FAUSTINE (Bonfire Chronicles Book One)

by Rose, Imogen

  “Moving on,” Dorian continued. “Next to Cassandra is Alfred.”

  “Let me guess,” I said. “The Vampire King of London?” His pallor was hard to ignore. Alfred was even paler than Audrey or Viola, if that was possible. Or maybe it was the sharp contrast of his skin against his jet-black hair that made him appear more so. The telltale red sheen of his eyes indicated that he hadn’t fed for a while.

  “That would be correct,” Alfred smiled, taking my hand and planting a kiss on it. “Charmed.”

  “May I offer you a drink?” I asked, hoping he’d say yes. A hungry vampire king couldn’t be good. “In fact, Luke, would you mind getting everyone some refreshments? Please?”

  Luke stood up quietly and nodded before he left. I wondered if I had been out of place asking him to deal with it; he looked a bit put out.

  “That would be lovely,” Alfred responded appreciatively.

  “Next to Alfred is Spencer, the global sovereign of the Sigma-Wanderers. The Sigma-Wanderers do not have regional leaders,” Dorian explained.

  I shook his hand as he came around to greet me. “I’ve only met one Sigma-W before,” I offered out of politeness. “At my school in Switzerland.”

  “Ah, very few of the Sigma-W recruits need a stint at the prep. Only two in the last five years. Which one are you referring to?” he smiled.

  “Ryker... I don’t know his last name,” I said, suddenly realizing how little I knew about him.

  “Ryker Darley. He’s my nephew–a very nice boy. He’s based here in New York now,” he added.

  “Yeah, we’ve hung out a bit since I got back to New York,” I confirmed.

  Dorian’s sudden cough interrupted us. I really wanted to talk to Spencer some more, to find out what Ryker had done to warrant sending him to the Academy since Sigma-Ws normally didn’t go. I guessed my questions would have to wait. It was probably best to have that talk in private, anyway.

  “Next to Spencer, we have Princess Nora, the Troll Leader of London,” Dorian introduced.

  She looked like a troll, or what one would imagine a human version of a troll would look like. It was my first time encountering a real one. I had no idea what they were all about. Princess Nora didn’t come around to shake my hand, but merely nodded at me from her seat. Next on the list of introductions were Shaefer and Hickman, the joint leaders of the shifters, and then finally Suman, the angel. I liked Suman immediately. She reminded me of Neave; she had the same curly blonde hair and engaging smile. I knew immediately that we would be friends. That was, if angels and demons were allowed to fraternize. I’d have to check on that.

  “A few of the leaders couldn’t make it,” Dorian continued, “but you’ll meet them at the coronation. Now that I’m done with the basic introductions, I’m going to hand this meeting over to Alfred. He mentioned that he has news that pertains to the Princess when he came in, but has not shared exactly what with me, yet. Alfred?”

  Luke had brought Alfred a glass of blood, which he was slurping through a straw, as if it was a strawberry daiquiri. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand and looked at me intently. “It’s about the incident at the club last night.”

  “Yes?” I asked, half afraid of what he was going to say.

  “I’ve got word of the victim.”

  “How? Who is it?”

  Alfred smacked his lips together, making an annoying slurping sound. “Your brother. Half brother, I guess.”

  “What? Dorian, what’s going on?”

  “Princess, let’s just listen to what Alfred has to say.”

  “It was your half brother, Peter, a senior at Columbia,” Alfred said, looking down.

  “Peter?” Dorian whispered, burying his face in his palms.

  “Dad, we need to talk. Excuse us,” Luke mumbled, and pulled his father from his chair, walking him out.

  Dorian was clearly distressed. I wasn’t sure if I should join them or let them have a moment, so I looked at the others in the room to gauge the situation. I had no knee-jerk emotional reaction to the news. I hadn’t known Peter or even heard of him before now. Maybe I should have felt an innate bond breaking, but I didn’t. It was sad, sure. Dad would be devastated, and I was sad for him. It was tragic that anyone should meet with such a violent end. And to have it end at such a young age was especially unfortunate.

  Now that the victim had been identified as my half brother, and not an uninvolved bystander, everything changed.

  “Faustine, are you all right?” Suman asked, taking my hand. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

  There was a murmur around the table as each one echoed her sentiments. I was at a loss for words. I had never had to deal with anything like this before. How was I supposed to act? What was I supposed to say? Had it been someone I had known, I’m sure my emotions would have taken over, and I would have reacted naturally. But here I was, the reining demon who had just been notified of her half brother’s demise. I closed my eyes.

  “Maybe we should go and come back later?” I heard Suman suggest to the others.

  I heard the shuffling noises from their seats as they tried to figure out what to do.

  “We can’t,” I heard Cassandra finally say. “We came here for a reason. And I, for one, have to be back in London as soon as possible or mayhem will break loose.”

  “I agree,” Alfred said. “I have to go back, as well.”

  I opened my eyes and surveyed the room again, hoping that Dorian and Luke would return. They would know what to say.

  “It’s okay, Faustine,” Spencer said from his chair. “This can’t be easy for you. I presume you didn’t know about Peter’s existence before now?”

  I nodded.

  He continued. “This is, of course, very serious, but separate from why we are here. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the fact that Sebastian is missing. Peter’s murder most probably is linked to that in some way. We, however, came to reassure ourselves that you are going to be capable of stepping into your father’s role in his absence. How do you feel about that, under the circumstances?”

  How did I feel? Oh, like I wanted to run down to Starbucks for a large caramel Frappucino, hook up with Ryker for a long snog–U.K. English for a smushy kissing session. I had learned that word at the Academy and just didn’t think American English had any good equivalent. I wanted to forget that these weirdoes ever existed! All right, I shouldn’t call them weirdoes; I was half weirdo myself. I fought my Starbucks urge and stood up instead, everyone’s eyes on me.

  “I’m fine, Spencer. Thanks for asking. I have a crisis to deal with. I appreciate all of you taking time out of your busy schedules to come here. I’m glad you did. It’s been nice to meet you all. I’m going to send Dorian to London in my place to deal with the day-to-day administration. But, if you need me, you can always contact me–day or night. Do you have any questions for me right now? If not, I hope you don’t mind, but I have to go deal with my brother’s death.” I paused, looking around to judge the reaction to my little speech. I hoped that it was good enough that all of these beings would just go back to their regular routines. Cassandra looked like she had more to say, but I saw Albert place a hand on her arm to silence her. They all stood and bowed. I bowed back. “Thank you for coming,” I said, hoping that these would be my last official words for the day.

  I waited until they left, then slumped back in my seat. I suddenly felt gentle hands on both my shoulders, and knew, without turning around, that it was Ryker. How did he know that I needed him? I leaned back against him and enjoyed the shoulder massage. The calm felt great. For the first time all day, I tried to escape my thoughts and just relax.

  “Faustine?” Luke said, as he walked back into the room. I opened my eyes again, jolted back to reality.

  “Is your dad okay?” I asked Luke, as he sat down beside me. Ryker sat down as well, but kept one hand on my shoulder.

  “Dad is devastated,” Luke replied. “Peter and he were very close. Peter spent most of last summe
r in London under Dad’s care.”

  “So how come Peter isn’t Dad’s heir?”

  “I don’t know for sure. I know that your mother was–is–the true love of Sebastian’s life, so that might be the reason.”

  “What about the mothers of all of his other kids?”

  “They were mostly short-term relationships.”

  “Short-term relationships?”

  “One-night stands.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  “Don’t get me wrong,” Luke added. “He really cared about all of his children. Your dad saw all of his kids fairly regularly and made sure that they were well taken care of. All your half siblings are graduates of the Academy.”

  “Are all of them hybrids?”

  “No. Maximillian, Sebastian’s second child, is a full demon.”

  “Can you give me a breakdown of the rest of them?”

  “I will, but we don’t have time right now. My father is in the study. He asked if you could join him when you’re ready. Alone.”

  “Sure. Just one more thing before I go. Were you annoyed when I asked you to get the refreshments? I kind of got the feeling that you weren’t too happy.”

  “I was annoyed, but not at you. I was annoyed that Alfred didn’t feed before the meeting. He knows better.”

  I turned to the great-looking guy sitting next to me. “Ryker, thanks for coming. Can you wait for me?”

  He nodded, and I kissed him briefly before I made my way to Dorian’s study.

  “Faustine,” Luke warned before I left, “Dad’s transformed; he’s not in his human manifestation, but don’t be afraid.”

  Walking quickly into the study, I thought, no kidding, as I saw the hideous creature that was apparently Dorian. Thankfully, I didn’t feel the least bit frightened, but I was glad that Luke had warned me. Dorian looked icky, to say the least. His face was contorted into a gory mass of blood, with all sorts of nasty, flesh-covered lumps. His eyes had retracted into hollow pits, and his ears had doubled in size, looking slightly pointy due to the nasty lumps on the tips. No amount of cosmetic surgery could have rectified that mess, which extended to his hands. His ordinarily long fingers were even longer, and his hands were covered in red boils. Blech.

  The worst thing was that he was obviously crying. I saw the tears even in that mess of lumps. Ugh–I guessed it was my duty to go over and hug him. But the thought of actual bodily contact with that mass of ugly lumps was almost enough to turn a steak-loving demon-girl into a vegetarian. I made my way over to him and enveloped him in my arms. After a few moments, that seemed like hours, of trying to hug him gently, so that none of his lumps would burst open and seep goodness-knows-what, he finally stopped soaking my shoulder.

  “I’m so sorry, Princess,” he whispered, slumping back into his chair.

  “Take your time, Dorian. I know this is very hard on you. Luke told me that you were very close to Peter.”

  “I am. I was,” he whispered.

  “I’m really sorry for your loss. I wish you could take some time off to mourn, but you really can’t right now,” I said softly.

  “Yes, of course. I apologize for falling apart like this,” Dorian mumbled.

  “No need to apologize. Let’s sit and write out a plan. I find that always helps me get organized.”

  Dorian brought out a yellow legal pad and pen and looked at me. His bumps seemed to be subsiding a bit. “My grief is almost unbearable. But, I will redirect those feelings into seeking revenge for Peter’s death, while helping you run London. At the outset, we’ll need to find out if any of your other siblings have been harmed.”

  “That sounds like a good place to start, Dorian, with my siblings. I guess there are six siblings we need to contact.”

  “That’s right. Shall I make a list for you?”

  “No need. Not right now anyway. Does Luke know how to reach them?”

  Dorian nodded.

  “Can we contact each one now? I’d really like to meet them as soon as possible, assuming they’re all okay.”

  Dorian picked up his cell and called Luke to convey the instructions to him.

  “Thanks, Dorian. Next on the agenda–Dad. Where the heck could he be?”

  “If he’s alive, he could be anywhere. So, for now, we need to take him out of the equation and get on with other matters.”

  “I guess. It’s not like we can call the cops and report him missing… or can we?”

  “We could. He’s a registered U.K. citizen; we could report him missing there.”

  “How does one track a missing demon?” I asked out loud, mostly to myself. “The witches!” I exclaimed. “They could help! I have some of my dad’s belongings in the apartment. A powerful enough witch may be able to track him somehow... don’t you think?”

  Dorian looked impressed, from what I could tell under the boils, which were thankfully subsiding. “It hadn’t occurred to me to ask any other paranormals to help. We don’t normally do that. I mean, interact in that way. Our territories are clearly marked, and we don’t interfere with each other’s kind.”

  “While you might not work that way, do you think I could give it a try? I’m new, so maybe they’ll be receptive to working with me. With us. I want to ask Tessa first, though. I trust her.”

  “She will need permission from the head witch in New York, who will have to negotiate it with Cassandra...” Dorian explained.

  “You’re kidding?”

  “No. It would actually be easier to talk to Cassandra directly.”

  “Okay. Can you arrange a meeting?”

  “Yes, Princess. Is that all?” he asked.

  By the end of our strategy meeting, Dorian had returned to his normal human form. Thank goodness.

  “Yes, that’s all. Thanks for taking care of the London operations. Keep me in the loop on any issues that arise.”

  “I will. Faustine, thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For being your dad’s daughter–for remaining strong. You did well today.”

  It wasn’t like I had a choice.

  By the time I went back to the conference room, Luke had gone. Hopefully, he was tracking down my siblings. Wow. The thought! I couldn’t wait to meet them. Luke would have to brief me first. I definitely wanted to be prepared.

  “Hey, Faustine,” Ryker said, from the corner.

  “Hey! You waited! Thanks. That took longer than I expected.”

  “Of course I waited. Come here.”

  I went over and plunked myself in his lap, resting my head on his shoulder.

  “So, Princess, what do you want to do now?”

  “Steak and then Starbucks,” I smiled.

  Taking a look at the guests sitting around my breakfast table, I felt even more uneasy than I had yesterday when my tablemates had been foreign paranormal sovereigns! Underneath the perfect hair and makeup resided the complicated evil of Upper East Side High School mean girls. The exceptions, of course, were Neave, Audrey and Viola, who had thankfully accepted my invitation to join us. Mom popped in briefly to say hello. After all, she was the former debutante that the girls at the table so looked up to. I was glad that Mom had stopped in to meet the girls; it immediately secured me as a player. Not so much Neave, Audrey and Viola. That would be a struggle, but I would insist on them being in our group.

  “So, what was boarding school like, Faustine?” asked Taylor, the leader… for now.

  “It was fun! It was different from school here, I’m sure, but I really enjoyed it.”

  “Why did you go? I mean, there are plenty of great schools here,” Taylor asked oh-so innocently.

  “I love to ski, and the school gave me an opportunity to train. Where better to practice than on the Swiss Alps? My school was surrounded by mountains–the skiing was amazing! By my last year, I was captain of the Academy ski team.”

  “Sounds divine,” Nicole beamed. “I’m trying to convince my mom to send me to finishing school in Switzerland.”

  “Well,
I’m planning to attend Yale after we graduate,” Taylor announced. “I bet they don’t teach you much more at finishing school than we already learn at Posh Tea classes.” She flicked her straight, red hair back over her shoulder. “We’ve got to leave for school soon, but we need to discuss a few things first. I have to be quite firm about certain issues. Please excuse me if I sound rude at times, I don’t mean to. Like, what’s up with your eyes? They’re really distracting.”

  “Latest trend in Milan,” I teased. “Great contacts aren’t they?”

  “Of course, I have some on order,” she said dismissively. “The first order of business,” she continued, sounding very official, “is membership. We welcome you, Faustine, first of all, into our group. Your place was guaranteed based on your background–Lady Annabel is a legend. It’s not so straightforward for your three friends. Nice as they are, if it wasn’t for you insisting on their inclusion, they wouldn’t even be considered. No offense,” she said, looking at Neave, Audrey and Viola, who was busy slurping fresh blood disguised as tomato juice.