Gates of Paradise

Page 21

"Can't do that," the receptionist said. "FERPA violation."
"FERPA?"
"Privacy. I know your generation doesn't have much use for it anymore, but it's still the law."
"Well, thank you for your help." Schuyler couldn't help but let the sarcasm creep into her voice.
The woman gave her a look and then returned to filing her nails.
Schuyler walked out of the office, dejected.
"What about the glom?" Oliver asked. "Just make her tell you."
"I thought about it, but it seemed wrong somehow," she said. "We'll figure something out."
"Excuse me?" a voice said.
They turned around to see a petite girl with dark curly hair standing behind them. "Sorry to be nosy, but I couldn't help overhearing you in there. You're looking for Finn Chase?"
"We are," Schuyler said eagerly.
"You're her sister? She's a pretty good friend of mine, and I don't remember her having any siblings."
"She doesn't know about me," Schuyler admitted. "Actually, I only just found out about her."
The girl's dark eyes sparkled. "How exciting and mysterious!" She held out her hand. "I'm Ivy. I totally know her schedule. Can I introduce you guys? Please?"
Is she kidding? Of course she can! "I'm Schuyler, and this is my friend Oliver. We'd love it if you'd help us out."
"Awesome," Ivy said. "Are you two, like, a thing? Are you a potential brother-in-law or something?"
Was she asking out of curiosity, or because she thought Oliver was cute? It didn't matter, Schuyler figured, as long as she'd help them. And if Oliver needed to flirt to get what they needed, then he'd better get cracking.
"I'm quite single," he said. "Schuyler's like a sister to me."
Schuyler breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps not quite accurate, but it would do the job.
"Class is almost over," Ivy said. "She's taking a grad class on Kandinsky. Such an overachiever." She rolled her eyes.
Well, they had Kandinsky in common, Schuyler thought. Finn's taste must have been influenced by Decca. And Ben, of course. She remembered that he'd been some sort of artist.
"We'll catch her on the way out. Come on."
Oliver and Schuyler followed Ivy down a long corridor to a seminar room. Through a window in the door, Schuyler could see a group of students sitting around a table. They were arguing animatedly, and she felt a pang of jealousy at the thought of Finn as a normal college student, passionate about art, oblivious to the fact that the world might be a horrible and dangerous place, where your love could be ripped away from you.
"Sky? You with us?" Oliver asked.
"Just watching," she said.
The students began packing up their books and heading toward the door. Schuyler jumped back and wondered why she felt as if she needed to hide. Nervous about meeting her sister, she supposed.
A tall blond girl with her hair in a ponytail, her face framed by a pair of severe black eyeglasses, left the room. Schuyler had expected Finn to look sporty, somehow, from the photos of her on the ski slopes and the tennis courts; and while the girl certainly had an athletic gracefulness about her, she carried herself with a serious mien. Finn Chase, Schuyler realized, was a bit of a nerd. A cool nerd, of course - a hipster with her vintage glasses and the polyester blouse and the bell-bottom jeans - but a nerd nonetheless.
Ivy stood by the door and grabbed Finn's arm as soon as she exited the room. "I have the craziest thing to tell you," she said.
Finn rolled her eyes. "Crazier than the time you said your calculus tutor was hitting on you, except he just had a spastic eyelid? Crazier than the time you thought we all had bedbugs because you actually had poison oak from rolling around in the bushes with that random freshman? Crazier than - "
"Okay, I get it, enough already," Ivy said. "Yes, crazier than all of that. Legit crazy." She dragged Finn over to where Schuyler and Oliver were waiting. "Finn, meet Schuyler. Schuyler, this is Finn. Also, this is Oliver. And they're totally not dating."
Finn gave Ivy the kind of look Schuyler suspected she'd given her many, many times before, then turned and smiled at Schuyler and Oliver. "Nice to meet you," she said politely. "What's this all about?"
"GUESS!" Ivy was bursting with excitement. She practically bounced up and down, trying to drag out the moment. "You'll never guess!"
Enough already, Schuyler thought, ready to interrupt. Finally, Ivy squealed, "She's your sister!"
Finn frowned. Uh-oh. "Don't be ridiculous," she said. "I don't have a sister. Or a brother. Or any siblings. Who are you guys, really?"
"She's not kidding," Schuyler said. "I know it sounds crazy, but I actually am your sister. I just found out a few days ago. Ben was my dad too. He was married to my mother but he died before I was born."
"You're kidding," said Finn, shocked.
"She isn't," Oliver said. "Not even a little bit."
"But I thought - and he and my mom never even - are we the same age? I'm so confused."
"I think you're maybe two years older than I am," Schuyler said. "It's kind of a long story. If you want to hear it." She still couldn't tell. Finn was looking at her with such skepticism, and Schuyler was struck by how much she looked exactly like Decca - wary, guarded, reserved - that she was prepared to be dismissed as an opportunistic crackpot.
"Um, hello?" Finn asked. "Of course I want to hear it!" She broke out into a broad smile. The one Schuyler recognized from the photographs of her father on the mantel. Ben Chase's dazzling, generous, light-filled smile. "Come to my dorm and tell me everything!"
Chapter Thirty-Four
Mimi
ow it was just a question of which city the Lennox brothers and their new brides had moved to. Mimi didn't think it would be that difficult to find them: if she'd fallen into a completely improbable romance and run off to Europe, there's only one place she would go.
Paris.
They'd be in hiding, of course, but no one could hide from Mimi for very long. She had better contacts in Paris than in London, even among the Red Bloods, and a married pair of twins couldn't be completely inconspicuous.
It only took her a few days to find them. They were living in the 3rd arrondissement, in Le Marais.
It felt great to be back in Paris - and with a pang, Mimi realized it was a life she and Kingsley had never had the luxury to experience. Come away with me, he had asked her, right before her bonding to Jack. She had said yes - but by then it was too late.
In Paris she felt like her old self again, checking into the Ritz in her usual suite, sinking into those heavenly sheets and lush pink towels. She'd even found a little time to steal away and do some shopping; there was nothing that made her feel more confident than a fabulous new outfit from Lanvin, with Louboutins to match. Suitably attired, she went back to business.
The two couples had managed to find twin apartments as well - they lived side by side in a building that had once been a house, carved into beautiful apartments. And they must have felt safe there, since they'd done nothing supernatural to protect themselves - no spells, no enchantments. Just locks that were easy for someone like Mimi to pick.
She spent a couple of days quietly following them around, breaking into their apartments when she knew they weren't home. No sign of Kingsley, but they'd obviously gotten comfortable. The apartments were structurally identical, like Deming and Dehua, but they were furnished completely differently. Deming and Ted's apartment was decorated in soft pastels, with gauzy curtains and a feeling of openness and warmth. Fitting for the Angel of Mercy, Mimi thought. Sam and Dehua's apartment was sleek and modern, with furniture made of steel. Indestructible, for the Angel of Immortality.
Ted and Sam both had their own offices, as well. Ted's, in keeping with his detective instincts, was covered in maps and corkboards that detailed his investigation of Lucifer's plan to destroy the gates. Sam's was filled with the most expensive computer equipment.
The one thing the apartments shared was that they were both covered in photographs. Pictures of the couples at their bonding, on their honeymoon, wandering around the streets of Paris together. They all seemed so happy.
And the whole time, Mimi was growing furious.
Why was this happening to her? Why was she embroiled in this crazy plot to double-cross Lucifer when all she wanted was what she'd been willing to go to Hell for: the chance to be with Kingsley? She'd lost her bondmate and found a way to move on, but she still wasn't permitted any happiness. The stone around her neck felt heavier and heavier every moment. No matter what she did, the Dark Prince would know.
She decided to wait in Ted and Deming's apartment and surprise them when they returned. She'd always gotten along a little better with Ted, and she knew Deming better than Dehua, from the time Deming had helped them catch the hidden Nephilim at Duchesne.
There was a pale blue wingback chair that faced the front door of the apartment, so she could sit and wait for them and be sure she was the first thing they saw. Mimi touched her chest, confirming that the small needle of her sword was safely tucked into her bra. She never knew when she might need it. Hopefully they'd cooperate, but Venators could be tricky. Even the friendly ones.
To their credit, Ted and Deming didn't look all that surprised when they came home to find Mimi there. It was as if they'd been expecting her. Now it was just a question of figuring out how much they knew, and how to get them to do what she wanted.
"Congratulations," Mimi said. "It must be nice to settle down and not worry that our world is ending."
Deming appraised her coolly. She didn't seem the least bit afraid. "After Egypt we hunted the Nephilim for months, to stanch the demon invasion. The Gates of Hell remain standing, no thanks to you. I don't recall seeing you at the battles at the Gate of Sorrow, and the Gate of Justice when we lost Octilla and Onbasius."
So the Nephilim continued their relentless assault. It was as Jack had worried - back when he'd still worried about this sort of thing. The Dark Prince would keep the vampires and Venators on the edge, on the brink of exhaustion, and when their forces were weak and unprepared, Lucifer would reveal his true plan: to reclaim the throne of Heaven.
"Sorry we didn't invite you to the bonding. We'd only just moved to Paris and we seem to have lost your address," Deming said with a shrug.
"Now, darling, I think we have Mimi to thank for bringing us together. Let's not be rude to our uninvited guest," Ted said with a guarded smile.
"I would have thought you'd be wondering what I'm doing here," Mimi said.
"We're definitely curious," Deming said. "There are some pretty amazing stories going around about you right now. Care to tell us which ones are true?"
Oh, for the days when it was fun to think about the things people said about her. "What have you heard? Let me guess. That I've gone back to the Dark Prince, that Jack and I have revealed our faithless natures - just as everyone always said we would. Am I right?"
Neither one answered.
"They've been saying that about us for centuries. No matter what we do, no matter what we did - and it was Abbadon, after all, who turned the battle - and you forget that it was my sword that pierced Lucifer's armor," Mimi said. "And yet, what do we get for our efforts - nothing but suspicion and lies...."
"So if you're not working with the Morningstar, then have you returned to the Coven to assume your Regency?" asked Ted.
"I might be. I'm looking for Kingsley."
"Then why did you come here?" Deming wanted to know.
"Isn't it obvious? I find it hard to believe that he could just disappear completely and not tell you where he was going. You're his closest friends. And maybe he's the one who told you some of the crazy stories about me, but I have to say, I'm really worried about him."
"Worried?" Ted asked.
Deming gave him a look. Good. Mimi was getting to him.
"You must be aware that the Knights Templar have alerted us to the loss of their most sacred treasures. The holy grails. One in Spain and another in Scotland. I have confirmed reports that it was Kingsley who stole the chalice from its hiding place. Rumor has it he stole the seed of the godsfire as well."
The Venators were shocked. "The godsfire and the holy grails - but that would mean..."
"That he would be able to create a weapon to defeat the White Fire of Heaven. And whom do we know who would desire such a thing?" Mimi asked in a silky tone. There was only one angel who would need such a magnificent armament. Lucifer, of the Fallen. The Dark Prince of the underworld.