Chapter Seven

The car ride to Eddie’s bookshop was awkward. Carl wouldn’t talk to either of us, Peter was freaking out and scratching at his arm at every opportunity, and I was completely baffled. I secretly checked my own body for marks but found nothing. I should have seen that something was wrong. Both Peter and Carl had been acting strange. I had just conveniently enjoyed Peter’s flavour of strange.

“Could you please stop grunting, Carl?” I asked in frustration. “We’ll ask Eddie to take a look, just in case. Stop being such a baby.”

“I haven’t turned up for work in a while, okay? He isn’t going to want to see me.”

“What have you been up to?” Peter said.

“I met someone.”

I gave Carl a scathing look. “Apparently. Did you really have to go for my neighbour?”

“There’s nothing wrong with Alannah. And it’s my business. You’re not supposed to interfere.” Something was off about Carl’s tone of voice. It didn’t sound like him talking. The more I thought about it, the tighter the fear clung.

I kept a firm hold of his arm as we entered Eddie’s shop. I almost walked back out when I saw Gabe standing there in the middle of a conversation with Eddie. Both men looked serious, and I knew it couldn’t be good news.

“Probably a good thing you’re here,” Gabe said. “Last night’s team came across Becca. It didn’t go well.”

“Anyone I know?” Peter asked.

“It was Esther’s Circle,” Eddie said.

“Esther’s dead?” I cried, guilt overwhelming me.

“No, but she’s badly injured,” Gabe said. “Two of her Circle sacrificed themselves so the others could get Esther away.”

“Can I see her?” I asked.

“I’ll take you with me,” Gabe said. “We need to talk.”

I whispered to Peter. “You can deal with the other thing, right?”

“Of course. You be careful,” he warned, staring at Gabe with suspicion in his eyes.

“My car’s around the corner,” Gabe said once we got outside. He laid his hand on my lower back to guide me.

“You mean we’re not flying, angel?”

“I’m looking forward to the day you mature, Ava Delaney,” he replied.

It felt creepy being alone with him. I couldn’t forget about the time at the trial when he’d stared into my eyes and roamed through my mind and soul, filling me with light. He was beautiful, even though his human appearance was an illusion. Peter was right. I did stare at Gabe pretty often. I couldn’t let myself forget how cruel he was, how uncaring. I hadn’t figured out why an angel was a part of Ireland’s Council, but he didn’t seem to particularly enjoy it.

“She’s at a clinic belonging to the Council,” he said, starting the car. “You probably won’t be able to see her for long, but she should be able to let you know where Becca was last seen.”

“That’s not why I wanted to see her,” I said.

“It should be,” he replied, his voice hard and cold. “Becca needs to be brought in. It’s gone on for too long now.”

“Capturing her is obviously too risky. Killing her won’t be easy, but it’s a better solution.”

He grunted noncommittally.

“Has the investigation in Spain dredged up anything yet?” I asked, wondering if he had a different story from Daimhín.

“It hasn’t even started,” he said. “I don’t think we’ll see justice there, but the vampires know the world is watching now. They should behave for a while, at least. What about you? Any sudden urges to wipe out the entire human race?”

I snorted. “Humans? No. Vampires and angels on the other hand…”

“I had forgotten how delightful you are,” he mocked. “I must admit, I’ve been expecting a visit from you.”

“Why? You’re not exactly fun to be around,” I blurted.

He burst out laughing. “Right you are. I meant I expected you to ask a million and one questions about yourself, your mother, everything you learned at the trial.”

“I figure I’ll hear anything I need to know,” I said, moving as far away from him as possible. “I don’t trust you to give me the right answers.”

He glanced at me, looking solemn. “I will answer your questions.”

I shrugged. I had too many questions. Nobody could answer them all, and I wasn’t convinced I even wanted the answers, not after reading some of the books in Eddie’s shop.

“Have the vampires accepted you yet?” he asked, the change in subject surprising me.

“That’s not something that will ever happen. But Daimhín decided to pay me for the last job I did. She even said she’s glad she hasn’t killed me yet. Big emphasis on yet.”

“That’s acceptance. In a way. I have a couple more jobs lined up for you, after Becca has been dealt with. If Daimhín hassles you about that, set her on me.”

I felt a little confused at the gentle tone of his voice. Maybe he wasn’t as heartless as I thought. Although I might have been mistaking the gratitude I felt at being distracted from what had happened back at Peter’s home. “Um, thanks.”

Gabe pulled onto a quiet street that didn’t look as though it could house anything supernatural. When he turned to me, my stomach did a tense little flip.

“Someday, I’ll need you to pick a side. If I know you’ll be behind me, I’ll treat you well. I’ll make sure you’re looked after. Do you understand me?”

I stared at the blankness in his eyes, wondering what exactly he was hiding. Everyone kept talking about picking sides and paying back favours at some point in the future. What on Earth were they all preparing for?

“I’ll bear that in mind.” I quickly got out of the car. No way was I committing to things I didn’t understand. Again.

Gabe led me into a small building that gave me the impression of a hospital, but a hidden one, like a safe house or something. A receptionist with platinum-blond hair and weird purple-toned skin grinned madly at Gabe and led the way to Esther’s room, despite Gabe telling her three times that he knew where it was.

Two large men guarded the room, but Gabe bade them to move. “She has a few minutes,” he told them.

The room was empty except for Esther, who lay on a bed with ugly green sheets. Her eyes snapped open, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw me.

“I’m so sorry,” I said, hurrying over to the bed.

“It’s my fault.” Her bottom lip quivered a little. “I really messed up. I thought I could do better than you and Peter. I thought we would be chasing her, but she turned around and chased us instead. Illeana’s gone. She was… she was my friend.”

She sounded almost delirious, so fast were her words. The siren, Illeana, had been useful for tracking down information in the past. I felt a twinge of regret that a friendly face was gone forever.

“How are you feeling?” I asked, glad she hadn’t held the night we hunted together against me. “What happened?”

“I’m fine. They’re just taking this too seriously. At the time, though, it freaking hurt. She got her claws into me, bit me. She nearly drained the life out of me. I was in animal form, yet I literally couldn’t move. It was terrifying, to have no control. She spat out my blood, Ava. I mean, it’s not like she did it for food. That I could understand. But she wanted us all dead. I lost my silver when I shifted, so I was a free dinner. I couldn’t talk until a couple of hours ago. They thought I was a goner.”

“Where did she get you?”

She opened the buttons of her pyjamas with shaky fingers and showed me a couple of deep wounds on her chest. “They won’t cover them because they keep applying some sort of cream every fifteen minutes. I think they’re afraid the poison will still take hold.” She laughed weakly. “That’s all I need.”

I self-consciously rubbed my own leg. I hadn’t even thought of Becca’s poison having an effect on me.

As Esther began to tell me where Becca had been the night before, the door burst open, and Aiden stormed in. I straightened at the fierce look in his eyes when he spotted me, slowly moving away from the bed as his eyes seemed to turn catlike.

“You!” He pointed at me, livid with rage. He came right at me and shoved me against the wall. I didn’t object because I knew how worried he was for his sister. Besides, nobody seemed to think of me as someone with actual feelings and pain receptors. Or a girl, for that matter.

“Aiden, stop,” Esther said, but he ignored her.

“If you had just done your job in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened!”

He pushed me again, but a huge wave of nausea drew over me, and I doubled over in an effort not to puke.

“I’m talking to you! This is your fault!” Aiden shouted as Coyle entered the room. Straightening, I avoided Coyle’s eyes and tried to act as if he had no effect on me.

“Maybe so, Aiden, but if you push me again, I’m going to punch you right in the face,” I hissed, more annoyed since the dark, angry energy filled the room, probably thanks to Coyle.

Aiden looked surprised and took a step back. Esther whispered something to him, but I was too busy swallowing down the bile in my throat to listen.

“Why haven’t you taken care of this yet?” Aiden asked, still vibrating with anger.

“If it was that easy, it would be done by now.” I held myself up as tall as possible in front of the gigantic alpha. I wouldn’t have bet on winning a fight, but I wouldn’t cower in front of him, either. Plus, I was pretty certain he hated that in a person.

“Calm down, boss.” Coyle laid his hand on Aiden’s shoulder. I glared at the Guardian for a couple of seconds and immediately regretted it. How could nobody else see the rotting decay behind the man’s smile?

“I’ll see you later, Esther,” I said, gritting my teeth. “I have stuff to do.”

Aiden and Coyle followed me out of the room, and Gabe got in my way so I couldn’t leave.

“You done here?” he asked me, never taking his eyes off the men.

“Yeah, I can make my own way back,” I said, needing to get away from everyone.

“Not feeling sick, are you, darling?” Coyle’s pleased expression sent goosebumps rushing to the surface of my skin.

“How about you keep out of my way?” I tried to calm my heaving stomach.

“So grumpy,” Coyle said, and the laughter was obvious in his voice. My fangs shot out of their own accord, but I didn’t care. Aiden held out his hands, immediately exerting his will. No way was I succumbing. I felt it, though, the otherworldly dominance that made him so powerful amongst his own kind. On any other day, I would have backed down under it. Coyle’s sickening energy weirdly gave me the strength to stand tall.

“Am I missing something here?” Aiden asked, stepping in front of Coyle.

A legitimate growl came from my throat, surprising me more than anyone. I pointed at Coyle, wishing a long sharp spike would shoot out of my finger and stab him in the eye. “Ask him,” I said, and my voice didn’t sound like me. “What’s the use of being a shifter when you have no sense of what’s around you?”

I glared at Gabe before I left because if I knew that Coyle was suspect, he had to know, too. Saying his powers didn’t work on Earth was a cop-out, it had to be.

Outside, I inhaled deeply before setting off in a run. I had a lot to do.