Taste (Ava Delaney #5) (6 page)

“Do what I do. Get out of the way and let the big guys stomp all over each other.”

Her lips curved upward. “Is that what you did? To myself and Maximus? Perhaps I’m too hard on your lesser intelligence.”

I gave a weak laugh, trying to relax. “So are you telling me which side you’re picking? Or are you going to leave?”

“Do I have a hiding place here?” She stared at me keenly. “Do Eddie Brogan’s plans include me?”

I looked away, unsure of how to answer. “I don’t think you’d fit in there,” I said at last.

“Ah, so there’s some kind of moral testing,” she said scornfully. “Only certain breeds are welcome. Is that it?”

I frowned, thinking of Mrs. Yaga. “No testing, but if you’re going to want to eat half the residents, it probably wouldn’t work out.”

“I can bring my own snacks.” She showed her teeth. “What’s the end game, Ms. Delaney? To kill us all? Eliminate any species that offends you? Rid yourself of all of the leaders so you can take their jobs?”

“No.” I leaned forward. “I want things to be fair. It would be nice to give everyone a fighting chance.”

“You mean give humans an excuse to hunt us all down,” she said, but the fight seemed to have left her.

“Like I said, a chance.”

“I like how things are.” She frowned. “I am comfortable.”

“I think Gideon was proof of how dangerous complacency is for you.”

She jerked her head up. “You are different lately. Cockier.”

“Not cockier.” I smiled. “I have to take bigger risks now that I have something to lose.”

“Lots of somethings,” she said, snarling. “And you’ll risk them all to aid Eddie?”

“I won’t risk any of them.”

“If
I’ve
heard the rumours, then it’s a guarantee that the Council have,” she warned.

“They don’t see me as a real threat.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” She sat back. “I think a holiday would be a grand idea. Keep out of all of the battles and see where I stand when the dust settles. Whatever the British vampires are sending our way, it’s going to be intense, concentrated. Watch out for dense areas, places that the Council have a hand in. They have Reuben’s information, after all.”

“Thanks,” I said, surprised at her helpfulness.

“I’m not exactly impressed with the way the BVA are handling this. Winston’s always got up my nose, and now he makes demands of me, acts as though I am lesser than he. I am ancient. I am a
queen
. I do not bow down to him. I do, however, want to survive, so leaving is now on the agenda.”

“Don’t suppose you’re taking Yvonne with you?”

She smiled. “I don’t plan on solving any of your problems, but if you’re still alive at the end of this, I don’t see why our working agreement has to change.”

“Maybe I’ll go part-time,” I said with a grin. “Aim for early retirement.”

“You’ve been so much more trouble than you’re worth.”

“So people keep telling me. But what’s coming? Vampires? Beasts?”

“They likely have Gideon’s information. I think it’s safe to presume in this case.”

I gave a low whistle. “An army of beasts.”

“In Dublin city,” she reminded. “Wreaking havoc on all of those precious humans of yours. There may not be a country to return to. There may be nothing sustainable here again.”

“Nobody gets off lightly. Not if they’re anything like Becca.” My stomach turned at the idea of an army of creatures like her near the people I loved.

“There are worse things than an army,” someone whispered from the doorway. The child vampire watched us through pink-tinged eyes, a doll clutched in her hand. “The darkness will rise and swallow us whole, if you let it.”

Eloise fled before I could question her.

Daimhín sighed wearily. “She’s confused, hiding every time she
sees
. If you have any sense, you’d stay hidden, too. Better yet, take your humans and leave. Keep out of the battles. Survival is important for everyone, after all, and no matter how I interpret Eloise’s visions, it seems that Ireland’s end is near. Leaving is the best option for everyone.”

“Can’t do that either.”

“That conscience must cause you a lot of trouble.”

I nodded. “Just a tad.”

“Well,” she said, getting to her feet. “This is likely goodbye. If I left Jules behind, would you babysit?”

“Hell no.” I rubbed the scar on my hand that had come courtesy of Jules’s fangs.

She sighed. “Eloise would never forgive me. She takes great pleasure in caring for that wretched animal. How I wish I had given her the puppy she asked for a century ago.” She walked toward the door. “Beware. Any vampires who don’t leave will side with Winston and his crowd. Don’t go too hard on them. They’re trying to survive.”

“This feels like a final goodbye.”

“If the beasts get out of control, we’re all dead.” Her eyes narrowed. “But you’re not going to let that happen, are you?”

I clenched my jaw and shook my head. I definitely wasn’t going to do that.

Chapter Five

I called Gabe with an update. He didn’t sound surprised by Daimhín’s reaction to the situation.

That niggled at me. “Why aren’t you more worried about the whole ‘army of beasts’ thing?”

“We weren’t prepared last time,” he said. “This time we know more. Besides, we have our own pack of monsters. They haven’t had a good fight in a while.”

He hung up before I could ask him more, so I hurried back to the sanctuary. My phone rang on the way there.

“Someone was here,” Carl said, sounding panicked. “Someone came inside while you were gone.”

“
What
? What happened?”

“Someone came into the sanctuary uninvited. We have to move, Ava. We have to get out of here.”

“Hold on! Just keep calm. I’m almost there, okay?” I hung up.

Swearing, I ran, wishing I hadn’t wasted so much time. If anyone got hurt…

I didn’t pick up any fresh scents as I ran through the gates, couldn’t hear a heartbeat or sense any energies around as I descended the stairs, but I felt something as I passed through the doorway. The lock to the sanctuary was broken. We would never be safe again. We had to move.

They were all in a panic, milling around with a dozen conversations going on at once.

“There she is,” someone cried.

I was ambushed by too many bodies. Too many scents. Too many heartbeats. I panicked, gulping down my natural response. A firm hand grabbed mine and pulled me out of there.

“Back up,” Cam called out. “Everyone just back up for a minute.” He glared at me. “Don’t even look at Kate if you’re thirsty.”

I was too busy calming myself to argue. “What happened?” I asked after a couple of seconds, glancing around at everyone.

“Someone came in,” one of them said from somewhere in the back of the overexcited mob. “Leah sensed them.”

“I dealt with it,” Peter said, and the crowd parted for him. Streaks of blood striped his shirt, and he held a bloody knife clenched tight in his fist.

I ran to him, checking him over. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he practically growled.

“Emmett?”

“Carl pulled him into one of the rooms as soon as Leah gave the warning. He’s asleep now.”

“Peter dealt with it before anyone else could react,” Val said with a grudging respect. “He’s a decent warrior.”

Peter raised a brow at the half-hellhound female’s compliment. “Thanks.”

“Best you’re gonna get,” I said. “So who was it? And how did they get in?”

“My best guess is a half-breed,” Esther ventured. “Definite shifter blood in there, but I don’t know him. I
should
know him. Anyone with shifter blood is supposed to declare themselves to Aiden.”

“Unless we’re not the only ones hiding secrets,” Peter said.

“He stank of magic,” Lorcan said. He held his twin sister’s hand tightly. “Fae magic.”

“What the hell?” I asked. “Why send
one
?”

“To spy?”Cam suggested. “Or as an assassin. Either way, they’re bound to send more.”

“Come on,” Peter said. “Show her the body.”

They led me to a room that had been used as storage. A sheet-covered figure lay on the floor.

“Waste of a bloody sheet,” Peter muttered as he pulled it back to expose the dead person’s face.

I didn’t recognise the guy, but the hooded cloak around his shoulders looked similar to the ones worn by the people in Lucia’s vision. The would-be attacker or spy was pretty young, and I wondered why. Why us? Why one? Why everything? The more I answered, the more questions I discovered. I couldn’t imagine a day when I would find all of the answers.

Seeing something in his hairline, I knelt down. I ran my fingers through his hair, trying to get a better look at his scalp. “There’s a tattoo there. Some kind of swirled markings.” Perfectly symmetrical circles and curved lines covered both sides of his scalp, running behind his ears and down his neck.

“Raven,” Val muttered, leaning over to see.

“Huh?”

She pointed at her own tattoos, the intricate and pretty designs from her neck up into her hairline. “Raven. I met her in the market. Nicknamed her Raven for her hair. The word went around among the guards that she was born from a long line of magical tattooists. She can imbue tattoos.”

“With fae magic?” Peter asked.

“Any magic,” she replied. “But it would explain the sense of fae about him.”

“Any idea what the tattoo itself means? Or where we can get in touch with Raven?”

“Somebody bought her.” Val’s hand hovered over her weapon. “After she tattooed me. It was a long time ago. I have no idea who took her or where she is now, and she may have taken a different name when she left the market. I’m positive this has been done by either Raven or an apprentice of hers. This is her work.”

“I’ve never heard of her,” Esther said. “But…” She frowned as she trailed off.

“What is it?” I asked.

She screwed up her nose and squeezed her eyes shut. “Now that Val mentions it, I have seen similar tattoos. I didn’t know they were magical, but I’ve definitely seen similar ones. I never thought anything of it before.”

“Where?” Peter demanded. “Where did you see these tattoos, Esther?”

“At Headquarters,” she said in a low voice. “People who work for the Council. Guardians. A particular circle. I… at least one is a shifter. I thought it was just… I thought it was harmless.”

I exchanged a worried glance with Peter. It might not have meant anything. It might have meant everything. The tattoos ran all the way down to the back of the dead man’s neck, and I turned his body over to see how far they went.

“Look.” I pointed at a sideways S in a circle. “A slave market brand. Just like Val’s and Emmett’s.”

The tension ratcheted up a notch as we put two and two together.

“This pretty much confirms the worst,” Esther said. “Only problem now is finding out who is involved and who is innocent. Almost an impossibility with most of us stuck down here.”

I exhaled loudly. “There’s worse news. The Irish vampires are fleeing. Rumours of a beast army on its way.”

“How the hell are we going to get everyone out of here and into another location if there are rabid beasts running around at night and some kind of dodgy assassins during the day?” Peter demanded.

“I’ll think of something,” I snapped. “It’ll have to be daytime. We’ve a better chance against
this
than beasts. You don’t need to tell me it’s risky because we don’t have a choice. We’re gonna have to work fast. Find somewhere temporary. Somewhere I can keep everyone hidden.”

“Screw that,” Esther spat. “I’m not staying hidden if we’re being invaded. Not now. Not after this.”

“Remember last time? The whole almost dying thing? Forgotten that already?” I glared at her.

Esther glared right back. “How many strong fighters are down here, Ava? Val could absolutely destroy a beast all by herself. The twins are helpful in half a million different ways. And Peter? He’s crazy enough to scare anyone off.”

More voices piped up, offering to defend our territory. I didn’t remind them how scared they’d all been five minutes previously at the idea of one loner sneaking into the sanctuary.

“Fine. You scary fighters defend this place while I go figure out another option.”

“Need help with that?” Peter asked.

I shook my head. “I have an idea. I just need someone’s permission first. After that, we have no choice but to deal with the possible army coming our way. Daimhín told me the beasts would be sent directly into dense areas of the city. I mean, it’s possible they’ve been adjusting this formula. They might have managed to train the beasts. Even so, the things will still be crazy for blood. I can’t imagine the vampires figuring out a way past that in such a short time. That’s what makes the beasts so dangerous, after all. So we need to get people armed and dangerous if they’re going to stand a chance.”

“What? Humans?” Cam asked.

“Yeah, humans. We can’t let them get picked off one by one this time. This is how we gain allies. By fighting alongside them.”

“But…
humans
.” He sounded disgusted.

I wanted to punch him in the face. I was developing some seriously violent urges in my old age. “It doesn’t matter how many times you say it, Cam. It still means the same thing. Humans are the one thing almost every supernatural creature on this island needs to survive. It’s about time the underworld started protecting their food.” I smiled as ideas came to me. “We’re going to be prepared. The BVA are not going to take us over. And when it’s all done, we’ll take what should already be ours.”

“And what then? Set up a new council? Leave everyone to their own devices?” Cam asked. “You’re an idiotic child, Ava.”

I stuck out my tongue, unable to resist tormenting him a little. Peter laughed, and Cam strode away in disgust.

“He does that a lot,” Val said in a low voice, much to Peter’s amusement.

“So can I depend on you lot to keep it together this time?” I asked, only half-teasing.

“You know I can always handle some killing,” Peter said, his eyes darkening.

“Scary man,” I whispered.