Taste

  “Not enough to harm the group. I would call the night a success.”

  “Me, too,” I said.

  Moses wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me in the air. “We did it,” he said, his face a pulpy mess.

  I struggled out of his arms. “You were supposed to get into that last ambulance.”

  “Ah, I’m grand. We ran out of bullets too soon, but getting in the middle of the scrap felt better anyway.”

  Father Ryan joined us, beaming. “Didn’t I tell you, Ben? Didn’t I?”

  Moses rolled his eyes. “They all think they can get away with anything now. Yeah, you did all right.”

  “Still more to do,” the priest said. “We need to clean up those flats, fix the windows, and—”

  “Maybe get some rest as well,” I said. “We don’t know if the same thing will happen tonight.”

  “You think there are more?” the priest asked.

  “I don’t know. That’s the problem.”

  “We’ll help with repairs,” the brethni said.

  “We better get moving then,” Moses said, and he put his arms around the shoulders of the brethni leader and the priest, leading them toward the ruined block of flats.

  I joined Peter, Esther, and Val. “We should get out of here. We’re in the way, and we need some rest. Just in case.”

  “Shay told me some hospitals were hit last night,” Peter said. “But locals turned up to help. Human and other. Good night’s work, I’d say.”

  “That’s amazing,” I said. “They believed me?”

  “Looks like it,” Esther said. “Gabe’s been taken by the Council.”

  “Let’s hope he takes the flak for my big mouth,” I said, grinning.

  Val cracked her knuckles. “The Council won’t let that go.”

  “Yeah, well, they have more shit to deal with than just me. I thought that went amazingly well. Did you see the humans? Even in the church, when Gabe used his light thingy, the beasts were all crawling on the ground, and the humans destroyed the fuckers. It was beautiful.”

  Peter laughed out loud. “You’re an idiot sometimes, Delaney.”

  “And speaking of idiots,” I said sharply. “Thanks for telling Shay I’m a creepy freak.”

  “I didn’t,” he protested. “I told him the exact truth. That’s what he wanted.”

  I made a face. “Yeah, well, I’ve saved his life now. So he can suck it.”

  Peter reached out to take my hand, and I leaned into him, daydreaming about a nice hot shower and a clean bed to sleep in.

  “I need a bath,” Esther said. “I have so much blood on me that I can’t even tell what’s mine. The drug-dealer was kind of impressive though.”

  “Once they put the guns down,” Val said. “They wasted too much time and energy trying to aim.”

  “I’m still cheering inside about the fire trick,” I said. “I never even thought about fire.”

  “They’re probably lucky they didn’t set the flats on fire though,” Esther said.

  “The brethni were pretty good, too,” Peter admitted. “They didn’t have to fight alongside us.”

  “I’m more impressed by the fact they didn’t stab you, to be honest,” I said. My phone rang before he could reply.

  It was Anka. Sobbing. “Ava, we need you. We’ve been trying… it’s no use. Come back now.” She hung up.

  “Something’s happened,” I whispered, and we all ran for the car.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Peter drove dangerously fast, but inside, I screamed at him to drive faster. My mind imagined a million and one things as we pulled into the cul-de-sac.

  The twins waited on the street, their expressions even more solemn than usual.

  “Two of those beasts attacked us early this morning. Along with a vampire,” Lorcan said.

  Lucia looked at me with such pity that I imagined both Emmett and Carl were dead.

  “Where are they?” Peter asked.

  “Dead,” Lorcan said. “We managed to kill them in the end.”

  “In the end? Who…” I choked up. “Who was hurt?”

  “We didn’t expect it,” Lorcan said. “We didn’t think anything could get through to us.”

  “Lorcan,” I whispered, “what happened?”

  Esther wrapped an arm around me as the twins led us into Anka’s house.

  Lucia took my hand, and I saw. Flashes of darkened images. Two creatures sneaking around the back of the houses. Leah asleep and Lucia seeing them too late. Mrs. Yaga trying to defend the cul-de-sac, two creatures biting her even as she stole life from them. Lorcan, Cam, and Carl attacking the things. Mrs. Yaga lying on the ground, still alive, but unable to move. A vampire running toward the children whose faces peeked out of a window, away from anyone strong enough to fight. Emmett and Dita screaming as Carl killed the vampire in front of them. Just in time.

  “The vampire went for the children,” Lorcan was saying.

  “How did it find the place?” Peter asked. “How did it get in?”

  Lorcan cleared his throat. “We shielded the place, and something tore away the magic. Something far stronger than us. Mrs. Yaga came as soon as she could, but she was already injured.”

  “Maybe Gideon told them where to find me, and they were purposely sent here. Maybe Reuben told. Coyle’s missing, too,” I said. “It feels like everyone I know has been hit.”

  “That would mean someone is leading them. It would mean that vampire led them here,” Esther said.

  “To find you,” Peter whispered. “To find you.”

  I gazed at him in horror, but he refused to look at me.

  “What do we know?” Carl asked, fury in his eyes. “We know that there are a secret group of assassins connected with the slave market, and we know they want to kill us. We know somebody led the beasts to us. Both are connected.”

  “And we know that someone on the Council is involved,” Esther said. “But that doesn’t make sense. That would mean someone from the Council is working with the vampires.”

  “Reuben, most likely,” Lorcan said. “He’s missing, and he’s a vampire, so that makes sense. But that’s the only thing that does. Could this ancient vampire really have orchestrated everything? If he’s gone off the radar, how would he even know everyone is here?”

  “I’m going to check on Mrs. Yaga,” I said, standing to leave. Lorcan was right. Not much made sense anymore.

  Cam was trying to heal the hag when I entered Anka’s bedroom, but I could tell by his frustrated mutters that it wasn’t working very well.

  “I’m done for,” Mrs. Yaga said, but she smiled at me. “We were a good team, Ava. You would have been proud to see it.”

  I nodded, unable to think of one thing to say. She appeared even smaller than usual, lying on Anka’s bed. Anka was still crying, whether from the fight or the fact our landlady was going to die I wasn’t completely sure.

  Mrs. Yaga was in bad shape, and her body reminded me of Folsom’s—small and broken. I swallowed past the lump in my throat; I was about to lose another person in my life, another team member.

  Bruises coloured her wrinkled skin, and her eyes were glassy. Her arm appeared to be broken, and when she moved, she winced with pain.

  “How did this happen?” I asked.

  “They came for me. I killed them, but I got hurt. When I came here, I wasn’t strong enough to protect anyone. There was something else out there, something battling the magic even as we all fought. They caught us by surprise. That’s how this happened.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I said.

  “Don’t waste your time, boy,” she snapped at Cam, waving him away. “Ava…” She beckoned me over to the bed. “We need to talk before I go. I need you to make sure you take care of them for me.”

  “You… we can get you better.”

  “I can’t hang on anymore, Ava. I’m tired. I need to sleep. Promise me you’ll take care of Anka and Dita for me. You told me once that you’d protect the houses. Don’t
let me down.”

  Anka sobbed in the corner at the landlady’s words.

  “Of course,” I said, my voice trembling.

  “Good, good. Promise me one other thing.”

  “Anything.”

  “Oh, hush. Never promise anything to a hag.”

  “Take from me,” I said. “I won’t… I won’t say no. You’ll feel better, right?”

  “Perhaps.Perhaps not. It’s time for me. I’m ready, as long as you fulfill your promises. The second one… the second one is a promise for you. Choose your own path, Ava, the one that’s best for you. You’re the one soul who has come to me that I haven’t yet helped. I’m sorry for that.”

  “I will,” I said. “I’ll be fine. You have helped me. You just haven’t realised how much.”

  “Be careful, child. The vampire wasn’t alone. Whatever was out there, tearing down our protection, is a force you can’t beat into submission. There’s a lot of power against you.”

  “I know. I’m sorry this happened.”

  “It’s my time.” She turned to Anka and smiled. “Can you sing it for me? You know the one. Sing me to sleep.”

  Cam and I left the room. As we walked downstairs, I heard Anka’s surprisingly beautiful voice singing the saddest song, a song that made me want to lie on the floor and cry my eyes out.

  “I warned you this would be dangerous,” Cam said when we made it to the kitchen. “You aren’t prepared for what you’re up against.”

  “We don’t have a choice anymore,” I said, hugging myself.

  When the song was over, Anka joined us, her face at peace. “She’s gone. She’s passed on.” Her mouth widened into an O. “We’re not safe anymore. Her protection is gone with her.”

  “Don’t worry,” I said. “There’s plenty of protection still around.”

  “Yet it did not help us last night, Ava. Something still got in. Without Mrs. Yaga…” She shook her head.

  My insides churned. The exact same thing had happened with Folsom. The exact same thing. “I need to get out of here,” I murmured. I rushed outside before anyone could stop me. I couldn’t face any of them. Not one.

  Someone called my name, but I ignored it and left the cul-de-sac. I heard footsteps behind me. I picked up the pace, but whoever had followed me was persistent.

  Finally, I turned. Carl. I knew he would say the right things. He thought he wasn’t strong, but we had all been leaning on him in one way or another.

  “It’s okay,” he said when I wrapped my arms around his midsection. “Let it out, Ava.”

  “Everyone who tries to protect them dies.”

  “Look at me. Emmett needs to see you right now. He’s waited up. He saw—”

  “I get it,” I said, taking a deep breath. “I’ll stop freaking out.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with freaking out, Ava. You might want to know that you’ve been on the news, well, constantly, since last night. The country is going crazy. Reports of all kinds of things. Everywhere.”

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I shouldn’t have.”

  “What are you talking about? I’m proud of you. This is what we needed. I even… I talked to Maria. I told her a lot of truths. She saw you on television and recognised you. She’s all over the place, but she sounded a little relieved. As if that was finally a good enough excuse for her.”

  “This is some domino effect, Carl.”

  “What happened at the cul-de-sac was not because of you telling the truth. You warned people, gave them a chance to defend themselves. If I was anyone else, I would be grateful for that.”

  I shrugged, unable to think of a coherent answer. “I’m tired. I think I should rest. This isn’t over.”

  “No, it isn’t. There were more in the country last night. They flooded in, if the reports are right. A lot of people died, but not as many as would have if you hadn’t been the early warning system. My point is that nobody made it easy for those who attacked us, and everyone knows it was you and the rebels out there fighting for us, not the Council.”

  I tried to smile, but I couldn’t. Everything felt wrong.

  He led me home. Peter was pacing the living room when we got inside. Emmett flung himself at me, and I held him as if I had been away for years. I let out a relieved breath, feeling as though I was really home.

  “Dita and I watched you on the news,” he said excitedly. “We saw you. It was—”

  “Emmett, go get some rest,” Peter said. “Carl, give us a minute, okay?”

  Carl stared at Peter, his eyes narrowing, but he nodded and left us alone. Emmett reluctantly did the same.

  Peter paced for another while, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans, his forehead furrowed in thought. “I can’t… this isn’t what we signed up for. Emmett could have been killed.”

  “I know,” I said. “Next time, I won’t take all of you with me.”

  “No, that’s not…” He took a deep breath and finally looked at me. “Someone tried to either kill him or kidnap him. The hiding place we took him to was attacked, so we had to come here. We depended on this place being safe. He was almost killed here, too.”

  My throat closed up, and I sank into a chair, knowing my secret fear was about to catch up with me.

  “He isn’t safe, Ava. Not with you. Not here. There’s a war going on. A war. I’ve just got him back. I can’t risk it.”

  “What are you… what are you saying, Peter? Spit it out.”

  “I’m taking him out of Ireland,” he said calmly, as if he had been practising telling me. “I’m taking him away from you.”

  My mouth opened and closed a couple of times as I gazed at him pleadingly. I shook my head, but a scream shocked both of us.

  Emmett ran from the hallway, where he had obviously waited to listen, and threw himself at Peter, fists swinging. “I won’t let you! I won’t go with you!”

  Peter stood there in shock, letting his son pummel him.

  I wrapped my arms around Emmett and carried him over to the couch. I sat down with him in my lap. “What are you doing?” I whispered. “Emmett, stop it.”

  He clung to me, his arms around my neck. Emmett turned to glare at his father, his eyes a perfect image of hate. “I. Won’t. Leave. Ava.” He clenched his teeth, and he looked different. Older. Scary.

  My heart raced, and I exchanged a worried glance with Peter. “Emmett, calm down,” I said firmly. “That’s not how we act.”

  “He wants to take me away,” he whined, finally sounding like a little boy. “Are you going to let him?”

  “I don’t have a choice.” Tears sprang to my eyes as I fought against the lump in my throat. “He’s your father. I’m not… I’m not anybody.”

  “You could take him,” Emmett said viciously. “You could kill him, easy.”

  I set him on the floor and pinched his shoulders with trembling fingers. “Don’t ever say that again! Never again, Emmett.”

  He gazed at me with innocent eyes.

  “That’s not how we do things here. Your father loves you. He loves you, Emmett. He wants to keep you safe. People keep dying around me. Do you want to die?”

  He shook his head, his ire leaving him. Peter’s face was white as chalk, and he went into the kitchen. I didn’t blame him. I wanted to leave, too.

  “Unless somebody is trying to kill you, you can never raise a hand to another person in any way. Do you understand me?”

  He nodded, chastened.

  “I… the way you’re acting… he’s right, Emmett. You need to get away from this. I don’t want you to leave, either of you, but I can’t protect you. Not like this.”

  “I’ll be good,” he said in a panicked voice, clinging to my arm. His eyes filled with tears, and my heart ached at the sight. “I’ll be so good, Ava. I promise I’ll never do it again. I promise.”

  I hugged him, wondering if it would be the last time, wondering when Peter planned to leave. But more than that, I wondered what else was going through Emmett’s hea
d. His reaction had been unexpected.

  “Get some sleep now, okay?” I said gently. He nodded, giving me one of his rare smiles, and I watched him go up the stairs before I joined Peter in the kitchen.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  “Do you see?” He whirled around to face me. “Do you see what you’re doing to him?”

  “Me? What the fuck am I doing? I’m the one who calmed the kid down. You’re the one who’s taking him away from the first place he’s ever felt safe!” I covered my hands with my eyes. “I need to sleep. I can’t… I just need to sleep.”

  I heard him leave after I went up to bed. I had expected it, but my stomach still churned when the front door slammed. Carl returned a few minutes later, and he hesitated at the bottom of the stairs. Hoping he would leave me alone, I clung to the sheet until I heard him move back into the living room.

  I didn’t want to talk to anyone.

  Chapter Fourteen

  I awoke to agitated voices coming from downstairs. I brushed my teeth and washed my face before going down, hoping to free my head of the fuzziness. It didn’t work. I needed more sleep.

  And chocolate. I definitely needed chocolate.

  And possibly a Peter-shaped punching bag.

  “What now?” I asked when I shuffled into the kitchen and turned on the kettle for some coffee.

  Gabe, Esther, Val, Carl, and the twins sat squished around the table, all of them glowering at each other.

  “Gabe here wants to throw you to the Council,” Esther spat.

  “Oh, is that all?” I muttered. “Where’s Emmett?”

  “He and Dita are colouring in the living room,” Carl replied.

  “Anka okay?”

  “She’ll be fine,” Val said. “She’s busy cooking and organising.”

  “Organising what? Oh.” I realised too late she meant the funeral. Another one. In the midst of a war. Soon we would be doing as we did in Hell: leaving bodies behind. That still haunted me.

  Gabe shook his head. “I am not going to throw her to the Council.”

  “Well, that’s a relief,” I said, and I yawned, wide and unladylike. “Anyone see Peter?”

  “He stormed off,” Carl said. “Anything we should worry about?”