Goddess of Night (Amaranthine Book 9)

by Joleene Naylor

  She chose the latter, and spent two hours listening to stories about Estrilda; things she’d done, her favorite toys. Then someone came to fetch Anabelle to be interviewed.

  “The Executioners demanded it. Andrei’s furious.”

  “It’s all right.” Annabelle stood and wiped her eyes. “If I don’t it might look suspicious.” She took Katelina’s hands. “Thank you.”

  Katelina only hoped the gratitude would be earned.

  Alone, and with nothing else to do, she went to Sarah’s room. Her friend hadn’t packed before she was kidnapped, so someone else would have to do it.

  She dragged out the empty luggage. Sarah had put things away. In the dresser were rolled socks and folded underwear, dresses hung in the wardrobe. Neat, organized. Katelina took them out one by one and filled the matching suitcases. With each piece, her guilt grew heavier. She shouldn’t have brought Sarah to Canada. She should have known she wasn’t dead. She should have looked for her, found her, saved her. Hell, she shouldn’t have let her get taken in the first place.

  Jorick’s voice came from the doorway, “How? You had no idea they’d come for you, or that Sarah would stumble into it.”

  Katelina wiped tears from her eyes and turned to her boyfriend. “But if we’d done something differently…”

  He moved to slip his arms around her. She folded against him, inhaling his warm, comforting scent.

  He stroked her hair. “You can look back, or you can look forward, little one. Mooning over what you should have done wastes energy you could use to save her.”

  “If she’s alive,” Katelina said bitterly.

  “Why wouldn’t she be? No doubt Lilith plans to use her against us.”

  Katelina scoffed. “People only keep a bargaining chip if they’re afraid. Lilith doesn’t fear us.”

  “Not us, but Samael. You stopped him to save Sarah once.”

  “I suppose. At least it would mean she’d keep her alive. I just hope the same holds true for Estrilda.”

  Except, even if it did, they didn’t know where to look for them.

  The following day, Andrei called them into his study. Though he still swore he hadn’t known Kali’s true identity, he’d “called in some favors” and found the location of her secret Canadian den.

  He handed them a piece of paper with scrawled directions. “Annabelle informs me you’re going to look for her?”

  Jorick glanced over the note and nodded.

  “May I ask who you’re taking with you? Given the sensitive nature of your quest…?”

  He meant given the fact Estrilda was illegal.

  “Brandle has volunteered to go.” Jorick stuffed the paper in his pocket. “And Des.”

  Andrei drew up. “Both are trustworthy?”

  Jorick cocked an eyebrow. “Brandle is your friend. You tell me.”

  Andrei made an unhappy noise. “I’ve filed a complaint with The Guild and demanded the Executioners release my guests. I believe all the interviews have been conducted?”

  Jorick nodded. “Most of them. They have some of the entertainers left.”

  “Then there’s no reason for the guests to be held hostage. This has been traumatic enough.” He eyed Jorick. “I see you’re no longer wearing your Executioner medallion?”

  “No. My time as an Executioner is over. Working security at this function was my final assignment.”

  “And what an assignment,” Andrei said bitterly.

  Jorick shot him a look that said most of it was his own fault. He was the one who’d invited Lilith and had the cursed sword under his roof. “Regardless, with your complaint filed, I imagine they’ll release everyone tonight or tomorrow.”

  “I hope so.” Andrei studied them. “If you’re no longer an Executioner, what do you plan to do for transportation? I can’t be seen to help you or the Executioners will want to know why.”

  It was a good question, one Katelina had wondered when Jamie and Verchiel left.

  Jorick nodded his understanding. “It’s fine. Someone has offered a plane.”

  Katelina looked at him with the same surprise as Andrei. “Who?”

  “Sorino.”

  Katelina ground her teeth. Sorino was a treasure hunting vampire they’d traveled with before. That he had resources and connections was obvious. What wasn’t, was why he’d want to help them.

  “He is trustworthy?” Andrei demanded.

  Jorick crossed his arms and studied the vampire. “When you ask someone else to do your job for you, you don’t get a say in how they do it.”

  Andrei glared. “I haven’t asked you to do anything.”

  “Your wife has.” Jorick held up a hand to stop further conversation. “I understand why you can’t go yourself, but my point still stands. If you don’t trust us to choose companions, how can you trust us to bring your daughter back?’

  Andrei rolled the answer around his mouth before he replied, “Because I have no choice.”

  Katelina bit her lip to stop from saying that none of them did.

  Chapter One

  Katelina stared into the motel’s bathroom mirror. Blue eyes held prism colors she wasn’t used to. Long blond hair fell past her shoulders in salon perfect waves. Her pale skin looked airbrushed. She was like a magazine version of herself.

  That’s what vampirism will do for you.

  Vampire. That’s what she was now, thanks to a near death experience that forced her friend Micah to turn her. Two months later, she’d almost reconciled to the idea of it all.

  At least I’m finally pretty.

  Jorick would argue, but that was what a boyfriend was supposed to do. Even one with fangs and five hundred years on the clock.

  A knock came on the door, followed by the vampire himself. Long black hair hung down his back, and warm dark eyes looked her over. Jorick smiled, then pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Taking another bath?”

  She cocked an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean? You shower a lot.”

  “Not every day.” He chucked her chin affectionately. “Never mind. Go ahead. I’ll get the luggage gathered up.”

  When he’d slipped out the door, she disrobed and climbed in the shower. She knew it was pointless; vampires didn’t sweat, didn’t produce the thousand and one oils that made daily bathing important for humanity. She continued the ritual out of habit, or maybe some kind of determination to pretend.

  As the water ran over her, she thought about everything that had happened since she’d met Jorick; from fighting Claudius to killing Malick, Jorick’s megalomaniac master. When she met Jorick she was a different person; a saner person by the world’s standards. She didn’t believe in vampires, or monsters. She’d never killed anyone, never had her life threatened, never tasted blood or watched immortal children burn in a bonfire. Less than a year later, she was one of the monsters she thought were fictional. She’d seen more than she wanted to remember, done more than she wanted to think about but, thanks to Jorick and her friends, she’d grown as a person. She was no longer the terrified, cringing woman screaming from behind Jorick. Now she could grab a bookcase and beat their enemies to death.

  If only Sarah had been as lucky.

  Her best friend had been turned by a true monster, suffered untold horror, only to escape and find out that everyone had moved on without her. Though Katelina tried to help, it made things worse. Now Sarah was in the clutches of an ancient vampiress who was probably torturing her for the fun of it.

  We’ll save you, Sarah. You and Estrilda.

  A vampire child, Estrilda had been kidnapped at the same time as Sarah. Katelina had promised her parents that they’d find her, too. Hopefully she and Sarah were together, and still alive.

  And hopefully we’ll get them back tonight. They were halfway through following a set of directions that would take them to Lilith’s secret Canadian den. Last night, they’d landed at the “closest” airport, then walked to the motel. Today it was a two hour drive to what Katelina imagined was a sprawlin
g mansion, complete with chandeliers, towers, and a dungeon where Sarah and Estrilda were kept. They could charge in, kill Lilith’s minions, and rescue the two of them. Though Katelina doubted it would be that simple, she could hope.

  Finished with her shower, she climbed out to dry and dress. If everything went according to plan, they’d be back at Andrei’s tonight. Tomorrow they could head for home, Sarah in tow. What happened after that was anyone’s guess.

  Katelina gave the foggy mirror a last look, then headed into the room where Jorick paced by the door, the luggage packed. Chipped furniture was still stacked in front of the window—put there the night before to block the sun. Rumpled beds and stained carpet looked no better after a day of sleep. She was sure if she looked under the bed she’d see beer cans, empty cigarette packs, and maybe a dead hooker.

  Jorick offered her a smile as she stuffed her pajamas in the suitcase. “Feel better?”

  She shrugged. It wasn’t as if a shower could really take away all her worries, no matter how much she wished it could.

  Someone knocked on the door. Jorick opened it to reveal Des, a dark vampire with close cropped hair and a goatee. He nodded a greeting. “We got a van.”

  Katelina was grateful to hear that, but she looked away without comment. When she first met Des, he’d fought on Oren’s side in a coven war. He’d quickly decided Jorick was a traitor and left, throwing vague threats after him. Though he’d since admitted he was wrong, he’d never apologized to either of them. Katelina had a hard time believing he was on their side.

  If he could read her mind, she was sure he’d say, “I’m not on your side. I just want to find Sarah.” That attitude made things worse. She was pretty sure that, if it came to it, he’d happily sacrifice either of them to get what he wanted.

  She and Jorick headed out the door where the van was waiting. Rental tags said it was legal. She wondered how, with no mental abilities, he’d rented a Canadian van without a Canadian driver’s license.

  “He didn’t go alone.” A tall thin vampire stepped from behind the van. Long brown hair hung past his shoulders. His velvet suit, complete with frilled ruffles, looked as out of place as his jewel topped cane. It was Sorino. For reasons Katelina didn’t understand, he was determined to tag along.

  “You’re lucky I did,” Sorino replied. “Or you wouldn’t have a plane.”

  Katelina ignored his mental intrusion. “There won’t be any relics. Nothing for you to collect.”

  Sorino sniffed disdainfully. “How do you know? The den of Lilith. The so-called mother of the vampires. I imagine there’s something worth looking at. Besides, I’m not coming only for financial gain. One must be amused.”

  Des stepped toward them. “Speaking of amused, Sorino, where’s your pet?”

  “He has a name,” Katelina snapped. “It’s Kai.”

  Sorino chuckled. “Still worried about human rights? An odd position for a vampire. Nonetheless, Kai will be along any moment—” he broke off as one of the motel doors opened. “There he is.”

  A boy of sixteen or seventeen appeared. Long blond bangs hid most of his face. Though he was bundled up against the chill, Katelina knew what was under the bulk; scars. Like a crisscrossing road map, the boy was marked everywhere, even his forehead. She was never sure if it was something Sorino had done, or the rogues Kai’d been saved from. Truthfully, she didn’t want to know.

  With a nod of greeting, Kai hurried to the van with the luggage. Katelina caught the scent of his blood and her stomach growled. It smelled like roast beef, like spaghetti, like a sandwich slathered in mustard. All the things she’d craved when she was starving.

  Just a taste, her instincts whispered. To get you by. Sorino does it all the time—

  No!

  She forced the desire down and saw Sorino smirk. A mind reader like Jorick, he’d probably heard her thoughts.

  Des interrupted her internal struggle. “Is that other guy coming?”

  As if in answer, Brandle stepped out of his room. Katelina could feel the years that hung on him, years that his youthful appearance belied. Long blonde hair, a beard and moustache, a scar down the right side of his face, and a milky white eye, made him look like some kind of TV Fantasy warrior, while the mischievous twinkle in his good eye said not to take anything for granted. He certainly didn’t look more than fifteen-hundred years old.

  Des put one foot inside the vehicle. “Finally. Can we go?”

  Sorino chuckled. “Your sense of urgency is interesting. You’re desperate to charge in as the shining hero and save your damsel in distress. Last I looked, she was hardly yours. You’ve known the woman for two weeks.”

  Des spun back. “It’s none of your business.”

  “Perhaps not, but have you considered that, once she’s rescued, she may not want to go with you?”

  Des bared his fangs and growled low in his throat. “Stay out of my head.”

  Brandle moved between them. “Enough. We need to work together, right?” He looked back and forth, settling at last on Sorino. “Des fancies himself in love with the girl, and so what? Let him be. I find your motives more deeply in question than his.”

  Sorino chortled. “Mine? Forgive me if I’ve forgotten why you’re here?”

  Brandle laughed and clapped the snobbish vampire on the back. “I don’t believe I ever told you.” He shot Katelina a wink. “What is it they call the front seat? Rifle? No, shotgun. I call shotgun.”

  Des made an impatient noise. “I don’t care where you sit, just get in.”

  Brandle did as instructed, but tossed back, “I assume we’re going to feed soon?”

  Sorino slid into the back seat. “I’ve been taken care of.” He shot a meaningful look at Kai as the boy settled next to him.

  Katelina bit back a disgusted comment. They’d only say what Sorino did with his human was none of her business, as if Kai was a pet, or a toy. That was the way they looked at humans, as little better than talking cows. She wondered how Jorick had made the distinction with her.

  “Who says I did?” Jorick asked with a chuckle.

  She rolled her eyes and settled into the middle bench seat next to him. Kai’s scent wafted up—roasted chicken and vegetables. She groaned. Could she condemn Sorino for doing something she wanted to do? Then again, there was a difference between them. She held back. He didn’t.

  Why should he?

  She glanced to the backseat, though she wasn’t sure which of the whisperers has sent the thought. Sorino? Jorick? Even Kai was capable of it, thanks to the vampiric blood he’d ingested over the years. Traveling with them, she needed to practice shielding her mind.

  “Are we ready?” Des fired the van up. By Andrei’s calculations, there were only two hours left of the trip. She checked her neon pink fit watch and did the math. Assuming they didn’t take long to feed, they could be at Lilith’s den by eleven. She just needed to get through the car trip without killing one of them.

  They stopped in a field outside of town and split up to hunt. Katelina scuffed through dead grass shot with green, until a rabbit dashed out. It made three hops before it froze, enchanted by Jorick’s mental abilities.

  He scooped the creature up and handed it to her. The warmth of the rabbit’s body, and its blank hypnotized stare, bothered her — until she smelled the blood. When she came back to herself, her fangs were buried in its small throat.

  She quickly handed the body to Jorick, and dabbed at her lips. He’d once asked her, “What’s the difference between drinking an animal’s blood and eating their muscles and skin?” but there was a big difference. When she ate a cheeseburger she didn’t have to look in the cow’s eyes.

  “Maybe you should.” Jorick laid the bunny aside and wiped his hands. “If you have the nerve to eat it, you should have the nerve to acknowledge what it is.”

  “Right. Then humanity would starve to death.”

  “Not starve, but perhaps you wouldn’t be as wasteful. If you made the food yourself, grew it, culti
vated it, raised it, butchered it, then maybe you wouldn’t throw it around.”

  “You say ‘you’ like I’m still one of them.”

  He ruffled her hair. “It’s a habit, little one, like your daily showers, but eventually we’ll both get over them.”

  She wasn’t sure she wanted to.

  The trip was uneventful. Brandle played with the radio and Sorino occasionally made irritating comments. Katelina watched the nighttime countryside slip past, punctuated by occasional bright lights and civilization. With her new eyes, the dark was no longer an impenetrable curtain. The world was now in perpetual twilight, painted in shades of gray like an old movie.

  But they weren’t on the silver screen. The seemingly precise directions to Lilith’s den proved too vague. After an extra hour of driving in circles, they pulled into a gas station.

  Brandle read over the paper again. “…‘Follow for twelve miles, then turn’…Did we miss it?”

  “No,” Des snapped. “We’ve been past the twelve mile mark six times. There’s no road.”

  Brandle handed the paper back. “Perhaps we made a wrong turn somewhere else?”

  “No. We’ve followed it perfectly to here!” Des took a calming breath. “I’ll just go ask for directions.”

  Sorino followed him out of the vehicle, motioning the teen to join him. “I’d better accompany him, since his French is rudimentary at best. Come Kai. While we’re here we’ll stock up on your protein bars.”

  As they disappeared toward the building, Katelina thought they were more like the Stooges than a rescue party. Not that she could do any better with the directions. She’d have suspected Andrei made them up, except it was his daughter they were trying to save.

  “Are we sure they’re right? Maybe whoever gave the directions to Andrei lied.”

  Jorick shrugged. “Anything is possible. Though I assume he had a reliable source.”

  Katelina licked her lips. “If we find the place…Estrilda…” She glanced to Brandle and sighed. “You guys already know how old she is, but Des and Sorino don’t. Are they trustworthy enough?”