Subj: Fiery Forbidden Love: A Smoldering Flame Chapter 3
Date: 11/2/98 1:19:39 PM Central Standard Time
From: msann

"What's going on, Cassandra?"

"Someone is trying to revive the rein of terror we all experienced when Laura was here. Barnabas is in great danger."

"Who is trying to do this? Did Laura come back?" asked Julia.

"Laura is back in the world. She has been for a while. But she is not the source of the disturbance. Laura was cast out as a result of her actions concerning James and Barnabas. Someone far more powerful and terrifying is the source this time. I was meditating in front of the fire when I had a vision of Nicholas Blair. Diabolos has sent him back with another plan to create a new master race using Barnabas and Laura."

"What?!" Julia exclaimed. "Is that possible? I thought that Nicholas had been cast back into Hell for all time after his failure with Jeb Hawkes and Carolyn and the Leviathans."

"Diabolos is capable of many things, and despite his failures, Nicholas was his best servant. It is always possible for Nicholas to return, despite what he says. I feared something like this might happen when Barnabas began obsessing over Laura and his sudden reversion to his vampiric state. For whatever reasons, Laura has chosen to stay away when she reappeared on earth. The main thing we must do now is keep Barnabas at Collinwood. Nicholas will then be forced to bring Laura there and we can deal with them better at Collinwood than we could somewhere else."

"I'll call Collinwood and warn Quentin. We must return there at once."

"There is no need for that. I have already called Collinwood and talked to Quentin," said Roxanne as she entered the room. "Quentin tells me that Barnabas wishes to go to Alexandria, Egypt to try to find Laura and has forced him to help. However, it will be several days before they can leave. I will not stand by and watch as Diabolos tries to destroy my family. We have got to try to stop him somehow. We leave for Collinsport tomorrow morning."

"Are you sure this is wise? You would be better off here, away from Collinwood," asked Julia.

"Julia, if this is really Diabolos we are dealing with here, do you think it matters where I am? He would be able to try to corrupt me and take James from any place on earth. I am better off with all of you to help fight than staying all alone here. It wouldn't surprise me if Diabolos has something to do with the intensity of Barnabas' feelings towards Laura and his obsession over her."

"She's right, you know. That way if they were to see each other, they would go at it like rabbits, and the more likely that Laura would become pregnant," explained Cassandra.

"And an army of Phoenix-Collins hybrids could be an unstoppable force."

"Then it is settled. We leave for Collinsport in the morning. Now I suggest we tell Elizabeth what is going on and go pack. We have a long journey ahead of us," said Roxanne with determination in her eyes. Meanwhile, at the Collinsport Inn, a figure in a dark trenchcoat walked up to the reception desk and rang the bell. The attendant walked up to him and in a friendly voice asked, "May I help you sir?"

"Yes," the man replied. "I need a room here."

"All right sir, we do have some rooms available. What name are you registering under, sir?"

"The name is Nicholas Blair."

Next…