“About that. I might not be the best person for this. My past experiences with a succubus were all bad.”
“Just get out of the car,” he said wearily. “I need you to deal with the humans if they get out of hand. That’s all.”
The brothel looked run down and dull, apart from the rather overt advertisement hanging on the door. Only one Guardian stood out front. When we approached, he stared insolently at Gabe for too long before moving to let him pass. A swift run-in with my knee soon had the Guardian doubled over in agony.
Gabe looked back in surprise at the moaning. “Ava?”
“My knee slipped.”
I caught his smile before he turned away. I followed him up a flight of dark stairs lit only by chains of red lights on either side. The banister felt sticky, so I kept my hands to myself, just in case.
We stepped into a large, sleazily decorated establishment that reminded me of a vampire bar I had once visited. The scene was chaotic. A group of humans were handcuffed to chairs while some half-dressed women tended to a wounded succubus. Shay was smiling at a Guardian who was busy shouting in his face.
Gabe put on his Council hat and got into the middle of the argument. “Enough. Somebody update me on the situation.”
“But—” the Guardian began.
Gabe held up a hand. “Not you.” He nodded at Shay. “You. Speak.”
Shay raised his eyebrows but responded, “The succubi are freely advertising their… services. The man on the left there is sitting next to his wife. She smelled a woman’s perfume on him and followed him here. When he got back home, she tore strips out of him, and he claimed that he was brainwashed by the succubi. She gathered a small mob together, him included, and came here to confront the succubi. The succubi claimed he was a paying customer, and the wife somehow got close enough to give one succubus a minor injury.”
“Is that it?” Gabe asked.
“No. One of the men who was part of the mob is critical in hospital right now. The succubi say it was self-defence, and—”
“And he’ll die happy,” a dark-eyed woman called out, her arm wrapped protectively around the injured succubus’s shoulder.
“The problem,” Shay continued, “is that we’re in iffy territory. Prostitution is illegal here, and whether the succubi like it or not, that includes them, too.”
“We have our own laws, and this is how they survive,” Gabe said.
“But we’re here to protect,” Shay said. “Situations like this are complicated. Was he brainwashed? Are humans dying here? Your people won’t give me anything, and if that man dies, who’s to say his brother or son or wife or girlfriend or whoever won’t burn the place down?”
“They have quotas,” I said. “Vampires and other beings, too. The Guardians are supposed to keep an eye on that kind of thing.”
“Things are getting heated on the streets, Ava,” Shay said. “There’s no trust, no open communication. Suspicion and paranoia are things that will get people killed.”
“Let the Guardians deal with the succubi this time. I’ll arrange for the human to be taken to our clinic instead. Our medical staff might be able to keep him alive,” Gabe said. “Your people can deal with the humans, and I promise you I will answer any questions you might have.”
Shay hesitated. “I’m supposed to deal with Erossi.”
“If he isn’t helping, then I will. You’re part of Ava’s deal. I can’t allow harm to come to you. You can trust me.”
“What deal?” Shay asked me.
“Before I knew you were a judgemental arse, I asked Gabe to protect you as well as the other humans in my life,” I said snappily, although I was more irritated by the way the succubi kept looking at me.
The Guardian looked from one of us to the other in disbelief.
“Your head’s going to fall off if you keep doing that,” I told him.
“You really have no idea of your place,” he said.
Shay moved closer to him. “Be very careful of what you say next.”
That provoked another argument, which Gabe tried to get in the middle of. Bored, I wandered over to the humans.
“Which one of you was brainwashed?” I asked.
The woman’s lower lip trembled as she nodded to the bald man on her right. “Him. They forced him here, forced him to do all kinds of things. He might have died!”
“Right.” I looked at the man and smiled. “Where’s your mark?”
He blinked in confusion. “My… mark?”
“Yeah, the succubi mark. The thing they mark you with to make you theirs, you know, to brainwash you? Big, red, itchy mark. Can’t miss it. So where’s yours?”
His entire head turned a weird puce colour as he stuttered a couple of times.
“Of course he doesn’t have one,” the dark-eyed succubus said scornfully. “He came here and begged us to use him. Pathetic.”
With a screech of anger, the man’s wife lifted her foot and booted the man as hard as she could. He bit his lip and looked away, but she wasn’t finished. She kicked and swore, insulting him in every way I had ever heard and then some.
“Um, you might want to move her,” I called out.
A young garda released the handcuffs from one of her wrists to untangle her from the chair, and she took advantage of the freedom to bitch-slap her husband. It took two gardaí to carry her away.
The other men had started laughing, but I glared at them. “At least she doesn’t have magical powers or the strength of ten men. Your friend in the hospital could be dead tomorrow. Think about that the next time you want to attack a supernatural.”
They shut up instantly.
“Wait,” the dark-eyed succubus called as I started to leave.
Groaning, I turned to face her. “I don’t want any trouble, and I’m not in the mood for your crap today.”
“We aren’t our sister,” she said. She was beautiful—they all were—but something about them seemed more dangerous than the assassins who had been attacking us. “Thank you for clearing up that nastiness with the human.”
“Shit like that is going to keep happening,” I said. “There can’t be two sets of rules for everyone, and you have to be open about what exactly goes on here.”
“We advertise ourselves as succubi,” she said, sounding confused.
“Yeah, but most humans don’t know what that means.”
“I’ve heard rumours,” she whispered. “But we need to know one thing before we choose a side. Are you planning on removing the quotas? Cutting off our food supply?”
“I’m planning on giving the food supply a voice.” I turned my back on her look of surprise.
Gabe called me over to him and Shay. The Guardians and gardaí had finally stopped arguing.
“I’ll walk you out,” Shay said, and the three of us headed back to Gabe’s car.
“What’s the problem?” Gabe asked him.
“The Guardians aren’t working with us. Not the way they claim to,” Shay said. “The succubi called us to the scene, and the Guardians had a fit when they showed up and saw that we were already there. They don’t want to work with us. I don’t know what’s changed, but they aren’t cooperating. All of these press conferences are for nothing.”
I shrugged. “Then maybe it’s time you tell the truth at the press conferences.”
“That could put him in danger,” Gabe said.
“We have to do something,” I said. “We have to ease people into the changes we want to make. If we disrupt everything, people aren’t going to know who to trust. We’re getting through to a tiny proportion of people right now. Fionnuala has the British press eating out of her hands while everyone here is anxious and suspicious and waiting for something to go wrong.”
“I had planned on carrying on as is,” Shay said, “for as long as we could. But we’re going to slowly separate from the Council, hold our own interviews and press releases, and get together with supernaturals who aren’t affiliated with the Council. We’re going t
o do what we can to protect the people in this country, but we’re doing it our way.”
My phone rang, and I stepped away to answer it.
“Ava?” Wesley said.
“Yeah, I’m kinda busy.”
“I get it. You don’t want to talk to me, but I had to let you know that my mother’s having serious doubts about your grandmother staying here. Nancy has been pretty aggressive the last few days, and we’re worried that we’re not the best option for her.”
“But—”
“I know I said I’d do what I could, but I have to work, and that leaves my mam dealing with Nancy alone. It’s tough, Ava.”
I resisted the urge to ask about his job, telling myself I didn’t care. “I’ll drop over when I can but not now. There’s a lot of stuff going on that’s—”
“Dangerous, I know. We really do need to talk about this, though.”
“I promise I’ll visit. Try to hold your mam off until then.” I hung up abruptly, a little shaken. Hearing his voice did strange things to me.
We said goodbye to Shay, then Gabe dropped me off at home. I immediately called a meeting with the people I trusted most: Carl, Esther, Val, and the twins. I might have gathered others, but I had been avoiding Anka and Margie since the meeting with the solicitor, Martin Breslin. Of the rest, I wasn’t sure who still had faith in me.
We sat around my kitchen table—our usual meeting place. They looked at me with questioning eyes.
“We need to catch up,” I said. “And I’m not sure who I trust around here anymore.”
“What do you mean?” Lorcan asked.
I took a couple of deep breaths. “I don’t feel comfortable right now. Anyone could turn on us.”
“Why are you so anxious?” Esther looked sympathetic, but I could tell they all thought I was overreacting.
I really wasn’t sure why I was so concerned, maybe because I had been saved by a teenage girl in my last fight. “The entire country is suspicious. I went to see Gabe, and he took me to a succubi brothel that had been attacked by a group of humans. One of the humans might die. The incident happened because a husband lied to his wife. Shay said there’s tension on the streets, and I think something terrible might happen between the humans and the supernaturals if we don’t unite them somehow.”
Val said, “The only way to unite them is to have a common enemy.”
“And that should be the Council,” Carl added.
“How do we turn everyone against the Council without being ready to be tried as traitors?” I asked. “We’re on thin ice as it is. Fionnuala’s back, and the fae are stronger than ever, especially with the werewolves at their backs.”
“We need someone like Phoenix,” Esther said. “I’m not trying to bug you, Lorcan, but we need some fae on our side.”
“He’s popular,” I said, “with the younger fae anyway. But we can’t rely on anyone else. I’m starting to think we might have to push harder, before people start rioting in the streets. The Council are too secretive, and rumours will spread and multiply. You know how it is. If people don’t know something, they’ll make it up. We need to circumvent that.”
“The press could turn the tide,” Carl said.
“Again, still very risky,” I said. “But that’s not exactly why I called you all here. At least, not just that.”
“What’s going on?” Esther asked worriedly.
“Val, don’t get mad,” I began, preparing to be beaten senseless. “Phoenix took Leah and me to see the children.”
She rose to her feet, her shoulders bulging. “Are you joking?” she hissed.
“She left you a note,” I said weakly, backing away from the table. “Just chill for a minute. Phoenix wouldn’t have let anything happen to her.”
Baffled glances were exchanged.
“Ava, you’re the only one who trusts him,” Carl said.
I licked my lower lip. “I know. And I trust you lot. So have some faith in me, too, okay?”
Esther pulled Val back into her seat. “Keep going,” Esther said, the usual warmth gone from the shifter’s voice.
“There’s a lot of power there, but it isn’t being controlled. It’s a time bomb waiting to happen. Even if we manage to free the kids, we’ll have to be careful. It’s not going to be easy, and some of them may never be safe enough to give back to their human families.”
“You’re sounding a lot like my brother,” Esther said warily.
“I haven’t finished yet,” I snapped. “Yeah, it’s going to take time and hard work, but that doesn’t mean we give up. The other problem is that I was seen there. A Guardian with tattoos killed one of his own Circle in front of me.”
“What? Why would he do that?” Esther said, horrified.
“I’ve been thinking about that,” I said. “At first, I thought he assumed the other Guardian was going to avoid a fight with me, but now I think it’s so there were no witnesses when he made up some shit about me attacking them.”
“Probably,” Esther said. “Has Gabe heard anything?”
I shifted uncomfortably. “Gabe’s kind of going through something right now. I don’t think he’s in with the Council anymore. He didn’t even know Fionnuala was back.”
“You should warn Eddie Brogan that Fionnuala has returned,” Val said. “You need to please some allies.”
I nodded. “I suppose I could run over there.”
“Will Shay and Moe be there, too?” Carl asked.
I grinned. “He hates when you call him that.”
“Well, I hate that his scumbags deal drugs to people in my area,” he retorted.
I wasn’t touching that even with somebody else’s hands. I cleared my throat. “Again, that’s not all. Gabe told me that Esther’s Circle want to get in touch with her. Probably to convince her to return to them.”
Esther flinched and shook her head.
“This could be your chance to tell them your side of the story,” I said. “We could arrange a meeting, try to let them know that you haven’t gone over to the dark side, and see if they can help us out a little.”
She looked sick. “I don’t know if we can risk that. They could arrest me on sight.”
“They protected you when the beasts attacked,” I said gently. “They love you. That was obvious to everyone.”
“It might be our in with the Council now that Gabe isn’t the golden boy anymore,” Carl said. “You wouldn’t have to go alone.”
“What if they don’t believe me?” Esther asked. “The shifters have to follow my brother, whether they agree with him or not.”
“You managed to turn your back on him,” Val pointed out.
“I had no choice,” Esther said.
“You can think about it,” I said, hoping time would persuade her. “I would go with you.”
“They could arrest you,” she said.
“We can take the chance. I saw how protective they were of you. If they heard your side of the story, they might see that you’re right. We could really use some Guardians on our side, Esther.”
She nodded. “I’ll talk to Gabe about it.”
“Just be gentle with him,” I warned. “He’s a little over-sensitive right now.”
“He’s another one the rest of us don’t trust,” Carl said a little too sharply.
“I trust him,” Esther said. “And he did save Ava’s life. It would have been so easy for him to let her go, but he didn’t.”
Val nodded. “I agree. I may not trust the fae, but the angel made a deal with Ava. He can’t hurt us without hurting himself.”
I wasn’t about to admit that I had given Gabe the chance to break free. I noticed
Lorcan had been strangely silent. “You okay?” I asked him.
He nodded. “I was just thinking that you should update the humans. Away from Eddie Brogan.”
“I don’t want to be seen going over there,” I said.
Lorcan held up his hand. “You could meet the policeman elsewhere. Let him pass on messages.
”
“But you definitely need to see Eddie first,” Carl warned.
I glanced at Esther, who was going to face her old Circle for me. The least I could do was make nice with the one person who could probably make a difference when all of the cards fell.
Chapter Seven
I didn’t enjoy visiting Eddie so often, but sometimes it was necessary.
“So we’re back to square one,” I said after telling him all about Fionnuala and Phoenix.
“Not necessarily,” he said thoughtfully.
“I take it you’re in the dark as much as Gabe.”
He nodded. “The changes have been subtle, but we’re slowly being pushed out to make room for fresh blood. Not all rebellions come from war, Ava.”
“So what are you going to do about it?”
He smiled. “I’m going to do what I do best. Wait and strike when they least expect it.”
I stared at him, wondering if the time would come when he would strike at me. “Any ideas on finding the assassins or the tattooist Val’s been searching for? The loose ends are making me itch.”
“Marina may be able to seek them out, but I suspect the protection over them is complicated. Otherwise, I would have discovered them by now.” He tapped his chin. “Tricky, tricky.”
“I’m more worried about the possibility that there’ll never be peace between humans and supernaturals. Are we stupid to even imagine it?”
“Stupid? No. But it will take time. Bigotry and ignorance survive longer than you might think.”
I frowned. “So what should I do next?”
“You’re asking me?”
I grinned. “You’ve been around longer than me. Seemed appropriate.”
He gave me a genuine smile. “What a turn for the books. I say, wait until the time feels right, but push gently whenever you can. Have you heard from Daimhín?”
“Nope. Is she in the country?”
“Perhaps she’s dead,” he said wistfully. “I’m curious about Phoenix. I think he might be Fionnuala’s weak spot. Can you twist him until he breaks?”
I frowned. “No.”
“Pity. We could use those werewolves. Marina could destroy them, but that might get messy.”