Once Jorick disappeared, Verchiel waved his arms and called to the vampires in the corridor, "For your own safety, move to the first floor in a quiet and organized manner. There is no need to panic."
The vampires shouted questions. Verchiel repeated his speech and then grabbed Katelina's arm. "We need to get you stashed away."
In the rush of the moment she forgot to be mad at him. "Why are they scared? They're vampires, too."
Verchiel snorted. "A lot of them are younger than your friends. Those who aren't are mainly government types and their pals. They haven't fought in decades, if at all. Not all vampires do."
The elevators were swamped by panicked vampires and a handful of humans. Verchiel took one look at the mess and pulled her away from them and towards the restaurant. "We'll tak
