Chapter 29 Lavinia Nox
Lily
We hold each other tightly in the taxi, all the way back to the Respite hotel.
“And then he said that he had pictures of us, too!” I tell Renata. “Pictures of us coming out of the restaurant.”
“That bastard,” Renata hisses. “I’m so sorry he tried to blackmail you like that, Lily. And that you thought you couldn’t come to me about it.”
“I should have told you right away,” I whisper, burying my face into her shoulder. I love the way she smells, the captivating scent of her perfume. I can’t believe I thought I would never touch her again. “But I was scared…I didn’t realize how you felt.”
“You never have to worry about that again,” she says, caressing my cheek. “It’s a bit complicated, but we can figure something out. Do some damage control, if he does leak something.”
“And the mafia connection?” I ask her.
“That’s tricky. But we can consult with Celine and Damien. I’m sure the four of us can pull some strings if it escalates. But I’ll see to it personally that our legal team investigates the situation with your son. You won’t lose him.”
I nod. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t still anxious about it. But I feel so safe, in her arms. “Can you…can you say it again?”
She smiles, and pulls my chin up to look her in the eye. “I love you, Lily Harper.”
I giggle. “Sorry, I just like hearing it.”
“I’ll never stop telling you,” she says. She kisses me softly on the forehead.
The taxi pulls up to the hotel. It’s a beautiful sight, standing like a fortress in the dark, cloudy night.
“I was scared I wouldn’t ever see it again,” I whisper.
“I’m glad that didn’t happen,” Renata responds. “This is where you belong.”
As we step into the hallway adjacent to the east hall, I gaze around with wide eyes.
Witches whiz through the air riding on broomsticks, accompanied by cats, birds, and one tiny little white fox.
Some of them wear modern clothes, and some wear robes embroidered with elaborate designs of stars, moons, and flowers.
“Renata, look!” I tell her, unable to contain my enthusiasm.
“I know,” she sighs irritably. “I told them to keep it to the east hall…” She peeks into the other event room. “Thank god the wedding has vacated, at least.”
Amara flies up to us on her broomstick and disembarks. An actual hawk sits on her shoulder! I peer at him in wonder, and he looks back at me with sharp, beady eyes.
“Renata, Lily, have either of you seen Celine?” she asks. “I haven’t seen her all night. Amrita’s about to start her keynote. I thought she would want to see it.”
Renata frowns. “No, I haven’t seen her either. Hallie was also looking for her.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing, but I’ll send Merlin to scout for her.” Amara nods to the bird on her shoulder, who bends his feathered head, and then alights, flying down the hallway toward the hotel’s exit.
“I’ll try her cellphone,” Renata says, tapping on her smartwatch to call her sister.
I can see robed witches, silent vampires, and bare-footed shifters (the ones who can turn into animals!) heading into the east hall. I pull on the sleeve of Renata’s dress.
“Can we watch Amrita’s keynote?” I ask.
“Yes, you go ahead,” she says, looking a little distracted. “I’ll meet you in there.”
With a squeal of glee, I join the throngs of magical people entering the hall.
When I step into the room, I feel like I’ve entered another world.
The east hall is already an imposing space, with ornate wall sconces, a massive stage with plush, scarlet curtains, and recently veneered hardwood floors.
But I’m not prepared for the magical sight that awaits me.
The sconces are unlit tonight. Instead, hundreds of floating candles cast a soft, magical light across the rows of chairs that face the stage.
My eyes adjust as I gaze at them, not able to believe it’s really possible.
Amrita stands on the stage, wearing a thick, violet robe, an owl perched on the podium beside her.
“Lily, over here!” shouts Xia. She’s got a seat at the back, by the exit.
Hallie, Lilith, Arun and the other interns are seated in the rows beside her.
I wave as I find my way over to them. “You can join us, if you don’t mind being by the exit,” she says.
“I’ve got to be close to the back just in case something happens.
Damien’s Night Guard was supposed to be security for this event, but I can’t find him anywhere. ”
“Celine’s missing too,” I tell her. “Renata and Amara are looking for them.”
“They were keeping tabs on Xavian,” Xia replies. “They probably just couldn’t make it back in time. It’s too bad, they’ll be sorry they missed this. Amrita mentioned fireworks.”
“I’m sure Renata will love that,” I chuckle, taking a seat beside her.
“I’m glad you could make it,” she says. “I thought Renata said that you quit, but I couldn’t really believe it.”
I can hardly believe it myself. So much has changed in the past hour. “It’s a bit complicated, but everything’s all right now.”
Xia lowers her voice. “Was it…something between you and Renata? I suspected as much, when I ran into you both in the boardroom.”
I can’t stop myself from grinning shyly at her, but I don’t know how much I should share yet. Luckily, I’m interrupted by the flickering of all of the candles in the hall simultaneously. Immediately, the conversations cease, and everyone finds their seats.
There’s an anticipatory hush over the crowd as Amrita pulls herself up to her full height to address the room.
“Good evening and blessed be to you all,” she says, grandly.
Her presence fills the entire space. I’ve met Amrita Vyas a few times, to consult on vampire business, and to discuss organizing the conference.
But it’s nothing like seeing her on stage.
She’s incredibly charismatic. I feel like I’m in a movie, or something.
“It’s truly a pleasure to see all of you here.
I hope you all got to enjoy the feast earlier, and participate in the broomstick-riding tournament.
What an incredible night so far! Before I continue, I’d like to thank the wonderful staff of the Respite hotel for hosting us. ”
Despite the hundred others in the room, Amrita manages to find my eyes in the crowd, and she bows her head slightly. I blush, pleased that she appreciates our efforts. I look around for Renata, but she’s nowhere to be found. I’ll have to remember to tell her that Amrita specifically thanked us.
“I think it’s important to acknowledge that although this is a witch’s conference, we were supported generously by the vampires of the northern vampire alliance, including Celine C?té, Damien Cross, Renata Espina…”
There’s an interruption on the stage as another woman, wearing a golden robe similar to Amara’s, enters from behind the curtain.
She has a severe, lined face, and silver hair pinned up on her head in a complicated arrangement of thick braids.
She wears golden jewelry and a small white terrier trots by her feet.
I poke Xia. “Who’s that?”
“Lavinia Nox,” Xia whispers back, arms crossed.
“She’s the High Priestess of the good witches, the coven Amara belongs to.
She pretends to support all of Amrita’s schemes, like Elmwood Academy and this conference, but she really just wants power for herself and her own coven.
She’s the one who threw Tudor in the Cave, the witch prison. She’s not a big fan of vampires.”
“Oh,” I whisper. This is all so much more complicated than I realized. Maybe I should make a chart.
“Good evening, blessed be,” Lavinia Nox says, shooting Amrita a sharp glance. “I’m sure we don’t need to name all of the vampires who,” she coughs primly, “were requisitioned by the Triple Council to participate in the conference.”
Amrita’s nose twitches. “High Priestess Nox, how lovely of you to join me.”
“I wanted to address our audience, and to bestow upon this conference all of the blessings of the Hecate coven,” she simpers.
“Well, thank you, Lavinia, we feel very blessed,” Amrita says curtly.
Then she turns back to the crowd. “As I was saying, I think it’s important to acknowledge that although we may come from different traditions and backgrounds, it is possible to band together to create something important, like this conference. ”
Lavinia Nox remains on the stage, her hands folded, her eyes watching Amrita with an expression of condescension. Amrita looks a little irritated that she’s stealing her spotlight, but she continues nonetheless.
“I know that it’s been a difficult year, for witches, vampires, and shifters alike. But that’s why it’s so important for us all to have hope. Hope that relations between the magical groups will improve…”
Sharply, Xia’s head turns, toward the back door of the conference. It distracts me, but when I look over, I don’t see anything.
Xia frowns. “Did you hear…”
Then suddenly, the hall is filled with curling, red smoke, that seems to rise from out of the hardwood floor. There’s a loud cracking noise, and I wonder for a moment if these are the fireworks that Amrita had planned.
But it’s clear from the expression on her face that this is not supposed to be happening.
Screams reverberate throughout the hall as a flash of purple light illuminates the stage, and a figure appears out of thin air. It’s…
“Tudor Thornblade!” I gasp. Dread fills me, and I can’t take my eyes off the stage.
It’s the vampire Creator who owns this hotel, looking every bit as intimidating and fierce as he does in the portrait in the lobby.
But this version looks even more terrifying.
His eyes have a wild, haunted look, and his threadbare cape gives him a malevolent air.
Without wasting a second, his terrible eyes fix on the golden-robed woman on the stage, who clutches her chest in horror at his sudden appearance. In an inhuman blur of motion, he pounces on her.
“Lily, don’t look!” Xia shouts.