Wow, he was quick. He would be a good brother for Shante.
“Thank you,” Shante squealed, hugging his arm and getting sauce on his blue cashmere sweater.
“Of course,” he said, waiting until she was focused on her meal to clean off his sleeve. “So, Mom, how are they going to survive the holiday season without you?”
“Oh, my assistants will be fine. All of them have been with me for years,” Cordelia began.
I listened, laughing when appropriate, but I felt disconnected. Looking around the room, I tried to imagine my parents having dinner here. The dark oak table was covered with a white lace table cloth. A matching cabinet with glass doors showed china with translucent edges and cut crystal stemware. I was glad we weren’t eating off those. The walls were painted dark green, and paintings of the current Queen and her predecessors hung on the walls.
“Sapphire,” said Cordelia in a tone which meant she’d called my name a few times. “Is that okay?”
I had two choices, admit I wasn’t listening and ask her to repeat the question, or I could agree and hope it wasn’t anything too awful.
“Of course it’s okay, right?” Shante said. “Kayin said it would be fine.”
Saved. “Of course you can come with us tomorrow.”
“Is anyone else going?” Gavin asked. Was I imagining things or did his voice seem a bit cold?
“No, I don’t think so. Kayin said he wanted to take me out for my birthday, and he planned a surprise,” I said.
“I can’t wait.” Shante did a happy dance in her seat.
“Calm down,” Cordelia said. “I don’t want you to choke.”
“Okay, Mommy.”
* * *
Gavin and Anali sat on the couch cuddling, their hands clasped on her stomach. They were gazing at each other and smiling. It was sickeningly sweet. I set down the bag I had brought to clean up the wrapping paper scattered on the floor and backed away. Tiptoeing, I climbed the stairs. Maybe I could read Shante a bedtime story.
“Please, please, please,” Shante said.
Taliesin chuckled. “Okay I’ll read you a story, which one?”
“Angelina Ballerina. You read it the bestest of anybody ever.”
I reached up, placing my hand on my chest where my breath seemed to be caught. I guess I wasn’t needed. No, this was good. They’re family, and she should have her new brother reading her favorite Christmas story to her. Praying none of the boards creaked, I went up to the third floor. Simmons had told me that was where my grandparents’ and dad’s rooms were.
The first three rooms I opened were small and nothing personal was in them, so just guest rooms. The next door opened into a sitting room with a cream settee with dark mahogany frame and carved legs. A mahogany vanity laid out for my grandmother sat frozen in time. I picked up a crystal perfume bottle and pulled the stopper. Roses. A silver brush and comb, gleaming as if they had been just polished, lay next to a jewelry box. I opened it, a little dancer popped up as music played. Inside was empty. I guess the jewelry had been locked away.
Near the window a dark brown leather chair sat next to a bookshelf. On the other side, a small table with a crystal decanter, glass, and a pipe and ashtray all waited for my grandfather.
I sat in the chair that was turned to face the vanity. Was this where my grandfather read or watched his wife getting ready for bed?
The bookshelf held mysteries, thrillers, and spy novels. The books downstairs were leather bound classics, proper books. These were paperbacks, the spines creased from use. I trailed my finger over the books organized by genre and alphabetized by author.
Their four-poster bed was hung with white gauzy curtains and a white duvet with purple hydrangeas. A little table set on each side with lamps with frosted glass shades. I opened the drawers. They had papers, letters, all sorts of little personal things. I shut them again. It felt invasive to hunt through their things. They might have been my grandparents, but in reality they were strangers.
My dad’s room was felt the same. It was smaller, and the chair next to the bookcase looked out the window. He liked to read biographies and historical fiction. Next to his mahogany four-poster bed with its navy blue duvet was a cradle. I walked over and touched the tiny white lace coverlet. The mahogany cradle rocked without squeaking. I had been here. I had slept in this matching, expensive little bed. I opened his closet, but like my grandparents it was empty.
This was all that was left of my family—cold, sterile, memories of dead people. I ran my finger along the silver frame of my parents’ wedding portrait. At least I had this, right? I mean, when all of this Akasha saving magical creatures thing was done, I would come and live here. Gavin had given me the house for my birthday. I could come here and sit in their preserved rooms, and read the books that they had read. I could get everything from storage, all the valuable family heirlooms, and live here and get to know my family as best as I could.
My hands shook as I stopped the cradle.
I left and sat in the window seat in the hall between their two rooms and stared out into the dark night. Small lights on the ground lit the backyard and the gate. The shadowy shapes of trees loomed in the night. Wrapping my arms around my knees, I tucked myself up into the corner and leaned my head against the sill. My breath fogged the glass. Faint whispers of old emotions floated around me, letting me know that in two hundred and fifty years I wasn’t the only Rayner to sit here staring out the window at nothing.
* * *
“Sapphire.”
I blinked. Taliesin sat next to me on the window seat.
“Hey, are you okay?” he asked.
I opened my mouth to say I was fine, but he’d be able to tell if I was lying. “What’s up?” I sat up my muscles stiff, how long had I been here?
“You’ve been gone for a while, we were starting to get worried.” Taliesin held out a small black box. “And I wanted to give you your birthday gift.”
“Oh, you didn’t have to. I mean I know you don’t…” Breathe, Sapphire and stop mumbling like an idiot. “Thanks. You didn’t have to get me anything.”
Taliesin’s white eyebrows pulled in as he frowned at me. “If I had to do it, it wouldn’t be a gift.”
I took the box and opened it. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Taliesin said his voice soft. “I made it for you. You’re not okay are you?”
I avoided answering his question.
“It’s beautiful.” I took the bracelet made of braided unicorn mane out of the box, the clasp was a simple loop of the braided mane which fit snuggly over a cut crystal bead. “When did you change into a unicorn and how did you change back?”
“Miu’s been helping me.” He took the bracelet and fastened it around my wrist. His fingers ran over the smooth finger-shaped scars Cartazonon had left on me. “She figured out how to channel enough Akashic energy to help me shift between forms. I can do it now on my own if I focus.”
“That’s wonderful, congratulations.” I held my wrist up, admiring the silvery white braid against my copper skin. “So what does it do?”
“What makes you think it does anything?” Taliesin asked.
I rolled my eyes. “Because I know you, and you wouldn’t give me this just because it’s beautiful.”
“It’ll tell you how dark someone is without your having to touch them. The crystal will change colors depending on how untrustworthy, dark, or evil the person is,” Taliesin said.
“So like a mood ring, but for other people?”
“I guess. At least that will be a good explanation if someone sees it changing colors. I figured it could help with the whole Earth magic and regular people issue.”
“So it will mimic how you see auras?” I asked. “That you can see how unbalanced, or dark, or bad the person is but you don’t know why?”
Taliesin nodded.
I covered the bracelet with my hand. His moonlight cool energy caressed my skin. “Thank you, it’s wonderful.”
“You’re welcome. Can I help you?”
I smiled—well, I tried to smile. “Do I look that bad? I mean can you tell by looking at me that something is wrong?”
Taliesin waved a long finger at my face. “It looks like you were crying.”
“Damn it.” I got up and headed for the bathroom in my dad’s room. At least it was just dried tear tracks and not red, puffy eyes. I washed up and pulled up some enthusiasm. Tomorrow I was going on an adventure with Kayin and Shante, I had some lovely birthday gifts, and I bet if I asked, Simmons would let me take a piece of the caramel cheesecake Mr. Parker made for my birthday with me. Okay, sad emotions tucked down under those to deal with later, or not, and happy emotions on top. Any leftover moody can be explained by the house and being tired. Okay, good enough.
Taliesin stood in the doorway. “Sapphire?”
I patted his arm as I walked by him. “It doesn’t matter. Come on, I bet Anali is tired and ready to go.”
“I know things have been rough. We haven’t hung out much lately, but I’m your friend, and I want to help,” he said, grabbing my arm.
The crystal on the bracelet he made me turned purple. I was too numb to feel anything from him. “Taliesin, it doesn’t matter. It’s nothing important, and there’s no fixing it anyway.”
“You matter, you’re important,” he said.
I shook my head and walked down the stairs. Not here, not really.
* * *
“Sapphire, are you ready?” Shante asked running around my room checking everything out.
“Yes, I just need to tie my shoes.”
“I have Velcro so I don’t need to tie my shoes.” Shante put her foot an inch from my face so I could see.
“Very nice. Okay, ready.” I grabbed my things and headed for the door. Kayin and Taliesin waited for us by the elevators.
“Are you sure it’s okay that I come along?” Taliesin asked.
“Of course it’s okay,” Shante said. “Sapphire says family that loves you is important, and she doesn’t lie. Right?” She turned to me, her big brown eyes demanding I agree with her.
I smiled and rubbed her cheek. “Yes, of course you should spend time with your brother. You two are family now.”
Shante’s grin was triumphant as she grabbed hold of Taliesin’s arm. “See, told you so, we’re family now.” Their happiness bubbled around me. I focused on their feelings instead of my own.
The elevator door opened. Kayin clasped my hand as we headed to the lobby. “I thought it would be fun to take the bus. I was told the one we need is a few blocks away.”
“Do you think it’ll be one of those pretty red double-deckers?”
“Shante, wait,” I said, kneeling down to fasten her coat and adjust her scarf. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and be able to ride a double-decker bus.”
“Sorry,” Taliesin said. “I guess you have a lot to teach me.”
I shook my head. “I’m sure you would have done up her coat once we got outside. You would have noticed, or she would have complained.”
Shante grabbed Taliesin’s hand. “Come on.”
I looked down at the bracelet Taliesin had given me—the crystal was a soft purple. It seemed this was the color for people who cared about me. “So where’s Shin today?” I asked.
Kayin smiled, then looked away. “He said he had stuff to do. I felt kind of bad leaving him behind, but he said he understood, and he wouldn’t want to come between us.”
I followed him onto the bus, my heart light and full of joy. He hadn’t wanted to bring Shin along—he wanted to go out with just me. We walked up to the second floor. Taliesin and Shante found seats near the front and she was already pointing out all the interesting things she saw.
“Here.” Kayin reached back and grabbed my hand. We sat as the bus began to move. “So did you have a nice birthday yesterday?”
“Yes. I spent the day with Ramsey. Oh, you and Shin should go to Hyde Park. They have this wonderful carnival there right now.”
Kayin smiled. “He took me there last night. We went on all the rides, and …”
“Yes,” I said, when he didn’t finish his sentence.
Kayin leaned towards me. “He kissed me when we were on the Ferris wheel.”
I grabbed his arm and squealed. “Like a kiss on the cheek?”
Kayin shook his head, a smile tugging on his lips.
“And is he a good kisser?”
“I don’t know I’ve never kissed anyone before, but,” he paused to leaned closer. “He made my toes curl.”
I squealed again. “Oh, my God, Kayin that’s so romantic! Your first kiss, and he made your toes curl.” I sighed.
“Does Ramsey make you your toes curl?” he asked.
I shook my head. “He makes me feel all hot and tingly, but no toe-curling kisses yet.”
“Our stop is next,” Kayin said.
We got off and walked along the Thames, past the London Eye, next to a gray stone building six stories tall with tall columns and pale gray chimneys rising out of the brown tiled roof. We walked about half a block and were at the midpoint of the building which curved inward. Above the gray gate gold letters said AQUARIUM.
“I thought it would be fun,” Kayin said.
“It’s great. Remember the first thing we ever did together was go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium? This is a perfect birthday present.”
Kayin smiled.
“I want to see the sharks,” Shante said, as we walked passed the column.
“I’m sure we’ll see everything,” Taliesin said.
I wasn’t sure, this place was massive.
Shante screeched and buried her head in Taliesin’s shoulder as we walked through the tunnel that was surrounded by the shark aquarium. She was peeking out from under his hair. “Are you sure it’s safe?”
“Perfectly safe,” Taliesin assured her.
She looked at me, white-blond hair covering half of her brown face. “Really safe?”
“Yes, perfectly safe. Taliesin wouldn’t bring you anywhere unsafe,” I said.
“Hey,” said Kayin.
“Neither would Kayin or I.”
“Okay,” she sat up. “But don’t put me down, just in case things go wrong.”
Taliesin chuckled, but held onto her.
The sharks swam around us, slightly curious and content. I guess they weren’t about to rampage. Deep calm radiated ahead of us. A giant sea turtle swam above us. His Zen-like calm washed over me, I rolled my shoulders as tension faded from my body. “I want a turtle.”
“I don’t think we can travel with one,” Kayin said.
“Someday,” I said as we walked to the next section. The turtle winked at me before swimming away.
* * *
“This has been the best day ever,” Shante said, holding onto the stuffed hammer head shark she’d begged Taliesin to buy her.
“I agree.” I leaned against Kayin as the taxi darted between cars. “It’s been a wonderful day, thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Little Sister, and happy birthday,” Kayin said.
My stomach lurched, and an oily itchy feeling slid over me. “Shit.” I sat up and looked around. The feeling was gone.
“Oooo, that’s a bad word,” Shante said pointing at me.
Kayin frowned and rubbed his stomach.
“Sorry, baby.” I looked out the back window. A silver Rolls Royce caught my eye. A face hidden in the shadows was turned towards us. I got out my phone and sent everyone, including Ramsey, a text.
—Just passed a Son of Belial, not a walk-in. Felt like one of his generals or maybe Cartazonon himself. He’s headed away from the hotel right now in a silver Rolls Royce.
My unicorn hair bracelet glowed black against the handprint on my wrist then slowly faded to gray.
The guys’ phones chimed.
“Are you sure?” Taliesin asked.
I nodded and leaned on Kayin again. What were they doing in London? Did they know about us? Would we have to l
eave?
My phone chirped all the way home as everyone checked in and Gavin insisted that everyone get to the hotel.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Cartazonon watched the taxi disappear down the busy London street. “Well at least one Child of Fire is here.”
“I wonder why Melusine didn’t say anything about it,” Lee said, turning the page of his newspaper.
“Oh, I’m sure sweet little Melusine didn’t know,” Cartazonon said, relaxing onto the beige leather seats. “She has so many projects going on right now.”
Lee shrugged. “Or she thinks she can steal their magic to help free herself from you.”
“Perhaps. I have a few questions to ask her assistant. I’m supposed to meet with her tonight.” London had grown so much over the centuries. It made him nostalgic for the old days. Especially corsets, he missed the corsets. “Do you remember Rome?”
Lee smiled, how could he forget Rome? “Good times. Should I get your gladius sent over?”
Cartazonon shook his head. “No, we don’t solve problems with swords and lions anymore.”
“Unfortunate,” Lee sighed. The lions had been a lot of fun.
“Yes, well. Melusine might wish for lions once we find out what’s going on.”
“How are you going to get her assistant to talk? You know Melusine spells them safe with Earth magic, so we can’t hurt them.”
Cartazonon waved his hand. “I have her younger brother in the trunk. It shouldn’t be that difficult.”
Lee frowned. “I bet she’ll be so upset just seeing her brother that we won’t even get to torture him.”
“Don’t worry, Lee, I’ll make sure you’ll get to torture someone. It’s Christmas after all—a time when wishes come true.”
Lee grinned. “Speaking of wishes, should I have our London men gear up? You said you wanted a Child of Fire.”
“Yes, have them ready themselves.” Cartazonon opened the door as the car pulled in front of his office, thirty-eight floors of gleaming metal and glass reflected the weak sunlight. The original building had been destroyed during the blitz. He had found the brass plaque engraved with his name amongst the exploded bricks. Now it hung in his office. He’d built an ugly concrete building to replace it, knowing that once money and resources were replenished after the war, he would rebuild his London stronghold to a glory worthy of being one of his centers of power. The ancient catacombs underneath the building protected a key energy point in his web.
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