by L.H. Cosway
“You seem a little stressed,” Rita commented as she dabbed her mouth with a napkin.
I glanced from side to side, making sure no one was listening. “I was just thinking about my blood,” I whispered. “If there’s a war, people will want it.”
“The only people who know about your blood are you, me, and Alvie and we’ve cast the pact spell, which means the only way anyone will find out is if you tell them, so …”
“So, I better keep my mouth shut?”
Now she smiled. “Exactly.”
17.
Rita walked with me back to Indigo once we’d finished lunch. The place was empty when we stepped inside, but Marcel and Gabriel quicky appeared from the back. Marcel eyed us with no small amount of suspicion, and I started to wonder if I should’ve kept my budding friendship with Rita a secret.
“Hey, you two. Why the long faces?” Rita asked as they approached us.
Marcel focused his attention on me, not bothering to answer Rita’s question. “It’s a pity you were busy during lunch today, Tegan. I’ll have to try and free up some time tomorrow, or perhaps Friday. We don’t want to be falling behind on our little project.” There was a subtle edge to his words.
Rita and I shared a glance. I was about to respond when someone else emerged from the back of the store. Finn Roe. He sauntered out wearing jeans and a black combat jacket. What on earth was he doing here?
“Nice to see you again, love,” he greeted cheerfully.
“Oh, look, it’s the Irish Van Helsing,” Rita said, rolling her eyes. Wait, what?
“How do you all know each other?”
“This city is far smaller than you’d imagine,” Finn replied smugly. He clearly enjoyed taking me off guard like this. I looked to Rita, and she shrugged, like Finn’s presence was no cause for concern. I, on the other hand, took in the sight of the slayer standing with Marcel by his side and got the distinct feeling I’d been the topic of conversation amongst them. And I didn’t like that one bit.
“So,” Rita went on as she eyed the three. “What is this? Some sort of boy scout meeting?”
“Finn came to inform Gabriel and me of an important development,” Marcel replied. “Although the fact that it’s important means it’s none of your concern.”
His dismissive tone irked me, and my gaze narrowed in irritation when I blurted, “Don’t talk to her like that.” It seemed I forgot for a second that Marcel was my boss. Gabriel’s eyebrows rose while Marcel gave a cold laugh, and I saw right past the hippy façade to the cutthroat man who lay beneath.
“What’s it to you how I talk to her?” he replied sharply. “You’ve known her what, a week? You have no clue the kind of woman you’re befriending, Tegan.”
“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Rita interjected.
“It means you’re a little girl who goes around masquerading as a witch to dupe silly humans into paying you to cast phoney spells,” Marcel shot back.
“Okay, now you’re just being rude,” Rita replied, but she didn’t seem hurt by what he said. Maybe because she already knew this was what he thought of her.
“Have you ever seen her cast a spell?” I challenged.
Marcel glanced at me, looking like my question surprised him. “Well, no, but—”
“Then how do you know she’s phony?”
Now his eyes narrowed further in suspicion. “Have you seen her cast a spell?”
I folded my arms. “Maybe I have.”
Marcel’s eyes cut to Rita. “What have you been up to?”
Rita stared him down. “Absolutely nothing. I’m just a silly girl masquerading as a witch after all. Obviously, I’m far too inconsequential for you to worry about.”
Marcel’s voice turned stony as he took a step closer to Rita, and instinctively, I stood in front of her. “I’ll warn you against interfering in my business,” he said, eyeing Rita over my shoulder. “You know who I am, and you’d be wise to keep your nose out.”
Rita barked a laugh. “I’m not interfering. Tegan and I came in here minding our own business and you three appear like the Spanish Inquisition.”
“Listen, just calm down everybody,” Gabriel interrupted in a reasonable tone. He pulled Marcel aside and whispered something quickly in his ear. Finn appeared thoroughly amused by all the drama. I sighed as I shook my head at him.
“You’re just loving this, aren’t you?”
He smiled widely, showing straight white teeth. “Yeah, just a little bit.”
“Are you forgetting who saved your life not too long ago?” I shot back.
Finn’s smile didn’t falter. “Nope. And you’ll soon find out that I’m only here to help you.”
Rita nudged me, taking my attention away from Finn. “Don’t bother fighting with Marcel over me,” she whispered. “He’s always treated me like crap. I’m used to it. It’s water off a duck’s back.”
Marcel stepped forward, his eyes beseeching. “I apologise, Tegan. I was out of line.”
“Um, it’s not me you should be apologising to.” At this, I linked my arm through Rita’s to show exactly whose side I was on. Silence fell as I continued to stare him down. It became clear that Marcel had no intention of telling Rita he was sorry, and something came over me. It suddenly occurred to me that working at Indigo really wasn’t worth it. I could get another job somewhere else that didn’t involve the pressure and stress of being involved in a supernatural world. A world where a bunch of people were far too eager to discover a secret about me that I had every intention of keeping hidden.
“You know what? I might need the money, but I refuse to work for a bigot. You can stick your job. I’d rather starve than work for a stuck up elitist.”
“You can’t just quit,” Marcel hissed. “We have an arrangement.”
“We do? I don’t remember signing anything. Come on, Rita, let’s go.” I turned to leave, and Rita cast me a wide-eyed look as though questioning if I really wanted to walk out of a perfectly good job. And yes, I did. The epiphany came upon me quite suddenly. I couldn’t work in a world my mother tried so hard to protect me from. I needed to get out while I still could.
We reached the end of the street before Gabriel came running after us with Finn following behind. There was no sign of Marcel.
“Tegan, wait,” Gabriel called. I turned around and noticed he had two books tucked under his arm.
“What do you want?” Rita asked.
Gabriel levelled his attention on me. “I’m not going to try and convince you to come back, because it’s clear you’ve made up your mind, but I just wanted to reassure you that you’ll still get paid for the week.”
“Thanks, Gabriel, that’s very kind of you.”
He let out a sigh. “I’ll be sorry to see you go. I was getting used to having you around.”
“Yeah, well, I was getting used to being around, but I can’t work for Marcel. I know he’s your friend but I … I don’t think he’s a good person.”
“Maybe you should think about leaving Indigo, too,” Rita suggested, eyeing Gabriel. “I know you’re not like Marcel.”
A flicker of frustration entered his eyes. “It’s not as easy as that.” Now he held out the books. “I thought you might like to take these.”
“Oh, right,” I said, having forgotten I’d asked if I could check out some of his books. I glanced down, skimming the titles. A Short History of the Twelve Families and The Basics of Magic. “Thank you.”
A moment of quiet ensued as he held my gaze then cleared his throat. “Well, I better be getting back. Don’t be a stranger.”
I didn’t reply because I wasn’t sure I could promise that. A part of me was considering leaving Tribane and going somewhere far, far away. Somewhere I’d be safe. Gabriel went, but Finn remained. I shot him an arch look. “What do you want?”
“I know what happened with Herrington at Crimson last night, and I know you were there,” he stated, all matter of fact. My heart gave a swift thud.
“How do you know about that?” I asked, stunned.
“I have my informants.”
“Okay, well, so what if I was there? What’s your point?”
“Two things,” Finn said, stepping closer. “One, you still haven’t learned your lesson to stay away from the vamps. Bad move. And two, well, there’s been a development.”
“What kind of development?”
“News has travelled fast that the sorcerer Theodore has returned to Tribane.” He paused a moment, eyeing Rita before his attention came back to me. “I assume you’ve since learned who that is.”
“She has,” Rita answered for me.
Finn’s gaze darkened. “Something else has transpired. Herrington was murdered last night on the grounds of his estate, shortly after he returned home from Crimson. He’s survived by his wife, who has taken temporary control of his position as governor.”
“Oh, my God!” I exclaimed, gasping. Speechless, I stepped back and sat down on a nearby window ledge.
“You need to be wary of Cristescu. As soon as the sun sets, he’ll come looking for you.”
“Why?”
“Isn’t it obvious? With his governor murdered, he’ll be wanting to eradicate all other threats.”
“I’m not a threat.”
“You’re immune to compulsion. Of course you’re a threat. The vampires won’t want other humans learning how to do what you can.”
I glanced at Rita now, fear kicking in. Was it true? Did Ethan consider me a threat? It didn’t seem that way last night. He seemed almost in awe of me, and I was certainly in awe of him. But it could be a case of keeping your enemies close …
I noticed Rita kept checking the time on her phone. “Everything okay?” I asked.
Her look was apologetic. “I’m so sorry. It’s just that I promised Mum I’d cover one of her appointments today, and if I don’t leave now, I’m going to be late.”
“Hey, go. I’ll call you later,” I reassured even though I didn’t fancy being left alone with Van Helsing.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
Biting her lip worriedly, she nodded and headed off down the street. I turned back to Finn.
“So, you seem to be telling me all this for a reason. What do you propose I do next?” I really hoped he had some good ideas, because I was fresh out of them.
“As far as I can see you have two choices. One is to go home and let Cristescu find you.”
“And the other?”
“The other is to come stay with me. My house isn’t on vampire territory, so Cristescu won’t be able to come for you there, unless he wants to be staked on the spot, that is.”
“He’s done a decent job of avoiding your stakes so far,” I countered.
His eyes flashed in annoyance. “Only because he was on his home turf.”
“I think I’ll take my chances on my own,” I said as I stood from the window ledge and made my way down the street. Finn followed along beside me.
“I’d advise against going home,” he warned. “Like I said, that’s the first place Cristescu will look as soon as the sun goes down. You’ll have to think of somewhere better than that.”
“I’m not going home. I have a friend I can stay with.”
“And that’s the second place he’ll look. Come on Tegan, you’re smarter than that,” Finn chided.
I stopped walking swiftly and stood in front of him, our faces mere inches apart. For a second, I was thrown by how handsome he was up close. “I don’t trust you,” I stated simply.
“Well, that hurts my feelings. Why not?”
“Because you’re a zealot,” I answered honestly. “And you look at me like I’m something you can use to your advantage, not as a person.”
“That’s bullshit. I want to help you. If you look past all the vampire slaughtering, I’m actually a nice bloke.”
“I haven’t seen you slaughter any vampires yet,” I taunted.
Now he grinned. “Is that a challenge?”
“No. Now will you please quit following me? It’s starting to get creepy.”
He threw his hands up. “Fine. It’s your funeral. But if you come to your senses you have my number. Don’t hesitate to use it.”
I didn’t respond as I continued down the street, my mind racing as my anxiety increased. Everything was becoming a little too dangerous, and I was beginning to wonder if I should get out of the city for a while. I could go stay with my dad. He didn’t live too far from Tribane, but at least it would put some distance between me and all the people who had an unhealthy interest in what I was. And maybe I could quiz him about my mother and whether or not he knew she was a witch.
I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text.
Tegan: Hey Dad! Any chance I could come stay with you for a while? Need a little break from the city.
His response popped up a minute later.
Dad: Of course, honey. You know you’re always welcome here. x
All that was left was to talk to Mr Hagen about taking a few weeks off, which I wasn’t looking forward to. He’d likely fire me, but I’d already walked out of one job today so what was another? I could stay with Dad for as long as it took to find somewhere else to work that wasn’t a soul-killing night shift.
Deciding to bite the bullet, I pulled up Hagen’s number and hit call. As expected, as soon as I mentioned taking a few weeks off I heard the dreaded words, “That’s it. You’re sacked.” Where was Ethan’s compulsion when you needed it? With a lump in my throat, I hung up the phone and headed to my apartment to pack a bag.
In my heart of hearts, I didn’t want to leave, because I had all these new and confusing feelings for Ethan that I longed to explore. But logically, I knew it was the right choice. The vampire governor had just been murdered in his own home. Things were about to get even more dangerous in this city. I could feel it in my bones.
When I reached my building, I felt a funny sensation in the pit of my stomach urging me not to go in. I shrugged it off, putting it down to the spicy lunch, and headed inside. Just before I reached my apartment, I bumped into Florence. She looked well, much better than usual. Her hair and clothes were clean, and she seemed less burdened somehow.
“Tegan, there are some scary looking men hanging around outside your apartment,” she warned, and I froze. It was still light out, so it couldn’t be vampires. I peeked my head around the corner and spotted two tall guys dressed in black. They were the same ones who’d been with Herrington last night. His bodyguards. But what on earth were they doing here? I’d thought they were vampires, but they must’ve been human. There was no other way they could be here right now.
“Is your dad home?” I asked, turning back to Florence. She shook her head. “Good. Can I hide in your apartment for a minute?”
“Sure, come in.”
I stepped inside, and the place reeked of old cigarette smoke. All the furniture was battered and worn, but other than that it was clean. I suspected that was Florence’s doing. My mind went back to Herrington’s guards and panic seized me. Did they think I had something to do with his murder?
“There’s something strange about them,” Florence commented, breaking me from my thoughts.
“Strange about who?”
“The men outside your place. They don’t seem normal.”
What she said caught my interest. It reminded me of how she’d reacted when she met Ethan. “Do they seem not normal in the same way my friend Ethan seemed not normal?”
“No. They’re a different kind of, um, not n-n-normal.”
Oh. Well, that was interesting. If they weren’t human and they weren’t vampires, then what exactly were they? Werewolves? Demons? Ghouls? The possibilities were endless. And also terrifying.
I was about to question her further when the door opened, and Terry walked in. I fully expected him to yell at me and demand to know what I was doing in his home. Instead, he carried a bag full of groceries into the kitchen and began unloading the
m onto the counter.
“Have you told Tegan the good news, Flo?” he asked casually. He sounded oddly friendly and at ease. Had someone given Terry Vaine a lobotomy? Because this was bizarre behaviour from him. He didn’t even seem drunk.
Florence looked back to me, a smile brightening her face. “Right, I forgot. Dad’s s-sending me to live with my grandmother in Chesterport.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Really?”
“This city’s no place for a teenager. My mother will take good care of her,” Terry said.
“Gran’s the best. I haven’t seen in her in forever though,” Florence added.
“Well, that’s actually great news, and weirdly coincidental. My dad lives in Chesterport and I’m going to visit him for a few weeks.”
Her eyes lit up at this, and Terry didn’t seem at all phased. What happened to the man who threatened me to stay away from his daughter? “That’s amazing. We’ll be able to hang out.”
“Yes, we will.” I glanced over my shoulder, still worried about the men waiting out there for me. I needed to avoid them. Then I noticed Florence’s balcony outside. I could climb down the fire escape to the street. So much for packing a bag.
I stepped closer to her, speaking low so that Terry couldn’t hear. He seemed oblivious as he put his groceries away. “Do you mind if I sneak out down your fire escape? I don’t want to bump into those men.”
Florence’s eyes, wise beyond her years, took me in before she nodded. “Yes, go ahead. I’ll call you when I get to Gran’s house.”
“Great. See you soon. And take care of yourself,” I said, giving her a quick hug before I approached the balcony door and slipped out. The apartment was several stories up, and my stomach quivered a little at the height. I closed my eyes, swallowing tightly before I began the climb down. I blew out a relieved breath when I reached the street, walking swiftly from the building just in case anyone else was hanging about.
Hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I got the distinct feeling I was being followed. Acting on instinct, I rifled through my bag looking for Finn Roe’s number. If the vampires thought I had something to do with the murder of their governor, then accepting the protection of a slayer made sense, right? Either way, I was eager to get off the south side.
