Taste (Ava Delaney #5) (13 page)

She pointed at an apartment block. “What about those places? Lots of humans packed together.”

“There aren’t tenement buildings anymore. I mean, it’s not twenty people to a room. But, yeah, some places like that house a lot of people, and I know Becca liked housing areas the best. They’re the easiest, the least protected.”

“A lot of people are going to die,” she said, her voice tight.

She didn’t have to tell me. I already knew.

Chapter Eleven

Three beasts came the following night. As I expected, they turned up in different locations. I went after the first beast with Val, Esther, Gabe, and Peter. Annoyingly, she fled from us, leading us further away from my home.

Gabe got news of the second one near the Council’s headquarters while we were on the chase. “The Guardians are going to deal with it,” he said. “Let’s concentrate on this one. If we get the job done in time, we move on to the second.”

“Fine,” I said. “I’ll cut her off, try to lead her back here.”

I was off before anyone could disagree, but Val followed me, calling her plans out to me as she ran. We worked together to push the running beast in the direction we needed.

Peter, Esther, and Gabe cut her off, and when she turned back, she had to face Val and me. The beast froze to the spot, and when I took a step in her direction, she suddenly leaped toward a building. I was on her before she could get away, dragging her to the ground.

Most of the fight was me keeping out of the way of her fangs while Esther batted at the beast with massive claws, but the beast’s returning strikes weren’t violent enough, and I wondered if she was a decoy or a reject. She had managed to slaughter five people before we found her, but perhaps the blood wasn’t enough to help her recover after whatever journey she had been on to get that far.

Peter gutted her with a sword, and the beast whirled around, dragging him with her. She went into a mini-frenzy, getting too close to biting Esther. Gabe pulled his bright light trick, and the beast whimpered, trying to bury her head in the ground.

“Neat,” I said as Val lopped off the head of the beast. “Do that light thing again.”

Gabe glared at me, fatigue showing in the creases outlining his eyes.

“Right. Next,” Esther said, wrapping the shirt Gabe handed to her around her shoulders.

Gabe stepped away and made a phone call, and his face paled as he spoke rapidly under his breath. Esther had fully dressed by the time he returned to us.

“The Council are still dealing with the second. Apparently, it’s on the run now, but there have been human reports of a third.”

“Where?” I demanded.

“No exact location. Inner city.”

“North or South?” Peter asked.

“I don’t know. They didn’t think it was as important as the one near the headquarters.” Gabe sounded as frustrated as I felt.

“Can the Council handle the second?” Esther asked.

“They’ve sent everything out to it. Everything that isn’t guarding the rest of the Council, that is,” he said grimly.

“Fuckers,” Peter said.

I sniffed the air. “It’s almost dawn. It’s too late now. They’ll all disappear. Is it possible there were more than three?”

Gabe shrugged. “It’s possible there were no survivors to alert us.”

I hunkered down, breathing hard. “I need a location, Gabe. An exact one, in case it comes back tomorrow night. If it survives, it’ll want more. It makes the most sense to return to places that haven’t posed a challenge.” Something tingled along my skin as the first signs of dawn brightened the horizon. I knew the beasts were sleeping, but it would be night again, and they would reappear.

“We should go,” Gabe said. “There’s nothing we can do here. Not now. Not yet.”

We headed back to the cul-de-sac in silence. Once home, I went to bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

Peter woke me early the next morning. “You need to see the news.”

I ran downstairs and collapsed onto the sofa as a news report came on. Bodies, lots of bodies, filled the screen as a familiar place flashed into view.

“Those are the flats where Moses lives,” I cried, wincing at the sight of the bodies being carried out and the solemn-faced people lining up to guard the fallen. I recognised the brethni, the hive-minded race of males who lived in a warehouse near the drug dealer, and I realised they must have helped the humans. The drug dealer had called them good lads. Maybe he had been right. The reporter spoke of criminal activity as if that could explain the massacre, as if average criminals drained bodies of blood.

“I don’t understand this,” I whispered. “Peter, Moses told me that the people are under the thumb there. That someone high up is keeping him dealing. If he makes money, the flats are left alone. Why didn’t whoever’s in charge protect the people who work for them?”

“Because nobody gives a shit about humans,” he said bitterly, wrapping his arm around his son. “Those people didn’t stand a chance.”

“It could come back,” I said. “There are a lot of people living there, lots of blocks, lots of flats, lots of families. It’s packed. That place would be the perfect feeding ground. How many flats just like those are in Dublin? How many people sitting there waiting to be killed? We can’t leave them with nothing.”

“They’re calling it a gangland crime,” he said, nodding at the television. “Nobody will sympathise. They’ll say all of the scum are killing each other off.”

“I’m going,” I said.

“To do what? It’s daytime. The beasts won’t be back until after dark, and they may not show up there again.”

“Peter, I need to talk to the people, tell them how to protect themselves.”

“Are you serious?”

I stared at him in shock. “Of course I’m serious. You heard Gabe last night. They didn’t even tell us about that third beast because they knew it was in a human area. Because it wasn’t in an important area. Those fu… fools only care about themselves, about what they can get out of this. They aren’t going to protect anyone. They’ve made that clear.”

He smiled, and his entire face lit up. “This is why I… this is why we’re all here with
you
, Ava. But the Council might try to stop you.”

I made a face. “Let them. But maybe don’t tell Gabe what I’m doing until it’s too late to stop me.”

“Want me to come with?” he asked hopefully.

“Nah, get some rest. I’ll need you tonight. Call me if you hear anything new.” I looked at the television again, remembering all of the bodies. “You know where I’ll be.”

I dressed then walked to the flats, feeling a sense of déjà vu so strong, I wobbled. The flats were dark and dank, but the occupants didn’t deserve to be picked off. Nobody did.

As I approached, I felt the commotion before I heard or saw it. A lot of people gathered together: camera operators, news reporters, police. A young garda tried to stop me from going into the flats, so I stared at him, my will taking over his. I hated to do it, but it was a special circumstance. He let me pass without any further fuss, and I looked around for Moses.

The flats were a mess. The playground was destroyed, completely torn apart. Blood streaked the wall of the left block. Old women wept, young men bellowed their outrage, and in the middle of it all, there he was: Benny, aka Moses.

The drug dealer stood apart, smoking a joint in full few of the gardaí. When he caught sight of me, his face turned purple. He strode toward me as all eyes watched. He gripped my shoulders and shook me, but I let him, keeping my gaze steady on his.

“What the fuck is happening?” he shouted around the joint, keeping it in his mouth with what surely had to be a lot of practice.

“You’re fucked, that’s what,” I said calmly. “I’m here to help.”

He relaxed slightly. “I wasn’t here last night. Most of my people were with me. We were told we had a meeting with the big guys, but they never showed up. I came back to
this
.” He waved an arm.

I glanced at the people with pity. They had been sitting ducks. “Quick version is that the British Vampire Association has taken over the UK. They’re trying to move across the water by sending humans who have been given a formula to turn them into vampires, except the mutation is more feral, far more
lethal
, than an ordinary vampire. It can’t get enough blood, can’t stop until it’s satisfied.”

“And let me guess, it’s never satisfied?”

“Yep.That recent serial killer? One of these things. Except there are rumours an army of them are on their way. Last night, there were three. We took care of one, the supernatural police tried to take down a second and failed, and nobody told us about the third until it was too late. I saw the news. I’m so sorry.”

He ran his hands through his hair, his face paling. “Fuck. Fuck this shit, Ava. They make us work for them, and then they can’t even help us survive? If it wasn’t for the lads in the warehouse, more would have died here. They protected everyone when they heard the commotion, but the thing ran before they could finish it off.”

I glanced at the shadows where I sensed some of the brethni huddling together. I nodded at them, and I felt the hum of their recognition. I hadn’t made the best first impression on them, what with Peter stabbing their leader and all. “Why are the police here? And all of the cameras?”

“Ah, typical shit. Think we’re going to war down here. As if a few
pigs
could stop anything.” He shouted the last sentence.

“Relax, Moses. Listen, it might come back tonight. It might bring friends. They pretty much die in the sunlight, and I can’t pick up their energy or their scent. I can only follow them at night, and I’m not magic, you know? So I need you to be able to fight back.”

“We have guns,” he said, patting his hip.

“Dunno if that will work. Maybe a shot to the brain would do it, but I haven’t tested the theory.”

“Well, what
do
you know?” he asked impatiently, looking around.

“I know they’re strong, and they can jump so high they might as well be flying. They’re fast, and they don’t hurt easy. They hate silver and crosses. If you have any super religious people around, make sure they’re holding crosses.”

“The parish priest is here,” he murmured. “Could the old fart help out instead of just fucking praying over everyone?”

“Maybe,” I said, thinking hard on what Anka had told me about devotion and religious symbols. “He could maybe bless the crosses, and everyone could hang them up on doors and windows. We could keep everyone inside a couple of flats, and then whoever can fight could guard the others. That would be easier than having everyone spread out everywhere. They won’t be picked off first, put it that way. What else? Oh, yeah, their bite will paralyse you. As long as their fangs are embedded in your skin, you’re screwed. Don’t let them bite you under
any
circumstances. And chopping off their head will pretty much do the job.”

He rubbed his unshaven jaw. “Lads! C’mere. Ava, say it again while I round up the Holy Joes.”

A group of hard-looking men surrounded me, and I told them what I had offered to Moses.

“What the fuck?” the youngest one said, staring at me as if I were crazy.

“Shut up and listen,” another said, slapping him on the back. “She’s the one with the fangs, isn’t she?”

“Show us your fangs,” a third said in an excited voice, nudging the figure next to him.

I leapt at him, pinning him to the ground as I let my fangs free. They all froze. The one beneath me gave a little whimper and pissed himself.

“Seriously?” I said, wanting to swear as much as Moses. “That was
nothing
. These things are ten times faster than me. Stronger than me. Harder to kill. If I freak you out, then you’re completely fucked.”

“We’ll be ready,” one of the men said, reaching out to help me to my feet. “And if we survive, I’ll buy you a pint.”

I grinned. “You’re going to survive. All of you lot against one little beast? You can handle it. Just don’t do anything stupid like get bitten.” I lifted the leg of my jeans to show my scars.

A couple of the men whistled at the sight of them.

“Why are you helping us?” one asked, looking awestruck despite his broad shoulders and the gun carelessly shoved into the waistband of his jeans.

I frowned. “Because I’m not a monster.”

I spent the day with Moses, spreading the word and figuring out what their best form of defence was.

“Parish priest is still avoiding me,” Moses said and nodded at one of his group. “Find Father Fat Fuck and get him over here right now.” His gang member ran off to do his bidding.

I shoved Moses hard. “Snap out of that. He could help.”

“That’ll be a first.”

The priest was pretty rotund, but he hurried over to us, his face sweating. He seemed to have taken the word that vampires existed pretty well.

“We need silver crosses,” Moses said.

“As many as possible,” I said. “Silver in general works well, Father…” I was pretty certain his name wasn’t really Father Fat Fuck.

“Father Ryan,” the priest said, putting out his hand. “What about non-silver crosses?”

“I think they’ll work,” I said, giving his hand a quick shake. “It’s worth a try. Can you take a group of people with you to stock up on the likes of holy water and crosses from the church?”

“I don’t have a way to bring a large supply of holy water,” he said. “I have a lot of salt stored that could be used in sanctifying water here. But wouldn’t it be easier and safer to bring everyone to the church? Surely we’ll all be safe in a house of God?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know if the building affects them in any way. Besides, it’s too spacious, too much room to be overrun by these things. There are too many entry points, and I’m not willing to test any theories on whether a Catholic church can keep vampires at bay or not.”

The priest nodded. “I’ll find what I can, but I think I’m best served keeping the people calm and helping with their grief. If I can lead them in prayer then—”

“Oh, shut the fuck up,” Moses snapped. “This is war. Our people are being slaughtered. Your poxy prayers aren’t worth shit to me.”