The spa was a Blue Bloods–only establishment, patterned after the Roman baths of antiquity. Mimi had booked it for the requisite prebonding ceremony: the bathing of the bride by her womenfolk.
Ritual cleansing was a tradition that the Blue Bloods had passed down through the centuries, manifesting in other cultures under different names: in the Jewish religion it was the mikva, in Hinduism, the bath was recommended at four a.m., during the brahma muhoratham, or the most auspicious time of day. In the sacred language it was called the sanctus balineum.
There were four different pools in the vast underground complex—an ice bath kept at a shocking fifty-seven degrees Fahrenheit; a steamy “vaporous” pool, which was good for the pores; a “harmony” pool, which was the essence of relaxation; and a fire pool, in which the water was kept at a degree of heat that only vampires could tolerate. A human would burn in the fire pool, but for vampires it was a restorative and refreshing treatment.
Mimi walked down the stone slab steps and felt the warm water cover her skin as she joined the group of women and girls arranged in a circle. Shimmering and moving like water nymphs, they began to hum as she came closer.
She stood in the middle of the group and crossed her arms against her chest, bowing to let them know she respected and appreciated their presence at this important stage of her life.
Trinity followed her into the circle, holding aloft a gold chalice. She dipped it into the pool and filled it with the living holy waters. The sanctus balineum required water that did not come from a pipe. It was collected spring water, brought in by the truckload from a secret spring in a hidden reservoir.
She poured it slowly over Mimi’s head as she said the words:
“This is the daughter of the Heavens,” she intoned in a sweet, melodious voice that echoed around the stone chamber. Slowly, the light in the room began to fade, until they were surrounded by total darkness, their vampire bodies glowing in the glom.
“Amen,” the group murmured.
Trinity nodded and continued to chant. “We come today to cleanse her of her earthly sins.”
“Amen.” The women began to walk slowly around Mimi, singing a soft “Hallelujah.”
“We prepare her for the bond that must not be broken. To say the words that must never be unmade.”
Each member of the circle came forward and used the gold cup to pour water over Mimi’s head, blessing her with their prayers.
When everyone had finished, Trinity placed her hands on Mimi’s head.
“This is the daughter of the Heavens. Today she is cleansed of her earthly sins.” She led Mimi deeper into the water, and Mimi submerged herself fully into the pool.
Mimi felt the warm water tingle and soothe her skin, felt a light-headed cleansing of the mind as well as the body. She emerged from the waters peaceful and energized.
She felt cleansed of all her doubts, all her confusion. She had no more thoughts of Kingsley, or of what he had asked her to do. She was one with the spirit, she was one with life, with light, with her destiny.
She was ready to be bound.
FIFTY-SIX
Schuyler
It had been a fortnight since Schuyler had met Bliss at the sample sale. After their joyful reunion, Schuyler thought she would be seeing Bliss more often, but the exact opposite had happened. Bliss always had an excuse not to see her. Schuyler tried not to be too upset by her friend’s reluctance to hang out. In any case, her mother had set an awesome task before her.
The Repository of History was the first place to look for family records, but since it wasn’t safe for Schuyler to go there, Oliver had lugged all the books to her studio apartment. The separation had been good for their relationship. They no longer experienced the daily small irritations with each other brought on by living in the same space twenty-four/seven. Of course, they still saw each other way too often. It didn’t even matter that Schuyler was no longer at Duchesne, she saw Oliver as much as if she were. He had a key to her studio.
“That’s a lot of books,” Schuyler said, opening the door to let him in.
“Conduits are transferring everything to a computer data base, but they’re only up to the eighteenth century,” Oliver said cheerfully. He placed the dusty stack on the kitchen table. “How are you, by the way?” he asked, giving her a peck on the cheek. The two of them were back in an easy groove. After it had become clear that Schuyler had no intention of reviving her friendship with Jack, Oliver seemed to relax. The threat had passed.
The Van Alen Legacy
Melissa de la Cruz's books
- Alanna The First Adventure
- Alone The Girl in the Box
- Asgoleth the Warrior
- Awakening the Fire
- Between the Lives
- Black Feathers
- Bless The Beauty
- By the Sword
- In the Arms of Stone Angels
- Knights The Eye of Divinity
- Knights The Hand of Tharnin
- Knights The Heart of Shadows
- Mind the Gap
- Omega The Girl in the Box
- On the Edge of Humanity
- The Alchemist in the Shadows
- Possessing the Grimstone
- The Steel Remains
- The 13th Horseman
- The Age Atomic
- The Alchemaster's Apprentice
- The Alchemy of Stone
- The Ambassador's Mission
- The Anvil of the World
- The Apothecary
- The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf
- The Bible Repairman and Other Stories
- The Black Lung Captain
- The Black Prism
- The Blue Door
- The Bone House
- The Book of Doom
- The Breaking
- The Cadet of Tildor
- The Cavalier
- The Circle (Hammer)
- The Claws of Evil
- The Concrete Grove
- The Conduit The Gryphon Series
- The Cry of the Icemark
- The Dark
- The Dark Rider
- The Dark Thorn
- The Dead of Winter
- The Devil's Kiss
- The Devil's Looking-Glass
- The Devil's Pay (Dogs of War)
- The Door to Lost Pages
- The Dress
- The Emperor of All Things
- The Emperors Knife
- The End of the World
- The Eternal War
- The Executioness
- The Exiled Blade (The Assassini)
- The Fate of the Dwarves
- The Fate of the Muse
- The Frozen Moon
- The Garden of Stones
- The Gate Thief
- The Gates
- The Ghoul Next Door
- The Gilded Age
- The Godling Chronicles The Shadow of God
- The Guest & The Change
- The Guidance
- The High-Wizard's Hunt
- The Holders
- The Honey Witch
- The House of Yeel
- The Lies of Locke Lamora
- The Living Curse
- The Living End
- The Magic Shop
- The Magicians of Night
- The Magnolia League
- The Marenon Chronicles Collection
- The Marquis (The 13th Floor)
- The Mermaid's Mirror
- The Merman and the Moon Forgotten
- The Original Sin
- The Pearl of the Soul of the World
- The People's Will
- The Prophecy (The Guardians)
- The Reaping
- The Rebel Prince
- The Reunited
- The Rithmatist
- The_River_Kings_Road
- The Rush (The Siren Series)
- The Savage Blue
- The Scar-Crow Men
- The Science of Discworld IV Judgement Da
- The Scourge (A.G. Henley)
- The Sentinel Mage
- The Serpent in the Stone
- The Serpent Sea
- The Shadow Cats
- The Slither Sisters
- The Song of Andiene