“This time he has gone too far,” Luciano seethed.
“Who?” Kathrina was confused. “Who has gone too far?”
Though Luciano was softly caressing her skin, his features were hard and impassive. “I’m sorry that this happened to you,” he told her.
“He showed me things about you … terrible awful things.”
Luciano looked away.
“They were lies … just some kind of illusion right?” Kathrina’s voice was full of desperation. She had to believe that it had been some kind of trick.
“No … not really.” His voice was low … and full of pain.
Kathrina shook her head. “I don’t believe you.”
Now he looked at her, his eyes glowing with the light of the immortal. “I am not who you want me to be Kathrina. I’ve told you … I am a monster.”
Kathrina swallowed hard, hoping to get rid of the lump that was forming in her throat. “I don’t believe you.”
Luciano turned to leave, but she grabbed his hand. “Please don’t leave me.”
He gave her a sad smile. “You’ll be okay
“No I won’t. It wants to kill me.” Kathrina’s voice rose as she began to panic. Though it defied logic, Luciano was the only one that she felt safe with.
“It won’t kill you … at least not yet,” Luciano told her.
“How do you know? What is it?”
“I have to go now. Soon security will be here and then I’ll have to make a real mess,” he smiled. “I’ll see you soon though.”
Luciano leaned down to kiss her forehead, but Kathrina wrapped her arms around his neck and crushed her lips to his. Their kiss was long and deep, and when he finally pulled away, she felt a profound chill sweep over her body.
“I’ll see you again,” he promised.
* * *
Kathrina sat on the front porch swing, deep in thought. Although it had only been a couple of days, she was healing quickly. The scratches were almost gone. She guessed that healing fast was a trait that she’d inherited from her vampire blood.
Though the scratches were healing, the bluish discoloration of her skin was getting worse. At least now she didn’t have to hide the spots because everyone thought it was bruising. The only place that the marks had faded was around her mouth. If she looked closely she could still see it, but it was almost gone.
Luciano had not returned and she was almost out of time. It would soon be Easter and when the time came, she wasn’t sure that she’d be able to stall her sisters and Jordan.
After getting out of the hospital she’d gone to the orphanage looking for Luciano, but he hadn’t been there. There was nothing to indicate that he’d ever been there. It was like he’d just vanished.
In less than a week they would go after Omar, but Kathrina still had so many questions. In the light of day, what had happened to her at the gas station seemed unreal, even to her.
Could they be right? Had she been assaulted and because her mind could not deal with it, she’d repressed the memory?
Nicole stepped out onto the porch. She was carrying a sheathed machete in her hands. Her sister held out the weapon to Kathrina. “Donavan wants you to have this when it’s time.”
Kathrina reached up and took the machete from Nicole. After sliding it from its sheath, she ran her fingers across the blade. It was sharp.
“We understand if you don’t feel like going with us,” Nicole told her.
“I have to go with you. Isn’t that what my destiny is … to help you defeat Omar’s coven?”
Nicole frowned. “You sound like you don’t believe it anymore.”
Kathrina leaned her head back against the swing and sighed. “I believe that the three of us do have some kind of destiny, but I am not so sure that killing Omar is the extent of it.”
“So you think there’s more?”
“I think there’s a lot more going on here than what we thought,” Kathrina answered.
“You really don’t feel comfortable going after Omar … do you?” Nicole reached out to pat her hand.
“It’s not that.” Kathrina shook her head. “I just wish that we could wait until Ethan came back from Rome. We should also have Father Rovati with us … and Summer too.”
“Yeah … that would make me feel better too, but we should have enough help with the slayers. ”
“I would also like to talk with Luciano,” Kathrina told her sister.
A grimace marred Nicole’s face. “What for? What does any of this have to do with him?”
Kathrina shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not sure, but I think he does have something to do with everything that has been happening. I don’t mean that he’s responsible, just that somehow he’s an important part of it.”
Nicole smiled. “I think that you have a thing for him.”
“I do feel something for him.” Kathrina could no longer deny it. She did have feelings for Luciano, though she wasn’t quite sure what those feelings were. “But that has nothing to do with what I’m saying,” she added.
Nicole rolled her eyes, clearly not convinced.
“He came to see me at the hospital the other night … after you left the room,” Kathrina admitted. It was the first time she’d told her sister about one of Luciano’s visits.
Kathrina continued. “When I told him what happened to me, he seemed to understand. He believed me. It was like he already knew about whatever it was that attacked me.”
Nicole stood up and put her hands on her hips. “Kathrina … this vampire took you against your will and was going to kill you. What are you thinking to continue seeing him?”
“You don’t understand,” Kathrina frowned.
“No … I don’t. He’s really dangerous … to you more than anyone else. Even if he has changed his mind about you … all it would take is a moment of weakness.”
“I know,” Kathrina whispered. “But I’m willing to chance it. I just don’t think I can stop seeing him.”
Nicole sat down again and put an arm around her. “I know what’s happening to you. It’s love … you are falling in love.”
Kathrina looked up at Nicole, shocked by the word her sister had used. Could she really be falling in love with him?
“It would be so sad for you to love him,” Nicole frowned. “He is so far removed from anything that you know … it couldn’t end well.”
Kathrina lowered her eyes. “I know.”
Nicole smiled and gave Kathrina a tight hug. “Love is a strange thing. We can’t always pick and choose who it is that we fall in love with … and once it happens, it’s like a roller coaster out of control.”
Kathrina was silent. Her sister was far more experienced in matters of the heart than she was. She knew that Nicole was right about one thing. What she was feeling for Luciano was something that she didn’t seem to have any control over, though she had to wonder if her feelings were real or if they were the result of some kind of vampire enchantment?
Nicole got up to leave, but Kathrina grabbed her hand. “Before this fight with Omar, there’s something I want to do?”
“Okay,” Nicole said.
“I want to go back to that gas station.”
Her sister looked doubtful. “I don’t know. It’s probably best that you try and forget about what happened … at least for right now.”
Kathrina shook her head. “No … I want to see that boy again. I want to know for sure that what I saw wasn’t real.”
“What boy?” Nicole asked.
“The one at the gas station.”
Her sister appeared confused, but she forced a smile. “Okay … I’ll drive you then.”
* * *
When they opened the glass door to the gas station, the bell jingled. It sounded exactly the way she remembered it. As they stepped up to the counter near the cash register, Kathrina read the name on the woman’s shirt.
The employee’s name was Carmela, according the embroidered nametag. As far as Kathrina could tell, the woman seeme
d normal enough. True, it looked like if she bleached her hair one more time that it might all fall out, and her false fingernails were painted a ghastly purple color, but essentially she looked normal.
Kathrina smiled. “Hello. Can you tell me when Ted will be working?”
Carmela was staring at them in confusion. “I don’t believe that we have anyone by that name that works here.”
“You do … he was here a couple of nights ago.” Kathrina insisted. “He’s maybe about twenty, has light brown hair and an acne problem.”
The lady shook her head, her long earrings swaying as she did. “Nope … sorry. The only person that works here at night is the owner, and I doubt you could mistake him for the guy you’re looking for. The owner is from India.”
Kathrina looked over at her sister. Nicole had a blank expression on her face as if she didn’t want anyone to guess what she was thinking.
“Maybe it’s another store you’re thinking of,” Carmela offered.
“Yeah maybe,” Kathrina smiled. She knew full well that she was at the right gas station, but there was no sense in arguing her point with a woman that hadn’t been there.
Kathrina turned to leave and Nicole followed her. Once they were outside, she turned to Nicole. “You saw him didn’t you? I didn’t imagine him.”
Nicole nodded. “There was an employee here, but I don’t remember what he looked like. But … it doesn’t seem to me he was as young as what you are saying.”
Kathrina threw her hands in the air in frustration. “What the hell is going on? She must be lying … I know what I saw. I remember reading his nametag.”
Nicole frowned. “I didn’t get the impression that she was lying.”
“She has to be!”
“Wait,” Nicole said before opening the car door. “I think we have a copy of the police report. Maybe they have him down as a witness, and I’m sure they have the address of the gas station.”
Kathrina watched Nicole go through the dash box in the car. A moment later she returned with a piece of paper in her hand.
Shaking her head, Nicole bit at her bottom lip. “There’s no Ted mentioned in here, but it does mention the owner of the store as the person that was working when you came in,” she said, handing the report to Kathrina.
Kathrina stared at the police report, not believing her own eyes. She didn’t remember the owner being there. “Something’s wrong.”
When Kathrina glanced up to look at Nicole, she caught sight of someone across the street watching them. It was Ted, the gas station attendant. He was standing near a bus stop. When he noticed Kathrina looking at him, he smiled and waved.
“There he is!” Kathrina cried, pointing to the figure across the street.
Nicole stared in the direction where Kathrina was pointing. “I don’t see him.”
Kathrina’s mouth fell open and she looked over at Nicole. “He’s right there.”
When she looked back toward the bus stop, Ted was gone. “He was right there, I swear it.”
Above the sound of the traffic she heard hysterical laughter. “Be careful Kathrina. They think you are losing it.”
Kathrina felt the blood drain from her face. It was the Jester’s voice. He was still in her head.
Nicole was looking at her with a mixture of sympathy and fear. “Are you okay?”
Kathrina nodded. “Maybe I was just too upset that night and don’t remember it right.”
It wasn’t true. Kathrina knew what she’d seen, but no one was going to believe her. She was more convinced than ever that she needed to find Luciano, but she was also aware of the fact that time was running out.
Chapter Thirteen
The house was quiet. Her father had left at dusk and probably wouldn’t be back for hours. She had no idea where her sisters were, and Nicole’s mother had gone to her room a couple of hours ago. Like she often was, Kathrina was left on her own. She didn’t mind being alone; it gave her time to think. She had to come up with someway to stall the others.
At the very least she wanted to see Luciano before they just blindly followed Jordan into battle, but ideally she would like to wait until Ethan had returned from Rome. At the moment their forces were too scattered and it didn’t feel right. Kathrina didn’t believe they would be strong enough without all of them together.
Though she assumed they could count on Dash to be with them, no one had heard from him since that night she’d met him at the church. Jordan wanted just the three sisters to join them, and because that’s what Jordan wanted, Kathrina was suspicious. The timing seemed somewhat contrived. It was almost like it had been timed so that the sisters would be at a disadvantage.
Kathrina slipped on her coat and left through the front door, carefully closing it so that she wouldn’t make any noise. She didn’t want to alarm Vicki, who would then notify her father that she had left. Though she was now old enough to do what she wanted, her family still acted as if she were a child that needed constant protection.
There was still a slight chill to the air, but the nights were starting to get warmer. Most people wouldn’t even need a jacket, but Kathrina got cold easily. Wrapping her coat around her tight, she started walking toward the French Quarter. It made sense that if his first hiding place had been in the Quarter, he might still be nearby somewhere.
Kathrina walked along St. Louis Street until she came to the old St. Louis Cemetery. The tops of several of the tombs were visible above the wall. She remembered how Luciano had waited for his prey on top of one of those tombs and that memory spurred her to walk a little faster. If Luciano hunted the cemetery, other vampires probably did also.
Though she saw movement on the roof of an old and cracked tomb, it took a few seconds for it to reach her brain. Before she could even think to run, he was standing in front of her.
The gas station attendant was blocking the sidewalk so that she couldn’t pass. Her thoughts were a tangled mass of confusion as she tried to fight off the panic.
He couldn’t be a vampire. She’d seen him during the day.
It didn’t make any sense. He had been in a vampire hunting ground, and he had moved as fast as any vampire could have.
“What do you want?” she asked through clenched teeth. Kathrina decided that the best way to handle the situation was to face it head on with her own aggression.
He said nothing, but his lips spread into a wide smile and she saw the jagged teeth of the jester.
Kathrina jumped when she felt a tug on the back of her coat. She stole a quick glance behind her and saw the vampire boy standing there.
“Who are you talking to?” he asked.
Kathrina looked back at the jester, but he was gone.
“Where did he go?” she asked the boy.
“There was no one there,’ he told her. “I saw you standing here talking to yourself.”
Kathrina shook her head. “No … he was here.”
“Who was here?” he asked.
“Didn’t you see a guy standing right here by me?”
Chad shook his head. “Nope … it was only you.”
Kathrina opened her mouth to protest, but shut it again. It the jester had actually been there, apparently she was the only one that could see him.
“Are you looking for Dash again?” he asked, dismissing her odd behavior.
“Do you know where he’s at?”
“He hasn’t been at his shop for awhile. Last time I saw him he was hanging around with the wolves.”
Kathrina gasped. If the wolves were involved, Dash might be in trouble. “Why didn’t you tell someone or come and find me?”
Chad scowled at her. “How am I supposed to know where to find you? Besides … why would I anyway? It’s not my business.”
Kathrina gave the boy a sour look, but she knew he had a point. The less he was involved with others, the better his chances of remaining undetected. She was worried about Dash, but out of all of them, he was probably the most capable of taking care of himself. Dash
would be all right.
“Where did you disappear to?” she asked, suddenly remembering how he’d vanished on her that night. “You scared me the way you took off.”
Chad frowned. “I saw that thing following us and I got scared.”
“What thing?”
“The scary looking clown.”
At first Kathrina was speechless. Other than herself, Chad was the only one that she knew of that had actually seen the thing. That creature or whatever it was, had been stalking her, and apparently still was.
“Was that the only time you’ve seen it?” she wanted to know, puzzled that no one else seemed to be able to see the jester.
Chad shook his head. “No … I’ve seen it around before.”
“Where? How long have you been seeing it?” Kathrina was confused. Had that thing been roaming the streets of New Orleans for a long time?
Chad shrugged. “I see it sometimes hiding in the dark - behind bushes, that kind of thing. I take off whenever I see it and so far it has left me alone.”
“That’s sounds like what I just saw. How come you didn’t see it just a few minutes ago?” she asked.
Chad again shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t know, but all I seen was you.”
Kathrina was confused. She wondered if what she’d just seen was an illusion, projected into her head by whatever the creature was.
“Is it a vampire?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I don’t know what it is, but it’s not a vampire.”
Kathrina suddenly realized that they were still standing beside the wall of the cemetery. “Let’s get out of here,” she told him.
Chad followed her as she continued down the sidewalk. “Where would a vampire hide if he didn’t want to be found?” she asked.
Looking over at her, he said, “Well I think that if a vampire didn’t want to be found, you probably wouldn’t want to be finding him … or her.”
“There’s someone I have to talk to, and I think he’s still in New Orleans.”
Chad rolled his eyes. “You like talking to vampires.”
“Maybe I do.” Kathrina smiled.
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