Taunt

  I ran everything through my brain as quickly as I could. “He was alive when you saw him, though. Could they have him still?”

  He shook his head, looking more broken than I could put into words. “I’d do anything, anything, for that to be true, but there’s no hope anymore. Why would they want him? I just hope he didn’t suffer, that it was quick. It’s been eight years now. You know, when I found out that these things were real, I went crazy, tried to kill as many of them as I could. I didn’t think. I was mad with grief; if I had been at home, I might have stopped it.”

  “You would have been killed, too, Peter.”

  He stared into the distance like he had forgotten I was there. “Eddie helped me then, made me see there’s a smarter way. That’s why I owe him.”

  I wanted to tell him how sorry I was, but I had a feeling it was something he couldn’t hear.

  I closed my eyes and thought it over. I was right about him using me, setting me up. What had happened to his family was heartbreaking, so I could understand his motives. I still wasn’t sure what Eddie wanted with Peter, but if I could help this man get some kind of closure, then I would do it willingly.

  “Why did you tell me this, Peter?” I asked, confused by some of his words.

  He moved to the window and stared outside. “I’m not the man I used to be. I’ve used people without thinking twice. Look at you. You’re constantly trying to be the best you can be, but Eddie and I have helped mess up your life completely. I’ve felt differently about a lot of things lately. I lost my heart a long time ago, Ava, lost any compassion I might have had. I stopped asking for help and just took what I wanted. Sometimes I wonder what they would think of me now, if they would even recognise me.”

  “I’ll help you,” I said. “If I find out anything at all, I’ll let you know. That’s not… I would do that.”

  “Thank you,” he said. “Maybe I should have explained it to you before, but I just couldn’t find the words. You have to understand who I am. If I thought murdering a million innocent people would lead me to that demon, I would do it. I’ll do whatever it takes to make them pay. Do you see? Do you see what I am now?”

  He looked me right in the eye and let me see through his pain and bitterness. I knew he would do whatever it took, but that didn’t make him a bad man. I couldn’t blame him for feeling the way he did, and at least now I had a why. I couldn’t think of Peter as bad, even when I should. He let me know, in his own way, that I could never really trust him, and I appreciated it, despite how much it hurt to accept.

  “I’ve had such trouble with you,” he said, almost smiling. “You’re part of what I hate, yet you’re nothing like them. I feel like we could have been friends, but we only spend time together when something life or death is going on.”

  “I am like them,” I admitted. “I’m thirsty again. It’s like, the more stressed out I get, the more like them I become. I feel like there’s this darkness in me, and it’s getting stronger. I do things, and I don’t even know why. I don’t trust my own emotions half the time.”

  “It’s the world we live in, Ava. Spend any amount of time here, and it blackens your soul. Ten years ago, I couldn’t have ended a life. Now I don’t think twice about it. What does that say?”

  I got out of the bed to stretch. “It says that we have to make hard decisions sometimes. Right and wrong doesn’t seem as clear anymore to me.”

  He stared out the window again, lost in a memory.

  Eddie returned with food. I felt better after eating. My wound was healing nicely, and the pain had toned down. Eddie was right about taking blood. It would help me recover quickly, but I still battled against that kind of thing. I wasn’t going to willingly drink blood if I could help it. Eddie told me I was being stubborn to spite myself, but I had to stay human in my own mind.

  “What do you think is going on?” Peter asked Eddie. “Since when do vampires use guns?”

  Eddie frowned, deep in thought. “A volunteer might have taken the shot.”

  “I bet it had to do with Gideon and Daimhín,” I said, standing to stretch again.

  “How do you know?” Peter was back on form, his past pushed into the background.

  “Daimhín’s been acting strange with me, and Gideon’s been sending vampires, and even Becca, to stalk me. To freak me out. Besides, Gideon used to be part of Daimhín’s coven.”

  His brows furrowed. “All we know is Yvonne overheard Daimhín talking about you on the phone. She made it sound like you were going to be attacked, so Carl and I looked for you.”

  “Carl?”

  “Yeah, he’s staying with me now,” Peter said. “We split up to find you, but we never expected you to get shot.”

  “Maybe it’s a test,” Eddie said. “Should they ever come up against you in the future, they’ll have a better idea of what you can do, isn’t that right?”

  “Funny you should say that,” I mused. “There’s this vampire in Daimhín’s place. He’s tried to put me under his thrall. Plus, he bit me. I keep feeling like they’re trying to see what has an effect on me or something. Daimhín’s been giving me weird tasks. She sent me with that vampire for his first feed after a punishment by the Council. Harsh, by the way. She sent vampires to follow us, so she was watching to see what I would do. It’s like they all want to know how I’ll react.”

  Peter’s sat up straight, a determined expression on his face. “You said this vamp tried to beguile you. Did it work at all? Did anyone stop him?”

  “It didn’t work; one of the other vampires told me what he was doing. When he bit me, he acted like he enjoyed it. A lot. I didn’t expect that.” I shuddered. The idea of Jules drinking my blood freaked me out. The memory of his eyes filled with desire for my blood was enough to make me want to go home and lock my doors.

  “That’s sick.” Peter’s face paled.

  “He liked your blood. How odd.” Eddie sounded fascinated. I wanted to snap at him, but a loud bang startled me.

  “Someone at the door,” Eddie muttered. “I haven’t opened the shop yet. Stay here, I won’t be long.”

  When he left the room, Peter looked at me curiously. “They don’t like the taste of vampire blood; it’s strange that he enjoyed yours.”

  “Maybe I taste different.”

  “Could be. Perhaps the way you were made has something to do with it.”

  I bit my lip. I wanted to tell him, see what he thought, or if he knew anything about it, had ever heard of it happening before. I wanted to know exactly what my grandmother had told him about me.

  “Did she tell you how it happened?” I asked.

  He looked surprised. “Who? Nancy? No. She wouldn’t say.”

  “I want to tell you.” The cold presence blew so hard, my hair whipped across my face.

  “Don’t,” he said, his eyes widening with surprise. “What the hell was that?”

  I shrugged. “Something that’s been following me around for a while. Keeps me on the straight and narrow.”

  He opened his mouth to say more, but the door burst open, and a group of broad-shouldered men trooped in. As they grabbed me, I realised they weren’t human.

  “What’s going on?” Peter asked, but he didn’t try to help as the men tied my hands behind my back. It didn’t feel like rope, but I couldn’t see.

  Eddie followed them, apologising and begging me not to struggle.

  “Ava Delaney, you are under custody of the Council,” one of the men said. “My Guardian Circle has been tasked to transport you safely to the cells to await your trial.”

  “Trial? What the hell?” I struggled weakly, but they were too strong, and my stomach still hurt from the bullet.

  Peter looked helpless, while Eddie called after us and told me he would see me soon. Like that was reassuring.

  The Guardians half-carried me out to a black car with tinted windows. They pushed me into the backseat, and we sped off. I tried asking questions, but they ignored me, so I eventually gave up. I watched
the city pass by, as my stomach churned with anxiety. I didn’t know what to do; even if I managed to run, I had a feeling I wouldn’t get far.

  Two hours later, I was sick of looking at fields and actually felt happy when the car finally pulled in to our destination. There were no buildings around, and for a few minutes I felt certain I was about to be executed.

  Two Guardians led me across a field until we reached a mound. One man waved his arm, and the ground opened up below us. We moved briskly underground and then through brightly lit white corridors for what seemed like an hour.

  “Where are we going?” I asked, but the men continued to ignore me. I already hated the Council. My stomach and chest burned; I needed more rest before walking so far.

  The further we moved, the less chance I had of escaping. We passed no one, and all of the white corridors looked exactly the same. None of the doors were marked, so I had no clue how the Guardians knew where to go. We could have been walking in an endless loop for all I knew.

  Finally, we reached the end of a hallway, and I was pushed into a shower room. A towel, a bundle of clothes, and some toiletries were neatly laid out. I showered quickly, removing my bandage gingerly. The wound was healing well, but it still looked awful. A clean bandage was amongst the toiletries, and I wondered how they knew to include it. I did a sloppy job of bandaging my wound, but it had to do.

  As soon as I stepped back outside, the Guardians took hold of my arms again. I was led into another room and pushed past numerous cells, all containing sleeping forms. The cell walls were almost see-through, but they shimmered with a distinct magical energy. We stopped at an empty cell; one of the Guardians freed my arms and snapped a metal bracelet on my wrist. It hummed with magic and made me feel a little nauseous.

  “This is your tag,” he said. “Don’t try to remove it if you want to keep your arm.”

  He pushed me inside, made a sweeping shape in the air, and walked away, leaving me trapped in a translucent box with a private toilet and no sink. It looked like there was nothing keeping me inside, but when I reached out my hand, something shocked me backward.

  “No point trying that,” a voice to my right said. “Can’t be opened from the inside and can’t be used against the Guardians. It’s pretty perfect, actually.”

  I glanced at the adjoining cell. A teenage girl sat serenely on a narrow bed with her legs crossed under her. “It’s almost bedtime,” she said.

  “What is this?”

  “You should probably lie down now. It hurts to fall.”

  I had no idea what she was talking about, where I was, or why I was there. Unable to form a complete thought, I sat on the bed. I heard a hissing noise, and all of a sudden found it hard to keep my eyes open. As I succumbed to sleep, I wondered if the spirit had been warning me against the Guardians, or against telling Peter the truth about myself.

  ***

  I woke blurry-eyed and confused. As soon as my focus cleared, I saw the young girl staring at me and remembered where I was.

  “Ah.” My mouth felt dry and sticky.

  “You’re awake,” she said, her large blue eyes curiously flat.

  “Mmm.” Words weren’t easy.

  “You’re different from the rest,” she noted.

  I blinked. She looked human herself. I tried to close my eyes and search outward, but something dulled my extra sense. I caught a brief glimpse of something blue, something human but not, and felt like a wall fell on me so I stopped in a hurry. I touched my stomach, still padded by a bandage. The pain was manageable, but I wouldn’t forget it in a hurry.

  “Are you hurt?”

  “I’m okay,” I said. “Got into a fight with a sneaky vampire.”

  An alarm sounded, and I felt the occupants of the other cells stir. None seemed as awake as the young girl. A shaft in the wall opened and displayed a tray with a bottle of water and some food, along with a bag of blood on the side that I did my best to ignore. I drank the water willingly, feeling a little more normal again.

  “I’m Leah,” the girl said. “What’s your name?”

  “Ava,” I replied, feeling more curious about Leah than anything else. “Are you on trial, too?” She didn’t answer, so I ate a little food and looked around, wondering where I could put the leftovers.

  “They clear out the cells while we sleep, just leave it on the floor.”

  I did as she said. “Leah, why are you here?” I persisted.

  She stared at me with sad eyes. “They don’t know where else to put me.”

  I hesitated and searched her eyes for something that might explain the statement, but then I felt drowsy again and lay down. I hadn’t felt tired a few seconds before; out of nowhere, I could barely open my eyes. I struggled against the sudden fatigue but lost myself eventually.

  I dozed on and off for an age, although it could have been seconds for all I knew. The girl was wide awake each time I opened my eyes, but the rest of the cells seemed still.

  After a time, my head cleared long enough for me to sit up again. I looked at Leah, hoping she could answer the question that wouldn’t form clearly in my mind.

  “It’s the food,” she said. “It keeps everyone compliant, but you seem to be fighting it better than most.”

  That made sense. At least, the first part did. I wasn’t feeling like I was able to fight it at all. I decided not to eat the next meal that arrived.

  The silence was eerie; the Guardians didn’t check on us, and Leah was the only one alert. I could barely see the occupants of the other cells; they all lay barely moving on their cots. I began to get my thoughts together, but I still didn’t have any idea of what was going on. Or what would happen next.

  “Where are we?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. My words slurred together a little, but I felt much better than before.

  “The holding cells. This is where everyone goes before they see the Council. They don’t stay long, but I’m not sure where they take them once they leave here.”

  I noted the paleness of her skin. “Exactly how long have you been here, Leah?”

  She shrugged and turned away. “Dunno.”

  “What… what are you?” There was no way of asking the question politely.

  She looked back at me, and her eyes widened. “I’m human. What are you?”

  I laughed. “I’ve no idea.” I couldn’t stop laughing, and I must have scared Leah because she lay down and pretended to sleep.

  I lay on the bed awkwardly. Whatever Eddie had given me for pain had worn off, but I tried to think things through. There were no windows, so we were either underground, or they needed to house nocturnal beings. I guessed underground. The Guardians had mentioned me going on trial, but for what? Fighting with vampires? Working with them? I cursed Eddie for not telling me more about the Council when he had the chance.

  I caught Leah sneaking a look at me. “Aren’t you lonely?” I asked.

  She sat up and bit her bottom lip. “Nothing lasts forever.”

  I tried asking her why she was in a holding cell. She refused to answer, and I got tired of pushing. Maybe I was interested because it distracted me from my problems. Still, Leah claimed to be human, and she wasn’t an adult, so what did the Council want with her?

  No food came for a while, and I almost felt back to normal.

  “They must be taking you outside,” Leah said, but her voice had a tremor to it. She had been biting her nails, and I could sense her agitation. She paced her cell like a caged animal, looking up and down the hall over and over again.

  “I wonder if they’re taking you to trial today,” she said, her voice trembling still.

  “Maybe,” I said. Leah’s frantic nail-chewing ramped up until even I was on edge. Soon, a group of Guardians came and, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Leah wring her hands together anxiously.

  “Let’s go,” one said. “You’ve got a visitor.”

  They released me from the cell, and Leah spoke under her breath. “It was nice to meet you, Ava.?
??

  I didn’t have time to wonder at her words because the Guardians let me out. To my surprise, they took me in the opposite direction from the one I’d arrived and led me upward into an ordinary looking building interior. I inhaled deeply, the fresh air a welcome relief.

  The Guardians pushed me into a small room that held only a table and two chairs. I waited for a long time, my mind going into overdrive now that I was away from the suffocating cell. I tried to open the door, but it was locked from the outside. I could hear some heartbeats close by so I knew I was still guarded. Maybe they thought I could actually find my way out of the maze of identical hallways.

  I tried to use my other senses again, but it was like my abilities were smothered by some kind of heavy magic. It didn’t smell like Eddie’s magic, but it clung to my skin, leaving a clammy sensation. The spirit hadn’t come near me since the Guardians had taken me, and I had to wonder if something was stopping it.

  I hadn’t eaten in a while, so I could only blame my hunger on the sudden burst of happiness I felt when the door opened, and Eddie walked into the room bearing coffee, food, and painkillers.

  “Are you sure about this?” I asked after he had redressed my bandage, tutting the entire time at the bad job I’d done. I held up a small green pill warily. It stank.

  “Just take it. It’s strong, so it’ll last a few days. By then you should be fine. The wound is healing nicely, although not as well as it might.”

  I ignored the hint about blood and swallowed the tablet obediently, wrinkling my nose at the taste. He handed over the food and still warm coffee.

  “Thanks,” I said after I devoured everything he set in front of me.

  “You shouldn’t eat their food,” he warned.

  “Yeah, got that. So, why are you here? Why am I here?”

  “From what I can gather, your existence has been brought to the attention of the Council. Gideon has made some accusations, and the Guardians took you in for an immediate trial. I’ve been with the Council for hours discussing this.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, and I realised how tired he looked. “I’m speaking for you at the trial, and I’ve persuaded them to give you a pre-trial hearing. We need time to counter the accusations, and the hearing will give us a chance to find out exactly what the vampires are up to.”