Fall from Grace (Book 2: An Angelblood Novel) (36 page)

Phillipe arrived at the Academy and walked up
the front steps with the girls in tow.
Yvonne and
Yvette hurried inside ahead of their father and cousin.
Phillipe couldn’t help noticing how nervous Monica
was.

“You have nothing to worry about.
The
resemblance to our own Monica is remarkable. I’ll do
the introductions and then I’ll leave you to get
acquainted with the other residents.”

As they entered the foyer, Phillipe was greeted
by Andromeda. He called ahead to announce his visit.
“Andromeda it’s good to see you again. I trust you’re
adapting to having my daughter’s reside here.
I know
they can be a handful,” he laughed.

Monica?”
“Yes, as I’ve told you her parents felt she
needed additional training in light of the recent deaths
in Utopia. I’m afraid she’s lived a rather sheltered life
and the exposure will do her good.”
“I’m sure she won’t have any trouble fitting in
with the other residents.”
“The house seems quiet, have your visitors
left?”
“They should be returning any time now. Will
you be staying to meet them?”
“I have other business to take care of; perhaps
another time. I’m sure you won’t have any problems
while you’re here,” he said to Monica, almost as a
warning.
“Where are your things?” Andromeda asked, as
she looked at the single bag Monica held in her hands.
“I didn’t bring much.
Yvonne
and Yvette
promised they would take me shopping.”
“Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. Are you sure
you want to be out and about with all those mortals?”
“I’ve lived around mortals my whole life.
I
doubt I’ll feel uncomfortable.”
“I’ve readied a room for you next to your
cousins.I hope you’ll find it comfortable.”
“I’m sure it will be lovely,” Monica said.
“I’ll leave you to get settled then.
The girls
know how to reach me if there are any problems.”
Phillipe gave Monica a quick hug and hurried out the
door.
“Let’s get you settled in,” Andromeda grabbed
Monica’s bag.
“Thank you,” Monica said.
“We’re here to help you.
Darkness
is
all
around us, but I’m sure you’ll be safe,” she said with a
smile.
“I’m certain of it.”

After they
finished their ice
cream
Aura
informed the group they needed to return again to the
Academy.
Before they entered the front door, Aura
pulled Mahlyssa
aside. “You may see something
familiar once we get inside.
I need you to keep silent
until we leave.”

“What are you talking about?”
“Promise me you won’t say anything while
we’re in the house. People’s lives could be in danger,
including your daughter’s,” Aura insisted.
“I won’t say anything, but I wish I knew what
you were talking about.”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to trust me.”
By the time they made their presence known,
Andromeda already had Monica settled in to one of the
rooms
near Yvonne
and Yvette.
Rita
and Jessica
weren’t thrilled with having to spend the night with
them, but they knew Aura wasn’t going to let them
back out of it.
There was a reason they would be
staying.
If nothing else, they could keep the residents
safe.
Andromeda
called for the
girls
to come
downstairs so she could introduce Monica to her friends
from Aeden. “This is Monica, the Devereaux’s cousin
from Connecticut.
She will be staying with us for a
while.”
After they introduced themselves, Aura asked
to speak privately with Andromeda in the library.
They entered the room and Andromeda closed
the
door.
She
turned to face
Aura. “What’s this
about?”
“The next couple of days are going to be hectic
to say the least.
I want you to keep an eye on Monica
for us.”
“Why does she need someone to watch her?”
“Because she’s not who she says she is. It’s
imperative she doesn’t know you’re watching her.
As
long as she thinks her disguise is hiding her, no one
will be in any danger.”
“Who is she?”
“I can’t tell you, but trust me she’s dangerous.”
“Should I allow her to stay here?
What about
Matthew?”
“Rita and Jessica will be staying here.
Will
and Joshua can take them shopping to get some last
minute items for Jasmines wedding. My sister’s shield
will protect you and the others.”
“Do you think Yvonne and Yvette know who
she is?”
“I’m not sure. Their father is close to Richard
Fairbourne, but I doubt Phillipe involves either of those
girls in politics. Perhaps he feels it’s safer to keep them
in the dark,” Aura said.
“What does Richard have to do with this?”
“I can’t tell you now. I don’t mean to change
the subject, but are you planning to attend Tristan and
Jasmine’s wedding?”
“I intended to. Should I tell them I changed my
mind?”
“On the contrary; you need to attend. You’ll
need a dress to wear, so that will give me an excuse to
meet with you again. Say nothing to no one.
There is
something else I need to tell you.”
Andromeda feared the worst.“What is it? Has
something happened to Caspian?”
Aura motioned for her to whisper.“Caspian is
fine, but Richard and Meredith are planning to ask the
Commission to have him declared legally dead.”
As Andromeda looked like she was about to
scream, Aura quickly placed her hand over her mouth.
“You need to be quiet. Do you understand?”
Andromeda nodded; tears streaming down her
face. “Is he alright? Is Caspian dead?”
“He’s fine, but we intend to allow them to
make their petition to the Commission. We are hoping
to force Richard’s hand. I wanted you to know because
you two share a special bond.
I assure you he is
completely safe.”
“I’ll do whatever I must.”
Aura removed her hand from Andromeda’s
mouth. “Just act normal. I don’t want to give them any
excuses not to appear. You’ll have all your questions
answered soon, I promise. I need you to collect yourself
before we return to the others. Are you ready?” she
whispered.
“I’m ready,” Andromeda replied.
They both returned to the living room, where
the others were talking excitedly about the upcoming
weddings.“Yvette and I thought we might have a party
to celebrate your engagement,” Yvonne said. “How
does Friday sound?”
“We already have plans for Friday,” Aura said.
“Well how about tomorrow. It’s New Year’s
Eve. It would be a perfect reason to have a party,”
Yvette said.
“That’s no good either.
We
have
another
wedding to attend tomorrow.”
“Is it anyone we know?” Yvonne asked.
“I don’t think so.”
Aura could sense Yvonne
and Yvette were upset, but she could have cared less.
She knew that Rita and Jessica would kill her if she
invited the sisters to Tristan and Jasmines wedding.
“Perhaps you can have a party in the spring?” Aura
said. “I’m sure the boys might have some free time
then.”
“I suppose we should find something to wear to
the wedding,” Yvonne said.
“Actually they already have the guest list.
Since the wedding is only a week from now, we won’t
have time to make any changes. It’s only for family.
I’m sorry to disappoint you,” Aura said.
“Well aren’t we family too?”
“No we’re not,” Joshua said bluntly. “Like
Aura said, the guest list is already finished.
Besides,
you don’t even know Tristan or Jasmine.”
“I see,” Yvonne fumed. “Well I guess we
know who our friends are don’t we?”
“I’m sure there will be other weddings.
Rita
and Jessica have decided they want a small affair too.
We just had a bad experience at the last wedding and
you know how history likes to repeat itself,” Aura
smiled.
Monica had remained silent during the entire
discussion, but Aura was convinced she was thinking
about Rusty and Renatta’s wedding with Jayden and
Jeziel. She sent Rita a silent message informing her of
the plan to take the little ones home.
“Well I guess we’ll be staying here overnight.
Jess and I have a whole list of things to get done while
we’re here. “You don’t mind do you?” Rita asked
Andromeda.
“Not at all; I’m sure the boys will be glad for
the company.”
“Great,” Jessica said. “Do you mind if we do a
little more shopping today?”
“I’m ok with that.
What
about
you
Will?”Joshua asked.
“We can go now if that’s alright with Rita.”
“I’m ready when you are,” she said.
“I’ll make sure your room is ready when you
get back. I’m assuming the two of you will share the
same room like before?” Andromeda asked.
“That would be great.
In fact, we might still
have some things left from our last visit.”
As they said their goodbyes, she couldn’t help
noticing Mahlyssa was staring at Monica. Aura didn’t
want to give anything away so she walked over and
asked, “Are you ready to go home now? It’s been a
long day and I’m sure you’re tired.”
Mahlyssa
knew
Aura
wanted her to leave
before she questioned Monica. “I think you’re right.
Playing
in the
snow
was
more
exhausting
than I
realized.”
“We’ll be in touch.
Call
us
if you
need
anything,” she said to Rita and Jessica.
Rita sent a silent message to Jessica.“It’s just
for one night. We can shop for the rest of the day and
then stop for dinner before we get back.”
“Yeah- I guess I can suffer being around them
for a few hours, as long as we’re leaving first thing in
the morning.”
“We’ll tell the boys while we’re out.
Something tells me they don’t want to be here anymore
than we do.”
Will and Joshua helped them with their coats
and they left before anything else was said by the
Devereaux sisters.

When they cleared the Academy Mahlyssa had
Myra stay with Shannon while she spoke with Aura.
Myra didn’t ask what it was about. She saw the two of
them speaking earlier and thought nothing of it.

“That pendant the girl was wearing belongs to
me. Virgil gave it to me on our wedding day. I believe
it might contain some hidden powers. How did it come
to be in her possession?”

“Richard took it from Virgil’s house,” Aura
said sympathetically.
“I don’t understand how a girl from
Connecticut would have it,” Mahlyssa said.
“She’s not from Connecticut. She’s Natalie.
Richard found another Enchantor to disguise her.”
“Who would help him? I know of no one else
with that kind of knowledge.”
“Richard went to see Claudia and Colin
Cavanaugh. They assisted him in exchange for a book
that belonged to your father,” Aura said.
“He gave them the book of spells?” She asked
incredulously. “How could he have been so foolish?”
“Richard is planning to take over Utopia. He’s
recruiting an army to stand against us. That’s why I
couldn’t tell you before we went into the house. I need
to allow Natalie to stay hidden until we expose Richard
to the Commission.
“I don’t think you understand how dangerous
that
book is Aura?
The
book contains some
very
ancient spells.
They could hurt a lot of people if we
don’t stop them.”
“You don’t have to worry.
I promised we
would protect you and the others when you agreed to
come with me.”
“What about Shannon? Surely they will try to
come to Aeden and take her from me.”
“They can try, but Shannon is your adopted
daughter. I suspected they would come looking for her
sooner or later. That’s one of the reasons we went to
the High Council.
You and Shannon are angel-blood
now.They can’t touch either of you.”
“Richard needs to be stopped.
He’s already
preparing for battle.”
Aura laughed. “Richard can make all the
preparations
he
wants.
He
will
never
be
able
to
compete with our weapons.”
“He is looking to start another war.
He has
already aligned himself with Samhael.”
“I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Samhael, but
I promise you we are more powerful than he knows.”
“I found my daughter after all these years.
I
couldn’t bear to be separated from her again.”
“We would never allow that to happen. I have
every intention of stopping Richard.
before
the
wedding
on Wednesday
I promise you
evening, this
problem will be resolved.”
“I trust you Aura.
There is great goodness in
you.I hardly think I’m worthy of your friendship.”
“We are more than friends Mahlyssa, we’re
family.” Aura reached into her pocket and pulled out
the locket.
She opened the clasp and placed it around
Mahlyssa’s neck. “Not everything is as it seems. I saw
Richard take the necklace in one of my visions. I went
to Utopia
and exchanged the
real
necklace
for a
forgery. What you have around your neck is the same
one Virgil gave you on your wedding day.”
Mahlyssa looked at the pendant and a tear fell
from her eye. “You always seem to be there for me.
How can I ever repay your kindness?”
“We’re family.”
Aura reached over and gave
her a hug. “We take care of each other. What’s so
special about this pendant?”
“Virgil said it would always keep me safe.
I
threw it at him, when we had an argument about my
father. It was one of my greatest regrets. Virgil said it
held somepower, but I don’t know what it is.”
“I’m sure we’ll figure it out eventually.
In the
meantime, don’t ever take it off your neck.”
“What if the girl notices it?”
“You won’t be in her company.
Richard has
no idea what powers the pendant holds, but I’m sure
Samhael knows why it’s important. We can’t let it get
into his hands. Eventually we’ll know what powers it
holds. I only hope Samhael won’t figure out Natalie’s
pendant
is a
fake.
He
may believe
she
has more
protection than she really does.
That will work to our
advantage. I can’t explain everything to you, just
promise you won’t take the necklace off.”
“They will have to rip it from my neck before I
give it to them willingly. It’s all I have left of Virgil.”
“There is more to this pendant than meets the
eye. I’m not familiar with the bird, but I may know
someone who is. We should get the little ones home,”
Aura smiled at her friend.