III.
Katherine huffed and blew a strand of hair out of her eyes as she tried not to lose her temper. She could hear Elijah prowling around in her living room as she worked at the computer, trying to find leads on the whereabouts of Mitchell Edwards through her various contacts. All Elijah could say was that he was filthy rich and lived alone on an island somewhere. A proposition which was sounding increasingly enticing.
"Do you mind?" she asked finally. "I'm trying to work."
"You're not working, you're dawdling," Elijah said irritably. "How many rich men are there who live on islands? It can't be so difficult to find just one."
Katherine rolled her eyes. "There are a lot of islands," she said. "And you can't even tell me if that's his real name."
Elijah sighed in exasperation and then sat down on the chair across from her with such precisely calculated movements that just exuded irritation. Katherine gave him a surreptitious glance through her hair. It had been over 600 years since she'd spent very much time with Elijah, it was true, but he'd always seemed so controlled, so passionless to her. But now, through the veneer of calm, he seemed oddly on the edge, like one wrong word or move would send him careening over.
"Why are you looking for him?" she asked. "What did he take that was so valuable?"
Elijah's face hardened as he glared at her. "That is none of your concern, Katerina," he said. "I'll thank you to do what I pay you to do and keep your mouth shut."
Katherine glared back, her jaw clenching and unclenching as she tried to contain her anger.
"Fine," she said finally, turning back to her computer. "And apparently it's impossible for you to call me 'Katherine'."
"What?"
"Nothing," she said, making a shooing motion with her hand. "Don't you have some pacing to do? This might take a while. I don't want to leave till I know where we're going."
"I thought you're supposed to be good at this," Elijah said, making no move to rise. "Damon said you used to regularly stalk Stefan Salvatore. Or have you finally given up on his eternal love?"
Katherine gave him a sharp look as she tamped down the sharp pang of hurt his words had given her. "I do occasionally check up on him," she said. "He's currently in Portland. With Klaus. Which you no doubt know. And of course I keep track of him, I made him, after all. Don't you have any progeny?"
"Of course not," Elijah said primly. "I would not damn anyone to this sort of life."
Katherine raised a skeptical brow. "Really?" she asked. "No one, not in a thousand years. No human woman you wanted to keep forever? Or man?"
Elijah stared at her for a long moment, an odd look on his face, so long that she thought he'd forgotten the question. Finally, he said, "I had a friend once, a Jewish scholar, whom I turned in the thirteenth century, in Prague. He was one of the first whom Klaus killed when he was exacting his vengeance upon me."
"I'm sorry," Katherine said. Her eyes dropped to his hand, which was clenched into a fist, and tightened her own fingers around the mouse to prevent herself from reaching out to him.
Elijah narrowed his eyes, as if he suspected her of mocking him, and then he relaxed. "Thank you," he said simply.
"Don't thank me yet," she said, returning her focus to the screen. "I still haven't found a trace of him, just vague rumors."
Elijah nodded. "I do appreciate this," he said, his voice more amicable all of a sudden.
Katherine looked up to meet his eyes. "Well, the money is very nice."
Elijah barked a short laugh. "Of course," he said. "The money." He narrowed his eyes slightly as he gazed at her. "You haven't really done much with your life since it all ended, have you? Since Niklaus said you were free to go. All those years of running, and still you're just marching in place."
Elijah was smiling, but his tone was vindictive and satisfied, and Katherine just stared at him for a long moment, wondering why, after so many years, he still hated her so.
"Well, since you obviously know so much about me," she said, setting her jaw as she turned back to her computer screen, "I guess I don't have to answer that."
"No," Elijah said, his voice tight. "I already know what kind of woman you are."
Katherine leaned back in her chair. "Oh, really," she said, forcing a languid smile. "And what would that be?"
"A liar," Elijah said. "A cheat. An adventuress."
Katherine continued to smile, but her chest had taken on that peculiar ache she'd always felt when Damon and Stefan had refused to believe her or to believe in her, no matter how often she'd tried. Lightning fast, she sprang over the table and grabbed him, pushing him across the room and into the far back wall, slamming him into it so hard, plaster broke off in bits, shattering on the floor. She knew he was much stronger and would almost certainly make her pay, but at the moment, she didn't care.
"You'll treat me with respect," she said, her voice low and venomous. "Or I'll give you your money back and you can walk out that door and find him your own fucking self."
His pulse was racing under her fingers, his eyes wide as they stared into hers. She held his gaze for a moment and was just loosening her grip on his throat when he grabbed her and whirled her around until her back was against the wall. He leaned forward until his mouth was hovering just over hers.
"Fine," he whispered. She shivered as his breath ghosted over her lips. "I apologize."
She froze, unable to take her eyes off him, convinced that he was about to kiss her. Just as he seemed to be closing the distance, her phone beeped, breaking the spell.
"That'll, uh..." She swallowed hard as her gaze dropped to his lips. "That'll probably be one of my contacts."
He released her and moved away as she headed over to the table to retrieve her phone. As she spoke with the man on the other end, she heard a soft rustling noise and turned to discover that Elijah had swept up the broken plaster.
Once she'd hung up, she turned back to him.
"A Mitchell Edwards lives on an island in Puget Sound," she said. "Near Seattle. I'm guessing that's him."
Elijah nodded. "All right," he said. "Thank you, Katherine, I appreciate what you've done. Just send the coordinates to my phone, and I'll be on my way. You held up your end of the bargain, so you can keep the money, of course."
Katherine felt a pang of disappointment at his words. He obviously hated her too much to show her simple respect.
"Sure." She whirled around so that he wouldn't see her dejectedness and texted the coordinates to him. By the time his phone beeped, she had herself under control again and she turned to face him. "Good luck."
"Thank you, Kater—Katherine," he said. He stared at her for a moment, pressing his lips together like he was trying to come to a decision, and then he blurted out, "Maybe it would be better if you come, too. Just in case something goes wrong. I mean, your tracking skills are almost legendary." She opened her mouth, but remained silent when he held up his hand. "I'll give you double—no, triple—of what we agreed. In advance."
Three hundred thousand dollars? Just to find this Edwards? Elijah really was desperate. She opened her mouth, intending to refuse, but her subconscious apparently had other plans.
"Agreed."
Katherine's heart lurched as Elijah suddenly smiled widely, bringing her back to a time when he was her friend and she'd counted on those smiles to navigate through Klaus's odd moods.
"Very well," he said. "I'll pick you up in the morning. Good night, Katherine."
She'd barely blinked and he was gone. Shaking her head, she headed over to the bar and mixed herself a vodka tonic, hesitating for a moment before she doubled the vodka. She definitely needed it tonight.
She'd just settled on the couch when her phone beeped. She pulled it out of her pocket and grinned when she saw that Lucy had just messaged her. Lucy had been surprised that someone had actually been following Katherine this time and she was skeptical about Elijah's intent in involving her in his quest.
You OK?
I'm fine, Katherine typed. But I'm going to kill him.
Elijah? What did he do?
What didn't he do. He's just as annoying as always. I might have to dagger him once he pays my fee. Or maybe you can entomb him.
Fee? You managed to get money out of him?
A lot of money. We're rich, baby. ;-)
LOL. Night, Kat.
Night, sweetie.
oOoOo
After she'd texted back and forth with Lucy for a bit and let off a little steam about Elijah, she poured herself another vodka tonic and headed upstairs to draw a bath. She had no idea when she'd be able to relax again, certainly not in Elijah's presence. They seemed to have cleared the air just a little, but she had no doubt that wasn't the end of their strife. Elijah seemed to hate her just a little much for it to be over just like that.
She undressed and lit some candles and then turned off the light and eased into the tub, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. Her chest ached as she thought of Elijah. What right did he have to hate her? He was the one who'd betrayed their friendship first by planning to kill her. Of course she'd done what she had to do to survive. The real world didn't send handsome princes to rescue damsels in distress. Katherine had always had to do it herself.
Her mind started to drift as she relaxed in the water, trying to put the events of the last few days behind her. Slowly she became aware of something tickling her foot. Something like a fingernail scraped against her sole and she jerked her foot away, her eyes flying open.
"Hello?" she called, peering into the gloom of the bathroom. She thought she could see a shadow in the corner, but when she blinked again, it was gone.
Blaming the sensation on a twitchy nerve, she leaned back again, closing her eyes. Just as she'd fully relaxed, she felt it once again, the light pressure of fingers on her insole and then sliding up her ankle. Her eyes opened again, a curse on her lips, but the words died when she saw the dark silhouette of a man in shadow, crouched at the end of the tub.
"Wha—" she started to say, but he pressed the index finger of his other hand to his lips and shushed her. Katherine wanted to protest, wanted to tell him to stop, but a strange languidness came over her, as well as a feeling of trust. She lay back again, slipping once again into a relaxed state, and watched him through hooded eyes.
His warm hands slid up her leg, curling around her calf. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her knee. She gasped and he turned to look at her. She could only see the reflection of the candlelight off the water in his eyes, but they were achingly familiar. She nudged him gently with her knee, indicating that he should continue, and then let her legs fall open. She thought she caught the faint glimmer of a smile and then his hand was continuing up her leg to her center as he pressed soft kisses to her skin.
She groaned as his hand slid between her thighs and squeezed, sending a delicious shiver through her whole body. Her fists gripped the edges of the bathtub as his hand stroked her. Her whimpers and moans filled the bathroom as he pleasured her, bringing her to the edge again and again until she tumbled over.
"Elijah," she breathed.
"Katerina," a voice—his voice—murmured in her ear and Katherine awoke with a shriek.
Her whole body still thrumming from her dream orgasm, she sat up and looked around, but the bathroom—better lit than in her dream due to the street lights coming in through the window—was empty. Since the water had already gone cold, she climbed out of the tub, grabbed a towel as she listened for sounds in the rest of the house, and then ventured over to the window, but the street was deserted. If Elijah had been there, he was now gone.