Hollow Immortal

The Deceiver

Katrina made it to Castle Dracula as the sun rose. She got out the car and quickly ushered the vampire she'd released, Donovan, and the human girl, Morwenna, toward the door to the great hall.

When they stepped in, Dmitri was standing there with a shocked expression on his face. It was hard to look at him, knowing what he'd done, and took everything she had not to punch him between the eyes.

"Katrina," he breathed, "where have you been?"

"On a rescue mission," she replied, indicating Donovan and Morwenna.

"Who the hell are they?" Dmitri asked.

"Donovan and Morwenna," Katrina replied, "Donovan is one of Caine's and the human belongs to Caine."

"Belongs to Caine?" Dmitri repeated, looking at the girl in Donovan's arms, "She's a blood slave?"

"If the ring is anything to go by," Katrina replied having previously noticed the Maragi symbol on the ring on her finger.

Dmitri seized her hand and his eyes found the ring. Then he saw the cuts on her arms and collarbones as well as the bite on her throat. His face contorted into a disgusted grimace and he was about to say something when someone practically fell down the stairs into the room. It was the werewolf, Anthony. He rushed towards Donovan and immediately began fussing over Morwenna.

"Morwenna!" he exclaimed, "Morwenna!"

He ripped her from Donovan's arms and knelt on the floor with her across his lap. He stroked her hair and took in the wounds on her body. He lookd absolutely horrified and then, when he looked up at Katrina, his eyes burned with anger.

"Who did this?" he demanded.

"Don't know," she lied, "I just found them."

He hugged her close and kissed her forehead and made some vow to kill the bastard who'd done it. Katrina rolled her eyes. The girl had basically signed her soul over to Caine when she'd put on the ring so she'd pretty much done it to herself. From what she'd seen, that was what most blood slaves ended up looking like.

"Athony, take her and find someone to attend her. You," he said, pointing at Donovan, "go with him."

Once the others had left and only she and Dmitri remained, the clenched muscles in his jaw relaxed. He was angry, she could tell but didn't care.

"Where the hell were you?" he didn't raise his voice a single decibel which only served to prove just how angry he was.

"Investigating," she answered as casually as she could manage.

"Investigating?" Dmitri folded his arms across his chest, "And just what were you investigating?"

"Samuel was acting suspicious. So, when he left, I followed him," she said, "then I found these two."

Dmitri nodded, "I see. And what of Samuel and his whereabouts?"

Katrina realised that she had to tell as much of the truth as possible but she had to bend it just enough to make it believable, "There was a farmhouse, wide open fields. Samuel drove in there and went inside. I was distracted by a noise in the basement so I went to check it out and I found those two."

"And no one was aware that you were there?" Dmitri pressed.

"Well obviously or I wouldn't bloody be here right now," she answered.

"Uh huh, and you didn't go after Samuel or figure out who he's working with or for?"

"Hello, did you not see the condition of that woman?" she shot back, "And that vampire's half starved."