to phrase it, then decided to just be blunt. “Are you okay? You seem like a whisperer got to you. You were terrified about the wedding. I felt it.” Sadihra raised her eyebrows, and Katelina rushed on. “Then you didn’t care anymore.”
“I appreciate your worry, but it is not a whisperer. How can I explain it? It is not the wedding I was afraid of, or even the commitment, but the change; that things would be different between us. I would be Wolfe’s wife. He would be my husband. Intimidating titles. Then, when I looked into his eyes, I realized that nothing had changed. He was still who he was before, and I was still who I was before. Signing our names to that paper did not change us. To realize that was a relief.” She glanced at Katelina. “It’s like you.”
“Me?”
“Now that you are immortal what has changed? You are still the same person you were before. Jorick is the same person he was. You still love one another. Marriage is the same way. The only changes are those you allow to happen. So long as we don’t get caught up in the roles or the titles, we will be fine.”
Katelina couldn’t imagine how being married to Wolfe was fine, but then Sadihra was crazy.
The wedding was the following evening. Xandria helped Katelina zip up her purple dress, and turned her attention to her hair. “It’s a wedding. You should put it up.”
As Xandria brushed and combed, slid in bobby pins and spritzed hairspray, Katelina let her mind wander. The proceedings made her think of Sarah. Guilt she thought she’d left behind returned. She and Sarah had spent countless hours in high school doing one another’s hair and makeup. Though the practice had lessened, it survived into adulthood. In her memory she could see Sarah holding a curling iron, bobby pins sticking out of her mouth, as she tried to decide what to do with “all that hair.”
“You have so much,” she always said. “It’s not fair.”
What wasn’t fair was that Sarah would never get to drown her in hairspray or force her to wear watermelon lipstick again. Sarah would never get to dress up or go to a wedding. She would never get married, or have children, or do any of the things she’d planned. And it was all Katelina’s fault.
Xandria’s voice cut into her thoughts. “Hey, don’t look sad. This is supposed to be a joyous occasion.”
“Sure.” She faked a smile, but the joy had already been sapped out of it.
Jorick seemed appreciative of the work Xandria did, though he eyed the makeup. “Is that stuff necessary?”
“It’s called eye shadow,” Xandria suggested. “Or do you mean the blush?”
“All of it, actually. I’ve never understood why women want to wear a mask of paint.”
“To look pretty,” Katelina muttered.
“You look prettier without it.” He frowned at her unhappy expression. “Never mind. You look beautiful, little one. You’ll put the bride to shame.”
Katelina was surprised to discover that the stronghold had a church, complete with altar, marble pillars, and stained glass windows. The light that shone through them was artificial, but still beautiful. Even more surprising was the lack of decorations. There were no heaps of flowers, no red carpet, no cages of doves. Only the large silver candle stands, and well-dressed vampires in the pews made it feel like a special occasion.
Since she wasn’t a real bridesmaid she didn’t get a bouquet of flowers. Instead she and the other witnesses were lined up at the front of the church. A priest appeared. Katelina bit back a gasp when he smiled to reveal fangs. A vampire priest? Now she’d seen everything.
The lights went off one after another until the room was dark. Though Katelina could see in the gloom, her pulse raced. Was there a black out? Was the stronghold under attack? Had Samael decided to take his anger out on Ishkur after all?
Half, if not all of the Scharfrichters were at the wedding, and probably a large part of the guards. If there was ever a time when the stronghold’s defenses were distracted, this was it. So why did no one else seem concerned?
The priest’s voice boomed, “Brothers, sisters, friends, family. On this day we come together to bless the union of Sadihra and Wolfe.”
Music started, soft and low. Schorsch and Sadihra entered from the left side of the church. Her long blonde hair was pulled up into a braided crown around her head. The wedding dress left her rounded shoulders bare and, with an empire waist, accentuated her breasts and slimmed her chubby figure.
The smile on her face was dazzling. Katelina followed her gaze to see Wolfe and Grimald enter from the right side of the church. The masters met in front of the altar, leaving their charges behind them.
The music faded and the priest called, “Do these masters deliver their fledglings to the bonds of holy matrimony?”
“Yes,” Grimald and Schorsch said together.
“Let what has been agreed upon be blessed.”
The masters stepped back and Sadihra and Wolfe stepped forward. The priest gave them a small nod of encouragement. “Wolfe, fledgling of Anslem, and Sadihra, fledgling of Dominik, today we ask God to bless your union, in the presence of your covens and your masters.
“The bond of matrimony is not to be entered lightly, for our lives are long. There is no crueler fate than eternity tied to one you do not love. Neither is there a greater joy than to wake each night in the warm assurance of a bonded love that is true.
“Wolfe, fledgling of Anslem, do you on this day, and every day henceforth, ask that God bless Sadihra as your true and only wife?”
Wolfe looked into Sadihra’s eyes and smiled. The expression was one Katelina had never seen on him before. It felt weird to see it now, like watching a coworker cry.
“Yes,” he said softly.
“Sadihra, fledgling of Dominik, do you on this day, and every day henceforth, ask that God bless Wolfe as your true and only husband?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Then let your rings be symbols of your pledge and prayers.”
Wolfe slipped the golden ring from Sadihra’s left hand to her right, then she did the same for him. When they finished, the priest handed them each a candle. “May you be a light for one another in a world of darkness.”
The masters lit the candles. Though the sudden rush of light made Katelina blink, her eyes quickly adjusted to see Sadihra and Wolfe split up and start lighting the candles in the candle stands.
The priest continued, “And as you are a light for one another, may your love be a beacon for those around you, that they may bask in your shared commitment and the joy of your union. May the truth of love bring light to them, with the knowledge that even in the darkest of nights there is a moon.”
With each candle that the couple lit, the room brightened, until the golden glow chased away the twilight gloom. Their task completed, they moved back to the altar and joined hands. The music started again. A woman stood and sang something in German. Though Katelina didn’t understand the words, she could feel the sentiment burning through her, like the light the priest had spoken of, the warmth that came from knowing you loved and were loved in return.
Her eyes were drawn to Jorick and her stomach fluttered when he met her gaze. The fears she’d harbored melted away. She realized how silly they were. The intimidation at Jorick’s new skills, her fears of commitment, her secret terror that Jorick wouldn’t love her now that she was different. Sadihra was right. Nothing had changed. That she was immortal made no difference, unless, like Sorino’s explanation of the prophecy, they looked for a change. Because if you looked for it, you would always find it.
The song ended. The priest gave a prayer, then turned back to the couple. “You will now complete the bond of blood.”
The words caught Katelina off guard. She watched with surprise as Wolfe lifted Sadihra’s wrist to his mouth. Their eyes met. He bit. She took his hand and did the same, so that they formed a circle.
They held it for a moment, then broke apart. The priest handed them tissues to press to their wounds. Then he announced, “May you have a life of peace and love. Go now with the blessings of God, and the goodwill of your covens and your masters.”
The electric lights came up. Music played. The couple nodded and smiled at their guests as they walked out the back of the church. Katelina took her place in the procession. As she passed Jorick she shot him a smile that she hoped was half as beautiful as Sadihra’s.
The reception went on forever. Xandria escaped early to “find food” with Etsuko as her escort. One by one, Katelina noticed the vampires in their circle disappearing, until she and Jorick were the only ones left.
Though Sadihra was still beaming, Wolfe’s smile had thankfully disappeared. Katelina didn’t think she could look at it and speak to him at the same time. His good mood was still obvious when he thanked them for their final congratulations and wished them a pleasant night.
Katelina looked forward to having Jorick to herself, but when they got to the room they found Xandria and Loren. The pair were flopped across chairs smoking cigarettes.
“Oh my God, where did you get that?” Katelina jerked the cigarette from Loren’s hand. She drew a long puff and let it out with a sigh of satisfaction. “God, I needed that.”
Loren scowled. “That was mine.”
Xandria pulled a pack from her pocket and tossed him another. “Here. It’s not like you’ve really got the hang of it, anyway. You have to actually inhale.”
Jorick waved a cloud of smoke out of his face. “I hate to break up the party, but…”
Xandria slapped herself on the knee. “Kate! I have a message for you.”
Katelina exhaled a long stream of smoke. “From who?”
“Lemme look.” She rifled through her pockets to produce a slip of paper. “Someone named Patricia is looking for you. She called one of the other suites. I guess she asked for you, then Jorick, and when whoever answered the phone said they didn’t know you, she got nasty. The information desk wants you to call her and tell her to stop.”
Patricia? As in her mother? But how in the hell did she get the phone number for one of the suites?
Then she remembered. She’d called her mother last month from the stronghold. Surely vampires were smart enough to have private numbers?
She sucked down the rest of the cigarette in a long, unhealthy drag that would have sent her human lungs into a coughing fit. Then, she picked up the phone. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk to her mother, but after everything that had happened she didn’t know how.
She reminded herself that nothing had really changed. She hadn’t really changed. Things would only be different if she thought they were.
She punched in the string of numbers. The phone rang. Katelina had just decided that no one was home when her mother’s voice came across the line, “Hello?”
“Hi, Mom.”
“Katelina! Where the hell are you? I tried the number you called from last time but I got some idiot with an accent who didn’t know you.”
“Sorry. We switched rooms. The front desk let me know you called.”
“You couldn’t have let me know that? I already had to get a print out of my phone bill to find out where you called from. Why are you still in Germany?”
“I told you, it’s—”
“Jorick’s job. Yes, I know. With all the money you claim he makes, I bet he didn’t even take you anywhere for your birthday, did he?”
Birthday. March fifteenth. In the rush of everything, she’d completely forgotten about it. She was officially twenty-six, and thanks to Micah she’d live to see a thousand.
“Hello? Are you still there? Kately?”
She pushed back to the present. “Yeah, yeah. Sorry. Bad connection. What did you need?”
“Now you want to know what the big news is. I’m tempted to leave you wondering.” A moment passed then she nearly squealed, “Sarah’s home!”
The words hit like a lead punch to the stomach. “What?”
“Sarah. Your best friend. She’s back. She showed up last night. I’d have called then, but I didn’t have a number for you. I had to wait until the phone company opened today so I could get a printout and—never mind.” Her mother’s tone softened. “I know what the police said, what everyone said, but she’s here. She’s alive. It’s a miracle.”
Miracle. Except there was no such thing. “Mom?”
“Do you want to talk to her?”
Before she could reply a familiar voice came on the line, “Katelina?”
The hotel room seemed to shrink and expand. Colors blurred, then sharpened. Sarah. Sarah was…Sarah was dead. She’d been tortured to death by Troy and Claudius. There were witnesses. The voice on the other end, the one she’d recognize even in her sleep, the one she’d talked to billions of times over the years… it couldn’t be…but it was…
“Are you there?” Sarah pressed.
Jorick frowned and took Katelina’s hand. “Darling?”
She croaked, “It’s…Sarah?”
The voice on the other end replied, “Thank God! I’ve been worried about you. You’d better hurry and come home.” Katelina thought she heard something almost sinister in her tone, “We have a lot of catching up to do.”
THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES IN BOOK 8-
COMING April 1, 2016
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