Chapter 20

The walk was short and chilly. At the end of it, he found a figure dressed in black in front of his apartment building. It was Jorick, the vampire from the park.

A chill shot through him, but he forced himself to walk at a steady casual pace. He was supposed to find the guy, anyway. This just saved him the bother.

But how the fuck does he know where I live?

"Hello, Patrick," Jorick said when he'd drawn up next to him. "We need to talk."

"Um, yeah." Patrick juggled the bag and the pizza box. Jorick opened the lobby door and motioned him through.

The vampire trailed behind him and up the stairs. Patrick could feel Jorick at his back, feel the immortal presence, yet it didn't seem as terrifying as the others. Or maybe it was so terrifying he couldn't process it.

When Patrick unlocked the door, Jorick followed. Patrick deposited his purchases in the kitchen and turned to discover Jorick right behind him.

He jumped back and knocked into the counter. "Fuck!"

"When can Michael get away?"

Patrick forced himself calm. "I don't know. I guess when he needs to."

Jorick's expression remained impassive. "Tell him to meet us here on Friday." He paused and amended. "No, the park. Tell him to come to the park at six. Best to keep away from your apartment for now."

The "for now" made Patrick uncomfortable, but he managed to nod. Jorick gave him a polite, "Good evening," then let himself out.

Patrick called Michael's "emergency" number and got a female. He left a half ass message that he needed to talk to his brother and hung up as fast as he could. Michael called an hour later and went into a tirade. The fury faded from his voice when Patrick told him about the meeting.

"Good. I have to pick you up for Claudius, anyway."

That was something to look forward to.

***

Friday, January 26th

The next days passed in a blur of TV and pain pills. Thursday evening, Churo stopped by. Patrick didn't want to go out, so they stayed in and played video games. He wasn't sure when his friend leftChuro was there when he passed out, but gone when Patrick woke. It was just as well, since it saved him from making excuses about where he was going.

That evening, he tipped back a final drink for courage, then hurried out the door for the meeting. As he made his way to the park, the sun sank lower and lower. At his destination, he stood in the lengthening shadow of the jungle gym and smoked one cigarette after another. A cold wind rattled the naked tree branches, and he'd just decided no one was going to show up when a little red car pulled down the drive that cut the park in two.

He drew a final puff from his cigarette and tossed it to the ground, readying himself, but it was only Michael. His brother climbed out of the driver's seat and crossed to him.

Patrick nodded to the vehicle. "Whose car is that?"

"Elsa's." Michael tugged out his own cigarette. "She's the one who made me. I don't think you've met her yet."

"That's fine with me."

"She's not really like the others. There's a few of them that aren't too bad. Some of them don't even like Claudius that much."

"How can they when he treats everyone like crap?"

Michael nodded. "I don't even think Arowenia likes him."

"Who's that?"

The answer came from the darkness, "His mate."

Patrick spun to see Jorick and his amber eyed friend Oren, appear; solidifying from the shadows. "Shit! When did you get here?"

Oren ignored the question. "How many are there who 'dislike' Claudius?"

Michael shrugged. "I dunno. I haven't counted them."

Oren's tone turned impatient. "Half of the coven? A quarter? A handful?"

"Maybe a third."

Patrick cleared his throat and added, "Even Yulia said she was loyal to herself first and Claudius second."

Jorick dismissed it with a flick of his hand. "As are most vampires."

But Oren's eyes gleamed. "No, we may be on to something. Claudius is known to be tyrannical. It's only natural there would be discord among the ranks. Perhaps we can exploit it."

"Destroy the coven from the inside?" Jorick asked.

"Exactly." Oren turned to his friend, as if the brothers didn't exist. "We both know I can't defeat him with numbers alone. But if his coven were to splinter."

Jorick rubbed his chin. "Yes, I suppose. You'd certainly suffer fewer losses."

Michael interrupted them. "How are you going to do that?"

Oren turned to him sharply. "Not me. You."

"What? How the fuck do I do that?"

"Carefully," Oren quipped, then, with more patience, "You remind them how much they dislike him, point out that he's unjust to them, but, most importantly, allow them to think of revolting on their own. If you suggest it, they'll report you as a traitor. If it's their idea, they'll grab onto it with both hands. Yes." Oren smiled thinly. "It has possibilities."

Jorick didn't look convinced. "It will take some time to maneuver it safely."

"We have time, don't we?" Oren brushed imaginary lint from his button up shirt. "As long as Claudius has no plan to attack, a few months or a year are of no consequence."

"A year?" Michael cried, and even Patrick shrank at the timeframe. "We can't wait a year!"

"Things take time," Oren said stiffly. "If you rush it, the plan will fall through and Claudius will see what you're up to. I'm sure his punishment will be swift."

"Are you serious?" Michael grabbed his brother's arm. "Do you hear this, Pat? They're threatening us with Claudius. 'Do what we say or your master will kill you'. Fuck that! I don't need you assholes to threaten me, I already have Claudius to do that."

The memories of the basement were too strong in Patrick's head; the taste of blood, the feel of Yulia's tongue. "We'll do it."

"What?" Michael shook him. "Pat! Did you listen to a fucking thing they said?"

Patrick grabbed Michael by the front of his shirt and snarled in his face, "Yeah, I heard them, and I also heard Yulia. I'm not doing this shit forever. I can do months, or even a year, if I know there's an end coming, but I can't live, terrified of what might happen, for eternity. We'll do it, and we'll do it as fast as we can without making Claudius suspicious. You wanted my help, well you got it. Now shut up and quit whining!"

Michael jerked free and stumbled backwards, shock and fury dancing in his eyes. "Fuck you, Pat! Fuck all of you!" He stormed toward the red car, but stopped before he climbed inside. "Come on, unless you want to end up in the basement again."