Torina (Tales from the Island) Read online

sixteen. He always left Torina torn. In her day sixteen was a respectable age for marriage, even children, but modern conventions frowned on that.

  In my day. As if I’m an old spinster.

  The thought was infuriating, and the boy caught the irritation that flashed in her eyes. “Hey, Torina! What’s wrong?”

  She quickly composed her features; lips slightly pouted and turned up at the edges, brows lifted just enough to make her eyelids look thicker, and chin tucked just a little to draw attention to them. “What could possibly be wrong in a place like this?” she purred and touched his arm.

  Loren flushed and broke into a grin. “That-that’s true. I thought maybe Micah did something stupid.”

  The bald vampire swept to his feet. “What the fuck, pipsqueak?”

  Loren shrugged. “Well, you kinda have a history of saying stupid stuff.”

  “That’s an understatement.”

  Torina turned towards the sound of the new voice to find Jorick walking towards them. Tall, and broad-shouldered, Jorick had long, sweeping black hair and eyes the color of night. He moved with grace, like a classical dancer, but his aura of raw power removed any doubts about his masculinity. Torina could think of several words to describe him: beautiful, egotistical, frustrating, self-centered, and delicious.

  She wondered if his human companion found him as confusing.

  “Fuck you, Executioner dog.” Micah spat and purposefully turned his back on the dark vampire.

  “No, fuck you,” a voice said at Jorick’s side, and Torina suddenly noticed Katelina, the human in question. She wasn’t ugly, but she wasn’t a great beauty. Vampirism and some correctly applied makeup could work wonders, and, as she had done before, Torina squinted at her and tried to imagine what she could turn her into with a little work. The first thing would be her hair. It was a nice shade of blonde, but Katelina left it to hang long and limp in a plain ponytail. It would look better with some waves in it, and a few curls framing her face, especially around her eyes. Blue like a summer sky, they were Katelina’s best feature, but she failed to play them up. She desperately needed help.

  Not that I have time to mess with such trivial things.

  Torina turned her most winning smile on the dark vampire. “Jorick. How lovely to see you. What are your plans for this stunning evening.” She brushed her fingers over his shoulder and down his arm, to let her hand rest just above his elbow.

  He cocked an eyebrow. “Katelina wants to ‘hang out’ on the beach.”

  “And you don’t want to?” Katelina scowled darkly and Torina didn’t need to focus on the woman’s thoughts to know what she was irritated about. She gave Jorick’s arm a soft squeeze. “I suppose you’d rather stay holed up with…” she leaned closer and paused to let the innuendo fill itself in, then amended it to, “one of your books?”

  “He didn’t bring any,” Katelina said firmly. “And we’re going for a walk.”

  “A walk sounds lovely!” Torina let the vampire go to hook her arm through his. “I’d love to join you.”

  “What do you wanna go with that jackass for?” Micah flexed his arms. “I’m a lot more fun than he is.”

  She gave a silvery laugh and patted his bulging bicep. “I’m sure you are, but absence makes the heart grow fonder.” She tugged Jorick forward before he could untangle himself from her. “Have you seen the cove?”

  The three followed the curve of the beach, Jorick in the middle, one arm locked in Torina’s and his other grasped just as tightly by Katelina. The blonde woman shot dirty looks Torina’s way, but she only squeezed Jorick’s arm tighter and giggled a little louder. If it was a competition the human would lose.

  No, she wouldn’t, and you know it.

  Torina ignored the nagging voice and released Jorick to catch up a sea shell. She twisted it this way and that, batting her eyes and making pointless observations that would have earned her any number of comments from lesser men. Jorick only grunted his lack of enthusiasm and tried to calm his girlfriend with a halfhearted smile and a squeeze of her hand, as if he was saying, “We just need to tolerate Torina for a little while.”

  Like she was a spoiled child.

  Her initial reaction was to repeat one of Micah’s favorite phrases and go where she was wanted, but she controlled the flush of anger and decided that he’d have to pry her lose. She might not have as many years on the clock, but she was his equal, and if he couldn’t treat her that way then he deserved to be irritated. He was going to see just what a spoiled child could be like.

  She turned suddenly and thrust the shell at him. “You’ll carry that for me, won’t you? I would, but I don’t have any pockets.” She held out her arms, then motioned to her scanty swim suit.

  Jorick’s eyes followed for a second and then snapped away. “You should have brought a bag.”

  She gave him her best pout. “Please? It’s just one tiny little shell. I’d be ever so grateful.” She clasped his hand and held it to her breast.

  Katelina made a dark, angry noise, and Jorick pulled away quickly and grabbed the seashell. “Fine. Just one.”

  Torina batted her eyes. “See? I knew you could be reasonable!”

  A moment later she had another shell, and then another. Jorick jammed them in his pockets with increasing annoyance, and the grooves in Katelina’s forehead got deeper and deeper. Torina wondered which of them would pop first. She almost hoped it was the woman. That would make Jorick’s evening so much worse.

  Jorick stuffed the eighth shell in his pocket. “Where’s your brother?”

  “On the patio with that dreadful little Japanese thing.” She snatched up a small stone. “Look at this!”

  “No more!” Jorick barked. “Maybe you should spend some time with him.”

  “Who? Oren?” Her laughter was real. “Why? I see him all the time. Besides, I can’t stand his new puppy. She hasn’t left his side since we got here yesterday. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out she sleeps on the floor next to his bed.”

  “She’s not a dog!” Katelina cried. “She’s a person!”

  Torina snorted. “She’s only a human.”

  “If she’s only a human then you shouldn’t let her bother you,” Jorick said. Katelina gaped and he opened his mouth, then closed it again, as if there was no way to retract the statement.

  “I didn’t say she bothered me, only that I can’t stand her. I am allowed an opinion, you know.” She narrowed her eyes and held Jorick’s gaze. Her next comment was silent, and packed with all the irritation she could force into it, “Unless spoiled children aren’t allowed opinions.”

  Jorick rolled his eyes in exasperation, but his reply was as silent as hers. “If you don’t want to be treated as a child, don’t act like it. You’re only tagging along to irritate Katelina.”

  “Think what you want.” She turned away from him and spoke loudly, “This has been an enjoyable little excursion, but the pair of you are far too boring for my taste. If you decide you’d like to have some real fun, Jorick, come see me. Otherwise, enjoy your walk.”

  She sashayed away, swinging her hips. She could hear the torrent of Katelina’s aggravation, “-can’t stand her! She’s always pawing all over you. Why don’t you do something about it?”

  A smile curved Torina’s lips as she imagined what the rest of Jorick’s evening was going to be like.

  And he thought I wanted to irritate Katelina!

  She wasn’t in the mood for Micah and Loren’s eager-to-please puppy dog routine, so she turned from the path and plunged into the vegetation. The lush jungle sang with insect song, and she slipped beneath the trees and let her mind wander. She remembered when Jorick had moved into the plantation near theirs. He’d inherited it from his uncle, or so he’d claimed. She wondered now if he’d just taken it when the former occupant died, or if Jorick had killed him for it. It was hard to tell with him.

  He’d been dashing with his dark, neat ponytail and his grim expression. Though he didn’t get the darkness
in his eyes until after he’d married her. Velnya was from Massachusetts. Jorick had met her while he was there on Guild business, and the first time Torina saw her had been at the wedding. One look at those large, hopeful, needy eyes and she’d known it was a mistake. The vampiress was a weak, silly little thing whose head was full of fluff and pleas for protection. That Jorick had expected his new life to end in anything other than blood was ridiculous. Had he really thought such a frail, clingy creature would defend herself?

  Though Jorick had never told her, she’d seen glimpses of the end in his mind, and heard it from her brother. After the wedding Jorick and Velnya moved to the wilds of the Nebraska territory, and there Velnya was accused of witchcraft by the local humans. Jorick was away on Guild business, and when he’d returned he found that she’d been dragged from the house and burned alive. Though he claimed she didn’t fight back because she didn’t want to hurt the humans, Torina had never believed it. Could any woman really be that stupid? No doubt she’d expected Jorick to come riding in at the last second and save her, and only when she realized he wouldn’t had she done anything, but it was too little too late.

  Torina smiled as she imagined Katelina in her place. The woman was far from perfect, but Torina had to admit that she had guts. She wouldn’t let a mob drag her out of the house and lash her to a tree. She’d bash their skulls in, and then she’d set them on fire. Jorick would come home to a pile of burnt