INTEGRATION (Bonfire Academy Book Two) (Bonfire Chronicles) (23 page)

W
e were dropped off outside the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan. I looked in awe at one of my most favorite art deco buildings in New York. The outside was lit and decked out for a reception. We stood hidden in the shadows and watched as limos pulled up to the red carpet, dropping off one dignitary after another.

The last time I’d been there, I was part of that arrival procession, accompanying my parents to my first official event. I watched carefully as the couples stepped onto the carpet, checking for familiar faces. I recognized quite a few. I had dined with many, both at my house and at other events in Paris.

“So,” I whispered, “what now?”

“We’ll move to the staff entrance. I texted Edith to let her know that Pascal wasn’t coming, so two members of the catering crew will meet us outside. They work for Edith, the witch sovereign of New York, and have already been prepped by her to serve as our hosts for possession. Once we’ve done that, we’ll allow them to carry on their duties without any interference. We will merely observe from the inside. Keep your ears open. Do not instruct your host to do anything.”

“Okay, what if I pick up on something? How do I let you know?”

“You don’t. I don’t want to arouse any suspicion. We wait until the end of the first shift, when our hosts will come outside to take a smoke break. We’ll talk then and take it from there.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t worry, Cordelia. I’ll be with you every step of the way. My host has been instructed to keep an eye on yours.” He smiled and ushered me toward the entrance where we were to meet our two humans. I was taken aback when I saw the two hot male waiters, having assumed that I would be temporarily residing within a human girl. They looked like University students working their evening jobs, smartly dressed in catering uniforms—black suits, black ties, and crisp black shirts.

They bowed when they saw Faustine’s dad.

He nodded at them. “Cordelia, Frank and Leland, our hosts for tonight. Take Frank, and we’ll meet back here at the end of the shift.”

It had been months since my last possession, and I hoped I wasn’t rusty. I took a deep breath and floated into Frank. I had to remind myself not to take control of his mind or body—King Sebastian had asked me only to observe. I was the worst backseat driver ever. The thought of just letting the human do whatever he wanted filled me with a sense of helplessness and dread. I fought the urge to take control of his legs and make him move faster. Seriously, did he have to swagger while serving his little canapés?

I hated every second he rushed around in the huge kitchen that served the Grand Ballroom. It was chock—full of people, all hurrying and scurrying in a frighteningly disorganized fashion, brushing against each other. I could feel every bump from within him. Humans were so clumsy. And noisy. How anyone could hear anything, with everyone shouting over each other was beyond me. I had never seen the background of the events I had attended in the past, and hoped I never would again.

Once Frankie had the correct platter—after two tries—he lined up with the other servers and waited his turn to enter the Grand Ballroom. It seemed as if we stood there forever, his arm, which I could feel, getting more and more sore. I hoped he wouldn’t drop the tray and put an end to his evening. I was tempted to help him hold it, but King Sebastian’s voice in my head warned me not to interfere.

I felt a tap on Frankie’s shoulder, and we were on the move again. As we entered the ballroom, I sighed in delight. The four-story room was magnificent enough to astound even the pickiest of princesses. The tables were covered in white cloths and laid out with the finest china. Flowers dominated the room—more like sculptures than mere arrangements. I wondered what kind of benefit was being held.

My host, Frankie, was smiling, seamlessly moving through the scattered groups of people. He held out his tray, offering guests small plates containing pumpkin-filled ravioli. I noticed how most people didn’t acknowledge or even notice him, just taking the plates and then returning to their conversations. The only ones who cast him looks of interest were the younger women. I was glad for the lack of attention. I noticed that Leland, King Sebastian’s host, was also serving hors d’oeuvres, but he followed Frankie as much as possible.

It seemed as if Frankie had been asked to concentrate on the older ladies in the room. The only problem was that there were about a bazillion of them, all decked out to the hilt, dripping in jewelry. And none of them showed much fondness for ravioli. I kept my eyes sharply peeled and tried to hone in on every sound, but I failed to recognize any one voice that sounded even vaguely like the woman in Mason’s room. Would I even be able to recall it after so long, having only heard it for a short time?

After walking around for an hour or so, with several trips to the kitchen for refills, Frankie finally made a move to head outside.

Someone grabbed Frankie’s shoulder. “Where are you going?”

Frankie turned and looked at an older gentleman wearing the same server’s uniform.

“I’m due a break.” Frankie’s voice sounded weird from inside him.

“You are?” The man checked a list. “Nope, not yet. I had to move you around. You’re on the floor for another half-hour before you get a break. Take one of the champagne trays out.” Then he turned and left.

Poor Frankie’s arm throbbed as he balanced the heavy tray on his palm and headed out into the ballroom again. I tried to detach myself from his pain, concentrating once again on the sounds.

Everyone had been seated in their chairs, with waiters buzzing around serving the appetizers. I could feel my own hunger as my hand wanted to reach out and grab the succulent slices of meat gracing the plates. What would be the harm if I made Frankie grab just one little piece to pop into his mouth? King Sebastian’s host was nowhere to be seen—probably outside having his smoke break—so no one would know.

I’d almost convinced myself that it would be totally cool to do that when I heard the woman. We walked past a table where her annoying cackling sound filled the air. I wanted to make Frankie’s head turn so I could have another look, but he kept walking. I had to exercise every ounce of self-restraint I could muster not to completely take over his body and march back toward the sound of the hooting. I made a note of the table’s position and kept my fingers crossed that we’d turn around at some point.

Frankie seemed determined to circle the room, going every which way but back to the vicinity of the table, sending me deeper and deeper into frustration. I noticed Leland’s arrival back into the ballroom, which probably meant that it would be Frankie’s turn for a break soon. Then what? Frankie suddenly brought his hand down, his tray empty, and headed back to the kitchen. I held my breath as we walked toward the table where the cackling noise had emanated.

I spied the woman straight away as her gaze bored a hole right through Frankie. It was as if she could see me. She smirked as Frankie walked past, her leathery skin crinkling. Her gray hair was gathered into a knot at the nape of her neck. She wasn’t a fragile old lady, though. Something about her screamed power. I didn’t think it was the way she was dressed, even though she was draped in a burgundy velvet ball gown and sporting some huge emeralds. No, it wasn’t the clothes; it was the aura surrounding her, one of undeniable confidence. It made me shudder.

I was happy when Frankie got outside—until he lit up. I immediately exited his body, not willing to put up with that nasty habit.

“Sorry ’bout that,” he muttered. “I couldn’t say no when I was asked to go back in.”

“No worries. Can you hurryso we can get back?”

“I’m on kitchen duty for the rest of the evening.”

“You’re not going back out to serve?”

“Nope. All done with that. Leland will be done any moment, so if you wait here, he’ll be back with the king.”

I considered making him go back in so I could have another look at the old woman, maybe even confront her, but I decided against it. There was no point in risking King Sebastian’s wrath. He’d send me right back to school, and that was the last thing I wanted. Frankie went back inside, and Leland came out about ten minutes later.

King Sebastian exited the human quietly and walked over to me. “So?” he asked, his tone hushed.

“She is definitely here,” I said unable to keep the excitement from making me almost shout.

“Shush, keep it down,” he warned. “What was she wearing?”

I described everything, her clothes, jewelry, where she was sitting, and the look she’d thrown me.

“You’re absolutely sure she was the same woman? Did you hear her voice when you walked past the table for the second time?”

I had to think about that for a second, replaying it over in my mind again. I finally shook my head. “No, she didn’t say anything.”

“So how can you be sure?”

“I don’t know. It was the way she looked at me…at Frankie. It was like she could actually see me inside him.”

“But you didn’t associate the voice with her directly?”

“No,” I admitted, feeling annoyed at having to second-guess myself. I was sure, but I couldn’t swear to it. “Can we go back inside?”

“Our time with the wait staff is over. They are not due to go back into the ballroom. Still, there’s nothing to prevent us from hitching a ride with someone else. Unfortunately, this is a paranormal reception, with a mix of all kinds of creatures, so we need to be extra careful who we choose.”

“Are the wait staff all human?”

“Yes, but we don’t know what their schedules are.” He looked over at the little gathering of smokers. “I guess any of them will do. We could just steer them into the ballroom.” He paused. “This hasn’t been cleared with the New York council, most of whom are inside that room. One wrong step and Edith will banish us from this side of the Atlantic forever.”

“Edith is in there?”

“Yes, sitting at the very table you described.”

My eyes widened. Could she be the old woman?

“No, I can see what you are thinking. Edith is wearing a navy blue gown.”

“Does the fact that our suspect is sitting at the same table as the sovereign witch mean that she is very eminent?” I asked.

King Sebastian didn’t respond.

I tried again. “Any idea who she is?”

He ignored me, instead pointing at two female waiters stubbing out their cigarettes with the toes of their lacquered black shoes. “Here’s our chance. Let’s get a ride in with them. Steer as much as you can without arousing any suspicion, and let’s meet back out here. Hurry!”

I jumped into the one on the left, not even taking the time to give her the once-over. I didn’t even know what my host looked like, but I had vaguely caught sight of a mass of brown locks neatly pulled back into a ponytail.

I took a back seat, letting my host carry on at will, until she turned to go into the restroom. I wasn’t putting up with that, so I took over and steered her toward the ballroom instead.

“Jenny, where are you going? You forgot your tray!”

I turned around and looked into the eyes of the man I had encountered earlier with Frankie. I nodded my host’s head and walked back into the kitchen, letting Jenny take over again. Once she’d picked up a tray with dainty-looking cookies, she headed back out to the ballroom.

Most people were standing again, having finished their meals. A string quartet was playing in the corner, and a silent auction was in progress. I steered Jenny’s eyes toward the old woman’s table, but it was empty. The plates were being gathered by a grumpy-looking waiter.

I scanned the room through Jenny’s eyes for the woman in burgundy velvet and spotted her chatting with a bunch of other elderly women. I steered Jenny toward the group, carefully maneuvering her through the scattered people engaged in conversation, completely ignoring her tray of goodies. I concentrated on keeping the tray balanced. The last thing I needed was for it to crash to the floor, not only causing our route to the old lady to be interrupted or halted while Jenny had to clean up the mess, but also creating a scene that I really didn’t need. We took it slow and steady, but I lost sight of the old woman. I looked around; she couldn’t have gone far.

I decided to check the restroom and had Jenny walk toward it. As we approached, I clearly heard the familiar cackle. It stopped, so I stood still, waiting for it to start again. I watched as a group of ladies exited the restroom, but I didn’t spot the old lady among them.

Although I assumed Jenny wasn’t supposed to use the guest restroom, I decided to steer her that way. She could always say she was making sure the hand towel dispenser was full or something if anyone asked.

As soon as she stepped inside the grand ladies’ lounge, it seemed pretty clear that we were the only ones there. I decided to put an ear up to the stall doors just to make certain before I headed back outside. As I lay Jenny’s head against the first one, I heard a clicking sound, not coming from inside the stall, but from behind me, from the restroom door. I saw the flash of burgundy velvet, but before I could turn Jenny’s head to look, I felt warm breath on her ear.

“Hello, Cordelia. Looking for me?”

I felt a chill pass through Jenny’s body as she registered the obvious threat of danger in the old lady’s voice. I willed her body to react, to turn around and fight, but Jenny was frozen in terror. I had no option but to exit and transform. Before I could move, a blow to Jenny’s head made everything go silent and dark.

“I detect a change in her vitals,” an unfamiliar voice whispered.

I searched through my catalogue of memories, trying to match the voice with an image, but drew a blank. I was about to open my eyes for a peek when I recalled my last memory—the sudden onset of darkness, Jenny screaming. Considering those, it was probably best to play dead until I figured out what was going on. I attempted to slow my heart, but quickly realized that I wasn’t in control of it at all. Jagger was somehow beating it for me. I could feel him in every bit of my body.

“Cordelia? It’s okay. You’re safe now. Open your eyes if you can. You’re in your demon form, so it’s fine.”