B006P1R39O EBOK (26 page)

The demon was no longer using the Jordan mask. It was now the Jester and it was smiling at her, showing her a gaping mouth filled with pointy - razor sharp teeth.

“I’m going to eat you girls,” he laughed, seemingly unfazed by Sarah’s power. “Do you remember the bogyman under your bed - the eyes that you knew watched you from your closet?” Though his words were dark, he spoke in a cheerful - clown voice.

“I was always there, waiting … watching. Now it’s time that you joined the damned.”

As he spoke, he seemed to grow right before their eyes. He doubled in size, and as he did, his flesh fell from his body. He was an insect - a snake, and then a decaying corpse. The demon stared at them with rotting eyes. His mouth opened and the putrid odor of death filled the room. Before Kathrina could think of what to do next, its serpent’s tongue sprang from its mouth, wrapping around Nicole’s leg. As the demon gnashed his pointy teeth, he began pulling her sister toward his gaping mouth.

Time froze. Kathrina could feel Luciano’s presence; it was as powerful and as real as if he were standing right next to her.

“It is your destiny.” Though it sounded as if he were speaking to her from far away, she heard every word clearly.

Kathrina raised the sword and swung it at the serpent’s tongue - shearing it away from Nicole’s leg. As the golden blade made contact with the demon, its flesh burst into flames.

Giving him no time to recover, Kathrina moved forward and plunged the sword into its body. Again its flesh began to burn, and suddenly the room was filled with a white light so brilliant that Kathrina had to shield her eyes.

When the light retreated, Kathrina saw that she was standing in the parlor of Donavan’s house. Her sisters were beside her. She could hear Father Rovati still performing the rite of exorcism.

His voice faded when he saw that the sisters had returned.

They were home.

The sisters threw their arms around each other. There were tears, but for once they were tears of joy. It was finally over - they could feel it. Together, the three of them had fulfilled the destiny that had been chosen for them.

For everyone except Kathrina, life was back to normal. Her sisters returned to
Outerlands
and settled there with their vampire lovers. Beth’s serum was working wonders for Summer, the last Kathrina heard, her cousin and Anton had married. The couple was now expecting their first child.

Ethan was still busy solving the city’s most bizarre crimes, but he’d expanded to other places. Now he had an office in Los Angeles, as well as New York. Her sister’s old boss was certainly gaining a name for himself with those criminals from the darker side of reality.

She recently received a letter from Dash. His new life in Hollywood was everything he’d always thought it would be - lots of parties, beautiful women, and so much glitter that he’d almost forgotten his curse to live in darkness. Kathrina still had not told Dash about their latest adventure. She knew he’d be disappointed that they’d tackled it without him. Someday she’d tell him, after he’d lived his dream and none of it mattered anymore.

For everyone there had been a happy ever after, except Kathrina. Even after freeing him from his ties to the demon, she had not heard from Luciano. Life went on much like it had before she’d even known that she had sisters.

After her sisters left New Orleans, Kathrina returned to New Mexico to work in her Uncle’s trading post. It wasn’t glamorous by any means, but it was secure and comfortable.

They’d tried to talk her into going with them to
Outerlands
but she had refused. Though she’d spent the first five years of her life in
Outerlands
, she belonged on this side. Besides, she still had too many unanswered questions.

Had her mother’s soul been released?

Sarah could communicate with the dead, and she insisted that her mother had moved on, but there was no way for Kathrina to know that for sure.

Of course Kathrina was aware that all of these reasons were more like excuses. She just didn’t have the ambition to get on with life; there was too much sadness in her heart. Everyday she cursed herself for telling Luciano to go away.

She’d felt so angry - so betrayed that night. Now that she’d had time to think about it, she realized that without Luciano’s intervention, she’d have been dead long before she’d gotten the opportunity to confront the demon.

Kathrina stared down at her arms. The discoloration of her skin was almost completely gone. The marks had started to fade soon after she’d killed the demon. It had been him all along. Every time she’d gotten near the demon, he had been pulling at her life essence; the physical result had been the weird bruising marks all over her body.

From where she stood behind the counter, she could see the brilliant red and orange sunset through the trading post’s glass door. The view was breathtaking, stirring feelings in her that she spent every minute of every day trying to suppress. Whenever she saw such beauty, it was inevitable that the loneliness would creep up on her.

Only when she’d been with Luciano had that unrelenting loneliness been absent from her life. The connection that they’d shared had its own kind of beauty, but it was as natural and as exquisite as any sunset she’d ever seen.

Kathrina walked over to the door and turned the deadbolt. She should have locked up over an hour ago, but she wasn’t any too anxious to go home. Since her return, she’d been staying in the apartment that was built into the back of the trading post. Her uncle and his family had finally moved to a bigger house, and the apartment had been sitting empty. It was the perfect arrangement, though Uncle Jimmy did worry about her staying there alone. He especially didn’t like her to keep the store open too late.

Kathrina was startled from her thoughts by the sound of her phone ringing. Reaching into her pocket, she took her phone out and stared at the caller ID. No one ever called her, except for Jimmy.

There was no name on the ID, but it was a California number.

“Hello,” she said after pressing the answer button.

“How about you and me taking a little trip?” Dash asked.

Kathrina’s heart leaped. She hadn’t realized how badly she missed everyone until she heard Dash’s voice.

“You there?”

“Yes,” she gasped. “How are you doing Dash?”

“Me … I’m as chipper as always,” he told her.

“I’m so happy for you.”

“Have you ever been to the old country?”

“No,” she told him.

“Well I’ve got a bit of a proposition for you”

“Okay,” she said, unsure what to expect. With Dash it could be anything.

“I put myself a band together. It’s a side thing you know … to kind of supplement my acting career.”

“Go on,” she told him, smiling to herself.

“This is the thing … we have this gig we have to play, and it’s kind of our image to have chicks around all the time.”

“This isn’t sounding too good,” Kathrina commented in good humor.

“Wait! Hear me out. I was just thinking on it and thought you might like to work as a roadie for us on this trip. It would give you a chance to visit the old world.”

“Okay, but what do you mean by the old world?”

“Well Transylvania of course.”

“What exactly is this gig?” she wanted to know.

“It’s a vampire ball … at Dracula’s castle. Such a rush isn’t?” he laughed.

Already Kathrina’s head was spinning. It was just a small chance, but it was a possibility that she’d run into Luciano.

“Okay,” she told him.

Dash was telling her about the plans for the trip, but Kathrina had a difficult time concentrating on what he was saying. In her mind she was already there.

* * *

Kathrina emerged from the castle and was instantly assaulted by the bright afternoon sun. They arrived late the night before, and until now, she had had little opportunity to explore. Most people that would be attending the party tonight were staying at a hotel in nearby
Piatra Fantanele
, but of course the band would need special accommodations.

Because of the unique needs of the band members and their crew, they had been invited to stay at the castle. Kathrina wasn’t too sure that she was happy about the idea. The castle was an imposing structure, and though it was certainly beautiful, there was an ominous, almost foreboding atmosphere about it.

She couldn’t help but think of the irony of it all. A born vampire, standing beneath the shadow of the fictional Count Dracula, and a vampire ball for humans - hosted by immortals.

Finding her way out of the courtyard, Kathrina decided to explore the park surrounding the castle. There was a gypsy camp, and several booths where the people were selling their wares.

Kathrina browsed the products that were for sell, hoping to find something that she could wear to the costume party. She’d left in such a hurry that there hadn’t been time to find a suitable costume. All that she’d managed to bring with her was a gold silk dress, and a Venetian mask that she’d used for Mardi Gras.

She found colorful wool sweaters and countless of Dracula souvenirs, but no costume. At least she couldn’t find a costume that she would want to wear. Deciding that what she had was good enough, she found someone selling
Tuica
and bought a drink. Taking a little taste, she found that it was sweet, but a very strong. If she drank too much of it, she wouldn’t even make it to the party.

Before she realized how much time had passed, it was already early evening. The air now had a slight chill to it, but the
Tuica
had done wonders to warm her blood.

Busloads of costumed guests began to arrive and the ballroom was filling up. Dash would be waking soon and he would want to prepare for the night’s performance. Kathrina knew he was excited about performing at a vampire gala. He took a secret pleasure in knowing that all of the guests would be reveling in what they thought were myths, while being entertained by real vampires.

Kathrina made her way back to the little room that she’d been given to stay in. The interior of the castle was surprisingly elegant in comparison to medieval exterior. It had obviously been modernized a great deal since the time of Bram Stoker.

After quickly dressing in the low-cut silk dress, she viewed herself in the mirror. The golden fabric sparkled against her milky white skin. After running a brush through her long black curls, she placed the golden mask over her face.

By the time she made it back to the ballroom, Dash and his band were already setting up.

“Nice of you to join us,” Dash gave her a crooked smile.

“Sorry … I kind of got caught up in exploring the castle today and forgot the time.”

“Well I must say … you look amazing. You should have no problem catching yourself a vampire tonight?” he said, giving her a mischievous wink.

Kathrina was glad for the mask so that no one would see her blushing. “No … it’s all I had to wear. I really wanted to come as a cat, but I couldn’t find a costume.”

“Oh well,” he smiled. “Take my word for it … you look great.”

“Thanks,” Kathrina told him as she took the cord to one of the amps and plugged it into a power outlet.

“This place is a trip,” Dash commented.

Kathrina shook her head. “I can’t believe you get into all of that Dracula stuff. I mean … for someone that wasn’t even real … he did give the vampire a bad rep.”

Sure, her father had said he was real, but Kathrina was doubtful. There would have been a lot more talk about him among the vampires.

Dash cleared his throat. “I beg to differ on that. Dracula actually gave the vampire a bit of mystery and style.”

Kathrina waved the suggestion away. “People are getting anxious so we better get you guys started.”

A few minutes later the crowd erupted in applause as the band began playing an old classic rock tune about werewolves. Kathrina shook her head. That Dash sure did have a strange sense of humor. It was just like him to get the partiers going on werewolves so they wouldn’t be looking as closely at the vampires.

Not that she thought that he’d actually hunt anyone; at least she hoped that none of the real vampires would be stalking victims.

Several guys asked her to dance, but Kathrina was content to watch the crowd. So far she’d been approached by a couple of men in Dracula costumes, a gargoyle, and even a clown. She’d found all of the costumes amusing, except for the clown; he’d given her the creeps.

A shiver made its way up her spine. She’d never had a problem with clowns before, but now they terrified her.

The ballroom was so overcrowded with dancers that Kathrina suddenly felt claustrophobic. To escape the crowd, she left the ballroom and found herself in the castle’s interior courtyard. Despite being surrounded by massive walls, swirling mist crawled over the ground.

Kathrina took a deep breath, glad to have a few minutes alone. Suddenly her heart jumped into her throat when she saw movement in the darkness beyond the torchlight. At first she thought it might be her imagination, but as she watched, the shadow moved again.