The crowd behind me instantly burst into a song of accusation and disgust.
“Oh, pipe down,” Daimhín said. “And stop exaggerating, Ms. Delaney. The shifters have their own crude set of rules and traditions, and we have promised not to interfere unless we have to.”
“Well, you have to,” I said. “The alpha is dead, and they’re trying to kill my friend in retribution. The girl can barely stand on her own two feet. How the hell is she supposed to have taken down an alpha, of all things?”
“It is unlikely,” Callista said. “The nature of her injuries are well known. She needs medical care, Ava.”
“She can’t get that if the shifters are waiting outside my home, ready to pounce as soon as she leaves.”
“If they were going to attack, they would have already,” James said.
“There’s protection over my properties,” I said snidely. “If anyone means us bodily harm, they can’t enter. And if they try, they get flung into the air, just like a shifter did today when he ran at us.” I shrugged at the impressed sounds around me. “It’s pretty cool.”
A young woman asked me where she could get the same protection.
“You can’t get exactly the same thing, but I could set you up with some supernatural security measures.” I handed her my card. “I sell that sort of thing.”
More voices joined hers, and that shouldn’t have surprised me. Of course people needed to feel safe from my world. Maybe I could help them.
“The shifters are out of control,” Willow interrupted. “They can’t just kidnap people off the street and get away with it.”
“We still don’t know who’s responsible for that or the alpha’s death,” Daimhín said.
The crowd was listening intently. Mac’s death hadn’t hit the papers yet, but it surely would after this meeting.
“So put a leash on them until you do know,” I said. “Please.”
James snorted. “Please, she says.”
“If you don’t stop the shifters, you’re going to spark something you can’t stop,” I said coldly, advancing on the Senate. My voice changed, somehow, and I felt the presence of the Eleven at my back. This wasn’t just me talking. It was all of them. It made me queasy, but I couldn’t shake it off. I had just invoked something I couldn’t take back.
James flinched, and the others looked disturbed. Daimhín, on the other hand, looked impressed.
“We’ll calm the shifters,” Daimhín said. “For now,” she added, giving me a wry look.
“Thank you,” I said, relieved.
“There are worse animals to deal with,” an annoyingly familiar voice said from behind me.
I turned, infuriated, to see Regis striding through the parted crowd. I felt the Eleven again—and they were truly angry. They saw the paragon as a threat. I did, too. But was that impression really mine, or was it the Eleven’s influence?
“Are there?” Daimhín asked in a bored tone.
“Your so-called heroes, the werewolves, murdered a human in cold blood,” he continued.
The room burst into shouts of anger again; the rage was proportionately stronger than before. The paragon held the crowd in his hands. Damn him.
“What are you trying to do?” Willow asked. “Cause a stampede?”
“Are these poor, defenceless people supposed to walk around unprotected?” Regis asked.
“The werewolves haven’t hurt anyone,” I began, but the paragon held up his hand to shush me.
“Haven’t they? We know they recently killed a man, and the entire tragedy was covered up by the Senate.”
James’s face turned puce. “How dare you?”
“I’m merely presenting the truth in front of the public,” Regis said, looking completely relaxed. “That’s the purpose of these meetings, is it not?”
“You can’t prove the werewolves did this,” I said.
“You cannot prove that they did not do this,” he replied without looking at me.
I sensed Warrior growl in frustration, and it started to freak me out.
“Clear the room,” Daimhín commanded. “Of everyone but those two. Now!”
Amidst complaints and protests, the recruits emptied the room. The Senate stared down at us, me with a likely red face, and the paragon looking as though he were taking a leisurely break.
“It cannot go on,” he said. “These creatures are supposed to be extinct. They aren’t meant to live now. Take care of them before anyone else gets hurt.”
“They helped us in the war,” I said. “They saved all of our lives. We would be kneeling to the British Vampire Association by now if it not for the werewolves. And what the hell are you going to tell Phoenix when he comes back, looking for the werewolves, eh?”
“Phoenix isn’t here,” James said, but he looked a little unnerved. “He has no say in this.”
“They don’t deserve to die,” I said. “And you know it. If anything else attacks us, they’re our greatest line of defence.”
“She’s right,” Daimhín said. “They do give us a certain kind of protection.”
Regis tutted, showing his first signs of frustration. “The tainted shouldn’t exist to influence you, either.”
“If you want to try to take her out, be my guest,” Daimhín said. “Just don’t try it anywhere near me.”
“Try?” he spluttered. “You think me incapable?”
“I think you should take care not to underestimate a being on this soil,” she said, her voice rising slightly. “And perhaps we do not take too kindly to orders from a paragon.”
He smiled. “Should I prepare an army instead?”
Daimhín’s tight-lipped smile didn’t cover her discomfort. “Is that an official threat, Regis?”
He gestured toward the Senate. “It shouldn’t take an army to replace you all.” He glanced at me. “And my personal army would be more than adequate to deal with Ireland’s biggest problems.”
My hands balled into fists. “Why should we listen to you? Where are the other paragons, if you’re so concerned about our werewolves?”
“Perhaps they’re gathering our army to attack,” he said sharply.
“Perhaps they’re not,” I said. “Perhaps this is your agenda, not theirs.” I looked at the Senate. “I only have two requests. One: that the shifters back off until we know for sure who killed Mac. Two: that the Senate make no concrete decisions on the werewolves until we have real evidence that they perpetrated this attack.”
“Who else could it be?” Regis asked scornfully.
“I dunno. You, maybe?”
He made a face. “I do not eat cow flesh.”
“Goody for you.” I gazed up at Callista pleadingly. “You know this is wrong. The werewolves at least deserve a little time after everything they’ve done for us.”
“I can agree to that,” Callista said.
“Me, too,” Willow said.
“We can’t risk the public outcry when another human is murdered,” Layla said. “I’m sorry, but I can’t agree to the risk.”
“And what if the paragon army comes after us?” James said. “We’re not equipped to deal with an army.”
“With a werewolf pack, we might even win,” Daimhín said with a wicked smile. She had been observing the paragon the entire time. “I don’t think the paragons will bring an army for this. I’ll give the werewolves time. I’m keen to find out what they’re capable of. Perhaps they just need their trainer to return.”
“This is insolence,” Regis shouted, spittle flying from his mouth.
I couldn’t resist retorting, “This is how we do things here.”
“This isn’t the end,” he said as the Eleven showed their triumph before disappearing from my head, or whatever had just happened. “The werewolves will die.” He strode out of the room, leaving me unsettled.
“Now look what you’ve all done,” James said. “We can’t afford to piss anyone else off.”
“What if they just want us defenceless?” I said. “
Why would the werewolves suddenly start eating everything in sight? It doesn’t make sense. I can’t even imagine the werewolves killing that human last month. It just… it doesn’t sound right. Kill him? Okay, maybe. But tear him apart so his body can’t even be identified? That’s not an animal instinct.”
“Then they’re more intelligent than we gave them credit for,” Layla said. “But that just makes them even more terrifying. Do you not see what this paragon has done tonight? He has taken our heroes and destroyed them with a sentence. The people will turn against them, against us, and there’s nothing we can do but give them blood and retribution.”
“Like the shifters want to do? That’s not how we coexist. It just can’t be.”
“What are we to do?” Callista asked. “Truly, how can it end in anything other than blood after that display? We are lost and outnumbered, and we’re at the mercy of this paragon, whether we make a show of disagreeing with him or not.”
“It isn’t fair,” I said.
“Nothing’s fair,” James said. “Grow up, would you?”
“He’s playing you,” I said. “Can’t you see that?”
“Don’t think us ignorant,” Daimhín scoffed. “I’ve seen enough games to know when I’ve been dragged into one. And you’re no more innocent. You see what you want to see. Esther may not have killed Mac, but one of your friends surely did. The half-hellhound perhaps. When the paragon is done with the werewolves, he’ll come after her next.”
“There’s no reason to go after Esther. She’s not a murderer!”
“But she’s untethered,” Layla said calmly. “And that’s what started this entire fiasco. And perhaps the werewolves are untethered without Phoenix around to lead them. I don’t know.”
They all prepared to leave, but I wasn’t done yet.
“I need your word,” I said. “Are the werewolves safe?”
“For now,” Daimhín said sharply.
As Willow passed me, she touched my arm. “Try not to worry so much. You can’t save them all.”
“I thought that this is what you wanted from me.”
“Oh, it is. It is. But you’ve tried your best, and I can’t expect anything more.”
I frowned. “Well, I expect more from myself.”
Her smile faltered. “Oh. Well, good luck then, I suppose.”
I bit back a smart remark. What was the point in having leaders who gave up while there was still hope?
Callista raised her arms as though to hug me then dropped them by her sides when I flinched. “I’m sorry we can’t do more, but it’s likely the werewolves are guilty. There’s nothing else as savage here, and we always knew this day might come.”
“I didn’t.”
She patted my cheek. “That’s because you have a better heart than the rest of us.”
James stalked past me without a word.
To my surprise, Layla hesitated by my side. “If you’re going to do something, do it quickly,” she said under her breath. “We can’t keep the paragon off our backs forever. They’ve been known to wipe out civilisations who disagreed with them in the past. We can’t allow the same to happen to us.”
I thought of the Eleven and shook my head. “It won’t come to that.”
“Then hurry.”
Daimhín dismissed the recruits when the rest of the Senate left.
“Sit,” she said, taking a seat on a bench. She sniffed as though personally offended. “It truly stinks in here. What are humans? Animals?”
“What do you want?” I asked, cautiously sitting next to her. “And where are your bodyguards?”
“Outside. The stench of them is even worse than human sweat. Did you know that some of them smell like an actual wet dog?”
“I’ve noticed. And again, I’ll ask: what do you want?”
“Impatience is not a virtue, you know.” She sighed. “The paragon is not to be trusted, but if Eloise speaks the truth, there won’t be a paragon army marching against us.”
“Did she say that specifically?” I asked. “An army or a paragon army.”
She looked troubled. “She… said a paragon army. She was very specific.”
I tried to shrug off my own disturbed feeling. “Well, then, he’s bluffing. If she’s telling the truth.”
“I watched Regis very carefully tonight,” she said. “And I believe I have no reason to doubt this vision.”
“Why does he really want to get rid of the werewolves? Vampires have killed who knows how many people over the years.”
She sniffed, looking offended. “Don’t think us weak merely because we aren’t currently as popular as other species. Our numbers may have dwindled, but we are still a massive worldwide force. He would be a fool to try to wipe us out.”
I rolled my eyes. “Stop purposely missing my point. Why is he focused on this one death?”
“Technically, it’s two deaths, although I had my own concerns about that first one. It didn’t make sense. I should warn you, though, despite our efforts to calm the shifters, they are without an alpha, making virtually all of them untethered right now.”
“So what does that mean?”
“They’ll do what they want, without concern for reputation, law, or anything else. If they want Esther, they won’t stop until they take her.”
“They named me an enemy of the pack,” I said.
She hissed. “Then you should hide from the shifters. They are not to be trusted. For now, my pair are contained, but the weight of the power and the pack is too much for any shifter but the alpha. He alone keeps them sane.”
“Then how come Esther hasn’t lost her mind yet? She hasn’t been with the pack for a long time now.”
“Perhaps she’s stronger than she looks.” A smirk twisted her lips upward. “Or perhaps she’s found an alpha of her own to depend on.”
I frowned. “I don’t see how. Are my friends safe? Will the shifters strike at anything that moves, or is it specifically me?”
“In their demented state—which will deteriorate, by the way—they’ll have a focus, and it’ll be the only thing that helps them survive this turbulent time. Of course, many shifters have family to rely on, and that will keep them in line, but others are truly dependent on the pack’s alpha. Those are the ones to worry about. You kept something they wanted badly. You were there when their alpha’s body was found. And now you’ve thwarted their attempts all over again. If I were you, I’d be very concerned, but in a twisted way, this focus on you will likely protect others from harm. Still, we need to find a new alpha as soon as possible.”
“Shay’s recruits don’t act like this,” I said. “Are you exaggerating?”
“I am not! But Shay’s recruits have Shay and their teammates. When they were Guardians, they had their circles. Others are more family or community oriented. But shifters cannot exist alone. They need to tether themselves to something.”
“I can’t believe that.”
“You can’t believe millennia of history?” she asked with a laugh. “Go on, then, tainted one. Do things your way. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She stood then hesitated. “Just remember that one shifter is not like the others. They all have their own levels of strength and focus. It’s the weak ones you have to worry about most, but all shifters will be a problem until Mac is replaced.”
“Mac wasn’t in control of himself.”
“He was rapidly losing himself. Alphas keep their sanity through strength of will and strength of the pack. He was so concerned with gathering more shifters into his pack that he failed to realise the truth. He was never a true alpha.”
With that, she swept away from me, leaving me with a lot to think about. I sat there awhile longer before I called Carl with a brief update. He put me on speakerphone so Esther could speak, too.
“They pretty much agreed to put a leash on the shifters, but Daimhín had a quiet word with me afterward,” I said.
“Oh, no,” Carl groaned. “That’s never good.”
“She
said that without the alpha, the rest of the shifters are slowly losing their minds and their control, some faster than others.”
Dead air.
“So that’s happening to me,” Esther said dully.
“No,” I said. “Absolutely not. You’ve been free for a long time. You know how to handle it. You got past the worst ages ago. Don’t think you’re anything like them.”
“I’m a shifter, aren’t I?”
“You’re a free shifter,” Carl said firmly.
“It’s true,” I said. “But you’re still not safe. The shifters might be told off, but that pesky lack-of-control thing might lead them to renew the only focus they have—finding you.” I chose not to tell her that I was probably in worse danger from the insanity of untethered shifters because she had enough to worry about.
She blew out a shaky breath. “And if the cul-de-sac isn’t safe from me? What are you all going to do if I go crazy, rabid even?”
“We’ll shove the biggest sleeping pill Anka can make down your throat,” Carl said.
Esther managed a brief laugh.
“Seriously,” I said. “You didn’t have a pack growing up, just Aiden, and you turned out great. The rest of the shifters have just been too used to being told what to do, is all. They’ll find themselves again. And eventually, an alpha will step up. They’re probably having some challenges as we speak. They’re weak until they have a leader, so we’ve nothing to worry about, but just in case, I’d prefer it if you hung around in the cul-de-sac. When things have calmed down, we’ll reassess. Is that okay with you?”
“Yeah,” she said after a pause. “I think that’ll be okay.”
“I’ll tell you both everything that happened when I get home. Want me to pick up some food?”
They did. After I hung up, I left the courthouse and started walking home. I remembered Daimhín mentioning that a new alpha would soon arrive. Just hurry the hell up, whoever you are.
The shifters were more of a menace than the werewolves were, but the werewolves had killed before. The niggling doubt at the back of my mind turned into a simmering growl that I realised was coming from behind me. I whirled around to see a hulking figure stagger into the light of a streetlamp. Greg, Mac’s second in command, lifted his lips to reveal fangs. I wondered what he shifted into, then I realised that didn’t matter. He wasn’t likely to be alone.