Dancing With Raven (The Young Shakespeareans Series) (27 page)

“Sweetheart, why don’t you stay for a little while longer? I’m traveling back to Los Angeles at the end of the month, and we’ll talk about it then.”

What? No!
Her knees suddenly felt weak and she sank down on the bed. “You’re coming here? Why?”

“I’m bringing several Shakespearean Institute directors with me.”

Her heart began to hammer inside her chest. “What’s going on, Grandpapa?”

“Nothing for you to worry about, Felicia. We think it’s time to establish a Los Angeles branch of the Institute.”

Her stomach began to roil. “I see. Can’t it wait until summer?”

“We’re under a bit of a time crunch, actually. Listen, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything to anyone about this. The directors and I have booked rooms at a hotel, and I don’t want Ian to feel slighted in any way. Thirteen additional house guests are simply too much for anyone to manage, especially with a small staff.”

“I won’t say anything.”

“Good.”

“I’ll talk to you when you get here then.”

“I’ll call you when I get to town. Everything else all right? You sound strained.”

“Perfect. Good-bye, Grandpapa.”

After Felicia rung off, she dropped the phone on the quilted comforter covering her bed. Could Chase be right that her grandfather was the mastermind of a wicked plot to reveal the shadow world? The evidence seemed incontrovertible; not only were the Shakespearean Institute directors coming to Los Angeles, they were doing so in secrecy. Her hand pressed to her mouth and she ran to the bathroom to throw up.

His brush with hordes of crazed demons had given Raven an appetite. Apparently Chase’s appetite had been whetted as well because he went back to fill his plate more than once. Mrs. Trumbull produced a platter full of hot crispy powdered sugar-dusted Belgium waffles to supplement the feast, and refilled the chafing dish of bacon. Fletcher beamed as he poured maple syrup over his waffle. “I’m going to have to work out twice as long this afternoon to burn off these calories,” he said cheerfully.

Raven remembered his mad dash to the relative safety of his father’s car earlier that morning. “You’d better add sprinting to your regimen.”

“I think we should all be at the top of our game,” Ian said.

Fifteen minutes later, Felicia returned to the dining room and slid into a chair. She’d dressed and had apparently taken a shower because her hair looked somewhat damp. Her eyes were red-rimmed as if she’d been crying, and her face bore no traces of makeup. Raven was taken aback at her appearance.
I can’t remember the last time I saw her without makeup.
Chase seemed to be taken aback as well; he couldn’t stop staring.

Fletcher glanced up from his waffle and his smile faded. “Are you all right?”

“No. I’ve had distressing news.”

As she struggled to continue, Raven put down his fork and waited. If Felicia was too upset to speak, something was horribly wrong.

“I called Grandpapa just now. He’s bringing the Institute directors with him to L.A. at the end of the month.” She swallowed hard. “And he asked me not to tell you.”

Silence reigned for several long seconds.

“
Blazes
,” Fletcher muttered.

“I’m sorry,” Chase said. “I know you were hoping I was wrong.”

“I’m still not one hundred percent convinced, but it doesn’t look good,” she replied. “He said he wanted to establish an Institute chapter here, but the timing is suspicious, to say the least.”

“We’ve no choice now but to seek an alliance with the vampires,” Ian said. “Chase, can you arrange a meeting with Oliver Fairchild?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“I want to go with you to the meeting,” Felicia said.

Chase’s eyes seemed to flash with annoyance. “Can’t wait to flirt with danger again, can you?”

“Maybe he’s right, Felicia. Oliver fancied you an awful lot,” Fletcher said.

“I can handle him.”

“You’re so utterly naïve,” Chase muttered.

Her chin lifted. “You don’t know me at all.”

“And at the rate you’re going, I might never have the chance!” He gave Ian an apologetic glance. “Excuse me for shouting.”

“It’s all right,” Ian said. “You should feel free to speak your mind here.”

“Chase, you told Oliver last night I was your girlfriend,” Felicia said. “You’ll just have to hold your nose at the meeting and go on pretending you’re attracted to me.” She flounced off.

A muscle worked in Chase’s jaw as he stood. “Mr. Cassidy, you mentioned I could call my mother?”

Ian rose. “Yes, of course. You can use the phone in my office. I’ll show you where it is.”

“After I let her know I’m all right, I’ll call Oliver’s people to arrange a meeting.”

Ian escorted Chase from the room. Moments later, Fletcher pushed back from the table.

“What a nightmare this has become. I’m afraid I’ve rather lost my appetite.”

He left, and Raven found himself alone at the table. He chewed another piece of bacon, but his heart wasn’t in it. Although he would never admit it to anyone, the morning’s misadventure had shaken him badly.
We aren’t just trying to prevent an Apocalypse, we’re preparing for war.

Chapter Sixteen

Oliver Fairchild

S
UNDAY
A
FTERNOON
W
AS
W
ANING
when Tori noticed snowfall outside her window.
That’s impossible! It must be in the upper seventies today!
She ran to look through the glass and realized it wasn’t snow at all, but fine white ash. The Santa Ana winds were causing havoc again…a frequent occurrence in Southern California. Fires from miles away would produce ash that settled over everything and made it difficult to breathe. She returned to her desk to finish an essay for history, only to be called downstairs by Misty. The older woman’s eyes were watering and she held a tissue to her nose.

“I just heard on the news the air quality will be bad for days. There are fires all over the city, including in Griffith Park.”

“What’s going on?”

“You know how these Santa Ana winds bring out the fire bugs. Anyway, my plastic surgeon in Brazil sent me an email a few days ago saying he had an opening if I wanted it, so I’m flying down to Rio tomorrow for a lift. Anya will have a month off while I’m recuperating. When I return, you’ll be able to bounce a quarter off my skin.”

Snicker. “You’re lovely just as you are, you know.”

“Yes, well, there’s always room for improvement. Is there a friend you could stay with while I’m gone?”

The image of Blackfriars flashed into Tori’s mind.
How fortuitous!
“Um…yes, I can stay with Felicia. How long will you be away?”

“Everything depends on how fast I heal. You have the key to the house, so perhaps you could water the plants every so often?”

“Of course. What time do you leave tomorrow? I’ll drive you to the airport.”

“That’s sweet of you, but you’ll be in school. Don’t worry, I’ll arrange for a shuttle to pick me up.”

Tori returned to her bedroom, relieved at the turn of events. She’d been wondering how to justify several days’ absence at the end of the month to her foster mother.
Now I won’t have to lie. As a bonus, Misty will be out of danger.
Before she resumed typing her essay, she sent a text to Raven to let him know what had transpired. She couldn’t suppress a smile and a little thrill of excitement at the thought of staying at Blackfriars. When she glanced out the window, however, the ominous, ash-darkened sky sent a shiver down her spine.
Maybe I can begin training to fight demons. It looks as if the good guys need all the help they can get.

On his fifth wind sprint, Raven pushed himself to finish another mile at top speed before dialing down the treadmill to a gentle jog. As a Nephilim, he was blessed with superior physical capabilities, reflexes, and healing power, but how fast and how long would he have to run to outdistance a pack of demons? The underworld was belching out denizens with every earthquake, and he wondered whose black magic was responsible.
If I could find that warlock and stop him, I could stanch the flow of demons.

Fletcher and Felicia entered the gym. Fletcher headed directly for the weight machines, but his sister mounted the treadmill next to Raven and began to stretch. Her usual ebullient sparkle was missing and he began to feel sorry for her. Before he could say anything, she spoke.

“Your cell phone is going off.”

Could that be Tori?
He punched the stop button on his treadmill and lunged for his cell. His eyebrows lifted as he read the text message. “Ha! Apparently Tori’s foster mother is leaving for Rio tomorrow and won’t be back for several weeks. In the meantime, Tori will be staying with us.”

He mopped his face with a towel, grinning with anticipation.
It will be great to have her so close!

Felicia sighed. “I guess that excludes Misty Savannah from the pool of suspects. I’m sorry I doubted her.” She shook her head. “I’m beginning to question my judgment altogether.”

“I don’t mean to blow smoke, but we still don’t have all the facts regarding your grandfather. There could be some misunderstanding or explanation we haven’t thought of yet.”

“You’re right.” Despite her words, Felicia didn’t seem cheered. “Speaking of smoke, L.A. is on fire. I’m wondering if a swarm of locusts isn’t on the way next.”

“Don’t joke about it.”

Chase entered the gym and crossed over to Raven and Felicia. Fletcher put down his hand weights and joined them. “Did you get in touch with the vamps?”

“Fairchild has agreed to a meeting at his mansion tonight at nine,” Chase replied.

“Do you trust him?” Raven asked.

“No, but sometimes the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

“Frenemy.” Fletcher shrugged when everyone peered at him. “I’m just saying.”

“An alliance with Fairchild may be a necessary evil, but make no mistake. I trust him to do what’s in his own self-interest,” Chase said.

“What about other vampires?” Raven asked. “Does Fairchild speak for all of them?”

Chase shook his head. “I believe his influence
is
substantial, but I don’t know the answer to your question. Some may be completely loyal, but others may think for themselves.”

“So in other words, even if we hammer out an agreement with Fairchild, we’ll still have to watch our backs,” Felicia said.

“Yours in particular,” Chase’s gaze flickered up and down her frame, to underscore his point. “To vampires, beautiful women are irresistible.”

A rosy hue appeared on Felicia’s cheekbones as she caught his meaning.

“Now that you mention it, I’m here to work on my backside,” she said. “If you’ll excuse me.”

She stepped onto her treadmill, and Fletcher returned to the hand weights. Raven jerked his head toward the long wooded staffs mounted to the wall.