Taste (Ava Delaney #5) (28 page)

“Is this about Peter?” he asked. “Is this—”

“Don’t talk about him anymore,” I said. “I’m tired of thinking about them. What they’re doing. They’re never going to come back because life with me will never be safe. So I’m letting go. I’m
trying
to let go.”

“He was doing better,” he said as if I hadn’t spoken. “In every sense of the word. I felt him changing, but it’s hard to change. It takes a long time. Trust me, it hurts to change. But that’s what he was doing. For you.”

“You’re the one who kept lecturing me about the whole thing,” I protested.

“Yeah, because I saw you falling too hard for the idea of a ready-made family. I didn’t want you getting hurt, but you got hurt for a reason I never even expected. He did the right thing. Leaving was the right thing for Emmett. I’m sorry you had to stay behind with us.”

I hugged him. “I’m not sorry I stayed. I’m just sorry this place isn’t safe enough for anyone else.”

“We’ll be okay,” he said for the millionth time. “Life will work out somehow. We’re still young. We’ve lots of battles to fight.”

“But I’m so tired of fighting, Carl.”

He held me tight, but the feeling of emptiness in my chest never went away.

A little later, I sought out Lucia and found her alone. She stared at me solemnly as I worked myself up to the question.

“I need you to do something hard,” I said. “I need you to think back to the night you were taken from your mother. I need you to try and remember the faces you saw. I need you to show me who was there.”

She frowned and looked away, her eyebrows furrowing together.

“It’s okay,” I said, feeling bad for trying to force her to remember her nightmares.

She clutched my wrist, and an image of a woman flashed before my eyes. She was tall and willowy, just like Fionnuala, but I didn’t recognise her. The brunette held the same arrogance as the Irish fae, the same haughtiness that seemed to come naturally to them, but she wasn’t Fionnuala, and that messed up all of our latest theories. I wondered if we would ever find out the truth.

Chapter Twenty-Four

The car arrived to take me to the meeting that evening. I had seriously considered ignoring Gabe and going out to patrol on my own, but I was curious enough to find out what exactly the Council were up to. Besides, the fact was that no amount of painkillers could numb the pain I was still in. I kept taking them, terrified to stop in case there was a new spectrum of pain I hadn’t discovered yet. Carl hinted at the idea of my drinking blood, but there were some doors I wasn’t ready to open again.

It wasn’t dark yet, so I thought maybe the Council wanted to discuss their options before the BVA arrived. To my surprise, the car didn’t take me to the place I had come to know as their headquarters.

I panicked. I slid across the backseat and whipped out my dagger. I gripped the driver’s hair, yanked his head back, and held my knife to his throat.

“What the fuck is going on?” I hissed, drawing blood when he jerked too much.

The car swerved. “I’m not… nothing! I was told to pick you up and bring you to the meeting tonight. That’s all! I don’t know anything else. I swear!”

I held him tighter. “Where’s the meeting?”

“Some house in Kildare. I don’t know. I just follow instructions.”

“Were you told to drive me home afterward?”

“Yeah. I’ve to wait outside for you. Seriously, I’m not—”

“Fine,” I said. “But if anything happens, my friends will come find you.”

“Jesus,” he said, touching his neck. “I’m so fucking sick of this job.”

“You and me both, buddy. Hurry up, and let’s get this over with.”

He swore under his breath for the rest of the journey, and I couldn’t exactly relax either. No matter what happened, something else would come after me. Chances were I would never know why.

We drove out of Dublin and into a rural part of Kildare. The Council really liked the countryside. I remembered Fionnuala saying she didn’t care for the city.

The journey seemed never-ending, but we finally pulled up to a driveway of an estate house. Two Guardians attempted to search me at the gates, but Gabe came out of nowhere and told them to back off.

“Come on,” he said. “There’s been a change of plans.”

“Should I be leaving?”

“No, no. It’s nothing like that. It isn’t the BVA who are here with us tonight. There are some representatives of those who are fighting back against the BVA in the UK. They want our help ridding themselves of the BVA for good.”

“So they’re rebelling?”

“Technically, the BVA are the rebels, but yes, our neighbours are rebelling. They need us.”

“Surely they have more people than we do.”

He caught my eye. “But we have experience in dealing with whatever the BVA sends out.”

I nodded. “You mean we have werewolves.”

“Exactly. But nobody will use that word. Do you understand me?”

“Fine.Whatever. Let’s get this over and done with.” I still wondered why I was there and what the secrecy was about.

We went inside, and even I had to take a second to appreciate the beautiful interior of the house. “Who owns this place?”

“Fionnuala. She wanted to meet here to make a good impression.”

“Holy shit. She must be loaded. How much do you people get paid?”

He frowned at me. “That’s rude. You were raised without any manners at all, weren’t you? How is that even possible?”

“Oh, shut up. You all are stinking rich, and I’m struggling to feed the strays who keep following me around.” I laughed at the sheer self-indulgence of everything around me. “She should put some of this cash into all of the potholes down the road.”

“Please, act like a grown-up at the meeting,” he said, sounding extremely put upon.

Not that I cared. Fionnuala had way too many luxuries. What kind of money paid for it?

We sat around an antique dining table covered in a lace tablecloth and cream candles. I felt like a scruff in my well-worn jeans. Fionnuala entered the room, wearing an evening dress and accompanied by Phoenix. I stared at him in surprise. His freshly-pressed suit was a long way from the decapitating and bloody angel of death he had been on the battlefield. He looked back at me blankly, as if he had never seen me before.

Aiden strolled in next. Gabe sitting to my right and Eddie to my left both kicked me under the table when I started to stand. Aiden seemed pleased with himself, and I wanted to punch the smug look away.

Coyle followed Aidan, and the typical sensation of wanting to vomit came over me. Both of them stood behind Fionnuala’s seat as if guarding her. The seats on either side of her remained empty, and Phoenix ended up sitting across from Gabe.

“When did Coyle come back?” I whispered to Gabe.

“Not sure exactly,” he replied under his breath. “Apparently, he escaped when Reuben betrayed us.”

“Escaped, my arse,” I hissed. “I bet he never left.”

“Our dealing will soon start,” Fionnuala announced. I didn’t trust her sly smile.

“When will our guests arrive?” Phoenix asked.

“Shortly. But first, I wanted us to congratulate each other on a job well done. Word has come to me that the BVA have retreated fully. Only a few of their animals remain. I’m sure they will be picked off during the night by our patrols.”

I watched as people who had hid away clapped for themselves. I bit the inside of my cheek, while Phoenix’s face tensed. He didn’t clap. I was dying for another chance to speak with him.

Glasses of wine were poured, and I finally realised that the meeting was a dinner. I was having
dinner
in Fionnuala’s home.

After fifteen minutes of listening to Council members self-congratulate, I was relieved when the guests arrived. Dark-skinned figures entered the room quietly, startling most of the people around the table. They all looked so similar—and perfect—that I wondered what they were. They took the empty seats and were soon surrounded by female guards. All of the guards looked tough, but beautiful. That gang was all about the aesthetics. The features were androgynously angular, the figure slim, and I struggled with the compulsion to ask what they were and what they could do.

“We thank you for the invitation,” one of the figures said in a female voice.

“I am aware of your struggles,” Fionnuala said, snapping her fingers.

Bowls of soup were placed in front of each of us. I made a face at mine, as distrustful as usual.

“Eat,” Phoenix murmured. “There’s nothing wrong with it.”

I gazed at him, but he refused to catch my eye. Annoying fae.

“We have struggled,” the original speaker agreed. “We were taken unawares. Of course, you had prior warning. We only had hearsay and half-truths. My kind weren’t in attendance when the BVA pulled off the massacre on our ruling bodies. The chaos that ensued, coupled with the monsters they unleashed, made it a struggle to maintain communication, never mind organise a decent effort against the vampires. Others have joined their side. It’s impossible to know who to trust.”

“This is a problem for us also. We were fortunate enough to put together a plan of attack quickly. I have watched footage of the violence that occurred last night. It was heart-warming to watch our noble servants fight to protect us.”

Gabe squeezed my leg. “Don’t. Even.”

I wanted to scream. Were we all just her walking, talking slaves to be used however she decided?

Phoenix caught my eye and shook his head very slightly. I got the message. It wasn’t the time. The fact that he tried to help me gave me hope that he would still help Esther, that there was still a chance of him coming to terms with his memory loss.

“Indeed,” the person was saying. “And we hear you have a secret weapon. We would like to use such a weapon to free ourselves of the problems Winston has brought. There are still many fae over there, desperately trying to win their freedom. There have been… games.” The visitors all shook their heads in disgust. “Fights to the death purely for the vampires’ amusement. I feel tainted just thinking about it.”

Fionnuala looked at me at the word, “tainted,” and a weird gleam grew in her eyes. “Of course we will share our
weapon
with you. In fact, my son will travel with you, along with a team of our best Guardians. He is the only one who can wield the weapon, but perhaps his assistant will join in to spread the effort across the country.”

Everyone turned to me.

“Are you freaking kidding me?” I blurted. “
That’s
why I’m here? To be farmed out
again
?”

Gabe whispered something to me in frantic, hushed tones, but I was too worked up to listen.

“I am
nobody’s
assistant. I’m nobody’s property. No, I will not go to England to sort out somebody else’s mess. I’m not doing
anything
on the Council’s business again. And neither should
he
. What kind of sick fuck are you, Fionnuala? First you take his memory, and now you’re sending him off to be killed? You’re wrong in the head.”

I threw down my napkin and stood. “This is it for me and the so-called Council. Don’t bother me again. If you send anything after me or my people, I will kill it.
Again
. Try me. I’m in the mood.” As I passed Fionnuala, I leaned over her, holding my dagger out to Aiden and Coyle with a threat burning in my eyes, daring them to come closer. “Enjoy it while it lasts,” I whispered to her.

High on nerves, I shoved her crappy guards out of my way and hurried outside. I found my driver sneaking a drink with the other drivers. He swallowed in a hurry when he saw me, choking out a hurried cough.

“Just hurry up,” I said and strode to the car without looking back. I heard footsteps behind me and whirled around with my dagger drawn.

“Put the dagger away,” Phoenix said. “Never threaten me in view of anyone who works for the Council unless you’re as stupid as you look.” He laid his hands against the car, blocking me as if he threatened me, but his voice was too soft. I knew what murder looked like in his eyes. He wasn’t against me. Not yet. “You made an enemy of my mother back there. That wasn’t clever.”

“She was already my enemy. Are you seriously going to do her bidding?”

“I’m going to do whatever I have to. Don’t worry. Your friend is fine. I’ll have her back to you as soon as I take care of this business.”

“Are you going to meet your children, too?”

He frowned. “I honestly don’t know whether you’re deluded or a troublemaker. But I would remember if I had children.”

“Then you shouldn’t be afraid to meet them,” I said. “If it’ll prove you right.”

He smiled, reminding me of Lorcan once again. “You’re a determined little thing, aren’t you? Perhaps when I return, but you should know, you will never be safe as long as she’s angry with you. You should apologise, for your own sake.”

“She was trying to send me with you to have an accident. Seriously, Phoenix, do you not know your own mother? Except you do, don’t you? That’s why you stuck close to me on the battlefield. So nobody would dare take a shot at me without risking hurting you.” A tic in his jaw convinced me I was on the right track. “Look at the money she has. Where does it come from? Because she’s way richer than anyone else I’ve met. And that makes me think a lot of things.”

His eyes narrowed. “We’ve lived a long time. We’ve made deals and accumulated wealth.”

“She took your children from your wife, Phoenix. It’s you. It
has
to be you. You look exactly like him. And Folsom… Folsom named the sanctuary after you. The rebels and their hiding place are named for you. He was killed, and I’m starting to think your mother ordered his death. The place lost its safety because it has no ownership. The people who hid there are victims. They’re there because they’re terrified of beings like your mother. She won’t let the children from the slave markets go. Go see those children, the ones she wanted to fight for her instead of the werewolves. You have to—”

“I’m going to England,” he said. “The people need to rid themselves of the beasts. The vampires never do well with power. They’ve proven it time and time again. They’re too greedy, too self-indulgent. If I do anything right with my life, this will be it.”