"From what you've told me, it sounds like you've got a few surprise talents that can help keep you safe. You don't need to run, Melanie."
"I'm not running," I answered defensively. But I still suspected he was right. "You don't know what it was like, back when I was born. People were willing to kill one another for the chance to control someone who could tap into all of the greater magicks. It didn't matter to any of them that the person they were looking for hadn't even been born yet. In the end, each faction decided the same thing, that they'd rather slaughter infants than risk another faction having that power."
"It's not the same here. The American factions have been at one another's throats for decades now. We were the same way a few hundred years ago, but we've learned from our mistakes. No one here would risk making a power play against the other factions, especially if it meant killing someone that could be an asset."
"Don't kid yourself. People would do anything for the chance at more power. When those people are vampires, or witches ... the odds get worse, not better."
Ethan didn't argue. I didn't know how long he'd been a werewolf, but since he'd risen high enough in their ranks to lead a pack it had to have been decades. He knew as well as anyone that when it came to the factions, there was always someone who was willing to slaughter anyone who stood between them and control. "I remember more than you'd think," he said. "Right from the beginning. Prophets are rare enough as it is. I was a teenager when that little boy in Mexico started predicting everything from the weather to the winning lottery numbers, everyone took notice.”
Ethan continued. "But as the attention he was getting grew, so did his attitude. He started making things up for attention. By the time he was an adult, most people had written him off as a brat who'd been given far too much power for someone not considered to possess any of the greater magicks. When he started making claims about the coming of a child who could control all of those same magicks, most people thought he was trying to regain some of the attention he'd had."
This much I knew. "Some people believed him though. Five years from now, a child will be born in the new world during the third moon of the ninth month. As they grow in size, they will grow in power, controlling more magicks than any that have come before, each of the four." Thanks to my mother's obsession, I could recite the prophecy in my sleep. "What ever happened to him? The prophet."
"There were a lot of people who blamed him for the massacre that happened across North America. His head ended up on a pike less than a year after you were born."
"Damn." I'd never had much luck sorting out my feelings about the prophecy that had led to so much death, or the prophet who'd first spoken the words. His ability hadn't been any more his fault than my powers were mine, but the thought had definitely crossed my mind that we all would have been better off if he'd kept his mouth shut.
"The massacre was horrific, but it was a long time ago," Ethan said, standing up from his seat at the table. "We've come a long way since then."
My eyes followed his retreating back as he moved to the fridge. "It only feels that way because people thought it was over. And I sacrificed a lot to let them think that. It all still feels pretty recent to me, because I live this every day. I've given up on this staying any kind of secret, but I'm also not going to hand myself over, especially to the witches. They don't even need to keep me alive to harness some of my power."
"Where will you go? Do you even have a car?"
I shrugged. I wasn't about to tell a single living soul what my plans were. I'd already checked the bus schedule on my phone, using my abilities to signal the bus company to issue a ticket in my name without having to pay for it. I'd be on the last bus leaving town that night. With anyone who might be looking for me headed to Galway, maybe I could risk spending a few days with my parents while everyone who knew about me was busy dealing with the situation here in Galway. After that ... well, I wasn't totally sure. But I'd hop on a plane and head for Australia if I had to.
Ethan returned to the table holding two opened bottles of beer, handing one to me before he sat back down. He was still watching me as I took a long swig, letting the cool liquid run down my throat as I tried to get a handle on my thoughts.
"It's best if no one knows where I'm going, so I won't go anywhere in particular. Just get on a bus, or a plane, or a train, and take a bit of a vacation. I can get new stuff as I travel and make an adventure of it."
"You aren't even going to go home to get your own stuff? You aren't a fugitive. You deserve to have your own clothes, your own ID, your toothbrush."
"I wish. But it's out of the question," I answered, a little sad at the prospect. "Taya has already sold me out to the witches, and they've got to be close by now. I can't risk it."
"What if I could guarantee they wouldn't have time to go snooping around the city?"
My eyebrows quirked up against my will. Ethan's thoughtful expression had my hopes way up, a luxury I couldn’t afford.
"Ireland's faction leadership was set to meet here after everyone arrives. After dark for the vampires, but possibly after midnight, depending on how long it takes everyone to arrive. I could insist that the witches come here first so that we can share information."
"Taya has probably already told them that I left the crime scene with you. Won't they suspect you're helping me?"
"If anything, that will work in our favor. If I hint that you're still here, they have no reason to go anywhere else. You'd have a few hours to gather everything you need and head to your next destination. Wherever that is. Let me send Cooper to drive you home. It'll save you some time, and he'll be able to sniff out if you have any uninvited visitors."
As much as I wanted to insist that Ethan had already done enough, I only had to consider the offer for a few moments before accepting. "Thank you."
"It's the least I can do. You took my phone call and got pulled back into a world that no one should have forced you to be a part of. I still think you should reconsider letting yourself be driven away though. We're all only strangers here, it's your city. You're more powerful than you know."
"Noted," I said, appreciating his attempts at cheering me up. I reached over, holding out my beer until Ethan clinked his against it. "And it's not like I can't come back. But for now, I don’t see the point. There are too many unknowns, and too much happening already. Tensions are high. This isn't exactly the time for me to make my big introduction into society."
Which meant, it really was time for me to go. First home, then away. I had to go back to the home I'd created for myself, only to pack up and takeoff. My apartment didn't feel quite the same as my parent's farm, but it was still special. It was still mine. And in my heart, I feared that this trip would be my last. That it was my chance to say goodbye.
Chapter 12
The ride back to my flat with Cooper went quickly. Everything was going too quickly for me now, like I've long since left my comfort zone and was traveling a million miles per hour on one of those insane Mario Kart levels where you feel like you're going to fall into the sky at any second.
Cooper parked his car on the side road near my building and walked me up, checking and rechecking for any sign of danger. The hammering in my chest only quickened. He asked more than once if I needed him to stay, promising the rest of the pack would be okay without him. But I was already eager for him to go. I would feel better once I was inside my flat, and at that point, I had to go it alone. It was the only way to be even halfway sure of my own safety. He left me standing in the hallway between Mr. and Mrs. O'Shay's apartment and the one I shared with Taya.
Or used to share? Who knows at this point.
When I put my key in the lock and let myself inside the more traditional way than what I done the night before, my heart nearly broke from the weight of the idea that it could be the very last time I did this.
When I first decided to move to Galway, I wasn’t sure I could be happy in a city this small. Growing up on a farm, it felt like I was h
ardwired to seek out bigger and bigger places, to see the most incredible places the world had to offer. But all the world’s biggest cities were also perfect hunting grounds for vampires, or offered endless energy to fuel the spells of witches.
They weren’t an option for me.
And so I came here, to the little city that felt like a town while still offering a top-notch University, two malls, more pubs than any Irishman could ask for, and people who managed to make everyone feel at home.
I loved my city. And more than anything, I wanted to believe that even if I had to go, I’d find my way back some day. But would that ever really be an option, or would I be stuck on the run for the rest of my life, hiding out until someone new inevitably caught scent of who I was and what I could do?
Locking the door again behind me, I tried to shake the thought away. My first step was to survive this week, even this night. I could worry about everything that came after, well, after.
Not sure how much time I had, I grabbed my old backpack from the top shelf of my closet and started filling it with everything I could possibly need. Clean underwear. A few shirts. Every possible record of who I was.
In the end, I needed a second bag for my electronics. With powers like mine, you didn't waste time with a low-powered laptop. But between that, my phone, and a couple of portable hard drives, I could open several doorways for myself, and become anyone I needed to be. I'd never tried tapping into government records before, but if I had to, I was confident I could pull it off, erasing myself from history, making myself untraceable, at least until you factored in magick.
But that was the problem, wasn't it? Magick. It was always my damn problem.
Without magick, maybe I could have grown up and been normal. Yeah, I'd have had a teenage, single mom, but Lynn was nothing if not resourceful. We could have made it work. Maybe I'd have even known who my dad was. Maybe we'd be one big happy family.
But the time for maybes was done. The reality was that every faction in Ireland was closing in on me, and my window was closing by the second.
The last items I packed were my gun and my blade. I half-considered putting one in my backpack and the other in my laptop bag, hopefully decreasing the odds of losing either, but in the end, I knew the time for taking chances were long gone.
I sheathed my dagger in the side of my boot, and holstered my gun in my waistband. At first, both weapons managed to find the most uncomfortable positioning possible, but after a little movement and repositioning, I found spots for both that while not ideal, I could at least live with.
Even though I'd had every intention of getting in and out of my flat as quickly as I could, it was still hours before I managed to force myself back out the front door, having checked and double-checked every corner to make sure there was nothing I couldn't live without.
There was no more avoiding it, with only an hour until my bus left, it was time to go.
I let myself take one last look around before stepping into the hallway, taking a long breath and closing the door. However, my door didn't look quite the way it was supposed to. Folded into quarters and taped just above the peephole, was a piece of paper. A note.
I turned to look down the hallway. There was no one there, but whoever had left this could have been right outside my door only seconds ago. They could be waiting just outside.
Maybe I should have started running right then and there, and not stopped until I'd managed to leave the Emerald Isle behind. But whoever had left this note obviously knew where I was. And they had chosen to leave this for me out here rather than barging in with whatever it was they needed to say.
Hand shaking, just a little, I plucked the piece of paper from my door and unfolded it. The handwriting inside was messy, block letters placed in uneven lines across the page.
Melanie.
What happened this morning was a mistake. Our mistake. We'd like the chance to explain. Meet us at Roisin Dubh at nine-thirty, and perhaps we can find a way to help one another. Now more than ever, you should be with your people.
My people? Had I accidentally intercepted a note for Taya from the witches? But my name was right there at the top of the paper. And the witches wouldn't have had any trouble getting a hold of my roommate. Obviously.
Someone was trying to get a hold of me. Someone who knew where I lived, and wanted something from me.
Crumpling the paper, I let it fall to the floor. Nope. Nope. Nope.
And yet, before taking off for the bus station, I doubled back to pick it up again and shove the note into my back pocket. Whoever these people were and whatever they wanted, I wasn't interested. But there was no point in leaving clues behind for Taya or anyone else who might come looking for me.
As soon as I stepped out onto the main street, I did my best to blend in with the first crowd I could find, hanging on the edges, just close enough that one of them would probably hear me if I cried out. If someone tried to grab me and drag me away.
The twenty-minute walk across town ended up being completely painless. No one approached me or even looked at me funny, life going on as usual all around me as I printed out my ticket and sat to wait out the clock.
Sitting on the note in my pocket, I could both figuratively and literally feel the message that had been left for me. Would I come to regret not giving it more consideration? No. Whoever these people were, they'd mentioned that morning, which probably meant they were connected to my kidnapping. My little road trip hadn't lasted long enough to find out what the endgame had been, but those people had meant to kidnap a teenage girl. Whatever they'd intended to do next, it couldn't have been good.
There would have been a lot of value in finding allies, but those weren't people I had any interest in getting on my side.
I'd get on my bus as planned, take off and never look back.
Okay, that was a giant lie, but in the comfort of my own head, I was allowed that much. It had been one hell of a day. Two days? Time didn't seem real anymore. My life didn't seem real anymore. And that was coming from someone who had grown up with their own mother's memories embedded in their mind.
Needing something to do with my hands, I scrolled through my phone, passing Ethan's saved number one last time, but resisting the urge to check in. He'd promised he'd let me know if anything went wrong, or if he found out anything that might help me. And so far, nothing. At least a couple of hours had passed since I'd last seen him, so the other faction leaders were likely starting to arrive. Ethan had other things to worry about. Maybe I'd hear from him again, but I would probably be a lot better off staying far, far away from Ethan Murphy and his pack from here on out. Hell, staying away from his entire species was a solid option.
About fifteen minutes before my bus was scheduled to leave, the electronic board overhead announced that it was now open for boarding.
Last chance, Melanie, I thought. If you want to go, this is it.
But of course, I didn't want to go. I wanted my life back, the one I'd had only a week ago, with an apartment that was reasonably priced, a roommate who was always good for a laugh, and a job that kept me busy. On almost every level, it felt so foolish to run away from everything I'd built. But it was that last level, the one at the very core of my soul that I had to listen to. Because that was the part of me that above all, needed to survive.
I gave my ticket to the driver, turning down his offer to stash my bags in the underside of the bus, and took a seat at the back. This was my ride out of town, and I had no intention of letting it leave without me.
With only a few minutes to spare, it looked like my ride into the country would be less than half-full. Meaning I'd be able to spread out over a couple of different seats and get, at least sort of, comfortable for the next couple hours.
Remembering the book I'd thrown on top of my laptop, I leaned over to unzip the bag at my feet. The book was right where I'd left it, and seconds later, I was zipping my bag shut again, right as someone sat down beside me.
"Uh," I grumbl
ed, surprised and suddenly nervous. When I'd last looked up a minute or two ago, there had still been several empty rows of seats scattered throughout the bus. And yet there was now a full-grown man taking up the entirety of the seat right beside mine.
Not good.
I only had a few seconds to wonder whether this guy was a creep or if I was in some serious trouble of the magickal variety, because as soon as I turned to confront my new seat buddy, I could see the hazy gray mist that surrounded him.
Magick.
"Who are you?" I demanded.
"A friend."
"Oh, like that's not creepy at all. Tell me who you are or I'm going to start yelling bloody murder."
To my surprise and annoyance, the guy only laughed. He was tall and lean, with an angular face and a wide nose. His skin was practically bronze, while his straight black hair had been styled in an elegant wave.
He'd have been downright pretty if I hadn't wanted him to get the hell away from me. I pressed my body against the window behind me, giving myself as much space as I could.
"Sorry," the man said, pressing his lips together in a worried frown. "I didn't mean to startle you, but when I saw you get on the bus, I knew we were out of options."
We? I definitely didn't recognize this guy from my attack, but wasn't sure what other we he could belong to, especially since the gray magick I was seeing marked him as something other than one of the four greater factions.
"Why are you here?"
"My friends seemed to think you'd show up at the pub tonight. They thought you'd be too curious to resist. But I had to figure that if it had been me in your place this morning, I wouldn't be interested in meeting with them either."
"Well, you've got me all figured out. Now please, get off the bus and just walk away. Whatever you're selling, I'm not interested."
He didn't move. The man beside me held up his hands as though to show me he was harmless, but I didn’t believe that for a hot second.
Magic in my Bones (Lesser Magicks Book 1) Page 9