Tainted Read online

  “Anyone to watch out for?”

  “Uh, the shifter, probably. He’s not the most gracious of winners, put it that way.”

  “Yeah, I’ve heard about him. He wants Esther to receive Aiden’s punishment because he can’t find him. He’s a dick.”

  “Settle down. Oh, and the human rep from Dublin is coming. He might be one to avoid, too. Got a massive stick up his arse. He can’t stand to hand the responsibility to anyone else, but thinks it’s beneath him to converse with the little people.” He smirked. “I really need to stop saying that.”

  Grinning, I looked out the rain-flecked window. The streets of Dublin had suffered from the wars and attacks, and there were rumours that violence was on the rise, but it was still home to me. The boarded-up windows and graffiti had always existed in the areas where I had lived, but those elements had spread to places once considered tourist attractions. Nobody wanted to visit us anymore. We—okay, I—had started something that had rippled outward, and I couldn’t take that back.

  “I can’t say I’m looking forward to this,” Shay admitted as we neared the meeting house.

  It was an old human theatre that had been abandoned because it had been so costly to repair. Phoenix had snapped it up with his mother’s money to provide a more public meeting place. He was doing anything he could think of to keep government dealings out in the open. Except for the register, a little voice whispered in my head.

  I turned to Shay. “Wait. Why are you dragging your heels?”

  “I’m not everybody’s favourite human.”

  “I thought they had accepted you.”

  “As much as they can. The human reps think I’m trying to take over their territory. The supernaturals think I’m trying to put humans in charge of everything. I can’t win. If it wasn’t for Phoenix and Elathan, I would have given up by now.”

  I snorted. “I can’t believe Elathan’s the reliable one now. Sending him out on tour as an emissary and everything. You do know that he got kicked out of Hell, right?”

  “I’ve heard a few variations of the story.” He pulled into the parking lot across the road from the theatre. “And I’m not sure I believe any of them.”

  “When’s the witch returning?” I asked.

  “Not any time soon if Phoenix can help it. He’s not comfortable around her. I’m not surprised, given his history. But I’m a little confused as to why he won’t let her near the children’s home.”

  “He just needs to trust her,” I said. “Or maybe he doesn’t want the kids to be seen too much, either.”

  “I heard you broke one of them out. You’re braver than I am. I saw the fire that kid caused.”

  “I just wish I had known about Jess before it came to that.”

  “You’re not responsible for what happened to them before they reached you. And you’re helping them now. You can’t do everything.”

  I shrugged. “But I feel guilty sometimes. I caused a lot of damage to people I’ll never even hear of. While we were fighting, so were many others. I just wish I knew if I could have done things differently.”

  “Nobody can tell you that, Ava. You just have to make the best of the consequences.”

  He got out of the car and trotted around to open my door. The chivalry always embarrassed me, and I was pretty sure that was part of his reason for doing it. The rain hadn’t let up, so we ran across the road to the shelter of the theatre.

  I stepped inside first. The theatre smelled musty and strange. “I bet this place is haunted,” I whispered.

  “Don’t say that. They’ll come up with a representative for the deceased next. I’m not sure I can handle that.”

  Laughing, I followed him down the stairs and onto the stage. A large table and some chairs had already been positioned for the panel. Spotlights lit the area. Shay and I sat next to each other. Facing the rows of empty seats out there made me uncomfortable, but so did the idea that somebody could easily cut through the backing behind me. And that wasn’t even taking into account the dark shadows and curtains at the sides of the stage.

  “This is not the most relaxed I’ve ever been,” I said.

  “You get used to it. We’re hoping to allow the public to sit in and watch us when we hold meetings. Not this kind of meeting, but normal ones. More normal ones. I don’t know.”

  “Just so you know, this is the perfect place to be assassinated.”

  He sighed. “We just want people to know that we’re open about what we’re doing.”

  “Hey, I get it.”

  Someone cleared his throat. The vampire queen and her entourage entered and made their way down the steps.

  “Please don’t sit next to me,” I whispered.

  Zion, Eloise, and Jules chose seats in the front row. Eloise smiled up at me, looking like a child, apart from the decay in her skin.

  Daimhín continued onto the stage and took the free seat to my right. “Good evening, Ms. Delaney.” She nodded at Shay. “Human.”

  I frowned. “His name is Shay.”

  She gave me a pointed look. “I’m aware of his name. Where are the others?”

  “We’re early.”

  “How unfortunate. So, Ms. Delaney, you met with the very first vampire and survived. What was he like?”

  “Beautiful.”

  She and Shay looked at me as if I were crazy. I shrugged. More people entered the theatre, most of them with friends or bodyguards, like Daimhín.

  “I think we’re doing this wrong,” I whispered to Shay. “Remind me I need backup next time.”

  He nudged me into silence then stood to greet Phoenix and a tall, broad, gruff man with down-turned eyes and a scar running from the corner of his mouth to his left ear.

  “Ava, I don’t think you have been officially introduced to Mac,” Phoenix said politely. “He’s the new alpha of all shifters in Ireland.”

  “Oh,” Mac said, glancing at me. “This is the one. I’ll be paying you a visit someday soon, girl. Have the bitch ready for me.” He stepped behind me to take a chair at the opposite end of the table.

  My skin crawled as I choked down a scathing response.

  Phoenix sat to the left of Shay. “Vega can’t make it, but James and Willow are on their way in. They have a few words for each other before they join us.” He caught my eye. “I believe you already know the siren. You had dealings with her sister, Illeana, before she passed. Or so she tells me.”

  “Callista’s back?” I asked.

  Phoenix nodded. “She’s quite popular, I believe.”

  I released a low whistle. “You should hear her sing.”

  Mac cleared his throat. “And Layla?”

  “The succubus is running late, I’m told,” Phoenix said flatly. “We have refreshments if anyone—”

  “My boy will handle that.” Daimhín clicked her fingers, and a twenty-something-year-old man ran from the back row up to the stage and grovelled at her feet.

  “Rose’s replacement?” I whispered more nastily than I had intended.

  Daimhín looked at me for a long time. “Who?” she said at last.

  Cold bitch.

  The sounds of a heated argument caught my attention. I saw a man and a woman pushing each other out of the way to get down the stairs. The pair stopped halfway down to argue more vehemently. Behind them was the Jessica-Rabbit-esque figure of Callista. A group of people followed her as if in a trance. Callista flicked her long blond hair over her shoulder then strode past them as if nothing was awry. I sneaked a glance at the men around the table. All of them, without exception, were gazing at the siren. Mac’s mouth had even dropped open. Daimhín gave him a look of disdain.

  I tried to avoid looking into Callista’s eyes as she swayed down the last few steps, but she came over and stood in front of me, a broad smile on her face. I rose and let her embrace me while desperately trying not to wince or cringe or fall madly in love at the contact.

  “I’m so glad to see you again,” she enthused in a husky voice. “I’v
e heard about everything you did, everything that went on. I’m so glad I know the truth now. That everyone knows. You’ve freed us, Ava.”

  Mac snorted.

  Callista either didn’t hear him, or she ignored his derision. “We must catch up.”

  Phoenix moved down a place to allow her to take the seat between him and Shay. Both men made a concerted effort to stare straight ahead.

  The disagreeing pair finally made it up onto the stage. The man looked to be in his late forties. His greying hair was cut tight, and hard lines grew deeper around his eyes as he argued. He wore an expensive-looking suit under his raincoat. The woman was younger and plumper. Her chin-length brown hair was plastered around a face marked with laughter lines. She gave the impression of being fierce and welcoming at the same time.

  “James, Willow,” Phoenix said, “meet Ava. Ava, James is our human representative this evening, and Willow is…” He sighed. “I’ll let her introduce herself.”

  James barely nodded at me before taking a seat beside Mac.

  Willow leaned over the table to shake my hand. “So good to finally meet you, Ava. I’ve heard so much about you that I feel we already know each other. We have a few shared acquaintances, although, some have passed. I knew of Folsom, and Ry was an old friend of mine. For too many years, I thought him gone. Little did I know, he was still nearby. I represent those who are not in large numbers here. And those who do not feel they’re well-represented by their species’ born leaders.” She glanced around the table. “I suppose you could say I—”

  “Have a ragtag band of mongrels and rejects,” Mac growled. “Good riddance to the lot of them.”

  “Ah,” I said brightly. “It sounds like you represent me and my people. Good to know.”

  Willow smiled broadly. “Excellent. So… are we waiting for Layla this evening or just getting on with things?”

  “We’ll begin,” Phoenix said. “Layla’s aware.”

  Daimhín’s “boy” brought out a tray of drinks and snacks. For Daimhín, he simply offered his wrist. I caught the scent of his blood and squirmed. I tried to close my ears to her slurping sounds.

  “So,” James said, “what are we here for this evening?”

  “Ava had a visit from the first vampire,” Shay said. “It could have important repercussions for the entire country, so we decided to meet and discuss the possible outcomes.”

  “Indeed,” Daimhín said as she released her boy’s wrist. “I’d like to know everything that was said, down to the last detail.”

  I heard the concern in her voice. Seth was a risk to all of us.

  “It’s kind of weird,” I said.

  Mac snorted again. He was so annoying. Phoenix gave him a sharp look before nodding for me to continue. God, I missed Gabe and Eddie sometimes.

  “I woke up and felt compelled to go outside,” I said, trying to remember exactly how it had happened. “I knew what I was doing, but I also knew I had to go outside. So I stepped out there, and in the dark, I saw a figure at the mouth of the cul-de-sac. For a second, I thought he was an angel.” I shook my head. “He stepped into the light, and I didn’t recognise him. He didn’t look like a vampire. He was beautiful, like, seriously beautiful.”

  “He didn’t have the”—James waved his hand around his face—“skin thing?”

  Daimhín released a low growl that I was pretty sure nobody else heard. Even the shifter didn’t react, which was odd.

  I tried to remember everything about Seth. “He looked perfect. He wasn’t threatening. He said he only came to talk. He wants me to join him, along with the girl I’ve taken in. He thinks he can use us both. He’s been watching her for a while, apparently. And he knows everything about me. Somebody’s been keeping him well informed.”

  Mac made a sound of disgust. “Look to your right for that answer.”

  Daimhín stared him down, but she looked completely unconcerned by his accusation. “I think you’ll find you’re wrong. This queen won’t give up her seat for anyone, least of all the first. Consider this: what will happen if he can compel vampires to do his bidding? And controlling the tainted on top of that? Our previous wars are nothing compared to that outcome.”

  “That’s the other thing,” I said. “His blood created the beasts. He as much as admitted it to me. If he’s gone, so are they, but while he’s here, he can control them. He told me he’s the only one who can. Why would he even need vampires around if he can make more powerful creatures who are completely obedient?”

  Daimhín stiffened. “Perhaps he misled the vampires in the UK into thinking they had the upper hand because he wanted them to be wiped out. What else is in the formula, Ava?”

  “We didn’t have a scientific discussion about it, Daimhín. All I know is that his blood is involved and that we can’t take another beast attack. Not now. I mean, the lot of you can barely sit in the same room together.”

  “She’s right.” A lone woman stood on the stairs, and I realised I recognised her. She ran a brothel that had once come under attack by a disgruntled wife. “We’re not united, and we can be destroyed.”

  Phoenix rose to his feet. “Layla, this is Ava.”

  “We’ve met,” the dark-eyed succubus said coolly. She took the last empty seat next to Willow. “It’s nice to see you again.”

  Yeah, right.

  Mac cracked his knuckles. “We might not be in each other’s pockets, but you’re all forgetting about the werewolves. No beast attack here is going to happen without their help. That much I can tell you. And speaking of the werewolves, it’s about time we took them into the pack.”

  “They have their own pack,” Phoenix said.

  “One pack of many is stronger than two smaller packs,” Mac said.

  “If you believe you can beat the alpha werewolf into submission, go ahead,” I snapped. Mac’s upper lip curled into a nasty growl, but I ignored him and continued. “Seth threatened the werewolves. He knows plenty that we don’t. And we don’t know what could happen if the beasts start acting like an army.”

  Phoenix nodded. “The werewolves act as a pack and on shared instinct, but they work best against uncontrolled forces. Their strength and partnership stands for them. Outnumbered against beasts who all have the same goal? I’m not so certain.”

  “And Seth isn’t full of emotion,” I said. “The best way to tear apart the werewolves is to destroy them emotionally. The werewolves have a weakness, their need to protect their own. I saw Icarus once when he thought his mate was under threat. If you want to rip some werewolves apart, you hurt their mates and offspring. Seth hasn’t been around for this long without learning a trick or two.”

  “Ava wants us to move the vulnerable werewolves to the sanctuary,” Phoenix said. “We don’t technically know if the place is secure from Seth, and the werewolves are reluctant to separate.”

  “And what if that’s exactly what Seth wants?” Layla asked.

  “I’m happy to hear better ideas,” I said.

  “But what was the point of the conversation with Seth?” Willow asked. “He wanted to threaten the werewolves, yes, but did he say what he wanted with you?”

  “Yes.” I stared at my hands. “He wants me to free Lucifer from Hell.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  The arguments buzzing in my ears reminded me of the old Council. I knew it wasn’t possible for me to like everyone involved, but James and Mac were both chauvinistic pigs, and I didn’t have the energy to get started on the vampire queen and the succubus. I didn’t even know there were enough succubi to need a leader, but apparently, certain other similar species, such as the sirens, had old epic feuds that meant they couldn’t share responsibility with each other. The species they did represent were varied, but few groups were large in number. The major supernatural factions in Ireland were the fae, the shifters, and the vampires. Everything else was a potluck.

  “If we get rid of the tainted nephilim, the first vampire will disappear,” Mac said.

  “A
re you kidding me?” Shay’s face had turned bright red. “You want to banish the woman who pretty much saved the country and a teenage girl who has never harmed anyone?”

  Mac held up his hands. “Now, now. Nobody said a word about banishment. I’m talking death here.”

  “Too messy,” Daimhín said. “We don’t know how the tainted nephilim die. They could take us all down with them. We would have to send them out on a boat or something and torch it when it’s far enough away from shore. Or we could—”

  Shay jumped to his feet. “If you think I’m going to stand here and discuss murder, then—”

  I pulled him back into his seat. “Forget it. It’s not even worth it. This is the man who has his heart set on punishing Esther because her brother pissed him off.”

  “Somebody has to take the punishment!” Mac roared. “That’s our way, and it’s not going to change because a pack of pansies are in government.”

  James’s eyebrows arched. “Pansies? Are you a child?”

  I covered my face as insults began flying. The meeting descended into the equivalent of a playschool food fight. The more they argued, the messier things became. I rose to my feet and whistled loudly until they all shut up.

  “I’m going to deal with the first vampire,” I announced. “And you lot are going to help me. We need to track him down, but we need to find out how to hurt him, too. Research is our greatest weapon at this stage, and I need all of your help. Can you do that without killing each other?”

  “I’ll question the vampires,” Daimhín said after a moment. “Somebody must know where he is. I’ll find out who is protecting him, and I’ll dole out their punishment.”

  “We’ll arrest them,” Shay said firmly.

  Daimhín gave him a toothy smile. “Of course we will, human.”

  “She’s right about Seth being protected,” Mac said. “But he can’t be working alone, either. There’s still plenty of trouble on the streets. Maybe my shifters will find out if there’s a voice organising it all.”