“I really doubt that,” I said. “Now fuck off, you impotent little shits. Go home and play with a chew toy. Get that aggression out.”
With a collective growl, the shifters left at the urging of Greg, who seemed more in command of himself than the rest of them did.
“Oh, no,” Esther said. “I’m so sorry, Ava.”
“About what?”
“You’re an enemy of the pack! That’s bad. Really bad! They just targeted you. You’re fair game for the entire pack. For every shifter!”
I took out my phone and called Shay. “Hey, Shay, any shifters with you?”
“Um, yes?”
“Okay, tell them I’m an enemy of the pack and then ask them if they’re planning on killing me the next time they see me.”
In a bemused tone, he asked the shifters and got back to me. “They say no.”
“Great, thanks, bye.” I hung up. “See? Not every shifter.”
“That’s… different. Ava, you’re not taking this seriously!”
I gripped her shoulder. “I’m taking everything very seriously today, I promise. So, what occurred to you when the shifters were playing the blame game?”
She bowed her head, embarrassed.
Carl wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “What is it?”
She avoided all of our eyes. “It’s just… when I have migraines, I black out. A couple of times, I’ve left the flats without even realising it. I wake up on Moses’s sofa, and he tells me I’ve been gone a few hours. I have no idea what happens, and sometimes, he doesn’t even notice I’m gone. In the middle of the night… what if I really did go after Mac?”
“You’ve been blacking out?” I asked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was embarrassed, and Carl said it wasn’t a big deal, that I was probably just sleepwalking.”
I gave him an accusing glare. “You knew?”
“Well, I didn’t realise somebody was going to torture our sworn enemy to death, Ava!” He held Esther closer. “She didn’t do this.”
I snorted. “Of course she didn’t do this. She can barely stand on her own two feet. The problem is that the shifters probably don’t care. I mean, they wanted me dead for the same crime a few hours ago. They’ll get over it. We just need to find out who did it.” I sighed. “And who’s getting the werewolves into trouble.”
“What’s happened now?” Peter asked.
“On my way back here, we stopped off at a crime scene, and the paragon showed up. A body was… ripped apart. I mean, torn apart in chunks.”
“Like the werewolves do,” Val said with a frown. “But they haven’t attacked humans before.”
“Apparently, they have.” I winced at the gasps of alarm. “Some drunkard with a shotgun decided it was werewolf-hunting season a while back. He got his throat ripped out for his trouble.”
“Not good,” Peter said.
“The paragon’s on a mission to have the werewolves put down, and now the shifters are all over Esther. This is not the best timing,” I said.
“What are we going to do?” Carl asked, looking Esther over.
“Let’s go inside before Esther drops,” I said.
“I’m fine,” she complained, but she let us lead her into my house.
“In good news, the protection worked today,” I said brightly as we settled into my living room. “But Shay’s doubting the werewolves, and I’m sure it won’t be just him. The paragon’s probably doing whatever paragons do already.”
“They generally mount armies,” Carl said.
“Stop trying to scare me,” I said.
“It’s true, though. The shifters are the least of our worries.”
The thought of Esther being my second lost soul overrode that line of thought. “I need to get the shifters off our backs long enough for me to figure out what to do about the werewolves. Damn Phoenix for running off just before the shit hit the fan.”
“What if the werewolves did it?” Peter asked. “It wouldn’t be the first time, according to you. Maybe something needs to be done. We all know how ferocious they are. If they go on a rampage, plenty of innocent people will die horrible deaths.”
“It can’t be the werewolves.” I just couldn’t connect the horror I had seen with the sometimes-gentle and always-protective Icarus. But I had watched him literally bite the head off a foe. “Even if it is, they’ll have to prove it first. They can’t just kill them because they’re the best fit.”
“The paragon probably can,” Carl said.
“Well, he’ll need time to gather his army and bring them here. In the meantime, I’m going to meet with the Senate. They have a public meeting tonight in town. I’ll go and state my case, and we’ll see what happens. I’ll ask for their interference in the shifter issue with Esther, and I’ll try to make them agree to a proper investigation into what happened to that human.”
“Thanks,” Esther said, and she yawned.
“Do you need to sleep?” I asked. “You look wrecked.”
“Maybe I should have a nap,” she said. “The migraines take a lot out of me.”
“I’ll come back over tonight to keep an eye on her,” Carl said. “The last thing we need is for Esther to sleepwalk right into the hands of the shifters.”
“Yeah, okay,” I said. “All right, everyone out. We’ll keep each other updated on what’s going on.”
“I’m going to go find out how the rescued shifters are doing in hospital,” Peter said.
“I’ll join you,” Val said. “You wouldn’t want to be set upon by a gang of angry shifters.”
“A pack,” he was saying as they left. “They’re called a pack.”
I helped Esther upstairs to bed. I sat on the edge as she tried to find a way to relax.
“Head still hurting?” I asked.
“A bit. It’s easing off,” she lied.
“You need rest. I’ll let you be.”
She reached out and held on to my arm. “Stay. Just for a little bit. Please?”
“Of course.” I stared down at her. I couldn’t believe my friend had turned out to be my lost soul. But why was she lost? Was it because of the shifters and Mac? Or was it something else?
“I’m scared,” she said in a small voice.
“I won’t let the shifters take you,” I said firmly.
“I’m scared of myself,” she admitted. “These headaches are getting too much for me.”
“We need to get you back into that clinic.”
“The shifters would just take me out. I can’t go there. I’m only safe with you.”
“That’s not true,” I said. “You’re strong, Esther. You’re safe anywhere.”
“What if they’re right about me being untethered?” she asked hesitantly.
“Why would they be right?”
“When I broke away from Aiden, I felt so… so lost for a while. Then I realised that I could have a family of a different kind here. And that’s still true, but I’m like a shadow on this place, bringing danger everywhere with me. What if family just isn’t enough? What if Mac had those shifters drugged and tied up because they really were dangerous?”
“What the hell has gotten into you? Mac did the wrong thing, even if we can somehow make believe he had the right reasons. He wanted power and control. That’s all. He didn’t care about the untethered being dangerous. He cared about owning them. And not being able to control you drove him crazy. Well, crazier. You don’t deserve to be chained up, Esther.”
“And if I really killed him? If I was really there the night he died?”
“The shifters were bluffing to see our reactions,” I said, panicked by how easily she’d believed in them. “You weren’t there, and you didn’t kill him. Trust me, Esther, I would have known.”
“How?”
“Because… I just would! I know you. You’re not that kind of person. You’re not feral or a monster. You get migraines, and you’re sick sometimes, weak more often than not. That weakness can’t kill even a shitt
y alpha like Mac.”
“What if the weakness is just a side effect?”
“What do you mean?”
“What if…” She bit her lip. “What if, when I blank out, I really let my animal side through. What if it uses up so much energy that I’m left exhausted the rest of the time?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “Nobody can prove it, not even us. We’re going to watch you carefully, okay? We’re going to see what happens when you sleepwalk. And we’re going to prove to you that there’s no way on this planet that you could ever have tortured Mac to death without remembering it. You didn’t see the blood, Esther. You would have been covered in it.”
“If I was a bear?” She looked up at me, desperate for reassurance. “If I washed in a river afterward? If I left my clothes somewhere else?”
“I would have noticed if Mac was covered in bear hair.” I tried to smile. “And I’m pretty sure somebody would have noticed if you had been walking the streets naked on a regular basis.”
She grinned then. “You’re an idiot. Have I ever told you that?”
“Possibly once or twice.” I patted her cheek. “I’m going to get us out of this mess. Trust me. Have I ever steered you wrong?”
She shook her head and closed her eyes. “You sometimes take the scenic route, though.”
I laughed and stood. “Go away out of that. You get some sleep. And just you watch. I’ll go see the Senate later. Maybe I’ll even take my trusty solicitor along with me. If he can’t scare off the Senate, nobody can. We’ll get the shifters off your back until they find the real killer. And when there’s a new alpha—”
She moaned. “They’ll be after me to take Aiden’s punishment, too. I can’t win, Ava. I just can’t. What’s the point?”
I reached out and held her hand in mine. “I promise you, Esther. I won’t rest until I’ve sorted this out. You didn’t do it, and I’m going to find out who did.”
And that was exactly what I needed to do for the werewolves, too. My gut told me neither party was guilty, and that just meant there were murderers running free—and that had to change.
Chapter Nine
Carl arrived before I left for the Senate’s public meeting. “I’ll keep an eye on her when you leave,” he explained.
“She’s still asleep,” I said as I pulled on my jacket.
His face tensed with worry. “I hope she’s going to be okay.”
I laid my hand on his arm. “She will be.”
“She doesn’t deserve any of this mess. She didn’t cause it. Not any of it.” He punched his fist into his palm. “This all started with her bloody brother.”
“I know.” I heaved a sigh. “I have to go. And, Carl, just… be careful with Esther, okay?”
His eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I think you know.” I gave him a sympathetic smile and left the house. I could see him slowly falling deeper into something with Esther. She relied on him in ways she couldn’t allow herself to with anyone else, but I had a horrible feeling he had been friend-zoned and just didn’t know it yet. He deserved a little happiness; I wasn’t sure if Esther was the one to give that to him, though. But I had vowed to keep out of his love life, and that’s what I would do.
I felt eyes on my back as soon as I left the cul-de-sac, and I tightened my grip on the dagger hidden in my sleeve. Nobody approached, but I sensed someone nearby, waiting. As long as no one attempted to stop me from reaching the Senate’s meeting, I didn’t care much who watched. I was confident that the cul-de-sac really did protect us from harm, and a lot of my questions about other incidents had been cleared up in one fell swoop.
The night was eerily dark, the moon a tiny crescent in the sky. I felt the pull all the same, as most creatures of darkness likely did. Once, night had been a signal that atrocious beasts were coming back to life. At least that one threat had completely gone from my life.
I upped my pace as I took a shortcut through what had once been a market street. Not all of the changes had been positive once we switched governments. The riots and looters from the worst days had run businesses to the ground, even sent families from their homes. Many shopping streets were boarded up and neglected, while rows of houses gutted by a fire had been deserted because the repairs would have cost too much.
Sections of the city that had once been full of life were empty, except for the occasional drug deal. No one had the money to pump a renewal into Dublin, not when the funds were needed for just about everything else. The old bustle was gone from those forgotten districts, and that saddened me.
That was why I walked those routes. The area was quiet, and if the shifters did attack, innocent victims wouldn’t be in the way. But although someone was following me, nobody made a move, and I eventually left the dead streets, turning a corner onto a well-lit street that housed the new meeting place.
An unruly queue had already formed outside the old courtroom. A couple of protesters were hanging around at the corner. I pushed through the crowd, determined to get in early enough to grab a seat, not that I minded standing. I just needed to be inside before they closed the doors. One of Shay’s recruits spotted me and made way for me.
“Thanks,” I said gratefully.
“Thought you might need a hand.”
“Wait, I know you. You’re Anto’s brother.” Anthony May and his partner, Layne Corcoran, had died on the job because of my enemy. She had left behind a young son, while Anto had a large number of siblings to mourn him. I still felt guilt over their deaths, but the families had never even thought to blame me.
“One of them,” he said with a smile. “I’m Terry.”
“I didn’t recognise you in the uniform. You’re working with Shay?”
He nodded. “When Anto died, I felt like I had to carry this on for him. At first, I just wanted… I don’t know, my own kind of vengeance, but Shay made me get over that pretty early on. It’s been a good experience, though. Better than I thought.”
“Wow. And your family are okay with it?”
“Ah, it drives me ma demented, especially when I tell her I’m going to marry my human partner someday.” He snorted with laughter, completely losing his professional air. “I haven’t mentioned she’s a lesbian yet.”
I grinned. “You’re so mean.”
“Serves her right for being so old-fashioned.” He jerked his head. “Go on in. I’m closing the doors in a minute. Try to steer clear of the admirers. They can get a little twisted.”
The crowd surged behind me as people heard his words. Ninety-five percent of the crowd was almost certainly there to ogle Callista, but if anyone had any real business, they could bring it to the Senate during a public meeting. The Senate had vowed to hear them, and some people took advantage, but most just wanted to have their say.
Inside, the room was packed. It stank of old rain for some reason. I kept pushing through the crowd. There were no seats, but I managed to grab a space close to the Senate, where I could stand without being knocked over by the men and women trying to catch a closer look at Callista, who obliged with a queenly wave every now and then.
The doors slammed shut, but the desperate knocking continued on for at least five minutes. When the crowd outside finally gave up, two recruits strode right through the crowd and stood before the Senate.
James stood. “This session of our public meetings begins. Who is first to bring a query forward?”
Half the people raised their hands as if we were schoolchildren. The recruits picked people at random, but the first three questions were all about Callista’s favourite perfume, chocolate, and music. Anything with jasmine, as dark as possible, and the music of her people were the answers. I watched with scorn as several listeners took notes.
Daimhín caught my gaze and rolled her eyes. She hid a little yawn and stared at the crowd with open dislike.
Willow drummed her fingertips on the table. “Perhaps we can move on from the personal questions.”
“I have a problem,” an old man said, standing up and ignoring the recruits who bade him to wait his turn. We weren’t taking numbers anyway.
“What’s your issue?” Willow asked kindly enough.
The old man rubbed his chin. “Well, I have a family farm that’s been attacked numerous times lately. An entire herd of cows, gone. Only thing left are bones and a little flesh. Something’s eating my herd, and I need to know why and how to stop them.”
The Senate members exchanged knowing looks. My stomach sank. They were going to blame the werewolves for the cows, too. I just couldn’t imagine the wolves being so careless out of the blue. Unless Phoenix had been the one keeping them in line all along. But then why leave? It made no sense.
“It’s been happening over the course of a few months, but I’m going to have to sell up. I can’t make a living on a dairy farm with no cows. I mean, I—”
“Take his details,” Layla told the recruits. “He’s to be reimbursed immediately.” She leaned forward and gave the man a predatory smile. “Not to worry. We’ll be dealing with this matter shortly. The animals destroying your livelihood will be put down very soon.”
He thanked her profusely and made his way over to a desk in the corner to give his information.
The next question was a proposal of marriage, and that just sent me over the edge.
“Oh, for the love of…” I barged my way to the front of the room. “Are you kidding me?” I asked the man, who was down on one knee. I looked up at the Senate, all of whom looked uncomfortable or angry to see me, even Willow. “I’m here for a reason,” I said. “The shifters came to my home and tried to attack me. They want to kidnap my friend, and after we found so many kidnapped female shifters already, I thought it would be a bad idea to hand her over.”