Tainted

by Claire Farrell

  The air thickened, and I cleared my throat, feeling uncomfortable. Jessica’s gaze was a tad too intense, her story too familiar—yet outrageous at the same time. I hadn’t known what to expect at my door, but a teenage tainted nephal claiming to be hunted by a vampire who was more myth than man certainly wasn’t it.

  Margie cleaned up the burn and wrapped Jessica’s arm. The girl didn’t flinch or cry. I couldn’t stop staring at her. She was me nine years earlier, except less… unsavoury. She had a steadiness—or maybe it was a coolness—about her that I had never possessed, but something else simmered under the surface.

  I wished Gabe were around to tell me what to do with her. My heart hitched a little. I missed that stupid angel with his stupid smart mouth and his stupid chip on his shoulder. He had been the closest I had to a supernatural relative, but I was faced with someone who might be more like me than anyone else on the planet. I couldn’t wait to learn more.

  Chapter Two

  As soon as Jessica began to look a little less like a wild animal trapped in a cage, I left her with Margie so I could take a look at the damage outside the cul-de-sac. Shay pulled up in a squad car as I approached the exit. He had gotten out and was studying the wrecked car when I caught up to him. He looked tired, and his sallow skin was pale from lack of sun. But then he looked at me and smiled, and his dark brown eyes brightened, lifting years off him.

  “I take it this isn’t a coincidence,” I said.

  “Got a weird call on the emergency lines. Your name was mentioned. Everything okay?”

  I wasn’t sure how to answer that question. “I have some visitors, and I’m trying to figure out how much of the mess was them and how much was whoever was chasing them.”

  “I’m gonna need to talk to those visitors.”

  “The man’s unconscious, and the girl is just a kid. But there’s probably something you should know, now that you’re part of the new… initiative.”

  He gave a little scowl. “What is it?”

  I shoved my hands into my pockets. “The man is an angel.”

  He looked confused. “Like Gabe?”

  I pressed my lips together to keep from snapping at him. Hearing Gabe’s name brought out a lot of anger. When his confusion turned to concern, I forced myself to answer. “No, not like… him. This man is a seraph. Like my mother. So that makes the girl… me.”

  He gave me a blank look.

  “You know, tainted, like me.”

  “And that’s significant because?”

  I stared at him, wondering if he was being purposefully stupid. “Uh, the first time I was brought to the Council’s attention, they planned on putting me down like a dog. You should probably talk to Phoenix about this. He’ll explain. Anyway, Jessica’s under my care as long as she’s here, so there will be no putting down or caging the new tainted nephal, okay?”

  He took a step back, looking a little horrified. “Are you serious right now, Ava? You actually think I would be a part of—”

  “No, but you’re in bed with people who have been. Look, I know you’re a good man. You’re human, and you think you can do some good with this initiative and the new Senate and all of that, but do you really think you can restore a new Council and not have a lot of things revert?”

  “For one, the Senate isn’t the Council. Yes, the initiative’s plan is to create a brand new coalition government, but the Senate itself is made up of people voted for by humans and supernaturals alike.”

  “People vote for the names they recognise,” I scoffed. “There hasn’t been time for anyone to discover if their representative has a clue or not.”

  He held up his hands. “For now, the Senate deals with immediate issues while the new sectors work through adjusting old legislation. To create a new government, we need a complete overhaul. That means changing laws to work fairly on both sides of the fence. The people deserve to get to know the new representation before anyone is officially sworn in, and they’ll get their chance once we can put something permanent in place. It’s a process, and it will take time. We will make mistakes, but that doesn’t include sacrificing teenage girls.”

  I resisted the urge to sigh. “The old rules will apply for a very long time. People will always look at me like I’m a monster. It’ll take generations of integration before change will even begin to truly happen. And that’s fine. That’s how it works, and we all have to deal with that. I’m just warning you and anyone else who matters that I’m not going to let any of that shit happen to this kid. If she’s like me, we’ll figure out what she can do, but she’s not going to stay in the children’s home. Are we clear?”

  His face softened into a lazy smile. I stepped back a bit to avoid being sucked into his charm. I had assumed I was immune until I saw him work a room of unhappy humans until they were practically bowing at his feet. I wasn’t so sure that Shay didn’t have some subtle kind of Prince Charming power nobody knew about. Anka had assured me that wasn’t a thing, and deep down, I knew it was just his way of giving everyone who spoke to him his full attention, making them feel important, but I wasn’t taking any chances.

  “That’s very clear, Ava. So can I ask her what happened? A team of integration agents was being sent in, but I came instead. I knew you wouldn’t want a pack of noob agents invading.”

  “Well, thanks,” I said shyly, fully aware of the way my cheeks burned. Not that I wanted anything from Shay. But I wasn’t blind. Or deaf. Or stupid. Maybe a little stupid. “We’ll see if she’s up to talking.”

  “I appreciate that.” He gestured for me to take the lead.

  “How are those new agents doing?” I asked as we strolled toward my home. “The Guardian stigma washing away yet?”

  “They’re in pairs now, a human matched with a supernatural because we thought that would do most for public relations. Honestly, they haven’t been out in the field often enough in this capacity to judge, yet. I’m hopeful, though. Some of the teams have really bonded.”

  Back at my front gate, Leah and Dita were waiting.

  “What’s going on?” Dita asked. She had recently turned ten, but she was taking a stretch, beating out Emmett, who was almost the same age.

  Shay chucked her on the chin. “Never you mind.”

  “Later,” I promised and started to continue walking. But when I caught sight of Leah’s expression, I hesitated. “Anything you need to tell me?”

  Leah bit her knuckle anxiously. “You know what she is, right?”

  “She said she’s like me.”

  “She’s angry,” Leah said. “I mean, I think that’s her thing. She has a different side to her. The rage is… powerful. Be careful.”

  “I’m always careful,” I said lightly. “Head back inside. Shay needs to talk to our new visitors for a bit.”

  Leah led Dita back into the house they shared with Dita’s mother, Anka, and Leah’s guardian, Val. I was pretty sure Dita would have her face plastered to the front window for most of the day to be sure she didn’t miss anything.

  “Ava!”

  I turned around. Phoenix strode down the path toward us. The royal fae’s black and platinum hair hung over his shoulder in a loose plait, and his long leather coat flapped around his ankles. He was probably the only person on the planet who could have pulled off that look.

  I glanced at Shay. “I thought it was just you coming.”

  He shrugged, looking a little irritated. “He probably got the same call I did. We have a new database set up with known names and addresses so we can deal with the emergency calls more efficiently. You were one of my red flags.” He rubbed the back of my neck. “Just looking out for you all.”

  “Oh,” I said, surprised. “Thanks.”

  Phoenix reached us and nodded at Shay. “I see you heard.”

  “Yeah, and I came to talk to the people who made the call.” Shay’s jaw clenched. “Joining us?”

  There was a little tension between them, but as long as it stayed beneath the surface, I didn’t
care.

  Phoenix bowed his head and looked at me. “If I may.” He could be so freaking formal sometimes.

  “Just let me do the talking,” I said. “There’s a scared teenage girl in there. I don’t want either of you fucking this up.”

  “Aren’t you going to tell him?” Shay asked.

  Phoenix’s green eyes flashed my way. “Tell me what?”

  Inwardly, I groaned. “We share a similar heritage. She’s with me now. Nobody gets to keep her or judge her or put her in a supernatural children’s home. I don’t care what your new rules say. You can take her over my dead body.”

  Phoenix’s lips twitched. I hated when he laughed at me.

  “Duly noted,” he said steadily. “Anything else?”

  “Um…” I took a deep breath. “She kind of thinks that Seth is here, or that he’s coming here.”

  “Seth?” Phoenix asked.

  “As in the very first vampire. The one who… created people like me.”

  “Then let’s get this over and done with,” he said briskly. “There’s a lot to do.”

  The pair headed into my house. I stared at the walls of my sunny, red-bricked cottage, the place that used to be my own personal sanctuary, and sighed before following them. It was going to be an eventful day all round.

  Inside, Jessica was practically climbing over the back of the sofa to get away from Phoenix. “Ava, run! He wants to kill you.”

  I raised an eyebrow at Phoenix, who lifted his shoulders into a shrug. “Any context for that warning?” I asked.

  Jessica gestured at Phoenix. “I saw him. With the werewolves.” Her cheeks pinkened as she squeezed the fabric of the sofa.

  I caught myself praying it wouldn’t rip and wondered when exactly I had turned into an old lady. “The werewolves helped us. They aren’t your enemies, trust me.”

  Jessica slowly slipped back into her seat, evidently relaxing. “I was taken to the games. We were forced to fight each other, fight against vampires and monsters and”—she pointed at Phoenix—“he was there. I saw him. His people fought against the vampires, and we were able to get out of there.” She stared at me. “I had begged my dad to bring me to you. I knew you would understand.” When she glanced at Phoenix again, her eyes took on a red tinge. “But his people warned me against you, Ava. They said you were on the wrong side but that you would die soon. I can’t… you can’t trust him!” Her tone verged on hysterical, and her hands were clenched into fists.

  I felt Phoenix stiffen next to me and knew I had to take control of the situation. “Anka, out of here quickly,” I said in a quiet voice.

  Anka edged away from Jessica and fled upstairs, but I doubted the girl even saw her anymore.

  “You can’t trust any of them!” Jessica screamed and bolted for the door.

  I stepped in her way and grabbed her arms. “I trust him. So can you.”

  She struggled, her eyes wild. “No. No! He wants to kill you. His people told me so.”

  “Yeah, about that.” I eased her into an armchair. “That was his mother. She hurt a lot of people. Phoenix was a victim, too. But he took our side because his kids are with us.”

  “Not just that,” he murmured.

  I shot him a dirty look. “Let’s all sit down and discuss this calmly, okay?”

  Shay, Phoenix, and I sat on the sofa as Jessica took heavy breaths.

  After a moment, she calmed enough to ask, “So where’s his mother? Is she trying to kill you? Is it safe here?”

  “It’s safe here,” I said. “And his mother… well…”

  “I killed her,” Phoenix said. “My children and I destroyed her evil. You have nothing to fear. We’re on the same page, Ava and I. I’m very sorry you were caught up in the games. It was violent and horrific and should never have happened. It was caused in part by some of my kind, including my mother. I’m righting those wrongs as best I can.”

  The red tinge vanished from her eyes. “A werewolf licked my hand.”

  I looked at Phoenix, who smiled. “Icarus,” we said together.

  Jessica held up her hands. “Look, what’s going on here? Why are they here?” She tilted her head at Shay. “You were at that press conference, too, right?”

  “Yes.” He leaned forward, his expression soft. “It would help if you told us exactly what happened. Your emergency call got the right people involved, but whoever was chasing you was gone by the time we arrived.”

  She looked to me for reassurance. I nodded, hoping to encourage her so I could find out exactly what was going on.

  “Okay,” she said, suddenly appearing much younger. “Okay. Since we arrived in Ireland, we’ve been fighting and hiding and running and…” She shook her head with a little laugh. “It was about the same in Britain. We were going around in circles, trying to find a way out. The vampires had been invading the ports and airports for weeks, maybe months. Dad and I were stuck. Then weird rumours started spreading, and communication shut down. We were in Derby when the old air-raid sirens went off, and police and army began setting up barricades to stop people from leaving. That’s when we finally realised how serious it was. A lot happened, including the games, but we finally found a way out. We made it to Scotland and took a fishing boat out of there.”

  “What happened when you got here?” Shay asked.

  “Dad called them Guardians, the people who took us. We were brought to Dublin on buses. Lots of us. We had no choice, or they were going to send us out to drown. We ended up in a hostel. We all wore the same white clothes, and we didn’t do anything but eat and sleep and stare into space. So we made a plan to escape—Dad and I… and a friend. There was a fire, and everyone escaped, but a witch was already there. She saw me and tried to take me, saying she knew somebody who wanted to meet me. At the time, I figured it was Seth.”

  She touched her arm near the burn. “My friend put fire between the woman and me, giving Dad and me a chance to run. The fire wouldn’t stop, but we got away because people helped us. Strangers, some of them human, and they helped us for nothing.”

  Phoenix had flinched when she talked about the fire. Holy crap. What did he know? And then something else occurred to me. I had known someone with a healing burn on her arm.

  I scratched my ear, feeling uncomfortable. “I don’t suppose this witch was a bit cleavage flashy? Had red streaks in her hair?”

  “Yes,” Jessica said. “Do you know her?”

  “Yeah.” I made a face. “She’s dead now. So is the man who wanted to meet you.”

  Her face fell. “I was kind of hoping it was somebody who could help me.”

  “Not without a trade,” I responded. Eddie Brogan had been one of the first people to help me. I hadn’t enjoyed watching him die, but Jessica was damn lucky that he hadn’t found her.

  “A trade you wouldn’t have wanted to make,” Shay added. “What those two did was make the sky dark for a while.”

  Jessica’s eyes widened. “She took my friend. Do you think he’s… dead, too?”

  I glanced at Phoenix. He gave no hints, but I was suspicious. “If he’s around, we’ll find him,” I said firmly. “What happened when you escaped? That was a while back, if Marina was still alive.”

  She stared at her hands. “Like I said, people helped us. There are safe houses everywhere, people… humans willing to help. People warned Dad not to sign the register, that they take the children.”

  “Register?” I asked. “What register?”

  Shay shifted uneasily while Phoenix’s face remained blank.

  I gave Shay a warning glare. “We’ll be talking about that later. What happened next, Jess?”

  “We ended up in a safe house. Gerard took us in for nothing; he looked after us. But vampires came. They weren’t alone.”

  “Beasts?” Shay asked. “Or something else?”

  “Just this group who go around wrecking everything,” she said. “They wear hoods, but they’ve been causing mayhem at night.”

  I smothered a gro
an. That group had been part of the plot to overthrow the Council in favour of a dictatorship. The hooded assassins had eventually lost their leaders, but apparently, the remnants of the group were still roaming around, causing mischief.

  “They came our way more than once, and we had to fight. ’Cept Dad got hurt. During the day, I would look for my friend. Then, I saw the press conference.” She gave me a weak smile. “You were there, so I tried to find you, but you had already left. Some man gave me your address. Then I saw them”—she nodded at Phoenix and Shay—“and I ran.”

  I frowned. “Who would give out my address?”

  Shay sighed. “Moses was there that night.”

  “Yes!” Her expression brightened. “He told me his name so I could tell you who, um, to kill if I was some kind of new ninja assassin.”

  I grinned. “Sounds about right.”

  Jessica continued, “I noticed I was being followed. I kept getting away, but it was only a matter of time. Dad was afraid. You were all over the television and stuff, and he thought that would draw Seth in. Then again, he’s convinced Seth had something to do with the vampires trying to take over. Anyway, I made Dad leave, and Gerard got us a car. But whoever was after us must have been waiting, because they tried to run us off the road. So we came here instead.” She shrugged again. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

  I caught Shay’s eye. “Somebody should probably look into these safe houses. See if they need help.”

  “Somebody should look into Seth,” Phoenix said. “How can you be so calm?”

  “I don’t know any better,” I lied. A million butterflies had taken flight in the pit of my stomach, but I didn’t want to freak Jessica out. “Besides, he can’t get in here. Can you two try to find out more about the hooded assassins and the people who followed her? And this hostel she stayed in.” I gave Phoenix a pointed look. “I’m interested in the fire, too.”

  I wanted them both to leave so I could get the chance to be alone with Jessica. I had a lot of questions, and despite their good intentions, I wasn’t sure if trusting those in charge would ever be a smart move.