Chapter 19

When Rachel and I got up on the terrace I noticed that not everyone had gone inside. Someone was standing in the shadows near the corner of the house, smoking.

Rachel noticed where I was looking and followed me as I approached the lone figure.

Nathaniel stood there, taking another drag off his cigarette. He waved at us and then pulled the cigarette from his lips. “Had to have one before I went back inside,” he said, smoke pouring out of his mouth and nose as he talked. “Alexandria doesn’t let anyone smoke indoors.”

I nodded. Nathaniel’s demeanor and aura told me he wasn’t any happier with the displays tonight than I was. “I’m curious, Nathaniel, did you have to duel someone when you joined the House?”

He shook his head. “When everyone saw me change, no one would fight me, not even Charlie.”

“Was Jacquelyn happy with that?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I don’t know, but she didn’t force the issue. It was like, to her, their fear of me was enough.”

“And how did you feel about it?” Rachel asked.

He gave her a steady gaze. “I was relieved.”

There was a look in his eyes. His alternate form scared him. He wasn’t relieved to not have to fight. He was relieved not to cook someone alive. I couldn’t say that I blamed him.

He took another deep drag off his cigarette and held up the butt. The glow of the tip just snuffed out. No smoke, no muss. It was just a small demonstration of his abilities, but as a regular smoker, a useful one. He probably never had to go looking for a lighter either.

“C’mon. They’ll be waiting for us,” he said. He stepped past us and I wondered what it was that made him stay with the House. It was becoming more and more obvious that each of the members either didn’t want to be here or resented what Jacquelyn was doing with the House. Of course, if she was responsible for the murder in the alley on campus, I had an entirely different reason for not being in her House.

I started to lead Rachel back inside, but she stood still and pulled me back. “Ral, I know you’ve seen their auras. What is it that haunts Nathaniel so much?”

I hesitated. I hadn’t shared Rachel’s secret with anyone else, they discovered her by accident. In that hesitation, I considered keeping Nathanial’s secret as well, even from Rachel. However, unlike Jacquelyn, I knew Rachel wouldn’t do anything to make Nathanial feel worse. At least nothing intentional. “When he said he changed, he meant that he could turn into living fire. It’s like the skin we see him in now is just a cover for what he is. It’s like you’re an angel of beauty versus his being an angel of fire.”

Her eyes widened and she sighed softly. “Do you think something happened, something he’s not ready to talk about?”

I nodded. “Yes, I do.”

She looked past me. “And I’ll just bet Jacquelyn wanted to see something like that right in front of her.”

I shook my head. “I wouldn’t be surprised.” I nodded at the doorway. “We better get inside. They’ll come looking for us if we don’t.”

“I’m of a mind to go change and leave,” she said.

I nodded. “I agree, but I think they owe us something, even if it’s just a meal.”

Rachel nodded with a frown and headed for the door. She didn’t want to argue but she didn’t like what was happening any more than anyone else did. From what I’d seen so far, I was sure only Charlie and Yaeko were okay with the arrangement. I hadn’t noticed anything from Charlotte or Lawrence. So far, they were neutral. Or they were better adept at hiding what they felt. Part of me was betting on the latter. The other part could only hope they weren’t the former.

Everyone had taken seats around the table in the formal dining room. I remembered there were only six chairs when Rachel and I arrived. Someone had stretched out the table, added leaves, and four more chairs to seat everyone. At the far end was Jacquelyn. To her right were Yaeko, Charlie, Lawrence, and Nathaniel. To Jacquelyn’s left were Bethany, Charlotte, and Alexandria. Rachel sat next to Alexandria and I took the seat at the end. It reminded me strongly of having lunch at Mr. Shepherd’s house only the atmosphere had been a lot more relaxed.

As we sat down, several people came in and set plates of food in front of each of us. The servers all wore uniforms, not like chefs but like they were from a catering company. If the food and house were indicators, the caterers were probably expensive. If they had gone to so much trouble to impress me, they didn’t have to. The impression was not what they would have wanted for me.

No one spoke as we ate. The food was good, but a voice at the back of my head kept me from really enjoying it. I ate mechanically, chewing and swallowing simply because I was hungry. The headache I’d been developing was easing, but I knew it wouldn’t go away completely until I slept. I could only hope the power games were over for the night.

Rachel looked as lost in thought as I felt. The pain of my headache spiked. “Why do they stay if they don’t want to?” It was Rachel’s voice, but I knew she hadn’t said it out loud. I glanced at her, waiting for the spike of pain to settle back down. She had the same question as me, and just like me, she didn’t know the answer either.

I looked along the line of the table. Alexandria kept her eyes down and her aura was neutral. She was keeping herself in check. Charlotte looked away just as I looked at her. I wasn’t sure what it was about me that interested her so much. I had no interest in her in any way other than why she was even there. Bethany was looking around, but mostly in my direction. If she was the House psychic, she and I might have some common ground. Then I remembered how afraid she seemed to be of me. I wondered why but I wasn’t going to ask about it openly here among the others.

On the other side of the table, Nathaniel ate rather mechanically. When he looked up, his gaze was long ranged. He wasn’t in the room mentally. Lawrence nodded as he took each bite, agreeing with himself or the thoughts that crossed his mind. He seemed to be the most relaxed, or he simply didn’t let the politics bother him. Charlie looked up and glanced at me as I looked at him. He smiled at me and some twitch in his expression suggested the duel wasn’t finished for him. If he’d had his choice, it wouldn’t end until a hospital was needed. Yaeko looked up from her plate only to occasionally glance at Jacquelyn. Her face softened when she did, easing the angry lines around her eyes. I wondered what it was about Jacquelyn that seemed to have others on edge and Yaeko feeling peaceful.

Jacquelyn looked up when I looked at her. She met my gaze, steady and almost taunting. Her aura had neutral edges. The dark red sparkled with her power. I knew she was the woman I had seen in the alley the night of the party. What I didn’t know was what her power was and why she had been there. Maybe Detective Stanfield would tell me something about Anthony Hoyle, something that might make a connection between him and Jacquelyn. Just giving the Detective the name of the woman I had seen in the alley probably wouldn’t be enough to prove anything. Of course, not liking Jacquelyn was making me feel more and more inclined to believe she was guilty without any real reason. If she was dirty of anything at the moment, it was handling her House badly, and even that I didn’t know for sure.

Jacquelyn set her fork down and intertwined her fingers under her chin, resting on her elbows. “Is there something I can answer for you, Ral?” she asked. Everyone else looked up between the two of us.

I looked up into her eyes again, realizing that I had been staring for too long. I shook my head and looked away. “I’m sorry. I was studying your aura. Sometimes I get lost in the colors.” That was half true. I still couldn’t define what the markings in her aura meant.

Jacquelyn glanced at Bethany but didn’t say anything. When she looked back at me she asked, “And what about my aura intrigues you so much?”

I set my silverware down as well. I wasn’t that hungry anyway. “Of everyone here, you have the most elusive marks. I don’t know what your power is.”

She raised a single eyebrow. “Really?” She held out a hand towards Nathaniel. “And what power does he have?”

I looked at Nathaniel too. He met my eyes but didn’t say anything. His expression was neutral but his aura was frazzled with his nerves. I wanted to tell her that she was being rude, treating her House members like objects to be studied and used at her will. The real problem was I didn’t know why they put up with it. I think I surprised him as well as most of the others when I said, “Is it okay with you?” to Nathaniel.

He hesitated for a second, like he was thinking about it, and then nodded.

I looked back at Jacquelyn. “His power is fire. Not only can he engulf his entire body with flames but he controls fire as well. In his flame form, he also has wings which allow him to fly as Rachel did earlier.”

Nathaniel’s eyes widened for a second, and then he resumed his neutral face.

Jacquelyn smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. Her eyes were still cool and calculating. She looked at Nathaniel for a heartbeat and then at Bethany. I wondered if Bethany saw the details that I had. Jacquelyn then looked back at me and nodded. “Very good Ral. I’m sure with everyone else’s permission you could give me the details of all their powers too.”

I looked at Bethany and then back at Jacquelyn. “I’m sure you already know what their powers are. I don’t need to demonstrate it again to prove that I could.”

Jacquelyn nodded. “Very well then. But keep in mind, your abilities could be very useful to House Vikkor.”

I shared a glance with Rachel. “Useful in what way?”

“I have been discussing several ideas with my Lieutenants. Plans on expansion and something else that’s a little ... different for our House.”