High stakes.
In any event, Pride and Prejudice was way more appealing than The Plague.
Feeling reckless and giddy, and just a tad plucky—like the kind of girl who tramped around the marshes in the dark— she scribbled a note and slipped it under Jack’s door.
Mr. Darcy, I will be there as requested. —Elizabeth
At midnight, Schuyler slipped the key in the lock and turned it.
The apartment was dark, which made the view from the floor-toceiling windows even more breathtaking, the dark river against city lights, the West Side Highway a ribbon of yellow taxicabs.
Schuyler stepped inside and looked around. She closed the door behind her. But she was alone. No one was there.
And then, before she could breathe, there he was, solid, against her, his warm lips on hers, his hands around her waist, and she had dropped the key and the book on the floor. She wanted to cry out—to ask questions—but she could feel his heart beating against hers and the intensity of the emotion exploding between them. She returned his kisses with an ardor that she did not know she was capable of—and he buried his face in her neck as if he wanted to breathe in every part of her —and she buckled to the floor so that he fell with her, until they were lying down, still kissing, their bodies entwined like roots of a tree.
“Jack . . .” she finally said, when she had found her voice.
He was lying on top of her, his weight heavy and yet light at the same time—a weight she wanted to bear. “I . . .” She wanted to tell him the same thing she had wanted to tell him since that night when he first kissed her. He had stopped her from saying it back then, but he wouldn’t stop her now. She wanted him to know how she felt about him.
Jack looked at her and raised an eyebrow. He looked so serious in the moonlight, but his eyes were teasing. They were sparkling. This was a boy who spoke through books: longing and exile—The Plague—banter and obstacles—Pride and
Prejudice. He spoke her language. She watched as he, with his hair tousled and his eyes shining, raised her arms above her head so that she was immobile beneath him. The strength in his hold and the exquisite torture of wondering when he would kiss her again was too much to bear. It was painful to feel so much desire.
Then he bent down and kissed her gently, a feathery whisper that melted against her as she pressed her body against his.
She knew right then that she didn’t have to say anything.
They understood each other perfectly.
There would never be anything but this. Stolen moments, stolen kisses, a secret oasis. There would be no public displays of affection. In school and at his home, there would only be indifference and detachment. There would be no holding hands, no study dates, no dinner dates, no dates at all. Ever.
But it was all right. She would take as much as he could give, and for now, it was enough.
FAMILY RECORDS:
FORCE
Charles Van Alen changed his family name to “Force” after his bondmate and twin sister, Allegra Van Alen, broke their blood bond to bond with her human familiar. From his actions we can only conclude that he no longer considered himself a member of the Van Alen family, and thus we have created a new family record to reflect his new allegiance.
JACK FORCE
Abbadon, Angel of Destruction, Twin Angel of the
Apocalypse, the Unlikely, Destroyer of Worlds
Birth Name: Benjamin Hamilton Force, known as “Jack”
Origin: June 7, 1991, New York, New York
Known Past Lives: Henry Searle (Newport), William White
(Plymouth), Louis d’Orleans (Versailles), Valerius (Rome)
Bondmate: Madeleine Force (presumed broken)
Assigned Human Conduit: None
List of Human Familiars: Kitty Mullins (2006)
Physical Characteristics:
Hair: Blond (platinum)
Eyes: Green
Height: 6’2”
As a child, Benjamin Force was known for his uncontrollable temper tantrums and was given the nickname “Blackjack,” which was then shortened to “Jack.” In elementary school, Jack was a whirlwind of activity, unable to sit still or concentrate, and was diagnosed by human psychiatrists as having Attention
Deficit Disorder and was prescribed copious amounts of antianxiety medication. His symptoms disappeared once the
Transformation took hold, however, and since then he has been a model student.
Intern report #102
Jack Force is captain of the lacrosse team; lead in every school play (Konstantin in The Seagull and
Melchior in Spring Awakening); described as
“painfully handsome” by most of the female population (the usual: tall, platinum-haired, chiseled good looks, piercing green eyes, athletic, graceful, etc . . .). Jack performs at a stellar academic and athletic level. He is a natural leader to his peers, and only in comparison to his more loquacious twin does he come across as reticent and taciturn. Those who know him well describe him as funny and charming, and never to be found without a book in his hand.
Jack is a frequent visitor to the Repository library.
(Renfield’s notes continued)
At the Four Hundred Ball, Jack was revealed as Abbadon, the Angel of Destruction, a position traditionally known as God’s
Enforcer, the hammer blow, his duty and burden to remind man of his mortality. In the current cycle, his bondmate, Azrael, was revealed to be his twin sister, Mimi. Known together as the
Angels of the Apocalypse, the Force twins are of one mind, two sides of one coin, blood bound in Heaven, and destined to find each other and renew their vows in every cycle. Reports of
Abbadon’s infatuation with Gabrielle are unfounded but persistent. In any event, for centuries innumerable, he has remained true to Azrael. Jack took a sabbatical from Duchesne for a year, and reports recently made available to the
Repository indicate that he was on a secret Venator mission with Charles Force to hunt Leviathan in Paris.
Jack has been missing since the day of his scheduled bonding to Mimi at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. While he was feared lost during the Silver Blood attack, conflicting eyewitness reports state that he was spotted emerging from the glom, critically injured but intact. He then allegedly performed the Sacred Kiss on none other than Schuyler Van Alen, whose mixed blood, we can safely assume, saved his life. The next day he was observed again in her company at the international terminal at Kennedy Airport. If we are to believe the intern reports, Jack had been conducting a secret affair with Schuyler for several months.
Breaking his bond with his vampire twin is in direct violation of the Code of the Vampires, and if spotted within the territory of the New York Coven, he must immediately be brought to justice, and faces a sentence of death from his twin.
Current Status: Missing. Believed to be in the company of Schuyler Van Alen and to have sought refuge in the
European Coven.
MIMI FORCE
Azrael, Angel of Death, Twin Angel of the Apocalypse
Birth Name: Madeleine Alexis Force, known as “Mimi”
Origin: June 7, 1991, New York, New York
Known Past Lives: Eliza Whitney (Newport), Susannah Fuller
(Plymouth), Elisabeth Lorraine-Lillebonne (Versailles), Agrippina (Rome)
Bondmate: Jack Force (presumed broken)
Assigned Human Conduit: None
List of Human Familiars: See pages 84-88 in records of
Human Interaction for full list. (Too many to mention here; number in possible violation of the Code.)
Phyiscal Characteristics:
Hair: Blond (platinum)
Eyes: Green
Height: 5’9”
Dubbed “the most beautiful girl in the history of New York City,”
Mimi Force is a social luminary, a tabloid favorite, and a local celebrity. A file on Mimi Force would be remiss if it did not include a description of her comely physical attributes: long plati
num hair, skin the color of fresh milk, sloe-like emerald green eyes, and that famous twenty-two-inch waist.
At Duchesne, Mimi is an indifferent student, but has consistently shown promise as one of the most talented in the new generation of vampires. However, she can be arrogant and regularly bends the rules concerning human familiars, putting them at risk for Full Consumption. The queen of her social circle at Duchesne, Mimi reportedly took Bliss Llewellyn into her acquaintance at the orders of her father. Mimi concerns herself with superficial pursuits and can often be found at pricey clothing stores or in the banquettes of the latest nightclub.
Blood bound to her cycle brother, Jack, Mimi has been observed to exhibit frustration, desperation, and rage at her twin’s increasing (alleged) obsession with Schuyler Van Alen.
Mimi was the prime suspect of the Venator investigation in the attack at the Repository and the murder of Warden Priscilla
Dupont. She was cleared at a blood trial when Venator Martin was shown to have called the Silver Blood.
Mimi’s frivolous façade obscures the fact that Azreal is one of history’s most fearsome hunters of Silver Blood spawn. As the Committee’s newest minted Venator, she is a talented Truth
Seeker and joined the team that found the remains of Jordan
Llewellyn in Brazil. During this tenure she was rumored to have conducted an intimate affair with her commanding officer, Venator Martin. However, the veracity of this gossip is doubtful, as upon her return to New York, Mimi took no time in enthusiastically planning her bonding to Jack. When her father resigned from the Conclave, Mimi claimed the family seat and serves as her family’s voice on the council.
Mimi survived the attack at the cathedral, but her brother’s sudden disappearance and rumored liaison with Schuyler Van
Alen has compelled her to call for his execution, as proscribed by the Code of the Vampires. The punishment for breaking a heavenly promise is eternal death. The Castigatio Mortis can only be called for by the bondmate. While Charles Force did not call for this punishment on Allegra Van Alen, Mimi has no qualms in her decision. She has been overheard saying, “If I ever see Jack again, I’m going to kill him.”
Current Status: Conclave elder. Venator emerita.
CHARLES FORCE
Michael, Pure of Heart, the Valiant, Prince of the Angels, Supreme Commander of the Lord’s Armies, Archangel of the Light
Birth Name: Charles Edgar Van Alen
Origin: August 24, 1969, New York, New York (Blue Bloods:
Repository Record #101 lists his age as sixty. This is incorrect and possibly the result of Charles’s hair going prematurely silver.)
Known Past Lives: Myles Standish (Plymouth), Cassius
(Rome), Menes (Egypt)
Bondmate: Allegra Van Alen (broken)
Cycle Wife: Trinity Burden
Assigned Human Conduit: Virgil Hazard-Perry (recused from service by CF, 1990)
List of Human Familiars: Georgina Guest (1987-1988), Susan King (1989-1991), Charlotte Pittman (1992-1995), Desiree Hutch (1991-1994), Sidney Cohen (1995-1999), Aspeth Heimann (2000-2003), Gina Dupont (2003-2006), current human familiar unknown
Physical Characteristics:
Hair: Silver (formerly black)
Eyes: Gray
Height: 5’10”
Charles Force is the latest reincarnation of Michael, the Blue
Bloods’ leader since time immemorial. In this cycle he divested his share of the Van Alen trust to build a new multimedia company. His Force News Network spans the globe and wields an incomparable influence upon every aspect of human interaction, from news to politics to sports to entertainment. He serves on the board of several Fortune 500 companies and was instrumental in the election of Forsyth Llewellyn to the U.S.
Senate. As Regis, he expanded the funding for the New York
Blood Bank for medical research on blood-borne diseases; founded the New York Institute for Policy Research, a conservative think tank; and is known as a major donor to the
Republican Party.
Educated at Endicott Academy, Harvard College, and
Harvard Business School, Charles Force’s life has been marred by the inexplicable breaking of the bond between himself and his twin sister, Allegra Van Alen. All reports of their early life together indicated that they were ready and willing to commit to their union, as they have for centuries past, until the jarring and unfortunate decision on Allegra’s part to elope with her human familiar, Stephen Chase.
After Allegra broke their bond, Charles engaged in a human marriage with Trinity Burden (Sandalphon), who lost her bondmate in the Great War. In 1990, he petitioned the House of
Records to allow him to call up the spirits of Azrael and
Abbadon as his twin children, Mimi and Jack Force.
Charles Force recently won a custody battle in the Red
Blood courts that allowed him to overturn Cordelia Van Alen’s petition to make Schuyler Van Alen an emancipated minor. For a time, Schuyler Van Alen was fostered in his home.
After he was deposed as Regis, Charles withdrew from
Blue Blood life, and was reported to spend his days locked in his study. After Lawrence’s alleged death, Charles disappeared but was sighted at the Bal des Vampires at the Hôtel Lambert.
If Venator reports are to be believed, he was last seen locked in a furious battle with the demon Leviathan and was lost when the
Silver Blood released the subvertio.
Current Status: Missing. Believed to be lost in the
White Darkness.
TRINITY BURDEN FORCE
Sandalphon, The Angel of Silence
Birth Name: Trinity Amelia Burden
Origin: February 11, 1971, New York, New York
Known Past Lives: Janice Adelaide (Melbourne), Sorina
Sedlak (Prague), Claudia Caepionis (Rome)
Bondmate: Salgiel (deceased)
Assigned Human Conduit: None
List of Human Familiars: Greer Chapman (1989-1990), Oswald Hefferlin (1990-1995), Paul Thornton (1995-1997), Simon Lawlor (1999-2005), Boone Mitchell (2005-present)
Cycle wife to Charles Force and cycle mother to the twins, Trinity Force was instrumental in the founding of the Committee and is well known in New York society for her exquisite taste and good breeding. She lost her bondmate, Salgiel, during the
Great War in Rome and was free to marry Charles, in the Red
Blood sense, after Allegra broke her heavenly bond. Theirs is a marriage of convenience rather than true affection, and it was rumored that Charles chose her as his bride for the considerable dowry she brought to the marriage.
Until Charles’s disappearance led her to take leadership of the Force News Network, Trinity was like many a Park Avenue matron—a benefactress of the arts, opera, and discreet plastic surgery.
Current Status: Committee warden
Author’s Note: This is a companion story to Revelations. It details Schuyler and Jack’s final encounter, from Jack’s perspective. Schuyler has come back from Rio and has agreed to meet Jack at the Perry Street apartment. The
Committee is in disarray. Lawrence and many of the topranking members of the Coven have been murdered. This event happened before the epilogue, in which Jack and Mimi reunite.
THE LIE THAT CONCEALED THE TRUTH, OR “THE LAST MEETING”
Jack’s Story
It is my turn to wait. Funny that in all these months we have been meeting, it was always she who waited for me. It was never my intention to make her wait, but my path to this place has always been the more complicated one.
I flip through the pages of Anna Karenina. The book I had slipped under her door before she left the country. The book that
I found in my locker this morning, returned to me. A sign that she wanted to meet. She has never done this before. The light is good here—I can see all of downtown from the windows. The city is still and quiet outside. There are no cabs honking, no dogs barking, no ambulances wailing; instead, all is s
ilent. An eerie calm.
The door opens slowly. The moment I see her face I know something is wrong. I expected it, and yet I am still wounded by it. She does not fly into my arms as before, and her eyes are clouded and gray. She displays none of that happiness to see me that I took so much delight in for so long. Only a grim acceptance.
“I am sorry about your grandfather,” I say. “Your loss is shared by all.” Words are not enough; they can only do what words can do. Lawrence was more than a friend; he was a mentor, an ally. I grieve his loss deeply.
When the news came—that Corcovado had broken, that
Leviathan walks the earth once again—I did not react as many of us did, with shock and fear. Instead I felt the old blood in these veins stir with vengeance. We will avenge each of our lost brothers and sisters. Worldbreaker is waiting. We will not despair or retreat. We will fight. And we will win. War has come to us once again, and this time we will vanquish our foes for eternity. I am almost looking forward to it.
“Do not worry, my love, we shall have our vengeance. I promise it. Lawrence will not have died in vain.”
Her eyes become bright. She nods curtly. “He died because of me.”
“He died to protect you. It was his duty.”
She stands so still at the doorway, as if she doesn’t know what to do or what to say. And yet I know already. She will tell me we must stop meeting because the Coven will need me now, and that she will be saving me by taking herself away. . .
She could not be more wrong. Everything in my life depends on her being part of it.
When we first met, I was struck by her resemblance to her mother. But contrary to what many thought about my relationship with Gabrielle, we had a deep and affectionate friendship, nothing more. I loved her as an ally, and because she was our queen. I love her daughter in a completely different way. I love her because she has become something more to me. She has become my life.
“Come here,” I say gently. “Sit down.”
She shakes her head. “No. I . . . I can’t stay.”
“You want us to stop meeting.” I have to say it because she will not.
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