The entrance to the hidden maze of corridors was masked by the back of the closet. She ducked through and using a mental map of the Raven, followed her feeling of connection to its source. Voices came from the room nearby, both of them male. She recognized them both at once, and then paused. She didn't want to give away her secret entrance just yet, nor did she want to interrupt this particular line of questioning.
Next page / Bottom LaCroix was saying, "Janette is indisposed at the moment," which gave her quite a start. She held her breath, waiting to hear what Nick's answer might be. The conversation continued, with Nick becoming more aggitated, obviously feeling her presence as she felt his.
One particular phrase, though, nearly made her gasp, giving away her position. LaCroix's voice chilled her to the bone. "I wish to speak to you of this dangerous experiment in which you intend to take part," he said, and her mind stopped working for a moment. "He knows," she thought, and waited for the rest of his sentence, fearing the worst.
The telephone jangled and he answered. "Saved by the bell," she thought nonsensically. LaCroix's angry voice boomed in the small space between the walls, and then the phone slammed on the receiver and he was gone.
Janette took a deep breath and let it out, trying to let her nerves calm down before entering the room to confront Nicolas. If he knew she would support his efforts at this experiment, perhaps together they could pursuade LaCroix. She had always had better success in charming a change of heart out of LaCroix than Nick had. She hoped she had not lost her touch.
"Courage," she told herself. She couldn't delay longer. LaCroix might return at any moment, and she must have this time to talk to Nicolas. She released the catch on the secret door silently, every sense on edge feeling for LaCroix to return.
Nick spun on his heels when she undid the catch, hearing the soft noise of her intaken breath, much too soft for the human ear.
"Janette!"
The speed of his movement toward her left her breathless. She had forgotten for a small moment that as a vampire, she was suddenly a fledgeling again. He held her briefly.
"Nicola," she whispered, "we cannot talk here. It may be only a moment before Lucien returns, and then he will want explanations."
Nick nodded, a look of unease written in every detail of his stance. "Meet me at Nat's office--the Morgue. We need discuss some things."
"Yes," she breathed, "but I fear LaCroix knows of your plans, and may try to foil them."
Nick smiled grimly. "There is truly nothing new under the sun--or the stars, for that matter," he whispered. "I am nothing, if not persistent, though--and he knows it. We may yet win through."
He had such hope she hated to dash it. How many times had LaCroix dashed his plans and danced on their ashes? 'Ah, Nicola,' she thought. 'How can you still have such hope after so many centuries?' Aloud, she only whispered, "I'll go there straightway. Follow when you can."
She was gone, and with her Nick's reason for being at the Raven. Shrugging, he left. He told the bartender he had another engagement, and since LaCroix seemed busy, he would talk to him another time.
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Back one / Back to top / Main Page / Prologue / Chapter One / Chapter Two /
Chapter Three / Chapter Four / Chapter Five / Chapter Six / Chapter Eight / Chapter Nine / Chapter Ten / Chapter Eleven / Chapter Twelve / Chapter Thirteen
Written by ravenette1 (edited by Vachon and Elena du Charme). Page (laboriously) coded in HTML and edited by Elena du Charme. Last edited on 12/2/2002
