Thirst (12 page)

“We smelled
food,” Carl said behind me. Eddie held my gaze for a few seconds
longer, enough to make me feel uncomfortable. He stood up abruptly
and gestured toward the chairs.

“Sit. Breakfast
is just ready. I hope the room was comfortable,” he said, heading
back toward the cooker.

“Yeah, great,”
Peter said, sitting down and giving me a penetrating look. “You
okay?”

I nodded, but I really wasn’t. As the men
chatted pleasantly together over breakfast, all I could think about
was having hidden talents. I wasn’t sure if drinking blood to
somehow unleash some kind of special power that
might
exist was something I was prepared to do. I didn’t
doubt Eddie’s words, something told me he knew very well what he
was talking about. What I doubted was my ability to handle the
consequences.

“Have you thought
anymore about what you’re going to do?” Eddie asked. It sounded
innocent enough, but I knew he meant giving in to the thirst. I
half expected him to ask for his necklace back.

I glared at him,
unable to hold back my distaste. I got the impression he wanted to
use me for his own gain, I just hadn’t figured out what that
was.

“You already know
what I’m going to do,” I said, venom penetrating my
tone.

“Ava, chill,”
Peter said.

“You might like
kissing his arse, but it isn’t my idea of fun,” I snapped back. I
turned to Eddie, deciding to set him straight. “And you. Don’t
think I’m stupid. You’re a little too interested in what would
happen if I drank blood. You’re not all that invested in Carl’s
safety. Or mine for that matter. So maybe it’s time you spat out
what’s really in it for you.”

He stared at his
plate for too long. I stood, ready to leave.

“Sit down.” Eddie
didn’t shout, but his voice reverberated around the room, shocking
me into obeying. The force of his will washed away and angered me
all over again.

“I apologise,” he
added. “But you need to watch that attitude. It won’t get you
anywhere and you, little girl, owe me. You’ll listen to my advice
if you know what’s good for you.”

“Eddie, go easy
on her,” Peter said. Eddie held his hand up abruptly. Peter choked,
his eyes widening in surprise. He grabbed his throat, opening and
closing his mouth repeatedly.

“What are you
doing to him?” I didn’t know what to do; Eddie was more powerful
than I had guessed, but Peter was turning purple. “Stop it!” I
shouted, jumping to my feet again. Carl followed suit, but I pushed
him back down, afraid Eddie would pick on him too.

Eddie rolled his
eyes and gestured with his hand. Peter gasped a couple of ragged
breaths.

“Now,” Eddie
said, an irrepressibly smug smile on his face. “I’m a lot older,
wiser and more powerful than you. Don’t piss me off. This is your
only warning.”

Peter threw a
horrified glance my way. I swore under my breath. I knew being
around other people was a mistake. Someone always got hurt, or
worse, turned out to be a major arsehole.

I leaned my
elbows on the table and nestled my head in my hands. 14, 28, 56,
112, okay. All I had to do was persuade a hungry vampire to help me
get rid of Carl, spark a vampire world war and manage to survive it
all without being struck by lightning or getting offed by a moody
as yet unknown entity with super powers called Eddie.

I sighed wearily
and looked up at Eddie. “What exactly is it you want?” The odd
presence I kept feeling blew on the back of my neck as if urging me
to play along, except I wasn’t sure whose side it was
on.

Eddie grinned as
though things hadn’t gotten as tense as hell. “I don’t want a
thing, Ava. Not yet. But the time will come when I’ll need you on
my side. And I want you to be ready.” He leaned forward and
whispered to me. “Or you’ll be no use to anyone.”

A shiver ran up
my back at his words and the darkness in his eyes, but I fired back
a defiant glare, unable to let myself show he was intimidating me.
One corner of his mouth curved upward.

“Why don’t you
three pay a visit to Becca,” he said after a moment of tense
silence. I’ll work on Daimhín’s crowd and get back to you. I know
you could call, Peter, but I’d rather do it myself.” He smirked at
Peter who lowered his head.

None of us
argued. We left, subdued into silent obedience. In the car, I
sensed Peter’s frustration, but I was curious.

“Who is he
calling?” I asked.

“Nobody
important. Maybe it was a mistake to go to Eddie,” he
muttered.

“We’ve no other
options. Well, you do. But me and Carl? We’re stuck.”

“I’ve never seen
him act that way before.”

I shrugged. “What
else can he do?”

“I don’t know. I
never knew he could do... what he did back there.”

I pushed at
Carl’s long legs in frustration. There wasn’t enough room in the
back for him to sit comfortably without digging his knees into
me.

“Oh, screw this.”
I climbed into the front seat, ignoring Peter’s protestations. “I
can’t sit next to him back there!” I shrieked.

“But you just had
breakfast!”

I glared at
Peter. Of course he would assume I meant I couldn’t control myself.
In fairness, I couldn’t, at least not without the help of the cross
around my neck.

He glanced at me
worriedly, barely paying attention to the road.

“Are you going to
bite me, Ava?”

I snorted
inelegantly. “Your blood doesn’t appeal to me. Get over yourself.
Where are we going anyway?” I said, desperate to steer the
conversation away from things about Peter that might appeal to
me.

“To Becca’s
house. It’s her day off, so she won’t be at the bar. She might know
something about Arthur and that assassin. I mean, we’ve no idea if
Arthur is alive, or undead, or... whatever.”

“Shouldn’t we go
back and get some—I don’t know—weapons or something?”

“It’s only Becca,
Ava. Don’t overreact.” I was almost certain I heard him mutter such
a girl under his breath.

“Besides, it’s
near Nancy’s house, thought you might like to drop in to her, say
hello, have some tea.”

He pretended to
concentrate on the road, ignoring the choking noise I made. I
hadn’t realised Becca’s place was close to my grandmother’s
home.

“I don’t think
we’ll have time for that.”

“Sure we will.
Won’t take long, she’d like to see you.” He turned to me, his eyes
softer than usual, making my stomach quiver. I knew there was
nothing between us, but I frequently needed to catch my breath when
he looked at me.

“I can’t.” I
couldn’t hide the ache in my voice, but I really couldn’t go see my
grandmother. I wasn’t ready to face the past. Not yet.

“I know you had
it bad before with Nancy. So I’m sorry I was so hard on you at
first. I thought you were something else. I don’t know what you
are, not really, and I don’t exactly trust you, but I still
shouldn’t have treated you like that,” Peter said, conflict
clouding his expression.

“Really kills you
to admit when you’re wrong, doesn’t it?” I said, trying to keep my
voice light.

I could see him
trying not to smile. I relaxed in my seat, for the first time
feeling like we were on even footing.

“I tried to find
you, you know,” Peter told me after a few minute’s silence. “Years
ago. You never told me your surname, so I didn’t connect you with
Nancy until Eddie said it. Nancy hired me to look for you, but I
couldn’t get a trace. Guess the charms on your apartment building
didn’t help, eh?”

“I didn’t want to
be found,” I said, baffled at the idea he had been looking for me
on my grandmother’s behalf.

“Yet you stayed
so close to home,” he said, trying to draw me out. I pretended he
hadn’t spoken.

“How come she
hired you anyway?”

“I deal with
things people don’t believe in.”

“What, like me?”
I said, my tone wry.

“Occasionally.
I’m good at finding bad.”

“Gee,
thanks.”

He shrugged
carelessly, but I noticed the look of pain that fleetingly crossed
his face. I was intrigued, but he wasn’t going to open up to me. I
wanted to know more about him, his life, and whatever tragedy that
had befallen his family, but I wasn’t used to face-to-face contact.
I didn’t know how to talk to people properly.

“We won’t stay
long at Becca’s. We can leave the giant in the car. Looks like he’s
sleeping like a baby again.”

“Think he’ll be
okay?”

“Nope.”

“You don’t have
to keep helping us, you know. I get the feeling you’re sort of
forced into it. But it’s my mess. And it’s gotten a lot worse. So
if you need to head on without us, I totally
understand.”

I bit my lip,
wanting him to stay. It was nice having the company.

“You’re never
gonna help Carl by yourself,” he said with a teasing smile.
“Someone has to keep an eye on you two. You seem to be getting on
okay though. You know, with that drinking blood
problem.”

“Yeah, the thing
Eddie reckons will solve all our problems. I’m doing okay with it.
Mostly thanks to something Eddie gave me.”

“Is it hard?” he
asked. “Feeling thirsty all the time?”

I nodded,
thinking about the sleepless nights I’d spent listening out for
heartbeats and imagining what I could do to their warm-blooded
owners.

“It’s never good.
And I’ve no idea what makes Eddie think it will help me out to just
do it already. That’s not going to end well.”

“Have you bitten
anyone since, you know, before you left Nancy?”

“No,” I barely
managed to speak. I had forgotten he would know all about
me.

“He was okay,
Ava. Wesley, I mean. You didn’t hurt him, and he hadn’t a clue what
happened. You didn’t have to leave.”

I was flung back
into the past at the mention of his name. My only boyfriend, one I
had craved. I was attracted to Peter and lusted for Carl’s blood,
but with Wesley, it was the whole package. I could barely keep my
hands off him, and I ignored the warning signs. Blood lust was so
deeply coupled with attraction that I couldn’t see
straight.

And then I made
my mistake. Alone together, we decided to take the next step. He
was sweet and loving, and I was crazy about him. In the darkness,
his kisses made me feel sure we were doing the right thing. Every
touch, every kiss, every heartbeat was just right. But as our
bodies moved together in a perfect rhythm, I lost control. One
second I was throwing my head back in unbridled ecstasy, the next
my fangs were shooting out and zoning in on his neck.

Wesley had cried
out as soon as my fangs sank into his skin, but he was still
enjoying himself. The pain hit him a couple of seconds later. Too
late. Rich, spicy blood had already flooded my mouth, so much
better than his touch. Mesmerised, I had lapped it up in a strange
sort of frenzy. Warmth had rushed over me and my body had rocked in
orgasmic waves even as he desperately tried to get me off
him.

Finally, his
screams had disturbed me. I released him and looked up in surprise.
The fear in his eyes had been plain to see. I knew the monster he
saw before him, recognised the blood-stained animal that had
feasted on him. I was my own worst nightmare.

Horrified with
myself, I grabbed my clothes and fled. I kept running until I
couldn’t anymore. That took a long time; I must have been fuelled
up on adrenalin or something. I rang my grandmother, Nancy, but her
first words were—“What did you do?” I knew I couldn’t go back home
ever again.

“Ava?”

Peter’s voice
broke through my memories. I shook myself, realised my eyes were
wet and quickly brushed them with my sleeve. I still couldn’t go
back, no matter what Peter said.

“Ava,” he seemed
reluctant to speak. “We’re here. Carl can stay in the car, let’s go
see Becca.”

Becca lived in a
narrow block of apartments not so different to my own. It was nicer
than my place though. My own street always seemed to be covered in
perpetual darkness even on sunny days.

“She’s up on
top,” Peter said, squinting as he looked upward. “Lift or
stairs?”

“Stairs.” No way
was I risking being stuck in a lift with Peter. Plus, I couldn’t
chance leaving Carl alone for too long if the lift jammed. I was
becoming almost fond of him, as though he was a pet I was
babysitting for a friend. Odd to have around, but I suspected I
might even miss him once he left.

We ventured up
the stairs in silence. “Number 6b,” Peter informed me. I gulped.
Six was never a good sign. My gut reaction intensified when we
reached her apartment and saw her door was wide open. Looking in,
we saw most of the furniture had been toppled over. I sniffed the
air.

“I smell
blood.”