Blood and Fire (16 page)

Claris flipped her hand back and forth. “How would I know? He’s off at another conference.”

Ari hid a worried frown. She, Claris, and Brando had been friends since elementary school, and her friends had been dating for almost two years. Although Brando was a wizard, his personality was so laid back that Ari hadn’t worried about his relationship with Claris. In fact, Brando and Claris had been good together—except he was also a dedicated scientist. He frequently attended conferences to share his findings, and more recently, he’d become a popular speaker. He was away a lot, and Claris was alone much too often.

And Gabriel was so damned pretty. Wavy blond hair, impossibly long lashes, abs to die for.

“Um, well, who’s this perfect owner?”

“An elf. She’s a waitress and the sweetest thing. Wait until you get to know her. You’ll see.”

“Waitress where?”

“Some vampire bar.” Claris didn’t meet Ari’s gaze.

“Claris? I know when you’re avoiding telling me something.”

Claris ducked her head. “OK, it’s the Second Chance Saloon. But she’s really nice. I swear.”

Ari snorted. “Yeah, sure. That’s a vampire biker bar.”

“So, what? Everybody has to make a living. You can at least talk to her. She likes you.”

“Me? How does she know me? None of my friends hang out there. What’s her name?”

“Feyla Rains.”

Ari knit her brows in thought. The name did seem familiar. “Oh, the crying girl.” Ari pictured the pixie-faced girl she’d met during her very first murder investigation. “I’m surprised she still works there. Didn’t seem the type. In fact, she’s so shy that Re will run all over her.”

“That’s what I think too,” Claris said, clapping her hands. “He’ll insist on taking charge, and Feyla will let him. It’s a perfect match.”

Ari hesitated, not sure she shared her friend’s enthusiasm. “OK, we’ll give it a try, but Re makes the final choice.”

“Like always, but I have a good feeling about this match.”

The two friends spent the next quarter of an hour discussing possibilities for Dona’s adoption, but neither of them came up with a good prospect. When the shop bell announced new customers, Ari left her friend to tend to her herbal business and headed for her office at the Cultural Center.

* * *

It wasn’t until late in the afternoon that Ari squirmed in her desk chair, a sudden uneasy feeling settling across her shoulders. She straightened, recognizing the source of her discomfort. She and Andreas had been able to sense each other’s moods for months now. This co-mingling of their magics was producing some unanticipated results.

She picked up the phone and called. “What’s wrong? You’re upset. I can feel it.”

“Ah,
cara mia
. You beat me to the phone. Ursula never left Canada. She is pressuring the other Canadian vampire courts to strike against Daron. A dozen or so of the princes have arranged a secret meeting with Daron to discuss the situation, and he has asked me to attend.”

“But we have trouble here, and our vampires are missing. Is your presence that important?”

“I am afraid so. Daron is strong but against so many… We must work together to convince the other princes, perhaps form our own coalition to stand against Ursula.”

“That sounds like a full-scale war. You’re beginning to scare me.”

“If we can win over the other leaders, it might prevent war by keeping the O-Seven away from this continent or at least delay further attempts to spread their control. Our future here in Riverdale could depend on what this group decides.” He paused. “I am counting on Gabriel—and you—to look for our missing people. I told Daron you would not be coming this time. He understands our dilemma.”

“I don’t like it. You there, me here. I feel like fate’s playing divide and conquer.”

“I know, Arianna, but I see no choice. If Daron is crushed under the thumb of the O-Seven, we will be next in line.”

She sighed in resignation. “How soon will you go?”

“I am on my way to the plane.”

“Now?” Ari’s stomach fluttered, and she was tempted to say, “Don’t go.” But his friendship with Daron was important, and she didn’t want more trouble coming to Riverdale. If this meeting resulted in an alliance among the vampires, they’d all be stronger. “Stay safe.”

“You, too,
cara mia
.” His voice softened, his magic reaching across the distance, sending a delicious shiver down her back. “I am ready to board now. Do not forget, little witch, I want to find all your parts still in one tempting package when I return.”

She smiled in spite of her uneasiness. “Ditto. You tell Daron I’ll hold him personally responsible if anything happens to you.”

“I love you, too,” he said as he disconnected.

Ari sat lost in thought. She really did have a bad feeling about this trip. Was it a warning from her witch magic or normal anxiety over Andreas putting himself within Ursula’s reach? Ari hadn’t forgotten the malicious intent blackening the vampiress’s aura. One thing was sure—there was real danger waiting for him in Canada.

Ari twitched her shoulders to release the tension. Maybe she needed to think about something else. Worrying about Andreas wouldn’t make him any safer.

Searching for a good distraction and the comfort of a friendly voice, she made a call to Claris to arrange their meeting with Feyla.

“Great. I’ll call her now,” Claris said. “When I talked with her, she was available any time before 8:00 in the evening, when she goes to work. She’ll be excited to meet this quickly. Will an hour give you enough time to get Re?”

“Plenty. We’ll be there.”

Feeling better now that she was doing something, Ari hurried home, ignored the emptiness of the house, boxed up the rambunctious kitten, and in forty minutes she was sitting in Claris’s kitchen again. Re was in the greenhouse, stalking his male parent, trying to convince Hernando to play with him. The white Siamese regarded his offspring with fatherly tolerance.

“So, what gives?” Claris tilted her head. “You’re way too quiet.”

Ari shifted her attention to her friend. “I’m worried about Andreas.” She told her about the Toronto trip.

“Oh, wow, Ari, I’m sorry, but Andreas can handle this. You know he can. You’re just not used to being apart. I was like that when Brando first started going to conferences. Eventually you get used to it.”

“Used to it? Don’t tell me you don’t mind Brando’s constant trips. I’ve seen it on your face. You don’t like it, even a little bit.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true.” Claris looked down at the table.

“Have you considered telling him?”

“What good would that do? Science is his life, his career. I’m only the girlfriend.”

“Whoa.
Only
the girlfriend? Do you think you’re less important? If so, you two had better be talking. Weren’t you discussing marriage and babies a couple months ago?”

“That was before his latest breakthrough, the healing formula that he extracted from Fantasy, the hallucinogenic street drug. Now everyone wants to talk with him. I haven’t seen him in three weeks.”

“That’s harsh. Surely he calls?”

“Every day. But it’s not the same. I’m afraid—” Whatever Claris was going to say was interrupted by a tap on the greenhouse door.

Ari answered and invited Feyla in, recognizing her immediately. A petite elf, thin, pale complexion and delicate features. The girl hesitated when she saw Ari and offered a shy smile. “I can’t believe we’re meeting again. And over kittens.” Feyla looked around when she heard a rustle, gasped, and put one hand over her mouth. “Oh, my God. Is that him?”

Ari was left standing with a bemused look on her face, as Feyla plopped on the greenhouse floor. The elven girl invited Re to explore a ribbon from her hair, and her peals of laughter soon filled the room.

Claris came up beside Ari. “Even I didn’t expect this. I think they’re going to get along fantastically.”

Ari nodded, totally in agreement with her friend until Claris added, “I’ll have to call Gabriel and tell him how clever he was to suggest this.”

Ari sighed. Gabriel. Yet again.

Despite having placed one more kitten in a good home, Ari left Claris’s shop slightly annoyed with her friend for finding another excuse to talk with the handsome vampire, definitely annoyed with Brando for leaving Claris alone, greatly annoyed with Daron for needing Andreas in Toronto, and even annoyed with Andreas for going. Since she really wanted to kick someone’s ass, she thought it was high time she found the coven. With that goal in mind, she headed home and dug out her scrying equipment.

She hadn’t used the scrying bowl for months. The last time she’d lost the image, mostly due to the nature of the demon she’d been hunting. And that was before she had the Book of Shadows, a grimoire that recorded the history of her Calin family of witches, including the spells and potions genetically tied to her bloodline. Her chances were bound to be better now that she had her witches’ bible.

Sitting on the floor of the Chantilly Suite, with the doors closed and only the light of the moon streaming in the window, Ari lit the candles around the bowl of water in front of her. As the scent of vanilla and lavender filled the air, she breathed in the calming aromas and welcomed the four elements. Opening the Book of Shadows, she ran her finger down the page and began to read. She’d already checked to verify she had the proper ingredients but wanted a last peek at the words. Satisfied, she closed the book and picked up a small vial of distilled flower of althaea root. She added three drops to the water and stirred with one of the drink stirrers she’d swiped from Club Dintero. When she was finished, she closed her eyes and pictured the face of the High Priestess, focusing on the energies she’d felt in the cave. Slowly she began to speak.

Throughout the world spread your light; reveal what’s hidden in the night;

Find this face; show its place;

Gracious Goddess, grant my plea; so mote it be.

When she had repeated the words three times, she picked up a crystal pendant, holding it by a silver chain. Swinging it over the bowl, she waited for the picture to form. It looked like a map or aerial view of Riverdale. A small light appeared, then another. Within seconds, more than a dozen lights dotted the image.

Ari stared at it in shock. What had she done wrong? There should be one light, showing the current position of the coven. Were the members spread all over town? She quickly counted the positions—fifteen in all—and finished the ritual, thanking the Goddess.

After extinguishing the candles, she popped up to her feet and turned on the lights. She grabbed the Book of Shadows and began to search through its pages for an explanation. She’d never heard of something like this happening. Even if the coven had been separated, Ari had focused on the High Priestess. How could one person be in more than one place?

A half hour later, she had figured out the answer. A misdirection spell. The coven had taken precautions not to be discovered. The true location was hidden among fourteen false ones. By the time she checked them all, the witches would be gone.

“Damn.” When a knock sounded at her door an instant later, she swung it open to find Lilith grinning at her.

“Swearing at yourself?” The werelioness, half of the husband-wife team on Andreas’s security unit, strolled in, glancing at the magical paraphernalia. “I’ve heard of people talking to themselves, but this has to be a new low. Something go wrong with the magic?”

“It’s these damned witches.” Ari stormed. “They’re too clever by half.”

“Yeah, well, I guess I caught you at a bad time. If you’re going to stay in this mood, I may leave again. I only came by because Russell went to Toronto with Andreas.”

Ari’s wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, right. And what about your orders to stay close to me?”

“Huh, now that you mention it, Andreas may have said something about that.” Lilith didn’t look at all perturbed that Ari had guessed her real mission. The lioness dropped her lanky body into a chair, shifting one of two holsters carrying her guns.

Ari sighed. “It sucks that they’re in Canada without us. Ursula is an uber vamp, and she’s had her way for too long. She’s not going to put up with opposition from anybody.”

“I heard all about her when I tracked down Gabriel earlier this evening. He’s really rattled. And I’ve never seen him that way before.”

Ari’s heart skipped a beat. Neither had she. “What exactly did he say?”

“Only what you said. But it sounded much scarier coming from a master level vampire.” She glanced at Ari’s worried face. “Maybe we shouldn’t let Gabriel’s mood worry us so much. He’s got more responsibility than usual. The guards are still missing, and he’s convinced there will be another attack on the caves. That’s a lot to deal with for someone who never wanted to be in charge.”

At least part of what Lilith said was true. Gabriel had made it clear often enough that he had no ambitions to be a prince. It was one of the reasons Ari had eventually learned to trust him. She didn’t have to worry that he’d plot a rebellion against Andreas. But despite his lack of ambition, Gabriel was one smart vampire. If he was worried, they should all be ready for trouble. Gabriel’s concerns only reinforced all the bad feelings Ari already had.

* * *

When Andreas called upon arrival in Toronto, his report did nothing to calm her fears.

“Ursula has collected three or four vampire leaders around her—the older, more traditional ones—but the younger ones are keeping their distance. They are not accustomed to Europe paying attention to them and do not welcome a change. Daron and I hope to encourage their independence. Still, it is a dangerous game. A rebellion could provoke a more serious response from the O-Seven.”

“Like what? What can they do from Europe? Are you saying they would all come traipsing over here?”

He was silent a moment. “They might not need to come. Their combined power is tremendous and can be wielded over distance. I am not sure we want to find out just how far.”

“What would that be like? Would more enforcers come?” she persisted. “Would they start a magical war using their powers? If it comes to a fight, do they do their own fighting or leave it to others?”