Taunt (22 page)

“
This
could be the last thing we ever do together,” I blurted.

He raised his
eyebrows in question.

“
If
the trial goes… badly, this could be the last time we actually
spend time together.”

He opened his
mouth then closed it again and nodded. “Maybe so.”

“
I
want you to know I’m grateful. For your help. With everything.” I
watched his jaw twitch. I needed to lighten the tone. “And that I
forgive you for hitting me when we first met.” He turned to face
me, ready to protest, but he saw my amusement and
stopped.

“
You’re getting way too cheeky for your own good,” he said, but
the tension had broken. “It’s weird how things happen,” he said
after a while.

“
What
do you mean?”

“
Well,
if you had told me a month ago I’d be here with a part-vampire
chick staking out a human who is pretty much a part-vampire chick,
too, I wouldn’t have believed you for a second.”

I nodded. “I
wouldn’t have believed there would be so many humans in my life, or
that I’d end up in court because of a vampire.”

“
Nancy
keeps calling me about you.”

The swift change
in subject made me roll my eyes. “She must not think I’m going to
die then, or else she would be ringing me.”

He smiled. “She’s
trying.”

“
Let’s
not talk about her,” I said, feeling my good mood slip
away.

“
What
do you want to talk about?” He shifted closer to me. I ignored him
and kept looking at Becca’s place. “I have a good feeling,” he
said. “I think things will work out.”

I felt his eyes
on me, like he wanted me to look at him, but I couldn’t. I
physically couldn’t make myself look at him because I was afraid of
what I would see in his eyes. How it would make me feel, what it
would make me do. I didn’t want pity affection, not from
him.

I gulped as the
tension sizzled in the air, possibly a figment of my imagination,
but that didn’t make the sensations any less real to my body. I
caught my breath and decided we needed a little space. I definitely
needed some air.

“
I
need a coffee,” I announced, and got out of the car before he could
respond. Exhaling loudly, I jogged down to the cafe. I pushed open
the door, but out of the corner of my eye I spotted Becca running
out of her building and off down the road. I sped after her on
foot. Hearing Peter start the engine, I pulled my mobile out of my
pocket and rang him. Panting into the phone, I let him know I would
follow her on foot in case he lost her.

She cut through a
park as soon as she could. I kept my distance, scenting her in the
air; I was in no hurry to make my presence known. I followed her
for at least half an hour, surprised by her stamina and speed. The
formula must have been doing something crazy to her system. I had
to ring Peter to make sure he was following us because Becca kept
running through places a car couldn’t follow.

Eventually, she
slowed near the beach. She walked along the retreating tide line. I
followed her over hilly mounds of sand mixed with grass. There were
many people around, couples in cars mostly.

Becca found a
deserted spot, sank down on the sand, and just waited. Every now
and then, she inched her way along the sand, away from the tide and
people. She moved to a barrier that blocked cars from going further
along the beach and rested her head against it as if she had dozed
off.

I called Peter
and told him to pull into the old car park that overlooked the sea.
I kicked sand from my feet before I pulled them into the
car.

“
She
won’t see us here,” I said.

“
I can
barely see her,” he complained.

“
I
can. It’s pretty cold out there; I don’t think sitting on the sand
is going to do you any favours. She’ll probably leave soon,
right?”

“
Not
unless this is the delivery point,” he pointed out.

“
Only
one way to find out,” I said.

We sat together
in apprehensive silence as we waited for something to happen. Becca
just sat there on the sand. It was kind of creepy. The place was
notorious for drinking teens, learner drivers, and amorous couples,
so there were enough cars to keep us from appearing too
conspicuous. Not that Becca even bothered looking around her, she
just stared at the sea. Nobody bothered her, but I had a feeling
she could handle herself even if someone had tried.

“
This
is weird,” I said, realising that nothing was going to happen any
time soon.

Peter shrugged
and changed the radio station, flexing his arms as he did so.
“Maybe we should walk around a bit,” he said. “Just in case we have
to chase her.”

I arched an
eyebrow. “You mean in case I have to chase her.”

He smiled lazily.
“I’m not that slow.”

“
Sure
you’re not, old man,” I teased.

A rare, bright
smile flashed across his face, and he stepped out of the car to
stretch his arms and legs. I did the same, sick of his car. Becca
was far enough away that she couldn’t hear us, but not so far that
she could disappear on us.

I sat on the
bonnet of the car and let the cool sea breeze whip my hair around
my face. I could already taste the salty tang on my lips. The scent
in the air was beautiful; for a few minutes, I felt
content.

“
Not a
bad way to spend your last night of freedom,” Peter said, sitting
next to me.

I relished being
free. I recognised the feeling and bottled it in my mind to save
for later. I would probably need to remember this. I let myself
lean against him, enjoying the way his sturdiness held
me.

“
She
looks like she’s turned to stone down there,” I said in
exasperation. “Do you think she’s waiting for the delivery
here?”

He shook his
head. “Not a clue. You cold?” he asked when I shivered.

“
No,”
I replied. I wasn’t cold, not really. Something about the night
felt different to me, maybe because it could be my last one. My
pent up anxiety coloured the world, but even counting wouldn’t fix
things.

Becca stood and
moved closer to the water, as if she had seen something. “Do you
think we should get closer? Make our way down there,
maybe?”

“
If
you like. At least we’ll be moving.”

We ended up
crawling in the sand until we had a better, yet still discreet,
view. I was close to hysterical and had to bite down on my sleeve
to stop myself from laughing. Peter pushed me gently.

“
I’m
never bringing you on a stakeout again,” he said under his
breath.

I hiccupped. I
might never do anything again. As if he had the same thought, he
looked at me with dismay. My fingers sank into the sand, and I
straightened my back, gasping for air, trying to push my emotions
back down. Peter rubbed my back, and I shook my head, pulling
away.

“
I’m
not… I can’t,” I spluttered, trying to say goodbye without saying
goodbye.

He hesitated, his
hand frozen against me. I turned and pulled him into a hug. He
embraced me for a few seconds before pushing me back and making me
look at him. I shook under his fierce gaze.

“
I
told you, Ava. Everything is going to be okay.
You
will be
okay. It’s not over, and you’re not allowed fall apart. Not now,
not tomorrow. You won’t let them see this, because this isn’t you.
There’s a reason the vampires have it in for you. They’re afraid.
They should be. You’ll never stand in line. Remember that. Own it.
They can’t break you. Not the vampires. Not the Council. This isn’t
over
.”

The fire in his
eyes lit something inside me. I grinned back at him, feeling all of
those confused pieces click into place. I was scared most of the
time. I never showed it. I always pushed back. It wasn’t over. Not
yet.

“
Too
right it’s not.”

I glanced over at
Becca. Pulling back, I put my finger on Peter’s lips in warning. We
both watched her. She waved out at the sea. Peter and I looked at
each other, baffled, but then I saw it.

I spun my body
away from Peter to get a better look. A figure was in the water,
slowly rising up as he walked toward the shore. Vampire. On his
back was a bag, presumably containing a waterproof
package.

“
What
the hell?” Peter whispered. “Did he walk under the water? Swim? All
this way?”

I shuddered at
the idea of all those tons of water bearing down on him. Vampires
didn’t breathe, but it had to be confining. I wondered if he really
could have come from Spain.

“
This
is how they’re getting past the Council,” Peter whispered. “Who
knows how long this has been going on? Random spot, hand over to a
human. Nobody knows a thing.”

The vampire
approached Becca. I held my breath, taut with anticipation. The
vampire seemed to be spitting out water as he walked, and he
stretched out his arms like they were sore. I wasn’t
surprised.

Becca held out
her arms, as if to embrace him. He knelt down, pulled the bag off
his back, and took something out. Becca knelt before him, blocking
my view. I couldn’t see what he did to Becca, but I guessed he
injected her with a dose of the formula. He stood, grabbed her
roughly, and sank his fangs into her neck. Partly to feed, partly
to ensure Becca had a dose of his poison in her system.

I gave a little
gasp, but Peter hushed me, fascinated by the proceedings. Becca’s
moans filled the night air. They could have been a randy human
couple to a casual bystander. The needle, an act of a drug addict.
There was a reasonable explanation for everything.

After a couple of
minutes, the vampire let go and pushed Becca away from him, then he
walked through the sand as if he knew exactly where he was going.
Looking a little disoriented, Becca stumbled after him.

“
What
should we do?” I whispered. “If we follow them to Gideon’s, we’ve
as good as lost them.”

“
We
confront them then. Try and persuade Becca to rat on the others. If
we hold that vamp, it’ll open up some questions about how he got
here and why. The Council doesn’t allow foreign vampires to travel
to Ireland freely, not without a pass. Come on,” he said, his heart
racing noisily.

I followed him
warily. Catching a vampire was a lot harder than killing one, but
we’d done it before. This time
Becca
was the unknown; we
didn’t know what a fresh dose of formula would do for
her.

As we closed in
on the pair, a blinding light shone on us.

“
Halt,” demanded a voice. A group of Guardians surrounded
us.

“
Not
now,” I muttered.

“
It’s
time for you to prepare for your trial,” one of them said, looking
rather happy about it. I looked around in a panic; Becca and the
vampire were getting away. I couldn’t leave it now, not after
everything.

“
Esther!” Peter called out. Esther ran, pushing between the
Guardians to get to us.

“
I’m
so sorry,” she said, pity etched on her face. “Gabe called you in
early.”

“
Never
mind that,” I said. “Becca got the delivery.”

A Guardian
snapped a tag on my wrist and began to lead me away. Peter held
Esther’s arm and tried to speak to her in urgent tones, but I was
pushed into a Guardian jeep and driven away immediately.

Disappointment
sank into my stomach like a dead weight. I had been so close, yet I
was still on my way to the trial and totally unprepared. I hadn’t
expected them to come for me so soon, and now I wouldn’t even find
out if they confronted Becca.

Dejected, I sank
into the backseat and avoided the eyes of the Guardians. The long
journey back to the Council’s court was over within seconds, or so
it seemed. I was thrown into the same room as before and told to
wait. There was nothing else I could do.

I changed as the
Guardians watched, not leering this time, just seeming
impatient.

“
Let’s
go,” one said, as soon as I was ready. Again, I had to wear the
same plain dress, my hair loose and my feet bare. Yet they let me
keep the cross around my neck. It physically hurt when they took my
clothes, thus carrying the dagger away with them.

Trembling with
nerves, I shuffled after the Guardians, the anticipation chilling
me beyond measure. I had no plan, no way out. All I could do was
stay strong and hope for the best, the best being a
miracle.

This time, the
marquee-type structure was much bigger. Lots of people gathered
outside. Many looked human, but others could have stepped out of
the book on hell spawn. They all watched me with interest, some of
them with cool hatred in their eyes. They leaned forward, waiting
to see a spectacle, a dead woman walking.

Eddie was already
waiting for me when the Guardians forced me toward the ring of
scorched earth. He made a frustrated noise and ran his fingers
through my hair.