Taken

  He laughed as I pretty much shoved him out the door, but I gripped his arm at the last moment. “Did you hear about Esther?”

  “No, what?”

  “Nobody’s heard from her. From anyone who went to England. I’m scared for her.”

  “Shit,” he murmured. “What do you think is happening?”

  “Maybe they just have no way to contact us, or maybe they’re already on their way back home. I just don’t know.”

  “Try to stay optimistic,” he said.

  “Maybe I should go over there.”

  “Why? We don’t even know if anything is wrong. Wait and see what the Council does about it.”

  I went back inside and listened to Peter attempt to make friends with his son. I almost dozed off until I heard Peter ask, “So how about coming home tonight?”

  “No!” Emmett and I yelled at the same time.

  Peter looked confused. “It’s his home.”

  “Yeah,” I said, “and it’s the first place anyone will look if they want him back.”

  Peter stared at me and, probably seeing the fear in my eyes, nodded. “Okay, but how about I hang out here then? Just in case.”

  “It’s up to him,” I said, still annoyed at Peter.

  But Emmett had a new look in his eyes, something he didn’t hold for anyone but Peter. Maybe he wanted to know where he came from. The importance of family reared its ugly head again, but I ignored it because I didn’t want Emmett to go.

  “He’s safe here,” I added. “Mrs. Yaga keeps us safe here.”

  That night, I put Emmett to sleep in my bed, and after I got Peter up to speed with what had been happening with Emmett and Esther, I told him he could have the single bed in the spare room.

  “What about you?” he asked.

  “He has nightmares,” I said. “He needs someone with him.”

  “Well, I’ll stay with him then. He’s my son.”

  I made a scoffing sound.

  “Ava, stop,” he protested, blocking my way as I tried to get away from him. “You don’t understand.”

  “What do I not understand? You wanted this child so badly that you risked your life to find who took him, then he’s dropped into your lap like a gift, and you run away. What am I supposed to think of you?”

  “You don’t get it.” His shoulders slumped, and I stopped trying to escape. “You don’t understand what it’s like. I gave up on him, Ava. I gave up. I thought he was dead. I was looking for vengeance, not a rescue. I have a baby. In my head, my son is a baby, not a nine-year-old boy. It’s his tenth birthday soon. Tenth. But I still see the baby I lost. I can’t make any fucking sense of it.”

  “Deal with it,” I hissed. “You don’t have time to lose your damn head over it.”

  “It’s not just that. It’s the guilt. I’m supposed to hate what took him, and then I’m hanging around with you, getting all—”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean? Since when did I become what took him? I didn’t do anything to deserve—”

  “That’s not what I’m saying! It’s just you’ve distracted me, and I’ve gone off the path. And you’re one of them, Ava. Whether you like it or not, you’re not like me.”

  “You don’t seem to care when you’re—”

  “Just stop it. I should have known you wouldn’t understand.”

  “Oh, fuck off, Peter.” I stormed into the spare room and huddled on the bed under the blanket. How dare he compare me to those things? How dare he say I distracted him from finding his son? Guilt, indeed. Where was the guilt from denying his child and leaving him with me?

  I fumed in the darkness for hours, my temper becoming an almost physical thing. My body was so tight and tense that I grew sure moving would break a limb, make it snap in half the way I wanted to break Peter’s limbs for the things he had said. I was done with him.

  But he crawled into the bed later on, wrapping himself around me, his hand resting on my stomach. “I’m sorry. It came out all wrong.”

  “No, it didn’t. And it’s stupid anyway. You should be upset that you punched him, that you made him feel rejected. Instead, you had to focus all on your stupid self.”

  “Stop,” he said, his breath warming the back of my neck. “I’ll take him somewhere safe and get him out of your hair tomorrow.”

  I stood abruptly, shaking off his caresses. “He can’t be alone while he sleeps,” I said as I left the room. I thought he would see how upset I was and leave me alone, but he didn’t. He followed me into the bedroom. I sat by the bed, and Peter knelt at my feet as I watched Emmett breathe.

  “He’s not yours,” he said softly, his palms on my thighs.

  “Thanks for the reminder.”

  “No, I didn’t mean… I’m sorry, okay? For everything. The way I’ve been, the way I’ve been handling it all. At first, I thought you were angry because you were stuck with him.”

  “Well, then you’re an idiot. If you had stuck around, you would have seen how great he is. I don’t want him to go because I don’t think you know how to look after a kid.”

  “And you do?” There was laughter in his voice.

  “Just shut up. You’ll wake him.”

  He laid his hand on my stomach. “You think you want to have your own some day?”

  I shoved him away. “I can’t. I wasn’t made that way. I’m not like you, remember?” The lump in my throat made it hard for me to speak, but I refused to cry. Being around Emmett seemed to have opened some kind of weepy dam, and the sooner I got back to my old self, the better.

  “Ava, I’m so sorry.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I would hardly bring a kid into this even if I had a choice.”

  He put one arm under my knees, and the other behind my back, lifting me.

  “What are you doing, you lunatic?”

  He laughed softly. “Getting comfortable.”

  He sat on the chair, with me on his lap, and wrapped the blanket around us. I leaned against him because I desperately needed the comfort. I needed lots of things, but comfort was what he was offering.

  He kissed the top of my head, and we dozed off together. Me, Peter, and Emmett. All together.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The next morning, I forgot my worries for two whole hours. The three of us had breakfast together, both Brannigans flashed genuine smiles, and everything felt easy. I was comfortable and happy, and I knew it couldn’t last. I was simply ignoring what was really going on.

  I had woken to another branding, a ring around each elbow, and I knew I had to hurry, but I wanted to savour that feeling I had when the Brannigans and I had breakfast together. Family was something I craved, and I had gotten a taste of it for myself.

  But Esther was AWOL, and according to the branding, she wasn’t busy freeing the twins from slavery. Shit was about to hit the fan, and I was busy playing happy family.

  Peter was a different person around Emmett, and I was reluctant to bring him back to the real world. He even climbed the wall to lift Dita over to play, and I saw a different side to him, a way for him to heal, a way for him to be the man he was always supposed to be. And if there was hope for him, there was hope for me, too. Maybe someday, we could all find a normal life.

  Anka stood on a box to look over the wall at Peter and the kids playing together.

  “That’s his father?” she asked me.

  “Yeah. They’re getting acquainted again.”

  She nodded. “That’s good. He needs a real parent.”

  My face fell, and she apologised profusely. “It sounded… I meant… I mean, I’ve told you how I feel about children having their fathers around. You see the happiness on the boy’s face right now? It’s like that with Dita when her dad spends time with her. Her little face lights up. It’s beautiful to see, and I just can’t bring myself to take it away from her.”

  “I did okay without my parents.”

  “Did you? I thought you had a story, too.”

  I made a face. “I’m okay n
ow, though.”

  “Didn’t you ever wish for them? Don’t you want to know your heritage?”

  “I’ve learned enough of my heritage to last me a lifetime.” I pressed my palm against the wall, digging my fingertips into the grooves. “There wasn’t a point wishing for them. They couldn’t come.”

  “Maybe you should find out more. For closure. Dita told me she doesn’t want to see her father anymore, not until he gives up drinking. I told her he’s sick, that giving it up isn’t an option for him right now, and she said she’s willing to wait. But she wanted to know everything about him. And about me. She keeps asking questions about where we came from, and I’m not sure what to tell her. She’s such a bright little girl. She would know if I lie, but sometimes the truth is dangerous.”

  “So tell her. She has a right to hear the truth. Trust me. It’s easier in the long run.”

  She nodded, looking thoughtful. “Maybe I will. She’s been asking me about Emmett, too, but I’ve warned her word about him can’t reach anyone else’s ears. Don’t worry.”

  I stared at her, realising she meant it. “Word’s already out. But thanks.”

  “Life will work out the way it’s supposed to,” she said, and that kept me thinking.

  As I made lunch a while later, Emmett snuck up beside me and touched my arm. I flinched, moaning at the sudden pain.

  “Are you hurt?” he asked, his face creasing into a worried expression.

  “It’s nothing,” I said, but he tried to roll up my sleeve anyway.

  “What happened to you?”

  He sounded horrified, so I tried to play it down. “I owe someone a favour. This is just a reminder.”

  “I’m sorry.” His eyes filled with sudden tears.

  “What’s wrong with you?” I asked, almost amused.

  “I came to tell you about Maeve. She found your friend. She’s hurt. Trapped. She’s trying to find out more.”

  My stomach turned violently. “Emmett, as soon as you learn anything, tell me straight away. I need to tell people. To help her.”

  “I will, but it’s hard for her. He always calls her back.”

  “Maybe I can help with that,” I murmured. Eddie obviously needed to concentrate to use his power. It was a conscious, purposeful act. If I could persuade Carl to distract him, maybe it would give Maeve enough time to find Esther, if that was even possible.

  I called Carl and quickly explained the situation.

  “You sure about this?” he asked.

  “Not completely, but it’s worth a good effort. Please, Carl. For Esther.”

  “I wasn’t going to say no,” he said impatiently. “Tell the… person to hurry. He’s not stupid.”

  I could only wait and see what happened next. I couldn’t see Maeve or Esther, couldn’t control their fates. While I waited, I tried to explain to Peter that his son had certain gifts, but he didn’t seem to understand.

  “How? How can that be possible?”

  “Maybe it’s something in his bloodline,” I ventured. “Don’t take this wrong, but Daimhín once told me that Yvonne’s blood didn’t appeal to her. And yours doesn’t exactly get my juices going either. She also said that humans used to be bred for taste, or something like that. Maybe others had some kind of a protection in their blood.”

  “How so?”

  My voice rose in excitement. “What if there’s something that makes humans less, um, tasty? As in, something special. Or at least, the possibility of something special. And the ones who don’t have it are more appealing.”

  “What do you mean, something special?”

  “You remember the story Shay’s nan told us about the gods and special water and protection? I asked Eddie about it. He didn’t seem surprised. Maybe Emmett’s bloodline is special, too. Maybe it’s some ancient form of protection. Maybe because it’s on both sides, it’s stronger in Emmett.”

  Peter looked absolutely disgusted. “I’m really uncomfortable with this conversation.” He turned to gaze at me after a couple of seconds. “So, what? You don’t like my blood?”

  “All of what I said, and this is what you take from it? It’s good, I swear, but I’ve never been crazy thirsty for it or anything. Not like with Carl.”

  He glared at me, and I knew I had handled it badly. “Look. Can we get back to what’s important? For whatever reason, your son has abilities that most people don’t. And somehow, whoever took him knew that was a possibility. They took him just in case he did something good. Which he does, by the way, they just didn’t realise it. Or he hid it. I think someone down there helped him hide it.”

  “Down there?”

  “Hell. Well, assuming it’s hell. It makes sense to me now. Maybe the brethni were telling the truth.”

  “Brethni?” He sounded completely confused, and I felt a pang of guilt at keeping him out of the loop so much.

  “Moses told me those things in the warehouse are called brethni. I’m not sure what that means, but he seemed to think they were good people.”

  “The drug dealer thinks they’re good people?” He rubbed the back of his neck. “This is getting twisted, Ava. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to think.”

  “Just listen then. Remember I told you that I thought Eddie was using power from trapped souls? Turns out, I was pretty much right. Maeve has been following me around since the first time I met Eddie, but in a good way. She’s warned me of danger lots of times. I think she kind of likes me. Anyway, Emmett can see her and talk to her, and he said she’s able to find out what’s happened to Esther, but Eddie keeps pulling her away. So Carl is currently distracting him.”

  “Eddie won’t like that.”

  “So he sacks Carl. Win-win.”

  He grinned. “You have an evil streak running through you, Delaney.”

  “Let’s hope you’re wrong. I’m still not to the point. There’s something else Emmett can do. I can’t tell if it’s the same as what Eddie’s doing, but he can kind of make the things he sees obey him somehow. He seems to realise it isn’t something he should take advantage of, but it’s also the sort of thing that would make him attractive to the kind of people who buy children at the slave market.”

  He nodded, finally letting it all sink in properly. “So we need to protect him.”

  “For as long as it takes. And that might mean no revenge for you.”

  His gaze caught mine. “That’s not an option.”

  “Keeping Emmett safe is the only option.”

  He exhaled harshly, stretching forward as though he had been running. “Shay’s been asking questions.”

  I flinched at the sudden shift in subject. “So?”

  “So he’s the one who convinced me to come and see Emmett. But how did he know Emmett was here?”

  “Emmett answered the door, thinking it was pizza. He knows not to do it again.”

  “No, I mean, why was Shay here at all?”

  I shrugged. “He’s kind of nosy. He wants to know what’s really going on. I’m starting to think we should tell him. He has eyes and ears in places we can’t go, and he might be able to find out who owns the Gardaí.”

  “You think someone owns them?”

  “Definitely. Things I’ve heard make me feel that the Gardaí are connected with the Council.”

  “How so?”

  I rubbed my cheeks. Where to start? “Well, for one, there are drug dealers working for other beings. That dealer, Moses, told me that Illeana was checking up on him, that he gets left alone as long as he stays in line. He made it sound like she was doing it on behalf of whoever he works for.”

  “Can’t you get him to talk?”

  I shook my head. “He’s too scared of them. I mean, he probably doesn’t even know who’s on top of the chain, and Illeana could have been lying to him. Plus, people like him are kind of in a cushy position right now, and they get away with murder with the police. Why? Because the police are already owned. Shay was moved to a different station to get him away from your case, Pete
r. I’m pretty certain about this.”

  He stared at me for a few minutes. “Everything’s connected,” he whispered.

  “True enough. We just need to find the root of it all. Kill the root, and all of the branches will die.”

  “I’m up for that.”

  I didn’t tell him all of my suspicions, about how much of our lives I suspected had been interfered with. He wasn’t ready for that, and I wasn’t ready to deal with his rage when he did find out. I would keep that secret for as long as I could.

  Maeve didn’t take long. I didn’t know how she got around in the spirit world, but apparently, they had shortcuts. I had considered using the other planes of existence to try and move further around myself, but I wasn’t keen on getting stuck again. In fact, I had grown afraid of pushing too far.

  Emmett’s expression was solemn as he relayed Maeve’s message. “She said the girl is hidden with two others, but they’re surrounded by people trying to hurt them. The people can’t break the barrier, but she said they will find a way eventually.”

  “Who are the others? Other Guardians?”

  “A brother and sister. They’re not Irish, she said.”

  “Holy sh… sugar. Lorcan and Lucia? They must be hiding in their place. Wait. They’re surrounded? Why? What’s happening?”

  He blinked fast. “War.”

  Peter tried to stop me from leaving. “I’ll get Carl to come over. I’ll come with you.”

  “No. Keep Emmett safe. You said it before. They know my weakness. Everyone does. He’s at risk because someone’s trying to shut you up. I’m going to get Carl to bring Nancy here. You all have to stay here. Do you understand? I can’t go out there worrying about you lot as well.”

  “Nancy?”

  “I’m not going to let my grandmother die because of me. No matter what our issues are, she’s still family, and I won’t let them take her. Something terrible is coming, Peter. This is the only place you’ll all be safe. Mrs. Yaga made sure of that. I can’t concentrate on what I have to do unless I know you are all here.”

  “We’ll stay here,” he said reluctantly.

  I hugged Emmett before leaving, hoping I was right and that he was safe. I made phone calls on the way, tried to cover all of the bases, and headed to an emergency meeting I arranged with the Council.