The Van Alen Legacy(37)
«But Lawrence was right», Schuyler sent. «They have returned.»
«Yes, they have returned, and are desperately seeking to unlock the gates, to free the Devil trapped in Hell. This is why we deceived them so long ago. Charles was not the gatekeeper of Lutetia. The gate's earthly anchor had been moved. The true gatekeeper saw to that a long time ago.»
«How do you know that? Are you the keeper?»
«No. Of the Van Alens, only Lawrence was a gatekeeper. Remember the Order of the Seven. One gate in each family.»
«Leviathan and Corcovado.» Schuyler understood now.
«Yes. Your grandfather was the keeper of the Gate of Vengeance, Leviathan's prison. With Lawrence's murder of an innocent, the gate opened and released Leviathan. But what the Silver Bloods did not know was that the Gate of Vengeance was a solom bicallis . It can only be used once, and in one direction. Once Leviathan was freed, the path was closed to all.
The Silver Bloods will not rest. They will seek out the guardians and the gates, until all the Paths of the Dead are free once more.
Schuyler, it is up to you to find the remaining members of the Order, alert them of the danger, and keep the gates secure. As long as the gates hold, Lucifer cannot cross from the underworld to this world. That is the Van Alen Legacy, and now it is yours. That is the Van Alen Legacy, and now it is yours.»
«You mean, it is ours.»
«Alas, that is not to be. I cannot help you in your quest. I have to find Charles. He was lost, somewhere between worlds, when the Silver Bloods let loose that subvertio. Our destiny is intertwined. He needs me more than ever now. There is something broken in the universe that only we can fix together . . . which is part of your journey as well.»
«Mother, you are leaving me. Again. Now that I need you the most,» Schuyler cried, shocked at her mother's news and the enormity of the responsibility that lay before her. Find the gates? Find the guardians? Save the world? How was she supposed to do that alone?
«I am not leaving. I am always with you,» Allegra said, holding Schuyler in her arms. «My daughter, I am in you. Never forget that.»
«So that was really you, then, with the sword? In my dreams?» Schuyler asked.
«Of course.» Allegra smiled gently, then stood up. «Now listen closely. Leviathan has shown his hand in Paris. We know he is looking to open the gate formerly located in Lutetia. The Gate of Time. Of this I am sure, for I was there when Michael and I made him keeper. It was guarded by Tiberius Gemellus. Find him. Secure the gate.»
CHAPTER 53
Mimi
When Mimi left school that afternoon, she found Kingsley waiting for her in front of the Duchesne gates, among the usual collection of scruffy looking boys waiting for their private-school girlfriends. Except Kingsley didn't look scruffy at all. He looked like he'd just stepped out of a magazine: teeth gleaming, dark hair shiny and combed, his cheeks freshly shaven. He was wearing a black leather jacket over a white button-down shirt and battered blue jeans. The rock star look intact.
«What are you doing here?» Mimi demanded, looking around anxiously. «Jack might see you?» Not that she cared all that much. Maybe her twin would even get jealous, seeing them together. If Jack was even capable of any real feeling when it came to her. Who knew what he thought in that thick skull of his anymore?
Kingsley ignored her and pulled her close. He kissed her soundly in front of a group of titillated freshmen.
«Force. Get in the limo.» Mimi saw a shiny car the length of a city block idling by the curb. A uniformed chauffeur held the door open.
Mimi had always harbored a secret love for limousines. It was tacky to use one in the city, lest you run the risk of looking like a tourist or like you were off to prom. But this one shone with a wicked gleam. She had to admit it: the guy traveled in style.
She gave Kingsley a look, then slid inside. He stepped in behind her and closed the door. He raised the driver's partition until it closed all the way. The windows were tinted. They were, for all intents and purposes, alone. The car was so wide it was like being in a moving living room. The carpet beneath her feet was lush, and the car seats were as wide as a bed.
«Now, where were we?» Kingsley asked, leaning over so that he was practically on top of her, one hand underneath her shirt and the other tugging the waistband of her skirt.
«Wait. Wait,» Mimi gasped, putting a hand against his chest and pushing him away. And she thought she was fast. Kingsley was like the world's most talented make-out artist. She had barely gotten in the car and she was practically undressed.
«Sweetheart, I've waited all day,» he sighed, burying his face in her neck. But he did as she asked and pulled his hand away from her thigh. He composed himself and leaned back against the seat. 'There. Better?»
Mimi tried not to look too flattered. It was nice to be wanted. Kingsley and his voracious appetite.
«Where are we going? Or should I say, where are you taking me?» she asked, as the car made a left onto FDR Drive. In answer, Kingsley held up several plane tickets.
«Paris. The Lennox boys are already at JFK. We leave tonight.»
«We?»
«You're not deserting the team, are you, Force?» He smiled. «Don't worry, I have everything you need. Got you a new Venator pack. Of course, it doesn't come with those impractical boots of yours, but I'm sure you can find a replacement in the City of Lights.»
Mimi buttoned her blouse. «You've got to be joking. Turn this car around right now. I'm not going to Paris.»
«Why not?»
He really was a piece of work, this one, she thought. Did she have to say it?
«Don't you remember? I'm getting bonded next Sunday. Duh.»
«Are you?»
«What are you getting at? Jack is my . . .» Soul mate seemed cheesy to say. «He's my twin. We belong together. We always have.»
Kingsley nodded as if he were seriously considering her argument. 'Right. And that's why you've been sneaking into my hotel room every night for the last week.»
Every night! Had it been every night? Surely he was wrong. Surely she had spent one night on her own. She had been in denial. This had gone too far. She was cutting it off right here.
«You know the Code,» she said. 'that's just the way it is. I can't deny our bond.»
«Bonds are made to be broken,» he said. «Just like rules.»
«Spoken like a true Silver Blood,» she snapped.
Kingsley's face became grave. «You know my secret. You know what we face, the enormity of our task if what Charles suspects is true. The team needs you. Come with us.»
Mimi flushed. She had never felt this way in her life. In all of her lives. Loving Abbadon was all she'd ever known. But then Kingsley walked in and turned her every assumption upside down. But did he really want her? Did he really care for her? Did he love her? Or did he just want her around for his amusement?
Kingsley smiled at her, and she knew it was a smile of triumph, the smile of a boy who always got what he wanted. Sure, he wanted her right now, but what happened when he didn't? She knew what the bond was like, the dedication, the commitment to each other and the service they rendered to the community as a whole. The vampires were fading, that much she knew. The Blue Bloods needed them now more than ever. She thought of all the things she and Jack had accomplished together: they had defeated Lucifer in Rome, they had founded the New World. . . . She was Azrael. She was true to her word. She would not waver from what was asked of her. Who did she think she was, her brother? Inconstant, indecisive, unable to make a choice between foolishness and duty?
«No, Kingsley. I can't.» She shook her head. «Let me out of here. Stop the car.»
Kingsley looked at her for a long time. Then he cleared his throat and picked up the interior phone and asked the driver to pull to the side. «As you wish.»
CHAPTER 54
Bliss
New York Presbyterian visiting hours were over when Bliss arrived, not that it even mattered. Allegra Van Alen had checked out by the time she got there.
«But what do you mean she's gone? I just got a call that she was awake. . . . I'm her daughter!» Bliss cried.
«Schuyler was here an hour ago,» the nurse said, looking confused. 'she walked out with Allegra.»
«I mean, I'm her other daughter. Oh, never mind,» Bliss said, stomping off and shaking raindrops all over the floor.
«She's gone. Allegra was gone. She didn't even stick around long enough to talk to me. She doesn't care about me. She doesn't even know I'm alive. Do you hear that, Father?» she screamed inside her head. «Where are you, anyway?»
But it was as if the Visitor knew they would not find Allegra at the hospital. Sometime during the traffic-clogged drive uptown, he had retreated again.
Bliss went back home to an empty apartment as usual. She nuked a potato for dinner. Even if she didn't feel really hungry anymore, try ever, it was hard to break the habit of having three meals a day.
After taking a few bites she tossed the potato in the trash and went to her room to try on her new dress. Schuyler was right. She shouldn't have bought it. It was too tight in the chest and too short in the hem. And the color wasn't right; the deep purple shade made her look paler than usual, and clashed with her red hair. She'd had sale goggles. She took off the dress and crumpled it into a bag so that she could take it to a consignment shop. Hopefully she would get some of her money back. Ever since the bankruptcy, Forsyth had been stingy with her allowance.