by Helen Harper
My breath comes in short, sharp gasps. I conjure up my daydream from earlier – the one where I’m holding a bazooka to his head while he begs me for forgiveness that we both know will never come. ‘Read my mind, X,’ I snarl. ‘If there is ever a chance, even the slightest chance, that I can destroy you, then I will do it.’
‘Vendettas aren’t helpful but you vampires do seem to like them.’ He examines me with vague detachment, as if he’s a scientist peering through a microscope. ‘That’s why you’re so easy to manipulate.’ He laughs although there’s no humour in his eyes. ‘Don’t feel bad about it. It wasn’t your fault. And,’ he adds, ‘it wasn’t mine. We all have to dance to our own pipers.’ He shrugs as if it’s nothing to get worked up about.
I can’t help myself. I know it’s stupid and I know it’s suicidal but I no longer care. I fling myself towards him with every intention of scratching his eyes out. But he knows my moves before I do and he blocks me easily, knocking me to the ground with one swift thrust. Then he bends over and peers at me. ‘How’s that MI7 stronghold working out for you?’ he enquires.
Damn it. I hadn’t even been thinking about it. Can he reach into my mind and pull out any bloody information he pleases?
‘No,’ he smiles, putting out a hand to help me up. ‘I just know. In fact, I could give you the address of every place you’ve stayed in since you left my apartment.’
I ignore his proffered hand and get stiffly to my feet. ‘Fuck you. Fuck you and all your friends.’
X tuts. ‘Such language. I expect better from you, Bo. Although I can understand why you’re feeling stressed. Little Michael is rather poorly, isn’t he? He was a bloodguzzler for a long time. It’s always touch and go whether someone will pull through the process or not.’ I lift my hand to strike him but he catches my wrist. ‘We’ve already done this dance,’ he comments. His eyes drift over my head. ‘Take Michael and leave London. And don’t come back.’ He drops his mouth to my ear. ‘And I wouldn’t try to turn him again if I were you. He definitely won’t make it.’
He smiles soullessly and turns on his heel to re-enter the building. The door slams shut behind him with a thud of excruciating finality.
I stare at the spot where he was standing, still breathing heavily. If I had any doubt about my change of plan, X has quashed it. The implied threat when he said Michael’s name was obvious.
‘Just go, Bo,’ I whisper. ‘Just sodding go.’
I turn round. O’Shea has got out of the van again and is standing by its side looking worried. I try to give him a reassuring smile. Then I realise we’re not the only ones out here on the street. The female Kakos daemon is also on the pavement, framed by the dark shadows of Bruckheimer and Berryhill’s building. She doesn’t wave or gesture or blink. She is, however, watching me with a steady, unwavering intensity and I’m struck by a numbing terror.
Chapter Eight: Mind Tricks
The moment we get back to the MI7 warehouse, I yell, ‘Get your shit together! We are leaving!’
Nobody answers. A trickle of cold air runs down my spine. X knows we’re here. Has he already done something? Leaving O’Shea, I sprint to Michael’s room. He’s lying curled in a half-foetal position while Maria sits on a chair in the corner, her head lolling onto her shoulders and her eyes closed. I rush towards him, only realising as I reach down to shake him that his chest is rising and falling.
Maria stirs. ‘What is problem?’
‘You need to watch him! You can’t just come in here and doze! Anything could happen to him! He could choke or have a fit or die!’ A distant part of me is aware that I’m shrieking.
She regards me impassively. ‘He okay.’
‘Don’t say he’s okay!’ I growl. ‘He’s not okay! Look at him.’
Michael’s eyes flutter open. ‘I’m okay,’ he wheezes.
I ball up my fists. ‘We’re leaving,’ I manage in a more controlled voice. ‘We’re getting out of the city.’
He tries and fails to prop himself up. With a muttered curse, he sinks back. ‘What’s the problem? Has something happened?’
I don’t answer him. I look at Maria. ‘Get your things together. We’re getting out of here.’
‘Is something I want say…’ she begins hesitantly.
I push back my hair. ‘I’m sorry I shouted at you,’ I tell her, trying to calm myself. It doesn’t work. ‘I’m just a bit stressed. Let’s talk once we’re out of here and on the road.’ I whirl round and head for the main room.
Kimchi bounds towards me. I side step and scan round. Rogu3 is frowning at the computer screen and gnawing on his fingernails. ‘Rogu3!’ I bellow. ‘Didn’t you hear me calling? I need you to pack everything up.’
He swivels round in his chair. ‘What’s up?’
‘Just get your things together.’
His frown deepens. Before I can urge him to get a sodding move on, my grandfather appears, a tea towel in his hand. ‘We have to leave,’ I say.
‘I heard you the first time,’ he replies. ‘Are we expecting an imminent attack?’
‘Yes. No.’ I curse. ‘Maybe.’
‘Bo, you need to slow down. Start from the beginning.’
‘There’s no time. We have to leave.’ Desperation is starting to claw at me.
Rogu3 stands up and pushes back his chair. Relieved that someone is finally doing what I ask, I turn towards him. ‘No,’ he says. ‘I’m not going.’
My mouth drops open. ‘Excuse me?’
He points to the computer screen. ‘I’m getting somewhere with Hale’s system. In another couple of hours, I think I’ll be able to access his hard drive.’
‘Forget Hale.’
His eyebrows fly up. ‘You’ve changed your tune.’
‘This level of panic is most unbecoming, my dear,’ my grandfather says. ‘And uncharacteristic.’ He steps towards my and cups my face, peering into my eyes. ‘Your pupils are dilated.’
‘Because I’m bloody scared. We have to get out of here.’
He leans back. ‘Hm. Your expedition to find X was a success of sorts, then.’
I throw my hands up in the air. ‘Can we please stop talking and get out of here? It’s not safe!’
‘You’re turning into a blithering idiot, Bo. Stop and think.’
I can’t believe he’s doing this. ‘He’ll kill Michael! We have to leave. We can get to Dover and then catch a ferry to France. I don’t trust the airport right now. We…’
My grandfather slaps me hard. Stunned, I rock back. ‘What the hell…?’
‘He has got inside your mind.’
I can still only gape. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ I manage.
‘Tell me exactly what happened.’
My mind is a muddle of confusion. ‘X found us. He threatened me. He threatened Michael.’ I start to plead. ‘We have to leave.’ I drop onto my knees. ‘I’m scared. I’m really bloody scared. He’s going to kill all of us and eat our hearts.’
‘You’re babbling.’ My grandfather turns to O’Shea. ‘Devlin. Explain.’
The daemon licks his lips nervously. ‘Well, we went into a building near X’s place. Bo decided to go up to talk to some insurance firm.’ I receive a sharp look from my grandfather but he doesn’t interrupt. ‘Then I saw her. The Kakos daemon. I thought she was human to start off with but she flashed me a reveal of her true face and that’s when I knew.’
‘Knew what?’
His brow furrows. ‘That I had to get Bo and we had to leave.’
I nod vigorously in agreement.
‘Was there anyone else around?’ my grandfather probes.
‘Lots of people.’
‘And no one else saw her show her true form?’
‘They were looking at their phones.’
‘Were they indeed?’ he murmurs.
‘You don’t believe us?’ I screech. ‘You weren’t there! You don’t know!’
‘Fetch Maria,’ my grandfather says quietly to Rogu3 then he turns bac
k to me. ‘You left here all gung ho. You had a plan. You weren’t going to be reckless but you were single-minded in searching for a way to halt the Kakos daemons in their tracks.’
‘I was being stupid. I didn’t know what I was doing.’
‘And now you do?’
‘Yes!’
The cat saunters into the room and winds its way round his legs. My grandfather bends down and scoops it up into his arms. ‘You know they can read your mind, Bo.’
I still don’t understand what he’s getting at. ‘So? That’s not news.’
He sighs. ‘How big a stretch is it that they can’t just read your mind but that they can manipulate it too?’
I squint. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You saw this woman? This female daemon Devlin mentioned?’
I nod slowly. ‘Yeah.’
‘The word is yes.’
I roll my eyes. ‘Yes.’
‘And how did you feel afterwards? What were you thinking?’
I stare at him. ‘That we were foolish to have gone there. That we should leave London and we could come back at a later date to confront the daemons if need be.’
‘I see.’
‘It was perfectly rational!’
‘And yet now,’ he comments, ‘you are acting far from rationally. You shouted at Maria. You screeched and ran around as if the sky were falling.’
‘X threatened us,’ I protest.
‘What did he say?’
‘He implied that…’
‘No, Bo. What did he actually say? What words did he use?’
‘Pedantic much?’ When my grandfather doesn’t respond, I hiss, ‘He asked about this place.’ I try to think. ‘“How is the MI7 stronghold working out for you?”’ I gesture as if it’s a fait accompli. ‘So you see he’s coming here and he’s going to attack.’
‘I don’t see how that means he’s going to attack.’ He regards me intently. ‘And I told you, this place is a fortress. Do you really think I’d let my only grandchild be placed in mortal danger?’
‘You let me become a vampire,’ I point out. ‘I could have died then. Besides, I’ve been in mortal danger plenty of times.’
‘If I could have stopped you from being recruited, I would have. And there’s a difference between giving you the independence to make mistakes and leading you somewhere mistakes are going to happen. This place is safe.’
‘X said that I should take Michael and leave London.’
‘Or what?’
I shrug. ‘He didn’t say. I know what he meant though.’ I fidget. ‘I’m getting tired of all these questions. We really need to go.’
He ignores me. ‘When did you begin panicking?’
‘Who cares?’
‘Bo,’ he says sternly. ‘Answer the question.’
‘It was when we saw her the second time,’ O’Shea says quietly. ‘The Kakos daemon. She came out onto the street and stared at you and that was when you started going nuts.’
I glare at him. ‘I am not going nuts.’ I pause. ‘You don’t think…?’
Maria edges into the room. ‘We leave?’ she asks.
‘Yes,’ I say.
‘No,’ my grandfather replies. ‘Come here, my dear.’
She looks nervous and I immediately feel guilty. I didn’t mean to shout at her when I came in but it’s my responsibility to keep everyone safe. She does as my grandfather tells her, however.
‘Bo’s mind has been affected by a Kakos daemon. I need you to help her.’
‘I not know how.’
He takes her hand and gently squeezes it. ‘Yes, you do.’
Maria flinches. ‘Is very serious matter.’
He nods. ‘I know. But she needs to be released from its grip.’
I stamp my foot. ‘I’ve had enough of this. If you don’t want to pack that’s up to you but we are all leaving this instant.’
My grandfather draws something out from his pocket and points it at me. I stare at it uncomprehendingly. ‘That’s a Magix taser. An anti-vamp one.’
He beams at me, his eyes crinkling. ‘Yes. I knew it would come in handy one day.’ Then he raises it up and shoots me dead centre in the chest.
***
I’m strapped tightly to a chair in the middle of the room. Maria, Rogu3, my grandfather and O’Shea are standing in a semi-circle in front of me. Kimchi is at the side, swinging his head from them to me and back again as if he can’t make up his mind what to do. In the end, he whines and hunkers down, dropping his head onto his paws and gazing at me mournfully.
I struggle against the bonds. I can already feel them giving away. ‘You bastards! You don’t want Michael to be safe. That’s what all this about, isn’t it? You want to turn him over to the daemons so that…’
‘Do be quiet, Bo,’ my grandfather says.
I glare at him. ‘This won’t hold me for long. When I get free, you’ll be sorry.’
He glances at me dispassionately. ‘Are you threatening me? I’m an old frail man who’s barely out of hospital.’
‘I don’t care.’
He sighs, as if he’s under a great imposition. ‘Maria,’ he says. ‘If you will.’
She bites her lip and tiptoes forward. ‘Don’t you dare,’ I warn her. ‘I took you in. I gave a roof and a safe place to stay. I bloody rescued you!’
‘Ignore her, my dear.’
Maria blanches but she draws closer. I pull at my wrists. These aren’t anti-vampire handcuffs; a few more tugs and I’ll be free. I stare malevolently at them all as Maria reaches out two delicate, bird-like hands and presses her fingertips against my temples.
‘Let me go,’ I hiss. ‘Let me go or I won’t be responsible for my actions.’
She holds steady. And that’s when I feel it. Her clear eyes gaze into mine and my body judders. The pressure that has been building in my head from the moment I saw the Kakos daemon in the lobby suddenly starts to fade.
There’s a wash of blue. It floats through my senses like a lapping wave, pushing back the panic. I stop struggling and stare wide-eyed at Maria. Her eyes are unfocused and sweat is beading her brow.
Pain flashes through me and I cry out. I’m vaguely aware of Maria biting her lip again – but this time so hard that she draws blood. I smell the tang of it in the air, pervading my senses. Not only that but I can see… Oh God.
Voices waft over me. My head is foggy and I blink rapidly to try and clear the mist. Dizziness swims through me and I’m sure I’m going to throw up.
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Should I get a medical kit?’
I tense, reminding myself that I’m still alive. I’m here. My mind is clear. ‘No,’ I say, although my voice sounds as if it’s coming from far away. ‘I’m alright.’ I smile faintly. ‘I’m okay.’
A face swims in front of me. My grandfather. ‘Do you still want to leave London?’ he enquires.
‘No.’ I clench my teeth so hard that my jaw hurts. ‘I want to destroy X. Not only has he manipulated me from the get-go, he’s invaded my mind. He made me scared.’ I grip the arm-rests of the chair. ‘He messed with who I am and he’s not going to get away with it.’
‘Actually,’ my grandfather says, ‘I rather think it was the female daemon who did this.’
Rogu3 begins to untie the bonds to free me. One sharp tug and I’d break them myself but I let him do it. ‘Why do you think that?’
‘It started with Devlin,’ he explains. ‘She planted the seed in his mind that he needed to get you out. Then, when you appeared, she made you want to leave. She began with rationality. It made sense to you that you should quit the city, right?’
I nod. ‘I guess. I was scared then but not as terrified as later. She must have thought that she’d not done enough and that we were going to stay.’ I frown. ‘But she read my mind. She knew that wasn’t the case. I only felt real terror after…’ I pause and swallow. ‘After I spoke to X.’
‘That’s what it sounds like,’ my grandfather agrees.
/>
I cast my mind back. The little step back X took when I thought of the woman and the fact that he’d been leaving the building when I first saw him. He hadn’t expected to see me there in the street but, rather than continue on his merry way after talking to me, he went straight back inside. ‘He’s afraid of her as well,’ I say. ‘But why?’
Rogu3 moves away and looks at me. ‘Has X ever tried to manipulate your emotions like this before?’
I rub my wrists and stand up. ‘I don’t suppose I’d know. Except,’ I consider, ‘I had a headache when she did it. I’ve never felt like that before. It was as if something was pounding inside my brain.’ I grimace. ‘It was. She was.’
‘Well,’ O’Shea says heavily, ‘we know two new things at least. The Kakos daemons are desperate for you to leave London.’
‘What’s the second thing?’
He gives me a grim look. ‘They’re a damn sight more powerful than we realised.’
I rub my forehead. When are things going to start going my way? I sigh deeply and walk over to Maria. I put my hand under her chin, tilting her head till she’s looking at me. ‘Thank you,’ I tell her. ‘I know how difficult that was for you.’
‘Is okay.’
‘No,’ I say softly, ‘it’s not.’ I glance back at the others. ‘I’m not sure what can be done about the daemons right now. We need to know more about their agenda and their capabilities.’ I shrug helplessly. ‘But if they have mind control at their disposal, I think we’re pretty much screwed. Right now, there are other things I need to focus on.’
Rogu3 jumps up. ‘Vince Hale.’
‘He’s one of them. But there’s something even more pressing.’ I swallow. ‘What Maria did wasn’t just a one-way street. I saw inside her head at the same time as she saw into mine.’
My grandfather doesn’t look surprised but O’Shea sucks in a breath. ‘And?’
Maria moans slightly and pulls back. The pain in her eyes is overwhelming. I can see her trying to disappear into herself, then she turns and runs out of the room.
I gaze after her. Empathy wells up inside me with such force that I can barely breathe. ‘The things that have been done to her.’ I suck in air. ‘She’s stronger than all of us. That’s not all though.’ I tear my eyes away to look at Rogu3. ‘Alice Goldman is still alive.’