chapter Forty-Two
Schuyler
inn's dorm was all but abandoned when Schuyler arrived; everyone must have gone to the party, or to some other party. Or the library, she supposed - there must be some people in college who actually spend time studying. Wherever they were, she was happy they were gone; the front door was miraculously open, and she was alone.
Which gave her time to study the paintings. There were four of them, one on each wall. They were beautiful. If Schuyler had ever wondered whether Ben and Allegra were really in love, she didn't wonder now. Only someone who completely adored the woman he was painting could have infused such emotion onto the canvas. Surely her mother had had a chance to see them, before she fell into a coma.
The tricky part now was figuring out a way to extract the blood from the paint. Assuming, of course, that it was Ben's. Schuyler had only had time to sense the faintest aroma of blood when she'd looked at the paintings. If the blood didn't belong to her father, there was no point in destroying them.
How to be sure? Schuyler walked up to one of the paintings and stood as close to it as she could, breathing in deeply. Yes, she'd been correct the first time: there was definitely blood mixed in with the paint. But something about it smelled strange. Was it because her father's blood was somehow special? She couldn't be sure. She inhaled again. There was something familiar about its scent. Well, it would be totally awkward if someone walked in right now, but...she stretched out her tongue and licked.
And in that brief second, her hopes were dashed. She knew as soon as she tasted it. The blood wasn't Ben's.
It was Allegra's.
Vampire blood was supposed to disappear when it hit the air, but Schuyler's mother must have found a way to preserve hers. She must have given it to him, to help him with his work. It was a sweet, if strange, gesture, but either way, it was of no use to Schuyler.
Schuyler consoled herself that at least she wouldn't have to damage the paintings, and with them her future relationship with Finn. She would have to come up with another plan. Nothing left to do but go back to the hotel and sleep.
Oliver arrived at the airport just in time, wearing the same clothes he'd had on the night before and looking pleasingly rumpled. "Oliver Hazard-Perry, I never thought I would see you doing the walk of shame," Schuyler teased. "Good night, then?"
"The best. Who knew I could enjoy a kegger?"
"I don't think it was the party that was so much fun."
"Perhaps not," he allowed.
"How did you leave things?"
He sighed. "Well, that's complicated. We'll be in touch, of course, but I can't imagine anything will come of it until after...everything."
The sojourn back to the States had been a monumental one for Schuyler personally, but the problem at hand still remained. The Venators were meeting tonight, and while she had faith in Kingsley's leadership, Schuyler knew she was the one destined to bring the vampires salvation. But all she felt was useless.
Remember who your father was, her mother had told her. Remember him when time stands still, when you stand at the crossroads, when the path opens before you.
What did it mean?
The flight to London was smooth and uneventful, made easier by the comforts of first class. They disembarked to find a driver holding a sign with Schuyler's name on it. Kingsley had arranged for a limo to pick them up at Heathrow, Oliver explained. "How thoughtful," Schuyler said. "And how unlike him."
"People can change," Oliver said pointedly.
"Noted," she said.
They sank into the plush leather seats while the driver put their luggage in the trunk. With a low purr, the car exited the airport. Schuyler looked out the window as they moved onto the highway. It was always so hard getting used to the whole driving-on-the-other-side-of-the-road thing - she was glad she never had to do the driving herself.
"I don't know my way around London all that well," Oliver said, "but I feel like we're going in the wrong direction. Kingsley said the safe house was in Islington, which is that way."
Schuyler tapped on the glass window that separated them from the driver. "Excuse me? Are we going the right way? I don't know if Kingsley gave you the proper address...."
The driver didn't appear to hear her, and he didn't lower the glass.
"What's going on here?" Oliver asked.
Schuyler started banging on the window. "Hello? Can you hear me? Hello?"
Still nothing.
"I'm starting to get a very bad feeling about this," Oliver said.
"Is there any chance Kingsley didn't send this car?"
"Come to think of it, he did mention he was sending a Venator team. Not just a driver. Damn it! What should we do? Should we try to jump out?" Oliver tested the door. "Locked."
"We can force it," Schuyler said. "I could take the door right off the hinges if I wanted to."
"While the car is moving? I'm not sure that's a good idea."
Just then, the car stopped. They'd pulled off the highway and were in a clearing. Schuyler heard a click and tested the door. Unlocked.
"As soon as I open it, we run," she said.
But no sooner had she said the words than someone else opened the door for her.
Schuyler froze. The feeling she'd had all along - she'd been right after all - someone had been watching and waiting...and now the watching and the waiting had ended, and whoever it was had come for her. She knew, she felt it, and she hadn't done anything, hadn't told anybody - and now they were both in danger. She wanted to kick herself for being so stupid. She would never see Jack again, never get to know her newfound family. She'd failed in her task, and this was her punishment.
"This isn't good," Oliver said.
"Get out of the car," a cold voice said. "Now."
"Where are you taking us?" Schuyler screamed as her assailant pulled her out of the car.
"Not us," he said. "You."
Then Schuyler blacked out.
In a flash, she and her captor seemed to be somewhere else, somewhere familiar: falling, falling deep into the glom, and away from the light, though Schuyler felt like they were still moving.
They stopped. Schuyler tried to keep herself from throwing up; all that motion had made her nauseous. It was dark, but as her vision started to clear, she realized where she was.
Hell.