I paused in front of the bones and tentatively reached my fingers out toward them.
“Careful now,” Jack said, “it might bite.” I snatched my hand away, suddenly convinced that if I did touch them, they would crumble away into nothing.
“How long have they been here?”
“Those ones,” he said, “2002. The original ones were too weathered so they had to be replaced.”
“They look so much older.”
“You would, too, if you spent every minute of the day out in all weather.” Despite the harshness of his words they were offset by his smile. “Come on, before Jack Frost gets his second wind.”
“It’s going to snow again?”
“You didn’t think we’d get away with just the one snow storm now, did ye?”
“Well, I was kinda hoping he was done for the night.”
“No such luck.” Jack moved beneath the whale bones and paused at the top of a set of steps as I hurried after him.
“I thought you said it was far too dangerous to go out at night?”
“It is.” His answer was curt and I waited a couple of beats for him to elaborate. When he didn’t, I started down the steep steps after him.
The set of stairs was slick with the remnants of ice and snow and I gripped the railing tightly so that the metal groaned under the pressure.
Jack stood in a pool of golden light, the glow cast by the street lamp he was leaning against. His face was half hidden in shadow but I could still feel his dark eyes watching me as I approached him.
“So why didn’t she kill you, then?” His question caught me off guard and I found myself scrambling for an answer. I wasn’t entirely sure myself why Carmine hadn’t killed me. She’d had the chance, I was on her turf, and by all accounts I was outmanned by the vampires. And yet, she’d walked away. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out her motives and it was beginning to make me nervous.
She’d brought me here for a reason, lured me in by spilling innocent blood. Carmine had known I wouldn’t be able to resist and she’d been right. I didn’t like knowing I was being played and I liked it even less when I had no choice but to go along with the game especially when I didn’t know the rules.
“She wants something from me,” I said carefully.
“What does she want from you?”
“My turn,” I said, ignoring him. “You tell me why it’s safe for us to be out here like this when there’s a curfew in effect?”
“If I said it was my winning personality, would you believe me?”
“Come on, I gave you my answer.”
“If you call that an answer, then you need to work on your communication skills…” Catching the look in my eyes, he shook his head. “Fine.”
He took off down the incline at a much faster pace than before and I followed, doing my best to stay on my feet and not land on my ass.
“I’m what’s known as a peacekeeper,” he said quietly. “I’m the one who stops the skirmishes from turning into all-out war. If the others had their way we’d all be caught up in the middle of World War 3.”
“But how does that make you exempt?”
He shrugged. “It doesn’t…” Seeing the look of confusion on my face, he continued. “I’m not exempt, my predecessor was ripped apart by Heart Hounds out on the moors three years ago while trying to stop the fae from executing their vampire prisoners.”
“I thought the Heart Hounds were only in Ireland.” A shudder ran down my spine as I thought about the blood thirsty creatures. Singleminded murderers, they killed anything in their path without regard for what it was. Fae, vampire, human, they all looked the same to the hounds and nothing could stop them once they’d locked onto your scent… Nothing but the call of the Wild Hunt.
“I told ye, we’ve got creatures here as old as any you’d find in Ireland. People forget the history of this land, it’s as old as Ireland and the monsters and magic that lurk here as vicious as any you’ll meet anywhere else.”
The scent of salt and fish tantalised my senses as we rounded the corner. Jack paused in front of a white building with a black and white striped awning that sat over a side portion. He gestured to the steps leading up to the door in the front of the restaurant and I moved ahead, acutely aware of just how close behind me he truly was.
The moment I pushed open the door of the restaurant, sound poured out. Laughter and the clinking of cutlery joined with the low chatter of full and happy patrons swirled around me, bringing with it the scent of fish, salt, and vinegar that assailed my nostrils. I drank it down, soaking in the atmosphere as the door closed with a thud behind me. My stomach chose that moment to remind me it had been several hours since I’d last eaten.
“Welcome to The Magpie,” Jack said, nodding affably to a young woman standing next to the counter.
“Jack, I didn’t think we’d see you in here tonight,” she said with a bright smile that warmed me from the top of my head all the way down to my toes.
It had been nothing but heartache and pain since I’d started working the case and it was getting to me more than I’d been willing to acknowledge, at least until now.
“Just going to grab my usual spot, Lucy,” Jack said, and he moved off down through the tables, navigating them with an ease that spoke of numerous visits to the restaurant. Watching him move, I couldn’t help but wonder what his story was.
Did he have a family or was he alone in the world? He’d hinted that he was one of the preternaturals but he hadn’t expressly stated it, so I couldn’t be entirely sure either way. I didn’t like being in the dark about the people I was working with, it tended to make me uncomfortable and an uncomfortable gorgon was prone to lashing out at those around her…
“You want me to take your order now or…” Lucy trailed us and I felt her attention flicker over me, her eyes widening a little as she took in the whip and the blades on my belt along with my leather pants and ass-kicker boots. “You here for the goth weekend?”
Generally, I hated small talk but the little voice in the back of my mind perked up at the words.
“Goth weekend,” I parroted the words back to her as I glanced down at my clothes and smiled. “I’m not actually a goth.”
“Oh, aye,” she said, “there’s nothing to be ashamed of. We get plenty here on account of the abbey and the book…” She trailed off, her gaze darting toward Jack. From the corner of my eye, I caught the shake of his head. Clearly, there was something he didn’t want me to know.
“Should I not have said anything?” she asked innocently.
“It’s fine, Lucy, I just hadn’t gotten ‘round to telling Jenna here about the weekend.”
“What book?” I asked. The abbey was obvious enough, it was impossible to miss on the ride in, but Lucy had mentioned a book and now my interest was piqued.
“Oh, you know the one,” she said with a wide smile, obvious relief on her face. “Bram Stoker wrote it…” The moment I heard the name it clicked into place.
“You mean Dracula,” I said, remembering the biography on the vampire, if one could even truly call it that. It was an overblown fantasy as far as I was concerned. Everyone knew Dracula was mostly myth, at least everyone in the preternatural community did. The real vampire the main character was modelled after was by all accounts a snivelling, yellow belly, incapable of holding his position with the Vampiric Council.
“That’s the one,” she said with a bright smile. “They hold a festival here twice a year to celebrate him and his kind—” Her grin wilted around the edges as she opened her mouth to continue.
“We’ll take two of your cod and chips, with a side of mushy peas,” Jack interjected, cutting across Lucy before she could say anything more.
“Great,” she said brightly, her obvious disappointment from just a few seconds ago forgotten. “I’ll get that right out to you.” She turned from the table and started back across the restaurant.
“What was that about?” I asked, arching an eyebrow in Jack’s d
irection. “You didn’t like my questioning the waitress?”
“Not everyone around here needs to be interrogated,” he said, keeping his tone measured, but the tension I’d witnessed in him earlier was definitely back and I could feel it through the point of contact his fingers were making with my arm. His smile was tight as he steered me away from the counter and the chatty hostess.
Fighting the urge to shrug free of his grip, I shuddered. People touching me without my consent was definitely a trigger point for me and right now, Jack was tripping every single alarm in my head.
Directing me to a table in the corner, he sat me on a red leather chair directly across from him.
“So tell me more about this festival,” I said, trying to keep it casual. He was skittish enough, the last thing I needed was for Jack to suddenly clam up on me.
“Nothing to tell,” he said, with a nonchalant shrug. “It’s just a get together for like-minded souls. They’ve got stalls and sell trinkets and bits of art.”
“And the vampires do what?”
“Nothing.” His answer was too curt to be true but I couldn’t exactly stand up and accuse him of lying to me, at least not without proof.
“All that sounds a little too convenient… You hold a festival celebrating the vampiric history attached to the town and they do what, sit back and ignore it all?”
“Something like that,” he said. “Anyway, shouldn’t you be telling me more about this case. It’s not often we get a visit from your lot from down south.”
“We work for the same people,” I said dryly, “we’re not exactly different.”
“If you say so…”
Lucy appeared carrying two large plates of steaming food that had my mouth watering the moment I caught the scent. She set the plate down in front of me and it took all of my willpower not to tear into the food with my fingers.
“Do you enjoy the festival, Lucy,” I asked, watching Jack carefully from the corner of my eye. The moment the question left my lips, he stiffened visibly in his chair and I knew there was definitely something about the festival he didn’t want me to know.
“It’s great,” she said animatedly. “Everyone gets dressed up and there’s music. There’s even a ball, up on the estate at the abbey, but it’s invite only…” Her disappointment tainted her smile and my stomach flip flopped nervously as alarm bells went off in my head.
“Have you ever been invited, Lucy?” I wasn’t sure what I was expecting her to say but my heart sank as she shook her head.
“No, most of the locals don’t get invites, which I find—”
“I’ve got it from here, Lucy.” Jack cut her off mid-sentence.
“Oh, sorry, there I go again, blathering on. I’ll leave you two to your meal… Enjoy!” She slipped away, leaving us to sit in silence.
“When were you going to mention the ball?” The question exploded out of my mouth in a furious whisper the moment she was out of earshot.
“I thought you knew.” His statement was beyond infuriating and my fingers flexed involuntarily. I wanted to wrap them around his neck and throttle the truth out of him.
Noting the murderous intent in my gaze he smiled. “Come on, Dracula is what we’re famous for… Everyone knows the bastard took up residence in the abbey. Stoker wrote a bloody biography on him. Of course we’re going to take advantage of it all. The ball just plays into the theatrics of everything is all.”
“So why no invites for the locals? They do all the work, why don’t they get the chance to enjoy the party?”
He shuffled awkwardly in his chair and scooped up his water glass. I waited as he gulped down the clear liquid, the condensation from the outside of the glass dripping onto his dark shirt.
“Sometimes locals get invites but they don’t like to attend,” he said finally, setting the glass back on the table cloth. “It’s not really our thing.”
“Don’t lie to me,” I practically hissed as anger raged through me. “You said the vampires never take more than they need, is this why? You hold a festival for them every year, offering up the innocents that filter into the town, all to keep your own hide safe? Is this what it means to be a peacekeeper?”
Jerking his eyes up to meet mine, he fixed me with a blazing stare. “I do my damnedest to keep them safe,” he said, “but yeah, I guess you’re right. If I had to choose between sacrificing the people who live here or strangers, I’ll choose my own every day of the week.”
I slumped back in my chair, his words extinguishing the rage inside me like a bucket of ice water. It was then that I noticed the haunted expression in his eyes and the dark circles beneath them that made him look even more gaunt than before.
“You have no idea what it’s like to live here…” He sounded worn down.
“This isn’t right,” I said, watching as he turned his attention back to the food on his plate. “You’ve got a duty to those people.”
“You think I don’t know that.” Slamming his fork down on the table, the sound drew the attention of some of the other patrons nearby. “Do you think I want that on my conscience?”
“So do something about it, then,” I said, giving him my best hard stare. It seemed to work and Jack dropped his gaze back to the table once more.
“Like what, Jenna? How would you feel if the vampires had taken everyone you’ve ever loved? What would do then?”
“I’d hunt the bastards down and take their heads.” My voice was flat and Jack looked at me in surprise.
“Nothing would stand in my way,” I finished, “not even death.”
“Easily said by someone with nothing to lose.” There was a bitterness to his voice that hadn’t been there before and I knew that whatever story lay behind his words would be full of heartbreak and anguish.
Was he right? Was I approaching the situation too simplistically? I’d always waded head first into trouble before, but now, with his words ringing in my ears, I couldn’t help but think about Merry and Carolyn. What would they do if something happened to me. Carolyn had proven herself capable of caring for her daughter but Aidan’s premonition still rang in my head. In every version of their future they died, except for the future that involved me.
“What happened?” I asked quietly.
“None of your damn business,” he said. “I don’t need your pity, I made my choice and I’m sticking to it. Now, if you can help me get things back on the straight and narrow ‘round here, then maybe we can talk.”
If he didn’t want to tell me, that was his prerogative but the look of anguish in his eyes was all I really needed to come to my own conclusions. We’d all lost people, it didn’t mean we ran out and made bargains with the goddamn devil.
“Fine. Tell me everything you can about Dracula. I want to know how he plays into all of this with Carmine and De Ville…”
Lifting his head, he looked at me in surprise. “Did you say De Ville?”
“Yeah, that’s who Carmine has thrown her lot in with. We know he’s in London but she’s up here, so we need to work out what the connection is between the three of them.”
“De Ville and Dracula are one and the same.”
I found myself staring at Jack as the seconds ticked by. DeVille and Dracula were one and the same… It wasn’t possible and yet, there was no denying the certainty in Jack’s voice.
“You haven’t read Dracula?”
“It’s not my thing,” I said, dismissing the question easily.
Nodding to my plate of cooling food, Jack picked up his own fork and stuck it into the battered cod on his plate. “We should eat, it won’t stay warm forever.” I opened my mouth to protest but he silenced me with a shake of his head.
“Look, eat, it’s not as though this problem is going to go away, it’ll be there once you’re done. And if you’re anything like me, then you need to eat to keep the engine running…”
He was right of course and it infuriated me to know it. I wanted to hate him, to despise him for the things he’d allowed to hap
pen in this town. How many innocents had died because he’d allowed the vampires to run amok? Just thinking about it all caused my blood to boil in my veins and the last thing I wanted to do was eat.
Picking up the fork alongside my plate, I stabbed the cod violently and imagined sinking the tines into Carmine. I’d started to pity her when I’d spoken to her earlier and that wasn’t something I could allow. The last thing I needed was to hesitate again if I got a shot at her. But that was the problem with monsters, wasn’t it? They were never the true storybook villains we built them up to be, not in real life anyway. No one was ever wholly evil, not even the demons… They had their reasons for the crimes they committed, hell, they believed they were righteous in it all. And I believed I was righteous in hunting them down, all because their driving force didn’t align with mine.
With every day that passed, the line between good and evil seemed to blur further and I was beginning to wonder who the real monster was in all of this?
I shifted uncomfortably in my chair and scooped up a forkful of flaky fish before shovelling it into my mouth. Flavour exploded against my tongue, subtle hints of lemon overlaid the distinct taste of the sea, and without thinking about it, I closed my eyes, savouring the food as it melted in my mouth.
“Told you it was good,” Jack said. I opened my eyes to find him staring at me.
“You and I are not all right,” I said around the food, “and no matter how good the food is, doesn’t change the fact that I want to kick your ass from one end of the town to the other…”
He opened his mouth to protest, his brow furrowing in displeasure, but I cut him off.
“But I know you’re caught between a rock and a hard place and I can help you with that…”
His mouth clicked shut and he watched me silently.
“If I can reset the balance here, do you think you can make sure it stays in check?”
“If you can make it so the vampire’s power is reduced in this place,” he said, sucking in a deep breath, “I can keep my people safe.”
Stakes and Stones Page 23