Thirst (Ava Delaney #1)

by Claire Farrell

  Chapter Eight

  Carl woke me the next morning, looking pitiful and claiming he was starving. Bleary eyed, I stared at him until I realised he hadn't eaten in a long time.

  "All right, I'll go hunt and gather. Wait here. And don't wake Peter."

  I got up but paused to look at Peter for a minute. His face was completely relaxed and utterly handsome-devoid of frowns and glares, he looked five years younger. I felt a little pang as I wondered what had really happened to him. Losing his whole family must have affected him badly. For an instant, I wished our lives were normal so I could get to know him better.

  Heaving a sigh, I left the room, knowing it wasn't meant to be. We both had too many issues to deal with. The fact I could probably do to him what I had done to Carl didn't help.

  The chilly presence followed me out of the room.

  "What are you, then?" I mumbled, half to myself.

  "Ava?"

  I jumped about a foot in the air. Covering the yelping sound I made, I greeted Eddie with a false smile.

  "Hi, um, Carl's hungry. I was going to go out and get him something."

  "No need for that. Kitchen's this way. Sit with me while I finish making breakfast. It's still early, but I thought we all needed a good meal to start the day. Before we get into anything else."

  I followed him into a cosy intimate kitchen. There was a small table surrounded by four chairs near the door, but I was too absorbed by the smells coming from the old-fashioned cooking range to be interested in anything else.

  "That smells delicious. Need any help?"

  He shook his head. "Sit at the table; I'll pour you some coffee. Did you sleep well?"

  "Okay, I suppose. As well as anyone would knowing there's an army of vampires outside waiting to tear you apart."

  He smiled. "It wasn't quite an army." He sat across from me. "In fact, I believe you would be more than a match for any of them."

  "But not all of them," I said. "I doubt I could take on even one of them, anyway."

  He hesitated then leaned forward. "If what I've heard is true, daywalkers are strong, stronger than vampires even. But they must drink."

  "I thought I was the only one."

  He leaned back. "The one who ruled before Daimh?n created one. He passed on the knowledge to Daimh?n as he lay dying, murdered by his own child. She had that daywalker murdered and swore to never allow another to live. There have been others. Most are killed in the womb or not long afterwards. Some escape for a while, but almost all are found out in the end."

  "How do you know all of this?" I asked in wonder.

  "I have my ways. Just remember what I said; you have untapped talents inside, that's what Daimh?n's afraid of. Use them. I've been waiting for a daywalker to come along for quite some time now."

  "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 Daimh?n'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, Av
a?"

  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."