Dancing With Raven (The Young Shakespeareans Series)

by Rogers, S. G.

  Panic seized Raven in the vicinity of his chest. “Which hospital?”

  “I don’t know, but it’s probably on the police report.” Mrs. Franklin picked up a pink sheet sitting in a wire tray on her desk. As she glanced over it, her brow furrowed. “Hmm.”

  It was all Raven could do not to snatch the report from her hands. He gritted his teeth and waited.

  “The hospital isn’t on the report, but I’ll give you the policeman’s name who signed it. Call the police station, and they’ll patch you through to him,” she said.

  Vibrating with anxiety, Raven punched the station phone number she gave him into his cell.

  “Hello, I’m trying to reach Officer Marcus Kehloe,” he said. “K-E-H-L-O-E.”

  “I’m sorry, but we have no officer by that name.”

  “He came to Performing Arts Prep this morning.”

  “Hold on…” Several seconds of silence. “No, there’s no record of a dispatch to that school today. Do you have an emergency?”

  “Officer Kehloe was here. Can you look him up by his badge number?” His hands shaking, Raven took the police report from Mrs. Franklin and read off the number.

  “I’m sorry, but that badge number doesn’t exist. If there’s an emergency, please hang up and call 9-1-1.”

  The call was terminated. Raven stared at his phone in shock. The next number he dialed was his father’s. As the phone rang, he burst from the office and sprinted toward the parking lot.

  “Raven?”

  “Dad, we’ve been played. Tori’s been kidnapped.”

  Once they heard the news, Chase, Fletcher, and Felicia canceled their travel plans. They gathered with Ian in the living room at Blackfriars while Raven blurted out what he knew about Tori’s disappearance.

  A muscle worked in Ian’s jaw. “Evidently, Lord Birmingham’s plane crash was no accident.”

  “What do you mean?” Raven asked.

  “Someone went to a great deal of trouble to make it look as if he was the mastermind. With him gone, we would naturally assume the danger was past and let down our guard. I should have known better.”

  “If Grandpapa isn’t the mastermind, then who is?” Felicia asked.

  Ian pursed his lips. “That remains to be seen.”

  Fletcher shook his head, perplexed. “Could demons possibly be acting on their own to bring about the Apocalypse?”

  “Shadow world denizens usually take orders from humans,” Chase said.

  Raven felt like tearing out his hair. “How on Earth are we going to find Tori before it’s too late?”

  Chapter Twenty

  Barking Mad

  TORI SWAM BACK TO CONSCIOUSNESS. As she opened her eyes, she discovered she’d been deposited on a four-poster bed in a luxuriously appointed room. Except for a slight headache, she seemed to be okay physically. Emotionally, however, she was a wreck. Misty is dead and I’ve been kidnapped by demons.

  She slid off the bed and rushed to the door, but it was locked. Naturally. Next, she hastened over to the window, which was covered by heavy velvet curtains. When she pushed the drapes to one side, late afternoon sun streamed through the glass. Her first impulse was to open the window and try to climb down, but she was on the third floor. In addition, dozens of goblins were gathered on the carefully manicured lawn, staring up at her with a fixed gaze. When they saw her watching them, they hissed. Frustrated, she stepped back into the room and pulled the curtains closed. Can I find anything to use as a weapon? The desk drawers proved to be empty, unfortunately, without so much as a pencil. The walk-in closet and bureau were both clean, except for a lavender sachet. She gritted her teeth. They must have anticipated me.

  A young woman—a vampire, by the pallor of her skin and the beauty of her features—opened the door to the room. “Good, you’re awake! Forgive me for not knocking.”

  “Bad manners are the least of my problems.” Tori’s voice sounded raspy.

  “Oops. You sound like a mile of rough road.”

  The vampire moved over to the carafe on the bedside table and poured a glass of clear liquid. Wary, Tori shook her head. The woman seemed amused.

  “Don’t worry, it’s just water.”

  A surge of panic propelled Tori toward the door, but the vampire reached it first.

  “I’m sorry, but you’re not allowed to leave just yet.” Her smile was broad. “Don’t you know me, Tori?”

  “No.”

  The woman waggled a ring on her finger. “I said I’d give this to you when the time was right, remember?”

  Tori peered at the ring. Misty’s cocktail ring! Her eyes traveled to the vampire’s face. She looked no older than twenty-one, but she definitely had her foster mother’s eyes, hairline, and eyebrows.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Perhaps it’s the profile that’s throwing you off. I had my nose done before I was turned, and of course I’ve dropped fifty years. It’s me, sweetie. It’s Misty.”

  “Misty Savannah is dead.”

  “No, I’m undead. But I’m going to have a different name and identity as the offspring of Misty Savannah’s illegitimate daughter.” The woman made air quotes with her fingers.

  “There is no illegitimate daughter.”

  “Of course not! It’s just a cover story my agent will use to promote me. I’m going to have a whole new career as a singer, and it’s all thanks to you.”

  “What?”

  “I sold my soul to become a star many years ago. Delivering the Leap Day child to demonkind was a wonderful bargaining chip to get it back, but when my longtime agent offered me a second chance at eternal stardom, that was even better. He’s Oliver Fairchild.”

  “I thought your late agent’s name was Lincoln Youngblood.”

  “That was Oliver’s name fifty years ago. He’s had two changes since then.”

  Certain pieces of the puzzle suddenly clicked into place. Now I remember where I saw Oliver Fairchild before. Although he looks different now, he was on Misty’s Hollywood wall of fame!

  “You’ve known who I am from the beginning, haven’t you?”

  “Not at first. But your mother and I became quite close and she confided everything to me.”

  Tori gasped. “You killed my parents!”

  “Not exactly. Your parents would never have gone along with our scheme, so Oliver sent demons to have them killed. Despite that, you mustn’t think I don’t care about you.”

  “You don’t care about anyone but yourself!”

  “Listen, Tori, don’t cause trouble. Oliver told me he’s impressed with your looks and talent. He can make you a big star.”

  “Before or after he slices me open?”

  “All he needs is a little blood.” She licked her lips. “You won’t even miss it.”

  Her foster mother’s treachery was unbearable. Misty Savannah had sold her to Oliver Fairchild for a second chance at fame and fortune. She’s an accessory to a double murder and made me an orphan to satisfy her narcissism.

  “What does Oliver get out of this blood sacrifice?”

  “There’s going to be a whole new world order here on Earth, with Oliver running the show. He was a warlock before he became a vampire, you know, and he has connections to Hollywood and the shadow world.”

  “If he’s that connected, he doesn’t need me. Get out of my way. I’m leaving.”

  Misty laughed. “You’ve always been so headstrong. I just said you can’t leave until after the ceremony.”

  “I’m not asking your permission.”

  Tori whipped the curtains back from the window. A broad swath of light shone like a sword pointing toward the door. A shrieking Misty began to sizzle. She leaped over the bed to avoid being incinerated completely.

  “How could you!” she exclaimed. “I’ve just been turned and my skin is very photosensitive.”

  “Quite easily.”

  While Misty was trapped in the corner and unable to pursue her, Tori fled the room and ran down the hall until
she located the staircase. As she made her way to the bottom of the stairs, a small window at the landing afforded her a view of the back yard, which encompassed a pool and a pool house. Right away she noticed the pool had been constructed with a rocky waterfall, abutting a tall ivy-covered fence. If I can climb those rocks, I might be able to jump onto the wall and climb down the ivy on the far side.

  Tori continued down the stairs, but saw no one. Probably all the vampires are still asleep. Eschewing the front door, she moved down the hall, ducking down low to avoid being seen from the kitchen. After flipping the latch on the sliding glass door, she opened it. Instantly, an alarm went off. Cursing under her breath, Tori sprinted around the pool and jumped onto the rocks. The frigid water pouring down made her gasp in shock. Vampires don’t swim in heated pools! She forced herself to climb quickly, not daring to look over her shoulder to see who or what might be in pursuit. Something grabbed her ankle—a goblin, if the hissing noise was any indication. She twisted from his grasp and kicked out with her foot. As the creature fell into the pool, it made a loud splash. When she was nearly at the top, another goblin was waiting for her. He took hold of her wrists and hauled her up. She went limp until she felt him relax…then she shoved him off the rocky ledge. At that point, the lawn around the pool was swarming with goblins and several more were climbing the waterfall in pursuit. Tori turned toward the wall, preparing to leap. Suddenly Oliver Fairchild appeared out of thin air, clad in silky pajamas and robe.

  “But you…it’s still daylight!” she exclaimed.

  “A good sunscreen has many beneficial uses.” He looked exasperated. “I can’t believe you dragged me out of bed for this. It looks like I’ll have to clip your wings.”

  The vampire’s hand was literally a blur when he slapped her. The momentum of the blow carried her over the edge of the waterfall and into the arms of the goblins. Although she kicked and screamed, the creatures hissed with laughter as they carried her away from the pool and toward the house.

  By the time Tori was dragged to her room, the sun had set enough for Misty to leave the corner. Albeit with a huffy attitude, the vampire lent her some fresh clothes to replace the damp things Tori had on.

  “And you need an ice pack for your face,” Misty said.

  The woman put her newly reshaped nose in the air and left. When she opened the door, Tori saw a large goblin in the hall, standing guard. No escaping that way again. Shivering from cold and shock, she stepped into the adjoining bathroom and changed into a dry pair of jeans and a sweater. Although she tried to hold back her emotions, it was becoming increasingly difficult. The bruise on her cheek where Oliver had hit her throbbed horribly, and she’d scraped her fingers on the rocks. The pain of her injuries, however, paled in comparison to Misty’s betrayal. Tori had trusted and cared about her. Although she’d believed Misty had felt the same way, Tori knew now her foster mother had always only viewed her as the means to an end.

  Hot tears overflowed. Tori sat on the bed, hugging her knees. How am I going to get out of this mess? There must be some way to thwart Oliver Fairchild. I just have to think harder. Nobody knew where she was, so a rescue was out of the question. Extra security meant she had little chance of escape. With no weapons at her disposal, she couldn’t fight her way to freedom. That left only the unthinkable; she’d have to kill herself before midnight. Maybe I could jump from the window…but with my luck a goblin would catch me. She ran through all the grim possibilities, but she knew she didn’t have the guts to see any of them through…except for one. Death by demon. Before the clock struck twelve, she’d scream “Macbeth” at the top of her lungs. The goblins would tear her apart in a crazed frenzy and that would solve everything.

  A knock at the door was followed by the appearance of a young vampire with a tray.

  “I hope you have an appetite. I brought you dinner.” His accent was English, with a hint of Slavic.

  “I’m not hungry.”

  As if she hadn’t spoken, the vampire set the tray down at the foot of the bed. “You should eat.” He peered at her, winced, and reached for something on the tray. “I brought an ice pack, too.”

  When he proffered it to her, she hesitated only a moment before accepting the icy bundle. As she pressed the ice pack to her aching cheek, she spared the tray a glance. A crustless turkey sandwich sat on a plate with hot hand-cut French fries and artfully sliced fresh fruit. Oddly normal. Her stomach gurgled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. She nibbled gingerly on a slice of cantaloupe, which proved to be juicy and sweet.

  “Gourmet cuisine at a vampire’s house?”

  “Oliver frequently entertains mortals. The chef keeps our blood supply in a separate refrigerator, if that’s what’s bothering you.” The vampire moved to shut the door. When he returned to the bed, he held her cell phone in his hand.

  Her eyes widened. “Where did you get that?”

  “When the demons brought you in, they brought your backpack along too. I took the cell phone when no one was looking. Call your friends.”

  “Why are you helping me?”

  “I don’t agree with what Oliver intends to do. I have friends and relatives among the living I care about. The ceremony begins at midnight, but I’ll fight to the death to make sure your blood isn’t shed.”

  “Forgive me, but why should I trust you?”

  “My name is Nicholai, and I am—was—a friend of Felicia Harrington.” He nodded at the phone. “You’d better hurry and make the call. I think your battery is running down.”

  Mrs. Trumbull brought pots of coffee, tea, and plates of sandwiches into the living room, where the mood was black and suggestions were few. When Raven’s cell phone went off, a surge of adrenaline made his heart race. He gasped when he recognized the incoming phone number. Tori! “It’s her!”

  He answered the phone, hanging onto Tori’s every word as if her voice were a lifeline. What she told him about Oliver and Misty was incredible, and yet it made perfect sense.

  “We’re coming to get you, understand? Don’t give up hope, Tori. We’re—” The line went dead and his throat contracted with fear. He had to take a few deep breaths before he could talk. “Tori is being held at Oliver Fairchild’s estate, which is guarded by scores of goblins. The blood sacrifice ceremony is at midnight, and we have to get her back before then.”

  Although Felicia had been pacing while Raven was on the phone, she sat down. “I can’t believe Oliver’s such an evil creep.”

  “We need to gather weapons and formulate a battle plan,” Chase said.

  “It won’t be easy with just the five of us,” Ian said.

  “There’s something else.” Raven couldn’t look at his father. “Misty Savannah has been involved almost from the beginning.”

  “No!” Ian exclaimed.

  “Misty staged her own death and now she’s a vampire,” Raven said. “Oliver turned her and made her young again in exchange for Tori.”

  “What a horrible betrayal,” Fletcher said.

  “I trusted the woman implicitly.” Ian dropped his head in his hands.

  “You weren’t the only one,” Raven said. “Felicia was more skeptical, but I wouldn’t listen.”

  Felicia managed a wan smile. “It was little more than a hunch.”

  “It was a good one,” Raven replied.

  “Even if we can fight our way past goblins, how are we going to kill the vampires living under Oliver’s roof?” Fletcher asked. “Vampires are strong and wicked fast.”

  “Oliver in particular,” Chase said. “The vampire moves so quickly it sometimes looks as if he can teleport from one place to the next.”

  “We’ve an extensive weapons cache at our disposal,” Ian said. “I only hope it’s enough.”

  “One of the newer vamps is on our side,” Raven said.

  “Interesting. Who is this vampire turncoat?” Chase asked.

  Raven’s gaze slid to Felicia. “I don’t know how to say this gently. It’s Nichol
ai.”

  Her face lost all color. “I knew it. I knew it was him.”

  Chase watched Felicia for a few moments before looking away.

  Hope rekindled in Tori’s heart after she spoke with Raven. As a result, her appetite returned. Nicholai sat in the chair and waited while she ate.

  “How is Felicia?” he asked.

  “She pretends to be tough, but underneath it all she’s wounded. Why did you let her think you’d committed suicide? You’ve no idea how she’s suffered.”

  He frowned. “I didn’t choose my present existence. I knew she couldn’t accept it.”

  “She might have. Instead, you let her think you’d killed yourself because of her.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “The suicide note. Unrequited love and all that.”

  Nicholai peered at Tori, bewildered. “I left no such note…but it likely has something to do with Lord Birmingham. I sought his help after I was bitten, and he asked Oliver to take me in. Perhaps he told Felicia some such story to harden her heart.”

  “Yet another loose thread Felicia will have to deal with. She’ll never achieve closure now that her grandfather is gone.”

  “I heard about the plane crash.”

  “Did Oliver admit he had something to do with it?”

  “No, but he did take a great deal of pleasure in the event.”

  “If he didn’t sabotage the plane, who did? The timing was too convenient for it to have been an accident.”

  “Most assuredly, it wasn’t an accident. I think we’ll discover the truth in due course.” He reached for her ice pack, now largely melted. “I’ll take down your tray and bring more ice. I’ll be right back.”

  “Won’t Oliver be suspicious you’re spending so much time with me?”

  “No. When he asked for a vampire to guard you, I volunteered.”

  Raven wiped sweat from his brow as he assembled weapons for the rescue operation at Oliver’s mansion. Unbeknownst to anyone but Ian, the hidden passage in the wine cellar led not to a dead end, but to a secret underground arsenal. A number of backpacks had already been filled with silver-tipped arrows, Celtic throwing stars, compact crossbows, and colloidal silver gas canisters.