 
# Ava Delaney: Lost Souls

### Volume 1

## Claire Farrell

### Contents

Copyright

Tainted

Introduction

Copyright

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Epilogue

Tethers

Introduction

Copyright

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Epilogue

Tithes

Introduction

Copyright

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Epilogue

About the Author

Reading Order

Books by Claire Farrell:
**Copyright © Claire Farrell**

Book cover image provided by Yocla Designs

* * *

**Licence Notes**

* * *

All Rights Reserved.

 Created with Vellum

# Introduction

By Claire Farrell

Editing by Red Adept Publishing Services

* * *

The backdrop may be grim, but Dublin city has become the centre of change. And as the humans and supernaturals figure out how to live in each other's worlds, the person who forced that change has quietly stepped aside for a peaceful life.

Ava Delaney is still trying to adjust to her own altered existence when a tainted nephal turns up on her doorstep, apparently on the run from the monster who changed Ava's life before she was even born. But she's not supposed to interfere, even for the lost souls she's vowed to help.

But as the first vampire leaves death in his wake, and Ava becomes an easy target to blame, she realises she has to take care of business once again. There are more secrets hidden in the shadows, more voices just waiting to be heard, and obedience has never been Ava's thing.

Only one thing is for certain, for people like Ava Delaney, there's no such thing as a peaceful life.
**Copyright © Claire Farrell**

Book cover image provided by Yocla Designs

* * *

**Licence Notes**

* * *

All Rights Reserved.

 Created with Vellum 

# 1

A heavy knock at my front door interrupted Peter Brannigan's aggressive grovelling session.

My nostrils flared. "I smell blood."

His stance immediately switched into that of a fighter expecting a battle. That was a relief; I was far more comfortable around the non-sentimental version of my ex-boyfriend.

We both reached for weapons on our way to the door. It wasn't likely to be danger on my doorstep, but after the wars, battles, betrayals, and deaths over the last year, we were understandably wary.

I opened the door, half-expecting a hooded assassin or some other equally annoying disturbance. I saw a stranger.

The teenage girl seemed unsteady on her feet. Her top was covered in blood, and a festering burn on her arm and shoulder looked painful. Spring in Ireland generally required a coat, but shock may have been the cause of her trembling. I looked past her and saw an injured man lying beside the front gate, as if those last couple of steps had just been too much.

The girl leaned against the jamb, her eyes widening with surprise and relief. "You," she breathed in an indistinct accent. "Are we safe here? Is it safe?"

"Yeah, it's safe," I said automatically.

She let out a heavy sigh and collapsed. I reached out to catch her, falling to my knees as I tried to support her weight. Holding her, I felt something connect inside of me, some instinct telling me it was right and true and all for me. After floundering for weeks, I had a sense of purpose to my new life.

Peter stared down at us. "What the hell?"

I couldn't tell him that the girl might be my first soul, the very first one in a line of many I had sworn to help for reasons I still didn't fully understand. I had recently, and secretly, pledged one hundred years to a secret organisation with more power than the ruling bodies who appeared to control everything on the planet. The death of the Matriarch, one of the Eleven who kept the balance on our plane of existence, had occurred, at least in part, because of me. I took her place after an old ally upset that balance over love, almost bringing the darkest demons from realms unknown into our world. Some demons had passed through, but so far, the world hadn't ended, so that had to be a bonus. Becoming the new Matriarch had been a kind of punishment for my role in causing tremendous upheaval in a world tied down by ancient laws and deals.

I studied the girl in my arms. She was young, maybe sixteen or seventeen, and she had been led to me. That was my job: finding the lost souls in the world and helping them back on the right track. Nobody had actually explained how to do that or even how I would know what the right track might be. And none of my friends knew the complete truth about my new path in life. They assumed the protection over us had automatically come with my inheritance. I had my reasons for letting them believe that nicer version of the story.

Peter scoped out the perimeter in a way that made him look like a soldier then assessed the unconscious man as if he were debating whether or not he needed to put him out of his misery. "He's in pretty bad shape." Peter had once been what amounted to a hired assassin of supernatural beings, and although he claimed to have changed, some things were too ingrained to ever really go away.

I wasn't worried about trouble following the new arrivals. Inheriting most of the cul-de-sac from the last Matriarch—a soul-sucking, redemption-seeking hag who had also been my sweet old landlady—had its undeniable benefits. Since I had taken over her role, my friends and I were practically untouchable, but the trade-off meant I couldn't interfere if my actions would benefit me. I had basically been put on a higher pedestal and neutered for good measure.

"Go get Anka and Margie," I said. "Maybe Val. We'll take these two inside and see what the deal is. If Lorcan's around, both of you should check outside the cul-de-sac to see if anything's out there."

"You sure?"

I nodded, refusing to look at him. In truth, I was glad of the distraction. I wasn't ready for the conversation he was so keen to have. I was still learning to deal with myself, never mind adding anyone else to the equation. Again.

While Peter was gone, I studied the girl. Something about her was familiar, but when I reached out with my other senses to see her energy, all I saw was a confused mess of colours. She was different from anything I had ever come across. That made two of us.

Val soon jogged from next door, a mace in her hand.

I raised my eyebrows. "The medieval-looking weapon probably isn't necessary."

"It's hard to tell with you." She set down the mace inside my foyer. "Anka's getting supplies ready. She wasn't sure what to bring."

"Help me carry them inside. The girl can go on the sofa. She's in better shape."

We quickly moved her first. The man, blond with glasses, looked pretty badly injured, so we carefully carried him upstairs to Emmett's old room. Peter's son had been a lost soul of a different kind. The kid was living with his dad most of the time lately, and my house felt empty without him.

Val looked at the stranger on the bed. "That's a nasty head wound."

"Looks like a recent wound to the stomach. There's a bandage under the shirt."

She frowned at the bloodstains. "He must have busted his stitches. Any idea who they are?"

"Nope. With our luck, bad news. Let's check on the kid."

Downstairs, we hovered over the teenage girl. She was athletic and leggy, on the edge of growing out of the gangly stage. Her hair was long, blond, and streaked with blood. The ends were choppy, as if it had been haphazardly cut by someone more interested in function than aesthetics.

"She's not much older than Leah," Val said. "But she knew enough to come here."

"Maybe they were trying to track down Mrs. Yaga."

She shrugged. "They look human."

"Looks can be deceiving."

Anka and Margie let themselves in.

"That's a nasty burn." Margie tutted as she peered at the young girl. "It's healing poorly. Hasn't been tended to properly." She tapped her chin. "Or she's been injured more than once."

"The other one is upstairs," I said. "No burns, but he's in a pretty bad state. Maybe take a look at him first."

The girl stirred restlessly, her forehead creasing.

"I'll clean her wound after we look upstairs," Anka said. She and Margie left the room, armed with bags of ointments.

"Did she get a chance to tell you what happened to them or what they want?" Val asked.

I shook my head. "But she doesn't wish us harm, or she wouldn't have gotten in. She asked if they were safe then passed out. Poor kid looks like she's been through the ringer. Maybe Leah will have some insight."

"Perhaps. Will you be okay if I leave to ask her?"

I nodded, barely hearing her. I was sure the girl had recognised me at the door, but I had no idea how she had tracked me down.

Peter returned alone, his jaw clenched. "Signs of a disturbance outside. An abandoned car that was in a crash. Either one of them is a shit driver, or they were run down by somebody else. Think they're trustworthy?"

I nodded. "They wouldn't have made it this far if they meant us harm. Besides, she's a kid."

He looked at me as if I were crazy. "Yeah, because in this world, people are innocent until they're thirty, and then they choose the good or bad card. Come off it, Ava. You can't trust anyone."

I gave him a meaningful look.

"Except me! You can always trust me." He cleared his throat. "From now on." He took my hands. "Ava, we need to fix this. Emmett loves you. We both miss living with you."

"You made your choices, Peter." And he didn't say _he_ loved me.

"Deep down, you understand the choices I made. I know you do."

"Seeing through you doesn't make it any better."

His shoulders sagged. "Somebody once told me I'd regret having such a cold heart, and she was right. I do regret it. You and Carl and Emmett and even the rest of the weird Scooby gang... you've all made a difference. I can't say I let you in, Ava. You kind of kicked down the doors. But I'm glad we met because you opened my mind to so much. Even before you brought my son home, you had changed my life for the better. I just wish... I hope you can see what you'll be missing out on."

I sat next to the girl, a cold sweat running down my spine. I was a coward, a massive coward. I couldn't even look at the man who had once shared my bed every night, a man who had given me a family by sharing his son. But I couldn't forget he was the same man who couldn't bring himself to trust me because I wasn't human. He had sharpened knives in my kitchen at night when he couldn't sleep, and he was a man who couldn't love his son the way a father should. Peter was trouble, and if I let my guard down, I would regret it.

The girl stirred again, and her eyes fluttered open. They were green and clear, scared and vulnerable. She sat up in a hurry then flinched.

"It's okay," I said. "You're safe as long as you don't mean us harm. This place is neutral. Kind of."

She nodded, but when she caught sight of Peter, she shrank back into the sofa.

"He won't hurt you," I said softly. "Nobody will hurt you here."

Her gaze focused on me again. "A man gave me your address," she whispered. "I had nowhere else to go."

"Were you being chased? Is that what happened?"

She nodded. "They're looking for me. Probably looking for you, too."

"Who?" I asked.

"The first," she whispered as if in awe. "Seth and whoever works for him."

"Seth? Who...? Wait a minute, the first vampire?" As in, the monster who had bitten my mother to taint me in the womb. My heart raced, and I bit back the urge to count out loud.

The girl nodded enthusiastically. "You were on the television, showing your true face, and I knew you. I knew it had to be you. But then I got stuck in the games. We had to fight, but the vampires knew I was different, and _he_ was probably there. He wants us back, my dad says."

I tried to follow the rapid outpouring. "Your dad is the man with you?"

She gripped the arm of the chair as if she had been shocked. "Yes! Where is he?"

"Upstairs. He's in bad shape, but my friends are taking care of him. They're into, um, natural remedies. What's your name?"

"Jessica. And you're Ava."

"So you do know me." My heart raced. "And you know about Seth. How?"

"You don't know?" She blinked, looking confused. "Because we're the same. I'm a tainted nephal. Just like you. My dad is a seraph, sent here to create nephilim children with a human wife. But Seth tracked him down. He attacked my mother while she was pregnant with me and tainted my blood in the womb. My mother died. Dad and I escaped, and we've been running ever since."

I met Peter's eyes. He shook his head, frowning.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Of course I'm sure. I want to see my dad."

"As soon as my friends are finished with him," I said. "They'll need to take a look at your arm, too."

She glanced at her arm absent-mindedly. "Oh, that's nothing. It was... never mind."

"So you think Seth is after you," I said. "Where did you come from? I mean, how did you come to be here?"

She huddled into the corner of the sofa. "We've always run, moved from place to place as often as possible. But... things changed, and we got stuck in England."

"Ah," I said. "You mean when the vampires decided to overthrow the Committee."

A flicker of anger crossed her face. "The vampires took over slowly. Nobody knew what was going on. We found some safe places, some not so safe places, and escaped to Ireland on a fishing boat. But the Guardians found us and kept us in a hostel."

"As in, gave you a place to stay or forced you to stick around?" Peter asked.

"We had no choice in the matter. They were waiting for us when we jumped off the boat. At the hostel, a fire started, so we took the chance to escape."

"Is that when you came here?" I asked.

"No. We found a safe house. People led us to safety. They knew by looking at us that we were running. A lot of people were running." She shook her head. "But even then we weren't safe. Vampires and other people kept coming at us, and Dad got hurt. Then I realised I was being followed wherever I went. So we were given a car and told to leave. We didn't make it far before they started following us again. I had gotten your address at that press conference where they announced the emergency numbers, and I didn't have anywhere else to go, so... sorry."

"There's no need to be sorry," I said. "How long were you driving?"

"Oh, less than an hour," she said. "We were staying in the city centre. We've been fighting back a lot. The streets are crazy."

"This whole story is crazy," Peter said. "Guardians, fires, safe houses? What the hell is going on out there?"

We'd heard reports of mayhem on the streets, but nothing quite like Jessica's story. Still, we had been concentrating on the bigger picture. Maybe we hadn't cleaned up as thoroughly as we imagined.

I glanced at Peter. He was on edge. I needed to get him away from Jessica as soon as possible. I sensed her reacting to his shifting emotions. I thought maybe if she calmed down, her story would make more sense.

"Change is going on. It takes time for everything to settle down and find a level point again. We'll have to find these safe houses and make sure everyone is okay." I caught sight of Jessica's terrified glance and smiled at her. "Not right now. When we've sorted you out."

"As soon as my dad is feeling up to it, we'll be leaving." Her cheeks flooded with colour. "We don't impose, and we can't stay anywhere for too long. I just didn't know where else was safe, and Dad was hurt. Plus I wanted to warn you. That video of you telling people to fight back was the only thing we saw for a while, so your face is pretty well known. You should be careful."

I shrugged. Being careful hadn't gotten me anywhere. "Peter, maybe you should get back to Emmett."

He hesitated, but when I gave him a meaningful look, he nodded. "I'll leave you to deal with... whatever the hell this is."

"Good," I said. "Explain it to him, okay?"

He agreed and left with a grim expression.

"That your boyfriend?" Jessica asked a little shyly.

"No," I said emphatically. "We just share a kid. Well, not my kid. His kid. But I... never mind."

Anka and Margie came downstairs, whispering to each other. Jessica pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs.

"How is he?" I asked, noting how freaked out Jessica looked.

"He'll be fine. He needs a lot of rest and recuperation. He's practically malnourished," Margie said, pursing her lips. "What are you going to do with him?"

"Let him sleep, I suppose. Can you take a look at Jessica's burn?"

Jessica's eyes glinted red in the sudden sunlight that streamed through the window. The sun had disappeared for a long time when Eddie Brogan had messed with demons and ancient powers, but the constant darkness had recently faded. People had celebrated, and it had been kind of like the birthing of a brand new world, too. I had helped reveal the supernatural world, overthrow a corrupt supernatural government, and even end a vampire war, but while some people wanted to pat me on the back for a job well done, others saw me as the instigator of a lot of trouble and danger.

"They're trustworthy," I added when the feral look in Jessica's eyes didn't fade. "I can stay with you if you want."

"I'll keep an eye on the man," Anka said, "to make sure he doesn't have a bad reaction to any of the herbs. Margie can deal with the girl." She headed out of the room again.

The air thickened, and I cleared my throat, feeling uncomfortable. Jessica's gaze was a tad too intense, her story too familiar—yet outrageous at the same time. I hadn't known what to expect at my door, but a teenage tainted nephal claiming to be hunted by a vampire who was more myth than man certainly wasn't it.

Margie cleaned up the burn and wrapped Jessica's arm. The girl didn't flinch or cry. I couldn't stop staring at her. She was me nine years earlier, except less... unsavoury. She had a steadiness—or maybe it was a coolness—about her that I had never possessed, but something else simmered under the surface.

I wished Gabe were around to tell me what to do with her. My heart hitched a little. I missed that stupid angel with his stupid smart mouth and his stupid chip on his shoulder. He had been the closest I had to a supernatural relative, but I was faced with someone who might be more like me than anyone else on the planet. I couldn't wait to learn more.

# 2

As soon as Jessica began to look a little less like a wild animal trapped in a cage, I left her with Margie so I could take a look at the damage outside the cul-de-sac. Shay pulled up in a squad car as I approached the exit. He had gotten out and was studying the wrecked car when I caught up to him. He looked tired, and his sallow skin was pale from lack of sun. But then he looked at me and smiled, and his dark brown eyes brightened, lifting years off him.

"I take it this isn't a coincidence," I said.

"Got a weird call on the emergency lines. Your name was mentioned. Everything okay?"

I wasn't sure how to answer that question. "I have some visitors, and I'm trying to figure out how much of the mess was them and how much was whoever was chasing them."

"I'm gonna need to talk to those visitors."

"The man's unconscious, and the girl is just a kid. But there's probably something you should know, now that you're part of the new... initiative."

He gave a little scowl. "What is it?"

I shoved my hands into my pockets. "The man is an angel."

He looked confused. "Like Gabe?"

I pressed my lips together to keep from snapping at him. Hearing Gabe's name brought out a lot of anger. When his confusion turned to concern, I forced myself to answer. "No, not like... him. This man is a seraph. Like my mother. So that makes the girl... me."

He gave me a blank look.

"You know, _tainted,_ like me."

"And that's significant because?"

I stared at him, wondering if he was being purposefully stupid. "Uh, the first time I was brought to the Council's attention, they planned on putting me down like a dog. You should probably talk to Phoenix about this. He'll explain. Anyway, Jessica's under my care as long as she's here, so there will be no putting down or caging the new tainted nephal, okay?"

He took a step back, looking a little horrified. "Are you serious right now, Ava? You actually think I would be a part of—"

"No, but you're in bed with people who have been. Look, I know you're a good man. You're human, and you think you can do some good with this initiative and the new Senate and all of that, but do you really think you can restore a new Council and not have a lot of things revert?"

"For one, the Senate isn't the Council. Yes, the initiative's plan is to create a brand new coalition government, but the Senate itself is made up of people voted for by humans and supernaturals alike."

"People vote for the names they recognise," I scoffed. "There hasn't been time for anyone to discover if their representative has a clue or not."

He held up his hands. " _For now_ , the Senate deals with immediate issues while the new sectors work through adjusting old legislation. To create a new government, we need a complete overhaul. That means changing laws to work fairly on both sides of the fence. The people deserve to get to know the new representation before anyone is officially sworn in, and they'll get their chance once we can put something permanent in place. It's a process, and it will take time. We will make mistakes, but that doesn't include sacrificing teenage girls."

I resisted the urge to sigh. "The old rules will apply for a very long time. People will always look at me like I'm a monster. It'll take generations of integration before change will even begin to truly happen. And that's fine. That's how it works, and we all have to deal with that. I'm just warning you and anyone else who matters that I'm not going to let any of that shit happen to this kid. If she's like me, we'll figure out what she can do, but she's not going to stay in the children's home. Are we clear?"

His face softened into a lazy smile. I stepped back a bit to avoid being sucked into his charm. I had assumed I was immune until I saw him work a room of unhappy humans until they were practically bowing at his feet. I wasn't so sure that Shay didn't have some subtle kind of Prince Charming power nobody knew about. Anka had assured me that wasn't a thing, and deep down, I knew it was just his way of giving everyone who spoke to him his full attention, making them feel important, but I wasn't taking any chances.

"That's very clear, Ava. So can I ask her what happened? A team of integration agents was being sent in, but I came instead. I knew you wouldn't want a pack of noob agents invading."

"Well, thanks," I said shyly, fully aware of the way my cheeks burned. Not that I wanted anything from Shay. But I wasn't blind. Or deaf. Or stupid. Maybe a little stupid. "We'll see if she's up to talking."

"I appreciate that." He gestured for me to take the lead.

"How are those new agents doing?" I asked as we strolled toward my home. "The Guardian stigma washing away yet?"

"They're in pairs now, a human matched with a supernatural because we thought that would do most for public relations. Honestly, they haven't been out in the field often enough in this capacity to judge, yet. I'm hopeful, though. Some of the teams have really bonded."

Back at my front gate, Leah and Dita were waiting.

"What's going on?" Dita asked. She had recently turned ten, but she was taking a stretch, beating out Emmett, who was almost the same age.

Shay chucked her on the chin. "Never you mind."

"Later," I promised and started to continue walking. But when I caught sight of Leah's expression, I hesitated. "Anything you need to tell me?"

Leah bit her knuckle anxiously. "You know what she is, right?"

"She said she's like me."

"She's angry," Leah said. "I mean, I think that's her thing. She has a different side to her. The rage is... powerful. Be careful."

"I'm always careful," I said lightly. "Head back inside. Shay needs to talk to our new visitors for a bit."

Leah led Dita back into the house they shared with Dita's mother, Anka, and Leah's guardian, Val. I was pretty sure Dita would have her face plastered to the front window for most of the day to be sure she didn't miss anything.

"Ava!"

I turned around. Phoenix strode down the path toward us. The royal fae's black and platinum hair hung over his shoulder in a loose plait, and his long leather coat flapped around his ankles. He was probably the only person on the planet who could have pulled off that look.

I glanced at Shay. "I thought it was just you coming."

He shrugged, looking a little irritated. "He probably got the same call I did. We have a new database set up with known names and addresses so we can deal with the emergency calls more efficiently. You were one of my red flags." He rubbed the back of my neck. "Just looking out for you all."

"Oh," I said, surprised. "Thanks."

Phoenix reached us and nodded at Shay. "I see you heard."

"Yeah, and I came to talk to the people who made the call." Shay's jaw clenched. "Joining us?"

There was a little tension between them, but as long as it stayed beneath the surface, I didn't care.

Phoenix bowed his head and looked at me. "If I may." He could be so freaking formal sometimes.

"Just let me do the talking," I said. "There's a scared teenage girl in there. I don't want either of you fucking this up."

"Aren't you going to tell him?" Shay asked.

Phoenix's green eyes flashed my way. "Tell me what?"

Inwardly, I groaned. "We share a similar heritage. She's with me now. Nobody gets to keep her or judge her or put her in a supernatural children's home. I don't care what your new rules say. You can take her over my dead body."

Phoenix's lips twitched. I hated when he laughed at me.

"Duly noted," he said steadily. "Anything else?"

"Um..." I took a deep breath. "She kind of thinks that Seth is here, or that he's coming here."

"Seth?" Phoenix asked.

"As in the very first vampire. The one who... created people like me."

"Then let's get this over and done with," he said briskly. "There's a lot to do."

The pair headed into my house. I stared at the walls of my sunny, red-bricked cottage, the place that used to be my own personal sanctuary, and sighed before following them. It was going to be an eventful day all round.

Inside, Jessica was practically climbing over the back of the sofa to get away from Phoenix. "Ava, run! He wants to kill you."

I raised an eyebrow at Phoenix, who lifted his shoulders into a shrug. "Any context for that warning?" I asked.

Jessica gestured at Phoenix. "I saw him. With the werewolves." Her cheeks pinkened as she squeezed the fabric of the sofa.

I caught myself praying it wouldn't rip and wondered when exactly I had turned into an old lady. "The werewolves helped us. They aren't your enemies, trust me."

Jessica slowly slipped back into her seat, evidently relaxing. "I was taken to the games. We were forced to fight each other, fight against vampires and monsters and"—she pointed at Phoenix—" _he_ was there. I saw him. His people fought against the vampires, and we were able to get out of there." She stared at me. "I had begged my dad to bring me to you. I knew you would understand." When she glanced at Phoenix again, her eyes took on a red tinge. "But _his_ people warned me against you, Ava. They said you were on the wrong side but that you would die soon. I can't... you can't trust him!" Her tone verged on hysterical, and her hands were clenched into fists.

I felt Phoenix stiffen next to me and knew I had to take control of the situation. "Anka, out of here quickly," I said in a quiet voice.

Anka edged away from Jessica and fled upstairs, but I doubted the girl even saw her anymore.

"You can't trust _any_ of them!" Jessica screamed and bolted for the door.

I stepped in her way and grabbed her arms. "I trust him. So can you."

She struggled, her eyes wild. "No. _No_! He wants to kill you. His people told me so."

"Yeah, about that." I eased her into an armchair. "That was his mother. She hurt a lot of people. Phoenix was a victim, too. But he took our side because his kids are with us."

"Not just that," he murmured.

I shot him a dirty look. "Let's all sit down and discuss this calmly, okay?"

Shay, Phoenix, and I sat on the sofa as Jessica took heavy breaths.

After a moment, she calmed enough to ask, "So where's his mother? Is she trying to kill you? Is it safe here?"

"It's safe here," I said. "And his mother... well..."

"I killed her," Phoenix said. "My children and I destroyed her evil. You have nothing to fear. We're on the same page, Ava and I. I'm very sorry you were caught up in the games. It was violent and horrific and should never have happened. It was caused in part by some of my kind, including my mother. I'm righting those wrongs as best I can."

The red tinge vanished from her eyes. "A werewolf licked my hand."

I looked at Phoenix, who smiled. "Icarus," we said together.

Jessica held up her hands. "Look, what's going on here? Why are _they_ here?" She tilted her head at Shay. "You were at that press conference, too, right?"

"Yes." He leaned forward, his expression soft. "It would help if you told us exactly what happened. Your emergency call got the right people involved, but whoever was chasing you was gone by the time we arrived."

She looked to me for reassurance. I nodded, hoping to encourage her so I could find out exactly what was going on.

"Okay," she said, suddenly appearing much younger. "Okay. Since we arrived in Ireland, we've been fighting and hiding and running and..." She shook her head with a little laugh. "It was about the same in Britain. We were going around in circles, trying to find a way out. The vampires had been invading the ports and airports for weeks, maybe months. Dad and I were stuck. Then weird rumours started spreading, and communication shut down. We were in Derby when the old air-raid sirens went off, and police and army began setting up barricades to stop people from leaving. That's when we finally realised how serious it was. A lot happened, including the games, but we finally found a way out. We made it to Scotland and took a fishing boat out of there."

"What happened when you got here?" Shay asked.

"Dad called them Guardians, the people who took us. We were brought to Dublin on buses. Lots of us. We had no choice, or they were going to send us out to drown. We ended up in a hostel. We all wore the same white clothes, and we didn't do anything but eat and sleep and stare into space. So we made a plan to escape—Dad and I... and a friend. There was a fire, and everyone escaped, but a witch was already there. She saw me and tried to take me, saying she knew somebody who wanted to meet me. At the time, I figured it was Seth."

She touched her arm near the burn. "My friend put fire between the woman and me, giving Dad and me a chance to run. The fire wouldn't stop, but we got away because people helped us. Strangers, some of them human, and they helped us for nothing."

Phoenix had flinched when she talked about the fire. _Holy crap. What did he know?_ And then something else occurred to me. I had known someone with a healing burn on her arm.

I scratched my ear, feeling uncomfortable. "I don't suppose this witch was a bit cleavage flashy? Had red streaks in her hair?"

"Yes," Jessica said. "Do you know her?"

"Yeah." I made a face. "She's dead now. So is the man who wanted to meet you."

Her face fell. "I was kind of hoping it was somebody who could help me."

"Not without a trade," I responded. Eddie Brogan had been one of the first people to help me. I hadn't enjoyed watching him die, but Jessica was damn lucky that he hadn't found her.

"A trade you wouldn't have wanted to make," Shay added. "What those two did was make the sky dark for a while."

Jessica's eyes widened. "She took my friend. Do you think he's... dead, too?"

I glanced at Phoenix. He gave no hints, but I was suspicious. "If he's around, we'll find him," I said firmly. "What happened when you escaped? That was a while back, if Marina was still alive."

She stared at her hands. "Like I said, people helped us. There are safe houses everywhere, people... humans willing to help. People warned Dad not to sign the register, that _they_ take the children."

"Register?" I asked. "What register?"

Shay shifted uneasily while Phoenix's face remained blank.

I gave Shay a warning glare. "We'll be talking about that later. What happened next, Jess?"

"We ended up in a safe house. Gerard took us in for nothing; he looked after us. But vampires came. They weren't alone."

"Beasts?" Shay asked. "Or something else?"

"Just this group who go around wrecking everything," she said. "They wear hoods, but they've been causing mayhem at night."

I smothered a groan. That group had been part of the plot to overthrow the Council in favour of a dictatorship. The hooded assassins had eventually lost their leaders, but apparently, the remnants of the group were still roaming around, causing mischief.

"They came our way more than once, and we had to fight. 'Cept Dad got hurt. During the day, I would look for my friend. Then, I saw the press conference." She gave me a weak smile. " _You_ were there, so I tried to find you, but you had already left. Some man gave me your address. Then I saw _them_ "—she nodded at Phoenix and Shay—"and I ran."

I frowned. "Who would give out my address?"

Shay sighed. "Moses was there that night."

"Yes!" Her expression brightened. "He told me his name so I could tell you who, um, to kill if I was some kind of new ninja assassin."

I grinned. "Sounds about right."

Jessica continued, "I noticed I was being followed. I kept getting away, but it was only a matter of time. Dad was afraid. You were all over the television and stuff, and he thought that would draw Seth in. Then again, he's convinced Seth had something to do with the vampires trying to take over. Anyway, I made Dad leave, and Gerard got us a car. But whoever was after us must have been waiting, because they tried to run us off the road. So we came here instead." She shrugged again. "I didn't know what else to do."

I caught Shay's eye. "Somebody should probably look into these safe houses. See if they need help."

"Somebody should look into Seth," Phoenix said. "How can you be so calm?"

"I don't know any better," I lied. A million butterflies had taken flight in the pit of my stomach, but I didn't want to freak Jessica out. "Besides, he can't get in here. Can you two try to find out more about the hooded assassins and the people who followed her? And this hostel she stayed in." I gave Phoenix a pointed look. "I'm interested in the fire, too."

I wanted them both to leave so I could get the chance to be alone with Jessica. I had a lot of questions, and despite their good intentions, I wasn't sure if trusting those in charge would ever be a smart move.

# 3

I closed the door behind Shay and Phoenix, but as I took a step toward the living room, Jessica's father roared her name from upstairs, rooting me to the spot. I winced as what sounded like a lamp crashed against the floor. The noise was quickly followed by the man stumbling down the stairs. I ran and caught him before he face-planted on the floor. He looked me in the eye and recoiled.

"Take it easy," I said, trying to find something in him that reminded me of Gabe or maybe gave me an idea of what my mother had been like, but there was nothing. He was just a stressed-out man looking for his daughter in a place he wasn't familiar with. Margie and Anka came down after him.

"He wouldn't stay put," Margie said in a disapproving tone.

He struggled, but I held on tightly.

"Relax," I said. "Jessica's fine. Just waiting for you to wake up." I sensed Jessica behind me and tried to lead her father into the living room, but he aggressively shrugged me off.

Anka went over and tried to check his stitches. He shoved her away, sending her toppling against the bannister.

"Anka, go home while I deal with this," I said through clenched teeth.

"He's just scared." She stepped around the man to squeeze my hand. "I'm fine, Ava."

"We'll leave until he calms down," Margie said, taking Anka's arm and guiding her to the door.

When I heard the front door close, I turned and glared at Jessica's father. "First, you're going to apologise for being such a dick to my friend."

He stared at me blankly.

"This is my house," I said. "Either calm down or get out."

"Fine," he said. "Jess, let's go."

I realised that he had been looking through me the entire time, more concerned with making his escape. I was just furniture in his eyes.

"Dad!"

"You heard her," he said.

"I wasn't talking to Jessica," I said coolly, beyond pissed off and probably not thinking very clearly. "She's safe right where she is."

He snorted. "Oh, and you can somehow keep her safe?"

"Yes, actually. This place is off limits to anyone who means us harm. In case you haven't noticed, nobody here is trying to kill you. From what I hear, that's a big change for you."

"Please," Jessica said, going over and blocking him from the door. "Just listen for a few minutes. They could still be out there waiting for us to reappear." She looked at me over his shoulder. "Right?"

I shrugged. Whoever had been after her was long gone.

"And my arm hurts really bad now, and you probably have concussion," she added. "Let's just calm down and have a rest while we figure out what to do next. I mean, if we leave and you pass out again, then I'm on my own, so let's take a breather here. Okay, Dad?"

They stared it out for a moment before he squeezed his eyes shut and nodded. "Fine." He adjusted his glasses and smoothed down his hair. "But then we're leaving."

"I'll go make tea or something." What I really needed was to give myself a chance to calm down.

In the kitchen, I tried to remember that those two had gone through hell, and I probably shouldn't add to it by getting annoyed easily. The man had been chased by who knew what then had woken up in a strange place without his daughter. I should have been more understanding. And I had been until he put his hands on Anka. That wasn't going to happen again to her, not if I could help it.

Thinking about that made me realise he had managed to hurt someone, even though in a minor way, inside my home. That put some questions in my mind. Had he been able to cause harm because it was accidental, or was there some kind of loophole because he hadn't stepped inside with an intention to harm? Just what were the limitations on the rules of protection?

I threw a bunch of teabags into a creepy vampire-frog teapot Carl had bought me as a joke. I did a quick count and removed the sixth bag. There was enough drama without inviting bad numbers into the equation. I caught myself wiping down the counters in even strokes that added up to fourteen and forced my hand to quit. I didn't need to revert to comforting myself with numbers every time I encountered a reminder of my heritage.

I took the tea and some biscuits into the living room and sat on a chair. Jess and her dad were at opposite ends of the sofa, wearing identical stubborn expressions.

"So..." I poured the tea into three cups. "We've gotten off on the wrong foot. I'm a... well, people come to me for help, and I find a way to help them. But I can't help if anyone is violent to anyone else under my care. Do you both understand?"

Jessica nodded, but her father didn't react. _Arsehole._

"Maybe we could start with you two telling me what you know about Seth. What he looks like, the people he associates with, the—"

"We don't know anything." The man's expression shifted as he retreated behind an invisible wall.

_Okay, so wrong tactic._ "I just realised we haven't even been properly introduced yet. I'm Ava. Pleased to meet you."

When he didn't respond, Jessica rolled her eyes and said, "His name is Adam."

"We have to leave," Adam said.

"We _just_ decided to stay for a night," Jessica said in an exasperated tone.

"I know, but I can't. I don't want you in the presence of a tainted nephal. Not now. Not ever."

I drew back, trying hard to control my disgust. "I thought that's what Jessica is."

She folded her arms across her chest. "I am."

"No," Adam said. "The taint isn't strong in her. There wasn't enough time for it to fully infect her because I took her first."

_Took her?_ "And Seth just... let you?" I asked. "He attacked her mother then stepped aside and said, 'Go ahead, man. Your baby.'"

"Of course not." Adam glanced at Jess. "We had help. We were protected for long enough to get away."

"And her mother?"

His face paled. "I... she died while I..."

"While you?"

"While I cut the baby from her womb. I had no choice! She was dying, but the baby had a chance to be saved. That's what I was brought here for!" Sweat rolled down his cheeks.

"Okay, calm down," I said, seeing a frantic look cross Jessica's face. "Jess, do me a favour and run outside. Look for Anka and Margie. Your dad's feverish, and he needs—"

"No!" He shot out his arm to grab Jessica.

She jumped up and ran from the room.

He glared at me. "I won't let you! I won't let you turn her into something dark. I won't let you..." He blinked rapidly before promptly passing out on the sofa.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank feck for that." I headed outside and found Jessica leaning against the wall in my garden. "Hey," I said. "See anyone?"

"Some kid was loitering outside your gate. She's gone for help. I didn't want to go back inside."

"That was Dita, Anka's daughter. Your dad passed out. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. I'm always fine."

"I bet you are," I said. "But me? I wouldn't be fine."

"Yeah, right." She shrugged. "I saw you kill a monster. You're strong."

I put my back against the wall and nodded toward the house next door. "Anka couldn't hurt a fly, but after everything she's been through, she's still standing. She's not fine all of the time, but she doesn't let it stop her from pushing forward. That's my idea of strength. And there's nothing wrong with not being fine sometimes."

"So what makes a monster-hunter _not fine_ then?"

"One, I'm not a hunter. And two, lots of things. I'm a person, Jess." She didn't look convinced, so I carried on. "Last year, I saw a picture of my mother's face for the first time in my entire life. The only two people who knew her are either dead or have no memory of her. I've nobody to talk to about her, and sometimes it kills me. I can only imagine how you feel when he talks like that."

"What do you think about what he did?" she asked, ducking her head and looking at me from under her eyelashes.

"He had to save you." I hesitated. "I understand the reason he gave." I didn't say how repulsed I was at the thought.

"What if he could have saved my mother, too? Maybe I'd be more tainted or whatever, but we'd be a family."

"People don't survive an attack by the first vampire. It's too much for a person to handle."

"But _we're_ alive," she said. "Both of us. How does that happen?"

"I ask myself that all of the time." I gave her a wry smile. "Sometimes, life is out of our hands. There's a lot about fate and destiny and all of that shit, and while I think that, ultimately, we make our own futures, somebody else had a hand in our pasts."

"I need to find my friend. Parker has to still be out there."

I thought of Pheonix's earlier reaction. "I'll do what I can to track him down. I promise."

She fidgeted for a few moments before asking, "How come we weren't followed in here?"

"This place is kind of a sanctuary."

"But why?"

"It's a long story."

She bit her lower lip. "Are you going to help me kill him?"

"Seth? We don't even know for sure if he's in the country."

"Dad told me that the only reason we're alive is because he promised I would be the one to kill Seth. I have to... I don't know how I'm going to do that. Are you supposed to help me? Is that why we both survived?"

"I don't know, Jess. The thing is, sometimes I can't—"

"Ava," Margie called from behind me. "Is he all right?"

"Fever, I think," I told her. "That and the fact he can't calm down for five seconds straight. He's in the living room."

"We mixed up a tonic for him, something to give him a peaceful sleep." She looked at Jess and smiled. "But he'll be fine. He's in the right place. Trust me."

I stopped Anka, who had been following Margie, as she passed us. "You don't have to go in there."

"He's not usually like that," Jess interjected. "I swear he isn't."

Anka nodded. "I have no feelings on the matter." She strode into my house with her head held high.

I looked around the cul-de-sac and noticed a lot of curtains twitching. "We should get inside. Meeting the entire neighbourhood might be a little much for you right now."

"Wait," Jessica said. "What were you going to say before?"

I rubbed the ringed scar on my wrist. "Um, it's kind of... awkward. I'm a little tied down when it comes to..." I sighed. "I have to ask for permission to help you, and I might not get it. Okay, kid? So I might not be able to kill Seth for you, but I can hide you here for a long time."

"No." She shook her head. "I'm not hiding anymore."

"But—"

"You don't understand what it's been like. I can't keep running. I want a life, Ava. A real life with... I just want all of this to stop."

I felt sorry for her. "Let me see what I can do. But let's keep this between us for a bit, okay? If anyone asks, you're in hiding. That's all."

She stared at me for a long time. "Can I trust you?"

"Yes, you can."

"Even though you're friends with that royal fae... man."

"He's been through a lot," I said under my breath. "Phoenix was a good man, and so was his father. But his mother was an evil bitch who went out of her way to destroy her own husband and rip any happiness from her son's life. She took his memories, made him forget his human wife and his children. She even made sure his children were taken to Hell."

She squinted. "Like, actual Hell?"

"The real deal. They were taken to a slave market and ended up being sold to vampires in England. Eventually, the truth came out, and Phoenix was reunited with his children, but he has no memory of them. We've gone through more than just a vampire war here. Imagine what it's like for Phoenix to know that he was once happy but he just can't remember it. So please try to cut him some slack."

She stared at me, her eyes eerily expressionless. "Where are the werewolves now?"

"Free. And technically, they don't exist. A lot of people wouldn't be happy to know that a pack was kept alive here."

"I don't get how you're going to hide those... things."

How often had I been called a _thing_? "They've been treated pretty horrifically, too." I brushed the flyaway hairs away from my face with a weary sigh. "Listen, Jess. Everyone here has a story. You can't judge any of them."

"I'm not trying to!"

"I'm just saying that life is a lot more satisfying when you give people a chance."

"It must be easier when you have a place to live, too."

My irritation melted away. "You've never had a home?"

She scuffed the toe of her shoe against the concrete. "We've never stopped running. You don't understand my dad. Sometimes, I don't either, but he acts like he has no choice in any of this. He's terrified. I'm not even sure if—" She sucked in her lower lip and shrugged. "I should go see if he's okay."

I followed her, wondering what she had been dragged through in her short life. Inside, Margie and Anka were finishing up with Adam.

"We've made sure he'll sleep for as long as he needs," Margie said. "Every time he gets overexcited, he's going to set back his healing. He's as bad as you, Ava."

"Ha, bloody, ha. Is he gonna be okay?"

"All he needs is some rest and relaxation. Is he staying here?"

I nodded. "Jess is staying here, and she'll probably want to be close to her dad. Just let everyone know that she needs some space for a bit. Make sure they back off, okay?"

Margie laughed. "As if I can stop the inevitable."

"I'll keep Leah and Dita out of your way," Anka said.

I glanced at Jessica. "They might be good company for her. She can join their lessons with Carl. Maybe she can start at the new school whenever it opens."

"School?" Jessica said, looking terrified. "I've never been. I mean, I don't know—"

I cut her off before she could get too worked up. "It's the same as most of the kids who will be attending. I told you. You're not the only one with a story. Plenty of people around here are working hard to have a normal life after years of craziness. There's no reason you can't do the same."

She smiled. She looked so pretty when she was happy, but I was fairly sure her default expression ran along the lines of worry mixed with fear.

I patted her shoulder. "Let's sort out the spare room for your dad. Anka and Margie can watch over him. Maybe between the two of us, we can carry him upstairs without hurting him."

With a lighter step, she trotted up the steps after me. We started organising the room.

"I'm strong," she confided. "No fangs, though."

"You know about that, huh?" I covered my mouth with my hand, strangely embarrassed.

"You kind of showed the world." She lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. "That's what kept me going. Back in the games and everything else, I knew there were people like you, like _me_ , helping each other. I feel like I already know you."

She hummed as she drew a sheet across the bed. I didn't feel as though I knew _her_ at all. My first soul was definitely going to be interesting.

# 4

When the doorbell rang for the fifth time, I said wryly, "I didn't know somebody had called a meeting."

"News spreads fast around here." Carl interrupted his busy schedule of eating me out of house and home to answer the door. "And we're officially worried, so we want to know what's going on."

I looked around at the people gathered in my living room. "I think you all are just bored because there's no war going on."

Lorcan stretched out his arms and grinned. He had recently cut his hair as short as Peter's so people would stop confusing him with his now semi-famous father. It suited him. "You getting into more trouble is always interesting."

"I'm not in trouble," I protested. "I just happen to have a house guest who might be."

"Oh, and is that why she's claiming that Seth is after you?" Esther asked from the hallway.

I stared at her in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm not welcome anymore? It's 'cause I'm bald, right?"

I rushed over to hug her. As far as I knew, she was still supposed to be in the clinic after receiving a serious head injury. Her hair had been shorn, revealing a thick ugly scar on her skull, though it didn't detract from her looks in any way. Her dark brown eyes had a little less sunlight in them, but she was one of my closest friends, someone who had stood by me when everything in the world had gone wrong.

"Baldness looks freakishly good on you," I said. "I'd just look like a weird egg."

She laughed and held me tightly. "Aiden's on the run," she whispered. "The new alpha wants to pass judgement on him for his crimes. I left the hospital to avoid the questions. I might disappear for a while until all of this dies down."

My blood chilled. Her brother had cheated his way to the top as alpha of the shifters. I could only guess what payback they would have in store for him. "Anything I can do?"

"I'll let you know." She pulled away from me. "So where are the guests?"

"Upstairs." I sat on the arm of Lorcan's chair. Peter, Val, and Anka had already taken over the sofa.

"Tell us everything." Carl gestured for Esther to take his seat. "I'm out of the loop since I moved, and I hate it."

I rolled my eyes. "You moved four doors away. Don't be ridiculous."

"She mocks me." He clutched his shirt. "She always mocks me."

Esther winced as she sat down. "Leave her alone. The more you tease, the less she gossips."

"Wait," Carl said, standing. "We need more snacks."

"I have like two sentences to say," I said with a laugh.

"I'm still hungry!" Carl trotted to the kitchen.

"You feeling okay?" I asked Esther.

"Sure am." Her smile never reached her eyes, though.

I decided to wait for some privacy before broaching the subject again. Carl returned with every remaining item from my fridge and cabinets that contained sugar.

"Wow," I said. "What's that about?"

"We don't keep junk in my house."

"You live alone, Carl!"

He grinned and grabbed a biscuit.

"Can we get on with this?" Peter asked. "Leah and Lucia will kill me if I leave Emmett there for too long. He and Dita get up to way too much mischief together."

"My daughter does no such thing," Anka said indignantly. "The boy is the one who—"

"Okay!" I held up my hands. "The girl is waiting upstairs, so let's get this done."

"Shouldn't she be here for this?" Esther asked.

I shook my head. "I want to get some stuff out of the way first. Most importantly, we're safe here. This place is protected, and whoever chased that girl and her father here didn't make it inside. There's no need for any of you to worry."

"So there's definitely someone chasing them?" Lorcan asked.

I nodded. "Looks like it. They were stuck in the UK during the BVA invasion. The vampires caught up to them, and Jessica was trapped in the games. The rumours were true; the vampires actually organised fights for their own entertainment. Jess reckons Phoenix and his werewolves saved her." I shook my head. "The poor kid's been running from Seth her entire life. I can't get much out of her father, though. I don't know if Seth's following them, or if they're only running in case he is. I don't know a whole lot about Seth."

And the people I might have asked were all dead—Gabe, Eddie, even Mrs. Yaga. I had nobody to turn to anymore.

"Is Seth in Ireland?" Esther asked.

"I don't know. It's obvious that he could have been drawn by the vampire wars, and Jess reckons my face on telly made me a sitting duck, but that was ages ago. Surely he would have turned up by now if he was bothered."

"But what does he want?" Anka asked.

"I have no idea. From what I know, he infects the nephilim in the womb, making them tainted. Like me, like Jess."

"Except you both got away," Peter said.

Carl leaned against my leg. "With a little interference, right?"

I gave them a grim smile. "There was a reason both of us were spared. I was hidden, but she had to run. I don't know why, but they seem to believe that she's the chosen one, the one who is supposed to beat Seth. I'm getting the impression her father made a deal: their safety in exchange for his promise that his daughter defeats Seth."

"So you're to help her do that?" Peter asked. "That's why she ended up here?"

"I don't know. I mean, does he want to kill us or keep us? Is he even around? This could be a big pile of nothing. Or it could be serious. I have no way of knowing."

"But she's like you," Esther said. "I mean, is she _exactly_ like you?"

"There are... differences," I said.

"I'm not exactly like her."

I looked around. Jessica was standing in the doorway, her face pale. She looked overwhelmed yet defiant. I decided that was a plus.

"Everyone, this is Jessica," I said. "Jess, take a seat... anywhere. This is Lorcan. He's Phoenix's son. Remember I told you about him?"

She nodded and smiled shyly.

"And this is my friend Esther. She's a shifter and used to be a Guardian like her—"

Jessica recoiled. "A... Guardian?"

Esther leaned forward. "Have you met a Guardian before?"

Jessica looked at me, her eyes distraught. "Guardians kept us in that hostel. Guardians fought alongside the witch who tried to take me."

"Marina," I clarified for the others. "Apparently, Eddie had his eye on Jess." I turned back to Jess. "You don't have to worry about Esther. The thing is... she's been in hiding from the other Guardians, too. Most of the people you'll see over the next few days have been in hiding, as well. We get it, Jess. We understand what you're going through. But you're going to have to trust me. If somebody's in my house, that means I trust them, and they aren't a threat to you. We're family."

Jessica stayed by the doorway, her hands pressed against the frame as if for support.

I got up and moved to stand next to her. "Val's a friend who—"

"I saw her," she whispered. "On the news reports."

"Oh, well... cool. You met Peter already, and Anka. Well, that's everyone important."

"Ava!"

I grinned at Carl's expression. "Oh, right. This is my minion, Carl."

She stared at me as everyone else laughed. "Minion?"

"Yeah, I accidentally mind-controlled him one time, and he's been hanging around ever since. Can't get rid of the chap."

"She loves me really," Carl said. "Can't live without me."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." I clapped my hands. "Right! Everyone's up to date. And now we've run out of info, so it's hard to say where we go from here."

"What are you talking about?" Jess said. "We know everything."

"We don't know where Seth is or what he wants, or even who he's working with."

"He's working with other vampires," she said. "It's his blood that made those monsters."

"You mean the beasts?" Esther asked. "You think he's the cause of those things?"

"The way they feed is like him," she said. "Dad said my mother looked... looked like..."

"Okay," I said. "That's useful." And it meant that Seth had been nearby for a long time.

"If Seth's blood is being used in the formula, then he needs to die," Esther said firmly.

She was right. Vampires had lost the ability to turn humans about a century ago, but recently, a new, unpredictable method had appeared. Nobody had discovered where the formula that turned humans into warped, mindless beasts had originated, despite it being the main strategy taken by the vampires during their ill-conceived attempt at war. If it weren't for the Irish fae sneakily keeping a werewolf pack alive after their worldwide culling long before I was born, we would all be dead or enslaved by vampires.

"This is good news," Peter said. "There's been so much backlash about the beasts. Now there's someone left alive to point a finger at."

"You need to talk to Daimhín," Carl said. "She's the only one who'll have half an idea. And if Eloise sees something and decides to translate..."

"Yeah, I know," I said. "I kinda hoped that would be a last resort."

"Take Phoenix and Shay," Carl suggested. "Have an official meeting about it."

"I'm not part of the new government," I reminded him. "It won't be official if I'm there."

He gave me a knowing look. "Maybe you should be."

"Who are you talking about?" Jessica asked softly.

"Daimhín is the vampire queen in Ireland, and Eloise is her seer." When she bristled, I hurriedly added, "It's okay. Daimhín sticks to the rules. Mostly. And she's kind of on our side as long as she has some power. She's been in a good mood since everything changed."

Jessica looked horrified. "But she's a _vampire_. Vampires tried to take over."

" _She_ didn't," I said. "And she killed the vampire who was leading the BVA's cause over here. She didn't fight against us, so for now, she's not our enemy. Fighting her now would just send her straight to Seth. If he's around."

"He's around," she said. "Who else would be following me?"

"I have no idea," I said. "I suppose I'll have to see her about this."

"I want to come, too," Jessica said. "It involves me. I want to be there."

"What about your dad?"

"He'll say no. Don't tell him. Please. He's too ill right now to deal with the stress."

I glanced at the others, but I wasn't getting any help from that fence-sitting lot. "Okay," I said at last. "But if you leave the cul-de-sac, especially at night, I can't guarantee your safety. So I'll have her come here. We can talk on the street. She's used to that." I smiled, but it was weak. Daimhín might refuse if she was in a mood.

"Okay," Jessica said, sounding relieved. "I'd like that."

Carl moved over a little and patted the patch of carpet next to him. "Jess, sit here and eat some sugar. It'll make you feel better."

She blushed, but when I gave her an encouraging nod, she ventured over to sit next to Carl, who was probably the least intimidating person in the room, despite his height.

"There are some other things I've been worried about, things we might need to keep a handle on." I rubbed the back of my neck and refused to meet anyone's eyes. "Um, Jess, when I was a little bit older than you, I lost control and bit someone. Is that something we need to... talk about?"

She gaped at me. "Bit someone? Like, drank their blood? Gross!"

Some of my friends chuckled as my cheeks warmed.

"So that's not... your thing?" I asked.

"Ew, no," she said. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean... I just meant... I'm not as tainted as you."

"Oh, right. Thanks for that." My tone was a little harsher than I intended.

She flinched. "It's just what Dad told me. I mean, I... I get angry sometimes. I see red, and Dad says if I don't stop, if I don't pull back, that I'll lose it and kill everyone. So that's why he taught me to kill in cold blood."

I blinked a couple of times. "Excuse me?"

"He thinks if I can kill in cold blood, then I'll never have to lose my temper to win. That's what we've been training for. That's the end game: killing Seth without needing to kill anyone else."

I stared at her for a few moments, my heart thudding fast. "Your father makes you kill?"

She fidgeted. "It's not like... it's only if we have to. Only if... I know," she said miserably. "It never feels right, but I don't want to lose control completely. If that happens, he'll have to kill me, and then he'll be alone, and—"

"Oh," Esther said. "This is _not_ okay."

"How many kids have this life?" Anka asked with a note of disgust in her voice.

"It's not her fault," Carl said.

"We know that," I said. "But Anka's right. How many kids need rescuing still?"

"I don't need rescuing, and I'm not a kid," Jess said, her nostrils flaring. "I chose to go back to my dad when I escaped from the vampires. He knows what he's doing, and he's all the family I have. Stop talking about him like he's a monster. He didn't..." She shook her head. "I'm going back upstairs. I don't want him to wake up and wonder about me."

We all listened to her footsteps sounding on the stairs.

"That was intense," Esther said.

"The poor child," Anka said. "It obviously doesn't sit well with her."

"She's been through a lot," Peter said. "Just like Emmett and so many others. We could help her."

"With Seth," I added.

A shadow fell over the room as my friends exchanged worried looks. The first problem in my life was back to haunt me again.

# 5

After getting ready for the upcoming meeting, I went back downstairs and caught Jessica staring out my living room window.

"Doing okay there?" I asked, slipping on my jacket.

"There's a ghost in front of your house."

"You can see ghosts? Let me see."

I bumped her out of the way and looked out the window. Lucia was sitting cross-legged on my front garden wall, staring at my house. "Ah. She isn't a ghost. That's Lucia."

"She looks like a ghost."

"She does not!" I studied Lucia, trying to see her as the teen might.

Lucia's pale skin appeared to gleam in the dying sunlight, and her long platinum hair fell over half her face as she leaned forward, her expression a mask of concentration. Her thin fingers were splayed across her knees, and her balance remained perfect.

"Okay, maybe a little," I admitted.

"She's the creepiest person I've ever seen."

I pushed Jess away from the window altogether. "And she can probably read lips, you big eejit."

"I bet she's a witch."

"More like fae." I pulled the curtains and found an old jacket of Esther's for Jessica. "Her mother was a witch, though. Lucia is Lorcan's twin sister."

"Lorcan's not creepy."

"Neither is Lucia." I cocked my head. "Well, once you get used to her. She's a good person. She doesn't speak, she gets visions, and you must never say a bad word against her in front of Val."

"You have a lot of rules."

"You have no idea. Come on. I'll introduce you."

"I'm not going out there with the creepy ghost-witch."

I glared at her. "Stay in here and act like a brat alone then." I strode outside and got in Lucia's way. She hunched to the left to keep her eyes on the house. "You can't force it, Lu. Stop trying to bring on a vision."

She shook her head, looking disgusted. Usually, Lucia was a mask of calm, but sometimes, frustration at her lack of control over her visions pushed through.

Apparently, Jessica's curiosity got the better of her. She sidled up next to me.

"This is Jessica," I said. "Jess, this is Lucia, Phoenix's daughter."

Lucia widened her eyes and held out her hand to Jess.

"Don't!" I cried.

Too late. Jessica gripped Lucia's hand.

But no crazy vision sharing occurred. However, Lucia's cheeks twitched as though _something_ was happening.

"What?" Jess asked, dropping Lucia's hand. "What did I do now?"

"You didn't do anything," I said. "Lucia, that was mean."

Lucia's eyes twinkled with amusement. She had totally been lip-reading when Jess called her a creepy ghost. And she had seen something when she touched Jessica's hand.

"Let me know later," I said. "Now get inside before Daimhín gets here."

Lucia shrugged and slipped off my wall. She headed to Anka's house. As she opened the door, Emmett burst through, giggling hysterically and carrying a headless doll. Dita raced out after him, shouting incomprehensible words in a shrill voice.

"Stop!" I called out in my non-aunt Ava voice.

Both kids skidded to a stop and gave me a shame-faced look.

I frowned at them. "Vampire queen means hide."

Emmett shrugged and headed for his house.

" _Emmett_..."

He sighed and threw the doll at Dita. She caught it with ease, stuck out her tongue, and stormed back into her own house. Emmett reached his front door then turned to give me a cheeky grin. I tried to hide my smile, but he totally had me.

"What was all that about?" Jessica asked.

"A never-ending struggle for power." I shook my head. "Never mind. We'll wait here. It'll be dark soon."

"I know."

"So we have at least one thing in common."

She smiled. I fidgeted as I swung on my gate. _Neutral ground_ , I reminded myself. Nobody could harm me on my own territory. _Probably couldn't._

Jessica was looking at me curiously. "Nervous?"

"What part of the words 'vampire queen' would make me nervous?" I had been feeling sick ever since Phoenix and Shay had agreed to meet Daimhín with me. I figured the queen would be on her best behaviour around Phoenix, but that was assuming she hadn't already bowed down to Seth. I realised Jess was still staring and shrugged. "I just don't like these meetings. Makes me feel like I'm involved in things I shouldn't be."

"You don't have to—"

"Yeah, I do. This is about me, too, and I've never met anyone like us before. This is huge, and it gives us something even bigger in common. Seth killed our mothers. He killed my father, too. He ruined our lives. I didn't have a nice little life growing up, and neither did you. I had to make what I have now. I had to fight for it. I even had to fight myself to actually believe I deserved it. And that could happen for you, too. This doesn't have to be your life." I focused on the mouth of the cul-de-sac. "No matter what your dad says."

After a moment of uneasy silence, she said, "So... Carl seems nice."

"That's 'cause he is."

"And you're together?"

"No. Nooooo. He's like my brother. My lanky, annoying brother whose full-time mission is to bug me. Unless I'm in trouble. Then he's first in line to help."

A car rolled into the cul-de-sac. My heart sped up.

"Seriously, are you okay?" Jess asked. "You feel... kind of wired."

"You can feel that?" I grinned. "Not so different after all, mini tainted one."

Phoenix parked and stepped out of the car. He walked toward us with a laidback stride while I struggled to hide my grin. His hair was plaited, and he looked more like his son than ever. That was really going to piss off Lorcan.

"How come he looks the same age as Lorcan?" Jess whispered.

"Long, _long_ story. Lorcan's way older than me. I have serious doubts that Phoenix even knows his own age."

"Really?"

Phoenix stepped up to us and cut the conversation short. "I'm early."

I smiled. "You're pretty unreliable that way."

He nodded at Jessica. "I've been mulling it over, and I believe I remember you now. It's a pity we didn't speak in England. I could have taken you straight to Ava."

Jessica shrugged. "I met some people along the way who made the detour worth it."

"I've been thinking," I said. "When Leah starts at the school, Jess could maybe tag along and see how she feels about the place."

"After some testing," Phoenix said.

That chilled my blood. A number of things hadn't been adding up lately. Shay had been noticeably stressed out and irritable when in Phoenix's presence, and I was pretty sure the new Senate wasn't working as well as they had hoped it would. Then there had been mentions of a register—and now testing. It didn't sound like Phoenix, but it had come out of his mouth.

"Phoenix," I said warningly.

He held my gaze. "It's not as bad as it sounds."

"Maybe I need to check up on the home."

"I've been asking you to do that for weeks."

I avoided his eyes.

"You could help me," he said. "We have the same vision, but I can't do it all alone."

"Here's Shay," I murmured, hearing the car turn into the cul-de-sac.

Phoenix strode toward Shay's car to greet him.

"Is _he_ your boyfriend?" Jessica asked.

"What? No! What's with the boyfriend obsession?"

She shrugged and scowled down at her feet.

"I was kidding," I said hurriedly.

When she looked up again, her face held a pile of vulnerability she obviously didn't want. "The first person I ever kissed sold me to the vampires. I thought he liked me, but it was all a trick. And then my friend gave himself up to get me away from that witch, and I realised how much I cared about him once he was gone. I can't really talk to Dad about that stuff, so I was hoping..."

"I'm not exactly queen of the healthy relationships," I said. "I bit my first boyfriend and recently persuaded Phoenix to take the guy's memories of me away. You have plenty of time to learn more than I do about relationships, and trust me, it's not a lot."

"What age were you when you first killed someone?" she asked.

For the briefest instant, I saw the dying vampire Maximus rise up before my eyes. "Twenty-five."

She bit her lip. "I don't really know what normal and healthy is, Ava."

I draped my arm around her shoulder. "Then you'll learn."

Shay and Phoenix approached us, chatting to each other politely. Few would notice the hint of tension in their body language. Shay was a pro at appearing relaxed, and Phoenix was adept at seeming emotionless. Despite the tension, they still worked well together. I was surprised at how easily Shay had fit in. He and Phoenix, amongst others, had done a lot to change people's perceptions of the old governments, even while creating a new ruling body. We were still in the infant stages of that idea, and change had made stability impossible, but I had hope for the future.

"It'll be dark soon," I said, watching the sky to avoid looking at either of them. I was keeping a secret from those I trusted most, and sometimes, I was almost certain they could see it in my eyes.

"She'll be late," Shay said wryly. "The vampire is always late."

"Did she freak at the idea of coming here?" I asked.

"No," Phoenix said. "In fact, she seemed eager. Be careful."

"I'm always careful."

He gave me a look that said I wasn't, but I ignored it.

"Just remember," I said. "Jess is under my protection. Daimhín can _not_ have her for any reason."

"Why would she want me?" Jess asked. "To feed from me?"

"That would probably make her day." I made a face. "But her biggest reason would be so that nobody else can have you. She might offer you a job. Say no. I've been there. It's not fun."

She recoiled. "You worked for the vampire queen?"

"It was either that or be tortured to death," I said. "Give me a break, Jess."

"I'm sorry. It's just... my dad won't like this at all."

Darkness fell, and I shivered. "She should be on her way soon. And I'm glad the four of us are here because I've been thinking. Shay, you got caught up one night because of a massive fire in the city centre. Jess tells me she was trapped in a hostel that was set on fire. Connected?"

Phoenix's fingers twitched. I was definitely asking the right questions.

"Was it a supernatural fire?" Shay asked. "Because nobody could put that fire out. The building burned down completely. Nobody came forward to claim ownership, so I assumed it was a supernatural building. We didn't look into it as much as we could have. Not with... everything else."

I glanced at Jess. "Your friend started the fire, didn't he?"

She nodded, keeping her eyes on the ground. "In England, Dad and I were running from a pack of beasts, and Parker turned up and saved us with fire. We sort of stuck together after that. Sunny—his grandfather—told me that Parker had kirin blood in him. He can control it. Don't think he can't. He was just trying to set us all free. Then when the witch came, he did what he had to do."

"Marina's arm was burned before she died," I said. "I remember that much."

"Parker used his fire to separate us. She was holding on to me with magic. He put the fire between us, and we got separated." She touched her arm self-consciously. "He saved me from her. Later, we heard that Parker left with the witch."

"If Marina had him, she either took him to Eddie or the Council," I said, glancing at Phoenix. "But Eddie's gone, and so is the Council."

"Let's hope Eddie never got his hands on him," Shay said.

I narrowed my eyes at Phoenix. "Is Parker in the children's home?"

Phoenix slipped on his snobby fae mask. "I would remember if a kirin had been mentioned. We don't get many Korean supernaturals here."

"Are you saying he definitely isn't there?" I demanded.

"I know nothing about a kirin. But it's possible this friend is one of the silent ones. Not everyone wants to share their identity, even when they're safe."

"That just means they don't feel safe," I countered.

"We're trying our best," Phoenix said. "I can only deal with one problem at a time. The children's home is complicated, and I have more pressing matters to deal with. We've hit a wall with the families of most of the children."

"I told you already. You need to hire Peter and Val. This business they've set up is perfect. How better to track down lost families without using up too many resources than to use a pair of finders?"

"It's Peter," Shay said. "He won't come to us, won't make an official application. He wants us to run after him, but there's red tape."

"How the fuck can there be red tape already?" I blurted. "Jesus, why do you men have to make everything so fucking complicated?"

Jess started at my tone.

"We'll deal with everything in due course," Phoenix said firmly.

He was the only one I had the heart to let feel as if he were the boss of me. And also, I was still slightly terrified of him. The fact that he saw me as so little a threat that he could occasionally show me a more vulnerable side made me more scared of him, rather than less.

Daimhín's limo entered the cul-de-sac. We all shut up. Jessica froze next to me. I tried to hold her hand for reassurance, but she pulled it away. Just when I felt I knew how to comfort people, I went and messed it up.

We strode over to the car as the usual occupants stepped out: Daimhín; her bodyguard, Zion; her forever-teenage seer, Eloise; and Eloise's pet baby vampire, Jules.

Jules's gaze locked onto Jessica right away. He licked his fangs hungrily, carelessly spilling his own blood as the points pricked his tongue.

I held up my hand and stepped in front of Jessica. "Jules, _no_! Daimhín, keep him on his lead around here."

"Calm down, Ms. Delaney. He's under control," Daimhín said in a bored tone. "Let me see the new addition."

I stepped aside so she could look at Jessica. The queen's fangs protruded instantly. Jessica grabbed my hand then dropped it just as hurriedly.

"It smells unexpectedly delicious." Daimhín smiled. "And more danger comes your way. You do know how to find it, don't you?"

I shrugged. "It sort of finds me."

She gave an uncharacteristic roll of her eyes. "Of course it does. Well, let's get on with this."

"Is Seth in Ireland?" I asked.

The vampire queen looked momentarily afraid. "Let us hope not. What makes you say that?"

"We think he was tracking down the new addition. That he's the secret ingredient in the beast formula. That killing him will do us all a favour."

Her expression tightened. "How will it do _me_ a favour?"

"He's higher in the food chain," Phoenix said. "If he appears, your standing as queen will be destroyed. You know how it is."

"I've heard that those assassins and rogue vampires were working under a new leader, but I never suspected..." She paced on the footpath in front of us. Jules, in turn, grew edgier by the moment. "This is inconvenient."

"So you haven't heard that he's here?" Shay asked.

"No, no. I would have brought it to the Council—I mean, the Senate. This can't happen. You must get close enough to kill him, Ms. Delaney. Even if you let yourself die, it may not be enough to destroy him. You must tear him apart."

I held back a sigh. "We have no idea what will happen when I die, but I'd like it not to happen anytime soon."

"If he comes here, he'll take her," Daimhín said, pointing at Jessica. "You, too, perhaps. More likely, he'll kill you for standing in his way. He rarely lifts a hand to act himself. Others willingly do his work, but you have more chance of fighting back against his... minions, as you would call them. You have no idea what he's capable of."

"He destroyed my family to create me," I said wryly. "I have a pretty good idea of how much of a villain he is."

"That's the problem with you," she said. "You always think in terms of heroes and villains. I had half-forgotten he created you. Perhaps he simply wants to take his daughters home." She gestured at Phoenix. "If that's the case, we would be better off killing these two ourselves."

Phoenix stiffened. "I'll keep that in mind."

She looked disappointed. "Oh, not you as well."

Eloise's eyes had brightened. They weren't tinged with red, and she seemed calm.

"What do you think, Eloise?" I asked. "Know something you'd like to share?"

She cocked her head. "When I know something I'd like to share, I will do it."

"If I give you permission," Daimhín said hurriedly. She had been a little bit frazzled since Eloise began being rebellious.

"Is Seth a definite threat?" Shay asked Daimhín. His tone was strained, and I wondered if he took her advice about killing Jess and me first seriously.

"Only to these two. And the angels. Gabe is lucky he died foolishly."

Phoenix put his hand behind his back and took my clenched fist. He squeezed so tight it hurt, and I surreptitiously kicked his ankle, but he didn't let go. It wasn't as if I had been planning on attacking the vampire queen. I had seen her fight on occasion. I wasn't _that_ stupid.

"I will make enquiries," Daimhín said. "If Seth is gathering, we'll hear about it. And I'll look into the information on the formula. I wish not for that plague to visit my island again."

"So it's likely?" Shay asked. "Is he responsible for the formula?"

"It's possible," Daimhín said. "And it makes more sense than anything else. If this is true, we won't be the only ones to wish him dead." She glanced at Phoenix. "You could perhaps use this as leverage."

_Leverage against what?_

"And if Seth offered you more power?" Phoenix asked. "What would you do then?"

Daimhín gave us a toothy smile. "I would consider my options very carefully, as I always do. We must leave. I haven't had a chance to eat yet."

The four of them got back into the car. Zion had to shove Jules into the backseat because he was staring at Jessica so hard.

The car pulled away, and I breathed a sigh of relief. But then it slowed, and the window was wound down.

"I'd like to see the girl again," Daimhín called out. "Bring her to me sometime. I have an offer for her, should she survive Seth."

I swore under my breath as the car disappeared around the turn. Taking Jessica to the vampire queen was the last thing I planned on doing.

# 6

Early the next morning, I tried to sneak out of the house, but Jessica was up first and caught me before I could make it outside. She was in the centre of the living room, doing some kind of stretching exercise. The furniture had been moved to make room, and her cheeks were flushed with exertion.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Um." I fidgeted. "Just out. Somewhere boring."

She straightened. "Can I come?"

"Wouldn't you rather stay here and keep an eye on your dad?"

"I'm bored." She kicked the air with perfect form. "I need some fresh air."

"I have a garden."

She pouted and folded her arms across her chest.

"For the love of... fine! But if I take you, you can't ask questions. You can't tell anyone anything. You have to keep your mouth shut. Do you understand?"

She stared at me in astonishment. "Who would I tell?"

"Any one of the people you've met. I'd like to keep some things private, and they don't need to know everything about me. I need to find out if I can help you."

"If?"

"You don't understand, and I can't explain. I'm confined by rules, and you can't spill any of this."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Good! Keep it that way."

She shook her head, still looking confused.

"Oh, come on then. We have to get out of here before anyone notices. And let's pray your dad doesn't wake up and find you gone."

She quickly changed clothes, and we left the cul-de-sac as the sun was rising in the pink sky. I had missed sunrises. Even the persistent rainclouds couldn't spoil the return of sunlight.

"Why did the darkness go away?" Jess asked. "The sun was hidden for so long, then suddenly, everything was back to normal again."

"I don't know," I said. "Nobody does. Were you scared when it happened?"

"The darkness?" She shivered. "The sky went dark, and it seemed like everything out there came after us. Everyone at the safe house fought back. It was kind of cool, actually. But then..." She shook her head. "It got worse out there, and the sun never came back."

I shivered at the memory of that night. "I was in the middle of dying when it happened. A very powerful man was doing his best to bring his dead wife back to life, but it took all kinds of blood magic, sacrifice, and releasing demons into the world."

"There are demons here?" She looked so panicked that I laughed.

"Maybe a few. The important ones didn't get a chance to pass through. Carl helped contain it, and then a friend... well, it all ended in time. The circumstances that made the spell possible have been fixed, so there's a good chance _that_ won't happen again."

"Just a good chance?"

I shrugged. "Anything's possible."

"So where are we going?" she asked.

I hailed a taxi. "To see my solicitor."

"That's the big secret?" she asked.

"I told you it was boring."

We climbed into the taxi, and I gave the driver the address. I hoped Mr. Breslin would be ready for me. I really needed to talk to the Eleven. I was one of them, but as the newbie, I was an outsider. They had specifically told me that I couldn't let my personal feelings affect my actions, that I could help souls but not influence their actions to benefit myself. But I wanted Seth dead, and I wanted Jessica alive. So if helping her would give me exactly what I wanted, how could I remain unbiased? I needed to talk to the Eleven before I did something that would negate the protection over my houses and tenants. I wasn't ready to die quite yet.

Martin Breslin answered the door himself. He hesitated when he saw Jessica but invited us inside.

"Sorry this had to be so early," I told him. "I was trying to avoid questions, but obviously..." I gestured toward Jessica.

"Of course," he said softly. "How can I help you today?"

"I have a request. A question really. For... them."

He nodded. "I'll keep an eye on the girl while you... get reacquainted, shall I?"

"So I just go in and touch the thing?"

"Yes. They won't be aware until then. If it all goes well, it shouldn't affect any of their schedules negatively."

"I'm not going to lose a couple of days this time, am I? Because if I do, you need to get Jessica back before her father flips out."

He shook his head. "That was different. You weren't one of them last time. It was preliminary. This is the real thing. You do realise this is the first time you'll enter officially as part of... the team?"

I shoved my hands in my pockets. "Yup. Not sure how I feel about that, but whatever."

He patted my shoulder. "You'll wait here with me, miss," he told Jessica. "Ava, you know where to go."

Surprised and relieved that she didn't argue, I took a deep breath and headed for the vault. Each step down was another stone around my neck. I wasn't quite sure what I would do if the other members said no. I pushed open the very ordinary-looking door and stepped into an impossibly dark room.

In the centre stood a small table. The crystal ball sat on top. Milky clouds stormed inside the glass, making the orb appear almost alive. I rubbed my hands together as I approached then held my fingers above the crystal. _This is it. Make or break time._ _Christ_.

I closed my eyes and pressed my hands against the ball. The spinning sensation was easier to bear when I couldn't see. Somebody cleared his throat, and I opened my eyes.

Ten ghostly figures sat in a circle around me. One was more _there_ than the rest—the Shepherd. I was desperate to know him, to _really_ know him. He acted as though he knew me, and it ate me up that _I_ didn't know my counterpart's identity.

"You have called us here," Birth said. "What do you wish of us?"

"I kind of have an issue with my first soul," I said. "Um... her needs correspond with my desires."

"Clarify," Judge said.

"My first lost soul turned up, and she kind of happens to have a common enemy with me. This enemy is either going to steal her or kill her if I don't do something about it."

"Helping the lost souls doesn't always mean you must fight their battles for them," Warden said.

"He's likely after me, too, and she's just a kid. I mean, can I give you details or...?"

"You may," Shepherd said kindly. "You'll understand our secrets in time, after all. Tell us everything to enable us to safely judge the situation."

"Seth is after her. The first vampire. We think he might be involved with the beast formula. His blood could be the secret ingredient."

"And you believe if you kill him, it will serve your own goals to rid the world of the beasts?" Death said. "That would serve us all. I don't see this as a—"

I interrupted him without thinking. "That's not all. Seth is the vampire who killed my parents. He made me... the way I am. This isn't just about this girl. It's about me, too."

There was silence for long seconds.

Slave made a low sound. "This lost soul is also tainted, I take it."

"Yeah, but she's a good kid. She can't fight one of Lucifer's creations alone. It's possible he's been drawn over here by the formula and the wars, and if he has, I'm definitely a target. But if I help her kill him..."

"You save your own life," Silence said. "You avenge your parents. You stop the creation of any more beasts."

"This is awkward," Knowledge said. "This one should not be Matriarch if everything is so complicated for her."

"I'm not making it complicated," I said. "It's not like I chose to have this first soul or this life or any of this. Look, I need to keep this girl alive, and I need to keep everyone else as safe as possible. Getting rid of Seth accomplishes all of that."

"This soul was led to her for a reason," Shepherd said.

"She can't involve herself so deeply," Judge said, but she sounded almost regretful.

"I know," I said. "But surely—"

"What if he attacks her first?" Warrior asked. "Is she supposed to stand there and let him kill her?"

"Of course not," Knowledge said. "But that would be different."

"Exactly," he said, sounding pleased with himself.

"So that's my out?" I asked. "I wait for him to come for us?"

"Wait," Slave said hurriedly. "You can't in good conscience go after him, but if he should cause a threat to you and actively attack, then you have the right to defend yourself."

"And if he attacks this kid? This lost soul? Can I step in?"

"No being has a right to harm those under your protection," Shepherd said. "If he does his worst, feel free to do yours."

"And you'll all back me up? My people will still remain protected?"

"We need to discuss this," Judgement said when nobody else answered. "We need to be sure."

"Do we?" Silence asked. "We let the hag slip away because she was old, losing strength and weakening us in the process. This one is young and vital. We all feel it. This is a new age, and new eras require new rules. With her strength, we can push back this time."

Nobody disagreed. Nobody ever disagreed with Silence.

"Will I lose protection?" I asked again, determined to hear a clear answer before I left.

"No," Shepherd said firmly. If it weren't for him, I was pretty sure my conversations with the Eleven would go differently. "You are, of course, permitted to protect your own. Don't we all agree?"

The others muttered their agreement.

"Well, good." I was still suspicious that there was a catch. "And I can just... do my thing until he comes for us?"

"He may not," Birth said. "He may leave you alone."

I shook my head. "If this kid hasn't led him to me, he'll find his own way, I think."

"Be careful," Warrior said. "It won't be easy. This creature is seen as mythical. He's lived longer than most and yet managed to remain under the radar. His continued existence has upset the balance time and time again. It would benefit all of us if he didn't exist anymore."

"We must return," Wisdom said. "We've done all we can here."

"Go," Shepherd said. "Matriarch, wait a moment."

The others vanished, leaving me alone with the misty figure, who looked even less transparent once they'd left.

"So," I said awkwardly, "I didn't know this was a thing."

Shepherd laughed. "Are you nervous, Matriarch?"

"Stop calling me that. It's... unsettling."

"I wanted to speak to you privately."

"About what?"

"Seth," he replied. "I want him to die. We all do, but it's something we have learned not to say. It won't be easy to kill him. The vampires won't want him dead, not if his blood is the key to this formula. It's spreading, you know. There are reports of these creatures all over the world—none in great force yet, but it's only a matter of time. That's not the only problem."

"What do you mean?"

"You've opened the windows and doors. People know gods exist now. Religion has gained power, and gods who have long slept awaken, while vigilantes spring up everywhere. And the vampires will grow a cult following. They will gain power in other ways. As long as Seth is alive, the beasts will keep coming."

"The werewolves are the best protection against the beasts."

"The creatures who are not supposed to exist. We are not eager for the extinction of a species, although some are more troublesome than others. What do you think of them?"

"I think they've had a shit life, and they deserve the freedom and space they've been granted. Look... Shepherd, they helped everyone as far as I'm concerned. And even though I'm all... vampirey, they protected me, too. I can't hate them for that."

Shepherd laughed. "You're not exactly vampirey."

"You're close to me," I said. "I mean, you're not on the other side of the world, are you?"

He remained silent for so long that I worried I had offended him.

"Perhaps," he finally said. "Perhaps we're not so far apart."

"But I can't know you."

"Maybe you will," he said. "Someday. It takes a long time to acquire the true identities of the Eleven, but remember: I knew you before you ever appeared in front of us. It's not such a burden." His voice had grown wistful. "It's not such a sacrifice to be one of us."

"It's going to be difficult not to track him down," I said. "It's going to be hard to wait for him to attack us. I'm not sure how a person waits like that."

"It's not in your nature, but there's no crime in that. You'll do what you need to do. Your instincts will help."

I wasn't so certain about my instincts anymore. Since my circumstances had changed, I wasn't sure of any of my decisions. I had been trying to grow as a person, but in some ways, I had plateaued. However, Jess needed me. She was relying on me, and I had to be the leader again. I had to teach her, to guide her. Her weird-ass father wasn't going to be much use, but I could be the cool big sister she never had. We could make friends, become another kind of family, and we could take down Seth together whenever he came for us.

Apprehension and anxiety knotted in my chest. On one hand, I wanted to run and hide. On the other, I couldn't wait to meet the man who had created me. I wanted to look him in the eye and watch him die, just as he had killed the chance I'd once had for a family. My parents' lives being saved could have led to me to experience a life like Jessica's, but I wasn't ready to deal with that train of thought. _Not yet._

"There's something you should know," Shepherd whispered, his ghostly form fading in and out. "The paragons have already reached out about the werewolves. They won't be happy about you, either. This other child might go beyond their limits."

"Who are the paragons?"

But he was already gone, and I was spinning back to earth.

# 7

"Well?" Breslin asked anxiously when I returned.

"I can't hunt him down and attack him unprovoked, but if he comes after those I protect, he's fair game."

"Can you handle it?" he asked.

"I'm going to have to," I said. "Where's Jess?"

"In my office. Go ahead. I'll lock up here. I think she needs a, um, friendly voice."

I nodded and jogged back to his office.

Jess was sitting in one of the chairs, her head in her hands. Some old books lay open on the desk in front of her. A terrifying picture of a tainted nephal jumped out at me. I had read those stories. None of them had helped my confidence.

"Hey." I reached out and closed the books. "Don't believe everything you read. People like you and me can rewrite the story."

She looked at me a little fearfully. "What is this place?"

"It's kind of hard to explain." I sat in a chair across from her. "I used to have a landlady. She was secretly important, untouchable, but she gave it all up to help us, to really get involved in the things that have happened to us. Anyway, when she died, she left me a lot of property and... her solicitor, weirdly enough. I transferred some of the houses to people I know, but of the rest, Breslin takes care of everything. This is where he works, and where I come to deal with other things my landlady left me in charge of. So if you and your dad decide to stick around after Seth is gone, I could sort out a place of your own. I mean... if you want."

"So you're the landlady now?" she asked.

"Yeah, I suppose so." I pulled my ponytail a little tighter.

"This is a weird place," she said. "I feel very... uncomfortable here. You have all of these secrets that are hidden by really human stuff, and I don't know if—"

"If Seth comes for you, I can help," I said. "But I can't hunt him down and strike first, though I wish I could."

She stared at me in horror. "Why on earth would you want to hunt him down?"

"Because I don't want to wait until he decides to make his move. He's an ancient creature. They take their time, make plans, grow roots that trip you up when you least expect it. I hate having to look over my shoulder, so if I can bait him, tempt him into coming for us, then I will."

"What are you, crazy?" she demanded, getting to her feet. "You don't tempt some evil monster into coming after you! You run, and you hide, and you—"

"That's no way to live," I scoffed. "You said it yourself. What's the alternative for you? Run around the world with your dad for the rest of your life? You haven't even been to school. If you stick around, you can—"

"I can't be like other people! I'm _not_ other people!"

"Neither am I!" I took a deep breath. "Look, Jess, a little over a year ago, I was hiding, too. I know what it's like, and I know how scary it is to stop and come out into the open."

"You weren't running from this."

"Maybe not, but I did a lot of running of my own. I avoided the world as much as possible, and I was miserable. Worse, I didn't feel much of anything half the time. I was comfortable and in charge, and nothing in my life ever changed."

"So why did you give that up? It sounds... peaceful."

"The past has a habit of catching up. A part of me was desperate to get involved with the rest of the world. Just to see what would happen. In the end, instinct took over. I stepped in to help Carl, and you know what happened next, but while I was trying to get rid of him, I made friends and realised I didn't want to be alone anymore. I had been my own worst enemy for so long, but eventually, I couldn't think of anything worse than running again and leaving behind everyone I have ever cared about. And so many other people hid in the cul-de-sac, and the sanctuary, and all of these other places, but as soon as they got a chance, they fought back and made their own place in the world. If you had looked in their eyes before and seen how trapped and desperate they felt, you would understand how much of a difference freedom has made."

She was staring at me, but I couldn't read her.

"All I'm saying is that there's a place for everyone, no matter how different they are. They just need to claim their place. _You_ need to be the one to carve out a life for yourself, Jess. You can't live in fear forever."

"Every time I try, somebody gets hurt," she whispered. "Every decision I make that goes against Dad blows up in my face. I keep getting it wrong."

"You're, what, seventeen years old? You're not supposed to get everything right. You can't control the world around you, Jess, no matter how much you want to. You have to let it go and keep marching on because nobody is going to carry you all of the way. You have to be willing to make it to the end all by yourself. Nobody will ever want it more than you do."

"I don't even know what you're saying anymore."

I grinned. "I'm telling you to break free and do what you feel is right. It doesn't have to be one lonely road for you. You have people looking out for you. You're safer here than anywhere else. I can promise you that. You _and_ your dad, as annoying as he might be."

She frowned. "He's still my dad."

"And that's the only reason I'll put up with his shit. Angels... I don't know if they're the good guys, but I'm willing to give him a chance. Though when it comes down to it, you're my priority, not him."

"Why?" she asked. "Why do you care what happens to me?"

The question surprised me. "You came to me for help. Besides, we're cut from the same cloth. I want to help you."

"Even kill Seth?"

"As long as he hits first." I grinned.

"And if he doesn't hit? If he just takes?"

I sucked in a breath. I wasn't sure what I could do if he decided to take back what he thought of as his property. "I won't let him," I said. "Not even if you want to go. I went to Hell to save children who were being raised in darkness. I can do the same for you." I eyed her. "But please don't get taken to Hell. I really don't want to go there again."

She raised her eyebrows. "Are you serious?"

"Sadly, yes. I've had an interesting year, Jess. Want to hear more of the gory details?"

"Yes, please," she said eagerly.

"Let me say goodbye to Breslin, and I'll feel you in on the gossip."

I got up and went to find Breslin. He was loitering in the hallway.

"You've been reading up on tainted nephilim," I said. "Ready to quit yet?"

His sardonic smile lifted years off his face. "Have you read the stories about Baba Yaga? Your kind has nothing on the hag. She had years to make her mark. Your life has barely begun in comparison. Kill a few thousand innocent men, and perhaps I'll think about changing my mind, but I'm getting too old to shift careers now."

I laughed at the mischief in his eyes and thanked him again for meeting me so early.

Jessica and I walked home, while I filled her head with stories of the adventures my friends and I had gone through. She made me show her every scar, and I may have glossed over some of the darker details, but I felt as though she trusted me a little more by the time we reached the cul-de-sac.

Adam stared at me suspiciously. "Where's my daughter?"

"Downstairs watching television," I said, hanging by the doorway. I hated that he made me feel nervous in my own home. "So... I have a little news. Pretty much everyone agrees that ridding the world of Seth is a good thing, so if he comes for Jess, she won't have to deal with him alone."

He barked out a harsh laugh. "If he comes here for Jess, she'll be long gone." He stared at me. "With me."

"Well, I'm certainly not running like a coward."

"Cowards tend to live long lives. Besides, she'll face him when she's ready. Hopefully, far away from here."

"What's your problem? We can help her."

"You're _tainted_ ," he said nastily. "I can't bear the thought of you near my daughter."

"She's tainted, too, arsehole."

"Not like you."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot. You ripped her from her mother's womb before she could be as poisoned as me. Fuck you, angel. Get that stick out of your arse and cop on to yourself."

He sneered. "You're so crass."

"Oh, noes. You wounded me." I turned to leave then hesitated, remembering what I had come in there for in the first place. "Did you know my mother?"

"Why would I know your mother?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Seraphim? Thought maybe that meant something. And Gabe knew her, so—"

"Gabe's _here_?" He sounded horrified.

"No," I said softly. "He died recently."

Air whooshed out of him. "That's a relief. He would have happily handed my daughter over to Seth."

"Shut the fuck up!" I pointed with a shaky finger at him. "He saved everyone. _Everyone_. He gave up his life so nobody else would have to. So don't you _ever_ speak about him."

He glared at me, but he kept his mouth shut. Apparently, he was smarter than I'd given him credit for.

I stormed out of the room and went outside, unable to see straight through my anger. I was mad at Gabe—pissed at him, really—for giving up on himself and having to die alone. I knew, deep down, that he had done something wonderful and pure, but I couldn't get past his death. He had been my only connection to my mother, to a past I could never understand, and he was gone. I wasn't about to have some nasty, mean-tempered seraph bad-mouthing Gabe in my own home.

I trembled as I leaned against my gate, the spring sun shining on my shoulders. I wished I could cry. I needed to release the torment inside my soul—the guilt over Gabe's death and the anger over him leaving me without warning. He had driven me mad in life, but I had felt him change and known that he was growing as a person, never mind an angel. He deserved the chance to atone, but instead he had died, and I would never know if he had done enough.

Leah came to stand next to me. "You're upset."

"I have a gobshite living in my house, that's all." I sniffed. "What's up with you?"

"I want to meet her," she said. "The girl. I wish there were more people my age around here."

"I know." I sighed.

"You miss him," she said softly.

"Who?"

She gave me a wry look. "Gabe. Who else?"

I thought of Eddie. I had turned to him whenever I had a question. He had made some horrible mistakes, but he had done it all for love, and my anger at him had quickly faded.

I was madder at Gabe than at Eddie, which was beyond fucked up. It was as if whatever grief I'd had over Folsom and Mrs. Yaga and everyone else had mingled into a huge ball and rolled into my guilt over my grandmother and Wesley. They didn't remember me, and although that was a weight off my shoulders because I had one less burden, I also felt a sense that a piece of me had been ripped away. They didn't remember me, so my memories of them practically didn't exist anymore.

I had already been unstable emotionally, and then Gabe had just... vanished, right before my eyes, burned away until he was nothing. I still had dreams about him, and I knew I was angry because that was all I could deal with, but I couldn't seem to release any of my emotions.

"It's okay to be upset," she said. "It's okay."

"I know. I do know that. I just can't..." I shrugged.

"I know you aren't going to talk to me about it. I just think it would help to talk to somebody."

"I'll introduce you to Jess properly tomorrow," I said. "She's a little antsy, being stuck in the house all day."

"Maybe we could go to the children's home together."

I stared at her. "Who told you we were going to do that?"

"Phoenix. We talked about it."

I laughed. "When the hell did you learn to wrap him around your little finger?"

She smiled. "He's like you. Protective of everyone. I'm close to Lucia, so he sees me a lot, and I think he feels bad about the last time we visited the children's home."

"Yeah, he wasn't Mr. Pleasant that night. I'm glad you're getting along."

"He's coming over later," she said. "To see the twins. He's having dinner at Anka's house."

While everyone was in hiding, Val and Leah had stayed with Anka and Dita. I offered to rehome them afterward, but the four of them were more than happy to stay together for a while. Val had people to protect, Anka had someone to watch over her daughter, and the girls got to have a pseudo-sister for the first time in their lives. The situation had worked out better than I expected. And the twins were living in a different home, but Lucia and Val were in some kind of relationship, so the two households spent a lot of time together.

"You gonna come over?" Leah asked, jolting me out of my reverie.

"Oh," I said. "Nah. It's a family thing. I wouldn't want to intrude."

"We're all family," she said. "And Phoenix is more relaxed when you're there. He's always nervous of saying the wrong thing to Lorcan and making him mad. He knows you would slap Lorcan upside the head if he acted like, well, Lorcan."

I tried not to laugh. Lorcan had come a long way with his father, but he couldn't help letting out snide remarks every now and then. "I'm not getting in the way of family time."

"Stop being weird," she said. "You know you're family. You brought them together. And we don't see you as often anymore."

"Good," I said. "That means the world is safe for a while."

"For a while. So why not enjoy it?"

I shrugged. "Just busy with the noobs."

"If you say so. Anyway, Anka asked me to invite you over tonight for dinner."

"I think it's better if I don't show. We'll end up talking about anything other than family, and it'll get weird. Besides, I shouldn't leave Jess and Adam alone."

"Are you avoiding Phoenix?"

I laughed scornfully. "Why would I avoid him?"

"I heard things got a little... touchy when the Council caught you breaking out Aiden that time."

I shivered at the memory of Phoenix's lightning whip from hell. Touchy was an understatement for the pain I had experienced at Phoenix's hands. He had sworn to me that he had been putting on a show for his mother, whom he later killed, but I would always remember exactly what he was capable of. However, that wasn't why I tried to avoid him.

# 8

I wasn't surprised when I heard a soft knock at my front door later that night. When I answered, Phoenix was standing on my porch, fidgeting with his watch.

I turned without a word and headed into the kitchen. I heard the front door close and sensed him following me. The fae might have gained some purpose of late, but he was often unsettled and restless. He remained silent, hovering in the doorway, while I made a pot of coffee. I had bought larger cups just for his random visits. He rarely said what he wanted, but he always seemed to end up at my house, and for some reason, it didn't bother me all that much. I was only truly rattled around him in the presence of other company.

When the drinks were ready, I led him out into the back garden. We sat on crappy garden chairs and sipped coffee in the darkness, a full moon the only light. A sharp breeze nipped at my skin, but the hot drink held the chill at bay.

"You didn't come to dinner," he said.

I sank lower into my seat. "It was a family thing."

"They consider you family."

I looked at him. "It's good for you to spend time alone with them."

"They're not completely comfortable with me. When you're there, Lorcan is on his best behaviour, which makes Lucia worry less about the atmosphere."

"I'm not completely comfortable with you, either, but here we are."

He caught my eye and smiled. "This is not uncomfortable."

I sipped my coffee, deciding not to answer.

"How is the girl?" he asked. "And her father?"

"They seem okay. Not talking much. A bit like you really."

To my surprise, he laughed. "I speak when I have something to say. I don't require constant noise."

"I've noticed. How are the werewolves settling in at their new place?"

Phoenix had taken his mother's land and given it to the werewolves so they could have space and privacy. So far, there had been nothing in the newspapers about their location.

"They split up into small packs." He hesitated. "There hasn't been any trouble." But something about his tone belied the words.

"So who are the paragons?"

He jerked a little then let out a heavy sigh. "Who told you about the paragons?"

"Well, it wasn't you, so I'm guessing it's important if it was a secret."

"It's not a secret. It's... complicated."

"Am I too stupid to understand?"

He gave me a wry look. "It's safer for you to be out of the way of this one."

I frowned. "I don't appreciate being told what to do."

"I've noticed," he said.

"If I'm at risk, then I have a right to know."

"This isn't something that needs to be discussed with every person here."

"And that is supposed to mean what, exactly?"

"You have a tendency to... share. Everything. With everyone you like."

I frowned. "That's why they trust me. I don't keep... many secrets."

His eyebrows rose. "Such as the truth about the neutrality surrounding this place?"

I held his gaze.

He looked away first. "The paragons are a higher power. They are above the various designated governments, councils, and committees around the world. And one of these paragons has arrived in Ireland after hearing about the werewolves. He's taking his time to get to the point, but he likely wants to know why werewolves still exist."

"They saved us," I said heatedly. "And where were these paragons when the formula was being passed around and screwing up everything?"

"Taking their time," he said. "I feel confident I can appease them about the werewolves as long as there aren't any incidents, but I am concerned they will look to you and this child you're protecting. One tainted nephal is risk enough in some eyes. But two?" He shook his head.

"Is that what Daimhín meant about leverage?"

"Yes. If they turn their eyes to you, the fact Seth is here could help." He shrugged. "Or hinder if Seth causes enough trouble. For now, the paragon is watching. We have time to figure out our options."

"What'll happen if the paragon decides the werewolves are more trouble than they're worth?"

"They'll sentence the werewolves to extinction," he said softly, and I knew the same could apply to Jess and me. "Perhaps you and the girl could stay in the sanctuary. It's safe since ownership came back to me."

"Thanks. But we'll hold out here." There was no way I was giving up my home.

"I'm living there now," he said, "in the house next to the sanctuary. I could watch over you both."

I didn't want to flat-out refuse him. "If it comes to that, we'll see. But for now, I'm staying put."

"The paragon isn't an issue." The unspoken "yet" echoed in the air. He shifted in his seat. "Seth might be the real concern, but I'm worried about the hooded assassins. They disbanded and came back together under Reuben. What's to stop them from doing the same under Seth, an even more powerful vampire? Technically, he's not truly a vampire. He's an original and singular creation who sired an entire race. That makes him their god, in a way."

I made an attempt at an unconcerned grin. "What, are you afraid the faith of a bunch of vampires will make him invincible?"

"I'm more worried about the Irish vampires turning against Daimhín and the Senate. Or Seth creating more beasts."

"That's why he has to die." I gripped my cup tighter. "It's the best outcome for everyone."

He looked at my face. "So you're hunting him then?"

I bit on my lip, anxiously waiting for him to see right through me and into my soul. "If he comes here and attacks, I'll fight back."

Phoenix narrowed his eyes. "You would wait for him to come, looking over your shoulder while he bides his time? My children live here, remember, and I won't stand by and let you—"

"If he comes, I'll deal with him. I promise you that the twins needn't get involved."

" _You're_ involved. That drags the rest of your world into it. You know as well as I do that Lorcan will fight your battles, and if Seth attacks unexpectedly because—"

"I don't have a choice."

"If harm comes to my children, any friendship between us will end."

"I'm not going to put them in danger, but I'm not hunting Seth down. This is the way it is."

He slapped his leg. "And you won't tell me _why_ it's the way it is. Ava, I—"

I rose to my feet and headed toward the house.

Phoenix caught hold of my arm as I reached the back door. "I know you've made some kind of deal. But if you talk to me, I can help you."

"You can't," I whispered. "I can't tell, and you can't help me."

He closed the space between us, crowding me. I caught his scent and inhaled sharply. I was confused and overwhelmed and—

"Ava," he whispered. He put his fingers beneath my chin and tilted my head, making me look up at him. "Are you forbidden from telling me?"

"Yes," I said firmly, able to meet his eyes with the truth.

"Then I won't ask again."

He fell silent, but he didn't move. I held my breath. On some level, I was absolutely terrified of Phoenix. I still dreamt of the pain I had suffered at his hands when he'd basically been a double agent. His fingers tightened on my chin, and I knew I had let a flicker of fear show.

"Don't do that. I would never—"

"Stop," I blurted. "I can't—"

He eased back a little, but his hands moved to my shoulders and pinned me in place. I squirmed, panicking in case he could somehow glean the truth from my face.

"You haven't asked Lucia to look for Seth," he said. "Why not?"

"I don't want to force her visions."

"She wants to help you. I'll ask her myself."

"Phoenix, no. It was overwhelming for her when she suddenly began to see her visions again." I barely stopped myself from saying it was after his mother's death. "Seth isn't something she needs to take on."

"She's stronger than you think."

"I know she's strong, but—"

"She hasn't seen anything. Not yet. She'll let us know as soon as she does."

"I can't ask her to—"

"You haven't."

I shoved at him. "Let me finish a sentence, Phoenix!"

To my surprise, he smiled. I wrapped my arms around my waist, trying not to shiver.

"Why are you scared of me?" he asked. "You know why I—"

"I'm not!"

"Now who is interrupting?" He grinned, a broad, contented smile that I would never have expected from him. He took my hand. "Sit with me a while."

He led me back to the chairs and didn't drop my hand. His was warm and large, and I felt comforted by the contact. We were both a little empty, maybe even lonely, and that pushed us together sometimes.

"How have you been?" I tried to relax, but it was ridiculously hard when I was basically holding hands with a fae prince. And that sounded so crazy in my head that I wanted to laugh.

"Strange," he said. "There's been so much to do that I haven't had time to process it all. It's on nights like this..." With a sigh, he leaned back and stared up at the moon.

I watched his profile, confused by this side of him. "Sorry," I whispered. He had killed his mother then been thrust into responsibility. Coupled with building relationships with the children he couldn't remember having, his current life had to be tough.

His fingers tightened on mine. "I get frustrated sometimes, trying to remember things that don't exist."

"Do you think about her? Helena, I mean."

He frowned. "I only have the twins' memories of my wife. I see a stranger through their memories. I never see what it is that made me fall so hard in love that I left my heritage behind just to be with her. It's just... missing."

"I feel like a piece of me is missing sometimes," I whispered. "Isn't that weird?"

"Because... _they_ don't remember you? Do you think that's how my... wife felt?"

I pulled my hand from his grip. The memory of what I had done to free my grandmother and my ex made me uncomfortable. "Helena didn't know what happened to you."

"But she lost her children. That must have made her feel empty."

I thought of Emmett and Peter and the way I had felt when they left. "Yeah. That almost destroyed her. She had a purpose, though. Searching for her family kept her from falling apart. She was good to me. She made my life so much better. _I_ can see why you loved her."

"What age were you when you knew her?"

"In my early teens, I think. She was old to me, even then."

"Old," he mused. "Human old. And I would have watched her die. I would have always outlived her by lifetimes. How was that something I could be comfortable with?"

"I think that if you really love someone, then everything else doesn't matter. You still love who they are, no matter what they look like. You knew she was human, so when you were together, it didn't matter to you. You were willing to take one lifetime with her, even though you would be left behind. You obviously thought she was worth it."

"But who was she?" He sounded frustrated.

"She was kind and caring, selfless, really. And she changed my entire life. She got through to my grandmother and made the worst of it all stop. I mean, you saw Nancy's memories of me, how she saw me. Helena made her see me in a different light. And then I met Wes, and he helped, too." I cleared my throat. "Life is weird." I squirmed a little. "You could... see Helena through my memories. If you wanted. It might help, and I think I owe you that much."

"Thank you," he said. "I'll think about it."

Hoping to defuse the tension by changing the subject, I asked, "What do you do when you're not working? Or here?" I smiled.

He grinned back at me. "I read. Learn. Try to remember, or at least, catch up on what I've missed. I visit the werewolves and just... sit with them. I train sometimes."

"You could do that here if you wanted." I sat up. "You could help me train Jess. You and Lorcan could spend time together training her even. Her dad's convinced she has to fight Seth herself." I shook my head. "Some stupid deal. But we could at least prepare her."

"She doesn't trust me."

"Nobody trusts you at first," I teased. "But we got over it. So will she."

"Does that mean _you_ trust me?" His voice had become serious. When I looked at him, his expression was naked, youthful and vulnerable.

"I do." And I meant it.

His expression shifted, but I still couldn't read it. "I should go."

He walked to the back door, and I followed. Still, he hesitated. I doubted he ever really knew what he wanted when he came to my house. He just didn't have anywhere else to go.

"Phoenix..." But I didn't know what else to say.

He was lost, but he sought me out as if I could help him. I felt responsible for him without knowing why. He was an adult, a father, a husband, a leader, someone with more responsibilities than most. He could take care of himself, but still, there was a part of him that he needed help with, and I felt compelled to be there.

"I'll come back when she trusts me more," he said. "I'll help Lorcan train her. If Seth comes for her, I'll stand with you."

"You can't get involved. You might have to deal with him as a government official."

"If he has been involved with the beast formula, then he is an enemy of this country."

"If he comes here, we can put an end to the formula. It would be over for good for the entire world, not just us. We would never have to worry about the same thing happening again."

"It would be the last major threat."

_Unless the paragon decides to be awkward._ "What if they try to order you to wipe out the werewolves?"

He raised a brow. "You know the answer to that already."

"That might be dangerous."

"A man needs some excitement in his life."

I smiled, but I was too chicken to ask what he would do if the paragon told him to wipe out the tainted nephilim instead.

# 9

"You did _what_?" Adam spluttered. "Vampire queens and—what on earth is going on around here?"

Jessica stood with her hands on her hips, her cheeks flushed. I covered my smile. She was totally taking advantage of her dad's injuries. I walked over toward the sofa where Adam sat.

"Real life," I said. "Cut her some slack, Adam. She's been through a lot."

"Cut her some slack? Been through a lot? Do you somehow believe I haven't been around for any of it?"

"I know you have, and I think maybe you're too close to the situation right now. The vampire queen is part of the new Senate here, and if anyone can warn us about Seth, it's her. She has a seer, and she has contacts. The last thing she wants is a stronger vampire taking over her territory."

"He's not a stronger vampire. He's a _creator_. He's the first. He's more than a vampire. He can—"

"Dad," Jess said in a frustrated tone. "Do you really think I haven't learned anything? I know what I'm doing. I'm just trying to help us survive here."

"This is the wrong place," he insisted. "We have to leave. We have to move on before he finds out where we are."

"We're safe _here_ ," Jess cried. "Won't you listen? This is the safest we've ever been!"

"According to her!" He jabbed a finger at me. "A tainted one."

A growl emanated from Jessica's throat. "I'm a tainted one, Dad. _Me_. Stop acting like it's a sin."

I was getting angry. Adam could be such a sanctimonious prick. If he would just listen to someone else for longer than ten seconds, he might learn a thing or two. He was so caught up in his bitterness and spite that he couldn't see anything besides what he had already convinced himself of. In that sense, he reminded me of Peter when we first met, except there didn't seem to be any getting through to Adam.

"This is getting us nowhere," I said. "You can leave if you want. Jess can stay with me. I don't care what you do, Adam. She's the one I'm interested in."

"Why?" he asked through clenched teeth. "Why are you so interested in my daughter? What can she do for you? What's your motive?"

"I don't have a motive," I snapped. "And if you keep pissing me off, you'll be crawling out of this house. Jessica's told us about her life, and I'm mad enough about that as it is. You treat your kid like shit, and that's one thing I can't abide. If you don't start treating the people in this cul-de-sac—including your daughter—with respect, you can leave."

"She's coming with me," he said. "We'll leave today. Trust me, I won't be looking back."

"No!" Jessica roared, her eyes turning red. "No!" she screamed again, kicking over the coffee table.

Startled, I took a step back. For the first time, I began to understand why Adam was so against his daughter losing control.

"Calm down," Adam said, but he didn't sound calm himself, and that clearly sent his daughter into a worse rage.

Jessica's hands clenched into fists. "You can't make me leave. You can't keep doing this to me whenever I get used to a place. I won't go!"

He sat up straighter and glared at his daughter. "You don't have a choice!"

"She has a choice," I said, eyeing Jessica warily. "Things are obviously... tense between you two right now. It might be better if you stayed in a different house. Jess can stay here until everything cools down. I don't see how—"

Jessica moved forward until she loomed over her father. "Get out," she snarled.

For an instant, I saw fear in his eyes. I closed the space between us, ready to stop her from hurting him if it came to that.

"Jessica," he said in a low voice, "pack your bags. When you calm down, we'll leave."

"You can. I won't." Her voice had changed, transformed into something dark.

I saw the taint in her then. The darkness appeared to shroud her skin and elevate her into something almost demonic. She raised her hand. In the second he flinched, I grabbed her arm. She flung me off her and sent me crashing into the wall. The force of her strength stunned me. She wasn't Jessica anymore. There was no recognition in her eyes.

"Jessica!" Adam shouted. "Stop it! Leave her alone!"

Jessica pounced on me. She had completely lost control. She caught me in the jaw with her fist before I managed to roll her over and pin her. She was stronger than I was, but she was also careless and out of control. I could manage her. _For now._

"Jessica," I said as calmly as I could manage. "It's Ava. I am helping you, but you don't get to hurt anyone here. Do you understand me? Your taint is no excuse. You're better than this, and you _can_ control it, so get a grip and snap out of it so we can move on already."

Panting, she snarled. She stared up at me, her chest heaving, but I held tight, holding her gaze. The scarlet haze slowly dissipated from her eyes. It was replaced with horror. When she finally stopped struggling, I let her go. Scrambling to her feet, she choked out a sob then raced up the stairs and went into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Blowing out a breath, I turned to check on Adam. He had changed, too. He looked like a worried parent all of a sudden. There was no distaste in his eyes, only concern. I felt a little relief; I had been genuinely worried that he didn't love her at all.

"I'm sorry." He sounded defeated. "She doesn't mean it. She's too young to..." He shook his head. "She doesn't want to hurt anyone."

"I know that." I took a seat beside him on the sofa. "That was intense. Does it happen often?"

He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "It used to be rare, maybe once or twice a year. When she was younger, I could deal with it, but she's grown stronger during her... episodes. It's happening more often, and she insists on pushing the limits, on working herself up until... _that_ happens."

"And that's why you've trained her to kill in cold blood?" I tried to keep my tone even, but my judgement came through clearly.

He gazed at me, exhaustion in his eyes. "You know what people think of tainted nephilim. Imagine if the wrong person saw her act that way. What if she keeps getting stronger and stronger until nobody can stop her? What if she can't come back one day after she loses control? They won't think twice about killing her. I'm terrified for her. If she can protect herself without losing control, then she stands a chance."

I shook my head. "She's a teenage girl. She shouldn't be encouraged to have blood on her hands by her own father."

"She's tainted." His voice broke on the word. "Avoiding that side of her nature is the only way I can keep her alive."

I shifted uncomfortably, seeing the parallels in the way I had been brought up. "Hiding from who she is won't help her in the long run. That's a temporary solution. She needs to learn how to control that side of herself. Trust me. I don't have her problem, but I have other issues. I know better than anyone what avoidance does."

"It's too risky." He gave me a pleading look. "We'll leave. We'll keep moving. There's no need for you to tell anyone else about this. I can handle her. If the time comes when... well, I'll be the one to deal with her."

"I'm not going to give anyone the excuse to use her or harm her. Look, I think both of you are going through a phase where you bring out the worst in each other. I don't know if it's proximity or hormones or what, but you're both supremely unreasonable when you're together. But I still think I can help you. I want you both to stay in the cul-de-sac, but I really think it's best for everyone if you stay in a different house until everything calms down some."

He leaned forward and put his head in his hands. "I don't know what to do with her. For the past three years, things have gotten worse and worse. I keep thinking if we move on frequently that there won't be a chance of her getting attached enough to lose herself. But it was impossible when the vampires came. She made friends, and it actually seemed as though her anger issues improved, but she still fought me on every other level. It's an ongoing argument that I try to disengage from, but it just continues whenever the opportunity arises, and I can't deal with it." He raised his head and turned to me, his anxiety plain on his face. "Did she hurt you?"

"No. She's strong, but I've been through a lot worse. I'm not a mother, Adam. I've had very little experience with teenagers, but I know what it's like to be a young tainted nephal and have the people I'm supposed to trust look at me as if I'm some kind of monster. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you expect her to act like a hormonal teenager, she will. And restricting her life obviously hasn't worked. She needs to be around people her own age, and both of you need to get out of each other's pockets and spread your wings."

His shoulders sagged. It was strange getting through to the real Adam, the parent rather than the seraph. "Coming back to Ireland has made everything worse again."

"Coming back?"

"She was born here."

That struck me as strange. As far as I knew, seraphim were rare, but two had reproduced in Ireland within a decade. I saved up those questions for later. "Does she remember the place?"

"No, no. But it's obviously going to raise some questions about her past. And her mother." He winced. "But she's been obsessed with what happened to Parker. She wouldn't be this jumpy otherwise, I think."

"Parker's the boy you met up with along the way, right? The one who creates fire."

"Yes, we joined up with him and his sick grandfather. Sunny's death was bad enough on Jess, but I promised Sunny I would take care of his grandson, and then we lost him. I feel responsible for that, but Jessica's head is full of dreams. She sets up these fantasy worlds in her mind, where she thinks everyone is a potential family member. We both grew attached to Parker, but the fact that he saved her life has her caught up in some kind of obsession with him. He's a good kid, but Jess has no experience with boys. And her judgement has proved... less than stellar."

He made a face, and I figured he was talking about the same person Jess had mentioned, the one who had sold her to the vampires. I really hoped that arsehole wasn't walking around on his own two feet anymore.

I thought of the children's home. "We could look for Parker. It might help her deal to know he's okay."

He shook his head. "She would only get hurt."

"Sometimes it's worth the risk."

His face paled. "Trust me. I know it's not worth it."

"You loved your wife, didn't you?"

He gazed at his hands and rubbed them together. "It wasn't a requirement, coming here and having feelings. I wasn't expecting the humanity of this body, how easy it was to care. When it was all taken away from me, it ripped me apart. _I_ killed her. I'm the one who caused her life to end. Yes, she would have died anyway, but I caused her heart to stop beating."

"You did it to save Jess," I said. "Your wife probably..." I couldn't give advice. I had no idea what exactly had happened. But I was dying to find out.

"She begged me to save the baby," he said. "She had no idea what was going on, but she understood she was dying. She knew the baby was at risk if she died; she just didn't realise the baby was at a different kind of risk if she lived."

"How did you get away from Seth?"

He rubbed his cheeks. "I prayed. I offered everything I had to save her, so that my wife's death wasn't for nothing. I saved my daughter just so she could do the dirty work of beings who don't care and haven't helped. No matter what I've done, bad luck has followed us."

"Have you told Jess any of this stuff?"

He made a strangled sound in his throat. "I wish _I_ didn't know. Why would I burden her?"

"Do you not think...?" I shifted in my seat, feeling uncomfortable. "I mean, wouldn't it help her to know what happened? That her parents actually cared about her? That it wasn't all about the end game. At least not for you."

He looked at me, his face twisted with disgust. "Are you talking about Jess or yourself?"

I shrugged. "Both, I suppose. Gabe had so much more he could have told me. He was biding his time; I just know it. And my grandmother doesn't remember me anymore. Everything I could have known was wiped from the world. I mean, why do these things happen? Why us?"

"You think the answers would help you?"

"Why not? You've been under pressure to keep Jess moving. My grandmother was under pressure to make sure I was treated like crap. Why the specifics? Why were Jess and I treated differently? And why is everyone so obedient?"

But the spell had broken. Adam's gaze turned cold. "Perhaps you're right about a short separation. I will not stay in the same home as a hellhound, however."

" _Half_ -hellhound," I corrected. "And somebody fiercely loyal, so you had better hope she takes Jess under her wing. But yeah, I think you'd be better off with a human, someone who doesn't easily take offence. And you need somewhere quiet, so you can recuperate. You can eat your meals here, if you feel up to it. Jess still needs you, but I'd prefer to dial down the intensity for now."

"Where?"

"I think Carl would be best for you. You'll be able to see this house from his window. You can come over any time. I'm not taking her away from you; I'm just putting distance between you both to avoid that happening again."

"I understand," he said, biting out the words in a clipped tone.

"Okay," I said. "I'll organise it. You should talk to Jess and explain things to her."

"I'll let her know where I'm going."

"That's not what I meant."

He rose to his feet. "I know."

He headed upstairs, leaving me with more questions than he had answered. I called Carl and made arrangements. He wasn't too chuffed with the new deal, but he didn't say no. He came over a little later, and we helped move Adam into his new lodgings.

Jessica didn't speak or help. I hoped I was doing the right thing.

# 10

Jessica had been subdued since the incident, and I thought hard about finding a way to make her realise that I didn't blame her. She barely looked me in the eye anymore, but with her dad out of the way, I could be more creative in my dealings with her.

Two days after her dad left to stay with Carl, she was sitting at my kitchen table, pushing uneaten cereal around in a bowl.

"I was thinking we could go somewhere together today," I said brightly.

She grunted.

"Kind of like a field trip. More like a mission really," I babbled.

She gave me a quizzical look.

"It might be fun for you to meet some people your own age."

She froze. "I don't think—"

"Other teenagers who haven't had a normal life," I clarified. "There's Leah, next door, for starters. She was on the run, too."

Jess frowned. "Really?"

"And then there's the children's home. Remember I told you I went to Hell? Well, a lot of the children we brought back with us still live in the home. We haven't found their families, if they're even still alive, and the kids spent so long in Hell that it isn't really safe to throw them out into the world again. So they stay in this place that's... okay, it's kind of horrible, but there's a lot of land, and they get fed and have, you know, sunlight and stuff."

"Are you sending me to live there or something?"

She looked so horrified that I laughed. I regretted it when her cheeks flushed with colour.

"Of course not," I said hurriedly. "I just thought maybe it would be interesting for you to meet these kids. If you stick around, you'll end up spending time with them in the new school."

"Dad won't let us stay here that long. He'll figure out a way to get me out of here."

"Let me deal with your dad. Do you want to go? I just thought maybe..."

"I'll go." She brought a spoonful of cereal to her mouth. "When?"

I smiled with relief. If Parker turned out to be staying in the home and I took him out of there, she would trust me about a million times more than she did. And if he wasn't, she wouldn't be disappointed because she hadn't expected it in the first place. _Ava Delaney, Mistress of Manipulative Strategy._

I was going to drag Leah along and kill two birds with one stone. And Phoenix probably wouldn't kill me for poking around in government business.

Peter held his car keys out of my reach. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

I glanced over my shoulder at where Jessica and Leah were standing by Peter's front gate in awkward silence. So the instant-besties plan hadn't worked out.

"It's a genius idea," I insisted.

"Are you ready to go back there?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" I snapped, then I relaxed. "Sorry. Yes, I'm fine. I'm more concerned with overly tall mini-me over there. She needs something good to happen, and this could be it."

"And if this mysterious boy isn't there?"

"Then I'm going to have to hire you and Val to find him for me." I gave him my best smile. "Friends and family discount, right?"

He rolled his eyes. "I suppose I owe you that much. So how would the new kid be for babysitting duty?"

I flinched at the idea of Jess losing her temper around Emmett. "Never going to happen," I said sharply.

Peter looked almost hurt, but I couldn't clarify without having everyone worry about Jess's presence in the cul-de-sac. I knew how unfair that was, but I needed them to give her a chance first.

He held out the keys. "Don't hurt my baby."

"Thanks." I took the keys then hesitated. I couldn't think of anything else to say, so I turned my back on him. Dealing with Peter would stay on the backburner for as long as I could hold him there.

I shook the keys as I passed the girls. When I sat in the driver's seat, his cinnamon scent overwhelmed me, and it took me more than one go to stick the key in the ignition.

"You're super anxious today," Leah piped up from the backseat.

Jessica gave me a pointed look. Teenagers were supposed to be self-absorbed. I had to know all of the observant and interested ones.

"I'm fine," I said. "I haven't been to the home in a while. That's all."

"Some of them saved her life," Leah told Jessica, "when she was trying to save the world and all."

I rolled my eyes. "I wasn't trying to save the world. But yes, they did help us when it was over. I don't even know who."

"We'll find out," Leah said.

"You're way too excited," I said. "We need to take you out more."

"Well, duh." She grinned. "Jess, you seem nervous, too. There's nothing to worry about, you know."

"Everyone's nervous the first time they see the special kids who lived in Hell," I said wryly. "But they're pretty normal." I started the car.

"If you say so," Jessica said. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask you... is there a chance I could use a computer and email some people? It's the only way I can contact them. I don't know if they have access yet, but you said a lot has gone back to normal in the UK, right?"

I nodded as I turned out of the cul-de-sac. "Of course. I would have offered already, but your dad made it sound like you didn't have anyone to contact."

She stared at her feet. "We fell in with a group, but we had to leave them. Before I was sold off, I had given their location to _him_ because I thought he was a soldier and he would help them. But he didn't."

I winced. "And the same thing happened to them?"

"Kind of," she said. "A policewoman who had taken charge of everyone was sold, too, and we escaped together with another girl. I'd like to know how everyone is doing. If they're safe or whatever. I'd like to let them know we're safe, too. They were kind of the closest things to family I ever had, so..."

"Yeah, of course." Every time she revealed a little more of her life, I felt sorrier for her. She had been through more than most girls her age. Then again, so had kids like Leah and the ones living in the children's home. "You and Leah must have a lot in common."

Jess turned to look at Leah. "Ava told me you were in hiding, too."

Leah nodded. "I was in the slave market in Hell as a baby. Val was a guard there, and she broke us out to keep me safe. I was worth money, I suppose, because we kept having to run all of the time. Then we ended up in the sanctuary with other people. When the sanctuary wasn't safe anymore, Ava brought us to the cul-de-sac." She grinned. "It was way more dramatic at the time."

I smiled at her in the mirror. "I can't pretend to know exactly what either of you have been through, but at least you both know you aren't alone."

That seemed to break the ice. The girls chatted as I drove. Of course, they talked about things like death and war, but maybe someday they would move on to nice, healthy, shallow subjects.

As we drew closer to the children's home, my fingers tightened on the steering wheel. I wasn't worried about seeing the children again. I was freaking out because I was going to the place where I had almost died, the place where Gabe and Eddie had been killed. The place where the world had opened itself up to demons. The place Esther had been seriously harmed in. The place Carl had tried to die alongside me. That place sucked. The memories sucked. I didn't want to go back.

My breathing grew heavy. I was being drawn back into my own horrific memories, and I wanted to run away screaming.

I pulled through the gates and saw the bodies strung up on the walls again. I licked my dry lips and exhaled slowly, trying to calm down. As I turned into the driveway, my eyes found the scorched grass that marked the path Eddie Brogan's dead wife had taken when she was summoned. I saw her stab herself in the stomach in order to kill whatever had replaced their baby. My eyes watered as I remembered his face, the pain in his expression. He had taken so much from me and other people to get to that point, and the object of his devotion had stopped him. I doubted anyone else could have killed him. It had to be love, and that made it all the more depressing.

I stopped the car, killed the engine, and tried to get a grip on myself.

"Ava?" Leah whispered after a moment.

I squeezed my eyes shut, counted to five, then let go of the wheel. "Out you go," I said as brightly as I could manage.

We got out of the car. A sharp wind gusted around us, giving more weight to the memories.

"Well, here we are," I said in a shaky voice. "Let's go inside and take a look around, shall we?"

I had prepared a story for whoever was in charge of the children, but Alanii met us at the door with a smile. Esther's friend no longer hated my guts. She would understand.

"Yo," she said. "Haven't seen you in a while."

"Keeping busy," I said. "What about you?"

"These kids have been keeping me hopping," she said. "I got assigned to the place a week ago, and I swear I haven't slept since."

"I can imagine. Is Esther staying with you?"

Her smile fell. "No. I assumed she was with you." She glanced over her shoulder. "This isn't the place."

"Of course. I thought it was about time I came around. These kids saved my life, after all."

"That was crazy," she said, shaking her head. "Hi, girls." She gave Jessica a curious look.

I ignored it. "These two are probably going to end up in the school with this lot, so I figured maybe an introduction was in order. And Leah here can have a kind of sensory overload around a large number of people, so we're trying to work her up to spending time at school."

Since Alanii was new at the home, she wouldn't know that Leah had pretty much overcome that problem already. As long as everything remained calm, she could deal.

Alanii gave Leah a doubtful look. "Oh, okay. Why not? Want me to show you around?"

"That would be great!" I shepherded the girls inside after Alanii. "Let me know if you sense anything out of the ordinary," I whispered to Leah.

She gave me a knowing look. "And the sensory overload should trigger in about five seconds, Ava."

"Hold out as long as you can, but don't hurt yourself if it goes wrong."

She nodded. She was in on the plan, but I didn't want her to push herself too hard, either.

"Come see the changes we made in the dorms," Alanii said. "We still have more to do, though. It's a work in progress."

She led us upstairs. The hallways had been painted some pastel colours, which was nicer than the white. The dormitories had some personal items that made the place look slightly homier, but it wasn't nearly enough.

"What do you think?" Alanii asked.

"Um, looks better," I said.

Alanii showed us to a common area next. A few children huddled around a television. "Normal" toys and activities filled the room, but most of the things looked untouched.

"How have they been behaving?" I asked.

"They're quiet for the most part," Alanii said. "But when they're wild, they're really wild."

Leah fanned her face with one hand.

"Maybe a little fresh air would help," I said.

"We've lots to see outside," Alanii said enthusiastically as she led us back outside. "So we're trying to turn the place into somewhere they always have something to do. The basketball court was set up a couple of days ago. No interest yet, but the school is going to have a proper PE teacher, so we're hoping that will help get them wanting to play."

"That's good," I said. "I mean, you can't just pile new stuff into the place and expect the kids to know what to do with it all, right?"

"Exactly," Alanii said. "We've been arranging for tutors to come and prepare the kids for the school. It's going okay, but I'm hoping the actual school will have more benefit to them. I mean, they're sick of seeing these walls. It'll be good for them to have another place to go."

"How close are you to the school being ready?" I asked.

"Another couple of months. They'll be introduced to the place before the summer, but the school officially opens in September. Some of the teenagers won't be attending, and a couple of the younger children are too much of a risk to have around large numbers of other kids, but it'll come together in the end."

"And the werewolf cubs?" I asked.

"Three will be attending school in the new year," she said. "They need time to adapt to their new lives, so they'll be starting later than the rest. I'm hoping it will work. It'll be difficult for them at first, but we have high hopes."

"Werewolf cubs?" Jessica asked in a doubtful tone.

"No exclusions," Alanii said.

"How's the mood around here about the school thing?" I asked.

"A mix of excitement and nervousness," Alanii said. "In a few years, there'll be supernatural schools all over the country, maybe even mixed schools. I'm looking forward to the integration, now that we've gone public."

"There's been some backlash, though," I said. "Any idea on how you'll all handle that?"

"We'll—"

"I don't feel good," Leah said weakly. "There's something..." She widened her eyes at me.

"Alanii, could you possibly take Leah back to the car while I run back inside and find the kids who helped me?"

Alanii hesitated before nodding. "Of course. Take your time."

"Jess, you might as well come with me and meet them," I said. "Leah, you did good. Take a breather, and I'll be back before you know it."

I grabbed Jessica's arm and jogged back inside before Alanii could change her mind. Something was happening in there, something only Leah could sense, and I wanted to see it before anyone could hide it from me. I trusted Alanii, but I wasn't sure where her loyalty lay when it came to the children's home.

"Shouldn't we get back to Leah?" Jess asked.

"Not yet." I closed my eyes and reached out with my senses. A bunch of energies had gathered in one room. "Hurry!"

I ran, followed by a rather confused Jess, until we burst into the dining room. A large group of older children, led by a smirking Noah and his girlfriend, were facing off with a tall boy whose face was half-covered by a hood. He was practically backed into a corner, and his hands glowed with flames.

"Holy shit," I whispered.

Noah's girlfriend made a sharp movement with her hand. The air seemed to vibrate and spin in front of her, then the hooded boy was pressed even harder against the wall. His arm jerked with the movement, and a flicker of fire shot out, singeing the girl's shirt. She swore and slapped at the fabric. Noah took a step toward the boy.

"Parker?" Jessica asked in a shaky voice.

Before I could stop her, she was running. Noah raised his fist, but Jess got there first and punched Noah in the nose. Noah's girlfriend immediately prepared to blast some magic at Jess. I ran, but Parker pushed Jess behind him and held up his arm. His fire flamed in a kind of shield as the magic hit.

Jessica's eyes burned red, and Parker's eyes were pretty glowy, too. Noah jumped to his feet, his gaze cold and dark on Jessica.

"Enough!" I shouted.

Jessica made a weird hissing sound and pushed Parker against the wall. The carpet smoked as Jessica leaped forward, colliding with Noah.

Noah's girlfriend prepared to use magic again. Parker's fire burned brighter.

"No!" I yelled. I dove into the tussle on the floor, separating Jessica and Noah, who were attempting to tear lumps out of each other. I was so _not_ good with teenagers.

"Stop this! Instantly!" Phoenix's voice sent chills down my spine.

Noah rolled away from the fight, but Jessica still reached for him. I pinned her arms and called her name, but her eyes were blood red and unseeing.

Parker knelt beside us and pressed his hand against her cheek. She flinched when he called her name, blinking hard as the red seeped away. He pulled back, leaving her cheek red from his heat. His hood had fallen down, revealing a mixed heritage, acne scars, and a serious crush on Jessica.

"Ava," Phoenix said warningly, "care to explain what's going on here?"

Jessica seemed calm enough for me to let her go. "Be cool," I whispered.

I stood and turned. Phoenix was standing next to an embarrassed Alanii and sheepish Leah, his expression unreadable.

"Hi," I said. "Just some... growing pains."

His eyebrows arched.

I remembered I was supposed to be angry with Phoenix for hiding Parker and not even giving me a heads-up. "So," I said, "kinda weird we found Parker right here, eh? Singed rugs and all."

"I came to speak to him today," he said. "He hasn't shown signs of fire before."

"Strange things happen when someone is provoked."

"Provoked!" Noah snorted. "He started it."

"What are you, ten? Give it a rest, Noah," I snapped.

"He's a freak," Noah said scornfully.

"I've got news for you. We're all freaks. Nobody cares." I gave Alanii an apologetic smile. "Sorry I didn't tell you the full story. I wasn't sure if he was here, and I didn't want to get her hopes up. Leah, you doing okay?"

She nodded, but her gaze was on Jessica, who was still trying to settle down.

I turned to Noah and his friends. "Ganging up on one person is the coward's way. You have enough going against you already; don't be arseholes. And magic isn't supposed to be used like that, so quit it." I sighed and turned back to Jess. "Control the temper, Jess. It isn't helping you or him." I gestured at Parker. "And kid? You don't know me, but I'm not your enemy. And fire inside a building is pretty much the ultimate safety hazard. Try not to burn Jess to a crisp the next time you need to flash the flame around."

Parker nodded, looking ashamed.

"You all need to accept that you're going to be meeting new people," I said. "Most of you are a little different. You can't act like immature idiots every time something new comes along. Do we understand each other?"

Noah shrugged. "You haven't been around. You don't know what it's like."

"I know that there are enough people out there who have a problem with us without us turning on each other." I finally worked up the courage to face Phoenix. "We need to talk. Right now."

To my surprise, he gave a little nod before directing Noah and his friends out of the way. He did give them a promise of future punishment, though.

"I'll get these three a snack," Alanii said. "You and Phoenix can go to the office. It should be empty right now."

Phoenix gestured for me to follow him. I widened my eyes at Leah, who subdued her giggle when Phoenix gave her a sharp look.

The office was basically a cupboard with filing cabinets. There wasn't a lot of space, so I was pretty sure we weren't about to scrap it out.

"Were you planning on stealing him?" Phoenix asked.

"I was planning on taking him back to his guardian," I said. "That's the plan here, right? Reunite these kids with the closest thing they have to parents?"

Phoenix shook his head. "The boy is unstable."

"He's not yours." I put my hands on my hips. "And you knew we were looking for him. You knew he was here, and you didn't say a word."

"I didn't know for sure."

"Bullshit! You knew, and you didn't tell me. Why?"

He looked exasperated. "I already told you about the paragon. I can't allow these children to run around unchecked. A kirin? They indulge in the temptations from their own fire."

"That kid's too ashamed of who he is to indulge in anything. You didn't see him. He didn't attack. He only used the fire to protect Jess."

"What if he decides to attack next time? Or the time after that? And that girl is out of control."

"I can handle her." _I hope._

"That isn't the point. The paragon is just waiting for the chance to interfere. I'm protecting the boy by keeping him here."

"You're protecting yourself. And what's with the register?"

He groaned. "Do we have to do this now?"

"Yes, actually, we do. I'm taking that kid home with me, and I'm still trying to decide if you're someone I should trust."

"You said you trusted me."

"That doesn't mean I _should_!"

His glare chilled me, but I couldn't back down.

Finally, he gave in. "We need to keep track of the people in this country. We already had databases, but the register is just one step further. Anyone who enters the country is now supposed to declare their heritage to us—human or not."

"And do the 'nots' have their children taken from them?"

"There was one case. _One_!" He held up his hands. "It's not what you think. There was a child who had certain gifts. His parents were unprepared and asked us to take over. He was a danger. People began to get hurt, and we removed him from the situation. That was all."

"Where is he now?"

"Not... here."

"Phoenix!"

"He's been cared for and taught control. I'm not my mother. I'm not using these children. But the safer they are to be around, the safer they are from the likes of the paragons."

"I don't like this."

"And I don't like the thought of that boy being around my children. He caused an unstoppable fire, Ava."

"To help captives escape from Guardians. If we had met him then, we would have called him an ally. He's not going to hurt anyone. This isn't a home for him. He's not meant to be here."

"I want to speak to him first."

"Before he leaves with me? Not a problem."

Phoenix's lips twitched. "You speak as if I have no choice."

I held out my hand. "Hi, I'm Ava. I do the right thing even if scary fae try to stop me."

He shook my hand then held it a moment longer than I was comfortable with. "You trust him? Even after the trouble we just witnessed?"

"Somebody has to trust these kids. Lorcan could be one of those boys out there. Another time, and he might have been. Do you think kids would have accepted Lucia without question? Do you think Lorcan would have stood by and let them bully her?"

"If he convinces me he isn't a threat, the boy can leave with you."

I took that as the best compromise I was going to get, and we went to find the others. Alanii was chatting with Leah, while Parker and Jessica sat together in silence. Jessica gave me a guilty look that soon turned accusing.

Phoenix sat in front of Parker. "You haven't spoken before."

Parker scowled, but his eyes held a placidity missing from Jess's. He was a normal kid who had been thrown into extreme circumstances. Maybe I had a soft spot for troubled kids, but I couldn't imagine that boy willfully harming an innocent person.

"Did you think they would ask you about Jess?" I asked.

I had just been guessing, but Parker looked at me with surprise then nodded.

"It's her," Jess whispered. "We found her, and she took us in. She's safe, Park."

His conflict played out in his expression. That kid couldn't keep anything a secret.

"The witch left me here," he said, revealing a hint of a Scottish lilt. "She said she needed me for something, but she never came back for me. I knew she really wanted Jess, so I didn't talk to anyone. The others wanted to know what I could do. That's what was happening before. They've been at it since I got here."

"I'm surprised you didn't send the entire place up in flames," I said. "You must have a lot of control."

Phoenix ignored my smug look. "Do you have any family?"

Parker ducked his head. "My grandfather died on the way here. We haven't gotten in touch with my mother since the vampires began to take over. She's probably... probably..."

"I'm sorry," Phoenix said. He actually sounded as though he meant it.

"My dad promised to take care of Parker," Jess said. "He promised."

Phoenix stood. "As long as he stays with his guardian, he can go from here. Ava, you can take him home. Alanii, I'll deal with the paperwork."

Phoenix left us abruptly, and Alanii and Jess went to help Parker pack his things. He thanked me profusely, seeming like a different person from the scared teen who had been backed in the corner.

Noah found me before we left. "So he gets to leave?"

"He has a guardian," I said, feeling guilty.

"You?"

"No. Somebody else."

"But he's going with you. You're going to protect him."

"He's going to stay... close by."

"And the rest of us are still stuck here," he said.

He walked away, shoulders hunched. I wished I could take every single one of them with me.

# 11

Adam glared at me. "And if my daughter had been taken on the street like a criminal, would she be stuck in some children's prison, too?"

I winced. "I didn't take Parker. I didn't take anyone. The children in that home came from the slave market in Hell. They don't know what else to do with them. There's a natural witch there, one with uncontrolled magic. Obviously, somebody thought Parker was out of control because of that fire—no offence, Parker—and that's why he was put in the home. They didn't know any better. We're not the bad guys here."

"I thought you weren't involved," Adam said nastily.

"I'm not, but I feel responsible because I brought them out of Hell. An effort has been made to get those kids back to their surviving families, but when some of them were taken, their entire families were wiped out. They've spent a lifetime in Hell, and they don't know how to be out here. Not yet. We can't expect a brand-new government to just unleash those kids on the world right away. It's not going to work."

"New governments have a way of doing exactly what the old governments did."

"I just don't think that's going to happen. We had it bad here before. There was the Council and their Guardians and their quotas and their rules. But we also had corruption and deception and treachery. Me and Phoenix and everyone else in this cul-de-sac, and more besides, took it upon ourselves to right the wrongs and change everything."

"Am I supposed to look at you and that fae lunatic as _heroes_?"

"No, I'm saying we have good intentions. There's a fledgling government in place right now, and they're doing their best to make changes, but it's hard to force change. We have to acknowledge that and give them a chance. Parker was taken before the change. Most of the problems were created by people who aren't even alive anymore. You have to cut me some slack here. I don't have any power outside of my own territory, and even that was hard fought for. I took Parker out of the home and brought him here. Why are you so mad at me?"

"He needs to be angry at somebody," Jessica said. "And the ones he's really angry at aren't here. You're just in the way."

"Do not talk for me, Jessica," he snapped. "And I'm angry because I'm sick of hearing about this new government from somebody who is obviously trying to convince herself that the PR isn't a lie." I opened my mouth to protest, but he turned to Parker and talked over me. "Parker, I'm glad to see you. And I meant the promise I made to your grandfather, but if you cause a fire, they'll take you back to that so-called home. You _have_ to do as I say for now."

Parker nodded. "I won't go back there. I'll do anything to stay away from those animals."

I sighed. Noah and his friends probably weren't the most well-mannered teenagers in the universe, but they had been through a lot. I had a soft spot for the little shits. Well, and I had the same feeling about Parker, which was probably why I had wrangled him out of there. That and the fact I was trying to bribe Jess and Adam into liking me. It didn't seem to be working, though.

Realising I wasn't going to get through to Adam, I got to my feet. "I'll let you lot catch up. I'm gonna head home. If you need me, you know where to find me."

I went into the kitchen and asked Carl to walk me across the road to my house.

"My head's actually gonna explode," I complained when we left his house.

"Meh. At least it isn't being ripped off."

"Give it time. First vampire, remember?"

"Why would he kill you?"

"He doesn't need us anymore if he's making beasts out of his blood. I don't know why nobody thought of this sooner. It makes perfect sense. His DNA creates. Why not a deformed version of a vampire?"

"He sounds like a creep. If he's so old, is he falling apart? Like the beasts, I mean," he said, sounding excited. "Daimhín's bad enough, and she's pretty old. But the first?"

"That's if he's even alive. I mean, this could all be some vampire horror story they tell to keep us afraid. What do you think of Adam anyway?"

He laughed. "He's a little uptight. He doesn't swear or drink or smoke or do anything but frown disapprovingly at me. I'm looking for excuses not to be in my own house."

I nodded. "Even Jess can be a little much sometimes. I'm pretty uncomfortable around them, but she seems to like Leah. I thought maybe she could make some friends at the children's home, but they were picking on Parker when we got there, which apparently means they must die."

He snorted. "Obviously."

"I don't know. What have we inflicted on the world, Carl? Even Emmett... I mean, the children all seem to have serious psychological issues even before their 'gifts' go awry. What if we've created a generation of misfits who'll never find a way to fit in?"

He grinned. "You found a way."

"I'm being serious, dumbass!"

"Their problems come from a situation we didn't create," he said. "We saved them from it."

"We disturbed everything they know. What if we made it worse for them? I sometimes wonder if we did what's best for them. That's all."

"I understand," he said. "Have you heard much from Esther?"

I shook my head. "I've been pretty occupied with Jess and Adam, though. Is there news?"

"Not really. But I'm worried she left the hospital before she was supposed to and—"

I laughed. "Look who's talking."

"Hey! That was in everyone's best interest, okay? Esther's injuries aren't healing. She gets these awful migraines, and I heard that she sometimes shifts without meaning to. All hulk style."

"Stop gossiping, for a start," I warned.

"I'm not a gossip. I'm worried about her. She's so vulnerable after everything that happened, and I'm afraid she's not taking care of herself."

"Why?" I stared up at him as we stepped into my living room.

"I've been talking to Quinn." He sighed. "I don't know how much she says is true, but the new alpha has ideas on what being an alpha means, and he's ready to punish Aiden. Except Aiden's gone into hiding, so apparently, it's some fucking stupid rule that Esther has to take the punishment or lose honour. Or some such crap."

"What? She didn't tell me that!"

"She didn't tell anyone that. Quinn heard it from the shifters."

"What in the actual fuck is Aiden doing letting Esther take his punishments for him? What is the punishment anyway?"

"Only shifters know," he said. "Have you met this alpha yet?"

"Mac? Just in passing. Sounds like he's old-fashioned."

"And pissed off. Rumours are already spreading that he's hated. No matter what we say about Aiden and his methods, he was well liked and respected as an alpha."

"Do you think Aiden will try for alpha again?" I asked.

"He shamed himself. He can't. He won't ever be accepted by the shifters as a leader again. I'd be surprised if he's even still in the country."

"What if Esther tried to take over?" I asked eagerly. "Would she have a chance?"

"If Aiden's problems didn't stain her, then maybe, except her injury makes her appear weak. An alpha has to be physically strong, and mentally, for that matter. The alpha has to have the strength of will to control the others without violence, although the violence is apparently a bonus for some of the alphas around the world. It would work out excellently if Esther could lead them here, but Aiden's circumstances were exceptional, and right now, Esther doesn't measure up."

"How do you know all of this? I hope you haven't been quizzing Esther all this time."

"I haven't, I swear." He sighed. "I've been reading up a lot about the shifters. Now that I can look at Eddie's books without him hiding things, I've learned a lot more. People have been donating books, too. It's kind of amazing really."

"You've been to the shop?" I hadn't dared.

"Yes," he said softly. "And I think it would be good for you to come with me sometime. Maybe there's something about this first vampire or the werewolves or something interesting. There's a lot to learn."

"Breslin has a ton of literature and records, too. I haven't looked at them, yet."

"You need to face all of these things someday, you know. Including the bar, Ava."

Gabe's bar had become Finn's bar, and I wasn't ready to walk through the doors again.

"I can't," I said. "I just can't face it."

"I'll be with you. I'll hold your hand and pass you tissues when you cry."

"Why would I cry?" I demanded.

He smiled. "Because you care. Somehow, you manage to care about strangers, and sometimes even the bad guys, and that means you care about everyone who has ever been a part of your life. You care about Gabe, who did the right thing in the end, whether you like it or not. And I know you care about Eddie. I know that underneath it all, he cared for you. He was your Yoda, the one who led you down the right path, and—"

"No," I said bitterly. "He led me down the paths that would benefit him."

"And he could have killed you," he said. "He could have allowed Marina to kill you. But he didn't. You told me what happened. I can read between the lines. He used her when he could have used you. He kept you alive. In his own little way, he was good to us. Yes, he was absolutely psychotic and overcome with power and pain, but there was a spark of humanity left in that man. You saw it, and you focused on that part of him. I'm going to do that, too, because it's the only way I can deal with any of this. The person who helped us turned toward the darkness, and we did what we could to stop him. We didn't kill him, Ava. We didn't force him to be there. We didn't open the veil or start a war or summon demons. We didn't cause his death, so you need to stop feeling guilt over that."

"But what if—"

"We all made choices that we have to live with," he said. "And I know you did the right thing. The deaths aren't on your shoulders, Ava. You have to believe that."

I wished I could.

# 12

I dreamed of fire and smoke and a voice calling my name. I sat up, heart pounding, and looked around in the dark. I was alone, but I felt something nearby, a presence.

"It's just Jess," I whispered, even as I jumped out of bed to get dressed.

My heart was racing so fast, I almost passed out, but the dizziness eased as I ran into the hallway. I checked on Jess. She was asleep, curled into a ball on the bed in my spare room.

I was drawn downstairs and to my front door. For a second, I expected Phoenix to be standing there, but there was nobody—only silence in the darkness. The moon was waning, and I shivered as I stepped outside, blinking against the steady rain.

A tall, broad man at the mouth of the cul-de-sac lifted an arm and waved at me. He looked a lot like Gabe. I caught the scent of something familiar, and I was running before I could even think.

I called Gabe's name, but the man stepped under a streetlight, and the black hair turned to gold. I skidded to a halt, confused. A beautiful man approached me, a kind smile on his face. He wasn't Gabe, but he smelled like him.

"I don't understand," I whispered. "Are you an angel?"

The man was beyond gorgeous. I looked for signs of a mask, but that was his true form.

"My father was an angel once," he said in a voice that felt like treacle melting all over me. "But not me."

I stared at him blankly. He was blond and blue-eyed. Inhuman. His father was an angel. That made him... who?

He raised his hand. "Come, Ava Delaney. Come to me."

My feet moved forward jerkily. He was calling me, and I was obeying. As much as I longed to reach him, a voice in my head screamed for me to stop. My feet didn't obey. I pushed through the tangled magic yanking me forward, shook it off, and broke free. I took a step back. The beautiful man looked pleased.

"Who the hell are you?" I demanded. "What are you doing here?"

"You don't recognise me? Well, I suppose we've never officially met. I like to think of myself as your father. After all, I made you what you are."

I counted rapidly in my head, struggling to control my breathing as my heart thundered. "Seth?" I had expected him to be old and decrepit. Why did he smell more like an angel than anything else?

His smile widened. "See? You were made to know me. I'd like you and the girl to join me, Ava. I thought I would come here tonight and see you with no... distractions." He glanced around the area. "I've heard you have quite the ragtag army on your side."

"How are you...? You can't be here. I'm—"

"I know," he said. "You're untouchable, and this place is protected. You've come a long way in a short time. I have a lot of pride in you. Hiding away your entire life, flying under the radar, and suddenly, you appear. Within a year, you take down a government, end a war, expose us all to the whole world, and become someone important. I could use that kind of ambition."

I took a deep breath. "Why are you here?"

"To see you. Don't worry. I'm not here to hurt anyone. I just want to talk. It's time, isn't it? For us to finally meet. I'm going to take the girl, you see. You... you are different. I see what they meant now. But she's young, easily swayed. I've been watching her for a while, waiting to see if she was worth my time."

"You can't have her," I said. "I won't let you take her."

"Take her?" He laughed. "She'll come to me. You'll see that soon enough. If you came with us, you could watch over her, protect her from the kinds of beings who like to follow me."

"What do you want with her, with us? What the hell is it that you want, vampire?"

He smiled even more broadly, exposing wickedly sharp teeth. "I want balance. I want to repay my father's family for the wrongs they did. I want to know what it is about two female babies that made archangels protect them from me. I'm very interested in both of you for that." He shrugged. "A thirst for knowledge is my biggest fault, they tell me."

"Who tells you? Who are you working with?"

He sniffed the air. "It's true. You really did visit Hell. And you managed to get out of there without the right person realising you were just under his nose. I'm impressed, and I wonder how much farther you could have made it if you hadn't stopped at the slave market."

"I'm going to kill you," I said. "You're not going to expect it. You're going to think it isn't possible, but I'm going to kill you and every one of those beasts you created with your blood."

"Ah, the formula." He wore a pleasant expression, as if I hadn't just threatened his life. "It's a tad crude, but it's a good way to gain power quickly. Don't you think? Of course, I'm the only one who can actually control those 'beasts,' as you call them. Have you ever seen a beast under my control?" He shook his head. "Of course, you haven't. You wouldn't be standing there if you had."

"No, but I've seen werewolves destroy a beast in seconds," I spat. "I'd like to see that one again."

"Werewolves." His upper lip curled into a sneer. "Despicable creatures. Somebody should put them out of their misery. Perhaps it will be me. Unless you're by my side to stop me, of course."

"By your side to do what? You're talking and talking, but you still haven't gotten to the point."

He flexed his fingers. "I have many reasons and ways to use you. My question is this: if you can open one gate to hell, can you open them all?" His smile reappeared. "And does that mean you can open one to Heaven, too?"

"Heaven?"

"What kind of damage could a being like you do to the angels hiding away? Especially with a certain dagger you're rumoured to possess."

My head spun. Nobody had told me the dagger wasn't just for vampires.

"On the other hand," he said, "would we even need to open a gateway? After all, if you can transport beings from one realm to the next, why couldn't you do the same for Lucifer? In theory, you could free him from Hell and lead him straight into Heaven. Now that's something I'd like to see. But our first step is to release him from his binds. He's trapped in the innermost circle of Hell. I believe we could find a way to not only reach him, but release him, too."

"Yeah, that's right on my to-do list. Along with kicking a puppy and stealing candy from a baby." I snorted. "You have some balls to come here and expect me to release the fucking devil. That's one magnificent ego you've got there."

He frowned, and his blue eyes sparked with red, a little like Jess's. I took a step back, expecting him to attack.

Somebody called my name.

I looked back to see Val walking toward us. I felt a little flicker of something, then Seth was gone, and the sky seemed a lot darker. The rain beat down heavily, as if it had been holding back in the presence of one of Lucifer's children. I suddenly felt a little sick. If Seth thought of me as a daughter, that meant he thought of Lucifer as my grandfather, and there was no way I was going there.

"What was that?" Val asked. "It was faster than I would have believed possible. Leah woke me, but she couldn't tell me much."

"That was Seth." I peered into the darkness to see if I could spot him. "He came to tell me he wants me to free his devil-daddy from Hell's jail. Nice of him, eh?"

She made a growling sound. "He came here, walked right inside?"

"Not inside. Just... there." I pointed at where he had stood. "Right outside. He didn't come to harm anyone. He just wanted to talk." I groaned. "Shit, I have to call Phoenix."

"Why?"

"Seth kind of threatened the werewolves. And he said he's the only one who can control the beasts. We've seen them wild and crazy, but he can make them do what he wants. We really don't need that to happen."

"We need to prepare ourselves," she said. "Why does everyone want to let dark beings into this world?"

I shrugged. "He's been watching Jess, he said. So he really has been following them. I was starting to think that Adam was some sort of psycho."

"You and everyone else who has met the man," Val said. "I'll wake Lucia and see if she knows anything that will help us."

"Leave her. She gets scared to look when nothing happens."

"She has to get over it. Particularly for this."

"She's not doing great, Val."

Her eyebrows knitted together. "I know that. All I can do is not let her lie down and give up. You don't understand her." She walked away, leaving me wondering if she knew Lucia much either.

I went over and to Carl's place. It took him a couple of minutes to answer my knock.

"Wake up Adam," I said as soon as he opened the door. "I'll be back with Jess."

"What's wrong?" he asked sleepily.

"Got a visit from Seth!" I waved and ran back to my house.

"Fuck."

I called Jess's name as soon as I made it through my door. When she didn't respond, I grabbed my phone and ran up to her room. She wasn't there. My heart stopped for an instant until I heard a sound from the bathroom.

"Christ, Jess!" I pressed my palm over my heart in a bid to stop it from popping right out of my chest. I walked over to the bathroom door and spoke through it. "Something happened. I'm going to ring Phoenix. Run over to Carl's house, but do not, under any circumstances, leave the cul-de-sac."

She mumbled something that sounded like an acknowledgement, and I ran outside again, dialling Phoenix's number. He answered as if he had been wide awake. I wasn't sure if he ever slept.

"Hey, it's me. Ava, I mean. Seth was here and made a vague kind of threat about the werewolves. Can you check on them?"

"I'll be right over," he said hurriedly.

"No, go to Icarus. Let them know there's a threat. Keep the sanctuary ready for them in case that's an option. Seth claimed to be able to control the beasts, and I'm worried that... well, I'm just worried. I'll explain everything later. Right now, I need to quiz Adam on everything he knows."

"Good luck," Phoenix said. "Are my children safe?"

"As far as I know. But if you want to persuade them to stay with you, then go for it."

By the time I made it back to Carl's, pretty much the entire cul-de-sac had congregated in his kitchen and living room.

"Okay, everyone relax," I called out as I was bombarded with questions. "Seth showed up, but he just wanted to talk. He couldn't come inside."

"What did he want?" Carl asked.

I looked at Jessica and Adam and blew out a breath. "Me and Jess. Mostly Jess." I shook my head. "I don't know what happened. I was asleep, then I felt like I had to go outside, and there he was. But he looked more like an angel than a vampire, so I was confused and—"

"What did he say?" Adam asked.

"He said Jess is going to go with him willingly and that he wants me to free Lucifer from Hell, maybe even direct a path for him to get into Heaven."

"You can do that?" Adam sounded horrified.

"It's not like I've ever tried," I snapped.

Carl laid his hand on my arm. "Easy."

I tried to calm down but couldn't. "I've no idea whether it's possible or if he was just fucking with me. But let me tell you this: when it comes to the big-ego ancients, he's king of them all. He thinks he knows exactly what's going to happen because it's what he wants to happen. And you were right, Jess, I'm pretty sure he's been watching you for a while now. He admitted the beasts are here because of him, and he reckons he's the one they obey. So make of that what you will."

"Are we in danger?" Margie asked. Her hair was still in rollers.

"I don't know," I admitted. "If he was going to attack us, then surely he wouldn't have given me fair warning, but I'm more concerned with the fact that I did what he wanted me to do. That's what bothers me the most. That and the fact he's threatened the werewolves."

"Is—" Lorcan started.

"Yes," I told him. "Your dad is checking on them. Adam, can Seth come out in the day? What are his weaknesses? And is it true my dagger can kill angels? Because that's news to me."

"The dagger was created for holy war," Adam said sullenly. "It kills who it has to kill, whatever your hand decrees. Whoever gave it to you took a mighty gamble."

"But the dagger doesn't do much to a beast," Carl said.

"They weren't created when this dagger was," Adam said. "I don't know about Seth's weaknesses, if he even has any. Why do you think I'm so afraid of him? We hear he can do things that others can't, but I'm sure he's happy for unfounded rumours to make their way around the world. He's never had to fight his own battles. He's always had the protection of the vampires, and now even the beasts, if what he says is true. If he takes Jess, I'll..." He shook his head. "Why can't he leave her alone?"

Peter shook his head. "Maybe it's time to use the sanctuary again."

"I mentioned that to Phoenix," I said. "We could hide the young werewolves there for a time."

"We need to hunt down Seth," Val said fiercely. "I don't like the way he works. He should have attacked us when he had the chance."

"He'd rather take us," I said. "And I can't hunt him. I have to wait for him to come to us, which he probably realises." I groaned. Everything always backfired, even the bloody good stuff.

"What are you on about?" Peter said. "We hunt him. We find him. We kill him. Then it's over, and we can all go back to whatever we were doing before."

"I can't!" I cried.

"Why the hell not?" he shouted. "I'm sick of you keeping secrets from us. What the hell is so important that you can't help us find the threat that's creating these bloody beasts and dropping them on the unsuspecting public?"

The way the others stared at me made it clear that they had all been wondering the same thing.

"Listen," I said. "I tell you what you need to know. Mrs. Yaga's will was clear. This place is protected because it's neutral. If I go wiping out entire species, then we'll lose our protection. I can protect, but I can't attack. Not anymore."

"That's bullshit, Ava," Peter said. "You choose what you do. And if you're not hunting down this fucker, there's something wrong. There's something you're not telling us." He frowned. "Or is he controlling you now?"

"Oh, get a grip," I snapped. "You're being ridiculous."

"But he's right," Lorcan said. "Why would you not want to go after him?"

I glared at him. "I just explained that. I have to wait for him to make a move so this place stays safe. Discussion over." I stood and stormed out of the house.

Carl followed me. "Take a moment to cool down," he said once we were on the porch. "I know you must be scared."

"Scared? _Scared_? I just faced the man who killed my parents. And I stood there... _I stood there_ , looking at his stupid perfect face and being totally unable to do a thing about it without compromising the safety of everyone who lives in Mrs. Yaga's houses."

"They're your houses now," he said. "Maybe we don't need to be protected all of the time."

"Are you kidding me? We get rid of one threat, and then look what pops up—the first freaking vampire of all time. Except he isn't rotting away, and he isn't out of control, like I expected. He's actually quite polite, and he can rouse me from my sleep and lure me outside to have a nice chat with him. What if he can do more?"

"If he could, surely he would have," Carl said in a gentle voice. "You won't lose yourself."

"You lost yourself to me, and I didn't even know what I was doing," I said, shaking inside. "He's had lifetimes of practice. More than that. He knows what he's doing, and he acts like he doesn't even have to force me. He acts like me and Jess will just give up everything and go with him willingly. Why would he believe that? What if he knows something we don't?"

"Ava, I know _you_ ," Carl said firmly. "He doesn't. I know what you're capable of. You would never give up and go with him."

"Even if it meant..." I shook my head. "He's not gone. He's said his piece and given me lots to think about. That's what he came for, to make me wonder, to make me think. What if..."

"There's always a 'what if.'" He looked behind him. "I'll leave you two alone."

I didn't have to turn around to know that Peter had joined us. Carl went inside, and Peter came over and stood next to me.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I'm just worried."

"Emmett's safe. There's no need to think that—"

"I'm worried about _you_ , Ava." He stepped in front of me and gripped my shoulders. "I don't want anything to happen to you. I don't want some vampire to come and take you away from us. I'm afraid you'll sacrifice yourself to save everyone you know, but that would just fuck up everything else."

"I don't see what else I can do. Jess is my first... I have to help her. She's like me. I can't just let her... oh, I don't even know anymore."

"We're all here with you," he stated firmly. "We'll figure out who Seth has working for him here. We'll work out what move to make next. All of us."

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. His lips brushed my cheek, and I pressed my face against his shoulder. He was willing for more, but I wasn't ready to confuse already muddy waters. So I hugged him and breathed deeply, trying to calm the rattling in my brain that said I was way out of my league. Again.

# 13

My friends worried all night, and Adam grew more panicked by the hour. The only thing stopping him from leaving was the fear that Seth was waiting right outside. By morning, Phoenix had organised a meeting with the Senate. They wanted me to attend and discuss everything I had learned. Not that it was much. When it came down to it, Seth had just made a lot of vague hints and threats.

When Shay stopped by to pick me up that evening, I considered taking Jess with me.

"I mean, this involves her, too," I told him. "She's a big part of this."

"So why are you hesitating?" he asked.

I threw on my jacket. "No offence, but I kind of don't want the Senate to see her. Aside from the fact that I don't want her to walk into Seth's arms as soon as we leave, I don't want the Senate to make her a target. You don't understand, Shay. When the old Council first heard of me, they threw me in their cells and voted on whether they should terminate or imprison me. I was lucky they needed my help. I don't want Jess to go through any of that."

"Do you really think that I would let anyone do that to a teenage girl?"

"You might not have a choice. Phoenix told me about the paragon."

His expression brightened. "The paragon hasn't done anything to make us think he wants us to harm our own."

"Remember what we're dealing with here. When it comes to power, there are no guarantees. I'm not sure if I trust your new government yet, Shay. I mean, I really like this idea you had of joining supernatural and humans together in those police partnerships or whatever, but don't ever think that you're safe. Look at how the last governments fell. It could easily happen again."

He smiled. "While I appreciate your concern, I'm not worried about what _could_ happen when there's a threat right on our doorstep. Seth is powerful, so what happens if he decides to use that power here?"

"Life would suck," I said. "But more importantly, the beasts could invade again, and I'm afraid for the werewolves this time. Seth wasn't actively involved before, or the beasts would probably have been harder to get rid of. We can't let it get that far again."

"Come on." He walked to the door. "Let's go. We've a long night ahead of us."

I followed him out to the car, looking all around in case an angel-like vampire was lurking in the shadows. But as Shay drove away from the cul-de-sac, I relaxed. "Any idea who's going to show up tonight?"

He shrugged. "Daimhín and the shifter alpha, for sure. Me, Phoenix, you."

I made a face. "Get on with it, Shay."

He laughed softly. "Okay, a succubus could show up. A siren. A representative for the, uh, little people."

"What the hell does that mean? And I'm ignoring the succubus."

"Apparently, those who have been exiled mostly stick together, and they thought it would be funny to call themselves the little people, particularly as one of them is half-giant."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I can't tell if you're winding me up or not, Shay."

"I'm not. I swear. You'll see what I mean soon enough. Anyway, not all of the representatives can turn up tonight. Some are in London at a conference. Elathan is... wherever the wind takes him. Not everyone can make it to meetings called on such short notice. You'll meet them all eventually."

"Anyone to watch out for?"

"Uh, the shifter, probably. He's not the most gracious of winners, put it that way."

"Yeah, I've heard about him. He wants Esther to receive Aiden's punishment because he can't find him. He's a dick."

"Settle down. Oh, and the human rep from Dublin is coming. He might be one to avoid, too. Got a massive stick up his arse. He can't stand to hand the responsibility to anyone else, but thinks it's beneath him to converse with the little people." He smirked. "I really need to stop saying that."

Grinning, I looked out the rain-flecked window. The streets of Dublin had suffered from the wars and attacks, and there were rumours that violence was on the rise, but it was still home to me. The boarded-up windows and graffiti had always existed in the areas where I had lived, but those elements had spread to places once considered tourist attractions. Nobody wanted to visit us anymore. We—okay, _I_ —had started something that had rippled outward, and I couldn't take that back.

"I can't say I'm looking forward to this," Shay admitted as we neared the meeting house.

It was an old human theatre that had been abandoned because it had been so costly to repair. Phoenix had snapped it up with his mother's money to provide a more public meeting place. He was doing anything he could think of to keep government dealings out in the open. _Except for the register_ , a little voice whispered in my head.

I turned to Shay. "Wait. Why are _you_ dragging your heels?"

"I'm not everybody's favourite human."

"I thought they had accepted you."

"As much as they can. The human reps think I'm trying to take over their territory. The supernaturals think I'm trying to put humans in charge of everything. I can't win. If it wasn't for Phoenix and Elathan, I would have given up by now."

I snorted. "I can't believe Elathan's the reliable one now. Sending him out on tour as an emissary and everything. You do know that he got kicked out of Hell, right?"

"I've heard a few variations of the story." He pulled into the parking lot across the road from the theatre. "And I'm not sure I believe any of them."

"When's the witch returning?" I asked.

"Not any time soon if Phoenix can help it. He's not comfortable around her. I'm not surprised, given his history. But I'm a little confused as to why he won't let her near the children's home."

"He just needs to trust her," I said. "Or maybe he doesn't want the kids to be seen too much, either."

"I heard you broke one of them out. You're braver than I am. I saw the fire that kid caused."

"I just wish I had known about Jess before it came to that."

"You're not responsible for what happened to them before they reached you. And you're helping them now. You can't do everything."

I shrugged. "But I feel guilty sometimes. I caused a lot of damage to people I'll never even hear of. While we were fighting, so were many others. I just wish I knew if I could have done things differently."

"Nobody can tell you that, Ava. You just have to make the best of the consequences."

He got out of the car and trotted around to open my door. The chivalry always embarrassed me, and I was pretty sure that was part of his reason for doing it. The rain hadn't let up, so we ran across the road to the shelter of the theatre.

I stepped inside first. The theatre smelled musty and strange. "I bet this place is haunted," I whispered.

"Don't say that. They'll come up with a representative for the deceased next. I'm not sure I can handle that."

Laughing, I followed him down the stairs and onto the stage. A large table and some chairs had already been positioned for the panel. Spotlights lit the area. Shay and I sat next to each other. Facing the rows of empty seats out there made me uncomfortable, but so did the idea that somebody could easily cut through the backing behind me. And that wasn't even taking into account the dark shadows and curtains at the sides of the stage.

"This is not the most relaxed I've ever been," I said.

"You get used to it. We're hoping to allow the public to sit in and watch us when we hold meetings. Not this kind of meeting, but normal ones. _More_ normal ones. I don't know."

"Just so you know, this is the perfect place to be assassinated."

He sighed. "We just want people to know that we're open about what we're doing."

"Hey, I get it."

Someone cleared his throat. The vampire queen and her entourage entered and made their way down the steps.

"Please don't sit next to me," I whispered.

Zion, Eloise, and Jules chose seats in the front row. Eloise smiled up at me, looking like a child, apart from the decay in her skin.

Daimhín continued onto the stage and took the free seat to my right. "Good evening, Ms. Delaney." She nodded at Shay. "Human."

I frowned. "His name is Shay."

She gave me a pointed look. "I'm aware of his name. Where are the others?"

"We're early."

"How unfortunate. So, Ms. Delaney, you met with the very first vampire and survived. What was he like?"

"Beautiful."

She and Shay looked at me as if I were crazy. I shrugged. More people entered the theatre, most of them with friends or bodyguards, like Daimhín.

"I think we're doing this wrong," I whispered to Shay. "Remind me I need backup next time."

He nudged me into silence then stood to greet Phoenix and a tall, broad, gruff man with down-turned eyes and a scar running from the corner of his mouth to his left ear.

"Ava, I don't think you have been officially introduced to Mac," Phoenix said politely. "He's the new alpha of all shifters in Ireland."

"Oh," Mac said, glancing at me. "This is the one. I'll be paying you a visit someday soon, girl. Have the bitch ready for me." He stepped behind me to take a chair at the opposite end of the table.

My skin crawled as I choked down a scathing response.

Phoenix sat to the left of Shay. "Vega can't make it, but James and Willow are on their way in. They have a few words for each other before they join us." He caught my eye. "I believe you already know the siren. You had dealings with her sister, Illeana, before she passed. Or so she tells me."

"Callista's back?" I asked.

Phoenix nodded. "She's quite popular, I believe."

I released a low whistle. "You should hear her sing."

Mac cleared his throat. "And Layla?"

"The succubus is running late, I'm told," Phoenix said flatly. "We have refreshments if anyone—"

"My boy will handle that." Daimhín clicked her fingers, and a twenty-something-year-old man ran from the back row up to the stage and grovelled at her feet.

"Rose's replacement?" I whispered more nastily than I had intended.

Daimhín looked at me for a long time. "Who?" she said at last.

_Cold bitch._

The sounds of a heated argument caught my attention. I saw a man and a woman pushing each other out of the way to get down the stairs. The pair stopped halfway down to argue more vehemently. Behind them was the Jessica-Rabbit-esque figure of Callista. A group of people followed her as if in a trance. Callista flicked her long blond hair over her shoulder then strode past them as if nothing was awry. I sneaked a glance at the men around the table. All of them, without exception, were gazing at the siren. Mac's mouth had even dropped open. Daimhín gave him a look of disdain.

I tried to avoid looking into Callista's eyes as she swayed down the last few steps, but she came over and stood in front of me, a broad smile on her face. I rose and let her embrace me while desperately trying not to wince or cringe or fall madly in love at the contact.

"I'm so glad to see you again," she enthused in a husky voice. "I've heard about everything you did, everything that went on. I'm so glad I know the truth now. That everyone knows. You've freed us, Ava."

Mac snorted.

Callista either didn't hear him, or she ignored his derision. "We must catch up."

Phoenix moved down a place to allow her to take the seat between him and Shay. Both men made a concerted effort to stare straight ahead.

The disagreeing pair finally made it up onto the stage. The man looked to be in his late forties. His greying hair was cut tight, and hard lines grew deeper around his eyes as he argued. He wore an expensive-looking suit under his raincoat. The woman was younger and plumper. Her chin-length brown hair was plastered around a face marked with laughter lines. She gave the impression of being fierce and welcoming at the same time.

"James, Willow," Phoenix said, "meet Ava. Ava, James is our human representative this evening, and Willow is..." He sighed. "I'll let her introduce herself."

James barely nodded at me before taking a seat beside Mac.

Willow leaned over the table to shake my hand. "So good to finally meet you, Ava. I've heard so much about you that I feel we already know each other. We have a few shared acquaintances, although, some have passed. I knew of Folsom, and Ry was an old friend of mine. For too many years, I thought him gone. Little did I know, he was still nearby. I represent those who are not in large numbers here. And those who do not feel they're well-represented by their species' born leaders." She glanced around the table. "I suppose you could say I—"

"Have a ragtag band of mongrels and rejects," Mac growled. "Good riddance to the lot of them."

"Ah," I said brightly. "It sounds like you represent me and my people. Good to know."

Willow smiled broadly. "Excellent. So... are we waiting for Layla this evening or just getting on with things?"

"We'll begin," Phoenix said. "Layla's aware."

Daimhín's "boy" brought out a tray of drinks and snacks. For Daimhín, he simply offered his wrist. I caught the scent of his blood and squirmed. I tried to close my ears to her slurping sounds.

"So," James said, "what are we here for this evening?"

"Ava had a visit from the first vampire," Shay said. "It could have important repercussions for the entire country, so we decided to meet and discuss the possible outcomes."

"Indeed," Daimhín said as she released her boy's wrist. "I'd like to know everything that was said, down to the last detail."

I heard the concern in her voice. Seth was a risk to all of us.

"It's kind of weird," I said.

Mac snorted again. He was so annoying. Phoenix gave him a sharp look before nodding for me to continue. God, I missed Gabe and Eddie sometimes.

"I woke up and felt compelled to go outside," I said, trying to remember exactly how it had happened. "I knew what I was doing, but I also knew I had to go outside. So I stepped out there, and in the dark, I saw a figure at the mouth of the cul-de-sac. For a second, I thought he was an angel." I shook my head. "He stepped into the light, and I didn't recognise him. He didn't look like a vampire. He was beautiful, like, seriously beautiful."

"He didn't have the"—James waved his hand around his face—"skin thing?"

Daimhín released a low growl that I was pretty sure nobody else heard. Even the shifter didn't react, which was odd.

I tried to remember everything about Seth. "He looked perfect. He wasn't threatening. He said he only came to talk. He wants me to join him, along with the girl I've taken in. He thinks he can use us both. He's been watching her for a while, apparently. And he knows everything about me. Somebody's been keeping him well informed."

Mac made a sound of disgust. "Look to your right for that answer."

Daimhín stared him down, but she looked completely unconcerned by his accusation. "I think you'll find you're wrong. This queen won't give up her seat for anyone, least of all the first. Consider this: what will happen if he can compel vampires to do his bidding? And controlling the tainted on top of that? Our previous wars are nothing compared to that outcome."

"That's the other thing," I said. "His blood created the beasts. He as much as admitted it to me. If he's gone, so are they, but while he's here, he can control them. He told me he's the only one who can. Why would he even need vampires around if he can make more powerful creatures who are completely obedient?"

Daimhín stiffened. "Perhaps he misled the vampires in the UK into thinking they had the upper hand because he wanted them to be wiped out. What else is in the formula, Ava?"

"We didn't have a scientific discussion about it, Daimhín. All I know is that his blood is involved and that we can't take another beast attack. Not now. I mean, the lot of you can barely sit in the same room together."

"She's right." A lone woman stood on the stairs, and I realised I recognised her. She ran a brothel that had once come under attack by a disgruntled wife. "We're not united, and we can be destroyed."

Phoenix rose to his feet. "Layla, this is Ava."

"We've met," the dark-eyed succubus said coolly. She took the last empty seat next to Willow. "It's nice to see you again."

_Yeah, right._

Mac cracked his knuckles. "We might not be in each other's pockets, but you're all forgetting about the werewolves. No beast attack here is going to happen without their help. That much I can tell you. And speaking of the werewolves, it's about time we took them into the pack."

"They have their own pack," Phoenix said.

"One pack of many is stronger than two smaller packs," Mac said.

"If you believe you can beat the alpha werewolf into submission, go ahead," I snapped. Mac's upper lip curled into a nasty growl, but I ignored him and continued. "Seth threatened the werewolves. He knows plenty that we don't. And we don't know what could happen if the beasts start acting like an army."

Phoenix nodded. "The werewolves act as a pack and on shared instinct, but they work best against uncontrolled forces. Their strength and partnership stands for them. Outnumbered against beasts who all have the same goal? I'm not so certain."

"And Seth isn't full of emotion," I said. "The best way to tear apart the werewolves is to destroy them emotionally. The werewolves have a weakness, their need to protect their own. I saw Icarus once when he thought his mate was under threat. If you want to rip some werewolves apart, you hurt their mates and offspring. Seth hasn't been around for this long without learning a trick or two."

"Ava wants us to move the vulnerable werewolves to the sanctuary," Phoenix said. "We don't technically know if the place is secure from Seth, and the werewolves are reluctant to separate."

"And what if that's exactly what Seth wants?" Layla asked.

"I'm happy to hear better ideas," I said.

"But what was the point of the conversation with Seth?" Willow asked. "He wanted to threaten the werewolves, yes, but did he say what he wanted with you?"

"Yes." I stared at my hands. "He wants me to free Lucifer from Hell."

# 14

The arguments buzzing in my ears reminded me of the old Council. I knew it wasn't possible for me to like everyone involved, but James and Mac were both chauvinistic pigs, and I didn't have the energy to get started on the vampire queen and the succubus. I didn't even know there were enough succubi to need a leader, but apparently, certain other similar species, such as the sirens, had old epic feuds that meant they couldn't share responsibility with each other. The species they did represent were varied, but few groups were large in number. The major supernatural factions in Ireland were the fae, the shifters, and the vampires. Everything else was a potluck.

"If we get rid of the tainted nephilim, the first vampire will disappear," Mac said.

"Are you kidding me?" Shay's face had turned bright red. "You want to banish the woman who pretty much saved the country and a teenage girl who has never harmed anyone?"

Mac held up his hands. "Now, now. Nobody said a word about banishment. I'm talking death here."

"Too messy," Daimhín said. "We don't know how the tainted nephilim die. They could take us all down with them. We would have to send them out on a boat or something and torch it when it's far enough away from shore. Or we could—"

Shay jumped to his feet. "If you think I'm going to stand here and discuss murder, then—"

I pulled him back into his seat. "Forget it. It's not even worth it. This is the man who has his heart set on punishing Esther because her brother pissed him off."

"Somebody has to take the punishment!" Mac roared. "That's our way, and it's not going to change because a pack of pansies are in government."

James's eyebrows arched. "Pansies? Are you a child?"

I covered my face as insults began flying. The meeting descended into the equivalent of a playschool food fight. The more they argued, the messier things became. I rose to my feet and whistled loudly until they all shut up.

"I'm going to deal with the first vampire," I announced. "And you lot are going to help me. We need to track him down, but we need to find out how to hurt him, too. Research is our greatest weapon at this stage, and I need all of your help. Can you do that without killing each other?"

"I'll question the vampires," Daimhín said after a moment. "Somebody must know where he is. I'll find out who is protecting him, and I'll dole out their punishment."

"We'll arrest them," Shay said firmly.

Daimhín gave him a toothy smile. "Of course we will, human."

"She's right about Seth being protected," Mac said. "But he can't be working alone, either. There's still plenty of trouble on the streets. Maybe my shifters will find out if there's a voice organising it all."

"If he doesn't look like a vampire and has lived so long, then he must have some kind of money, right?" James asked. "I could use my contacts to find out if any big players have rolled into town and picked up some property maybe."

"My ladies will pay closer attention to gossip," Layla said. "If this vampire needs more beasts, he must be recruiting from the humans. We'll use our charms to force confessions if we have to."

"I'll take a few shifts at Finn's bar," Callista said. "The customers will be so desperate to impress me that I'll hear all sorts of secrets." She smirked, and I had to look away. "Some may even be true."

"I can help with research," Willow said. "There are a couple of ancient beings I need to call on anyway. I'm a little rusty on my lore. I could use a refresher course."

"Great," I said. "Now I need to get home and make sure the first vampire hasn't eaten all of my friends."

"I'll drive you," Daimhín said. "We need to talk about some personal issues."

I looked at Shay, but he just shrugged. So I said my goodbyes and left the theatre with Daimhín. She had arrived with two cars, obviously in preparation for a private meeting with me. As we walked across the street, I kept scanning the area as if I would see Seth standing in plain sight.

"Wait!" Mac called out. "I need a word with you."

I rolled my eyes and turned to face him. "What now?"

"Just a friendly warning about the she-bear you're hiding. Now, I see you have a protective streak. Fine with me. But know that if you put up a fight, Esther won't be the only one hurt. You understand? When the shifters come for her, I won't be able to control their bloodlust if anyone gets in their way."

"Fuck right off," I snapped. "If you want Esther, come get her yourself, you big coward."

He growled at me, but Daimhín held up her hand and said, "Not now, shifter!"

They squared up to each other for a few tense seconds until the shifter grinned. He glanced at me. "See you soon, tainted bitch." He walked away with his hands in his pockets, whistling loudly. _Arsehole._

Daimhín calmly watched him leave. "Don't get used to his presence. He won't last long as alpha." But in the car, hidden from everyone else, she lost her patient mask. "What are we going to do? Seth will take over everything. And if he has two tainted nephilim— _two!_ —I don't know how I'll recover from this. Oh, it's just one thing after another lately. Why can't I have a century or so of peace like the old days?"

"One: calm down. Two: calm down. Has Eloise seen anything yet?"

"Oh, you know how she plays. She denies it, but she's probably already certain how this will pan out."

"Keep an eye on her. Or maybe I can talk to her."

"No! Certainly not! Besides, you have your own seer."

"Running empty on our end, too. Does that mean something, you think? Could he control what a seer... sees?"

"I have no idea. I've never had dealings with him personally. I know my master did, and he was terrified of the first. I don't think we can discount anything at this stage."

"Are we in this together?" I asked, feeling awkward. "I mean, are you planning on selling me out to appease him, or are we on the same page about getting rid of him for good?"

She hesitated a beat too long. "It's not that I _want_ to work with him. But if he dies, then so does our last chance to reproduce."

"Look at what reproduction has done for you lately," I said angrily. "Jules and beasts. Those days are over. Deal with it, Daimhín."

She glared at me. "There's no need for arrogance, Ms. Delaney." She smoothed her linen trousers over her thighs. "As long as you oppose him, I will do the same. We can never be allies, but sometimes we share a purpose. If you side with him, I'll make sure somebody ends you. I seem to recall you don't do well against bullets."

I forced a laugh. "Really? Funny how I'm still breathing then, isn't it?"

She sniffed. "Confidence doesn't suit you."

She leaned out the window and beckoned Zion. He walked over, got into the driver's seat, and started the engine.

"We're taking Ms. Delaney home."

We rode in silence. When the car finally slowed to a stop outside the cul-de-sac, she looked at me. "Is it possible?"

"What?"

"This... _thing_ about Lucifer being freed. Is that something you can do?"

I sighed. "I have no idea what's possible anymore."

I got out of the car, and Zion immediately drove off. Half of the residents were waiting for me with umbrellas shielding them from the downpour.

"Okay," I said. "I take it we're doing this on the street. The meeting was a mess, but the vampire queen is ridiculously worried, so I'm thinking we need to do the curfew thing. Maybe Seth can live in daylight, but I don't think so. Well, I'm hoping he can't. So at night, we stay indoors. But we're back to keeping watch. If you see or hear anything unusual, sound the alarm. Nobody watches alone. If he can mind-control us, then we need to be extra careful."

"What happened at the meeting?" Carl asked.

"The usual. The shifter thinks it'll be easier to kill me and Jess than to deal with Seth. But everyone has a job to do. They're all on the lookout for information, so that should make our lives easier. On a similar note, the shifter alpha plans on coming here to take out Esther. Anyone heard from Esther?"

She wasn't staying in the house I had transferred into her name, which made me believe she was hiding with Aiden. Everyone shook their heads.

"We have to warn her," I said. "He's a mean prick, that one. I doubt he's going to come here while he thinks Seth is stalking the place, but we'll have to deal with him eventually."

"We need to leave," Adam said.

Parker appeared to be holding him up, and the seraph was shaking violently.

"I'm telling you," I said. "This is the safest place for Jess."

"I'm not running anymore," Jess told her father. "Ava's going to help me. You're not well, so she's going to train me instead. And when we find out how to kill Seth, we'll do it. Okay, Dad?"

She spoke to him as if he were a child, but he nodded obediently. She caught my eye and shrugged. I wasn't sure if I was the best person to train a teenage girl, but she had no one else.

"Carl, set up the watch system," I said, then I sneakily gestured to Margie to check on Adam because he seemed feverish again. "Everyone else get some sleep. We've a lot of work to do tomorrow."

Once the crowd had wandered off, Peter asked, "How are you doing?"

I looked at him as if he were crazy. "I'm fine, thanks."

"I can help with the girl. We could work together, and—"

"Thanks."

"We're going to be okay." He took my hand and squeezed it. "We've been through wars. One measly vampire isn't going to take us down."

I blinked some rain out of my eyes. "He's not really a vampire, though. You would think vampires would know a lot about him, right? Daimhín said she'd question her vampires, but she's an ancient. Why doesn't she know more about him?"

"We'll find out the truth, me and you. We could go check out that vampire bar again." His eyes flickered with excitement. "Just like the old days."

I smiled. "Those days aren't so old. You should take Val, instead. She'll put the fear of, well, Hell into them."

His face fell. "Okay. I will."

I looked over his shoulder and saw Lucia waiting for me. "I have to go talk to Lucia," I told Peter. "I'll see you in the morning."

I felt his eyes on my back as I walked away from him. I knew I wasn't giving him what he wanted, but I couldn't help expecting him to turn back into old Peter. I was terrified of old Peter. Old Peter had more of a hold on me than new Peter ever would.

"You doing okay, Luce?" I asked the mute fae.

She motioned for me to follow her, and we strolled toward the mouth of the cul-de-sac. For a moment, I worried that she was under Seth's control, but then she stopped walking and held out her hand. I glanced around to see if anyone else was watching. We had kind of promised to stop sharing visions in that way, partly because it made Lorcan feel left out, but mostly due to the effect the visions had on me.

I swallowed hard then placed my hand in hers. I squeezed my eyes closed when I felt the pressure of her fingers, and then I was somewhere else entirely.

The sky was dark, but a full moon provided some light. We were standing outside the cul-de-sac. I could see my body on the ground. I was alive... barely. There was a healing cut across my nose, but the rest of my body looked newly broken. My other self reached out with a shaking arm, face distraught.

Looking around in the vision, I saw Jess walk confidently up to Seth and take his hand. Sticking out of the back of her jeans waistband was my dagger. She didn't look at my dying form as she strolled away with the first vampire.

"No!" I fell out of the vision and realised I was lying on the concrete inside the cul-de-sac. "It can't be." I swiped at my wet face, and my hand came away bloody.

Lucia knelt next to me. Her dress was flecked with what I assumed was my blood. She shrugged, a pitying look on her face.

"It doesn't have to happen that way." I spat out some blood and rose to my feet. "We can always change your visions."

She took my hand again. I wasn't prepared, but it didn't matter much. That time, there was nothing, only darkness. However, I sensed the presence of others in the vision, though they seemed to be hidden or blocked. Frowning, I let go of Lucia's hand. She gave me a meaningful look.

"Wait," I whispered as realisation hit me. "Those are other visions. Hidden by someone? But the first one was as clear as anything. Do you think you were meant to see that one? Or that your visions are being manipulated?"

She shrugged again and helped me back to my house. I felt weak and shaken, but more importantly, I felt the wrenching pain that had come from seeing Jessica desert us and leave with Seth. Lucia tried to take me into Anka's house, and I pulled my hand from her grip.

"I'll be okay," I told her. I wasn't in the mood for a lecture, and I didn't want to explain what we had just seen. I couldn't let anyone know what might happen. "Don't tell Lorcan," I whispered. "Please, Lucia. Don't make them look at her any differently. She's just a kid. There's hope for her."

Lucia's eyes filled with worry, but she nodded, and I knew she would keep our secret. I just didn't know what _I_ was going to do with it.

The next morning, I got up bright and early to drag Jessica out of bed.

"What are you doing?" she mumbled, pressing her face into her pillow. "You're worse than Dad."

"You were right last night," I said. "It's time we trained together. We might be fighting side by side someday, so we may as well figure out how to work as a team. We'll work on a few things, and when we feel a little confident in each other, we'll pick two opponents and try to kick their arses."

She looked up at me, her face creased with pillow marks. "Not Val."

"Hell, no. What do you think I am, crazy? Maybe Peter and Lorcan will do. Don't be afraid to fight dirty."

She smiled sleepily. "But Lorcan's so pretty."

"Then you're definitely fighting Peter." I perched on the edge of her bed. "How's Parker?"

"He seems okay. I don't know." She sat up and pulled her knees to her chest. "He's special, Ava. I never really had friends before the war. Dad didn't let me talk to people. I was on my own all the time. And then I made some friends, but when Dad told them about me, we had to move on. And then I met, you know, _him_." She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I thought he was amazing, and he acted as though he might like me. But it was all so confusing, and I'm not used to people. I can't read them."

I nodded. It sounded like a confession, and I didn't understand where she was going with it, or what the story had to do with Parker.

She stared at her hands. "So when he kissed me and asked me to sneak out with him, I did. And he took me straight to the vampires. He didn't just hand me over, either. He hit me like he hated me. He had stolen my first kiss, but he hated me all along."

"I'm so sorry, Jess."

She wiped away a stray tear and cleared her throat. "I was okay. I kind of found my strength in that place. I made friends for life, too." She shivered. "Most of the girls died, but not all of them. And when I saw those werewolves, I knew I had to get back to my dad, no matter what. So I did, and we moved on until Parker saved us from a gang of beasts. The beasts were working together, and it was terrifying, but they were scared of Parker's fire."

"Go, Parker."

She grinned. "I was still nervous because of what happened, so I was kind of cold to Parker at first. But then we starting travelling with him and his grandfather, and we got close. But he's never tried to kiss me or do anything, and I finally get how it's supposed to be. He's sweet, and he gave himself up to keep Dad and me together. Even though he's scared of the fire inside him, he used it to free people."

"You like him."

"I... I think so. I mean, how do you know for sure? What if I'm just grateful that he helped us?"

That was something I couldn't even figure out for myself. "Nobody can tell you how you feel, Jess. But when you thought he was being hurt at the children's home, you were pretty fiercely protective yourself. That came out of a good place, I think."

She shrugged. "What happened before made me doubt myself when it comes to this stuff. I don't even know if he likes me."

"For now, just know that you both care about each other. Don't stress over the big stuff. Let it come naturally. Or not, as the case may be. You have plenty of time, Jess."

"How do you juggle all of those men?" she whispered. "I can't handle one."

I glared at her, and she burst into laughter.

I shook my head. "Not funny. I'm going to punish you in training. I hope you know that."

But her laughter was a beacon of hope. She could never leave us to join up with Seth. She got up to get dressed, and I went downstairs to make breakfast.

We talked about all kinds of things while we ate. She told me more about her journey, about witch's luck and a little cottage on the moors and how her life had been in her early years.

I felt sorry for her, even as I saw similarities to my own life. I had been afraid to care about her because I had lost so many people. But maybe being afraid to care was worse than losing them all.

# 15

"Outside on the road or in my back garden?" I asked Jessica when she was ready to go.

She made a face. "Back garden, of course. Your neighbours are nosy."

I grinned. "Yeah, but it's too early for most of them. Garden it is, but we'll be moving onto concrete at some stage. I'm a big believer in training the way you'll be fighting, and you're unlikely to fight Seth in my back garden. But it'll do for a start."

"What kind of training are we doing?" she asked.

The morning was chilly, the grass frost-tipped. Streaks of pink and orange highlighted the sky. At least the rain had stopped sometime during the night.

"Tackling, wrestling, basic moves." I shrugged. "We'll know what we need to work on when we get started."

"I'm a little nervous."

"I won't hurt you."

She shook her head. "I'm scared I'll hurt you."

"I think I'll be okay, Jess."

"But what if I lose my temper?"

"Yeah, you're kinda supposed to lose your temper."

She stopped walking and stared at me. "What?"

I met her gaze. "Listen, Jess. Me and you... we have these gifts. And we might think they're more like punishments, but if they can help us, if they can give us an advantage, then you can bet your arse we're going to use them. I spent way too long being afraid of myself. We're going to skip right past that stage for you."

She shoved her hands in her pockets. "Why were you afraid of yourself?"

_Holy crap._ The sharing part sucked. "Take a seat." I gestured at the crappy plastic garden chairs. "I grew up being told I was a monster, that I was bad. I thought everything different about me was something to fear. So I hid away from the world and thought that made us all better off. But you can't hide from yourself, from who you're supposed to be. It'll always be lurking, always waiting to jump out on you when you least expect it."

"Is that what happened to you?"

"I suppose it did, but it made me wake up. It's not easy to accept who you are sometimes, especially if you aren't the world's idea of normal or right. But if you're not comfortable in your own skin, then what's the point of trying to live up to somebody else's ideal?"

"Me not killing everyone isn't an unreasonable ideal," she said grumpily.

"I thought I couldn't control myself, too. I thought that if I let go, everyone else would get hurt. The shame was pretty bad, but the fear was something else. I learned to deal with it in my own way, but it wasn't a solution. I let the fear of myself control me, and that's just as bad as letting my thirst control me. Eventually, Carl came along, and I knew I needed help. I fell in with this crowd of misfits, and I haven't looked back. The only reason I've survived this long is because I used those gifts I have. Most of them, I didn't even know existed when I was your age."

"So I could change?" She swallowed hard. "I could... get worse?"

"It's not what you can do. It's how you use it. If you're a... a fire-breathing dragon, that sounds bad, right? But if you're a fire-breathing dragon who uses fire to warm people who might die of exposure, then that's good. That's great. It's not so black and white, and we can't define ourselves by other people's measuring sticks."

"I'm not a fire-breathing dragon, Ava."

"Then what are you?"

"I'm a... a bomb waiting to go off. The countdown is always on, and nobody can stop it. How does that help anyone? Where's the good in that?"

"Well, if that bomb could destroy the very first vampire before he takes over and kills everyone, and oh, yeah, stops him from making more of those beasts, then voilà. The good in the bad."

"But what about afterward?" Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "What if the bomb keeps going off, and I can't stop it?"

"What if you can?" I leaned closer to her. "Okay, Jess. Look at me. I drink blood. I mean, not regularly, but I _want_ to drink blood. Something inside me _craves_ blood. It's part of who I am. It makes me feel strong and tough and amazing. It makes me feel alive. It's like a drug. Growing up, I had never even heard of tainted nephilim. I had no idea who I was, and that craving for blood almost consumed me. When I was your age, I had a boyfriend. I loved him. I still care about him. I was a little older than you are now when we decided to sleep together for the first time. I had been hiding from my true self for so long that, faced with something new, I lost control and bit him. Then, I ran away."

"Did he die?"

I shook my head. It was so hard to talk about Wesley sometimes. "Recently, I found out that I actually healed him, too. He didn't have a clue what had happened between us. The point is, I panicked and ran for nothing, all because I was afraid of myself. And later... not so long ago, actually, I had to face up to this addiction. It was always there, and I learned to manage it. It wasn't bigger than me once I faced it, but when I hid from it, it grew into this monster I couldn't control. Do you understand?"

"You want me to face it? You want me to lose my temper?"

"How else are you going to get used to it? It's easier to control something when you know the steps. When you aren't used to how it feels, you panic, and it spins out of control. I promise I won't let you hurt anyone, but I don't think you will. In fact, I'm certain of it. I get a feel for people, Jess, and it's not anger I feel in you. It's fear. It's a lot easier to run from your fears. Your dad's been doing that your entire life."

"I'm scared."

"I was, too. And I made mistakes, but I have a functioning life now and friends that I'm no longer terrified I might freak out and bite. I'm not saying I'm perfect or that I have it all figured out, but I've realised that the things I can do exist for a reason, and just because somebody told me they were bad doesn't mean I can't use them. Losing your temper might be the one thing that saves your life someday. Don't be afraid to use it when the time comes."

She chewed on her thumbnail and drew one knee up to her chest. "I've almost lost fights because I've been so scared to lose my temper that I hesitate too long. Or hold back too much."

"So you need to learn balance. That's not as hard as it sounds. Me and you, Jess. We'll figure it out together. But maybe don't tell your dad. Just in case."

She giggled. "Definitely not."

I rose to my feet and held out my hand. "Come on. It's time for us to see what you can do."

After a moment's pause, she grabbed my hand. "I'm ready."

We ran through the moves her father had taught her first. They were fine, but she didn't have much idea of how to fight dirty.

I danced around her, panting. "I mean, if you can make them stamp on Legos in their bare feet, then you do it. You use everything around you. Even if it seems lame. Even if it seems cowardly. Everything can help you. Everything is a weapon."

"What are Legos?"

"Holy crap, you've had no childhood. Now, attack me!"

"I was kidding!" She stepped forward and kicked at me.

I blocked it easily. "You're letting me see your moves before you make them. Stop making it so easy for me."

She brushed some hair out of her face. "I'm trying!"

"Are you?"

"Ava, I said I'm trying, okay?"

I ran at her. She swung a fist, but I ducked out of the way by skidding onto my knees. Without hesitation, I grabbed her ankles, and threw her onto her arse.

I leapt out of the way. "Try harder."

Her face turned red. As she got to her feet, I ran behind her and kicked her backside, sending her onto her hands and knees.

"Ava!"

I checked her eyes. Still green. I needed to be way more annoying. I should have woken up Peter. He was far better at being irritating.

She ran at me, head down. I shifted out of the way, sticking out my foot to trip her. She stumbled and yelled with rage. I burst out laughing. She turned to look at me, and I saw red flecks in her eyes.

"Come on, Jessie," I whispered. "Come get me. If you can."

The challenge sent her running at me. She threw a punch. I ducked and got kicked instead. _Nice._ She had a lot of force behind those twig legs. I threw myself on my back and kicked out with both feet, connecting with her stomach and at the same time realising how freaking much I was enjoying myself.

She let out an _oomph_ and fell onto her back. She lay so still that I got up and knelt next to her. Her face was pale. She was obviously winded, but her eyes had turned bright red.

"You okay?" I asked hesitantly.

She boxed me in the cheek. I backed away from her flailing fists. She came after me, wearing a determined expression, as if I were the only person on earth, and I needed to be eliminated.

"I thought you were going to get me," I taunted, whipping out a hand to slap her face.

Growling, she picked up a plastic garden chair and threw it at me. I moved out of the way, and the chair slammed into the wall.

I made a sad face. "Poor chair."

She screamed and rushed me. I held my ground, ready to see what she was made of. She tackled me, lifting me in the process, and ran a couple of yards before dumping me onto the grass.

I rolled over, laughing. She grabbed my hair and dragged me across the ground. I kicked her, but she acted as though she didn't even feel it. She climbed on top of me and pinned me down. She reared back, obviously intending to head-butt me, so I got in there first, moving my head forward so she would connect with hard bone instead of my nose.

She howled with frustration as I pushed against her. I freed one arm and pinched her until she let go. I twisted to the side and elbowed her in the face. Before she could react, I tackled her and rolled her over so that I was on top.

I pinned her wrists together and wrapped my hand around her neck. "You're dead," I said past my fangs. "You didn't control your actions, and you lost the fight. Strength isn't everything, Jess. You need to be smart. You need to know your moves and to have ones you make on instinct. You need to be aware of everything your opponent is going to do, and if you can, beat them to it."

The red faded from her eyes, and she stopped struggling. "I'm no good at anything!" Her lower lip poked out, making her look like a pouty little kid.

"You lost control and brought it back," I said. "I'm proud of you. Besides, I'll be covered in bruises tomorrow. You really are strong."

I stood and held out my hand. She smiled and took it, then kicked me in the groin. I doubled over, sucking in a breath, then stomped on her ankle. She cried out with pain.

"Totally worth it," she said with a grin.

"That's all that matters, you devious little brat."

We both hobbled inside together. She slapped me on the back and went to the kitchen for some water. I headed into the living room to look for a hairclip. I glanced out the window and saw a figure in my front garden. I moved closer. Parker was walking away, through my front gate, his shoulders drooping.

I opened the door and ran out after him. "Hey, Parker!"

He slowly turned to face me. His dark brown eyes were sad, and I knew he would end up back in the children's home if I didn't do something about it. I caught up to him on the road.

"Were you looking for Jess?" I asked.

"Yeah, then I thought it was too early, so..."

"We've been up for ages," I said. "We were training out back. Pity you didn't hear us, or you could have joined us. You might have liked seeing Jess lose her cool and kick my arse only to gain her control again. You both have that in common, right? Being afraid of what you can do. I told her this morning that we all have shit we're not proud of, but if we don't face up to it, it beats us."

He cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable.

"Come on back to my place," I said. "Jess could use the company. She's bored with me, and she told me you were close on your travels."

His eyes brightened a little. "She said that?"

"It's not a lie, is it?" I clapped him on the back. "You're welcome in my house anytime, Parker. This is where you live now. Nobody's going to take you away."

"It doesn't feel like home. I don't belong here. My grandfather wasn't ever here. There are no memories of him. I thought it would be easier that way, but it's not. It's harder. I wish I could go home."

"Hey, if you really want to go home, we can find a way. But Jess has to stay here for a while. Until we deal with Seth."

"And if you don't?" he asked. "Will she be here forever?"

"I thought you knew Jess," I teased. "When she makes her mind up about something, it happens."

He smiled, and I knew I had him.

"Come on. Jess is probably scrounging for food right now. Let's go join her, and you can help me give her an education on childhood. She's severely lacking in the fun stuff."

"I know," he said. "It's pretty sad."

We strolled into my house together and found Jess in the kitchen. She grinned broadly when she saw Parker.

"Hey," she said. "I didn't know you were here."

I saw the way they looked at each other, and my heart did a little sigh. "He's here to babysit you for a few minutes," I said. "I just need to pop across the road for something." Neither of them so much as glanced at me. I cleared my throat. "I said a few minutes, okay?"

Jessica turned to me, seeming confused. I was pretty certain she'd forgotten I was there.

"Never mind," I said, smiling. Innocent teenagers rocked.

I headed over to Peter's house. I knew he would be awake because Emmett had discovered the joy of early morning cartoons, and Peter liked to watch them with the boy to pretend he was young again. It was a thing.

Peter answered the door, his hair all over the place. He looked a lot younger first thing in the morning, kind of innocent even. "What's wrong?" He moved me out of the way to scope out the street.

"Nothing." I shoved him back onto his doorstep. "I think we should have a barbeque today."

"Today? Hello, it's supposed to rain."

"We'll figure something else out if it rains."

He frowned. "Yeah, well, food things are Carl's strength. Go tell him."

"I will, Grumpy. I just wanted to tell you first."

He gave me a lazy half-smile and leaned against the doorstep. "Why's that?"

"I don't know. I just needed an excuse to get out of my house, and you're the only one who's ever up this early. Jeez."

"What's wrong with your house?"

I smiled. "I'm giving the newest lovebirds in town a minute or two alone."

He stared at me. "Tell me you're not talking about the teenagers. You don't leave teenagers alone, Ava."

"You ruin everything. Not every teenager is a version of teenage _you_ , you know."

He smirked. "They wish. So what's with the party idea? Doesn't seem like the time to party. We've a lot of work to do."

"And we can't work and eat at the same time?"

He folded his arms. "Spit it out."

"Parker doesn't feel like this is his home."

"That's because it's not. He's staying in a stranger's house."

"Yeah, but it's Carl. He makes friends with everyone he sees. He still goes for drinks with a taxi-driver who drove him home one night five years ago."

"So... what, you feel sorry for the kid now?"

"Yes! Don't you? And everyone's so stressed that I thought maybe doing something together would bring back the family vibe to the place."

He moved closer to me. "There are easier ways to bring family vibes to the cul-de-sac."

I tried my best not to smile. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, I mean, Emmett feels like he lost his family, and you're not rectifying that for him." He gave me puppy-dog eyes, which looked kind of terrifying on his hunter-scarred face.

"Don't try to be cute," I said. "It never works."

"It might be easier if you told me what _would_ work." He grinned.

"You're ridiculous."

"And you're dragging this out for too long." He rested his hands on my waist. "You want us back. You want to be a family again. You were happy with us."

I had been, and I was tempted. I laid my hands on his, my head bent. Maybe I was cutting off my nose to spite my face. Maybe I had been angry for too long. But I was in a different place than I had been before, and I was sick of making important life decisions in the face of death.

"Peter, I—"

Emmett came running into the hallway. "Is that Ava?"

I pushed Peter's hands away and reached for his son, instead. I couldn't look to see Peter's reaction.

Emmett came barrelling into my arms. I hugged him tightly, relishing the clean smell of his hair. It was growing out again, albeit with a few thin patches here and there, but his eyes were bright and happy.

"What are you doing here so early?" he asked, refusing to let me go.

"I was talking to your dad about having a barbeque today."

He frowned. "That's Carl's job."

"See?" Peter smirked.

"I just wanted you and your dad's opinion on it. I didn't mean to take you away from Transformers or anything."

"On a break." He shrugged. "Dad thinks it's a good idea. Don't you, Dad?"

Peter rolled his eyes. "Fine. It's a good idea. We'll be there."

"Think you could help Carl with it?" I asked. "And Anka. I'll take Emmett and Dita to my place, and—"

"Shut up," Peter said. "I'll help with your stupid barbeque, even though I have more important things to do."

"Cool," Emmett said. "I'll go get my stuff."

I leaned over and kissed Peter's cheek. "Thanks, Peter," I said shyly.

A wave of sadness passed over me. Once, I had yearned for him to accept me, but since he had, I had firm suspicions that it was just too late.

# 16

"Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea," Peter said as he leaned against my front wall.

Emmett was on the other side of me. I had wrapped my arm around him, gaining comfort from him in a way I couldn't from anyone else. The rest of the cul-de-sac people were standing around, conversing with each other and eating from Carl's bounty in the rare bout of dry weather.

"It's been all kinds of relaxing." Surrounded by Emmett and Peter, I allowed myself to feel content, almost like part of the family again.

Peter gestured at Adam. "He doesn't look very relaxed."

"He doesn't understand us. He wants us all to hide and feel scared all of the time. He doesn't get how good we are at that. So good, we can relax at the same time."

"And he doesn't realise this is all part of your defiant act. Screw you, first vampire. We ain't scared." Peter grinned. "Adam's going to take that girl and run a mile if you're not careful."

"She won't leave without Parker," I said, watching the two teens partake in some harmless flirting. "And he seems the wisest out of the three of them. He hates it here, but he knows it's safe, so he puts up with it. Everybody wins."

Somebody started playing Ry's old fiddle. That brought a tear to my eye.

"Hey," Peter said softly, "don't get upset."

I blinked away the tears as best I could. It wasn't just the memory of Ry. It was all of them, all the ones we had lost. Nobody had been safe. And by hiding a girl being chased by the very first vampire, I was inviting trouble yet again.

Emmett squeezed my arm. "I'm gonna go play."

I watched him run over to Dita and pull her hair. _Little shit._ She shoved him then ran off with him giving chase.

"I can't tell if they're being evil or cute sometimes."

"Let's go with cute," Peter said. "We've enough to worry about."

I blew out a sigh.

"What's wrong?" Peter asked.

"That whole thing of wondering if we're doing what's right or just being plain stupid."

"It's just the life we lead. Someday, it'll be different."

"Someday," I echoed. "I wish someday would hurry the fuck up."

"We're getting somewhere with the research. I'm pretty sure Seth's not a daywalker. I wish we could find someone who was around when he was being created."

"I suppose I could crack open Hell and have a chat with the Big Daddy down there. Doubt I'd make it back here, but still."

"Don't even joke about that. It's gonna be dark soon."

I stared up at the sky. "Looks like it."

A car trundled into the cul-de-sac and parked outside the twins' home.

"Phoenix," Peter said in a disgruntled tone.

"And Shay," I added, seeing two people get out of the car.

They made their way toward the party. Phoenix stopped to hug Lucia, who looked delighted to see her father. Lorcan offered his hand, and Phoenix shook it soberly. Shay found Emmett and patted him on the head then exchanged a few words with him.

"Politicians." Peter snorted. "Let's wheel out some old people and newborns for them to fawn over."

I punched his arm.

Shay reached us and nodded at Peter. "When are you going to send Emmett to the club?"

"I'm not sure if boxing is the right thing for him," Peter hedged.

"He'll make new friends and have a good way to release his tension. What's the big deal?"

"I'll think about it," Peter said. I could taste his lie, but I wasn't completely sure what his problem was.

Shay gave me a weak smile. "Sorry about that meeting. It got out of hand."

I shrugged. "Nah, I'm used to it. But Mac told me he's going to come here for Esther. That's not going to be pretty."

He looked around. "Is she here?"

"No idea where she's staying. She's keeping a low profile because of Mac."

"I'll talk to him."

I curled my upper lip. "Ugh! Don't bother. He's too desperate to punish somebody to listen."

Phoenix joined us. "I wanted to give you an update on what we've found out."

Shay frowned. " _We_ wanted to give you an update."

"An update already?" Peter's sardonic tone made me shiver. "Quick work."

All of a sudden, I really wanted to be anywhere but next to those three. I stepped out of the little pinned-in semi-circle they had created around me. "I think some of the others might want to hear this."

I ran off, wondering when I had turned into such a massive chicken. I gathered Carl, Val, Lorcan, and Adam to hear whatever Phoenix and Shay had to say. I missed Esther. The place was getting way too testosterone-y.

"We've been researching, too," Carl said. "What have you come up with?"

Shay nodded and said, "Daimhín's been looking into the likeliest vampires in her domain to have defected to Seth. Some have gone into hiding, and that says it all to her."

"Unsurprising, really," Carl said. "From what I've been reading, Seth is practically a religion to many vampires. That's probably why they agreed to create the beasts in the first place—to please him."

I wasn't convinced. "Vampires are pretty much in it for themselves."

"That's true," Carl said, "but think about it. They were created by Seth. He's the sire of all sires."

"Except for Lucifer," Peter added.

Carl pointed at him, looking excited. "True, but Lucifer is a fallen angel. The vampires can't relate to that. They can relate to this supervillain first vampire as a godlike creature though. He's made from the same thing as they are. He's just a little angelic, too. Lucifer took a human and created the first vampire. That vampire populated the earth with his own kind. Sure, they aren't the same quality, but it's close enough for them."

"Why didn't Daimhín tell us any of this?" I asked.

"Because she's not in on it," Carl said with a grin. "She thinks of herself as their ultimate ruler, like that master she's always whining about who led the way before her. She was always part of a clan, a line of leaders. She wasn't the lone vampire on the street feeling like nobody was on their side but their original creator. I mean, Daimhín's terrified of the tainted, but vampires who follow Seth covet them."

I made a face. "I suppose it makes a weird, upside-down kind of sense."

"To a species who can never reproduce, Seth must be their only hope," Shay said.

"Okay, so he's their god-religion-all-father-whatever. Great. How does that help us?"

"It doesn't," Shay said in a grim voice. "It means the vampires who follow him will be crazy. They'll do anything to please him. Anything at all. We'll have to watch out. So will Daimhín."

"It'll do her no harm to feel as vulnerable as the rest of us," Peter said. "Can we track down these missing vampires?"

"Daimhín gave us info on their pets," Phoenix said. "In the daytime, we might be able to pursue them to find out where the vampires are hiding. It won't be easy, of course."

Val nodded at Peter. "We can do this."

"I'll send someone over with the relevant information tomorrow," Phoenix said. "But there's more. There have been more emergency calls lately. But when our people arrive, there's nothing going on. In the rare cases when there is, everyone is already dead. It looks like the work of the beasts, but it's been so controlled so far that we aren't sure. But the rumours will spread. People will panic."

"Chaos," Adam said. "He's inviting chaos, so he can walk in unseen."

"He can't just walk in here," I snapped. I was so sick of Mr. Pessimistic.

Adam squared his shoulders. "You know nothing."

Shay cleared his throat. "There are other rumours. People have reported hooded figures causing riots in the streets, instigating violence but rarely taking part."

"You think it's the assassins?" Peter asked.

"Possibly," Shay said. "They've re-banded before under Reuben. Why not under an even more powerful vampire?"

"I've been waiting for that," Val said. "It makes the most sense. He needs to gather allies in this country. With two tainted nephal here, he could make it a base. I doubt his intentions are as clear as he pretends."

"There was a media report in Spain last night," Shay said. "They called Ireland the Devil Country."

"Isn't that just great?" I asked. "The formula to create beasts originated over there. How can they talk about us? The new human government is so going to blame me for destroying tourism. Again." I looked around at their solemn faces. "Oh, come on. You don't really think—"

"We don't know for sure," Phoenix said. "Two nephilim were born here in a very short period of time. That must have some significance."

Darkness fell. Some of the guys piled the wood and made a bonfire. A half-hour later, Emmett raced over and pulled on my arm, panting as he tried to spit out words.

"Calm down," I said. "What's wrong?"

His eyes were wide with fear. "It's bad, Ava. It's really bad!"

"What's up?" I asked. "You break something?"

"He's here!"

"Who?" I asked dully, already knowing the answer.

"Seth! They wanted me to warn you. This is just the beginning. He won't stop until he has what he wants."

"Who told you that?" Peter asked.

Emmett pointed toward the mouth of the cul-de-sac. "Them."

We all looked to where he pointed. For a second, my eyes couldn't adjust to the darkness. I walked around the bonfire to see more clearly. I heard a sound, something almost like an explosion, and the mouth of the cul-de-sac burst into flames.

I stared in horror. Two crucifixes, each holding a body, were attached to a wooden sun. The entire tableau was all aflame.

"What the hell?" I whispered.

I saw movement to my right. Jessica was headed right for the fire.

"Jess!" I ran toward her.

Her jaw was slack, her eyes half-opened. She was following some compulsion, a voice the rest of us couldn't hear. I reached her and grabbed her arm. She swung out and hit me. I flew back, barely avoiding landing in the bonfire.

I was vaguely aware of shouts and screams. I scrambled to my feet, ran for Jessica, and tackled her to the ground. She fought back, but Parker appeared and helped me. He grabbed her hands and whispered her name pleadingly. I heard sounds all around me, people running into action, but I focused solely on Jessica. I couldn't let him have her. I couldn't let her walk away.

I slapped her cheek, begging her to look at me. But it was Parker who broke through the haze.

After too many tense minutes, she stopped struggling. "What's going on? What's happening?"

"Take care of her," I told Parker as Adam reached us. I ran with the others to the mouth of the cul-de-sac. Peter and Carl were doing their best to extinguish the fire from inside our perimeter of neutral territory.

"We need to get them down," Shay shouted. "We need to help them."

"They're dead," I stated flatly.

He looked as though he was about to run right outside, so I gripped his arms and made him stay still. "If Emmett saw them, they're already gone, Shay. You can't go out there."

His face creased with pain and anger. "What do I do?"

"Just make sure no fire brigade comes out this way. Phoenix, check on the emergency calls." I moved as close to the fire as I could, trying to see past the flames.

The burning stack of wood was huge, but farther on the other side, I saw a lot of people. One of them waved at me. I shoved my middle finger up in the air in response. And then they were gone, and the heat of the flames beat me back. I tried not to look at the two bodies, but it was hard to avoid them. They were the main event, the highlight of the show.

"Why?" I whispered. "Why is he doing this?"

"He'll do whatever it takes to get what he wants," Val said.

That shook me into action. "The kids—"

"Already inside," Val said. "Everyone's safe."

_Except for the bodies on the weird pyre_ , I wanted to scream, _except for them_.

Jessica was curled up into a ball next to Parker on Carl's sofa. Adam sat in a chair, looking helpless.

"I'm sorry," she said when she saw me approach. "I'm so sorry."

The anguish in her eyes was almost physically painful to me. I knelt at her feet. "What are you talking about? None of this is your fault."

"If I hadn't come here, that wouldn't have happened. If I hadn't come to you, then—"

"Then all of this might be happening to people less equipped to deal with it," I said firmly. "Powerful figures are working with us, Jess. The entire country is going to stand by your side. Yes, there will be a few of Seth's believers making a hack of things, but as long as you're safe, he doesn't get what he wants."

She stared at me, her green eyes wide with fear. "I don't even remember what happened," she whispered. "I don't know what he did to make me try to get to him. I'm weak. I can't fight back against him."

"That's what he wants you to believe," I said. "But you won't be fighting alone." I glared at Adam, daring him to contradict me. "Nobody fights alone around here. We're a team, a family. And as long as the rest of us are around, you'll never make it into Seth's clutches, no matter what he does to you."

Parker squeezed her hand, concern written all over his face. He was a lovely kid, I decided. Dependable. "She's right," he said softly. "It doesn't matter what he tries, we'll be there to stop him."

"Who were those people?" she asked. "The bodies in the fire."

I sucked in a breath. "One of Shay's units. A pair of agents sent out to investigate an urgent emergency call. They walked right into an ambush, apparently. They never had a chance. The rest of the men under Shay are now determined to help us get rid of Seth and his buddies. Don't you worry."

"Those poor people." She shook her head. "What a horrible way to die."

"They were already dead," I said, my voice cracking. "Their spirits came to Emmett to warn us."

"The little kid?" Jessica blinked a couple of times. "He must have been scared."

"Everyone is scared," I said. "All of the time. If there wasn't some vampire after us, we would be scared of something completely different. It's okay to feel scared. Just don't let it consume you. Don't let it eat you up."

She fidgeted with her sleeve. "I'm kind of tired. I just want to sleep if that's okay."

"Yeah, of course. Parker and your dad can stay with you if you want."

She nodded, and I left to check on the others. The night had been crazy. We had managed to put out the fire, but we couldn't call anyone to pick up the bodies out of fear of Seth ambushing them, too. We were stuck until morning, and even then, the hooded assassins could be lying in wait.

Val and the twins were standing outside of Anka's house.

"Kids okay?" I asked when I reached them.

"All asleep," Val said.

"Even Emmett," Lorcan said. "Best not to wake him."

"Let me know if he has a nightmare," I said. "It might freak him out to wake up in a strange place."

"Peter's with him," Lorcan replied.

"Oh." That surprised me. "Well, good. That's great."

I spotted Shay standing alone at the mouth of the cul-de-sac. His sleeves were rolled up, his shoulders hunched. He had managed to pull the burned structure within my territory. As I approached, I saw that he had taken down the bodies and laid them on the ground. Their bodies were damaged by the fire, but the female was intact enough to tell how young she had been.

I stood next to him. "I'm so sorry, Shay."

"They were the only pair who were actually excited to work together," he said in a husky voice. "I had high hopes for these two."

"We won't let this happen again."

He looked at me, his face drawn and tired. "How can we stop it? I thought I could make a difference, but since I started, all I've seen is violence and death. There's so much suspicion and hate." He shook his head. "How do we change that?"

"One day at a time," I told him. "I think we should hold a press conference and explain exactly what's going on. People have the right to know what's happening out there. That's what turned people against the old governments—all of the secrets and lies. We need to be different."

"You'll help?" he asked, almost pleadingly. "You'll do this with us?"

"Shay, my hands are tied. I can't tell you everything about me, but I can't influence anyone. I'll do what I can, but I can't be part of this government. Nobody would want a tainted nephal speaking for them, anyway. You talk about suspicions. My kind are the biggest rejects the whole world over."

He gave a small smile before his gaze found the bodies again. "I'll have to tell their families. Will you come with me?"

"Do you think it's a good idea?"

He shrugged. "I'd like the company."

I nodded. "Okay, I'll come with you. We're all in this together, right? You should do something for these two. Honour them in some way and give the rest of the units something to work toward."

"There'll be a lot of anger over this. They may not all trust each other, but this makes it personal for them all."

"Good. We need a little anger. He's not going to get away with any of this." I pounded my fist into my palm. "Not now. Not ever. We've fought back before. We'll do it again. Next time, we'll be prepared for him."

Shay surprised me with a hug. I had said what he needed to hear, the words that would get him through the rest of the night. We all needed that—somebody to tell us the things we wanted to hear, whether we believed them or not.

# 17

After dawn broke, an ambulance and a fire brigade entered the cul-de-sac without incident. Shay hadn't left the bodies. He looked absolutely devastated, as if he'd finally realised that the supernatural world was full of danger that he could never win against. I stayed with him until the bodies were escorted away. He was faltering on the edge of something. I was faintly worried that he would become another Peter and decide that vengeance was the only way to deal with pain.

"I'm going to see the families now," he said gruffly. "Can you come?"

I had expected a little more time, but if that was what he needed, then I would be a friend to him. "I'll just make sure everyone is okay, and then we'll leave, okay?"

He didn't answer, just stared out at the morning sky.

I found Carl in his kitchen. "I'm going with Shay. He's not doing so well, and I'm worried how he's going to react. Maybe helping the families cope with their grief will help him in turn. Can you organise shit around here while I'm gone?"

"Of course." He wore the same grim expression he had all night. "Ava, be careful. He's going to push us. He's going to do everything he can to make you face him. You know that, right?"

"What can I do?"

He placed his palms against the counter with his back to me. "I have no idea. If we could find where he's hiding then... just give us time. We'll work it out."

"We're running out of time." I left him and joined Shay.

"Are you okay to drive?" I asked warily as we headed to his car.

"Yes." Without elaborating, he climbed into the driver's seat.

I got in and waited for him to start the car before I asked, "Who are we seeing first?"

"The human family," he said in a clipped voice. "Then out of the city to the supernatural family."

I couldn't gauge his mood. I had never seen him like that before. I didn't know what to do for him. I cleared my throat. "It could get worse before it gets better, Shay. He's targeting more than me and Jess. You could be in serious danger, too."

"Let him come," he said bitterly. "I want to look him in the eye."

"No, you don't. Stay with us. You can sleep on my sofa. Or Peter's."

"And what about everyone else? What about the millions of people who don't live in your little cul-de-sac, Ava? Are we going to leave them defenceless?"

That quietened me. People were dying because of my choices.

Soon, I started recognising the passing streets. "We're going to Moses's place."

"I did him a favour. I pushed for that girl to get on the unit. And now look at her. Dead and gone before she even got a chance at life. I had talked about what a good idea it would be to have someone from an under-privileged area on the team. I killed her, Ava, just as surely as that vampire did."

"This is _all_ on Seth. She happened to go to that scene with her partner. You said yourself there have been lots of bogus emergency calls. This was why—to have them eventually go into the real thing, unsuspecting and unprepared. That won't happen again. It was a horrible price to pay for that lesson, but the rest of those agents have learned it."

He puckered his mouth as though there was a bad taste in his mouth. "This isn't what they signed up for."

"Then what _did_ they sign up for? They signed up for this when the sun was missing, for fuck's sake. They knew it wasn't safe. They knew they would do and see crazy things. This is the life, Shay, and they signed up for it willingly."

"They never saw _this_ coming."

"I know. And I'm sorry."

We arrived at the estate Moses lived in. The atmosphere was cold and wary, just as it had always been. Teenage girls wearing school uniforms and carrying schoolbags shouted insults from one block of flats to the next. When they noticed us getting out of the car, they fell silent. Shay's and my turning up so early in the morning wasn't a good sign. News spread quickly, and by the time we reached the right flat and knocked on the door, many people had crowded on the balconies in silence.

I caught sight of Moses and shook my head slightly. He held back, but his drawn expression said he understood why we were there.

An older woman answered the door, a toddler in her arms. She smiled at me in confusion before she caught sight of Shay's face.

"No," she whispered. "Don't tell me. I don't want to know."

"Can we come in, Mrs. Corcoran?" Shay asked in his policeman voice.

She said no, but she stepped aside anyway.

Shay shut the door behind us. "Is your husband here?"

She nodded and dumped the toddler into my arms. "I'll get him up out of bed. Go sit down... anywhere."

The toddler observed me with grim eyes as I took him into the living room. We all sat on the couch, the boy in my lap.

Shay stared at the child. "That's Layne's son."

"Layne?"

"Layne Corcoran. Younger than you. Youngest of the lot of them in the unit. The most eager. The most enthusiastic. Only child. Her parents take care of the little fella while she works. While she _worked_." His voice cracked on the last word.

I hugged the boy because I couldn't hug Shay. He had walled himself off. I had never had to tell a family that one of their own had been stolen from them, never witnessed the true aftermath of the pain our way of life left behind. My heart beat fast in my chest.

The boy stuck his finger into the side of my mouth and pulled. I was so surprised that I just stared back. He gave me a sudden, toothy smile, and my heart threatened to explode. He had no mother because of us. Because of _me_. I _had_ to deal with Seth, no matter what the rest of the Eleven said about it.

"He likes you," Mrs. Corcoran said when she returned with a tall man.

The locks of his hair were a shocking white, the rest of it a steely grey. He looked confused, as though he couldn't possibly think of one reason why we might be there. "I saw you on the telly before. You must have a very, eh, very exciting life."

I squeezed my eyes shut as the pair huddled together on one armchair, waiting for their world to be broken around them.

"I'm sorry," Shay said. "Layne passed away last night in the line of duty. There was nothing anyone could do."

Mrs. Corcoran licked her lips a number of times, her fingers going to her mouth as if she held a cigarette between them.

Mr. Corcoran cleared his throat. His eyes were full of unshed tears. "Can we see her?"

Shay hesitated. "I don't think that would be a good idea."

"Oh, Jesus." Mrs. Corcoran rocked back and forth. The child reached out for her, but she ignored him. "What happened to her? What happened that we can't see her?"

"We don't know exactly what caused her death," Shay said. "Only that it was quick. She didn't suffer. Her body was burned afterward in a fire. That's why you can't see her."

The lies fell easily from his lips. We didn't know how exactly the pair had died, but I couldn't blame him for pretending.

Mr. Corcoran stood and looked around, seeming anxious to do something. He took the child out of my arms. The boy squirmed then laughed, but otherwise there was only silence in the room.

"Her partner," Mrs. Corcoran said abruptly. "She worried about him. Was he there?"

"He passed with her," Shay said tightly. "No survivors."

The woman clenched her hands together. "At least she wasn't alone. I'd hate to go alone. I always think it would be better with someone by your side."

I wanted to tell her that they had gone in peace, that they had even warned us first, but I didn't think it would help. It might even make her want to see Emmett. So I kept quiet.

"I'm very sorry for your loss," Shay said, getting to his feet. "Layne had a lot of potential. I had high hopes for her. If there's anything you need, please call me personally." He dropped his card on the coffee table. "Someone will come to you later today to help with the arrangements."

"The arrangements," Layne's father stated. "Oh."

"I need to go... see the other family," Shay said. "You won't be alone in this. Layne was part of... we'll all grieve her passing."

He led me out of the flat, his hand gripping mine. He was barely holding on.

Outside, we were surrounded by people. I waved at Moses, who made his way through the crowd. He escorted us down to his flat, ordering the people to give us some space. "Must be bad," he said around a cigarette as he unlocked the door. "It's only me!" he called out. "Ava and Shay are here."

We stepped inside the warm flat and followed him into the living room. I stared in shock at Esther, who was sitting on Moses's sofa.

Once I found my voice, I cried, "What the hell are you doing here? Where have you been? We've been worried sick! Is Aiden here? Are you okay?"

Esther held up her hands. "Apart from dying of second-hand smoke, I'm fine. Moses said I could stay. Nobody will look for me here, and it'll keep the shifters away from your door. I haven't seen or heard from Aiden. I have no idea where he is."

"Doesn't matter." I eased down into the seat next to her. "Mac has his eye on the cul-de-sac. He even made a big-mouthed threat. But we've got bigger problems."

"What's going on?" Moses asked. "Ma! Make tea or something." He screwed up his nose. "And toast. White bread. None of that wholegrain shite." He shrugged. "She's trying to be healthy like Esther. It's fucking annoying."

Esther rolled her eyes. "Why are you here, anyway? Is something wrong?"

Shay took a seat and cleared his throat. "Two members of our unit were killed by Seth last night."

Her mouth widened into an O. "I'm so sorry, Shay."

"Ah, jaysus," Moses said. "Layne's ma and da must be in bits. I'll send me ma down with dinner for them later. Poor bastards."

"We've to go to the other family next," I said, wondering how I was going to get through more grief.

"What's going on?" Esther asked.

I briefly explained the situation to her.

"I'm coming back," she said. "If Mac thinks I'm there anyway, then I might as well be."

"It's a bad time," I said.

"I can help. And I can't run forever. Besides, I'm safe in the cul-de-sac, right?"

"Yeah, until Mac decides to send someone who thinks he's just taking you out for a talk. The person wouldn't intend you harm, but you would follow them out of safety. It's a loophole." Or someone could change his intentions, like Jessica and Adam. The cul-de-sac wasn't as untouchable as I had been led to believe.

"He's not that clever," she said. "I'll deal with Mac later. First we have to handle—" Her hand flew up to her forehead. She squinted and her face turned ashy.

Moses rummaged in a handbag on the coffee table and pulled out some tablets.

"What's happening?" I asked, terrified by the obvious pain Esther was in.

"It's like a migraine," Moses said, "except worse, apparently. Happens every now and then."

After a few moments, the episode passed, leaving Esther sweating and weak. "Damaged goods," she said in a cracked voice. "Some shifters my family turned out to be."

"Is there anything the hospital can do about it?"

"Nope. I'm lucky to be alive, they reckon. What's a little pain?" She sipped from a glass of water Moses brought her. "It's just something I have to live with. They have no idea what's causing it. Sometimes I shift without meaning to. It's embarrassing. It's part of the reason I've haven't come back."

"But she's grand about wrecking my gaff," Moses joked.

His mother carried in a tray of tea and toast. Esther thanked her, earning a pat on the shoulder.

"Shay, you should eat something," I said.

He hadn't looked away from his hands the entire time we had been in Moses's flat. He hadn't even asked if Esther was okay. That was unlike him. He shook his head.

"Do you want to give me the address of the second family?" I asked. "I can... I can visit them myself."

"I have to be the one." He stood. "We should get going."

I exchanged a worried look with Esther before following Shay outside. Moses walked ahead of us, clearing a path. I spotted a group of women huddled together and crying.

At the car, Moses squeezed Shay's shoulder. "It means a lot that you came here yourself to tell us. We were all real proud of her."

"It would have meant more if we had saved her." Shay shivered and got into the car.

I looked at Moses and shrugged. "Keep an eye on the family. It hasn't sunk yet, I don't think."

Moses glanced at the car. "That's going around. Take care of yourself, Delaney."

"Will do. And don't let Esther come back. I'll hold off the shifters."

I got into the car and waved at Moses as Shay drove off. I expected another journey full of silence, but he began to talk almost as soon as Moses was out of sight.

"Anthony May," he said. "Otherwise known as Anto. Big family. Lots of brothers. Expect noise. Well-respected family. He's the youngest son. The mother didn't want him joining the unit. This isn't going to be the same."

"I can handle it."

He glanced at me. "Maybe I can't."

"Ah, Shay."

He pulled over and laid his head on the steering wheel. "Is this all it'll ever be, Ava? Death and sadness?"

"No," I said, leaning over to put a hand on his shoulder. "Sometimes, it's new beginnings and adventure and friends and making a home and family out of the dirt we live in. It's making a better world for kids like Layne's son. When he grows up, he'll never have to fear the creature who murdered his mother, because we'll have dealt with it."

"Will we?"

"Seth has killed enough mothers," I said in a cold voice. "He's had his day."

He sat up and looked at me, his face strained. "I forgot. He killed your parents, and I forgot. I'm sorry."

"I didn't know them. I have one crappy photo of them together. Jessica doesn't even have a picture of her mother. She's grown up hearing that her father cut her out of her mother's womb while the woman was still alive. Seth has done enough. It's time he got what he deserved."

"You're right." Shay swallowed hard and started the car again. "Let's get this over with and get back to work."

The May family lived a good distance away. Their neighbourhood was nice, their house large. The garden was well kept, and the curtains in the windows looked spotless. Somebody cared about the home.

The door opened before we could ring the bell. A young girl, maybe eighteen or nineteen years old, immediately began screaming off a list of names. She slammed the door in our faces. I looked at Shay, bemused.

"Don't worry about it. It's normal." The corner of his mouth curved upward in a semblance of a smile. "For the May family."

The door opened after a few minutes. Two young men stood there, their faces grim.

"It's about Anto, isn't it?" the taller one said.

"Is the whole family home?" Shay asked.

The tall one nodded, and the other stepped aside so we could enter. Shay gripped my elbow and directed me into the living room. The teenage girl, an older couple, and four more young men were arranged around the room. They were all fair with sandy-coloured hair, but the mother's was the lightest. The men were looked similar. I imagined Anto had probably looked the same.

"I'm very sorry to tell you that Anthony passed in the line of duty last night," Shay said.

Three seconds of silence passed before the mother began to wail, and the rest of them began talking at the same time.

"What happened?" the father demanded. "What happened to Anto?"

"The very first vampire killed him and his partner last night," Shay said. "They didn't have a chance."

"I knew it was a bad idea, sticking him with a human partner." The mother crossed her arms over her chest. "I knew it, didn't I? I said it all along."

"Don't be stupid, Ma," one of the young men said. "He said she was the best of the bunch."

"She had a baby," the girl said sadly. "Poor little baby."

"Oh, no," Mrs. May said. "She was a nice girl, all the same. Just, you know, one of _them_."

"Anto was crazy about her," one of the brothers said, laughing. "He was going to ask her out, but he was too chicken."

Shay ran his hands over his face. I worried he was close to breaking.

"He would never ask out a human," Mrs. May said primly.

"Don't be ridiculous," Mr. May said. "How are the Corcoran family? Do they need anything?"

I cleared my throat. "It might be a good idea for the two families to grieve together." I couldn't resist adding, "Even if they are human."

"Of course," Mr. May replied. "We should go see them. Do they have any other children?"

Shay shook his head. "She was all they had. There's just the grandson now."

The family began a discussion of how they would help the Corcorans, immediately turning their grief into something completely different.

Shay said over the noise, "Someone will come over and discuss the arrangements. Let me know if you need any help. I'm truly sorry for your loss."

"Wait," one of the brothers said. "Where's this vampire?"

"We're working on that," I said as Shay abruptly left the room. "He doesn't have long left, trust me."

I followed Shay outside. He was standing as if frozen outside the front door.

"I'm not cut out for this," he said. "I thought I'd be doing some good, but all I do is give people bad news, break their hearts. It's too much. I can't be this person."

"You help," I said, puzzled by his attitude. "How can you not see that?"

I hugged him, not knowing what else to do. He leaned against me. He was too human. He cared too much. And the rest of us were too used to death.

# 18

I returned home to find Phoenix at my kitchen table, which was covered in documents.

I squinted. "Uh..."

"Sorry," he said. "I came back to talk to you, but you were already gone. I thought of something and got lost in the paperwork." He didn't sound very apologetic.

I took a seat. "I went with Shay to tell the families."

He dropped his pen and leaned back in the chair. "I didn't realise. How did it go?"

"Awful. Shay's not taking it well, either." I gestured toward the papers. "What's all of this?"

"Transcripts of phone calls to the emergency line. And whatever info that could be found on the callers."

I picked up a piece of paper, and my eyes were drawn toward a paragraph that had been crossed out. Reading the lines, I sighed. It was documentation of an emergency call Jess had made while she and her father were being chased. "This call was from Jess. Poor kid."

"Yes, but look at this." He pushed more papers toward me. He had highlighted dates and times all over the page.

"Okay, but I've no idea what I'm looking at."

He jabbed a finger at the page. "Most of the calls were made in a specific post code, in a relatively small area north of Dublin, mostly from public phones in places like pubs or restaurants."

"Didn't anyone who picked up the emergency calls notice this at the time?"

"Lots of nightlife. So it's a busy area." He looked a little sick.

I took a seat. "So we're thinking what, exactly?"

"That Seth used vampire volunteers to place the calls, and perhaps some of them were too lazy to leave the location they live in. The calls are clustered too close together to be a coincidence."

"And if Seth meant it to be a sign? If he's calling us to him?"

"We'll go in daylight and talk to the volunteers of whichever coven runs the area. It's a lead. It might be a poor one, but it's still a lead."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Maybe Daimhín will have something by tonight."

"I've had people looking out for Fionnuala's assassins, anyone with those tattoos. It's going to be hard to sort the real thing from bogus reports."

"Not many people have seen the real thing." I frowned. "I wish we could get our hands on Aiden."

"He's gone. He has no ties here. He has to have fled. The shifters have turned against him, even those who once helped to break him out of the Council's jail cells. It would be too dangerous for him to stick around."

"But Esther's here. He thinks he can get back what he once had. I wouldn't be surprised if he were still in the country. I don't think he can leave behind the glory days so easily."

"More fool him. He has a chance at a fresh start. Anyway, I'm almost finished. Sorry for taking over your kitchen."

I waved a dismissive hand. "Take as long as you need." _Even though you have a house_ and _an office_ , I might have added.

I headed over to Carl's place to check on Jess. She was there with Parker and Adam.

She jumped to her feet when I entered the living room. "Any news?"

"Not so much. Everything okay here?"

She and Parker nodded, but Adam just stared into space.

"You doing okay there, Adam?" I asked a little nervously.

He didn't look at me. "Nobody will let us leave. She's not safe when we stop running."

I snapped my fingers in front of his face, but he had gone into an almost catatonic panic mode. "Jess..."

She smiled. "I'll stay with him and Parker. You don't have to worry."

"About what happened," I said. "That's not typical of living here. Well, sometimes things get crazy, but that's usually when there's a war of some kind going on."

"I'm sorry about those people," Parker said. "I'm staying inside because I don't want to remind anyone of what I can do."

"Those people were brave even beyond the end," I said. "And don't worry, Parker. Nobody would link you to that kind of behaviour. Seth is emotionless. We have to think like him to predict what he'll do next, and I don't think that's possible for anyone with half a heart. I'll be back around later. If you need anything, just shout."

I went to Anka's place next. She was making cookies with Leah, Dita, and Emmett.

"Hey," I said. "Smells good in here."

"Keep working while I talk to Ava," Anka told the children. "You're doing a great job."

Leah gave me a look that said she knew how serious things were. The younger kids waved at me and carried on, the previous night probably mostly forgotten in their childish minds.

Anka drew me into the hallway. "Are we safe?"

"Yes, as long as you're in here, you're okay. You saw it last night. They couldn't come in, couldn't do anything to us."

"That was a threat."

I sighed. "I know. I'm going to handle it as best I can. This new government is doing most of the leg work."

"But it's always up to you to clean up the mess. What does this man want? And why now?"

I leaned against the wall. "Adam reckons it's my fault, that I called Seth out when I took everything public. I just wanted people to be protected, to know that there was a way to fight back when the beasts came. I didn't think about the first vampire or being tainted or any of that crap. I just thought about saving somebody on that night."

"He was already after that girl. She found you. What if more come? I think that's why Seth is here. He sees you as a beacon. If there are more of you and you gather to make an army of your own, what's left for him?" She patted my shoulder. "I must get back before Emmett puts salt in Dita's batch. Be safe, Ava."

That hadn't occurred to me before—an army of people like me. That would give us something pretty close to invincibility, if Daimhín's reluctance to kill me—just in case—was anything to go by. I shook off the thought. I didn't need or want an army. I didn't want power.

Next up was the twins' home. In there, I found the twins, Peter, Val, and Carl.

"Nice little gathering you have here. Can anyone join or do I need a handwritten note?"

Carl left his seat by the table and hugged me. "How did it go?"

"You know." I shrugged. "What's going on here?" I took a seat next to Lorcan.

Peter pushed a pile of books my way. "Research. Lucky you."

I made a face and opened a book, but I couldn't face reading the words. "Phoenix said most of the emergency calls were made within a small radius in North Dublin."

"The vampire queen should know more," Val said.

I nodded. "I'm planning on asking her to interrogate some vamps, but maybe I should take a look at the area today, before the vampires wake up and start warning their slaves that the vampire queen has been asking questions."

Val said, "I would be happy to go with you."

I glanced at her. "Let's see if we pick up anything here first. Maybe Phoenix will get more info from his paper explosion in my kitchen."

Lorcan raised his head and stared at me.

"I got home and saw him there. Don't blame me." I cleared my throat. "So Anka said something funny to me just now."

Everyone turned to me. I already regretted bringing it up.

I folded the corner of a page and earned a slap on the hand from Carl. "She said some things about an army of people like me, and I got to thinking, what if more of them come here looking for me? Jess did, and she's just a kid."

"What if somebody led Jess here?" Carl asked.

I frowned. "Like Seth?"

"Maybe. Maybe something a little... different. It just doesn't make sense to me how the two of you were born here, and the two of you were hidden. What if there's more to this?"

Everyone fell silent. Some of the others went back to the books, desperate to find some paragraph that would give up Seth's kryptonite.

"How's Shay?" Peter asked. "He doing okay?"

I shook my head. "Looks like it's all sinking in now. This world. The things that have to be done. I don't think he was quite prepared for last night." I yawned. "Neither was I. He's gone back to work. He said he didn't want to go home when he could be helping. I'm not sure what he's doing, but if it keeps him busy when he needs it, I guess it's a good thing." I made a face. "The families got to him. He's too soft for this life. He's a garda. He needs to get used to sadness."

"It happened in front of him," Peter said. "And he couldn't do a thing about it. That's not usual for him."

"He's right," Carl said. "This must be tough on Shay. He had to watch his people burn and know that he could never arrest their murderers."

"Let's hope he gets to watch the killers die then." I yawned again. "Seriously, I need to sleep. Val, wake me if you want to go hunting volunteers with me."

She nodded and waved me off. When I got back to my place, Phoenix was still there.

"I'm just going to sleep for a bit," I told him.

He followed me into the living room. "Fine, I just need to tell you this first."

I sat on the sofa with a sigh. Then I laid my head on the side of the couch and listened to him talk. He didn't get past the first sentence before I conked out.

Phoenix woke me a couple of hours later. "Ava," he whispered. "Val is here to go somewhere with you."

I gazed into his eyes before abruptly sitting up. "Shit. I thought it was dark for a minute." My dreams had been screwed up, and when Phoenix woke me, I had been convinced that I was too late to a battle.

"Still daylight," Val said from the doorway. She looked uncomfortable. "Are we heading out, or do you need more sleep? I can go alone. Or with Lorcan."

"No, I'll go with you." I stretched. "Just give me twenty minutes."

I ran upstairs to have a quick shower and change. When I came back downstairs, Val and Phoenix were sitting in total silence.

I raised my eyebrows. "Okaaay... Val and I are heading out to check on those emergency calls. Any specific streets or hangouts we should visit?"

Phoenix found a clean sheet of paper and wrote down some names. "One is a pub. Supposed to be a place that turns a blind eye to the whole blood-sucking lifestyle. It might be a good place to start."

That reminded me of another bar. "Cool, thanks."

We borrowed Peter's car and got on the road. He was way less possessive about the thing lately.

As I pulled out of the cul-de-sac, I said, "This is probably a complete waste of time, but I feel like I need to be doing something."

She didn't reply.

"There's somewhere I'd like to go first. Is that okay?"

She shrugged.

"This journey would go a lot faster if you decided to speak today."

"I'm thinking." She sounded surprised. "I didn't realise you needed to fill every gap in conversation with inane chatter."

"I don't. I'm just nervous."

"Ava, where are we going?"

I sighed. "Gabe's bar. Finn's bar now. It's the first time I've been since..."

"Oh. Perhaps one of the others would be a more... sympathetic companion."

"I don't want sympathy," I snapped. "Or pity. Or a knowing look. Shut up, Val. You're a crap conversationalist."

To my surprise, she laughed. "You've become too predictable."

I ignored that. "The bar is a neutral hub of information. If anything is going on, Finn will know about it."

"The bartender?"

"Bar owner, now. The siren said she would find out more, but I want to see Finn's reactions to my questions."

I couldn't imagine walking into the bar and not catching Gabe's scent. As we approached, sweat ran down my spine. I didn't want to go in. If I did, everything would feel more real, and I didn't have time for more emotion. But I needed Finn.

"This is the place where I got info on that tattoo artist," I said to fill the silence and distract myself from the impulse to run. "I really thought it would be Raven."

"Just Raven's apprentice," Val said. "I'm almost certain Raven escaped somehow. I'll find her someday."

"What's the deal with you and Raven? Is this something that could upset Lucia? Because if so—"

"Raven is in my past," Val said. "I'm free because of her. Leah is free because of her. A lot of people would not be free if she hadn't helped us back then. She gave me strength that I had been too terrified to wield. She gave me... more than I can ever thank her for, and she paid too high a price for it."

I pulled into the parking lot, but left the car running. I gripped the wheel, taking deep breaths for way too long.

"Oh, let's get on with it," Val said, stepping out of the car.

I turned off the engine and followed her. When we reached the door, I barely hesitated before walking in. The place looked the same. Even Gabe's scent lingered, though faint enough that few would catch it. I saw Finn at the bar and made a beeline for him. He hadn't seen me yet. I wasn't sure what his reaction would be.

He came around the bar and hugged me. Shocked, I patted his shoulder nervously. Fae didn't hug, especially not when mongrels were on the receiving end.

"I'm glad you came at last." He pulled away from me. "You were with him when he... and I wanted..." He cleared his throat. "What can I do for you today?" He led us to the bar where we took our seats.

"I suppose you've heard about Seth," I said.

"That's all anyone is talking about. Is he really here?"

I nodded. "I saw him."

"Then it's true that he killed some of the new agents last night?"

"Two," Val said.

Finn glanced at her nervously before turning back to me. "And you want to know what exactly?"

"If you've heard any rumours we could use," I said. "Someone's been making prank emergency calls, most of them coming from North Dublin. We're thinking vampire volunteers. Is there a coven you know of in North Dublin? Large enough to be useful to Seth."

"There is one, but it's not a large coven," he said thoughtfully. He wrote something on the back of a beermat. "This is the territory they own. They're pretty low ranking. Their volunteers should be around during the day, but most will be sleeping."

I took the beermat from him and shoved it into my pocket. "Thanks. What's the word on the street? General opinion on what's going on?"

"Oh, you know how it is," he said. "Some of 'em hero worship him; others don't believe in him. Some are terrified; others are eager to see the new government fail as they deal with him. It's a mixed bag."

"What about the assassins?" Val asked. "Has there been talk about them? About people with their tattoos?"

I looked at Val. "Her tattoos would be similar but not exactly the same. Can you keep an eye out for anyone sporting something magically similar?"

He nodded, staring at Val as if surprised. "Anything else?"

"If you hear anything that might be useful, let me know," I said. "This vampire is the source of the formula that creates those beasts. It wouldn't be a bad thing to pass that info around to the right people."

He smirked. "The panickers. The big-mouthed ones. Don't worry. I'll keep an eye out. I always do. It's hard not to soak up rumours and gossip in this place. You should come in one night, you know. Callista's signed up for a few shifts."

I looked around the room. The memories I had expected to haunt me weren't present. "Yeah, maybe."

Val and I turned to leave. Before we reached the door, Finn called my name. I looked back questioningly.

"Good luck killing the first vampire." He grinned.

I nodded and returned his smile. That was exactly what was going to happen.

# 19

Finn had been even more specific than Phoenix, but we checked out the broader area first. We found a park and wandered through it.

Val sniffed the air, looking bored. "I thought Phoenix said this was a busy neighbourhood."

"There's a line of nightclubs and pubs a couple of streets away. The place is dead during the day."

"Interesting choice of words."

"This could be a wild goose chase." I kicked a stone. "Why would they lead us here?"

"Perhaps Seth didn't realise the humans weren't as obedient as he liked to think. People are lazy when it comes down to it. It was just a phone call. Perhaps many of them assumed it wouldn't make a difference where they called from. Why go out of their way when they can do the exact same thing from here?"

"I assumed he was there when they called."

"More likely the assassins were there, if they didn't call by themselves on their own time." Val sniffed the air. "The assassins have had quite a few leaders now. Maybe they're disbanding and doing their own thing." She stopped walking and spun around in a circle. "There's definitely blood around here."

I couldn't smell anything, but when she strode off the path and into a copse of trees, I followed. Then I caught a scent, too: dried blood, urine, and alcohol.

"This might not be what we think it is," I murmured.

I heard a moan, and Val gestured for silence. A homeless man lay huddled under some blankets, a few empty cans scattered around him. His neck was grimy and badly shaved. There was a definite bite mark there.

"Hey," I said. "Are you okay? Do you need some help?"

His eyes opened slowly to reveal confusion and fear.

"We're not going to hurt you," I told him.

He shook his head and started crawling away. Val leaned down and gripped him by the collar of his coat. She hauled him into a sitting position against a tree. The stink of fresh urine filled the air. The poor chap was terrified of us... or rather, of Val.

"Val, can you get a coffee and a breakfast roll from that shop we passed on the way?" I asked.

She grunted in response then turned and left.

I knelt in front of the man, holding my breath. "Do you need me to take you to hospital or a doctor? That cut on your neck looks painful."

With trembling hands, he pulled the blanket up over the wound. He moved his head from side to side, his eyes never leaving mine.

"Do you have somewhere to stay tonight?"

"No," he croaked. He licked his dry lips.

"Okay, give me a minute." I pulled out my phone and called Moses. "Hey," I said when he answered. "Do you know of anywhere I can take a new friend of mine to sleep tonight? Somewhere he can have a shower and a hot meal?"

"What are you up to?" Moses asked. "Where are you?"

"The Northside. Not too far from town." I gave him my exact location and smiled reassuringly at the man.

"There are a couple of places out that way. Best one's in the city centre, but it's first come, first served. Not a lot of beds, but plenty of food and hot water. Want me to call in?"

"Would you? That'd be great."

"I'll see if I can cheat the system for you." He hung up.

I nodded at the man. "My friend is looking for a place you can stay."

He stared at me then licked his lips again. "Never make it in time. They always push me to the end of the queue."

"Let's see them try tonight, eh? What's your name?"

"Lar. Everyone just calls me Lar."

"Who bit you, Lar?" I asked softly. "Who hurt you?"

"I was dreaming." His eyes grew wild again. "It was impossible."

"Anything's possible. If somebody bit you, you can tell me. I'll make sure they don't hurt you again."

"They bring me things. They make me drink. Then they bite to see if they can taste the alcohol. They said I'm more alcohol than blood." He laughed sharply. "They think that's funny."

Val returned, and Lar clammed up again. She laid a bag and a large cup of coffee at his feet. He looked from her face to mine and back again. Then he reached for the bag and greedily dove in. There was definitely more in there than one breakfast roll. I looked at Val, and she shrugged. I tried not to laugh.

Lar opened the breakfast roll, pulled out pieces of sausage, and shoved them into his mouth. He smiled, displaying his brownish-yellow teeth, then lifted the coffee and sipped.

"You're nicer than the others." He looked worried. "Are you going to taste me now?"

He looked a little ill. I felt worse.

"No," I said firmly. "Nobody is allowed to taste you, Lar. Where are they? Where are the people who hurt you?"

"They come out of the pub. Sometimes they don't see me, and I follow them." He gestured to the left. "There's a house two streets away. It looks deserted, but they go in there at night, and nobody ever comes out. Sometimes they bring girls with short skirts. They're too young to drink, you know." He nodded sagely. "They think it'll be fun, but they go in that house, and that's... that's it."

I exchanged a worried glance with Val. I knew by her expression that she was as interested in finding those vampires as I was. My phone beeped. Moses had texted me with an address.

"Lar," I said. "We're going to take a look around. We'll be back to take you somewhere safe for the night, okay?"

"You won't come back," he said cheerfully. "Not if you're looking at that house."

We walked away. I heard the sounds of his slurping up his breakfast for several yards.

"What do you think?" I asked when we were out of earshot.

"I think that a lot of things have changed, but almost everything stays the same."

"Is he crazy, or are there girls in that house?"

She looked at me pityingly. "You think they're still there? In the coffee shop, there was a missing-person poster. I think he was right, at least in part."

"We need to ask questions."

"Let's start with the shop. The woman behind the counter is annoyingly chatty."

We strode toward the corner shop. The place was empty apart from the clerk behind the counter. Val pointed out the missing poster. The face of a pouting teenage girl looked back at me.

"Can I help you?" the clerk asked brightly.

"I'm wondering about that poster," I said, pointing. "The girl's missing?"

She waved her hand. "Oh, don't worry about that. The manager put it up there to shut the mother up. You know what it's like." She smiled conspiratorially. "These girls want attention all of the time. Posting selfies online, looking for drama where there is none. Then they blow up and run away to be special. They leave their families waiting for them to come home, and we have to look at their faces all day, whether we like it or not."

I stared at her, taken aback.

"So this happens frequently?" Val asked.

The woman rolled her eyes. "Yes, attention-seeking teenage girls tend to be runaways."

"What if she's been hurt?" I demanded. "What if she's lying in a—"

"Then she probably asked for it," the woman said nastily.

The only thing that stopped me from punching her in the face was my complete shock at her attitude. I took Val's arm and led her out of the shop.

Outside, I had a new thought. "You know, the girls could be vampire volunteers."

She shrugged me off. "Don't _you_ start victim blaming."

"No, I mean unwilling volunteers, as in they don't know what they're really volunteering for." I cringed. "If they're going to a pub frequented by vampires, they probably already know what's in there. Everyone knows now, right? But maybe they assume it's all romantic and stuff, but it goes bad, and then they're stuck. And because they're teenage girls, maybe girls who act a little wild, people assume that they ran away. We need to find that girl's mother and ask her some questions."

"I thought we were here to question the volunteers?" Val asked with a hint of a smile in her voice.

"We are! I just want more information first." I started walking down the street.

Val caught up to me. "And is that before or after we take a homeless man on a trip?"

"Shut up. It's just one of those days."

"You're coming back to life."

I stopped and stared at her. "What?"

"This is what you need to be doing, Ava. You should be out on the streets, trying to help people and getting _involved_."

She was right. I felt better than I had in ages. I was taking control of a situation instead of waiting around until it came to me. Screw the Eleven. Ten. Holy crap, I was one of them. They were me. I couldn't do that. I couldn't turn into the person who had to sit around and discuss the outcomes to death. I needed to act. I needed my life back.

We came across a group of women and one man. They were pushing prams and about to head into the community centre.

"Hey," I said. "We're looking for a woman whose daughter went missing recently."

The women feigned puzzled looks.

The lone man sighed. "They're talking about Carrie Matthews."

"Oh, yes," one of the women said. "And her _lovely_ daughter, Crystal."

The other women giggled. I exchanged a confused glance with Val. Was there something in the water?

The man stepped forward with his pram. "I'm Jack. I live nearby, and I can show you were she lives."

The women murmured some half-hearted protests as they watched us walk away with the man.

"You'll get used to this place." He cocked his head to the side. "Actually, you won't. You just learn to live with it. They don't like Carrie. Or Crystal. They're blow-ins."

Val looked at him as if he had two heads. "Blow-ins?"

"They've only lived here for five years," he said wryly. "So they don't belong. And they're both attractive. Apparently, that's not allowed."

"Know them well?" I asked.

"We're neighbours," he said. "She usually keeps to herself, but she's obviously devastated. What do you want with her?"

"Just chasing down information about her daughter's disappearance," I hedged. "Is she okay to talk about it?"

"She's probably desperate to talk about it to anyone who'll listen." He frowned. "That's her house up there." He pointed.

Two teenage boys were busy throwing things at Carrie Matthews's front window.

"Bastards," Jack said. "They won't leave her alone, and their parents don't give a shit." His baby began to whimper. He shushed the child absentmindedly and pushed the pram a little faster.

When we reached the house, Jack slapped one of the boys across the back of the head.

"I'll sue you," the boy snapped. "You fucking arsehole."

"Hurry on, then," Jack said. "And leave that woman alone, or next time, I'll deck you."

"Yeah, yeah," the boy jeered once he had crossed the road with his friend. "I'll have you, I will." He walked backward to show us his middle fingers.

Before I could blink, Val had run across the road and grabbed both boys by the scruffs of their necks. She began to shift, her shoulders and back rising as the horns embedded in her skin extended. Her eyes reddened, and I smothered a giggle at the expressions on both boys' faces.

"Oh, don't worry," I told Jack, who had huddled protectively over his pram. "She's a pussycat underneath it all."

He glanced at me with widened eyes, but he didn't say a word.

Val dragged the boys back over to us. "You're going to apologise to this man," she said through gritted teeth. "Then you're going to knock on that woman's door and beg for her forgiveness. You're going to offer to do jobs for her until she gets sick of you. And I'm going to come back and tear you limb from limb if I hear you've forgotten what I've told you. Do you understand me?"

A dark stain appeared on the crotch of the mouthy boy's trousers. The other looked too shock to speak.

Val shook them. "Do you understand me?"

They nodded. She let go and took a step back, clearly enjoying herself.

The boys muttered an apology to Jack then ran into Carrie Matthews's garden and knocked on the door. Jack spun his pram around and quickly made his escape.

"Val," I said, shaking my head, "excessive much?"

"Not at all," she replied.

We followed the boys to the house and reached it as the door was opening. The woman who answered looked utterly surprised when she saw the entourage on her doorstep. The boys made their apologies and their offerings, just as Val had ordered. As soon as they had set a time to return for work, they gave Val a fearful glance and ran off.

The woman was beautiful. Her dark hair was short and stylish, and her cheekbones were amazing. I couldn't tell her age, but she definitely didn't look old enough to have a teenage daughter.

"Carrie Matthews?" I asked.

I could still sense Hell steaming from Val, and Carrie was watching my companion closely, probably because the half-hellhound still had red in her eyes.

"Calm down," I muttered.

Val pretty much deflated. She moved back a little until she was almost behind me.

"Ms. Matthews," I said, "we're here to ask you about your daughter."

Carrie's hand flew to her mouth. "Are you with the police?"

I shook my head. "We sometimes work with the new government, but Val here is a private investigator."

Val shifted on her feet. "I'm a finder." When Carrie looked confused, Val sighed and conceded, "It's pretty much the same thing."

I struggled to maintain a straight face. "We were in the area, looking into a different matter, but we were wondering about connections with your daughter's case. Could we maybe ask you a few questions?"

"Is here okay?" she asked nervously. "I'm not sure..."

"Here is fine," I said. "How long has Crystal been missing?"

"About six weeks. Last week was her seventeenth birthday. Everyone thinks she ran away, but we were close. We just had one little fight. She stormed out and never came back. She doesn't have many friends. She tried, but they always turned on her. She's the odd one out, so I didn't even have anyone to call when she left. I had no idea where to look. And then the police called her a runaway. They won't even help me!"

I gave Val a pointed look. She was supposed to be the "finder."

Val cleared her throat. "Did she ever go to the pub near the park?"

Carrie sucked in a breath. "I think so. She wants to be a grownup. We all did at that age. She wears short skirts and flirts and posts pictures of herself online, so everyone thinks she's trouble. Whatever happened..." She shook her head. "She's a person, just like anyone else, and she doesn't deserve anything bad to happen to her. The things those girls at school did to her... and everyone around here is just oblivious to the way their little darlings act. They can't see past the clothes, but Crystal's a great kid. They think they know everything, but they judged her without even knowing her." The woman's voice edged on hysterical.

"Maybe we should come inside," I said gently. "I could make you a cup of tea, and then you can tell us all about Crystal. Would you like that?"

She nodded and opened the door wider. Her home was small but well kept. Pictures of her daughter papered the walls. I felt awful. It was as if her daughter was all she had. And Crystal was gone. We entered the kitchen, and I started filling the kettle.

"Private investigators," Carrie said as if just realising what we'd told her. "I can't afford to pay you."

"You don't have to pay anything," Val said. "We came to you."

I decided not to announce I wasn't actually working as a private investigator. Telling the woman I was a landlady wasn't going to instil much confidence in my investigative skills.

"The world has changed," Carrie said. "There are so many more things to be worried about. When Crystal never came back, I was afraid she had gone into town and been caught up in one of those riots you hear about. She would never survive. She wasn't a tough girl. Not in that way. She was bullied in school, beaten up, and the one time she hit back, she was suspended. How is that fair?"

"It's not," Val said. She sounded pretty compassionate... for Val.

"Have you been to that pub?" I asked Carrie. "Do you know the kind of people who frequent it?"

"Old men, mostly. I haven't been. But Crystal said all the girls at school went every weekend."

"Have any others gone missing?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Just my baby. It's always her. She's the unlucky one."

"What did you argue about?" Val asked. "The night she left. What was the argument over?"

"A boy," Carrie said sharply. "I saw her with a boy. I didn't see his face, but he looked older—a man, really. I was on the bus, so it was fast, but I saw him push her. What kind of man does that?"

"Where was this?" I asked.

"Oh." She furrowed her brow. "It was near that abandoned house, the one that has all of those squatters. I went there after Crystal left, but they wouldn't talk to me. The police said they spoke to them, but I got the feeling that they're not taking this seriously. Crystal was too old, and the rumours were that she was wild, too." She broke out into sobs, putting her face in her hands. "She was a baby. _My_ baby. She wasn't wild. She was just a little girl trying to fit in."

I swallowed and vowed to find out what had happened to Crystal Matthews.

# 20

I set a brisk pace as we started back toward the park and the abandoned house.

" _People_! They are amazingly shit to each other. What is wrong with people?"

"It makes them feel better about themselves," Val said.

I hadn't expected an answer. "How? How could putting someone else down make anyone feel better?"

"Perhaps they're happy it's not them. When you talk about Seth, how evil he is, how demented, don't you feel glad that you're not that way?"

"Please stop talking, Val."

She snorted.

When we reached the abandoned squatter house, I turned to her. "I don't think Seth is here."

"Neither do I."

"We need to use Crystal as a cover story."

"Who is the investigator here? And what was that about anyway?"

"People are more comfortable with terms they're familiar with. Everyone knows what a private investigator does, or at least, they think they do. A finder sounds weird and foreign, and that will put people off."

"Huh." She glanced at me. "We're not exactly getting a lot of interest. Do you think that's why?"

"Of course. And you need a name for this business, something that appeals to both sides of the fence and makes it obvious you're sympathetic to humans _and_ supernaturals."

"Like what?"

"Okay, supernaturals don't use surnames, but humans can't comprehend that in anything other than a celebrity. So why not use your full first name and Peter's surname together? When supernaturals see Valeria, they'll know it's not a run-of-the-mill human name. Brannigan tends to evoke all kinds of emotions, but it's common enough for humans to deal with."

"You seem to be overthinking this."

"Or neither of you are thinking ahead enough. One of you needs to think of this as a business and not a calling. Peter's head is stuck too far up his own arse to pay attention, so it'll have to be you. You have to cater to two different worlds. Make two different types of business cards if you need to, but—"

"Business cards?"

"Sweet Jesus! I'll organise your business cards and letterhead."

"Letterhead?"

I ignored her. "I'll have something simple designed then have copies printed. Shit, I miss my old work. Martin Breslin takes care of all of the landlady crap, and I hired Carl to work on my accounting. You know what? I'm going back into business properly. I have this opportunity to learn about real artefacts. Why not go whole hog? So if you find anything useful on your quests, you know who to talk to."

The confusion in her eyes said I'd clearly just had a conversation with myself.

"Never mind," I said. "You did better than I expected with Carrie back there."

"What do you mean?"

"Well..." I hesitated, trying to think of a way to say something that would be sort of insulting without her actually getting insulted. "You were... soft with her. Sometimes, you need to step away from the 'grr' side of your nature. People need a little empathy when they're telling their problems to strangers. Peter's too stiff and gruff to be sufficiently sympathetic, and people tend to look to the woman for that. You need to be the one they can talk to."

"I'm not sure I like where this conversation is going, Ava Delaney."

I held up my hands. "Sometimes, you're going to come across people who want to talk to someone non-threatening. You have to learn to be that person when you need to be, and I was just saying that you did a good job back there."

She frowned.

I patted her on the shoulder. "Let's go round up some volunteers."

The abandoned house was large and derelict. There was no way it housed an important member of the vampire race. We checked around back and found one large door.

"I'll go in this way," she said. "You enter from the front. We'll clear the first floor and hopefully not lose too many of them."

I nodded and ran around to the front of the house. The door wasn't open, so I searched around for a spare key. I finally found one under a fake stone in the yard. I unlocked the door and stepped inside. Wincing at the creaking sound, I eased the door shut and pushed the bolt home. If anyone ran, he'd at least make some noise.

Filthy carpeted stairs were situated right in the hallway, and I spotted three doors on the ground floor, one open, two closed. I almost lost my shit when Val stepped lightly through the open door. I gestured at the stairs, but she shook her head and pointed at one of the closed doors.

We had a silent argument for a moment before she angrily jabbed a finger at me then at the stairs. So we weren't great at taking commands from each other.

I crept upstairs. There were four bedrooms. Most of them were empty. The last contained a lone girl asleep on the bed. I put my hand over her mouth and shook her awake. Her eyes popped open then widened when she focused on me.

"Let's go downstairs with the others," I said softly, removing my hand and taking a step back. "I have questions for you all about a missing girl."

"Are you police?" she murmured.

"We work with them." It wasn't fully a lie. I did stuff with Shay all of the time.

She was surprisingly obedient. Then again, she frequently obeyed the whims of vampires, judging by the marks on her neck. She led the way downstairs, where we met Val coming out of the room she had searched.

I stopped in front of the last closed door. "You first," I told the girl. She was younger than I had first thought. Not Crystal, though.

She smiled at Val—maybe the vampires were overdoing the obedience training—opened the door, and stepped into the room. Six people were sprawled on chairs, eating snacks. They did double takes when they saw us. Two men leaped to their feet.

I held up my hands. "Nobody freak out. We're just here to ask some questions."

"About what?" one of the men asked.

From the expressions on some of their faces, they all recognised me, maybe Val, too. Only some of them had visible bite marks. _Yuck._

I glanced around at each of them, trying to figure out who was most likely to do something stupid. "There's a teenage girl who went missing a little over a month ago."

They all relaxed. That obviously hadn't been the kind of question they were expecting. So what else were they hiding? Seth? Something just as bad?

"Have any of you seen her?" Val asked.

They all shook their heads dumbly.

"That's funny," I said, "because we hear you frequent the same pub as she did and that the last time anyone saw her was right outside this house. In fact, it wasn't the only time she was seen near this place."

The youngest male was good looking in a scruffy, brooding sort of way. He was avoiding my gaze, so I homed in on him.

"That she was seen with you, actually," I bluffed.

His face flushed. "I didn't..." He shook his head. "I didn't do anything."

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Alex."

"Alex, do you know Crystal? Have you ever spoken to her?"

He looked around then whispered, "No."

"You were seen with her," Val said.

"Yeah, okay, I talked to her. She liked me. That's all. She was just a kid. I told her to—" His eyes grew wide. "I haven't done anything."

I glanced at Val. She gave me the tiniest nod. We needed to separate Alex from the pack.

"You won't mind if I take a look around then, will you?" I smiled brightly at the group. "We need to tick a few places off our list, make sure her mother knows she's getting her money's worth. You know how it is."

There were a couple of mutters but no big protest.

I nodded at the young man. "Alex, why don't you show me around then? Val, you ask the rest of our questions. This won't take long."

Alex shoved his hands in his pockets, mumbled something, then staggered out of the room as if something weighed heavily on his shoulders. I followed, still smiling, as he led me upstairs.

He walked through an open door and kicked a jacket lying on the floor. "Bedrooms."

"Do you live here?"

"I suppose."

"Been here long?"

He shrugged. "For a while."

"Crystal was pretty."

He looked panicked. "I didn't do anything."

"But someone did. What did she want from you, Alex?"

"She just wanted a friend. Protection. People were giving her a hard time, and she was scared. She thought she could find help here. I warned her not to come. I told her it wasn't what she thought, but she never listens, you know?"

"I know," I said. "She came anyway, didn't she?"

"She was so stupid! I told her I didn't want to see her again, and she still came. They told me she did. And then—"

"And then what?"

He clamped his mouth shut and stared at me.

I tried a different tactic. "Where are your bite marks?"

He flinched.

"Somewhere I can't see? That sucks. Vampire bites hurt."

He shrugged, barely able to look at me.

"You don't have to let them bite you. There are other places to stay."

To my surprise, his eyes filled with tears. "I have to stay now. She ruined everything. I was going to leave, but—" Fear spread across his face. "Please stop asking me questions."

I nodded and did a quick search of the rooms. There were no girls hidden in the wardrobes, no vampires asleep under the beds.

"One more question, and then we'll join the others," I said. "Is there a basement?"

He flinched. "We don't have a basement." But by the nervous twitching of his eye, there was _something_.

I squeezed his arm. "I can help, Alex. I promise."

We went down the stairs and back into the living room. Without actually telling me anything, he had told me enough to get him into trouble.

Val looked at me. "Anything?"

I shook my head. "We should go to the next place on the list." I waved at the group. "Thanks for your time."

As we headed to the door, someone called out, "I bet that freaky old man in the park killed her."

The others burst into laughter.

I turned back. "What, really?"

"Yeah," the oldest said. "He's a creep, always looking, always following people around. He's crazy, making up stories the whole time. He probably killed her and threw her body in the canal."

"Thanks for the tip!"

I was pretty sure they would watch us from the windows. We crossed the road to the park.

"I'm pretty sure she's there," I told Val. "I reckon she's still alive, but they're hiding her with the vampires."

"Why?"

"Food source? Some kid who doesn't want to volunteer, so they use her because they can. I've no idea. That kid, Alex, he was full of guilt. He was going to leave then suddenly couldn't. He said Crystal ruined everything. I think he's staying to make sure they don't kill her."

"How noble," Val said dryly.

"He's scared. People do what they can when they're scared. It isn't always enough, but at least it's something."

Val shrugged. "Peter's going to kill _you_ if that man takes a piss in his car."

I laughed. "He'll have to catch me first."

After dropping off Lar at a homeless shelter, we returned to the cul-de-sac and updated everyone. I left a message on Shay's voicemail about Crystal. Distraction always worked to yank me out of a bout of depression.

But I brooded about Crystal for a long time. The police hadn't done their job, the community hadn't done their job, and a teenage girl was likely suffering for it. Nobody had noticed that most of the prank emergency calls had come from the same place. I wondered how many things were going to get brushed under the carpet because people assumed there was a supernatural explanation for everything.

That evening, Daimhín stopped by. Val and I met her outside.

"I want you to come with me," she announced. "To question those idiots."

"I was there today. Their volunteers weren't the most helpful in the world, but they're definitely hiding something. A teenage girl, for one."

Daimhín looked confused. "Seth is more important than a teenage girl."

"Everyone is important," Shay said, walking over to us. He looked exhausted, but I was relieved to see him.

"Hey," I said. "You got my message."

"Yeah. I just had to stop in to see Peter first. You were talking about the volunteers. Is that where you're going tonight?"

I nodded. "While Daimhín is questioning the vampires, you and I could look for the girl."

"No," Daimhín said. "He can do as he likes, but I want you with me while I question them. I want them to see what I have."

I rolled my eyes.

"It's our best chance to get the girl out of there."

"Peter and I will go," Val said. "I identified myself to the mother as a private investigator. Now it's time for Peter and me to finish the job."

Daimhín rolled her shoulders. "Fine. As long as Ava stands by my side, I don't care."

"The police force can deal with the search," Shay said.

"Shay," I said gently, "it's pretty obvious that you just don't have the numbers yet. Peter has a lot of experience. And Val's more than capable. Trust me. Use them. Use whatever resources you have until everything else gets back on its feet."

He ran his hands through his hair. "All right. But we have to stay involved."

"I don't think Seth is staying in the house with the volunteers," I said. "The place is a shithole. Finn told me the coven is insignificant, and the number of volunteers validates that. So where would the vampires sleep?"

"Underground, most likely," Daimhín said. "There has to be a basement of some kind."

"That's what we thought," I said. "But there's no visible entrance."

Daimhín frowned. She was wealthy and the leader of a strong coven. She had no real clue what it was like for the smaller covens struggling to get by. "An underground bunker nearby then. The entrance may not be on the property."

"How could they afford to build something like that?"

Daimhín smiled. "They couldn't, but there are already many secrets hidden beneath our feet in this country. There are long-forgotten tunnels, for example. This coven could be using a space that nobody else remembers, something that's been built over, perhaps."

Frowning, I tried to come up with a likely possibility.

"What if it's in the park?" Val asked. "That might be why that poor old man was being bitten all the time. He's in the way."

"We'll find out," Daimhín said sharply. "And pass on the message. We must go. I'm hungry. I haven't stopped for breakfast yet."

We all took a step away from her.

She growled. "Let's go, Ms. Delaney. They can follow in their own car."

I got into Daimhín's limo and nodded at Eloise. I ignored Jules, who was panting again. Zion was driving, and I wondered why the vampire queen wasn't making more of a show of force.

Daimhín was silent at first. I wondered if she was scared that Seth would show up.

"I doubt he's there," I said.

"Of course not," she snapped. "Living with squatters. How can they shame themselves so?"

"Maybe they haven't had enough of a quota to be strong," I said.

"Since when is that an excuse for anything? They could easily have found rich volunteers, working volunteers. It's despicable when vampires allow themselves to sink so low."

Wary and uncomfortable under Jules's staring eyes, I listened with half an ear to her ranting. I still had a scar on the palm of my hand from when he had been half-starved and I had gotten between him and a feed.

When we arrived at the abandoned house, I let us in with the key I had stolen. In the living room, the vampires were feeding on the volunteers. Most of the volunteers looked moderately relaxed, but Alex was squirming under a vampire's grip.

"That's enough," I snapped.

For the first time, the vampires became aware they had company. For an instant, they looked terrified of Daimhín, but then some realisation must have hit them because, one by one, smirks replaced the fear.

"Lucky us," a female vampire said. "The queen deigning to pay us a visit."

"You know why I'm here," Daimhín said in the coolest tone imaginable. Even I shivered, and it wasn't directed at me. "Explain your treasonous actions to me."

"Treasonous?" a man said and laughed. "Obeying our maker is the opposite of treason, is it not?"

"I am your queen. Vampires are already on thin ice in this side of the world. We're lucky to have a say in the new government. I will not allow you to threaten everything I—"

"And that's the problem," the woman said. "You think we're lucky to bow down to humans and the like. Seth thinks _we_ should be bowed down to."

Daimhín looked upon them scornfully. "Who would bow down to the likes of you? Dirty, filthy animals. Barely a coven. Barely vampires. You bring shame to our species, and I will drive you from this country with my bare hands."

The anger in her eyes made me nervous. Eloise watched with interest, and Zion stood by the door, ready to destroy at his mistress's command. Jules was overly interested in the volunteers.

Daimhín's mouth curled into a sudden, disturbing smile. "I haven't tortured anyone in a while. And Ms. Delaney over here owes our kind a favour. Who would like to talk, and who would like to have the words cut from their veins?"

"You're a bit outnumbered," the man said, but his voice was shaky.

"You think this is all I brought?" Daimhín cocked her head. "This is all I need, but it isn't all that's with me." She glanced around. "Seven of you. Two may live. Decide amongst yourselves who will die first. I have a lot of time on my hands tonight."

"No," the woman said. "Seth will—"

"Seth?" Daimhín took a seat on a grubby chair. "And he is where, exactly? I don't see him rushing in to defend his loyal... subjects."

The woman sneered. "He'll pay you back."

"We shall see how much you're worth to Seth. Not very much, I'll wager. Just good enough to provide volunteers willing to make prank phone calls. Although, not good enough to send those volunteers out of this location to avoid detection."

The woman screamed and broke the neck of the human at her feet. Alex scrambled away from the group. I grabbed him just before his vampire caught up with him.

"He's mine now." I pushed Alex behind me. "Wanna fight me for him?"

The vampire glanced at Daimhín then sat back in his seat.

I gripped Alex by the collar. "If you don't want to die tonight, you had better do what I say." I dragged him outside to where Val, Peter, and Shay were waiting.

"Do you know where Crystal is being kept?" Val asked him.

He shrugged. "It's not here. It's in the park. Some old place underground. It's creepy. It's where they sleep."

"Can you show us?" Peter asked.

Alex nodded, albeit reluctantly.

"Great," I said. "While this lot are busy, you're going to help this nice policeman get Crystal back where she belongs." I tapped him on the back of the head before shoving him toward Shay. "And keep away from vampires in future."

When I went back inside, one of the vampires was dead. Daimhín was a quick worker. She didn't even have a speck of blood on her. Zion nodded at me. He practically trembled with his lust for violence. I scented blood and saw Jules straddling the dead human and feeding with great gusto.

"Getting anywhere?" I asked, trying to keep my disdain from showing on my face.

"We haven't even started yet," Daimhín said.

Eloise flitted over and laid her hands on the shoulders of a vampire. "This one knows it all."

The female vampire cowered, shaking her head. "No! He'll rip me apart."

"No, no," Daimhín said. "That'll be me."

"Just tell us where Seth is and what he's doing," I barked, more than ready to get out of earshot of Jules's slurping.

The female's eyes widened. "He doesn't tell us that. We've to wait here for him in case he needs us. That's all I know."

"Liar, liar," Eloise sang.

"The seer has spoken," Daimhín said, leaning back in the chair as if completely at ease. "Would you care to elaborate?"

One of Seth's vampires leapt at the female, clawing at her face as he struggled to bite down on her neck. Zion was there in an instant. I didn't see the move, but suddenly, the vampire was hanging lifeless in Zion's hands. Zion dumped the body onto the floor and took a step back. The female vampire shivered in her seat, her skin peeling away from her face where the male had scratched her.

"Now," Daimhín said in a warning tone, "tell us everything you know."

# 21

Police lights flashed through the windows.

"This is going to get interesting," I said, relieved I wasn't going to be taking part in some kind of weird torture party.

Daimhín glanced at the window and shrugged. "What do I care?"

"Humans tend to be against torture, even when it's happening to vampires," I told her. "Shay is out there, remember? You need to keep the less violent mask on for the Senate's sake."

"How tedious." She looked at the remaining vampires. "I suppose they could be kept in the old Council cells."

I straightened and stared at her. "That's still a thing?"

"We haven't found a suitable method of detaining the more... colourful species. The crimes will be... let me see." She held out her hand and counted on her fingers. "Treason. Murder of government officials. Kidnapping."

"Kidnapping?" one of the vampires blurted. "What are you talking about?"

"So you haven't been keeping unwilling snacks in your sleeping area?" She frowned. "Why do you think you're hearing sirens right now? They've obviously found someone... more than one, isn't it? Keeping humans trapped against their will is strictly prohibited. Don't you remember the rules? You'll have time to consider them. Ms. Delaney, perhaps let them know outside that we're done here."

I left, wondering if she ever planned on torturing them or if she had been using me to save face. The vampire queen was a complicated woman.

Outside, I spotted a couple of ambulances near the park. Shay was jogging toward me, a delighted smile on his face. He lifted me and swung me around.

"We found them!" He set me down and cleared his throat. "Sorry. It's just nice to have a win every now and then. The girls are malnourished and probably seriously low on blood, but they're alive. They're going to be okay."

"Crystal?"

"She was among them. She seemed relieved to see us. Peter stayed with her and Alex while Val went to fetch the girl's mother. We're notifying the other families."

"What are you doing to do about Alex?"

"He helped. I won't forget that. He's going to be taken in for questioning, but I'll make sure he has a safe place to go afterward." He nodded at the house. "They ready?"

"Yeah, Daimhín said to take them to the old Council cells. It might keep them out of Seth's way, now that I think about it."

"You think he'll be pissed about this?"

"Hell, yeah. We just cleared out an entire group of his followers."

He spoke into his walkie-talkie. Less than two minutes later, a swarm of people flooded into the building behind us.

"The new unit?" I asked.

He nodded. "Raring to go. It's not Seth, but it's a step in the right direction. And we've cleared up some cold missing cases, apparently. What's not to like?"

"This is what you're here for." I squeezed his arm. "Reuniting families and taking down the bad guys. That's why you do what you do, right?"

"It's a tough adjustment when the bad guys are mythological characters who don't play by the rules."

"Yeah, but the vampire queen just arrested misbehaving vampires instead of ripping them apart. That's progress."

The vampires were hauled out of the house. They fought back and suffered for it. Vampires weren't in anyone's good books, although, Daimhín had earned a few brownie points.

"We're done here," she said, following Shay's team outside. "It's time to finish questioning them. I believe they aren't aware of Seth's current plans, but they may end up with something useful." She got into her limo, leaving me stranded.

"You coming?" Shay asked me. "Might get interesting."

I shook my head. "I'm not involved in this. That man, Lar, might have some info, too. He's another victim."

"Don't worry. Val already told me. I'll have someone with him before he leaves the hostel in the morning. I had better head on. The others are still over in front of the park. Make sure you get a lift back. Seth's still out there, remember?"

I nodded and walked with him toward the park. Val saw me and waved.

Shay went straight to the nearest police car. "See you later, Ava."

Val caught up to me. "Peter's pulling the car around." She was practically beaming.

"I take it everything went well on your end."

She nodded. "Her mother came. They went to the hospital in an ambulance together. It felt... _good_. It made me wonder if Leah has a mother."

"We could try to find out, but most of the children who ended up in the slave market lost their mothers. I gave Phoenix all of the research we had on suspicious kidnappings and murders, but it's been harder than we expected. Still, there's always a chance for Leah."

Peter's car pulled up beside us and rolled down his window. He gave me a wide grin. "You missed the fun, Delaney."

"I had my own good times. Wow, you look happy. Get to punch someone?"

He patted the steering wheel of his car. "Nah. Now get in before I ditch you here for being such a smartarse."

Laughing, I got in the car. Val went around and climbed in on the other side. I stared out the window, constantly watching for Seth, as the other two filled me in. Why hadn't he come for us when we were out in plain sight? What if he was at the cul-de-sac? In my excitement about finding Crystal, I had forgotten that was a possibility.

"We're going to get somewhere now," Peter said. "Don't worry, Ava. Everything is going to work out."

And if it did, we totally deserved it.

The phone rang a lot the next day. The vampires hadn't given out more than tidbits about Seth, only confirming things we already knew: He was a night-walker. He thought he would be more powerful with a tainted army.

_Tainted. What a name._ Jess and I were classed as the same type of being, but we couldn't be any less alike. We had different strengths and weaknesses, and our personalities were polar opposites. I knew precious little about her. I had no idea how she would react in a real fight. And thanks to Lucia's vision, I got uncomfortable whenever she was out of my sight.

"Jess!" I shouted up the stairs. "Are you dressed yet?"

"It's early!"

"We have a busy day ahead. We're tracking down the first vampire, remember?"

I wanted Jess to know how we worked, how the team played together. I needed her to take part in the process because it was as much about her as it was about me. We were in it together, and if she saw that, then maybe she would be safe from Seth's thrall.

We went over to Anka's place for breakfast. Leah, Dita, Val, and Lucia were already there.

"Is this place for women only or what?" Jessica whispered.

"No, now shut up." I pushed her ahead of me, ignoring her grimace.

"Good morning, Jess," Anka said. "Have a seat, and I'll get you some food."

Jessica gave me one more worried glance before reluctantly taking the empty chair next to Leah around the crowded table. I sat between Lucia and Dita and watched Leah try to make conversation with Jessica. Jess replied to direct questions, but she had a weird look of terror on her face. _Strange kid._

"What's on the agenda today?" Anka asked.

"The kids are going to have a lesson with Carl." I caught Jessica's eye. "Including Jess and Parker. Then, Val's going to organise a training session. Jess hasn't been part of something like that before. She could benefit from it, and she'll learn what to do when the alarm sounds."

Jess looked confused. "Me?"

"You and Parker," I said then thanked Anka for the plate of food she set in front of me. "We went through wars, remember? We didn't just sit around and wait for something to happen. We trained for it, prepared ourselves. That's needed all over again."

Anka finished serving and took her seat. "And then?"

I shrugged. "Research. Maybe a visit to... Eddie's old shop."

"Who is Eddie?" Jess asked.

I cleared my throat. "Someone we used to know. They turned his bookshop into a kind of a museum. Anyone can go in there and read. It's a useful resource. And Shay will probably have some information for us before the day is out. The volunteers will be chattier than the vampires, I'm betting."

"I wonder if Seth knows what happened last night," Anka said.

I shivered then shook my head to let her know I didn't want to discuss it right then. Lucia patted my arm.

After breakfast, I shuffled the kids over to Carl's. Adam looked on disapprovingly as Carl began his lesson for the day. Parker was the only kid aside from Dita who had ever been inside a normal school before, so Carl had his work cut out for him. But mostly, I wanted Jessica to see what I had seen in my friends: a chance for family of our own making.

As I jogged back to Anka's, my phone rang. It was Finn.

"So," he said. "Rumours. Wanna hear the ones about you first?"

"What rumours?"

He practically cackled. "Somebody's spreading the word that you're a serious stud, Delaney. You've gotten half of the Senate willingly eating out of your hand."

"Oh, fuck off."

He chuckled. "I told them Peter Brannigan would never stand for that, but everybody wants to believe what they want to believe."

"Don't make me come down there and punch you in the face."

"You should make an appearance as a favour to me," he said, his voice rising with excitement. "Bring all of those men in your life. Keep everyone guessing."

"How many times do I have to tell you to fuck off? There is nobody in my life. I have friends. That's it."

"Sure. Friends." He laughed again.

"Is there a fucking point to this call?"

"Yes." He cleared his throat. "The word is out that a certain garage has hired a new apprentice. He's a little old to be an apprentice, and his arms are covered in those swirly tattoos, the magical, glowing kind that gets covered up when he notices anyone watching him."

I froze to the spot. "What's the story with this garage?"

"Just your typical garage. Dave runs the place. He's human, but he does a lot in the supernatural world. His wife _isn't_ human, and she introduced him to a lot of colourful customers."

"Did she introduce him to his staff, too?"

"That remains to be seen. I'll text you the address. If you want to check it out, go for it. If not, no skin off my nose."

"Thanks, Finn. Almost worth the verbal torture. Anything else?"

"Everyone's talking about the arrests last night. I heard you set a vampire on fire for calling you a mongrel."

I barked out a laugh. "Let that rumour fly. I didn't get into any trouble last night. I was an observer only."

"Yeah, well, prepare for a backlash. Who are the vampires going to turn to now that their queen is against them?"

"Their freaking god," I muttered. "Thanks for the heads up, Finn."

"No bother. Makes my nights a little more interesting. I'll be keeping a nice blue fae drink cold, just for you."

I was about to tell him to fuck off one last time when he hung up. Shaking my head, I let myself into Anka's place. Lorcan and Peter were in the living room, playing on a game console.

"Finn called," I said. "Vampires everywhere are pissed about last night. Could be bad."

Peter shrugged, his eyes never leaving the screen. "Meh. They're always pissed about something."

"There's been a sighting of a possible assassin working in some garage as an apprentice mechanic."

"Where?" Lorcan asked, then swore loudly, his Liverpudlian accent thickening as he struggled with the game.

I rattled off the address Finn had texted me. Peter dropped his controller. Lorcan shouted for joy.

"What?" I asked.

"That's _my_ garage." Peter pointed at his chest. " _My_ mechanic."

"What are you on about?" I asked. "You own a garage?"

"No, but I might as well. My baby is always in there. We practically share custody of her. I'm going over to chat with that motherfucker and see what the hell he thinks he's doing, hiring assassins to work on my car."

I smothered my amusement at his indignation. "Yeah, okay."

"I'm coming, too," Lorcan said. "Too many women in this house. Carl's still busy. I have nothing to do until training."

"You could research or—"

"Ava..." He drew out the word, sounding like a teenage boy.

"Wow," I said. "Go. I don't care. Is the garage open yet, Peter?"

He checked his watch. "Dave will be there by now. Let's go."

I turned to leave, but Lucia appeared and stood in my way. Frowning, she gestured at herself, and I realised she wanted to go, too. The four of us loaded into Peter's car.

"Don't worry, baby," he cooed, patting the dashboard. "It's just a visit."

As we approached the famous garage, Peter said, "I'll do the talking. We'll get it done a lot quicker. He knows me."

"That doesn't mean he likes you," I muttered from the backseat. Lucia patted my arm. I held my breath, waiting for her to force a vision on me, but nothing happened, to my relief.

A scruffy-looking man came outside when we pulled into the lot.

"That's Dave," Peter said, practically humming with excitement. He rolled down his window and beckoned the man over. "Dave, I'm here on official business."

"For fuck's sake, Brannigan. What now?"

"I hear you hired a new apprentice."

The mechanic frowned. "Yeah, so?"

"Isn't he a bit old for that shit?"

"Better than a flighty kid. He said he needed a fresh start, so I gave him a chance. That against the law now?"

"No, but he might be one of those people who've been roaming the streets starting riots."

"Nate? Doubt it."

"We need to question him."

The mechanic glanced behind him. "You owe me for this, Peter."

"I'm a loyal customer who's kept you in business for years. We just want to ask him some questions. Is there anywhere we can talk? You know, somewhere without anything around that can be used as a weapon."

"The office, I suppose, unless you feel like using a pen as a weapon."

"You never know," Peter said. "Call him in there. We'll be there in a minute."

Dave nodded. "He's a good worker, Brannigan. I want to keep this one." He wandered away.

I leaned forward in my seat. "If he was ever an assassin, we can't let him roam free."

"It could be an average tattoo," Peter said. "How likely is it that one of Fionnuala's assassins went straight? Come on. Let's just check this out and get home. I want to see how Emmett does in training today."

"Stop trying to make him violent," I snapped as we got out of the car. "He's book smart."

"It's possible to be both."

"Not when you make learning sound boring and fighting sound like the most exciting thing on the planet. And why not let him box at Shay's club if you want him to learn how to defend himself?"

"He doesn't need to learn to fight against human kids if he's not going to a human school."

I decided not to dignify that with an answer. Inside the office, the apprentice took one look at my face and started shaking. He knew me. He had to be one of the assassins.

"No." He held up his hands. " _Please_. I'm not doing anything wrong. I left. All I want is a normal life."

Peter and I exchanged a bemused glance. Lucia took a seat in a chair. Lorcan stood by the door.

As Dave left, he glanced over his shoulder. "Remember what I said, Peter."

Peter ignored him and nodded at the assassin. "Let me see those arms."

With a sigh, Nate rolled up his sleeves. Those swirly, glowing, circular tattoos covered his arms.

"What are you even doing in a place like this?" I demanded, trying to tamp down my anger. We had been attacked by his kind far too many times for me to have any kindness left for the likes of him.

"I didn't have a choice in the way I was raised," he said, his hazel eyes narrowing. "I remember living in darkness with a lot of other children until I was taken to a beautiful woman. She told me she would be my mother, and she sent me to live with others. We trained every day, and when we got old enough, we were given these." He held out his arms. "That's when I got stronger, more flexible. It was amazing and terrifying, and the training continued. Then, one day, we were all taken out of that place and told our mother needed our help. We had to fight for her. So we did."

"I remember." I couldn't keep the anger out of my voice, but Nate didn't seem to notice.

"We had to fight so many times. There was so much blood, so many victims who didn't fight back. I _saw_ them, looked into their eyes as they died, and I felt... I started having nightmares, doubting myself. Then we heard our mother died. A vampire gathered us. I couldn't stand it anymore. So I ran and hid, and I kept hiding. I figured I needed to find a way to live. Eventually, I found this place and begged for help. I don't hurt anyone. I just want to be happy."

"Seriously?" Peter scoffed.

Lucia touched my hand and nodded. She believed him.

"Where are the others?" I asked. "The rest of your... brothers or whatever?"

"All over." He shrugged. "Waiting, I suppose. I rarely see them. They hate me because I ran. That's the worst sin, worse than letting mother die. We were brainwashed, don't you see? Most of them still are. But they need a leader. We were taught to fight, not to think for ourselves. They probably follow somebody else now."

"Last you knew, they were following a vampire. How do you know that changed?"

"I just know." He stared at his feet. "Some have come to ask me to return. Others have left as I did. I won't tell you where they are. They aren't hurting anybody. I don't really care if you kill me." He looked at me, his eyes full of pain. "At least then the nightmares will stop."

I shivered. Emmett could easily have ended up as one of those men. We had pushed the schedule along a little faster, but we had no way of knowing how many of those men had started out as innocent children stolen from their families and kept in the slave markets. Life would be a lot easier if everything were black and white.

# 22

Lucia and I sat on my garden wall to watch Val's training session.

I sighed. "I thought this wouldn't be needed anymore." The last few days had been extreme. A lot had happened, yet I felt as though I were spinning my wheels, getting nothing accomplished. "I don't suppose you have any visions for me."

She shook her head vehemently.

"You don't have to protect me from what you'll see. You won't hurt me."

She stared at me, her eyebrows arched. She had the whole sarcastic look down to a T.

"Fine." I gave her a sly look. "Hey, if you aren't going to be our seer anymore, then what do you think about moving in with your dad?"

Scowling, she thumped my arm.

I grinned. "It'll be so much safer. You won't have to suffer through all of our boring drama anymore, and you'd get to—"

She raised her arm and waved frantically. I reached up, grabbed her wrist, and yanked her hand to her side before Val could see. She gave me a self-satisfied smirk.

"Rat," I muttered.

Adam strolled down the path with Carl, his eyes on his daughter. I wondered what he was thinking. I couldn't let myself trust him, and the way he had acted about Gabe still niggled at me. He had to know more than he was telling.

"See you later," I told Lucia before jogging over to Adam. He made as if to walk away from Carl and me, but I gripped his arm. "Right, I've been understanding long enough. Now it's time to tell me everything you know about angels and vampires and Jess and me and every other fucking thing. You have to know more, and there's a big-arse vampire out there thinking of ways to torture us into submission. A day's training won't beat that, Adam. If you want to survive, then tell me everything you bloody well know."

He looked disgusted. "Do you have to be so vulgar?"

I cocked my head. "It's the meaning behind the word that counts, not the letters it uses, so why say..." I looked to Carl for help.

He shrugged. "I'm out. You've dragged me into your disgusting, uncouth world, and now I can't see a way past the madness."

"If two words mean the exact same thing, why is one okay to you and the other not? Seriously, Adam, I'm trying to keep your daughter safe, and all you're worried about is my language?"

He ignored Carl's laughter and asked, "What do you want to know? What is it I have to give you people?"

"Tell me about the angels," I said. "The interference, why Jess and I made it away from Seth with help. Why not every child? Why us?"

"I made a deal with an archangel. That's the big secret. They needed a warrior. I could raise one."

"But why?" Carl asked. "Why would you need a deal? Why haven't they interfered to protect every child? We don't understand."

"We were losing a war that nobody even knew about," Adam said flatly. "And I was willing to go the extra mile for the cause, so they sent me their blessing."

"So they somehow got Seth off your back long enough for you to cut Jess out of her mother's womb," I said coldly.

He flinched. He wasn't as cold as he made himself out to be.

"I'm sorry that happened to you all."

He looked me right in the eye. "My wife was dying. The bites were horrific—black and gaping." He turned a little green. "I don't know how she survived. There must be something in him or in his blood that prolongs life. She should have been dead. She was just a human, so fragile. She kept begging me to save the baby, even when I told her I had lied to her about everything, when I told her who I really was.

"So I begged for help, but _they_ apparently thought they had helped enough. There was no saving her. And I had grown fond of her. More than fond. She was a good person, kind. It's soothing to live with somebody who treats people with respect and care. It was strange for me to be on the receiving end of genuine affection. For a while, I thought we might escape our fate."

"Is it fate?" I asked. "Is it already set in stone?"

"I think it's fate," he said. "I think we're set upon these paths. Maybe we were meant to come back here all along. Jess was born here, but farther south, more rural. But it was here that everything happened."

"But why were both of us born here, of all places?"

"We were your replacement, I suppose," he said. "When your story changed, I was needed."

I frowned. When exactly had my story changed? I wasn't even a decade older than Jessica. Something was missing, some vital piece of information.

"Jess is the last," he said. "They couldn't send any more seraphim to earth because the vampires' numbers kept dwindling. And when Jess was in the womb, soaking up that monster's power, I knew I could stop it from getting worse and give her a chance to break free without being tainted. She could have been a nephal. Pure and strong and _respected_. But I hesitated. I didn't want to hurt my wife. In the end, I killed her, though. I should have done it earlier, but I... it's hard to..." He shook his head.

"Have you talked to Jess about this?" Carl asked. "Have you told her what it was really like for you?"

"No," he said adamantly. "I can't tell her these things."

"Don't you think she has a right to know?" I asked. "Don't you think she might like to hear about her mother?"

"I can't talk about her." He looked miserable. "I can't say the words, not to Jess. She sometimes reminds me of her, and I can't bear to..." He wrapped his arms around his waist.

"Get over it," I snapped.

"Ava!" Carl admonished.

"No, seriously. It isn't just about him. That kid has grown up wondering if anyone ever truly cared for her. She could do with some good news. She could hear all the wonderful things about her mother. I never had that, Adam, and I'm telling you now, it would have helped, especially when I was a teenager. I was lost. I had no idea who I was. You could give her this big gift and let her know exactly where she comes from." I glared at him. "Better yet, let her know how much her own father cares about her."

He stared at me for a few seconds before turning on his heel and stalking off.

"That was a bit harsh," Carl said glumly.

"He's a total diva," I said. "He's all up in his own misery, so far into it that he can't see Jessica's. It's that kind of thing that will drive her into Seth's arms."

He made a weird sound through his nose. "That's not going to happen with all of us around."

I tried my best not to look in Lucia's direction.

Later, Shay arrived with news. He parked at the mouth of the cul-de-sac. Peter, Carl, Lorcan, Val, and I walked out to meet him.

"We've been questioning people, but we're not getting any big leads, so we're going to do a press conference to warn everyone about what's been going on. Like you keep saying, Ava, it was the secrets that tore down the old government."

"That's great." I leaned against his car.

He gave me a charming smile. "I'm glad you said that because we want you in on it."

I glared at him as the others laughed. "No."

"People want to see you," he said. "You started all of this."

"I'm not a performing seal."

"Every night that goes by puts us at more risk. We need to call out this vampire before he turns half the country against us. The vampires are threatening to rebel. And yes, they have pitiful numbers right now and have to answer to Daimhín first, which isn't the smartest move they've ever made, but what if they gather supporters again? We have enough enemies. The supporters of people like Fionnuala will be happy to look elsewhere for leadership. If we don't nip this in the bud then—"

I held up my hand. "Laying it on a bit thick, aren't you?"

"I keep warning him," Peter said. "He never listens."

"Okay, so what do we have?" Lorcan asked. "How can we draw him out?"

"Ava has to do it," Val said. "He wants the tainted. If she stands against him, it will sway opinion."

"But not necessarily for the better," I retorted. Then, I sighed. "Fine. We'll do the thing. But remember last time. And the time before that. I'm not good with cameras or people. Or questions."

Carl patted me on the head. "You'll be fine, shortcake."

I elbowed him in the ribs. "One of you is coming with me. The rest stay here and watch out for more Seth tricks. Do not let Jess outside. Or Adam. Or Parker. Just... keep _everyone_ inside until we get back."

Shay gave me a charming, slightly smug smile. "Thanks, Ava."

I growled in response. I hated being played.

Lorcan came with me in the end. Val wanted to, but her responsibilities weighed too heavily on her shoulders. I thought it was time Lorcan made some public appearances anyway. With his newly shorn hair, he looked more human than fae, making him seem accessible to most of the population.

"This politics gig must be like a family business," I said on the way to the press conference. Night was falling, and the air was chilly, but that wasn't why I kept shivering.

"Must be," Lorcan said. "I wonder if magic was, too."

"That would be cool to find out," I said.

Lorcan shrugged. "I've already asked Leah. She can't find any... witchery about us."

"She hasn't seen you two cloak yourselves."

"What's that like?" Shay asked.

"You'll likely see sometime," Lorcan said. "Ava has a habit of getting us into trouble and keeping us there."

I glared at him. "You all brought your trouble right over to me."

He smiled. "And we're very sorry about it."

I thought about kicking the smart-arse, but we had already arrived.

"The theatre again?" I made a face. The place creeped me out.

"Phoenix's idea. He likes the setting," Shay said. He sounded as though he complained about the choice of venue, too.

Inside, the place was in an uproar as people ran around trying to set up cameras to cover the entire stage. The smaller table had been replaced with a long one.

"I hate this," I murmured. "Lorcan, please don't leave me."

He laughed and held my hand. Phoenix approached us. He glanced at our clasped hands before greeting us. I pulled my hand free and looked the other way while the father and son chatted. I felt awkward, so I moved to find a seat. I chose a chair at the end of the row, figuring it would offer the fastest escape should the need arise.

Willow caught up with me before I could sit. "So nice to see you again," she said. "And we're going to be live on air. Isn't that exciting?"

"Shit," I muttered. "They can't edit me out then."

She gave me a confused look and walked away to take a seat on the far end of the table.

Callista came over, looking as beautiful as ever. "Relax," she said, smiling down at me. "You'll be fine. No nerves, okay?"

Nerves weren't my problem. Finding a way to call out Seth without making him come to kill me was my problem. I had no idea how to deal with ancients. I often embarrassed and ridiculed them accidentally—and sometimes on purpose—but I was trying really hard to silence that perverse side of my nature.

I pouted until Lorcan came to sit next to me. Phoenix and Shay sat in the centre, Callista between them.

"What's the deal with you and my dad?" Lorcan asked.

I didn't know how to answer that question, so I did what any mature adult would do. I deflected. "You're calling him Dad now?"

He shrugged. "I like the sound of it sometimes. I don't do it to his face, though." He smiled. "He piss you off or something? You were all awkward back there."

"No. Just keeping out of the way."

"Out of the way of what?"

"Father and son bonding." I faced front. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to concentrate really hard on not throwing up."

Predictably, Daimhín and the succubus were the last to arrive. When they took their seats, a young fae was charged with the job of prepping us on what we were supposed to say.

"I didn't realise there was a script," I muttered.

"There's always a script," Mac growled. "Nobody gets to say what they want."

I smirked. "Sounds like a challenge."

The press conference began. It was majorly boring at first. Then the journalists started in.

"Why was there such an urgency to hold a conference tonight?" a young female reporter asked. "Is there something going on? More threats of war or—"

Phoenix cleared his throat. "There have been updates. We've heard the assassins who formerly worked for Fionnuala and then Reuben have re-banded, possibly under new leadership. Some have left their associates and are trying to live productive lives, however. It's a positive sign for the future."

"And why is Ava Delaney here?" an older male reporter asked. "What will she be speaking about tonight?"

Shay stood. "There's a new, or rather _old_ , threat in the country. As Ava is involved, we asked her here to tell her side. But before that, we should congratulate her and Daimhín for playing strong roles in helping us find and rescue the missing teenage girls we managed to reunite with their families this week."

"Is that a sign of what's to come?" somebody asked. "Are supernaturals taking our children? Why hadn't anyone looked for the children before? How did this get so far without anyone noticing?"

Shay kept his cool. "It's a sign that we're already working together, supernaturals and humans, to solve crimes. These girls were teenagers, some of them adults, in fact. We'll be looking into the problems behind the lack of searches, and we'll definitely work on how consistent the force is working together throughout the country."

"What about the rumours of one of the new units being burned alive? Is it true that this was caused by another supernatural within the partnership? Are we sponsoring these new agents only for them to turn on each other?"

"No," Shay said sharply. "That's not what happened."

Phoenix took over. "There were casualties brought upon us by the new threat. We'll let Ava Delaney take over from here. I'm sure she has a lot to say."

I got to my feet slowly. "Um, first of all, I can't take any credit in the rescue of the missing teenagers. One of the vampire volunteers and a homeless man provided enough clues to, um, Valeria Brannigan Investigations, a new private investigation service, to come up with enough evidence for Shay's agents to, um, check out. Oh, and Valeria Brannigan Investigations consists of a human and a supernatural working together, so... go team." My arm jerked out of its own accord in a weak version of a fist-pump. "Proof _that_ works."

The reporters gave each other stunned glances. I had warned everyone I wasn't good at public speaking. I cleared my throat, standing on my toes to look more authoritative as I desperately tried to remember what I was supposed to say. Lorcan's undisguised mirth didn't help.

"Um." I looked at Phoenix.

He was staring at me. I needed to count really badly. _Please, not in front of the cameras_. For an instant, I wished Carl and Peter were with me. But they were home, relying on me not to screw up.

I rubbed the back of my neck and tried not to look anyone in the eye. "So, um, as some of you probably know, I'm not like most people. My father was human, my mother was an angel, and the very first vampire killed them both. Before she died, my mother escaped and gave birth to me. I was tainted because of the first vampire's bite. If I hadn't been, I would have been a nephal, one of heaven's warriors on earth, apparently." I cleared my throat again. "And I'm not the only one. A girl... came to me for help. She's like me, and the first vampire is after her. He's here, in Ireland, and we've discovered that his blood is the base for the formula that creates the beasts."

I shifted uncomfortably. Then I decided that since I had already embarrassed myself, I might as well just throw everything out there. It couldn't get much worse. "The first vampire is called Seth, and he's currently recruiting followers. Some of them were responsible for the kidnappings, by the way, so maybe we should be thanking Seth, too." I saluted the camera. "Thanks, Seth. It was really great the way your evil deeds led us to freeing those girls."

Some of the journalists laughed nervously.

I moved out from behind the table. "The deal is this: the first vampire is causing friction, and that's bad enough, but if we kill him, then no more beasts. _Ever._ He's the only one who can create them. He's the only one we need to kill. It's true that he was responsible for the deaths of one of the new agent pairings. Layne Corcoran and Anthony May made an excellent team. They were a credit to their unit and our new way of life. I guess Seth isn't a fan of good teams. He's scared, and he's making threats. He wants to create his very own army and trample us under his feet. I say this: not gonna happen. If he wants to take me or the girl under my care, then he had better come for us himself because we will _not_ be cowed by his threats."

"If he was watching right now," a reporter called out, "what would you say to him?"

I looked directly into a camera. "I'm not scared of you, Mr. Ancient Vampire, and I have plenty of reasons to want you dead. I'm not hunting you anymore, you little fucking coward. If you want me, come get me, and then we'll see what the tainted are made of. Keep running around the streets, making your little threats and causing petty crime all you like, but know this. We see you. And we'll see you dead."

I stared triumphantly into the camera. I had done it. I had my moment. I had called out the very first vampire. I let myself feel a moment of victory.

And then I saw the beasts.

# 23

Silence.

Then screams.

"You had to open your big mouth," Lorcan said, getting to his feet.

"You armed?" I asked.

"Of course."

Zion ran onto the stage and leapt onto the table in front of Daimhín. Both of them bared their fangs, eagerly losing themselves to that animalistic nature the vampire queen usually tried so hard to control.

Callista and Layla were surrounded by the males, even James who looked as though he had never even been in a fistfight before. _Typical._ Shay was on the phone. I caught his eye and held up my dagger. He patted his hip in answer.

Phoenix was looking at me, a weird gleam in his eyes. I bit my lip, trying to hold in my grin. Fighting the enemy brought out something different in both of us.

I climbed onto the table to stand beside Zion. His red eyes shined as he acknowledged my presence, and I had no doubt that we were on the same team. I took one last glance at Shay.

"Call Peter!" I shouted. "Warn them to watch out!"

The beasts had entered through the two doors at the back of the theatre. They slid across the seats, more contained than I had ever seen them. I thought it was a pity we had no werewolves in attendance. The journalists, cameramen, witnesses, and everyone else were piling onto the stage, desperately trying to get out of the beasts' way.

"The fire door!" Shay yelled. "Mac, check it. If it's clear, let Willow know. She can start guiding people out of here."

I held my dagger tightly, took note of where my allies were positioned, then jumped off the stage and into the seating area. Two or three of the beasts tried to sneak around the stage, but I cut them off. The wildness and desperation were gone from their eyes. Lorcan had followed me down, and across from us, Zion and Phoenix moved to protect the other side of the stage. The vampire queen stood in the center of the platform with Shay. Behind them, some shifters were in the process of transforming. Curiously, Mac remained in his human form. If the wall of protection we had created held, the defenceless would survive the attack.

I shouted at Shay, "Keep them inside! Seth could be out there, waiting for runners."

Shay nodded and snapped out orders.

"Ready?" I asked Lorcan.

He nodded. "Let's go."

The closest beast broke ranks and rushed toward us. I crossed in front of Lorcan, jumped on the back of a chair, and stepped across a couple of rows of seats to get behind the oncoming beast.

I released my chain belt as I jumped back to the floor, ready to wrap it around the beast's neck. The creature turned and grabbed the flying chain with massive hands. I yanked the beast to me as I kicked. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lorcan attack the second beast. More howled, but they stayed back. Some were foaming at the mouth, making me wonder how long Seth could keep them in control.

The beast I grappled with opened its mouth wide, revealing long fangs. Some of the other beasts crept away from the pack. One drew its claws along the wall, creating a drawn-out screeching sound. While I was distracted, the closest beast took the opportunity to attack.

Barely in time, I gripped its neck and pushed, kneeing it back against the wall in my desperation to finish it off before the others reached us. It pushed back hard. In one abrupt move, I let go and sidestepped out of its way. The beast leaped at empty space and fell onto some chairs. I put my knee in its back and, with one swift slice of my dagger, released its blood, staining the cream-colored seats red.

The creature made a choking sound, so I stabbed it in the back of the head. I moved on to meet the crowd, not far behind Lorcan. The shifters jumped into the fray, crossing the rows and separating to help. I spotted one beast making its way through the middle. Its eyes were firmly focused on the people milling about onstage.

I used my dagger to slit my hand and draw blood in the hopes of gaining its attention. When I was midway down the aisle, the beast caught the scent and changed direction, tripping over seats in its impatience. It resorted to pulling chairs off the metal rests and flinging them out of its way in its frustration and bloodlust.

All around me, people were fighting. The coppery smell of blood hung in the air, but all of our fighters were still on their feet.

To avoid the flying chairs, I skidded across the floor and tackled the beast. I managed to knock it down... on me. The weight almost crushed me. Swearing, I struggled and got tangled up in its legs.

I began slashing with my dagger, which only sent blood in my eyes. "Fuck!"

A hand gripped my shirt and hauled me up. I swung out blindly.

Phoenix caught my wrist. "What team are you on?" he murmured, letting me go.

I managed to laugh as I wiped my eyes. He pulled my hair to force me to duck as he swung a sword and beheaded the beast before it could rip out my throat.

"Come on," he said. "We'll have more fun at the back."

I shook my head at his sick sense of humour, but I followed him. Most of our fighters were settled in front of the stage, ready to defend the humans and weaker supernaturals. Phoenix and I ran behind the team of beasts to pick them off as they gave in to their desperation. A high-pitched scream threatened to burst my eardrums.

Then someone shouted, "More in the back!"

"Shifters, backstage!" Mac roared.

Lorcan moved closer to me, Zion on his heels. Daimhín was busy ripping apart a beast with her claws and teeth. She was pissed, yet she somehow managed to make decapitation look like a relaxing hobby. The smarter beasts steered clear of her cold fury.

We separated and took on one beast each. Three had made it onto the stage, but I was confident the pile of people up there could fight off so few of them.

The beasts appeared organised, spreading out to create more chaos. They were young, not yet decaying, and none of them bit their own lips in their desperation to spill blood. Seth really did have some kind of effect on the pack.

I picked up one of the broken seats and swung it at one's face. It ducked at the last second and brushed off the strike. The beast pulled up and turned on me before I could blink, swinging out with one massive clawed hand. The palm caught me across the shoulder and shoved me against some chairs. I hissed as something sharp pierced my shoulder. The new crimson flow caught its attention. The beast's eyes and mouth went wide as it sought the source of the blood. I punched it in the face and earned some grazed knuckles for my trouble.

The beast went blood crazy. That made it better and worse. It was slower to react to my strikes, but it no longer seemed to feel any pain. Shay shouted something.

In that split second, another beast came out of nowhere and crashed into my back, squashing me between two gross beast bodies. The one in front of me growled and aimed at the beast behind me, desperate to keep its kill to itself. I ducked, barely avoiding getting my head punched off my shoulders. I elbowed the one behind me in the crotch and stabbed the one in front in the stomach, then leapt over a seat to get some space. The pair shoved at each other in their attempts to get to me.

I jumped onto the backs of two chairs and balanced precariously as the two scrambled to beat each other to me. It seemed as though everyone was fighting, and either I had lost my ability to count or more beasts had come from somewhere. Sensing eyes on me, I looked up into the rafters. A hole had been torn in the ceiling. A golden-haired man stared down through the opening with an awful smile on his face.

"Seth!" I roared.

The two beasts grabbed my legs and pulled. I fell, whacking my back against a chair. I groaned as a piece of metal jabbed my shoulder blade. I lost sight of Seth in my attempt to roll out of the way of the beasts' grasp. I got to my feet and swung out at one of the beasts. I missed and attempted a kick. One creature seized my leg in mid-air, and the second snatched my other leg out from under me. I twisted my upper body and wrapped my arms around a seat back. Holding on for dear life, I struggled as the beasts tried to rip me apart.

Finally, I let go and let momentum do its business. The beasts fell back against a row of broken seats, pulling me with them. One let go of my leg, but the other held on tight. With my free leg, I kicked hard to keep the second beast off me. I bent my other knee to get closer to the clutching beast, gripped the back of a chair that seemed to still be secure, and pulled myself forward until I was kneeling on top of the beast. I stabbed it in the face.

The second yanked my hair and pulled me away. I yelled and grabbed the beast's arm. I forced it backward until I heard a crack. I let go and shifted positions, but the beast was just as fast at recovering. It snarled and snapped, its fangs barely missing my neck. I leapt to my feet and swung my elbow around, connecting with the beast's throat.

I ran to the broken seats then abruptly came to a stop. I braced myself as the beast collided with me. I spun and wrestled the beast to the floor. Gripping its ears, I whacked its head against the broken metal posts sticking up from the floor. After four tries, its skull finally cracked open, and the metal sank into its brain.

When I glanced up, Seth was gone, so I ran toward Lorcan. I jumped over a row of seats to sink my dagger into the back of the neck of the beast he was fighting. Lorcan finished the creature off. We helped the others with the rest of the beasts before joining the last of the fight on the stage.

"Seth was here," I said, panting. "There's a hole in the roof. He was watching everything."

Thinking I saw golden hair out of the corner of my eye, I pushed through the crowd. I knew he was there somewhere. He had to be. An odd smell filled the air, something familiar I couldn't quite place.

"Ava!" Shay called.

"He's here," I cried. "He's in here." I ran backstage, keeping an eye on the rafters.

Shay's unit had barricaded the fire escape. The door rattled as something outside hit hard, trapping us inside. Something was wrong. Then, I smelled smoke.

"Fuck!" I shouted for what seemed like the millionth time.

I ran back onto the stage in time to see the middle seats burst into flames. People brushed past me, knocking me back in their hurry to get away from the fire.

I found Shay and grabbed his arm. "Your people blocked the fire escape. Something's trying to get in."

"The fire's out of control," he said, but he sounded calm. "We'll have to face what's out there."

"Keep the humans back until we can—"

An unholy scream rose from backstage. Shay and I dashed toward the sound. Feeling a gust of wind, I realised the fire escape was open. I turned to say something to Shay, but he had gotten lost in the crowd. People were screaming, and I wasn't even sure why.

I made my way to the front and found the shifters and Shay's units fighting beasts at the door. Then, a scream came from inside. I followed the sound, but I couldn't see a thing. Black smoke hung heavy in the air. I was barely able to breathe.

Something caught my attention near the ceiling. A woman dangled from a rafter. Before I could react, she dropped, screaming, right into the flames. I ran for her, but an arm wrapped around my chest and held me back.

"That's what he wants," Phoenix said. "We have to get out of here."

The woman's screams had stopped. I felt nauseated. I smelled burning flesh and saw beasts attempt to climb to safety only to slip and fall into the fire with sickening howls. The roof began to collapse. If Seth was up there, I hoped he fell in, too. _No such luck._

Phoenix forced me back away from the flames and toward the fire door. The beasts had gone. People were squeezing through the small opening, desperate to get away. Once everyone was out, the shifters barricaded the exit against the remaining beasts inside.

"I don't get it," I muttered, looking back at the building even as Phoenix led me firmly away. "What the fuck was the point?"

"To see what we can do," Phoenix said. "More importantly, to see what _you_ can do. What you're willing to do."

"I have to find him."

"We'll scope the area, but first, we need to get these people out of here," he said.

Some had been injured, but most were frightened. Phoenix let me check out the area, insisting on coming with me, but Seth was long gone.

"I hate that vampire," I said as we made our way back to the crowd. Reinforcements had arrived but far too late.

"Okay," Shay said, approaching us with Lorcan by his side. "There are a few missing."

"What? How?" I asked.

"Some of the first ones out through the fire escape vanished. No sign of their bodies yet."

"Anybody know who the woman was?" I asked.

"No. When the fire is extinguished, we'll have a chance to learn more," Shay said.

"For a vampire, he likes to play with fire," I said, sounding grouchier the more upset I felt.

Daimhín stormed over, dried blood creasing in the lines of her face. "He's never going to stop. You have to end him, Ms. Delaney."

"Oh, why didn't anyone tell me it was that simple?" I asked sarcastically.

She glared at me, but I could see she was spooked.

"We can't let this affect us," Shay said. "The funerals are tomorrow."

I had forgotten. "Maybe it isn't a good time," I said.

Shay shook his head. "We aren't letting him stop us. He can't hurt us during the day."

But other people could. I stepped away from the group and called Peter. Everything was all right at the cul-de-sac, so I briefly updated him on the situation.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked.

"One woman died in front of me. Some others are missing. I don't know what happened to them. They could have fled, or they might have been taken. Seth seems to enjoy messing with us. If he had gotten involved in the fight, things might have been worse. I don't understand why he didn't."

"You'll have to be extra careful," he said. "The first part of the press conference was aired, then it cut off. They said it was technical difficulties."

"They should have shown it," I said. "Let people see exactly what Seth is prepared to do. He's going to cause mayhem. More beasts, and these ones were controlled. Mostly. They weren't falling apart like the others. Think maybe there are different versions of this formula? Or did he keep the best specimens for himself?"

"Who knows? You coming back here?"

"Yeah, eventually. I need to make sure everyone gets away safely. I don't feel right. I bet he's watching us right now." I turned in a circle and checked out the nearby rooftops. Nothing. I sent out my other senses.

In the centre of the humans was a life force I had never seen before. It swirled red and white. No heartbeat, but no absence of life either.

"I'll call you back," I said slowly.

I slid the phone in my pocket, careful not to make any sudden movements. I walked back into the chattering crowd, still sending out my feelers. My heart raced as I approached. Seth. It had to be. And he was surrounded by humans and everyone else. I moved faster when I sensed a ripple of horror running through the crowd.

Suddenly, people started running and screaming, stampeding away from _something_. They pushed against me, and I barely stayed on my feet.

I saw a man jump onto an ambulance. Blood dripped from something in his hand. A woman screamed hysterically.

I gritted my teeth and ran. He crouched on the roof, waiting for me. As I neared, he threw whatever he'd been holding and jumped up onto the nearest building. He raced across the rooftop, leaped, and landed on the next. He was out of sight within seconds.

A tall, muscular body lay on the ground where the crowd had been milling. The head Seth had tossed away landed with a thud and rolled to a stop near the body of Zion, the Irish vampire queen's bodyguard.

# 24

I held up a pair of jeans. Lucia shook her head firmly.

I huffed. "Ugh! I have no clothes suitable for anything other than getting bloody in. Help me."

She only shrugged. I delved deeper into my wardrobe, into places I hadn't seen since the day I'd moved in.

I scowled. "I really need to go shopping. Everything's ripped and ragged and stupid."

And it was far easier to fake-worry about clothes than it was to relive the previous night's events. The vampire queen was about to lose her mind, the Irish public were about to lose their faith in the Senate, and everyone in the cul-de-sac had pretty much lost their freedom. Again.

Lucia shoved me out of the way and stepped inside the wardrobe, disappearing behind the clothes.

"You know you won't find Narnia in there." I walked over to lie on my bed.

She shoved her face through the clothes to stick her tongue out at me before disappearing again. I stared at the ceiling. I had promised myself I would go to the funeral to support Shay, but I hated the idea of laying more people to rest. I _abhorred_ funerals. We were too young to keep losing so many peers.

Lucia came out, holding a pair of feminine black tuxedo trousers. A triumphant smile was plastered across her face.

I sat up. "Where did those even come from? Oh..." I stood and grabbed the trousers. I had worn them once, a very long time ago, on a night out with my ex-boyfriend. I had been wearing them when I ran away. I hadn't been able to dump them. I gave Lucia a doubtful look. "I don't even know if they'll fit."

She pushed me toward the bathroom.

The trousers fit. Barely. For once, the boyish figure didn't play against me. When I returned to Lucia, she had found a dark green shirt for me to wear. With a black jacket, the outfit would probably be suitable for a funeral.

I changed and made an effort with my hair, with Lucia's help. Then, we headed over to Anka's. Lorcan greeted us at the door. He was wearing suit trousers, and his hair was neater than usual.

"Are you coming with me?" I asked.

"No, I just felt like dressing up." He rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm going. I think Shay could use our support."

But I had noticed that Lorcan seemed bored lately. He and Lucia had been drifting apart, and although that was healthy, it probably felt strange to him.

Lucia held up her hand.

"You, too?" I asked.

She nodded vigorously and ran off.

I looked at Lorcan. "I didn't think she would want to."

He shook his head. "Me, either."

"Should we stop her?"

He scowled. "She's a grown-up. It's up to her if she stays or goes."

"You okay? You seem down lately."

He shrugged. "I've been thinking about Kate. I hope she's safe with Cam."

"She'll come back someday," I said. "I bet she will."

I wasn't sure that was all that weighed on his mind, but if he was anything like his father, he would talk in his own time. We strolled down to the gate.

"I feel bad for Shay." Lorcan squinted against the spring sunshine. "He's trying so hard to patch everything up."

"It'll come together eventually. It has to."

When he looked at me, his age was plainly written in his dark green eyes. He wasn't so confident any longer.

"Do you want to leave?" I blurted. "Is that what's wrong?"

He licked his lips. "Sometimes, I feel like I should travel. You know what I mean? I've been around this long, and I haven't seen anything yet. I mean, I've been trapped my entire life—first in the slave market, then with the vampires, and the sanctuary, and now here. Sometimes, I want a little freedom. But I can't leave her, even though..."

"Even though what?"

"She doesn't need me anymore. She has Val. They're always together. And she's happy. _I'm_ happy for her. But if she wants to pass on her visions, she has you. If she needs help, she has Val. There's nothing she needs me for anymore. I'm not... not important."

"You are important."

He pushed at the air as if throwing away my reply. "She got the important stuff. I'm the second twin, you know? The translator, the protector. I did the things she couldn't, and that's why I was needed. She has other people for that now."

"If it weren't for you..." I took his hands. "There's more to your life than being your twin sister's voice, Lorcan. There's plenty more you can do."

"Yeah, but can I do it here?" He pulled his hands out of my grasp and gave me a weak smile. "I don't know what I'm thinking. Ignore me."

Peter approached, dangling his car keys between his fingers. "Go easy on her," he warned. "She's feeling temperamental lately."

I smirked. "That's because you drive too fast." I took the keys.

He held my gaze. "You want me to come with you?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. Just stay here and keep everyone busy. Make sure Jess and the others train. If Seth is stepping up his game, we need to do the same. But mostly, they could use the distraction."

"We'll be grand." He patted Lorcan's shoulder. "Keep an eye on her for us."

Lorcan nodded, but his expression had turned grim. I couldn't read him.

When Lucia joined us, I drove us to the church where the joint funeral was being held. There would be a ceremony inside, another in the graveyard, and then a cremation. I felt funny about that, considering what had been done to them, but Shay had told me that the families had decided to keep the remains near each other. _Close in life, close in death._ It was probably kind of beautiful, but the idea turned my stomach nonetheless.

We were early, but the lot was already packed. The twins and I got out of the car and wandered through the solemn crowd in the front yard, trying to find someone we knew. Lucia waved at somebody. I followed her gaze and saw Phoenix and Callista speaking with a reporter.

"Tactless," Lorcan said.

Willow came over to us. "Ava." She half-hugged me, her gaze on the twins. "Are you joining us?" she asked breezily. "James and I are on our way in."

But she was gone before I could even answer. James followed her, frowning at Lorcan. As countless strangers bustled past us into the church, Lucia stuck close to me, her fingers moving uneasily.

"You okay?" I whispered.

She nodded and gave me a fake smile. I watched Phoenix and the siren approach the steps, nodding and smiling at people I didn't recognise. James and Willow emerged from the doors, arguing again. I wanted to tell them to get a room, but I reminded myself we were at a funeral, something they should have remembered, too.

"That's not good enough," James was saying. "We have to react more quickly next time."

"And get more people killed?" Willow snorted. "We still don't know who that poor woman was or why she was there."

"She was one of the news crew," he replied. "Had to be."

"Then someone would have reported her missing. She wasn't in the building," Callista said in her low, alluring voice.

"She's right," Phoenix said.

"This isn't the place for that kind of conversation," I said, unable to hold in my irritation any longer.

Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps _she's_ right, too."

Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I turned away. The mourners had separated into groups, all eyeing each other suspiciously. Some were human, others various types of supernaturals. Nobody was crying, and the tension in the air seemed more angry than sad.

"This isn't right," I whispered, shivering at the sensations around me.

"What isn't?"

I hadn't even noticed Phoenix move next to me.

I glanced at him before returning my attention to the crowds. "They aren't sad. They're angry. Suspicious, too. But not sad."

"This should unite people, not divide them."

"What has the media been saying?" I asked.

"The media can't all be trusted. And people will listen to their gossiping neighbours before us now. The old government ruined the trust."

"But they voted. They all had their say."

"Maybe some had more say than others." He pointed. "Here are the cars."

The families were arriving with the bodies, along with Shay who had organised a police escort to honour the fallen. He was taking it all to heart. Not even the rescue of the teenage girls had made him feel better for long. When Shay stepped out of his car, he looked as if he had aged five years overnight.

"He sat up with the remains all night," Phoenix murmured. "It's an old tradition."

"He really is perfect," I blurted.

Phoenix gave me a funny look. I shook my head, embarrassed. Anto's father and brothers carried Layne in first, then Anto. As the coffins passed us, my heart cracked a little. Layne's family still looked shell-shocked, except for her little boy. Too young to understand, he giggled and squirmed in a woman's arms, trying to break free and explore.

I wasn't exactly a churchgoer, and the place was full of unpleasant reminders from my past. But when Shay hesitated beside me with a pleading look, I couldn't turn my back on him.

"Want us to sit with you?" I asked.

He nodded gratefully. I took his hand and walked inside with him. The twins followed closely. The pallbearers had placed the coffins side by side in the front of the church. People went up and laid mass cards on the lids. We sat away from the families but close enough to the front for everyone to see that representatives of the Senate cared.

A few minutes later, Layne's father suffered some kind of panic attack and had to be escorted outside. Shay's fingers tightened around mine. Lucia sat on the other side of me, her breathing hitching occasionally. Lorcan and Phoenix were staring at the coffins. The twins had only just met their mother before she died. Phoenix hadn't even learned of his wife until after her death. Death was at the fore of all of our lives, but none of us had truly learned how to deal with it.

The cameras and reporters were held at bay outside. When the mass began, I stared at the stained-glass images of horror that had always terrified me as a kid. I closed my eyes to the huge crucifix at the front of the church and thought about the people we had lost. If I made sure to always remember them, maybe their deaths would stop feeling so meaningless.

At one point, Anto's mother burst into loud sobs. The men and her daughter all sat up straight, the pride in their expressions hiding their grief. Layne's son had stopped giggling, perhaps influenced by the atmosphere. Shay's hand crushed mine as the priest spoke, and I realised he was angry. He was mad that those people he had trained had already lost their lives. He was mad that Seth was still running around, killing people and tormenting us. He was probably mad that the supernatural world was full of dark secrets and mysteries.

I was angry, too. The world was full of horrors, and we danced with them, whether we liked it or not.

The ceremony was brief. Afterward, maybe half of the crowd left for the graveyard. Moses waved at us. Most of the people in his community had attended, including the brethni. Layne and Anto were obviously loved and respected, and I liked that. They had left good memories in their wake.

The drive to the graveyard was silent. Lucia had grown antsy, and Lorcan morose.

It started to rain, and there wasn't enough room for most of us to shelter after we arrived. So we stood in the downpour, shivering. Lucia wandered amongst the graves while I huddled next to Lorcan, wondering if the chill came from the weather or the location.

"I wonder where they are right now," Lorcan whispered. "The dead. Emmett can see souls, but not all of them. Why?"

"Maybe he sees them when they're on their way to... wherever we end up. I'm not sure I want to know."

After the ceremony, something nagged at me all of a sudden. I couldn't figure out what. I stepped away from the others and spun around in a circle, almost slipping on the wet gravel.

"What is it?" Lorcan asked.

I closed my eyes and reached out, trying to figure out what was wrong. There were more people in the graveyard than before, despite the fact that people were leaving. Maybe there was another funeral.

_No_! I gasped and opened my eyes.

"Watch out!" I shouted, running in the direction of the new energies.

"What's going on?" Lorcan called after me.

"Lucia!" I roared over my shoulder. "Get back in the crowd."

Hooded figures stepped out from behind the trees surrounding the area. Seth couldn't come for us, not during the day, but half-humans and supernaturals with magically infused tattoos definitely could. And they actually dared, even with the crowd of fighters who were bound to be attending. I had my dagger hidden in the back of my trousers, but I doubted many others were armed. I heard shouts behind me as Shay took charge, ushering the weaker people toward their cars.

I caught a glimpse of the past, the way the hooded assassins had come for us and hurt Mrs. Yaga, disturbing the very balance of the world. I had restored that balance, but if they killed me, it would start all over again. For my friends' sake, for _everyone's_ sake, I couldn't let myself get hurt.

One of Anto's brothers caught up to me, his face a mask of rage. "These fuckers best not think they're going to stress my ma out anymore today," he snarled, rolling up his sleeves.

"Careful," I said. "They're geared up. We aren't."

He let out a harsh laugh. "My brother just died. There's nothing more dangerous than my family right now."

His brothers, his father, and even his young sister joined us, all of them eagerly striding forward to meet the assassins. The fight began in a blast of fists and blood. We tripled their number, so I had no idea what the assassins were thinking by attacking right then. Even with their weapons, they were vastly outnumbered.

One assassin swung, and I dodged, barely avoiding his sword. The blade grazed Moses's arm. Anto's father pounced on the attacker, knocking him down.

I ducked as another assassin tried to behead me. I punched his crotch, spun away from his second, more half-hearted swing, and pulled him into a chokehold. Lorcan came over and twisted the guy's wrist until the assassin dropped his sword. Lorcan picked up the weapon and stabbed the assassin in the gut. I dropped the man and moved on. I used my dagger to slit the throat of an assassin about to bash Anto's sister's head.

A shifter ran past, almost tripping me as she changed forms. A stray fist caught me in the nose. A glass kylie whistled through the air. It cut halfway through someone's arm. He howled in pain and dropped to his knees. Moses kneed the wounded assassin in the face and broke his nose.

Suddenly, the large group of assassins retreated. Anto's brothers jeered. Some of the shifters followed but gave up halfway. I stood there, watching them flee, still confused.

"Everyone okay?" Shay asked, running through the crowd.

I ran the back of my hand across my nose—bloody but not broken. I walked away from the crowd, feeling as though there was something I was missing. Phoenix rushed past me, anxiety rolling off him in waves.

My stomach dropped when I heard Lorcan shouting for Lucia. I ran after him, half-expecting to find her body, but she was gone. She was nowhere to be seen.

Lorcan knelt and picked up a broken bracelet. "This is hers." His voice broke. "She's gone. She's _gone_. Where is she?"

He looked at me with accusing eyes. I took a couple of steps back. I hadn't watched over her. I had let her run off. And when the assassins came, I hadn't even thought about her. I shook my head, my stomach turning as I realised Seth's game. He had distracted us so he could take Lucia—pure, innocent Lucia, who had seen Jessica willingly walk away with Seth.

Phoenix gripped my shoulders, his fingers sinking into my flesh. I barely felt the pain. I couldn't take my gaze away from the horror on Lorcan's face.

"Where is she?" Phoenix demanded. He shook me hard. "You lost my daughter!"

He shoved me, and I fell to the ground. I sat there, staring at him in shock.

"If she dies... _if she dies_..." He was shaking so hard, he couldn't finish the sentence, but I knew exactly what he was thinking.

It was my fault. People kept dying, and Lucia could be next. And if so, the fae would do much worse to me.

# 25

Phoenix pulled me to my feet by my collar.

Shay was there, suddenly, before I could even think about what to do next. "What are you, crazy?" He pulled us apart, but Phoenix kept that murderous gaze on me.

I staggered a few steps away, wanting to throw up. After everything we had been through, I had allowed Lucia to be taken from right under my nose. How could I have been so _stupid_?

"My daughter is gone," Phoenix said. He jabbed a finger at me. "And this one held back. We all saw her retreat _. This one_ led them to my daughter, made her a target, and then let them take her."

"So we follow who took her." Shay snapped his fingers in front of Phoenix's face in a vain attempt to get his attention off me. "I'm talking to you! You can't make a fool of everything we've worked for by attacking a woman in front of the people who'll keep you in power."

Lorcan walked closer to us. "It's not Ava's fault. It's my fault. She's my... I should have been there, watching her. I should have—"

"No," I whispered. "It's not your fault, Lorcan."

Shay looked from one of us to the other. "I'll organise the troops to follow. There's a chance we'll catch up." He gripped Phoenix's elbow. "Let's go. You need to look for your daughter."

Phoenix gave me one last withering glare before letting Shay lead him away.

"Lorcan, I'm so sorry." I held out my hands pleadingly, but there was nothing I could say to make any of it better.

"Why didn't she come to me? I don't understand. I could have helped her hide. We could have been safe together. Why didn't she hide?" He shook his head. "I have to look for her. I have to do something."

"We can go back to the cul-de-sac and try to track down where Seth might be hiding. We'll just be in the way here. They have a tactical team. They won't want us to... Jesus, I'm sorry."

He hugged me then, holding me tightly as a sob wracked his body. I suspected he felt the same way about me as Emmett did. I was the person who had brought them home to their families, even if it had been tough for them to adjust. Lorcan was like a child sometimes, and I had managed to lose the one person who had been through everything with him.

"Listen to me." I pulled back and held his face in my hands. "We're going to get her back. Seth did this to force me out of the cul-de-sac. He won't hurt her because then he won't have a reason to call me out. He's trying to fuck with us, and he's not... he's not going to get away with it. I promise you."

"What's he going to do?" he whispered, his eyes glistening with tears.

"If I were him, I'd take Lucia home and keep her out of our reach for now. Maybe he'll force us to go to him. He won't want to fight in case Jess gets hurt. He's going to want to make an exchange."

"So what do we do?"

"I'll think of something. Come on. I'll drive you back."

We headed back to the car, narrowly avoiding another confrontation with Phoenix. Jesus, he was scary. Nobody had ever had the means to terrify me with a look until him. And damn it if I didn't want to please him.

Peter and Carl were waiting outside at the cul-de-sac.

"Shay called us," Peter explained. "We haven't told Val." He and Carl exchanged sheepish glances. "We didn't know how she would react."

I sighed. "Probably the same way as Phoenix. I'll tell her. Don't worry."

"No," Lorcan said. "Lucia cared about her. I should be the one."

"Cares," I said firmly. "Lucia _cares_ about her. You get cleaned up. I'll deal with Val. We have a busy few hours ahead of us, right?"

He nodded but still stood there, looking lost. I caught sight of Margie standing at her doorway and waved her over. She took one look at Lorcan and bundled him under her wing.

"She's good at that," Carl said as they walked away from us. "Taking care of people." Then he pulled me into a hug. "I know how much you care about Lucia. You doing okay?"

I nodded, unable to speak. I stepped out of his arms and turned away to dry my eyes. I couldn't afford to fall apart.

"What happened?" Peter asked when I recovered.

"What happened is that I fucked up," I said. "They attacked us in the graveyard, and I ran into the fight instead of sticking with Lucia. It was just a distraction to take her. Phoenix wants me dead, Lorcan's falling apart, and Val will probably do the job for Phoenix. Seth will be laughing by nightfall."

"Were you the only one there?" Peter asked.

I frowned, confused. "No."

"Did you call Seth and tell him to come and take Lucia?"

"No, but—"

"Then anyone who thinks it's your fault is a fucking moron. Lucia's an adult. It's time people realised she can think for herself. You're not to blame for this, Ava."

I gave Peter a pained look. It didn't matter what he said. Lucia was the fragile, innocent one. Everyone would need someone to blame if anything happened to her.

Carl squeezed my shoulder. "What can we do?"

"We try to track down Seth," I said. "But I'm pretty sure we'll see him again. He can't keep away."

"He'll find us first then," Peter said. "Be careful with Val. She's at Anka's. Maybe you should send everyone else outside."

"Will do." I gritted my teeth and headed to Anka's to break the news to the half-hellhound that one of the people under her care had been taken while under my care.

I met Anka at the door and quietly asked her to take the girls outside. She agreed without questioning me, and that was one of the many reasons I loved having her on my side. I found Val in the kitchen. _Great, right by the knives._

"We need to talk," I said before I could chicken out. "The assassins came to the funeral and took Lucia." I blurted the words without pausing.

She looked up at me, the knife in her hand frozen mid-chop. "Say that again."

"I'm so sorry, Val. I should have been more vigilant. The attack was a distraction. Whoever took her did it for Seth. She's currency to him, but that means she's still alive."

She slumped into a kitchen chair.

"You don't want to kill me?" I asked as lightly as I could without my voice shaking.

"A little." She laid the knife on the table. "She badly wanted to go to the funerals today."

I nodded. After a moment's hesitation, I joined her at the table. "I've been thinking about that the whole way home."

Val caught my eye, sorrow wrinkling the corners of her mouth and eyes. "She knew, didn't she?"

"I figure she did. I also figure she knew something else, something that might have happened if she didn't, um, go willingly."

She nodded. "It must have gotten messy. I should have realised sooner that there was something wrong. Not that she would have told me."

"She doesn't reveal a lot of what she sees anymore," I said. "I don't know if—"

"How is Lorcan?" she asked, leaning forward.

"Devastated."

"And Phoenix?"

"Wants me dead."

"I understand the impulse, but he's being foolish. If he hurts you and Lucia returns, she'll hate him for it. You're their family as much as Phoenix is."

I licked my dry lips. "We should go outside before the rest of them think you murdered me."

We headed outside together. Half of the neighbours stood around nervously, plenty of them armed, all of them wearing sheepish looks.

"Val's fine," I said impatiently. "But now we have to figure out what to do about Seth. He'll be back, so if anyone wants to leave, do it before dark. Go far. For now, the cul-de-sac is safe, but..."

"But what?" Jessica asked.

"The last time a landlady was badly hurt, the cul-de-sac stopped being safe," Leah told her. "If Ava died, we'd all be at risk."

"Oh." Jessica stared at me for a long time after that.

We spent the next hour trying to help people leave as quickly as possible.

"Why aren't you packing?" I asked Anka.

"You're not going to let him in," she said. "These are our homes. Why should we leave?"

I walked over to Peter. "You and Emmett should—"

"No," he said. "No more running. Shay's people will come and help us. A fae royal is mightily pissed at Seth. We have the makings of an army to help us if we need it. We're staying with you."

"You're a fool."

He grinned. "A fool for you."

I made a gagging sound. "You need better lines."

"I'm working on them," he called after me as I walked away.

I found Lorcan at the mouth of the cul-de-sac.

"You okay?" I asked.

"I thought they might have found her by now." He stared wistfully at the sky. "It'll be dark soon."

A car drove up, followed by some more: shifters, agents, and more fae than I would have expected. Phoenix and Shay jumped out of the first car. Phoenix made a direct line for me, grabbed my arm and led me out of the cul-de-sac. Nobody said a word in protest.

Two streets away, he pulled me into a laneway and folded his arms, glaring down at me. "Tell me everything you know."

"I don't..." I threw my hands in the air. "You were there!"

"Tell me why you can't go after Seth."

"Look." I took a deep breath. "Lucia probably knew what was going to happen today. I trust that she knows what she's doing."

"And am I supposed to trust what _you're_ doing, Ava?"

I couldn't look at him. "That's entirely up to you."

He gripped my shoulders. "Tell me the secrets you have been keeping from the rest of us."

"I can't," I whispered. "And you said you wouldn't ask me again."

"That was before my daughter was taken." He tipped my chin with a finger to force me to look at him. "You were in a hospital bed when I told you I had found out that you, and your landlady before you, were untouchable. You refused to talk about it. It's time you told me. If you ever want me to trust you, then you need to talk to me."

"And if _I_ can't trust _you_?" My voice had gotten steadier, thankfully.

"Give me a chance to prove myself."

My knees turned to jelly. "Everyone knows that Mrs. Yaga held protection over the houses. When she died, she passed it on to me. That's the story. That's the big secret."

"But how? Why? Why is nobody questioning you about this?"

I shrugged. "They accept that it's a thing and move on."

"Then why can't you hunt Seth down? Why can't you work with the government? I don't understand what's changed. You used to charge after the things you wanted, and now you let them come to you."

I searched his eyes. The murderous rage was gone, but it had been replaced by confusion—and worse, suspicion.

"Sometimes," I said, "my hands are tied. Sometimes, the way I used to behave isn't appropriate now, not if I want to keep protecting the people in my homes."

"Lucia was in one of those homes," he said. "Surely you can't protect her now."

"I'm going to get her back, but I have to be careful, or we'll lose everything. Seth will come for Jess. He'll try to force an exchange. We don't have to hunt him down because he's going to come to us."

"But who says you have to be careful? Where is this coming from? Tell me what really happened when Eddie Brogan tried to rip the world apart, Ava."

I leaned against the wall. He wasn't letting me go until he understood. He wouldn't ever trust me unless I told him the truth. And maybe I needed to talk.

"You can't speak about this to anyone," I said. "I mean it, Phoenix. You can't tell them anything."

"I won't if you ask me not to."

"Mrs. Yaga was a hag," I said. "I mean, when I first met her, I needed a place to stay, and she was just my landlady, but later, I learned she was a hag. I knew she protected us, but it wasn't until after she died that I really found out what was going on."

He leaned against the wall next to me. That made it easier to talk. And once I started, the words didn't stop.

"Eddie Brogan was only able to do what he did because of her death. In the end, I found out that she was one of the Eleven. Eleven beings with different jobs who joined together to keep a balance in this world. They stopped other dimensions and realms and planes from colliding, basically. Their... group somehow kept the world safe. Mrs. Yaga was the Matriarch, the one who helped lost souls. She was a part of something bigger than Eddie Brogan or the Council. I was a lost soul, according to her, and she kind of... decided that I would be the one to replace her."

"She wanted you to become the next Matriarch?"

"Yeah, but she didn't tell me in so many words. You know how it is. They talk in riddles and think they have endless amounts of time to clear everything up. But she got hurt because she interfered. She stopped being neutral when she took part in my fight. She stood with us, but she died and lost the protection. That's what upset the balance and weakened the veil between worlds. Eddie—maybe he organised it, I don't know—but he knew to take advantage of the balance. It was only then that he could open the book, call forth the demons, and bring his wife back to this world properly."

"But you stopped him."

" _Gabe_ stopped him. And the balance was still wonky. There were only ten. They needed an eleventh."

"And that was you."

"Sort of, yeah. I mean, for one hundred years. That's my payment for the safety of my people... and my punishment for letting the balance die in the first place. One hundred years of neutrality and saving lost souls."

"Will you live that long?"

"I doubt it, so it's a good deal, right? But it's lost if I interfere." I lifted my shoulders. "Everything comes with a price, Phoenix."

"Why haven't you told anyone?"

"They wouldn't understand. They wouldn't see that I had a choice. They'd try to think of ways to free me. I'm not a slave. This is a choice I made."

"A choice you felt you _had_ to make. Does Lucia know?"

I hadn't thought of that. "You never know with Lucia. She's not sharing as much as she used to. And she's doing her best to manipulate her visions. Sometimes that involves a little sacrifice, too."

"Naturally. I'm surrounded by complicated women." He looked down at me. "I still want to blame you."

"I blame me, too."

"What are you going to do if Seth comes tonight?"

I shook my head. "I haven't decided yet. No matter what I do, I lose."

He shuffled his feet. "The sky is growing dark. We should return and work on a plan."

"Yeah, I suppose." I didn't move. I didn't want to go back.

Almost everyone I cared about was expecting me to come back with a solution that would keep them safe. I didn't know if I had anything left. But Phoenix moved away, and I followed him.

"Ava," he whispered, "am _I_ a lost soul?"

I lowered my chin to hide my smile. "I'm pretty sure we all are, in a way."

"If I die tonight, will you take care of my children?"

"Yes. Will you take care of everyone else if I die?"

"What if we both die?"

"You're not going to die," I said. "He doesn't want you or Lucia. He wants Jessica. And maybe me, but we're getting Lucia back tonight. I promise you that I'll do whatever it takes."

"Even put the rest of your people at risk?"

I stared at him, suddenly terrified. "I don't know what I'm going to do, but there has to be a third option."

"Let's hope Lucia saw it in a vision before she went to Seth." His shoulders drooped. He was losing everything, all over again.

On a whim, I took his hand. He whirled me around and pulled me to his chest. He hugged me tightly, almost painfully, but I recognised his need for comfort. I slowly wrapped my arms around his torso. In a matter of hours, he had gone from wanting to kill me to hugging me. That had to count for something, though I had no idea what.

After a moment, he released me and strode briskly away as if nothing had happened. I jogged to keep up.

Back at the cul-de-sac, anyone who could fight was waiting in the street. I noticed Leah on a rooftop, her bow in her hands. That made me think of Ry, the sweet man who had taught her everything she knew.

"Okay," I said. "Seth might come this way, but he can't get in if he means us harm. That tells us everything we need to know. No matter what he does, nobody goes out there, okay?"

"Ava, we can't—" Lorcan started.

I held up my hand. "You didn't let me finish. We're safe in here, but Lucia isn't, and we can't hide away for the rest of our lives. It's time we made our mark on the world. And I'm starting with Seth. If we get rid of him, the world will be a whole lot safer." I shrugged. "And maybe people will think twice about screwing with us in future."

"What are you planning?" Peter asked.

I winced in anticipation of their reactions. "I'm going to try to make a deal."

# 26

Adam looked worried, like a mouse stuck in a trap. He paced up and down my living room.

"You're safe in here," I told him.

He didn't even bother to acknowledge me. The others were agitatedly discussing matters, but Jess kept staring into space, an odd expression on her face.

I drew Parker away from the rest of the group. "Make sure he stays in here," I said. "And I need you to do me a favour, kid."

Parker frowned. "Like what?"

"You don't know me very well, but you're the best weapon we have right now. Do you understand me? If you have to, use that power inside of you, Parker. And this bit is the most important. If anything happens to me... if I get hurt, or I die, I need you to send the fire up to protect everyone. Can you do that?"

He stared at me. "What happens if you get hurt or die?"

I sighed. "Then the power around this place weakens and dies right along with me. You're all safe here, and I need to keep it that way. You just need to make it until morning, then Phoenix will take you all to the sanctuary. It's a different kind of protection. Underground, but at least it's safe. You and Jess and everyone can stay there until someone figures out how to deal with Seth."

His eyes widened. "You're really going out there?"

"He has my friend." I squeezed his shoulder. "I might not have a choice. And I'm sorry, but you'll have to step up before anyone runs out after me. Do you understand?"

He didn't respond, and I couldn't read his expression. "Parker, do you understand what you have to do?"

"What about—"

"All you have to think about is watching me and being ready to bring the fire. Are you afraid of heights?"

He shook his head, looking a little confused.

"Great. Go join Leah up on the roof."

He smiled, and his entire face changed. "A grownup is telling me to get up on a roof?"

I grinned back. "Tonight might be exceptional. Take Jess with you if you like. That way, you can keep an eye on her in case anyone tries to pull anything sneaky and take her while the rest of us are distracted." I bit my lip. "I'm counting on you. I'm sorry for the pressure and all, but you're our best bet, and from what Jess told me, I can trust you with this."

"I'll do whatever it takes," he said. "I want Jess and Adam and everyone else to stay safe."

"Go get her then. I'll try to get through to Adam."

I jogged over to the seraph, wishing my life were just a tiny bit less complicated so I could perhaps keep the pressure off the shoulders of teenage boys. "Adam," I said. "Adam!"

He looked right through me.

"Adam, I need your help."

He blinked at me, his eyes cloudy. He desperately needed something to do, or he was going to fall apart on me.

"If we're going to keep these people safe, somebody has to calm them down. You have experience with this sort of thing. I need you to take care of them."

"What?"

"Keep people calm. Stop them from running around like headless chickens. The last thing we need is for someone to panic and hand themselves right over to Seth."

His expression cleared. "You think... of course. No, we can't have that. But aren't _you_ worried?"

"Worried?" I feigned confusion. "About what? Some vampire who managed to piss off the vampire queen and most of the fae in the country? When we have a kid who breathes fire?"

He smiled. "He doesn't quite breathe the stuff."

I plastered on a grin. "We have so many secret weapons that we can save the fire-starter as our last resort. You're not alone, Adam. _Jess_ isn't facing this alone. No matter what happens to you and me, she has plenty of people willing to protect her, to help her. There are no lost causes here."

I left him, hoping he felt more confidence than I did. I kept acting as though I had a plan, but I was going to wing it, just as I always did. And I was preparing to fail. I hoped to at least look the man who murdered my parents in the eye and find closure, one way or another.

Phoenix and Shay were discussing tactics near the mouth of the cul-de-sac.

"You don't have to do anything," I said, joining them. "You only need to keep everyone in the cul-de-sac. That's the plan. Okay?"

"Why?" Phoenix asked. "How does this help my daughter?"

"You let me worry about Lucia," I said. "You worry about Lorcan. He's likely to run out there and get himself killed. He's as valuable as Lucia, whether you like it or not. And Seth might enjoy owning a matching pair. Do you understand me?"

"He wants a seer?" Phoenix frowned. "What makes you think that?"

"Daimhín charges by the hour for her seer. Everyone wants one. Lucia can be helpful." I remembered her last vision and shivered. "And Lorcan's her translator, so he's important. Just keep everyone inside. Seth can't touch them in here."

"What are you planning on doing?" Shay asked.

"Talking," I said. "I'm going to have a conversation and see where we stand. Everyone wants something. I just need to figure out how to appeal to Seth. If I think Lucia is in danger, I'll act. But it's important that nobody gets in my way." I looked around at the people standing in groups on the road. "I reckon the biggest risks are Lorcan, Jessica, and Carl."

"Carl?" Shay asked. "Why Carl?"

"He has this weird thing where he wants to die by my side," I said loudly enough for Carl to hear. "It's pretty sad."

"Shut your face, woman!" Carl called back. "I'm happy to let you go alone. I just enjoy the excitement."

Shay looked at our smiling faces as if we were crazy. "Ava—"

"It's all we have, Shay," I said, averting my eyes. "Don't ruin it."

"Will the vampire queen come?" Phoenix asked.

"She likes to avoid the big fights. It's how she's lived so long." I cast a wry look at the teams Shay had brought. "So maybe pass that little tip to your people over there. They look overly eager."

"It's their job to protect," Shay protested.

"Shay..." I tried to find the words that would get through to him. "You have to understand that this is a whole new world. The old ways don't work. Police protection? Not gonna gel with what's happening. This is a special circumstance. We could start the process of wiping out an entire species tonight. Do you really want to be the government that begins with that? No matter what happens, you can't take all of this time and deal with what boils down as my problem."

"But the beasts," he said. "We can save so many people from the beasts with his death."

"And I'm sure a lot of people once said that about the werewolves."

He frowned. "We owe that bastard for Layne and Anthony."

"And if you interfere, the politics will kill you. When you're not popular, genocide will be thrown into your face. If this country is ever going to repair itself, it needs something good at the forefront. Don't let us drag you down with us."

"He took my daughter," Phoenix snapped. "Do you propose I let him get away with that?"

"Of course not. I'm just saying let's not run in guns blazing this time. Let's see what he wants first." I was lying to their faces. I didn't want them to rob me of the satisfaction of revenge.

That was what it came down to—my needs. Technically, Seth hadn't attacked me or my people. Technically, I was breaking the rules. I wouldn't be neutral anymore, and that's what I had been trying not to tell Parker.

Phoenix stared at me. "If Lucia isn't returned tonight, the power of the fae will be against this vampire."

"That's up to you," I said. "I'm not going to step in the way of anyone. I'm just saying that this specific problem might be best handled by the people who were created to fight it."

"Meaning you and Jess," Phoenix said.

"Meaning _me_ ," I said. "Jess is supposed to get her chance when she's old enough, so let's hope he's gone before then, right?"

I left them and went over to speak to Peter. "Watch the giant," I murmured. "You know how he is."

Peter smiled as he waved at Carl, who glared back at us. "Oh, I know. So what's the real plan, Ava?"

"The real plan is making it through the night, I should think." I grinned confidently. "Never thought I'd say this, but fuck if I don't miss Eddie's creepy protection spells. We need a new witchy-type person."

He made a face. "I'm off witches for life. Marina killed the idea of working with them. Eddie didn't help either."

"Technically, he wasn't a witch. He was just... special."

He gave me a serious look. "You're special, too. So don't get yourself hurt, okay?"

"Where are you going to be?"

"With Emmett. So don't make me regret that." His hazel eyes turned warm.

Sometimes, I missed him. I didn't miss waking up in the night to find him cleaning knives in my kitchen or wondering what effect all the alcohol was having on his liver. I didn't miss trying to be the buffer in a father-and-son relationship. But I missed everything else so much that my heart hurt.

"What, no begging to come with?" I asked with a smirk.

A flicker of longing crossed his face. "I know where my place is. My son isn't going to lose me for a second time." He cupped my cheek. "Stay safe. Some of us will be pissed if you get hurt." He dropped a kiss on my forehead and walked away, leaving me wondering if he had really changed, after all.

Val was sharpening her weapons. Everyone else had given her a wide berth.

"I know I don't have to tell you to stay inside, right?" I said.

She looked up at me, her honey-coloured eyes clear and cool. "I'll be ready to fight for her."

"And Leah? Are you going to just leave her here while you get yourself killed?"

Conflict flitted across her expression. "What would you have me do?"

"Let me deal with it. I promise you, if there's a battle to be fought, I want you by my side. But let's just see first. You have other responsibilities."

Pain filled her eyes. "I'm supposed to choose between them?"

"You're supposed to remember that Lucia chose to put herself in a certain position. She isn't waiting for you to save her, Val, but Leah still needs you. Lucia's a smart woman. She doesn't do anything without reason."

"She sees things, knows things. I've told her more about my life, my past. Perhaps I drove her to this."

"Shut up," I said. "Just shut up. That's self-pitying bullshit right there, and I won't have it. Now get a fucking grip before Lucia sees this side of you and decides not to come home."

Her lips twitched. I arched an eyebrow and waited.

"You're impossible," she said after a moment. "Go get her back."

"Thank you."

Darkness had fallen. I reached out with my other senses and looked for approaching energies. The cul-de-sac was vibrant. Leah, despite being human, was a cool blue. Parker was, unsurprisingly, a burning flame. Jess's energy was dark and pure at once, and I wondered if mine was similar. Both sides of her fought a battle, seeking to break free, but at the moment, she was contained. Seth might have the power to coax that dark side to the surface. I wasn't about to give him the chance, so I had to act first.

Then the emptiness grew closer, surrounding the purest energy I had ever seen. I had to get Lucia back. She didn't deserve the life she had.

A beautiful man walked alone. His followers stayed in the shadows with Lucia. I remained where I was—at the mouth of the cul-de-sac—confident he couldn't hurt me. _Yet._ At my word, everyone was staying well behind me, but I knew they were armed and ready should anything go wrong. Hopefully, Parker could stop Seth and his vampires before it got that far.

"Good evening," Seth called out in his melodic voice. "How are you this evening, daughter?"

I snorted. "Some father you are. You don't call. You don't write. What gives you the right to call me your daughter?"

"Killing your parents and making you mine gave me the right." His smile made me want to punch his face in. "Don't shun me now, dear. I've made you who you are. I just want to know one thing. What can you do that's so precious that the angels themselves saved you? I'm curious."

"Join the club." I took a deep breath. "Maybe they just knew you were arrogant enough to want something you can't have."

"That does sound like them. Would you like to have a discussion, daughter?"

"I thought we already were."

"Indeed, but let us get to the heart of the matter. I have something that I'm told is important not only to you but to the entire government. A half-blooded fae princess to boot. How lucky."

"Important to me? Where did you hear that?"

He pouted. "So you didn't make a shortcut through hell to save her? My mistake."

I bristled. "You know, I'm not sure how lucky it is to piss off an entire country."

He waved a hand. "Oh, I haven't pissed off the entire country. Most of the fae would be happy if I cleansed them of the half-blooded embarrassments." He winked. "They're so short-sighted that they don't see what I see in the next generation of mixed-blood warriors, but I'm what you call charming and persuasive. I could make them think of me as the second coming of Jesus if I wanted to."

"Not a little bit vain, are you? All right, cut the crap already. What do you want? I'm just about keeping the anger against you tamped down to a mild roar, so it would be for the best if Lucia is returned to her family... _now_."

"What do I want?" He almost sounded confused.

"Yes. We're going to work out a deal. You tell me what you want, and I'll see what I can do."

He burst into laughter that made him seem almost ordinary. "And she has learned to play the game. But all I want is the girl."

"You're so predictable." I smiled. "Let's play a game. You give back Lucia, right now, and you can have _me_... if you can take me."

He chuckled. "You think I won't be able to win a battle against you? I created you. I'm not sure if I admire your bravery or pity your stupidity."

"Yeah, but I'm _really_ tainted. More so than Jess. See, her real daddy cut her out of her mother before the taint could kick in. Me? I was in there for hours with your poison. My mother lasted as long as it took to get me to safety. I'm the one who can, as you said, make a shortcut through Hell. Jess is a kid. She hasn't shown what she can do yet. I'm the safe bet."

"But it'll be so much harder to turn you to my way of thinking."

I shrugged. "If you can't face the challenge, I'll turn my back right now, take Jess, and dig for cover until you forget what either of us looked like."

"Why would you protect her? You barely know the child. Why do _you_ want her?"

I narrowed my eyes. "I will _never_ hand her over to anyone who'll hurt her. And the only chance you have of getting me on your side is returning Lucia to her family."

To my surprise, he nodded and clicked his fingers. Lucia was pushed forward. He reached out and grabbed her, holding her next to his body. Her white hair was bloody, but she seemed fine.

Still, I wanted to reach inside his chest and rip out anything I could find in there. I rose to my feet, knowing I had only a little time before somebody burst out of the cul-de-sac to get to Lucia.

Seth glanced behind me. "Keep the guard dogs at bay." He pushed Lucia toward me.

Without thinking, I ran out to meet her. Seth flew at us, knocking Lucia out of the way and throwing me onto my back with one move.

Flames immediately appeared behind me. _Parker_. Shouts of protest filled the air, barely audible over the roar of the fire. Lucia was stuck outside with the first vampire and me.

"Run!" I shouted at her, jumping to my feet.

I circled Seth to keep his attention on me long enough for Parker to get Lucia safely inside the cul-de-sac. But Lucia stayed near me. Seth calmly stood there, smiling at me like a crazy psychopath.

Then, he took two steps toward Lucia. I rushed him, pulling the dagger out of my back pocket. I slid the blade across his neck. The resulting wound steamed and smoked. He roared in anger and punched at my face. His fist connected with my cheek.

He followed through with a second strike, but I ducked out of the way. I was fast, but he was faster. I tried to lead him away from Lucia, but he pounced, knocking me to the ground. He gripped a hank of my hair and bashed my head against the ground.

Seth leaned down and sniffed my neck. I felt his fangs against my skin.

"For fuck's sake." I met his gaze as I struggled to hold him at bay. "If that's what you want, just kill me already."

"I'm not going to kill anything I went to so much trouble to create," he said with a thick laugh. "This is all part of the show. She's listening to me, listening to the way I pull her to me. She'll be here soon."

"I'm right _here_. You don't need her."

"That's not the point." His fangs pricked my skin, making it burn as if he'd injected acid. "Misdirection, daughter. They took you from me and hid you so well that I left the country in search of you. Then I got word about a dark little girl who walked in the day, and I came back for you. But they put something else in my way to protect you. They created that other girl to lure me. They made her _for_ me."

I pushed against him, feeling helpless. "Bullshit."

"Ah, but it's true. I chased her and forgot about you, the real threat. Still, she has her own talents, and she is their gift to me. She belongs to me, now and always, in ways you never will. You may have what I need, but she has what I _want_ , and you might be just a tad more trouble than you're worth. She'll come to me any minute now, and I'll leave you to think about what you've done." He trailed his fangs across my skin. "But I'll come back for you. I always do."

"She'll die in the fire before she could get to you," I said.

"Then you can watch."

He wrapped one strong hand around my neck and raised me up in the air. He held me there, facing the opening to the cul-de-sac. I started to feel dizzy from the inability to breathe. Up on the roof, Jessica came into view. She screamed something at Parker. He shook his head.

Seth tightened his hold. I choked, feeling my eyes bulge in their sockets. The more I struggled, the tighter his grip became. The cul-de-sac's protection was disappearing. I could feel it seeping away.

Jessica took one last final look at me—or at Seth—then she jumped down from the roof and ran, past all of the people I had warned to stop her. They were too busy freaking out to notice. Jessica headed straight for the fire, determination written all over her face. And when she reached the flames, she didn't stop. Parker let her pass unharmed. She had counted on him being unable to hurt her.

Seth dropped me. Lucia ran to where I lay on the ground and held my hand as I sucked in breaths that hurt my throat. I tried to sit up but couldn't. Jessica came closer and picked up my fallen dagger. Seth held out his hand.

"I want to be strong," Jessica told him. "I need to know how to be me."

They walked away together. And I couldn't do a thing to stop it.

# 27

I lay on my back, staring up at the stars. I had taken back one friend only to give away a child who didn't know what she was doing. I could have wept. The sounds of weapons clashing and yells of pain and anger filled the air.

"Get inside," I managed to croak to Lucia. "Away from the fighting."

But the fighters avoided us as if we carried some kind of disease. Or perhaps they had been ordered to leave us alone. Lucia sat next to me, holding my hand tightly.

"No visions," I whispered. "I can't handle a vision right now."

She brushed my hair out of my eyes then helped me sit up. A sharp pain wrenched my torso.

"Great," I muttered. "Probably cracked another rib."

I didn't have any energy left. The battle was being fought without me. I wasn't needed, but I had caused it all. Adam was going to kill me.

Lorcan reached his sister and pulled her away from me. Phoenix was there to protect them. Lucia looked back at me with sad eyes, and I shivered at the things she might know.

Carl came over and knelt by my side. "Jesus, Ava. You almost gave me a heart attack. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

I tried to smile. "Same as always."

"We thought he was going to rip your head off right in front of us."

"He doesn't want me dead. Not yet anyway."

He helped me to my feet. A shock ran through me at his touch.

I pushed him away. "Holy... I thought you were over the weird magical side effects!"

"I am. Mostly." He looked embarrassed as he took my arm again. That time, nothing happened. "But it's been crazy tonight, so cut me some slack."

"Panicker," I said through gritted teeth.

The last of the assassins were running. They had done their job of getting in our way long enough to let Seth escape with Jess.

"Fuck me." I hissed as pain rushed through my body again. "Quickest beat-down of all time."

Carl helped me back into the cul-de-sac, all the while lecturing me on terrible plans. Parker and Leah approached, both of them with guilty looks on their faces.

"I'm sorry," Leah said immediately. "You were hurt, and the magic was weakening. I told her about Mrs. Yaga, so she said she had to do something about it, that it's her fight. Then she jumped and ran, and I..." She shook her head. "I didn't mean for that to happen."

"Why?" Adam roared, running over to us with a sword in his hand.

Val rushed up behind him and took the weapon. He barely noticed. He reached us and raised a hand to Parker.

Carl let go of me and got between them just in time. "Calm down. Take it easy, Adam."

"Why would you let her leave, Parker?" Adam demanded. "You know how she is. Why would you even—"

"She would have been burned!" Parker shouted. "I couldn't burn her!"

"We can fix a burn." Adam's face had turned scarlet. "We can't fix this."

"Adam," I said, "we'll find them."

"And if she doesn't want to come back? If she turns to the darkness?"

"Maybe you should give her a little credit," Carl said. "She did it to protect everyone else, including you. She did what she thought was best in a terrible situation. She's not going to turn to the darkness."

I wasn't so sure. I knew she had made a choice, but I didn't know what would happen since Seth had finally gotten his hands on her.

At that moment, I realised that the protection over the cul-de-sac was still shaky. I felt weak all of a sudden. Had I risked everything for nothing? I had to end matters with Seth then figure out a way to restore the protection. I couldn't rest until then.

Peter approached and looked me up and down. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "I'm fine. I need Anka for a minute, but then we go hunting."

His concern turned into a dark smile, a reminder of the Peter I used to know. "Good plan."

He let me lean on him as we walked to Anka's house. "That was a really fucking stupid idea back there."

"Wasn't so much an idea as a whim."

"You're getting worse."

"I know." I couldn't keep up the brave face for long. "He's so strong, Peter. I'm scared shitless of him."

He faced me. "No, you're not. He's just another being who thinks he's too big to die. You're going to change that, just like you always do."

"What if this is the time it goes wrong?" I smiled wryly. "Even more wrong."

"He's just one man, Ava. He's not the army you've led us against before. He's not the leader you've helped us rise up against. He's one being followed around by a few stragglers."

"He's the first vampire. He's kind of more than a man."

"What do we need to beat him?"

"A chance," I said. "One clear shot at the fucker. But we don't even know how to kill him yet. What if we think he's dead and he comes back to life or something fucked up like that? What if that's how he's lived this long?"

"Then we keep killing him and do it as many times as it takes." He leaned in closer and rested his forehead against mine. "It doesn't matter what he does. We still do what we do, and eventually, it'll click."

I breathed in his scent, comforted by his presence. If I didn't have my friends around me, I would be nothing. They gave me strength when I ran out of my own.

Inside, Anka fussed over me. The rib was cracked, but it wasn't too bad. The whole almost-choked-to-death thing had been the worst of it. I sat on her sofa, holding a cold compress against my neck.

When Shay came in, I told him, "We need Daimhín. We need her to make a stand, along with her vampires."

"We might need more than that," Shay said. "Word is coming in of riots in the city centre, instigated by Seth's people, most likely. Lots of emergency calls." He sat in the chair facing the couch. "We're taking his actions as a threat against the country, Ava. We have to fight back now."

I nodded. "I get it. Any word on where he might be hiding out?"

"Everyone is on it," he said. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm grand. As soon as you have a direction to point me in, just wind me up, and I'll go."

"You want another try? That was terrifying back there." He shook his head. "Do you realise how scared everyone was? You didn't tell us that part of your plan, Ava."

"I didn't even have a plan." I closed my eyes. "I just had me and Parker. He's a handy kid to have around. Is Lucia okay?"

"Looks fine to me. I'm surprised the others haven't given you a tongue-lashing yet. They're all mightily pissed."

"Oh, they're just waiting until the fight is over, then I'll be in trouble. Anyone in particular I need to watch out for?"

"Carl's bitching about you to anyone who'll listen. He was _this close"_ —he held his forefinger and thumb a centimetre apart—"to running through those flames himself. I have to be honest. I thought you were a goner there."

"Maybe I can't die." I tried to force out a laugh. "And I can handle Carl. It's Seth I'm having trouble with."

"So I noticed. Are you sure this is the best way to handle him?"

"So many people have lost everything. I was so late helping the twins in the first place that they only got a few minutes with their mother before she died in front of them. All of that time... wasted. And their father's memories are gone. If Phoenix and Lorcan lost Lucia... I couldn't let that happen to them. And because of that, Jess is gone. I'm not letting Seth take her away from her father. Seth is _my_ problem, and I have to deal with him." _Before he realises I've probably already screwed away the untouchable status._

"If he's in this country, causing mayhem, then he's everyone's problem. If we can silence him, perhaps the riots will stop."

I opened my eyes. "Is it that bad?"

He nodded wearily. "We need him gone. We need the riots and looting and bloodshed to end. We need peace."

Carl and Val barged in, arguing loudly. I rolled my eyes.

"She did the right thing," Val insisted. "I would have done the same in her position."

"What are you, crazy?" Carl huffed. "There had to be another way."

"Oh, shut up, both of you," I said. "Go track down Seth and be useful for a change."

"We're always useful," Carl said. "Quinn, Alanii, and the rest of Esther's old Circle are working on it right now. There's a coven of witches trying to do a locater spell, and Daimhín is on her way here. James and Willow are looking at properties that might be suitable, and—"

"And everyone is doing something to help," Val interrupted. "The reporters who were trapped in the church that night have agreed to pass on the message about Seth and his followers, whose actions have instigated another war. Moses is running his own efforts to fight back, and Phoenix is considering letting the werewolves out on the streets."

"One vampire couldn't fight against all of those werewolves," Carl said.

"The werewolves are spread across the country," Shay pointed out.

"And he's not scared of them," I added. "Plus, Seth has more beasts. What if he's trying to turn the assassins into beasts? With those magical tattoos, they could become unbeatable."

"Nothing's unbeatable," Phoenix said, entering the room.

"Seth's pretty tough," I said with a wry smile.

"You stalled," he said.

"She did her best," Carl said, sounding irritated.

"Thank you," Phoenix said, ignoring Carl. "I saw how you distracted him from Lucia."

"You know, she could have—"

"You've fought him now," Phoenix said. "So how much of a threat is he really?"

Carl made a face. "Come on, Val. We need to keep busy. The grownups are talking."

Phoenix looked astonished, even as Shay laughed. When Carl and Val left, Phoenix took a seat at the end of the sofa.

Phoenix nodded at me. "It wasn't a perfect plan, but my daughter is back safely."

"She didn't have a plan," Shay scoffed.

Phoenix's lips twitched. "I did guess. Do you think Icarus and his pack will help?"

"Can't hurt," I said. "But I'm worried about Seth's backup plans. I mean, he has Jess, but what next? Does he leave the country or what?"

"We won't know," Shay said. "Not until we find him. And the Council cells are full of assassins who won't talk under any circumstances."

Shay's phone rang, and he checked the screen. "I have to take this. Give me a minute." He hurried outside.

I raised an eyebrow at Phoenix. "Still want to kill me?"

"Not right now." He nodded at my neck. "Painful?"

"Just a tad. He's definitely stronger than he looks."

"But he didn't kill you."

"He thinks he's my daddy."

"Interesting."

"Not really. He's not anything to me. He killed my parents and Jessica's mother. Neither of us wants anything other than him dead."

"Adam's not convinced of that."

I threw down the cold compress. "He's so scared that he can't be anything other than pessimistic. Jesus, it's tiring just listening to him. I don't know how Jessica has survived this long with him moaning in her ear."

"You don't like him?"

"I don't like the way he's raised her. He's made her feel like shit. I just hope that isn't the part she remembers when Seth's romancing her with his tales of power."

"There are too many people here," he blurted. "Too many connections. Too many ways to hurt one person. I don't think this place is good for my children. I want to take them with me."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you can persuade them to leave. I know you care about them. All of this just reinforced the fact we need to live as a family."

"I can't tell them what to do," I said.

"Can't or won't?"

"Phoenix, don't do that. Don't force people to do your will."

"You mean the way I did with your grandmother?"

My cheeks flushed hotly.

"I apologise," he said coolly.

"But you're not sorry."

He held my gaze. "I want my family. It isn't fair that you get to keep them. Lorcan was angry with me because I was angry at you. Does he... is there something between you two?"

I choked on my own indignation. "Of course not! The twins are my friends as much as Esther and Carl. They're important to me. And I brought them here. We've been through a lot together. Of course we all care about each other. We're a family, too, Phoenix. And you can't destroy that because you're jealous!"

"Jealous? They're my children."

"So ask them what they want! Stop trying to manipulate the situation. Moving pieces around the board. I hate that part of you." I was kind of terrified of his reaction. I winced a little, expecting a backlash.

"That sounds like my mother. Moving pieces around a board to get what she wants." He looked at me. "I don't want to be her."

"You're not her," I said quickly. "I shouldn't have said—"

Shay ran back into the room. "James and Willow came up with something." He told us about a sprawling estate outside of Dublin with a house a prepper had updated. "It's not a bomb shelter. It's more like a place to hide if the shit hits the fan. It sounds perfect for Seth. It's isolated, and there's plenty of space, plenty of dark places to hide."

"So we go there." I sat up, wincing as a needling pain ran through me.

"Daimhín's on her way," Shay said. "We should see if she has anything to say first."

I caught sight of Leah and Parker hanging around outside the doorway. "Something wrong?" I asked.

They shook their heads and disappeared. I made a mental note to keep an eye on them.

"Daimhín won't fight by our side," I said. "She's not going to do it."

"If she wants to keep her position in the Senate," Phoenix said, "she had better do something."

By the time Daimhín arrived, my pain had eased, but my worries had only increased as I brooded over Jessica's fate.

"We need you," Phoenix told the vampire queen. "The Senate must stand together on this."

Daimhín looked a little ill. "He killed Zion as a warning. I can't go against him after that."

"I get it," I said impatiently. "Can he be killed? Has anyone ever claimed to kill him only to have him reappear again?"

"Oh, please," she scoffed. "Do you know how many vampires claim to have killed you? There's no certainty in a vampire's claims of glory. Your little dagger must work against him."

My face heated. "Yeah, it hurts him, but I kind of don't have it right now."

She rolled her eyes. They were bright blue, completely clear of the red patches. She had to be hungry.

Shay jumped in to tell her about the estate that James and Willow had found. "It's been purchased recently," he said. "Can't trace it back to a real person, though. What do you think? Could a vampire hold out there?"

"I considered buying that property myself," she said. "I was outbid at the last moment. It's perfect for the likes of him. But if you go there, be prepared. He'll use humans as shields, any kind of distraction to get away himself. He's not interested in a battle. That's why he's lived so long."

"Did you learn from him then?" Peter snapped.

She ignored his tone and continued. "I'll declare myself his enemy, but I won't trespass on his private property. It's the height of bad manners for a vampire to encroach on another's territory, and I have a lot to do to contain this. He's caused problems for me right down to the lowest of vampires. The story of those teenage girls has done little to calm them. Even Jules..." She shook her head and stood. "I must leave. I don't want to be here if he returns."

After she left, the rest of us continued working on a plan of attack.

"If the estate is that big, we'll never have enough people," I said.

"The werewolves can cover a lot of territory quickly," Phoenix said. "They will be useful."

"My teams will do what they can to follow the werewolves and remove any humans from the situation," Shay added.

"I'm coming with you," Val told me. "I won't sit here and wait."

"What about Lucia?" I asked pointedly.

"She doesn't need a guard dog." She gave me a hard stare. "The sooner Seth is gone, the safer the rest of the world will be."

"I'm coming, too," Lorcan said. "I owe you, Ava. You brought my sister back. And you lost someone who could be a real part of your family. I'll help you get her back."

I looked at Phoenix to see if he would protest. His jaw was clenched, but he didn't say anything.

Leah rushed in, her eyes wide with panic. "Ava! Ava, quickly!"

Alarmed, I jumped to my feet. "What's wrong?"

"It's Parker and Adam. I can't find them anywhere. I think they've gone. We heard you talk about the place Seth might be living in, and Parker ran off, and now I can't find either of them." She swallowed hard. "I'm pretty sure they've gone to find Jessica."

# 28

Lightning sparked in the sky, quickly followed by the cracking of thunder. I shivered in the subsequent darkness, recalling the talents of Phoenix's mother, Fionnuala, weather warden and mega bitch of the millennia. Val and Lorcan stood on either side of me, listening intently for an enemy or a signal for us to move.

Phoenix had taken his werewolves into the woods surrounding Seth's property, and Shay's agents were covering the perimeter. They would all make an attempt to quietly clear our path, but the three of us were still out in the open while we waited.

We had approached from behind the house, through an old, overgrown forest, a werewolf leading us. Each flash of lightning revealed another vampire patrol along the extended driveway. The grounds were unkempt, and the three-storied manor needed a serious amount of renovation, but it was spacious and remote enough to be worth the ridiculous amount of money Seth had spent on the place. I vaguely wondered how well he had been paid for the beast formula.

"The blueprint put an outside entrance to the basement at the south side of the building," I whispered. "If we can just make it there, then..."

Lorcan and Val looked at me. I felt everything they weren't saying.

"Shut up," I muttered, squeezing my eyes shut. Numbers tumbled unchecked from my lips.

Another flash of lightning showed a peregrine falcon in flight. I hoped the vampires wouldn't recognize it as a shifter. As the bird moved overhead, it shrieked a signal for us to move.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the comfort of the shadows, and we began our approach to the house. If we were in the wrong place, we had given Seth a chance to flee with Jessica. And if we were right, he might just kill us all for shits and giggles. But dawn was approaching, and I was betting that Seth was sticking close to the safety of his underground place.

We moved close to the low boundary fence that separated the stretch of lawn from the surrounding forestry. Throwing out my other senses, I caught a lot of empty spaces nearby.

"If Parker sets this place on fire, I'm going to deck him," Lorcan hissed.

A twig cracked loudly under my foot. All three of us froze. No other sounds followed, no shouts announcing our presence. My heart pounded so loud, I was sure _somebody_ would hear it. Voices drifted on the wind, but they were tinged with laughter, not wariness. Nobody knew we were there. Nobody knew the werewolves were stalking the estate. Nobody knew Shay's teams were ready to barge in and make arrests. I hadn't had the heart to tell Shay that there would be no arrests, only deaths. No matter what we did, our two worlds refused to work together.

We started moving again. Thunder rumbled, and the rain began to pour. We almost walked right into a patrol. I shoved Lorcan into the trees, but Val and I were caught. Before the two vampires could react, Val grabbed a dagger from her waistband and flung it at one. The blade flew right in the female's neck. She gurgled and clutched at the knife. Val and I ran toward the pair to finish the job.

A furry figure flew out of the woods and grabbed the back of the second retreating vampire's neck before I could reach him. The werewolf shook the vampire like a dog shaking a rat to death. Blood spurted, and a head flew up in the air. I watched it in wonder, trying to pinpoint the very second when that stopped being weird and gross to me. Val had already ended the injured vampire.

The werewolf trotted toward us, nodding his head as if in greeting. He smelled like wet dog. I fought the urge to laugh hysterically.

Phoenix stepped out of the trees, scaring the absolute shit out of me. I stifled my yelp just in time. He gave me a long, hard look before disappearing again with Icarus.

I regrouped with Lorcan and Val. "We don't have much time," I whispered.

"Then let's run," Val said. "The path is as clear it will get."

We ran between the trees as fast as we dared. A couple of shifters quietly took care of a second patrol that got in our way, giving us the chance to run right around to the back of the house. We easily found the entrance to an old cellar close to the house. A bored vampire stood guard on the path.

"This is it," Lorcan whispered. "Are we saying hello?"

I held up my hands and searched outward again. I found Jessica right away, her essence more confused than ever. I bit my lip, disturbed by Seth's energy.

"Shit," I said, finding two more energies alongside them. "Adam and Parker are in there. We better get inside before Parker sets the whole place on fire."

Lorcan rushed at the vampire and quickly killed her. While he took care of that, Val shifted into her hellhound form and easily busted open the doors to the basement. I ran inside, closely followed by the others. The stone steps led down into a large, wide-open space.

Seth held Adam by the neck. "One step farther, and he's dead," he warned. "You don't dare to come into my home, trespass on my territory. The laws—"

"The laws have changed," I stated.

A werewolf howled in the distance, letting everyone know we were inside.

"Ah..." Seth smiled. "You brought the wolves. I had hoped. That's why my trained soldiers are waiting for their arrival." He cocked his head as a werewolf cried out in obvious pain. "And so it begins. It's not too late for you, Ava. You can still choose chaos and get rid of those filthy binds. You're no freer than—"

"Oh, shut up, you tedious pain in the arse. What are you going to do? Bore us to death? Get to the point already."

With a dark laugh, Seth flung Adam away. The angel hit the wall and slid to the ground, groaning. Jessica didn't run to him. I wanted to throw up. I glanced at her, but her face was a mask. And for the first time, I wondered if my own father had suffered before Seth murdered him. Rage trickled through my veins, and Jess glanced at me as she felt the shift in the air.

The basement doors swung open, and vampires flooded in.

"Parker!" Lorcan called. "A little help here." He swung his sword, and the glyphs glowed green.

Parker, who had been kneeling beside Adam, stood and raised a fire between us and the vampires. Two ran straight through then rolled on the ground, screaming as they burned to ashes. None of the others made an attempt to pass the fire.

"Looks like you're outnumbered," Lorcan said, circling Seth.

Seth laughed. "By half-breeds. And Jessica is worth ten of each of you. Except perhaps you, Ava. Or at least, you in your prime. You've wasted your gifts. Such a pity." He tsked sarcastically.

I whipped out the two daggers Peter had loaned me. I twisted my wrists, moving the daggers constantly as I joined Val and Lorcan in their dance around Seth and Jessica. "Jess, you have something that belongs to me."

"If she can wield it, it belongs to her." Seth smiled indulgently at the girl. "Jessica has a lot of talents I can make use of. They just need the right focus."

"Leave her alone." I was panting because the air was growing thin with the fire slurping up all the oxygen.

We had to finish dealing with Seth before Parker stopped his fire. I looked at his panicked face. _If_ he could stop it.

Seth sidestepped toward Val. She swung her mace, and he ducked. At the same time, he swung his leg in an arc, kicking her so hard that she fell into Lorcan, bowling him over, too. The two jumped back to their feet, wiping sweat out of their eyes.

Enraged, I rushed to help. Jess knocked me aside.

I gazed at her in despair. "Don't do this."

Her lips twitched. "This is what I was born to do, Ava. Watch me do it."

"I told you that you had a choice. You—"

Seth ran at me. I tumbled out of his way and crossed my arms to slash out with both daggers. I barely sliced his arms. He belted me across the face with the back of his hand, and I staggered backward but managed to stay on my feet. Jess shoved him away from me. She was determined to deal with him herself, but Seth seemed to barely notice her.

Val held Jess back from Seth while Lorcan swung his sword, cleaving through Seth's shirt and leaving a thin strip of red. Seth roared and kicked Lorcan away. Val swung her mace again, sending blood and bone gushing from his shoulder. Horrified, Jess backed away.

Taking advantage of his new injuries, I twirled my leg around, aiming for his knee, but he jumped over my foot. He dodged Val's mace and kicked my cheek, knocking me to the ground. He leapt on me and pinned my wrists. When he twisted my arms, I was forced to let go of the daggers. Jumping up and over me, he kicked the daggers away. He ducked under Lorcan's sword on his way to Val.

She head-butted him then roared. His nose crunched, and blood poured. He swung his fist once, twice, then grabbed her mace. He pressed the end into her eye. As she howled with pain, he wrenched the weapon out of her hands. The basement was filling with blackening smoke. Seth knocked out Val and moved on to Lorcan

"Jess," I panted, "you have to get out of here. The fire... you and Parker... run!"

"Dad—"

"No time. Just go!"

Lorcan made another attempt to strike Seth. The vampire ducked and moved quickly out of the way, tripping Lorcan as he went. He turned back and pushed Lorcan's face into the ground. He gripped the half-fae's neck tighter and tighter, his fingers digging into the soft flesh. I leaped for the sword, but before I could pick it up, a blast of fire hit Seth in the back.

With a snarl, he whirled around. Steam rose from his back as his clothing burned, revealing reddened skin. He was hurt, but he was healing quickly.

His handsome face transformed, and his fangs became crooked pillars that his lips could barely cover. His skin grew mottled with patches of green and red, making him look more like something demonic than a vampire. His muscles bulged beneath the remnants of his ruined shirt. He went down on all fours, his eyes on Parker.

Parker sent another fireball his way, but the boy was weakening. The fire was taking too much out of him. Sounds of a fight came from beyond the fire, but I couldn't see a thing past the flames.

My cough turned into a body-racking hack, and that drew Seth's attention. His red eyes fixed on me, and the fear ran down all of my limbs. I knew at that moment that I never wanted to meet Lucifer.

With an animal-like sound, Seth flew at me. I jumped out of the way, and he almost ran straight into the fire. _Almost._

He skidded to a stop at the edge of the fire. With a howl of rage, he spun and rushed at me on all fours, his long claws leaving deep depressions in the floor.

I dove for Lorcan's sword. My fingertips grazed the handle as those claws sank into my calves and dragged me away from the weapon. I could hear Seth panting in his eagerness to bite me. I smelled my own blood before I even felt his fangs penetrate my skin. I tried not to scream, but the pain was like no other. Instead of teeth, it felt like nails hammered into my flesh, hot metal searing skin and crushing bone.

He caught my eye as he drank, and I briefly wondered if he was trying to teach me some kind of lesson, but then I saw how cloudy his eyes had turned. I felt myself weaken and knew he was growing stronger by the second.

Another fireball flew at us, but Seth was ready. He released me and rolled out of the way. The fire barely missed me. Then, the ball was absorbed back into the fire as if it had never been there at all.

Seth rushed at Parker, practically drooling in his yearning for more—more blood, more darkness, more death, more chaos. His movements grew sloppier as my blood apparently took effect.

"No!" Jessica screamed.

She moved to stand in the path of the very first vampire, doing exactly what she had been told she was born to do. Her eyes gleaming bright red, she shoved Seth with both hands. He flew across the room and crashed into a pillar. It cracked, and dust fell from the ceiling. Seth calmed a little, growing more human and attractive again. But his face was still smeared with blood, and his fangs didn't quite disappear.

"Impressive," he said. "This is why you're an important part of my army, Jessica. You'll be a leader. A general on the battlefield. A killer of angels, the very beings who ruined your life."

"No," she snarled. " _You_ ruined my life. You've ruined so many people's lives. No more."

My dagger glowed blue in her hands. I held my breath as I crawled toward Lorcan's sword. He stirred and opened one eye. I held my finger to my lips.

Parker threw four more fireballs at Seth, in rapid succession. After the last one, he slumped to the floor, spent. During that time, Jessica swiftly circled the vampire, hitting him, kicking him, and scratching him.

But Seth kept laughing, even when my dagger burned a hole in his stomach. "Keep trying! Maybe one day you'll even succeed."

He was playing with her. As soon as the fireballs stopped, he pounced, catching her off-guard. She fell heavily to the ground, struggling to get away from him. The fire was dying out behind me as Parker slowly lost consciousness. Lorcan's sword glistened as I raised it high, getting a feel for the weight of it. Jessica fought like a wildcat. Seth bit her wrist as she struck him. He latched on as she squirmed, pure terror in her eyes.

"Jess!" I shouted.

She took one look at me, and her panic fled. She drove the dagger into his side, but he didn't seem to notice. He was too consumed with the taste of her blood.

Sweat rolled down my back. The sword seemed to lighten in my hands as I approached Seth. He had killed our families and destroyed our lives. I thought of the photo of my parents I had found and of Jessica's face when she told me she had never had a real home. I thought of every single friend who had died because Seth had unleashed the beasts on the world.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I came up behind the first vampire. He tore himself away from Jessica and looked at me in surprise. I raised the sword higher, and he started to move, but Jessica pinned him into place, fiercely holding on.

I swung the fae sword at Seth's neck. The blade sliced clean through, as if that was what it had been made for. His head flew off his shoulders and rolled into the fire. I watched it burn, the eyes still wide open. His body was melting, turning into some kind of gooey mess. Daimhín had warned me to tear every piece of him apart, so I stabbed his disintegrating body, feeling my guilt and anger releasing with each strike.

"He's dead," Jessica said, sounding as if she couldn't quite believe it.

I stopped, panting, and realised she was right. He wasn't getting back up. I helped Jessica stand, even though I could barely stay on my own feet.

"Gross," she muttered as she looked down on Seth's pulverised body.

"Get Parker to stop the fire before we pass out, too."

She ran over to Parker. My chest grew heavy. It hurt to breathe. Lorcan was unconscious again, and Parker wasn't stirring. I wasn't sure Val's chest was moving at all.

My fingers began to sting. I looked down at the sword. The green glyphs had turned crimson. I dropped the weapon and stuck my fingers in my mouth. I whistled as loud as I could, hoping somebody would come and help us.

I stumbled over to Jess and wrapped my arm around her. "We did it," I whispered.

"Parker," she said hoarsely, weakly slapping his face, "wake up. The fire's killing us, Parker. Wake up before it's too late. _Parker_!"

She laid her head against his chest. I wanted to cry for her, for her lost future. I wanted to cry for both of them.

Squeezing my burning eyes shut, I stroked Jessica's hair. I couldn't stay awake any longer.

"She's waking up," Shay said. "Ava, you okay?"

I tried to open my eyes, but they burned and watered too much. Somebody wiped them with a cloth. I tried again. I saw Val and Shay on either side of me.

"Hey," I croaked. "You okay? What happened? Did everyone make it?"

"Lorcan and the kids will be fine," Shay said.

"I have a headache and a lump on my head the size of a fist," Val said. "But the smoke did little to me."

"How did the fire get put out?" I asked, remembering everything in a rush.

"Parker's heart stopped with the exertion," Shay said. "The fire died with him. The paramedics brought him back. Jessica and Lorcan are still unconscious."

"And Adam?"

"His injuries are a little more serious," Shay answered. "But I think he'll be okay."

"Is Seth dead?" Phoenix demanded. "We saw no body."

I jumped. I hadn't heard him approach. "Lorcan's sword cut right through him. If it weren't for everyone else... Neither Jess nor I could have fought him alone. It was madness, the angels' ideas for that kid." I lay back and stared up at the black sky. I was outside in clean air, but breathing hurt. My lungs felt as though they were full of dirt. Ambulance lights flashed nearby.

"It's over," Shay said.

"Until the next problem comes along." I blinked rapidly, trying to stop my vision from going hazy. "Shay, the new initiative can't do things like this, not unless they want to be just like the old Council."

He nodded. "I know."

"But there has to be a way both worlds can work together."

"I don't know." He glanced up at Phoenix. "I don't know that any of us are right for this job."

Lorcan moaned, and everyone ran over to check on him. After a few minutes, he made a smart remark, and I relaxed again.

It took a lot longer for Jessica and Parker to wake up. I was pretty sure if we had all been pure human, none of us would have survived.

# Epilogue

Shay forced us all to spend a night in the supernatural clinic—just in case. Adam stayed there for a few days. He was mostly exhausted, and I was pretty sure that could be blamed on the entirety of his life. All of that stress and running and worrying was over. Jess wasn't a monster, and the real monster was dead.

Back home, I looked through my living room window at a clear sky. The storm was over—at least, that one was. I wondered how many people would come and need me to interfere with the balance in order to help them. I wasn't Mrs. Yaga, and the rest of the Eleven would have to come to terms with that. I needed to set some things straight.

I left before anyone else was awake. I liked the cul-de-sac at dawn. It was quiet and peaceful and mostly felt like home, except the protection was still tarnished. I needed to make sure it stayed a safe place.

I called Mr. Breslin on the way. I woke him, but he seemed pretty alert by the time he let me into the office.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" His thick white eyebrows furrowed. "You are still... new."

"I need to know for sure what's happening with the protection over us, and I can't let them set a precedence of telling me what to do. I should be an equal if I'm part of the gang now. Just because I'm the new kid..." A sudden chill ran down my spine. I was gambling on coming out on top. My luck didn't always hold.

"If you're sure..." He hesitated. "For what it's worth, I think you're right. I doubt Baba Yaga expected anything less from you."

"We killed the first vampire," I said. "That's going to upset some people."

"One thing at a time." He patted my shoulder. "Let's face this battle first."

Nodding, I followed him down the hallway and the stairs. He waited while I stood outside the room again. Sometimes I dreamed of the room, dreamed I was trapped in a crystal in the dark, never able to change the world around me. And maybe that was what Seth had meant when he said I wore my bounds well.

Squaring my shoulders, I stepped into the dark room and approached the crystal. I placed my hand over the surface, letting the magic curl against my skin. There was something good about the feeling. I had been through so much in my life. The oath I had taken, the one hundred years I had sworn, didn't feel like a burden. I wanted to protect my people. But I also needed to protect them my way.

I slammed my hand down on the crystal and instantly found myself sitting in a chair, surrounded by the others. Their presence was clearer. I could focus more, maybe even see shapes, heights, and weights. Maybe someday, I would finally see who the Shepherd really was.

"Again?" Judge sounded pissed. "We're here again, already?"

"Perhaps the Matriarch has something she needs to tell us," Death said.

I could tell he already knew. He was waiting to see what I would do about it, how I would handle it.

"The protection slipped," I said. "I need it back."

"Why would it slip?" Knowledge asked in an accusing tone.

"I killed the first vampire."

A couple of them gasped.

"And a lot of people are very fucking happy he's dead," I snapped, unable to bear it any longer.

"Others won't be impressed," Birth said evenly.

"I'll deal with that when the time comes. I helped my first lost soul. I stopped her from turning to chaos. She's alive. She made her own choices, and I helped her. She doesn't have to run anymore, doesn't have to—"

"And perhaps the angels won't like that," Warden said.

"Then they can come at me, too," I said. "This is how I help people. I'm not interfering for my sake. Sometimes, I have to get bloody to help somebody. Sometimes, I just have to scare the shit out of whatever is coming. And sometimes, I have to figure out for myself how it is I can help someone. I don't have a fucking clue what I'm doing half the time, but I'll learn... as long as you let me do it my way. I can't be bound by these stupid rules, always second-guessing myself and wondering if I'm breaking some obscure stupid-arse ancient law of some kind. I don't want to keep coming here and asking for permission before I make a move. I have to live in my world, and I have to deal with the things that come in a way that actually deals with them. I didn't kill Seth for me."

"He killed your parents," Silence said. "His death doesn't work for you?"

"He killed people I've never met." I took a deep breath. "I am who I am. If you don't like that, then let me go. Break the contract, and we'll all move on. But just remember. You need eleven. You either have to put up with me, or else weaken everything."

"You would do that?" Slave sounded excited. "You would dare upset the balance and risk a demonolatrist calling forth from the darkness?"

"I'll take my chances," I said firmly. "Especially now that I've seen how easily my untouchable status can be taken away. But if you keep me, then this is how it's going to be. I'm going to do my thing without any interference. I mean, if I'm about to unleash Hell on the world, then maybe give me a heads-up, but if I'm stopping an ancient being from kidnapping teenage girls, then butt out of it."

"The last Matriarch—"

"I'm not Baba Yaga. I'm Ava Delaney. And I don't give a shit what any of you think. I did something good, and that's all that matters."

Silence actually laughed. "This is the fresh start we need."

Judge huffed. "You're not serious."

"She interfered," Birth said. "An actual attack wasn't made against her territory."

"A significant threat was made," Warrior said. "Are we supposed to stand by and let ourselves be threatened?"

"We're supposed to be neutral," Judge declared. "This is our purpose."

"We must restore her protection," Warden announced.

"She sacrificed her own protection," Wisdom said. "The natural shifts are dictated by our own actions."

"Then our own actions should reinforce her protection," Shepherd said. "This is important enough to—"

"The Eleven do not—"

"Without her, we are but ten," Silence said. "And how often have we longed for change? How often have we realised how quickly wars would be avoided if we had just stepped in at the right time? This woman is strong enough to keep us above water. We're in a new age, and she could be our voice."

"Interference never leads to satisfaction," Wisdom said. "We learned those lessons in the first turn of our reign."

"We don't have a reign," Warrior said. "We're invisible. Forgotten."

"As it should be," Slave said.

"It's time that changed," Silence replied. "We have mutual needs and desires. We discussed how she could be the hand with which we attend to our will. This is the natural progression."

"It's not the right path," Birth said.

"For now," Knowledge said, "perhaps it is the only path."

"Then we're agreed," Silence said. "We will restore the protection over her territory."

"That's it?" I asked, baffled by the constant turns in their opinions.

"You must report to us regularly," Wisdom said. "We must be aware of your actions, and you must listen to our guidance. As long as this breach against neutrality isn't commonplace, we can pull together."

"Good luck, Ava Delaney," Shepherd said softly. "The reins may have loosened, but we'll be watching you."

"And congratulations," Silence added as the figures around me turned hazy. "His death pleases me greatly.

When I got home, I found Jess hanging around outside my front door. She gave me a weak smile as I approached. Immediately, my heart raced with concern.

"It's okay," she said. "Nothing's wrong."

I let us into my house, wondering why she hadn't just gone in and waited for me there. I knew she was staying at Carl's to be close to Parker. And I knew they hadn't even kissed yet. I was so down with the kids that they told me things.

"What's up?" I asked. "Want some breakfast?"

She shook her head. "I need to talk to you about what happened. I was never going to join him. I was just waiting for the right time." She held out my dagger.

"If you can wield it, maybe it really is yours."

"I don't want it, Ava. I thought I wanted to be like you, but this isn't my life."

I took the dagger and shoved it into the belt sheath I had taken to hanging from a key rack. Peter had bought it for me. I had no idea where he got it from, but it was perfect. "I know you weren't going to join him." I filled the kettle and put it on the stove. "I saw it in your eyes. He was too arrogant to see he was being played."

She shrugged. "I don't think he cared. He really wanted you. He was just using me to get to you."

"He couldn't resist the idea of having us both. He thought the younger he found us, the easier it would be to break us. Look at those assassins—all taken as children, all convinced the dead fae who enslaved them is their benevolent mother. Kind of sick really."

"I want to go back," she blurted.

I blinked a couple of times, thinking she meant Seth's house.

"Parker and I have been talking about it," she explained. "We want to go back to England. I made friends there, found people I can trust. We have to ask Dad, but I think, considering everything, he might just say yes this time."

"Are you sure you have somewhere to go?" I asked. "You can really trust these people?"

She gifted me with a broad smile. She looked so young and innocent, her eyes so clear of the red rage. "They're all good people, and maybe we could be of some use over there. You seem to have things handled here."

I drew her into a hug. "You'll keep in touch, though, right?"

She blinked away some tears. "Of course. And we can visit each other. I mean, it's not going to be a goodbye, just a see you later. Okay?"

I nodded. "Of course. It's not a big deal. England isn't exactly the other side of the world. And I could use a holiday every now and then. Where else would I find a little sister to annoy?"

Her eyes softened. "Only the greatest big sisters kill scary ancient vampires for their siblings. I'll never forget you, Ava. You changed everything for me. I think... I think I'm going to be okay."

"So go grab that future you've been looking for."

She beamed. "I'll tell Parker. He wants to look for his mother, just in case she made it."

"Hey, if you ever need help with that..."

She smiled and waved as she ran out of my house. She didn't need me. I had helped her, and it was time for her to move on. And I was okay, too. I had been holding so much guilt over the people we had lost along the way, and it was as though killing Seth had murdered that guilt, too.

Jessica, Parker, and Adam left a week later. Half of the people in the cul-de-sac were happy to see them go, but I actually cried. I wiped my eyes with my sleeves before anyone could see.

"Thanks for everything," Parker said. "If you ever need to kill things with fire, just call me."

"Next time I see a spider, I'll for sure let you know," I teased.

Adam waited until the others had gotten into the car before he came over to me. "This wasn't what I expected," he admitted. "But she's alive and free, and I can't ask for anything more."

"Just trust her," I said. "She's gone through a lot. She deserves some peace, and she absolutely deserves to have you on her side. Take care of yourself, Adam."

"It's not true what they say about the tainted." He shook my hand. "Thank you for ending my nightmare before I helped it come true." He headed for the car, only stopping to apologise to Anka one last time.

As the three of them rode away, I felt something shift inside of me. My lost soul wasn't so lost anymore, but the connection between us still remained. That was some consolation.

I had to get back to my real life, whatever that meant lately. I had been surprised to see Phoenix arrive to see them off. I wasn't so surprised when he took my arm and led me away from the others.

"They're coming to live with me," he said.

"But I—"

"My children need _me_ , not you." But his tone wasn't harsh. "It's time my family came home to me."

"Are you... I mean, you're not going to ban them from speaking to me or anything, are you?"

His smile was gone before I could relish it. "This isn't a punishment, Ava. But I need them away from the madness. With me, they have the power of the government and the fae behind them. With you, they'll never reach their full potential because they'll be too busy following your lead. It's time they came home, time the fae accepted them and the government moved on from the beasts."

"But the Senate isn't working."

"It's not," he agreed. "But we'll keep fighting for equality until it does work. I want to know my children, Ava. I want them to come to me when they have a problem. I don't want them jumping into your fights to protect you. They have a childish connection to you. It's not good for them. Don't you see that?"

"What about Val? Lucia's not going to leave her behind." I faltered as I caught the pity in his eyes. "She's going with you?"

"I don't want to separate the connection they have. At least, not yet." He cleared his throat. "And as Leah's guardian, Val will be taking her with us."

"Phoenix." I tried my best not to cry, but I was already way too emotional. "You can't take everyone away."

He brushed a tear from my cheek. "You'll always be a part of their lives. But it's my turn to have time with them. And as for Leah, I'll be her guardian, too. I'll protect her. Nobody can keep her safer than I will."

"Somebody owned her once. What if they come back?"

"Then they'll have to come through me. I promise you that won't be easy. I must go. My children will follow. I wanted to warn you before they came to tell you the news."

My chest hurt. My heart hurt. "So that's it? You're taking them away, and that's it?"

"That's it." He lowered his head and kissed my cheek. "Farewell, Ava Delaney."

I knew he was right. I couldn't keep everyone by my side forever. They had to forge bonds without looking to me for help. But that didn't make it hurt any less. I thought of my friends as my strength, and it was scary to think that I needed them too badly to let them go. But I loved them too much to ask them to stay.

Later, when the twins, Val, and Leah came to me to tell me about their decision, I didn't even cry.

Lorcan could barely look me in the eye. "It's just... after what happened to Lucia, I feel like I need to get to know my father. You never know when you'll lose that chance, and I've wasted so much time already."

"You're right," I said.

"You don't mind?"

"Pfft. Of course I don't mind." The lie almost broke my heart again. "We'll still see each other."

Lorcan looked ashamed. Maybe Phoenix was right, and I needed to let them go before they changed their minds.

"We'll always be friends," I said. "But you don't need to hide anymore. It's time you had a chance to find your own lives."

"I loved living here," Leah said softly. "But now you can concentrate on your work instead of having to worry about us all of the time."

I nodded, trying to smile.

"And you still have to sort out those business cards for me," Val said. "You promised to teach me how to run a business." The half-hellhound smirked. "And it's the least you can do after making up a name and telling it to the world."

"You're a comedian," I said. "Get the hell out of here. Just remember to come back for our family meal every now and then."

Val snorted. "As if Carl would ever let us forget. I don't know why we let the human tag along."

She and Lorcan headed for the garden, followed by Leah who protested that, technically, she was human, too.

Lucia stayed, holding her hands out to me. I took them and closed my eyes, waiting for a vision, but none came. I hoped that meant some peace for a while, but I wondered if she had gone willingly with Seth to save us from some possible disaster or simply to bring her father and brother closer together.

I opened my eyes to see that hers were full of unshed tears. "I'll miss you. But your dad is right. You need a safe place. So get out of here before I cry."

She hugged me briefly, engulfing me in cool innocence. And then she was gone.

Later that evening, Peter, Carl, and Esther strode in, laughing and joking and carrying a ton of Chinese food.

"We're having a night in," Carl explained, clearing off my coffee table.

Peter headed into the kitchen with some beer, presumably to make room in the fridge.

"Esther, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"I missed you."

"Aw, we missed your little bald head, too." Carl rubbed the top of her skull.

She thumped the side of his thigh.

"Jesus," he groaned, crumpling. He wrapped his arms around her and dragged her down with him.

"Ugh. Ava's right, you are a big oaf." She extracted herself from him, but her cheeks were a little flushed. _Interesting._

"Okay," Carl said, pulling food containers out of a bag. "After everything that's happened, we thought we could all use a night to relax and catch up and just... veg."

"And Carl figured you'd be upset with the goodbyes." Peter settled in next to me and handed me a glass of juice. "So we're being your friends. We're being there for you." He cleared his throat, a cheeky smirk on his face. "Unlike some other people."

I shoved him and picked up a fork, but I couldn't stop my smile. "Idiot."

Carl went over to the DVD player and put on _The Goonies_. Then, he settled in next to Esther.

"You know, Carl," I said, "someday, you're going to have to move beyond the eighties for entertainment."

"But it's the best kind," he said. "We're kind of like the goonies, you know."

"And which one are you?" Peter asked him.

"He's Chunk," Esther said, giggling. That set me off.

"Shaddup," Carl said, grinning madly. "But it's true. We're the underdogs, but we win in the end."

"Nobody dies in _The Goonies_ ," I said, sighing.

"That's because it's not real life. If that were real life..." Peter frowned. "Which kid would have died?"

"Peter!" I shoved him. "That's not the conversation I want to have tonight."

"Okay, then," Esther said. "Just how good did it feel to chop off the head of the first vampire?"

It had felt good, but what felt better was later hearing that every single beast had dropped dead. It was as if some spark of Seth's mortality had been in their veins, keeping them going. When it ended, so did they.

"It would have felt better if I hadn't been convinced we were all going to die in a fire," I said. "But it was perfect. It was like... saying goodbye to the past. And Jessica's pure light, despite the chaos in her. I mean, it just goes to show that everyone is capable of anything. We just have to make a choice."

"I wonder what the angels think about it," Carl said.

I shook my head. "I don't even care. They had nothing to do with this." But I wondered if their influence was stronger than I liked to think.

"Forget the angels," Esther said. "I have an alpha on my back."

"He won't get to you," I said.

"I'll have to fight him," she said. "It's the only way the shifters will stop."

"Aren't any of them on your side?" Peter asked.

"Some." She waved her fork. "But it doesn't matter what the new governments say. Shifter rules apply."

"I wonder how Shay will deal with that," Carl said.

"Same as the rest of us," I replied. "One day at a time."

As the night wore on, and the protection over us remained strengthened, I finally relaxed. We had pulled off something amazing, and I had handled my first lost soul. Hopefully, the next one would be less dramatic. But I knew the people in my living room would have my back, no matter what.

I had told Jessica I had to fight myself to believe I deserved a good life, but I suddenly realised that my inner struggle was no longer ongoing. And then I settled back to enjoy the rest of the evening with my best friends.

# Introduction

Tethers (Ava Delaney: Lost Souls #2)

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By Claire Farrell

Editing by Red Adept Editing Services

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Ava's been protecting her shifter friend from the alpha for months, but now he's managed to come up with a brand new excuse to take Esther, and the Senate have turned their backs on her completely.

While Ava works to find a way to keep Esther out of Mac's reach for good, a series of violent murders put everyone in the cul-de-sac under suspicion. An entire race will be exterminated the real culprits aren't found, and people like Ava just might be next on the soon-to-be-extinct list.
Copyright © Claire Farrell

Claire_farrell@live.ie

* * *

Cover by Yocla Designs

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Licence Notes:

* * *

_All rights reserved._

 Created with Vellum 

# 1

"Oh, Ava, you must think me a foolish old prude trying to rein in everyone's fun. The type who stays awake at night, dreaming of ways the world will end because of our choices. Heaven knows that's how my colleagues see me." Willow removed her glasses and rubbed the indents on the bridge of her nose. "It's just... the changes have been so swift that I'm worried about the people who fall through the cracks."

I poured the surprisingly disgruntled Senate member a second cup of green tea. "That's always going to be the case. You can't reach everyone, you know?"

Willow represented people like me: those who had nobody else to speak for them. Most of the Senate, and the press, considered her a do-gooder at best, an interfering bat at worst, but at least she _tried_. We'd both known for a while that she was fighting a losing battle, but never before had I seen her look anything less than optimistic or determined.

"It's not good enough. This was supposed to be a better way, but it's exhaustingly stressful." She tugged a lock of her brown hair. "I'm going white! Not just grey—white! I have to dye my hair every four weeks just to keep up. None of my siblings have white hair. This job is running me into the ground. We were all supposed to thrive, strengthen each other, but we're barely better than the old Council." She released a mournful sigh. "Shay was a great loss."

I hid my smile at her theatrical woe. "He didn't die, Willow. He just decided he could do more away from the Senate. If anything, since he broke away, the government pulls fewer of his team's strings. That's a good thing, right?"

"It's true that he's cut through a ton of red tape," she conceded, "but I just can't take to the police commissioner who took his place on the Senate. Mick is too easily persuaded, too concerned with politics and appearances." She frowned. "Which means he can be bought."

"He seems very professional at the press conferences," I said.

"He's dismissive of what I do. In fact, most of the Senate members are dismissive of what I do when they're not concerned with furthering their own causes. I've no idea what Elathan thinks, because he shows up only if and when he feels like it."

"He's been trapped too often to be confined now." I pushed a plate of cookies closer to Willow. My neighbour Anka's special double-chocolate-chip cookies always went a long way toward cheering _me_ up. "And it's good to have a knowledgeable ancient on the road on our country's behalf. He knows things and people who most of us don't even realise we _should_ know. But he can be kind of intimidating to the average person, and he's a strong reminder of the old ways because he was part of the old Council. I think he's making the best of the little he has to work with. "

"And he does enjoy scaring his groupies." She waved a hand when I gave her a questioning look. "You might make a good point about Elathan, but with Phoenix away for some reason he won't even share with the rest of us, we're barely keeping afloat."

I kept my expression blank. Phoenix had left with the twins weeks ago, without so much as a goodbye. Even for him, that was odd.

"And don't get me started on the alpha," Willow continued in an exasperated tone. "He's just one step shy of marking his territory around his seat in the meeting room. He won't listen. He's too busy trying to intimidate everyone else into submission."

"You mean he's trying to alpha his way to the top," I said with a snort. I'd had more than my fill of Mac over the last few months.

Willow managed to force the corners of her lips upward. "There is that. But he's not my only concern. Jack is too close to the police commissioner, not to mention he's a pain in my behind. Daimhín is... well, Daimhín. Vega is more concerned with the rights of exiles than anything else, and there's some kind of tension between Callista and Layla that takes up far too much of their time. Not to mention the... oh, never mind. The point is that if Phoenix doesn't return soon, we may fall apart."

"You won't fall apart," I said firmly. "You're just... still rubbing off the rough edges. That's all."

"The Senate has been in control of supernatural business for over a year," she said bitterly, "and we don't appear to have made anything better. There are rumblings of an official election for the coalition government finally coming to pass. They might decide to end the Senate, too."

"Nobody wants to end the Senate. You _have_ made accomplishments." I held out my hand and listed items on my fingers. "The school, the museum, Shay's integration agents, massive reforms in ancient laws, and reuniting stolen children with their only living relatives. All good things. I didn't even have to think about it."

"But those things were always on the agenda, even from day one. Where have we gotten since then? This country is simmering on the edge of something, Ava. There's a darkness out there, and hidden beneath are those who desperately need our help."

That subdued me. I'd sensed the same thing. "Something changed when the sky went dark, and I suspect we still haven't seen the full effect."

She smiled broadly. I sensed her ill humour leave her as her back straightened. She slipped on her glasses and reached out to take my hand. "I knew _you_ would understand. We are alike in so many ways, my dear. When you have a cause, you fight for it until the end."

_Uh-oh._

"That's why I came here today," she said, still beaming. "I have a proposition for you. You seem to be... treading water."

"I'm trying to stay in business," I said. "I need an income, and the property tax is kind of killing me right now."

She waved a hand. "That's money. That's not what I mean. I want to give you a cause to fight for, Ava. You seem so lost without one."

I pressed my lips together. Without the business side of things, I would have been at a total loss. My very first lost soul had come to me a year ago. After helping her, I'd felt a new resurgence of life. And then... nothing. I was still impatiently waiting for lost soul number two. The Eleven hadn't warned me I might have to wait.

Willow leaned forward in her seat, an expectant gleam in her eyes. "I want you to be an advocate for those without a voice, Ava. You're perfect for it. You're the face of something, and—"

I held up my hands. "I'm not the face of anything anymore. People don't recognise me on the street. They leave me alone, and I like it that way."

"But you look so bored every time I see you. I'm not asking for much, just a recognisable face to something new. So many people need our help. They need to know that strong, independent women like ourselves are willing to speak up for them."

"Speak to who, exactly?"

"Okay." She licked her lips. "People bring things to the Senate. Sometimes, it's an unfairness in an old law. Sometimes, it's to renegotiate. And some people are still indentured, Ava—don't forget it. We need to work hard for them, to make sure they're taken care of."

"I just don't see how I could help with that. I'm not anything to the Senate."

"You make them listen to you. You're not intimidated. And I know you're not led by money or power. You don't let past experiences with certain species sway you from doing what is right. I'm not asking you to give up your life for strangers. I just need someone at my back at times. I'm fighting against the tide here, and I could use someone like you. Desperately."

I saw she meant that, but I had been doing such a great job at avoiding the Senate for so long. _Do I really want to face them now?_

"And it's not just strangers. You've already advocated for others in need," she said, not a little slyly. "I'm talking about people like those special children left behind in that home. I know how hard you worked to get that boy a pass to work in the outside world."

"Noah? That was a lucky break." Actually, I had tormented Phoenix and Shay until they agreed to bring Noah's situation to the rest of the Senate, and I had even exchanged a minor deal with Daimhín to go along with it. Reminding Callista of an old favour hadn't been tough, and Willow had already been on board with the idea. The Senate had voted in my favour, and the kid had been allowed to work in a local garage. Of course, he only received a supplement as an income, but it was a start, and Noah was finding a way to fit in. Unlike a lot of the other children in the home, he didn't have magical powers, but he had been raised to kill. Even though we had rescued him from the slave market, he had still felt like a captive until I'd persuaded the Senate to give him some freedom.

"We both know that's not true." Willow flashed a knowing smile. "You fought for him, and you won. There have been three other cases since then. You advocated for them without even trying."

I fought my smirk. I already knew what I had won. Part of me wondered if Shay had quit his role and Phoenix had left the country so I wouldn't call on them for anything else. Fighting on Noah's behalf had been different from the pleasure of defeating a foe on the battlefield. Maybe a quiet life really was for me.

I'd just opened my mouth to speak when somebody knocked on my front door. "Just let me get that," I said, then winced as the sound repeated more insistently. Great. I already knew who was at the door—an extremely annoying shifter.

"Mac," I said snidely, answering the door. "People will start to talk if you keep turning up on my doorstep like this."

"Where is she?" he demanded gruffly. Mac was tall and broad shouldered, but he had put on weight since becoming alpha, and it didn't suit him.

I sighed. "Esther _still_ isn't here. She would have to be the stupidest person on the planet to be here when you're this predictable."

"No more of the smart mouth," he said, sending saliva flying.

I laid a hand on my roiling stomach. "The news, not the weather, MacDaddy."

With a growl of rage, he kicked. Luckily for him, he caught my door rather than my thigh.

"Careful, now," I said as steadily as I could manage. "Wouldn't want the Senate's golden boy caught destroying property or intimidating women again."

"That was a false accusation!" The massive scar on one side of his face deepened in his rage.

"Somehow, I doubt that." The accusation had been a massive story in the newspapers until the Senate hushed it up, and his reaction had just convinced me of its authenticity.

His lips curled back, revealing teeth clenched with anger. "You _will_ regret that."

"Mac?" Willow joined me at the door. "Is there a problem here?"

He bit down on his fury, but his eyes remained wild. The previous alpha had been a dickhead, too, but at least he'd maintained a modicum of self-control. Fur was bursting through Mac's skin around his cheeks.

"You really need a shave," I said lightly as I moved in front of Willow. If the man shifted, she was much too breakable to be in his way.

He rubbed his face, embarrassment suddenly wiping away the anger. He panted like an animal, but I sensed the shift receding. Still, the alpha didn't look well. His skin was pasty, his eyes were red-rimmed, and his hair was rapidly turning white.

He swallowed hard. "I'm looking for the panther's bitch sister."

"Excuse me?" Willow brushed past me, bristling at his tone and language. "For _who_?"

" _Esther_ ," he ground out. "I know this one is hiding her."

"I've spent the afternoon in her house. There's no shifter inside there."

He sneered. "Of course you'd take her side. You've no backbone. You have no place on the Senate."

"Oh, hi there, kettle," I said. "Go home, Mac. I'm getting tired of this. You won't find Esther unless she wants to be found, and since you're looking for her so she can take her brother's punishment, I'll make sure to send her away if she does come here." The heat had risen in me, too.

"I'm going," he said. "But I'll be back. You're not the only one who can work a majority vote, and your puppets aren't around to help you this time. I'll tether that bitch if it's the last thing I do!" He turned his back and strode off, his gait ungainly for some reason.

The lines on Willow's forehead creased as she frowned. "He's falling apart."

"What's he even talking about?" That was it. Mac had made my mind up for me. "You know what, Willow? You're so right. I'll absolutely help you whenever you need me to. This advocate thing works for me, too. I'm in."

She clapped her hands together. "I can't believe that shifter is good for something. Thank you so much, Ava. You won't regret it. I promise."

She slipped her arm in mine and started babbling about charities, but I couldn't focus anymore. Mac was pushing his luck, and I would have to deal with him eventually. I also needed to get word to Esther that my place wasn't safe for her to visit for a while longer. She had vanished from public view again when Mac started showing up in the cul-de-sac, and I had barely seen her since. She couldn't leave the country, only partly because Mac had everyone watching for her.

Mac leading the shifters on a witch-hunt wasn't fair, and the Senate allowing him to do that wasn't right. But after Phoenix left, Mac got too big for his boots. The unfairness of Esther's situation had lured me into agreeing with Willow, but maybe she was right. Maybe as an advocate, I _could_ figure out a way to help Esther escape the shifters' sick need for vengeance and maybe even drown out that pesky feeling of inadequacy.

I knocked on Peter Brannigan's door and waited impatiently. Willow had buzzed off as though someone had lit a fire under her, but I needed to vent. Carl hadn't been home, and Val was still living on fae territory with Leah, even though Phoenix had spirited away the twins. I definitely didn't want to burden Anka with details about a misogynistic alpha, so I'd turned to Peter as a last resort. That probably wasn't the best idea I'd ever had, and yet I found myself doing it more and more often of late.

He had cooled off considerably, giving me my space while he and Val received more cases, and I had discovered I still wanted to be friends with the man I had initially considered safe and protective—before I'd gone and fallen for him, that was.

The door opened, and I stiffened, completely unprepared for the stranger, a brunette I had never seen before, standing on Peter's doorstep. Was that a _cupcake_ piercing her nostril?

She gazed at me suspiciously, her grey eyes eerily colourless. "Can I help you?"

"Um." _Who the hell are you?_ I wanted to demand. A rush of something boiled up within me, maybe leftovers from my confrontation with Mac. "I'm looking for Peter."

"He's not here," she said brusquely.

_Well, duh._ "Where is he?"

"Who are you?" she asked, her left eye twitching slightly. Her nostrils flared, and she jerked her head to the left as though signalling to someone I couldn't see.

Unsettled, I stepped back. My afternoon was turning into the _weirdest_ day.

A voice shouted my name, and a skinny ten-year-old boy barrelled down the hallway and straight into me.

"Hey." I ruffled Emmett's dark-brown hair, completely forgetting the nutty woman in the doorway. Emmett was one of my favourite people. After being kidnapped as a toddler, the boy had been returned to Peter less than two years ago. The transition hadn't been smooth, and Emmet had bonded with me instead of his father. At almost eleven, he had made a lot of progress, but he was still under the influence of magic that forbade him from speaking of his past. "How are you, kid?"

"Good." His eyes were bright. "Dad's not here."

The woman cleared her throat loudly.

"When are you expecting him back?" I asked, ignoring the pink elephant on the doorstep.

Making that impossible, the woman said, "He's working."

I gripped Emmett a little more tightly and looked at him quizzically.

"Val had something urgent for him," he said. "He'll be back later."

"Tell him I need to talk to him. It's..." I glanced at the woman again. "It's kind of important."

"You haven't met Melody," Emmett said. "Ava, this is Melody. Melody, this is Ava."

"Oh," Melody said knowingly, crossing her arms over her chest. " _You're_ Ava."

I bit back on a snide remark. "How did you meet your new friend, Emmett?"

"Dad had a job." The boy sucked in his lower lip and reddened. "He met Melody, and... um, she's kind of like me."

" _Like_ you?"

"I'm Melody Love, the medium," the woman said as if I ought to know what was going on.

"Oh," I said slowly. "She sees ghosts." I waited, wondering if she controlled the dead, just as Emmett did.

"Spirits," Melody said sharply. "I see spirits." She glanced at Emmett. "People like us need a guide. I'm here to be Emmett's guide."

"A guide?" I frowned. "He already knows how to see spirits." And more.

"It's not about seeing them."

Emmett looked from one of us to another, confusion clouding his features. I was confused, too. Melody's seemingly instant dislike of me was definitely mutual.

Melody sighed when Emmett frowned at her. "It can be dangerous for young mediums. They can have out-of-body experiences and see spirits as a part of them. Sometimes, they get too engrossed with the spirit world to return."

That immediately made me think of Shepherd, who had once sent me back into my own world after I got stuck in another plane of existence. "You're teaching him control?"

"Something like that," she said. "He's so young and so powerful that it would be a shame to see so much talent go to waste. If directed properly, he could be a very successful medium professionally."

I gave Emmett a sceptical look. "You want this to be your job? Talking to ghosts?"

Melody made a frustrated sound through gritted teeth.

"I just want to know more," Emmett said. "I don't know anyone else like me. Melody can answer my questions. 'Sides, she says it's dangerous for someone like me to go it alone."

And Peter was agreeing to Melody's plans? Letting in other people when it came to Emmett didn't sound like Peter. Then again, he kept saying he was changing. Maybe the whole "spirit guide" thing was part of it.

"Well, we have a lot to do today," Melody said, drawing Emmett toward her, out of my reach.

A flash of red-hot emotion burned my chest. I swallowed it. "I'll see you later, Emmett. Don't forget to tell your dad I need to speak to him."

"I'll let him know," Melody said with a weak version of a smile. She ushered Emmett inside and slammed the door behind her.

Baffled by the entire day's events, I turned around and walked away, choking on the waves of emotion wrestling to the surface. What was I even feeling? Confused, yes. Protective, probably. But something else was mixed in there, something entirely unexpected.

Peter had moved on and let somebody new into his life. Emmett had someone other than me to turn to, someone he probably needed even more than he needed me. Keeping everyone I cared about so close wasn't healthy, and that was why I hadn't made a move to stop the twins from leaving or even to discourage Val and Leah from following. But everyone in my life seemed to have found a new path. Carl had the school to contend with, Anka had her business with Margie up and running, and even Peter and Emmett had this Melody person in their lives. Peter had let her take care of Emmett when I was free, without even introducing her to me. Everyone had moved on, but for the past year, I had been running in place.

And maybe that was really why I'd said yes to Willow and why I felt so eager to put Mac in his place. I needed a project just for me. Being the Matriarch hadn't exactly made my life busy so far, despite my memorable first try. Something was missing from my life, and I hadn't been able to quite put my finger on what that was.

And as I returned to my own house, I finally recognised the feelings that had engulfed me at Peter's doorstep in front of Melody bloody Love, the so-called medium. For the first time, and completely unexpectedly, I had been experiencing out-and-out human jealousy. _Damnit._

# 2

A hammer, or maybe a tank, tried to break down my front door a few days later, pulling me from a nice, warm, non-annoying dream. Bleary-eyed, I glanced at my watch and discovered it was still stupid o'clock. I sat up and pulled on some clothes, noting that dawn was trying to break through on the horizon. The banging repeated, somehow echoing all across the cul-de-sac. Concerned, I looked out the window. Figures stood at every front door in the cul-de-sac, obnoxiously attempting to wake the entire neighbourhood.

_Oh, hell no._

Furious, I sprinted down the stairs as the banging on my door resumed. I swung open the front door, my fangs on display. My appearance forced the two men at my door to simultaneously take a step back, their apprehension stinking the air.

"What in the _hell_ is so important that you have to wake everyone up before the bloody sun rises?" I demanded.

"There she is," Mac called out in an unbelievably smug tone. "Step aside, boys. I'll deal with her." He strode into my garden, holding up a piece of paper. "I'm acting under the authority of the Irish Senate to take your shifter friend into custody. Esther is mine, and the Senate agrees." He shoved the paper at me.

I ripped it out of his hands. It was some kind of permit, freshly stamped with the Senate seal. "Who did this?"

He leaned forward until his nose nearly touched mine. "I did this, little lady, so you had better get used to it."

"Who did you bribe and threaten for this crap?" I asked, fighting the urge to crumple the paper in my hands.

"This is the law," he said. "It's the law of my people, the law of the shifters, and now it's the law of the entire country. My traditions supersede any crap you human-lovers can come up with."

"So find Aiden! Leave Esther out of this!"

"Oh, it's not just about retribution anymore. I warned you not to push me, and now you're five steps behind. While you've been making enemies, I've been making allies." His sneer grew excited. "The fact that Aiden might return to save his precious sister is just a bonus. He turned us from our true path, from our true ways. He let shifters leave the pack, and—"

"Oh, noes. He was such a monster."

He ground his teeth noisily. "You don't know what you're talking about. I'm not the only one who knows what happens when shifters go untethered for too long."

"Do I look like someone who knows what the hell you're on about?"

He lowered his voice, his eyes sparking with passion. "Esther is a danger to the people of this country because she is untethered. She is without pack, and shifters without a pack—and more importantly without an _alpha_ —are vicious, unpredictable, and feral."

"Wow. Esther should feel honoured that you made up that little spiel just for her."

"It's not made up!"

"Oh, please. Vicious, unpredictable, and feral? You just described yourself."

"I am _alpha_ ," he bellowed. "The untethered have long been a cause for concern, and Aiden let it get out of hand. Now that I'm in charge, I'm prepared to rein in high-risk shifters."

"High risk because she doesn't want to join your little pack? Give me a break, Mac. Even you can do better than that."

"Ignorant little half-breeds should do their homework before opening their mouths. I'm pushing for a return to the old laws forbidding the untethered. Your little friend is dangerous. We need to avoid any more incidents before even more Irish citizens flee the country in terror."

"Seriously? You're blaming emigration on Esther? Nothing to do with the incompetence of the previous governments or the recession or any number of fucking serious reasons! Get a grip. This is personal for you. What's wrong? Are you afraid she'll try to take the alpha role from you?"

"As if a _woman_ could," he said. "There's never been a female alpha in Ireland, and there's never been one as broken as Esther. Don't think I haven't heard about her brain damage."

I rolled my eyes. "If she isn't a threat, why can't you back off?"

"You don't have people," he said, lowering his voice. "You don't understand what we must do to protect them."

"This isn't protecting anyone. It's just causing more problems!"

"This is the only choice, and higher powers are ready to back me up. I was willing to give you a chance, but you've gone against me far too many times. I can't sit back and wait any longer. I'm coming for Esther, whether you like it or not, and I have permission to search every building in this neighbourhood."

"Leave the rest of them alone. _Please_." Swallowing my anger killed me. "Esther isn't here. You can look in my place all you want, but this has nothing to do with the rest of these people."

He smiled. "Should have thought about that before you decided not to cooperate, Delaney. This is what your smart mouth earned you." He raised his hands. "Go to it, lads. No need to be gentle."

His shifter duo pushed me aside and strode into my house. Something inside of me broke. I didn't see the point of signing away a century of my life to a secret group of powerful people if they couldn't even stop my home from being invaded. I made to follow, but Mac got in my way. I resisted the urge to back away from him. Even his scent was obnoxious.

"Don't even think about it," he said. "I know your kind. Go whine somewhere else."

"If they break anything, they're paying for it," I retorted.

I headed out of my garden and toward Peter, who was having a raging argument with the shifter attempting to gain entry to his home.

"You can't just come into my house!" he shouted. Emmett's pale, worried face peeked out from behind him in the hallway.

"The quicker you let them in, the quicker they'll be gone," I said, but I really wanted to punch the shifter out.

"Thank you," the shifter said, looking embarrassed when Peter finally stepped aside.

"What the hell is this?" Peter asked me, holding Emmett close.

"Mac asserting his power," I said. "It'll be over soon," I added for Emmett's benefit.

We moved into the centre of the road to group up with other dismayed residents.

Carl strode toward us. At well over six feet, he looked every inch of his height while angry. "He's trying to fucking dominate us. He might as well start humping our legs."

"Let's hope it doesn't go that far," I tried to joke.

My normally mild-mannered best friend's cheeks had turned puce. "I _hate_ this prick."

"I hate shifters." Peter absentmindedly scratched his three-day-old stubble. "I've decided."

"Esther's a shifter. So is Val. Think again," I said.

"They're not like _this_. Even Aiden wasn't like this," he said. "Who does Mac think he is?"

"He got permission from the Senate." I shrugged. "Looks like the Senate's against us now."

"Worst thing that ever happened to us was Shay retiring from the Senate," Carl said. "Is this really about punishing Esther? It just seems so ridiculous."

"It's personal," I said. "But he has a new excuse. Esther's untethered from a pack, and untethered shifters go wild or some crap like that. He reckons she's a danger now, and apparently, the Senate agrees. Oh, and some mysterious higher power is going to back up the shifters. Willow was just here a few days ago. Why didn't she warn me?"

"I'm going to call Shay," Carl said. "See if he can do something."

I looked at Peter. "I doubt he can. Not now."

Peter was still staring at his house, his mouth twisted into a grimace. "I reckon Mac did this without most of the Senate knowing. All he needs is the majority vote, right?"

"Looks that way. But he would have to bring it to the entire Senate, no?"

Peter shrugged. "Things have changed."

"Never thought I'd wish Elathan would come back," I said. _And Phoenix._

Peter pulled Emmett closer. "He's always had a soft spot for Esther, but he doesn't seem interested in actually leading anything here."

"I know." I glanced at him. "I met Melody, by the way."

"Yeah." His gaze shifted away from mine. "I texted you when I got back."

"I had already vented to Carl by then." I bit my lip. "So Emmett needs a guide?"

"Yeah, I kind of... bumped into Melody on a job last October. She filled me in on the dangers of him becoming a wanderer."

"A wanderer?"

"A kid who's more into death than life and walks with the spirits until they sort of lose their way home."

"Sounds scary."

"It is. But he seems okay, right?"

"He's definitely happy," I said. "Are you?"

He gave me a sharp look and opened his mouth to speak, but a loud crashing sound from inside my home stopped him.

"Oh, no, they bloody well didn't!" I raced over to my house.

Mac, along with a pair of oversized shifters at his shoulders, blocked my way. "Now, now," he said, unable to contain his smile. "Let the boys do their job."

"They're wrecking my house!"

He shrugged. "Accidents happen."

"That's my... there are sensitive relics in there. You can't just barge in and wreck the place because you have a bone to pick with someone who knows me."

He closed the space between us. Up close, his eyes looked wild, as though his average-looking body could barely contain his animal half. I shivered at the void staring back at me, wondering how the hell the shifters had managed to find an alpha who actually beat Aiden as the worst shifter of all time.

"You don't have a choice," he said in a distinctly growly voice. "What are you going to do? Take on the Senate? There's nobody left with a soft spot for you. We've cut the wheat from the chaff already, Delaney, and you're the one left lacking. Now back away before I teach you what an alpha truly is."

"You wouldn't know what an alpha truly was if one beat the shift out of you right now," I spat. "Get out of my house, Mac."

"You think you can take on the entire pack?" he asked, chuffing softly. "Do you think the innocent little children would survive that?"

Shocked by the overt threat, I froze. Then the heat came, burning my veins with a longing for violence. Blood pounded in my ears, and I took a step forward, sending the alpha back a step. "Do _not_ threaten the people I care about, Mac. That might be dangerous, even for the worst alpha." I held his gaze, seething with fury, and he dropped his first. _Some alpha he is._

He quickly recovered. "She threatens me." He barked out a laugh. "And she thinks that Esther is the end of the line." He poked my shoulder. "I'm just _starting_ with Esther, but after that, I'm coming back. You're hiding the most pathetic bunch of mongrels here, and I won't have it. You crossed me, tried to make a fool out of me, and now you'll pay."

"You've been imagining confrontations with me." I steeled myself as his face reddened. I couldn't fall into his trap and attack him first, even if my fangs were itching to appear. "Is it playing out the way you hoped?"

He gripped the collar of my shirt, his pupils dilating.

My fangs did break through then, and I caught the scent of Mac's fear.

"Mac!" Shay shouted.

The ugly alpha let go and shoved me back a step, mostly to save face.

My fangs retracted as I looked over my shoulder. My Garda friend was surrounded by pairs of the integration agents under his command, at least two of whom were shifters. None of them looked as though they felt any comradery with Mac.

"And what do _you_ want, human?" Mac asked, folding his arms across his chest.

Shifters' hearts beat at a faster rate than humans' did, but I was struggling to count Mac's. He was in fight-or-flight mode.

"You've gotten your money's worth," Shay said, his voice uncharacteristically cold. "Now leave. You didn't find Esther. I highly doubt she's hiding behind the bookcases."

Mac strode over to Shay, getting in his face. The shifters on Shay's team moved to block the way. The male looked down at Mac, unflinching. I didn't understand why Mac wasn't calling them untethered. They obviously weren't loyal to the pack anymore.

Mac scoffed before waving his hands. "Come on, boys. We'll be back for the second round soon."

I glared at the shifters still loitering in my hallway. "You heard him. Get out."

They reluctantly followed Mac, who exchanged a few more barbs with Shay's shifters before showing signs of actually leaving.

Shaking his head, Shay met me halfway across the cul-de-sac. "Everyone all right?" he asked.

"He threatened the kids." I folded my arms across my chest. "And he had a stupid piece of paper telling me that I couldn't do anything about him. I was powerless. I _hate_ him."

"We'll make sure they all leave." He avoided my eyes. "If there's anyone you need to go see today, you might not want to use the front door."

I nodded gratefully to him and his team as they escorted the shifters out of the cul-de-sac. Shay might have distanced himself from us over the last few months, but I could count on him in a crisis. And Mac counted as a crisis.

I signalled to Peter then stepped into my house. The shifters had trashed the place. I swallowed a sudden lump in my throat as I walked right through and out to my back garden. I soundlessly climbed the wall, too full of anger to worry about falling off. Mac had come into my territory and threatened my people. I had to figure out a way to deal with him before he destroyed everything. I jumped off the wall, barely missing a thick hedge, and ran through the property behind my house. Though it looked abandoned, I secretly owned it.

I ran through thigh-tall grass as best I could, counting each step to focus my boiling rage, then rushed through a small wooded area. I finally reached the back roads that would eventually lead me to a block of flats. Being forced to go to such lengths to visit a friend was ridiculous, but the world wasn't as safe as I'd imagined it would be. We had changed everything, and yet so much had stayed the same.

I ran, careful to make sure I wasn't being followed, and had calmed down significantly by the time I reached the place where Moses lived. A couple of women waved at me, giving me warm smiles that drove away the cold Mac had embedded into my chest. He'd made me feel vulnerable, but worse, he had surprised me. I hated that. I knew the nearby brethni would sound a warning if Mac finally figured out that he should search the flats—that was the only reason I had agreed with Esther when she wanted to return there when Mac became troublesome. I had wanted to ask Val if Esther could stay in the sanctuary, but I wasn't sure where Phoenix would stand on that matter, so I left the half-hellhound out of it. _At least for now._

I jogged up the stairwell to Moses's flat. He answered wearing a white-and-orange knit hat with flaps that dangled over his ears. It didn't mesh with the thick gold chain around his neck or the oversized medallions he wore on his chubby fingers.

I blinked a couple of times, feeling disoriented for the second time that morning. "What's with the hat?"

Sheepishly, he pulled it off his head. "Ah, yeah, that. I knitted it myself."

I snorted. "No, you didn't."

"I did! Me ma got one of those knitting loom things because Esther thinks her hands are like paws holding knitting needles. Esther got bored after five minutes, but I dunno—it's kind of relaxing."

I kept my face blank, hiding my amusement. "Cool. Knit me a scarf or something. So can I come in, or are we going to stand here, swapping patterns?"

"Yeah, come on." He moved aside and waved me in. He was starting to plump back up again, and it suited him better than the gaunt look that worry had given him. "Anything going on?"

I nodded then smiled at his mother, who always seemed to clear the room when I arrived. Esther was scowling on the sofa, flicking through stations on the television, when I stepped into the living room. She brightened when she saw me, leaping up off her chair to embrace me.

"Hey," she said excitedly. "How is everyone? Any news? I've been trying to call."

"I've warned everyone not to call, just in case. Mac was back today."

She scowled. "What's new?"

"He got permission from the Senate this time—that's what's new," I said. "He let his shifters trash my house, and he threatened everyone, even the kids. I couldn't do anything. It was so frustrating."

"Hold on," Moses said. "Why would the Senate even agree to that?"

I shrugged. "They must have voted. Shay showed up before things got too tense, and Mac left, so I assume he wasn't supposed to actually destroy anything." I groaned. "I probably brought that on myself. I made a comment about him trashing that shifter woman's house because she left the pack to be with a human."

Esther clenched her fists. "That shifter woman left _Mac_ to be with a human. I tried to contact her, you know."

" _Esther._ " She wasn't supposed to be communicating with the shifters while wearing that big neon target on her back.

"I had to try. And get this—nobody's heard from her since then. She's vanished."

"You think Mac hurt her?" Moses asked.

"Actually, I think he forced her to stay with the pack. He could be keeping her prisoner, for all I know."

I gently kicked her shoe. "Then he'll do worse to you. He has permission to take you in since he somehow convinced the Senate that you're dangerous because you're not aligned to a pack."

She snapped her fingers. "So that's what he's doing. I've tried to reach out to lone shifters, the ones who don't associate with the pack for whatever reason. The only ones I can track down who aren't with Mac are with Shay."

"So if he goes after you, he'll have reason to go after Shay's shifters, too," Moses said. "If the Senate backs Mac, then Shay won't be able to protect his own people. I'll have to warn him."

"Do that," I said. "It's better coming from you. Nobody in the Senate knows you now, not really. And you're human. But if they come here..."

Moses cracked his knuckles. "The brethni will help us teach them not to come back. This is serious shit, Ava. I might not be scary anymore, but I'm not about to let any shitebag shifter come here and try to show us who's boss."

"He's really making enemies for himself," I said. "Why even bother? He's acting like a nutcase."

"He's trying to assert himself. There might be rumblings of somebody else challenging him," Esther said. "This will keep them in line for a while. I mean, who else would want to go against so many people?" She frowned. "And all for an ancient rule that nobody even thinks about anymore."

"Think somebody ancient put it into his head?" I asked. "He was boasting about higher powers on his side."

"It's possible, but who? And what would they have to gain?" She thrummed her fingers against her chin. "I'm missing something here. I have to be."

"He said he'll be back," I told her. "I don't like it, but it means you can't visit us, Esther. It's not safe. I have to take the back route just to get here. I can't risk leading them to you."

"This is all on me," she said. "I have to deal with him, Ava. I think I'm going to have to challenge him."

"There's no way," I said. "You can't challenge the alpha. You're still recovering."

She made a face. "I've been recovering for a year, Ava. This is the best I'm going to get."

"Do you really think he'll fight fair?" I demanded. "He's adamant that a woman will never be alpha, particularly one like you."

"What does that mean?" Moses asked. "Because your father was human?"

She shook her head. "I'm not the right kind of shifter. My mother wasn't even European, never mind Irish. We're a different type, and he's playing on that."

"Different type?"

"Think of the real animal world," Esther said wearily. "A new predator amongst an established ecosystem creates havoc. He's trying to scare people into thinking that shifters like Aiden and me are the predators who don't belong."

"You're not a predator," I said softly. "You're not what he says you are."

"Well, maybe it's time I showed him what kind of predator I am," she said coldly. "Because if I don't, he's never going to stop, and all of the people I care about are going to get hurt because of me."

"None of us feel that way," I said. "None of us blame you for his actions."

"You don't have to," she said. "I'm doing enough blaming for all of us. And I'm done with hiding, Ava. I want to come home. Moses has been great. Everyone here is great, but I want to stop running. The shifters should be my people, but they've cast me out. It's time I showed them that I'm not scared. It's time I faced Mac."

A chill spread up my spine at the determined look in her eye. Esther would never beat the shifters—not alone.

# 3

I managed to convince Esther to stay put for at least a little while longer. When I felt confident that she wasn't about to run screaming for the nearest shifter, I returned home and found a few of my friends cleaning up my house.

"Oh, get out," I said, secretly pleased. "It isn't up to any of you to clean this mess up."

"We wanted to surprise you," Dita said. "Mam's making you cookies and everything."

"That was my idea," Emmett immediately said.

She thumped him in the arm. "Was not."

I rolled my eyes. "All right, you two. Was a headache part of the plan, too? Why don't you go make sure Anka puts extra chocolate in this batch? I think we deserve it, right?"

They hurried out the door, each child trying to shove the other out of the way.

"You can head on, too," I told Carl. "I'll finish this off."

"No chance of us leaving you alone with this." Carl swept up the remains of a painfully expensive vase I had been preparing to sell. "We're all in this together."

"I feel sick right now." I reached for a dustpan and got on my hands and knees to help. "Esther thinks she should challenge Mac."

He knelt next to me, the colour draining from his cheeks. "She can't do that. She's not strong enough."

"Try telling that to the poked bear. She's just done with hiding. To be fair, she was done months ago, and we persuaded her to wait it out. Maybe I was wrong."

Carl hissed as he sliced his finger on a piece of broken ceramic. "Damn it."

"I have plasters in the kitchen. Come on."

He trotted after me like an obedient puppy. Once, the sight and smell of his blood might have tempted me, but that side of me had been growing steadily easier to control since I'd joined the Eleven. Even I had to admit there were some bonuses—just not the ones I had imagined.

"Mac's lost the plot," Carl said as I washed his wound. "If Phoenix or Elathan were here, none of this would have gone down."

"Wouldn't it?" I asked. "I mean, Mac managed to get the Senate on board with this. We can't trust anyone there now."

"He got a couple of votes. That doesn't mean the entire Senate is against us," he said.

I dried his hand and wrapped a child's bandage around his thumb as best I could. "Well, I plan on finding out. I'm going to reach out to Daimhín first. She might be the most devious member of the Senate, but conversely, she's the most likely to be frank about where she stands on this. I may have just run out of favours with her."

He leaned his upper body on the counter so I wouldn't have to look up at him. "Stupid vampire if she turns on you."

"She's never been my biggest fan. But did you notice how weird Mac was acting today? Every time I see him, he's lost a little more control. Why is that?"

"He looks terrible," Carl said. "And he was putting on a show for the others."

"The shifters?"

"Yeah." He nudged me. "You know, to let them know he's in charge of all the things."

"The big weirdo." I frowned. "I better go see the damage upstairs. I swear, if those shifters were rooting around in my underwear drawer, I'm going to break their fingers."

Sniggering, he shook out a fresh bin bag and followed me upstairs. "How's Esther really dealing with all of this?"

"She's pissed. So am I, for that matter. I should have done _something_. None of you deserved to have shifters nosing through your things. There are benefits to having people afraid of you." I sighed as I opened the door to my bedroom. "Maybe I've mellowed out too much."

"You did the right thing by not protesting too much, Ava. That's probably exactly what he wanted."

Inside the room, I scowled at my clothes flung all over the place. "It's infuriating. Esther told me he's bringing up old rivalries or something. He says because she and Aiden aren't technically the right kind of shifter here, they're a threat. People will happily go along with that kind of mentality if it gets him off their backs."

"And we'll happily go against it." He picked up a bra and tossed it at my face. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself. We'll deal with this the way we deal with everything. Together."

I fell silent. We had been like a family, but everyone had moved on with their own lives. Dragging them back into more drama wasn't fair.

Carl picked up a broken picture frame. "Shay wasn't happy, for the record."

"Of course he wasn't." Peter came into my room, cradling a small ornament that was cracked down the centre. I hadn't even realised he was in the house. "I found this in your bathroom. Thought it looked valuable. Maybe it can be fixed."

I groaned when I realised which talisman it was. "There's no fixing that. The power's already leached through the crack. That was going to feed me for two months. Bloody shifters."

Peter tutted sympathetically. "This kind of thing is probably the reason Shay isn't working with the Senate anymore."

"He still has to work _for_ them," I corrected.

"But Mac scarpered when Shay showed up with his team. That counts for something."

Yet I felt sure that Mac had already been desperate to leave. "But is it always going to be like this? Us caught in the middle and having to fight back against whoever is in charge?" I chanced a question I hadn't dared ask before. "Has Val mentioned when Phoenix will come back?"

Peter rubbed the back of his head, again looking uncomfortable. "She doesn't talk about the fae much."

"Is she pissed that Lucia hasn't come back yet?" Carl asked.

"That's her business." Peter turned his back to me. "She won't be happy to hear about this."

"You going into the office tomorrow?" I asked. "Will Val be there?"

He looked at me, puzzled. "Yeah, but why not go see her at home today?"

"I want to finish up here," I said. "I need to check inventory and see what I've lost to Mac's tantrum."

"I keep telling her she should keep her stock elsewhere," Carl said. "Tell him why you won't, Ava."

"What? I like looking at it all. What's wrong with that?"

He grinned broadly. "She decorates her place with the stuff before she sells it on."

The men exchanged amused glances.

"Oh, stop that, the pair of you."

"I'll help you check your inventory," Peter said. "I'll even drive you over to Val afterward."

"Can't." I grimaced. "I'm going to face Daimhín later and see what she knows about the direction the Senate is taking right now."

"Is that safe?"

"Is anything?" I shrugged. "I need answers before Esther tries to fix this herself. If Mac gets his hands on her, I can't see any of us sitting back and watching. This is the kind of trouble he seems to want. I'm not even sure he's after Esther. I think he just wants to take care of a lot of things with one fell swoop."

"I'm pretty sure he still wants the werewolves to join his pack," Peter said in a warning tone. "You can't fight the werewolves."

"I won't have to," I said sharply. "There's no way Phoenix will let that happen."

He seemed about to say something but sighed instead. "You're right. And maybe Aiden will face the music before Esther has to so we can stop worrying."

I breathed deeply and moved on with the cleaning. I had a nasty feeling at the base of my spine that we had jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.

I warily eyed the man and woman standing guard outside Daimhín's mansion. I didn't recognise the pair, but I had used my other senses to double-check their species. Definitely shifter. They gave me blank stares in return, but my mind had already put plenty of numbers together. The shifters were working for Daimhín, maybe in exchange for a yes vote.

"I'm here to see the queen," I said tersely when they hadn't moved aside.

The blonde nodded at her male companion and stepped out of my way. The hair on my arms stood up as I walked between them. They were poised for attack, but they didn't make a move as I stepped up to the house. Although she always made it clear she was the boss, Daimhín never overdid the drama surrounding her home, unlike certain other vampires I had come across.

A young human volunteer opened the glass-paned front door with a cheery smile. "We've been expecting you."

"Of course you have," I said as I brushed past him. I didn't need directions to Daimhín's living room, and I didn't hesitate outside the door. I barged right in, much to the volunteer's dismay.

Inside the cream-toned room, the Irish vampire queen was holding court with her current favourite vampires and volunteers. They lounged on soft furnishings, looking sated and comfortable, but I barely recognised a face amongst them. The child seer, Eloise, was nowhere to be seen, and Daimhín's old bodyguard Zion had been murdered by the very first vampire the year before. A lot had changed since I'd first met Daimhín. I used to be scared stepping into the lair of the vampire queen. Nowadays, I wanted to slap her for being so bloody stupid.

Daimhín raised her eyebrows at my appearance, but that was her only greeting. She looked as neat and relaxed as always, maybe even a little too comfortable. Her decrepit skin was brightened by a flush in her cheeks that only a recent feed could have caused.

"I see the new staff is a little bit alive for your usual requirements," I said. "Were they a 'please vote yes' bribe or a 'please don't eat me' gesture?"

"A little of both, probably."

I couldn't hide my distaste. "Just like that."

"The Senate has given me a good position, and the volunteers have been climbing over each other to offer themselves up. I've never been this well fed in my entire existence. And if I have to say yes to make a shifter stop talking every now and then, then so be it."

"That alpha is out of line."

The corners of her mouth twitched. "He's exceptionally annoying, isn't he? All he has going for him is... actually, I don't know what he has in his favour, but he certainly has no foresight."

"Then why are you siding with him? Why did the Senate let him destroy my house today?"

"Well"—she made a lazy gesture with her hand—"technically, the Senate merely allowed him to look for a shifter. As far as he's concerned, all of the shifters in Ireland belong to him."

"Well, they don't!"

"And he'll discover that soon enough. I wouldn't worry about the shifter alpha. I have it on good authority that a more... nomad tribe is returning home this year. He won't be alpha for long, as it happens."

"But in the meantime, you'll accept his gifts and do his bidding?"

She leaned forward scarily fast, her eyes blood red with only dashes of blue in their midst. "Careful what you insinuate, tainted one. I'm in no mood for your insults tonight."

"But you're finally coming out in the open, aren't you?"

She blinked a couple of times. "Out in the open?"

"You're choosing a side," I said. "You're standing against me, and you're picking the alpha. Good to know." I turned to leave.

"Ms. Delaney—"

I held up a hand to cut her off. "The new bodyguards aren't a patch on Zion, just so you know." And I left the vampire queen behind, knowing I would find no ally in her lair.

The walk home gave me time to think. Esther had guessed that somebody might have challenged Mac, and Daimhín had more or less confirmed it with the announcement that another group of shifters were returning to Ireland soon. _Whatever 'nomad' means when it comes to the shifters..._ The point was that the shifters would be in a time of change themselves.

Perhaps, if I could just keep Esther out of their way long enough for the new pack to take care of Mac, I wouldn't have to worry. If anything, I could try to align myself with the new shifters, providing they weren't more obnoxious than Mac was. Although being _that_ obnoxious seemed impossible.

Still, I had to know if Phoenix was going to come back soon. Even before he left so abruptly, I hadn't spoken to him much. I wasn't sure he was still on our side, but Lorcan certainly was. Esther had been injured while helping the twins back in Liverpool. That was something I could use should Phoenix stand on Mac's side.

Willow had said I was bored, and right then, I was really wishing for that boredom again. Well, almost.

The next day, Willow called me and begged my forgiveness.

"I had _no_ idea Mac was going to do that. The Senate didn't bring this to everyone."

"Just enough for a majority vote," I said. "Daimhín was given two nice shifter bodyguards to say yes."

"Bribery?" Willow sounded disgusted. "And Vega isn't in Dublin, so she hardly had a say. I'm sure Callista wouldn't have voted against you. The commissioner is gone for meetings in the north, so I doubt he was included."

"It doesn't matter much anymore," I said. "The Senate is disjointed. Nobody knows what anybody else is doing. You need somebody to take charge, somebody who isn't afraid to include everyone, even if they might disagree."

"You're right. Initially, I thought Phoenix would be the one, but then he left without notice, barely saying a word. How can we trust him with the Senate now? It'll come to the point where Mac is the only viable option. He has warriors on his side, after all."

"Can't you try to get in touch with Phoenix?"

"No. He's left us a handful of messages, probably to reassure us of his safety, but I have no way of speaking to him."

"That's strange. Where is he?"

"I have no idea." She paused. "I'm worried, to be frank."

"I haven't heard from the twins, either, except for a postcard a few days after they left. I didn't think people even did that anymore. Anyway, thanks for calling. I did wonder what was going on."

"Don't hesitate to get in touch with me if you need my help," she said anxiously. "I really hope this doesn't interfere with your advocacy."

"If anything, Mac just makes me more determined to help," I said. "I'll talk to you soon, Willow."

After I hung up, I debated going to see Val. She probably didn't know when Phoenix would return, either. But I was worried about her. Val had been acting off for months, and since Lucia left, she had retreated completely out of our lives. Whenever I asked Peter about her, he tended to clam up. I had the distinct feeling that the half-hellhound was avoiding me, but I had no idea why.

With that in mind, I headed over to Peter's house before he left for the office. I sat on his wall and waited for him to return from dropping Emmett at school. He seemed surprised to see me waiting.

"I want to see Val," I explained.

"Ah. Want a coffee to go?"

I shook my head and got into the car. We had run from so much danger in that car, but now I had to keep dealing with boring politics. I noticed that Peter looked uncomfortable when he came back out of his house with his flask.

"I can see her at home if this is a bad time," I said hesitantly when he sat in the driver's seat.

"No, that's not it. I'm just not sure how helpful Val will be, and I don't want you to..." He looked away. "Let's just go."

"No, tell me."

"Just try not to mention Lucia too much when we get there," he said, ending the conversation.

I supposed that made sense, but it was odd that Peter would even think of Val's discomfort if I brought up her relationship with Phoenix's daughter. I chanced a sly look at him. Was Peter actually warming up to the fact even supernatural people had feelings?

"Stop looking at me," he said after a moment, as he pulled away from the cul-de-sac.

Laughing softly, I turned on the radio, just in time for a talk-show discussion about supernatural beings taking all of the "normal" jobs.

Peter soon switched it off in disgust. "Idiots. As if we're not all walking on eggshells as it is."

"Wasn't so long ago that you hated supernaturals with every fibre of your being," I teased.

I'd meant it lightly, but he gave me a serious look in return. "That was before I fell for you."

After that, the conversation dried up as the tension grew overwhelming. I just _could not_ with Peter.

We arrived at the premises of my solicitor, Martin Breslin, shortly afterward. I had given Val and Peter the room above Breslin to use as their office while they were getting things together. Their business wasn't exactly booming, but they were still eating out on their high-profile success from months ago.

Martin came to the front door to greet me. His very-pregnant secretary was sitting on a chair, with her shoes off, looking extremely uncomfortable. I made a mental note to suggest a few replacement options for when she went on maternity leave. We exchanged pleasantries, then I followed Peter upstairs.

The office of Valeria Brannigan Investigations was furnished with a narrow desk, two plastic chairs, and a sparsely filled bookshelf.

Val was sitting at the desk, writing in a notebook. I knew she must have caught my scent, but she didn't even look up from her writing.

"Wow," I said. "You've really turned this into a home away from home. How do you ever make yourself leave this place?"

Peter took the second chair and cleared his throat. Val looked up at me and made an attempt at a smile.

"No hello?" I asked, curious at the change in her attitude.

"Hello, Ava. Can I help you?"

"A rather cold greeting for an old friend." I wandered over to the bookshelf. "I take it you heard about the trouble we've been having from Mac."

"I know he's been showing up, asking for Esther," she said.

"He came with permission from the Senate," Peter said. "They searched every house in the cul-de-sac and trashed Ava's for good measure."

The pen in Val's hand cracked apart. She threw the pieces into the bin next to her desk. I had a curious peek to see if it was full of broken writing utensils—and found fewer than I expected.

"No," she said. "He wouldn't dare."

"Oh, he dared." I grimaced at the memory. "I got in his face, and he said he didn't think the children would survive the battle."

Val jumped up from her seat, a growl emanating from deep in her throat. "I'll kill him. I'll separate his head from his shoulders." Her own shoulders appeared to have enlarged before my eyes.

"The Senate is backing him," Peter said.

"Then I'll come back to the cul-de-sac and wait for his next visit."

I hid my smile. Val might have distanced herself from us, but she still cared. "Daimhín told me some other shifters might be displacing him this year. Mac has more to worry about than us, apparently. The thing is, Daimhín let him bribe her for her vote, but Willow never even heard about this. The Senate is unreliable now. Have you any idea when Phoenix might return?"

She visibly deflated and exchanged a look with Peter. "No idea at all," she said.

"Esther thinks she should challenge Mac herself."

Val looked aghast. "She wouldn't survive."

"She won't survive if Mac manages to find her."

"You can't let her do this," she insisted.

"You know how she is. The bear can't let things lie. I need your help with her. The thing is, Mac's making a big deal about a shifter not having a pack, and he's boasting about her being the first on his list. You're technically a shifter, Val. He might come after you next."

She chewed on that idea for a moment. "And if he succeeds with us, he'll move on to the werewolves."

"Bingo. Phoenix needs to be here, if only for that. I'd beg you to come back to us, but you might be safer in the sanctuary. I'm afraid they'll come for you while we're distracted with Esther. She said that every free shifter she knows of has disappeared. Either they're dead or are being forced to stay with the pack. What's off-limits to people like that?"

She swore under her breath. "All this because of Aiden."

"So they say," Peter added.

She jolted. "What does that mean?"

"We think it might be an excuse," I explained. "A lot of people have targets on their backs right now, and you're strong, Val. You could win a challenge against Mac."

She released a sound of disgust and sat back down. "I could, but I don't wish to run a pack. Especially not his."

"Right, but in Mac's eyes, you're still a threat. Your strength and dominance makes you a risk that Mac won't want to take. That means taking you out of the equation completely," Peter said.

"Add that to the fact you're a woman—and Mac wants women barefoot and pregnant—and you can see why we might worry," I said. "Leah will get caught up in the aftermath if you take on the shifters that might come for you."

"Are you sure I shouldn't return?" Val asked, almost desperately. "What about Anka and Dita?"

"What if they came here for a while?" I suggested. "The cul-de-sac is supposed to be protected, but I have doubts about the authenticity of that claim. If someone like Mac can walk right in..."

"Unless he hasn't wanted to harm anyone before," Peter said.

"Can I trust that, though?"

"I trust it," he said firmly.

"Anka won't come here," Val said. "She trusts in it, too."

"At least she'll have the option to change her mind," I said. "All of them do."

My phone rang in my pocket. "Hold on." I frowned when a familiar name popped up on the screen. "It's Margie."

The old woman was upset when I answered, and by the time I hung up, I was shaking with anger. "Margie and Anka just arrived at their shop. It's been completely trashed."

"Let's go," Val said. Peter was already on his way out the door.

Anka and Margie's "little" potion-making business had been so successful that they had persuaded me to rent them a shop. I used the income to buy half their stock on a regular basis, and everyone was happy. The sweet, homey apothecary shop provided both women's only income.

Peter broke red lights while driving to the shop, where we found Anka and Margie cleaning up glass on the footpath outside. I stared at the damage in horror, having to cover my nose from the smell. The windows had been smashed completely. The signs had been torn down and urinated on. Furious, I stepped inside.

"Careful," Anka said. "Some of it is potent."

I turned to look at her. "I'm so sorry."

Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears. "This isn't your fault."

I gave her a brief hug then moved inside, careful not to inhale too deeply. The shop was only large enough for one centre aisle and shelves on one wall of the unit. All of the glass bottles had been smashed, and other containers had been crushed.

Glass crunched underfoot as I trod carefully around the shop. I wanted to burst with anger, but I was careful to keep calm. Whoever had damaged the shop had destroyed literally every item. The non-breakable containers had been opened, their contents upended onto the floor, and in some cases, the scent of urine was intense enough to make my eyes water. The message was their strongest yet: don't screw with the shifter animals who liked to scare women.

"Fuck!" I kicked at broken glass covered in syrupy, bubbly fluid. It slid across the floor, leaving a dark stain in its wake. Unable to take the stench anymore, I headed back outside.

Val had her arms wrapped around Anka in an embrace.

"This was too far," Val said.

"I _know_."

"This isn't your fault." Peter laid a hand on my shoulder. "We'll get through this."

Margie was crying. Peter patted her back; she wrapped her arms around him and wept against his chest. The sound of the older woman's cries broke my heart. She had been loyal to me from day one, and the shop had been her lifeline. Anka had come from nothing, and the business had filled her with confidence for the first time since we'd met. The pair had put hours into creating the potions and remedies in their shop. Who were the shifters to just take all of that away?

Val was shaking so hard that Anka stepped away from her. "Stay calm," she said. "They're not worth your anger."

"Look at this damage." Val glared at me. "I'm going to kill him. Mac is a dead man."

"I'm going to get the Senate to pay for this shit," I said harshly. "I'm going to organise a meeting with whoever the hell is left in the country, and they're going to tell me to my face how they let this happen. I'm going to accuse Mac, and I'm not going to let it go."

"We have no proof it was him," Anka said.

Val made a sound of disgust. "I can smell the shifters all over this. They made a mistake this time."

"Not all shifters are with Mac," I said. "Just... remember that next time you smell a shifter. Please, nobody tell Esther about this. The last thing we need is for her to run straight into Mac's clutches."

"You really think the Senate will listen to you?" Peter asked.

I thought of Willow and how she had begged me to be an advocate for those in need, how she wanted me to be the voice for those who weren't being heard. I had my chance to advocate for the people I cared about. And if I stepped back now, people like Mac would keep pushing.

"I'll make them listen," I said. "I'm going to raise hell, and they're going to hear every word. And that stupid vampire queen is going to regret _ever_ taking Mac's side."

"We need to go back to the old days," Peter said. "We need to make allies again. Ones who actually stay in the country for longer than five minutes."

"No, we need people to beg _us_ to be their allies," I said.

Margie sniffed and finally let Peter go. "You all should go on. We can't leave this here. If certain mixtures combine, they can become toxic."

"She's right." Anka pulled a headscarf out of her bag and tied it over her hair. "We need to clean this up immediately. We use containers of different shapes and materials to protect the contents even if some are knocked over accidentally. This"—she gestured inside—"took time and effort. We can't leave this here."

"I'll stay and help," I said. "Val, Peter, is there any way you can track down known free shifters?"

"Anyone in particular?" Peter asked.

"Mac's ex," I said. "He did this to her, too."

"Wait, the one who left the pack for a human?" he asked. "She was _with_ Mac?"

"So Esther said." The story had broken in the papers weeks ago as a barring order against the alpha, forbidding him from contacting his ex, surfaced. According to the female shifter, Mac had stalked and threatened her before finally trashing her house, but the Senate had quickly covered up the story, then it was forgotten. "If we can find her, maybe we can figure out what Mac's going to do next. I'd start with the human she ran off with." I hesitated. "If you can find him."

"Think he's dead?" Peter asked.

"I wouldn't put anything past the shifters lately."

"We should hurry," Val said.

Peter nodded. "Let's go. Ava, call me if anything else happens."

The pair left in his car, wearing matching looks of determination.

"Setting them a task away from here was a good idea," Anka said. "Val would only have gotten more worked up if she'd stayed with us. You don't have to stay, either, Ava. I know your sense of smell will make this difficult for you."

"Maybe I deserve a little punishment," I said. "I've sat back and let this go on for too long. I'm so sorry you two got caught up in this."

"Sometimes, I worry this world will never be right again," Margie said with another sniff.

We jumped into the cleaning, trying to figure out how to dump all of the materials safely. I kept my eyes open for any shifters coming by to see the aftermath, but none showed themselves.

Then another thought struck me. If I owned the shop that Anka and Margie rented, then it should have been protected by the same spell that protected the cul-de-sac. If those under my protection were so untouchable, then how did we keep getting attacked? Were we protected only from bodily harm?

As soon as I was done with the Senate, I was going to have to have a very long chat with Martin Breslin about the exact rules and loopholes of Baba Yaga's legacy. The Eleven had allowed me to fight against the first vampire because it had suited their own ends, but I hadn't done a thing about Mac yet, other than hiding Esther's location from him. So how had he found a way around the very things that were supposed to protect, not just me, but the people I cared about, too?

# 4

Willow was only too happy to organise a meeting with the Senate on my behalf.

"I do hope you know what you're doing," she said over the phone, but she sounded eager to help.

"As long as I'm doing something, I'm good." I thought of Margie's face as she'd taken in the damage done to her livelihood. Being the little person at the whims of powerful people grated on me. The time had come for us to stop making ourselves such an easy target.

Willow organised the meeting for the following evening. In the meantime, the building that housed Martin Breslin's office and Valeria Brannigan Investigations had been covered in graffiti.

"Can't even prove it," Peter said as we stood outside. "How did this get so petty?"

"Three strikes," I said, unable to keep the anger out of my voice. "That bully is pushing me too far."

"I'll be accompanying you to this meeting," Breslin said firmly. "I'll make sure you're recouped for the damages. Don't you worry."

"I don't think this is quite the job for a human solicitor," I said gently.

"I've been in more complicated situations before, I assure you. Baba Yaga taught me well."

"All right then," I said, curious to see what he would unleash on the Senate.

By the time the meeting rolled around, I was completely jacked up on nerves and anger. Mac had to pay, and I'd been left to deal with him.

Peter drove Breslin and me to the new meeting house, which was actually a refurbished courtroom. The Senate had once thought it a good idea to meet in an old theatre, but after it was attacked and set on fire, they'd realised something a little more secure was necessary.

Inside the meeting room, I started to worry. The Senate hadn't yet arrived. In fact, the only person in the room other than the three of us was a man sitting at the end of the back row.

He turned to look in our direction, and his gaze locked on to mine. Something in those navy eyes made me uncomfortable. He had dark, curly hair that reached his chin, and his nose hooked a touch too far to the left. His mouth was little more than two thin pink lines pressed together. He didn't look tall, strong, or intimidating, but something about the way he held himself called out to me that he was untouchable.

"We'll take a seat at the front." Breslin led the way to the front row of benches that faced the main table where the Senate would sit, what was left of them anyway.

I felt the stranger's eyes boring into my back. Curious, I sent out my other senses, those tendrils of power that could see a person's "other" energy and, more often than not, their true form. My senses found the forms of the human men sitting on either side of me. Breslin, white haired and brown eyed, had a calm, confident sort of energy. His red pulsing mass was steady, instantly making me feel secure.

Peter had the same red energy of a human life, but his was a little different. I had never noticed before, not being in the habit of comparing human energies. Restless, Peter's stirred constantly, and the faintest hint of "other" wavered about him. If I hadn't known that his son was special, and therefore had to have inherited some of that from Peter, I might not have noticed. I had begun to wonder if Peter was hiding things from himself, never mind the rest of us.

I tried to move on to the stranger, but I seemed to get stuck in a web before I could reach him. I moved past him and outside, into the real world. There, I easily found more energies, more people. I returned to the stranger, again getting trapped before I could reach him. Shivering, I forced myself to face forward and not look him directly in the eye.

The door screeched open, and two sets of footsteps moved down the aisle and up to the main table. James, the human candidate more concerned with business than actual people, and Layla, the succubus representative, ignored us as they passed. Peter nudged me, but I was too busy glaring at their backs to pay him any attention. When they took their seats, James kept talking to Layla, who graced us with the briefest nod. I wondered if my old neighbour, an annoying energy-vampire succubus, was also watching me through Layla's eyes.

When Willow arrived soon after, she leaned over Peter to whisper to me that she hadn't been able to get in touch with Phoenix, Elathan, or Vega. She sounded apologetic, and I knew that meant the numbers were stacked against me.

Daimhín turned up next, joined by Eloise, Jules, and the two shifters who served as Senate guards. Eloise sat in the bench across from us, giving me one of her enigmatic smiles. I hadn't seen the child-like vampire in a long time, and I wasn't exactly keen on seeing the green-eyed Jules more frequently. He was a biter.

The memory of him biting me shocked me into a second look at him. Jules's eyes were pure green, which meant he hadn't been feeding regularly. A glance at Eloise confirmed that her eyes were not a pure red, either, although she had been feeding more often than Jules had. He pressed his body against her side as though he were seeking comfort. What was going on in the vampire queen's coven? She had boasted of being well-fed, but that apparently didn't extend to the rest of her coven.

"Did you forget to feed your pet?" I asked Daimhín before she took her seat.

She gave me a sharp, surprised look. "Sometimes, even the lowest of pets require re-training. The most obvious punishment tends to work best."

"I'm more into positive reinforcement myself." I tried to look relaxed as the vampire queen focused all of her hatred on me. A giggle from Eloise creeped me out all the more.

Callista arrived then, interrupting what was becoming an increasingly awkward face-off. "I'm so sorry I'm late," she gushed. "I had to take some pictures outside."

She really meant her fans had been waiting, as always. The curvaceous blond siren had become quite the rising star since first appearing on the Senate. Her sessions in Finn's bar were legendary.

Callista looked up at the waiting Senate. "Is this all who's coming tonight?"

"We're waiting for Mac," James said gruffly. "This is all down to him, apparently."

"We don't know that for certain," Layla said.

"You don't know that he trashed our properties?" Peter asked. "Or if he has somebody else pulling his strings?"

It was an empty taunt, Peter and I both knew, but half the Senate froze in their seats. I exchanged a bemused glance with Peter, and when I looked at Breslin, his expression was smug. He knew exactly what angle he was taking.

"Well," Willow said hesitantly, "I suppose we should wait for Mac."

Thirty minutes later, the shifter alpha still hadn't shown.

"I'll call my contacts," Daimhín said impatiently. "See what's taking him so long." Glaring at the shifter bodyguards, she had a brief, angry conversation on the phone before turning to the rest of the Senate. "Apparently, his second in command can't find him. Useless shifters."

One of her bodyguards growled, but the vampire queen caught his eye, cutting him off abruptly. I exchanged a grin with Peter, only to notice Eloise's intense gaze. I really hoped she wasn't having a premonition of my death.

"Are you serious?" James demanded. "What is he thinking lately?"

"That he's guilty, and he doesn't want to face the music," Breslin said, getting to his feet. "I am Ms. Delaney's legal representation, and as the accused is obviously in hiding—"

"Nobody said that he's in hiding," Layla said.

Breslin nodded. "Then he must not take his Senate duties very seriously."

"It's true," Willow said. "We can't wait around all night in case he turns up. It's late. Let's get this over and done with."

"This isn't a courtroom," James began.

A short, sharp bark of laughter erupted from Peter. "That's exactly what this is."

"Not officially then," James retorted. "There's no accused and no need for legal representation."

"There's no law against having a solicitor handy in times of need. And we're aware that we are not attending court. If we were, a barrister would be speaking in my stead." Breslin smiled. "As I'm sure you're aware."

James's face flushed as though Breslin's words had hidden a dig. "Fine. Why are we here?"

I made to stand, but Breslin stayed me with his hand. "Ms. Delaney and a number of her tenants were roused from their beds before working hours by the shifters. Mac, the current alpha, produced a piece of paper that looked legitimate. It was stamped by the Senate and gave him authority to search the premises for a shifter that he is in search of."

"We know," Daimhín barked. "We gave him the go-ahead."

"I didn't," Willow said. "This matter was never brought to my attention."

"Nor mine," Callista said, looking furious. "Is there a reason for this?"

"Time constraints," James said. "Carry on."

I clenched my fists at his easy dismissal of the others' concerns.

"In the process of this search, a large amount of valuables were destroyed."

"Accidents happen," Daimhín said. "How much of value could this young tainted one even possess?"

"I trade in ancient relics these days," I said sharply. "Mac purposely destroyed a lot of value and a lot of heritage and culture, by the way. All in search of someone who hasn't done any harm and who obviously isn't staying with me—if she had been, Mac would have sniffed her out one of the million or so times he's turned up at my place."

"He's in search of an untethered shifter," a male voice from behind us announced in an indistinguishable accent. "A danger to not only this country, but the world."

"Says who?" I scoffed as I faced the stranger I couldn't truly see.

"Says a paragon," he said haughtily, his gaze set on mine. "I would be careful how you address such a one."

A cold fist gripped my heart. _A paragon?_ Shepherd had warned me that a paragon was in Ireland a year ago, and Phoenix had his concerns at the time, but when Phoenix left, I was sure it was because the paragon had moved on, too. A paragon, a power above each country's controlling organisation, shouldn't have been worried about Esther—unless she was about to start a chain of events. Even I might be at risk, given that half the country already thought I was a danger because of my heritage. Mixtures involving human, angel, and vampire gave everyone the heebie-jeebies.

I forced myself to turn away from the man as Breslin continued. "Not only was this search in dangerous territory of being illegal, further damage was done to other properties owned by Ms. Delaney. An office building was covered in graffiti of a decidedly misogynistic slant, and the contents of an apothecary shop were completely destroyed. Most dangerously, might I add. We could have been dealing with a serious toxic cloud. These acts of destruction by the shifters in the name of the Senate cannot be allowed to continue."

"There's no way to prove that anyone was acting on behalf of the Senate," Daimhín said dismissively.

"Except for the fact the shifters provided documentation given to them by the Senate," Breslin said.

"That's true," Callista said. "And any damage done to those particular premises will be repaid by the Senate, with our apologies." Her eyes glinted with fresh fury.

"But you cannot prove that the shifters were the perpetrators of the other attacks," Layla said.

"Actually, there is evidence at the scene of the apothecary shop," Breslin said apologetically, holding out his hands. "In their eagerness, they appeared to... mark their territory. It wouldn't be hard to run tests to determine which species was responsible. In fact, we're happy to even absorb these costs ourselves. It so happens I have an acquaintance who—"

"Fine," James said grumpily. "We'll take care of that, too. But the graffiti—"

"Ah." Breslin smiled. "Coincidentally, we are currently in the process of installing CCTV at all of Ms. Delaney's premises. The world is such a dangerous place, after all. We began with the office building, as it happens, so the cameras there picked up the entire night's events prior to our discovery of the graffiti. I haven't had time to peruse the footage myself, but my niece is a journalist with a major tabloid. She's been gracious enough to offer to go through the recordings herself and compare it with footage that the media has picked up over the last year. She informs me that it won't take long to compare, and she's confident she'll be able to pinpoint exactly who the attacker was and who they work for. Of course—" He gave another apologetic smile. "In exchange for her hard work, she has requested a scoop." He held out his hands and shrugged. "Can any of you tell me what that means exactly? I'm not familiar with the lingo of the young."

I bit down on my laughter and returned Peter's nudges. Breslin had just gathered the entire Senate into his net without even raising his voice. I needed him to tag along more often, for sure.

James turned a little purple. "Fine," he said through clenched teeth. "We'll pay for all damages incurred."

"You're not serious," Daimhín said.

"We can't afford another media explosion," he said. "Mac will have a lot of explaining to do, but we need this to stay under wraps."

I turned in my seat to give the stranger a triumphant look, but he was already gone.

"We're done here," Layla said. "The matter is resolved."

"What about Esther?" I asked. "Mac can't be allowed to hunt her down."

"It's not just Mac who's looking for her," Callista said. "She's a danger to all of us."

"How can you, of all people, say that?" I asked. "Your own sister trusted Esther with her life. Esther's not _dangerous_. She's injured."

"An injured animal can be the most dangerous," Daimhín said. "Tell her to join a pack, for her own sake."

"If she returns to the pack, Mac will make her take Aiden's punishment," I said, horrified.

The vampire queen shrugged. "We all have sacrifices to make." She left the table, but as she passed us, she gave Breslin a long, hard look. "If you're ever in need of employment, I'm always interested in a mind like yours."

Breslin gave her a polite smile. "I'm afraid I only have room for one client."

Daimhín shot a glare my way. "And that's her, I suppose."

"She's stuck with me," Breslin said.

The vampire queen moved on, followed by Layla and James. Callista and Willow hesitated near us after the others left.

"I truly had no idea that Mac's actions had escalated so," Callista said.

I avoided looking into her eyes or getting too close to her. I nudged Peter when his jaw dropped open. He tried to shake off the siren's unintended lure, but I expected him to be afflicted for hours. Breslin was looking very interested in his shoes, but Callista seemed not to notice how uncomfortable the rest of us were. The siren's personal space was way too inviting for the average person.

"You must be careful," Willow said. "Mac has proven himself to be quite hotheaded, but other factors are at play."

"You mean the paragon," I said.

"Regis? You know why he's here?" Callista asked.

"I didn't know his name, but I was warned about him a year ago," I said. "I thought he had left."

"So did we," Willow said. "Yet he kept returning, for no obvious reason, and now he sees us when we're at our worst. That makes me worry."

I didn't have to think too hard to realise she was worried about me. "I haven't done anything to risk his attention on me." I winced. "Except this meeting."

"It's enough that he's aware of you," Callista said. "I must leave. I have a meet-and-greet tonight." She air-kissed me before leaving.

Willow sighed. "It's exhausting being around her. But that was a good move you made tonight." She looked at Breslin with interest. "And quite a bluff."

He smiled. "I have no idea what you're referring to."

"Where's Mac?" Peter asked, after recovering a little once Callista had left the room.

"I don't know," Willow said. "That's troubling in itself, although it likely points out his guilt some. I do hope he doesn't get his hands on that poor girl."

"Any idea what exactly will happen to Esther?" I asked.

She shook her head. "The shifters are intensely private about their traditions. All I know is that Mac has been claiming ancient rites and customs in a bid to get what he wants." She held up her hands. "I know the country expects us to make a new world here, but we can't completely ignore the history and culture of an entire species, either. We're in a difficult position, and Mac has been slowly taking advantage of that since Phoenix left."

"I've been hearing rumours," I said. "Free shifters have been disappearing. Once Mac sets his gaze on someone, nobody hears from them ever again."

"You think he's murdering his opposition?" Willow asked, aghast.

I shrugged. "Or holding them close, taking their freedom. What if I found evidence of that? Would that make a difference?"

"We need to step away from things like slavery," Willow said coldly. "If the media gets hold of this, it would cause riots in the streets." She cocked her head to the side. "Again."

"Say we kept it quiet, and instead we brought it to the Senate... could you do something then?"

"We could put Mac on trial," she said excitedly. "He might lose his place on the Senate. But what of the shifters? Without Mac to control them, they might run wild."

"The vampire queen tipped me off about a new shifter who might be challenging Mac's position. Apparently, this could be causing his frantic searches." I smiled. "It would be an easy solution, all the same."

"Unless they're worse than he is about ancient rites." She tapped her chin with her pen. "If you find anything, bring it to me personally. I'll organise a proper investigation through the appropriate channels." She winked at me through her glasses. "We'll make an excellent team, Ava Delaney. Just give me a little time."

"Well," I said. "If anyone needs an advocate, it's shifters who are being forced to stay in a pack by a Senate member, right?"

By the time we left, I'd started to believe we actually had a workable plan.

# 5

I sat across from Anka at her kitchen table and tried to ignore the rank smell coming from the pot on the stove. Anka's tastes were a little beyond mine sometimes, and I couldn't tell if she was stewing dinner or a potion for the shop. Val, Margie, Peter, and Carl completed the circle. The children were all at school, and Carl, who worked at the school part-time, had taken the afternoon off so we could all talk unhindered. Peter and I caught everyone up on what had happened at the meeting.

"So," I said. "We'll all be reimbursed eventually, but Breslin is ready to throw his smarts at them if they try to slow things down."

"It doesn't make up for the loss of time," Margie said.

"No, it doesn't," Peter said, "but it's a hell of a lot better than nothing."

"So we wait," Anka said. "And if we restock our shelves, are our products safe?"

"Breslin's organising surveillance over all of our properties, including the cul-de-sac. I know it's a little too Big Brother, but maybe we should have gone down this route a long time ago."

"That sounds pricey," Carl said.

"It's worth it for our safety." But inwardly, the cost was making me queasy. Being a landlady had turned out to be expensive. "And that's another thing. They destroyed property, but I think we're safe from bodily harm in here. I've been chatting to Breslin, and he's promised to go through everything with me later, but he's confident we're still protected from physical violence."

"Why do I feel like there's a 'but' in there somewhere?" Carl asked.

"Because there's always one," I said with a smile. "As the protection has been transferred to me, it might take a while to stick."

"What? It has to get used to you?" he joked.

"I'll find out. That's all Breslin said. The other issue is this paragon person."

"What is the purpose of a paragon?" Val asked.

"The paragons are sort of like a higher power. When the Senate fails, the issue goes higher, and the paragons seem to be the next rank up. They watch over the world, basically. I don't know much about them, to be honest. I'll find out if Breslin has information on them. This Regis person gave me a bad vibe."

"In what way?" Carl asked.

"Something about him stops me from really... _seeing_ him. And when Jess was here last year, Phoenix made it sound like she could have been in danger from Regis. Jess is considered as tainted as I am, which means I'm in danger, too. The normal, natural species are okay, but anything a bit... conflicted is fair game. I think it's the paragon who's pushing this untethered nonsense, and I'm starting to think it's just an excuse to set a precedent here."

"To do what?" Val asked.

"To take care of us oddballs, I suppose," I said. "So keep your head down, Val. Just in case. It could be nothing at all, but it doesn't hurt to be careful. Phoenix mentioned something to me about the paragons having the right to judge the werewolves. If that goes badly, they could try to force him to make them extinct for real this time. We don't need you getting in the crosshairs, either."

"Phoenix would never do that," Val said with confidence.

"Exactly," I said. "Which is a problem in itself. Anyone who wants to get rid of Phoenix can just target the werewolves and give him enough rope to hang himself with."

"Almost feels like the old days," Peter said, "what with all of this intrigue."

"Yeah, well, let's hope we don't need a good old war or two to sort matters this time," I said.

"What do we do now?" Anka asked, lighting a cigarette. That spelled danger; she had given up a while back.

"We act as normal as possible," I said. "Go back to work. Peter and Val will check up on the missing free shifters to see if there's any dirt we can dig up on Mac. And I'm almost certain there will be. We'll keep Esther out of this as much as possible. I'll find out more from Breslin, see if there's anything we're missing when it comes to protection. It might be time to find ourselves a good witch, for that matter."

"Not a witch," Carl said with a groan. "Not again."

"I said _might_."

"And if Mac shows up again?" Margie asked.

"Then call Shay first. I hate to drag him into this, but we might as well keep things as official as possible, as much as we all want to tear Mac limb from limb."

"I hear you," Peter said. He nodded at Val. "You up for heading back to work?"

"I'm eager to get this started," Val said in a distinctly growly voice.

"I should head back to the school, too," Carl said. "We have a meeting later this afternoon, and it's not going to be fun."

"Problems?" I asked.

"Nah, somebody just underestimated the power of the natural witch from the children's home. Maybe we could use her, slip her a little contraband in exchange." He grinned. "I hear sugar has been banned for an indeterminate amount of time after one of the kids broke into the stockroom, overdosed on a year's supply of sweets, and accidentally fried everything with wires."

"Wires?" Peter asked.

"Apparently, he has some kind of latent techno ability. They're still trying to figure it out."

"Poor kid." I made a face of disgust. "I hope they aren't punishing him for it."

"More like they're freaking in case something even weirder happens." Carl rose to his feet. "Anka, if you need help with stirring, I'll be around this evening."

"And I'll be sending Leah over. She can help," Val added.

"Thank you," Anka said. "It'll take some time, but we'll get back on our feet. I'm just sorry to have lost so many rare ingredients."

"Need a lift?" Peter asked me. "We can drop you in to Breslin."

I checked my watch. "Yeah, okay. He'll be around. If he's busy, I'm sure I can find something to read in there." Breslin's office held many ancient papers, treaties, and books, as well as a secret room where I could meet with the rest of the Eleven. I still didn't consider myself one of them, but I was pretty sure I needed to figure out where we stood with the paragon.

On the drive to my solicitor's office, Val and Peter discussed where to start on the search for the missing shifters.

"The human who Mac's ex left him for would be a good place to start." Val cracked her knuckles. "Let's see if he's heard from her, or if any of the neighbours remember when they last saw her. We can get in touch with Moses to find out if Esther knows about names or addresses of the free shifters she's heard of. Don't call her directly in case the Senate goes through with the phone-records threat that Mac likes to bring up on occasion."

"Might be better if we drop in or meet Moses somewhere then. Keep the phone contact to a minimum," Peter said.

She nodded. "I'm not opposed to bumping into some shifters, either."

I thought about it a little more. "You know, Daimhín has a pair of shifter bodyguards right now. Maybe if you visit the coven during the day, you could persuade one of them to talk to you."

"Why would they tell us anything?" Peter asked.

"They won't tell _you_ a thing," I said, "but Val is technically a shifter, too. If she reached out to them, enquiring about joining their pack, they might let a few things slip. It could be nothing, but you never know."

"That might be smart," Peter said. "You up to doing that alone?" he asked Val.

She nodded. "I doubt they'll give me anything important, but they might give something away, however small."

"Don't fight any shifters," I said hurriedly. "We can't afford to give anyone else ammo against us right now."

"I'm not entirely foolish," Val said in a dry tone. "However, this might go the way so many things have before. It's a power play, and they often come to blows. I want to be ready if that day comes again."

"Fine." I breathed deeply. "But try to be attacked first before you destroy the alpha." I grinned. "Unless you want to be alpha yourself, of course."

"Not funny," she said.

But I couldn't help thinking that she would make a far better alpha than Mac did. "Try not to dominate Daimhín's bodyguards too much then."

When we reached the office building, we said our goodbyes. I headed inside to see Breslin.

His secretary was sitting in front of a fan, looking as though she might pass out from heat I couldn't feel.

"Sorry," she said, moving slowly as she made to get up.

"Stay where you are," I said. "Are you due soon?"

"Not soon enough." She blew her hair away from her face. "I feel like I'm being punished for something terrible."

"I'm sure it'll be worth it." I tried to ignore the blister of envy that bubbled in my chest. "Is Martin around?"

"He's on a call," she said apologetically. "He'll be a while."

"That's all right," I said. "I'll head downstairs."

She looked frightened at that prospect, and I wondered how much she knew.

I travelled down the steps to the basement room. I still felt weird going inside, but if I had to go up against a paragon, then I really needed to know where I stood in terms of power.

The room was dark, apart from the milky glow of a crystal ball. As soon as I touched it, I would find answers, but I was reluctant. For the past year, I had been so engrossed in figuring out the normal side of my life that I had almost forgotten about the Eleven. I was surprised to find myself nervous at the thought of facing them again.

Before I could chicken out, I slammed my hand on the crystal and kept my eyes shut as I spun into another place. It was like a void between time and space, and only my soul entered at any given time.

"Here again," Judge said impatiently.

"It has been a year." I opened my eyes. The figures around me were misty, but I could almost make out the shapes of some of the forms. Judge was tall and slender in her high-backed chair while Slave was unexpectedly petite. I looked around for Shepherd. Strangely, his form was still indistinguishable, yet the mist around him had lessened significantly. _What the hell does that mean?_

"And is there a reason we're here?" Judge asked in a sharper voice.

"I'm not sure if I have a problem yet or not," I said. "The thing is, there's a paragon hanging around."

"That's not new," Knowledge said.

"The shifters have been moving against me," I said, "and I'm afraid it has something to do with the paragon. From what I've gathered, there's a chance he'll come after me if he succeeds in what he's doing right now. Where do I stand against a paragon?"

A murmur spread around the room. "We're beyond the reach of a paragon," Slave said. "A paragon is not our keeper."

"She's been one of us for a brief instant of time," Silence warned. "That might not be long enough to protect her and, in turn, this circle."

"They wouldn't dare," Warden scoffed.

"If the paragon reaches for her, it's for a reason," Death said. "How do we know it's not an attack on us? If we lose her, we lose strength. There isn't another alive who can take her place. Not yet."

"More likely, this paragon fears the tainted," Wisdom said. "There's no reason for us to panic."

"He wouldn't be the first to reach for us," Shepherd said.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"It was almost six hundred years ago," Birth said. "A paragon wished to turn the balance in her favour. She used her power to attack us."

"What happened then?"

"My predecessor died in a final battle against her," Warrior said.

"The Eleven won, but at a cost," Knowledge added.

"And if he does make a move..." I said.

"Attack," Warrior said. "Fight back. Do not lose yourself to a paragon. They may consider themselves a higher power, but _we_ are balance."

"But the shifters have been able to harm me. Not physically, but in other ways. If this paragon turns the Senate against me, I'm screwed."

"I'm sure you'll figure out a way," Birth said. "You're meant to survive."

I thought of my conversations with Adam, the only living angel I knew. According to him, his daughter and I had survived the circumstances of our births for certain reasons, but it seemed as though those reasons had run their course. Maybe my good luck was running out.

"Have patience while dealing with this paragon," Knowledge said. "It's not enough to win."

Then they all vanished, and after a second of distortion around me, I was back in the basement of the office building.

"Yeah, helpful, arseholes," I muttered and turned to leave. Breslin startled me on the stairwell.

"Everything all right?" He looked me over with worry in his eyes as he did every time I'd met with the rest of the Eleven.

"Just another unhelpful conversation," I said. "Do you know anything about paragons and what kind of power they have behind them?"

"I have some old documents that might shed some light. Come upstairs. You wanted to know about the protection over you."

I carried on the conversation in his office upstairs. "The Eleven made it sound almost as though the protection over me might not count if the paragon comes after me because I haven't been a part of the group long enough."

"I've gathered from my research that the longer you spend as one of the Eleven, the stronger the protection becomes, almost as if it slowly becomes a part of you. And then when you get old or injured, it dies a little with you. It's fascinating really, almost as though the protection is a sentient being. I know we've been aware of some of the details, but most of it's been forgotten, most likely," he admitted. "I wasn't around for Baba Yaga's early days. Not even close. She lived a very long time. She had probably forgotten what it was like to become the Matriarch by the time she passed the job on to you. And she didn't have to deal with her own fear very often. She was a hag, a particularly infamous one. The world feared her."

"I really need to get scarier," I said, flipping through a book on his desk. "If the Senate turns on me, things will get bad quickly. I wish Phoenix or even Elathan would come back and just... fix everything."

"You think they would side with you?"

I shrugged. "Elathan has a soft spot for Esther. He would at least speak for her, and he's pretty scary himself when he feels so inclined. I definitely think he could help her. And Phoenix is..." I thought about it. Phoenix had been kind of a friend until he'd distanced himself. I knew that if Lorcan wanted to help me, Phoenix would back him up, but if the paragon gave Phoenix an ultimatum—maybe by saying he had to choose me or the werewolves—I was pretty sure I would instantly earn myself a new enemy. "I don't know," I admitted. "But I'm feeling a definite lack of friends on the Senate right now. The regular government is just happy to not have to deal with the crap the Senate covers."

"What about Shay?" he asked. "He's a useful ally."

"Shay quit the Senate for a reason." I wasn't exactly sure what that reason was, but I could guess he wanted to get away from the intrigue, not be dragged back into it. "He's my last-resort ally for now. I don't want to put him between me and the Senate if it comes to that."

"Does it have to come to that?" Breslin asked, adjusting his glasses. "Does it always have to be you versus whoever?"

"It just works out that way sometimes," I said. "Willow asked me to be an advocate for those without a voice, to speak for those the Senate won't listen to. That just goes really well with being the Matriarch. Maybe that's how I meet my next lost soul."

"Still waiting?"

I frowned. "Maybe I'm not doing it right. Should I go looking? Do I track them down?"

"They tend to come to you," he said. "When it's time, it'll happen. And perhaps I can serve as a hand to you when you're dealing with this advocacy idea. The notion appeals to me, I must admit."

"I'd be happy for the help. You know, that supernatural register still exists, and people have been turned away from the country for being too dangerous. If that register had existed when I first came into the light, I wouldn't have passed muster."

"And you want to make sure everyone has a fair shot."

I pressed my lips together. People like Esther and Val would never have had a chance, either. And Jess had told me about the way people secretly helped and protected each other on the streets of Dublin. How many other people were still in hiding, terrified of the register and terrified of being exiled? Willow and Vega were both on the right track. The vampires and shifters didn't need our help. Those without a pack were the ones who really needed help.

Breslin helped me dig through his dusty old books for answers. We didn't find much we didn't know already. The paragons had been set up for almost two thousand years, and they had an army behind them, stationed all over the world. I wondered if any were in Ireland, just waiting for a call to arms.

The untethered were another story. We found stories of feral shifters with nobody to tether them, nobody to keep them sane. Most of them were injured in some way. Many of the stories seemed to involve a kind of madness, as though the shifters degenerated without a pack to support them. But I couldn't imagine Esther ever ending up that way. Despite her injury, she had no trouble living amongst humans. And Val had spent years alone with Leah, keeping them both safe. The untethered agenda was a blatant fabrication.

But a nagging feeling in my gut made me wonder if it wasn't right for a shifter to be alone. Maybe Esther would eventually succumb to madness without her brother to keep her safe. And then there was the fact that Esther's heritage came from a different continent. Was her existence an upset to the balance? And if I was actual balance, did that put me at odds with her?

For the first time, I felt a pang of fear that I would end up facing the kind of ultimatum that I imagined Phoenix would be forced to fulfil. If it came to balance versus any of my friends, I worried the Eleven would expect me to reset the balance at the cost of my friend's life. Or worse, they might deal with the imbalance themselves and come for her in the dead of night, without warning.

My stomach bottomed out. The very things that protected us might one day be the thing that separated us forever.

# 6

A couple of days later, Willow called to inform me that Mac still hadn't reappeared, and the Senate were starting to show concern. "I'm sure the silly sod is just hiding out, but we're already down so many seats right now that it's worrying."

"Nobody's heard from Phoenix or Elathan, either," I reminded her.

"It's likely a panic over nothing. I just thought you should know."

But it played on my mind until Peter called me later that afternoon.

"Got some news. Thought you might wanna know," he said.

"What is it?" I asked. "Has Mac shown his face yet?"

"Not to me. Val got an address out of those shifters. They were a bit cold to her when she approached them, but this morning, one of them contacted her."

"Why the sudden change of heart?"

I could hear his amusement over the phone. "He said Daimhín confirmed Val's story. Apparently, she confirmed that the hellhound has been looking for a way to escape you for ages."

"Escape me? What, like moving onto fae territory?"

"Whatever Daimhín's game is, it worked," he said. "She helped us, whether she meant to or not."

"She doesn't help for free, which is something we should probably worry about."

"Worry tomorrow. Wanna come with? We're checking out a farm in Meath. It's supposed to be a favoured hangout for new pack members, but Val didn't like the vibe she got from Daimhín's bodyguards, so it could be trouble."

"Sounds interesting. Yeah, I definitely want to see this for myself. No luck on any of the other leads?"

"Turns out there are no other leads. Nobody's seen any of the free shifters, or those closest to them, for quite a while."

That took me aback. "They're _all_ missing?"

"Not necessarily. From what I hear, all of their belongings are gone, too, so they could have decided to run. I'm sure we'll find out what's really going on soon enough. We'll pick you up in an hour. Be ready."

I changed while I was waiting. I was curious about the farm. Was it a hideout or a meeting place, what had made the shifters decide to help Val, and why the hell had Daimhín suddenly decided to pitch in? _Likely her perverseness kicking in._ I couldn't get in touch with her until night, anyway. Her current assistant was a volunteer, and I didn't trust the man's word. Humans could be manipulated—and unfortunately, they weren't the only ones.

When Val and Peter arrived to pick me up, I sensed the anticipation in the car. The scar on Peter's chin deepened as he spoke, and his hazel eyes glistened with excitement. He'd rolled up his sleeves, displaying muscular, hairy forearms and the occasional flash of the crosses tattooed on his wrists.

Val was barely containing her hellhound half. Her shoulders bulged into a half-shift, and the bumps that ran from her forehead down to the nape of her neck kept sharpening and disappearing again. They were both looking for trouble, and I would have to be the boring one who kept them both on a leash, especially if we bumped into Mac. He had likely wound us up in the hopes that we would attack first and give him a reason to get rid of us for good.

After well over an hour of driving, we pulled up outside a massive gate surrounded by thick, unkempt hedges on an isolated country road.

"This is it," Val said.

"There might as well be a sign outside calling this a trap," Peter said.

I got out of the car and stood inside the open gate. A winding dirt track led toward several buildings, which were more barn than farmhouse. Beyond those were empty, sloping fields, and I barely made out the outline of a small cottage on the horizon. Most importantly, there were no cars and no signs of life nearby. _So why did the shifters send Val here?_

Peter leaned out the window. "Might as well do this properly."

"And when we get done for trespassing?" I asked.

"The gate's open, and Val was invited." He grinned. "In for a penny."

I got back into the car, and we drove through the gates and up the dirt track to the first barn.

Peter slowed then cut the engine. We all got out of the car. The barn was locked. The padlock and chain seemed excessive, given that the farm was in the middle of nowhere. It was decrepit, too. The only sign of life was the well-trodden path of flattened earth leading up to the doors.

Val pushed Peter out of the way and gripped the chain and lock. With a grunt, her shoulders expanded. I knew without looking that her eyes had turned red. She yanked the chains apart in one swift movement then flung the pieces aside. I gaped at Peter, who shrugged in a helpless gesture.

Val pulled open the doors before I could stop her, but the barn was completely empty. Still, something bothered me. I reached out with my other senses and spread out, trying to find signs of life. Many lazy spots of energy clustered beneath us.

"Underneath," I said after a moment. "There are people underneath the barn. Shifters. Be careful," I warned as the others immediately began their search.

The barn was full of dried-up hay and old tools, but I caught sight of footprints in the dust. I followed the trail to where it ended at a pile of musty-smelling sacks. I kicked them out of the way, revealing a trapdoor. I pulled it free, hearing the others make sounds of surprise behind me. The way below was dark, but I could make out steps.

"One of you stay and keep watch," I whispered then nodded when Val made to follow me. Peter looked impatient, but he didn't complain.

We descended the damp-smelling stairs until we reached the bottom. After a moment, my eyes adjusted to the weak lights illuminating a wooden hallway.

"This way," I said under my breath, taking the lead. Something pulled me onward, telling me I was supposed to be there. Maybe a lost soul needed me. I crossed my fingers. _Please let me be in time._

Partway down the hallway, we began to find heavy wooden doors with crudely cut narrow openings large enough to see through. Behind the doors, people lay on beds, weak and unconscious, but breathing.

"Shifters," Val said.

"Free ones, once," I guessed. "Go upstairs and tell Peter to call Shay immediately. He needs to see this. Ask him to get in touch with Willow. She'll want to know about this."

Val left at once, and I carried on the search. The doors were all locked, and I could have easily found a way to unlock them, but the people within were safe for the moment. I needed to make sure Shay saw the entire scene as it I'd found it. If the makeshift prison was Mac's doing, and he'd intended to keep Esther there, then he was in trouble. Our find could solve all of our problems. But then I remembered that the shifters had willingly sent Val to the farm. _To ambush her?_ Being held captive would kill Val. I made a mental note to punch Mac right in the nose next time I saw him.

At the very last door, the occupant was stirring, moaning as if waking from a disturbing dream.

"Don't worry," I said. "We've found you. You're safe now."

She blinked a couple of times and found me at the door. She seemed to understand I wasn't a shifter or a risk to her because she nodded then murmured, "Others. _More_."

"I'll find them," I promised her, and she fell back asleep.

I raced back to Val and Peter, my stomach turning. "I'm going to check out the other buildings," I said. "One woman was starting to wake up. Keep an eye out for Shay, and be careful in case the shifters planned for Val to come here and get locked up herself."

"Scumbags," Peter said hoarsely. "They deserve—"

I squeezed his arm. "They're found out now. They won't get away with this anymore. This is a win, Peter. Nobody can defend this crap."

Val went to check on the women while Peter stayed at the front door to keep watch. I took his car and drove out to the next barn. It was falling apart, apparently succumbing to the last storm. There had been a trapdoor inside, but it was completely collapsed. I really hoped nobody had been in there.

I travelled on to the final barn then, dreading what I might find next. The door was already open, and a sack of rancid meat had toppled over outside. Wary, I crept into the barn and found the trapdoor. It had been ripped open.

"Weird," I whispered. I felt as though I were walking into a trap, but a desperate need to know made me keep going. Shay was on his way. No matter what happened, I would free those people.

Downstairs, there were more cells. My stomach sank as every cell I passed revealed female occupants—all heavily pregnant.

"What the hell?" I said under my breath. Then I heard movement from one of the cells. I chanced a look within. The pregnant woman inside looked deranged. She screeched when she saw me and flung herself at the door. Her scalp was visible under many bald patches, and her face was full of scratches. Her claws were present, as though she couldn't quite stop the oncoming shift. I backed away, terrified that the woman might harm herself because of me. If so many of the shifter women were pregnant, then it had to be by design, but that one poor woman looked absolutely insane.

I swallowed hard. Was that what untethered really meant, or had she been tormented?

I made my way upstairs again, sickened by what I had seen. I sent Peter a brief text, describing what I had encountered, but I switched off my phone, unable to stomach talking about it or saying the words aloud. Mac was sick, and he would pay.

Just to put the barns behind me, I moved on toward the run-down cottage in the distance. Filthy off-white net curtains hung across the broken windows. I got out of the car, needing to breathe fresh air. But I caught the scent of death instead.

A shiver of fear ran down my spine as I moved toward the cottage. The stench only intensified. The cottage hid death in its midst. At the doorway, I hesitated. The door had been torn off the hinges. And the distinct smell of old blood surrounded the frame. Splashes of it decorated the dirt, drying in place in a strangely hypnotic pattern.

I forced myself to step into the cottage. My eyes watered as the worst of the smell hit me, and my stomach roiled. The decaying body on the dusty floor before me had been there for days, probably since the meeting with the Senate. Mac's eyes were wide open and glassy, the only part of him unmarked. His mouth was distorted into a frozen image of terror, and a chunk of his cheek had been ripped away completely. _Or eaten._

Somebody had tortured the shifter alpha. He was almost naked, his potbelly relaxed in death. I lifted the collar of my T-shirt to cover my mouth and chin in a vain attempt to stave off the smell as I moved closer to the body. Most of his body was bitten, scratched, or otherwise injured. His chest was bruised and covered in deep scratches and some kind of friction burn. Purple welts marked his wrists and ankles. His arms and legs were broken badly. The bite marks looked savage and many had ripped flesh free, too.

How many of my friends had wished him harm over the last week? We were in trouble. A killer was out there, torturing men and leaving women trapped underground. Had Mac been the perpetrator at all? Or had he caught the true criminal in the act? I couldn't make sense of the scene.

The smell overwhelmed me, and I had to run outside. I dry-retched, barely noticing a car approach. I assumed Shay had turned up to view the scene, but when I looked up, I saw a group of shifters.

The leader sniffed the air, puzzled. "Death," he said, and ran into the cottage.

The other four surrounded me.

"Relax." I held up my hands. "It wasn't me."

"Mac's dead!" came the shout from inside the cottage.

Strong hands gripped me from all directions. I struggled against the muscular arm around my neck, but it was no use—I was outnumbered. I really hoped Shay was on his way.

"It wasn't me," I said. "It's not a fresh kill, and he's covered in bites."

"So you came to relive the crime," a voice hissed in my ear. "And we all know you have fangs."

"You're being stupid," I said. "And I saw all those women you have locked up underground. The whole world's going to know what you lot have been up to."

A sudden blow to the side of my head made me dizzy. The tallest shifter, a mean-looking skinhead, gripped my ponytail and held me in place. The redheaded twins yanked my arms tightly behind my back as something was attached to my wrists. I managed to swivel my head enough to see they were the old Council's tags.

"What's this? Can't afford your own equipment?"

"Shut up." The skinhead pulling my hair kicked the back of my knee, forcing me to the ground. "We need to lock her up before she manages to escape."

"But she's tiny." The youngest of the group danced from one foot to the other in front of us, casting hesitant glances toward the cottage. He was likely in his early twenties, and for a shifter, he looked incapable of growing more than a few tufts of fuzz on his chin and upper lip.

"Never underestimate the tainted," the skinhead argued.

"Nobody's ever been able to keep her in the cells," one of the twins said.

"We could keep her here," his brother replied.

The first twin snorted. "If Fionnuala couldn't keep her in the Council cells, then what chance do we have at holding her in a barn?"

"Not much," I said.

"Quiet, you," he ordered.

The skinhead gripped my hair a little tighter. "You know where we have to take her. We'll just watch her constantly. We lock her up, and then she can go on trial."

"Are you kidding me?" I managed to choke out a laugh. "Somebody out there killed your alpha, and you're talking about my trial?"

"You hate him. You and your people," the leader shouted from the doorway of the cottage. "Now you finally get what you deserve."

"We hated him because he treated us like shit. He was a total arsehole. But just because we don't like someone doesn't mean we torture them to death! What are you even thinking? His killer is walking free because you're wasting time on me."

"M-maybe she has a point," the youngest shifter whimpered.

"Enough!" the leader said. "I'll stay here and tend to the body. Haul her into the car and take her to the old Council cells. It's the only place that'll keep her. Watch out for her buddies. She might not be alone."

So they had missed Val and Peter. I bit my lip, hoping the pair of them knew better than to get involved.

The skinhead shoved me roughly into the back of the car, likely leaving bruises in awkward places. The twins argued over who had to sit in the back with me. The youngest shifter, apparently accepting his fate, meekly climbed into the back as the skinhead jumped into the driver's seat.

I ended up squashed between two sweaty shifters in the back. I tried to breathe through my mouth and not panic. My arms were already burning, my shoulders hot from the position. _How the hell am I going to find a way out of the cells this time?_ Nobody would know where the shifters were taking me, and I was pretty sure the so-called trial was mostly of the fictitious nature.

The car pulled away jerkily, sadly avoiding getting stuck in the mud. As we left the farm, more cars approached the gates. The twin next to me swore and pushed me down so my face rested against my knees. The car sped up and got away, but the shifters remained tense.

"This isn't comfortable in any way," I complained.

"Quiet," one of the twins said.

"Let her sit up," Skinhead said. "We've a lot to do, and I don't want her complaints to interfere with that."

The twin to my right yanked me into sitting position by my ponytail. I had cramps everywhere by then.

"There'll need to be a ceremony," one of the twins said.

The youngest chewed on his fingernails. "Who's next to be alpha?"

"I meant his death, not his successor, idiot."

"We need an alpha." The boy sounded whiney, maybe even afraid, and the twin next to me made a sound of disgust.

I moved in my seat in an attempt to get comfortable. I had to think. There were four shifters in the car, and I didn't fancy my chances in a fight, what with my arms tied behind my back. I could cause a problem, and we might crash. But I was the only one without a seatbelt and would probably shoot right out of the window. I cocked my head to the side. _On second thought, that might not be a terrible idea._ I contemplated my chances for survival as the car turned onto the motorway.

The boy thumped my arm. "I'm talking to you!"

I blinked up at him. "Huh?"

His blue eyes looked watery, and the stench of his anxiety filled the car. "I said, did he suffer?"

"I didn't kill him, dumbass. And did you see his body? He was tortured. Of course he suffered."

A collective growl went up around me.

"He was never meant to be alpha," I continued.

"What do you know?" the twin next to me said a little too forcefully.

"I know that it took me an effort to look Aiden in the eye. I had no such problems with Mac, so maybe a stronger shifter took him on."

"Like Esther?" the young shifter asked, but he sounded more scared than angry.

"She's injured, and she's not stupid or cruel. Whoever did that back there either doesn't have a heart or owed Mac a serious debt. Maybe one of those women managed to escape." I was just fishing, but by their expressions, that was a possibility, which meant they knew about the women. "So Mac was in charge of that, eh?" I said lightly. "And is that what he planned for Esther?"

"What else is she good for?" the skinhead in the driving seat asked caustically.

"And do all the shifters agree with the new regime?" I asked.

"They're learning what happens to those who disagree with the alpha," he replied in a dark tone. "Those women made their choices. They could have taken an honourable death, but they chose to be breeders instead. There's no law against that."

The twin to my right nudged me. "They learn to love it, too."

His brother roared with laughter and turned in his seat to give him a high five.

My stomach turned. There was no hope for the shifters anymore. Aiden might have been an arrogant fool, but as far as I knew, he wasn't trapping females for breeding purposes. I dry-retched again. The shifters on either side of me moved away as best they could.

The car drive seemed to go on forever, and the nervous little shifter to my left grew more anxious by the second.

"We're in trouble," he said, his knee jerking up and down. "The cars belonged to those agents. The police. They'll find those girls and—"

"This is our right," the driver said harshly, silencing the boy. "This is what the shifters have a right to do to our women who run free."

"So that's all it is?" I said, wishing I could spit on him. "It's not about being dangerous or untethered at all; it's just plain old misogynistic crap. Well done, boys. You haven't reinvented the wheel after all. So, what? Are you scared of women? Do you just hate them? Does it piss you off when they pass you by for humans?"

A low growl came from the driver.

"Stop," the boy pleaded. "Please, stop."

I looked at him. "Did they do this to your mother? To your sisters? Did you stand by and let them? Did you help? Sick little puppy, what kind of man are you at all?"

He whacked the side of my face. "Enough!"

"Because I'm a woman?" I blinked back the pain in my anger. "Am I not allowed to talk? Should I be tied to a cooker somewhere until I learn my _place_?"

He hit me again, and I tasted blood in my mouth. I spat it onto his leg. He recoiled in horror.

"I need to get sick," he said. "I need air, or I'm going to shift."

"You're not going to shift," the twin in the front passenger seat said scornfully. "Stop letting her bait you. She's fucking well right. You're no man."

"And you're any better?" I said.

He whipped around in his seat and punched me in the stomach. I coiled over, wanting to get sick if I could just manage to suck in one pesky breath.

"Oh, you're a brave one," I managed to wheeze out.

The driver slammed on the brake, jerking me forward so my shoulder knocked into his seat. The shifters on either side of me pulled me back into sitting position.

The skinhead kept driving, eyeing me in the rear-view mirror. "That's enough out of you now. You're a murderer, but that's not surprising, given that you're a tainted one. Now if you're lucky, the Senate will judge you. And if I get my way, the shifters will judge you. And trust me, you don't want to fall foul of our punishment. We're holding on to our culture and heritage because we're proud of it, because we know from generations of experience that it works. Aiden may have been about unity, but we _must_ be about control, or we'll descend into wild animals. This is the way we were made, and this is the way we'll continue. The Senate let the werewolves be, let them do as they must. Their nature rules them, and that's good enough for us, too."

"And if my nature rules me?" I asked, glaring at him.

"Then you'll be put down before any of us will," he said simply. "That's just the way it has to be."

# 7

Realising we were travelling on a familiar route toward the old Council cells, I groaned. The shifters really were taking me back to that pit. As far as the world knew, the place had been deserted, but I had it on good authority that the worst kinds of criminals were still held captive there.

"Come on," I said as the car screeched to a stop outside one of the secret entrances off the motorway. "Even you Neanderthals aren't this stupid. It wasn't me!"

Skinhead hauled me out of the car by my shirt collar. "That will be decided by someone other than you."

I ducked out of his grasp and made a run for it. One of the twins growled then threw himself at my back, knocking us both to the ground. I scraped my cheek on the gravel and groaned. How heavy _was_ the pig on top of me?

A car pulled up, and I thought I heard a familiar voice shout at us to stop. I managed to manoeuvre my head around and saw Shay approaching. Relieved, I took a deep breath, well, as deep as possible while a ridiculously heavy weight was grinding me into the ground beneath us.

"What the hell is going on?" Shay demanded.

"She killed Mac," the boy said sullenly.

The shifter on top of me lifted, and I could finally breathe again, but I didn't have the energy to get up.

"Any proof?" Shay asked, his gaze hard. He was surrounded by a number of his very own recruits, the pairs of supernaturals and humans who investigated supernatural threats.

"She was found with the body," Skinhead shouted.

"Not good enough," Shay said. "The body is at least a couple of days old. Are you trying to tell me that she hung around for days with a decaying body?"

"She's tainted! Who knows what she's into!"

Quinn called my name softly. "I'm going to remove the tag now. Try not to move." She released me and rubbed my arms to help the blood return.

"Thanks," I said when she and her human partner helped me to my feet. The tall, freckly man didn't look at all intimidated by the raging shifters.

"You doing okay?" she asked.

"On top of the world."

"Did you kill Mac?"

"Sadly not. I might have hidden the body before the stupid shifters showed up."

She smiled. "You've dirt all over your face."

"I had a nap on the ground. It was nice. You should try it sometime."

Her partner looked at me as though I were a lunatic. I wasn't exactly feeling sane, so that was fair enough. If Shay and his troops hadn't been there to bear witness, I might have channelled some hellhound rage and smashed the shifters' heads together.

Shay looked at me and pressed his lips into a tight line. He pointed at the shifters. "You hurt her."

"We arrested her," one of the twins said. "You can't hurt what's already half-dead."

"I am _not_ half-dead," I protested. My heart beat, I felt, I empathised, I cared, I loved—I was more alive than the shifters glaring at me were.

"Ava, get in my car," Shay said. "I'll take you home. Peter and Val are helping the rest of the recruits with the removal of those captives back at the farm." He eyed the shifters. "And my colleagues with me will be taking every one of you in for questioning."

"What about Mac?" Skinhead demanded. "Does nobody care about him? Or are you all too busy protecting the _true_ threats?"

"I'll find out what happened to Mac," Shay said. "And I'm sure the perpetrator will get what they deserve, but if Mac was responsible for those women back there, then I'm just surprised it took them this long to take care of him." He hesitated as the shifters protested noisily. "If I were you, I'd be more worried about how justice will treat _you_."

I heard a scuffle behind me as I reached Shay's car.

"Get in," he told me. "We saw the car leave and decided to break away to follow. Didn't realise you were tagging along until I got a panicked call from Peter, saying they couldn't find you back at the farm. There's been some miscommunication."

"I turned my phone off," I said with a groan. "I probably missed his warning to get out of the shifters' way."

I waited until we had driven away from the scene before quizzing him. "Did you see the body?"

"One of the recruits sent me a picture." He winced. "Nasty stuff. You don't know anything about it, right?"

I whipped around to shoot a death stare his way. "We haven't turned into a bunch of torturing psychos since the last time we spoke, no."

"I just needed to check. As far as I'm aware, Mac's had it in for you lately. There's a lot of motivation to commit a crime against him—put it that way."

"If you seriously think I'm capable of that, then you might as well let me out of this car right now. Vampires tortured me, Shay, and healed me just enough to torture me some more. I'm not that fucking depraved."

"I'm sorry," he said softly, "but it's my job to ask."

"Well, then, no, I don't know anything about it."

"Are you okay? You've seen a lot of evil today. That has to affect you."

"Yeah, well, maybe I'll have a few nightmares." I blew out a breath. "Mac held those women underground for who knows how long. He was a sick man, and he suffered a painful death. Maybe it's a kind of justice. After seeing those women..." I looked at him. "The only reason we found them was because the shifters were trying to set up Val for the same fate. How can things like this happen?"

"The shifters have been trouble under Mac for a while now," he said. "People vanishing, old traditions being restored. Neither of us were part of this world when it was normal for people like Mac to be in charge."

"It's just crazy in this day and age. I don't understand how anyone can have so much hatred for another person based on something genetic. We're supposed to improve and evolve, not end up like _this_."

"Quinn tells me that Aiden radically changed the way shifters worked together, even the way the pack dealt with things. That's why they put up with so much from Aiden, by the way. Most shifters were happy under his direction, despite his shadiness. But there were small groups talking on Internet forums about how amazing the good old days were when everyone knew their place, egging on each other's rage and frustration."

_Will my stomach ever stop turning?_ "And _this_ is what they do about it?"

He shrugged. "When the truth came out, and Aiden was revealed to have been a fraud, too many of those keyboard warriors became gung-ho isolationists. They want shifters to breed with shifters, that kind of thing. They've been segregating themselves, pushing the pack toward a more-restricted future. It's hard for the Senate to get a handle on something like that."

"But not you."

"I'm free," he admitted. "I can see a lot of things clearly now." He patted my arm. "I'm sorry you got hurt. The shifters are unstable, and they were led by an unstable man. Mac wasn't an alpha, as far as I've learned about what an alpha actually is."

"You're right," I said. "I think the alpha is supposed to be the one who protects the pack and the young, not the one who punishes them. A true alpha wouldn't force them into something like this."

"Phoenix once told me something eerily similar," he said. "He told me he cared about the werewolves because they protected their own to the point of detriment to themselves. I think he was sort of in awe of them."

"They are kind of awesome," I said dreamily.

Shay cleared his throat. "Have you heard from Phoenix lately?"

"Nope. Nor Lorcan and Lucia, except for a postcard. Why?"

"Just curious. I'm starting to worry that he's not coming back."

"Yeah." I stared out the car window. "There's a lot of that going around."

"What do you think really happened to Mac?"

"If I hadn't seen the body and you'd asked me that question, I'd say it was an alpha challenge gone wrong. But he was tortured, which makes it seem a lot more personal." I turned in my seat to look at him. "The thing is, Mac has a huge number of enemies. Pretty much everyone I know hates him, and I mean really hates him. He's been bribing some Senate members and not bringing his issues to others in order to get votes, and then we find out he's kidnapping shifters. The Senate is going to have to admit that one of their own did this. Mac's fucked everything up."

"Do you think it could have been Esther?" he asked frankly.

"There's no way." _I hope._ Esther was changing, and her headaches made her angry, but I still couldn't imagine her being capable of torture, not the girl who had cried on my shoulder after failing to reunite a baby with her mother.

"I just can't believe so many shifters would willingly let this happen," he said.

"Who says they were willing?"

He made a face. "Shifters can fight. I mean, really fight. There are plenty of women in Mac's pack who weren't trapped in those barns. How could a shifter possibly be afraid of anyone enough to keep quiet about that?"

"They would have had to betray their whole pack, if they even knew about it. Maybe they were taught to be afraid."

"What do you mean?"

I shifted uncomfortably as memories I kept hidden resurfaced. "I know they're strong, and that seems like maybe they could have stopped what was happening to them, but sometimes, being physically strong isn't enough."

He waited patiently for me to finish, and I knew I had to, if only to make him see that there were different types of victims, but that didn't mean they were to blame for what had happened to them.

"In my case, when I was growing up, I knew I was strong. But I had to act normal, or so I was told, because if I didn't, all kinds of horrendous creatures would come for me and take me away. My grandmother literally put the fear of God into me. She made me understand that men were supposed to be stronger than me, so that I wouldn't fight back even if I got the chance. Revealing myself was worse than anything anyone could do to me. She made me afraid. She made me cower. And even though I was strong, I wasn't strong enough to stop her or any of the..."

"You don't have to tell me any of this."

I sucked in a shaky breath. "I'm just saying that people can get into your head and make you think a certain way. And if it goes on long enough, it's hard to break. Maybe Aiden changed things, but he was around for only a few years. This is an entire species' go-to response to life. Thousands of years of a certain mind-set. This is hard to break, and the ones who did escape, the ones who did break the mould, they were the ones trapped in those barns. They were punished for having the strength to leave, and who knows what they've been through since, because the women in the second barn didn't even seem human anymore. They lost themselves completely."

"How do you even deal with that?" he asked. "Your grandmother and... all of that."

"I made her forget me."

"That's not dealing with it."

I wrinkled my nose. "Maybe not, but it freed me from her anyway."

"I'm so sorry," he said after a moment. "I didn't mean to drag up bad memories. I wasn't blaming the victims. I just meant... if this can happen to a powerful group of shifters, then what hope is there for the rest of us?"

Sometimes I had the exact same thoughts myself. I glanced at Shay. I'd met him while I was looking for answers, and little about him had changed since then. He had a few more lines around his dark-brown eyes, and the lack of March sunshine had kept his sallow skin too pale to look healthy. But despite his worries, our world hadn't ruined him. It hadn't made him bitter or twisted. He still had an easy smile for anyone. He still worked tirelessly to reach those who needed help.

"I think I get it now," I said. "Why you suddenly left the Senate."

"Ah." He smiled, completely relaxing. I hadn't even noticed how tense the conversation had made him. "The big question."

"Some people think it had something to do with Phoenix. He left shortly after you... resigned."

"He did, but that was just a coincidence. I was glad he left. It didn't give him a chance to talk me around." Grinning, he glanced at me. "I can do more where I am now. I'm out of the public eye, and I don't have to waste my time on niceties and press conferences."

"You're always nice to people."

"Yes, but now I don't _have_ to be."

I smiled. "You're full of shit. Still helping out at the boxing club?"

"More regularly than when I worked on the Senate. A couple of the young 'uns from the children's home come out once a week. Alanii brings them. It's good. They're mixing with other kids, and they seem to be enjoying it."

"I'd love to run a kind of halfway house for the older ones," I said. "Help them get out of the children's home. A few of them have jobs now. They need to feel more independent. I have an empty building that would be perfect, actually."

"Quite the little entrepreneur of late, aren't you? I wouldn't have expected it from you."

"What did you think I was going to do? Hunt bad things forever?"

"Sort of, actually. But I agree on the halfway house. Maybe if Phoenix ever returns, we can both hijack him and persuade him it's a good idea."

"It's a deal," I said. "And even if—"

Shay's phone rang before I could finish the sentence. His face drained of colour as he listened. The speaker on the other end of the call mentioned a dead body, and I immediately went into high alert. _Another death?_

He hung up and looked at me. "I take it you heard that."

"Dead body. Check. Sounds like your people are suspicious."

"Yeah, I got that, too. I don't have time to drop you home. Will you stay in the car if I go take a look?"

"Hell no."

"Ava."

"Would you rather I lie? Seriously, I can help. Mac's body was dead too long for me to pick up on anything about his killer. And I might not be as good as a hellhound, but I can pick up a scent from a fresh body." I winced. "And now that I've actually admitted something so awful, you have to let me come with you."

He had an inner argument with himself before sighing. "Do not touch anything. Do not say anything to anyone. Do not do a thing unless I tell you to. Are we agreed?"

"No."

"Ava!"

"I'm not going to screw up anything, Shay. Calm down."

"If you can scent the killer, you will not go after the killer."

"Not even a little bit?"

"If you're not going to take this seriously—"

"I'll be good. Now hurry up."

He spun the car around, screeching tires and all, and drove in the opposite direction. "We're going to Kildare," he said. "An anonymous tip mentioned a suspicious amount of blood. One of my teams was sent out to a house just past Naas. The body is in the garden, but the home is surrounded by a high wall, so no passersby can see it."

"How did the anonymous tipper know about it then?"

"There is blood on the front gate, as far as I know, but we'll see soon enough. I really hope this isn't something weird."

I pointed at myself. "With _this_ lucky charm hanging around? Not a chance."

He offered me a small smile. "We haven't had much violence lately. At least, not as much as this time last year. But every single time I get a call about an anonymous tip, I start imagining ritual sacrifices and the like."

"Life is screwed up enough without your imagination adding to it. They didn't say the body was human, did they?"

"They weren't specific. I think they were afraid someone would hear. If the anonymous tipper heard something rather than saw it, then they could still be hanging around, listening in."

"Well, that's not creepy at all."

For the rest of the journey, I kept up the job of trying to steer Shay away from dwelling on the dark side. It wasn't too far, but every minute counted when the media had a habit of hanging around, trying to figure out Shay's every move. He might have been the press's golden boy for a while, but half of them currently spent their time trying to figure out what nefarious deeds had gotten Shay kicked off the Senate.

"How's Emmett doing at school?" he asked. "And Dita and Leah, of course."

He genuinely cared about Emmett's welfare. He had been on the scene the night Emmett had gone missing as a baby, and he had been one of the few Gardaí to believe that Peter was telling the truth about finding the bodies of the rest of Emmett's family. Peter's longstanding respect for Shay had somehow been twisted into a weird rivalry that Shay seemed oblivious to, but I was pretty sure they both thought a lot of each other.

"He's doing really well," I said. "The school itself has been surprisingly effective. It's weird what having a little focus does. They split the day in two: human studies then supernatural. I think that's cool. They give the kids a chance to catch up on everyday skills, and a normal education in some cases, and then in the afternoon, they focus on their powers and heritage. A lot of people have lost too much by hiding away. I think it's great that both the human and supernatural worlds are given equal weight."

"The next generation might have a choice of schools," Shay said. "Or better yet, every school will incorporate a little something from different cultures."

"When I was growing up, the thought of people knowing what I really was became my worst nightmare. I never imagined we'd get to this place so fast."

"And yet, here we are." He nodded at the road signs. "Nearly there. Sorry about this, Ava. I should be taking you to hospital, not dragging you to see a dead body."

I rubbed my tender jaw self-consciously. "I was too mad to be hurt at the time. Kinda stings now, but Anka will sort it out when I get home." I grimaced. "If she has anything left."

"I heard about the shop," he said. "Why didn't you call the police at the time?"

"What would be the point? Besides, Breslin persuaded the Senate that they were responsible for damages."

"Breslin?"

"My solicitor."

"Oh." He glanced at me. "You sound like a grown-up. Stop making me feel ashamed."

"Blame my old landlady for leaving me in charge. I haven't quite grown up yet."

He pulled the car down a side road and drove around to the front of a large house surrounded by concrete walls.

"Kind of an eyesore," I said.

"Yeah, well, people want to feel safe. Let them." He shook his head. "It wasn't safe enough though."

"Come on," I said. "Let's get this over with. It's already been a long day."

As usual, he embarrassed me by opening my door for me, then he made me wait at the gate while he went inside and spoke to a pair of stern-faced integration agents. The IAs both glanced at me and shrugged. Shay waved me over. I could already smell the blood. Yes, there were traces on the gate, but not enough that someone without a particularly strong sense of smell would notice. The female recruit was human, and the male, a shifter. He didn't react when I reached them. My head swivelled as the smell of blood gripped me anew.

"Wow," I said. "This is..." I shook my head and made my way over to the pulpy mess that might have been a body. I couldn't even tell if it was a man or woman. Only the shredded clothing scattered across the blood-stained grass told me the form had been a human. The female recruit was looking a little green.

"This is awful," I whispered.

"It's been a pretty grim day all round," Shay said.

He and I leaned over the body. Mac's death seemed tame in comparison.

"Think it might have been vampires?" the brunette asked, covering her mouth.

"No way," I said instantly.

"How can you be so sure?" the shifter asked, but I could tell he agreed.

"The blood... it doesn't call to me," I said. "The vampires have specific tastes. Blood like this was protected generations upon generations ago. It made it less..."

"Tasty?" the brunette offered.

"Something like that," I said. "And the vampires are supposedly overrun with human volunteers lately. They don't need to attack like this." I thought of Jules going hungry. "Even if they were starving, vampires don't actually eat flesh."

"I noticed that, too," the shifter said. "The organs appear to be missing also."

I moved around the body and noticed lumps of flesh flung across the lawn. _Gross._ I shuddered in disgust. When I sniffed the air, the smell of blood overwhelmed me, but underneath it was a trace of something else.

"It smells like wet fur. Did you pick that up? It is like fur, isn't it?" I asked the shifter.

He nodded. "I don't know anything furry that's this vicious," he admitted.

I glanced at Shay. "I've seen creatures who have been ripped apart before," I said reluctantly. "I mean, it almost looks like—"

"A werewolf did it?" a male voice called out from the gate.

I turned, ready to defend myself, only to see the paragon standing there casually, his nose wrinkled in disgust.

"This kind of death has been seen thousands of times in the past," Regis said. "The werewolves were ordered into extinction for a reason."

"The werewolves didn't do this," I said. "They wouldn't. They couldn't."

"You almost said it yourself." Shay sounded worried. "Do you know anything else that can do this?"

I shook my head. I didn't, but I didn't know of every species on the planet. "There has to be some other explanation. We know the werewolves. They haven't harmed a single human since they were given land of their own."

"That's not true," Regis said. "A human was slaughtered by werewolves last month, as it happens."

Shay's flinch told me that was the truth.

"What happened?" I asked.

"A man was... ripped apart. He had gotten drunk and gone out with a shotgun, tried to hunt himself a werewolf skin."

"What an idiot," I whispered. "Is that why you left the Senate?"

He gave me a sharp look. "I had left by then. It wasn't a meaningless kill. One of the young werewolves was grazed by a bullet, and the pack destroyed the human in the attempt to stop the man from killing the child."

"Shit," I said. "Why haven't I heard about this?"

"Because certain people want the werewolves to live," Regis said.

"What are you even doing here?" I demanded. "How did you know about this?"

"You think I am not informed when something goes wrong in this country?" he barked. "I know all. I see all. And I will deal with the werewolves this time. They are untameable killers, and they will all be put to death if I have any say in the matter." He sneered at me. "And what are you doing here, tainted one? Are you, too, capable of such destruction?"

"Okay." Shay stepped in front of me. "You two," he said to the IAs, "escort the paragon out of here. I'll get the rest of the crew in to deal with the crime scene. Ava, I'll take you home in five minutes, tops."

The recruits immediately moved forward, blocking the paragon from coming any closer.

I gave Shay a worried look. "This is bad, Shay."

"I know," he said. "But what can I do? You said it yourself—you've seen this before. So have I."

"I've seen werewolves tear the heads off vampires and beasts," I said. "I've seen them rip apart our enemies. I haven't seen them harm any humans."

"I _have_ , Ava, or at least witnessed the aftermath. Don't you see?"

"Then why this man?"

"Maybe he did something to the pack, to their land, whatever. They're not far from here, Ava. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility."

"But if he did something, they would have dealt with it there and then. And I highly doubt yet another looney went after werewolves with a shotgun. Why would they follow him here and deal with him where anyone could see?"

He ran his hands through his hair in exasperation. "What do you expect me to do, Ava? I don't know how the werewolves think. Maybe they wanted to hunt. Maybe that's how they ended up here. Maybe he doesn't live here. Maybe he ran for help, and they got to him first. All I can do is focus on the clues in front of me, and they're all pointing toward another werewolf attack. We can't cover this up a second time, Ava. Not this. The first man's family was so embarrassed by what happened that they asked us not to make it public. Mac was in the newspapers for harassing a woman, and it seemed like keeping the death quiet was the best thing to do at the time, but I wasn't happy with it."

"And you think leaving the Senate is the best way to deal with the dodgy things they do?"

"I did what was best for me," he snapped. "The werewolves are dangerous, and if you're not careful, the paragon will decide that you're too dangerous to live, too." He gripped my shoulders. "Now don't give him what he wants."

"I can't just stand there and let him kill them all! It could be a lone werewolf, one who isn't with the pack."

He raised an eyebrow. "You mean an untethered wolf?"

I swallowed hard as bile rose in my throat. "What if it wasn't a werewolf, Shay?"

He held my gaze. "But what if it was?"

# 8

Things grew tense after that. Shay asked one of his teams to drop me home. They were young and excitable, and I envied them. I hoped the things they saw didn't twist them into cynics.

The werewolves were in serious trouble. Esther and everyone who cared about her were in serious trouble. Both murders were similar and yet not close enough to have been perpetrated by the same person. I didn't even know how to confront the werewolves, or warn them, about what had happened. Phoenix had said he could communicate with them, but I had only seen Icarus in his animal form except for the first time, when he was caged in a tiny cell. I wasn't even sure if he could actually speak in his human form.

I didn't know how to warn the werewolves, but I could certainly warn Esther. The shifters would be on the warpath, and that alone put my friend in danger. I had called Moses and Carl at the second crime scene and given them both a quick heads up about Mac. Neither of them had sounded surprised, and both seemed even a little pleased. That worried me. _What if I know the murderer? Or torturer?_

When the recruits dropped me home, a crowd had gathered on the road. I waved goodbye to Shay's recruits after thanking them, hoping they didn't see anything suspicious, not that I suspected anyone. _But still._

The crowd parted, and I saw Esther standing there, her mouth twisted in a grimace of pain. Carl seemed to be holding her up. For some reason, she always brought out his protective streak.

"Did something happen to you?" I asked, panicked by her appearance.

She shook her hand and waved off my attention. "Just a migraine. It's over now. I'm fine. I'm sorry, but I had to come back. The shifters showed up at the flats. I just... I didn't know where else to go. I thought maybe Val could take me to the sanctuary." She gave Val an apologetic look. "Sorry." Her eyes were glassy, and I knew she could never have taken down the alpha in that state.

"That's not a problem," Val said. "Anyone who wants to can stay in the Sanctuary for as long as they please."

"Maybe you should all pack up," I said. "If the shifters went to the flats, they'll be here next."

"I ran while they were searching the place," Esther admitted. "They could have picked up my scent. Moses had already called Shay to come and help. He'll move them on soon, in any case."

"Don't worry about it," I said.

"So he's dead," she said flatly. "Mac is gone."

"And now the shifter pack is leaderless," Peter said. "That's not so good, right?"

"They usually replace an alpha through a challenge," Esther said tiredly. "Whenever an alpha seems weak, he's replaced. And that's because he needs to be strong to hold the pack together."

"I think Mac was already falling apart," I said. "And he was keeping free shifters locked up in barns."

She nodded. "Peter told me. Breeding from them, though? That's beyond sick. My brother might have been a traitor, but at least I can say he wasn't involved in _that_."

"Mac suffered before he died, if that's any consolation," I said.

"Shifters are coming," Val said, transforming instantly. Her eyes glistened red, and her voice deepened. "Everyone get inside."

Carl and Peter ran to get weapons, but Esther refused to go inside.

"You're too weak for a fight," I said.

"This place is protected," she said in a small voice.

"It's supposed to be, but I can't trust it," I began, but something shifted inside me, something that made me step closer to Esther.

"What's the matter?" she asked. "You've gone all intense."

I breathed a sigh of relief as I realised _she_ was my next lost soul. She was mine to protect. That meant she was part of the balance, after all. "It's nothing," I said. "Just been a weird day."

A group of shifters approached the mouth of the cul-de-sac, shouting and jeering when they spotted Esther.

"Murderers and cowards!" one of them said.

The defeated look on Esther's face made my blood boil. I stomped ahead, closely followed by Val. "Look who's talking," I quipped. "You have to drug women to get them into bed."

"That's a lie!" the bulkiest shifter shouted. I had seen him a couple of times with Mac, but he hadn't been at the farm.

"I saw it myself," I said. "They found Mac's body on his farm, the place he was holding the free shifters captive."

"Bull," he said. "And there's no such thing as a 'free' shifter."

"There's one standing right next to me, you eejit," I said.

"Didn't you hear?" he said. "If you're not tethered, you're not free to live."

"He is—was—Mac's second," Esther whispered. "If he doesn't know about the farm, then it's not common knowledge to the pack."

One of the shifters made a run at the cul-de-sac, growling loudly. I braced myself for his attack, but at the very last second, he was flung backward as if a giant hand had batted him away.

"Wow," I said. "So it is working after all."

Val grunted. "It's a little too temperamental for my liking."

"Good job, protection," I said under my breath in case it really was some kind of living thing. Well, I'd heard of stranger things by far.

"Give us the shifter bitch," Mac's second in command said.

"Take me then, Greg," Esther shouted. "If you can."

He refused to look at her. Instead, he focused on me.

"Fine," he said. "You've proved yourself. You're in charge here. This is your territory. No big deal. But she killed one of us, and now she has to pay."

"I thought you were blaming that on me."

He shook his head. "I sniffed out the area myself."

"Then you must have caught the scent of the captives," I accused.

"There were lots of scents," he said. "The agents have overrun the place. I'll save my judgement for when I have the entire truth. _Your_ scent is there, but it's only a fresh trail from today. The old scent smells like her." He nodded at Esther. "She was there when he died."

I turned to look at her in surprise. She looked about as shocked as I felt.

"I wasn't there," she said. "I didn't kill Mac! I'd remember if I killed him." She stuttered something else, but by the horrified look on her face, she was reconsidering her innocence.

"When you have proof she killed him, then we can talk," I said. "Besides, I thought she was one of you, too."

"She was never one of us," he scoffed. "She's not of our kind. We've heard of her kind. They're feral. Only something feral could have tortured Mac so. It was her, and I'm not leaving without her."

"In case you hadn't noticed"—I waved at his stunned friend on the ground—"you can't get in here, and you can't do us harm. This place is protected, and I'm not giving her to you. You'll kill her just to satisfy your need for revenge, and you'll be killing the wrong person. She said she didn't do it, and I believe her."

"This is a mistake," he said calmly—too calmly.

"That's for me to decide," I said.

"Ava Delaney, you are an enemy to our pack. If you step foot on our territories, we reserve the right to kill you on the spot. You are not permitted to look us in the eye or interfere in our business. And when we take this girl, you'll follow in her wake. You're another monster who doesn't deserve to live. And when I wrap my hands around your neck and crush your windpipe, you'll remember this moment, and you'll wish you had pushed her into my arms instead."

"I really doubt that," I said. "Now fuck off, you impotent little shits. Go home and play with a chew toy. Get that aggression out."

With a collective growl, the shifters left at the urging of Greg, who seemed more in command of himself than the rest of them did.

"Oh, no," Esther said. "I'm so sorry, Ava."

"About what?"

"You're an enemy of the pack! That's bad. Really bad! They just targeted you. You're fair game for the entire pack. For every shifter!"

I took out my phone and called Shay. "Hey, Shay, any shifters with you?"

"Um, yes?"

"Okay, tell them I'm an enemy of the pack and then ask them if they're planning on killing me the next time they see me."

In a bemused tone, he asked the shifters and got back to me. "They say no."

"Great, thanks, bye." I hung up. "See? Not _every_ shifter."

"That's... different. Ava, you're not taking this seriously!"

I gripped her shoulder. "I'm taking everything very seriously today, I promise. So, what occurred to you when the shifters were playing the blame game?"

She bowed her head, embarrassed.

Carl wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "What is it?"

She avoided all of our eyes. "It's just... when I have migraines, I black out. A couple of times, I've left the flats without even realising it. I wake up on Moses's sofa, and he tells me I've been gone a few hours. I have no idea what happens, and sometimes, he doesn't even notice I'm gone. In the middle of the night... what if I really did go after Mac?"

"You've been blacking out?" I asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was embarrassed, and Carl said it wasn't a big deal, that I was probably just sleepwalking."

I gave him an accusing glare. "You knew?"

"Well, I didn't realise somebody was going to torture our sworn enemy to death, Ava!" He held Esther closer. "She didn't do this."

I snorted. "Of course she didn't do this. She can barely stand on her own two feet. The problem is that the shifters probably don't care. I mean, they wanted me dead for the same crime a few hours ago. They'll get over it. We just need to find out who did it." I sighed. "And who's getting the werewolves into trouble."

"What's happened now?" Peter asked.

"On my way back here, we stopped off at a crime scene, and the paragon showed up. A body was... ripped apart. I mean, torn apart in chunks."

"Like the werewolves do," Val said with a frown. "But they haven't attacked humans before."

"Apparently, they have." I winced at the gasps of alarm. "Some drunkard with a shotgun decided it was werewolf-hunting season a while back. He got his throat ripped out for his trouble."

"Not good," Peter said.

"The paragon's on a mission to have the werewolves put down, and now the shifters are all over Esther. This is not the best timing," I said.

"What are we going to do?" Carl asked, looking Esther over.

"Let's go inside before Esther drops," I said.

"I'm fine," she complained, but she let us lead her into my house.

"In good news, the protection worked today," I said brightly as we settled into my living room. "But Shay's doubting the werewolves, and I'm sure it won't be just him. The paragon's probably doing whatever paragons do already."

"They generally mount armies," Carl said.

"Stop trying to scare me," I said.

"It's true, though. The shifters are the least of our worries."

The thought of Esther being my second lost soul overrode that line of thought. "I need to get the shifters off our backs long enough for me to figure out what to do about the werewolves. Damn Phoenix for running off just before the shit hit the fan."

"What if the werewolves did it?" Peter asked. "It wouldn't be the first time, according to you. Maybe something needs to be done. We all know how ferocious they are. If they go on a rampage, plenty of innocent people will die horrible deaths."

"It can't be the werewolves." I just couldn't connect the horror I had seen with the sometimes-gentle and always-protective Icarus. But I _had_ watched him literally bite the head off a foe. "Even if it is, they'll have to prove it first. They can't just kill them because they're the best fit."

"The paragon probably can," Carl said.

"Well, he'll need time to gather his army and bring them here. In the meantime, I'm going to meet with the Senate. They have a public meeting tonight in town. I'll go and state my case, and we'll see what happens. I'll ask for their interference in the shifter issue with Esther, and I'll try to make them agree to a proper investigation into what happened to that human."

"Thanks," Esther said, and she yawned.

"Do you need to sleep?" I asked. "You look wrecked."

"Maybe I should have a nap," she said. "The migraines take a lot out of me."

"I'll come back over tonight to keep an eye on her," Carl said. "The last thing we need is for Esther to sleepwalk right into the hands of the shifters."

"Yeah, okay," I said. "All right, everyone out. We'll keep each other updated on what's going on."

"I'm going to go find out how the rescued shifters are doing in hospital," Peter said.

"I'll join you," Val said. "You wouldn't want to be set upon by a gang of angry shifters."

"A pack," he was saying as they left. "They're called a pack."

I helped Esther upstairs to bed. I sat on the edge as she tried to find a way to relax.

"Head still hurting?" I asked.

"A bit. It's easing off," she lied.

"You need rest. I'll let you be."

She reached out and held on to my arm. "Stay. Just for a little bit. Please?"

"Of course." I stared down at her. I couldn't believe my friend had turned out to be my lost soul. But why was she lost? Was it because of the shifters and Mac? Or was it something else?

"I'm scared," she said in a small voice.

"I won't let the shifters take you," I said firmly.

"I'm scared of myself," she admitted. "These headaches are getting too much for me."

"We need to get you back into that clinic."

"The shifters would just take me out. I can't go there. I'm only safe with you."

"That's not true," I said. "You're strong, Esther. You're safe anywhere."

"What if they're right about me being untethered?" she asked hesitantly.

"Why would they be right?"

"When I broke away from Aiden, I felt so... so lost for a while. Then I realised that I could have a family of a different kind here. And that's still true, but I'm like a shadow on this place, bringing danger everywhere with me. What if family just isn't enough? What if Mac had those shifters drugged and tied up because they really were dangerous?"

"What the hell has gotten into you? Mac did the wrong thing, even if we can somehow make believe he had the right reasons. He wanted power and control. That's all. He didn't care about the untethered being dangerous. He cared about owning them. And not being able to control you drove him crazy. Well, crazier. You don't deserve to be chained up, Esther."

"And if I really killed him? If I was really there the night he died?"

"The shifters were bluffing to see our reactions," I said, panicked by how easily she'd believed in them. "You weren't there, and you didn't kill him. Trust me, Esther, I would have known."

"How?"

"Because... I just would! I know you. You're not that kind of person. You're not feral or a monster. You get migraines, and you're sick sometimes, weak more often than not. That weakness can't kill even a shitty alpha like Mac."

"What if the weakness is just a side effect?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if..." She bit her lip. "What if, when I blank out, I really let my animal side through. What if it uses up so much energy that I'm left exhausted the rest of the time?"

"It doesn't matter," I said. "Nobody can prove it, not even us. We're going to watch you carefully, okay? We're going to see what happens when you sleepwalk. And we're going to prove to you that there's no way on this planet that you could ever have tortured Mac to death without remembering it. You didn't see the blood, Esther. You would have been covered in it."

"If I was a bear?" She looked up at me, desperate for reassurance. "If I washed in a river afterward? If I left my clothes somewhere else?"

"I would have noticed if Mac was covered in bear hair." I tried to smile. "And I'm pretty sure somebody would have noticed if you had been walking the streets naked on a regular basis."

She grinned then. "You're an idiot. Have I ever told you that?"

"Possibly once or twice." I patted her cheek. "I'm going to get us out of this mess. Trust me. Have I ever steered you wrong?"

She shook her head and closed her eyes. "You sometimes take the scenic route, though."

I laughed and stood. "Go away out of that. You get some sleep. And just you watch. I'll go see the Senate later. Maybe I'll even take my trusty solicitor along with me. If he can't scare off the Senate, nobody can. We'll get the shifters off your back until they find the real killer. And when there's a new alpha—"

She moaned. "They'll be after me to take Aiden's punishment, too. I can't win, Ava. I just can't. What's the point?"

I reached out and held her hand in mine. "I promise you, Esther. I won't rest until I've sorted this out. You didn't do it, and I'm going to find out who did."

And that was exactly what I needed to do for the werewolves, too. My gut told me neither party was guilty, and that just meant there were murderers running free—and that had to change.

# 9

Carl arrived before I left for the Senate's public meeting. "I'll keep an eye on her when you leave," he explained.

"She's still asleep," I said as I pulled on my jacket.

His face tensed with worry. "I hope she's going to be okay."

I laid my hand on his arm. "She will be."

"She doesn't deserve any of this mess. She didn't cause it. Not any of it." He punched his fist into his palm. "This all started with her bloody brother."

"I know." I heaved a sigh. "I have to go. And, Carl, just... be careful with Esther, okay?"

His eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I think you know." I gave him a sympathetic smile and left the house. I could see him slowly falling deeper into something with Esther. She relied on him in ways she couldn't allow herself to with anyone else, but I had a horrible feeling he had been friend-zoned and just didn't know it yet. He deserved a little happiness; I wasn't sure if Esther was the one to give that to him, though. But I had vowed to keep out of his love life, and that's what I would do.

I felt eyes on my back as soon as I left the cul-de-sac, and I tightened my grip on the dagger hidden in my sleeve. Nobody approached, but I sensed someone nearby, waiting. As long as no one attempted to stop me from reaching the Senate's meeting, I didn't care much who watched. I was confident that the cul-de-sac really did protect us from harm, and a lot of my questions about other incidents had been cleared up in one fell swoop.

The night was eerily dark, the moon a tiny crescent in the sky. I felt the pull all the same, as most creatures of darkness likely did. Once, night had been a signal that atrocious beasts were coming back to life. At least that one threat had completely gone from my life.

I upped my pace as I took a shortcut through what had once been a market street. Not all of the changes had been positive once we switched governments. The riots and looters from the worst days had run businesses to the ground, even sent families from their homes. Many shopping streets were boarded up and neglected, while rows of houses gutted by a fire had been deserted because the repairs would have cost too much.

Sections of the city that had once been full of life were empty, except for the occasional drug deal. No one had the money to pump a renewal into Dublin, not when the funds were needed for just about everything else. The old bustle was gone from those forgotten districts, and that saddened me.

That was why I walked those routes. The area was quiet, and if the shifters did attack, innocent victims wouldn't be in the way. But although someone was following me, nobody made a move, and I eventually left the dead streets, turning a corner onto a well-lit street that housed the new meeting place.

An unruly queue had already formed outside the old courtroom. A couple of protesters were hanging around at the corner. I pushed through the crowd, determined to get in early enough to grab a seat, not that I minded standing. I just needed to be inside before they closed the doors. One of Shay's recruits spotted me and made way for me.

"Thanks," I said gratefully.

"Thought you might need a hand."

"Wait, I know you. You're Anto's brother." Anthony May and his partner, Layne Corcoran, had died on the job because of my enemy. She had left behind a young son, while Anto had a large number of siblings to mourn him. I still felt guilt over their deaths, but the families had never even thought to blame me.

"One of them," he said with a smile. "I'm Terry."

"I didn't recognise you in the uniform. You're working with Shay?"

He nodded. "When Anto died, I felt like I had to carry this on for him. At first, I just wanted... I don't know, my own kind of vengeance, but Shay made me get over that pretty early on. It's been a good experience, though. Better than I thought."

"Wow. And your family are okay with it?"

"Ah, it drives me ma demented, especially when I tell her I'm going to marry my human partner someday." He snorted with laughter, completely losing his professional air. "I haven't mentioned she's a lesbian yet."

I grinned. "You're so mean."

"Serves her right for being so old-fashioned." He jerked his head. "Go on in. I'm closing the doors in a minute. Try to steer clear of the admirers. They can get a little twisted."

The crowd surged behind me as people heard his words. Ninety-five percent of the crowd was almost certainly there to ogle Callista, but if anyone had any real business, they could bring it to the Senate during a public meeting. The Senate had vowed to hear them, and some people took advantage, but most just wanted to have their say.

Inside, the room was packed. It stank of old rain for some reason. I kept pushing through the crowd. There were no seats, but I managed to grab a space close to the Senate, where I could stand without being knocked over by the men and women trying to catch a closer look at Callista, who obliged with a queenly wave every now and then.

The doors slammed shut, but the desperate knocking continued on for at least five minutes. When the crowd outside finally gave up, two recruits strode right through the crowd and stood before the Senate.

James stood. "This session of our public meetings begins. Who is first to bring a query forward?"

Half the people raised their hands as if we were schoolchildren. The recruits picked people at random, but the first three questions were all about Callista's favourite perfume, chocolate, and music. Anything with jasmine, as dark as possible, and the music of her people were the answers. I watched with scorn as several listeners took notes.

Daimhín caught my gaze and rolled her eyes. She hid a little yawn and stared at the crowd with open dislike.

Willow drummed her fingertips on the table. "Perhaps we can move on from the personal questions."

"I have a problem," an old man said, standing up and ignoring the recruits who bade him to wait his turn. We weren't taking numbers anyway.

"What's your issue?" Willow asked kindly enough.

The old man rubbed his chin. "Well, I have a family farm that's been attacked numerous times lately. An entire herd of cows, gone. Only thing left are bones and a little flesh. Something's eating my herd, and I need to know why and how to stop them."

The Senate members exchanged knowing looks. My stomach sank. They were going to blame the werewolves for the cows, too. I just couldn't imagine the wolves being so careless out of the blue. _Unless Phoenix had been the one keeping them in line all along. But then why leave?_ It made no sense.

"It's been happening over the course of a few months, but I'm going to have to sell up. I can't make a living on a dairy farm with no cows. I mean, I—"

"Take his details," Layla told the recruits. "He's to be reimbursed immediately." She leaned forward and gave the man a predatory smile. "Not to worry. We'll be dealing with this matter shortly. The animals destroying your livelihood will be put down very soon."

He thanked her profusely and made his way over to a desk in the corner to give his information.

The next question was a proposal of marriage, and that just sent me over the edge.

"Oh, for the love of..." I barged my way to the front of the room. "Are you kidding me?" I asked the man, who was down on one knee. I looked up at the Senate, all of whom looked uncomfortable or angry to see me, even Willow. "I'm here for a reason," I said. "The shifters came to my home and tried to attack me. They want to kidnap my friend, and after we found so many kidnapped female shifters already, I thought it would be a bad idea to hand her over."

The crowd behind me instantly burst into a song of accusation and disgust.

"Oh, pipe down," Daimhín said. "And stop exaggerating, Ms. Delaney. The shifters have their own crude set of rules and traditions, and we have promised not to interfere unless we have to."

"Well, you have to," I said. "The alpha is dead, and they're trying to kill my friend in retribution. The girl can barely stand on her own two feet. How the hell is she supposed to have taken down an alpha, of all things?"

"It is unlikely," Callista said. "The nature of her injuries are well known. She needs medical care, Ava."

"She can't get that if the shifters are waiting outside my home, ready to pounce as soon as she leaves."

"If they were going to attack, they would have already," James said.

"There's protection over my properties," I said snidely. "If anyone means us bodily harm, they can't enter. And if they try, they get flung into the air, just like a shifter did today when he ran at us." I shrugged at the impressed sounds around me. "It's pretty cool."

A young woman asked me where she could get the same protection.

"You can't get exactly the same thing, but I could set you up with some supernatural security measures." I handed her my card. "I sell that sort of thing."

More voices joined hers, and that shouldn't have surprised me. Of course people needed to feel safe from my world. _Maybe I could help them._

"The shifters are out of control," Willow interrupted. "They can't just kidnap people off the street and get away with it."

"We still don't know who's responsible for that or the alpha's death," Daimhín said.

The crowd was listening intently. Mac's death hadn't hit the papers yet, but it surely would after this meeting.

"So put a leash on them until you do know," I said. " _Please_."

James snorted. " _Please_ , she says."

"If you don't stop the shifters, you're going to spark something you can't stop," I said coldly, advancing on the Senate. My voice changed, somehow, and I felt the presence of the Eleven at my back. This wasn't just me talking. It was all of them. It made me queasy, but I couldn't shake it off. I had just invoked something I couldn't take back.

James flinched, and the others looked disturbed. Daimhín, on the other hand, looked impressed.

"We'll calm the shifters," Daimhín said. "For now," she added, giving me a wry look.

"Thank you," I said, relieved.

"There are worse animals to deal with," an annoyingly familiar voice said from behind me.

I turned, infuriated, to see Regis striding through the parted crowd. I felt the Eleven again—and they were truly angry. They saw the paragon as a threat. I did, too. But was that impression really mine, or was it the Eleven's influence?

"Are there?" Daimhín asked in a bored tone.

"Your so-called heroes, the werewolves, murdered a human in cold blood," he continued.

The room burst into shouts of anger again; the rage was proportionately stronger than before. The paragon held the crowd in his hands. _Damn him._

"What are you trying to do?" Willow asked. "Cause a stampede?"

"Are these poor, defenceless people supposed to walk around unprotected?" Regis asked.

"The werewolves haven't hurt anyone," I began, but the paragon held up his hand to shush me.

"Haven't they? We know they recently killed a man, and the entire tragedy was covered up by the Senate."

James's face turned puce. "How dare you?"

"I'm merely presenting the truth in front of the public," Regis said, looking completely relaxed. "That's the purpose of these meetings, is it not?"

"You can't prove the werewolves did this," I said.

"You cannot prove that they did _not_ do this," he replied without looking at me.

I sensed Warrior growl in frustration, and it started to freak me out.

"Clear the room," Daimhín commanded. "Of everyone but those two. Now!"

Amidst complaints and protests, the recruits emptied the room. The Senate stared down at us, me with a likely red face, and the paragon looking as though he were taking a leisurely break.

"It cannot go on," he said. "These creatures are supposed to be extinct. They aren't meant to live now. Take care of them before anyone else gets hurt."

"They helped us in the war," I said. "They saved all of our lives. We would be kneeling to the British Vampire Association by now if it not for the werewolves. And what the hell are you going to tell Phoenix when he comes back, looking for the werewolves, eh?"

"Phoenix isn't here," James said, but he looked a little unnerved. "He has no say in this."

"They don't deserve to die," I said. "And you know it. If anything else attacks us, they're our greatest line of defence."

"She's right," Daimhín said. "They do give us a certain kind of protection."

Regis tutted, showing his first signs of frustration. "The tainted shouldn't exist to influence you, either."

"If you want to try to take her out, be my guest," Daimhín said. "Just don't try it anywhere near me."

" _Try_?" he spluttered. "You think me incapable?"

"I think you should take care not to underestimate a being on this soil," she said, her voice rising slightly. "And perhaps we do not take too kindly to orders from a paragon."

He smiled. "Should I prepare an army instead?"

Daimhín's tight-lipped smile didn't cover her discomfort. "Is that an official threat, Regis?"

He gestured toward the Senate. "It shouldn't take an army to replace you all." He glanced at me. "And my personal army would be more than adequate to deal with Ireland's biggest problems."

My hands balled into fists. "Why should we listen to you? Where are the other paragons, if you're so concerned about our werewolves?"

"Perhaps they're gathering our army to attack," he said sharply.

"Perhaps they're not," I said. "Perhaps this is your agenda, not theirs." I looked at the Senate. "I only have two requests. One: that the shifters back off until we know for sure who killed Mac. Two: that the Senate make no concrete decisions on the werewolves until we have real evidence that they perpetrated this attack."

"Who else could it be?" Regis asked scornfully.

"I dunno. You, maybe?"

He made a face. "I do not eat cow flesh."

"Goody for you." I gazed up at Callista pleadingly. "You know this is wrong. The werewolves at least deserve a little time after everything they've done for us."

"I can agree to that," Callista said.

"Me, too," Willow said.

"We can't risk the public outcry when another human is murdered," Layla said. "I'm sorry, but I can't agree to the risk."

"And what if the paragon army comes after us?" James said. "We're not equipped to deal with an army."

"With a werewolf pack, we might even win," Daimhín said with a wicked smile. She had been observing the paragon the entire time. "I don't think the paragons will bring an army for this. I'll give the werewolves time. I'm keen to find out what they're capable of. Perhaps they just need their trainer to return."

"This is insolence," Regis shouted, spittle flying from his mouth.

I couldn't resist retorting, "This is how we do things here."

"This isn't the end," he said as the Eleven showed their triumph before disappearing from my head, or whatever had just happened. "The werewolves _will_ die." He strode out of the room, leaving me unsettled.

"Now look what you've all done," James said. "We can't afford to piss anyone else off."

"What if they just want us defenceless?" I said. "Why would the werewolves suddenly start eating everything in sight? It doesn't make sense. I can't even imagine the werewolves killing that human last month. It just... it doesn't sound right. Kill him? Okay, maybe. But tear him apart so his body can't even be identified? That's not an animal instinct."

"Then they're more intelligent than we gave them credit for," Layla said. "But that just makes them even more terrifying. Do you not see what this paragon has done tonight? He has taken our heroes and destroyed them with a sentence. The people will turn against them, against us, and there's nothing we can do but give them blood and retribution."

"Like the shifters want to do? That's not how we coexist. It just can't be."

"What are we to do?" Callista asked. "Truly, how can it end in anything other than blood after that display? We are lost and outnumbered, and we're at the mercy of this paragon, whether we make a show of disagreeing with him or not."

"It isn't fair," I said.

"Nothing's fair," James said. "Grow up, would you?"

"He's playing you," I said. "Can't you see that?"

"Don't think us ignorant," Daimhín scoffed. "I've seen enough games to know when I've been dragged into one. And you're no more innocent. You see what you want to see. Esther may not have killed Mac, but one of your friends surely did. The half-hellhound perhaps. When the paragon is done with the werewolves, he'll come after her next."

"There's no reason to go after Esther. She's not a murderer!"

"But she's untethered," Layla said calmly. "And that's what started this entire fiasco. And perhaps the werewolves are untethered without Phoenix around to lead them. I don't know."

They all prepared to leave, but I wasn't done yet.

"I need your word," I said. "Are the werewolves safe?"

"For now," Daimhín said sharply.

As Willow passed me, she touched my arm. "Try not to worry so much. You can't save them all."

"I thought that this is what you wanted from me."

"Oh, it is. It is. But you've tried your best, and I can't expect anything more."

I frowned. "Well, I expect more from myself."

Her smile faltered. "Oh. Well, good luck then, I suppose."

I bit back a smart remark. What was the point in having leaders who gave up while there was still hope?

Callista raised her arms as though to hug me then dropped them by her sides when I flinched. "I'm sorry we can't do more, but it's likely the werewolves are guilty. There's nothing else as savage here, and we always knew this day might come."

"I didn't."

She patted my cheek. "That's because you have a better heart than the rest of us."

James stalked past me without a word.

To my surprise, Layla hesitated by my side. "If you're going to do something, do it quickly," she said under her breath. "We can't keep the paragon off our backs forever. They've been known to wipe out civilisations who disagreed with them in the past. We can't allow the same to happen to us."

I thought of the Eleven and shook my head. "It won't come to that."

"Then hurry."

Daimhín dismissed the recruits when the rest of the Senate left.

"Sit," she said, taking a seat on a bench. She sniffed as though personally offended. "It truly stinks in here. What are humans? Animals?"

"What do you want?" I asked, cautiously sitting next to her. "And where are your bodyguards?"

"Outside. The stench of them is even worse than human sweat. Did you know that some of them smell like an actual wet dog?"

"I've noticed. And again, I'll ask: what do you want?"

"Impatience is not a virtue, you know." She sighed. "The paragon is not to be trusted, but if Eloise speaks the truth, there won't be a paragon army marching against us."

"Did she say that specifically?" I asked. "An army or a paragon army."

She looked troubled. "She... said a paragon army. She was very specific."

I tried to shrug off my own disturbed feeling. "Well, then, he's bluffing. If she's telling the truth."

"I watched Regis very carefully tonight," she said. "And I believe I have no reason to doubt this vision."

"Why does he really want to get rid of the werewolves? Vampires have killed who knows how many people over the years."

She sniffed, looking offended. "Don't think us weak merely because we aren't currently as popular as other species. Our numbers may have dwindled, but we are still a massive worldwide force. He would be a fool to try to wipe us out."

I rolled my eyes. "Stop purposely missing my point. Why is he focused on this one death?"

"Technically, it's two deaths, although I had my own concerns about that first one. It didn't make sense. I should warn you, though, despite our efforts to calm the shifters, they are without an alpha, making virtually all of them untethered right now."

"So what does that mean?"

"They'll do what they want, without concern for reputation, law, or anything else. If they want Esther, they won't stop until they take her."

"They named me an enemy of the pack," I said.

She hissed. "Then you should hide from the shifters. They are not to be trusted. For now, my pair are contained, but the weight of the power and the pack is too much for any shifter but the alpha. He alone keeps them sane."

"Then how come Esther hasn't lost her mind yet? She hasn't been with the pack for a long time now."

"Perhaps she's stronger than she looks." A smirk twisted her lips upward. "Or perhaps she's found an alpha of her own to depend on."

I frowned. "I don't see how. Are my friends safe? Will the shifters strike at anything that moves, or is it specifically me?"

"In their demented state—which will deteriorate, by the way—they'll have a focus, and it'll be the only thing that helps them survive this turbulent time. Of course, many shifters have family to rely on, and that will keep them in line, but others are truly dependent on the pack's alpha. Those are the ones to worry about. You kept something they wanted badly. You were there when their alpha's body was found. And now you've thwarted their attempts all over again. If I were you, I'd be very concerned, but in a twisted way, this focus on you will likely protect others from harm. Still, we need to find a new alpha as soon as possible."

"Shay's recruits don't act like this," I said. "Are you exaggerating?"

"I am not! But Shay's recruits have Shay and their teammates. When they were Guardians, they had their circles. Others are more family or community oriented. But shifters _cannot_ exist alone. They need to tether themselves to something."

"I can't believe that."

"You can't believe millennia of history?" she asked with a laugh. "Go on, then, tainted one. Do things your way. Don't say I didn't warn you." She stood then hesitated. "Just remember that one shifter is not like the others. They all have their own levels of strength and focus. It's the weak ones you have to worry about most, but all shifters will be a problem until Mac is replaced."

"Mac wasn't in control of himself."

"He was rapidly losing himself. Alphas keep their sanity through strength of will and strength of the pack. He was so concerned with gathering more shifters into his pack that he failed to realise the truth. He was never a true alpha."

With that, she swept away from me, leaving me with a lot to think about. I sat there awhile longer before I called Carl with a brief update. He put me on speakerphone so Esther could speak, too.

"They pretty much agreed to put a leash on the shifters, but Daimhín had a quiet word with me afterward," I said.

"Oh, no," Carl groaned. "That's never good."

"She said that without the alpha, the rest of the shifters are slowly losing their minds and their control, some faster than others."

Dead air.

"So that's happening to me," Esther said dully.

"No," I said. "Absolutely not. You've been free for a long time. You know how to handle it. You got past the worst ages ago. Don't think you're anything like them."

"I'm a shifter, aren't I?"

"You're a free shifter," Carl said firmly.

"It's true," I said. "But you're still not safe. The shifters might be told off, but that pesky lack-of-control thing might lead them to renew the only focus they have—finding you." I chose not to tell her that I was probably in worse danger from the insanity of untethered shifters because she had enough to worry about.

She blew out a shaky breath. "And if the cul-de-sac isn't safe from me? What are you all going to do if I go crazy, rabid even?"

"We'll shove the biggest sleeping pill Anka can make down your throat," Carl said.

Esther managed a brief laugh.

"Seriously," I said. "You didn't have a pack growing up, just Aiden, and you turned out great. The rest of the shifters have just been too used to being told what to do, is all. They'll find themselves again. And eventually, an alpha will step up. They're probably having some challenges as we speak. They're weak until they have a leader, so we've nothing to worry about, but just in case, I'd prefer it if you hung around in the cul-de-sac. When things have calmed down, we'll reassess. Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah," she said after a pause. "I think that'll be okay."

"I'll tell you both everything that happened when I get home. Want me to pick up some food?"

They did. After I hung up, I left the courthouse and started walking home. I remembered Daimhín mentioning that a new alpha would soon arrive. _Just hurry the hell up, whoever you are._

The shifters were more of a menace than the werewolves were, but the werewolves had killed before. The niggling doubt at the back of my mind turned into a simmering growl that I realised was coming from behind me. I whirled around to see a hulking figure stagger into the light of a streetlamp. Greg, Mac's second in command, lifted his lips to reveal fangs. I wondered what he shifted into, then I realised that didn't matter. He wasn't likely to be alone.

When I reached out with my other senses while backing away to put distance between us, I couldn't find any shifters. Greg _was_ hunting me alone.

"The Senate decided to neuter the shifters," I said. "You're supposed to back off and leave us alone. Don't beta shifters do what they're told these days?"

He growled again, more menacingly than before. He approached me, his gait awkward as his legs were stuck in a partial shift, which wasn't pretty.

"You should really get that looked at," I said, still stepping backward.

He punched a lamppost and left a dent.

"What the hell do you want with me?" I demanded, tired of the cat-and-mouse game he was playing.

"I want to kill you," he said, his mouth full of fanged teeth made to rip flesh from bones.

# 10

_T hese shifters are really starting to piss me off._ They had already thrown a few digs while trying to plant me in the old Council cells, and I'd had just about enough from them.

"I'm going to start losing my temper soon." I circled him. "This is out of order, and it has to stop."

"Can't... stop," he growled, a flash of panic in his eyes.

"Look, I know you're having trouble without your alpha keeping everyone under control, but you're just going to have to man up and deal with it. You can't have Esther, and you can't have me."

"Esther is... weak."

"She's strong enough to do fine without an alpha leading her by the nose," I shot back. "Now cut it out. I have a lot of very specific shifter-related aggression built up this week. I'm going to unleash hell on your arse if you don't leave me alone."

"Never." He lurched forward and grabbed at me.

I quickly stepped aside, forcing him to reach for empty air, then pushed his back to use his weight against him. He toppled forward, as unstable as a newly born deer. I almost felt sorry for him, but then I remembered the mess in my house and how Anka's face had looked when she'd stood outside her trashed shop. Then I wasn't feeling pity anymore. I kicked the back of his thigh, and he landed on his knees, but he was up again in a flash as if he had suddenly remembered how to control his body.

"I'm warning you." I jumped on the balls of my feet, secretly excited. I hadn't fought much of anything in a long time, and I hated being out of practice. My old injuries were healed, and I felt better than ever. I was pretty sure I could take a Lurch-sized shifter anytime.

When he threw a punch, I almost laughed at how slowly he moved. But it was just a feint, and he caught me in the gut with his other hand. I jumped back, eyes watering with pain.

"Nice comeback," I said, then I moved in close, palm-struck his nose, and backed up again.

He barked out a laugh through his streaming nose then straightened and moved toward me scarily quickly. I double-punched his gut, but he wrapped his arms around me, trapping my arms, and lifted me in the air. I kicked out ineffectually, and he threw me on the ground. My forearms skidded against the concrete beneath me.

Greg made to stomp on me, but I rolled over and easily avoided him. I swung my legs around and tried to kick his feet out from under him, but he was too steady.

He lifted me again, gripping the back of my jacket and jeans, lifting me precariously high in the air. When he dropped me, I managed to slow my fall by gripping his jumper on the way down. I flipped, bounced on my feet, and twisted my body back into the air to wrap my legs around his neck in an upside-down pose. I almost squeed for joy. I had been practising that move for _months_ with Carl.

But then the shifter kneed me in the head as he pulled my grip free. I toppled, barely avoiding landing on my head. He kicked my stomach, and I flew straight into a nearby lamppost. I winced at a sudden sharp pain in my spine, but I didn't have time to feel sorry for myself. Greg ran at me again, and I had to jump to my feet and run to get out of his way. He did a weird, awkward movement as though trying to shift again, and he tripped and whacked his face against the very same lamppost I'd struck.

But even that didn't slow him down for long. He came at me again, his pain apparently fuelling his rage.

"Cut it out!" I shouted as I struggled to keep out of his reach. "Stop trying to pick me up like a doll, you arse!"

"Enemy... of the... pack," he grunted.

"Just listen to yourself for a minute." I backed away from him. It had occurred to me that I couldn't fight the entire pack, should I encounter them, so I needed a better idea for dealing with angry shifters. "You don't need Esther anymore. Mac's dead!"

"Shame," he said. "Somebody has to take the shame."

"So what are you going to do? Torture Esther?"

"I would _never_." His face contorted. "That was Mac's idea." His expression cleared. "That was his tradition, not mine."

I avoided half-hearted strike. "So what was your tradition?"

"A fight," he said. "A proving. She has to fight for her good name, for her freedom."

"But she's injured," I said. "How is that fair?"

"Family," he said. "Family fights in your place." He growled and lunged at me again.

I punched his face and put distance between us. "Snap out of it, Greg!"

He looked pained. "I _can't_."

"Concentrate! You said someone can fight in her place?"

"Be her champion, her second." He trembled and rubbed the side of his face. "It's so hard to control the shift when there's nobody else there."

"The rest of the pack is there," I said. "You can all rely on each other."

"No, it's too noisy. No control. No ties. I can't take the pain. There's so much pain." He sank to his knees, clutching his head.

I approached him warily. "So be the alpha then."

"I'm no alpha. There is no alpha."

"There's one coming," I said. "Or, at least, one coming home."

He looked up at me, blinking rapidly. "Really?"

"The vampire queen told me. Her seer said one is on his way. It's going to be okay. You can forget about Esther, and—"

"Alphas never forget. He could be like Mac. Esther's dead."

"Unless someone champions her first," I said. "You told me that. Somebody can take her place."

"Aiden's gone. Nobody will take her place."

"It's Aiden's punishment," I fumed. I helped the shifter to his feet, forgetting about the fact he'd been trying to kill me five minutes ago.

Then he was the one who put distance between us. "Aiden's a coward," he said, panting. "He will never come back to champion her."

If Aiden hadn't come back to save his sister already, then he likely never would. "Okay," I said. "I'll do it."

Greg's face screwed up with confusion. "Do what?"

"Be Esther's champion."

He tried to laugh, but it sounded like a hacking cough instead. "You're no shifter."

I flashed my fangs. "There. I just shifted."

"You're not her family."

I bristled. "I've been more family to her than her brother ever was. She's _mine_ , and I'm responsible for her."

He staggered back a few steps. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"I'll contact you with a time and place."

"You seem less... _rawr_ all of a sudden."

"I feel better. More... controlled. You made me focus on something else." He gave me a puzzled look. "I will speak for you, urge the others to accept you as Esther's champion. Expect to hear from us soon."

"And this isn't a trick?" I asked. "You're not trying to fool me?"

"You have my word."

"So when I fight in her place, win or lose, she'll be free."

"It'll be forgotten, but _you'll_ still be an enemy of the pack... if you survive. Only an alpha can remove that stigma. But you show courage and strength. I won't be the one to cull you as an enemy of the pack."

He'd been the one to name me an enemy in the first place. Ignoring his shifter logic, I gripped the hand he held out to me. He nodded, squeezed my fingers, then lumbered away. For an instant, I thought I heard something close by, a footstep or a heartbeat maybe, but when I checked, nothing was there.

"Paranoia," I whispered. On the walk home, I gingerly touched my spine, expecting to feel pain, but it was fine, probably not even bruised. In fact, I felt great, as though I had released months of tension in one little scrap with a crazy shifter.

I paid attention the rest of the way, but I didn't get a sense that anyone else had followed me. Even the Chinese takeaway was quiet for a change. Still, I was relieved to see the cul-de-sac. I waved at one of my neighbours as he headed out for a night shift. Our little community was pleasant to be a part of.

I headed into my house, where Carl and Esther were waiting, and left the food on the coffee table in the living room.

I threw myself onto the sofa and rested my legs across Carl's lap. "I'm bloody well wrecked."

"That's pretty much your usual reaction to an evening with the Senate," Carl said.

Esther was sitting cross-legged on the floor at his feet, leaning against him as she chewed her fingernails.

"It's been a weird night," I said, yawning. "I went to the public meeting, witnessed a marriage proposal, and had to listen to the paragon outing the werewolves as human-killers."

"Uh-oh," Carl said.

"But! I did manage to persuade the Senate to ask the shifters to back off, and I at least begged off a little time for the werewolves. So that counts as a win, right? The paragon is really into extinction right now, and he's trying to pull other people into his buzz. There's going to be a full investigation first, so maybe something will come up."

"And if the werewolves really did do it?" Esther asked.

My stomach turned. "Since when is death met with death, officially speaking? Anyway, the paragon's not going to let this lie, but I feel like it's a personal agenda. When he left, Daimhín said that Eloise reckons we've nothing to worry about from a paragon army, so that's a bonus, at least."

Esther did a weak fist pump into the air. "Oh, yay, I suppose."

I reached out for the Chinese food and found a bag of wontons to snack on while I spoke. "The big news is that Greg confronted me on the way home, and it looks as though Daimhín was right. The shifters are seriously dopey right now. For a minute there, he could barely remember how to stand. Then he seemed to focus on, you know, killing me, so that helped him."

"Ava," Carl said warningly.

I leaned back my head with a grin and closed my eyes. _"Anyway_ , we got to chatting, and he calmed down enough to make sense. Apparently, Mac's idea of making Esther take a punishment is actually a bit of a sore point. Even the shifters have opposing traditions, it seems. Greg said that where he's from, the shifter in question has to fight for their good name, their honour, I suppose."

"I have to fight for my life then," Esther said. "Honour is life with the shifters. Shame is what kills us, but only figuratively speaking. Our shame is put to death by killing our bodies."

"You have some sick traditions," Carl said.

"It's not my fault," she protested. "Loyalty, trust, and honour are the three most important things for a shifter, according to Aiden."

"He had none of those," I murmured.

"Ideally, then," she said snappishly. "But for Mac, he swapped out trust for power. And the loyalty didn't work both ways. Honour is honour in any language, but we obviously find opposing things honourable."

"I'm pretty sure Greg didn't know about the captives," I said, "even though he was second in command. Looks like Mac was pushing people only as far as he could." I reached for another wonton. I hadn't eaten for ages, and my throat was starting to feel achy in the I-heart-blood sort of way. "Except for you, Esther. He couldn't get anywhere at all with you."

"That's because of you," she said softly. "You and Carl and everyone else. If I didn't have you, I would have stayed with Aiden, would have been sucked into Mac's pack."

"Why can't there be more than one pack, though?" I asked. "Why is there one big alpha? When things go wrong, they go really wrong, and nobody has the power to stop him."

"The one true alpha contains all of the individual packs," she said. "They aren't true packs, more like families within the pack. They stay close to other shifters because we rely on each other for survival, and we turn to the alpha to sort out disputes and such. But most importantly, we stick together."

Something in the tone of her voice made me sit up. "What is it?"

She shrugged and curled up into a ball. Carl reached out to rest his hand on her shoulder, and she leaned in to his touch.

"I don't do that," she said. "I don't stay close to the other shifters. Aiden took us to stay with shifters originally to protect ourselves, but we did without them for so long. In hindsight, perhaps a pack would have helped Aiden through his tough years, but part of that problem was that he didn't know what was going on. I mean, our mother died before she could tell us the truth, but even she kept us away from the pack. She purposely avoided the shifters, and now I'll never know why. Are we supposed to be loners?"

"Maybe she had experience with a Mac of her own," Carl offered. "Maybe she came here to escape a terrible alpha. Whatever the cause, she must have had her reasons."

"If I could just know why, maybe I would be able to understand the pack here a little better. When I think of how hostile they are now," she said, "I can see why Aiden kept me so separated from them, even when he was alpha. They were never going to accept us because we're so different from them. And now Aiden's gone, they're happy to take their pound of flesh from me."

"I'm not going to let them," I said. "I'm going to be your champion."

"You can't!"

"Greg and I shook on it," I said firmly. "I'll fight this fight, earn you back your honour, and then it'll all be over."

"You can't keep saving me, Ava," she said.

"I'm defending my entire family," I said, and when she smiled, I continued. "And everything's almost back to normal—don't worry."

"Well, I'll heat up the food," Carl said. "Be right back."

He and Esther went into the kitchen together, and I dozed off until they returned with the food. I was about to dig in when I remembered something I had been meaning to ask. "Hey, Carl, have you met Melody Love?"

"Melody Love?" He screwed up his nose before his expression cleared. "Oh! The medium? Yeah, we met."

"What do you think of her?"

"She seems nice. Peter met her on a case of his. Emmett loves her. Why?"

I violently stabbed my food with my fork. "No reason." But there went that pesky pang of jealousy once again. I just wasn't sure who I was jealous of Melody spending time with. Peter or Emmett.

Sometimes, I wished I could take back the things I'd said, or at least knock on wood more often so that I didn't jinx myself. But I didn't, and when a pair of recruits knocked at my door the next morning, I knew that it had happened again. _My bad luck._

"What happened?" I asked, worried by their grim faces. "Is everyone okay?"

Shay stepped between them. "Leave us alone for a minute," he said. When the recruits moved off, he examined my face. "Did he hurt you?"

I frowned. "Who?"

"The shifter last night."

"What? Greg? No, of course not. Well, I might have a couple of bruises, but that's nothing. How did you know about it anyway?"

"Before we go in," he said, "make sure your story is straight. If you're going with self-defence, then—"

"Shay! I have no freaking clue what you're on about."

He licked his lips and held my gaze. "We found his body."

My mouth dropped open. "Oh, my God. _No_! We made a deal. He said I could champion Esther, and the problems with the pack would be over. How could he do something so _stupid_ like dying?"

Shay breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God it wasn't you. But you're the suspect right now, Ava. The Senate wants to see you."

"Why am I a suspect again?" I demanded. "I'm getting really sick of this. I don't just wander around killing people on a whim, you know."

"I know," he said. "But after last night, the papers are awash with how the Senate are allowing dangerous supernatural creatures to get away with murder, while on the other hand, they can't even protect their own members. They have to be seen to act."

I held up my fingers. "One: I'm not a dangerous supernatural creature. And two: why would I kill Greg?"

"He told other shifters he was going to confront you. It's hard to tell, because they seem to be having trouble speaking right now, but he was determined to deal with you once and for all."

"So it's okay for him to try to murder me? How is that fair?"

"It's not. But they're angry."

"Damnit, Shay. I didn't kill him. But even if I did, they've already admitted he was trying to kill me."

"I know," he said. "Trust me, I've had this exact same conversation. But apparently, some shifters are holding information over the Senate's heads. I don't know if they're going to spill sensitive information to the press, or if the Senate want to know something that shifters have gotten hold of, but it makes no difference. They've called you in, and I'm the one who is supposed to do it. Now can you come quietly before the entire neighbourhood realises what's happening and protests about it?"

"Fine," I said reluctantly, knowing that avoiding it would just prolong the process. "But why do you think Greg was killed? I mean, first the alpha, and now his second in command. Why would anyone wipe out the chain of command like that?"

"Revenge? Punishment for the captives? An attempt to be the newest alpha?"

"But Greg didn't know about the captives. Most shifters are extra honest, Shay. I would have known if he was faking it. The captive situation was news to him."

"Then somebody wanted him out of the way so they could take the lead." He shrugged. "That's the most likely explanation."

"But Greg wasn't alpha material. He told me so himself. And the pack wouldn't accept an alpha who cheated. That's why Aiden had to leave. The alpha has to win a challenge honestly. It's about honour and trust and stuff."

Shay frowned. "That turns the heat back onto you, Ava. You just destroyed our best motives so far. That only leaves us with a motive for _you_ killing him. Self-defence, and a way to protect Esther."

"But I didn't need to protect Esther anymore. Greg was going to fix everything. He told me to expect to hear from him. I offered to be Esther's champion, to fight for her honour, and he was happy to agree. He promised that the issues between Esther and the pack would end. He left me to organise it."

"It's just your word." He gave me a pitying look. "I'm afraid Greg didn't make it home last night, Ava. He was found close to the courthouse."

"But I... I saw him walk away. I watched him leave. He confronted me outside the courthouse, but then he left. I swear it."

"If that's true, then somebody is trying very hard to make you look like the guilty one."

"It's the paragon," I said immediately. "It has to be. He hates me, and he hates Esther and the werewolves, and I persuaded the Senate not to listen to him last night. He has it in for me. He has to be the one who set this up."

"Why would a paragon bother with all of this? Why wouldn't he just attack you himself?"

"Because he can't." I clamped my mouth shut before I said too much.

"Is this another secret that I'm not supposed to know about? Fine. If you're sure, I'll confront him. But you're still coming with me this morning."

"Okay, but it has to be him." I grabbed my jacket. "Who else have I pissed off lately?"

He gave me a bemused look.

"Oh, shut up," I said.

As we left my garden, we spotted Peter having an argument with one of the recruits.

"Ava!" he called when he saw me.

"It's okay," I said. "I'll be back later."

"I'll call Breslin," he replied as I got into Shay's car. I really hoped I wouldn't need my solicitor.

# 11

"Where are we going?" I asked when the car took an unfamiliar route.

"I told you," Shay said. "To see the Senate."

When I gave him a nasty look, he sighed. "They take important meetings in a place outside of the city. It's safer there."

"For them?"

He shrugged. "I'm just the messenger boy, remember?"

"More like the courier." I sat up straight. "Am I being arrested? Because I can't sit in a cell again, Shay. I just... I can't."

His expression grew wan. "I know. They just need to speak to you. It's for your safety. The shifters are on the warpath. There'll be destruction if they go up against you. The Senate are afraid that a minor war will break out. The press will be all over it."

I huffed in response. The Senate cared more about its media presence than anything else lately. "You do believe me, though, right?"

"Very few people are stupid enough to kill twice while the suspicion is still on them from the first time," he said, but he was smiling.

"I just find it unsettling how everyone wanted me to kill things during the war, and now that it's over, I've to fit into all of these rules."

He glanced at me. "Wars aren't supposed to last forever, Ava."

"I know that. But sometimes it's hard to fit into that mind-set again. The one where everything is black and white. It just bothers me sometimes is all."

"What, exactly?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. It's okay to kill some things and not others. Like, who draws that line? I can kill a mouse, but not a dog. I can kill a vampire, but not a shifter. And the werewolves can kill birds and deer, but never humans."

"If lines aren't drawn, how does anyone know where to stop?" he asked. "You've got to put your trust in the laws, or everything falls apart."

"Do you?"

"Huh?"

"Do you put your trust in the law? It wasn't so long ago that a vampire called Reuben was a consultant to the old Council, and he was allowed to kill the occasional virgin. Who does that law protect?"

He gritted his teeth. "That law is gone." He looked at me. "Right?"

"I don't know what laws still exist. I never knew the shifters would be allowed to punish Esther, did I?"

"The more people who know about that, the easier it will be to stop it from happening again," he said. "You've said it to me many times, Ava. It takes a long time to change ancient laws. I'm sure the Senate will do the best they can."

"Mac was bribing people. Daimhín, at the very least. A year in, and the whole thing is a corrupt farce."

"Mac's dead, and Daimhín can be replaced."

"And who's going to replace her? You can't trust a vampire. They thrive on self-survival."

"Plenty of people think of you as a vampire, and you're not like that."

"Does that mean it's legal to kill me? I mean, that's what the shifters thought, right?"

He gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. "Why is it every time I have a conversation with you, I feel a little dirtier about associating with the government?"

"I'm not trying to make you feel guilty. I swear, I'm not. I'm just trying to make sense of a lot of things that have been bothering me."

"I've been doing that myself. For some reason, it's easier when I'm not anywhere near the Senate."

"I'll bet." I leaned forward, instantly uncomfortable as we turned off down a dirt track. Barren trees hung overhead as though ready to pounce. "This is creepy."

"Just another entrance to the rabbit warren that is the old Council hideouts. Out-of-the-way places like this are the only safe place for the Senate sometimes," he said, but he looked uneasy, too.

"I don't like it in there," I said as the dirt track suddenly ended. Nothing but uneven grass lay beyond the path, but I knew that a secret entrance had to be nearby. And if we went inside, we would walk down endless white halls until I felt seasick.

"Nobody likes it here." He got out of the car and waited for me to work up my courage.

When I got out of the car, he nodded. "Let's get inside. Daimhín's obviously not around during the day, but the others should all be there by now."

We walked across a field until we came to a very stiff-looking female who glared at us then moved aside, pulling a carpet of grass up to reveal stairs down that ended in a single white door.

"Come on," Shay said, stepping down.

I took one last look around before following. At the door, he had to show his ID before escorting me inside.

"There are none of your IAs here," I whispered, seeing unfamiliar faces guarding the doorways inside.

"The Senate have a protection crew," he said. "My people weren't needed today. They have their own routines anyway."

We walked down only one white corridor, but that was enough to spark some bad memories. "Everything changed here," I murmured. "It's too weird coming back."

"You'll be fine."

We entered a stark-white room without knocking. The Senate members were sitting around a table, an eerie representation of the old Council and consultants. Behind them stood burly bodyguards, all of them wearing the same uniform, which I didn't recognise.

"Well, I'm here," I said, taking a seat. "And I didn't kill anyone, so would you mind telling me _why_ I'm here?"

"Safety reasons," Callista said, sounding apologetic.

"I'm not in danger," I said steadily, but panic had started to rise at the tone of her voice.

"Not your safety," Willow added, refusing to look me in the eye.

"Can one of you get to the point?"

"There's been another attack by the werewolves," James said coldly. "This time, a jogger was found. She left her house at seven a.m., and when she didn't return, her husband went looking for her. He found... a mangled mess, and he's about to sue the state for damages. His wife is dead, and he wants to sue. Immediately. That's the kind of person we're dealing with. So excuse me if we didn't want to take chances."

I glanced at Shay. He looked confused, to my relief. I hated to think he, too, had betrayed me. "What kind of precautions?" I asked as calmly as I could manage.

"We couldn't afford to have you getting in the way," Layla said. "It would have only complicated things. We did this for your sake, too."

"Did what?" Shay barked.

Layla clicked her fingers. A pair of so-called bodyguards stood to attention. "Take her to the cells," she said. "Until further notice. Afterwards, you can follow the rest of your colleagues to werewolf territory."

"What?" I exclaimed as each guard took one of my arms and held on tightly.

"What's happening on werewolf territory?" Shay asked.

"We're tranquilising the werewolves," Layla said. "And then we're going to finish this once and for all."

"You can't do that," I said. "You can't just wipe them out!"

"You wiped out an entire species last year. Who are you to talk?" she snapped, then shook her head. "I'm sorry. This wasn't an easy decision to make."

"You could have fooled me," I spat.

"You'll be freed as soon as the werewolf pack has been taken care of. We've hired professionals to deal with them, and then it'll be over."

"You told me the shifters were the threat," Shay said accusingly. "You lied to me to get her here."

"We're sorry," Callista said. "But we can't afford anything that even resembles a civil war right now. The paragon is insisting, and he's right. We can't let any more innocent people die."

"But the werewolf cubs are innocent!" I shouted. "They're just children!"

"And they'll grow up to be ferocious hunters that we just can't handle," James said, but all of the Senate members looked queasy.

"You're murdering children over one wolf's actions!" I cried.

"The actions of the first werewolf to decide they're sick of being controlled," James corrected, and with a wave of his hand, the bodyguards dragged me out of the room.

I sucked in a deep breath once we were out of the room. I could escape two unsuspecting men. I could maybe make it to the wolves before anyone else did. If I were lucky, I would find a werewolf and be able to communicate with him. But the wolf wouldn't be in human form on werewolf territory. _So how could I even talk to him?_ Carl had already told me how hard it was to keep two cubs from going furry at school–staying in human form wasn't natural to them; it reminded them of captivity. Persuading an adult to turn into his vulnerable form was likely beyond my abilities.

But I couldn't think that far ahead. I couldn't doubt myself. I walked obediently toward the cells I hated before abruptly dropping to the ground, weighing the guards down before they even realised what I was doing. I tumbled out of their grip, twisting out of their reach. I swung out with my leg and tripped one, who knocked into the other in the narrow hallway. I could use the space more efficiently than they could, but if they pinned me, I was screwed.

As one reached out to me, I jumped, grabbed his hair, and used him to heave myself up on his arm with one foot. I threw myself over their shoulders, and as they were still trying to grip air, I grasped both of their collars then banged their heads together. One shoved the other, who knocked against the wall, unconscious. _Lucky._ The steady one caught me in the jaw with his fist, but I was already twisting away from the full force of the strike. I pushed back, using my spine to pin him against the wall. Gripping his arm and shoulder, I bent and threw him over. In the tiny space, he inevitably slammed against the hard wall and collapsed atop the other bodyguard.

I heard footsteps and looked up in alarm as Shay came running around the corner. He stopped and stared at the guards in a heap on the ground.

"They're not dead," I said defensively.

He nodded slowly as he met my eyes. I could only imagine what he saw: red hair falling out of my ponytail, my crumpled and bunched clothes, sweat beading on my brow, and a manic look in my eye.

I bent over to catch my breath. "And if you're here to stop me, I'm going to have to take you down, Shay. Don't make me do that. I like you and all, but I can't let them kill the werewolf children."

"I wasn't going to help _them_ , Ava." He held out his hand and jangled his keys. "I was going to let you use my car. I'll keep the Senate distracted long enough for you to get out of here."

I gripped the keys before he could change his mind, then I ran off.

"Ava!" he called out after me.

I hesitated at the corner.

"Use the siren," he said grimly. "And hurry up."

I nodded and sprinted up the hallway. I heard the Senate having an argument behind one of the doors, but I didn't linger. The team the Senate had hired was already on its way to tranquilise the werewolves. The territory they owned was massive, but I had lost the head start, even if I used the siren. I wasn't even sure if I could find a werewolf on so many acres, but I had to at least try.

I somehow made it out of the old Council's headquarters without drawing any attention to myself, but I would feel sorry for Shay when the Senate realised what had happened. I was infuriated at the thought of them using Shay to get to me and that the few had made such an arbitrary decision without the say of the rest of the Senate members. Phoenix was going to freak. _If he even cares anymore._

I jumped into Shay's car and started the engine with shaking hands. My heart pounded, and my breathing grew heavy. _I could be out of time already._ The car cut out, and I swore and tried again. This time, it stayed running. I pulled away from the old Council headquarters and sped on, struggling to remember how to put on the stupid siren.

When I finally figured it out, I jumped from the noise, but at least I was able to speed up on the motorway as cars flowed out of my way as if I were in a dream. The roads were so clear that it might have been a lovely morning to drive if people's lives hadn't been depending on me.

Maybe a werewolf had committed the murders, and it was likely one had—even I had to admit that. But the actions of one shouldn't justify the extermination of the entire species. Even humans punished only the perpetrator of a crime instead of wiping out entire families. And if the Senate set a precedent for taking out an entire species when one stepped out of line, then who knew what it would lead to? I hadn't fought the Council only to have something worse come along.

The fight wasn't just about Esther anymore. It was about our country, our future. I didn't want Emmett, different because he could see and control spirits, or Dita, a descendant of a boginka, to grow up in fear that they might be next. People like Val, and me, would be at risk. I just had to reach the werewolves before the Senate's goons did. I had no choice anymore.

The drive took too long. I pushed the car as hard as it would go without it spinning out of control. I wasn't the world's greatest driver, but something steadied my hands, an inner confidence that I was doing the right thing. Maybe keeping the werewolves alive was a balance of sorts. But a lot of people had wondered aloud whether we needed the werewolves once the Beasts they had helped to destroy were gone.

_Yes,_ I thought. The world needed to keep them alive to understand them. A species who kept their own traditions and cultures while thriving in a brand-new, ever-changing world was something we could learn from.

I felt as though I had taken hours to reach the edge of the werewolves' territory. I pulled onto a dirt road, my heart sinking as recent car tracks led my way. The tracks eventually turned right, so I moved left instead. I knew not all of the werewolves would be in the same place, but I needed to save Icarus. It was the least I could do after everything he had done for us.

I eventually had to leave the car after spinning the wheels in muddy earth until the car was completely stuck. I got out and kicked the tires then set off at a run, trying to figure out scents as I ran. I pushed out with my other senses, and with those, I caught a lot of different energies. The place was teeming with wildlife.

A loud rumbling sound in the distance sent a tremor across the ground. _Some kind of large vehicle, perhaps._ I rushed to the nearest copse of trees then started to climb. I blew out a sharp breath and squeezed my eyes shut as the world spun. Clinging to a branch, I counted to fourteen before opening my eyes again. I couldn't afford an instance of the severe vertigo my fear of heights sometimes wrought upon me.

I counted my heartbeats as I climbed, trying my best to calm my frantic thoughts. Fear made me panic. I didn't need to count to soothe those nerves, I told myself. But sometimes, the numbers were a kind of meditation.

I counted to fourteen five times in total, then I reached a branch high enough to get a good view of my surroundings. Far off in the distance, a line of large transport trucks were coming over a hill. I wanted to cry. If they were ready to transport the werewolves, then I was too late. But surely, they couldn't have found all of the werewolves so far. They had to be getting rid of them in batches.

And maybe that meant that other werewolves would investigate. They would run straight into the tranquilisers' path. But would the werewolves even realise what was happening to them? Were they capable of warning each other?

Swearing, I slowly climbed down from the tree, debating which direction to go in. I finally decided to run parallel to the path of the trucks while maintaining a good distance between us. There was a chance I could warn off investigating werewolves who came that way, and if worse came to worst, I could steal a truck full of intoxicated werewolves and let them sleep off the drug somewhere safe. The pack would be smaller, but at least some wolves would survive.

With that in mind, I sprinted on, veering away from the trucks until I could barely see them. I was on a clear stretch that was regularly frequented by werewolves if the well-worn trails in the grass were any indication. I kept running, despite the painful stitch in my side, until I came to a set of half a dozen massive flat rocks. I wondered if the werewolves sunned themselves on them.

I thought I heard a sound and reached out with my other senses. Just as a vivid red energy showed up, the head of a man popped up from behind one of the rocks.

"What are you doing here?" he asked impatiently. "You can't be here today. It's too dangerous."

"Just going for a jog," I said innocently, pretending not to notice the tranquiliser rifle in his hands. "What's going on?"

"We're just transporting some wild animals," he said. "You need to get out of here in case one escapes."

"Escapes?" I wheezed out a fake laugh. "What are you talking about? Oh, my God!" I pointed over his shoulder. "What the hell is that?"

He spun, instantly alert, his tranquiliser gun aimed at nothing. "Where?" he asked, just before I hopped over the rock.

Startled, he tried to elbow me, but I had already wrapped my arm around his neck. Even as he struck, I squeezed. He struggled desperately, but I was desperate, too. I waited until he fell unconscious, then I let him drop to the ground.

Wheezing from exertion, panic, and adrenalin, I bent over and tried to catch my breath. I spotted the rifle and picked it up, and considered shooting the man. But I wasn't sure if the dosage was deadly for anything smaller than a werewolf or if the sleeping shot was really a killing shot.

Instead, I aimed the gun at the flat rocks and lashed the weapon against stone until it started to break.

"Stupid sodding thing," I shouted. I hadn't seen one werewolf yet, and idiots with tranquilisers were hiding all over the place. It made me furious. I was too late, and I had failed.

"Fucking Senate! Bloody paragons! Idiotic rules!" Tears were rolling down my cheeks, and my knuckles were bloody from hitting stone accidentally. I didn't care anymore. I threw pieces of the gun to the ground and kicked them away, still swearing loudly.

I thought I heard a sound. I wiped my face with my sleeves and looked around. The meadow was clear of people, but there were plenty of woodlands that could conceal people with weapons. I had never had a chance to save the werewolves at all.

A twig cracked, and I spun around, instantly alert. And there, from amongst the dense trees, stood an intimidatingly large werewolf.

# 12

The werewolf wasn't Icarus, and Icarus was the only one I could claim to know. As the werewolf trod softly in a ring around me, I turned, suddenly unsure of myself. If the werewolves really had been killing humans, then they would think little of killing someone like me. They had been bred to kill vampires; the taint of vampire ran through my veins.

"Good werewolf," I said. "Please don't eat me. I'm here to help."

A rustling from behind drew my attention away from the werewolf long enough for him to pounce. I ducked behind the stones and prepared myself to run for my life. But a harsh growl and a snapping sound made me peek over the stones. Two werewolves were grappling on the ground, ferociously biting at each other's throats. The fight continued, and when they rolled over, splashes of blood stained the grass.

"Please don't be fighting over who gets to eat me," I whispered.

Eventually, the larger werewolf pinned the other by the throat. The loser showed his belly willingly, whining as he did so. The winner licked the submissive wolf's wounds before letting him to his feet. The loser ran into the woods and out of sight.

The remaining werewolf turned to me, his huge golden eyes expressive as they locked on to mine. It had been a while, but I was sure this wolf had to be Icarus.

"Icarus?" I said tentatively.

The werewolf cocked his head to the side and sat down, looking as unassuming as a gigantic wolf could. I slowly came out from behind the rocks. The werewolf sniffed the air and growled.

"Icarus, the werewolves are in danger," I said hurriedly. "I don't know if you can understand me like this, so it would be really great if you could look like a man and have a conversation with me for five minutes."

When nothing happened, I pointed at the man lying prone on the ground. "His people are after you. They're using tranquiliser guns to knock you all out and take you somewhere to put you down. All of you, even the children."

He didn't respond in any way.

"Do you understand?" I picked up the broken gun and waved it around. "This is going to help make the werewolves extinct."

He growled; the deep, terrifying sound made me sure the earlier fight had been more playful than serious. I thought the growl was directed at me until I heard footsteps behind me. I whirled around to see two men and a woman jogging toward us, carrying tranquiliser guns.

_Ah, crap._ I dropped the broken one.

"Get out of the way!" the woman screeched at me while aiming her gun at Icarus.

He rose to his feet, his bristling fur making him appear even larger than usual, but she didn't appear cowed.

"No!" I moved in front of him and stretched out my arms. "I'm not letting you do this."

"Then I'll hit you first." She took aim at me instead.

The male to her left reached out to stop her. "What the hell are you doing? Those tranqs are too powerful for a human!"

"Then it serves her right. And it might teach some soft-hearted do-gooder fools a lesson. You can't keep wild animals as pets."

"They aren't pets," I snapped. "And there's no way I'm going to stand here and let you murder them."

"Oh, I'll just put my gun down then," she said snidely. "Shut up." She cocked the gun and pulled the trigger.

Icarus pounced on me, knocking me down. I fell heavily on my side, momentarily stunned. Icarus took a protective stance over me, his teeth bared. And then I noticed the tranquiliser dart stuck in his chest. For a second, he appeared poised to pounce away from me, but then his eyes rolled, his tongue lolled out of his mouth, and he collapsed heavily, almost suffocating me. I struggled to get out from under him, but he was a dead weight.

"Are you crazy?" the man said. "You could have killed her."

She lifted the gun again, aiming at me. " _She_ must be the one they warned us about." She advanced on me.

I was stuck under Icarus. I met the woman's gaze; she didn't care. I waited for the shot, but something sharp and bright spun through the air toward her. A glass kylie knocked the gun right out of the woman's hands.

She squealed and spun to find the source. Her two companions stepped back in alarm as Phoenix strode toward them, a tranquiliser rifle strapped to his shoulder. He spun it around and shot neatly three times, hitting each one of the werewolf attackers.

"That could kill them!" I called out, still inelegantly struggling to free myself.

He didn't look at me as he inspected their unconscious bodies. "I don't care." The man I had first encountered began to stir, and Phoenix shot him, too. He came over and hauled the sleeping werewolf off me. "It's not strong enough. The werewolves won't be out for long." He reached out and helped me to my feet. "Sorry I'm late."

I was so happy not to be tranquilised that I hugged him. He had the means to fix everything. I almost relaxed—when I remembered that if he hadn't left in the first place, none of it would have happened.

Just as he wrapped his arms around me, I pulled away and thumped him in the gut. "Where the _hell_ have you been?"

He held his stomach in confusion. "Why are you striking me?"

I furiously poked him in the chest. "Because _you_ disappeared, and everything fell to shit. The Senate tried to lock me in their cells to stop me from helping the werewolves today, you know!"

He took a step back as I advanced on him. "But I'm here. They didn't need you after all."

"Is that supposed to make it okay?" I demanded, poking him again. "Mac is dead, and it turned out he was keeping free shifters captive. His second in command was murdered, too, and everyone I care about is a suspect. The Senate are bribing each other and forgetting to let every member vote on a decision, and the stupid paragon is insisting the werewolves be put to sleep. Permanently! Not to mention the fact the werewolves are running around slaughtering humans. Humans, Phoenix!"

He gripped my wrists and held me still. "I can see you're under some kind of stress, but—"

"Some kind of...?" I spluttered. "Are you kidding me? Are you actually kidding me? I almost got hit with a freaking tranquiliser!"

He smiled then, softening his sharp features. The fae prince's long black-and-platinum hair was plaited away from his face, somehow making him look younger, not that the fae ever looked their ages.

I looked around. "Wait, where are the twins?"

His smile disappeared, and he looked uncomfortable. "I believe Lucia is planning on travelling home soon, but Lorcan is... he wants to travel some more."

My face fell. "He isn't coming back. Is he okay?"

"He's fine. He just... needs his space."

I pulled myself out of his grip and folded my arms across my chest. "What did you do to him?"

He spluttered himself then. "Me? Why would I have done anything?"

"I can see the guilt written across your face. What's going on?"

"We may have clashed." He sighed. "It was a misunderstanding."

"Well, at least you're back now. If either you or Elathan had been around, then none of this would have happened. The only one capable of leading anyone is Daimhín, and she's easily bribed with nice, muscular bodyguards."

"Haven't you finished berating me yet?"

He sounded so earnest that I laughed. "Yes. When did you get back?"

"Today." He sounded relieved. "Lucia had a vision that the werewolves needed me, so I came straight here. Speaking of the wolves—" He pulled a whistle out of his shirt. It hung on a chain with a key and a second whistle. He blew hard. I couldn't hear a thing.

"What's that for?"

"It's a warning signal," he said. "It's on a frequency that only the wolves should hear. They'll run to their dens and hide."

"What about the ones they've already taken?"

"I've slashed the tires of the trucks. It'll slow them down long enough for the wolves to start waking. I don't want to leave Icarus alone, though, and I need to give the Senate a call and force them to call off these idiots." He sneered at the unconscious humans. "I'll just be a moment."

"What if the Senate refuse?"

His smile turned dark. "I know enough secrets to ensure they don't."

I shivered as he turned away to find a signal. I sat on the ground next to the sleeping werewolf and scratched behind his ears.

"It's going to be okay, Icarus," I said. "The pack is safe now. Phoenix is here, and he's going to force the Senate to call off the madness. And we'll figure out a way to deal with the paragon. Trust me." I continued talking to him in a soothing voice. He looked ill. His eyes kept opening and rolling, and his tongue was hanging out as if it were a dead weight. I found his pulse, and his heart was racing. "You're going to be fine," I murmured.

"He can't hear you," Phoenix said, approaching us.

I pretended I wasn't embarrassed. "You never know."

He sat on the grass on the other side of Icarus and crossed his legs, managing to look completely relaxed. My back was killing me, but that might have been partly because an unconscious werewolf had landed on me.

"I take it things haven't been good of late," he said.

"It's kind of blown up this week," I admitted. "You're not going to leave again, are you?"

He shook his head. "My business has been dealt with."

I was dying to ask him what his business had been, but if he wanted me to know, he would have told me.

"Any ideas on how to deal with this paragon?" I asked. "He seems to have a vendetta or something. I doubt he's going to leave this be. He caused mayhem, and people are terrified of the werewolves now. There may be attacks on this place from people who don't know any better. They're just too scared to let the werewolves be."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about, actually," he said. "I think you can help me."

"With what exactly?" I had to admit I was curious.

He blinked a couple of times, apparently surprised that I didn't already know. "Finding the real murderer, of course."

_Um_. "Wait, Mac's killer?" I asked hopefully. I really did need a powerful fae prince to be the delusional one.

He frowned. "The one who's been killing humans and making the werewolves get the blame," he clarified. "Once we can prove the truth, the paragon will have no choice but to quiet his accusations."

"Phoenix," I said softly, "these werewolves _have_ been killing humans. They did it weeks ago, and you covered it up. And I saw one of the bodies this time. It was torn apart. Actually, that doesn't even come close to how badly it was destroyed. No ordinary animal would have done that. I've seen the werewolves rip things apart before. This was way too similar."

"But you've been defending the werewolves." Confusion creased his forehead. "Yet you thought them guilty?"

I held up my hand. "One werewolf might be out of control. One shouldn't condemn the entire pack. And now that you're here, you can make them stop."

"I'm not their god," he said with a sharp laugh. "I don't control their minds. I help them. And a werewolf didn't kill those humans."

"It wouldn't be the first time."

"Yes, actually, it would."

"What are you talking about?"

He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before meeting my gaze. "You can't breathe a word of this to anyone, Ava."

"What is it?"

"It's true that there was an incident. And yes, a human was killed, but the werewolves didn't kill him. They did rip his body apart afterward, but that was simply to cover up what had happened to him."

My mouth fell open. "What the hell has been going on around here?"

"It's not my secret to tell," he said. "The one who killed that man did it to save a werewolf cub, and they have left the country since."

Then it dawned on me. "They left with you," I said slowly. "You took them away. Why? Was it Lorcan? Is that why he's not coming back?"

"It wasn't Lorcan. Or Lucia."

That took me aback. Who else did he care about more than the werewolves? "I don't understand. Why did you let the werewolves take the blame?"

"It wasn't my choice. I brought this... person to see the werewolves, who agreed to offer their protection. The incident with the human was a surprise. The child was saved only for the quick actions of this creature. The werewolves owed their thanks; it was their idea to cover up the death and take the blame. The creature is at a greater risk of being exterminated than even the werewolves, and I thought it deserved a fair chance at life. It was only in the position of danger in the first place because I brought it to the werewolves, looking for answers to questions I had." He rubbed his face as though trying to wipe away his guilt.

"Well? Don't leave me hanging. Who is it?"

"More like... what." He avoided my eyes. "We don't know for sure, but it may have been a demon." He chanced a glance at me. "From the book."

I jumped to my feet. "Are you _serious_? You set a demon free? A human-killing demon from the book that caused the sun to disappear? What the hell is going on, Phoenix?"

He joined me, looking agitated. "It wasn't... it was a different kind of demon. Not at all what you think."

"It went on to kill a human. That's exactly what I would think a demon might do."

"I'm serious, Ava. Think bigger. Everything was pulled into that book, higher and lesser demons alike, as far as we know. And the problem is that we don't know enough."

"The problem is that I know too much! The Eleven claim responsibility for those books. It was supposed to keep balance, and now you're saving monsters from it?" I curled my fingers into fists. "What if they say I have to kill it, Phoenix?"

"I took the creature away. There's no need to panic. I've brought this demon to an expert who believes she is a protector of sorts."

"She?"

"Yes, she. She is not humanoid, not like anything else I know, but she helped save more than one life on more than one occasion, and I owed her a chance. I'm confident that she's not a danger to anyone, but if it makes you feel any better, she's currently being watched over by the expert who believes this demon either lured the others into the book or was accidentally trapped while helping track them down."

I didn't know what to think. "This is just mental. How can you be so sure about any of this?"

"Sure? I can't. But I have good reason to believe in what I've told you. If you had met the creature... but I couldn't tell you about it. I had to leave so abruptly because of the death. I heard the paragon was returning, and I needed the demon to be out of the country before he did."

I blew out a whistle. "Does _anybody_ tell me the truth anymore?" For some reason, that question made him more uncomfortable. "Is there anything else I should know?" I demanded.

"Anything else is not my secret to tell," he said, looking as though he meant it.

"I could sleep for a week," I said. "I'm tired, Phoenix. I'm getting too old for all of this madness."

"You are very young," he scolded.

"Well, all of this drama is aging me. Badly. My back hurts. I'm covered in bruises. I've avoided the old Council cells twice in a week. I've been made an enemy of the shifter pack. I've been squished by a werewolf and narrowly avoided a tranquiliser dart. I've been in a fight with a shifter, who mysteriously died in the same spot after I left, even though he was supposed to let me champion Esther's cause with the shifters. I've been called a murderer one hundred times. I've seen the Senate way too many times lately, and it doesn't make them like me any more than usual, and I..." I sighed. "I'm glad you're back. It takes some of the work off my load."

He snorted, reminding me of his son, Lorcan. "As if you were responsible for any of this in the first place. And you'll have to catch me up on the drama, but for now, I'm taking it that you're willing."

"Willing?"

"To help me find the true murderer."

"Oh." I thought about it and grinned. "I'll make a deal with you."

He looked stunned. "What sort of deal?"

I closed the space between us. "If I help you with the werewolves, then you find a way to get the shifters off Esther's back for good."

He smiled down at me and held out his hand to shake. "It's a deal."

I shook his hand, feeling relieved. Powerful allies were the best. "So how are we going to track down this murderer anyway?"

"Go to the previous crime scenes and hope we can pick up something." He nodded at Icarus. "He will help."

"Phoenix, what if it really is a werewolf?"

"It's not."

"But what if?"

He sighed. "Then Icarus will deal with the traitor himself."

I shivered, wondering what a werewolf's punishment looked like.

He looked over my shoulder and smiled. "There's Icarus's mate. She must have worried when he didn't return to the den."

I looked around to see a relatively small werewolf running toward us. She loosed a pained howl when she saw Icarus's body, but when she reached us, she sniffed him. Reassured that he was okay, she chuffed happily and lay next to him.

"She'll watch over him until he wakes," Phoenix said. He ran his hand across her back. "I'll be back for him tomorrow."

She acted as though she were alone with Icarus, and Phoenix held his hand out to me. "Come. We'll give them their peace."

He led me away from the werewolves. We wandered toward the campsite of the trucks and grinned at the shouts of dismay and frustration.

"We should probably unlock those trucks," he said, "before the waking werewolves tear them apart getting themselves free."

We ran to the camp. A couple of the hunters tried to stop us, but Phoenix soon put them in their place. "This order has been cancelled. Didn't you get the word?"

"Yes, but we've already loaded five of the animals into the trucks."

"Then I'd advise you to leave the trucks and get out of here before they wake up," Phoenix said in his cold, authoritative tone. "They won't be held responsible for the people they eat."

I hid my smile as the man swallowed hard and nodded. "Come on!" he shouted at the rest of his people. "It's over. Let's get the hell out of this shithole."

We waited until they'd left then opened all of the trucks. I felt bad for the sleeping werewolves, but at least they would wake up safe.

"And I think we should heed our own advice," Phoenix said wryly. "They won't wake up peacefully from a sleeping agent. In fact, I can't imagine what the Senate were thinking. The wolves would have woken up en route and destroyed everything in sight until they found safety again. Or at the very least, until they woke up properly."

"Maybe they were nudged in a certain direction," I said.

"By whom?"

"The paragon." I seemed to be the only one who could see the truth—there had been no werewolf problems before the paragon arrived.

"You think he led them astray? Gave them bad advice to make a terrible situation worse?"

"I do," I said. "And I don't think he's going to stop there."

"No." He studied me. "He won't stop with the werewolves, either. Have you ever considered the idea that Mac originally held those shifters captive to protect the entire species from the paragon? For the greater good, as it were. A lone shifter can get into trouble, but if the pack as a whole does as it's told..."

That made me uncomfortable. Maybe the paragon was an even bigger source of trouble than I had imagined.

# 13

"Thank you," Phoenix said when he pulled up outside the cul-de-sac after driving me home. "There's nobody else I can trust with this. I should have known I'd come back to find you fighting my battles."

The atmosphere grew intense for no other reason than the way he was looking at me. I held his gaze with great difficulty. "It's not like I'm not going to benefit. The werewolves are just the initial target, right? We're all in trouble if we can't save them."

His searching gaze continued for a moment longer, and my cheeks burned. I had missed him, and I couldn't hide how glad I was that he was back.

"You should get inside," he said softly. "Ready yourself for our investigation. It could get rough."

"See you later then."

We both hesitated before I reached for the door handle. I let myself out and waved him off, taking a deep breath to clear my head. Then I caught the stench of ammonia outside the cul-de-sac.

"What the hell?" I walked around to take a look. The walls outside were drenched with urine. "Those little _shits_." Shaking my head, I headed toward my house.

Peter was standing at his gate, waiting for me to pass. "Was that Phoenix?"

I froze to the spot, suddenly feeling as though I had been caught doing something terrible. "Yeah. He turned up today, got me out of a tight spot, and gave me a lift home."

He stared at me in silence, a suspicious frown marring his features.

"Right, well, I've a lot to catch you all up on. Meet me in my house if you're interested."

"Val's inside. I'll bring her with me."

"And Emmett?"

"He's with Melody."

"Oh." My cheeks burned again. "See you in a few minutes then." I turned and shoved my hands in my pockets. _What the hell is wrong with me?_

Carl and Esther were watching a DVD in my living room.

"Lots to say, waiting for Peter and Val to arrive before saying it," I called out as I hurried past them to the kitchen.

Carl followed me. "You okay? Your voice is all high-pitched and weird."

"I'm fine. It's just been a fucked-up day. I'll tell you about it when the others get here. Want some tea?"

"I'll make it," he said, shoving me out of the way. "Your tea could clear drains."

I lightly thumped his side and walked over to the fridge to get milk. "Phoenix is back."

"Is that what's wrong?"

"No. Peter's just acting like—"

The door slammed shut.

"That must be him," I said brightly. "Looks like you're in charge of everyone's tea."

I left before he could ask me any more questions. I couldn't explain why I was feeling so weird. It had occurred to me that I might have a slight crush on Phoenix, and I definitely had a lot of history with Peter, so when one asked about the other, I tended to feel... off balance.

Once everyone had their tea and biscuits, I caught them up on the day's events. Talking business helped get my head back in gear.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Peter asked.

"To be honest, I'm not even sure there is. Unless..." I tapped my chin. "You could try to find out more about the deaths of Mac and Greg. I promised Phoenix I'd focus on the werewolf problem, but we still need to find a stopgap to the shifter issue until the new alpha turns up and settles things. As long as the shifters are on our backs, we're not going to get a moment's peace. I smelled the whole marking-of-territory thing going on outside the cul-de-sac, and I'm not impressed."

"That was a pack of teenagers messing around," Carl said scornfully. "It was no big deal. Anka chased them off. They took one look at her rolling pin and scarpered."

"I wish I had arrived sooner," Val said. "I would have made them scared to urinate in their own homes, never mind ours."

"They're just kids," Carl said.

"But it's not like they'll stop there," Esther said. "And if they get in Ava's way, they could make the situation worse for the werewolves."

"I just can't believe Lorcan's not coming back," Peter said. He glanced at Val. "At least Lucia's bound to come back soon, eh?"

But the hellhound didn't exactly look pleased.

"And I'm just relieved that the werewolves have never killed a human." I cocked my head to the side. "That we know about anyway."

"I thought they did weeks ago," Peter said, looking confused.

"Oh, they just covered it up for, um, some other creature that Phoenix was taking care of. But it's out of the country now, so that's... are you okay, Peter?"

He nodded, but he had just choked on his drink, and his face turned red as he hacked up a lung. Carl thumped him on the back until the coughing fit passed.

"I'm okay," Peter said at last, but his cheeks remained red. I felt a prickle on the back of my neck at the idea that he was hiding something from me, too.

"I don't get why the paragon is so opposed to the werewolves," Carl said. "He has to be the one committing these murders."

"That's what I thought," I said. "But I don't think he is. I think that he's just using tragedy to suit his agenda. And the thing about the werewolves covering up a death for someone else has me thinking. What if it's happening again, except this time, whatever's doing the killing is trying to make it look like a werewolf attack?"

"What if you're wrong?" Esther said, looking worried. "What if the murderer is really that savage? You're in danger if you look into this, Ava."

"I'll be with Phoenix."

All of them looked doubtful.

"And Icarus."

The room relaxed.

"Besides," I said. "If I do this, then Phoenix has promised to get rid of the shifter annoyance for good."

"How is he going to manage that?" Peter scoffed.

"I don't know, but he said he would, so I trust him," I said.

"Well, I don't," he retorted.

"Well, I have to," I snapped. "He's our best chance."

"But the werewolves aren't your responsibility," he said. "And what's happening to them is shitty, but you're throwing yourself in the fire alongside them. When are you ever going to learn?"

"Learn what?" I asked coldly. "To be like you and not give a shit about anyone else?"

Peter's face fell.

I rubbed my temples. "I didn't mean that. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," he said. "I should head on anyway." He got up from the chair and left the room.

I followed him outside my house and tugged on his arm. "Peter, wait."

"It's cool," he said. "I understand."

"No, you don't." Keeping my hand on his arm, I sighed. "It's been a rough week, and I took it out on you because you keep voicing the things that I'm scared of. I'm scared that helping the werewolves will bring a fire on us, too. I'm scared that Phoenix can't be trusted, and I'm worried that the shifters will never back off and leave us alone. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"I'm okay."

"Great, but what I said wasn't true."

He hesitated then.

"I know you care about other people," I said. "And I've seen you make changes to your life. Not just for Emmett, but for you, too, and that's healthy. I picked at a scab because I was being a bitch. I just wanted you to know that I noticed, and I think it's great that you're getting your life together."

He heaved out a sigh as though a heavy weight had just been lifted off his shoulders. "I'm trying to give you your space, Ava, but I'm getting tired of waiting around. Are we ever going to go back to the way it was?"

I gave him a puzzled stare. "But that's impossible, and why would you want to go back to that? Neither of us was in a great place, and we clung on to each other for support in all of the wrong ways."

He swallowed hard. "Are you saying this is it? That there will never be a me and you again?"

I hesitated too long, and pain reared in his eyes.

"I can't see the future," I said at last. "But I'm not sure I'm ready for that kind of heavy relationship. Everything we do affects Emmett, and that's a lot of pressure on us when we both care about him so much." I couldn't read his expression. "Stop looking at me like that. I'm not perfect, Peter, and I don't know if I'm ready."

He pressed me against the wall, one hand on my hip and the other on my cheek. He stroked my skin, and my heart rate increased. I did miss him, but being with him had worn me out in a lot of ways. The thought of going back to that filled me with just as much dread as excitement. If I went back, that might mean throwing away the last year of progress I'd made. Was it going back or forward? I just didn't know, and I couldn't tell if my own intentions were good or right.

He pressed his lips against mine briefly then pushed harder, forcing my mouth open with his tongue. I held on, stunned by the memories that resurfaced.

He pulled back. "Okay," he breathed. "I can take the idea of not going back, but I won't give up on a fresh start."

I just still wasn't sure what _I_ thought about that.

Phoenix knocked loudly on my front door. By the way he knocked, I could tell he had an actual reason for being there for a change. I had to be honest and admit that I had missed the way he used to show up.

_My_ troubles had brought _him_ trouble; the first vampire had taken Phoenix's daughter, Lucia, to get to me. After Phoenix had raged at me—and I'd seriously feared for my life at the time—our easy friendship had seemed to die a little. Maybe it hadn't died, but it'd definitely grown sickly. He said he didn't hold it against me, even after he had persuaded his children to leave my safety and join him in his.

I realised later that when he'd said his goodbye that day, Phoenix had decided I wasn't worth the trouble and that he had other priorities. I missed having that friend, the one everyone else was scared of, the one who showed me his vulnerabilities. It had been nice to feel... trusted, I suppose. Phoenix was an enigma, and I had missed trying to figure him out. That I found him attractive was just a bonus.

So maybe that was why my heart leapt in my chest at the confident knock at my door. I wouldn't have to coax him out. When I answered the door, he was all business, despite looking more way more casual than usual. His hair was tied back into a loose bun, and he was wearing jeans, a vintage T-shirt, and a brown leather jacket.

"Been shopping lately?" I asked.

Ignoring the question, he gripped my arm and pulled me outside. "Come," he said. "We're going to get some protection."

"From who?"

He seemed to realise he was taking me outside without a coat on.

"Sorry," he said, suddenly grinning. "I'm eager to move on today. But as we're going to be busy, we'll need to leave those who depend upon us with a little extra protection in case something happens while we're gone."

"And we'll do that how?" I turned my back on him and went inside.

He followed me. "There's a natural witch in the children's home who will be more than happy to leave, even if she has to help us to do it."

"What can she do?"

He hesitated, and I turned to look at him. I laid my hands on my hips. "What can she do, Phoenix?"

"Plenty of things. She can provide a temporary protection with little effort."

"So what's the problem? I can hear the _but_ in there, so you might as well spit it out."

He sat straight-backed on my sofa, looking too big for the room. "She sometimes can't control her magic. When she can, it's supremely powerful."

"And what happens when she can't?"

He gave me an innocent look. "There can be side effects. And she has a bit of a temper. That can sometimes manifest."

"Wait a second," I said, freezing to the spot. "Are you talking about Noah's girlfriend? The girl who tried to destroy Parker and Jess with magic? The little—"

"Parker was about to burst into flames," he said, interrupting my fury.

"He was not! Anyway, I thought the natural witch was much younger, as in, a little kid."

"I still have my suspicions about another child, but it's hard to tell for sure sometimes. They like to play... tricks or claim responsibility for other people's talents." He sighed. "It can be tiring, but I hear they've made strides in my absence, and I'd like to see for myself."

"I don't think she likes me very much."

"She's a teenager," he said. "She'll get over it."

But I wasn't so sure.

"Trust me," he said with a surprisingly charming smile. "It'll be worth it."

"Fine," I said reluctantly. "But if this goes wrong, you owe me a drink."

He laughed. "It's a deal."

Grumbling, I pulled on my jacket and followed him to his car. I groaned when I saw it was his official Senate car that made people stare when we drove by.

"You know I hate being a spectacle," I complained as I sat in the cushy passenger seat. It was more comfortable than my armchairs.

He started the car. "It appears that some people need to be reminded that I'm a part of the Senate."

"That's what you get for running away," I said lightly.

He slipped off his jacket. "I didn't run. I had a secret mission. There's a difference."

"If it looks like running, and it sounds like running..." I trailed off, staring at his T-shirt. He looked so much younger all of a sudden, and almost... normal.

"Something wrong?" he asked. "Why are you staring at my body?"

"I'm not... I am absolutely not staring at your body. I'm looking at your shirt, and—"

"The shirt that is on my body," he deadpanned.

"Seriously, what happened to you on holiday? You've come back all weird."

He gave me a startled look. "A lot happened, Ava." He cleared his throat. "I'm hoping the protection will ensure we're not interrupted on the hunt. And that nobody gets any ideas into their heads about taking down the werewolves while we're on the road."

"Good plan," I said, but I still wasn't sure about the natural witch. _And why did he change the subject anyway?_

"And your own place could use an extra touch," he said.

"Mine? Why?"

"I know that Esther is staying there," he said. "The Senate could interfere on the shifters' behalf. Or worse, the shifters themselves could find a way in. If we're ever going to find out what's going on, we'll need as little distraction from the shifters as possible. I need your head in this completely, and if you don't have to worry about anyone you care about, then I'll have you."

"That's... okay, fine. I won't turn down a little extra protection."

We drove in silence after that, mostly because I was distracted by thoughts of Peter's kiss. I had no idea how I was supposed to feel about it or why I would even think about it while in a car with Phoenix, on a serious mission. I kept sensing the fae glancing at me, and my cheeks burned. Maybe one day, I would stop being a big kid about my love life. _Obviously not today._

We finally arrived at the children's home. On the basketball court alongside the building, a number of young people were screaming, laughing, and throwing basketballs at Alanii, who managed to dodge every single one of them. I jumped out of the car and hurried over.

"I don't think that's quite how it's played," I said when she spotted me.

Alanii's purple-and-black hair was tied back into a cool multi-coloured French plait. She grinned and called out for a break. "We make our own rules around here." She nodded at Phoenix, who was slowly making his way over to us. "Is it just me or did he get hotter?"

I looked at her in surprise and found her checking Phoenix out. "We are so not having this conversation, Alanii."

She grinned at me and greeted Phoenix when he grew closer. "Nice to see you again."

He gave her a warm smile. "I need help from a witch. Is she around?"

Alanii rolled her eyes. "She's sulking in the common room. Be careful. She booby-traps everything in sight since she started school."

"Not happy?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Not even Noah can cheer her up."

"Is he around?"

"Just got in from work an hour ago, and he's still buzzing from it. Which doesn't help."

"We'll find her," Phoenix said, laying his hand on the base of my back to lead me inside the building. "She'll never stop talking otherwise," he whispered in my ear when we reached the front door.

"I heard that!" Alanii shouted after us.

We headed to the common room, where Noah, his hair falling into his eyes, was leaning over a bunch of screws and parts. A box full of bits and pieces stood next to his feet. Working in the garage had apparently given him a fever for taking things apart to see how they worked.

"Busy?" I asked.

He looked up and beamed, a distinct change from the violent, unhappy boy I had once felt sorry for. "Not for you." He dropped his screwdriver and wiped his palms against his jeans.

"Working man," I said, lightly thumping his shoulder. "How's the garage? Dave treating you okay?"

"Yeah, it's great. He says I'm a natural. I love it."

"You'll be moving out next." I glanced at Phoenix. "I have a building that would be amazingly good as a kind of halfway house. The ones with jobs could stay there, with supervision, until they're ready to go it alone."

"You want him to move out now!" a female voice screeched from across the room.

Noah rolled his eyes. "Here we go."

A blond teenage girl I had once found in an... awkward position with Noah strode across the room. The television flared in volume then completely shut down.

"Hey!" somebody protested.

"Calm down, _Ari_." Noah sounded bored.

Phoenix frowned. "Ari?"

"She changes her name every month," Noah said scornfully.

"Shut up!" she shouted, but when she reached him, she wrapped her arm around his shoulder. She glared at me. "Stop trying to take him away from us."

"I'm just trying to—"

"I hate it here," Noah said, his face darkening. "Why can't you be happy for me that I get to be free? Do you expect me to just wait for you to come home from that school every day? I can't stay here forever."

"We're supposed to be a team," she said, her eyes filling with tears. "All of us. I can't take care of them all without you."

He gripped her shoulders and shook her. "We don't have to take care of them anymore!"

I tapped his shoulder. "Noah, come outside for a minute. Take a break."

His grip tightened then loosened. He nodded. "Fine."

I gave Phoenix a questioning look, and he nodded. He would stay with Ari and calm her down.

Noah and I wandered outside.

"That was a bit intense," I said.

"She wants everything to stay the same," he complained. "But it can't. It's not supposed to. And I just want to... explore."

"She's scared," I said. "Of losing everything she knows. She must have depended on you when you all ended up here."

"Yeah, but that's the point. I don't want to be depended on. I couldn't sleep properly for a long time, Ava. And now I look forward to every day. You don't get how different that is for me. I'll always be grateful to you. If you ever need somebody killed, I would do that for you."

I laughed until I realised he was serious. My laughter died away abruptly. "That isn't your job anymore, Noah."

"I know, and I'm glad. I just need to repay you somehow."

"But you don't have to. You have a choice how to live now. It doesn't have to be all about power or fear or deals. I don't need thanks. Dave needed help, and you needed an escape. It worked out."

He shrugged. "It's just good to get away from here. They all expect me to tell them what to do. Why can't they think for themselves now? I have to."

"They'll learn. They're still adjusting."

"Did you mean what you said about the halfway-house thing? I mean, I don't want to be living here with little kids for the rest of my life."

"I know. And I did mean it. The Senate might need some persuading, but you have to grow up sometime, right? It's part of normal life to move out and find your own way. You need more of the normal."

He kicked a stone. "A kid ended up here a few weeks ago. The parents sent her here because they didn't want her anymore. Is that what people are supposed to do?"

"No," I said. "But if her parents couldn't look after her, then maybe she's better off here. At least you all get cared for by people like Alanii."

"She's kind of cool," he said. "It's not like I wouldn't visit or anything. They're the only family I have. I wouldn't _desert_ them."

"They'll understand that. It's just because you're the first. It's hardest the first time, I suppose."

A few minutes later, Phoenix came outside with Ari and sent Noah back in. Ari tossed her hair, her arms folded across her chest, but she at least looked a little sorry.

"I'll help," she said, giving Phoenix a sharp look. "But you better keep your end of the deal."

"I will," he said. "The books are yours."

"They better be good," she snapped. "Fine, what exactly do you want me to do?"

"Stop people from harming those we need to keep safe," Phoenix said.

"Yeah, but there are a million ways to do something like that." Her face brightened. "I can make them invisible. Not forever, but to prying eyes. I've been practising."

"It's a lot of space to make invisible," Phoenix said doubtfully.

"It's not really invisible," she said after a moment. "It's more like the wrong eyes can't see it. Like, if I wanted to hide something in the house, I might use magic so that only the grownups couldn't see it." She flipped her hair over her shoulder with a mischievous smile. "Not that I would ever do something like that."

"So you can hide the werewolves?" Phoenix asked. "And Ava's neighbourhood?"

"Piece of cake."

"Won't you get tired?" I asked. "I mean, drained because of using so much magic?"

She snorted derisively. "Like you'd know. I have power, and it's limitless."

"There's no such thing," I said. "Nothing is limitless. Everything has consequences. Everything requires some kind of payment. Are you sure you can do this, Ari? Are you sure you understand?"

"Oh, look at her. Because we lived in Hell, we don't know anything. We're just the idiots whose families let them get taken."

"Whoa." I held up my hands. "Nobody ever said that. I just wanted to let you know that magic isn't given freely. It takes, and there's a cost."

"Well, maybe I'm different," she said, pouting.

Somehow, I doubted she was.

# 14

I had to sit in the backseat on the way to the werewolves' territory because Ari was being a spoiled brat about everything in existence. If Dita ever acted even slightly similar, Anka would have dealt with her quickly. But I had to feel at least a little sorry for Ari. She had been through a lot. Still, something told me she would only get worse if her behaviour wasn't quashed every now and then. She played a horrendously bad radio station on the way, ignoring Phoenix's pointed looks when she sang along off-key.

She turned in her seat and narrowed her eyes at me. "Why are you so obsessed with Noah anyway?"

"I am not obsessed with anyone. He needed help, and I was able to give it to him."

"Hmm." She kept staring at me.

" _What_ , Ari?" I said when it grew too unnerving to bear.

"It just seems like you _really_ want him to move out."

I held her gaze. "Noah really wants to move out."

Her eyes glittered with anger. "Tell me, because I'm still behind on the terms humans like to use, but would that make you a cradle-snatcher or a cougar?"

"Phoenix," I said warningly.

"Enough, Ari," he said. "Stop trying to make enemies."

She settled in her seat and folded her arms. "I'm just saying. How would you feel if you caught her getting it on with your little boy?"

"Oh, you little—"

"Ari!" Phoenix said sharply. "Two weeks with no common room privileges. Do you really want to continue with this?"

Pouting, she raised the volume on the radio and was soon singing at the top of her lungs again. The car journey felt endless, and by the time we arrived, I was ready to strangle the girl.

"Are we going to actually see the werewolves?" she asked as we got out of the car. "Because I don't really like them."

"They won't hurt you," Phoenix said wearily.

"The cubs are weird at our school," she said. "Always biting and sniffing each other. It's creepy."

"People think you kids are weird and creepy, too," I snapped. "So give it a rest if you're not going to give them a chance."

"You can't tell me what to do," she said. "I can hurt you with magic before you ever touch me."

"Try me," I threatened.

"I will when you're least expecting it," she said with a toss of her head. "And you'd deserve my worst."

"Enough," Phoenix said. "If you don't want to help, you can go back home with the other little children, Ari."

She shrugged. "I said I'd help, didn't I?" She made a face. "You two aren't any fun."

"You have to be at least seventeen," I couldn't help saying. "Why are you acting like a tween gone wrong?"

She looked furious, but Phoenix got between us and urged us forward. "This is the start of their territory. How do you want to do this?"

"I'll need to make points at the borderlines," she said. "It'll stop people from accidentally wandering in. It's so big that there will probably be gaps, but it'll take all day to do it properly."

"We have all day," Phoenix said.

She made a face and slipped off her shoes. "One every mile should do." She stuck her toes into the grass and dug her heels into the earth. "This is a good place to start." She moved to an old oak tree and wrapped her arms around it.

I sensed a surge in the air, and the world seemed to vibrate a little. She really had been practising.

"It's done," she said. "Let's go."

"How do you know?" I asked.

"I can feel it. The magic is already there."

"There's magic in that tree?" I asked doubtfully.

She looked at me as though I were the dirt from her shoe voicing a question. "There's magic _everywhere_. I see it, and I use it."

"Just like that?"

"What's your problem? This is what I do. It's why they call me a natural. There's magic already present; I just focused it. Anyone other than the werewolves and us three won't see past this tree anymore. They won't even try."

"That's impressive," Phoenix said.

"I told you I can do it," she snapped.

We got back into the car and drove for about a mile until Ari, who had been dangling her arm out the open window, barked at Phoenix to stop.

Intrigued, I got out to watch her work again. This time, Ari caressed a flower. Again, the same spark of power filled the air. She was very powerful, and I was likely a fool to have pissed her off, but the perverse side of my nature didn't care at all. I watched her carefully for signs of tiredness, or even pain, but she seemed flawless.

_Why does nothing work that way for me?_ When I tried to use my own power, half the time it almost killed me. That's why I had to be so careful. But this kid seemed able to run all day, with her magic permanently switched on.

"I could probably help her strengthen the power," I said to Phoenix while Ari was busy planting another magical point in the earth. "I am a conduit."

"We may need you later," he said. "Besides, she seems to be handling it." He sounded awestruck.

"But what price is she paying?"

"Maybe a natural witch doesn't pay a price."

But I knew that couldn't be true. It wouldn't be balanced.

In fact, the longer the day went on, the less comfortable I felt with the whole situation.

"There's something wrong," I said a couple of hours later. "No one person has endless power. It's not balanced. It doesn't feel right."

"Nothing feels odd to me," he said. "What do you feel?"

I screwed up my face and rubbed the back of my neck. "Itchy."

He raised both eyebrows in concern. "Itchy?"

"It's making me feel uncomfortable. Something she's doing is making me feel... not good."

"Are you all right? You're sweating."

"I think we should stop," I said in a panicked voice. "It's not right."

"Ari," Phoenix said coldly. "Are you doing something to Ava?"

She turned around with a smile on her face. "What do you mean?"

"I'm going to sit in the car," I said, feeling ill. Either the girl was purposely doing me harm with magic—which I doubted because I tended to make sure I knew what magic felt like when it was being used against me—or my distress was a side effect of her actions. Could that be the payment? If she didn't pay, maybe somebody close to her always would. That was an unsettling thought.

The same niggling worries haunted me all day. When we left the werewolves and moved onto the cul-de-sac, I went inside my house just to get away from the girl. Esther and Carl were hanging out in my living room.

"You look terrible," Esther blurted. "Are you okay?"

"Teenage witches abound," I said, rubbing my temples. I threw myself onto a chair. "I feel gross. She can go on forever, just throwing magic all over the place. She's not even tired."

"How can that be?" Carl asked, looking confused. "There's always a price to pay."

"Duh!" I held out my hands. "That's what I keep trying to tell them. But nobody ever listens to me until it's too late."

The pair exchanged a bemused glance.

"Oh, shut up," I said. "I've been feeling weird all day. I don't know if I'm the consequence to her magic or if..." I let my voice trail away, unwilling to bring up the balance. Phoenix was the only one who knew the truth about my indentured slavery for one hundred years, and I really wanted to keep it that way. It came with its benefits, and it wasn't really slavery, but I still didn't want to share that kind of information with my friends.

"Or if?" Carl continued.

"Or... if she's purposely trying to drive me mad. Parker's fire was a part of him, like it existed because he did, and he got tired from burning fires. How can she be okay after using magic all day? Magic that's still continuing, for that matter."

"Where is she now?" Esther asked.

"Oh, making this place invisible."

"Invisible?" Carl looked worried. "Is that what it's come to?"

"Phoenix told her to make the shifters avoid it. I probably should have asked for the Senate to avoid the place, too, after what happened."

"They're not going to be stupid enough to try to lock you up again," Carl said.

"Yeah," Esther agreed. "They're too afraid of Phoenix for that."

"But are they more scared of the paragon than Phoenix?" I said. "It really seems like they were more scared of the paragon than the werewolves."

"That was just panic," Esther said. "It's going to work out, Ava. Stop worrying."

"People are dying," I said, "and nobody can agree on who's doing the murdering. All it's done is turn everyone against each other. I keep thinking about Mac's body, and I just don't know how it's connected to the werewolf killings."

"Maybe it's not," Carl said.

"It's some coincidence, though," Esther said.

"Mac's death was very... it just seemed personal," I said. "Like, I don't know how somebody could do that to another person without there being a serious amount of vengeance behind it. The other murders seem more like... hunger than vengeance. I don't know what kind of person could do both."

"Doesn't have to be a person," Carl murmured.

"Don't you start. Everyone's so hot on the werewolves being guilty that they aren't even looking for an alternative."

He smiled. "Then it's lucky the werewolves have you and Phoenix to watch out for them."

"It's not all charitable," I said. "After all, if the paragon gets his way this time, the werewolves will just be the first species to figuratively burn. Val or I could easily be next."

"I wish he'd go home," Esther said viciously. "Why is he even here?" Then she clutched her head as another migraine came over her. Her hands turned into paws, and the claws dug into her skin until I gently pried them away. The migraine lasted a long time, too long for anyone to suffer such immense pain, but Esther didn't complain. She could barely do more than grunt anyway, but she looked determined to get through it. And that was the difference between her and the other shifters. They needed somebody to get them through tough times; Esther was tough enough on her own.

By the time Phoenix came back inside to tell me that the witch was done and he was taking her back home, Esther's migraine had passed. But I still worried that something was wrong with her, something that could be fixed by the right doctor. But leaving her in the clinic was almost the same as leaving her outside to die alone. The shifters would come for her as soon as she left the cul-de-sac.

# 15

Phoenix asked me to meet him at the courthouse after dark. I secretly couldn't wait to give the Senate a smug smile. I was a few minutes late, and when I entered the room, Phoenix was already in full swing.

"I leave for a couple of weeks, and this is what goes on? Extinction? What were you thinking?"

"We were thinking we didn't need a civil war on our hands," Layla said.

"Have you been reading the papers?" James demanded. "It's anarchy out there. The public are freaking out about this."

"So you decide to take away the single best reason why we aren't being invaded?" Phoenix paced in front of them as I slipped into a seat. "Do you think the British Vampire Association was the only group with such aspirations? We are a tiny country. The werewolves are our life force, the only thing stopping higher powers from stomping all over us. And all this because you panicked?" He stopped walking and glared at them.

"In case it's escaped your notice," James said snottily, "one of the Senate was murdered. You don't even seem bothered, never mind worried, that one of us will be next."

Phoenix waved a hand dismissively. "That's shifter business. It has nothing to do with the Senate. If someone wanted to attack the Senate, they would pick off those of us who aren't supported by a massive group of people. They would have chosen _you_ first, James."

I _had_ wondered if the Senate members were truly at risk, or if maybe the werewolf attacks and the shifter murders were one and the same—a way of removing power from the situation. But why wouldn't they go harder, like trapping the Senate inside the courthouse then setting it on fire. That kind of scheme had been tried before; I glanced over my shoulder, wondering if the building had an emergency exit.

As I was looking, the main doors burst open, and the paragon strode in, as confident as ever. _No, cocky._ _As if he knows plenty we don't._

He gave me a brief sneer before striding past me and toward the front of the room. He relaxed into a seat then waved a hand at Phoenix. "Oh, did I interrupt? Go ahead. I'm interested in hearing what you have to say. I have a newspaper interview to finish tomorrow."

Phoenix's face turned thunderous. The paragon hadn't been invited along to the festivities, and there had been a lot of backlash in the newspapers over Mac's unsolved death, the way the Senate had changed their minds so rapidly on the proposed werewolf extinction, and the fact that they weren't making an obvious attempt to protect humans. People were scared, and I couldn't blame them. Phoenix and I had to do everything we could to solve the murders before something worse happened.

"What are you trying to do to us?" Phoenix demanded. "Do you want to scare humans into murdering everyone they suspect is supernatural?"

The paragon smiled. "Now why would I want to do something like that?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Phoenix said. "And for your information, I'm going to track down the real killer, and I'm going to personally punish them."

"I'm sure you will," Regis said, keeping his face blank. "That's all any of us want, isn't it? To punish the werewolves for their crimes."

"The werewolves didn't do this."

"They've done it before. Or was there some other explanation?"

A war was fought across Phoenix's features, but he didn't tell the truth. I just hoped he was right to protect a demon, of all things.

"Well," the fae prince said at last, turning back to the Senate. "I invited Ava Delaney here so that the Senate could give her a full apology for trying to lock her up in the old Council cells, and—"

"I wasn't there for that," Daimhín said.

He gave her a stern look. "And to let you know that she will be joining myself and a werewolf on the hunt for a real killer."

"And if it turns out to be one of your precious werewolves?" James asked angrily.

Phoenix looked sad. "Then one of my precious werewolves will pay the price. But not all of them." He scowled, dots of colour spreading across his cheeks. "And never the young ones."

James looked chastened. "We ran out of options, Phoenix."

"If I had been here—"

"But you weren't here," James persisted. "Even now, we're being hounded by complaints. The public have turned against the werewolves. Emergency services are overwhelmed with terrified calls. Any large dog is suspected of being a werewolf. Even people who know better are scared. _I'm_ scared." For the first time, James sounded sincere. "I've heard about Mac's body. I don't want to die like that."

"We'll find all of the people responsible for all of the recent deaths," Phoenix said gently, and my heart warmed. "I think we're done here for the night."

The Senate members all rose from their seats, looking relieved that Phoenix had stopped lecturing them. Some of them mumbled embarrassed apologies to me as they trailed out of the room. I didn't care. I was used to being treated by those in charge as though I were disposable, and I had a new mission.

The paragon followed Phoenix up the aisle toward me. He gave me a steady look but smiled at Phoenix. "Quite a collection of pets you're building up there, my prince. Be careful none of them bite back."

He left, his chin high in the air.

"Did he just call me your pet?" I asked. "I'm at least a sidekick."

"He... disturbs me," Phoenix said. "The paragons are not our friends. They're not anyone's friends."

"People in power don't have friends," I remarked.

He looked down at me in surprise. "I thought we were friends."

"Friends don't suddenly leave the country for weeks without as much as a goodbye, Phoenix."

He smiled. "You're incredibly human sometimes."

"Is that an insult or a compliment?" I asked. "You know what? I don't want to know. Is Lucia back yet?"

"She'll arrive tomorrow," he said. "Val promised to pick her up."

"Val and Peter are looking into the shifter murders," I said.

He nodded. "Val said. Can you meet me at the first crime scene tomorrow at around noon?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Good." He walked off without even a goodbye. _Fae_.

I headed home, walking without even thinking about it, until I came to an abrupt start and realised the cul-de-sac wasn't where it should have been. Thinking of myself as an idiot, I retraced my steps and actually paid attention to where I was going. And yet, I still couldn't find the cul-de-sac.

_What the hell?_ I gaped for a few moments before realising what had happened. That little brat had made me blind to my own home! I really hoped Carl or any of the others weren't standing in their gardens, looking at me standing outside like an idiot simply unable to find the entrance.

"Fuck!" I kicked at gravel, and it skittered across the ground. Inspired, I found a large stone, picked it up, and threw it where I thought the cul-de-sac might be. If the rock went invisible, then I would know for sure. _Maybe._

The rock flew into the air, landed on the ground, rolled, then stilled.

"Damn it!" Feeling immensely stupid, I glanced all around me then raised my voice. "Carl? Carl!"

There was no answer. I might have been somewhere completely different. She might not have made me blind; she could have sent me on a wandering path whenever I tried to go home.

"That stupid little witch!" I muttered every insult I could think of under my breath as I called Phoenix.

"What's wrong?" he asked when he answered. He was still on his way home.

I squeezed my eyes shut, embarrassed to even tell him my problem.

"Ava? Are you there?"

_Unfortunately._ "I can't find my bloody house, Phoenix."

There was a pause, then the sound of choked laughter. "Are you... sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. You get that little witch out here before I kill her."

"I'll..." More muffled laughter. "I'll go fetch her. Meet us at the courthouse."

"Good. I can't wait to get my hands on that little—"

"On second thoughts, I'll meet you back at the courthouse after Ari has undone her little trick."

When he hung up, I headed back to the courtroom and waited for him, fuming. It was cold, and the courthouse had been locked up, so I had to stand outside on the street, blowing warm air into my freezing hands. When Phoenix finally turned up, without Ari, he couldn't contain his mirth. I knew there was a reason I hated witches.

"Get in," he said. "I'll drop you home. She's promised not to play any more pranks on you."

"Oh, why don't I feel safe?" I said, feeling grouchy, as I got into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut. "And it's not funny."

"It's a little amusing," he said. "We probably should have seen this coming."

"I don't know how Alanii hasn't killed the little brat yet." I folded my arms crossly. "That's not acceptable behaviour, Phoenix. I _know_ she did something to me before."

"I will deal with her," he promised.

"Emmett and Dita would never do anything like that."

"Well, they're not teenagers, are they?"

I grumbled the rest of the way home. When Phoenix pulled up outside my house, he hesitated long enough for me to invite him in.

"Want me to make you a coffee or something?"

He immediately agreed, making me think he was lonely in his house without the twins. Maybe he was ready to talk about what had happened between him and Lorcan.

As I was unlocking the front door, he ran back to his car to get his phone in case "somebody" called. I headed inside, took one look at my hallway, and screamed, nice and shrill.

Phoenix came running in. "What's happ— _oh_. That's... oh."

I gazed in horror at a full-length painting of me hanging on the wall. Painting-me was seductively posed and dressed in skin-tight leather while holding an obscenely long sword in one hand. Waist-length red hair was flowing behind me. My midriff was bare, my lips were pouty, and I had _cleavage_ , for heaven's sake. The painting looked like the cover of a bloody novel.

I swallowed hard then managed to squeak, "What the hell is this?"

"You haven't seen this?"

I whirled around to glare at him. "Do I look like somebody who wasn't surprised by this?"

He held up his hands as Carl walked in and started laughing. He gave a low whistle, and I punched him in the arm.

"It was _my_ turn!"

"Oh, no." He nodded approvingly at the picture. "It was so my turn."

"What's going on again?" Phoenix asked.

"We buy each other stupid gifts," I said. "But not... this monstrosity. I'm going to burn it right now."

Carl wrapped his arms around me and held me still. "But it's so beautiful."

I elbowed him and broke free. "You're _insane_."

"You're not burning it. Commissioning this cost me a fortune."

"Thanks for proving my point!"

"It was a joke," he said soothingly. "Come on. It's pretty funny. I knew I should have set up a video camera."

I thumped his arm. "Carl!"

"Oh, chill out. Where's your sense of humour?"

Hands on my hips, I advanced on him. He had the sense to back away.

"Let me see," I said. "The shifters want me dead, the paragon wants me dead, and somebody's trying to frame _everyone_. The Senate are against us, the vampire queen chose the other side, an annoying teenage witch hid my home from me, Peter _kissed_ me out of the blue, and I—"

Carl cleared his throat and nodded at Phoenix.

_Shit._ I had forgotten he was there. That deflated my temper. I screwed up my mouth, took a breath, then turned to Phoenix with an embarrassed smile. "Maybe another time for that coffee?"

His lips twitched. "Of course." He headed to the door then hesitated. "Don't burn the painting."

I wished I had something to throw at him. I heard him laughing as he shut the front door behind him.

"I'll take the painting away," Carl said. "Now let me feed you chocolate before you kill me."

I gave him a small smile before following him into the kitchen.

"So, Peter finally went for it then?" He put on the kettle.

I took cups out of the press. "Oh, yeah."

"And what did you do?"

"Kinda let him."

"Gonna let him again?"

I bit my lip. Was I? "I don't think that would be a good idea."

"But do you want to?"

"I'm not made of stone, Carl. It's been a while."

"Yeah, we know. You've been getting progressively grumpier as the months go on," he teased.

"Shut up, or I'll start thinking about that painting again."

He laughed and finished making the tea before raiding the presses for chocolate. He found more than my fair share, but his kitchen likely resembled a sweet shop, too, no matter how much he liked to deny it.

My mood turned pensive. I knew nice men, decent men, like Carl and Shay, but they just didn't set a fire inside of me. People like Peter and Phoenix, both broken and dangerous in so many ways, were the ones who appealed to me.

"Do you think there's something wrong with me?"

Carl pushed a cup in front of me. "Now that's a loaded question."

"It's just... do you think it's weird that I kind of gravitate toward flawed men? I mean, does that say something about me?"

"Isn't that a woman thing?" he asked lightly. "Trying to 'fix' men."

I threw a biscuit at him. "I'm being serious, Carl."

He sobered. "You always talk about your ex like he was perfect, how much you needed him back then. Well, maybe you want to be needed for a change. Maybe that makes you feel more powerful, more in control. Maybe you feel more _whole_ if the person by your side is a little... broken."

I stared at my cup morosely. I wasn't sure I liked the person Carl had just described.

"But what do I know?" he said breezily. "I've been known to make, oh, about a million bad choices when it comes to my love life."

"I'll never one-up that painting," I said to change the subject.

"Kind of the point. Now don't kill me, but what are you going to do about Peter? You need to either cut him off or go all in. He's not the fling type."

"I thought I cut him off already."

"Yeah, you did." He frowned. "With Peter, you'd probably have to cut his heart out to make him realise you're done with him."

"Bit harsh."

"Not literally. But seeing you move on with someone else might do it."

I squirmed. "Can we not? My nerves aren't up for this conversation tonight."

"No worries." He reached for a biscuit. "So, what was all that about teenage witches?"

"Ari, the girl who put protection on the place, also decided to prank me. Must be the week for it. She made it so I wouldn't find my way home."

"I'm kind of impressed." He shivered. "She's intense, though. I see her walking around the school like she's planning to blow the place up. Don't make enemies of scary teenage witches with chips on their shoulders; they grow up to be scary powerful witches who've lost their souls."

I needed more than chocolate to make me feel better about that.

I had wondered how Phoenix was going to sneak a massive werewolf around with us, but aside from a couple of kids staring and pointing from across the road when we met up at the crime scene, Phoenix could have been walking an ordinary dog on the leash. The lead itself was just for show, but the sight of the werewolf straining against it made me uncomfortable. They had gone from mindless animals to people in my head, but the rest of the world appeared to be a few steps behind.

I greeted Icarus then nodded at Phoenix. He looked completely still as he waited for me.

"Feeling better?" Phoenix asked hesitantly.

"Let's just... not talk about it." I jerked my chin toward the house. "This is it. The first body, the one I saw. It turned out to belong to the owner of the house. He lived alone, no witnesses."

He turned to stare at the building. "It's a nice house."

"I suppose," I said. "But the walls say, 'Keep out, world.'"

He shrugged. "There's nothing wrong with a little privacy. But it sounds like his walls didn't protect him."

"I know what that's like." At his puzzled look, I shook my head. "Never mind. Shall we go in?"

"Icarus is eager to begin." He moved ahead of me, opened the gate, then removed the leash from the werewolf's neck. Icarus bounded into the garden, and Phoenix followed. I took a quick look over my shoulder before joining them. I kept getting the feeling someone was watching me, but it was probably just the kids across the road, or a shifter. Not that I needed to worry with a werewolf on my team for the day.

Once the body had been removed and the crime scene cleared away, very little remained—only a dark, purpling stain on a patch of earth.

Icarus, however, found interest in the many scents in the garden. He eagerly sniffed the dark patch then abruptly ran off to the other end of the garden.

"Think he's picking up something?" I asked hopefully.

"It's hard to say." Phoenix frowned. "Describe the body to me."

I sucked in a breath. I really didn't want to remember. "It was... messy." I closed my eyes and tried to focus on the scene forever etched into my memory. "It was quiet, very still. Shay's recruits were waiting for us when we got there. The wind wasn't strong, and the scents didn't hit me until I reached the gate. It was splattered with a little blood, but not enough that a human walking by would likely notice." I let out a shaky breath.

"What was the body like?" he asked softly, and I jumped, startled by how close to me he was.

I kept my eyes closed. "It was torn apart. There were a few chunks of flesh scattered around, but not enough to account for what was missing from the body. It was completely destroyed. The attack looked frenzied, and I think..." I frowned. I hadn't noticed that at the time. "I think the body was dragged to the spot. From..." I opened my eyes and pointed, realising Icarus was already sniffing around at a gate in that direction. "From over there, actually."

"Very good," Phoenix said, sounding pleased. "Shay told me they figured that out after you left. Beyond that gate is a small orchard, and it was there that they found a shed awash with blood. That's where the man was killed, violently but efficiently. They believe he died after the first strike to his heart. He wasn't eaten until after he was dead."

"When he was torn apart." I reached up my sleeve to rub the sudden goose bumps on my skin. "You don't think somebody killed him and fed him to a werewolf, do you?"

"I didn't see the body, and there is nobody out there who can get close enough to the werewolves to find out if their teeth match the marks on the body."

"Nobody but you."

His back stiffened. "May I see?"

I hesitated, feeling shy about the idea of him dipping into my memories. But if it helped him identify the bite marks, then perhaps it was the right thing to do.

"It's all right," he said. "I understand if—"

"No, it's fine." I sucked in a deep breath. "It might be important."

He held my gaze for a couple of seconds and gripped my arms. "You must relax. Your mind will fight me when your body is so stiff."

"Sorry. I'm just... nervous."

He ran his hands up to my shoulders and squeezed. "It won't hurt. I just need to see the body. Can you show it to me? It might be easier for you if you feel in control."

I nodded, holding his gaze as he sank his fingers into my hair. I closed my eyes. He touched my scalp, a tingle of magic caressed my skin, then I felt him in my mind, a traveller clinging to me.

That wasn't so bad. I could do it. I thought of the memory and brought it to the forefront of my mind. I felt the mild breeze, caught the scent of blood, and paid more attention when Phoenix made me hang around in that memory. I wasn't a hunter, but surely a werewolf wouldn't have been tempted by scents on such a still day. And the lack of noise was disturbing—no birds, no rustling, nothing. How could someone have died so violently in such quiet without anyone hearing? Even the local wildlife must have been terrified. That didn't happen when the werewolves were around.

As I observed the wounds, paying attention to the bite marks, I felt Phoenix's triumph. They didn't belong to the werewolves. The paragon was going to be pissed—and that made me think of the Eleven. I saw them sitting around me and panicked that I had shown Phoenix something that was supposed to be a secret. I ran from the memory and straight into one of Phoenix the first time he had delved into my memories. We had been close enough to kiss, and I had wanted to. _Now he knows that._ Memories switched as I desperately looked for something safe to remember. _Why isn't he going away?_ Peter was kissing me, and—

I broke away from Phoenix as he finally released me.

Mortified, I backed away from him. "Why didn't you let go?"

"I'm sorry." He stepped forward, holding out his hands in a placating gesture. "I didn't do that on purpose. I swear it. You panicked, and I got stuck, and I..." He shook his head. "I'll never touch your memories again. I promise you."

I covered my cheeks with my hands. "Let's just forget it. It's less embarrassing that way."

He gave me a pained look. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about, Ava."

I walked around him, unable to face him anymore. "At least we know for sure that we're not looking for a werewolf."

"We need proof that comes from an unbiased source," he said. "Nobody's going to believe me when I say that a werewolf bite is shaped differently than the murderer's."

"Okay," I said, bucking up. "We'll just find more proof."

He hesitated. "We should probably check out the second murder site."

"What about the farmer?"

"Farmer?"

"At one of the Senate meetings, a farmer came and explained that his entire stock of dairy cows had been eaten. The Senate seemed to think the werewolves were the culprits, but it might be worth checking out."

"All right, then. There are two other crime scenes that we know of. The farm with the lost cattle, and the place where the murdered jogger was found. I'd like to speak to the farmer. He might be a witness."

"I've no idea where the farm is," I said.

"I'll have the address with one phone call. Are you still interested in... accompanying me?"

I turned to face him. "I'm in this as much as you are. I want the murderer found, Regis gone, the shifters put back in their box, and everything else to go back to normal. I'm in, Phoenix."

He smiled. "Great. I rented a pickup so Icarus could ride in the back. It's holding well so far."

"You really know how to reassure a girl," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Icarus!" he called out. "Let's go!"

Icarus had been lying on the grass, looking bored. He hadn't picked up any clues. It was a pity he hadn't been at the crime scene on the day the body was found.

"They should bring werewolves to crime scenes," I remarked as we walked to the pickup. "It would make things so much easier."

"I'm not sure how well the police would adjust to having werewolves trampling their crime scenes."

We got into the truck. "Do you think the werewolves will ever live like shifters and only transform when they have to?" I babbled, thinking of anything to avoid discussing the awkward scene from before. "I mean, will there ever be a detective who just happens to be a werewolf?"

"The werewolves love their wolf form. Someday, perhaps one of the children who learn to fit in well enough will want a normal job," he said. "But not anytime soon."

He made a quick phone call to get the farm's location. "It's not so far," he told me. "We should be there in less than an hour."

I gazed out the window as we drove, lulled into sleepiness by the movement. We may have needed more evidence, but Phoenix's reaction to the bite marks had been real. The werewolves were innocent, and I was certain Esther was innocent, too. But I couldn't connect the two similar events, no matter how I looked at them.

I jumped when Phoenix woke me gently to tell me we had arrived. We were parked outside a large farmhouse, and as we left the car, the old man from the Senate meeting approached us, along with a younger man I took to be his son.

"Can I help you?" he asked. "Are you here to double-check the amounts?"

Phoenix shook his head. "Actually, we're here to investigate the crime."

"There's a werewolf in the back of their truck," the younger man said. "They brought one of those killers here, Dad."

"It wasn't the werewolves," I said sharply. "And we need him to help us track down who did this." I looked at the old man. "We want to stop this from ever happening again, but that won't happen if we continuously blame the wrong species just because it's convenient. May we please take our werewolf friend across your land to see if we can pick up clues, anything at all, that might lead us to the real killer."

The old man held my gaze for a moment before nodding.

"Dad," his son pleaded.

"Nobody saw a werewolf commit a crime. These people saved us from being enslaved to vampires," the old man said. "Have you forgotten that already? The least we can do is give them permission to protect us again." He nodded at me. "Go ahead. Take as long as you need."

"Thank you," I said gratefully.

Much to the younger man's consternation, his father opened a gate for us and gave us a brief description of his land and the areas where they'd kept the cattle.

"You did well with him," Phoenix said as we crossed a muddy field.

"Don't sound so surprised."

"You can talk to people," he said. "You're capable of being truly persuasive, but you never bother with the Senate or others with power. Why is that?"

"I hadn't noticed," I lied. "What kind of thing should we look out for here?"

"We'll follow Icarus's lead," he said, gesturing to the werewolf, who had already bounded off. "If there's anything to be found, he will find it for us. You slept through most of the journey, but I believe this farm in its entirety is large enough to be close to both crime scenes."

"It just doesn't make sense to me," I said. "There are plenty of farms around the country. Why clear this one of its cattle, only to move on to a single human in two separate attacks?"

"The cattle for hunger, the humans to send a message?" he offered.

"Maybe it was just bad timing. The killer roams, and for whatever reason, something about these humans triggered its hunting instincts."

"It's a possibility." He sounded doubtful.

I couldn't blame him—I was reaching for an explanation.

We kept moving, growing muddier by the minute.

"I think I'd like this," he said as we inspected a broken fence. "Toiling the land, growing my own food, trying to be self-sufficient."

"Not me." I avoided a puddle. "I like sitting in my kitchen, drinking tea with Carl while we consume vast amounts of pre-packaged confectionaries."

"You must want more from life than that."

"Staying alive has kind of been my top priority for a while now."

We strolled to the next field. We hadn't seen Icarus in ages. I hoped he wasn't scaring any farmers. Phoenix's face had gone intense and brooding, and my legs were restless. My conversation with Carl about flawed men kept running through my head and making me want to run. Phoenix viewing my memories made me want to never come back.

Icarus let out a sharp bark from somewhere nearby.

"He may have found something," Phoenix said.

"Oh, joy. We get to run through muddy fields together."

He ran ahead then turned to grin at me. "I'll race you."

I made as if to run, and he sprinted away.

"Sucker," I muttered, strolling behind him. At the fence by the next gate, something caught my attention. On the barbed wire that kept the cattle away from the fencing, something fluttered in the wind. I looked closer and winced. It was a patch of skin, fur and all. "Gross."

Phoenix found me. "Why didn't you follow?"

I pointed at the patch of grey matted fur.

"Unpleasant," Phoenix said after he whistled for Icarus. "But it may have been one of the cows trying to escape in their panic."

"That hair doesn't exactly look bovine. What did Icarus find?"

"Some bones. The teeth marks were distinctive, and not like a werewolf's at all."

"If we could just see this thing or at least know what we're looking for," I said. "Do you think it could be a shifter gone mad?"

He gazed at the hair. "I don't know of any shifter in Ireland who is quite so dangerous in animal form." He gave me a meaningful look.

I nodded at the ugly patch of hair. "Esther does not look like _that_ in bear form. And she's never alone, so stop hinting."

Icarus bounded over and immediately sniffed out the patch of skin. His ears pricked back, the hair on the back of his neck puffed up, and his tail went between his legs. He growled and paced impatiently next to us as Phoenix took a closer look.

"This could be our killer," he said. "Although that doesn't tell us much other than the fact this thing is hairy and perhaps injured."

Icarus refused to leave the patch of skin alone. If he wasn't following a trail, then there was none left. It was time to move on to fresher evidence.

"Icarus is done here. We should get to the final crime scene. Do you know how to get there?"

"Shay gave me directions. It's at the base of a mountain, apparently, and a popular spot for hikers, joggers, and dog walkers."

"Well, we sort of have a dog, so we'll fit right in."

He raised a brow. "You have a curious sense of humour, Ava Delaney."

"So I've been told."

In the pickup, we rode in silence, not even listening to the radio. My fingers itched to turn something on to break the silence, but Phoenix's quiet mood had unnerved me.

When we arrived, I stared at the wooded area in surprise. "You were right. All of these locations are close together, and near open ground. So how come nobody caught a glimpse of this thing?"

"Perhaps it's marking its territory." He pulled a map from under his seat and pointed. "This is the first scene, and here is the second. Between those is the cattle farm. The killer must be close. Perhaps it has a den nearby." He frowned. "But that depends on how far it can run. The werewolves take up a significant amount of space, but there are a lot of them. I can't see any of them coming all the way out here and none of the other werewolves noticing they were gone, or failing to scent the blood from their fur. The way that human was killed must have been extremely bloody." He looked at me, his eyes bright with excitement. "I'm growing even more certain that we can prove it's not a werewolf."

"That's not good news," I said. "At least we know about the werewolves and how to deal with them. This is something different, maybe even something new. And it's big, strong, and bloodthirsty."

His face fell. "The problem is that you've just described half the supernatural population. So many are capable of this kind of violence."

"But most won't actually _want_ to do this, right?"

"There are human criminals, Ava. Why not supernatural ones?"

"A supernatural serial killer," I whispered. "That's really bad."

"Then let's move on," he said. "I'm not sure where the scene is exactly, but I have a rough guide, and Icarus will easily find the place. Shay said to keep to the south. So that's what we'll do."

We got out of the truck. Phoenix called Icarus, who leapt out of the truck bed and immediately tried to run northwest.

"This way," Phoenix said, but Icarus seemed reluctant to follow. "The new scents likely overwhelm him," Phoenix explained. "He rarely leaves his own territory."

We made our way south on a jogging trail, and eventually, Icarus followed then ran ahead.

"He'll be there before we ever will," Phoenix said, but he was walking so fast that I was practically jogging to keep up.

He glanced down at me. "Sorry. I'll slow down."

"I can keep up."

"You're quite short. You have to walk three times as fast to keep up."

I frowned. "I'm not that small. And I can keep up."

"I don't want you to be out of breath when we get there. You won't be able to talk."

"Oh, shame," I said, rolling my eyes when he exaggeratedly slowed down. "Hey," I said after a few minutes of silence. "Have you ever had any dealings with mediums?"

"Mediums?"

"You know, people who see the dead."

"Oh. Not that I can recall. Why?"

"You know how Emmett can see spirits sometimes? Well, Peter ran into this woman who claims Emmett needs a guide, and apparently, she'll do."

"I see." He thought about it for a minute. "I can see why a child would need a guide, to help them separate what is real and what's not. It must be confusing for a small child to see spirits and living people together and not have either acknowledge the other."

"I can sense spirits sometimes," I said sulkily. "I could guide him."

"But you're not a medium. If this woman is a medium, then perhaps she has experience with..." He gave me a curious look. "Are you upset about it?"

"Upset? No. But I don't know her. She could be weird."

He blinked a couple of times. "Peter told me that I'm weird."

"Nobody's letting you babysit Emmett, though, are they?" Then I realised what I had said and how foolish my concerns even sounded. "Just ignore me. I'm feeling... odd about it, that's all."

"Left out?" he asked.

"When did you get all perceptive and shit?"

He shot me a steady look. "I've had experiences, too, you know."

"Yeah, but you're very removed from them. You are weird, but you have a right to be after the life you've had."

"Because I can't remember my wife or because I can't remember my children?"

"Both, obviously. But this woman is a human who happens to see ghosts. I mean, that's different."

"Do you think Lucia had difficulties as a child? Being unable to talk and having visions? That must have been terrifying for her."

I realised too late that we were on a bad subject. "She had Lorcan to look after her." Seeing his crestfallen face, I took his hand and stopped walking. "It's not your fault, Phoenix. You did everything you could to be with your family. Your mother took your memories, took _everything_ away from you. You can't feel guilty about that. Lorcan did a great job of caring for himself and Lucia, and she did a great job of giving Lorcan the strength to do all of that. They got that from their parents."

"He's angry with me," he said. "Lorcan will always resent me in some way. I don't think even he knows why. Not completely."

"He was so busy surviving before that he never really had a chance to process how his life turned out. I think maybe he feels like he's wasted a lot of years as a vampire slave, then more hiding and fighting in the war here. He needs to spread his wings a bit and figure out who he wants to be before he can get to know who you are."

His expression softened. "You're quite good at that."

I was confused. "At what?"

"Making sense to me. It's easy to be on top of things when it comes to the Senate, but with my own family, I feel slightly lost. Then you say a few words, and everything seems better. How do you do that? It's a skill I'd like to use on Lorcan."

I bit my lip to stop from laughing. "That sounds like you want me to teach you to manipulate Lorcan. Just show him you care, and it'll all work out."

Icarus howled suddenly, and Phoenix blinked and took a step away from me. "He's found it. We should go."

As he headed on along the path, I was struck by the similarities between Phoenix and Peter. Each had lost his son early. Neither had thought to find a family again. Neither knew quite how to connect with his son. And I was the one they both turned to for help. Me, who would never have a child of my own, who had never had a loving family, either. I wasn't certain if I was giving them advice or telling them what I would want from my parents if I somehow met them—if they turned out to have been alive all along. I shuddered. I had never realised how hard it must have been for Lorcan and Emmett to reunite with fathers they didn't really remember.

Lorcan's memories came from Lucia's visions, he had once admitted to me, and Emmett had been so young when he was kidnapped that he hadn't even realised he had a father. The misery that had filled their lives was over, but the desire to forget the past and move on was just that: a desire. Nobody had actually taught Lorcan or Emmett to deal with the past or how to move beyond it. Emmett couldn't even talk about his past.

There had to be something I could do to help everyone. Weirdly, Peter and Emmett were suddenly getting along a lot better than before, while Phoenix and Lorcan had moved farther apart. Who was I to say what was right or wrong in that situation?

I trod through the trees, wondering why exactly Phoenix would turn to me for help. He could go anywhere, find anyone, and boss the world if he wanted to, but when he came to me for help, he was as fragile and innocent as a child. Carl had once warned me that Phoenix couldn't be a replacement for Peter, that I couldn't go from trying to fix one man to the next. At the time, I had been annoyed, but I had begun to wonder.

# 16

The second crime scene didn't resemble a crime scene at all at first glance. Aside from a patch of flattened grass near a tree, the area was as it should have been. But Icarus was beyond the spacious glade, standing next to a dense grouping of trees and guarding what I imagined was the real scene of the murder.

"This is where the body was dragged," Phoenix said. "It's almost as if the kills happen away from view and then later are dragged into the light."

"That's creepy," I said, trudging into deeper undergrowth.

Icarus moved on, leading us to a narrow clearing that had obviously seen some action. The grass and plants had been torn up, blood splattered the trunks of the trees, and the air still held the scent of death. "This is it," I said. "This is where it happened."

"Did she try to fight back?" Phoenix asked as he paused next to a distinct bloody handprint on a tree.

"It's messy, but it's not..." I whirled around in a circle, trying to figure out exactly what was bothering me. "You know what? This is a pretty small space. Icarus is just sitting there, and he practically takes up all the room. How would a werewolf fight or kill something here without, I don't know, knocking a tree down or something?"

Icarus chuffed as though he agreed.

"It's possible a werewolf could have killed here," Phoenix said, "but very unlikely if the attack was as frenzied as the evidence leads us to believe. The Senate can't possibly believe the werewolves did this when I tell them everything we've found."

That was a bit naïve. Unless we found the perpetrator, most people wouldn't care about the details.

"Why don't they clean up this mess?" I asked, desperate to get out of the death site.

"Is the blood bothering you?"

"No, it's dead." I shivered at his surprised glance. "That sounded wrong. Since I joined the Eleven, I haven't had as much trouble with my thirst issues." _Or the counting issues, for that matter._ "It's just that anyone could walk by and see all of this."

"They don't want people to come here again," he explained. "If something is hunting nearby, the fewer people around, the better. The main routes that lead here have been blocked off. One would have to travel a mile off the tracks to find this."

"That'll just intrigue those who shouldn't be here," I said. "The thought of kids being curious about the crime scene and coming across the killer instead is going to haunt my dreams."

"Not many people know the exact location." He looked around. "We have to find this creature before anyone else does."

"It'll take luck or else a lot of time spent searching."

"The farmer we visited," he said. "What was the Senate's response to him?"

"They said they'd reimburse him." I made a face. "They're going to be broke if they have to keep reimbursing people for stuff like this."

He sighed. _"We're_ going to be broke. You have to stop thinking of it as us and them."

" _We_ would never have put the werewolves to death."

"You're the only person who tried to do anything to stop it. That makes me sad."

"Shay did help in the best way he could. And most people didn't actually know about it."

"But you're the one the Senate chose to lock up. You were their biggest threat. Or the werewolves' biggest advocate."

"That's what Willow asked me to be. She didn't seem to like it when I advocated for the werewolves, though. The Senate have been keeping their heads in the sand, big time."

He glanced at me. "This is why you should be on the Senate."

I groaned. "No bloody way."

"You could help me do a lot of good."

"Nope. I would lose my mind within a week and kill the rest of the Senate."

He shrugged. "Would that really be so bad?"

"Yes! Besides, I'm not a leader. I don't want to have to deal with stupid politicians and annoying paragons."

"Don't remind me. You know what the scary part is, Ava? That paragon could go on a killing spree, and I wouldn't be able to do a thing about it."

"What? Why?"

"The paragons are a higher power. As in, they have more power than I ever will, and they're above our laws."

"They're not above the Eleven," I whispered. "And the Eleven hate the paragons because they came after them before. When I confronted Regis, I felt the Eleven with me, as though they were watching me, adding their power to mine. It was... disturbing, and it's just another reason why I couldn't be on the Senate—there's no way I could remain fair."

"You're just making me want you on the Senate all the more. Imagine having another kind of power with us. That could be useful." He sounded interested then deflated. "But the paragons have armies. These armies destroy their enemies. And we have rapidly become Regis's enemy. Do you know how one becomes a paragon?"

I shook my head.

"They claim to have a noble proving, one that will fit the right person to the job, but it's a lot simpler than that. The one thing all of the paragons have in common is their own personal armies. Those with power... rule."

"Why don't they turn on each other then?" I asked. "Get rid of the competition."

"They do. They won't admit it often, but they spend more time conniving and looking for weakness in their peers than they do actually influencing Senates and Councils."

"See what I mean?" I shook my head and unthinkingly reached out to pet Icarus while he was sniffing at something. "I couldn't—ow!"

Icarus had snapped his head around and laid his fangs on my arm. He pulled back at the last second, leaving bloody red stripes behind. If he had meant to bite, I likely wouldn't have had an arm left.

"You shouldn't disturb him when he's following a scent like this," Phoenix scolded as he approached.

The werewolf licked my wound once before turning his back on me.

Phoenix moved my other hand out of the way and pressed a stark-white handkerchief against the wound. "It's not so deep. It'll be fine."

"Hey, thanks for the bucketloads of sympathy," I remarked, only half-joking.

He blinked at me in surprise. "But you're strong. I know you can take it."

That set off a weird whirlwind of emotion inside me. On the one hand, I wanted him to show concern for me for what was likely a completely childish reason. On the other, I felt good knowing he saw me as somebody who could take care of herself, as someone on par with him. That was oddly gratifying, and my chest warmed.

I smiled up at him, and he cocked his head to the side, a curious look on his face.

"What?" I said, faltering under the intensity of his gaze.

"When you smile like that, I want to smile back."

I rubbed the nape of my neck self-consciously. "Smiles are catching."

"No, it's different." He tipped my chin to force me to look at him. "Do it again."

I brushed him off. "I'm not a toy."

"No, I didn't mean..." He tutted. "I'm sorry. I'm not good at... being normal."

"I know," I said softly. "That's okay. I wouldn't know normal if it slapped me in the face with a fish."

I did laugh then, at the look on his face, and he grinned back, his face softening.

"This is what I mean," he said, and he moved noticeably closer. "I'm _able_ to smile. It's not a chore. It's real. Is that what friendship is, Ava? Or is it..." He bit his lip.

He had nice lips. I mean, it wasn't like I was constantly checking him out or anything, but I wasn't made of ice. I _had_ thought about what it would be like if Phoenix and I took things in another direction, maybe more often than was healthy. I didn't need another stunted relationship, and Phoenix wasn't ready for anything closely resembling a relationship anyway. But sometimes I got lonely.

"When I was away, I discovered some things about my past," he said in a low voice. "I saw memories of Helena and me. I saw my own happiness, joy, anger, and pain, and none of it felt real. Not like this. You're the only one who doesn't judge me. Even Lorcan can't..."

"All Lorcan needs is time."

"He looked at me like he hated me."

"He doesn't hate you. Family is important to him." I caught sight of a ring on his finger. "Is that new?"

"Only to me."

I took his hand to take a closer look. His fingers were cold and covered in my blood. My wound had stopped bleeding, but it was deep enough to make a mess. I ran my thumb over the surface of the silver ring to wipe away a crimson smear, and a shiver crept up my spine. I had been around enough relics to know when I was in the presence of one. "It feels _ancient_."

"It is," he whispered as though in awe himself. "It's a family heirloom. It was my father's, and it was brought to me by some of his kin who returned to Ireland after Fionnuala's death. They've told me stories of him."

"That's so great." I glanced at him. His cheeks were flushed with colour.

"They want me to lead them properly," he said. "To tell them what to do, to lead them, to build an army of our own."

"Slightly more ominous."

"They're old-fashioned," he said. "But they want things to be different than before. My mother gave up on a lot of our ways in exchange for things she needed to personally grow in power. All the fae want now is for me to help them restore their pride once again."

"So they accept the twins?" I made to let go of his hand, but he held mine instead.

"Most of them do, yes."

"And they don't mind that you just up and leave them?"

He covered my hand with his. "I'm sorry if that made you unhappy."

"I barely saw you even before that. Ever since the whole thing with the first vampire kidnapping Lucia..."

He squeezed my hand. "I'm no longer angry about that, but I felt... uncomfortable around you. I was so angry at the time. I recognised the distress in your eyes when I blamed you, and it made me fear I was becoming my mother."

"You'll never be her," I said fiercely.

He hesitated before brushing strands of hair away from my face. "Peter told me something about you that's been playing on my mind."

"Oh?" I tried to sound light-hearted, but dread dragged my tone down. "Care to share?"

"He's very angry with me still. Over my anger about Lucia, and from before. The time when I used the whip on you to convince my mother I was still on her side."

I froze. "Peter's a very angry person."

"He told me you still have nightmares about that day."

"How would he even know that?" I snapped, letting go and turning my back on him. My breaths grew ragged. _Does everyone know I have nightmares?_ They didn't know that Phoenix never wielded the whip in my dreams—other people did. The dead, my past tormenters, all of my fears held a whip in my dreams. But never Phoenix.

He rested his hands on my shoulders. "You said he kissed you. I assumed you and he were..."

"No, not since he left."

The grip on my shoulders tightened. "You don't like it when people leave."

I refused to answer. I had been alone for so long that losing my friends and returning to a solitary life had become my biggest fear. I didn't want to be that lost soul ever again.

He slid one of his hands upward until his fingertips touched the bare skin on my neck. "I had to leave, but I've been having trouble figuring out some things. Things to do with you. Feelings that I... I'm very _confused_ , Ava. I had a life I don't remember, and when you touch me, I wonder how I felt before. I'm not sure I'll ever recover enough to share my life with another person. Not again. Not after everything that happened."

I turned to face him. "I know that. It must feel crazy for you, but I told you that you could see my old memories of Helena if you wanted, and I'm sure Lucia is willing to show you more memories about how much you loved your wife."

"But nobody can show me how I _felt_ ," he said, looking frustrated. "Seeing isn't the same as feeling. Nobody can help me feel that way again."

"No, they can't. And I'm sorry for that. The only thing that can fill in the blanks is your imagination."

"But I don't even know how to picture it," he said mournfully.

"If it were me, I'd imagine the perfect love, something that couldn't be broken. If nothing will compare to that, then there's no point trying to make anything else the same, so it's okay when whatever comes next is different."

"Is that what you do to yourself? To get over your ex?"

_The one whose memory you took away at my request?_

"I used to," I admitted. "But that love was perfect for a different version of me. You said it yourself—I'm strong, and I can take it. But I wasn't strong _then_ , and I needed somebody to help me see that people could be trusted. Now I know that there's a good mix of all kinds of people in the world, and none of that matters as long as I'm comfortable being me. And I am. This is who I am, and I'm glad of it. But I get lonely, too."

"Yes," he said. "It is lonely. But the thought of burdening another with what goes on in my head is even more terrifying than being lonely forever."

"So don't do that part," I said. "But that doesn't mean you can't share a little comfort sometimes."

"A woman kissed me while I was away. It was a surprise."

I grinned at the tone of his voice. He sounded like a teenage boy after his first kiss. "What was that like?"

"Nice."

" _Nice_?"

"Pleasant."

I couldn't resist the giggle that popped out of my mouth. "My surprise kiss was better," I teased before I ducked under his arm and walked on.

He gripped my arm and pushed me against a tree, his body pressing against mine. My heart raced so hard, he could probably hear it. I could hear _his_ pulse, after all. His hand slid across my cheek and into my hair, tilting my head upward. I couldn't break away from his gaze. I gripped his shirt, unable to do anything else. I wasn't sure what I thought about what was happening, but my body was ready to go with it.

He ducked his head and dropped a soft kiss on my lips before pulling back to give me a questioning look. I pulled him to me, and he moved eagerly, his other hand around my waist to move my body closer to his. He was too tall for it to be comfortable, but that was okay with me.

His mouth was surprisingly warm, and after a moment of me taking the lead, he grew hungry, his tongue slipping against mine as if it had just remembered to dance. I leaned against his chest, feeling the comfort that only another lost, lonely person could provide. I didn't have to think about anything but the need and warmth and—

Icarus howled in the distance, but there was something angry in it, a warning. Then someone screamed.

Phoenix and I instantly broke apart. My hands moved to my lips, and I felt a note of horror. We had been basically making out like teenagers against a tree while a poor human was being attacked by... Icarus? _Or something even worse._

To my surprise, Phoenix held my face in his hands. "You were right. Yours is better."

I actually cringed.

He brushed his nose against mine. "And thank you, but we have to go."

I ran after him, bemused that he'd thanked me for a kiss. But I supposed he was thanking me for a kiss with no strings attached. Icarus's second inhuman howl totally turned me off that line of thought.

We rushed through the forest, but we couldn't find Icarus anywhere.

"Either sound travelled, or he's chasing something," Phoenix muttered. "He's farther away than I thought." He took a GPS tracking system from his pocket.

"You put microchips into the werewolves?"

"It was a concession in order to give them their freedom," he explained, taking long strides back in the direction we had come from. "And it's a good thing, too. Or we would never find Icarus in time. Back to the truck. It's too far to walk."

We made it to the truck and set off, neither of us referring to what had happened before.

"I'll wash your hanky thing," I said to break the silence as he drove at breakneck speed.

"Keep it," he said dismissively.

I felt a little dismissed myself, but I was too eager to find Icarus to worry about it. After about fifteen minutes, Phoenix had to slam on the brakes when a woman ran out into the road in front of us, screaming for help. Her top had been ripped to shreds, and claw marks stretched from her shoulder to her breast. We couldn't make sense of her words because of the hysterical sobbing, so Phoenix put her in the truck between us while I called Shay for help. The woman cried harder when Phoenix warned her she would have to stay in the truck alone. When Phoenix stopped the truck and we both got out, the woman curled up on the floor like a child.

"Poor woman," I said, hurrying to keep up with Phoenix's long purposeful strides. "Shay shouldn't be long. Where's Icarus now?"

He pointed away from the woods and toward some kind of farmland. There was a barn in the distance. And when the barn door appeared to explode away from the building, I knew that was where he meant.

I squinted as a ball of fur rolled out of the barn. Icarus's form flew out afterward, then they both disappeared inside again.

"He's fighting something," I said.

"Yes, but what?" Phoenix upped his speed across the muddy field. The pickup wouldn't have made it.

"I don't think it's a werewolf," I gasped, at least a couple of feet behind the fae prince.

He ignored me and kept running, but closer to the barn, he stopped and held an arm out to keep me still. "Wait," he whispered. "They're right at the door."

And then the pair barrelled out of the barn again. Icarus gave a triumphant bark as he drew blood, but if the creature was still standing after ten seconds in a fight with a werewolf, then it was doing better than pretty much anything else I had ever seen. They drew apart and circled each other.

The second creature was smaller than Icarus and had a more human shape. On its back two legs, it stood about as tall as Phoenix, and compared to a werewolf, it was a runt, yet it was holding its own. Its grey hair was long, shaggy, and matted, and the hair at the back of its hind legs dragged along the mud. It smelled like death, poison, and rot. I coughed a little at the stench, and the creature looked at us for an instant.

It had golden eyes with huge black pupils, and its claws were even longer than its weird paw hands. Its back was hunched, and somehow, that made it seem more intimidating. And it was fast, way faster than Icarus. He could barely get a hold on the thing, and looking closer, I saw that the werewolf was covered in bloody strips where the creature must have scratched at him, or maybe bitten. The new monster had a bitten leg, likely from attempting to leap out of Icarus's reach, but other than that, it looked mostly unharmed. The creature opened its mouth impossibly wide. The fangs were long and wiry, like barbed wire fashioned into the shape of teeth.

I shuddered, horrified by its appearance. "What the hell is it?"

"I have no idea," Phoenix said, to my surprise. "But I wouldn't try to stake it, Ava." He flinched. "Watch out, Icarus!"

But the creature's great big leap at Icarus turned out to be an escape route over the werewolf's head. Icarus looked slow next to the nimble creature, and right then, I realised it was running straight at me. Phoenix shoved me aside, and the creature went for him instead. Claws first, it ran into him, lifted him in the air, then flung him away. The creature sprinted away faster than any werewolf could have.

I hesitated, waiting for Phoenix to get up, but he remained on the ground, and the scent of his blood quickly filled the air. I scrambled over to him. "Icarus! The woman's in the truck!" I shouted.

Icarus wavered for only an instant before chasing the fleeing creature. His howl a few seconds later sounded furious, and I realised the creature was probably going to get away.

I knelt by Phoenix. His T-shirt was soaked with blood. I tore apart the fabric. The wounds slicing his chest looked deep. Burgundy blood flowed freely. _Too much blood._

"No, no, no," I whispered, checking his fading pulse. "Wake up, Phoenix." I slapped his face then realised I was going to have to do something fast. I pulled off my jacket then yanked my shirt over my head, ripping away a thick strip of fabric. I somehow managed to get it under Phoenix and across his chest, pulling it tight in an attempt to slow the worst of the bleeding. I tried holding the wounds together, but my hands were too slippery. Panicked, I pressed the remainder of the shirt against the bleeding wounds, but even if Shay arrived, help wouldn't come in time. Phoenix's heartbeat was fading, and he had a deathly pallor.

I had no choice—I had to try something drastic. He was going to die anyway. I bit my wrist, opening the veins with an awful tearing sound. I knelt on the shirt to keep pressure on the wound then forced Phoenix's mouth open with one hand. I laid my wrist against his lips and let the blood trickle into his mouth. I concentrated, willing my blood to help him. Blood trickled down the sides of Phoenix's face. He didn't respond, but I kept trying, unwilling to give up. I couldn't just let him _die_.

I prayed it would work, prayed it wouldn't hurt. I had done the same thing for Carl once, but I had fed on blood myself beforehand. The incident had strengthened our old unwelcome bond, but Carl was just a human while Phoenix was powerful in his own right. I remembered how powerful fae blood had tasted, and I hoped mine would do even a smidgeon to help him.

But perhaps I alone wasn't enough. I reached out for another, more recent, bond. I sought out an untapped part of the world around me, that connection with the Eleven. They had come to me; maybe I could bring them, too. I didn't sense their presence, but I pulled on their energies, their power, and I tried to push it all into my blood. If I was a conduit, then balance could at least help me save a life.

Phoenix's lips had turned blue, and I was feeling weak myself, completely drained. But suddenly, he coughed, then his eyes flickered open. They were filled with confusion, surprise... and disgust before closing again.

I couldn't worry about that yet. Icarus bounded back over, whining as he nosed Phoenix's face.

"He'll be okay," I said as the werewolf licked my wrist. "But I need to show them the way, to make sure help gets here. They might get scared off if you go, but I need to put pressure on the wound, or he'll bleed out first." My voice had grown high-pitched. The werewolf nudged me out of the way and planted a heavy paw on top of the bloody, crumpled shirt on Phoenix's chest.

"Try not to break him," I said breathlessly then grabbed my jacket and ran. I pulled my jacket on over my bra as I ran, trying to remember the way we had come. I reached out with my other senses, and suddenly, a bunch of human energies came into view. I kept running until I saw the ambulance and Shay's car.

"Help!" I shouted. "We need help!"

A paramedic ran toward me, running his hands over me to find out where the blood was coming from.

"Not me," I said impatiently. "Shay. Shay! Phoenix is bleeding out! Icarus is with him, but we don't have much time. He needs help."

"Stay with the victim," Shay commanded one of his recruits. "Everyone else with me. Paramedics, bring whatever you can to help."

I ran, forgetting about letting them catch up with me. I was halfway to Phoenix before I turned around and realised how far everyone was behind me. But they could still see me. Phoenix was mumbling incoherent words to Icarus as I knelt by the fae prince's head. I licked my jacket sleeve and did my best to wipe the blood from Phoenix's mouth before anyone saw what I had done.

Icarus whined, and I wasn't sure if it was in protest or because he sensed the life leaving Phoenix's body.

"It's okay," I said, more to reassure myself than the werewolf. "We're going to be fine. They'll help him, and he'll be fine."

The werewolf nudged me away from Phoenix's prone body with a low growl. I surreptitiously glanced at Phoenix's still-red mouth.

"I didn't hurt him," I said. "I wouldn't hurt him. I was trying to help."

But Icarus refused to let me near Phoenix again, even when the others reached us. The paramedics surrounded Phoenix, working quickly to staunch the blood flow.

"What happened?" Shay asked as Icarus sat next to me.

At least the werewolf didn't want to eat me.

"There's something out there," I said. "I've never seen anything like it before. The werewolves haven't been killing anyone, Shay. This thing is fast and lethal. It could cause even more havoc now that we've interrupted its feed."

"What did Phoenix say about it?" he asked.

I glanced at Phoenix and shivered as the paramedics prepared to take him back to the ambulance then on to the supernatural clinic. "He didn't have a clue what it was. It's smaller than the werewolves, and its hair is longer. It stood on its hind legs until it had to run. It's ugly, and it has some serious fangs and claws. But it's definitely not native to Ireland if Phoenix doesn't know about it."

Shay nodded. "I see. I'm going to head over to the hospital. Do you want to come with me?"

I inwardly recoiled at the idea of Phoenix waking up, knowing what I'd done to him. "Uh, no. I should probably try to get Icarus back to the werewolf zone without causing a national incident."

"All right." Shay hesitated. "Are you okay?"

"I didn't get hurt. Only... Phoenix. Is that woman okay?"

"She was a little hysterical, but her injuries aren't life threatening. She'll be fine as soon as we catch whatever her attacker is."

"I'll get Carl to help me with some research. Maybe something from Eddie's shop will help us figure it out."

"Well, you're the only one awake who can recognise its image, so I suppose that's for the best."

"Let me know how Phoenix gets on," I called as he started to walk away.

He turned around to smile at me. "Looks like it was lucky for him you were here, eh?"

Shivering, I beckoned Icarus away from the scene. I expected him to get into the back, but he transformed into his more-human form and sat silently in the passenger seat. He might have been more vulnerable, but he still looked powerful and intimidating. His body was covered in bulky muscle threaded with pulsing veins, and his gaze was intent and piercing, full of purpose. He sat still but alert, poised for action at a second's notice. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to be expected to drive properly with a naked werewolf staring at me, but I tried anyway. Icarus didn't say a word until we were a good distance away.

Then he suddenly lifted my arm and inspected my cut wrist. The wound had quickly stopped bleeding after I'd fed Phoenix, but the smell of it must have been bothering the werewolf. He held my gaze as he drew his dry tongue across the wound. I shivered at the look in his eye.

"Wrong," he said in an unexpectedly clear voice. And then he opened the door and jumped out, transforming into a wolf in mid-air. He bounded over a wall and out of sight before I could even think to slow down. I stopped the truck to close the door and laid my head on the steering wheel in a panic. _Phoenix is going to kill me this time._

# 17

Lucia was home, and as her father was in hospital, she stayed away from the cul-de-sac. Surprisingly, Val didn't join her as often as I'd expected, choosing instead to help me with research.

"He's awake," Val said abruptly when I enquired about Phoenix. "But he's weak. They're keeping him in. One of his relatives offered their blood, and he's doing as well as can be hoped."

My cheeks reddened. "Oh."

"Why do you look guilty?" she asked in a curious tone. "You've been antsy for the last two days."

I bit my lip. "It's kind of my fault he got hurt. He pushed me out of the way of the creature's path, and he got in the way instead."

"That's what happens," she said. "How is that your fault?"

I shrugged, unwilling to share with anyone what I had done next. Going home in just a bra and a jacket, covered in other people's blood, had been bad enough. Panicked and incessant questions had followed, and I had distracted everyone only because I had details of the as-yet-undiscernible creature. Nobody on the Senate knew what it was, and I had provided the same description numerous times, one that Phoenix had likely seconded as soon as he awoke. The heat was off the werewolves for the present, but that didn't mean it was over.

"A shifter spat on me in the hospital," Val said. "They truly hate us now."

"Maybe you should keep away from there then."

"It's not my favourite place anyway," she said, but I could tell the lack of respect hurt at least a part of her. She was proud, and if a shifter didn't fear her enough to be afraid to spit on her, then something was very wrong.

She and Carl were sitting in my living room, reading through a stack of books he had borrowed from Eddie's shop. After two days of pure research, we hadn't found a single clue to what the creature was.

"If it's not from Ireland, then there may be no old records of one ever being here before," Carl had guessed. "Many of Eddie's books are focused on Irish literature only." That had given me the idea to raid Baba Yaga's collection, and Peter had promised to drop a box over on his way home.

Val slammed a book shut. "This is useless. I have no idea what I'm even looking for here."

"Just..." I shook my head. "Anything hairy or clawed. That's a wide-enough net, I think."

"That covers half of everything that's ever stepped foot in the country," she complained. "What if this thing is a new creation?"

"Then I don't know!" I shouted. "We'll just have to wait for another army to fight against, I suppose."

"Calm down," Carl murmured, barely looking up from his book. "Val, go take a break. You deserve it."

Muttering under her breath, the half-hellhound left for next door, where Anka was cooking dinner for everyone.

"Okay," Carl said. "What the hell is your problem? What are you worried about?"

I picked at my thumbnail. "Nothing."

"Liar, liar."

"Shut up." I sighed and shook my head. "I'm just worried about Phoenix is all."

"He's fine. He needs some rest. Then he'll be back on his feet, and you two can take Icarus and go hunt this furry arsehole down."

I shifted uncomfortably. That was the last thing I wanted to do.

"Okay." He dragged out the word. "That's obviously not the problem. What happened that you haven't told me about?"

"Like I'm supposed to tell you everything?"

He got up and sat next to me on the sofa. He held my gaze. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I may have done something silly. A bit stupid. Maybe a little dangerous."

He looked confused for a second. Then his expression cleared, and he covered his laughter by clamping his hand over his mouth. When he recovered, he lowered his voice. "Holy shit, Ava. Did you get it on with Prince Ice-cold?"

"Fuck, Carl!" I thumped his shoulder. "How did you... it was just a brief kiss, and that's not what I meant anyway."

"So that wasn't the mistake?" He grinned and leaned back. "Interesting."

_God, this is embarrassing._ "Just forget that for a minute. Okay? When he got hurt, he was bleeding out. I was on my own, and I panicked. I was trying to stop the bleeding, but he was going to die before anyone got there to help me."

His face drained of colour. He grabbed my arms and pushed up the sleeves. One thin pink scar remained. "You didn't," he whispered. "You fed him with your own blood?"

"I know! I know that's completely stupid, but I panicked! He's going to kill me, Carl. Icarus came back and realised what I did, and he wouldn't even let me touch Phoenix after that. This is bad, isn't it?"

"When you drank fae blood, you ended up looking like you had been electric shocked for weeks. And when you gave me your blood, I..." He shook his head. "That's a big deal, Ava. Massive. What if changes him?"

"What if it doesn't?" I hissed. "Listen, fae blood is way more powerful than mine, and we don't even know if mine actually does anything."

"A witch drank your blood to give her the strength to perform a powerful spell, Ava!"

"Well, what was I supposed to do? He was dying! I had to at least try to stop that from happening."

"I know," he said softly. "Calm down. You did the best you could at the time. Do you think it helped him?"

"I've no idea." Something struck me. "But, wait—Val said that Phoenix got a blood transfusion from another fae. That would sort of cancel my blood out, right? And, I mean, it was only a little bit. It's not like I gave him much. Just enough to keep him going long enough for the paramedics to get there." That might not have been strictly true. I had been dizzy and exhausted until the following evening.

"Does he know what you did?"

"He opened his eyes, but I don't know if he was really aware. I mean, he might not care."

He gave me a knowing look. "Are we both talking about the same thing?"

Voices at the front door sent us inching apart and trying to look innocent. Peter arrived with a box of books, and Esther had walked him in.

"Anka says dinner is ready," Esther said.

"And here are some books," Peter said. "Breslin had already prepared a box of the ones he said were most likely to help." He dumped the box on the floor. "I'm starving. Let's eat."

"I'm not hungry," I said. "I'm just going to start looking through the new books. You all go on, though."

Peter and Esther left. As Carl prepared to follow, I whispered. "You won't tell anyone, right?"

He looked back and grinned. "About you making out with your friend's daddy? I'll think about it."

I hadn't even considered Lorcan's reaction. I covered my burning cheeks until he left. Carl could be such an arsehole sometimes. And he was always too quick to read me. I really hoped that had nothing to do with him drinking my blood that time. I didn't think I could quite cope with Phoenix being that familiar with me.

When they left, I knelt on the floor beside the box and starting sorting the books. I flipped through a couple of pages of one before getting engrossed. It appeared to be a bestiary. It looked handwritten and ancient, but the words were as dark as fresh ink, probably due to magic of some sort. The leather cover didn't even have a title, so I started at the index. All kinds of creatures were in there, some I had felt sure had been made up in Hollywood. And it was more like a list of the most vicious creatures that had ever existed in the world. Somebody should really have come up with an international database already. Just typing "hair and claws" into a search field and hoping for the best would have been so much easier than poring over an index.

I leaned back against my coffee table as I read, fascinated by a creature with five hearts that all needed to be pierced before the thing would just die already. I wondered if there had been hunters who did nothing but travel around, trying to figure out the weak spots of dangerous creatures.

I flipped through page after page of terrible creatures, each one uglier and scarier than the last. When I read about a two-headed monster that had a habit of playing dead, only to come back to life, I felt like closing the book, going to bed, and covering my head with my duvet. But I kept going because I needed to know about everything out there to ever have a chance of being one step ahead. One creature was almost an exact physical description of someone I felt sure had recently returned from exile, but I tried not to think about that too closely.

And then I found it. I yelped as the creature's face stared up at me from the page. The artist had done a great job, but without colour, those eerie golden eyes had been difficult to recreate. At the top of the page, in swirling letters, was the word _Wendigo_.

A wendigo was in Ireland, causing deaths that were being blamed on werewolves. A paragraph on the page had been crossed out. Apparently, people had once thought the wendigo were a slighter cousin of the werewolves, but the truth was worse. Each wendigo had once been human, and nobody knew how many existed. The humans had accepted demons into their bodies, but in order to prove they were worthy, they had to become cannibals. They had to eat their own families to prove themselves before the demon would give them their full power. But the wendigo were aimless without a master, and if the demon died, the wendigo remained monsters that ravaged the countryside until death. Their weak spot was a small space at the base of their spines. Tiny words were written next to the picture: The wendigo are considered one of the darkest, most dangerous creatures in the human realm. Extermination advised.

_What the hell does that mean?_ I wondered if Mrs. Yaga had written that and if she had been the one to face a wendigo and figure out its weak spot. A part of me was desperate to go to the Eleven for help, but I would seem weak if I kept running to them.

I read the page again, trying to memorise the information. The front door opened, and I called out excitedly, "Carl? I think I found it! It's called a wendigo, and it's a—"

"A wendigo?" Phoenix asked. "What's that?"

I dropped the book with a fright and gazed up at Phoenix. He towered over me, making me feel small. I crawled backward before getting to my feet.

He looked puzzled, then his expression hardened. "Well?" he barked. "Show me what you found."

I picked up the book and handed it to him before stepping back.

Ignoring me, he sank into my sofa with a wince.

"I thought you were in hospital."

He held up the book. "There's a wendigo running around that needs to be dealt with. Rest can wait until we're safe."

"Do you know anything about it?"

"Nothing," he said as he skimmed over the words. "Have you read this? It's interesting."

"Do you think that happened here? That a demon offered a human his power, I mean. He would have to eat his family. We'd hear about something like that by now, right?"

"Perhaps it was already fully a wendigo when it arrived," he said slowly. "It doesn't really matter. This says it can never be satisfied. There could be other bodies that haven't been found." He looked up at me. "And more cattle we haven't heard about yet. Why is it even here? Surely a far more densely populated country would be a better hunting ground."

"Maybe it was in danger. Somebody wrote that the wendigo should be exterminated. Maybe this one managed to get away from the exterminator."

He tapped his chin. "It says here that they can't exist in packs. They will kill each other. It could have been running from a more powerful wendigo."

"And they don't need to breed because a demon makes them. So is this about the book? Could another demon have come through the book a year ago?"

He flinched. "It's possible, but would it have done this?"

"And where has it been for the last year?" I said glumly.

"There's a theory," he said, "that the reason we haven't noticed much activity from these demons is that they're recovering from the abrupt change."

"Gathering power?" I swallowed a sudden rush of fear. "That's not very comforting."

He shrugged. "It's just a theory. Of course, this creature could have existed for years, roaming from one country to another. It could simply be coincidence that it's here right now."

"So," I said when he continued to read, "how are you feeling?"

"Sore. We need to get back out there and hunt this wendigo down. This creature's hunting ground is not so large right now, and that gives us an advantage."

"What, you, me, and Icarus?"

"And Shay's recruits. We can send each pair out with a werewolf now that we've proved a wendigo is the true culprit. I've already filtered out enough information to the press to reassure the public that the werewolves are still their saviours."

I smiled. "And if they stop this threat, then nobody can argue."

"Least of all a paragon with an agenda," he agreed.

I decided he couldn't remember what had happened and relaxed. "It's so fast, though. Think a lone werewolf will take it down?"

"No, not alone. But if a werewolf can antagonise the wendigo and keep it in battle for long enough, one of the recruits might get a chance to sink a sword into the base of its spine. We're relying on an ancient book, but at the very least, the wendigo will be badly wounded."

"It sounds like you have it all planned out."

He frowned. "Lucia has been with me in the hospital. You didn't visit."

"I didn't want to get in the way." I avoided his eyes. "And, you know, research. I was the only one who could identify the thing."

He cleared his throat. "I think I understand. Ava, there's no need for any tension between us."

He was talking about the kiss.

I forced out a laugh. "Of course not! I'm just stressed about this wendigo. When do you think you'll be able to hunt it again?"

"As soon as you're ready," he said, looking surprised. "That's why I'm here."

"You want me to come with you?"

"Of course."

"I don't think Icarus is fond of me anymore." I hesitated, afraid to say too much.

"Nonsense. His bite wasn't out of aggression. It was a warning. He didn't hurt you, did he?"

I shook my head. "No, but maybe I would be better off teaming up with one of Shay's recruits."

He looked puzzled. "They're already teamed up. You and I going with Icarus is the best solution, but Shay's organising his recruits as we speak in case we come up with something."

"You really get things moving," I joked.

He hesitated. "I heard that your quick actions likely saved my life," he said. "I know I lost a lot of blood. So thank you for not panicking."

"Oh, I definitely panicked. And it was Icarus who helped hold the shirt over your wound while I ran to get the others. It wasn't a big deal. And it was kind of my fault you got hurt in the first place."

When he frowned, I shook my head. "I'm going to run next door and tell the others that it's a wendigo. Feel free to stay here and give Shay a call to update the recruits."

"We'll need to take this book to the Senate to convince them to help me set up this search," he said.

"I'll be right back." I left him, feeling like the biggest liar on the planet. I should have told him. Even if he didn't remember, it was only right for him to have all of the information.

Esther, Val, Peter, and Carl were sitting at Anka's table with Emmett and Dita when I arrived. Anka got up to prepare me a plate of food, but I refused.

"I'm not staying," I said. "I just came to tell you I found the creature. It's a wendigo."

Anka dropped the ladle. "Sorry," she said. "I've heard of those. They're evil, disgusting creatures. I thought they were all hunted down and killed."

"Apparently not," I said wryly. "I have to go with Phoenix to the Senate to convince them to organise a proper search for this thing before it kills anyone else."

"That bad?" Carl asked.

"It used to be human until, well, I'll let Anka tell you about it. I don't know when I'll be back, but you're all off the hook with research."

"Are you okay?" Esther asked.

"Just hoping we don't waste too much time on the Senate," I said. "See you all later."

Drained, I left the room, but Peter followed.

"Hey," he said, stopping me at the front door. "Do you want me to come with you?"

I shook my head. "I'll only be there as a witness. Shouldn't be too bad."

"Those people tried to lock you in a cell. You probably don't want to see them again anytime soon."

"It has to be done." I sighed. "Thanks anyway."

"You going to start looking me in the eye now?"

I stared at my feet and heaved a sigh. Between Peter and Phoenix, I felt as though I were being dragged all over the place.

"Listen," he said, lowering his voice. "I'm sorry if kissing you messed up your head, but I—"

I met his eyes. "I'm just too tired for serious, Peter, and you can't give me casual."

"Try me." But his gaze was already too intense.

"Emmett changes everything we do," I said. "Our history makes everything between us serious. I'm not prepared to jump into that again."

"Well, maybe I'm not interested in waiting around anymore."

"Fine." I held up my hands. "You've just proved my point. We can't even have a casual conversation together."

"Ava..."

"I'll see you around." I left him there, feeling uncomfortable. In my late twenties, I should have been capable of figuring out what I wanted, but my emotional growth had been so stunted for so long that I was still mentally in my teenage years. I had one hundred years of servitude ahead of me. _Do I really need something else to tie me down?_

Back in my house, Phoenix was preparing to leave. "I've found some references in a couple more books, but this one is the most informative. Well done on finding this, Ava."

Phoenix never gave his praise so freely. I gave him a suspicious look, wondering if he would have praised me had I not forced him to feed on my blood.

"The Senate have agreed to meet us to hear how our investigation is going," he said, pulling on his jacket. "I didn't tell them about the wendigo."

"Why?"

He grinned. "I want to see their faces."

I couldn't help smiling back. "Me, too, actually."

"What if the rest of the Senate don't believe you about the wendigo?" I asked as we travelled to the meeting place in his official Senate car.

"I'll just have to make them."

That was good enough for me. If anyone could manipulate the Senate with words, it was one of their own.

"The newspapers have been going on about the lack of a funeral for Mac. Of course, nobody cares about Greg," I said. "Even though he was a better man."

He shot me a questioning look. "Greg tried to kill you."

"He couldn't help himself," I explained. "The shifters aren't used to having no alpha."

"But Esther isn't trying to kill people, is she?"

"Of course not. Esther's never been like the other shifters."

He fell silent for a moment before saying, "There was a funeral. It was quiet and rushed and better than he deserved. What he did to those shifter women was unforgiveable, no matter how his accomplices try to sugarcoat it."

"What happens to the shifters who helped him?" I asked.

"They will be imprisoned until their new alpha arrives and decides what to do with them."

"And if he's like Mac?"

"Then he won't get the option to decide."

"What about the women?"

"Many of them are in the clinic. Some are... too feral to be taken care of in a normal hospital."

I felt apprehensive. "Where are they being taken care of?"

"Somewhere safer," he said. "The doctors caring for them are hopeful that the next alpha will be capable of bringing them to their senses before the babies are born."

I shivered. "The whole situation is sick."

"It's opened the channels to something we didn't know how to address," he said. "The shifters may be out of control, but some have come to us with names. We're weeding out the monsters in the pack, and we will have justice."

The coldness in his tone chilled me. What kind of justice would he have wrought on me when he found out what I had done to him? The average person didn't want to wake up to a mouthful of blood. Nobody but a vampire wanted a mouthful of _tainted_ blood.

When we arrived at the courtroom, a handful of protesters were waiting outside, holding up signs telling us we should exterminate the werewolves and the shifters before the end of days befell us.

Terry was guarding the door. He nodded at us. "Go right on in."

"Demon." An old woman spat at me. "You're as bad as those murderous animals."

I recoiled from her hatred. I had ended the lives of many creatures in the war. Perhaps I really was the same as every bloodthirsty being I professed to hate. Except I didn't hunt down the innocent, and I certainly didn't wake up every day wanting to hurt anyone. _So why let this woman make me feel less than anyone else?_ I'd had enough of that as a child. Something inside of me cracked. _What happened to me being strong?_

"That's enough out of you," Terry said. "Don't have me move you on again."

But I held the woman's gaze as her companions cheered. "How are you any better? Spreading your hate and bitterness into the world because an ego the size of a mountain is telling you you're always right. At least I've saved lives. At least I've _helped_ people. What have you ever done?" I turned my back on the group and marched into the courtroom.

"Media training would help you ignore those types," Phoenix said as he followed me.

"Maybe ignoring them lets them get away with being massive pricks," I snapped.

"Or perhaps all they want is attention, someone to listen to their worries."

I gritted my teeth and took a seat at the front of the room. For a change, the Senate was already waiting, even Daimhín. She must have hurried to make it so soon after dark. A shiver ran down my back when the doors opened one last time. I didn't have to look to know that Regis was behind me. _Who the hell keeps calling this guy?_

Phoenix obviously agreed. He glared at the Senate. "This is a closed meeting."

"The paragons have a right to attend," Layla said apologetically.

"Unless there's something you'd prefer to keep secret," Regis said in a smug tone.

"On the contrary," Phoenix said, his demeanour completely shifting. "I have good news."

Daimhín let a little sound escape that might have been relief. "What have you found?"

"You all know we were attacked by an unidentified being," Phoenix began.

"You were in hospital, I believe," Regis called out. "You must be very confused. Besides," he continued, "just because a werewolf attacked a creature who fought back in its escape doesn't mean that creature is responsible for any of the murders."

I turned in my seat to give him a disgusted look. "Are you kidding me?"

Regis gestured toward me. "I thought this was a closed meeting. Why is the defected nephal always here?"

"Ava may be tainted, but she's my witness," Phoenix said. "May I continue, or are you planning on interrupting every sentence? This could go on all night."

"Go on," Regis said, waving his hand as though he were the bloody queen.

"He is right," James said. "Just because you got in the way of a fight between a werewolf and something else doesn't make the werewolves innocent."

Phoenix flexed his fingers. "I'll start at the beginning then. We have searched all of the known crime scenes and come to some conclusions based on what we discovered. We found bones with strong bite marks on the farm with the missing cattle, and those marks do not resemble those made by werewolves. In that same location, we also found a patch of hair and skin that does not belong to a werewolf."

"It could belong to a cow," Daimhín said. "What of it?"

"The hair was a good match to that of the creature who almost killed me."

"That puts the creature at the farm," Callista said. "Killing cows isn't quite the same crime as killing humans."

"Both murders happened in closed, tight locations that a werewolf would never attack in. And both bodies were dragged to a more-open space afterward." Phoenix beckoned me forward. "My testimony of the attack may be easily dismissed, but Ava Delaney was there, too. She saw everything, and she delved into the belongings of an ancient hag to put a face to the name. Show them the book."

I handed the book to Willow, who grimaced. "It's a wendigo," I explained. "Dangerous and violent, it can't stop killing because it never feels satisfied. If it doesn't have a master, then it's all the more dangerous." I watched the expressions of the Senate turn to horror and revulsion as they passed the book along. "They're supposed to have been exterminated, but this is what attacked us, and this is a better candidate for the deaths than any werewolf I've ever seen. No matter what you think of the werewolves, we need to organise a search for this wendigo before anything worse happens."

I looked back to see the paragon's reaction, but Regis was already gone.

Daimhín pushed aside the book in disgust. "I don't need to see it. I already know what a wendigo is. I just never imagined it possible for one to turn up here." She leaned forward. "We must eliminate this threat as soon as possible."

"How are we going to find one creature in an entire country?" James asked.

"Shay can organise a search," Phoenix said.

"But the logistics of it will—"

"We don't have a choice," Daimhín said briskly. "My vampires will help."

"I don't think that's a great idea," I said.

She glared at me. "Are my people not good enough to help now?"

"It might get messy with the werewolves there."

"The vampires could guard the surrounding areas, make sure that innocents don't wander onto the wrong path," Callista offered.

Daimhín relaxed in her seat, appeased.

"What if the creature flees?" Willow asked.

"We'll make sure we keep it contained," Phoenix said assuredly. "Based on the attacks, this creature's lair must be close by. We've come up with an approximation of its territory, and with Shay's recruits and the werewolves, we'll have a better chance of tracking the animal down."

"I just have one question," Layla said. "Did it come through the book?"

"I've no idea," Phoenix said. "All I know is that it's dangerous and fierce enough to fend off a werewolf. Every group who searches must be accompanied by a werewolf to have any chance at success, and there may not be enough werewolves at that. We'll need to call in reinforcements from all over the country to take on this search."

Willow glanced at the others before nodding. "I'm sure we're all agreed that this is our priority right now. We may never know how this creature arrived, but it's up to us to remove it. If it's as awful as this book makes it sound—"

"It's worse," Daimhín interrupted.

Willow cleared her throat. "Well, we'll just have to find it before it causes any more damage. We'll send for help tonight, and by tomorrow night, we should be ready to start the search."

I heaved a sigh of relief. Finally, the Senate had agreed on something sensible. As the Senate left to make arrangements, I noticed that Daimhín was accompanied by the female half of her shifter bodyguards.

"Hey," I said. "Where's the other one? I have a bone to pick with him after he tried to get Val kidnapped by Mac's disgusting little breeding program."

Daimhín's lips twitched. "She beat him up and dragged him to Shay to be arrested."

I looked at the shifter woman for the first time, a little impressed.

"My sister ran from the pack," she explained. "They found her in those barns."

"Oh. Well, then. Good job," I said.

"I acted as my father would have, had he been alive. He was the last true alpha, before the fraud came with his magic tricks. The pack will destroy itself unless a true alpha leads us."

"Right," I said slowly. "Let's hope a new one shows up soon."

She nodded then escorted Daimhín out.

Phoenix was in the middle of a conversation with Callista, so I decided to head home. Terry was still outside, and, thankfully, the protesters were gone.

"Werewolves are off the hook, I take it," he said.

I shoved my hands deep in my pockets. "We've a new monster to track down. A wendigo. The Senate's organising a massive search."

"I had an uncle who used to tell us horror stories about wendigo. Nasty things. My family will be up for helping in the search."

I smiled at him. "Your family is a pack of daredevils."

"Nah, we just live to drive Ma crazy."

I walked down the road and ruminated on the night's events. The werewolves seemed to be in the clear. And if the Senate called in bodies from around the country, then surely, we would easily track down a solitary wendigo.

Goosebumps rose on my skin as I heard a growl, but a car pulled up next to me before I could decide if it was a wendigo or my imagination.

"Don't you want a lift?" Phoenix asked from the driver's seat.

"I'm fine. I could do with some air after a stuffy Senate meeting."

He narrowed his eyes at me. I was about to ask him what he was staring at when I realised he was looking behind me. "Did you realise you were being stalked by a pair of shifters?"

I blew out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God! I thought it was the bloody wendigo!"

Phoenix stepped out of the car and addressed the shifters. They wore hoodies that covered their faces, but the scent of the shift was strong in the air. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Not Senate business," one of the shifters said in a suspiciously growly voice. Greg likely hadn't been the only one having trouble controlling his shifts.

"You know what? I think I'll take that lift after all," I said breezily. "Let's go, Phoenix."

We got into the car and left the shifters behind. "What's that all about?" he asked.

"I told you—I'm an enemy of the pack now. Their focus on killing me is the only thing stopping them from turning animal completely. They can't reach me in the cul-de-sac."

"Why on earth would you walk home alone when you know they're out there?"

"Compared to the wendigo, I'm so not scared of the shifters. I'm keeping their minds off Esther. It works out."

He shook his head in disbelief. "If you say so. Get some rest tonight. We'll have a lot to do tomorrow."

Hunting a wendigo was going to take a lot more than just a good night's sleep.

# 18

The Senate had been working hard, and on the morning of the big search, television stations, radio stations, newspapers, and blogs all warned the country to stay indoors that night. A wild wendigo wouldn't exactly browse blogs, but if it had a master, we had just informed it of our plan.

All kinds of people were offering their services to the Senate in the hopes of tracking down the wendigo, from the brethni and Moses's crew to the older children in the home, like Noah and Ari. Of course, I had high hopes that the latter's help would be politely refused.

Phoenix turned up earlier than I'd expected. "Are we starting early?" I asked at the door.

"Shay and others like him are setting the search up as we speak. You and I need to make a quick stop first."

"Where to?"

"You'll see. Meet me at the truck. I didn't want to bring Icarus into the cul-de-sac in case anyone here still believes the werewolves are the killers." He turned and left before I could respond.

I hurriedly got ready, wondering exactly how awkward my night with Phoenix and Icarus would be. I had to tell Phoenix the truth; I knew that. I just didn't know how to begin. He'd kissed me, and then I'd almost forced him into a blood bond. That wasn't going to go down well no matter how I presented it.

I left the cul-de-sac and found the truck outside. Icarus let out a warning growl as I approached.

"I did the best I could," I barked at him.

The werewolf snapped at air in response.

I ignored him and got into the truck. Phoenix drove away as I pulled my seatbelt across my body.

"How is this working then?" I asked.

"We'll be starting the search at the south point with Shay and Callista," he explained. "There will be other bases manned by Layla and James, and Willow and Daimhín. Each pair is in charge of organising those they're responsible for, and hopefully, we won't all get in each other's ways. Each pair will set off at different times in a bid to flush the wendigo out. If we're lucky, it'll be us who comes across it."

We did have experience, but I couldn't believe he actually wanted to face the creature that had pretty much impaled him. "Are you sure you're up for this?" I asked. "You were in a pretty bad way last time we confronted this thing."

"I healed quickly," he said.

I fell silent as I imagined how my confession would go. Every attempt ended in my death at the hands of an angry fae prince.

"Where are we going?" I asked when I realised he was driving in the wrong direction.

"I told you. We have a stop to make first."

"I was thinking it was like a stop for supplies or to pick up Shay or something."

"No. We have other business to take care of."

I stared at him. _What does that mean?_ He turned on the radio as if to end the conversation, and I settled into my seat to wait.

We eventually drove into a massive car park, where a dozen shifters were waiting.

"What's going on?" I asked nervously.

"Come on," he said. "I told you I'd help you with the shifters when you helped me with the werewolves. You cleared the werewolves of the crime by finding the identity of the true culprit. I owe you."

He jumped out of the truck. I followed as Icarus leapt out and landed next to me.

"I'm going to tell him," I whispered. "So you better stop glaring at me like that."

The werewolf growled again. I pretended not to notice. If Phoenix didn't kill me, then Icarus surely would.

I strode after Phoenix as the group in front of us gathered, eyeing me with hate and distrust. Something about me always provoked such strong reactions in people.

"I called you here to warn you," he said. "This woman is off limits."

"She's an enemy of the pack," a young man shouted.

"She's a friend of the werewolf pack," Phoenix said.

I groaned inwardly. Icarus would not be happy about that proclamation.

"That has nothing to do with the Senate," a middle-aged woman said. "Pack rules apply."

"I'm not here as a Senate member," Phoenix said coolly. "I'm here as prince of the fae."

My stomach turned. It had to be a blood bond. There was no way Phoenix would go out on a limb like that without some encouragement from my pesky blood.

"Phoenix, wait," I whispered. "I have something to tell you."

Icarus growled; Phoenix ignored me.

"Your next alpha will decide if she remains an enemy of the pack or not," Phoenix called out. "And if you choose to target her in the meantime, then you'll have to go through me, the fae, and the werewolves, first."

The crowd murmured, exchanged cowed glances, then shuffled away like a horde of zombies.

"There," Phoenix said brightly. "That should keep them out of the way for a few weeks."

"Phoenix, you don't understand." I winced. "I really need to tell you something."

Icarus's growls grew menacing.

"Oh, shut _up_ ," I said. "Keep out of it, werewolf. I'm trying, here."

"There's a problem between you two," Phoenix said slowly.

"No, it's... I did something I probably shouldn't have, and Icarus wasn't impressed, and I've been too chicken to tell you, but after _that_ , I have to. You wouldn't have said that to the shifters under normal circumstances because—"

"These aren't normal circumstances."

I swallowed hard, ignoring the furious werewolf. I held Phoenix's gaze. "When the wendigo attacked, I thought you were dying, and I panicked. I fed you my blood because I thought I had no other options. I know that was wrong, that I had no right to make that choice for you, and I'm sorry about that, but it really was my last option. And now I think it must have affected you if you're going around telling off shifters for me."

He stared back at me, his face blank. "We made a deal. You help with the werewolves; I help with the shifters. That's what this was today."

"Oh, God." I ran my hands through my hair, completely stressed out. "I think I must have accidentally bonded with you. You're taking this too calmly."

"Ava." He took a step closer. "I already knew what you did."

I opened and closed my mouth like a fish, unable to form words, never mind sentences.

"You saved my life, and I thanked you for it. I wasn't aware we had an obligation to discuss the details. There is no bond. I awoke briefly during the process. Your blood helped me survive long enough for a transfusion and likely helped my recovery process in the meantime. That is all." He walked past me and got into the truck.

Icarus huffed and jumped into the truck bed. Dazed, I got into the passenger seat. Phoenix drove us away from the shifters. It took me a while to find my voice.

"You looked disgusted," I said.

"Are we still on this?" He flashed me an impatient glance. "I'm not repulsed by what you are."

"But are you angry? I mean, it was dangerous. It could have gone wrong."

"You did what you thought was best at the time. There's no point going over this."

We drove to our meeting point in uncomfortable silence. It was at the edge of a forested area, and the place was full of people already. Phoenix left us abruptly to speak to Callista and Shay, so I sat on the truck bed with Icarus.

"You know I wasn't trying to hurt him," I said sulkily. "You could cut me a little slack."

The werewolf leaned against me in answer, pressing me against the side of the truck.

"You arse," I said, gasping for breath.

"Making friends with the werewolves again?" Shay called out.

I waved at him, and he came over to chat for a moment.

"You've obviously been busy lately," he said.

"We all have. How are the shifters who were held captive doing?"

"Better, I'm told. It's a delicate situation, but we've been rooting out anyone who might have been responsible. Most of the women we recovered have been helpful."

"I'm glad. And thanks for helping me back at the old headquarters," I said. "Sorry I assumed the worst."

He shrugged. "They fooled me, too. I wasn't going to let children be murdered, no matter what else has happened."

I swung my feet. "Glad I can count on you, at least."

He eyeballed the werewolf. "Yes, well, the way you dealt with those bodyguards was pretty impressive. Think I could persuade you into helping me set up some more classes at the boxing club?"

I grinned. "Maybe I'll think about it."

"Great. I should get back to work." He took a few steps before looking back at me. "Think hard."

When he left, a familiar car pulled up a few feet away. Val and Peter got out and approached me. _Great, another person who's mad at me._

"What are you two doing here?" I asked, shoving the werewolf back onto his side of the truck bed.

"The same thing you are," Val said. "We volunteered, and they accepted our help."

"Oh." I looked at Peter, who was looking anywhere but at me. "Well, good luck, you two."

Val clapped me on the shoulder. "Same to you. Don't look so worried. This creature will be ours tonight."

Peter finally met my gaze. "Good luck, Ava."

Callista came over. "Good, you're here. Here are your packs. Torches, food, water, medical kits, and, most importantly, walkie-talkies. If you see the wendigo, call the closest team for backup. Val, Peter, head over to Shay to find out your position."

The pair thanked her and left.

Callista beamed at me as she handed me a bag. "Phoenix should be ready to leave soon. It's been exciting, setting the werewolves up with partners. This will go a long way toward repairing the damage the paragon did with his little interviews."

"Any experience with a wendigo?" I asked her.

"I've heard old stories that I never really believed," she said. "You should be extra careful. I'm told I had a great-great-great-grandmother who was speared to death by a wendigo claw."

"Oh," I said. "I'm sorry."

"Catch this wendigo for me to make up," she said with a grin. She moved on to gather up more victims.

I hefted the bag over my shoulder, ignoring Icarus's heavy panting in my ear. Phoenix returned to us after the sun had set.

"Let's find this wendigo," Phoenix said. "This way. We're up next." Icarus eagerly bounded after Phoenix.

I followed them both into the darkness.

# 19

Phoenix barely managed to hold on to Icarus's leash. The werewolf panted as he struggled to move faster. But Phoenix had warned everyone not to let go of the leashes unless faced with the wendigo itself, and apparently, he had listened to his own advice.

"It's somewhere out here." He sounded excited. "We're going to find it tonight."

"I'm not sure that's the best plan anyway," I said. "Don't you remember what happened last time?"

He patted the sword hanging from his hip in a sheath. "I'm prepared this time. Besides, if we don't kill it, someone else will. The woods are full of searchers."

"How sure are you that we're in the right place?"

He nodded at Icarus, who whimpered. "Very. All of the attacks circled this area. It stands to reason that the creature is nearby. And if not, we'll keep looking until we find it."

"I wonder if the demon dies when the wendigo does," I said. "I don't think any of the books said."

"Maybe it returns to the place it originally came from."

"The thought of demons roaming around, persuading people to turn cannibalistic, doesn't make me feel safe."

He shrugged. "I wouldn't have thought this would worry you so much."

"You almost died already. _You_. And the werewolves were almost exterminated because of it. What next?"

"It's just a little bad luck."

"It's some run for a little bad luck," I retorted.

"Besides," he continued, "the wendigo didn't cause much real damage to me. The blood loss was the problem, and that was dealt with quickly."

I rolled my eyes at his idea of real damage. I had been convinced he was going to die on the ground next to me as I watched. I moved closer to Phoenix. Icarus whirled his head around and snarled until I stepped back.

"Icarus, enough," Phoenix said sharply. "It's done. No more reminders."

"I'm sorry, Icarus," I said. "I can't change the way I was born."

Icarus stepped toward me and nosed my palm as if in apology. I kissed the top of his head and laughed when he yelped in alarm. When I looked up, Phoenix was gazing at us both as if he had just seen everything.

Tension lifted, the werewolf strained to move on, and I gripped my dagger to make me feel better. If it did a special kind of damage to vampires and angels, then perhaps it worked well on demons, too. I walked parallel to the others, listening and watching with my other senses.

The search parties were spread out at a good distance, but not so far that a wendigo might get between them and escape. Shay was excellent at the logistics of arranging the teams, and we had to be careful not to go too far ahead, or we would mess up the entire system. In the distance, I heard voices joking and laughing. Others spoke rapidly in worried tones. Phoenix and I maintained an uncomfortable silence.

Every time I heard a twig crack or an extra strong breeze made the tree branches wave noisily, I jumped a little. A part of me was desperate to chase down our prey. Another part said that if the wendigo could take Phoenix down and a werewolf hadn't managed to rip its head off in three seconds, then I didn't have much of a chance, either.

"Are you worried?" Phoenix enquired in a polite tone a few minutes later.

"No. Yes. Maybe a little. If we don't get this thing tonight, somebody else might die tomorrow. And whoever is going around killing shifters is still out there. Esther's a shifter. What if she's next on the hit list?"

"I brought the witch in to stop this worrying," he chided.

"Yeah, well, Bratty the Teenage Witch didn't do much to ease my nerves. And I'm still going to push for that halfway-house idea, by the way. After all this help I'm giving the Senate instead of working and earning an income like a normal person, it's the least they can do."

"Oh," he said. "I didn't think—"

"It's fine. The shifters destroyed everything worth anything already. I have to start over. Again. I'm going to have the worst reputation ever as a..." I stopped walking and turned in a slow circle. "Did you hear that?" I whispered.

Icarus began to growl, and I knew something was near. I hadn't heard footsteps, though. A shiver ran through me as I reached out with my other senses. The energy close by was a mass of dark, bubbling evil. Whatever had been human about the wendigo was long gone.

"This way," I whispered, beckoning Phoenix after me and wondering why Icarus hadn't tried to attack yet. "Maybe let go of the leash."

But Phoenix held on. I raised a hand to stop him and pointed upwards, into the trees. The wendigo was hiding and watching—I wasn't sure from where exactly. Icarus couldn't climb trees, as far as I could tell. That made us sitting ducks.

"Back," I said, but Phoenix was already moving, pulling a reluctant Icarus along with him.

"Wait," Phoenix whispered, and he quietly let go of the leash.

In a quick burst of noise and movement, Icarus moved at the exact moment the wendigo leapt from the trees and bounded right for me. _What the hell is its problem with me?_

I aimed my torch's beam right in the wendigo's eye then skipped out of the way and used my dagger to stab at the creature's back. It recovered quickly then dropped to all fours and ran around me, straight into Phoenix, who whirled his sword in front of him. His weapon sang through the air, but the wendigo barely reacted before dodging quickly out of the way. Icarus howled, and a couple of distant werewolves joined in.

He grappled with the wendigo as Phoenix and I sought out a clean strike at the wendigo's spine. In the dark, even with the aid of a clear night and torches, visibility was poor. The creature was almost camouflaged as it fought back against Icarus.

Finally, it found enough space to run, and once it started, it was out of our sight within seconds. We ran, Icarus leading the way. I struggled to keep track of the creature's energy with my other senses. I picked up some werewolves zoning in on us, but the wendigo was already long gone. Icarus disappeared into the trees without us. The hunt was on.

After a few minutes of running, Phoenix bade me to stop. "There's no point exhausting ourselves. We'll never catch it. It's like the wind."

"The werewolves won't be able to kill it."

"No, but they hunt together as a pack, Ava."

"And?"

"So they're well versed in rounding up their prey. They'll find a way to drive it back toward us. There are enough werewolves out here tonight that they'll be safe. The wendigo will keep running, and the werewolves will keep cutting it off until it has no choice but to run back into our path."

_Or the path of one of the other teams,_ I couldn't help thinking.

"What now?"

"We keep looking," he said. "We can follow the werewolves' tracks and see if we can figure out what direction they're heading in. I'll call Shay and let him know what's happening. He's back at base camp, probably worrying."

As he made the call, I wandered around, trying to pick up a scent. A couple of drops of blood were scattered here and there, but it was hard to tell who they belonged to. Something had been nicked, but it could easily have been one of the werewolves. As the scents closed in on me, I had trouble identifying any of them.

"Do you see anything?" Phoenix asked abruptly, making me jump again.

"Not really. Shay have any news?"

"Not yet. He wants us to continue on our paths. If the wendigo doesn't come back this way, it'll run into another group eventually."

"It's scarily fast, though."

"I hope it's the same one," Phoenix said.

"I think it is. It had a mark on its leg in the same place Icarus bit off a chunk. Didn't slow it down any, but still."

For the next hour, we moved on, and the more time that went on, the less confident I felt. I was about to ask Phoenix if he thought the wendigo had gotten away when I heard a shout nearby. I recognised the voice and broke into a run.

"Ava, wait!" Phoenix cried, but he followed me.

I thundered into the undergrowth, my heart threatening to burst with worry and fear. I forgot all about being careful or afraid for myself. I lost time and awareness—my only focus was making it to my friends before the wendigo hurt them.

The smell of blood filled my nostrils, and a werewolf howled close by.

I burst through the trees, almost tumbling over a root, and into a clearing. Peter was standing over an injured Val with a sword that looked small in front of the wendigo. Its bloody mouth was salivating, and its golden eyes glowed as it circled its prey. I flew over to Peter, getting in front of him to tackle the wendigo myself. He pulled me back and stabbed with the sword as the creature pawed at us, almost playfully. It was playing with its food, and that never failed to piss me off.

I bent down, grabbed a clod of earth, ran across the clearing, and flung it at the wendigo. Distracted by the movement, it came after me. I braced myself for battle, but a glass kylie spun right in front of me, nipping the creature's nose. It yelped and spun back, its own blood dripping. Then it froze, and just as Peter moved close enough to stab it through the base of the spine, it ran again. Seconds later, a couple of werewolves ran into the clearing, one of them barrelling right into me and sending me to my knees. Without stopping, they loped after the wendigo. Peter helped me to my feet. Phoenix was already checking over Val with a grim look on his face.

"She tried to antagonise it to give me a clear shot," Peter explained. "But it jumped right over her and turned back long enough to take a bite out of her shoulder."

"I'll be fine." Val grimaced. "It wasn't deep, but I barely kept it off us until I couldn't hold my weapon any longer."

"Not deep, just plenty painful," I said. "You can't stay out here."

"Of course she can't," Peter said.

"We don't have time to wait with them," Phoenix said.

Peter glared at him. "What do you want me to do, Ava?"

"Go back. Protect Val and let Shay know that she's hurt. You have your medical pack, right?"

When he nodded, I let out a sigh of relief. "Clean the wound and try to stop the bleeding. If you think the wendigo is coming, shout. Somebody will hear you. There are at least three groups near enough to hear with the whole supernatural hearing going around. You'll always be close to help."

"We have to hurry," Phoenix said.

I squeezed Val's hand then Peter's. "Thanks," I whispered. Then I broke into a run after Phoenix.

"There's blood all over the path," I called out as he ran ahead. "I think it's the wendigo's."

"Good," he said. "It might slow the thing down."

As we ran, the tracks we were following told me the werewolves had split up again. But I was pretty sure we were gaining on the creature. It had gained a deep cut to an already-injured leg. We had to have slowed it down enough to catch it, or at least for a werewolf to delay it until backup arrived. I had never been sure about the plan, but it was working in its own slightly messy way.

I thought I couldn't run anymore when we finally found the wendigo again. It was fighting with Icarus, and both were bleeding badly. The other werewolves were nowhere to be seen, and I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. They had to be nearby. They wouldn't let Icarus fight the wendigo by himself. _So where the hell are they?_

Phoenix and I circled the fighting creatures, both of us panting. For the millionth time, I mentally thanked whoever had decided to keep some werewolves alive all of those years ago.

The fight was deadly, but neither party seemed ready to lose. Every time I thought I had a clean shot at the wendigo, the pair would roll over, and I would barely avoid stabbing Icarus instead.

Phoenix almost managed to strike the wendigo, but it rolled out of Icarus's grasp and ran off, limping.

"Ever feel like we're the ones being driven somewhere?" I shouted at Phoenix as we made the chase with Icarus.

He grinned at me and wiped sweat off his forehead. "Enjoy the hunt instead of worrying so much!"

But a few minutes later, I almost tripped over a werewolf's body. "Oh, my God!" I cried. "Phoenix!"

He joined me with Icarus, who sniffed his packmate's body and let out a howl of rage. He dashed off, ignoring his own injuries.

"Wait," Phoenix said. "He's not hurt. There's no blood." He made a sound of surprise as he felt for a heartbeat. "There's this, though." He pulled at something and held it into the air. It was very familiar.

"A tranquilising dart?" I said. "What the hell is going on?"

He rose to his feet and flung the dart away in disgust. "Somebody doesn't want us to catch the wendigo, Ava."

"Then we had better hurry up and piss them off properly," I snapped, irritated beyond measure. A mindless wendigo that couldn't bear its own hunger was one thing; to actually want the creature to feast on innocent people was another.

"Be careful," Phoenix said as we hurried after Icarus. "If they're so desperate, we could be next to be hit."

"We broadcasted this plan," I said. "This wendigo's master had to have known we were being here. Whoever it is might just be hunting _us_ , Phoenix."

His expression hardened. "We're not so easy to kill."

We passed yet another sleeping werewolf, soon followed by another.

"There might be more than one wendigo out here," I said. "We could be led right into their den."

"We'll just have to kill them all," he said coldly, and he was no longer Phoenix the kindly fae prince and Senate member. He was a fae hunter, a seeker of justice. I had watched him mete out that justice on his own mother without pity. I could only imagine what was going through his mind after finding out that we were being played.

For some reason, the anger rejuvenated me. I had been exhausted, but I hunted with fresh vigour. If we found the wendigo, we might actually find who had put the werewolves to sleep instead of helping us catch the real monster.

"We should have gotten the witch to make the bloody werewolves invisible," I grumbled after a few minutes.

"Too hard, according to Ari. Maybe we'll find somebody to teach her for next time."

"'Next time,' he says," I called out with an exaggerated groan.

Phoenix looked back at me with a beautiful smile, and my heart sang a little.

We soon found the wendigo again—or perhaps it found us. We came upon it shortly before Icarus did. We tried to corner it, but it kept trying to jump over our heads. When Phoenix managed to slice its undercarriage with his sword during one jump, the wendigo stopped trying. With blood seeping from the wound, the wendigo grew desperate to escape, but Icarus was furious. He moved sharply, catching the wendigo whenever it tried to run. The wendigo avoided the fight, but it was clear we had to be the aggressors.

I moved out of its line of sight, hoping to catch the creature off guard, but on high alert, it refused to keep its back turned to any of us for long. Phoenix impatiently dove in and tripped the creature with his sword, barely avoiding getting sliced open again. As though encouraged, Icarus flung himself at the wendigo, and the pair fought again. From the viciousness of the bites, I could tell it was a fight to the death.

Still, we couldn't get a clean strike at the creature's spine. To avoid the claws, Icarus kept trying to pin the wendigo by holding on to the back of its neck. When he pinned the creature, he used his weight to hold the animal down, leaving us with no room to make the killing strike.

Icarus shook the wendigo like a cat shaking a mouse. Although it appeared weakened, it still fought back, managing to slice at Icarus enough to loosen his bite. Phoenix flung another glass kylie into the air. Frightened, the wendigo sprang backward out of its path. It moved closer to me, and I ducked under its grasping claws. It moved on all fours and made to pounce again, but I sidestepped and kicked it right in the head. Dazed, it shook itself and dove out of the way as Icarus attacked again. For one of the few times in my life, I wished I were carrying a larger weapon.

Thinking clearly for a moment, I stuck my fingers in my mouth and whistled hard. Taking my cue, Phoenix repeated the action, and I hoped a werewolf was awake and close by to help. We were taking way too much time and energy trying to block the wendigo—it was time to finish the battle.

Phoenix shouted something unintelligible and wielded his sword to distract the wendigo. I jabbed with my blade to force the wendigo back. Icarus blindsided the wendigo, somehow tripping it and pinning the creature without using his entire weight. With his great big jaws, he flung the wendigo around. Dazed and stunned, the creature lay still long enough for Icarus to manoeuvre its form to make it easy for Phoenix to stab it. But as Phoenix moved in to join Icarus, a whizzing sound drew my attention. Before my brain could connect the sound to the cause, Icarus stiffened then collapsed to the ground in a slumber.

# 20

When I turned around in horror, the paragon was standing there, a tranquiliser gun in hand. I wasn't even surprised.

"Come," Regis said to the wendigo. The creature obeyed, moving away from us and closer to the paragon. Regis was no demon. _So what the hell did he do to earn his place as a wendigo's master?_

I made to run at the paragon while he was sneering at Phoenix. But as soon as I took a step, Phoenix bellowed at me to stop.

"No, Ava! We can't kill a paragon. Not even you. It'll provoke a war."

_Damn stupid rules._ For a moment, I didn't care if an army came. The paragon deserved to be punished for his crimes. "I'm not part of the Senate," I said. "I'm part of something bigger." And the Eleven spoke with me.

The paragon pointed the gun at me. "Don't move," he said, but there was a brief look of surprise in his eyes.

"You're a murderer," I spat.

"Aren't we all? Like the werewolves who'll so tragically turn on their biggest supporters. And the Senate who'll panic at your deaths and execute the werewolves by morning." He made a low whistle through his teeth that drew the wendigo's attention. "Kill them both."

The wendigo limped forward, but a movement behind the paragon drew my attention.

A woman dressed all in black had managed to slink behind the paragon unnoticed. He finally heard a movement and turned, but she karate-chopped his throat, wrapped her arms around his neck, and with a loud snap, broke his neck.

I stared, speechless, as the paragon's body slumped to the ground. I hadn't expected _that_.

The woman dropped her hood, revealing golden curls, and stretched. "Oh, that felt glorious."

"You're not supposed to kill paragons," I said flatly.

She turned her curious gaze on me. "Well, as _I'm_ a paragon, those rules don't apply to me. Watch out!"

I turned in time to see the wendigo bearing down on me. I bent to one knee to avoid its claws then crouched lower to avoid its back legs. With one jump, I was back on my feet behind the creature. Phoenix impaled it on his sword, barely missing the spine. I sank my dagger into the creature, finishing the job. The animal loosed an unholy screech then crumpled. I was almost certain I saw something dark leave the body, and for an instant, I wondered if I could have cleansed the creature instead. But then I recalled the human it had once been had willingly eaten its family to gain the power a demon would afford it, and I decided almost dying myself wouldn't have been worth saving a human that terrible.

"Rosa," Phoenix was saying, looking completely baffled.

"Bet you didn't think you'd see me again so soon." Her voice sounded flirty, but a hard glint sparkled in her eye. "But promises are promises."

"What the hell is going on?" I demanded, finding my voice again. "Thanks for the help and all, but who the hell are you? And how did you happen to be here tonight?"

A smile curved her lips. "I followed you. Well, technically, I've been following Phoenix."

"Since I left?" he asked. "You came here after me?"

"Home just wasn't any fun after all the fae went away," she said with a playful pout. "Besides, I needed to make sure you'd keep your word."

"What word? What's she on about, Phoenix?" I asked crossly. I bloody well hated secrets.

"I've been asking Phoenix for a little help," she said. "Although he agreed, he wasn't keen, but as he can see, he needed me. Now he owes me a favour. So the werewolves better be ready when I need them. I dealt with this fool, so he won't be bothering you again. Do we still have a deal, Phoenix?"

He refused to look at either of us. "Yes," he said in a low voice.

"Excellent. I'll have to clean up the body, but feel free to tell your Senate that there's been a few changes. I'll be the one they deal with from now on. And instead of the werewolves, however many other wendigo he has hidden away will die. The werewolves are no longer at risk as long as they remain a part of my army should I need them. Do you understand?"

Phoenix nodded, but he didn't look pleased.

"Oh, come on," she said softly. "We may have to work together soon. No point looking so glum. It's over. The werewolves are safe, and I did what you couldn't: killed the paragon who threatened them."

I breathed heavily, dying to ask more questions yet wanting to gather as much information as I could from the reactions of the pair in front of me.

Rosa nodded at the prone werewolf. "I'm sure the sleeping dogs will wake soon. She can watch over him while you and I get rid of the body. Let's be quick. We have a lot to catch up on, and I hear you have the _best_ nightlife here."

I opened my mouth to protest, but Phoenix shook his head, and the look in his eye told me to listen, for a change.

When the two left, carrying the body of the paragon, I sat next to Icarus and used the walkie-talkie to let the others know the wendigo was dead. Shay organised a search for the missing werewolves in the meantime. Phoenix didn't get back in time to help, but I stayed with the werewolves as they were transported back to base camp.

It had been a very long night. Val was feeling okay, but I was pretty sure she should have gotten stitches. Still, I didn't want to argue with a pissed-off hellhound, half or no.

"Where's Phoenix?" Peter asked as he shared a flask of tea with me.

"He had something to do," I said.

"Must have been important if he left the werewolves alone to do it."

"I don't ask questions." When he shot me a bemused look, I amended my words with, "Okay, I do ask, but I don't get any answers. So we're both in the dark."

"I'm just glad the wendigo is dead," he said. "The idea of it being human once makes my skin crawl."

"Can you imagine? What kind of person would invite that darkness into their soul?"

He sighed. "I dunno. You heading home soon?"

"I was going to wait until the werewolves woke. They did so much of the work that it feels a bit shitty to leave them out here."

"Well, you did say that Phoenix warned they would go crazy when they woke up from a tranquilised sleep. It's better that we're keeping our distance."

"I suppose so."

"Are you hurt or anything?"

"I'm just tired. It's been a long week."

He leaned back. "Yeah, it really has."

"Ava!" Val called from the ambulance nearby. "Is your phone switched off?"

I checked my pockets and groaned. "I must have dropped it out there."

"Carl's been calling you. Esther's hurt. She needs to get to the clinic."

"What's happening?"

"She had some kind of a seizure. She's bleeding from her nose and ears. But the shifters are back outside the cul-de-sac. They might not know it's there, but they know it's somewhere close by, and they're in some kind of a frenzy."

_Damnit._ When Phoenix warned them off me, they must have shifted their focus back to Esther instead.

Quinn lifted her head from bandaging her injured partner. "Esther's hurt?"

"We need to get her past the shifters and to the clinic. Any ideas?" I asked.

She nodded toward the ambulance. "We could try stealing that."

Peter was already in the driver's seat before I could answer.

"Okay," I said. "I guess we're stealing ambulances now."

Quinn's human partner distracted the paramedics long enough for us to steal the ambulance. Val sat in the back with Quinn in case we were stopped. Her gaping shoulder wound would fool anyone past base camp into thinking that we were genuinely taking her to the clinic. I didn't tell Shay or anyone else in case the shifters somehow got wind of the plan first. The ambulance was fast and packed with medical equipment. After thinking about it, it really did seem like a safe bet.

Peter was getting too much of a kick from blasting the sirens. "It'll freak out the shifters," he explained. "Their hearing will work against them with this shit carrying on."

"It's bothering me, too," I said. "But at least we're less likely to crash into the back of something. Why do you keep veering to the left?"

"You try driving something this big for the first time," he snapped back.

"We might not make it in time," I said. "If Carl is this worried..."

"Anka and Margie will give her something to help in the meantime," he said calmly.

"Of all the nights for this to happen..."

"There's no right time for something like this," he said. "And there's no sense in you wondering what if all the time. She's not been well, and with the stress and everything else, something was bound to give eventually."

"I didn't think it would be her life!" I hadn't meant to sound so emotional, but I was terrified. Esther was already weak, and if the shifters attacked the ambulance, we were all screwed. The ambulance was basically leading them right to our hiding place, but the surprise might give us enough time to get back out and past the waiting shifters. But they were probably half-demented; they likely wouldn't even care if we knocked them down. And that didn't sound like a terrible idea when I thought of them waiting for Esther to show.

"At least we can say our lives aren't boring." Peter was babbling, trying to draw me out of my own head.

"I'd give anything to be bored," I said. "I swear, I will never complain of being bored again if Esther makes it through this."

"Carl called the emergency services for help," he said in a low voice. "None ever came. We have to be ready to fight our way past the shifters, Ava."

"Oh, I'm ready," I said with a growl. I banged on the partition behind me. "Val, Hulk out!"

"I do not 'Hulk out,'" she grumbled, but the van seemed unbalanced for a second, as if adjusting to her new size.

"Quinn, be careful of the doors. The shifters might make a grab for them."

"I'm ready," she said firmly. "Just get us to Esther and then head for the clinic. We'll do the rest."

We soon made it to the cul-de-sac after driving at top speed. As we passed, a dozen shifters wandering around near the cul-de-sac stopped what they were doing and stared at us, looking confused. They seemed to realise what was happening when we were almost inside. Their looks of confusion as they chased after us only for us to disappear were comical.

"Maybe I owe the witch an apology and a thank you," I said, jumping out of the ambulance before it came to a dead stop.

Carl was already carrying Esther out of Anka's house. The shifter was unconscious, and her blood was all over him. His face was white, but he was dead calm, calmer than I had ever seen him.

"We'll take her," I told him.

He shook his head. "I'm coming with you."

"The shifters—"

"I don't give a shit," he said. "I'm going with her."

I took one look at his determined face and nodded. I helped him put her in the back of the ambulance. He agreed to sit up next to Peter because of the lack of room. I sat in the back with Esther, Val, and Quinn, who looked horrified by Esther's appearance.

The ambulance jerked out of the cul-de-sac in a hurry, as Peter likely hoped to confuse the shifters a second time. It didn't work. They raced after us immediately. One, a falcon, flew over us as if keeping track of our path. One hulking male gripped the doors of the ambulance and leapt up to ride with us. He ripped at one door with a growl, pulling it wide open. He reached inside, but Quinn slammed the door shut, catching his hand. He howled in fury then punched on the doors.

Esther's eyelids fluttered open. The whites of her eyes had turned red. I held her hands as Val moved to the door. The second time the shifter opened them, she reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt, shook him, then flung him onto the road. As the doors swung closed, I caught sight of a number of shifters chasing us—and thought they might catch us before we arrived. A squawking sound from above confirmed that particular fear.

I looked down at Esther and tried to smile. "It's okay. You're not feeling so good, so we're taking you to the clinic."

Her eyes widened, and she tried to shake her head, but she squeezed her eyes against the pain instead.

"It's fine," I said. "We're in an ambulance, and it's fast. Val's here. So is Quinn. I pity the shifter who messes with us." I tried to laugh, but a lump stuck in my throat. Esther's heartbeat was slowing dramatically. She wouldn't hold on for much longer if we didn't get help.

"We're almost there," Peter called out reassuringly.

Esther's eyes opened again.

"See?" I said. "We're just there, and the doctors will help you. And we found the wendigo. It's dead, Esther, so it's all over. As soon as Phoenix gets back, he'll put the shifters in their place for good. You don't have to worry anymore. You'll go to the clinic for a while, and they'll fix you up, and then you can come back home. You won't have to hide anymore. There's no wendigo or... or anything." My voice faltered as I remembered the shifter killer was still out there. The paragon might have killed the shifters, but it didn't add up in my eyes. _Unless it was Rosa._ I intended to ask Phoenix when I saw him again. I had a lot of questions for him already.

Esther tried to speak then, but something pounded at the side of the ambulance. I flinched, but the words froze in my mouth as whatever was hanging off the edge of the ambulance clambered onto the roof. We all gazed above us as footprints weighed down the metal. Then a fist pounded, once, twice, three times. Each strike felt like a punch in the gut. Either we hadn't outrun the shifters, or that bloody falcon was calling every shifter within hearing range to us. If they stayed with us, we would never get Esther out of the ambulance without a fight.

Esther made a noise, and after a moment's hesitation, Quinn began to speak loudly to cover the sounds. Val got to her feet, warily keeping her balance as she unsheathed her sword. She waited for the hand to pound again. It had almost broken through. Val sucked in a breath against her shoulder pain then violently stabbed upward, right as the fist pounded again. A howl of pain sounded; whoever was on the roof of the ambulance struggled to stay upright. The shifter moved to the other side of the ambulance, staying with us.

I swore under my breath. Peter swerved the ambulance, maybe to knock them off, maybe to avoid another shifter. Val grunted and stabbed upward again. At that moment, the ambulance lurched as it collided with something. We were all thrown to one side as the vehicle veered dramatically, but the shifter on the roof toppled off.

"They're still following," Peter shouted. "But we're about to pull in. Get ready to run in with Esther. You'll have about fifteen seconds to get her inside."

Val handed Quinn her sword and gathered Esther in her arms. The shifter looked tiny and defenceless being held by the hellhound.

The ambulance slowed, and I kicked open the doors. I jumped out, glanced left and right, then ran for the main doors of the clinic. I heard footsteps run behind me, but I couldn't focus on them. All I needed was to open the door. Quinn jumped out of the ambulance, wielding the oversized sword, her birdlike eyes as sharp as ever.

The ambulance stopped, and Val jumped down with Esther as Carl and Peter jumped out and ran around to join us.

"Help!" I shouted at the startled receptionist.

Quinn held open the door, but the fastest shifters had already reached us. They circled—five of them, plus one in the air. Val laid Esther on the ground by the door. The shifter struggled to say something, but she couldn't get the words out.

Quinn beckoned someone from inside the building, holding open the door with her foot as she took a protective stance next to Esther. Val stood at the forefront as Peter and Carl tried to fill the spaces around Esther. We might not have been badly outnumbered yet, but we didn't exactly have the upper hand. Val was injured. Peter, Quinn, and I had been running in a forest after a wendigo all night. And Carl was a human.

I willed a doctor to appear, but none dared to come outside while we were being hunted by the shifters. I gripped my dagger and made to attack the closest shifter. She tried to barrel past me. I barely held on, forcing her back into the other shifters. They glanced at each other and nodded, preparing to work together as a pack.

A strange animalistic noise made them all freeze, however. There was a roar that unsettled me, Esther tried frantically to sit up, and a cold feeling spread across my skin. A beautiful black panther leapt onto the top of the ambulance then took an elegant leap into the air, catching the falcon in his mouth. When the panther landed, the falcon was bloody and lifeless. Aiden flung the shifter away. In death, the falcon turned back into her human form of a pretty young woman.

The panther stepped in front of his sister protectively and let out another earth-shattering roar. Cowed, the shifters backed away. Aiden shifted into his human form, completely naked.

"Get her inside. Now!" he barked. "There are more on the way. I can't hold them all off. We have to fight."

A doctor came to the door. "Quickly, bring her in. We need to operate immediately."

"Will she be okay?" Carl asked.

"If she were human, she would already be dead," the doctor said snippily. "Now get her inside and bar the doors if you have any sense."

Carl carried Esther inside, but the rest of us remained by the door.

Aiden took one look at me. "Are you ready?"

I nodded and turned to look at the approaching shifters. I hated Aiden, but I loved Esther enough to fight by his side one last time.

# 21

Everything moved quickly after that. Bodies collided in a blur, and the unspoken plan of ours was to defend rather than kill. The shifters, on the other hand, seemed intent on destroying or, at the very least, getting past us. But few of them shifted, which puzzled me. As I thought about it, I realised few shifters ever fought in animal form. I supposed that made Esther and Aiden stand out.

The shifters as a whole avoided fighting Aiden. They couldn't physically force themselves to fight their old alpha without a new one telling them to do it. So they came at the rest of us instead, backing off whenever Aiden got too close.

I knocked out a woman and moved on to an older man who gripped my hair when I deflected rather than attacking him. Aiden let out a roar that caused the closest shifters to flinch and lower their heads.

He jumped and pinned the strongest male, shaking him aggressively.

"Aiden, enough!" I shouted as the shifters backed away.

Aiden let go reluctantly and roared again. The alpha roar made me shiver, and I could see it had an immense effect on the nearby shifters. They refused to accept him as alpha any longer, but most of them still couldn't resist the pull of his power.

With their strongest fighters all wounded, the group slowly retreated, taking their injured with them. Aiden roared after them in warning.

Quinn tugged on my arm. "It's over for now. Let's go see what's happening with Esther." She knocked on the door and waited until somebody unlocked it. A couple of people ran out to attend to the dead shifter. I looked away sadly. Her death had been needless.

The rest of us went inside, leaving Aiden to do whatever he felt like.

He joined us in the waiting room a while later, dressed in an orderly's clothes. He sat across from me, an intense look of hatred on his face. "How is she?" he asked.

"Nobody can tell us anything yet," I said.

"They're prepping her for surgery," Carl said. "But it's still touch and go."

"Is the pack gone?" Quinn asked.

"They were scared off," Aiden said. "Now that they've seen me, they'll forget about Esther and hunt me instead. If there are enough of them, they might even get brave enough to face me."

"It was you, wasn't it?" I asked in a quiet voice. We were on neutral territory, of a sort, and I wasn't ready to battle it out quite yet.

"What was me?" He leaned back, a look of daring in his eyes. He knew what I meant, and he didn't regret a thing.

"You killed Mac. And Greg. You _tortured_ Mac."

He gripped his chair with tense hands, but his face looked completely relaxed. "I protected my sister."

"She hasn't felt very protected since you ran away and left her to take your punishment," Carl said.

"I didn't run away. I had things to take care of." Aiden shook his head. "I didn't know they were serious at first. Nobody has taken an honour punishment in this country in centuries. And Mac was never that old-fashioned, no matter what he might have claimed. I didn't force the pack to change their ways. They modernised willingly. And he wanted to bring everyone back into the Stone Age, starting with my sister."

"So you decided to kill him," I said.

"I decided to find out what was going on," he said. "And I assumed she was with you and safe from harm. I know there's some kind of protection over you, and I know that she thinks you're her family now." His expression said he didn't agree, but I couldn't have cared less what he thought.

"So what changed your mind?" Quinn asked. "Why did you decide Mac needed to be tortured to death?"

He gave her a look that made me think he was disappointed she thought of him in that way. "Mac wasn't strong. He wasn't alpha. The pack was falling apart at the seams. Shifters were turning on each other. I could plainly see trouble coming. I had to do something. They're my pack, even if they don't agree."

"You looked like you wanted to kill that pack outside the clinic," Peter said sharply.

"Yeah, well, you know how it is, Peter. Survival first." Aiden gave a nonchalant shrug. "I tracked down Mac because I wanted to talk some sense into him, to help him find a dignified way to pass on the torch. He was terrified of losing his position, but he was never capable of holding it. A true alpha was going to come along and destroy everyone Mac put in his way as a shield. I wanted to find a way to prevent any of that nastiness."

Val growled. "How is torture a preventative measure?"

"Do you want to hear it or not?" He sounded as though he wanted to get it off his chest either way. "I followed Mac, and I ended up on that farm. I could smell the sickness on him. A weak mind in the place of an alpha can't cope, but he was diseased on top of that. He didn't stand a chance. He was dying, but he still refused to give up his place in the pack. He was a fool. He claimed he was bringing shifters there to protect them from the paragon, whether the shifters liked it or not."

"That sounds like you, actually," I managed to comment without a hint of anger in my voice.

"In theory, that's something I would do," he said. "But they took it further. They..." He swallowed hard. "They were forcing some of the women to breed."

"But why?" I asked.

"They thought they needed more numbers to stay safe. But some of them were just sick bastards desperate for a chance to dominate free shifters. And that's where he was planning on taking Esther. That was going to be her punishment. I could see it in his eyes, smell it in his fear. He wanted to do that to my sister to punish me, and it would have worked. I would have lost my mind. As it was..." He shook his head, looking a little disgusted. "I let go of my human side, let the panther choose. And I went a little demented when I saw those women. I couldn't think about saving them even. I couldn't see them anymore. All I saw was... I couldn't let Mac go after that."

"So you tortured him," I said, willing him to show even an ounce of regret.

"I killed a dying man," he said. "The pack is falling apart now without an alpha, but an alpha without a pack is in pretty bad condition, too. I couldn't take it, so I made sure Mac felt every ounce of pain running through my body. I gave him his punishment, and he squealed and begged for mercy—something he didn't give those women, something he wouldn't have given to me or Esther. He wasn't an alpha. He was a twisted man using fear and intimidation instead of power. I may have been bad, but he went way beyond those limits. Those people depended on him, and he turned his back on them in the worst ways. Protecting the pack was his only job."

"Then what about Greg?" I asked. "He didn't know about those women."

This time, his remorse was clear. "I know that now, but I assumed the second in command knew everything the alpha was playing. When I confronted Greg, we were both half-mad, and the conversation didn't go well. His death was needless, but if it hadn't been him, it would have been me. I didn't torture him. It was a clean kill. He died with honour."

"But you let everyone think we were responsible. Me, Esther, any number of our friends. You let the shifters try and run through us for a shortcut. You put Esther in more danger, and now look where we are."

He looked crestfallen, but that defiance still glinted in his eyes. "I told you. I let the panther out. And the panther took the risks it needed to take. And I was there when Esther needed me."

"You really weren't," Carl said, shaking his head in disgust.

"Don't start," Aiden said, a low growl simmering in the back of his throat.

"Enough," I said sharply. "This isn't the place to let the panther out."

After a few moments of struggling, Aiden eventually put the big cat back in its box. "It's getting harder," he said.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Peter asked. "Let yourself get further and further out of control?"

Aiden shook his head, giving Peter an earnest look. "I'm going to find my family. Esther won't come, so I'll go myself. I need to know how to live with myself, how to fit in without a pack now that none will take me. I'm ostracised amongst shifters, but if I can find out where we came from, where our mother came from, then maybe I can figure out the other missing pieces."

"Your mother might have run from wherever she came from," I reminded him.

"That's a risk I'll have to take. It's important to me to learn more about being this kind of a shifter. We never truly fit in here. It just wasn't going to happen that way for us. And I need an anchor, or I'm going to lose my mind altogether."

"So it's true?" I asked. "The whole untethered thing?"

"It's in our nature to stick together. We can't survive without a pack. I've tried, and I can't do it. That's why I'm leaving for real this time. I need to find a way to fit in or exist by myself."

"But Esther can do it."

He shook his head. "She isn't alone, though. And she's one of the few shifters in the country managing to live without an alpha. The only way to stop all of this trouble with the Senate and the other shifters is to put Esther back into a pack. It's the only way anyone will be sure that she's safe."

I thought about that for a long time, and I had a solution that could work. It would depend on Breslin and the Senate actually listening to what I had to say. We all hung around the hospital for hours. Eventually, I fell asleep on the chair in the waiting room, despite trying to stay awake when all of the others nodded off.

I woke up with a start when darkness had fallen. A nurse was passing by, so I stopped her and enquired about Esther.

"Oh, didn't he tell you yet? Surgery went well. There was some swelling from a badly healing scar, and a slight aneurysm, but she's going to be fine as long as we keep an eye on her. I thought her brother would have woken you with the news as soon as we told him."

I glanced at Aiden's chair. It was empty. He was gone again. I felt only relief.

I sat quietly in front of the Senate, avoiding their gazes. I was still exhausted, there was dried blood on my clothes, and Breslin was doing most of my talking for me.

"Aiden killed the shifters?" Layla asked, sounding surprised.

"And we think that the Senate should step in and stop the aggression coming from the shifters toward Ms. Delaney and her people."

"I've already agreed to do that," Phoenix said.

I sat up straight as Breslin carried on.

"Be that as it may, there's still the issue of paragons and untethered shifters and the Senate's stance on all of the former. We don't trust the Senate to put Esther's best interests at heart, and we don't feel as though she is a threat to anyone."

"But the entire shifter pack has proved that wrong," Callista said gently. "The shifters need each other to stay well."

"No," I said. "They need a pack, yes, but it doesn't have to be a pack full of shifters."

"What does that mean?" James asked.

"She's tethered to us, to me," I said. "So is Val and everyone else under my protection. We're a family, a pack, and we depend on each other just like the pack does." I cleared my throat. "We're a little further into the twenty-first century, but that's beside the point. Esther's not untethered, and she never has been. Since she left her brother, she's been tethered to me, and that's the way it's going to stay until Esther decides differently. The free shifters found their own packs. Some of them were human, others not, but that's how they survived away from the pack. It's always been that way, no matter what frightened people like to think. We're a community, and it doesn't matter what species we are. It works. So just... stop with the untethered-danger threats. The assumptions have cost us time and lives. The wendigo's actions were blamed on the werewolves, Aiden's actions were blamed on a whole bunch of us, and Esther was blamed for something that never even happened, some old-fashioned hysteria that has no place in this world. So you can tell your paragons and whoever else comes along that my people aren't a danger to anyone, and they're under my protection. If anybody wants to take them, they'll have to come through me, and that's going to cost them, no matter how important they think they are." I took a deep breath and waited.

"Well," Willow said, "the point's been proven enough for my liking."

"And mine," Daimhín said. "I'm sick to death of talking about shifters. Can we please move on?"

One by one, the Senate members agreed that the untethered issue was, in fact, a non-issue.

Callista beamed at me. "I'm preparing a new set at Gabe's—oh." She gave me an apologetic look. "I mean _Finn's_ bar. You and your friends should come to celebrate everything."

"Maybe," I said. "Celebrations always go down well with my crowd."

Breslin and I made to leave, but James followed. I waited for a smart remark, but he looked impressed.

"I just wanted to let you know that I think you've handled all of this impressively well," James said. "For who you are, and what you are, I know I've made assumptions. Few people make me change my mind, but I've seen that sometimes a situation needs a second look."

"Is that an apology?" I teased.

"No, it's an admittance that I underestimated you." He gave me a curious look. "I'll have to be warier of you; that's for sure."

"Well, I'm just hoping I'm done with the Senate for at least another decade," I said. "And I really don't want to have to drag my solicitor out here again. He makes you all look kinda stupid."

And with that, I walked away, arm in arm with Breslin, who gently scolded me for not taking the higher ground. But it had been worth it.

# Epilogue

Finn's bar was alive. I had never seen it as busy in Gabe's time. After Gabe's death, walking through the doors had been hard for me, but I was getting used to the place again. I waited for my drink at the bar, listening to Finn's terrible jokes as people shouted at him to hurry up.

"A good drink, like a good joke, takes time," the redhead said.

"You need more staff," I said. "Hire people, you scabby eejit."

"I keep forgetting I can do that," he said with a wink. "The boss man is probably looking down on me and shaking his head at everything I'm doing wrong." He pushed a glass in front of me. "On the house."

I raised the glass. "To the boss." I narrowed my eyes. "And this better be juice."

"I'm working on something new," he said. "I'll test it out on you sometime."

"No, thanks."

He nodded at my companions. "You really enjoy fuelling the rumour mill, eh?"

"You know it."

The fae winked at me, and I left the bar with my drink. Callista's new set had pulled in admirers from all over the city. On one side of the room, I spotted Peter and Melody Love, politely chatting together. She looked nervous, but I thought that might have been because she was sitting very close to a sweaty fellow with horns that kept accidentally bumping her chair. Peter saw me looking and raised his glass.

I nodded and turned away. In a darkened corner, Phoenix and Rosa were both looking in my direction as though they were talking about me, and their gazes sent shivers down my spine.

I pushed through the crowd until I found my table. Shay, Moses, and Carl were playing cards, arguing about the rules. I sat down and grabbed the cards to shuffle them.

"All right, boys," I said. "Let the games begin."

And with every card I dealt, a little stress left me. Once again, the world had taken us on. Once again, we were the winners.

I took a cup of hot chocolate and went out the back to sit under the moon. I relaxed under the glowing moon's gentle caress. The pub had been fun, but sometimes I preferred the peace and quiet of home. The moon had always called to me, but I had often avoided that part of my nature. It seemed dangerously close to the darkness that existed in the world. But since moving into the cul-de-sac, I had learned to relish the darkness—and the things that made me different.

When Carl had realised how much time I was spending out in my backyard, he'd secretly installed a swinging chair to replace the crappy old garden chairs I'd always used. It was probably one of the sweetest gestures of all time and reason seven hundred and two why he was my best friend without question—even when he commissioned horrific paintings just to torture me.

I sat on the chair and relaxed, swinging gently as I sipped the hot drink. The last few weeks had been tough, but satisfying. Life had gotten a little intense and dramatic, but I knew I had helped Esther, because as soon as the Senate agreed to drop the untethered rubbish, something inside of me had shifted into... balance.

Esther had been my second lost soul, and in the end, all I'd needed was a little common sense to help her. Not that she knew about that part. But the werewolf issues and the pack violence had all gotten in the way of something relatively simple, something only I could have done. And I wondered if it would always be that way.

The shifters were still half-crazed, but the Senate's reassurance that a new alpha was on the way kept them from going completely feral. Aiden had vanished, I'd heard nothing official about the new paragon, and we were all slowly getting back to normal.

A soft scuffling noise close by set me on edge. I quickly sent out my other senses then instantly relaxed. Phoenix flung himself over the wall and landed in my grass. As though it were the most normal thing in the world, he sauntered toward me then sat on the swinging chair next to me.

"This is new," he said. "It's nice."

"Carl's responsible." I nodded at the wall. "Are we not using the front door anymore?"

"I had a feeling you'd be out here, and I didn't want to disturb you by forcing you to open the front door."

I took a sip of my drink. "Some people would call that creepy and weird, Phoenix."

He hesitated. "But not you." It was _almost_ a question, and I _almost_ felt guilty for my answer.

I sank lower in my chair. "It's a little creepy."

"I apologise then."

"It's okay. I _would_ have been pissed if you made me get up to answer the door."

"I saw you in Finn's bar," he said.

"I know."

"We couldn't speak there." He sighed. "I wanted to update you on... everything."

"Oh?"

"There's been communication from the... rightful alpha. He's confirmed he is returning to the country soon and wanted to stake his claim. Not one person has objected, so he is alpha by default."

"But is he _alpha_ alpha?"

He thought about it. "From what I've gathered, yes. He's already responsible for a roaming pack of shifters."

"So a separate pack?"

"Yes," he said. "Separate from the others. They have a long tradition of travelling. They are reluctant to settle in the one place."

"So how is this alpha going to lead the pack?"

"He's confident he's strong enough to lead from afar. His family will be returning more regularly. They'll be staying on a campsite in Northern Ireland next month, I believe. And as the alpha doesn't want to have dealings with the Senate—he doesn't trust us, I'm afraid—he's willing to use a liaison to deal with us instead."

"That's different," I admitted. "So what's his stance on Esther? Should I expect trouble?"

"Quite the opposite. I'm not sure if Aiden appealed to him or what, but the alpha brought up the issue of Esther all by himself. He has forbidden any aggression toward her that has its basis in issues with her brother."

"So he's absolving her of Aiden's guilt?"

"Exactly. Although, he's inferred he would like to meet you before taking away the 'enemy of the pack' title from you."

"Figures."

He hesitated again. "The thing is, he wants Esther to be the liaison. And he wants you to accompany her when she visits him for the first time."

"Is he a control freak?"

"I think he wants to figure out the situation for himself. If he's a true alpha, he'll know if you're a threat to him or not."

"And if it's all a big trick to get me and Esther alone with a group of angry shifters?"

"He already knows that kind of action would have serious consequences. He seems quite reasonable."

"Fine." I sighed. "If Esther's well enough to go and if she actually wants to be his liaison, then I'll go with her. I'm hardly going to let her visit there alone."

"Well," he said with a smile. "As Esther's alpha, he probably thought it polite to invite you along, too. What on earth possessed you to claim her as your pack?"

"Because _pack_ is just a supernatural word for family," I said. "And it's true."

He nodded. "I see. And how is Esther getting on?"

"Great," I said, brightening. The doctors had given us good news. "They think the swelling was causing the migraines, and the seizure was because of pressure on her brain. She's lucky she's a tough-headed bear, let me tell you."

He laughed. "I'm glad she's feeling better then."

We sat in silence for a few minutes before I couldn't stand it anymore. "So is Rosa leaving soon?"

A quick hiss was the only sign of his consternation. He didn't want to tell me.

"She's following Regis's body out of the country soon. She sent it as a sign to the other paragons. Apparently, being a paragon is a constant power struggle, and she and the other paragon were losing. One of them had to go, and she was determined it wouldn't be her."

"The werewolves," I said. "That's the reason both of them were here then."

He nodded. "I met Rosa when I was away, and she explained how the paragons... tick. I knew Regis was here to eliminate a threat. The werewolves were too risky to let live, and it was all because he had the wendigo. There were more wendigo, but Rosa assures me they are being taken care of."

"And you trust her?"

He shook his head. "No. Not even a little. When we met, she made sure she found an advantage over me."

I bit on my next question. _Was she the one who kissed him?_

"She warned me that she needed the werewolves and that she would take care of Regis in exchange. It was only a matter of time."

"It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, Phoenix."

"It's simple, really. Regis needed to get rid of the werewolves, who were the biggest threat to his army. Rosa needed something that could beat Regis's army. In the end, she got everything she wanted—an asset in Ireland and a way to rid herself of her rival. Paragons are competitive, and she just proved herself and established her place, thanks to the werewolves backing up her claim. If the paragons need them, the werewolves will be a great help."

"And if Rosa ever wants to rid herself of another paragon, she just has to show off her new pets? What were you thinking?"

"I didn't have a choice," he said. "What Rosa wants, she almost always gets."

"Sounds like there's a story there."

"Not a very interesting one," he said flatly.

I set down my empty cup and tried to relax again. But it was no use. The paragon problem would continue to niggle at me, even if none ever returned to Ireland.

"I should thank you," he said abruptly.

I looked at him. "What for?"

"For being... exactly what you say you are. There's no guessing, no game, no hidden agenda. I never grasped how comforting that was until recently. There are a lot of terrible people in the world, Ava. But I see you and your pack." He huffed out a laugh. "You were right. You are a family, a pack, and the care you have for each other is genuine and pure. I should have thanked you for letting the twins be a part of that, not felt jealous of it."

"Does that mean you're going to cut Val and Peter a little slack?"

He let out a low chuckle. "Only if they give me some first." He looked up at the moon. "I meant what I said before, Ava. I'm not scared or repulsed by what you are. It's who you are that counts."

I lifted my face to the moon and closed my eyes. The paragons could have their battles far away. I had everything I needed at home.

# Introduction

Tithes

Ava Delaney: Lost Souls #3

* * *

By Claire Farrell

Edited by Red Adept Editing

* * *

Ava's been trying to help her past and her future co-exist, but when it all goes wrong, she's barely able to take a breath when the next drama begins, and she begins to wonder about her string of bad luck.

Tensions are already running high when evidence of slavery appears on Ava's doorstep, quickly followed by an unwelcome blast from the past with news that forces her to rethink where her trust lies.

The only thing Ava knows for sure is that it's time to finish cleaning up the mess that started with Fionnuala because bad luck is catching, and everyone she cares about is affected.
**Copyright © Claire Farrell**

Claire_farrell@live.ie

* * *

Cover by Yocla Designs

* * *

_All Rights Reserved._

 Created with Vellum 

# 1

Sun filtered through the curtains, highlighting the CDs on the floor. I pushed another stack toward Emmett's piles. "You can check those, too."

He made a face but continued to open boxes to make sure that the right CD was inside and wasn't irreparably scratched. "Why are we even doing this?"

I blew dust off my hands. Most of the boxes had been stuck under the stairs since I'd moved in. "I want to sort them out before I send them over to the children's home. I don't need them anymore, so I might as well donate them."

He frowned. "But why?"

I switched two CDs into the right boxes. For someone as OCD as I could be, I was terrible at keeping things organised or, more likely, at keeping Carl out of my stuff. "Alanii's taste in music is so bad that I want the kids to at least have a chance to listen to something decent." I nudged him. "I'm such a good person, right?"

"I meant why do you not need them?" He pushed the CDs away and stared at his hands. "Don't you like them anymore?"

The room darkened as a cloud covered the sun, and I had the sense we weren't really talking about CDs. "Not needing something doesn't mean I don't like it anymore," I said carefully. "Anyway, these are just taking up space because I have all the songs on my computer anyway."

Emmett glanced at the computer, unable to keep a suspicious look from marring his features. "Everything's so complicated. Even that thing seems like magic."

"Not magic. Just technology." I shrugged. "Which makes everything seem like magic, I suppose."

"There's a kid at school who can make computers do anything he likes," he said after a moment. "Before... he wasn't valuable because _they_ didn't realise what he could do. They didn't test him with a computer, or he would have been sold. Where would he be now?"

_Before_ meant when he lived in a slave market. "I don't know," I said. "But when somebody pays a lot of money for something, they usually treat it extra carefully." That was a lie, but there was no point dwelling on the dark possibilities. To Emmett, little could be worse than living as a slave in Hell. He didn't need new nightmares. "I had half-forgotten you knew some of the kids already."

"Only a few." He went back to work on the CDs. "We weren't supposed to make friends, and I didn't like most of them."

I thought of a certain teen witch and nodded. "I'm not surprised."

"At least Ari's around," he said brightly. "School's not so bad with her there."

That floored me. "Ari? The witch? You... like her?"

"We all love Ari," he said, sounding surprised. "She took care of us, of _me_ , back then. Protected us from... stuff. She still does."

"You must know Noah then."

"Oh, I hate him." He wrinkled his nose. "I'm glad he's not at the school."

Weirdly, I had the opposite reactions to that particular couple.

A car beeped outside, and I jumped to my feet. "Here they are."

Emmett lingered by the coffee table. "Should I put these with the others in the hall?"

"I'll do it later." I realised he wasn't looking forward to seeing the visitors. "Hey, you'll have fun today. It's good to make friends, remember?"

"But he's so _weird_ ," he whined.

I bit my lip to hide my smile. "Trust me. So are we. Come on. It's not his fault he's different."

"Nobody likes the werewolves," he complained, but he followed me to the front door. "And the fur balls hate everyone else."

"Give the fur ball a chance." I shoved him outside.

I blinked rapidly in the sudden light. Ireland was going through an unprecedented heat wave. The last thing I wanted to do was stand outside to watch three sulky kids eye each other with suspicion, but I had agreed to the weird playdate thing—I had even gone out of my way to persuade the reluctant parents—and couldn't back out now. And maybe there was a teeny, tiny chance that I just didn't want to disappoint Phoenix.

The fae prince stepped out of his car and smiled at me. I grinned back, my heart skipping a little at the sight of him. Ever since he had almost died in front of me—and since he'd kissed me, too—I hadn't been able to ignore my fondness for him. I had fed him my blood to save his life, and he hadn't been repulsed. He was one of the few people who accepted me just the way I was, without being initially freaked out by my heritage. The warmth from that acceptance hadn't faded.

I glanced at Emmett and noticed he was staring at me. "What?"

"Nothing," he said sullenly.

My neighbour's preteen daughter was already skipping out of her garden to greet Phoenix and the obviously reluctant werewolf cub. The boy took a couple of steps back as Dita approached, her pale-blond hair glistening in the sunlight, and I was pretty sure that Phoenix's hand gripping his shoulder was the only reason he didn't run.

Nick was maybe twelve, and in his human form, tall and scrawny. Roughly cut sandy-coloured hair curled around the nape of his neck, and his hooded green eyes made him look suspicious of everything. The young werewolf's gaze darted in every direction as though he were expecting an attack. That wasn't surprising. He had been shot by a drunk human nearly three months ago, so I couldn't blame him for being skittish. And I felt sorry for him. He looked like a victim, and it sounded as though he were having a hard time in school still.

Anka was walking slowly toward Phoenix when we reached the group, her bare arms crossed over her chest. "And this is safe," she said, frowning at the boy.

"They'll be fine," I said. "They're just kids, Anka. Look at him."

She gave me a noncommittal grunt. "I'll be inside. They can come for snacks and drinks, if they wish." She left us alone.

The children stood in an awkward disconnected triangle. Dita narrowed her eyes at Emmett. When he didn't move, she grumbled under her breath then reached out to Nick. He flinched.

She ignored that. "We could play football."

I sensed rather than saw Emmett open his mouth, and for fear he was going to repeat the stupid joke about playing fetch he had cracked that morning, I clamped my hand over his mouth and lowered my mouth to his ear. "Be nice, kid."

He shrugged me off and folded his arms, but his glare was focused on Phoenix, who had moved to my side.

At Dita's beckoning command, the boys shuffled a few steps closer to her then stopped, looking stubborn.

Phoenix stood silently by my side, his hands in his pockets and his thin lips pressed together. "What's wrong with them?"

"They take time to warm up."

Dita reached out to the werewolf and said something I missed. Nick gave Phoenix a panicked look. Phoenix nodded at him, and the boy went with the others to Dita's front garden to play.

"He wasn't looking forward to this," Phoenix said.

"Neither was Emmett. But Dita's been out of her mind with excitement. She reckons she hasn't had a chance to get to know him properly at school." I shuffled my feet in discomfort. "Because, um..."

"He keeps shifting."

I winced. "It's bad, isn't it?"

"There's talk of removing him from the school." He sighed. "But he's the one who needs it the most."

"Maybe this will help." If it didn't, Dita was going to be really disappointed. She was absolutely dying to earn herself a werewolf friend.

I wiped my brow then held up my hand to shield my eyes.

"You look uncomfortable," Phoenix remarked.

"The sun isn't my friend."

"Oh." He looked at me with surprise. "I should have realised."

"I'm fine. It's just..." I didn't need to finish the sentence. The vampire taint in me couldn't stand the sun. Most sunny days were a minor irritation, but the rare scorchers made me feel ill.

He touched my bare arm, his skin somehow cool in the heat. I looked at his hand, and a shiver of anticipation shuddered through my body.

"Let's go inside." His voice had lowered huskily. "The children are, as you say, warming up."

I blinked at him; the sun appeared to reflect against his skin. "Maybe we should..." I cast a glance at the children. Nick looked scared of his own shadow, and I couldn't imagine anything going wrong. Besides, if he'd intended to hurt anyone, he wouldn't have gained entry into the cul-de-sac in the first place, thanks to the old magic protecting the houses.

"Go inside?" Phoenix offered.

"Well..."

Phoenix took my hand, and I shut up, following him into my house. As soon as I stepped over the threshold, he pressed me against the wall, knocking over a pile of CDs that Emmett had so carefully stacked. Phoenix and I had kissed for the first time while hunting a rare enemy, and ever since then, the kisses had been few and far between, never becoming anything more. Perhaps the lack of progress was part of the draw.

He clasped my waist with one hand while the other reached into my hair to loosen my ponytail. I gasped when he dipped his head to kiss my collarbone, his lips pleasantly cool against my skin. I slid my hands around his shoulders and drew him to my mouth instead. Phoenix kissed me as though I were a puzzle he was trying to unravel. And I liked it.

I forgot about everything but the calm amidst the heat. The rush made _sense_ —akin to the way counting numbers had for so long. It seemed ridiculous that I could find tranquillity while my heart raced, my breathing deepened, and my skin felt unable to contain my body, but a certain kind of peace was there for the taking.

His scent filled my nostrils, his fingers dug into my skin as his breaths grew shaky, and nothing was enough anymore. I pressed my body against his, signalling my willingness for more, but his kisses, while not exactly chaste, didn't go anywhere. And I felt like a hormonal teenager again, frustrated and turned on at the same time.

I bit on his lower lip, and his resulting hiss made me tremble. His kiss roughened, and I pushed him back.

He gazed down at me, waiting, his green eyes predatory even when he let me take the lead. But his calm exterior had been rocked; I sensed the darkness and violence simmering under the surface. Something inside me was drawn to that, too.

I peeled off my top, took his hand, and laid it against my heart. His calloused fingertips rough against my bare skin, he trailed his fingers across my breast. Something about the motion was teasing.

" _Phoenix_."

He bent to touch his forehead to mine, then his lips drifted down in light kisses. He lingered at my throat before lifting me in one swift movement. He pinned me against the wall, hesitating for a moment as he held my gaze, his lips barely curving upward at the corners. Then his mouth was on mine, and we kissed until I saw a rainbow of colours behind my eyelids.

A scream interrupted us. _Again_.

He practically dropped me and ran. I scrambled to yank my top over my head then raced outside after him.

In the middle of the road, Dita was between the boys, her hands out in a desperate attempt to stop them fighting. His cheeks deep red with his anger, Emmett pointed at Nick. Nick's eyes had gone dead, and as I raced over, I realised his fingernails had turned to claws.

"He's going to shift!" I shouted.

"Get the others out of the way," Phoenix commanded.

Phoenix reached Nick before I got to the others. I caught a glimpse of fur thrown to the ground, but not before a set of claws sliced Dita's face in the tussle. She fell back into Emmett, her head smashing against his nose. I managed to stop the worst of their fall, but the scent of blood already filled the air. I breathed through my mouth—just in case.

I changed my position to protect the pair, but Phoenix had his arms around Nick, holding him back. The boy was just a cub, but his claws and teeth were dangerous, and Phoenix struggled to hold on without hurting him.

Anka muttered in Polish as she carried over her bag of tricks so she could tend to Dita, who was crying, and Emmett, who had gone silent. I took one look at his bloody nose and the accusing look in his hazel eyes that matched his father's so well, and I had to turn away.

Phoenix was forced to keep his head back to avoid being clawed in the face—that only loosened his hold on the wild cub.

"What can I do?" I asked, needing the distraction.

"Help me pin him." Phoenix narrowly avoided another swipe. The boy wasn't trying to hurt anyone, but he desperately wanted to escape. "I need to calm him, and I can't like this."

With my help, we pinned Nick on the ground. I scented his fear and felt terribly sorry for him. I knelt by the boy's head, holding down his arms. The boy raged at me, snapping with teeth that looked far too big for his mouth, but Phoenix drew his attention.

"Peace," Phoenix said quietly. "It's just me, Nick."

But the boy's eyes rolled, and he focused on me again. A weak, terrified snarl erupted from his lips.

"Friend," Phoenix said firmly. "We are all friends here, Nick."

Finally, the cub's breathing eased, and he slowly calmed down enough for us to release him. But he refused to shift back into human form.

Phoenix sat on the ground and gathered the shaking werewolf onto his lap while he whispered to him.

I glanced over at the others. Emmett was holding a bloody hanky to his nose, his eyes still narrowed with anger. Dita had stopped crying and was allowing Anka to put pressure on her wound to assess the damage.

"Is he all right?" Dita asked. Anka tutted next to her.

"He'll be fine," Phoenix said, his hand caressing the werewolf's ears in a soothing gesture.

I shook my head. "What the hell happened?"

"He's an animal. That's what," Emmett mumbled against the hanky.

"You started it." Dita pulled her mother's hand away from her face. Four thin lines of blood sliced her cheek. One, just under her eye, was far deeper than the rest.

"That'll need stitches," I said.

"And whose fault is that?" Anka said sharply. "You said it would be safe, Ava."

"I—"

I groaned as Peter Brannigan's car drove into the cul-de-sac and stopped outside his house. He always had the worst timing. He got out of the car, took one look at the scene, and raced over to his son.

He checked Emmett's nose in a panic. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," Emmett said grudgingly. "Nick just doesn't know how to be human."

" _Emmett_ ," Dita said. "Leave him alone already."

"Look what he did to your face!" Emmett shouted.

Nick whimpered.

"He didn't mean it," Dita said stubbornly. "Don't worry, Nick. I know it was an accident."

Anka swore in Polish. The long stream of words made me feel as though my entire bloodline was being cursed—if I had one.

"He's calm now," Phoenix said.

"Calm?" Peter said, his voice remaining level, despite the anger in his eyes. "You call _this_ calm?"

Nick was shaking badly. Unthinkingly, I reached out to touch him. He snapped at my hand, but I rested my fingers against his neck. "It's okay, Nick," I said softly. "It's going to be okay."

"You're taking _his_ side?" Emmett sounded as though he might burst into tears. "Really?"

"There's no side," I said, but Emmett and Peter both looked at me disbelievingly.

Peter looked me up and down, his anger turning to disgust.

I ducked my head and realised my T-shirt was inside out. I knew how I looked: dishevelled, hair messy and loose, with a face that was likely red and as guilty-looking as hell. Peter was never going to forgive me.

"There's very definitely a side," Peter said gruffly. "That animal isn't to come near my son again, or I'll—"

"Or you'll what?" Phoenix said coldly, an almost imperceptible chill emanating from him. He rose to his feet, and I sat next to Nick in case he tried to get involved. "If you think I'll stand by while you threaten this child, then you're sadly mistaken."

"He could have killed these kids." Peter pointed at me accusingly. _"You_ said he would be safe. Where the fuck were you when all of this happened?"

I swallowed hard. "I... in my house. You don't understand what—"

He glanced at Phoenix, and his lips curled into a sneer. "I see exactly how it is. You leave my son in danger while you go—"

"I'd think carefully about how you finish that sentence," Phoenix said calmly. "I've heard enough insults from your mouth, Brannigan. I choose to ignore them no longer."

Peter stepped toward him. "Do you think I'm scared of you? You think I don't know exactly what you are? I'm ready for you, fae. Anytime."

"That's enough," I said. "Stop acting like this in front of the kids. Both of you. Phoenix, take Nick home. He's too upset to do anything but be around his family." I avoided Phoenix's gaze. "Maybe it was too soon."

I sensed him staring at me, but I couldn't face him. I felt too guilty. Peter was right to be angry. I had screwed up and gotten distracted when I should have seen that Emmett had his father's streak of violence and would torment the wolf child into flipping. It was in their nature, and now Dita had been hurt because of it. Because of _me_.

"Fine," Phoenix said at last. He plucked Nick into his arms and strode to his car, ignoring the rest of us.

I stood and brushed the back of my jeans with my hands. "Dita, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," she said. "That was so stupid. Emmett's just a bully."

"I'm not a bully!" he shouted, flinging the bloody tissue aside. He stormed off, pausing only to give me a disgusted look. "I thought you cared about me."

"I _do_ ," I protested, but he was already leaving. I made to follow him, but Peter grabbed my arm.

"Don't you dare." His voice deepened with anger and frustration. "You don't get to comfort him when you caused this."

"I thought they would get along." I pulled my arm out of his grip. "I thought they were doing fine."

"He's a werewolf," Peter said. "I should never have agreed to this ridiculous little playdate. That cub isn't welcome here."

"I agree," Anka said. "My daughter will suffer with a scar for the rest of her life because of your experiment, Ava. This isn't what I expected from you." She led a protesting Dita away then slammed her front door behind them.

"Peter," I said, trying to remain calm, "Emmett's okay, but he needs to learn not to wind people up. Especially that kid. Hasn't he been through enough?"

"The cub?" he said, clearly exasperated. "What about what my son has been through?"

"They were both trapped for a long time," I said. "They have that in common! Maybe they could talk to each other, and—"

"This is fucking unbelievable," he said. "You actually want to try again? And you have the cheek to blame my son?"

"I'm not blaming Emmett. I'm just saying that—"

"Oh, go screw about with Phoenix and leave the rest of us out of it," he spat, angrier than I had ever seen him. "You're not the person I thought you were, and I don't want you near my son."

As he walked away, my mouth dropped open. One stupid mistake had cost me big time.

# 2

The heat wave was over. More than just the weather had turned colder. I had tried to leave a gift for Dita, but Anka had refused to even let me see the child. I had left the bag on the doorstep, but I had a feeling Dita would never see it.

There wasn't even a chance of Peter reaching anything close to forgiveness yet. I had tried calling Phoenix, but he hadn't answered or returned my calls. Relief had quickly followed that rejection; I had no idea what to say to him. I knew that he wasn't happy about the way things had gone down, but he just didn't understand that I had to keep the peace as best I could. If I hadn't asked him to leave, he would likely have come to blows with Peter. And I didn't know how I would react to that scenario.

There was so much hate and distrust in our lives, even now. I tried so hard to bring people together—to make all of my worlds join seamlessly—but my efforts kept backfiring spectacularly. There had to be a way to stop the weird feud between the Brannigans and Phoenix—I just had no idea what that was.

I half-heartedly finished the job Emmett and I had started on the CDs. My cheeks burned as I fixed the knocked-over pile in the hall. Whenever I put myself first, somebody else got hurt. The universe kept sending me the same message; maybe it was time I started heeding it.

The sound of a football smacking a wall outside drew my attention. I opened the front door and peeked out. Emmett was playing alone in the cul-de-sac, looking miserable. He looked up and noticed me. I waved hopefully, but with a stubborn set to his mouth, Emmett turned his back on me, picked up the ball, and went back into his house. He might as well have kicked the ball right at my gut—that would have been less painful.

Leaning against the doorway, I looked out at the cul-de-sac. Fourteen quaint cottages, and too many of the occupants had reason to be mad at me. My gaze fell on an empty cottage, and my mood dropped even further. Margie had left the cul-de-sac, abandoning her business with Anka, when my feud with the shifters bled out into her apothecary shop. After everything that had happened to us, _that_ was what had made her move on and leave us. Anka had been working so hard to keep on top of things and had even hired Leah part-time, but the number of customers the shop drew had been rapidly dwindling lately, and I was starting to suspect the business that had put her back on her feet was about to fail.

For weeks, an awful feeling in my chest had been telling me something terrible was coming my way. It squirmed again. I couldn't explain it, but I didn't want to be alone anymore.

I headed over to Carl's house and knocked on the door. I heard the television blaring and knocked impatiently a second time when he didn't answer. When he finally came to the door, his blond hair was tousled as though he had just woken up. "What?" he said hoarsely.

I brushed past him. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you in days."

"Here," he said, following me into his kitchen.

"Why aren't you at work?"

He mumbled something as I stuck on the kettle. "What was that?"

"I said, I got sacked."

I whirled around to face him. "What do you mean, you got sacked?"

He rolled his eyes. "I mean, I lost my job, got let go, was—"

"All right, I get it, Carl." I laid my hands on my hips. " _Why_ were you sacked?"

He shrugged then sat at the kitchen table. "No clue. Something about a lack of funding or some shit."

"Are you serious?" I took cups out of the press and slammed them on the counter with a little more force than necessary. "That's total bull."

"Yeah, well, maybe they decided they don't like non-special humans working with special kids."

I fumed silently while the kettle boiled. "Maybe I could talk to—"

"No," he said firmly. "It's done. It's over. I'll figure something else out."

"Breslin was talking about needing a bookkeeper," I said.

"I don't need any more of your charity," Carl snapped.

"It's not charity. It's—"

"Just make the bloody coffee, Ava."

I turned back to the counter. I needed to talk, but Carl didn't seem particularly inclined to listen. I made the coffee then sat across from him and studied his face. He toyed with the cup, spinning it around in a circle. His eyes were red-rimmed, his lips chapped.

"You're not taking care of yourself."

He met my gaze. "Is that what you came over to tell me?"

I squirmed in my seat. "No."

"Then why did you come here?"

I fidgeted with my sleeve. "I suppose you heard what happened."

"Nope."

"Phoenix brought the werewolf cub over, and while we... weren't looking, Nick and Emmett got into it. Dita ended up getting hurt." I realised his face was suspiciously blank. "What's _up_ with you?"

Anger flared in his eyes. "Are you serious?"

"What?" I bit on my lower lip. "Is this about Esther?"

The thunder in his expression immediately made me wish I hadn't opened my big stupid mouth. Carl had gotten close enough to Esther to believe that something was about to happen between them—until she and I had gone on a trip to meet the new shifter alpha. Esther had fallen hard for Patrick in an instantaneous, this-is-my-mate sort of way, and she'd forgotten Carl. And when I saw how happy Patrick made Esther, I encouraged her to follow her heart, despite knowing it would hurt Carl. But she would never have settled with Carl—not after meeting Patrick. The change in Esther had been phenomenal. The shifters had broken her time and time again, but it had taken another shifter to help her start to heal. To avoid hurting Carl, she had been spending time with Patrick while he helped the once-captive female shifters adjust to their new lives. I suspected her obvious avoidance had hurt Carl more.

Carl's fingers curled into fists. "No, Ava. This is about the way you run around doing your own thing then only turning up on my doorstep when you need something."

I blinked rapidly. "What are you on about? When do I ever ask you for anything?"

"Oh? Peter's my friend, and I have to listen to you harp on about Phoenix this and Phoenix that until I want to puke."

I relaxed in the chair and let him vent. Maybe we would finally get to the heart of the matter.

"And when was the last time you came over and asked how _I_ felt? Huh? When you and Esther were up north, did you even once think about how I would feel? Did you ever—"

I had stopped listening. That squirming in my chest had undone itself, spreading outward until it became a gentle but insistent tugging behind my navel. Something wanted me. Something...

"Ava! Are you even listening to me?"

I shivered. "Sorry. What were you saying?"

"Is this a joke?" he blurted incredulously.

"No, it's nothing."

"See? This is what I'm talking about. You keep secrets, and you—"

"Stop," I said, a bead of sweat running down my temple. "Just... stop for a minute." I waited, trying to figure out what was agitating me. "Did you hear something?"

"I don't hear anything." He stared at me as though I had lost my mind.

"Hold on." I rose to my feet. "I have to... have to go... somewhere."

"Ava, are you all right?"

The tugging grew sickeningly uncomfortable until I took a step toward the door. With relief, I kept walking. The sensation abated with every step I took. Carl followed in my wake to loudly berate me.

"Shut up, Carl," I said. "There's something... _weird_."

Outside, a strange scent filled the air, and my mind grew confused. A fog surrounded us.

"Is somebody there?" Carl called out.

I turned left, intending to aim for the mouth of the cul-de-sac. The fog disappeared. I blinked, disoriented, then kept going, the peculiar tugging still leading my way.

"Ava." Carl gripped my arm. "Ava, you need to see this."

The urgency in his tone made me pay attention. I snapped out of my daze, and the tugging eased. Something in me felt disappointed, as though I had missed out on an important task. "What is this?"

"There's something in your garden." He sounded odd, and I followed his gaze.

There was a basket in my garden. My stomach dropped. "Is that...?"

"Yeah, I think it is." He urged me to my garden.

A sweet scent filled the air, and we hurried past my gate and to the basket on the ground.

"No freaking way," Carl whispered.

The pink blanket in the basket moved, and a tiny hand appeared.

"Holy shit," I said. "That's a real-life baby in there."

Carl and I stood over the basket we had quickly carried into my living room then glanced at each other.

"Don't look at me," he said. "It was left on your doorstep."

I frowned at the baby. When I uncovered her blanket and saw her red chubby cheeks, something inside me shifted, almost as though she were a lost soul I was supposed to help—but not quite—and I had no idea what that even meant. Being a Matriarch was confusing business, even at the best of times. I felt certain this child had something to do with my one-hundred-year task, but how, I had no idea.

"What do I do with her?"

"Again I say—your doorstep."

I thumped his arm. "Shut up, idiot. Pick her up."

"I'm not picking her up. She's tiny. I'll break her."

I knelt beside the basket. The baby was asleep, and she really was tiny. There were no nappies or bottles anywhere in the basket, no notes, hints, or how-to manuals on what to do after finding a baby in the garden.

"Why do all the weirdest things happen to me?" I mused aloud.

"You must have been really bad in a past life. Who should we call first?"

"Call?" I gazed at the baby. "Who would we call?"

"I dunno. Shay? Someone on the Senate? We have to tell somebody that a baby was left here. You can't just... keep it." He paused. "Ava?"

"Huh?" I shook myself out of the trance I had been in. The baby yawned, and I couldn't help but smile. "What is it about baby things that makes people turn to mush?"

"I can guarantee you that I'm not mush of any kind."

I waved a dismissive hand. "You're different. We're going to need supplies. Can you get some?"

"Supplies? Like what?" His panicked tone inferred I'd asked him to leave the planet.

The baby moved her head from side to side and moaned. Then her mouth opened, and a ridiculously loud wail came out of there.

Carl flinched. "Do something."

I carefully lifted the child from the basket, but she kept screaming. "Maybe she's hungry," I said over the noise.

"Then feed her!"

I scowled at him. "Yeah, hold on while I crack out the spare formula I keep lying around. Cop on, would you?"

"It's hard to think when something's screaming in your face like that!"

I adjusted my hold. "Could she be hurt?" I manoeuvred the baby in my arms so that I could rub her back. Her screams died down to a whimper, and I smiled triumphantly. "Look at that. Magic. Now we just need to figure out how she ended up on my doorstep."

"Uh." Carl pointed at the child. "I think I have an idea why. Look at the back of her neck."

My insides swirled as I checked the back of the baby's neck. And there it was—a slave brand, stark against her skin.

"No," I whispered. "It can't be."

"Fionnuala's dead," Carl said. "The slave market is done. But this tiny baby has a fresh mark. It looks so sore."

The skin around the tattooed mark was red and raised. Two diagonal black lines cut through an inverted triangle. The thought of somebody putting a baby through such unnecessary pain sickened me.

"So she was marked into slavery," I said. "But she ended up on my doorstep instead."

"Maybe somebody knew she would be safe here," he said, frowning. "But why not speak to you?"

"Maybe they were scared. Maybe they thought they were beyond saving." A thought occurred to me: maybe the child would lead me to my next lost soul. "Maybe she's the only one—some kind of ages-old deal somebody made. They left her here to circumvent the deal."

He sat down. I joined him on the sofa, careful to keep the baby upright.

He looked at me. "What if she's not the only one?"

That was the kind of thought that kept me up at night. "Then I'll have to find the others."

"We have to tell the Senate about this." A note of doubt marked Carl's words.

"Unless one of them is involved. It wouldn't be the first time someone in power got involved with slavery." I squeezed my eyes shut. "I really thought I helped people when I ended the slave market."

"You did." Carl patted my shoulder, his previous anger toward me apparently forgotten. "You're not responsible for another one popping up."

"Is this my life then?" I blew out a shaky breath. "Will I spend the rest of my life looking for slavers? Fixing things I thought I already fixed?"

"I don't know." He took a closer look at the baby. "So what are you going to do?"

"Keep this quiet," I said after a moment. "You won't say anything, right?"

"If you don't want me to."

I bounced her gently in my arms. I had no idea why. It just felt right. "Whoever left her here might come back for her. Maybe I can help them both."

"Yeah, maybe." The baby snuffled, and Carl inched away. "I'll go get supplies. I'll ask for help. How hard can it be?"

"Thanks."

He rose to his feet and headed to the door.

"Carl?"

He paused at the doorway but didn't look around.

"I'm sorry about Esther."

He kept walking.

Left alone with the baby, who fell back to sleep in my arms, I had time to think. The fog could have been magic of some kind, something intended to hide the person who'd delivered the baby to my doorstep. If only they had spoken to me. Was I supposed to temporarily look after the baby or hunt down the person who'd branded her?

The thought of another slave market made me sick. I needed to find out what the baby could do. Leah could help with that. I would have to be careful whom I spoke to, though. If the child had been branded because she was powerful, then she would be desirable to a lot of nasty people in the world—no matter what our newest laws declared.

"Don't worry," I whispered to the warm bundle in my arms. "I'll take care of you." I closed my eyes and inhaled that delicious baby scent, and my insides clenched. The one thing I desired more than anything was the one thing out of my reach, and yet I'd been delivered a baby as though in a dream.

I played with what-ifs, imagining what my life would be like as a mother, until Carl returned with bottles, formula, nappies, and baby wipes.

"She smiled in her sleep," I said. "I swear she did. She's such a little noodle. Look at her."

"Yeah," Carl said drily. "A little noodle."

"We should get one of those baby bath things. And one of those, you know, mobile things that spin and make music."

He gave me a blank look.

"The things that hang over the cot." I babbled excitedly about all of the things I would need while Carl's expression grew more concerned. I ignored the worrier trying to suck the fun out of every little thing.

As I played around with the formula, filling my first bottle ever, he laid a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it painfully. "Ava."

I ignored him and kept talking.

"Ava."

I turned around to face him, irritated by the interruption. _"What_?"

"It's not your baby."

"I know that. I'm not stupid."

He sighed. "That's not what... look, her parents are going to come back for her. And even if they don't, you can't keep her. That's not how it works."

"What? Like you know what I'm thinking now?" I asked, my voice a little higher-pitched than usual. Carl had hit the spot, and I didn't like how that felt.

"I know you," he said. "I see that look in your eye. Emmett's not interested in you, and you think you're going to fill that space with this baby, but that's not what happens. You don't get to keep her. We have to tell someone about her eventually. You can't just... take somebody's child and think it'll fix everything that's wrong with you. I've warned you about this kind of thing before, and—"

"Shut up," I said, barely able to contain my anger.

"This is for your own good," he said firmly. "You get too attached, and when the baby goes back to her parents, you'll be devastated. Why don't we call Shay right now and—"

"Get out," I snapped. "Just go, Carl. What the hell would you know? Telling me I'll be devastated. Look at you! How many times did I warn you about Esther? You lost your job and can barely get up out of bed. The cheek of you telling me what—"

"You know what, Ava? Get fucked." His eyes narrowed. "You don't get to treat me like shit because I'm the only person who tells you the fucking truth around here."

He turned on his heel and left.

"And you can watch your mouth around the baby and all!" I screamed after him.

He slammed the front door so hard that my entire house rattled. And the baby woke back up and screamed. I hurriedly finished making a bottle and went to feed her for the first time. Carl didn't know what the hell he was talking about. I hadn't used Emmett to fix me, and I certainly wasn't trying to replace him with a baby.

I sat on the sofa and fed the bottle to the little girl. "You are a cute little noodle," I whispered. I didn't even know her name, but I felt that peace again with her in my arms. I already knew that when I set her down, my arms would feel painfully empty. And when she left, there would be little else to distract me from Emmett's sudden turn against me.

I sighed heavily. I hated to admit it, but sometimes, Carl was right.

Shortly afterward, a knock at the door sounded. Thinking it was Carl back to make things up, I carried the baby to the door and opened it, ready to apologise.

A tall, handsome, dark-skinned man I used to know so well stood on my doorstep.

"I..." I blinked a couple of times, trying to gather myself together. "Can I help you?"

A scowl twisted the features of my first boyfriend—the man I had accidentally bitten as a teenager then run away from. He was the man I had encouraged Phoenix to take memories from. So why was he on my doorstep?

"Cut the crap, Ava," Wes said sharply. "I know _everything_."

# 3

My mouth dried up as I stared at Wes. I hadn't seen him since I begged Phoenix to take Wes's memories of me. I had done my best to forget him, too. "I... I mean, __ I... _what_?"

He frowned at the baby in my arms. "Who owns the baby?"

"I do," I said automatically.

He folded his arms across his chest. "We both know that's not true."

"I... I don't know what you mean."

He tutted with frustration. "I _know_ , Ava. I know you tried to take my memories."

_Oh, holy shit._ "Then how—"

"How do I remember you? Because I asked that man not to steal my memories," he said shortly. "And he was decent enough to listen, to at least give me the choice."

I leaned against the doorway for support as the blood drained from my face. I thought I'd tied up my past with a neat bow, but everything was coming undone. And Wes remembered... _everything_. I swallowed hard, unable to think of anything to say that might make the situation less uncomfortable.

He frowned. "That's not why I'm here. Don't worry."

"Do you... want to come in?" I managed to squeak.

He walked inside, careful not to touch me. I directed him to the living room, where we both lingered while the awkward tension in the air increased.

"Uh, take a seat," I said, losing a battle against my shaking voice.

Wes sat on the sofa. I settled the baby back into her basket then perched on the arm of a chair, my insides churning. It was hard to look at him and even harder to think about the things he knew. He looked around the room, something shifting in his eyes. He had probably expected my home to resemble my teenage bedroom. The small, cosy room was full of mismatched furniture and relics disguised as ornaments. The distance between us grew.

"I need your help," he said after a moment. The words appeared to pain him. "I didn't know who else to turn to."

"What's wrong? Is it Nancy?" He had promised to take care of my grandmother in her senility, and taking her memories of me had been an easy decision. It gave her an ounce of peace that she hadn't achieved since my birth. Wes had been a harder choice, but ultimately, I'd thought it best to protect him from my world.

"Nancy's fine, relatively speaking. I thought you would have gone to see her. I don't know... to make sure she was okay."

"I didn't really want to," I admitted. I gazed at my bitten fingernails. "I figured she was being well looked after."

"She was. She _is_ , but... you really closed that door, didn't you?"

He sounded flabbergasted, and I shrank into myself.

"I'm here about the neighbourhood." He frowned again. " _Our_ neighbourhood. I know you don't think of it as home anymore, but I thought you might still care."

"What do you mean?"

"Things were supposed to get better, right?" He stood and walked around the room, looking at photos on my mantelpiece. All were strangers to him, signs of the new life I had made when I left him behind. A lump in my throat ached. "But they didn't," he continued. "For a while, our place was pretty much untouched." He shrugged. "I thought I had you to thank for that. But then, it started."

"What started, Wes?" My voice was thin and small, an infuriating reminder of the old days.

His gaze fell to my hands, and I realised I had been tapping my fingers on my knees in sets of fourteen. I sat on my hands and pretended nothing had happened.

"People came," he said after a moment. "Gangs. I think most of them are human. But they're making people pay." He finally looked at me. "Protection money. If we pay, we're safe. From _them_. From anyone else who might come along. Some people didn't pay. Our homes were vandalised when they realised we would never pay. Every now and then, they'd show up again, and things would grow a little more intense."

"It got worse," I guessed. "Something's happened."

He sucked in a shaking breath. "Yeah, it did. Remember Mr. O'Brien at the corner? Next to the old corner shop where we used to buy those fizzy sticks you liked?"

My cheeks burned at the memory. Even as a teenager, I'd had an uncontrollable sweet tooth. As for Mr. O'Brien, I remembered an impossibly old man who was too blind to see that I was different from the other kids. He would occasionally slip me sweets when my grandmother wasn't looking. "He was always nice to me."

"Well, he was beaten to death last night." He rubbed his face, clearly exhausted. "He didn't pay, and they killed him. It's possible they didn't mean to, that he had a heart attack during the beating, but they didn't call an ambulance or anything. And nobody heard a thing. Nobody helped him. His home-help found him this morning. He died alone because of these people."

I had to force myself not to rock to and fro. The past was chasing me again, catching up in ways I didn't like. "I can't believe it," I said shakily. "He didn't deserve that."

"Nobody does," he snapped. "So what happens next time they come back? People are angry now, think they have to protect their families any way they can. This won't end well. There's no trust out there, Ava. We all keep reading the newspapers, keep hearing how bad things have gotten, and we can't help but believe it all. The police have been no help, and most people have been too afraid to talk to them anyway. I didn't know what else to do." He took in the room one last time. "This was a mistake. I should never have come here."

I got in his way to stop him leaving. "No, I'll help. I'm glad you came."

" _Glad_?" He gripped my upper arms tightly. "You never wanted to see me again! You ran away from me without a word, made me think you were dead, and then you popped back into my life only to try to steal my memories away!"

"I'm sorry." It sounded pathetic, even to me.

"Sorry isn't good enough!" he bellowed. "What the hell were you thinking? You can't just make decisions like that, Ava. Who gave you the right?"

"I thought..." I swallowed hard. "I thought it would be for the best."

"Best for you!" He dropped my arms and turned his back on me. "You can't do that to people, take a piece of them away. How could you even consider it? Stealing my past like it was nothing. Like everything we had been through meant nothing."

I reached out to touch his arm. "Wes," I said softly.

He whirled around, backing away from me. "I don't even know you," he said bitterly. "I can't even imagine what's happened to you to make you so heartless. I was right. This really was a mistake."

He left, refusing to turn back when I called his name. I couldn't leave the baby to chase him. And I wasn't sure what that would achieve in any case.

My hands were shaking. I had never meant to hurt Wes. I had intended to protect him from me. But Phoenix hadn't taken his memories. Wes could have turned up at any time. And Phoenix had never said a word.

Blowing out a shaky breath, I picked up the phone then called Wes's family home to leave a message, letting him know he could call me if the gang turned up again. Poor Mr. O'Brien. He had been kind, and his death had been senseless.

A fury ran through me. Where were the police when all of this was happening? Wes obviously hated me, but I could still help. I called Shay, head of the Integration Agents who dealt with supernatural matters that crossed over into human territory. There had to be something he could do.

When Shay answered the phone, his tone was brusque. "I don't have much time to talk today."

"I need your help with something," I said. "An old friend came to see me, said his neighbourhood was being targeted by some kind of protection racket. Apparently, an elderly man was beaten to death last night."

He paused as someone else spoke to him. "Ava, if you give me the location, I'll have somebody check it out." I gave him the details, but something in my voice must have given me away, because his tone became concerned. "Hey, are you all right?"

"Yeah, it's just—"

Loud voices in the background interrupted us.

"Sorry," Shay said hurriedly. "I have to go. I'll have someone check it out as soon as I can." He hung up before I could say goodbye.

Deflated, I sat on my armchair and stared at the empty sofa, recalling Wes's form as he'd sat there. He didn't fit, not in my home, not in my life, but I hated that he was angry with me.

I went to my front door, wishing I could go to Peter to talk, but I knew he was still too angry. Phoenix brought out the inner rage in Peter, and I couldn't push him too hard. Anka was probably still furious with me, too. And it _was_ my fault. Carl's anger was just as fresh; I didn't have the energy for another confrontation.

As I gazed out at the cul-de-sac, thinking of just how many people were angry with me, I wondered if people ever got over their issues. Or did they just bury them, the way I had with Wes. His return had shaken me, and yet again, I was to blame. But my guilt swiftly turned to anger. Phoenix had lied to me. And I was going to find out why.

When I considered the people in my life, I knew I could count on one person when it came to protecting the little girl while I sought out Phoenix. She was one of the few people who weren't pissed off at me.

When Val arrived, she soundlessly brushed past me to find the baby. "You were serious," she said when I followed her into the living room.

"I'd hardly make it up."

She glanced at me. "I hoped you did." She sighed. "Another slave. I feel..." Her fists closed then opened again. "How _disappointing_ this is."

"Can you watch over her while I go do something?"

"She's safe with me," she said, taking a seat. The half-hellhound gazed at the basket, her honey-coloured eyes softening. "Nobody can touch her now."

"Think Leah can help figure out what she can do?"

"That won't be a problem. Are you assuming the child is especially valuable?"

"I've no idea." I flopped into a chair. "It doesn't even matter. The point is—we failed. We didn't save all of the children."

"This child is barely more than a couple of days old," Val pointed out. "She wasn't even alive back then."

"We thought we were making a better world." I rested my chin in my hands, feeling glum. "And here we are again—back where we began."

"Not where we began," she said. "We know so much more now."

"And yet I've no idea who's doing this." I stood and paced. "I don't know who I can even trust anymore."

"You can trust me."

"That's why I called you." I faced her. "You saved Leah from the kind of life this child was destined for. Somebody brought her to me. How did they know to bring her here? What did they even want from me? They could have stayed. I would have helped them."

"We'll find them," she said confidently.

The baby squirmed and whimpered. Before I could reach the basket, Val had the infant in her arms, cooing as she rocked her. She caught my eye and scowled. " _What_?"

"It's just... you're more of a heavy-weapon person. Didn't really think you'd fall to pieces over a baby."

"I haven't fallen to pieces," she said snidely. But when she looked down at the child, she smiled. "You've forgotten I raised Leah. I was the one who took care of her, and this little one reminds me of those days. I was tasked to protect Leah, and I did, but there were times when I had to mother her, too. She was all I had for so long." Her lips turned down. "She's still all I have."

"Problems with Lucia?"

She pursed her lips before answering. "She couldn't relax at home. Lorcan was on her thoughts a lot. There was something bothering her, so she left. I'm not so sure she's coming back." She sucked in her lower lip. "I'm... not sure I want her to."

"If things get too weird, you and Leah are welcome to come here. You know that, right?"

"Leah likes Phoenix." She made it sound as though that were a fatal flaw of personal character. "I'll wait and see. Get me a bottle for this little one. She seems hungry."

I warmed a bottle and gave it to Val, who fed the baby like an expert.

"She's sweet, isn't she?" I said. "I keep calling her Noodle."

"Poor baby," she said scornfully.

"I don't know her name."

Val pursed her lips. "I wonder if she even has one."

"So," I said nervously. "Exactly how mad at me is Peter right now?"

She snorted softly through her nose. "Do you really want the answer to that question? What were you thinking, Ava?"

"I was thinking that we have enough bad blood between us all. That maybe the kids would be different. I don't know, Val. I wanted something... more."

"You wanted to please Phoenix." She shook her head. "What hold does that man have over you?"

"He doesn't have a 'hold' over me. I have my own brain, you know." I shrugged. "Maybe I wanted to make him happy then. I don't know. But if you had seen Nick. He has this withdrawn look about him, like he's afraid of everything. I'm tired of scared children, Val. I thought maybe we could make a difference."

"Peter's fuming," she said. "He won't talk about it unless he's swearing about Phoenix. He may seem angry at you, but it's Phoenix he really blames."

"That's just stupid. I organised it. I was the one who wasn't there when the kids acted up."

"They're old enough to play without being watched every second of the day." She caught my eye. "What's going on between you and Phoenix? Should I be worried?"

"Why would you worry? It's nothing."

She raised her eyebrows.

"Really, it's not. I haven't slept with him. He's not my boyfriend. It's just... I like him. Actually, I'm kind of mad at him right now, but most of the time, I like him. It doesn't have to be a big deal."

"Isn't it weird that you knew his wife?" She gave a little shudder. "I remember an old woman. It's odd to me to think they were married."

"I try not to think about it," I admitted. "I should head on. Will you be okay here for a while? If you have work, then I can—"

"No," she said, but she sounded disappointed. "Work has dried up lately."

"Again?" I shoved my hands in my pockets. "How does this keep happening? It doesn't make sense. You do great work. Everyone knows it. How is the work not coming to you? Didn't you sign up to the Senate's program?"

"We did." She sat the baby up to wind her. "They haven't given us anything. We know they're giving out missions... just none to us. Peter thinks it's Phoenix's influence."

"That doesn't sound like Phoenix." Then again, I wouldn't have guessed Phoenix would lie about Wes, either. I tried to think back. Had he ever actually claimed to have taken Wes's memories?

"It does sometimes feel as though we've been blacklisted," Val said, vigorously rubbing the child's back. The baby let out an enormous belch. "Ah, there's a good girl."

I smothered my amusement. "You look like you have everything in hand. I'll try to find out if Phoenix is blocking you. Don't worry about that."

She nodded, more concerned with the baby than anything else. Val was the queen of single-minded focus.

I left her and headed straight for Phoenix's place. The buildings were empty, so I sat on the doorstep and waited, thinking of Folsom, the previous owner of the converted garage. The garage was just a cover for the sanctuary beneath, a well-protected hiding place that Phoenix had created before his memories were stolen. The idea that the man who had helped so many vulnerable people could be petty enough to take work from Peter was ridiculous—but maybe Phoenix had changed during his long life.

I was starting to feel chilled by the time Phoenix returned. I got out of his way so he could open the front door. But when he invited me in, I hesitated, unable to even look him in the eye. I had trusted him. When everyone—even his own son—said not to, I had trusted him.

"Has something happened?" he asked when he realised I wasn't going to follow him inside.

"Yes." I couldn't find the words, though. "Have you blacklisted Peter and Val?" I met his confused gaze. "Have you stopped them from getting work from the Senate?"

"Why would I do that?"

"That's not an answer."

His lips thinned, and his gaze grew cold. "I haven't done anything to either of them."

I wanted to cry, and I wasn't even sure why. "Am I supposed to believe you?"

He folded his arms, retreating behind a wall of ice. "Why wouldn't you believe me, Ava?"

I held my hands behind my back to hide the trembling. I felt let down in a way that scared me. Maybe I liked him more than I'd thought. "You lied to me before."

"What is this?" he asked, sounding exasperated. "What exactly are you accusing me of now?"

"Wes turned up today," I said in a low voice. "And he remembered me, remembered everything. Said you were decent enough to let him keep his memories."

He stilled. "Is that all he said?"

"Is there more?"

He looked away, a strained expression on his face. "What do you want from me, Ava?"

"The truth might be nice! You said you would take his memories. You said you'd do that."

"And he asked me not to. I know what it's like to have missing pieces, to feel as though there's nowhere you belong because you don't fully understand everything anymore. There's no going back from that, Ava. You knew this. You knew my struggle, and yet you still asked me the unthinkable. The unforgivable. Yes, I gave him the chance to keep his memories, and I don't regret it."

I shook my head in disbelief. "You had no right to—"

"No! _You_ had no right."

Then he slammed the door in my face. I stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do, before I walked away. Everything I touched was falling apart.

# 4

I got back to the cul-de-sac in time to witness the tail end of an argument between Dita and Emmett.

"I'll never forgive you," she said right before she slammed the door in his face.

Obviously dejected, he trudged across the road to his house. I felt his pain. Slamming doors was catching.

"Doesn't feel good, does it?" I said as he crossed in front of me.

He shoved his hands in his pockets. "What do you care?"

"I care about you."

He turned to look at me, his gaze somehow fiercer because of the bruise around his eye. A tiny cut marred the bridge of his nose. "Funny way of showing it."

"I was trying to do a good thing. You know I would never purposely hurt you. I'm so sorry you got hurt."

"Dita's the one who got hurt. She was just trying to stop it, and he hurt her face."

"I think that was an accident," I said softly, just grateful he was talking to me. "He panicked, couldn't control the shift."

"Then they should lock him back up in that cage," he said viciously. "Never let him out."

I took a step toward him. "You can't mean that, Emmett. You know what it's like."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "All I know is that you picked Phoenix over my dad, and now you like his werewolf kids better than me."

"That's so not true!"

But he was already gone into his garden. I stood by the gate and called his name. He opened the door then turned to look at me one last time, his face wan. "I hate you!" was his final rejoinder before slamming the door after him.

Shaken, I made my way to my own house. Emmett had the power to truly hurt me, and he had used it well. I had never meant for him to feel as though I had chosen someone else before him. Maybe I'd been selfish to think I could have anything for myself with so many people relying on me for one thing or another. I had thought that my connection with Emmett was unbreakable, but I had been the one to screw it up without even realising.

Miserable, I let myself into my house, having half-forgotten about Val and the baby. The hellhound was asleep on the sofa, the baby resting on her chest. I picked up the infant, and Val gripped my arm before realising it was me.

"Sorry," she said, releasing me. "Habit."

"No worries. Nothing unusual while I was gone then?"

"Nothing." She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Did you speak to Phoenix about the baby?"

"No," I said. "I don't want anyone to know about her yet. Not until I learn more."

"You can't take care of her and search for her mother at the same time." Val yawned. "How did it go, in any case? Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Not really." I sat down with the baby. "I asked him about blacklisting your business. He said he didn't, but can we trust him?"

She arched a brow. "You suddenly don't trust Phoenix?"

"As it turns out... he hasn't always been so honest with me."

"Are you all right?"

I shrugged, concentrating on the baby in my arms rather than the look in Val's eyes. "I asked him to take Wes's memories away once. Same as my grandmother. I thought he did. Turns out, not so much. Wes is having trouble with some kind of protection racket, so he came to me for help, but he's pissed off with me. So he should be."

"How odd," she murmured. "Would you like me to look into his problem?"

"If he contacts me again, I'll let you know. Not sure he wants me digging into his affairs now that he's seen my face again and realised he hates my guts. I'm not the most popular person in the world right now."

"It'll pass," she said. "I'll head on. I want to walk Leah home from work. We've had no more trouble from the shifters, but I don't want them to think I've stopped watching."

I smiled. "Go on then. And thanks for today."

"Anytime." She hesitated at the doorway. "I think I can speak for Leah on this. If we can help you stop whoever branded that baby, we will."

"I appreciate that."

She left, and I snuggled the baby to feel a little less alone. The child slept, as she had most of the time since her arrival on my doorstep. I wished I could safely take her to a doctor to make sure she was healthy, but I wasn't sure if somebody was waiting to steal her back.

I switched on the television and watched the evening news. More protests were happening outside the Senate's public meeting place. The nuts were multiplying on a weekly basis, growing in arrogance and stature with every news report on them. The group had taken to calling themselves Humans First and were even muttering about starting an official political party—the interests of humans being their only priority. Their slogans ran more along the lines of "Death to anyone who doesn't agree with me" than "Equal rights for humans." People were only paying attention to them because certain reputations had been destroyed over the last few months, what with shifters kidnapping each other and the wendigos killing innocents on behalf of a higher power.

A middle-aged woman stared into the camera, a smug smile on her face as she rattled off the usual grievances her group had against supernaturals and anyone who didn't hate us. I vaguely recognised her as one of the regulars who not only thought the sudden appearance of supernatural creatures were a sign of end times—conveniently forgetting that we had always existed, just not as openly—but also that children with human and supernatural parents were abominations who shouldn't have been born. Someone had written up a piece about the woman recently, mentioning that she used to campaign as a pro-lifer. Hypocrisy at its finest. I was pretty sure the professional protester just liked how her face looked on her television.

The next report was more positive. James, a human representative on the Senate, was pictured shaking the hand of a local businessman, Declan Egan, who had just financed yet another project with the Senate. The good vibes were all over the report, and I assumed the Senate were clocking up bonus points by the boatload. They definitely needed good publicity.

I narrowed my eyes at Declan Egan. His obvious comb-over was annoyingly unstable in the wind in the well-timed shot the media were using. I wondered what he'd gotten from his association with the Senate. God, being so suspicious all of the time was getting tiring.

I switched off the television and relaxed with the baby, wondering what my life would have been like if I'd been human or if I'd stuck things out with Peter. Maybe I wouldn't have felt as lonely. Maybe everything would be different.

"Maybe it would be worse," a small voice whispered. But that seemed almost impossible.

I settled the baby into her basket—the brand on the back of her neck was a symbol of my obvious failures—wishing I could go over to Anka and resolve things. But maybe I had been naive to think my friends were the family I needed. Friends could turn their backs on one another—just like anyone else.

Val agreed to babysit again the next day. "You could always ask Anka," she remarked when she arrived.

"That would involve her actually talking to me again," I said. "Besides, I can't let the first thing I say to her be, 'Oh, by the way, I need a favour.'"

"Just talk to her. Anka doesn't hold grudges. You know this."

"I'm a wimp," I said. "Leave me be."

She frowned. "This isn't like you."

"It's just..." I sighed. "I seem to keep making everything worse. My judgement is way off lately. Maybe it's for the best if I stay alone for a while."

"It's not." She sat on a chair and shook her head. "You know it's not."

"Yeah, well, it'll sort itself out in the end."

"Promise me you'll try."

I looked at her in surprise. "Since when do you care?"

"I know Anka. She needs to see you make reparations. She needs you to know how she feels and to be remorseful."

I wondered if that was why she'd stayed with Dita's father for so long—because he had managed to act remorseful. I didn't like the comparison.

"Okay," I said. "I'll try. Let me know if anything weird happens around here while I'm gone. I keep waiting for someone to come for the baby, but it's been suspiciously quiet out there."

Val shrugged. "I have nothing better to do than babysit, and nobody is going to get past me. The silver lining to this, perhaps."

"Sorry about the business. It sucks, but maybe it's a bad time of year or something. Anyway, I'll be back as soon as I can." I left, confident the infant would be safe while I was gone.

Outside, I spotted Anka and Dita heading into their house. I waved, and although Anka urged Dita to go inside, the child refused and stubbornly waited at the front gate for me.

"Hey," she said. "Look at my stitches. I'm going to have the most epic scar."

"I'm so sorry," I said. "I never meant for you to get hurt."

"I know that," she said, sounding surprised. "Neither did Nick. He just gets scared easily."

Anka snorted. "Scared? A werewolf?"

Dita turned to face her mother, her hands on her hips. "Yes, scared. He got shot by a human, he's been trapped in a cage for most of his life, and he's terrified. That's why he shifts, to feel safer. And everyone at school knows it, so they pick on him and pick on him and wait for him to freak out. I won't have anyone bullying him. Not even Emmett."

I stepped back, impressed.

Anka pressed her lips together in a thin line before nodding. "I'm glad you know how to treat people then."

"Didn't I learn it from you?" Dita asked faux innocently.

The corners of Anka's mouth twitched. "Careful now."

I decided to step in before Dita managed to ruin her heroic speech with a smart remark. "Dita, Val's in my house, minding a... surprise. You should pop in and see what it is."

She rubbed her hands together with glee, immediately distracted. "Is it a puppy?"

I laughed. "Not this time. Only one way to find out for sure, though, right?"

"Put your things away first," Anka said sternly before Dita could run off.

Dita sprinted inside without another word. Anka stood there for a moment, studying me. She lit up a cigarette and inhaled deeply while I gave her what I hoped was a pleading look.

"I made cookies," she said. "If you want to come in."

"Later?" I said hopefully.

She shrugged and took another drag of the cigarette. "I know you're sorry, but that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to be angry. I want to pull the hair out of your head for the scar on my daughter's face." She licked her lower lip. "But that doesn't mean I don't know you feel guilty enough for both of us."

"I would never hurt Dita on purpose," I said. "I made a mistake, and I'm sorry for it, but I don't want you to hate me forever."

Dita came running out of the house. "Come on, Mama. Let's go see."

Anka stubbed out the cigarette and shook her head. "It had better be good."

"I think you'll be surprised," I said. "I know I was."

They headed to my house while I left the cul-de-sac, feeling a little better since Anka had spoken to me. I knew she would forgive me. At least one relationship would go back to normal. I wished the Brannigans were as forgiving. If I mentioned the baby, Peter might direct his anger elsewhere—then again, the news could also fuel his thirst for revenge.

I had spent most of the night thinking about loose ends and what I might have missed. I knew a couple of people who could answer a few of my questions, but I was starting with nothing. Nobody had come for the child, and that was telling enough.

I headed across town to Dave's garage. I knew Nate was still working there because I had been keeping tabs. He was one of many hybrids augmented by magical tattoos who'd once worked for Fionnuala. If anyone knew about her surviving cronies, it was him.

The garage was quiet. I made for the office to find Dave.

He groaned when he saw me. "Take it you're looking for Nate," he said resignedly.

"Where is he?"

"In the back, having his lunch. Not exactly busy around here lately."

"Sounds like that's been making the rounds all over the place."

"Not for my competitors. Somebody set those bloody religious nuts on me, and my customers abandoned ship. Can't give my services away for free, even though those protesters got bored and moved on two weeks ago."

"Ah, sorry."

He shrugged. "Yeah, well, shit happens. Listen, go easy on Nate. He gets stressed after these little chats of yours. If, by some miracle, I do find myself some customers, I'd like him to be useful."

I bared my teeth. "I'll try my best." I left the office and found the back door. Stepping outside, I spotted Nate sitting on an old junker, eating a breakfast roll.

He watched me approach, his expression completely blank. "Can I at least finish this first?" he asked. For an assassin, he was pretty meek most of the time, but I refused to let that fool me.

"You can eat and talk at the same time." I sat on a crate. "Tell me everything you know about the slave trade in Ireland."

That made him sit up straight. "You ended it with Fionnuala," he said slowly. "Right?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. Hypothetical situation. Imagine somebody found a newborn baby with a slave brand, fresh, still seeping. Where would they go to find the mother?" I scowled. "Or the owner."

He wrapped up his roll and set it down, a sickened look on his face. "A baby with a slave brand—and you come to me for answers. Do you think my brothers are behind this? That's not... I can't see any of them having interest in that kind of... business."

"You all seemed pretty interested before."

The skin around his eyes creased. "Not interested. Ordered. We obeyed our orders. We had no choice."

"And yet there you sit, having made your own choices."

"You know what I had to do to make this life. I wouldn't give this up—not now, if that's what you're trying to say."

I leaned back and studied Nate. I doubted he had made a good assassin, but I could never fully trust him. Still, if he was involved with the slave trade, he certainly wouldn't be stuck in an apprenticeship, of all things.

"All right," I said. "What if somebody else is giving the orders?"

He shook his head. "They would have come for me, too. I'm still useful."

"Then why can't you be useful for the right side?"

He snorted softly. "Maybe when I find the right side, I will be."

I could see I needed to ask the right questions. "What about money? Think these brothers of yours need an income? 'Cause the way I see it, the slave trade is a fairly lucrative business."

"Because it's so easy to fall into?" He let out a short, harsh laugh. "Mother..." He squeezed his eyes shut for a second before correcting himself. " _Fionnuala_ had centuries of connections and influence behind her. She didn't just wake up one day with the notion. If anyone has taken over her business, it must be someone ancient, because who else could get away with it?"

"Know of any ancients?"

"My best guess would be her son," he said.

I tried to look relaxed. "The son who killed her. The son whose children were kept in the slave markets. Nope. Not buying it."

"Maybe he killed her to take over the family business. I've heard about young, wild fae, the way they play at a different life for a century or three. Maybe this one finally grew up and decided it was time to be a fae prince again." He shrugged again. "Or not. I'm just saying it has to be someone who's a big deal to pull this off unnoticed. Although..." He frowned. "If a baby was found, then maybe they're not getting away with it, after all. If you're digging into it, then it's not worth the money. You're like a dog with a bone. You'll never let it go. Maybe somebody knows that, too."

I frowned as I processed that. "You think this is a distraction from something bigger?"

"Why not? What better way to push your buttons?"

"What's bigger than the slave trade?" I shook my head. "I don't care anyhow. I want to find out who's responsible for this baby. If any of Fionnuala's cohorts survived the war, we need to find them before children start being abducted again on the off chance that they're special!"

"What?" a young male voice said from behind me. "They're slave trading again?"

I winced before turning to face the speaker. "Noah, you shouldn't eavesdrop."

"I wouldn't have to if you told me the important things!"

I lowered my voice. "I found a baby with a slave brand, but I'm dealing with it, okay?"

His freshly tanned cheeks turned bright red. "Why didn't you say anything to me?"

"Because I don't know anything for sure yet," I said. "Take it easy, kid. I'm still trying to work this out."

His fingers tightened around the wrench in his hand, his knuckles turning white. "You don't understand what it was like. We have to stop this."

"I'm going to," I said.

"I can help you. So can Ari. There are plenty of us who can help!"

I exchanged a glance with Nate, who shrugged.

"Look," I said. "I don't want this getting out. We know somebody's trading in people, and we don't want them to suspect we're after them. We don't want to give them a chance to run. This is my fight, and I'll deal with it, Noah, the best way I know how. I was the one who started this, and I have to finish it. If I'd done more before, then maybe this wouldn't be happening right now."

"But, Ava," he all but whined.

"If I find a job for you, I'll call you; I swear," I said. "But right now, I'm just asking questions. If you really want to help, pick Nate's brains and see if you two can come up with a lead for me. All right?"

Nate lifted his shoulders into a nonchalant shrug, and Noah looked pissed, but I didn't want him getting too involved, not when he was finally earning himself some freedom.

"And Nate," I said, "whoever's involved in this is automatically my enemy. Don't go making yourself my enemy, too."

A flash of anger flared in his eyes. He picked up his food again. "I'm not interested in making enemies. I just want a quiet life."

"So do we all. Doesn't mean we get it." I got up and faced Noah. "Can I trust you?"

"You know you can!"

"You once worked in the slave market."

"I didn't have a choice!" He ran his hands through his floppy black hair. "Fine. I get it. I won't go off on one. I won't tell anyone except Ari."

"Oh, come on."

"I trust her," he said. "And she might have ideas. Ari always had the best ideas. She could help us find out where the baby came from."

"If I get really desperate, I'll ask Ari for help," I said sardonically. "Until then, keep quiet. Don't let on that you know anything about this. Not even to Alanii or Phoenix."

"No problem," Noah said, looking older for a moment. "I won't let you down."

My phone buzzed in my pocket. "Hold on," I said, seeing the name on the phone. I answered. "Wes?"

Shouting in the background set my teeth on edge. "Ava, they're back. It's getting heated, and one is waving a gun around. We called the emergency hotline twenty minutes ago, and there's been no sign of help coming our way."

"I'll be right there," I said. "Try to calm the situation until I get there. I'll bring help."

"Thanks," he said, then the phone call was abruptly cut off.

"Shit," I muttered, still staring at my phone.

"Trouble?" Nate asked.

"Probably just human problems. I have to run. Remember what I said!" I called out over my shoulder as I hurried to catch a taxi to help my ex-boyfriend.

# 5

On my way to my old neighbourhood, the taxi got severely stuck in traffic. I called Shay, silently praying he would pick up.

He did, but again, the background noise was ridiculous. "Ava, I don't have—"

"Shay, this is serious! Those thugs looking for protection money are back, and this time, they're armed. As in, with bullets. Emergency services hasn't turned up, so I'm heading there now. You need to send someone to help."

"I... All right," he said. "I'll do what I can. Be careful, Ava."

I hung up.

"You don't expect me to drive into a gun fight, do you, love?" the taxi driver said worriedly.

"Nope. You can let me out here."

I paid, left the taxi, then sprinted away. I wasn't too far from Wes, and I was faster than a car stuck in traffic anyway. By the time I reached my old neighbourhood, sweat was dripping down my back. The place looked deserted. I hazarded a guess and headed for Mr. O'Brien's home, and on the way, I came across a large group of people, several of them blasts from the past, facing off against the gang who had likely murdered Mr. O'Brien.

Wes was in the centre, desperately trying to calm the situation, but even at a distance, I could see how riled up everyone was. Some of my old neighbours looked ready to burst as the gang taunted them. I just hoped Shay's people arrived soon.

I raced over and reached Wes, who automatically tried to push me behind him.

"Supernatural, remember?" I murmured.

"I don't care, remember?" he said under his breath.

"The police are on their way," I said loudly. "You need to leave." I looked over my shoulder at my old neighbours. "Get out of here before something goes wrong."

A couple of them obeyed, but most kept staring at the gang. I faced forward again, ready to talk down the gang. The group of eight idiots consisted of two women and six men. None of them looked older than I was, and most of the males could have passed for teens. That deflated my temper somewhat.

The brunette with the gun was still waving it around. "There's no police coming here," she scoffed. "They don't come here anymore."

"Is that why you keep coming back?" I asked. "Because you think the police won't be here to stop you?"

Her smile turned cunning. "No, that's not why." And then she aimed the gun at me and pulled the trigger.

I was already toppling over because Wes had blindsided me, shoving me out of the way amidst screams of fear and fleeing footsteps. I scented his spicy blood and made a concentrated effort not to do so again. Nine years later, I still remembered how he tasted.

The shooter looked mildly shocked for a second, wringing her hand as though it hurt. I took advantage of that, tackling her and managing to knock the gun out of her hand—thankfully, it didn't go off when it landed and skidded a few feet away. A couple of the shooter's friends tried to help by gripping my arms and pulling me back. My attempts to fight back knocked us all to the ground. The brunette ran, and I just knew she was going to make a second attempt to use the gun on me. Then she froze to the spot and held up her hands.

"Get away from her, or I'll shoot," Wes shouted, having reached the weapon first.

"Come on," the brunette said as sirens wailed close by. "It's time to go."

The men ran, splitting up into different directions. I looked up. Wes, bleeding at the shoulder, was just about managing to aim the gun at the retreating gang.

"Screw it." I made chase. The young woman was slow, already breathing heavily and clutching at her side. I skidded into her—probably harder than necessary, but the gun situation warranted a little payback—knocking her off her feet. I pinned her, and she made like a ragdoll and stopped fighting back. But she gave me a knowing grin when I flipped her onto her back. "What's the matter?" I said. "Enjoy getting locked up that much?"

"Won't be for long," she sneered. "I'll never let you hurt—"

A car pulled up beside us, and the brunette promptly shut up. Quinn and her human partner hopped out of the vehicle. "Getting into trouble again?" she asked me with a smile.

"Just your typical Wednesday," I said. "This is the shooter." I got to my feet and let them take care of her while I stopped Shay from arresting Wes, who still hadn't let go of the gun.

"Wes," I said, waving my hand in front of his face. "It's over."

He nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"So give me the gun then."

He looked down at his hand as though seeing the gun for the first time. "Oh," he said. "Take it."

I grabbed the gun then handed it to Shay. "About seven others got away."

Shay directed a pair of IAs to make chase.

"That was stupid," I told Wes as one of the IAs checked out his injury.

"Just skinned it," the agent said. "No worries."

"I think the shock might get him first," Shay said. "Ava, what the hell happened here?"

"I just arrived, told the gang to leave, then Brains over there pointed the gun at me and pulled the trigger. No warning."

"None?" He raised his brow. "Did you happen to antagonise her with a smart remark first?"

I sighed. My reputation wasn't amazing.

"No, she didn't." Wes managed to sound extremely offended. "They were stalling, making threats, dragging out the scene, then when Ava appeared, they just... shot at her. Like it was nothing."

Like she had been waiting for me.

"But they missed," Shay said coaxingly as Wes's gaze went distant.

"Uh, yeah. I pushed her out of the way and managed to get hit myself."

"Which was stupid." I laid my hands on my hips. "Nobody thanks the hero, Wes."

"It was just a reaction," he said. "What else was I supposed to do?"

"Run, like everyone else, you doughnut. Jesus, you could have been killed."

"It doesn't even hurt," he said, glancing at his shoulder. "Is it supposed to hurt?"

"An ambulance is on its way," Shay told me. "Get him checked over, and then I expect a statement from you later. Sir, you'll be visited for your own statement when you're in a better condition."

"I'm fine," Wes said impatiently. "And where were ambulances when Mr. O'Brien was beaten to death? Where were the Integration Agents all of the other times we've called the emergency numbers?"

"I will absolutely look into that," Shay said calmly. "But I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the situation and can't get you any answers right now."

Shay continued to talk to Wes, charming him into shutting up. That gift of his had to be magical. I didn't care what anyone said.

The ambulance arrived, and while the paramedics were bundling Wes into the van, Shay pulled me aside. "You and I need to talk, Delaney."

"Big time," I said. "When are you free?"

"I'll be in my office for the rest of the day. I'll wait for you. I know you'll be in the hospital with him for a while. You must be good friends if he was prepared to take a bullet for you."

I pretended my cheeks weren't burning. "Long story. See you later." I hopped into the ambulance with Wes and held his hand as the shock finally kicked in. He trembled all the way to the hospital, and I figured he had just realised how close he had come to death.

"It's going to be okay," I said, trying to sound reassuring.

"The world's gone to hell," he muttered.

"And it's all my fault."

He squeezed my hand. "Nah. Bad things existed before you showed your face. Were they human or... other?"

I thought back. I had barely been aware of it, but I had reached out momentarily with my senses while most of the gang members were escaping. The brunette was definitely human, as were two or three of the others, but the rest all had at least a trace of something other. "Both," I said. "I don't know how that'll shake out."

"I've never even seen a gun before," he said. "Apart from television."

"I was shot once," I said.

The paramedic shook his head as though in disbelief.

"Seriously?" Wes stopped shaking.

"Yeah." I laughed softly. "A vampire wanted to see what would happen."

"You've had a strange life since you left us."

I pursed my lips. "I had a stranger one before I left, Wes."

After that, we were silent for the rest of the journey to the hospital. As his injury wasn't particularly significant, and he had been treated by the paramedics, Wes had to wait to be seen. We sat side by side in uncomfortable chairs in a room full of people in various degrees of distress. I spent most of the time trying to come up with harmless subjects to discuss. I was pretty sure he was doing the same.

"Hurting yet?" I asked at last.

"Like a bitch," he said. "You don't have to wait, you know."

"Kind of feel responsible."

"Something was going to happen, no matter what. If there hadn't been a gun, there would have already been violence. Everyone's sick of being pushed around. And Mr. O'Brien was a part of the neighbourhood. His death was like... an attack on all of us." He shook his head. "Things are changing. People are talking about stocking up on weapons like it's nothing." He gestured toward his shoulder. "Maybe I should be doing the same."

"I'm sorry," I said. "Nobody should have to go through things like this." I met his gaze. "Look, I'm really sorry about everything, Wes. You're right. I know you're right. I should never have tried to make that decision on your behalf back then. It was wrong, and I understand if you hate me forever. But I'd really like to explain myself. I wasn't being cold. I swear to you, I wasn't. In part, I was trying to stop things like this from happening. I failed, but I tried."

"You really think today was about you?"

"What else am I supposed to think? It turned bad when I showed up." I flexed my fingers. "I will always care about you, and I'll always be grateful for the way you treated me when I lived... back home. But there are things I want to forget and people I want to protect. Knowing me can be a curse. I'm a magnet for bad shit. And if you know me, if people know I care about you, then you're vulnerable. The quickest way to hurt me is to hurt the people I care about, and most of them are already safe. They live in... safe buildings."

"So make my building safe," he said.

"It's not that easy. There are rules, and... it's too hard to explain in one conversation, but you were the most vulnerable person, and I had to do something. But I was being selfish, too."

"How so?"

"The thing with Nancy... I just wanted to stop spending my life being defined by the way she treated me. I wanted to move on, and at the time, I thought the quickest route was a clean slate."

"And she was suffering from her memories of you."

I sucked in a shaky breath. "That, too. But with you... I don't know what it is, Wes, but when I'm around you, I become this scared teenage girl again, someone who needs to be protected. Even today, you basically took a bullet for me."

"Is that such a bad thing?"

"I need to be able to take care of myself. I need it so badly. The girl you knew died years ago. She doesn't exist in this world—she _can't_ exist. She would never survive. And I want to do more than just survive. I want to live and experience and not have to worry so much. I'm so sorry for what I tried to do to you. I just didn't want to be that girl again, and I thought maybe your life would be better if it wasn't tangled up in anything to do with me. You deserve so much more than that."

After a moment, he said, "I see. I'm not sure what I was expecting you to say."

"I wasn't sure what I wanted to say. But it's all the truth."

"You don't need me anymore," he said. "That's basically what you're trying to say. Why does that hurt so much?"

A lump in my throat ached. "I'm sorry."

"You keep saying that," he said. "But I don't think you need to. Not anymore. But I'd like to remember that girl, the one who doesn't exist anymore, because for a long while, she was the most important person in my life."

His name was called. "Want company?" I dared ask.

"I'd love some," he said.

I was pretty sure that meant something good had come of me baring my soul to him.

An orderly brought us to a tiny room three corridors away, where a nurse inspected his injury. He exchanged pleasantries while I sat in the corner, trying to make myself invisible. Without even trying, I had dragged Wes into drama. That gun had been for me only; I was certain of it. Something odd was going on, and I couldn't make sense of any of it. The incident with the gun could have been a way to get rid of me and steal back a baby—except the protection racket had started way before the baby showed up on my doorstep.

We had been in the room for a few minutes when the door burst open, and a tall, willowy blonde came in like a whirlwind. "Oh, my God," she said, sinking against the doorway with relief. "You're okay. I got a phone call saying you were shot? What happened?"

"I'm fine," Wes said, unable to stop a huge smile from crossing his lips. "Come here."

She went to him, and he kissed her. "I was so scared."

"I promise you, I'm fine. We had trouble, but my friend Ava came to help us. It could have been worse."

My cheeks burned as the woman looked at me. "Thank you," she gushed.

"Actually, I didn't do anything," I said. "Wes was responsible for the heroics today."

She turned to him and grinned.

"Ava, this is my girlfriend, Diane," Wes said gently.

"It's so nice to meet you," she said, and I could tell she was completely unaware of who I was—in relation to Wes and the supernatural.

"Well, I should head on," I said. "You seem like you're in good hands. If you have any more trouble, you know where I am, but I think Shay will be on top of the situation in future. Nice to meet you, Diane. Good luck, Wes. No more stopping bullets with your body."

Laughter followed me out the door. I experienced the weird sensation of floating on air; I checked to make sure I was actually walking on solid ground. I was over Wes, and over the past, but a part of me mourned for the girl who had loved him, the one who would have been heartbroken to meet his girlfriend.

I walked home slowly, trying to make sense of the last couple of days. I was missing something. I had to be. The shooter was too well-spoken— _posh_ as Moses would say—and the rest of her wimpy little gang had been wearing clothing from brands I couldn't even afford to say, never mind buy. If they were hassling people for money all over the city, somebody out there had to notice. And the gun had to have come from somewhere. Too much of it was bothering me, so I called Moses.

"What's up?" he answered.

"I have questions." The ex-scumbag was in the know about a lot that went down on the streets of Dublin, and I hoped he could give me some ideas—and a distraction from the niggling details that didn't fit together in my brain.

"Ask away, darlin'."

"Seriously, don't make me vomit."

His husky laughter forced me to hold the phone away from my ear for a moment. "All right, _love_. What's going on?"

I ignored his teasing mood. "Somebody tried to shoot me today," I said. "Contrary to popular belief, it's not an everyday occurrence for me."

"Jesus fucking Christ. Are you all right?"

"Friend of mine got in the way instead. He's okay, though."

"Carl?"

That made me sad. I doubted Carl would be inclined to stop bullets for me. "No, not Carl," I said. "This protection racket thing has been going on in my old neighbourhood. They're looking for money to protect the community from any gangs who might pop up. But this place isn't exactly crime central. And if it wasn't for the gun, this group wouldn't exactly have come across as hardy criminals. Any ideas?"

He blew out what was likely a puff of smoke. "Nah, but we've having our own trouble here, so I haven't been clued in to what's going on elsewhere."

"What's going on in the flats?"

"Ah, we're inundated with loan sharks. They're like rats, invading every corner of the place. Half the people around here don't understand interest rates and all that shite. A lot of people have lost their jobs around here lately, so a bit of easy money helps tide them over, ya know?"

"A _lot_ of people? That's some run of bad luck." Suspiciously so. I quickly thought of everyone else in my life who was having a string of bad luck. Could it be something more?

"But these sharks are fucking pricks," Moses continued, "tricking them into taking more than they can pay back, letting them have the first loan cheap and all. Suckering them in to bigger loans that'll never get paid."

"What happens when they don't pay?" I asked.

"I'm waiting to find out. I haven't seen any of these scummers myself, but they came to the door, wouldn't leave me ma alone until she signed off on a loan. And the thing is, my ma's not that foolish. Knows what's up, does my ma, and she signed up? Doesn't make sense. I'm warning her not to pay a fucking penny because I want to see these shitheads meself."

"You could talk to Shay about it," I said.

"Ah, what can Shay do? This is my home, my problem. I don't know what's getting into people these days. Everyone's on edge, being secretive all the time. I can't get a handle on what's going on."

"You should set up a community loan thing," I said.

"What, like a credit union? Sure, we have those."

"Yeah, but you know the people in your area, the ones who are hard up and who can pay it back. The sharks might leave you alone if they're not needed."

"They've already put the shits up everyone." He coughed into the phone. "I'm not in a good mood at all about it. Did you see that write-up in today's paper about crime increasing this year? What a load of shite. No wonder there's a protection racket going on around when even the papers are scaring the crap out of everyone."

That made me pause. It wasn't completely unlikely that whoever was connected to the article had something to gain from it.

"The guns, though," he said thoughtfully. "If somebody's gun-running, I can try to find out. I still have a few contacts lying around. Here, I'll make a deal with you. You see if you can find out where these loan sharks are coming from, and I'll find out what I can about your scumbags. Somebody out there knows something, but these loan sharks are smart enough to hide their tracks. And the way me ma signed up so quick makes me think there's magic or _something_ involved. That's more your bag, yeah?"

"We need to set up something to stop shit like that from happening," I said. "Sell a house alarm along with a magical relic or two for total protection."

"I'm telling ya, that'll be a winner. So do we have a deal or what?"

"I'll do what I can," I said. "Thanks, Moses. You're right. There is something weird going on. I'll text you everything I know later on, all right?"

After the phone call, I went into the nearest shop to buy a newspaper. Standing outside, I flipped through the pages to find the article Moses had mentioned. It definitely gave a heavy spin on the crime issue, but the article didn't clearly pin the blame on supernaturals. I wondered if the reporter had been encouraged to write up the article by somebody who wanted to stir up trouble in Dublin.

As soon as life cut me some slack, I was going to find the answer to that question, too.

# 6

Back at the cul-de-sac, I spotted Peter working on his car, his sleeves rolled up and his tattoos covered with patches of oil. He glared at me as I passed, and I realised he knew something was going on, but he was too stubborn to ask what it was. If he was going to be so mad at me, then he could keep wondering. After a few steps, I decided I was being beyond childish and turned back, but he had already gone inside. Maybe it wasn't time to try with Peter yet. I had to tread carefully to avoid making things worse when he was obviously on the edge of exploding.

In my living room, I found Leah with Val, Anka, and Dita. By the looks of things, Anka had made everyone dinner. By the smell, it wasn't something she had learned to cook in Ireland.

"I left some in the oven for you," she reassured me as I relaxed on the sofa.

I made an effort to look pleased. "Great, thanks. How was Noodle?"

"Oh, you were serious about that, too." Val made a face. "Sleepy."

Anka folded her arms over her chest. " _Too_ sleepy for a baby."

"We were discussing the possibility that there may be the remnants of some kind of spell over the child," Val said. "Something that may have made it easier to take her and leave without anyone hearing her cry."

I sat up and frowned. "That sounds dangerous."

"It sounds desperate," Leah said from where she sat cross-legged in the armchair.

"There's blood on your jacket," Dita piped up.

I looked at my sleeve and ineffectually scrubbed it with the other one. "Not mine."

"What happened?" Val asked.

I leaned back and stared up at a massive web tangled around the lightshade on the ceiling. I hadn't had the heart to clean it up, and I knew the spider that had made the thing was probably laying a million eggs somewhere. But it felt rude to brush away what amounted to another living creature's life's work—pretty much what I felt was happening to me lately.

"It was weird," I said slowly. "I got the feeling that the gang were waiting on me, and I'm not sure if I'm just being paranoid."

"What made you think that?" Val asked.

"My gut is suspicious of everything right now. But they were so... bland. A couple of humans, a whiff of something extra about the others, and most of them not far off from their teens. Nothing about them screamed what team they were working on."

"Perhaps they're not on a team." Val didn't sound convinced.

"They were just hanging around, winding people up, until I arrived, then suddenly, one of them points a gun at me and shoots. No warning. I felt as though that was why they were there, using Wes and the others to lure me. Wes pushed me out of the way and got skinned by the bullet. When they heard the sirens, they just ran. I caught the shooter, but I've no idea if Shay's IAs managed to pick up any of the others." I sank my fingers into my hair and squeezed. "Shit, I forgot. I was supposed to go back to Shay to give him a statement."

"You should tell him about the baby." Anka reached out and slapped Dita's hand from her stitches without missing a beat. "I think we're all agreed that Shay is unlikely to be working for any slave trader."

"Not knowingly," I murmured.

"I can watch the baby if Val needs to leave," Anka said, "while you go to Shay and finish your business with him. Perhaps he can help find this child's family."

I stretched. "Thanks. I hadn't thought about it, but it's possible the baby was kidnapped, and the police are keeping it low-key. After all, Shay's been crazy busy every time I ring him lately. Leah, anything I can bring to Shay?"

I sat up to look at her. She was seventeen, but still as thin and childlike as when we'd first met. Her hair hung limply around her face, and her blue eyes widened as she gazed at the baby.

"There's something," she said. "But it's incredibly subtle. There may be something in the way, something putting a dampener on what she can do, but I would guess at her being descended from some kind of witch. She has that glimmer radiating from her. It's small, but I can feel it. The problem with witches is that it's impossible to know how it will manifest. They don't use their power from birth. Some don't begin to use magic until later in life. It's almost like it's hidden away until it's unlocked, and every witch has a different key, so it's something they must figure out on their own. Some never find a way to their magic."

"So she could run at either end of the power spectrum." I studied the basket as though it could give me answers. "And the person who owns this brand can't know if she's valuable to anyone else—at least not yet."

I got up and rummaged in my desk for a pen and paper to sketch the shape of the brand. It wasn't like Emmett's or Leah's, but that didn't tell me much.

"Do you think someone may recognise the brand?" Val asked.

"It's worth a try. If there are other slaves, they must be keeping them somewhere. They can't be in Hell again, so they must be above ground, and as Noodle is so young, they could be nearby. Unless she was brought in from another country." That would certainly ease my guilt. "What if it's some kind of weird adoption scheme? Selling babies to desperate parents or something."

"Then why the brand?" Anka asked. "It's no small task to tattoo a child, especially one so young."

"Something to hold over the parents in case they ever think about telling?" I frowned, thinking it through. "The parents claim they've adopted a needy child, but the brand says they've bought a slave. It could be a form of leverage, a way to keep people in line." I sighed. "Or none of the above. This is infuriating."

"Shay has the resources to help," Val said. "I agree that he should be told."

"Anyone heard from Carl?" I asked.

None of them had.

"No matter." I got up to leave. "Dinner will have to wait. I might as well get this over and done with. Call me if anything happens here."

Exhausted, I headed out again and hailed a taxi to take me to Shay's office across town. The Integration Unit's base was away from any major police stations or important government buildings, and I was pretty sure that was Shay's doing.

We drove by the Senate's public meeting place. Although there were no meetings planned for that evening, outside was lively. The woman I had noticed on television was preaching to a growing crowd of what I could only consider fanatics. I lowered the window and caught a couple of sound bites such as "threat to society" and "demonic influences on our children."

Again, Humans First were conveniently ignoring not only the fact that we had extra police on the streets, including a dedicated force to counteract supernatural threats, but also that Phoenix had worked hard at completely outlawing demonolatry. It was official—no demons allowed. And yet it was still one of the protesters' favourite lines to spout. Didn't anybody actually listen anymore? Or at least find out the facts for themselves?

"Lazy," I muttered.

"That lot will bring Hell on their heads," the taxi driver remarked. "Mark my words. They're making their beds, and they won't like lying in them. If any supernaturals organised like that, talking about how evil humans are, it'd be nipped in the bud, quick smart."

"Give it time."

"Imagine if the vampires start getting tired of this. I know I am, and I'm human. If they keep pissing off the wrong people, it'll be a bloodbath."

And then the hate could truly begin. The taxi driver might complain, but the humans were doing nothing about people like the protesters. And the government appeared to be too scared to do anything, either. Until humans saw supernaturals as people, there could be no human deaths without massive consequences, no parity amongst our species. We would always be treated on a different level and our actions perceived as threats, while theirs were above reproach. And that was how the majority wanted it, I realised. The vampires didn't want to be on the same level as humans. The fae would never see themselves as on par with the shifters, and people like me fit in nowhere at all. That was depressing.

The driver continued chatting about the state of the country while I murmured monosyllabic answers in a vain attempt to stop him. When we arrived outside the Integration Unit's main building, he chortled. "There's me banging on about supernatural rights, and you're probably one of them. Well, I wouldn't be too pissed if one of you got rid of those protesters clogging up the side streets during peak times." He laughed as though he were the funniest person in Dublin, maybe even the world.

"If something like that happened, Humans First would multiply overnight." I paid him and got out before he dragged me into another conversation.

The building was quiet but well lit. It was made up of mostly offices, but I knew it had been built on a section of the city that was hidden underneath the surface. I hadn't yet discovered what exactly was down there.

Inside, I spoke to a cheery receptionist, who directed me up two flights of stairs. I went upstairs, bypassed yet another receptionist, and finally came to Shay's door. I rapped sharply until he called out for me to come in.

"I've a couple of things to talk about," I said before realising Phoenix was sitting in the chair across from Shay's desk. "Ah, shit." I hadn't wanted to tell Phoenix about the baby for the exact same reason I was reluctant to share the information with Peter.

Phoenix raised his eyebrows, but he didn't say a word.

"Sorry I'm late," I told Shay. "I got... caught up in a few things. Do you still need my statement?"

"Just give me something informal for now," he said. "I'll have someone type up one for you, and you can take a look at it and make changes some other time. My assistant's gone home, but I'll have him send it over to your house tomorrow."

"All right." There were no chairs, so I sat on a countertop by the wall where I could see both men at once. I rattled off my side of the story as quickly as possible. "Wes is fine," I ended. "He'll be able for an interview, I should think."

"We already spoke to him," Shay said, but he was frowning.

"Catch any of the others?" I asked hopefully.

"No," he said. "A vehicle must have been waiting for them."

"They were waiting for me," I said.

"That's how the other witnesses make it sound," Shay said. "Who have you pissed off lately?"

I couldn't resist a glance at Phoenix. "Who haven't I pissed off might be easier to manage. Something's going on. Not just to me. To everyone around me." I held up my hand to tick things off with my fingers. "My old, quiet neighbourhood is targeted by a protection racket. Emergency services never show up. Not once. Not until I called you directly, Shay."

"The calls were never processed," he said. "We're investigating how that happened. It's a blind spot on our end, obviously, and we will fix it."

"But it only happens in _my_ old neighbourhood," I continued. "And one of the few people who were ever nice to me gets murdered."

Shay cleared his throat. "The beating didn't kill him. A stroke did. Granted, it was likely brought on by the stress of the attack."

"Bull," I said. "Mr. O'Brien was old as dirt. You don't hurt somebody that old without knowing that they could die from it. They _murdered_ him, and they deserve to pay for that. Get me in with that bitch who shot Wes, and I'll get her to talk."

"Absolutely not," he murmured.

"Get back to your theory," Phoenix said, relaxing into his chair.

I glared at him. "Fine. Take Moses, for example. People are losing their jobs all over the place in the flats. Conveniently, loan sharks turn up, and even smart people are having a hard time turning down their offers. A _magically_ hard time. Another connection to me, another anomaly."

"That's not much to go on," Shay said. "It's not exactly related."

"There's more," I said. "You'll see what I mean at the end. So there are other things. Bad luck, you might say. Carl lost his job at the school."

Both men exchanged surprised glances.

"Anka's apothecary shop was keeping her busy. Now the customers are drying up. Same for Val and Peter, for Dave's garage, and—"

"Hold on," Phoenix said. "You're saying that poor business is connected to everything else." He allowed himself a small smile. "Have you ever considered that—"

"Shay, have there been any kidnappings lately?" I said, ignoring Phoenix. "Specifically children."

Shay exchanged a glance with Phoenix. "Not that I've heard."

I fished in my pocket for the sketch I made of Noodle's brand. I held up the paper. "Does this look familiar?"

Phoenix frowned. "There is something... I can't place."

"Ava, what is this?" Shay asked. "What's going on?"

"A baby was left on my doorstep," I said. "A baby with a fresh slave brand on its neck. _This_ brand."

I gave them a moment to process.

"What?" Shay said. "A baby? And you never said anything?"

"How was I supposed to know who I could trust? The baby, combined with this bad luck stuff, gives me a sick feeling that something big is going on."

"There are still slavers," Phoenix said in a quiet voice. "They're still out there. My mother—"

"Is dead," I said firmly. "But somebody's been trying to take her place. The person who left the baby made it clear they didn't want to be found themselves. I'm not sure if the baby is the first, one of many, or what. All I know is that I have to protect her from anyone who might come for her. And I need to find out who that is."

Phoenix jumped to his feet. "That assassin of my mother's. I'm going to take him in and—" The violence in his voice astounded me.

"You think I haven't already talked to him? I did. He has no clue what's going on."

"And you believed him?" The volume of his voice didn't rise, but the tone sent shivers down my back.

"Yes, I believed him. I do that, remember?"

That stopped him in his tracks.

I was aware that Shay was watching us both closely, and I took a deep, calming breath. "Nate gave me his theories, and I went away happy that he wasn't in the official know."

"And what were these theories?" Phoenix gestured toward me in a scornful manner. "Were they as brilliant as you make them sound?"

"Phoenix," Shay said warningly.

We both ignored the human. My face grew hot, and I forgot to be wary and careful. "Yeah, they were pretty good, Phoenix. Nate reckons it would have to be someone with connections, someone ancient, someone who could wield favours like weapons, probably."

"Such as?" His mask was back. I couldn't tell if he was about to laugh or murder me.

"You, actually!"

"I'm no ancient," he scoffed.

"As opposed to? It wouldn't be hard for the son of a slaver to take the reins. Carry on the business. Have access to the connections and all the rest." I narrowed my eyes. "Especially one with the loyalty of the fae and the Senate behind him."

He stood and approached me. "Did _you_ agree with this theory?" He raised his voice. "Do _you_ actually believe I could be capable of running the slave trade?"

I stood, too, determined not to let him cow me for a change. "I told him it couldn't possibly be you." I held firm, my hands on my hips. "But if it did turn out to be you, I would rip you apart limb from limb myself for being such a traitor."

I readied myself for... I wasn't sure what. Phoenix loomed over me, bent down, and touched his nose to mine, somewhat affectionately. I was so disturbed and surprised that I took a couple of steps back. He did smile then, but when he straightened and faced Shay, his professional manner had returned. Shay looked as unsettled as I felt. Phoenix just wasn't predictable.

"We need to deal with this ourselves," Phoenix said in a bland tone. "We can't reveal anything to the Senate. Not yet. Not until we find out what is going on."

Shay cleared his throat and busied himself with rearranging pages on his desk. "Well, my agents can take a look into the protection racket and the loan sharks. I'll find out what's going on with Carl myself. There'll be an investigation into the emergency services and how the calls are processed."

"And I'll figure out who blacklisted the businesses, if anyone did." Phoenix shot me a wry glance. "But we'll all have to work on the slavery aspect."

"I'll ask questions," I said. "There are a few people who could be useful. If anyone comes up with answers, I'll let you two know."

"Where is the child now?" Phoenix asked, his voice neutral, as though we hadn't just been basically shouting at each other a minute before. How could he look so relaxed when my hands refused to stop shaking?

"Val and Anka are watching over the baby. Leah came over and gave her take. She reckons the child has some kind of magic, like a witch or something, but that it's impossible to tell at this stage how much power is there or even if it will ever manifest. It's not an exact science."

"Magic," Phoenix murmured. He looked at Shay. "There is Clementine."

"You trust her with this?"

"She may know if a baby witch has gone missing. The witches can be secretive. Who knows? She could be able to track the bloodline—if we're lucky."

"Who's Clementine?" I couldn't resist asking.

"Someone who wants Mac's seat on the Senate," Shay said. "She'll likely do whatever she has to, Phoenix, just to earn her place."

"I don't trust witches," I said.

"We have very little to go on," Phoenix said. "I feel we are left with no choice. We must speak to her about this. In confidence, of course."

I was too tired to argue. "If we're done here, I'm going to head home," I said. "I'm exhausted."

"I'll give you a lift," Shay offered.

"Nah, I'm good." I hesitated. "How's Nick?"

Phoenix met my gaze, a guarded look in his eyes. "Better, but he refuses to go back to the school. The pack is mostly in agreement that the cubs' time with the school has ended."

"Giving up already?" I shoved my hands deep in my pockets. "Tell Nick that Dita said she can't wait to show him her epic scar. She's taken it upon herself to be his champion, I think."

Something unrecognisable flickered in his gaze. "I'll let him know."

I left the pair to figure out what they were planning to do next. All I knew was how I wanted to approach everything. I began the walk home, watching out for a taxi. I left a message for Jessica. My fellow tainted nephal had made contacts of her own while hiding in Dublin, and I hoped she could get me in touch with one of them. The man had organised a sanctuary for refugees and exiles, and it was possible he would know of any current slaves on the run. And if anyone knew about slave-running in the UK, it would be Jessica and her friends. But I was pinning my hopes on the child being a one-off circumstance, because the alternative was just too awful to consider.

# 7

I was busy making a list of people I could talk to when someone knocked at my front door. Noodle stirred slightly, but she didn't wake, so I got up to answer the door. Phoenix stood there with a woman I had never met before. She was tall and curvy, with light toffee-coloured skin, freckles, and coarse red curls that she made no attempt to contain.

"Ava, this is Clementine," Phoenix said. "She's the witch we discussed. I've brought her here to take a look at the baby and see what she thinks."

I hesitated. "I don't know if—"

"If she's a witch, then my coven wish to protect her." Clementine's accent had a trace of something French. "We protect our own."

I shot Phoenix a glare, but he brushed past me without invitation. I scowled. "Come in then."

The pair headed into the living room, where the baby was resting in her basket.

"Ah," Clementine said. She lifted Noodle into the air, well away from her body, and peered at the baby as though she were an object rather than a person.

"Careful," I said, automatically reaching out to take her.

Phoenix shook his head and pushed my hand back down.

"I hope you know what you're doing," I whispered.

His hand moved to my lower back. "So do I. Now, watch."

A golden glow emitted from Clementine and shrouded Noodle. Then it dispersed as though a puff of wind had blown it away.

"Interesting," she muttered before putting the baby back into the basket.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

Clementine lifted the basket onto the coffee table and peered at the child. "There is something there." She looked up at Phoenix, and I could have sworn her brown eyes momentarily contained red and gold flecks. "There's a spell surrounding her. If it hasn't worn off by now, then we'll have to strip it away."

"What do you mean 'strip it'?" I asked, suddenly on edge.

Phoenix's fingertips applied pressure.

"We'll clarify the magic and start over. It's the only way to truly see what we have here."

"But you won't know what kind of power she has," I said.

She looked at me. "Not until she's older. That's not important. If somebody is enslaving witches, then we must find them. There have been instances in history when witches were enslaved and their magic used for deadly purpose. None of us want those kinds of horrors inflicted here."

"What can you do for me?" Phoenix asked. "Can you find out where the baby came from or who branded her?"

Clementine tapped her chin as she considered the possibility. "If my entire coven can work on this, we should be able to form some kind of tracking spell, one that works backward, retracing her path, as it were. We may be able to discover where she was born."

"How long will that take?" Phoenix asked.

"Oh, at least a week," she said. "No more than ten days, provided we're all a part of the circle and maintain prolonged contact with the child. The supplies will cost you, but it will be worth it."

"You guarantee you'll find the child's origin?" he asked.

"Wait! What do you mean 'maintain prolonged contact'?" I demanded.

She ignored me. "I give you my word we'll find where she came from."

Phoenix nodded. "There's a building on the grounds of the children's home where you can hide her."

"What? No!" I said. "You can't take her from here. They gave her to me to protect. I have to keep her here, where it's safe."

"You're not a witch," Clementine said brusquely.

"Fuck witches. Nobody left her on your bloody doorstep, did they?"

"Perhaps they didn't have time," she said coldly.

Phoenix dug his fingers into my shoulders and made me look at him. "She'll be safe in the children's home. Nobody will know, not even Alanii."

"She's safe _here_. People can't come in here to cause us harm."

"What if they don't intend to? What if they come to take the baby, and a fight ensues? Does your protection reach that far? The protection did nothing when Nick was here."

"You don't understand," I whispered, my panic rising. "I have a job to do, a duty to uphold, and I can't let you take her. I... I feel it." I felt more than duty or a job. I wanted to keep Noodle safe myself. I didn't trust anyone else to do it. And I would miss her.

"Is she a lost soul?" he murmured under his breath.

I hesitated too long.

"Well, then," he said with finality.

"She's a connection to it," I snapped. "I have to find the one who left her here. _That's_ my lost soul, and I... stop it!"

Clementine was walking out the door with Noodle's basket.

I made to grab the basket, but Phoenix pinned me against his chest. "We need her, Ava. She can find the baby's origin, lead us to the slavers. She can help us fix everything. It'll take a week, and then we'll know."

"But the _baby_!"

"It's more important to find the slavers," he said firmly.

I kicked him, scrambled out of his arms, and raced outside, screaming at the witch to stop. She kept walking, apparently unconcerned.

Peter rushed out of his house as Phoenix grabbed me again.

"You don't understand!" I screamed. "You have to stop!" The panic was suffocating me, and I wasn't even sure if I was afraid that Noodle was leaving or that she leaving with the witch.

Peter took one look at the situation and made a choice. He ran for the witch. I broke free again and raced after him. The witch held up one hand, and Peter ran straight into an invisible barrier and fell back on the ground, his head smacking against the concrete with a sickening crack.

A fury rose up inside me—one I had to quickly contain. The protection around the buildings came to life, whistling in my ears as it reached for Clementine. The magic there was ancient, older than any living witch, and ready to punish the one who had harmed a protected occupant of the cul-de-sac.

But she was holding the baby, and if Noodle got hurt, I would never forgive myself. I gathered the violence to me, sucking it back just in time. I wasn't sure how, but the protection felt sentient, as if it had reluctantly obeyed me. Clementine shivered as though she sensed something brush against her, but she kept walking, and glimmers of magic followed in her wake.

Phoenix reached me and took my arm as I almost fell to my knees from the weight of the magic I had just disarmed. "What just happened?" he asked.

I jerked away from him, focusing my anger on him. "That was a mistake," I hissed, and this time, I spoke with the power of the Eleven behind me. They spoke with me, displeased that he had interfered in my mission, and I knew then with certainty that the baby had been the key to something _I_ needed to do.

For the first time, I saw true fear in the fae prince's eyes. I shot him one last look of disgust before hurrying over to Peter.

"Are you okay?" I asked, helping him sit up.

"Hit my head. I'll be fine." He wiped a trickle of blood from behind his ear. "What the hell just happened? Was that a _baby_?"

"Quick version is that somebody left a newborn on my doorstep. She was marked with a slave brand, and now Phoenix has let the witches take her to the children's home."

Phoenix reached us. "They can find out where she comes from," he tried again.

"No," I said harshly. "She took her from where it was safe. That woman hurt Peter, and you let her. Noodle is my responsibility, and—"

"Noodle?" both men said as one.

"If anything happens to her, I'll never forgive you."

"Nothing will happen," Phoenix said. "I promise you."

"I don't believe you anymore." I turned my back on him. "Just go, Phoenix. Do whatever you want—just don't get in my way."

After a moment, Phoenix left, but I refused to look at him. I helped Peter into his house to clean up his wound.

"You should have told me what was going on," he said as I dabbed his head.

"Yeah, well, you were already pissed at me. I didn't need the mention of slavery to completely blow your mind."

"A warning would have been nice." He gripped my wrists to stop me poking at the wound. "Are you okay? You looked pretty devastated back there."

I gave up on playing nurse and sat on one of his kitchen chairs. "I was supposed to take care of her, and they just walked in and took her. I couldn't do anything. They think they know better. I hate when I feel so... powerless."

"And you got attached," he guessed.

"She was my little noodle," I said, pouting when he laughed. "And that was the second time Phoenix... never mind. This just feels so wrong. I don't know this witch. She said her coven can find out where the baby was born in a week or so. And maybe she can, but that's plenty of time for the place to find itself suddenly abandoned."

"The children's home is pretty safe."

"That's because of the children. They won't even know she's there. Maybe I should ask Noah to keep an eye out."

"He would do that." He paused, his searching gaze studying my face. "When the witch knocked me down with magic, you did something, right?"

"More like I stopped something." I blew hair off my face. "The magic here wanted to punish her, and I stopped it just in time in case the baby got hurt. I'm not even sure how. Maybe they're right. Maybe the baby is safer with them."

"Seems like I've missed a lot."

I gave him a sheepish look. "I'm sorry about everything with Emmett and Nick and that stuff," I said. "I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt. You know I love the kid. I just wanted to help another kid, too."

"I do get that. But I came home to see one of the people I hate most next to my bleeding kid. I about lost my mind." He pressed his lips together as he considered his words. "If the cul-de-sac didn't try to punish Nick that day... look, I know Emmett probably had his side of the blame, too. He's been going around with a big guilty head on him."

"That's because Dita's mad at him." I kicked his shoe. "You still mad at me?"

"Don't have time to be. Tell me everything that's happened."

So I did. I talked about everything I could think of. Every time I went through the list, I felt as if I were missing something.

"So you think somebody's been slyly targeting the people you know?"

"It's more like a subtle headfuck," I said. "I mean, I don't know if it has anything to do with the baby at all, and it likely doesn't, but I feel like we've had this invisible enemy for a while now. Somebody who isn't ready to show themselves. And I'm not sure if I want to wait around for that." I sighed. "Keeping the baby here was probably the selfish thing to do."

He reached out and touched my arm. "If you say that the baby was meant to be here, then I believe you. I'm on your side." He let go. "What now?"

"Now?"

"You're not giving up, are you?" He smiled. "That's pretty unlike you."

I stared at my hands and thought about it. "I can't stop the government from taking a baby. Legally, the child has nothing to do with us." I looked up and held his gaze. "But there are more important things in the world than the rules. I'm supposed to watch out for that child, and if the witches will take at least a week to figure out one stupid spell, then I'm going to have to be faster. Whoever lost that child will be looking for her."

"And where better to look than the children's home," he said. "If I had lost an important child, someone who could draw attention to a business I want kept secret, then I would do whatever I could to get them back. And I would start by watching the important players. Phoenix, the rest of the Senate, the school, the home, and this place."

"Here?"

"Like it or not, you're important. Remember, we all of us helped fight back against the slave market. We're all linked to that event. If anyone is going to stop a slave trader, it's likely to be someone who did it before."

"So they could have been watching us all along," I said. "All this time, though? Why not attack us, get rid of us altogether?"

"Playing it smart." He drummed his fingers on the table. "Taking it slow."

"Like an ancient would."

He nodded. "This is a long play, right? Maybe this notion you have about our bad luck being manufactured is a long play, too. Yeah, seriously, if I was going to take over Fionnuala's business, I'd be a fool if I wasn't watching the people who stopped her in the first place."

"So Phoenix could have just sent out a Bat Signal, you mean." I hesitated. "Think he did that on purpose? He wants the slave trader more than he wants to protect the baby, I think."

"His children were taken from him for a long time," Peter said, and I heard the tightness in his voice. "I can't say I'm not on the same page. Emmett was taken from me, too. I want to destroy whoever has taken over the business. But we need to be smarter than last time."

"No loose ends," I said. "I don't suppose VBI is free to take up a job for me."

He grinned. "On this, we'll even work for free." He took my hand. "Listen, things are awkward, and I know that, but this... this is bigger than us. Bigger than most things."

"We screwed up somewhere," I said. "Let someone get away."

"And now we can't trust anybody," he said. "But we can trust each other, right?"

I held his gaze. "On this, we're all we can trust. I need to find the baby's mother. Anything that could lead me to her is worth following. We have a week before the witch gets her way. If she succeeds, she'll find her way to Mac's seat on the Senate. I think we can safely say we're not going to be her allies. Even when you hate me, I still don't want anyone to hurt you. That witch is not welcome here." And I meant it, felt the notion travelling outward as though it were a command. I shivered at the sensation. It made me feel powerful.

"Then we had better get moving," Peter said. "This was always our battle. We just didn't realise we hadn't finished it."

I loitered outside Daimhín's home, hesitant to meet with the vampire queen. She was on the Senate and couldn't be trusted for a multitude of reasons, but she was ancient. She could be involved. It would make sense. She didn't exactly have morals or scruples.

A shifter greeted me at the front door. I'd learned her name was Lorna, and that she was a likely candidate for alpha should the seemingly cursed position come open again.

"You're not expected," she said.

"Something popped up. Didn't expect to see you still working around here."

She shrugged. "It's a job."

"How do you find the new alpha?"

"He'll do." She cocked her head to the side. "For now."

"He's not like Mac."

"That's never a bad thing." A growl emitted from her throat. "Keeping captives was a lowly, despicable act."

"Because they were shifters."

"Because they were _people_ ," she said, looking disgusted. Then the cunning returned to her gaze. "Why do I feel as though I just answered a question you were afraid to ask?"

I grinned. If the shifter knew that Daimhín was running a slave trade, she would be the first to jump ship. "Thanks for the help." I let myself into the house, much to the chagrin of a pale human volunteer running to greet me.

"This isn't a good time," he said breathlessly, following me as I strode toward the living room.

"Never is."

But when I stepped into the room, a noticeable charge of tension surged. Daimhín looked rattled, and when she saw me, she repeatedly smoothed her trousers with hands that I could have sworn were shaking. Eloise, the vampire child, was curled up on the sofa, smiling as she stroked Jules's hair. He lay next to her, his eyes half-closed.

"Am I interrupting something?" I asked.

"Storytime," Eloise said brightly before jumping to her feet. "Race you, Jules." The pair ran away like children, and Eloise's unsettling giggles echoed through the room.

"Can I help you?" Daimhín asked sharply. "You weren't invited. You can't just barge in here like... what is it, Miss Delaney? Can't you see I'm busy?"

She didn't look particularly busy. I cleared my throat. "Are there any ancients in the country that I should be worried about? Ones like Fionnuala, maybe? Ambitious and greedy, for example."

Her gaze widened, and her lower lip trembled. "An ancient? Why... why would you ask that? What have you heard?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Looks like you're the one with a story."

She waved a hand, hurriedly regaining her composure. "I merely thought... it is nothing. Eloise's stories are often without context or logic. More often than not, her words are meaningless. Perhaps her powers are waning as she ages."

"On the lookout for another psychic?" I asked coldly. "Another slave?"

"Eloise is not my slave." She bared her fangs. "She's my subject. Why do you ask of ancients? What have you heard? People talk to you, do they not?"

"Not as much as they should. I was just feeling as though somebody might be... interfering in my life." I couldn't let her know exactly what I worried about. "I'm thinking only an ancient would be that crazy."

"I know nothing of new feuds against you, if that's your query," she said, relaxing a little. Something was most definitely up with the vampires. "If I hear anything, I'll pass word on to you, and I expect you to do the same." She glared at me. "Are we understood?"

"Is somebody messing about with you, too?" I asked.

"Not yet," she said. "One must never be too careful."

She had retreated behind her carefully prim mask. I wouldn't get anything else out of her. Then I thought of a question I could safely ask.

"Hey," I said. "There's still an empty seat on the Senate, right?"

She snorted softly. "If you think you have a chance of claiming it, you are sadly misinformed."

"You're probably right. It wouldn't be smart to sit next to so many enemies. Will it be filled?"

"We need to fill it soon. There are a number of candidates. Few interest me."

I moved to the doorway then hesitated. "I heard a rumour that a witch might be next in line."

She released an undignified sound. "Witches again. Some on the Senate are pushing. There is a coven headed by a pushy, arrogant witch. She's made some friends, I believe."

"Her name wouldn't happen to be Clementine, would it?"

She sat up straight. "Have you crossed paths?"

" _Crossed_ is one word for it." I scowled. "I don't like her much. Has she offered you anything?"

"Nothing I want," she said slowly, taking care with her words. "She did what she had to do for her ambition. She has no love of my kind." Few did.

"I haven't had any good experiences with witches," I said. "If there's anything I can do to get in the way of her taking that seat, let me know."

"A bid for it yourself would be the only obvious option," she said.

I turned my back and left. That was a step too far.

# 8

I stood at the back of a church I had once promised myself I would never again step inside. The old priest was gone, but my memories lingered. Worrying about attending Mr. O'Brien's funeral had kept me awake all night, but sometimes, facing the past wasn't as scary once I stopped running from it. I forced myself to walk into the church, to look directly at familiar faces, and to remember the things that had gone before.

My stomach didn't turn; my breath didn't catch. The accusations made under that roof when I was barely old enough to understand them could no longer touch me. I was _okay_ , and it wasn't a lie. I made mistakes—everyone did—but I liked the person I had become. Accepting myself for who I was dimmed the memories and made the opinions of others matter a little less.

The funeral should have made me sad, but it was more of a revelation than anything else. Halfway through the mass, Wes glanced over his shoulder and caught my eye. He looked surprised to see me.

Afterward, he found me in the crowd and looked me over with concern. "I didn't think you'd come," he said. "How was it for you? Are you all right?"

I smiled. He had changed so little. "I'm fine. How's the shoulder?"

He rotated it. "Itchy. Better than the alternative, though, right?"

I looked from side to side. "Where's Diane?"

"With my mother."

"Ah." I grinned. "I probably shouldn't say hi."

He smiled back. "Only if you're brave."

"She seems nice." I ducked my head. "And you look happy. I'm glad."

"What about you?" he asked, guiding me out of the church. "Anyone nice hanging around? Are you happy?"

We paused at the gates outside the church. "I'm happy, Wes. I—"

"Ava!"

I looked around and noticed Shay jogging toward us. I did not need to speak to him when I was still pissed about Noodle. "Shay," I said coldly. "Wes, you might not remember Shay from the other day, but he's in charge of investigating what's happening around here. If you have any questions, he'd love to answer them. It'd be useful if you could come up with any info on the gang, by the way. Times they appeared, when it started, how many people would turn up, that sort of thing. You never know what might be helpful."

"Yeah, sure," Wes said.

"Great. I'll be in touch."

I turned to leave, but Shay called my name again. "Ava, wait," he said. "I know you're concerned about the—"

"Don't." I held up my hand and clenched my fingers into a fist. "I do not want to talk about that."

"If you'd let me explain..."

"There's absolutely nothing you can say to make what Phoenix did okay. Nothing."

"She got out," he blurted when I turned away again.

"What?" I snapped over my shoulder.

"The shooter. She got out. Before I got a chance to interview her properly. Something went wrong; somebody made a mistake. Her file was mixed up with somebody else. I don't know yet. Bail was posted. Big numbers. Somebody paid it, and now she's gone."

"Of all the..." I glared at him. "Tell me you know who paid."

"Not a clue," he said. "There was some kind of clerical mix-up, and—"

"You mean like the mix-up when people's calls for help went unheard?"

Wes folded his arms. "Maybe the papers need to hear about this."

Distracted, Shay turned to placate Wes. I gave Wes a grateful smile and made my escape. Peter was waiting in his car for me around the corner.

"Everything okay?" he asked when I jumped in next to him.

"Peachy. Can you give me a lift to the offices? I need to speak to Breslin."

"Of course. What's going on?"

"The shooter vanished."

"Wasn't she arrested?" He started the car. "Did she escape?"

"There was some mix-up, and she was bailed out. Lots of money. Nobody knows who bailed her out or where she is now. They hadn't even managed to ID her yet. So that's bloody fantastic."

He drove away, a muscle in his cheek twitching. "Think Breslin can find out?"

"Here's hoping. It just proves that whoever she works for is wealthy. Or her parents are trying to avoid a scandal. And now she has the chance to go after Wes again."

"Val and I can check in with the neighbourhood," he said. "And I'm sure Wes has IAs patrolling the streets."

"Quinn might know more." I aggressively pressed buttons on the radio to change the station. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore. Any time I feel like I'm getting somewhere on something, it all goes up in flames."

"Somebody will spot her," he said. "There's no need to worry about her. She's more likely to go after you than Wes."

"Yeah, well, next time she comes at me, I won't be calling Shay for backup. I'll tie her up in my kitchen and make her talk."

He grinned. "She really got under your skin."

"You know I hate smug people. And trust me, this girl was smug." I sighed. "I hope Noodle's okay."

"I hope they give her a better name."

I smacked his arm. "It was just a nickname. Are you busy this afternoon?"

"Not really. What do you need?"

"After Breslin, I want to go back to Dave's garage. While I talk to Noah, can you have a chat with Dave and see if you can get anything out of him, like when his business started to fail?"

"I can try."

And if Moses came up with something on where the gang got their guns, it might give us something else to work on.

My solicitor, Martin Breslin, was in the office when I arrived. His secretary was on maternity leave, and I had organised for a young man named Alex to take over. I had met Alex when he was an unwilling volunteer to a sleazy vampire coven, and he had found trouble with potential employers after his picture was used in a newspaper article discussing "disenfranchised youths turning to the dark side," which was a pile of crap. Surprisingly, Alex was turning out to be an eager and efficient worker who had a tendency to idol-worship everyone he met.

He opened the door, seemingly overjoyed to see us. The broody facade was long gone.

"How's Crystal?" I asked him as he led us to Breslin's office. His girlfriend had been a victim of the same vampires he'd lived with, and he had remained with them to ensure they didn't kill her. I blamed at least a portion of his stupidity on how anaemic he had been at the time.

"She's doing great." He shot me a hopeful look. "Maybe you could help her with a job this summer, too."

I grunted noncommittally. I had to stop organising work for people before that turned into my full-time occupation.

In Breslin's office, Peter and I each took a seat across from the old man whose sole employer had only ever been the Matriarch of the Eleven, regardless of who held the position. I had sort of inherited him, but I was grateful for him.

"Alex has been doing wonderful work," he said. "May he sit in for this visit?"

That surprised me. "Sure. There was a shooting the other day, and the culprit managed to run after her bail was paid. Which wasn't supposed to happen at all, by the way. Is there any way you can find out who paid the bail? Or by some miracle, who the shooter actually is?"

"I'll have a look into it. Do you have the details for me?"

"No, but if you call Shay, he should be able to give you whatever you need." I glanced at Alex. "You need to shut your mouth about this next bit, okay? No pillow talk."

Alex looked mightily offended. "Crystal and I don't—"

"Don't want to hear it," I said. "Not even a little bit." I glanced at Peter. "And you can stop grinning, too." I sighed. "Here's the thing. A baby was left on my doorstep recently. The government took her, but the problem is that she had a slave mark tattooed onto the back of her neck. We've no clues, but we've been talking about the possibility that she could be the result of some ancient deal or an ancient creature trying to step into Fionnuala's shoes. I know there are a ton of books lying around, but I was wondering if any of them might have references to slaves."

"Anything in particular?" Breslin asked as though I had just made an ordinary request.

"Maybe if one type of species is more inclined to own slaves, or run them, if there were old slave markets that were public that might have reopened—anything at all."

"Val and I can help if there are too many books," Peter said. "We don't mind getting into this."

"Actually, Alex has been slowly inputting information from the books into a computer program," Breslin said. "He's become quite familiar with many of the books."

"I will totally look into it," Alex said.

"Are you making a database?" I asked.

"Trying," he said. "In case something happens to the books. I'm scanning them all, taking what information I can, creating case studies. It'll take decades to finish, but paper's unreliable."

"That's cool," I said. "Maybe we'll have to keep you even when the maternity leave is over."

He beamed. "I'll start sorting through the books again," he said before hurrying out of the room.

"Alex might be better off going back to school," Breslin said. "He could do well in my field. As a researcher, he's been superb. He has a knack. And that's basically my primary role."

"Wait. You want _him_ to be a solicitor?" Peter asked.

"I won't be around to intimidate Senates forever, you know." Breslin's brown eyes twinkled. "Is that all you needed?"

"For now. Baba Yaga was so old that she must have known a lot about things like this." I frowned. "It's a pity we can't ask her."

"She kept excellent records," the old man said. "Perhaps you should think about starting, too."

"What do you mean?"

Breslin glanced at Peter warningly. He couldn't talk freely. "Merely that you may find value from writing down your experiences."

I was pretty sure he meant writing about my lost souls. "So Mrs. Yaga did that? Can I see it?"

"There's an entire safe full of her diaries," he said with a smile. "Perhaps it's time you saw them. They might be helpful. In truth, I had forgotten about them all until Alex began rooting around in storage. There's so much more than I ever remember."

"Send some over to me when you get the chance," I said. "And thanks for helping with this."

"That's my job," he said with a smile. "Good luck finding your criminals."

On the way to the garage, Peter glanced at me. "Don't you find Breslin a little creepy?"

"Creepy?" I shrugged. "Not particularly. Why?"

"Even Alex has gotten weird since he started working there. I always feel like he's sitting on a secret."

"He's sitting on lots of them. Mrs. Yaga was really old."

"I wonder if she's owed any favours," he said thoughtfully. "There has to be some kind of tally somewhere."

"Wouldn't they end with her death?"

"Depends on the favour. And somebody that old must have dealt with everyone. Maybe even a slaver or two."

I shot him a glare.

"What?" he said. "Different times."

I thought about that on the way. Phoenix had lived in different times.

We reached the garage. Dave appeared disappointed to see that Peter's car was running properly. While Peter distracted him, I found Noah half-heartedly working on a car.

"You don't need to eavesdrop," I said. "I'll tell you what they're talking about."

His smile was more of a grimace.

"I need your help," I whispered.

That immediately changed his expression to something hopeful. "Anything."

"Seen anything weird at the children's home? Heard a baby crying, perhaps?"

"A baby? Nah. No new kids at the home. There's been a lot of people hanging around the groundskeeper's house, though."

"Witches?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. The way is cordoned off. Alanii said there's some kind of construction going on, that it's too dangerous to go that way for a while."

"Maybe that's just what she's been told."

"Ari's desperate to find out."

"Maybe she should be careful." I looked over my shoulder then lowered my voice. "Phoenix and a witch took the baby I was telling you about to the home. It's a secret, and the witches are supposed to protect her, but I don't trust them."

"I can watch out for trouble," he said. "But the place is safe."

"Good. But I'm supposed to take care of her, so I can't help worrying."

"I get it." He wiped his hands on a dirty cloth. "These witches are a coven then?"

I frowned at his interest. "Yeah, so?"

"Think they'd take on Ari?"

"I'm not sure that's how it works."

He stepped away from the car and sat on a crate. "She needs something to do. Somebody to help her control her magic."

"She can't control it?"

He frowned. "It's not that. I mean, it's not like she's accidentally blowing things up or anything."

"Then what is it?" I asked softly.

"It's more like, she doesn't seem to know how much power is going to come out. She'll do a spell, and it'll be small. Next time, it'll go farther. She blacks out the corridors if she wants to meet up at night. Usually works perfectly, but sometimes, she blacks out the whole building and then some. And she's so surprised by it—I can tell—but then she acts like it's all a funny joke. Maybe a coven would help her... perfect what she does."

"You should talk to Phoenix about this. I'm not friendly with any witches. But yeah, I agree she should have some help."

He hesitated. "Any word on that halfway house you were talking about?"

I shook my head, and his face fell. "I promise you I'm working on it."

"If I could just prove myself..." His insta-enthusiasm faded. "Doubt they'd even care anyway."

I squeezed his shoulder. "It'll happen." It had better.

I went to Finn's bar alone that evening, expecting to blend in with a crowd. A couple of customers were scattered around the room, and even the band was playing half-heartedly. I noticed Finn behind the bar and waved. He had a drink in front of me before I even took my seat.

"Quiet night?"

He grimaced. "Lots of quiet nights around here lately."

"Trust me when I say you're not the only one to be having that experience."

"So is this a social or business visit?"

"I'm on a quest for information." I eyed the drink suspiciously. "I was going to ask you—"

A petite woman clambered onto the counter and sat cross-legged to study me. "Is this her?"

I stared back. She looked young, and her pixie cut was the same shade as Finn's red. Watercolour tattoos crawled from her wrist to her inner elbow, where they disappeared under a black crop top. Black kohl outlined blue eyes that refused to look away from my face.

"Yep." Finn sighed. "Ava, meet Ember. She's... family, apparently."

She grinned, revealing teeth a little too sharp to be human. "Us half-fae relations aren't so shameful anymore. Not since the prince took over." She leaned forward to sniff me. "She smells interesting, but I thought she'd be... flashier."

I leaned to the side to look around her. "Finn. Seriously."

"I've told her a million times not to sniff people. She has no manners. Little feral thing," he said affectionately. "So what can I do for you, Red?"

I tried to ignore the unsettling half-fae staring at me. "I was wondering if you've heard any rumours about the fae, enemies of Phoenix, anyone ready to go up against him to get back to the old ways."

Ember gasped then thumped Finn. "I thought you were joking!"

He rubbed his chest. "I'm well known to be on Phoenix's team. People aren't exactly speaking at all around here."

"From before then," I said. "Is there anyone who would have been likely to stand in Fionnuala's shoes when she fell?"

He frowned. "I'm sure there were a few, but..."

I stopped listening because I scented something familiar. Turning, I spotted Carl walking across the room to sit next to a succubus. "Oh, hell, no." I forgot about the fae and followed Carl, my glare firmly fixed on the succubus.

"Didn't I warn you bitches before?" I demanded.

"Jesus," Carl muttered. "Give it a rest, Ava."

"What is this?" I asked. "Has she—"

"She hasn't done anything but listen to me." He scowled. "Maybe you should get some tips sometime. You don't own me. You can't run off anyone who comes near me."

I wilted. "That's not what I meant. It's just... before. A succubus almost killed you."

"We were all warned," the succubus said snippily. "Not that most of us needed the warning. We're not animals, you know."

Finn called my name. "I'll be back," I said. "I just have to—"

"Go," Carl said. "It's obviously important."

I hesitated before heading back to Finn and Ember.

"It's rude to walk off in the middle of a conversation," Finn said, but there was no malice in his tone.

"Sorry," I said, attempting to quickly gather my thoughts. "Can you think of anyone specifically who might be interested in a reappearance of the slave trade?"

Finn and Ember exchanged a look. "Plenty of them," he said. "What's this about? Slaves or Phoenix?"

"Does it matter?"

"I play on Phoenix's team." Finn folded his arms. "So if you know something..."

"The problem is I know very little. Phoenix won't accept slavery as an option," I said. "So if somebody did trade in slaves, they'd be directly opposed to Phoenix, right?"

"He's in a strong position," Finn said. "Yeah, there's always talk, but for the moment, most of us are pretty satisfied with our lot. Not enough time has passed since Fionnuala for any of us to get ratty about the changes."

"It's been a while," I reminded him.

He pointed at his chest. "Fae. _Old_."

"Still," Ember said thoughtfully. "Your fae customer base went down when I started working here."

He waved a hand. "My entire customer base went down when you started working here, Ember."

"That's another thing," I said. "Is bad luck a thing?"

"It can be," he said. "Or the appearance of it can be a cover for something else. A curse of some kind. But business... who would want to put me out of business?"

Ember reached out and slapped Finn's shoulder. "An enemy of Phoenix, duh."

"Or an enemy of mine," I said. "Nobody I know has a booming business lately."

"Fuck slaves," Finn said. "If anyone is targeting my business, I want to know about it. Gabe didn't give me this place just so I could run it into the ground." He held my gaze. "I'll find out anything I can. If there are any rumblings amongst the fae, you'll be the first to know. You'll deal with it, right?"

I nodded my agreement then looked over my shoulder. Carl and the succubus were gone.

# 9

I spent most of the following morning on the phone. So many things were happening, so many hints and clues were right out of our reach, and nobody could tell me anything for sure. There was nothing like a bout of helplessness to keep my rising self-esteem in check.

Moses had an update. The loan sharks hadn't returned yet, but he had been asking around about the protection racket.

"It doesn't make sense," he said. "Nobody knows anything. Nobody's heard anything. Nobody's fighting over territory. Nobody's sold guns to any new players."

"So they're not new."

"Then why haven't I heard anything about them?" He sighed heavily over the phone. "And I got one big dog's back up about it. He's off on the hunt himself now, trying to find whoever's getting in his way. Not that he noticed until I gave him a heads-up about it."

"Wait." I switched the phone to my other ear. "He runs the same kind of thing?"

"Nah, but if anyone needs protection, it'd be from his gang, yeah? So whoever's running this is automatically his opposition. That's the way he thinks. He's going after whoever it is, and we'll see if he finds them."

I really hoped we hadn't just kicked off even more trouble. "So no news at all from the loan sharks? Shay's taking a look into it, too."

"Nah, nothing much. The place is rattling, though. Even me ma. I'm definitely leaning toward the non-human species for this. The brethni haven't picked up anything, but there has to be magic involved. Or something."

"I agree. Someone with power must be behind this, so be careful. We've no idea what we're dealing with. Could just be an ancient player needing to get back in business."

"They might find there's no room for them." I heard him light a cigarette in the background. "How's your man who got shot?"

"He's fine, but the shooter is gone. Some mix-up got her out on bail. I don't know. Turns out they never even had her actual name."

He let out a low whistle. "Jaysus, I wish I'd had a mix-up like that once or twice."

"Only once or twice?" I said wryly.

"Sometimes you _want_ to get inside." He followed that with a husky laugh. "And on that note, I'll let you go. Keep your phone on. I'll be calling you first if anything happens."

After the phone call, I sat at my computer and scrolled through newspaper articles. A week never went by without some crappy clickbait article designed to whip people up into a frenzy. The reporter's name was the same every time: Áine O'Neill. A terrible black-and-white photo of a meek-looking young woman appeared next to her name.

I spent the next two hours reading Áine O'Neill's old articles. She had begun her career at that particular newspaper with non-biased, carefully balanced articles that were engaging and fact-checked—the latter alone made her stand out from the crowd. And then one week—boom! Somebody else seemed to be doing her writing. Anti-supernatural rhetoric, angry accusations of corruption, and embellished crime rates—even the bylines were ridiculously over the top. If Áine O'Neill had a point to make, it wasn't designed to help anyone sleep at night.

I called the newspaper's offices and asked to speak to Áine. The receptionist put me through to her line, but there was no answer. After a couple more tries that afternoon, I finally left a message, asking her to call me. It was probably nothing. Maybe a particular incident had caused her to change her focus, or perhaps her boss was leaning on her to be more sensationalist. But I saw no harm in following it up.

Jessica called me while I was eating a sad little dinner for one. As my first lost soul, she had helped me close a door on an unpleasant chapter of my life. The teenager had been a mess in a lot of ways, but freeing her of a shadow that had haunted both of us since birth had been good for her. After our time together, she moved with her father to settle in England, but we'd kept in touch. We were the only tainted nephal either of us knew.

"How are you and your dad?" I asked. "And Parker, of course."

"Everyone's doing great. I spoke to Gerard. He definitely wants to talk to you. He just needed the right time. Your face is well-known, after all."

"When can we meet?"

"How does this evening sound?" she asked. "I'll text you directions, but he wants to meet at a restaurant after dark. He won't be able to stay long."

"Busy man?"

"More like a paranoid one. But you know how it is."

I did. It was easy to feel paranoid when everyone really was out to get you.

"I don't have anything else on," I said. "I'll be there. Thanks for setting this up, Jess."

"After everything you've done for me, it was the least I could do. You should come over to see me this summer."

"How is it over there? Anything strange?"

She laughed. "There's always something strange."

"But not strange like slave markets or human games, right?"

"Not that we've heard." She paused. "We can dig deeper."

"Stay out of trouble, but if you hear anything, let me know."

We caught up on personal gossip for a bit before hanging up. I was excited to meet with Gerard. As far as I could tell, he was the person people went to when they wanted to make new lives. He had to have come across ex-slaves with stories to tell.

After dark, I headed into the city centre to meet with Gerard. Following Jess's instructions, I ended up on a tiny side-street full of quaint cafes and restaurants that could fit no more than ten people at a time. I found the right restaurant—a dimly lit Italian place that smelled like heaven.

Inside, Gerard was already waiting. He waved me over, and I sat across from him. We were the only customers, so we could talk freely, which was good, considering how close together the tables were positioned.

"I've booked the place," he explained as the hostess shut the door and turned the open sign to closed. "Old favours."

Gerard was human, as far as I could tell. His grey hair was long around the ears and the nape of his neck, but he was balding on top. He had a pleasant, bland face that was easily forgettable. He was soft-spoken, but bulky, built more like a boxer than anything else.

"I'm glad you could make it," he continued. "Jessica told me you have concerns about the slave trade."

"There's been evidence," I said carefully. "I just need to know if it's a one-off."

"A one-off?"

I fidgeted with the salt mill. "As in, if somebody made a deal to exchange their great-great-great-grandchild for something."

"Ah. It's been years since I've come across that kind of situation."

I looked at him. "So it's possible?"

"Anything is possible. Tithes were common at one stage."

"What, like a tax?"

"Of sorts." He frowned. "Not much is known about how it began, but certain families would control regions of the country. As the poor handed their crops to landowners, others handed over their children to appease those more powerful. Churches would take in children in lieu of donations, although that quickly died. I'm convinced tithing began as a positive, actually."

"Children tax is positive?" I shivered. "Not with you there."

"Think about it," he said. "We were once a dreadfully poor country. Families were larger than could be sustained. All of those mouths had to be fed. So the rich and powerful would take a child to ease the household's burden. The child would become an unpaid servant, destined to live out their years at the beck and call of a rich household. Now, occasionally, they were taken to be adopted, sometimes to be the playmate of a child, a nurse to a sickly one. Later, families would exchange a child for a period of time to cover a debt when the harvest failed. As time moved on, the tithed children most certainly grew into slaves, and brands were used as though they were cattle. Families in which magic ran in the blood were particularly susceptible. A number of children might be taken if they showed talent."

"So that's how the slave trade began here? As tithes?"

"From the little we know for sure, it's what I personally believe. I hear a lot of stories, spoken history passed down through generations. Sometimes, the stories connect in ways I cannot ignore. And some debts are long-lasting, even in a modern world." He looked up and smiled as the hostess brought us a rectangular pizza dripping with toppings. "House special," he said. "I hope you don't mind."

The server cut us each a massive slab. Gerard picked up his knife and fork and dug in enthusiastically. "I don't often eat out," he explained when the woman left us alone. "But when I do, it's at the best little places."

"It's good." I took a sip of water, keeping my focus on his reaction. "Have you heard anything recently about slavery?"

"There was one that might interest you," he said. "Not exactly recently, but it got me thinking about your situation. There was a woman, older than you, tired. The life had been drained out of her. She came to me in the dead of night and cried for three days straight. I saw her brands, thought she was scared, but it wasn't that."

"So what was it?"

"She wasn't a slave any longer. She had been indentured to work off a debt belonging to a relative, I believe." He wiped his mouth with a napkin. "There was a time when women were the ones used to pay off the debts of males because the men were more likely to be needed in the fields. Some traditions take longer to die than others."

"Shocking," I said wryly.

He smiled. "It will always be the bad acts of a few that history remembers. Now, this woman was a child when she was sent away. Generally, an indentured slave was taken until they no longer served their purpose. Old age or illness would end the deal, and the slave may or may not have been replaced. In any case, some were sent away before their time was up."

The pizza tasted like cardboard all of a sudden. My deal with the Eleven was an indentured servitude of sorts. I wondered what would get me cut off before my one hundred years were up. "So she got old and was kicked out. That's why she was crying?"

"Not in this case." He shrugged. "Although some don't know how to live without being told what to do. In this woman's case, she was able to earn years off her... sentence."

My fork froze in mid-air. "How?"

His gaze turned sad. "By giving them her baby instead. She purposely got pregnant to free herself. The child took twenty years off her sentence, and she earned her freedom. The child, on the other hand, wasn't bound by the same deal so would likely be used up until death, despite the years of service the mother had already invested."

That took a moment to sink in. "She gave her child to the people who enslaved her in order to free herself? Despite knowing the child had no hope of freedom?" I shuddered.

"She was tired," he said. "She couldn't take it anymore."

"Wait," I said. "What happens to children who are born to slaves if their mothers don't trade them?"

"They're sent away," he said. "Who knows what happens next?"

"Meaning they could be slaves anyway," I said slowly. "So what's the point?"

"To encourage breeding, perhaps. To a young woman, twenty years wouldn't free her, most likely. It would take a number of births, a number of children. It's a trade-off. One temporary slave for three born in the business."

"That's sick."

"Don't underestimate desperation. Anyhow, her story came to me after I spoke to Jess. The only way a newborn child would be branded with a slave mark is if they were born into a house of slavery. It takes time and planning to kidnap a child, and even a child owed would need to be older than a couple of days."

"So the mother is..." I hesitated. "Or _was_ a slave. What happens to the slaves who are no longer indentured?"

"They attempt to adjust. Some make it. Some... don't."

"Can I speak to her?" I asked. "The woman in your story."

He shook his head. "She killed herself less than a year later."

"So it was all for nothing," I said in disgust.

"As you yourself said, it's possible the children would be used as slaves elsewhere, either way. She earned herself some freedom and found she couldn't enjoy the taste of it."

"I don't know how this helps me."

"Neither do I, but I thought I would share it anyway. I used to make lists that might be more useful."

I continued eating. "What kinds of lists?"

"Whenever slaves came to me for help, I would document where they came from, if we could figure it out. Out of all of the names and addresses, there may be one you're looking for. I have the books in safekeeping, but I could share them with you, if you're interested."

"Anything I can get, I'll take," I said. "Thank you."

"I'm glad to help, but..." He reached out and patted my hand. "Don't think too badly of people like the woman in my story. When a person grows up the captive of another, they have to learn from scratch upon their freedom. Sometimes, that insight comes too late. For some, it brings more regret than they could bear."

As we finished eating, Gerard gave me insight into how the government could more properly help people who had been exiled or held captive in one way or another. So many people were still in hiding, unable to trust even the new world we had created.

I walked home slowly that night, my mind full of information. Somebody had tried to get Noodle away from slavery—somebody I had been supposed to meet. Sometimes I worried that an unknown entity was pulling all of the strings, and none of us were thinking for ourselves.

Back at the cul-de-sac, Phoenix was waiting on my doorstep, at the front door for a change. He sat there, his long legs stretched out in front of him, and watched me approach.

"Don't bother apologising," I said, leaning over him to open the front door. I stepped aside to let him in.

"I wasn't going to."

I instantly regretted letting him in. "Why the hell did you come here then?"

He blinked and leaned against the wall in my hallway. "You just told me not to bother apologising."

I slammed the front door shut and stormed into the kitchen, throwing my jacket on a chair. He followed me, and it took everything not to pick up the kettle and throw it at him. "You're aggravating as hell. I hope you know that."

"I did come here to explain. And to ask you something, but mostly to explain." He sat at the table. "I did the right thing, taking the child to the home."

"Why, because the witches said so?" Blowing out an irritated breath, I started making coffee just to give my hands something to do that didn't involve punching fae princes right in the nose.

"No, because we can't have any distractions. Sit down, please."

I slammed the door of the press and sat at the table, just to see his face as he spoke. But my blood still hummed in my veins. "Right thing to do," I echoed. "So why do I feel like you betrayed me? _Twice_."

"You know me better than anyone," he said. I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up his hand to stop me. "It's true. I am more myself around you than others, and I thought that would help you understand why the child is no longer here."

"It doesn't," I said sharply.

"I can see that." He studied my face. "But you're not so angry that you're unable to listen to me." He cocked his head to the side. "No, you're hurt."

"Just get on with your story," I said. "I'm not interested in a diagnosis of my emotional state, thanks."

"My children were slaves," he said. "My wife ended up amongst slaves. But for the grace of some higher power, you may have ended up there yourself. And I know what it's like to wish for freedom. Leah, Val, Emmett, so many people in her life share the same experience—or narrowly avoided it."

"Then you understand why the people here would never let anything happen to the baby."

He laid a hand on his chest. "But _I've_ been there, too, just in a different set of circumstances. And the thought of slavery existing in my country, after everything we've worked for, sickens me."

"Join the club," I said sardonically.

He licked his lips, biding his time in a way that made me shift in my seat. "I haven't let it go, you know. My mother's actions. She was the one in charge of it all, and I am her blood. It's my responsibility to clean up after her crimes. _I_ have a responsibility to ensure nothing of her is left behind. I have to do whatever it takes to stop my mother's reign from being repeated. It's the only thing I really have, Ava. The only thing that can't be taken from me."

"What? Revenge?" I leaned back in my chair and folded my arms. "That's not a thing to have. It's a shield sometimes, maybe even a weapon, but it's not something you _have_. It has you. And if you keep letting it lead you around by the nose, then you'll never be happy. I want to stop this crap, too. You're right about one thing: half the people I know were either slaves or potential slaves. I mean, how ridiculous is that? I heard a story tonight about a woman earning her freedom by giving her owner a baby. If you think I wouldn't do whatever it takes to stop this shit, then you're off your head."

"I know you understand what's at stake," he said. "But this is something more for me. A sort of tradition I'm bonded to."

"You judged your mother," I said slowly, remembering her death. "That's what you said, right? You were her blood, and you got to judge her."

He looked relieved. "Exactly. I made a kind of oath. Almost like a deal with my ancestors, and it's what drives me. That and finding out what happened during the periods of time when my memories fail me. I must clear off all evidence of my mother's crimes from the earth, and if this new slaver is one of her cohorts, then I must find out what he knows about me and my mother. Don't you see? I'll never be whole until I find out what I lost." He stretched his arm across the table as though reaching for me. "I need you by my side while I do this, Ava, not caring for an infant. I need you to help me. I need... I just need you."

A lump formed in my throat. I had been so stupid to ask him to take Wes's memories. I cleared my throat. "What if the people we're looking for aren't anything to do with you or your mother?"

He deflated. "Then I'll have learned nothing. I'm used to that, Ava. Far too used to that."

"What if it's a paragon?" I asked. Those particular high powers had caused us trouble before.

"The thought had occurred to me," he admitted. "But it doesn't fit. Too many things are happening at once. I'm starting to consider your bad-luck theory as being a viable one." He paused. "I heard you questioned the fae about me."

"The fae." I snorted. "I asked one and a half fae about slavery, not you. And if they went running to tell you, then they're the biggest—"

"It was merely by chance that I heard," he said with a smile. "They were concerned for my safety, and your name popped into the conversation."

"I'm sure it did," I said wryly.

"Do you understand why the baby is better off elsewhere? And why I let your friend have a choice about his memories?"

"I understand... why you made those choices." I shook my head. "I don't have to like it, though. Do you get why I can't trust you now?"

"But you can trust me," he said. "I will never tell another soul everything, but that doesn't mean I would attempt to cause you harm."

"Peter never really intended to cause me harm, either," I said gruffly. "Yet somehow, his secrets and lies managed it all the same."

He studied my face. "I'm not Peter. I'm not as angry or reckless or foolish. I consider my actions carefully, Ava."

"Until you don't." I narrowed my gaze. "You both let vengeance get the better of you to the detriment of everyone else."

He held out his palm. "Do you wish to make a deal?"

My lips quirked upward. "You know I'm not allowed make deals."

"And yet you continue to do so." He smiled, and a flood of warmth ran through me.

_Sucker_.

"If I make a deal with you never to cause you harm by my actions, would that help?"

"No." I lightly slapped his palm with mine. "But thanks for the thought."

He leaned back in his seat, looking genuinely surprised. But I didn't want to tie anyone else to deals. It seemed like a cheat somehow.

"I suppose we've come to my question," he said after a moment. "I want you to go somewhere with me on Friday."

"Where?"

"A... charity event."

"What kind of event?"

He drummed his fingers against the table for a moment before answering. "I suppose it could be called a ball."

"No, thank you."

"You didn't even consider it."

"I don't do... balls. Or dresses. Or uncomfortable shoes."

"Wear what you like," he said. "But it might be beneficial for us to attend. Important people, both supernatural and human, will be there, including the press."

That caught my attention. "You want me to spy on people?"

"I want you to mingle," he said. "As will I. If there's anything we can pick up, then so be it. If not, then we did our bit to contribute to a charitable endeavour."

"I don't think I'm the best person for this," I said. "Callista would be perfect."

"She'll be there," he said. "All of the Senate will. And you'll be able to observe them, who they talk to, that sort of thing."

"You think one of them is involved in our mess?"

He shrugged. "I haven't ruled it out. By Sunday, the witches will likely have found out where the child came from. If, in the meantime, we can pick up any other information, then I look forward to it."

"What if the witches fail?"

He reached across the table for my hand. _"Then_ , I will apologise. And we'll figure out an alternative."

I observed him with suspicion, holding my hands out of his reach. He was being entirely too nice for my liking. "I don't have to wear a dress," I said. "Or heels."

He grinned. "Not wearing a dress will make you stand out more."

I made a face. "There had better be food."

"There'll be lots of food. But also lots of cameras."

"Even Carl would be better at this than me."

He was definitely laughing at me. "Would it help if I said you might have fun? It might be useful for you to network with people who aren't victims for a change."

The glint in his eye dared me to say yes.

"Fine," I said at last. "But I'm definitely not wearing a dress."

# 10

On Friday, Breslin woke me early with a phone call about the shooter. "Alex thinks he's found her," he told me. "The police hadn't even managed to get a real name out of her, but Alex believes he's discovered the truth."

"How on earth did she manage to get out on bail?"

"From the documentation Shay sent me over, her case—and identity—was mixed with another's. Out of curiosity, I've asked him to send over that person's details, too."

"Think they know something?"

"It's possible," he said. "If this other person was due to be released, surely she would have put up a fuss when the time came and she was still stuck inside. The only reason the snafu with the shooter came to light is because Shay turned up to interview her himself."

"I'm on my way," I said. "If none of this is connected, at least we'll have crossed a few points of interest off the list."

"There's a list?"

"Sort of." I smiled. "So what do you really think of Alex?"

I could sense his amusement over the phone. "I think he's trying very hard to be irreplaceable. I respect his enthusiasm. Given his past, it's admirable how he's picked himself back up. He's certainly been useful to me."

"Tell him to look out for mentions of tithes in the books he's researching," I said. "In relation to slavery, I mean. I heard a few stories that make me curious."

"I'll pass it on. Will you be here this morning?"

"Yeah. I need to go clothes shopping later. I'm going to a charity event to spy on people."

"Well," he said. "You certainly lead an interesting life."

"Go me." I sighed. "Give me an hour or two."

I quickly dressed and decided a visit to Carl was overdue. He answered the door after I persisted in knocking for about ten minutes.

"Jesus Christ, what do you want?" he said, running his hands through his hair.

"You look like crap. Haven't you heard of a shower?" I brushed past him. "Get ready. We're going on a field trip today."

"Like hell I am."

I turned to look at him. "I have shit to do, and you're going to do it with me because we don't have time to sit around here, feeling sorry for ourselves while we talk things out. Go get ready. I'll make coffee."

Grumbling, he trotted off to clean himself up. By the time I had made some coffee and a sausage sandwich, he was looking ten times better. But he was still grumpy.

"I don't get what you need me for."

"Moral support," I said.

"You just want to keep an eye on me."

"No, I just miss you."

He rolled his eyes.

I pulled the crust off my bread and threw it at him. It landed in his coffee cup with a satisfying plop.

"Oh, very mature," he said.

"Will you just talk to me? Look, I'm sorry I've been preoccupied, but there's been a lot going on around here."

"You weren't preoccupied when Esther needed you."

I exhaled heavily. "Carl, what was I supposed to do?"

"I don't know!" He shoved his cup away. "But it really seems like you two made plans for me without even asking. Oh, it's grand. Carl will be okay. Maybe I'm not okay!"

"I can see you're not okay. Now tell me why."

"I thought I'd found my place in the world, Ava." He stretched his hands out on the table, looking as though he couldn't sit still in his own skin. "I was starting to feel like I had a life of my own. I had a job, and Esther made me think... she made me think I was over Maria for good. She leaves, letting me think we're going to try to be together when she returns. Then she comes back with a freaking soul mate or some shit, and she doesn't even bother telling me about it. And there you are, all matter-of-fact about my feelings, how I should be happy that Esther's okay. Well, I'm not fucking happy, Ava."

"I know. I'm so sorry, Carl."

"I loved that job," he said bitterly. "And now I've lost it, lost any sense of hope that things were actually getting better, and then a slave baby shows up. Of all things." He frowned. "Where's the baby?"

"Phoenix and some witch took her away," I said. "They reckon she's safer with them." I shrugged. "The baby might have magic, so the coven think she's their responsibility. And they're trying some spell to see if they can figure out where she came from."

"Oh. That's shit. But it still doesn't excuse you at the bar. Acting like you own me. I'm not yours, Ava. You can't keep getting possessive all of the time."

"You realise what it looked like," I said. "I felt like I was back in the past... I've been feeling that a lot lately."

"Because of Wes?"

"Wes, slaves, even you. I feel like I'm totally out of control, like there's no safety net anymore."

"Me, too." He leaned forward to rest his chin in his palm. "Stop making me feel sorry for you."

"I'm sorry for acting the way I have been." I took his free hand in mine. "You know you're my best friend. I just thought if I explained how it was for Esther that you'd understand. This mate thing is crazy. It's like love at first sight or something. She'll always be a shifter. She needed to come to terms with what that means, and Patrick helped her do it. I'm sorry if you feel I took her side or wasn't there for you. That wasn't my intention. Ever. And I'm especially sorry I made a holy show of you in the bar in front of your succubus friend."

"That last bit might come across better if you didn't sound so sarcastic."

"Oh, come on. Cut me a little slack. I've been stressed, too."

"Fine." He waved a hand and sat back in his chair. "What have I missed?"

I caught him up on everything, including the ball, which made him laugh hysterically for five minutes. "Okay," he said at last. "I'll keep you company today. If only to make jokes at your expense when you try on dresses."

I let him have that because I was glad he was no longer mad at me. I was used to Carl's mood swings, but the highs and lows had grown so dangerously disparate that I feared he would up and leave someday.

When we stood to leave, I drew him in for a bear hug. "I missed you, you big oaf."

"Let's not get soppy." But he kissed the top of my head, and I knew I was forgiven.

He drove us to the offices to see Breslin. Alex was waiting, hopping from one foot to the other in his apparent excitement.

"I found her!" He held out the door for us and followed us to Breslin's office. "I took the mugshot and did a reverse image search until I found some profiles online that could have matched. I have, like, three possibilities, but I'm leaning towards one of them. You can see what you think. Or we could—"

"That'll be fine," I said, exchanging an amused glance with Carl.

Breslin's office was absolutely covered in books and papers. I stepped gingerly around piles, unable to find a seat.

"Sorry about the mess," he said, turning a laptop around for me to see. "Alex has three profiles here for you to look at."

I took a quick look before choosing the final one. "This is her. Jennifer Boyle. That guy in the background was with her little gang. Can we print this out, too?"

"On it," Alex said, quickly retrieving the laptop and leaving the room.

Breslin breathed a sigh of relief. "He'll only be a few moments. That sealed box in the corner is for you, if you wish to take it. Some information you might find interesting, if not pertinent to your questions."

"Thanks."

Alex returned in record time with photos and directions. "I don't know her exact address, but you could knock around doors and ask. Or I could—"

"We'll handle it," Carl said, taking the information from Alex, who looked mildly disappointed.

I grabbed the box, and we returned to the car with what we needed.

"This is going to be awkward," Carl said. "Knocking on doors and asking if anybody has seen this girl."

"You're charming. It'll be fine. Besides, we can just ask where her family lives."

"What if her family is involved?" he said as he pulled away from the offices. "Might get dangerous. Shouldn't you be giving this information to Shay?"

"I will. _After_." I folded my arms across my chest. "This bitch tried to shoot me."

He snorted before stopping for coffee at a nearby garage. Back on the road again, we tried to make sense of the things I had learned along the way. When said out loud, it really wasn't much.

The shooter lived in an affluent part of Dublin. "Smells like money," Carl joked.

"This could all be a couple of rich kids playing games," I said. "But I doubt it." I dug into the box that Breslin had given me. The books included a few diaries I'd kept out of Carl's sight, a ledger book, and a couple of random items that I wasn't sure would be of any use. I flipped through the ledger then paused and skimmed the page I was on.

It was a list of items, trades or deals of some sort, all written in tiny, faded writing. And amongst the names, right after each other, were Phoenix and Helena. After Phoenix's name was a design of some sort, kind of like a family crest, and after Helena, a word had been written and scribbled out until it was no longer legible. And across the page, after Phoenix, it said "to be confirmed." After Helena, it said "traded."

I slammed the book shut. What the hell did that mean? What dealings did Phoenix and Helena have with Mrs. Yaga?

"What's up?" Carl asked.

"Nothing," I lied. "Just tired of squinting at bad handwriting."

I moved on to another book. It was even harder to read, but there were no familiar names within. The newest book was more of a diary. Mrs. Yaga had gotten slack in her old age. I came across an entry that said: "Found the tainted nephal. It will work." I immediately assumed she meant me, but then I caught the date—half a century before I was born. This was getting weirder.

"You sure you're okay?" Carl asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just weird. I found an entry in Mrs. Yaga's diary about a tainted nephal."

"She recorded meeting you?"

"No, it was before I was born. So it's somebody else."

He glanced at me. "I thought you were supposed to be rare."

"Yeah, me, too. I wonder what happened to this one?"

"They lived happily ever after."

I looked at him askance.

"I'm serious," he said. "Let's just assume they had a great life somewhere." He frowned. "Think they're still alive?"

"I've no idea. They must be old. Maybe we do that—live long lives, I mean. When we're not hunted down and killed."

"Oh." He shot me a worried look. "You're going to outlive me."

"Why would you even say something like that?"

"I wouldn't like to outlive you," he said. "That would be boring."

"Seriously, stop talking."

"We're here now anyway." He pulled off the road sharply, giving me a minor heart attack. "Give me a photo."

When I wasn't fast enough to separate the photo from the rest of the pages in my hands, he whipped it away himself. Maybe I wasn't completely forgiven then.

"Right," he said, taking one last look at the shooter's photo. "I'll start on the other side of the road while you take this one. We'll meet up at the end."

He was out of the car before I could reluctantly agree. I wasn't looking forward to knocking on doors and asking questions. The first couple of houses were empty—realising nobody was going to answer was a strangely delicious relief—and the next was occupied by a suspicious old woman who didn't like my hair and wasn't afraid to repeatedly tell me so.

I was starting to think I should have stayed in bed when Carl whistled to catch my attention. I said goodbye to the old woman, who muttered under her breath, then I ran across the road to where Carl was waiting outside a house.

"Got an address," he said. "Nice lady knew exactly who I was looking for. The Boyles are not a popular family, apparently. Bad attitude. Definitely human though."

"She told you all that?" I looked at the house in surprise. "I could barely get anyone to answer the door."

"I have the magic touch," he said. "Come on. It's around the corner."

We found the right house. A middle-aged man answered the door and refused to let us in when we mentioned his daughter.

"She ran away," he said. "I've no idea where she is."

"Mr. Boyle, you do know she was arrested, right?" I said. "For shooting someone."

"Ridiculous," he said, but he looked a little frightened. "Jenny could never... where would she even get a gun?"

"That's what we'd like to know, sir," Carl said. "Did you pay the bail money?"

The man folded his arms, looking haughty. "I did not pay for anything. She's caused me enough trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Carl asked.

"Never you mind." Mr. Boyle shook his head. "It's nothing. She's not..."

He made to close the door, but I blocked his way.

"She's disappeared," I said. "There's going to be a very public investigation into this. The newspapers will find out and ream your family because of it."

"I don't know where she is," he insisted. "I haven't given her any money."

"Do you have access to any of her bank accounts or savings?" Carl asked.

"I can get it," the man said, looking relieved to be helpful. "I can freeze them. They're all connected to my account."

"That would be a good idea." I pushed a photo in front of him. "Do you recognise this young man?"

He made a face. "That's her boyfriend. What's his name? Something Foley, I think. An annoying little prick if ever I met one." He nodded. "You know what? I bet he got the gun." He lowered his voice. "He's not even human."

"Yeah?" I said. "Neither am I."

He stuttered an apology before handing over every scrap of information he could remember about Jennifer's boyfriend. "His family are tough," he warned. "I'd be careful if I were you."

I bared my fangs. "I'm always careful."

He had slammed the door before I finished the sentence.

"You have to stop intimidating people," Carl said. "He could have had more information."

"Stop trying to spoil all my fun." I checked my watch. "Shit, the time it is. I have to head into town to pick something up to wear. Will you _please_ come with me?"

"Yes, I'll come with you." He led the way back to the car. "What about the boyfriend? Think he's hiding the shooter?"

"Maybe. He didn't expect the bit about the gun, but he sounded kind of resigned to the fact she might be in trouble. Maybe he's right, and this Foley family are in charge. Should we take a quick look before passing this on to Shay?"

"Might as well follow through," he said. "And if they're as tough as Mr. Boyle reckons, I'll even let you off your leash." He grinned at my pained expression. "Come on then."

We drove across town to the boyfriend's home. His neighbourhood wasn't half as posh as Jennifer's. The Foley family lived over a corner shop that had been closed down. We knocked at the door, and a woman answered it, flour all over her hands. She recognised me and took a step back.

"Foley, right?" Carl said.

The woman nodded, her eyes darting from Carl back to me.

"Where is he?" I asked. "Is the girl here, too?"

"What girl?" she said, recovering. "I'm confused. Are you looking for my son or my husband?"

"Your son's girlfriend is a wanted criminal," Carl said. "Is Jennifer Boyle hiding here?"

"Absolutely not." The woman stiffened. "We keep to ourselves, keep our noses clean. Austin causes no trouble."

"Austin's your son?" Carl said.

She nodded. "He's a good boy. _No trouble_."

"Then why was your son involved with a gun-wielding gang who were running a protection racket across town?" I asked.

She swallowed hard then called her husband, who seemed just as shocked as she was. I couldn't tell what kind of supernatural creature they were, but it hadn't brought them any prosperity. And they certainly weren't "rough."

"The police will be back to ask you more questions," I said more kindly as it became apparent that both parents were scared out of their wits. "Be prepared for that. Jennifer is the one we're looking for specifically right now, but Austin is a witness. He'll have information we need, too."

"What will they do to him?" the father asked.

"Ask him questions," I said. "What happens next depends on his answers. If you see him, I'd advise him to cooperate."

We left them there, clinging to each other, and I felt sorry for them both.

"You're strict," Carl whispered as we walked away.

"Not even gonna smile, never mind laugh. I still have to buy something to wear. This is the worst day ever."

"So is this event thing a date or what?" Carl asked.

"I think it's a job," I said. "Phoenix wants me to mingle, see if there's anything I can find out."

"But you're his date to this thing, right?"

"No, I'm..." I had no idea what I was in relation to Phoenix, charity events or otherwise. "A friend?"

"You don't sound convinced." He guided me to the car then patted my head as though contemplating something.

Frowning, I waited for him to unlock the car. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Phoenix is pretty tall. How do you even—"

"Do not finish that sentence if you value your life," I said as fiercely as I could manage in public without drawing attention to us.

He grinned, but he piped down until we got into the car. "Who's going to be at this thing anyway?"

"All of the Senate, reporters, I don't know, important people?"

"And little old Delaney is going to be joining them." He rubbed his hands together before starting the car. "That settles it."

"Settles what?"

"We're going to make them all notice you."

I tutted and looked out the window. "I think you've forgotten that I don't actually want to be noticed."

"I know you like Phoenix. You're going _shopping_ for him." He started the car. "He's seen you all grubby and normal. Now we need him to see you when you're done up like a little cracker."

I gave him an are-you-serious look.

"Hey," he said. "I've only seen you look grubby, too, so I don't even know if it's possible that you scrub up well, but we might as well try."

I thumped his arm as hard as I dared, but he was too busy laughing to notice.

"Does this mean we're best friends again?" I demanded. "Because otherwise, there will be payback for this conversation."

He grinned. "You know you're my favourite person."

The mischievous glint in his eye said I still had some punishment to undergo.

# 11

On Saturday morning, I called Shay to fill him in on everything.

"Does this mean I'm no longer in the bad books?" he asked.

I was about to laugh, but he actually sounded serious. "If the witches pull off their spell, then I'll be glad for the help," I said. "But I still feel screwed over. You could have at least warned me."

"Would that have made it easier or harder?" he asked.

"I don't know, but I'm not a big fan of surprises."

"Speaking of surprises." He cleared his throat, and his tone grew wary. "I've heard a rumour that I'll be seeing you later."

"Oh," I said. "At the charity thing? Don't worry. I'm just there undercover. I won't get in the way."

He chuckled. "Undercover? If you're Phoenix's date, I'm pretty sure you'll be the main topic of conversation."

"Shut up," I said, ignoring the unspoken question. "Have you talked to Moses yet?"

"No, should I?"

"Probably. He's been doing some undercover work of his own. Oh, and thanks for the stuff you sent over to Breslin."

"Just don't spread the word," he said. "I break rules these days. It's not something I want getting out."

"Any updates on the emergency number failure?"

"Soon," he said. "I'm getting close."

That afternoon, Carl and Anka dragged me over to her place to get ready. Carl distracted me while Anka curled my hair and did my makeup. Afterward, I admired myself in the mirror. "Wow," I said. "You almost made me look like a girl."

Dita giggled in the corner, while Anka said some very bad words in Polish. "You are a woman," she added in English. "Stop making fun of yourself."

I made a duck-lips face at Dita, who laughed all over again.

Carl had helped me pick out a dressy trouser suit that likely wouldn't draw too much attention. Due to his encouragement, I had caved on the shoes and fallen for a pair of heels that I would never be able to walk in. As I stumbled around Anka's kitchen, I brushed off her concerns. "I'll just sidestep around the walls. It's no big deal. It's not like I'll need to move very fast."

She muttered under her breath. I caught Carl staring at me.

"What?"

"My little girl's growing up," he said with a faux sniff.

"Shut _up_." I glanced out the window and saw Emmet playing on his own. "Come on, you," I said to Dita.

"Where are we going?"

"Outside to make friends again."

She moaned but let me drag her outside to Emmett. I started by dragging then eventually needed to lean on her for support. Emmett stood there, looking embarrassed, as I shoved her toward him.

"You're best friends," I said. "Stop being stubborn, and make things up."

Dita folded her arms, while Emmett scuffed the toe of his shoe against the ground.

"Emmett," I said warningly, "you know what to do."

"I'm sorry," he said at last. "I didn't think you were going to get hurt, or I would never have—"

"You think I'm mad because I got hurt?" She put her hands on her hips, and he immediately looked as though he wanted to be anywhere else. "I'm mad because you're a bully, Emmett Brannigan. Nick's my friend, and you made everything awful, and now you're going to say sorry for the one thing that happened by accident? Are you kidding me?"

He mumbled something under his breath.

"I can't hear you," she said, sounding a lot like her mother all of a sudden.

"I said I'm sorry I was mean to Nick. I won't do it again. If he comes back... I'll be nice— _nicer_ —to him."

"Well, good," she huffed.

A limo pulled into the cul-de-sac, and Dita forgot all about her anger. "Emmett, look at the car! Come on!"

She ran over, but Emmett lingered, a sullen look on his face.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Why do you like _him_ better than my dad? He's so weird and creepy. I don't like him. Why would you?"

I wobbled over to him. "I don't like him better than your dad. But I'm allowed to have more than one friend. And plenty of people think I'm weird, so how can I judge somebody else for the same thing?"

He shrugged.

Peter came to the gate. "You look really nice," he said, his jaw clenched and twitchy. "I hope you have fun."

That was for Emmett's benefit, but I was still impressed. "Thank you," I said, meaning it.

He smiled a sad, resigned smile that didn't wipe the harshness from his expression, then Carl had my hand and was helping me to the limo.

Phoenix had gotten out of the backseat to greet me. He smiled at my appearance. "No dress, but those are certainly heels."

"I went shopping with someone who wanted to punish me, and I bowed to peer pressure," I said. "Let's get this over with then."

He held out the car door—obviously having taken lessons in unnecessary chivalry from Shay at some stage—then got in beside me. I waved at the others as the car drove out of the cul-de-sac.

"Overdoing it a tad?" I remarked when Phoenix offered me a glass of champagne.

"This car will be a junker compared to the others," he said, relaxing in his seat.

An uncomfortable feeling wormed its way up my chest. "Phoenix, exactly how much were the tickets to this thing? I mean, what do I owe you?"

He waved a hand. "I bought them months ago. I can't even remember now. Besides, I invited you. You don't owe me a thing."

"Who were you going to bring with you?"

"What?"

"You said you bought the tickets months ago. You asked me to go a couple of days ago. Who had you planned on taking with you?"

"Lucia." He shrugged, his mouth downturned. "I didn't expect her to leave again."

"No sign of Lorcan coming home then?"

"Not yet," he said. "Although Elathan is making plans to return, I believe."

I already wanted to kick off the shoes. "So what exactly do you want me to do tonight then?"

"Enjoy yourself."

"I mean really."

"Mingle. Listen to conversations. Observe. It'll be good for you to see how certain people tick in this kind of situation." He reached out and touched my knee. "Sit with me at dinner." He squeezed. "And know that the child is safe and the witches are almost done with their spell."

I thought about how fearful Emmett had looked when Phoenix arrived. It made the guilt twist inside me. Between that and the reminder of Phoenix taking away Noodle, I inched away, just out of his reach. I felt him looking at me, but I gazed out the window as the car made the relatively short journey across the Liffey to a hotel so posh that it took a concentrated effort on my behalf just to walk by the place on an average day.

We ended up in a queue outside. I hadn't expected many people. Between protesters, reporters, and curious passersby, the pathway was packed out.

"What's going on?" I blinked as lights flashed around the car. "Why are there cameras?"

"I told you the media would be represented."

"I thought you meant inside as guests!"

"That, too." He still looked completely relaxed.

I peered out the window. "There are so many of them. And the protesters look like they've brought everyone they've ever met. Don't you think somebody should deal with Humans First _before_ they get into politics?"

"They're harmless," he said.

"What's this event for anyway?"

"The opening of a new clinic, I think. I forgot to check. Some businessman agreed to double the funds raised tonight."

"You don't sound very interested."

He shrugged. "It'll end up privatised, and he's bound to have a stake in it. Not exactly charitable. The old clinic will be completely public. They need the funds more."

"Then why go to this thing?"

"There's more than one reason to attend something like this," he said cryptically.

The driver opened the door, and Phoenix got out. He helped me out and held out his arm for me to hold on.

"I couldn't let you fall on the red carpet," he said, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"The _what_ carpet?" And there it was, complete with Z-list wannabe celebrities. "I'm going to kill you," I whispered as menacingly as I could manage. "I'm going to rip out your heart and feed it to the werewolves."

He patted my hand on his arm. "You mean you're not going to smile for the cameras, Ava?"

"Oh, you're a dead man," I said with my best smile.

We strolled up to the doors, as I tried my best not to trip over my own heels.

"You are the worst person of all time," I said when the cameras were behind us. "And I'm never, _ever_ going to... oh, wow."

Inside the hotel was stunning. Staff lined the foyer, wearing freshly pressed uniforms and serving alcoholic drinks. Bouquets of fresh blossoming flowers were everywhere. The floor was marble, and the largest chandelier I'd ever seen hung below a beautiful ceiling mural of seraphim watching over a nursing mother. I wondered what my mother had looked like before she was sent to earth to play at being human.

"Does this mean you like it?" Phoenix asked, sounding amused.

"It's... something else." I looked up and noticed he was staring at me intently. "What?"

"I find it refreshing to see the world through your eyes." He nodded ahead of us. "This is just the beginning."

He led me through the massive doors and into the event room before I could protest. My sensory system immediately went into overload. Candles hung from the walls, and the flames reflected against dozens upon dozens of crystal vases in various sizes lined up beneath them. Glasses chinked together almost constantly, a violin quartet played at the other end of the room, and the swishing of hundreds of dresses brushing against each other drowned out my increasing heart rate.

"I should probably stake out the kitchen," I said, completely overwhelmed.

"Or I could introduce you to people," Phoenix said, refusing to stop and give me a chance to panic completely.

As we drifted from group to group, I stopped trying to remember people's names. It was all too glamorous for me. I finally managed to escape and find a waiter serving portions of food so small, it was an insult to call them bite-sized. I had discovered I could walk without falling if I took short, quick strides that probably made me look as though I were walking on tightrope, but I didn't care. I stole half the waiter's tray onto a napkin and hobbled over to a pillar to lean on.

I recognised very few faces. I had spotted Shay, looking very dapper in a tuxedo, but he was surrounded by admirers, and I didn't have the heart to get in the middle of that. Most of the Senate were around, charming the room, or at least trying to. I wondered what the ratio of human to supernatural was, but the results of any attempts I made to reach out with my other senses were too overwhelming to be of any use.

I spotted Phoenix in the crowd at the other side of the room. Being so tall, he stood out. His black-and-platinum hair gleamed in the light. It was slicked back into a bun, revealing the angular lines of his face. He looked tired. I hadn't noticed before. Callista was by his side, her hand on his arm as she relayed a story to the group of people around them. I couldn't help watching them. Callista was a siren and possessed that natural magnetism she wasn't scared to overuse. Most of the room was looking at her. She was so tall, blond, curvy, and charismatic—even I had to admit she and Phoenix looked good together.

"It drives her crazy," a woman said.

I looked and saw Layla, Senate representative of the succubi, standing next to me. "What?"

She stole a morsel from my napkin. "Trying to figure him out. I can tell it's slowly driving her insane."

"Okay?"

"We don't like each other." She popped the food into her mouth then spoke around it. "The attention-seeking gets tiring."

"You literally feed on the attention of men," I said.

"Exactly." She stole a teeny meatball. I fought the urge to slap her hand away. "For me, it's feed or die. She just enjoys it. And as you know we don't have a choice, you would think you could cut my people a little slack every now and then."

I rolled my eyes. "If this is about Carl, then don't bother. I've earned the right to be suspicious."

"While it's true that one of ours harmed you, that won't happen again. We're in a good position. We would never do anything to jeopardise that, and I'd prefer it if you wouldn't take your prejudices out on innocent succubi. You don't have the right to judge us as a group, and I don't appreciate the constant attitude."

I looked at her. "I'll do anything to protect my friends, whether they like it or not. I admit I have... an opinion on your kind, but as long as you keep to your brothels, I won't cause you any trouble."

"Not every man who comes to us is looking for sex. Too many of them are lonely, just wishing somebody out there will listen to them. Don't you think _that's_ a valuable service?" She grimaced. "Of course not. You think you're better than us."

"I just care about protecting my friend." I glanced over the crowd. "It's not that I think I'm better. But we all know what happens when people take what they believe they're owed. If I have to make a few enemies to preempt a problem, then so be it."

"So you consider us enemies?"

I managed a smile. "Trust me when I say I can probably trust my enemies more than my friends sometimes. At least your crowd doesn't hide the fact they can't stand me."

To my surprise, she smiled back. "Then trust _me_ when I say I know exactly what you mean."

Somebody beckoned her, and I was left alone again. Bored, I wandered around the room, half-listening to conversations. They were all dull, or rather, no deadly secrets were revealed.

"Ava!" Willow approached me and took my hands, knocking the rest of my food to the floor. She ignored it, a beaming smile on her face. She might have been a little drunk. "I never thought I would persuade you to come to one of these things."

"Oh, well, I—"

"I have a schedule," she said brightly. "I'll send you a copy. We can share a car next time. I believe it's next weekend. James will know." She waved energetically. "Oh, James! James!"

While she was distracted, I made my escape. I didn't get far before tripping and bumping into a young woman, who dropped her bag. Some of the contents spilled out, revealing a disturbing amount of items that could have been used as weapons. She scurried to pick them up, knocking my hands away when I tried to help her. Somebody with that much holy water, stakes, pepper spray, and who knew what else had to be scared of something.

"Are you all right?" I asked her. "Do you need help?"

She looked up at me, her chest rapidly rising and falling. "What?"

I recognised her from the newspaper articles.

"You're a reporter," I said under my breath. "Áine O'Neill, right?"

She froze, her lips shaking as she muttered something incomprehensible. The bell for dinner rang, catching my attention, and the reporter made her escape into the crowd. I got to my feet, grumbling under my breath, and Phoenix came out of nowhere.

"Why were you on the floor?" he asked.

"I needed a rest," I said, nodding at Callista. "Dinner, I suppose."

"You look so nice," Callista said in a friendly manner. I avoided her gaze so I wouldn't get sucked into her vortex of charm. I often wondered if Shay had a great-great-great-grandmother who was also a siren.

"Go on ahead," Phoenix told Callista. "We'll follow you."

Looking a bit miffed, she left us, and he took my arm. "Some women bring flats with them," he said. "To save their feet during the night."

"Now he tells me."

"Anything interesting going on?" he asked under his breath as we walked.

"Nope," I said. "It's as dull as I expected. People are talking about the best side of themselves rather than their secrets."

"At least the dinner should be decent," he said, sounding amused.

"I hope it's better than those teeny-tiny morsels of God knows what they were handing out earlier," I complained.

"For someone so small, you are highly concerned with food."

"Number one: you're the one who's tall. I'm perfectly sized, thank you. And two: food keeps the, er, blood cravings at bay."

"Are they bad?" he asked, sounding more interested than grossed out.

"Not anymore," I said. "Mostly depends on my head space."

"And do you ever... crave mine?"

I shot him an askance glance. "No. And please stop asking questions now."

He grinned and led me to our table. Most people hadn't taken their seats yet. Phoenix sat me to his left then handed me a glass of wine.

I declined. "Wasted on me."

"This is fae wine," he said. "I had them open it for our table."

"Fae wine makes me sleepy in an I-have-to-fall-on-my-face-right-now kind of way," I explained.

"Does it really?" He put down the glass. "How intriguing."

Callista sat to his right. "What's intriguing?"

"A woman's tolerance of pain for the right pair of shoes," he said without hesitation.

Shay took the empty chair to my left. "Where have you been hiding then?"

"Around. Where did your admirers go?" I teased.

"Hopefully, to the other side of the planet." He grinned. "Didn't think you'd make it this long."

"And miss the food? Pfft."

James, the human representative on the Senate, led a vaguely familiar man to the table. "Declan wanted to say hello," he explained.

I recognised the comb-over from the news.

"Oh," Phoenix said coolly. "Hello then."

Declan leaned over the table to shake Phoenix's hand. His comb-over moved with him. My fingers itched to fix it.

"It's been a great night," he said. "I wanted to thank you for your donations, forces me to up mine." His bleached, toothy smile was dazzling. "All in the name of a good cause."

"There are so many good causes," Phoenix demurred.

Declan looked at me and nodded. "That there are." He held out his hand to me. "And you must be the infamous Ava Delaney. How nice to finally meet you."

I shook his hand reluctantly. His palm felt clammy.

He looked far too amused. "Have a great evening, all."

He and James left to sit at their own table.

"Do you think he looks in the mirror and imagines that people can't see his hair?" I whispered to Shay, who nudged me.

"Don't be mean," he said.

Phoenix draped his arm over the back of my chair to get closer to Shay. They spoke about something dull while I surveyed the room, seeking out the timid reporter again. She was sitting at a table by the kitchen doors, her cardigan wrapped over her shoulders. I wondered if the paper had bought her ticket.

She and I were the odd ones out in a room full of people willing to put on a mask. Miss O'Neill didn't disguise how miserable she felt. I found her more intriguing than anyone else. What was with the weapons? Had she been attacked? Was that why her articles had become so vitriolic?

As I mused on her circumstances, noises outside the room caught my attention. Shay stood as his phone beeped, but the kitchen doors burst open, and a crowd of protesters tumbled into the room, tackled by Integration Agents, Gardaí, kitchen staff, and hotel security. They shouted words like _boycott_ and _peaceful protest_ , but there was nothing peaceful about the way they pushed and elbowed their way into the room.

"What the hell is going on?" Shay said.

In the mayhem, another disturbance attracted my attention. Over at Áine's table, a man had jumped to his feet and smashed a bottle of wine. He grabbed a young woman who looked like a glamour model out of her seat. She screamed as the broken glass bottle went to her throat, and that corner of the room appeared to freeze.

The man ripped her dress, revealing fang marks on her bare neck. "The only ones sicker than the monsters in God's eyes are the deviants who allow themselves to be defiled!" He held up the bottle as though in prayer, pulling the girl after him by the hair. One or two Integration Agents stalked him, waiting for their chance to move in, but they also had to deal with the overwhelming number of protesters who had barged in and caused their own ruckus. "The only salvation is to cleanse the dirty from the earth!"

# 12

The room descended into mayhem. Almost everyone who realised what was happening stood at once, and the sound of screeching or falling chairs joined the panicked screams and shouting.

In the wave of movement, the IAs were pushed farther back from the man with the hostage.

"Try to get behind him," Shay murmured. "I'll confront him while the others get that mob out of here." He gestured to a couple of his people then moved on.

I nodded at Phoenix and slipped off my shoes. We separated. I crept around tables to the left of the protester, ducking behind the crowd trying to leave.

Cameras flashed around the room. Half the room seemed too confused to understand what was happening, while others were desperate to leave. Nobody appeared to want to help the girl caught up in the violence. I spotted Phoenix across the room, reaching into his pocket as though for a weapon.

With a rush of clarity, I realised how bad that would be. The cameras were watching our reaction, and if we harmed a human, we would only fuel the hate. There was only one solution: disarming the glass-wielding idiot without harming him or the woman. Easier said than done.

I signalled at Phoenix to wait. He frowned, but his hand dropped. We both continued to force our way through. Phoenix's path wasn't as clear as mine because the scuffles were drawn in his direction.

As though sensing our approach, the lone attacker backed away slowly, finding his way toward the kitchen doors as the Humans First group interfered with security, giving him a clear path. On bare feet, I hurried across the cold, sticky floor. Ducking, I managed to run across the room unnoticed until I came up behind the attacker and his hostage, narrowly avoiding being drawn into the scuffles.

Spotting a shocked-looking Áine O'Neill still seated at the closest table, I picked up her bag, which was heavier than I'd expected, then swung it at the back of the man's head while he had his bottle safely in the air away from anyone's neck. He went down like lead, falling face-first onto the floor.

The woman screamed and ran, and I looked over my shoulder at the reporter. "Seriously, what the hell is in that thing?"

Her eyes widened. "Look out!"

At that second, I was rugby-tackled by a group of protesters who had broken free from security. We all piled into the nearest table, upending the contents so that most of them landed on us. Something wet and sticky slid down my jacket as I squirmed out of the reach of grasping hands. The people sitting at the table were long gone, and a serenade of camera flashes almost blinded me. I managed to crawl away as Shay's team helped sort out the brawlers.

Phoenix helped me to my feet. "Nice work." His lips twitched.

"Not a word," I said, shrugging off my jacket. "That's never coming out, is it?"

I looked around and grabbed a cloth from a passing waiter to help wipe filth off my trousers.

A large man came at me—my presence apparently drove the supernatural haters wild. I sidestepped out of the way as the cameras flashed again. Phoenix dealt with him, shoving him toward a pair of red-faced, extremely pissed-off IAs. Shay and Mick were busy shepherding innocent guests away from the mayhem. James was comforting the weeping model, while Callista spoke loudly, trying to calm the rest of the guests.

The following hour was spent dealing with the madness while I mostly stayed out of the way in case my presence caused more drama. Many of the guests managed to leave while the protesters were being arrested. The more vocal ones swore blind that they had nothing to do with the still-unconscious attacker, but it was a funny coincidence that they had showed up as a distraction right before he attacked.

The female hostage appeared to be completely unharmed, and the worst injuries elsewhere were a couple of bruises. The reporter escaped before I could ask her more questions. The management seemed horrified by my appearance and offered to pay for my dry-cleaning, but I asked for dessert instead.

The place was almost empty. The last of the protesters were being transported to a cell for the night for public disturbance or something equally benign. Shay didn't seem too concerned, figuring that the protesters had just been riled up past their limits and gone into foolish mode. I wasn't sure if the girl who had a glass bottle held to her throat would be as blithe about the whole thing, but then I spotted her posing for the cameras. It was all part of the entertainment in the end.

The drama was unfolding in the foyer and outside, so I went back to my dinner table for some peace. The clean-up crew were the only ones in the room. With a heavy sigh, I sat on a chair, stretched out my legs on a second seat to rest my aching feet, and settled down with my dessert. I had lost my shoes, and my jacket had been murdered by an indistinguishable creamy sauce, but at least I had ice cream to console me.

Phoenix came over, lifted my feet, and sat down under my legs. He watched me eat, his gaze drifting to my mouth and back.

"Would you like some?" I asked pointedly.

He shook his head and smiled, looking away. "Shay's almost done. It's been an interesting evening, no? And you thought you would be bored."

"Remind me not to say stupid things like that again," I said, wincing. "The woman seemed to recover quickly enough."

He shrugged. "She'll tell herself it was nothing so that it's not so scary to deal with."

I held up my bowl. "She should have had the ice cream instead. So what happens to the protesters now?"

"They'll get warnings, most likely," he said. "It would be bad publicity if they all ended up in prison. There are mothers and fathers amongst the group."

"You'd think they'd have better sense then."

"Witnesses outside claim that a couple of people in the crowd riled up the rest," he said.

"I heard one of the IAs say the fool with the bottle had a ticket," I said. "Is he okay? He went down pretty heavy. Stayed down for a while."

"Concussion. He'll spend the night in the clinic. You hit him with a handbag, Ava."

"It was a heavy handbag."

His lips twitched. "My point is that you could have dealt with him... more harshly."

"In front of the cameras?" I said with a snort. "Giving those protesters exactly the reaction they want to prove? No, thanks. There's no going back from that, and I don't want to turn more people onto the side of fanatics."

"Interesting," he said. "I wouldn't have expected you to take that stance."

"Because I'm tainted?" I said sharply.

"Because the alternative is easier. Are you all right?" There went that twitch again. "They hit you pretty hard."

"Don't laugh. I'm fine. The management have offered me pretty much everything as an apology. Hence the ice cream."

He did laugh then. "You saved the day, and all you got was an ice cream."

"I'm happy." I yawned. "And wrecked. I can't wait to get home and into the shower. I'm pretty sure there's wine in my hair."

He reached out and pulled my chair closer to him. He twisted a stray curl around his finger. "Definitely wine." He rested his other hand on my thigh. "You don't have to go home for a shower."

I stared at him.

"We could always stay here tonight," he continued, putting pressure on my leg. "I'm sure they'll find us a place after everything that's happened."

I set down the bowl just to break away from his gaze. I wanted to spend the night with him, but if I didn't go home, everyone in the cul-de-sac would know. Emmett would know. Peter would know. And it would hurt them both. Swallowing hard, I sat up straight, trying to come up with words that didn't sound as lame in my mouth as they did in my head.

"I don't think I can."

"You're not thinking of you, are you?" he said in a low voice.

I met his gaze. "Things I do affect other people, whether I like it or not."

"People aren't supposed to carry their pasts around to berate them when they try to step into the future, Ava. They make choices, and they make mistakes, but they're not supposed to drag their baggage around forever."

"Emmett's important to me."

"And when he's grown and has a life of his own? Are you allowed to have a life of your own _then_ , or is your past still allowed to punish you? When do you get to stop paying for caring about him and his father?"

"It's not like that." My cheeks burned. "And for the record, I'm not saying no."

He leaned closer, a smile creeping across his lips. "Then what are you saying?"

"What are we doing here, Phoenix? What even is this? I mean, where does this end up?"

His smile died. "I'm not looking for another wife, if that's what you mean."

I shoved his chest, but he didn't budge. "I'm not looking for a husband, either, your highness."

He held my gaze. "We're friends, and I like spending time with you."

"I'm glad we're friends," I said, choosing my words carefully. "But do you have a lot of friends that you like to spend time with in hotel rooms?"

He grinned. "Not so many, no. Would it bother you if I did?"

"It's just..." I stared at his hand on my leg. "I do care about you, and the twins, and if things get weird..."

"Why should they get weird?" He tipped my chin to make me look at him. "We've been through many things together since we've met. We're still capable of holding conversations, aren't we?"

"That's true." Still, I had a habit of falling hard for men who were wrong for me.

"Ava, I like... experiencing things with you. Tonight, I know I'd enjoy your company. I don't know where it ends up. I can't see the future." He leaned in and brushed his mouth against my ear. "Will you keep me company tonight?"

He held my gaze, and I wasn't sure if my imagination was particularly vivid or if he had a similar gift to Lucia, but I suddenly saw a flash of us both together, naked and sweating, and it was hard to concentrate on much else.

"I—"

His phone rang before I figured out my answer. He ignored it, but when my phone beeped less than five seconds later, I got worried.

"This could be something." I checked my phone. "It's Noah," I said. "They need help at the children's home."

Phoenix checked his phone, and the colour drained from his face.

"What?" I said. "What is it?"

"The baby," he said. "I'm so sorry, Ava. She's gone."

# 13

"You blame me," he said. Phoenix had kicked the driver out of the limo to drive us himself.

"I'm not blaming anyone," I said, gritting my teeth. Except myself. "Let's just hurry up and find out what exactly happened."

"This could be a good thing," he said after a few minutes. "Whoever took her must have left clues. It makes it clear that—"

"Shut up," I said, clutching the seat. "Just shut up talking about good things until we get her back."

He glanced at me. "You care more about the welfare of the child than the person who took her."

"So?"

"Just an observation."

I glared at him. "I really hope you're not judging me right now, Phoenix."

He murmured something under his breath. I didn't care to work out what it was.

I was still in my bare feet. My jacket was gone—and so was the baby. The baby I was supposed to somehow take care of. The baby who was a slave. The baby who meant _something_. My head went to places I wasn't ready for, and my gut churned at the thought of her fate.

I punched the glove box. It popped open, and I slammed it shut. "For fuck's sake! She was at the children's home. How the hell did somebody take her?"

"That's what we're going to find out," he said calmly. "And we will find out."

"We've found out nothing so far," I said impatiently. "Everything just slips out of my grasp before I can make bloody sense of it. Somebody brought her to me for a reason. All of the things that have been happening have been for a reason, and I feel like I'm the one to blame. I'm cursed."

"Cursed?"

"How else can I explain the bad mojo? Lately, everything I touch fails. It goes wrong, things get twisted, and I..." I blew out a heavy breath. "I try to fix things, to do the right things, and it just blows up in my face."

"This is not your fault," he said. "Calm yourself, or you'll be no help to me when we start searching for her."

"The werewolves," I said. "Can we use them to help?"

"If they can, they will." He reached out and touched my hand, his quiet calm spilling over to my side of the car. "This child will be found."

But what if she wasn't? What if she was harmed because of me? My thoughts spiralled, and numbers threatened to spill off my lips. I had to draw back, rein in my panic, and regain my control. My fangs had even protruded. I made an effort to retract them then concentrated on breathing deeply. I was no use to Noodle if I couldn't even think straight. I had to _think_.

"I don't like the timing," I said after a few minutes of silence. "We're off getting distracted by drama, and somebody snatches the baby."

"Coincidence," he said, but he didn't sound convinced.

Maybe he was thinking along the same lines I was: we'd had plenty of distractions lately. What if even the baby was one?

The journey felt endless, but we finally pulled through the gates of the children's home then took a road away from the main building. "The witches and the child were holed up out here," he said. "Far away from the children's home. In hindsight, she would have been better off with the other children."

"If whoever took her got past a working coven of witches, then maybe it was for the best that the kids didn't get in their way."

Clementine was waiting for us outside a cottage. The windows flickered as though lit by candlelight. "You're here," she said nervously when we got out of the car.

"What happened?" Phoenix demanded.

"We're not sure," she said. "We saw nothing, heard nothing. We were finishing off the spell, then the child was gone. Without a trace."

"How is that even possible?" I demanded.

She looked exhausted. "We were so consumed with the spell that we missed something."

"Is the spell complete?"

"Almost," she said. "In less than an hour, we'll find out where the child was born. Whoever took the child was too late to stop that spell, at least."

"I'm going to check in with the kids," I said. "Just in case any of them heard anything weird."

Phoenix nodded. "I'll take a look around here."

I jogged back to the main building, where Noah and Ari were already waiting for me at the side doors.

"The baby's gone," I whispered under my breath. "Did you see anything?"

"Ari did," Noah said, nudging her.

She looked bored, as though she didn't care, but an excited gleam in her eyes made it past the surliness. "There was smoke. Some kind of distraction spell, I think, but it wasn't like... normal magic."

"How did you see it?"

"I woke up and felt weird. I've been catching bits of magic from the caretaker's cottage, but this felt different. I went to the window, saw the smoke. So I woke Noah, and he missed the smoke, but he heard the car and went to check it out."

"Car?"

Noah nodded. "A black hatchback lingered at the gates with the engine running, then it was gone. When we saw the witches running around, looking freaked out, I texted you. We knew something was wrong, but we weren't sure what happened."

"Aren't there guards on patrol?"

"Not anymore," Noah said. "Not for a while now."

I clenched my fingers into fists. "Of all the... okay, thanks, you two." I heard footsteps and shoved the kids through the doorway and into the kitchen, where I hid with them.

Phoenix and Clementine walked by just in time for me to hear Phoenix say, "Ava believes she's been cursed. Is that something you can help with?"

"After this is over," Clementine said. "I promise I'll—"

Then they were gone. I looked at the others, about to tell them to go to their rooms.

Ari took a step toward me. "I did _not_ curse you."

"I never said you did. I'm not talking about childish pranks, Ari. This is real. Serious. Now, you two, get back upstairs before anyone realises you were gone. If you notice anything else, let me know."

"I can help," Noah said.

"Not with the witches around," I whispered. "I don't trust them."

I left and found Phoenix and Clementine. "Anything?" I asked.

"No trace of anything," Phoenix said.

"Not even magic?" I asked.

Clementine narrowed her eyes. "What are you saying?"

"Nothing yet."

The three of us walked back toward the cottage. A young witch with vibrant blue and purple hues to her hair came running toward us, a gleeful look in her eyes.

"We did it! We found the birth place."

"You have an address?" Phoenix asked.

The woman glanced at Clementine, who nodded. She dug into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "This is it," she said. "This is where the child was born."

Phoenix and I drove alone to the address Clementine had given us.

"Do we trust this?" I asked, my voice still sharp with anger. I blamed Phoenix and the witches for taking the baby in the first place—and myself for letting them. I could have stopped them or done more, and if it had been anyone other than Phoenix, maybe I would have. I'd been blinded. That couldn't happen again.

"We don't have a choice." He glanced at me. "What weren't you saying earlier? Did the children notice something?"

"Noah and Ari. She said she was woken up by some unusual magic. She saw smoke of some kind, and Noah heard and saw a car waiting outside."

"They contacted you first?"

"Noah overheard me talk about the baby," I explained. "I asked him to watch out for anything weird. Tonight counted as weird."

"It surely did," he said. "I find it interesting that magic was used here tonight. Perhaps another coven decided the child belonged to them."

"A stronger coven, obviously," I muttered.

"We don't need a witch war." Phoenix turned a corner as sharply as possible in a limo. "We should have stolen a car."

"Yeah, that will do the Senate's reputation so much good." I frowned. "Did you know there haven't been any guard patrols at night for ages?"

"I didn't." He shook his head. "Something's very wrong with all of this."

"We should get help."

"When we find out what's at that address," he said. "We don't have time to wait. I sent Shay a text, telling him to be ready, but I don't want anybody else getting in the way tonight."

"How should we handle it?"

"The way we handle everything," he said with a cold smile. "Everything gets what it deserves."

I shivered with anticipation. Whoever had stolen the baby was not in my good books. I didn't care that darkness lurked in Phoenix's expression. I was sure I had it, too.

We travelled past Citywest, away from the businesses, until we ended up on a poorly lit road filled with potholes. Our destination was an old house, more of an estate, on a narrow patch of land. The area was dark and deserted. Conspicuously tall walls kept out prying eyes, but the metal gates were wide open and inviting. Nothing to hide. Or a trap.

"This is where she was born," Phoenix said. "But it doesn't mean it's where she is now."

"Can't witches do tracking spells or something?" I got out of the car and slammed the door.

"There's no need to take your bad mood out on the car," Phoenix murmured as he followed me.

I stood outside the gates and looked at the house, reaching out with my other senses. "Doesn't seem like anyone's home."

"The front door is ajar. Perhaps there was a burglary."

I glanced at him. "Is that an excuse for you to go inside?"

His upper lip curled. "I need no excuses."

Side by side, we passed through the gates and strode along a short, well-kept path to the front door. The massive brass knocker had been recently polished.

"You may wait outside, if you wish," Phoenix said.

"Yeah, right." I pushed open the door and stepped inside, holding my breath, waiting for something to happen. Nothing did.

Inside, the building was slightly more modern than it first appeared, but it still didn't look like a home. There were no paintings or pictures on the walls, rugs on the floors, or decorations of any kind. The hallway felt soundless, full of shadowy corners.

Phoenix's shoes echoed as he took a step toward the looming staircase. Wary, I again reached out with my other senses, but there was only Phoenix. My first impressions were correct. The baby, and whoever had taken her, was gone.

"They knew we were coming," I said bitterly. "They must have known. Somebody told them, Phoenix. They had to."

"They may have moved on as soon as the child was left on your doorstep," he said. "I'll look upstairs. You search these rooms. There may be a sign, some clue left behind."

I nodded, pressing my lips together to stop me from losing all control. I headed into the main room—and found nothing comforting there. The building was too large to be a house and too old-fashioned to be a business. I saw no sofas, televisions, computers, or books. But the carpets were well-worn, and the lack of cobwebs made me think the place was regularly used.

The kitchen held some contents, all basics. There were meat and frozen vegetables in the freezer and a carton of sour milk in the fridge. No luxuries.

I searched everywhere, confused by the house, until I found a staircase leading down. I hesitated at the top. I never found anything good at the end of surprise stairwells. Carefully, because my feet were bare, I stepped down into the darkness. I felt the walls for a light switch and thankfully found one. I switched it on, and the place flooded with light. I was at the start of a narrow corridor with doors on either side. Perhaps the house was old enough to have servants' quarters.

I checked each room. They all had four narrow bunks, small shelves, and a tiny wardrobe, but I found no clothes. Some of the rooms were musty, as though they had been closed up for a long time, but others still held traces of scents. People had lived there, and only recently.

I heard Phoenix calling and went back up the stairs to find him. I startled him in the kitchen. "I need you to take a look at something," he said. "What do you make of this place?"

"I'm not sure. There are bunks downstairs, some of them definitely used recently, but the place has been cleaned out almost completely."

He opened the freezer. "There's some food here."

"There's no chocolate or ice cream," I said. "And the freezer is restaurant sized. A lot of people could stay in this place, but as a place to live, it would be extremely dreary."

"Take a look upstairs," he said. "There's a room I need your thoughts on."

I followed him up the creaking wooden stairs. The bannisters smelled like furniture polish, and the carpet runner looked clean but well-worn. The building should have felt like the perfect example of a haunted house, but it was so empty and lifeless that it felt more like a show building, even if things were well-used. It made no sense.

A couple of bedrooms were far more luxurious than anything else in the house. Oddly, though, there were no forms of entertainment. Phoenix pointed me toward a plainer room with a large bed in the middle and a sink to the side.

"Can you smell something?" he asked.

I sniffed. "Bleach, maybe. Cleaning materials. Wait." Frowning, I moved closer to the bed. "There is something." Something metallic and familiar. Not faded. Covered up. "Blood."

I ripped the white sheets off the bed. The mattress was stained with a rusty colour. I blew out a shaky breath. It could have been a death bed or a birthing bed. It was too hard to tell. Not that it mattered. Noodle could be anywhere, on her way out of the country even. I was too many steps behind to help her.

A lump formed in my throat. I had failed her, and I had no clue how to make that right.

To my surprise, Phoenix wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly. "We'll find the child, and we'll find who's responsible." He looked down at me. "Finding her is more important, though."

I tried to smile. "You aren't completely hopeless, Phoenix."

He leaned down to brush a light kiss against my lips. We would find the baby together.

"Did you look everywhere?" I asked.

"I think so," he said. "I found very little. Either this place wasn't used frequently, or it was cleared out completely."

We went back out into the hall. I glanced at the rooms when I passed the open doors, but something didn't make sense.

"I feel like there's a room missing," I said. "Compared to downstairs."

"One bedroom is noticeably smaller than the rest. Perhaps I missed something."

I followed him into the box room. There was no window, but a draft came from the back of the room. There was little in the room to search, but we discovered a false back on the wardrobe, which hid a door.

"Ready?" Phoenix whispered.

I nodded and pushed open the door. My breath hitched when it opened into an office. We stepped through, and all of the coldness from the house disappeared. There was life in that room—warmth and sound, too.

Books had been ripped from the shelves, mostly clearing out the room. Remains of burned books smoked in the embers of a fire. While Phoenix explored the shelves, looking through the little that remained, I searched the desk.

It appeared to be empty, but lying under the desk was a book that had been missed, opened on a very specific page.

The ledger mentioned tithes, and amongst lists of bloodlines and names was Helena's. Even Lorcan and Lucia were mentioned. And across the page, linked by a number of relatives, was another entry on their maternal family tree—the recent birth of an unnamed baby girl. Someone in the family had traded away far too many years of their descendants' lives.

Chilled, I shoved the book away from me. The twins' names were circled as important, just like Helena and the baby's mother, Lavinia. Phoenix took one look at my face and grabbed the ledger. He read the pages, his expression hardening. And I knew then that the baby wasn't as important as the person who'd stolen her. The person who knew all about Phoenix's family. He would never let this go.

I opened an envelope that had fallen out from the back of the book, and a pile of photographs slipped out onto the desk. I saw my face a number of times, along with the faces of my friends, including Phoenix and the twins. A couple of sheets of paper listed our regular comings and goings, times, places, and even the people we spoke to. Whoever the slaver was, this person was obsessed with _us_.

# 14

Phoenix dropped me home then went to fetch Icarus. He wanted to be alone with the werewolf, to do anything to find a trace of scents at the abandoned home where the baby had been born. He was angry, but I suspected that at least some of the anger was because somebody had ruined his neat little plans. Control was important to him, and a pair of invisible hands had taken all control from us. Worse, those invisible hands came with eyes that had been watching all of us when we hadn't suspected a thing. We didn't even know what to do next.

At home, I couldn't sleep, so I sat up reading through ledgers, making notes on everything that was weird and everything we had discovered. Maybe nothing was connected. Maybe I was trying to convince myself of something that didn't even exist.

There was a slave trader. There was a protection racket. There were loan sharks. There were protesters. Emergency services and the judicial system weren't working as they ought to have. The newspapers were stirring up trouble on a regular basis. Bad luck was following around almost everyone I knew.

Magic was involved in almost everything, being the one thread that linked different acts together. The random events were possibly the acts of someone trying to shine a spotlight on what magic could do. Shifters were the current public enemy number one, but how long would that last? Perhaps witches would be next.

I didn't know who was behind any of it—the shooting, the mischief, the little things that kept getting in the way and making every process more difficult. Why had nobody come to the aid of Wesley and the others when they rang for help? Why had so many people suddenly lost their jobs? Everything was a question. It was about time we started finding answers.

And then I remembered something—something I should have recalled sooner. Once, back when we were seeking out Emmett's fate, Peter and I had done a terrible job of questioning the brethni who lived next to Moses's flats. They had said Emmett was in Hell, and we hadn't believed them. We couldn't—not then. But they had turned into allies of sorts, and I had never liked to bring up that first day because of the way Peter and I had behaved. But I had been digging into the past a lot lately. I had to keep going. If they knew anything at all that could lead me to Noodle, then it was worth offending them again.

I persuaded Moses to set it up the next morning after I had grabbed a couple of hours of sleep. I met him outside the warehouse where the brethni lived.

He wrinkled his nose at the smell. "I hate coming over here. I don't know what that smell is, and I don't want to know. I'm just glad we don't get a bang of it in the flats on hot days."

"Think they'll talk to me?"

"They can be a bit off sometimes, but they don't lie. If they do tell you anything, you'll know it's the truth." He screwed up his face. "You have to ask the right questions. And they like... I don't know, riddles or something."

I shrugged and followed him to the doors. "They're not my biggest fans."

He looked at me in surprise. "What are you on about? They have a lot of respect for you. I don't know why you think everyone hates you."

"Not everyone."

He sucked in a breath as we reached the door. "Right. We should get this over and done with."

He opened the door and let me in. The brethni were one of those hive mind species who all communicated directly, shared the same thoughts and experiences, and basically lived as an actual community. The succubi were similar, but while the women could easily pass as human, the brethni appeared distinctly alien, when they revealed their true selves. The succubi created a welcoming aura in order to feed, but anyone who wandered into the warehouse would see squatters and junkies and feel as though they should leave. To us, the brethni were slinky, reptilian looking creatures who didn't die easily and were a great help in a battle.

"All right, lads," Moses said, and I could tell he was dying to light up a cigarette. "Ava has her questions ready."

"And will she listen to the answers this time?" the leader asked, walking toward us with half a dozen of his people at his back.

I felt uneasy all of a sudden. "I did listen the first time," I said. "Just maybe not as well as I should have until it was too late."

"And we're back full-circle," he said. "Another missing child."

"This one is a newborn," Moses said. "Not quite the same thing, am I right?"

The brethni leader nodded. It occurred to me that I didn't know if they had individual names. I knew very little about them, and I hadn't attempted to learn more. That might have been foolish.

"Do you know if there's a slave trade running in Ireland right now?" I asked. "Or tithes. Do you know anything about tithes?"

"The world knows plenty of tithes. They are older than most beings on this island."

I bit my lip. "Are there any big rollers who might want to step into Fionnuala's shoes—and have the means to do it?"

"There are plenty of beings who could step into those shoes if they wished," he said after a moment. "We know too much about tithes, and the time is ripe for slaves. Then again, it often is."

"Tell me about the tithes, _please_ ," I said.

"Why do you ask about it? Is it valuable to you?"

"Because I keep hearing it being mentioned. How should I know if it's of value until I know more?"

"That's your downfall—you who pays tithes of your own." He glanced around the room, his eyes gleaming pinkish-red. "We were once caught up in a tug-of-war. Our young were taken, our history broken. They died, those young, until somebody realised they needed all of us or none of us."

"By whom? Why did you have to pay a tithe?" And was my tithe my service to the Matriarch, or was he being only semi-literal? I wasn't sure I was smart enough to endure a conversation with the brethni leader.

"We owed because our ancestors owed. We were owned because their ancestors owned. And our debt was bought, one we hadn't earned and couldn't clear, and for a favour, we paid in blood and secrecy. We hear whispers, but it is not our place to interfere." He gave me a knowing look. "You should know that better than anyone."

But I didn't. I never knew enough. "I don't think I know anything I need to know."

"And I don't know who is responsible for the child you seek," he said more kindly. "I only know that we are left alone. And tithes have long been used as a way to control the weak and grow in power. You cut some threads—that is true—but there are still gaps in the tapestries, and gaps are always meant to be filled. You will never clear away the dark patches, no matter how hard you try. That is not your purpose."

"Then what's my purpose?" I asked.

He paused for a beat. "To clean up the mess that is left behind."

I took a step back. "Where do you even get this stuff from?"

"That's our business," they all said as one, scaring the ever-living crap out of me.

Moses's phone rang, and by his concerned responses, I could tell something was up. All of the brethni had gone on high alert.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked the leader, who had begun swaying.

"Trouble," he said, his voice morphing until it was hard to make out the word.

Moses hung up. "Loan sharks are back."

"Now?" I said.

He nodded. "I have to get back to the flats."

I was more than happy to end the unsettling conversation in the midst of the brethni's eye-wateringly smelly lair. "I'll come with you."

"As will we," the brethni leader said.

I didn't have time to process the conversation. We raced back to the flats, where trouble was certainly brewing. I sent Shay a quick text to let him know he might want to make an appearance.

"Ah, shit," Moses said when we got close enough to see the trouble.

Spread along the road and the concrete between a two blocks of flats, two groups of a dozen people were facing off, at least one heavily armed.

Moses pointed at the latter group. "They belong to the bellend I told you about. He must have been watching out for the loan sharks. Or some idiot let him know."

"This can't be good," I said as a couple of men from each group squared up to one another.

Children hung from monkey bars in the playground, staring at the gangs in fascination. I couldn't make out if the loan sharks were armed, but some of them looked too confident to be unprepared.

"They stink of magic," one of the brethni said. "It clouds minds."

"Doesn't cloud yours," I said.

"It's not so powerful. But it is strangely obvious. Wanting to be seen. Perhaps to intimidate."

"That explains some of your questions," I told Moses. "Why people are so fooled. But it doesn't explain why so many of them need the money."

"The factory," he said. "Sacked anyone from around here. Said they didn't have the hours. But I've heard they have new people in."

"Maybe we should talk to the owner."

"I've tried. He's out of the country—indefinitely—and the manager is scared shitless. Something's up."

We drew close enough to the arseholes to hear the exact nature of insults being thrown from one side to the other. Both sides seemed hesitant to get drawn into actual violence, so that was a plus. People had congregated in the stairwells to watch, gesturing at the children in the playground to run. The kids paid no heed, and I wondered if that magic the brethni mentioned was at play.

"Get this shit out of here," Moses demanded in his best scary voice.

"Mind your business," a short stout man said, coming to the fore of the criminal gang. "This has nothing to do with you."

"You're in my fucking flats, Jay," Moses spat. "It's my business."

Jay looked at him with flat eyes. "Think you're in charge here, _Benny_?"

"That much hasn't changed." Moses shifted his stance, using his weight to his full advantage. "And I'm telling the lot of ye to fuck right off."

"Magic, but not a witch," the brethni leader murmured.

I followed his gaze. One of the loan sharks was muttering under her breath, holding something out in her hands.

"Hey," I said. "Cut that shit out!"

She disappeared into the back of her crowd.

"Who do you work for?" I asked the loan sharks.

"That's what _we're_ trying to find out," Jay said with a sharp laugh. "They're not talking." He lifted his arm and aimed a handgun at the loan sharks. "I'll just have to make them."

"Where the hell are all of the guns coming from?" I said tensely.

Moses didn't look worried. "Can't you see how old that thing is? He's just showing off the size of his dick. Fucker best be jogging on before I haul him out of here myself."

The loan sharks looked even less worried. One unrecognisable word was shouted, and the gun flew out of Jay's hand in a spark of light and heat. He fell back and wrung his hand, swearing loudly.

"Where'd the gun go?" I whispered.

Moses pointed at the loan sharks. "Take your magic and get the fuck out!"

The criminals took a step back. Apparently, they hadn't realised that magic had disarmed Jay.

A young man with red hair nudged Jay. "See, I told you he's in bed with all of the weirdos. Them lads aren't human. I'm telling you."

"And what?" I began.

Jay held up his hand, still panting. "We're not here about that. This is about money. If anyone's going to be offering loans—"

"It won't be you," Moses said coolly. "Now get this straight with your boss. I don't give two fucks who he is or what he is, but he doesn't bring his crap to my door. These cretins are nothing to do with me, and neither are you."

"You've changed your story," Jay said with a laugh, recovering from the magical attack. "When you're looking for favours, you're a lot nicer, Benny."

"They call me Moses, you fuckwit," Moses said. "Now fuck off."

The loan sharks had been slowly backing up, but the brethni moved behind them to stop them. Unfortunately, the criminal gang took that as a sign of help and advanced on the loan sharks.

The woman who had been whispering words of magic apparently ran out of spells and came out of the crowd, pointing Jay's gun at him. She fired, missed completely, and hit a painted sign in the playground. In her panic, she dropped the gun. One of the brethni swooped in and kicked it away as Jay dove for it. Both sides took that as a signal to attack.

That was about when Moses lost his mind. "Ye little..." With flaming red cheeks, he threw himself into the scuffle. I heard a siren in the distance and decided it was better to keep Moses out of trouble. I followed and found him pounding Jay in the face with his fists.

I hauled him off with great difficulty. "What!" he roared before realising it was me.

"The police are here," I said calmly. "Let them deal with this."

"They could have shot a kid!"

"The brethni have the gun. Now let's help the IAs."

Tyres squealed, and a large group of Integration Agents swarmed the scene. The brethni had been slyly disarming criminals while keeping out of the scuffle. As men and women fled the scene, they followed, leaving the IAs to deal with the injured or those too stupid and slow to run.

Shay directed the arrests, but by the sullen looks in the loan sharks' gazes, they weren't going to be talking. An ambulance arrived for Jay, and the children finally fled the playground as though they'd been freed from a spell. People from the flats descended from the stairs and threw things at those who had been arrested, which caused more drama that had to be calmed.

"I have a bad feeling this isn't going to go anywhere," Shay said when he finally reached us.

"I have a bad feeling it's going to go too many places," Moses said. "I'm tired of this crap. Back in the day, that little upstart couldn't even look me in the eye."

"What?" Shay said.

"He's mad because an underling back-chatted him," I teased.

"Leave it out," Moses said. "If they weren't shitting themselves over what the brethni might be, that would have been a lot worse."

"Look on the bright side," I said. "If your pal Jay hadn't turned up, the loan sharks would have been able to vanish before Shay got here."

"We'll try to get something out of the sharks," Shay said. "But the way things have been going lately..."

"This is going to get messy," Moses said. "If they meet elsewhere, you'll have more than a few dodgy arrests on your hands."

"My arrests aren't dodgy. They were breaking the law."

"So were the others who ran," Moses said, lighting up a cigarette. "Didn't see any of your pigs chasing them."

Shay yanked the cigarette out of Moses's mouth and flung it away. "Watch your mouth."

Moses picked it up and popped it back in his mouth. "Jesus," he said around the cigarette. "There was no need for that. Everyone's so touchy lately."

"Any news?" I asked Shay to interrupt whatever the hell was going on between them.

"A few things," he said, shooting Moses a wary look. "I'll give you a lift, and we can talk."

"Ah, yeah," Moses said. "Don't let me stop you. I have my own problems to sort out. Jay's going to cause me some grief if I don't nip this in the bud. See you in the ring this week." He lifted his shoulder into an exaggerated shrug. "If you don't bitch out first."

"What's that about?" I asked as Moses walked away.

Shay grinned. "He's mad because he thought he was going to teach the kids a few things about sparring and got knocked out. He's been touchy ever since. I'm going to have to let him knock me out just to make him feel better about himself."

"Boys," I muttered under my breath.

# 15

"I'm taking you back to the office," Shay said when we got into his car. "I want to show you a few pictures."

"I have time," I said. "I take it Phoenix has been keeping you updated."

"Yeah, I heard about the baby. We have people looking into this. There's been no evidence of anyone selling slaves in Dublin right now." He caught sight of my pained expression and cleared his throat. "But she's safe, I'm sure. She's valuable, right? Otherwise, they would have just left her. And if she's valuable, she'll be treated well."

"And her mother?" I shrugged. "She was probably punished for losing the baby in the first place."

"Phoenix has been telling me about tithes and indentured servitude," Shay said. "What if the mother is free already?"

That thought made me shiver. The idea that she was free while her child was being held captive was unsettling. Did she even know where her child was? Did she care?

"Life is so much more complicated than anyone warns you about," I said. "Have you seen Phoenix?"

"No," he said. "I spoke to him on the phone." He glanced at me. "He sounds... stressed."

"That's one word for it. We found ledgers with Lorcan and Lucia's names on it. Photos of everyone. Details. I'm pretty sure the twins are related to the baby, which is beyond weird. Everything is connected to something else. I think Phoenix is afraid for the twins."

"He was searching with one of the werewolves," Shay said slowly. "But he picked up nothing. A suspicious lack of something. He's still looking, as far as I know."

"Has he even slept?"

"I doubt it. When he sets his mind to something... just be careful with him, Ava. He gives off a certain appearance, but behind it all, he's not in a good headspace."

"I know he's struggling. All of this has really brought it out of him. You need to find a way to get him to sleep before he loses his mind."

"Do you think the twins are in danger?"

"They're not here." I paused. "Maybe that was on purpose. I mean, Lucia seemed like she was settling back in, and then she left so abruptly again. I wonder if she saw something that made her leave. She doesn't always let people in on what's going on in her head. I wish Lorcan would call me. He never does."

"Do you think he's a bit miffed about, you know, you and Phoenix?"

I gave him a sharp look. "Excuse me, Shay?"

He smiled. "Oh, come on. You were his date the other night."

"No, I was a last-minute replacement." I looked out the window to hide my burning cheeks. "And I'm sure Lorcan doesn't believe otherwise."

"You were Lorcan's friend first. He might be a bit... creeped out by it all. I know I would be if you started going out with my dad."

I turned on him, only to find him grinning. "Shut up," I said, tempted to lamp him instead. "It's not fair to torment me this week."

"I'd rather you were angry than upset," he said softly. "I know you're feeling this more than most would."

"I don't know what to feel anymore," I said. "It's like everything I've ever accomplished is being undone. The amount of information in that building the other night. Me, my friends, even our businesses. It's like finding out you have a stalker."

"We'll catch up to them," Shay said. "It's just a matter of time."

We arrived at the Integration Offices, and in Shay's room, I looked through photos of strangers.

"I don't recognise anyone here," I said. "Was it important?"

"Depends." He sat in a chair and steepled his fingers together. "I've found somebody who works in emergency services who I believe is betraying the system for their own gains. There are a couple of others who are still suspected, but this woman"—he held up a photo of a young brunette—"is being paid an exorbitant amount of money to ignore emergency calls from a blacklist."

"A blacklist? There's an actual list?"

"Yep." He sighed. "When I confronted her, she was extremely forthcoming. She has no idea who has been paying her. She had a lot of debt from living beyond her means, and she was contacted months ago. She refused at first, but the money was too tempting. She handed over a list of names and addresses she was supposed to ignore. The calls would come in, she would be expected to pass them along the chain, but instead, she made them disappear, even going as far as to delete the recordings."

"What a little bitch," I muttered. "Who's on the list?"

"A lot of people and places," he said. "I don't think it's all about you, Ava. Of course, your home and associated business are all there. There are a lot of connections to you, like Wes, but there are others, too. Connections to other supernaturals who are seen as important."

"So what's the link? Why are we all on that list?"

"Influence? The potential for power, maybe. Possible opponents when it comes to re-establishing old laws, even," he said. "Some are names who were considered for the Senate; others were involved in taking down the Council and reestablishing a new order. More are simply relatively powerful or rich people. Some are the heads of families; others have recently come into money. It's an odd mix. If we look at the list as possible enemies of this person, we might find a connection to all of them. That's what we're working on."

"Most of my enemies are dead," I said smartly.

He held out his palms. "Exactly! Which is why this person needs to keep an eye on you."

That made sense. "Is there anything any of us can do?"

"Just keep doing what you're doing and updating me as you go. I'm more worried about the atmosphere. Even in this building, people are nervous. There's no trust right now. And this woman isn't the only who got paid lately. The woman who was supposed to be released instead of Jennifer Boyle had a pretty big payday."

"And let me guess. She's not talking."

"Nobody's talking." He grimaced. "I'm losing my touch."

Something occurred to me. "Emmett can't talk about things that have happened to him. Do you reckon it's possible that something like that is happening here? That people literally _can't_ talk?"

He rubbed his chin. "It's a possibility. I'll look into it." He gestured toward his desk, covered in paperwork. "Eventually."

"Does the Senate know anything about what's going on?"

"Not yet," Shay said. "Or as little as possible. You should try to get some rest. Things could go bad quick. We all need to be ready."

"I hate this waiting game," I said. "It's beyond frustrating to not even know where to look for a clue. There's no real trail to follow."

"Sometimes, it's all on paper," he said. "Which will work for us if we want to make an arrest."

"What if it doesn't get that far?" I asked.

"It has to," he said sternly. "If we really want to change things, the deaths have to end. We need to be civilised."

I didn't disagree. I left him with promises to keep in touch, and he assured me he would stay connected with Breslin on the paperwork front.

On my way home, Esther called me. "What the hell is going on?" she demanded. "Should I come home?"

"No, you have things to do," I said. "Maybe keep out of the way until this dies down anyway. You don't want to get dragged into this mess."

"Yeah, I read the paper already today."

"What paper?"

"Uh, just pick up a newspaper." She hung up scarily quick.

I stopped in at the closest shop to buy a newspaper. I should have guessed—my picture was in the paper again. Of course, not when I had my hair and makeup done while wearing freaking high heels. That wouldn't have been interesting enough. No, this picture was of me sprawled on my back, legs akimbo, with a broken table beneath me, food in my hair, and a bunch of protesters about to flatten me. If Carl cut out and framed that picture, I was going to kill him, best friend or not.

I scanned the article. A pro-protester slant. Great. And Áine O'Neill again. I was really going to have to get on to her. The article was ridiculous, claiming that the "supernatural-heavy" police force had instigated the whole incident by provoking a protester known to be mentally unstable. It even finished with a few words from the victim claiming to completely understand why the protesters had barged in how they did. My day was _not_ improving.

The following morning, Anka woke me from a nap on the sofa by banging my door down.

"What's wrong?" I asked sleepily when I answered.

"The school!" She tugged on her hair, her fingers wide and clawing. "I just got a call. Something's happening. The children aren't safe. They're supposed to be safe, but they're—"

"Slow down," I said. "What exactly is happening?"

"I'm not sure! They called to warn me not to go near the school, that they're trying to control the situation. People are threatening to hurt the children, I think. We need to do something!"

Carl came out of his house. "What's going on?" he asked.

While Anka told him, I called Peter.

"I'm on my way there now," he said, his voice gruff. "I don't know what's happening, but I heard something on the radio about a protest, so I'm heading over to help. If any protester even thinks about spewing hate at my son, they'll be sorry."

"Come get me," I said. "I need to be there. This has the potential to get nasty. If the kids get hurt—or if they try to fight back—it could get even nastier."

"I'm on my way with Val," he said. "Be ready. I'm not waiting."

He hung up abruptly. I ran out of my gate to the others. "Peter's coming to get me," I said. "He should be a few minutes. He thinks the protesters are at the school, but I'll get Dita home safely, I promise."

"I'm going with you," Carl said. "I know the teachers and the kids. I could help."

"We don't know what's going on."

"I don't care," he said. "If they're calling parents, something really fucked is going on."

"I should come," Anka said, her voice trembling. She scratched at her forearms.

I grabbed her hands to stop her. "You'll only distract me, Anka. Let me find a way to deal with this. I swear I can get Dita out of there without getting her hurt. But you have to stay here. You're too upset to be useful right now."

She nodded, her eyes glistening with tears. "You'll call me if there's news?"

"We promise," Carl said reassuringly. "It's probably nothing, but we'll let you know."

Peter soon arrived. Carl and I hopped into the backseat.

"Is Anka all right?" Val asked.

"Not until we get Dita home," I said.

"Call Shay," Carl said. "He has to know more."

Peter called Shay and put him on speakerphone. He was already at the school, and the shouting in the background didn't fill me with confidence.

"What's happening?" Peter asked.

"There was a protest outside the school this afternoon," Shay said. "It's gotten a little heated. The school has decided that it would be for the best if parents don't turn up and make things worse."

"We're on our way anyway," Peter said. "Val, Carl, and Ava are with me. Carl knows the school, Ava knows plenty of the kids, and Val—" He glanced at his partner. "Val's a walking weapon. You might need our help."

"I do not want to see any violence from you lot," Shay said.

"Our presence might dissuade the protesters from growing violent," Val said.

"There are enough people here already winding them up." Shay sighed. "We could probably use your help with the parents, never mind the protesters."

By the time we got to the school, the crowds outside had turned nasty. A group of protesters had tried to picket the building with ugly signs, and some parents had gotten angry. As news spread, the number of people grew. Keeping both groups separated and away from the school gates was all the police could manage.

"Shay's by the gates," Carl said, gripping my arm. "Let's go."

Protesters got in our way, trying to stop us from passing. I spotted Phoenix in the distance, but I couldn't reach him. We squeezed our way to the front gates, despite the pinching hands trying to push us back, and caught up to Shay, who looked stressed.

"It's gotten worse," he said, leading us behind his IAs, who were just about managing to keep the crowd back. "I didn't want to mention it over the phone, but we have a new problem. Emergency services got a call about a bomb at the school."

"What?" Carl said.

"I don't believe it," Shay said, "but we have to treat this kind of threat seriously. Any hint of a bomb threat, and protocol demands we evacuate. But we can't bring the kids through the crowds, or there will be mayhem. We decided to lead them through the back way and into the next property. We organised ladders to get them over the walls, and the Gardaí have quietly been moving people from the neighbourhood for the last hour. It's going to take everyone here to manage this crowd, and the teachers are still evacuating from inside the building, but they're understaffed, and we're afraid children will be left inside."

"Some of them will be scared enough by the noise out here to hide," Carl said. "I can think of at least four with sensory issues who will freak if somebody doesn't control the situation before they have a chance to lose it."

"That's not all." Shay glared at the crowd. "There's a chance that somebody already got into the building while we were distracted with this bunch. My real concern is that we'll have another situation like the charity event, and a child will be held hostage. We're stretched to the limit, and I need people to do another sweep of the building to check for stragglers." He gestured toward the heaving group to the left. "But if the parents realise we're letting people in, they might try to storm in themselves."

"I'll go in," Carl said. "I know the building. The parents will think I'm there as a teacher, and Ava's short. She can come with me. With her hood up, nobody will even notice her. It won't cause any drama if we go in."

"Peter and I can go the long way around and sneak in then patrol outside to make sure the children aren't attacked as they leave," Val said.

"No," Shay said. "Someone could follow and find the children's escape route. You two may as well go in with Carl. We're going to get started trying to shift this lot away from the building. That should be a good distraction. There are still buses waiting to move the rest of the children to the home in the meantime. Some have already left, mostly the younger children. They were the hardest to sneak out. No idea how to be quiet and half of them thought this was the biggest adventure of their lives. Okay, let's get you in. Watch out. This crowd will make an effort to follow."

"The protesters won't get past us," Peter said.

"I'm more worried about the parents." Shay managed a sardonic smile. "Ava, Carl, if I'm wrong, and you happen to find a bomb, please run."

The IAs opened the gates, and the crowd surged toward us. The four of us hurried through, then the gates were barricaded again. I glanced over my shoulder. Phoenix was extremely close to coming to blows with someone, and even Shay was losing his cool.

"We prepared for situations like this," Carl said. "The route is marked out. This shouldn't be a problem."

"Good," Peter said. "I just hope Emmett's already gone in the first buses."

"If he isn't, we'll get him out," I said.

We separated, and Carl and I went inside the building. I followed him, and we methodically checked out each room. We passed a few stragglers leaving with an adult, and the rooms downstairs were empty, but I heard footsteps upstairs.

"This is good," Carl said. "We're in the final stages of evacuation. This should be a breeze."

We hurried up the stairs, and a large smashing sound drew our attention. We rushed toward the noise and burst into the music room, where a group of children, including Emmett, were hiding behind Ari, who was magically flinging instruments at a balaclava-clad man with a knife.

Carl tackled him without hesitation. I managed to reach the attacker and kick the dagger out of his hand before he could stab Carl. My friend pinned the man, his forearm against his throat. The man immediately stopped fighting.

Emmett raced over to me. "There's more than one," he cried. "And I can't find Dita anywhere. Leah went to look for her, and she never came back."

My heart threatened to stop. "They probably left already," I said, trying to sound reassuring. The stranger was limp under Carl, his eyes eerily blank. "Carl, can you take care of them while I go look?"

Carl pulled the man to his feet. He didn't resist. "I can handle this until we get outside. Peter and Val will be happy to take over."

Ari bundled the kids together and directed them calmly. Maybe she wasn't as terrible as I liked to think.

I left the room and raced around the rest of the floor, looking through each door until I heard a scream from somewhere upstairs. I found a staircase and ran, but I came out onto the roof. Outside, I could clearly see the mob, which had gone silent, many of them looking up in horror.

A man was advancing on Leah and Dita, who had their arms wrapped around each other. Their only defence was a scrawny wolf cub who couldn't stay in his human form. But the attacker didn't have a knife to threaten them with. This one had a gun. When I found out who was responsible for every second person suddenly threatening people with guns, then they were going to pay.

I swallowed my terror and suspicion and raced for him. Nick, despite being terrified of guns, charged simultaneously. The girls ran for cover, and I skidded in low while Nick jumped at the attacker's arm. The man tried to switch his aim, but he was already buckling on top of me, and although the gun went off, I smelled no blood but the man's when Nick's fangs dug into his flesh.

The man shouted in pain and dropped the gun. I could have sworn I heard clapping outside. I grappled with the attacker while Nick growled ferociously next to us. I kneed the man in the groin as Leah darted in and kicked the gun away from his reaching hands. Moaning, he rolled over, and Nick shivered like a puppy, close to losing control.

"Leah," I shouted. "Get Nick and Dita outside. Now! Find Carl and follow his instructions."

I left the gun because I was scared to touch it. I didn't like guns, either, and they had been a too-frequent presence in my life of late. I hauled the man to his feet, ignoring his protests. "Is there a bomb?" I demanded when the children had fled.

He laughed instead of answering me. I resisted the urge to punch him. I wanted to tear him apart, but people were watching outside, watching how supernaturals reacted to attacks from humans. I wouldn't give them anything to think about, no excuse to want to tear us down.

He pulled back, his eyes wide with panic, when I pushed him toward the door, but once we were inside the building, he became strangely easy to manage. Too easy. An unsettling sense of foreboding wrapped around me.

I led the man all the way through the school and outside without any more trouble and passed him to Val, who was probably the most dangerous person in the world when it came to people attacking Leah or Dita.

"Try not to kill him," I said. "I don't want to clean up his blood."

The man urinated himself. I looked away in disgust. He had been brave with a gun in his hand and children in his crosshairs.

Carl and I went back inside, but there were no more children.

"Wait!" he said. "I forgot somebody."

I waited as he darted into a nearby classroom and came out with a hamster cage. He shrugged sheepishly. "Nobody gets left behind, right?"

"You're a hero," I teased, but he _had_ been. All of the children were safe, and while there had likely never been a bomb, at least nobody had gotten hurt.

Outside, I spotted Val dragging the now-unconscious gunman behind her across the concrete. Well, _almost_ nobody had gotten hurt.

# 16

The incident at the school did nothing to calm human-supernatural relations in the city. The media outlets were taking part in a battle of their own as two very opposing stories of the incident surfaced.

"All we need now is for the Senate to turn on each other," I said, frustrated as I flipped through the evening newspapers.

Carl was driving us both to Shay's office to sign statements about what happened. I still had to sign the statement about Wes getting shot, even though there had been no sign of Jennifer Boyle since.

"They're always turning on each other," Carl said. "I'd be surprised if they _didn't_."

"They haven't publicly." I frowned at the paper on my lap. "If they did, that would be the end of the Senate."

"Maybe that's what somebody wants."

I shivered. "What if all they want is chaos?"

"People without a plan are far scarier than people with one," he replied. "Think they'll open the school again soon?"

"As soon as they're sure the kids aren't at risk. Who fakes a bomb anyhow?"

"Scum, usually."

The Integration Offices were in chaos when we arrived. "Great," I said. "Something else must have happened."

"Let's just find Shay and get this over with," Carl said.

Shay was in the midst of a discussion with Moses.

"Did something happen at the flats?" Carl asked.

"Not exactly." Shay handed us both our statements to sign.

"Did you get anything out of the people who attacked the school?" I said.

Shay leaned back in his seat. "Both men were inmates of a mental institution that happened to lose a few patients a couple of days ago. It's a private organisation, and they decided to keep the incident private. As it turns out, a third patient happened to be at the charity event."

" _No_." I shared a surprised look with Carl. "The man with the bottle?"

"The very same. He went catatonic as soon as we put him in a cell for the night, and we've been trying to track down his identity ever since." Shay gestured toward the statement in my hand. "Those two helped us make the connection, although neither man was lucid enough to tell us how they got the weapons. And now for the final kicker. When the gun was tested"—he rubbed his temples—"we discovered it was the same gun that Jennifer Foley used, the one that we didn't notice was stolen from our evidence room. So, no, there won't be any charges because these men are..." He shook his head. "If you could see them now. I'm not sure how they managed to walk around that school without help, never mind organise any of the rest of it."

"You're kidding me." I found a seat and collapsed into it. "I mean..."

"I know," Shay said. "And according to Moses here, we don't have time to worry about that anyway."

"What else is going on?" Carl sat on the floor next to me and held up the pages in his hand. "It must be big if you can afford to ignore this mess."

"It could be huge." Moses cracked his knuckles. "So the gang who came into the flats to confront the loan sharks... well, their boss happened to have gotten himself assassinated last night, and Jay has stepped up to the plate. That boy is a loose cannon, and he's already decided he knows who killed his boss."

I groaned. "He's blaming it on the sharks."

"Yep. I don't know if they did it or not, but if he catches up to those loan sharks, there _will_ be blood spilled. There's no new guns floating around, and nobody's selling. I don't know where these people sprouted from. Somebody's in control, and Jay's all set on finding out who. If he doesn't get himself killed, he'll get everyone else around him killed. And if he decides that it's my fault—that the loan sharks actually belong to me—then things will get hairy in the flats." He pointed at Shay. "And we won't back down, no matter what you say, so you can give it a rest."

Shay stared at him, his left eye twitching slightly. "Don't make me lock you up right now."

Moses let out a sharp laugh. "Sure, odds are I'll be out in an hour on somebody else's name. Give me a break, Shay. _You've_ lost control, and it's going to get worse before it gets better. Let me go after Jay, and you won't have to."

"I can't sanction crime," Shay said impatiently. "I'm not that desperate."

Moses pursed his lips. "Sure about that?"

"What if Moses pretended to help Jay?" I suggested. "Kept him out of trouble that way. In the meantime, you could look into everything else."

"I could do that," Moses said with a shrug. "If nothing else, I might pick up a few new contacts along the way."

"You're supposed to be keeping out of trouble," Shay said.

"Yet trouble keeps knocking on all of our doors." Moses leaned forward in his seat. "Come on, man. It'll only get worse if we ignore it. That's what people did for years. We have to make a stand if we don't want to get walked all over for the rest of our lives."

Shay looked at his hands for a long time before answering. "Fine. Get on it." He shot a glance my way. "One more thing. This hospital I mentioned? Jennifer Boyle's boyfriend worked there."

"Austin Foley?" Carl said, brightening. "That's good. Another connection. Once we find one of these people, we get them all. Great work, Shay."

Shay stared at him as though trying to figure out if Carl was being sarcastic or not.

"He's serious," I said, trying to be helpful. "And we've both signed our statements. There has to be something you can do about Humans First. They've gotten into everything, and if they are being manipulated, they're a danger to themselves, never mind anyone else."

"The Senate are putting pressure on me," Shay admitted. "James and Mick, in particular. They're hoping it all goes away because we can't afford to go up against them. This whole political party scheme is going to go ahead. They've gotten some important backers already. We have to be careful how we react to them. If we give them enough rope, they might hang themselves for us."

"I don't like them," Moses said. "They're the kind of people who go around brainwashing and all that."

"They're not a cult," Shay said.

"Yet," Carl said.

I stood. "The Senate is going to have to agree on this. The protesters are a nuisance at best. They've gotten away with too much."

"We're building something against them," Shay said. "We'll deal with them when the time is right."

I shrugged. "We'll head on. Let us know if you need help, Moses. I'd rather not see a gang war on the streets."

We left them and headed back to the car. "What do you think?" I asked.

"Shay's getting secretive," he said. "I don't like it. The protesters shouldn't be getting the benefit of the doubt all of the time. It's making my skin crawl. The kids could have been hurt at the school, and I blame the protesters."

"But if the men escaped from a hospital—"

"Or were busted out."

I nodded. "Or were busted out, then maybe the protest just drew them along. Who knows what happened to them? Or how they got that gun?"

"Somebody set it up," he said. "How else? But is some ancient using the protesters as a cover, or are the protesters using the vulnerable to pull the trigger?"

"Like everything else lately, I don't have a bloody clue."

Carl and I dropped into Finn's bar on the way home to see how the mood was in the supernatural world. We already knew the human side was screwed.

Finn waved us over when we walked in.

"Come on," I said. "He must have heard something."

Finn set drinks in front of us then pretended to clean the bar. "Ember's been listening in. Heard a couple of things that made sense," he said in a lowered voice.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Agitators," he said, looking around surreptitiously. "Ages-old tactic."

"I've heard about that," Carl said. "People stirring up shit, right?"

Finn nodded.

"But why?" I said.

Finn shrugged. "Lots of reasons. Distractions, takeovers, sabotage. Agitators are useful if you want to get in people's way."

"Or turn them on each other," Carl said.

"So where are they? Who are they?"

"I don't have names," Finn scoffed. "That's the point. Agitators are invisible. Nobody remembers who came up with the idea to storm a school and take hostages, yet they followed along anyway."

"Magic?" I mused.

"Sometimes," he said. "In this case, I've no idea. But I've heard whispers, too. Odd things that can be put down to bad feeling, or a big mouth, but with everything else going on..."

"So we know people are causing trouble, but we'll never find them because there's nothing tangible to go on. Great. Story of my life."

"The question isn't _why_ ," Finn said. "But _who_. Who would have something to gain?"

"It keeps pointing to a takeover," I said. "I have no clue who it could be. The vampires have been acting weird, but not in an it's-time-to-take-over-the-world sort of way."

"None of the big players have made a move," Finn said. "Everyone's watching, waiting. It's like we're holding our breaths, ready for the next thing to come along. Nobody trusts anybody else. You should know: the fae are preparing themselves."

"For what?" Carl asked.

"War, maybe? We just want to be ready this time. Phoenix hasn't told us anything, but we all feel he's being targeted. All we can do is observe and listen and watch history repeat itself."

"Another takeover would destroy us," I said. "We're not ready. We're just getting back on track."

"Some grow on the chaos," Finn said with a shrug. "Anyway, just thought you should know the vibes we've been getting. It's not idle. Ember's sure of it, and she... has a knack for finding trouble."

I glanced at Carl. "Don't we all?"

Finn moved on to deal with a customer.

Carl sipped his drink. "This just confirms what we already know. Trouble's been brewing. The attack on the school is going to fuel anti-human hate, and we're going to get stuck in the middle."

"Us?"

"Look around. Dirty looks abound."

I scanned the room. He was right. A lot of irritation was being directed toward us. But Carl had helped the children. Why was he a target? Maybe it was me. Even the protesters had pinpointed me on occasion. I had changed everything just by shining a light on the underworld.

"Let's get out of here." I considered something. "And let's walk by the newspaper building. It's nearby, right?"

"Applying for a job?"

We headed out of the bar. "Maybe you should."

"I have a job," he said, preening. "It's called being a hero."

I was about to laugh, but a tall, bulky man I didn't recognise got in our way and refused to budge. Great. More trouble.

"Humans aren't welcome here," he said. I wasn't sure what manner of species he belonged to, but there was a void behind his eyes that I didn't like.

"Neither are Neanderthals, and yet here you stand," I said. "Back off. We're not your enemy."

"My kind used to snack on the bones of humans," he declared, puffing out his chest.

Carl bristled, but he kept his tone lighthearted. "That's adorable."

The man lashed out at Carl, who narrowly avoided the strike. I grabbed the man's arm and twisted it behind his back. "Nope," I said. "Not going to happen. Now get back inside and tell your beer how much you hate us." I pushed him away from me.

He rubbed his shoulder, eyeing us warily, but he didn't come after us when we crossed the road.

"Did you see that?" Carl asked, making ridiculous chopping actions with his hands. "I moved out of the way like a ninja."

"Yes, dear."

He sobered. "This isn't good. All of the idiots in the world are getting brave."

"Agitated," I murmured. We reached the newspaper building. The lights were still on. "Wait here for a minute. I want to see somebody." I called the reporter's phone, but she didn't answer. Then I saw her form pass one of the windows, so I waited for her to leave.

"Who are we stalking?"

"Reporter who's been agitating matters," I said. "I just need to know if it's on purpose or not."

About ten minutes later, Áine left the building, and we followed her. She held her bag tightly, and I felt bad for scaring her. I called her name. She hesitated then walked a little faster.

"I just want to talk," I said. "It's about a story."

"Look, I don't—" She turned, recognised me, then backed up, almost falling over. She dropped her bag, which Carl politely picked up.

"We're not going to hurt you," he said softly.

She looked at him, and I thought she relaxed a little.

I decided to be blunt. "Are you an agitator?"

She blinked behind her glasses. She hadn't been wearing them at the charity event. "Excuse me?"

"An agitator, a person who stirs up trouble, provoking people to act out," I said. "Because there's been a lot of acting out lately."

"I know," she said in a low voice. "I was at the school."

"And then you wrote about it," I said. "And somehow managed to blame it all on the supernaturals."

She gave me a pleading look. "You don't understand."

"You're right," Carl said. "We don't. Why don't we buy you a coffee and you can tell us all about it?"

She followed him as though she didn't have a choice. I made a mental note to bring Carl with me more often. He was better with people than I could ever hope to be.

We stopped in at a half-empty cafe two streets away. I got the coffees, leaving Carl to butter up the reporter. She looked calmer, but when I sat, she grew nervous again.

"I don't go around hurting people," I said. "You don't have anything to fear from me."

"I could be seen with you," she whispered. "That might be... dangerous."

"You used to write great articles," I said. "What happened to you?"

She bit her lip. A rush of pink ran to her cheeks. "Maybe I grew up. People don't want to read the truth. They want sensationalist garbage with misleading titles that they can share on social media."

"That's not new," Carl said. "So what really changed you?"

"I did something stupid." She lowered her voice. "And then the blackmail started. I said no—of course I said no—but money started flooding my bank account. I mean, ridiculous amounts. If anyone saw, it would look... awful. So I tried to minimise the damage, but I got caught in a web of... I'm in too deep to stop now."

"What exactly were you bribed to do?" I asked.

"My job," she said bitterly. "Report on whatever I was told to report on. Take the side of whoever I was told to take the side of. But... it's different now. Tonight, I was told to switch sides from now on, to write glowing reports on people like you, the Senate, the school, anything publicly supernatural. And the biggest payment yet came today."

"I have a funny feeling that Áine's bank balance is going to go public very soon," Carl said. "Don't write it," he added. "Don't do anything more for this person."

"I don't have a choice!"

"We can help," I said. "Shay Whelan would love to help you. If you put it on record that you're being blackmailed, then whatever comes out can't touch you."

"Except the truth," she said in a small voice. "I'm going to lose my job. I haven't touched that money. I have nothing else."

"Be brave." Carl took her phone to type in his phone number. "I'll go with you to see Shay. We'll fix this for you."

"Please, just go," she said with teary eyes. "Before anyone sees us together."

"Then promise to call me," he said.

"When I'm ready," she said after a moment. "It's... difficult."

"It'll get worse if you don't," he said, rising to his feet.

I hesitated as he headed for the door. "What did you do?" I asked quietly. "The blackmail. What did you do to deserve that?"

She winced. "Fell in love with the wrong person."

I poured tea while Carl opened a tin of biscuits. Shay, Phoenix, Val, and Peter were sitting in my living room, trying to piece together everything we knew.

"Agitators," Phoenix said as he took a sip of his drink. "That makes so much sense."

"Most of what's going on can be blamed on agitators," Peter said. "It's all so disconnected that this is the only answer that fits. The school, the loan sharks, protection rackets, blackmail, _et cetera_. None of it is a perfect picture, but with the agitators, we can discount a chunk of it."

The bumps on Val's forehead sharpened a little. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. I knew she hadn't been able to relax since the incident at the school. "What if we discount the wrong thing?"

"We're looking into the reporter now," Shay said.

"She's terrified of losing her job," I said. "I pity her. You know, she's great at the spin. Somebody should snap her up to do some good PR for a change. Any news on the guns?"

"Nothing new," Shay said. "We've heard of a sighting of Jennifer Boyle in Spain. Relations with Spain haven't been good since we accused them of being the source of that vampire formula. Boyle is out of our reach. We still haven't tracked down the person who assassinated the gang leader, and according to Moses, the streets are uneasy because of it. Blame's flying in all directions."

"Which works out perfectly for somebody who wants to make trouble." I sat on the arm of Phoenix's chair. "What about traitors in the government?"

"A civil service worker in my building was being bribed into making emergency calls disappear," Shay said. "And while it's mildly possible she could have had a part in the gun disappearing from evidence, she couldn't have had any influence into the number of guards at the children's home. Or the lack of support at the school." He nodded at Carl. "He's not the only one who lost his job there."

"So they were purposely understaffed," Val said. "In preparation for the attack?"

"The protesters can't be working for a supernatural," Peter said. "It doesn't fit."

"Maybe they don't know who they're working for," Phoenix said.

"Or more likely, most of them don't know that they're being played." I reached for a biscuit. "They're so full of their agenda that they'll accept anything that feeds into it."

"I'm almost certain that they're responsible for trashing a church because it opened its doors to supernaturals," Shay said. "The succubi brothels were also targeted, but the human customers ran them off. We're stretched too tight to follow up on every incident."

"The school has closed down for the foreseeable future," Phoenix said. "It's safer for the children that way."

Peter cleared his throat. "The werewolf cub, Nick... he did a good job during the incident. Maybe..." He rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding Phoenix's gaze. "Maybe we should give it another go with the kids."

Everyone in the room looked at Peter in surprise. My phone rang before Phoenix could reply, but I gave Peter an impressed smile as I answered.

"Breslin, I have you on speaker," I said. "Do you have it?"

"We tracked the bank account that paid the shooter's bail to a fake company. There are a number of them, all acting as fronts for a holding company that's involved in quite a few properties."

"Such as?" Shay asked.

"Youth clubs, charities, even health clinics," Breslin said. "Everything is on the up-and-up on the surface, but dig a little deeper, and there are surprises."

"Wait. **C** linics?" I looked at Phoenix. "Wasn't the fundraiser for a clinic funded by a businessman?"

"Declan Egan," Phoenix muttered, looking sick. "You met him that night. He's the one connected to the clinic."

"That's not all," Breslin said. "I kept looking, and I found a connection to that abandoned building you searched. The baby's birth place has been bought and sold a number of times by fake companies, all of them under the control of this holding company. Whoever owns the building doesn't want anyone to know they own it. The most recent purchase was a week ago."

"How sure are you on this?" Shay asked.

"The paperwork led me on a long and winding path with plenty of dead ends and red herrings, but the evidence is there all the same—if you know where to look." Breslin paused. "Whoever is in charge of this holding company has a lot to answer for—fraud and tax evasion at the very least. If they are not responsible for the crimes you're looking into, then they are helping the person who is. I'm certain there is more dirt to be found."

"Thanks for that," I said to Breslin. "Find out whatever you can on Declan Egan. Confirm that he owns the company or is linked to it. Might be nothing." Might be everything.

"Be careful, Ava," Breslin said. "There's a lot of money involved in this, and a lot of covering of tracks. But nobody can keep their fingers completely clean if they play in the dirt." He hung up.

I looked around the room. "What do you all think?"

"That can't be right," Shay said. "Declan Egan has a hand in the funding of a lot of the Senate's enterprises."

"So the Senate will be slow to act against him," Phoenix said.

"But he's human," Carl said. "Say he personally bailed out Boyle. So what? Maybe he knows her."

"Boyle's boyfriend was likely responsible for setting inmates loose from a facility partially funded by Egan," Shay said in a strained voice. "Somehow, they're linked to a number of recent events. I find it hard to believe that the protection racket and the loan sharks are _not_ connected."

"The loan sharks used magic," I said. "Not well, so I don't know what that means, but Egan's human. Then again, so are most of the people involved."

"Whoever took the baby used magic," Phoenix murmured. "And this same company is involved with the building the witches sent us to. I don't trust in coincidences."

"It would take a lot of money and effort to find so much information on us, to come up with a blacklist, and to actually blackmail so many people," Val said. "Egan's rich enough to fund that."

"But why?" Carl said. "What does he gain from it all?"

"Maybe he's working as the face of something ancient," Peter said.

"Could be blackmail again," Val said.

"I'll dig into him," Shay said. "Find out whatever I can."

"See if you can link him to any of the others we've discovered," I said. "We're moving up the food chain."

"But where does it end?" Phoenix said.

"Give me the go-ahead to look into the finances of everyone on the Senate and in the coalition government," Shay said. "I just need clearance."

"Do it," Phoenix said. "We need to root out everyone who's involved with this."

"Is Egan associated with anyone in particular?" I asked. "Is he seen with a certain species or group? What's his agenda? Is he anti-supernatural or not?"

Carl went to my computer. "I'll look up the society pages and see if any faces come up more than most."

"The papers are going to have a field day with this," Peter said.

"Egan's about to step into politics himself," Shay said. "This could be disastrous."

"A politician is going to be a target for blackmail," Val said.

"Or bribery," Carl said. "This Egan bloke has been photographed with every important person in the Senate. The photo trail makes him look like a good friend of everyone, even you, Phoenix."

"I've barely spoken two words to him," the fae scoffed.

"But the papers make it look like more." Carl laughed. "There's even a photo of you with him, Ava, shaking his hand. But the look on your face is hilarious. You don't look best pleased, my friend." He kept clicking. "Oh, wait. There's something... let me print this out."

After a moment, he brought us a piece of paper bearing a header. "This is Declan Egan's," he said triumphantly. "From his main charity foundation."

I looked at the generic graphic in confusion. "What about it?"

He grabbed a pen off the table and highlighted some of the lines. There, within the graphic, hidden in plain sight, was the shape of Noodle's slave brand.

"No," I whispered.

"Why go to all of the trouble of hiding everything and then having this in the open?" Carl said. "Either somebody's setting this man up, or he's definitely gotten his hands dirty."

"None of this adds up," Shay said, sounding frustrated.

"Somebody's playing a long game," Peter said. "That's all we know for sure."

I shivered. Somebody was always playing a long game while we played catch-up.

# 17

While the others got on with the task of finding enough evidence to bury Declan Egan, Phoenix organised an informal meeting with the local members of the Senate, dragging me along for good measure. Our mission was simple: convince the Senate that Declan Egan was the key to the answers we sought. Of course, simple didn't mean easy.

We arrived at the restaurant first. A simpering waiter led us to a small room in the back with a rectangular table and a dozen chairs. It was after dark, so the restaurant was busy. Before we went through the back, I scoped the place, looking for a familiar face. There were none.

Phoenix paced the room while we waited. I sat on the edge of a seat, about to burst out of my skin with nervous energy.

"You should sit," I said. "You don't want them to think you're upset."

He gave me a surprised look then took the seat to my right. "No, that wouldn't do at all."

Under the table, I took his hand in mine. "It's going to be okay. The twins are safe, and we have names and evidence now. It's different than last time."

"How did you know what I was thinking?"

I held his gaze. "Because I've been worrying about the same thing. Until our country strengthens itself, there will always be people ready to take advantage. But you're not alone. Look at all of the people we already have working on this."

He looked down at our entwined hands. "I'll never have peace, Ava."

The door opened, and he instantly moved from my side to greet Callista and James. Mick, Willow, and Layla soon followed. We waited for Daimhín for a long time until one of her volunteers called to say she couldn't make it.

"Let's begin," Phoenix said impatiently. "There's a number of problems to discuss, but all of them lead back to the one man—Declan Egan."

Mick and James exchanged a bemused look.

"Why is she here again?" Callista asked. "No offence, Ava, but it seems we see your face more than our own."

"I highly doubt that," Layla murmured.

The siren shot the succubus a sharp look.

"Ava's a first-hand witness," Phoenix said.

"But surely we can discuss matters without her presence," Callista said.

"Ava's trustworthy," Willow said.

"I'm not arguing that point." Callista held up her hands in protest. "That's _not_ what I'm saying."

Layla twisted in her seat to glare at the siren. "Then what are you saying?"

I rolled my eyes as an argument began. "We don't have time for this. Look. A baby was left on my doorstep. Newborn, with a slave brand."

"A slave?" Layla sat up straight. "It can't be."

"It is." I made an effort to unclench my fists. "It was. Phoenix brought the baby to the children's home so a coven of witches could trace where she was born."

"And you didn't tell us?" Callista sounded upset.

"I didn't know who I could trust," Phoenix said coolly. "Not until I looked into it further."

"Did the witches perform the spell?" Layla asked.

I nodded. "But before they managed that, the baby was kidnapped. We followed the spell, but the building was empty."

"There were ledgers," Phoenix said. "Talking about tithes and debts and the like."

"And photos," I added. "Of me, my friends, and others."

"What has this got to do with Egan?" James asked.

"We're getting to that." Phoenix leaned forward. "But it's not just the baby."

"Yeah, there's been other things," I said. "A protection racket targeted my old neighbourhood. An old friend was shot. Calls to emergency services were ignored."

"Shay later discovered a clerk had been bribed to ignore calls from a certain blacklist," Phoenix added.

"Right," I said. "And the shooter's files were mixed up with another criminal—who was paid off and kept quiet. The shooter was let out on bail, and the bail was paid for by a holding company that owns the building we searched."

"And a number of businesses associated with Declan Egan," Phoenix said. "Also, the gun which was brandished in the school was the very same one used by the shooter. It had been stolen out of evidence, according to Shay."

"There's more weird circumstances, but we haven't made all of the connections yet," I said. "Human loan sharks using magic, for example, and the death of a renowned criminal. There are agitators out on the streets, whipping people up into a frenzy. A reporter is being blackmailed to write articles of a particular slant."

"That newspaper is also connected to Egan," Phoenix said to me. "I discovered that this morning."

"Hold on a moment," James said. "You're blaming Egan because he funnels funds into charities and businesses? He funds us, too."

"It wouldn't take much effort to find out if anyone here is being blackmailed or bribed," Phoenix said coldly.

"There's just no way," James said. "It can't be Egan. Perhaps he was fooled into bailing out this woman, or... didn't you say that there was a mix-up with her identity? Perhaps he intended to bail out the woman who was supposed to be released that day. And the building... Egan's a big name on the property market. He could easily have bought that building _after_ the child was born. Or he may have rented it out."

"You're very quick to defend him," Layla murmured.

"Shouldn't we all?" James continued. "It's in our best interest."

"He's a big supporter of the Senate," Mick said. "Financially and politically. Some of us have even discussed the possibility of Egan earning the empty seat with us."

"He has done a lot of good for the city," Willow said. "Are you certain of his connection to this?"

"We don't know if he's controlling the situation or is merely acting as a front for another person," Phoenix admitted.

"You need proof," Mick said. "Real evidence."

"We're working on that," I said. "But if we could just bring him in officially and ask him questions, then he won't get the chance to cover anything up."

"Cover anything up?" James sounded astonished. "He's a pillar of the community."

"So was Fionnuala," I said.

"Not like this," Callista said, looking uncomfortable. "He's been so helpful. He's popular with the people. When things are already so tense, accusing Egan of something would appear like an act of aggression."

"You'll do nothing," Phoenix said. "You'll let slavery continue in our city."

"We've seen no evidence of slavery," James said. "You don't even have the child! If there is a child."

"Don't you dare," Phoenix said through clenched teeth.

"Get more evidence," Layla said. "Tread carefully. That man has more connections than most of us."

"So he could be running the slave trade," I said.

"How could a human manage something so shady?" Willow said. " _Why_ would they do it? Vampires, I could understand, or maybe..." Her voice trailed away when she met my gaze.

"Maybe who?" I folded my arms across my chest. "Maybe only supernaturals can do bad things? Did you mean that to sound so obnoxious?"

Willow looked away.

"I won't agree to persecute this man," James said. "We can't afford to throw baseless accusations around."

"We're not persecuting him," Phoenix spat. "We want to ask him questions!"

"There's no evidence," Mick said, sounding uncomfortable. "It's all circumstantial. There's not even any evidence of an enslaved child. We can't burn our bridges over nothing."

"You fools," Phoenix said before storming out of the room.

I made to follow him, but Layla called my name. "Careful," she said. "Don't let old fears trip you both up."

"Too late," I said. "That happened when I found a slave on my doorstep."

I followed Phoenix outside. "Phoenix," I called out.

"Get in the car," he said, scrolling through his phone. "It's raining."

I zipped up my jacket and got into the car. Phoenix sat in the driver's seat, still searching through his phone.

"They're idiots," I said. "But in a few days, we'll have more evidence."

"In a few days, Egan could be gone," he snapped.

"So what can we do?"

He held up his phone, revealing an address. "We go get him ourselves."

On the drive to Egan's family home, Phoenix was unnervingly silent. The calm that he normally emanated was gone, and left behind was a trembling rage. He was taking it all personally. I didn't speak, either, afraid that his capacity for rage would consume me, too. One of us needed to remain calm when faced with Egan.

But if Egan was the slaver, I wanted to rip his head from his body. I wouldn't do it, but I would _want_ to, and I could already tell I would have to keep a close eye on Phoenix.

"I don't understand why he's doing all of this," I said. "If he has a hand in all of the things that have happened, I mean."

"Why? Who cares about why?" Phoenix said. "Like others, he's fuelled by power, and with power comes greed. They walk hand in hand."

"Don't you think it seems a little messy?" I tapped my fingers on my knees. "If he's aiming for a seat on the Senate, or even total control, surely there are cleaner methods."

Phoenix glanced at me. "I don't want to stare into his soul, Ava. I don't care what makes him tick. I just need him to pay. Why would he have so many pictures, so much information, if he wasn't hunting you?"

"He can't get to me."

"He could have someone walk up to you while you're shopping and shoot you in the head."

"But he hasn't." I frowned. "So what's he waiting for?"

He shrugged. "Perhaps he thinks he can still make allies of us. He lost that hope the day he focused on my children, the day he..." His hands tightened on the steering wheel. "If we get a confession, then we can seek vengeance."

"You mean justice," I said softly.

"Do I?" He nodded. "It's just ahead. Be careful. We need him to talk."

Egan lived in a gated community. The gates hung wide open as if welcoming us in. I grew nervous—mostly because of the energy leaking from Phoenix. If he decided he didn't want to be good anymore, then the world was screwed.

"What do you want me to do in there?" I said as we approached the house.

"Stop him from running if he tries. Listen for lies." He glanced at me. "You don't need direction from me."

"I get the feeling you'd like to take the lead."

"I'd like the person responsible for all of this to get what they deserve." He reached out and brushed his knuckles across my cheek. "And I appreciate you being here. It would be easy to bury your head in the sand like the Senate."

"They're just being careful. Maybe you should be more careful, too. You've more to lose than I do by being here."

He pulled in outside the house and looked at me. "To stop this man, I would give up the Senate. And if we have to, we can appeal to Rosa for help."

I got out of the car to avoid answering. I absolutely did not want to owe a paragon any favours.

Egan's home was one of the largest in the community, and all of the lights were on. The front door hung open, and the garage door was open. No cars.

Phoenix got out of the car. "It looks as though nobody's home. As though somebody ran."

I squeezed my eyes shut. "As though somebody warned him."

"One of the Senate," he said. "Of all the..." He sucked in a breath. "Let's take a look around. The door is open. We're concerned citizens."

"Oh, you need legitimate excuses to do what you want now?" I said teasingly.

His smile was brief and heartbreakingly small. "If the Senate want to be so precious about everything, we, too, must at least pretend to take a little care."

We headed inside. Nobody was around.

"I'll check upstairs," Phoenix said. "But there's obviously nobody home, and this man likes to leave nothing behind."

He hadn't exactly left nothing, although the furniture was sparse for a home. I walked along the hallway alone. Music came from a study, so I decided to look there first. There was an old-fashioned record player in the corner. I stopped the music. Whoever had started it playing hadn't left too long ago.

Looking around, I noticed the desk had been cleared hurriedly, but I searched the drawers nonetheless. Nothing. On the fireplace, a couple of photo frames had been knocked down. I picked them up and looked at them all. One was a large photo of a couple of families. And amongst them, under Egan's arm, was our missing shooter.

Phoenix came into the room. "Anything?"

I held up the photo. "This. Egan knows Jennifer Boyle well enough to have her photo in his office."

"Who?"

"The girl who shot Wes with the gun that was used to threaten children at the school."

Phoenix took the photo, stared at the people, then flung it at the wall. The frame shattered. I winced at the sound of the glass cracking.

"He knows what's going on," he said under his breath. "He knows everything."

He swung his arm across the mantelpiece, sweeping everything off.

"Stop," I said, holding his arms before he damaged anything else. "You can't destroy everything!"

"What am I supposed to do?" he said pleadingly. "The shooter's been seen in Spain. Egan could be on a plane right now. He's our only link to it all. He's either in charge, or he knows exactly who is."

"So we follow him."

He dropped his arms and stared at me. "You would do that? Leave everything to follow him?"

I closed the space between us. "I went to Hell for the last slave market. The least I can do is travel to Spain for this one."

The corners of his mouth rose. "I am so very glad that you're on my side."

The way he was staring at me made me embarrassed, so I turned away, pretending to study books on the bookshelf. "I think these are more ledgers," I said, pulling one free. I opened the book. Its pages were brown and faded. "It's really old. I can't even read this. Can you?"

He stood behind me, his arms around me to hold the book steady. "This is a list of debts owed to a family," he murmured. "That's a lot of debt."

"What family? Egan's?"

"In the past, perhaps. These are old debts, but they look as though they've never been paid." He shut the book. "This is evidence. If he's following up on ancient debts, then we may be able to track him down."

He let me go to keep looking on the shelves. We found other notebooks, some too old to read, but one was newer.

"This has Egan's signature on it," Phoenix said, pulling me to his side to look with him. "See this? He's _buying_ debt."

"Maybe the old books don't belong to his family."

"It's possible. He's buying debt for what purpose? Control? Power?"

"He's definitely human, right?" I said.

"I'm certain of it." He frowned. "Supernaturals haven't always been more powerful than humans. The rich families rose above the poor for a reason. Perhaps books like these are partly why."

"This is like a twisted history lesson. What do we do now?"

"Get Shay to organise people to watch over the ports and airports. If Egan's trying to leave, he can't have gone far. The computer is still warm, and the washing machine is barely halfway through a cycle. We'll find him, and we'll learn everything there is to know about what he's been up to."

# 18

We were all frustrated, so when Breslin called two days later to say he had news, I dropped everything and went straight there. I called Phoenix and asked him to meet me at the office if he wasn't busy, and he agreed immediately. He had tried and failed to find out who had warned Egan we were looking for him.

Phoenix beat me there. I found him standing outside Breslin's office, leaning against the wall, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Did you get any sleep?" I asked, pausing in front of him.

"Very little. What does Breslin want?"

"We'll find out. He must have something interesting. If you're too tired, I can call you later. You really need to catch up on your sleep."

"So do you. Let's get this done."

He made to go inside, but I caught hold of his arm and stopped him. "Wait," I said. "I'm worried about you."

His dark-green eyes glittered. "Don't waste your time worrying about me. It's Egan we need to concentrate on."

"And normally, that single-minded focus would come in handy, but you're scaring me a little, Phoenix. You were always intense, but you've cranked it up more than a few notches."

He blinked rapidly. "Don't you want to find the child?"

"Of course I do." I bit my lip. "But I don't want you to—"

He brushed some flyaway hair behind my ear. "I'm fine, Ava. Let's go." He held open the door, and we went inside.

Alex barely looked up from where he was sitting on the floor, surrounded by books. "He's in the office, waiting for you," he mumbled as we passed.

"You're not the only one lacking in sleep," I said. "Poor Alex. This job was more than he expected."

"Why did you offer him work?"

I shrugged. "Felt sorry for him."

"You always seem so angry with vampire volunteers."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I can't help them ever."

Breslin's door was open, so we walked straight in.

He took a big gulp of his tea and beckoned us to sit across from him. "I've had an interesting morning," he said. "Declan Egan's life has had a lot of twists and turns."

"How does that help us?" Phoenix said sharply.

Breslin raised his brows.

I nudged Phoenix. "He means is there anything in his life that could help us now."

"I apologise for any abruptness," Phoenix said. "I want to find this man as quickly as possible."

"I feel the same, actually." Breslin took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I've looked into him, his acquaintances, and his family. They go back many years. He boasts of the fact he can trace his roots so far. His family were landowners, very successful, but the bloodline has almost died out a number of times. His father and mother ran a successful enterprise for many years before their deaths. They left everything to Egan's older brother, Kenneth, and he did well with the company, even expanding."

I exchanged a confused look with Phoenix. What did that have to do with anything?

"As it turns out, a bout of bad luck crippled Kenneth. It's a long story, but in the end, he was forced to hand everything over to his younger brother, who had spectacularly good luck from then on. Declan Egan went quiet for a while when the Council ended, but with the new Senate, he has come to the forefront for the first time, even dabbling in politics. His slow build of new connections is working in his favour, but he has a lot of old connections to draw upon, too."

"No offence," I said, "but I still don't get what that has to do with us."

"Ah." He held up a finger. "Kenneth Egan claims to have plenty of information that has a lot to do with us. I spoke to him earlier. He despises his brother, suspects Declan plotted his downfall. It could be the ravings of a man who failed, but he claims to possess certain family secrets that will reveal Declan's true nature."

"Then he can speak with the Senate," Phoenix said.

"Not exactly." Breslin's lips twitched suspiciously. "Kenneth Egan actually has a wish to speak to Callista."

"He doesn't have anything." I restrained a groan. "He just wants to meet the siren!"

"I think he knows _something_ ," Breslin said. "And if there is bad blood between the brothers, who better to dig up Declan's secrets?"

"I'll meet with him," Phoenix said. "And I'll drag Callista by the hair if I have to. We're getting to the bottom of this. Set this up, please. As soon as possible."

So far, all of these little meetings hadn't led us very far, but if Kenneth Egan really did have information, he could help us track down his brother. And with Callista on our side, he could at least be charmed into revealing whatever he knew, no matter how small.

I walked into the restaurant alone, embarrassed by my appearance. I had barely taken the time to brush my hair, and everyone around me was dressed to the nines. I half-expected the hostess to send me packing, but she was waiting for me. The others were already there.

Callista sat next to Phoenix, leaving me to sit across from her, next to Kenneth. I detected an odd note of tension at the table when I took my seat.

Kenneth's profile displayed a bulbous reddened nose, pockmarked skin, and tired eyes that had likely once been attractive. Kenneth looked like Declan—if the life had been drained out of him. My heart sank. It was likely the man was just a disgruntled relative.

The man took a large gulp from his glass of wine. His nails were spotless and neatly trimmed, but his shirt was frayed at the sleeves. Unlike his brother, he hadn't bothered to fight his receding hairline, and an openness in his demeanour endeared him to me.

"Shall we begin?" He spoke slowly and deliberately, and I wondered how many drinks he'd had before I arrived.

Callista laid her freshly manicured hands on the table and gave Kenneth a glowing smile. "Tell me how I can help you, Kenneth. May I call you Kenneth?"

He made a loud obnoxious sound through his nose that had everyone at nearby tables looking our way. "That crap doesn't work on me. That's why I wanted her here"—he looked at me—"to prove my point."

That was unexpected. "What point is that?"

"I have things, family heirlooms and such, that make it easier to exist in this world. People like her"—he raised his glass dismissively at Callista—"are blights to ordinary people. To me? Nah. Not even a little affected."

Callista looked mightily offended. I struggled really hard not to grin, but by Phoenix's expression, he had caught my smile. I studied my hands until I pulled myself together. I liked Callista well enough, but being in her company was exhausting. She never held back on her natural pull, and I sometimes suspected that was on purpose. I was so used to people fawning over her that I found it kind of comical that the one person we needed her to charm was basically untouchable. I made a mental note to look into the Egan family's heirlooms.

"I am no blight," Callista said haughtily.

Phoenix shot her a meaningful look. "Mr. Egan, you have means to protect yourself," he said. "So what?"

"Our family heirlooms are centuries old," Kenneth persisted. "Created for us by supernaturals as favours, debts"—he looked at me again—"and tithes. My family might be human, but we were powerful once. My grandfather used to tell us stories about how our ancestors were untouchable. I never truly believed everything he said, but my little brother would love nothing more than to go back to those days."

"What else can these heirlooms do?" I wondered aloud.

"Temporary magic, mostly," he said. "If my ancestors needed a spell, it would come in the form of something discreet and manageable. A curse, some form of protection, defensive magic in particular. My ancestors were extremely influential and powerful people."

That explained the odd use of magic back at the flats. "Exactly how powerful are we talking?" I asked.

"Things that might be illegal now were acceptable once," he said. "My ancestors ran things, were heavily involved in the produce of illegal substances, human trafficking, all kinds of things that would have you locked up. But we went straight. Until Declan got ideas into his head." He pointed at Phoenix. "It was your mother, I reckon."

"Excuse me?" the fae prince said.

"He met her, wouldn't stop talking about her. He was a waster, spent his days gambling and reading pointless old books while I worked my rear end off. But after he met her, he changed. We both did. I was hit with a string of bad luck. I let down investors; shareholders lost their confidence. My family's legacy was worthless. And Declan wheedled his way in and took it all. Then he miraculously fixed everything within months."

"So he was a good businessman," Callista said. "What does that prove?"

"He was no businessman," he scoffed. "The idiot could barely count. No." He pointed at her. "Declan used magic. Or favours. He made some kind of deal with that fae woman or someone like her. That's how it works. We all know there's a currency more valuable than coin."

"Why would she deal with him?" I asked. "What could he offer her?"

"Support, I suppose." He took another gulp of his drink. "A return to the days of old. I wanted to be different, to follow in my parents' footsteps. They were clean, kept everything legal, forgot about where we came from. I was okay with that. Declan, though, he wanted to relive the glory days that we weren't even alive for."

"Where did you come from?" I asked.

"We came from money and lies," he said bitterly. "And that's where we've ended up again. Our family built their fortunes on the blood and tears of those less fortunate. Humans, yes, but my ancestors gathered magic like gold. The things I've seen. After my grandfather died, we inherited everything, whether we liked it or not. There's no safe way for a human to dispose of magic, so we hid them."

"Do you still have many of them?" I asked, trying not to sound too interested.

He nudged me, laughing heartily. "This one is curious. I have some items of interest. Declan has more. We weren't allowed to touch them as kids. My parents were afraid we'd set off a curse or something. I forgot about it, let go of the superstitions and stories, but Declan held on." He pointed around the table at each of us in turn. "We earned our money from fights, debts, slaves, deals, gambling, prostitution, magically altered moonshine, and more like it. Anything that was immoral was our bag. They say we made deals with the devil to get our start. _That's_ my family's noble story."

I grew excited. "Are you saying your brother is into that kind of business now? Slaves and such."

"It wouldn't surprise me," he said. "He kept buying buildings, snapping up estates that needed to be refurbished. I told him it was foolish, that they'd never earn money back. It made no business sense." He waved a hand, his lips curling into a sneer. "But Declan knew best. I warned him, but he was insistent, said he had plans. We barely acknowledge each other now, but I reckon he must use those places for orgies and drug dealing and the like." He nudged me again, this time a little harder. "That's what I get for being the boring, responsible one, eh?"

Kenneth was definitely drunk, but that didn't mean he was completely wrong. He finished his drink and waved to the waiter for another.

"What do you think?" I asked Phoenix.

"It's a start," he said. "Kenneth, can you help us find your brother?"

"Find him?" He blinked rapidly. "I don't know. He's well able to keep a low profile. I could make out a list of properties he could be hiding in, but he'll run soon. He always has a backup plan." He belched. "But I'll happily testify against him."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Callista said. "He comes across as a begrudger, a bitter drunk who wants to drag his brother down with him."

"I might be a drunk, I might even be bitter, but I'm not cruel," Kenneth said passionately. "That solicitor who arranged this meeting, what's his name?"

"Breslin," I offered.

"Breslin," he said triumphantly as though he had discovered the name by himself. "He mentioned a child branded like a slave. When I heard that... it's the only reason I'm here." He ran his hands over his face, his anxiety ripe in the air.

"It means something to you," I said.

"It reminded me of things I like to forget." Another swig didn't wash away his distaste—that was plain. "When we were kids, we had a maid for a while. Anyway, Declan had been stuck in those old books all summer long, and the maid brought her daughter to the house because her child-minder let her down or something. I don't remember exactly. My mother said that we'd play with her in the garden, that I'd watch over her." He let out a long shaky breath. "We were young—I remember that—and Declan had the idea to play hide and seek. I was... I was on." He finished another drink. His trembling hands dropped the glass on the table.

I righted the overturned glass. "Doing okay there, Kenneth?"

He shook his head. "They disappeared," he said. "I looked everywhere, in the garden, in the house. And then I remembered the old room where everything... unnatural was kept. It was supposed to be locked up, but I knew Declan had been sneaking in there. So I went looking, and he'd made the place into a little study for himself. A hideaway. Fire burning in the grate even though it was sweltering outside. And the little girl, she screamed so loud, I felt it run right through me."

"Why did she scream?" I asked softly. "What happened, Kenneth?"

"He branded her with a poker from the fire," he said, sounding as though he couldn't quite believe it. "Marked her and said she was his now. I couldn't...the look on his face was just... I knew right then that my brother was capable of evil. He didn't understand what he had done wrong. My parents covered the incident up, and we never saw the maid again, but I always knew, deep down, that there was something wrong with Declan. I tried to help him, but some people can't be helped." He shivered. "My brother could destroy me, but if he's sunk so low, it's time somebody stopped him. It's time I did something. Declan was always a mean boy, a cruel little shit. I hoped he had grown up, that it was all over, but I was obviously wrong."

"I'm so sorry, Kenneth," I said. "But it's not your fault."

He looked at me, his eyes full of pain behind the belligerence. "Isn't it?"

"I'm just not sure that this is enough," Callista said, ignoring my glare. "But there's nothing stopping us from seeking Egan out." She nodded at Kenneth. "Get us a list of places, and we'll search for him. We have questions, if not about him, then about the missing shooter whose bail he paid."

"Jennifer Boyle," I said.

"Ah, his goddaughter." Kenneth nodded. "She idolises him, would do anything for him. I'm not so surprised. She's more like him than I ever was."

"So you know her?"

"Only a little." He shrugged. "Her father worked for Declan, asked him to be a godparent out of respect or something. My brother never really had friends, you see. Not like other people. Lots of acquaintances, but no..." He patted his chest over his heart. "Anyway, I thought he'd changed, because he was genuinely interested in that little girl. Only she started getting into trouble, violence and such. It's now I see that's the only reason he showed any interest in her. She was like him." He looked exhausted, mentally and physically.

"We'll need you to answer more questions," Phoenix said.

"I don't have anything better to do."

"I'll set up a tab," Phoenix said. "For as long as we need you, spend your evenings here, on me."

"Well," Egan said, "I wouldn't want to be rude." He waved at the waiter again.

I wasn't sure if we could rely on him, but he had confirmed things we weren't confident about. Declan Egan had ties to terrible things, and he was on the run for a reason. We would find him. We had to.

# 19

Phoenix set a box of papers in the centre of the table between us and the Senate. "If this isn't enough, then there's something wrong here."

"I've spoken to Declan Egan's brother," Callista said. "The man has a story or two to tell, and I've been able to verify enough of it to believe the rest." She gifted Phoenix with a smile. "Phoenix was right, as usual."

I resisted the urge to puke.

"Egan himself is responsible for many problems that currently affect us," Phoenix said. "And now he's gone."

James shifted uncomfortably in his seat, a sheepish look on his face.

"Oh, my God," I blurted. "You're the one who warned him."

Everyone turned to James, who covered his face.

" _James_ ," Mick said harshly.

"All I did was ask him if he was being blackmailed," James protested. "I didn't think he'd run, and I didn't tell him anything else."

"I'm choosing to believe it was a moment of stupidity rather than a purposeful attempt to help him escape," Phoenix said coolly. "But if it happens again..."

I couldn't see Phoenix's face, but James looked terrified.

"We all know James is an idiot," I said hurriedly.

James glared at me, but Phoenix relaxed slightly.

"The only question now is what to do next," Phoenix said. "I'm told the vampire queen is willing to follow our lead on this—however we choose to act."

It was odd for Daimhín to relinquish any bit of power she could grasp.

"I think we're all agreed that we have no choice but to doubt Egan's innocence," Willow said. "How do you all wish to proceed?"

"As quietly as possible," James said.

I shook my head. "It's time to make this public. Egan's face is well-known. Somebody's seen him." I pushed the box toward him. "Look at the evidence if you're still not sure."

"I agree," Layla said. "It's time to bring him in. Secrecy only serves him. We need to make a public announcement as soon as possible."

"We'll need you at the press conference." Callista reached across the table and patted Phoenix's hand. "It's important you put on your best face for this."

I couldn't stop the scornful sound from escaping my lips. "I'm going to get back to the list of properties, see if anything pops out. Good luck with your press conference... thingy."

I left to return to my house, where my friends were waiting. I had spent way too much time on the Senate.

We watched the press conference that evening in Carl's place. He drank a beer while Dita and Emmett played cards at his feet. Anka and Val discussed Leah's future while Leah pretended not to hear them. Peter sat on the arm of my chair, uncomfortably close in a way that was familiar and cosy at the same time.

"Here it is," Carl said, raising the volume on the television. "The Senate out in all of their finery."

The members of the Senate currently in the city had gathered on a platform, surrounded by Integration Agents for protection. The audience was full of a select group of reporters. Daimhín sat at the very end of the table, her gaze preoccupied. Phoenix sat at the other end, a torn-up piece of paper in front of him.

"Poor Phoenix," Leah said. "He looks so sad."

To me, he looked angry—simmering, really. In the centre of them all was Callista, a friendly smile on her face. It looked as though she would do the talking. That was a relief. Even the Humans First protesters couldn't bring themselves to hate her.

Mick began. "We're here today to appeal to the public." He sounded embarrassed.

"Why is he acting like he doesn't want to be there?" Carl said huffily.

"Hush," Anka scolded. "We'll miss it."

"...linked to a number of incidents," Mick was saying. "Our main focus is on a well-known person of interest. We believe Declan Egan himself is involved in criminal activity, and—"

"Do you mean to tell us a local philanthropist is responsible for a crime wave?" a reporter asked.

"That... is, sadly, exactly what we are telling you today." Mick cleared his voice. "Some of the crimes are inexcusable, but—"

"I'll get this one," Callista said softly. "The evidence speaks for itself. Declan Egan is connected to a number of unpleasant incidents, and certain revelations have come to light recently that implicate him in... more serious matters."

"Such as?" another reporter asked.

Callista smiled, and I could almost feel the room react.

"There she goes," Val said.

"You owe me, Carl," Peter said triumphantly.

"Damnit." Carl pulled a ten euro note out of his pocket. "I didn't think she'd last so long without pulling the winning-smile routine."

I rolled my eyes and tried to concentrate.

"Slavery, for another," Callista said in response to a different question. "We all know how our last government fell, and we can't afford to let anyone away with—"

Phoenix rose to his feet. "We won't tolerate it. Slaves, indentured servants, human and supernatural trafficking. It's not acceptable, and if you are involved, expect the consequences. _I_ will not allow it in my city."

"Aaaaand he lost them," Carl said.

The press conference continued, but we all lost interest. Callista and Mick kept reassuring the public, asking them not to approach Egan because he was dangerous and issuing a dedicated phone line for tips.

"They're fools if they think they're going to find him this way," Peter said. "He's a hero. Even I've heard of him. He's campaigned on behalf of a number of charities, hasn't managed to offend anyone—ever—and is rich enough to pay anyone off. He's like the Pablo Escobar of Dublin. They won't touch him this way."

"He's running slaves," I said impatiently. "Nobody will stand for that."

"Except he's human," Anka said in a worried tone. "Human privilege means he has a better chance of escaping this than Fionnuala did."

That theory unsettled my stomach. It was one of those uncomfortable truths. The world was mostly human, and the rest of us had to cater to humans.

"Not even us privileged humans will accept slavery," Carl said drily.

"You know what I meant," Anka said.

Emmett looked up at his father. "If he's going to get away with it, will he come for us?"

Peter bristled. "If he does, I promise you I'll kill him."

And when Emmett reacted with a relieved smile, a tiny part of me died inside. We hadn't changed much of the world, after all.

Val, Peter, Carl, and I continued to sort through our copies of the paperwork we had passed on to the Senate.

"Breslin and Alex are still doing their bit," I said as we passed around cookies that Dita had baked for us.

"Shouldn't we let the authorities deal with this now?" Carl asked, stretching.

"Do _you_ trust them to do this properly?" Val asked.

"I'm just tired of working for free." He rubbed his eyes then set to work again. "This feels like running around in a circle."

"Short of visiting every place Egan has set foot upon, we can only hope we figure out something we missed." I shrugged. "His brother has been helpful, but even he's having trouble tracking down Declan. He's trying to decode some kind of weird diary right now, as far as I know. I haven't heard much since the press conference."

"The man's recognisable," Peter said gruffly. "How could he travel around here and not get recognised? I mean, not even an accidental picture of him on someone's personal profile online?"

"Maybe he found a way out of the country before the ports and airports got themselves set up to look for him," Val said.

I rubbed my temples. A serious headache was setting in. "I'm going to make a coffee. Anyone want one?"

They all did. In the kitchen, I tried to clear my head, but there was just so much information to sort through. Maybe that was the point. The details were slowing us down, likely giving Declan Egan time to get away.

My phone buzzed. I stopped pouring coffee long enough to check it. I swore under my breath and headed back into my living room.

"Turn on the telly," I said, stepping over Carl's long legs as he sprawled across the floor, surrounded by paper.

"What is it?" Peter asked.

"Either the answer to our prayers or a fuckton of trouble," I said.

Val had the remote. She switched on the television. Declan Egan appeared on the screen, surrounded by people.

Carl squinted. "Is that outside the Integration offices?"

"Looks like." I wrapped my arms around myself. "Egan's handing himself in."

"And he needs all of those reporters because?" Peter sucked in a breath. " _Ah_."

Declan Egan faced the screen with a concerned look plastered on his face. "I'm here today to voluntarily cooperate with the police and the Senate over the confusing accusations made yesterday evening. I've no idea where this stems from, but I intend to find out and deal with it promptly."

"The Senate said you went into hiding," a reporter shouted. "Where have you really been, Mr. Egan?"

"Recovering, actually." He laid a hand over his chest, a picture of sincerity. "I think most of you know about my heart problems. I've suffered from bouts of illness since childhood. I recently experienced another attack, and I was advised by my personal doctors to recover in a quiet, remote location." He frowned. "I've risked that recovery by coming here, but when a man's integrity is besmirched..." He shrugged. "I hope the public understands. I believed it was for the best to come here myself instead of potentially wasting government resources on vicious rumours."

"What was your reaction to last night's press conference?" a reporter asked.

He looked pained. "My friends accused me of awful crimes. I'm confused and baffled as to these allegations. I've funded charities, public works, after-school projects, even upgraded mental health facilities with my own money. I'll prove the allegations to be falsehoods—don't you worry."

"Crap," I whispered. "I almost believe him, and I _know_ he's a lying piece of shit."

"What if he's telling the truth?" Carl asked. "What if he's being set up, and we've all been tricked into helping?"

"A scapegoat?" Peter rolled up his sleeves. "Don't tell me that now."

"No," Val said quietly, still staring at the screen. "He plays a good game, but he's a little too perfect. He has the right expression, the right gestures, but look at his eyes. Completely dead. Can't fake that."

She was right. Declan had the same shape eyes as his brother, even the same shade of blue, but there was nothing else there. No expression. No emotion. Just a blankness that didn't fit with his act.

"So much for this being the work of an ancient," I said. "If you don't have power and connections, you can just buy them for the right price. And if you look human, everyone will automatically believe the best in you."

The next morning, I read the early newspaper with disgust. Declan Egan's exclusive interview took up the first nineteen pages in a special edition. He was supposed to have been in custody all night, so he had to have prepared for the interview in advance. So much for spending his time in recovery.

"Not good," I muttered as I skimmed the words. Egan's woe-is-me tale of persecution and mishaps was exactly the kind of drivel that particular paper was known for. I shouldn't have been surprised.

Every shred of evidence against the man was scrutinised by the reporter, only to be scorned by Egan. Theories were discussed then shredded apart. Oh, he admitted to knowing Jennifer Boyle all right, but her boyfriend got the blame for leading her into a life of crime. He was the one who not only gave her a gun, but then somehow retrieved it from the police and handed it over to patients in the hospital where he worked.

And the baby was described as a complete fabrication by an "informant" with a grudge. Of course he had nothing to do with loan sharks and the like. He had so much money that he was already giving it away on a regular basis. Why would he bother with crime? The attack on his character was based on nothing but politics.

I went online to see what the general consensus was on an Irish forum, but Egan's interview had just fed the conspiracy theories. What was the government hiding if they were attacking an obviously innocent man? The situation was going from bad to worse.

I watched the news as the Senate oversaw preparations to enable a force of armed Gardaí to transfer Egan from the Integration offices—where Shay confirmed he had been charged under the Offences Against the State Act—straight to the Special Criminal Court. Egan's legal team promised to make an application to appeal for bail.

The Senate had already warned us to keep out of it, saying that they would handle everything to do with Egan, but a part of me didn't feel comfortable just letting go. Still, if bail was refused—and it almost certainly would be—at least the man would be kept off the streets. And perhaps with Egan locked away, the baby would re-surface again—if she was even in the country.

I made up my mind to go to court for the pre-trial hearing to watch Egan figuratively burn. Most of Dublin had the same idea. I arrived early, but I still struggled through the crowds. There were the usual protesters—claiming human persecution as always—then there were parents whose children had been in the school and people who still believed in the Senate. Curious bystanders watched, some more invested than others, and many IAs held the crowds back from the doors.

"The hearing isn't open to the public," a well-dressed woman said from a hastily assembled podium. "But we won't let that stop us from sharing with you every accusation against an innocent man."

"Here comes the PR," a woman behind me said. "Spin, spin, spin."

The crowds were soon distracted by the very public trial going on outside in the streets. Egan's representatives were out in full force, swaying the public to the "right" point of view.

Plenty of Egan's supporters were in the crowd, but there were just as many against him. Those were the ones firing questions at the woman and her associates, who had an answer for everything.

"Where is this baby?" the woman said, a smirk dancing on her lips. "It's a lie created to tug at your heartstrings. Slavery is a myth. It's a bygone from old days when humans were not in charge. Supernatural creatures were the only ones who owned slaves."

"That's a lie!" a man shouted from the crowd. "My family owned slaves. They owned bloody everything around here. Declan just wants to follow in the family footsteps."

With a groan, I realised Kenneth Egan was drunk and making his way to the podium.

"He's dirt," he cried out. "A user, a blackmailer, a thief, and an evil bastard. I'm embarrassed to call him my brother." He tripped and fell, and the crowd laughed. "Ah, fuck off," he said, not bothering to get up. "You're just a pack of sheep anyway."

That kicked off the name-calling. I pushed my way through the crowd to reach Kenneth before the mob stampeded over his head.

"Excuse me," I said. "He's not a well man." I reached for his arm to help him up, but a rotund man shoved me out of the way.

"A sheep?" he bellowed. "Who are you calling sheep?"

Kenneth laughed too loudly. "Are you the—"

I pressed my hand over Kenneth's mouth and shook my head. "Don't listen to him," I called out loudly. "He's just—"

The man pushed me again, and I fell on top of Kenneth. The crowd surged, and the taste of adrenaline filled my mouth.

"The cheek of you!" A young woman hit the man with her ridiculously oversized handbag. "You don't put your hands on a woman!"

I helped Kenneth to his feet and tried to tow him out of the crowd, but we kept getting pushed back. The crowd was alive with some kind of madness, and I sensed trouble too late. The shover somehow found his way next to us and swung at Kenneth, who tripped in time to duck to strike. The fist hit me in the nose instead.

I wrinkled my face, my nose prickling with pain.

"She's bleeding!" somebody said.

I wiped the back of my hand across my nose. He was right.

The shover was hauled backward. I lost sight of him, but I still had Kenneth. I gripped him tight and pushed him out of harm's way. We made it beyond the worst of the crowds, and I shoved him against a wall. He could barely stand up straight.

"What the hell did you do that for?" I demanded, using my sleeve to wipe my face clean of the blood. "You caused a scrap back there."

"Did you not hear what they were saying about my brother? Making him out to be some kind of saint. I couldn't..." He raised his hands and clenched his fingers into fists. "I couldn't _listen_ anymore."

A window shattered in the distance.

"Damnit," I said. "They're out of control."

"Where's my friend?" Kenneth demanded. "Did he follow us?"

"What friend?"

"The man. Your man back there. Did you not see him? He agreed with me."

I rolled my eyes, wondering if it had been his imagination or an agitator. "Kenneth, I'm going to get you home. Where do you live?"

He waved a hand. "No chance. I'm going to face him when he walks out of those doors. I'm going to make him see me for a change."

"You can't stay here. Somebody else will take a swing at you as soon as you open your mouth."

"I do not care," he said stubbornly, exaggerating his diction.

"You are _super_ annoying." But I couldn't leave him there alone. And I wanted to face Egan, too.

A group of people lurched toward us, so I pulled Kenneth farther back. A couple of marked cars showed up soon after and made an effort at clearing the streets. Some of the group had already moved on, but was still being disruptive.

"Come on," I said. "It should be done by now. The path has cleared a little. It might be easier to keep you safe."

"Who promoted you?" he muttered.

"Just move, Kenneth. If you die now, you won't be able to testify against your brother, will you?"

He bucked up and moved along. We lingered near the courthouse for a while, and finally, the IAs cleared the way enough for the doors to be opened. Phoenix burst through the doors first, looking as though he were in a rage. He looked around, saw me waving, then jogged over.

"Where is he?" he demanded.

"Who?"

"Egan. Bail was set. He won't be detained during this. I got held up. Did you see him pass?"

"He didn't come out this way," I said. "The doors just opened. It got a bit crazy out here. Kind of a mob situation."

"Damnit." Phoenix nodded at Kenneth. "If your brother isn't at his house, then you better have somewhere else for us to look for him. I'm not letting him escape this time."

The corners of Kenneth's mouth rose into a grin. "Looks like I'm on the right team for a change."

# 20

Two days later, I watched the aftermath of what had turned out to be a mini riot after the hearing. Half the city wanted to kill the other half, and nobody appeared to notice Declan Egan's suspicious absence, mostly because his legal team claimed he was too sick to do anything but rest. I doubted he was ever going to show his face again.

I had just turned off the news in disgust when Phoenix arrived. I let him in, and he paced in my hallway, barely able to contain his anger.

"He's gone. While his agitators did their work, he got away. He can't be found, and now it sounds as though we've been persecuting a sick man all along. People are backing him, despite the fact he appears to have jumped bail."

"The truth will come out."

"It will. Because we're going to find him—him or more evidence." He stopped walking and gripped my shoulders. " _We're_ going to fix this."

Anything was better than sitting around waiting. "What's the plan?"

"We're going to break into his properties," he said. "His brother has come up with the address of a house Egan used as a summer home, a kind of escape. It would be a perfect place for him to lay low. We'll start there."

"What if he's left the country?"

His fingers pinched. "He hasn't. We've had everyone watching for him. He can't move without somebody seeing him, so he must be hiding. We have to find him."

"Breaking in doesn't sound like the opposite of persecuting him," I hedged.

"I don't care what it sounds like! Don't you want to find the child?"

My stomach curled up at the words. Of course I did. I was just trying really hard not to mess anything up. And Phoenix was close to breaking. If I didn't go with him, and he found Egan... I didn't want to think about it.

"He skipped bail," he persisted. "He's broken the law. If the system can't touch him, then we must."

"Fine," I said at last. "I'll go." And I hoped I wouldn't regret it.

The full moon was high in the sky as we drove. I called Peter to let him know what I was up to. He had planned on dropping by to look through the paperwork we had again.

"Need a hand?" he asked.

I glanced at Phoenix. "Nah, it should be nothing. I'll let you know if we run into trouble. Just let yourself into my place if you still want to go through everything."

"I might," he said. "There has to be something we've missed."

"Or lots of things," I said wryly. "Talk to you later."

The journey continued in silence.

Finally, to feel as though Phoenix knew I was there, I spoke. "What do we do if we find Egan?"

"Arrest him," he said, but a vein throbbed in his neck.

"He can't get hurt," I warned. "Not by us. The place is already wound up to the last. We can't be the ones to screw it up."

He glanced at me. "Are you trying to say something?"

"I thought I did say it. This has to go... well."

"We're breaking into a man's house," Phoenix said. "That's crossing a line we can't return from."

"So is murder," I said under my breath. I worried because Phoenix rarely lost his cool. It could be bad.

"Kenneth was sure about this place," he said. "Either we find Egan and arrest him, or we knock another place off the list. He's somewhere. We'll find him."

We drove close to the children's home along the way. "Not to tempt fate," I said, "but I wonder why the kids haven't been attacked here."

"No reason to. The school got far more coverage."

"Why would a human want to go to all these lengths?"

"Why would a supernatural?" Phoenix said. "Greed, I assume."

"I just... I feel like I understand why a vampire would do something like this. Spend enough time with Daimhín, and you'll be convinced she doesn't have a soul."

"Is that what you believe?" he asked. "That we don't have souls?"

"I don't know what I believe," I said. "It just makes more sense in my head to think that people do this because they have nothing that keeps them good. It messes up my head when humans do bad things, because they have so many reasons not to. It feels worse somehow."

He made a noncommittal sound. "I think there's something at the core of all of us, Ava, supernatural or not, that we either choose to ignore or nurture. We're all capable of terrible things, whether we choose to believe it or not."

"So what gives us more power? Knowing what we're capable of or refusing to believe it?"

"I wish I knew." He smiled. "You ask a lot of questions. Has anyone ever mentioned that?"

I grinned. "How else will I learn?"

"Exactly," he said under his breath. "Exactly."

Egan's summerhouse was a McMansion on the outskirts of Waterford. The place was empty, and by the cobwebs around the doors, nobody had been there for quite some time.

"He's not here. We could take a look at all of the properties on the list and see if—"

"No," Phoenix said. "We're here now. We might as well take a look inside."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Then wait in the car." He got a wheel brace from the car and went to the glass side door. He smashed it cleanly then stepped inside. I cringed, waiting for an alarm to go off, but nothing happened. That in itself was disturbing, but maybe we were in one of those places where everyone felt safe enough to forgo the occasional noise pollution.

I hesitated for about five seconds before following Phoenix inside. The kitchen was large and spacious—too clean to be lived in. There were a couple of bedrooms, an empty room, two living areas, and a study. In one of the living rooms, the bookshelves were covered in fantasy books, both children and adult.

I scanned the shelves.

"Anything?" Phoenix asked.

"Nothing but a fascination for anything out of the ordinary."

"I'll check out the study then."

I followed him, if only to keep him from destroying anything. The study was an eerily similar copy of the one in Egan's main abode. Phoenix looked through bookcases and glass cabinets, tossing books to the floor in his anger.

I was drawn to the desk, where I felt a tremor of something—something I wanted to touch. The only drawer was locked, but the lock was unusual in appearance and function. There was an empty space as though a coin unlocked it.

I searched the desk and found a circular piece of wood that looked like the right fit. A hole had been carved through the centre. I held up the piece to my eye and squinted, but I saw only darkness.

"Anything in the desk?" Phoenix called from the other side of the room.

"Just about to unlock the drawer," I said, hurriedly pushing the wood into the gap in the drawer.

Then I screamed as a shock of magic blasted me into a bookcase. I tried to move to protect myself, but my limbs felt separate from my body. The shelves collapsed, covering me with books.

Phoenix shouted something. I tried to sit up, to do anything, but I couldn't even blink. Some kind of magical paralysis had taken over my body. I offhandedly thought it would be a perfect addition to the house security services Moses and I had chatted about.

"Ava!" Phoenix pulled the books away and looked at me, aghast. "No," he whispered, looking back at the desk. "He killed her."

Great. The fae prince thought I was dead. I desperately tried to do... anything to show him I was okay, but nothing happened. Phoenix gathered me in his arms, his face wan with panic. He laid me on the sofa and felt for a pulse. The dawning of relief on his face was so comically over the top that I would have laughed if I could do anything.

"Not dead," he said. "Bespelled instead." He stood then hesitated. "If you can hear me, don't panic. I'll fix this."

Don't panic—like he wasn't panicking. I imagined myself rolling my eyes, since I couldn't actually do that. Phoenix dashed around the room. I couldn't see him anymore.

He was worrying for nothing anyway. Given enough time, there was always a way past magic. I tried to push against it, but it was heavy, a different kind of magic than I had ever experienced before. It wasn't just restraining my body, but my ability to fight at all. I attempted to reach out with my other senses, but that accomplished nothing, bar a serious headache. Scared people would pay _so_ much money for that kind of security system.

I heard Phoenix open a drawer, unfold something papery, and release an exclamation of satisfaction. He called somebody then.

"You wanted a second chance," he said. "Be ready." He hung up and came to me. "I can't find anything here," he said. "And I have something I must do." He looked away. "But I can't leave her here." Frowning, he lifted me into his arms. "I'll take you as far as the children's home. Alanii will take care of you."

He carefully carried me out to the car, where he left me in the backseat. In the car, the drive toward home took an age. It was only a couple of hours, but every minute that passed increased the strain in Phoenix's demeanour. My nose itched something terrible, and Phoenix kept muttering under his breath. His rapid descent into chaos was unsettling, and I couldn't do a thing to calm him. If anything, my corpse-like presence only tightened his nerves.

He brought me to the children's home and briefly explained things to Alanii. "I'll get Ari," she said, hurrying out of the room.

"I must leave." He laid his jacket over me. "I know where Egan is, and I'm going to make him confess." He brushed the hair off my face. "I swore to protect my children," he said, a hint of panic in his voice. "There can be no mistakes this time, no taking things for granted. I won't let history repeat itself. I _will_ end this once and for all."

Then he was gone. I had no choice but to wait until Alanii returned with Noah and Ari. "Can you help her?" she asked. "Phoenix thinks it's some kind of spell."

"I don't know," Ari said. "I'm not sure I know what to do."

"Try," Noah said sharply. "Ari, you have to stop acting like this."

She folded her arms across her chest. "You know what magic is like. I could accidentally kill her. What then?"

"She can't stay like this forever," Alanii said. "Try to at least figure out what's wrong with her."

With a scowl, Ari knelt next to me and touched my arm. "It's... sort of like she's suffocating in magic."

"Can you fix it?" Noah asked.

"I think so," she said softly, but I thought I heard a note of excitement in her words. Her hands hovered above my body, and she inhaled deeply. "Whoa," she whispered. "There's so much of it. How did they do this?"

"Not so important right now," Noah barked.

"Take it easy," Alanii said. "Can you help her, Ari? It's important."

"I can try to... take it from her. I'm not sure if it'll work, but I'll try." She exhaled loudly then squeezed her eyes shut, her fingers twitching.

I felt the magic being pulled away from my skin. There was so much of it, though, so many layers being peeled away. The farther down, the closer to my skin it clung. The process began to hurt, even though I couldn't feel my limbs. It hurt somewhere else, beyond my body.

Ari kept going, and I thought she would suck the life out of me, too, because she threw her head back and gasped, and her eyes turned golden for the briefest instant. The others appeared not to notice, while I had no choice but to look at her. Not for the first time, I considered the fact that Ari wasn't like other witches. But whatever she was doing was slowly working.

Finally, with the heaviest weight of magic finally off me, I was able to use my own abilities to shrug off the last of the magic. I concentrated on moving my fingers and toes.

"She's moving," Alanii said.

I tested my limbs, but it was too soon.

"There's something old," Ari said. "It sort of joined with the new magic and made it more powerful."

"She thought she was cursed," Noah said. "Maybe she really was."

"It's over now." Ari shrugged nonchalantly. "She'll be back to her annoying self soon enough."

After a while, I was able to blink and move my mouth. Talking and sitting up took longer. I felt groggy from the aftereffects of the magic. I felt it touch me still, but it no longer dulled my extra senses.

"How are you feeling?" Alanii asked when I was able to sit up unaided.

"Tired," I said. "Could you call Peter and ask him to come get me? I don't think I have the energy for a walk home right now."

"I'll get you a cup of tea, too," Alanii said. "You two, watch her and call me if anything else happens."

As soon as she left the room, I turned to Ari. "You need to find Phoenix. Right now."

# 21

"What am I, your personal assistant?" Ari folded her arms across her chest again. "Just call him."

"He's not going to answer." I pressed my fingertips against my temples, struggling with the urge to wipe that sneer off her face. "This is serious, Ari. He's... upset. You've heard the news, right? About Declan Egan."

"Yeah," Noah said. "The sleazy human is the slave trader, and nobody wants to believe it. None of us count as human to them because we're different."

"Most people are idiots," Ari said. "I bet they're jealous of us."

"Is that why Phoenix is upset?" Noah asked. "Because nobody believes you?"

"It's more than that," I said. "He had photos and information on lots of people. Me, my friends, and even Phoenix's children. Phoenix has already lost them once. He's not going to risk it again." I made to get up then thought better of it. "We went looking for Egan tonight, and that's how I ended up here. Phoenix is losing his grip on things because he's worried. This reminds him of everything he went through with his own mother, and he's terrified he's going to let everyone down. We have to stop him before he does something to Egan."

"So what's the problem?" Ari said. "Phoenix will deal with him, and the world will be better off. Why should we help out that creep instead of Phoenix?"

"That creep's human, and if Phoenix takes care of him, people will lose their minds. There's already been too much trouble. It's clear Egan's a scumbag, but as Noah said, nobody wants to believe it. Look what happened at your school, how easy it was for the papers to misdirect the blame. Now imagine if all of the humans turned against us. We're way outnumbered, and there are rules, and—"

"Rules," Ari scoffed. "Nobody has to find out who killed this man."

"Even if somebody else did it, Phoenix could get the blame. And if he finds Egan tonight, there's a good chance he'll forget about the rules himself. People will start thinking he's like his mother and want to get rid of him. Besides, it's not so easy to kill a human, Ari. It matters when they can't fight back the way a vampire might. Taking a life means something."

Her gaze turned hard. "How many lives have _you_ taken?"

" _Ari_ ," Noah said.

"Too many." I thought of them, too, sometimes and wondered if any of the faceless enemies I'd fought had families who missed them. Thinking of them as monsters was so much easier. "If Phoenix kills a human tonight, he'll regret it tomorrow. We can't let that sit on his shoulders when he's not thinking clearly. We have to stop him to help Phoenix, not Egan."

Noah looked at Ari. "Do it. She's right. It could kick off another civil war. We'll be the ones who lose out if Phoenix gets into trouble. You said it yourself—he's the only one in charge who actually cares what happens to us."

Ari considered this. "How will I find him? It took those witches a week to track down the baby."

"You know Phoenix," I said. "And you just sucked a truckload of magic out of me. Plus, I'm a conduit for power. You can use me to find him. He gave you books, right? Whatever it takes, let's do this. Just hurry."

"You'd let me take from you?" She tried her best not to sound interested but failed miserably.

"For this, yes," I said. "I need to catch up to Phoenix before it's too late."

"There _are_ scrying spells in the books Phoenix gave me," she said slowly. She took his jacket from the sofa. "With this, I could probably do it, but I've no idea how long it will take."

"Just find him. Before Alanii comes back and notices."

"I'll distract her," Noah said. "Ari... play nice."

Ari made a face then left to prepare.

"Am I crazy to trust that girl with this?" I asked.

Noah shoved his hands into his pockets. "You're desperate, right?" He looked at me questioningly. "Why do they have to hate us? When people found out Nate and I worked at the garage, they picketed the place. They don't even know us, but they decided to hate us because of what happened to us. We didn't choose to be born different, and we definitely didn't choose to be taken from our families, either, so why do they blame us?"

"They're scared." I patted his arm. "They don't understand why their world has to change to accommodate us. They liked it better when our problems were hidden from them. There will always be people who don't want us around, but someday, _human_ won't mean 'normal' or even 'better than.' Someday, we'll find a way to fit together."

"And people like me? Supernaturals call me a human. Humans call me a mistake. How do I fit in?"

"By proving you're more than they make of you," I said firmly. "And you're already doing that. Anyone can spout hate. It's a lot harder to live like a good person. Only you can choose how you react to the nonsense that's going on around town lately. You're the one who has to decide you're better than anything they say."

"But they—"

"Do you respect them?" I asked. "Do you admire them or want to be like any of them someday?"

He made a face. "No way."

"Then their words don't matter anyway. Most people in this country can't imagine the kind of life you've had. If anyone doesn't respect the fact that you're trying to move on from that past and make a better life, then they're not worth listening to. You're a good kid, Noah. Don't let their hate define you."

Ari returned with a spell book, a bowl of water, a map, and a basket of candles. She spread out the map on a table, using the candles to hold down the corners. She placed the bowl of water on top of the map and lit the candles.

"What does that do?" I asked.

"Mind your own business," she said sharply. She put on the jacket—I could have sworn she sniffed it first—knelt in front of the map, and chanted from a page in the book. As she recited, she dipped her finger in and out of the water and let it drip onto the map. She sprinkled some on me then swiped her thumb across my forehead.

"What... oh." I felt her magic probing at me, searching me. She curled invisible fingers around me and stole the best parts of me. She kept looking at the water, dipping her fingers in, and chanting constantly.

My strength began to drain. I had to lean back in my chair, unable to sit up straight.

"Ari, stop," Noah said. "She looks sick."

"I don't have it yet," Ari said without missing a beat in her chant.

"Keep going," I said. "I'm good. Just find him."

Sweat trickled down my temples, and I laid my head on the back of the chair and stared up at the ceiling, black spots screwing with my vision.

"Are you okay?" Noah asked.

My mouth was dry, my limbs were shaky, and my head felt as though it might roll off my shoulders at any moment, but I wasn't running on empty yet.

"I'm fine," I said hoarsely.

"Maybe I should get you something to eat or—"

"No!" Ari shouted. "Get _out_ , Noah."

"I'm staying," he said firmly.

I closed my eyes and concentrated. Ari's magic felt cold and unnatural, like slimy hands roughly touching my body. My insides felt hollow from her touch, and I wasn't sure how long I could keep going. I panicked, my heart racing as a rush of adrenaline ran through me. I opened my eyes and looked at my hands. They were grey and pallid. My veins bulged as though my skin had been pulled taut by an unseen force.

"I don't..." I murmured. "I..." But the encroaching darkness surrounded me before I could figure out what I wanted to say.

When I woke, Peter and Alanii were standing over me. "Oh," I said.

"Are you all right?" Alanii said. "The kids said you were tired and passed out."

"Yeah, well, that curse was heavy," I said. "Alanii, I'd take that cup of tea now. A couple of sugars, please."

She smiled. "I'll make a fresh cup."

I looked for the teenagers as soon as she left. Noah and Ari were sitting in the corner. He looked relieved. She looked just as pissed off as usual.

"Are you all right?" Noah asked. "I thought you died for a minute there."

I sat up then clutched my head as pain shot through my skull. "I'm okay," I said after a moment. "Just a little shaky. Did you find him?"

"I did," Ari said. "I have a connection to him now. I can see where he's going, but to keep it up, I'll have to maintain a connection to you, too."

"Do it then," I said. "I'll follow him."

"What's going on?" Peter asked as I slowly got to my feet.

"Phoenix is hunting down Egan. We have to stop him before he does something he regrets."

"I can't say I'd be sorry if Egan came to harm," Peter said.

"It can't happen like that," I warned. "He needs to go to trial. And I need a lift. Can you help me?"

"Yeah, I'll do it," he said.

Ari stood. "I'll have to keep in touch with you. I can see him and follow his path, but I don't know where he'll end up."

"I'll go with them." Noah nodded at me. "I can help follow Ari's directions, and you might need me if things go bad."

I hesitated. I wasn't sure I wanted to be responsible for Noah if anything really did go wrong.

"He's strong," Peter said. "If Phoenix gets in a fight, we'll need a hand. You're too weak to be much use right now."

"Go then," Ari said. "I'll confuse Alanii." She sneered. "It won't be hard."

We snuck Noah out of the children's home. Alanii was going to hate me if I kept tricking her, but I didn't have time to wait for permission that might not come. We didn't have time to go pick up Val, either. We had to catch up to Phoenix first.

We drove for two hours. Noah kept Ari on the phone for directions. I napped in the backseat, beyond exhausted. Ari's power was dangerous and strong. I wondered if she had drained me out of necessity or just to teach me a lesson. I was too tired to truly care.

Finally, we came to a farm in Kilkenny.

"I don't think this place was on the list," I said.

"Think we took a wrong turn?" Peter asked.

"Nah, that's Phoenix's car outside."

All of the lights were on in the building, which was massive. Figures hurried past the upstairs windows.

"Come on," I said. "Noah, stay behind, just in case."

"No way," he said. "I'm going with you, remember?"

"Just... be careful."

The three of us got out of the car and kept in the shadows until we reached the front door, which had been destroyed completely. Wooden shards lay all over. With a heavy sense of foreboding, I stepped inside then froze as something blocked me from going any farther.

Great. More magic.

# 22

Peter and Noah pressed against me before I could warn them not to come inside. We were pinned together, struggling to move. We couldn't even back up.

"I can't move," Noah said.

"Don't panic. And stop pushing. You're getting nowhere but tighter against my back."

"What the hell is this?" Peter gasped.

" _Magic_." I shoved, but I kept coming up against resistance. "I'm getting really sick of this human using magic all of the time."

"It was me," a soft female voice said.

I looked to the stairs. A young woman stood there, looking nervous. Her light-brown hair hung past her shoulders in messy waves. She wore no makeup or decoration, bar a brooch pinned at the collar of her old-fashioned tea dress.

"You're a witch," I said accusingly.

"Am I?" She fidgeted with her sleeves. "I think... I think they're going to kill him. Are you here to stop that?"

"Nobody has to die tonight," I said. "Enough people have died."

"You're the one." She blinked a couple of times. "You were supposed to give her a different life. They said you wouldn't fail, but she came back. I wanted so bad for her not to come back, but he brought her home. The favour didn't cost him much, and she ended up back here."

"Who? The baby? Are you the mother?" I asked. "Did _you_ leave her on my doorstep?"

"Not I. A friend with no face and no voice. But many voices said you were the one. Were they wrong?"

I shivered. The way she spoke was creeping me out. "Just stop this magical crap, and we can talk about it. I tried to protect her, but somebody came and kidnapped her. They used magic."

"It's true," Noah said. "I saw... something."

"He likes magic. It makes everything safe."

The woman raised a hand, and the magic lifted enough for the three of us to separate from the uncomfortable position. I took two steps and found myself entwined again.

"This is getting really annoying," Peter snapped.

"Are you Lavinia?" I said as the woman turned away.

She hesitated then turned back to look at me. "Yes," she said. "Did you find... Tomas left clues, always clues, but nobody noticed. Did you find one?"

"Maybe." I had no idea what she was on about. "Where's the baby?"

"Downstairs, with Tomas," she said solemnly. "Safe. Protected from the other magic."

"What other magic?" Peter asked.

She pointed at the stairs. "Up there. My magic doesn't harm. _Hers_ does."

"Who's up there?" I said, suddenly scared. "Who's being hurt?"

She made a movement with her fingers. "Go see. But the barrier up there is not mine." She fled, but the magic stopped blocking us.

"I have to go see what's happening," I said. "Noah, go after her. See if you can get people out of here. Call Shay for help. And if she gets pointy with her magic, get out of here."

"I'm with you," Peter said.

I ran upstairs, closely followed by Peter. I half-expected to come upon a dead body. The hallway was empty. I sent out my other senses as we ran. Three people were upstairs—many more were downstairs. The barrier kept us out of the rooms we passed until we reached one at the end. It was a massive bedroom, mostly empty of furniture.

I ran into the room and immediately got stuck. _Again_.

Declan Egan laughed from where he relaxed on the bed. "Sticky, _sticky_ traps."

"Phoenix!"

"You shouldn't have come here," the fae prince said without looking at me.

Phoenix was close to the bed, his arms outstretched as though he were almost free. Clementine was on the other side, rapidly murmuring what must have been a counterspell to the magic trapping him.

"She's almost done," Phoenix said. "What will you do then, Egan?"

"Exactly as I wish," the human said. His charismatic persona was gone, and a manic look had replaced it. "You think I care what you do to me? My plans are worth more than—"

"You're done," I said, trying to sound confident. "It's over. The world knows what you are."

"What I am?" he sneered. "You don't know what I am, and _they_ don't know what I will be." He laughed at Phoenix. "You're not exactly your mother's son, are you? Or are you angry because I took what you wanted?"

"I will never be like you," Phoenix said.

"More's the pity." Egan sat up. "That daughter of yours will be a nice addition to my collection. She's been spending too much time on the beach these last few weeks. You should warn her to stay inside more often. I wouldn't like her to ruin that delicate complexion."

Phoenix let out a roar of anger just as Clementine's voice rose into a triumphant shout. We were free.

Phoenix lunged at Egan, fell back at another barrier, then pulled out the whip, a fae weapon that electrified with its touch. I stopped moving just in fear of the memory of its bite. It hurt more than anything else I had ever experienced. It was living pain, the kind that never died, not even in my dreams.

"Phoenix, don't," I whispered, feeling faint. Ari had taken too much from me. I couldn't smother my fear without any strength. "Please don't."

He lashed at Egan, whose body rocked and twisted on the bed. The human's face grew taut and red as he struggled against the pain rushing through his body. But a bizarre smile lit up his expression, even while he looked agonised.

"Thank you!" he screamed. "You've saved me precious time!"

"Madman," Phoenix snarled. "Are you the only one controlling this? Branding children and spying." He pointed in my direction. "Sending fools to shoot those getting in your way!" His voice rose as though he were working himself up into a frenzy.

"Stop it!" I cried.

"Don't get in the way," Egan shouted hoarsely. "We can't let him kill you, too. You're far too useful, dear."

I almost felt the next lick of the whip myself, flinching as Phoenix struck again. I couldn't have outlasted that pain, and I feared the life would leave Egan in front of my eyes. Phoenix's gaze was dark and malevolent, focused only on harming the man he believed was a threat to his children.

I couldn't let Phoenix turn into that person. I pushed away my own fear and ran to him. If I could at least grapple him, then perhaps Egan could run. Peter could get him away long enough for me to calm Phoenix down. If I could just—

"Stop!" Clementine's word rooted me to the spot.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, unable to move all over again.

I heard footsteps at the door. Noah was there with Lavinia, but they couldn't come in.

"I made a deal with him," Clementine said. "I won't let you ruin it for me. I can't afford it."

"Phoenix, don't!" I cried. "He's not worth it!"

"Let him," Peter said from behind me, a darkness in his voice I hadn't heard in a long time. "Egan deserves everything he gets."

"What are you talking about?" I said. "This could kick off something we can't stop!"

"You don't get it," he said. I could barely hear him over Egan's fresh screams. "My son was in that slave market. Egan didn't begin this today or this year. He was working with Fionnuala for years to get to this point. For all we know, he was responsible for taking our children from us. Let him burn. He's a monster."

I called Phoenix again, and this time, he looked at me. "You know this isn't the way."

Clementine spoke another word, and my mouth shut. I couldn't move or talk, and Phoenix was about to torture a human to death and provoke a war we couldn't win.

They were all against me, all fixed on doing something terrible in an attempt to erase something worse. Life didn't work that way. We couldn't wipe away the past, no matter how hard we tried..

Egan's agonised howls filled the air as the whip lashed against his skin again. Had I screamed that way? Phoenix had lost all sense of himself, and he almost looked as though he were enjoying himself. I wondered if we could ever get him back.

Noah murmured something, but it was lost under the screaming. Then I heard Lavinia's voice in my head as though she were right next to me—just one word.

"Speak."

I moved, gasped, and breathed all at once. My legs were still stuck, but I could talk. "Phoenix!" I screamed. "Look at me! _Please_."

He did, sweat gleaming on his face. He was wild and too far gone to respond, but something I knew well flickered in his eyes. I could get through to him. I had to. I heard Clementine's furious attempt at another spell, and I knew I needed to be quick. I wasn't sure why Lavinia had helped me, but I had to take advantage.

"Phoenix, this isn't the way," I said. "Torture doesn't make us better than him. We have to do things right. We aren't in a war anymore. The violence has to end sometime. And this man is less than nothing, but by hurting him, we just add fuel to the fire. The humans who hate us will grow in number, and the supernaturals will rise up against them in return. We have to be the ones who stop this, who stop the circle of violence."

"He deserves it," he panted, but some of the darkness had seeped from his tone.

"He deserves to be punished," I said. "But not like this. If you kill him, you'll give him exactly what he and people like him want—an excuse to do harm. Let him face justice in court. Let the world see who he really is. Show the humans that we're capable of peace and mercy. But Phoenix, most of all, don't let him ruin you. Look at yourself. Look at what you'll let yourself become. Don't give him that power. You said... you said yourself that we're all capable of darkness, but it's our choice that matters. Please don't choose this, Phoenix. Not _this_."

Phoenix looked at the writhing man on the bed, at the people trapped in the room, and at Lavinia, who was depending on us to save her and her child. His gaze returned to me, and the anger began to leech from him as though it were a fading colour in his cheeks. He took a step away from the bed, regret plastered all over his face.

"You're just like your mother, after all," Egan taunted.

Phoenix's grip on the whip tightened, then he dropped it. It fell to the ground with a loud bang that made me flinch.

"Do you really think I'll let you judge me?" Egan scoffed, his nose bloody from his trauma. "I've been working toward this my entire life, and I'll get what I deserve, get everything I want." He slipped his hand under the pillow and pulled out a jewelled dagger.

"No!" I shouted, but I couldn't reach him.

Egan uttered a word I didn't recognise then stabbed himself in the heart. He fell back on the pillow with a permanent smile etched on his face. He _welcomed_ death. But why?

# 23

"He never wanted to be human," Lavinia said softly. The magic in the room released us all.

"He's dead," Clementine said. "It's done, Phoenix."

"Good riddance," Peter said.

I shot him a sharp look, and he looked away.

Phoenix sank to his knees, the epitome of a broken man. I doubted any possible outcome could have made him feel any less destroyed.

"We need to call somebody," Noah said. He sounded calmer than anyone else did. I couldn't help but wonder about the things he had seen in his life that _this_ was no big deal.

"We have to do something," I said. "He killed himself, but..." I looked at the others. "That's all that happened, right? All of you, go downstairs and figure out who needs help. Lavinia will help with that, won't you?"

The young woman nodded, looking more curious than upset. She bade him follow her downstairs. He shot me one last glance before leaving with her.

"Great," I said. "Peter, figure out how many people are here, then call Shay and get him here."

"What should I tell him?" Peter asked.

I glanced at Phoenix and bit my lip. He hadn't moved. "Tell him we need help. We can get our stories straight before anyone arrives. I just... go on. We'll follow in a few minutes."

Clementine nodded. "Right. We have to take care of things." She stumbled out of the room as though shell-shocked.

Peter paused at the door. "I hope you know what you're doing, Ava."

"I just want to help," I said firmly. "Don't you? I mean, now that he's dead."

His jaw clenched. "I'm not sorry he's dead."

"No matter the cost?"

He gave me a pitying look. "You know the world is better off without the likes of that man. And I know I'll sleep better tonight." He left the room.

I closed the door behind him and moved to Phoenix's side.

I knelt in front of him when he didn't look at me. "Phoenix," I said softly, meeting his pained gaze.

"He wanted to die," he said. "Did you see that? He wanted us to kill him, and when we didn't, he did it himself. Why? What gift does death hold for him?"

"I've no idea," I said. "Let's hope nothing." But it niggled at me. We had come across wendigos, humans who ate the organs of their own families in exchange for the power from a demon. I had an awful feeling that Egan hadn't planned on his life ending with a permanent death.

"I failed," Phoenix said, his voice cracking with remorse. "I got nothing out of him, and now he's gone. The world will believe... what it wants to believe, and now all of this has been for nothing."

"The baby's here," I said. "We found her. And other slaves, too. They're ready to talk, to let the world know what's happened to them. And we're going to make the world listen. It hasn't been for nothing. We've changed these people's lives."

"And if he didn't work alone?" he said. "If there's more like him out there?"

"Every inch of his life will be looked into. Every contact, every deal, every favour, every debt. It might take months, but if he had a boss or a business partner, we'll find them."

"He killed himself," he said. "He took his own life to avoid justice. How can this be an ending?" He glanced at the body and shuddered. "Oh, what have I done?"

"You did the best you could in the moment," I said. "Phoenix, look at me. You aren't to blame for the things that man did. Neither am I, and neither are his victims. He chose his path, and he followed it through."

"I tortured him," he said. "I caused him pain to get what I want, and I didn't feel an ounce of regret." He stared at his hands. "Muscle memory, Ava. These hands were well-used to harming others. What did I do in the past I forgot?"

"It doesn't matter," I said. "You can't be punished for the things you might have done."

"And that man?" He held his head up high and met my gaze. "If you came here tonight, and he couldn't recall any of these deeds, would you proclaim him as innocent?"

"That's different."

"How is it different?" He gripped my arm. "How could it be different?"

I inched closer to him. "Because I know you. I know that the good outweighs the bad. You can't let the past punish you. You told me that. Whatever happened to you in the time you lost is over. It's done. Stop letting it control you now. You need to move on."

He dropped his hand. "You don't understand. You didn't see... a little town in Italy tell their children that a demon will come for them if they're bad. They're talking about _me_ , Ava. They call me a devil and other things, and most barely remember the truth, but I was there, and they saw my true face. I destroyed in my anger. I am capable of terrible things."

"Everyone is, remember? We all have the capacity inside us. We talked about this. I don't care what some kids in Italy think of you. I know you. You're the only person with power in the country right now who actually cares about people, even though it doesn't benefit you. There is so much more good in you than anything else. You let this problem touch you because you care. I've seen evil. It's not you."

He reached out and touched my cheek. "You're a good friend to me, Ava. I lost control, and you made me remember what was at stake." He glanced at the bed again. "But it was never going to be enough."

A polite knock at the door drew our attention. Lavinia peeked her head in. "Tomas made tea," she said. "That's what people do." She nodded at Phoenix. "The witch woman wants to speak to you. She makes the air shimmer in the worst way."

I helped Phoenix to his feet. "Go on. Talk to the witch. And tell her to quit using magic on me. It really pisses me off."

He managed a small smile. I hesitated at the bed while he left the room. Lavinia came to my side and gazed at Egan emotionlessly.

"Death makes him look like nothing. As though there was never anything there." Her fingers danced across the bedspread, inches away from where the blood had soaked through. "Should _I_ apologise for using magic?"

"Only if you're sorry and you aren't planning on doing it again." I moved her hands away from the bed. "Why did you help me?" I asked. "Surely you hated him."

"I don't care about him," she said. "And the boy with the hurt heart was a slave once. He showed me his brand downstairs. Not like ours, but it means the same thing, I think. When he told me to trust you, I believed him. Sometimes, I can see a lie. He has no lies; he's just waiting for the right questions."

My head hurt. "I'm sorry I didn't do a better job with the baby."

"Maybe this is how it was supposed to end."

I stared at Egan's body, seeking out signs of life. "He is really dead, right? It's not some magic trick."

She nodded. "The soul is already gone, and the body remains useless. But he was never at peace in life. I doubt death will fit him any better."

"Should I be worried?"

"I believe it takes a terminally long time to become a demon."

"That's what he wanted?" I turned to gape at her. "He wanted... to go to Hell?"

"He liked stories," she said. "Always stories about becoming a hero. But he preferred the darker creatures. He envied us, my mother said."

"Is she here?"

She shook her head. "She died. She used to tell me our blood was cursed. That we were fated to always be slaves. I saw the brand on the baby. It didn't look like it belonged, and I thought that maybe it wouldn't be true for her. But then she came back to me."

"What's the baby's name?"

"Robin," she said. "After my mother." She sighed as she looked down at the body. "When I was a child, I thought he was my father. I thought all children lived in rooms under the ground. I thought all children had magic. He used to read me stories, try to teach me magic. Mother made me careful. In secret, I called him father until I began to bleed, and Mother couldn't hide it anymore. She liked to pretend, but sometimes, it wasn't enough."

I had an eerie feeling that if Lucia talked, she would sound exactly like Lavinia. They were distant cousins, after all.

"I stopped calling him Father when he started to come into my room at night. Mother gave me special tea to drink every morning, but she died last year, and I forgot."

"Is Robin his child?" I asked, trying not to outwardly react too strongly even though I felt horrified.

"No. He brought a man with great magic to me. He wanted Robin to be powerful. Every generation, we grow stronger, Mother said. And the man who came, his brands were all over his body because he had tried to escape so many times. He said that people don't have to be slaves, that we just had to become strong enough to fight back. His words and hands were nice and quiet, and he promised to send someone to help when he finally escaped for good. But I don't want to be powerful. I just want to be free."

"You're free now," I said firmly.

"But where do I go? How do I live? Some of the others are scared."

"Have you seen many slaves then?"

"They come and go. Tomas and I are the only ones who stay." She smiled brightly, but it never reached her eyes. "Would you care for some tea?"

Downstairs, Clementine and Peter were sitting around a small wooden table with a short, curly-haired man who wore oversized glasses that made him look like a child in a man's suit.

"This is Tomas," Lavinia said. "He knows everything."

Peter raised his eyebrows. "Everything?"

"I keep the deals organised." Tomas blinked. "I'm trusted."

"So you know where Egan kept his records," Peter said. "We could probably use those."

"Of course." Tomas pointed at his forehead. "In here."

I stifled a groan then caught sight of Phoenix in the corner, staring at a bassinet. I moved to his side and peered at the baby I thought I'd lost. An ache in my chest eased; the worry about her finally ended. I touched her hand, sighing as her little fingers curled around mine. It wasn't quite like the peace I felt when I'd helped a lost soul, but it was something just as good.

"Nice to see you again, Noodle," I whispered.

"If I had put her first, perhaps things would have ended differently," Phoenix said under his breath.

I cupped his cheek. "And maybe it wouldn't. She's safe, and Egan is done. We've gotten what we wanted from this."

His lips seemed to twist. "I have a couple of photos, but I don't remember holding my newborn children. I wonder if they looked like her." He heaved a sigh. "And now they're gone again."

"But this time, nobody can take your memories of them," I said. "And they will come back."

"I apologise," he said. "But I think I want to be alone."

I kissed his cheek then returned to the table, where Peter was staring at me with expressionless eyes.

I cleared my throat. "How many other people are in the building?"

"About two dozen," he said. "And few of them speak English, so I think we should let someone more experienced deal with them in case they get spooked."

"Fair enough." His gaze made me feel guilty, and I chewed the inside of my mouth. "Where's Noah?"

"Outside, watching for help to arrive." He stretched out, looking far more relaxed than I felt. "Might be a while. We shouldn't touch the body—you know, _anymore_ —until then."

Clementine shot up from her seat and left the room as though stung. I glanced at Lavinia, but she was busying herself making more tea. I followed Clementine outside and found her in the hallway.

"Happy?" I asked.

She shook her head. "You don't know me. You've no idea the things people have to do to survive. You're one of the protected bloody chosen ones."

"Chosen ones?" I scoffed. "Overstating matters just a tad, witch."

"So you weren't protected at birth and through childhood?" she snapped. "You don't currently live in a safe home protected by magic I can't even begin to figure out?"

"Maybe you're just not that good a witch." I bristled at the accusatory tone, though. Just because I had been protected from some things didn't mean my entire life had been unicorns and rainbows.

"I'm a good witch," she said. "And you have no right to judge anyone when you don't have to demean yourself just to survive."

"What the hell does that even mean?"

"Look." She gritted her teeth. "I'm not happy about people dying, but I'm happy I was able to keep my end of a deal. I'm happy I'm alive. And I don't care what a little upstart like you thinks about that." She nodded at the kitchen door. "I think we both know you've muddied the waters to get ahead yourself." She stormed off.

Peter came out of the kitchen and caught sight of me standing in the hallway, my cheeks still hot.

"Everything all right?" he asked. "I heard raised voices."

"Don't you start." I folded my arms across my chest. "You could have backed me up, Peter."

"Why?" He slouched against the opposite wall, holding my gaze. "Egan didn't deserve to live."

"But we have to stop being the people who decide who gets to live!" I pointed a finger at him. "Especially if Phoenix is the one who gets blamed for the whole mess."

"You think I care what happens to _him_? I'm just waiting for the day you finally see right through him."

"Peter," I said in a softer tone, "you might not like him very much, but we both know you're not that kind of person. You didn't act like that upstairs because you hoped it would get Phoenix in trouble."

He grinned, but his eyes were creased with worry. "Would have been a bonus, though." He shrugged. "I don't care, Ava. All I know is that I can go home and tell my son that the bad man is dead and won't be coming for him. He had photos of all of us, records of our comings and goings, and we would have all been in danger as long as he was drawing breath."

"He was just a human," I whispered. "We could have fixed this in another way."

"No," he said. "We couldn't. Because it doesn't matter how we're born if we use curses and magical tricks and guns to get ahead. Tomas wasn't kidding about keeping everything in his head. He knows some shady shit about Egan. I don't know what the end game was for him, but it couldn't have been pretty."

I so very badly wanted to go home and curl up in bed.

"Ava," he said. "I know you want the world to be normal, and for everyone to treat each other equally, but it's just not bound to happen in our lifetime."

"So we should just give up?"

He held up his hands. "I'm not saying that. But you must see it for yourself. We've started things, but it'll be our great-grandchildren or something who even consider being able to finish it. The world isn't ready to fit your version of perfect yet. Stop... stressing yourself about it."

He went back into the kitchen.

I waited a while longer, trying to figure out why Peter's words made so much sense to me, and yet I still didn't regret my part in the scene upstairs. His version of events felt like giving up too much, as though we should just accept the way things were instead of trying to change them. Maybe it would take time, but so what?

I needed air. I found Noah right outside the front door, sitting on the doorstep and rubbing the back of his neck. "Hey."

He pulled up his collar. "If you're looking for the witch, she's in the car, talking to herself."

"I'm beginning to think all witches are as mad as a bag of cats." I sat next to him. "You doing okay?"

"About Egan? It's a bit screwed up, but I've seen worse."

"You look upset. Did something else happen? Lavinia freak you out?"

He smiled. "Just a little. I saw the slaves downstairs, and it just... it reminds me of the way things were for us. Sometimes I forget what it was really like."

"And you can't talk about it," I said softly.

"I'm not sure that's a bad thing." He scratched the stubble on his chin. "The ones here didn't have it as bad as we did, I don't think."

"Everyone has their own version of bad."

He looked at me. "Do you think Phoenix will get in trouble?"

"Depends on what we say, I suppose." I nudged him. "So why did _you_ help me upstairs? You hated the slave market as much as anyone else. Why did you get Lavinia to help me stop Phoenix?"

He frowned. "I trust you," he said. "And Phoenix doesn't deserve to be punished. I'm not going to tell anyone what he did, only that Egan killed himself when we got here. What's the point in anything else?"

The lie didn't sit right with me, but we had more than my conscience to worry about. No matter what happened, a prominent human had died under suspicious circumstances. If we didn't come up with enough evidence, most people would happily believe he hadn't done anything wrong.

"He was a terrible person, wasn't he?" Noah said. "As bad as Phoenix's mother."

"In his own way. But it's over. We should get the witch and go back inside to figure out what we're going to tell people about tonight."

He agreed, and we gathered everyone together to discuss the situation. Phoenix didn't speak much, but by the time Shay arrived to take over, we had all agreed on our story. And Clementine had earned her seat on the Senate.

# 24

Phoenix arrived at my doorstep with a shoebox. "To replace the ones you lost at the charity event," he explained.

I opened the box. It was the exact same pair. "Thank you." I couldn't stop my smile. "How did you know my size?" I asked, taking the box into the living room.

"Carl," he said.

"Am I the only one who thinks it's weird that he knows my measurements?" I joked.

"Not at all."

We both sat down and looked at each other. The silence quickly grew awkward. It was the first time I'd seen Phoenix in person since the night Egan died. At the press conferences on television, he'd sat in silence, a dead look in his eyes, while the rest of the Senate tried to fix the onslaught of bad press the incident had incurred. Despite knowing the truth, despite everything that had been revealed, many people refused to believe our version of the story.

There had even been a memorial service for Egan in the city centre, which was so well attended that it stopped traffic for an entire day. The Senate were scrambling to recover, but the damage had been done. Trust had been broken too many times. Even the people who believed that Egan was a criminal couldn't trust those in positions of power because so many people had been bribed or blackmailed into helping him.

The slaves, even some who were surprisingly reluctant to be freed, were all being taken care of, and a massive investigation was going on into Egan's businesses and contacts. As it turned out, Tomas was something of a savant. He could talk for hours about every deal, every slave, and every meeting Egan had ever had anything to do with. There was a good chance his memories could help track down Robin's father, and because the information went back to Fionnuala's time, I wondered if the Senate would eventually pair up more of the children with their real families.

Tomas and Lavinia had evidently been precious to Egan—always kept hidden and close to him. None of the other slaves were Irish, but Tomas was very capable of directing the Senate to their suppliers. Egan had owned a couple of slaves for a long time, but most were new additions trafficked from warring countries. He had links to major scumbags across Europe, and he had been working on setting up the slave industry in Ireland. We had stopped him before his expansion grew. I was satisfied by the conclusion, but so many threads were still hanging loose.

"How are you doing?" I asked, clearing my throat. "I haven't seen you... for a while."

"I've been busy dealing with... the aftermath."

"And Clementine's fitting in on the Senate?"

He straightened. "Yes," he said, his tone closing the book on _that_ subject.

I tapped the shoebox. "Thanks for the shoes. I'll probably never wear them, but they're the prettiest things I've ever owned."

His expression softened. "It was the least I could do. After everything."

"The protesters are having a field day." I leaned forward and hugged my knees. "But the Senate's damage control seems to be doing okay."

"So far." He pulled an envelope out of his pocket and left it on the coffee table. "A cheque for services rendered. It's made out to you, but we trust you to split it between everyone who helped."

"We're getting paid now?" I grinned. "That's new."

He shrugged. "The Senate desperately needs to keep everything aboveboard. If your people were working under our orders, then there should be no blowback on you for... anything that comes to light."

"Ah." I pushed the envelope aside. "I'll make sure everyone involved gets their fair share. Is the night Egan died going to be a problem for... anyone?"

"Me, you mean?" he said wryly. "Not so much unless the Senate decide to oust me."

That worried me. "Would they do that?"

"I've come to understand that people are capable of anything. This will blow over, but that doesn't mean it won't rise up again in the future."

"Do you think..." I bit my lip. "Do you think it's over with Egan? Or will there be any nasty surprises down the line?"

He looked faintly surprised. "He's dead. The school will reopen soon. The protesters will get bored. The newspapers will find a new story. It's over, Ava."

"And the halfway house?"

"We're pushing it forward." A sheepish laugh escaped his lips. "Noah proved to have more sense than I did. He deserves a chance to keep proving himself."

"Like Clementine, eh?"

"You know how it is, Ava." He licked his lower lip. "I've been to see Lavinia and Robin. They're related to the twins in some way, so I suppose they are family."

"Lavinia's had a weird life. She might struggle in the real world without some help."

"She told me things that make my skin crawl," he said. "But they're safe now. Tomas is well protected in case any of the criminals he's helping us find decide to get rid of him." He sighed. "And I heard from Lorcan. He told me you convinced him to return home for a visit."

"I thought you might need that, given everything that happened. But he didn't need much convincing. I think he's looking forward to it." I rubbed the back of my neck, wondering how to begin. "There's something I found that I didn't show you."

He froze. "What is it?"

"When Breslin was looking for information on tithes and such, he found some of Baba Yaga's old ledgers. She had a lot of deals and favours, too, but she also kept records on the lost souls she helped. There's an entry or two that you might be interested in."

I fetched Baba Yaga's book. I knelt by his side and showed him the page. He frowned as he skimmed the page.

"But what does it mean?" he asked.

"At some stage, you had dealings with the Matriarch," I said. "That's all I know. I could get Breslin to look into it, but he might not be able to find anything out. You could have exchanged a favour, but maybe you really were a lost soul, Phoenix."

He looked at me. "And now you're the Matriarch."

"Yeah. Does anything there make sense to you?"

"A trade." He pointed at the markings on the page. "This symbol means nothing to me." He frowned. "Do you think Helena was a slave when I met her?"

"I mean, it's possible, but—"

"The trade," he continued as though I hadn't spoken. "What if that meant some kind of trade- _off_? What if Helena and I fell in love, and then we managed to trade her place with Lavinia's mother or grandmother? What did we _do_?"

"Stop," I said softly. "You don't know. Don't start wearing the blame for things that might never have even happened."

He sighed. "All the same, I'll make sure Lavinia and her baby are taken care of." He held my gaze in silence for a couple of seconds, and goose bumps prickled my arms. "I should go."

I walked him to the front door. In the afternoon sun's haze, he lingered, looking out at the children playing in the cul-de-sac. "At least some good has come of this experience."

"A lot of good has," I said. "A lot of bad people are going to be hunted because of this. And the twins have found new family."

"Lavinia tells me their blood is cursed."

"Curses can be broken." I reached out and touched his hand. "That's if they exist at all."

He stared at my hand. "Emmett's just there."

"I know. Maybe it's time I practised what I preached. The past can't punish us forever if we don't let it."

He sagged against the doorway. "Ava, I know things have been... we've grown closer, but there's nothing I can offer you. You saw me, how badly I coped with Egan. There is no future with a man like me."

I held his gaze. "The future seems really far away right now."

He bent and dropped a brief kiss on my lips. "I can't offer you anything worth keeping, but if you ever want company, you know how to reach me." The words sounded nonchalant, but the look in his eyes said something very different.

He left before I could think of anything to say. I had never seen him so low, and yet there was something new about him that I hadn't noticed when he appeared on television—a lightness that vulnerability had given him. And I thought how very tiring it must have been for him to always put on a mask and hide the rest. If I could help him drop it, then maybe I should. I liked him, and I wanted to help him.

I watched his car drive away, saw Emmett throw a stone in its wake, and sighed. The past and the future didn't want to jell.

Carl came out of his house, waved at me, and approached. "Was that Phoenix?" he called out.

"Yeah, he brought me shoes."

He grinned and stepped into my garden. "I thought he'd chicken out. I told him you'd laugh at him. Did you laugh at him?"

"Not today. Since when do you buddy up with the fae anyway?"

He lifted his shoulders into a shrug. "He's not so bad really, and if he wants to buy you things, who am I to stop him? Is he always so mopey, though?"

"Must be your influence." I folded my arms across my chest as I watched Emmett kick a football against a wall. "Since... that night, he seems down about everything."

"Yeah, well, he's been getting a hard time in the papers." He sighed. "Everyone's ignoring the things that Shay and the Senate have discovered about Egan. They're just pretending that he's not the biggest scumbag who has ever walked the face of the planet." He shrugged. "This year."

I tried to smile. It wasn't fair how Phoenix was being treated. But maybe I could help, even a little. "You seem in good form."

"Got my job back." He shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I don't know. Kind of feels like the sun came back out."

"You're super-dramatic sometimes."

"I'm trying this new thing where I'm less emotional and whingey." He laughed, but I barely managed a smile. "Hey, you okay?"

I gazed out at the cul-de-sac. "Yeah," I said. "I think I am. I have an idea, but I might need your help." I went inside.

He followed. "What is it?"

"The news, the newspapers, they're all spouting the same story all of the time. What if we get that reporter we met to write a different story? She could interview us, people at the school, IAs, supernatural business owners, kids like Noah, people like Nate. She owes us, right? So maybe she could do a positive piece, and we could give her the true story of Declan Egan." I smiled. "We'll clean up Kenneth and get him to reveal all."

"That's a sweet idea," Carl said. "But I think people have already made up their minds."

"So we should give up?" I shook my head. "We've never been ones for giving up, Carl. Why should we start now?"

# Epilogue

Weeks had passed since Egan's death, and Áine O'Neill's stories about Declan Egan's exploits, as well as her series on a different aspect of the supernatural world in Ireland every week, were being talked about as often as, if not more than, the Humans First take on the matter being a massive cover-up.

The reporter kept me updated on general public opinion of the pieces. While the pictures of the children in the school and Shay's boxing club had helped them come across as real people, something about my name reminded plenty of people that I had been the one who first brought truth to them. Some people hated that, maybe even wanted me punished for it, but to others, it meant I could be trusted.

All in all, Áine's editor had been impressed by the response, and she had been cleared to write a weekly column for the foreseeable future that would attempt to mend the disconnect between humans and everyone else.

I hadn't seen Phoenix, but Shay let me know that his life was slightly easier after Kenneth and Tomas's joint interview was published. Kenneth had cleaned up nicely, and with his brother gone, he was about to take over the legitimate company in his family's name. Tomas had less personality but more facts, and between the two, they made the interview come across as convincing. Declan Egan had been a bad man, and more people were starting to believe it.

The tide was beginning to turn, and although people like the annoying protesters would never believe anything somebody like me said, others were easily influenced. And almost everyone won something.

Carl got his job back, Noah found a permanent escape from the children's home in the form of a halfway house, and Clementine earned a spot on the Senate. Alex had a permanent job with Breslin, while Val and Peter finally started getting frequent offers of work. I was pretty sure Phoenix had something to do with that.

Nick and Emmett discovered a way to coexist, and the werewolves decided that keeping their cubs in school wasn't such a terrible thing, after all. Anka's business picked up, Dita got her werewolf friend to trust her, Wes assured me the old neighbourhood was back to normal, and Moses had cleaned up his flats again and was preparing to set up a new security business—with my help. The slaves had new lives, the blackmail and bribes had ended, the emergency services could be trusted again because Shay had been given the authority to vet the staff, and even Finn's bar went back to normal, with added security.

But there were still loose ends. Jennifer Boyle and her boyfriend still hadn't reappeared, and the culprit behind the gangland assassination wasn't found. A reckless hothead had replaced the leader, but so far, everything had been quiet on that front. Not all of Egan's suppliers had been tracked down yet because of cultural differences getting in the way of official investigations. That didn't mean the search was over, but it was all out of my hands.

I went back to business and tried to move on. And I discovered I missed Phoenix's company. When I thought about it logically, his actions weren't so different to Peter's in the past, but there were differences. Peter had never laid himself bare. He had always kept his secrets close to his chest and pretended they weren't there. Phoenix let his mask fall in my company, and in some ways, I felt as though I knew him in a way I knew nobody else.

And maybe that was why I ended up on his doorstep late at night, my heart rattling in my chest.

He opened the door, clearly surprised to see me. "Everything all right?" he asked.

"Want some company?" I asked, and the words sounded as though _I_ had just laid everything bare.

He held my gaze for about three seconds before taking my hand and pulling me inside the house. He closed the door and pressed my back against it. "Yes, please," he said hoarsely.

And then he carried me upstairs.

# About the Author

Thank you for reading this volume of Lost Souls. If you're interested in more of Ava's stories, then please let me know. In the meantime, feel free to check out the shorter companion stories set in her world.

For more information, check out Claire Farrell's blog or email the author. Sign up to be notified of new releases or like the Facebook page for more regular updates. Click here for an updated series reading order.

Contact Me:

  *     @doingitwritenow
  *     clairefarrellauthor

www.clairefarrellauthor.com

claire_farrell@live.ie

# Reading Order

**A va Delaney World \- Chronological Order**

**Includes upcoming stories**

  * Zombie Moon Rising – A Peter Brannigan novella
  * Original Ava Delaney series – books 1 through 6
  * Tested – unfinished story available on Wattpad only
  * Tainted – Ava Delaney: Lost Souls #1
  * Ghost Moon Rising – A Peter Brannigan Novella
  * Demon Dog – VBI #1
  * Crucible – A Phoenix Novella
  * Tethers – Ava Delaney: Lost Souls #2
  * Bind – An Esther Novella
  * Tithes – Ava Delaney: Lost Souls #3
  * Relativity - A Lorcan & Lucia Novella
  * Bad Blood - VBI #2
  * Secret Self - VBI #3
  * Crossroads - A Phoenix Novella
  * Magic Thief
  * Faery Dust - An Ember Novella

# Books by Claire Farrell:

**C haos Series:**

One Night with the Fae (Companion Prequel)

Soul (Chaos #1)

Fade (Chaos #2)

Queen (Chaos #3)

Usurper (Chaos #4)

Blight (Chaos #5)

Kings (Chaos #5.5)

Sacrifice (Chaos #6)

* * *

**A va Delaney Series (Completed):**

Thirst (Ava Delaney #1)

Taunt (Ava Delaney #2)

Tempt (Ava Delaney #3)

Taken (Ava Delaney #4)

Taste (Ava Delaney #5)

Traitor (Ava Delaney #6)

Awakening (Ava Delaney Volume I – Books 1-3)

Uprising (Ava Delaney Volume II – Books 4-6)

* * *

**L ost Souls Series:**

Tainted (Ava Delaney: Lost Souls #1)

Tethers (Ava Delaney: Lost Souls #2)

Tithes (Ava Delaney: Lost Souls #3)

* * *

**V BI Series:**

Demon Dog (VBI #1)

* * *

**C ursed Series (Completed):**

Verity (Cursed #1)

Clarity (Cursed #2)

Adversity (Cursed #2.5)

Purity (Cursed #3)

Cursed Omnibus (Entire Cursed Series)

* * *

**S take You Series (Completed):**

Stake You (Stake You #1)

Make You (Stake You #2)

Break You (Stake You #3)

* * *

**S hort Story Collections:**

Sixty Seconds

A Little Girl in my Room

* * *

**O ther:**

Death is a Gift (A standalone banshee novel)

Zombie Moon Rising (A Peter Brannigan Novella)

Ghost Moon Rising (A Peter Brannigan Novella)

Crucible (A Phoenix Novella)

Bind (An Esther Novella)
