Part 42 (2/2)
”Why not?” Innokenti's tone was mild. ”Do you think she'll use the information against us?”
”Katie, you don't need to know about all this,” William said angrily. ”What are you doing here? I have half a mind to-”
He stopped and looked away.
I had known that William didn't want me-he'd disappeared, left me completely alone, and hadn't thought enough of me even to say goodbye. Even so, I was stunned by the coldness of his reaction-I knew he had loved me once.
How could his love have vanished so completely?
I was suddenly seized by anger.
”What am I doing here?” I cried. ”What are you doing here?”
The tears that had threatened before began to fall. ”Why did you leave me alone? Why did you disappear? You left me without saying a word when I needed you the most.”
William looked stricken. ”What are you talking about? What do you mean I left you? I told you where I was going.”
”You didn't,” I said. Why would William say something so obviously untrue? ”You never told me anything.”
”I left you a letter,” William said haltingly. ”On your dresser, in your room. I thought if I left it there that there was no way you would miss it.”
”I never received a letter,” I said angrily.
”Even if you never received the letter, Katie,” William said, agitated, ”all you had to do was use the call. You know that. I gave you the words. I would have come to you from anywhere in the world.”
”I did call for you,” I cried. ”When Anton attacked me. I called and you didn't come.”
”Anton attacked you?” William asked in horror. He turned on Innokenti. ”Was this your doing? Did you send him after her?”
”I can a.s.sure you I did no such thing,” Innokenti replied. ”Anton and I were under strict orders not to harm the human girl.”
William didn't seem to have heard Innokenti. He turned back to me. I could see pain and fear in his eyes.
”I'm sorry, Katie,” William said. ”I never heard your call. I would never ignore it. I will always come for you-you know that.”
”Just out of curiosity,” Innokenti interjected, ”if Anton did indeed attack you, how did you get away? I hope you'll forgive me for being indelicate, but you are no match for him, or for any other vampire for that matter.”
”Someone else came when I called for William,” I replied. ”He said his name was Cormac. I think he was one of the Sdh.”
A look of genuine surprise spread over Innokenti's features. ”Interesting. That's very suggestive.”
”Do you recognize that name?” William asked.
”I do.” Innokenti addressed me. ”Little one, may I ask you-this 'dresser' where William claims to have left his letter-is it near a mirror?”
”Yes, it is,” I said. ”And I remember now-I found a tiny pile of ash on it that I could not explain. Is that significant?”
”Perhaps,” said Innokenti.
He lapsed into silence.
”I called again after that,” I said to William-the words just tumbled out. ”But neither you nor Cormac appeared. And then Anton came back. He told me that the Sdh had a way to remove the vampire aspect of your nature. He said that they would cure you and give you back your memories if you agreed to give me up and never see me again. Anton said that you had accepted their offer.”
William turned on Innokenti furiously. ”Did you send Anton to hara.s.s her?”
”No, William. I did not,” Innokenti replied calmly. ”Do not distress yourself.”
”You didn't send Anton to attack her?” William demanded.
”No.”
”You didn't send him to tell her a lot of lies?”
”No.”
”And I suppose you're going to tell me that you had nothing to do with the fact that I couldn't hear Katie calling to me, aren't you? You're going to tell me that you weren't blocking me from hearing her.”
”No, William, I was not blocking you.”
William's voice suddenly rang out angrily in the vast room.
”Then why couldn't she hear me?”
”William, I can't tell you.”
”Can't or won't?” William demanded.
”I have been instructed to remain silent on this topic. My orders were simply to convince you and the human girl to return to Russia. And in a roundabout way, it appears that I succeeded in getting both of you here. My orders do not allow for explanations of a sensitive nature.”
”Your orders,” William said bitterly.
”Yes, my orders, William. You know I exist only to serve others.”
William seemed to swell up to twice his normal size. His voice rang out again.
”I want to see them!”
His anger seemed to fill the room, like a living thing, and even though it was all directed at Innokenti, I found myself taking a step back.
”William, please contain yourself.” Innokenti's voice was steady, but I could see that he was eyeing William warily. ”Be reasonable.”
But William was in no mood to be reasonable.
”I want to see them!” he thundered. ”Now!”
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