Tainted

by Claire Farrell

  “The fire door!” Shay yelled. “Mac, check it. If it’s clear, let Willow know. She can start guiding people out of here.”

  I held my dagger tightly, took note of where my allies were positioned, then jumped off the stage and into the seating area. Two or three of the beasts tried to sneak around the stage, but I cut them off. The wildness and desperation were gone from their eyes. Lorcan had followed me down, and across from us, Zion and Phoenix moved to protect the other side of the stage. The vampire queen stood in the center of the platform with Shay. Behind them, some shifters were in the process of transforming. Curiously, Mac remained in his human form. If the wall of protection we had created held, the defenceless would survive the attack.

  I shouted at Shay, “Keep them inside! Seth could be out there, waiting for runners.”

  Shay nodded and snapped out orders.

  “Ready?” I asked Lorcan.

  He nodded. “Let’s go.”

  The closest beast broke ranks and rushed toward us. I crossed in front of Lorcan, jumped on the back of a chair, and stepped across a couple of rows of seats to get behind the oncoming beast.

  I released my chain belt as I jumped back to the floor, ready to wrap it around the beast’s neck. The creature turned and grabbed the flying chain with massive hands. I yanked the beast to me as I kicked. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lorcan attack the second beast. More howled, but they stayed back. Some were foaming at the mouth, making me wonder how long Seth could keep them in control.

  The beast I grappled with opened its mouth wide, revealing long fangs. Some of the other beasts crept away from the pack. One drew its claws along the wall, creating a drawn-out screeching sound. While I was distracted, the closest beast took the opportunity to attack.

  Barely in time, I gripped its neck and pushed, kneeing it back against the wall in my desperation to finish it off before the others reached us. It pushed back hard. In one abrupt move, I let go and sidestepped out of its way. The beast leaped at empty space and fell onto some chairs. I put my knee in its back and, with one swift slice of my dagger, released its blood, staining the cream-colored seats red.

  The creature made a choking sound, so I stabbed it in the back of the head. I moved on to meet the crowd, not far behind Lorcan. The shifters jumped into the fray, crossing the rows and separating to help. I spotted one beast making its way through the middle. Its eyes were firmly focused on the people milling about onstage.

  I used my dagger to slit my hand and draw blood in the hopes of gaining its attention. When I was midway down the aisle, the beast caught the scent and changed direction, tripping over seats in its impatience. It resorted to pulling chairs off the metal rests and flinging them out of its way in its frustration and bloodlust.

  All around me, people were fighting. The coppery smell of blood hung in the air, but all of our fighters were still on their feet.

  To avoid the flying chairs, I skidded across the floor and tackled the beast. I managed to knock it down… on me. The weight almost crushed me. Swearing, I struggled and got tangled up in its legs.

  I began slashing with my dagger, which only sent blood in my eyes. “Fuck!”

  A hand gripped my shirt and hauled me up. I swung out blindly.

  Phoenix caught my wrist. “What team are you on?” he murmured, letting me go.

  I managed to laugh as I wiped my eyes. He pulled my hair to force me to duck as he swung a sword and beheaded the beast before it could rip out my throat.

  “Come on,” he said. “We’ll have more fun at the back.”

  I shook my head at his sick sense of humour, but I followed him. Most of our fighters were settled in front of the stage, ready to defend the humans and weaker supernaturals. Phoenix and I ran behind the team of beasts to pick them off as they gave in to their desperation. A high-pitched scream threatened to burst my eardrums.

  Then someone shouted, “More in the back!”

  “Shifters, backstage!” Mac roared.

  Lorcan moved closer to me, Zion on his heels. Daimhín was busy ripping apart a beast with her claws and teeth. She was pissed, yet she somehow managed to make decapitation look like a relaxing hobby. The smarter beasts steered clear of her cold fury.

  We separated and took on one beast each. Three had made it onto the stage, but I was confident the pile of people up there could fight off so few of them.

  The beasts appeared organised, spreading out to create more chaos. They were young, not yet decaying, and none of them bit their own lips in their desperation to spill blood. Seth really did have some kind of effect on the pack.

  I picked up one of the broken seats and swung it at one’s face. It ducked at the last second and brushed off the strike. The beast pulled up and turned on me before I could blink, swinging out with one massive clawed hand. The palm caught me across the shoulder and shoved me against some chairs. I hissed as something sharp pierced my shoulder. The new crimson flow caught its attention. The beast’s eyes and mouth went wide as it sought the source of the blood. I punched it in the face and earned some grazed knuckles for my trouble.

  The beast went blood crazy. That made it better and worse. It was slower to react to my strikes, but it no longer seemed to feel any pain. Shay shouted something.

  In that split second, another beast came out of nowhere and crashed into my back, squashing me between two gross beast bodies. The one in front of me growled and aimed at the beast behind me, desperate to keep its kill to itself. I ducked, barely avoiding getting my head punched off my shoulders. I elbowed the one behind me in the crotch and stabbed the one in front in the stomach, then leapt over a seat to get some space. The pair shoved at each other in their attempts to get to me.

  I jumped onto the backs of two chairs and balanced precariously as the two scrambled to beat each other to me. It seemed as though everyone was fighting, and either I had lost my ability to count or more beasts had come from somewhere. Sensing eyes on me, I looked up into the rafters. A hole had been torn in the ceiling. A golden-haired man stared down through the opening with an awful smile on his face.

  “Seth!” I roared.

  The two beasts grabbed my legs and pulled. I fell, whacking my back against a chair. I groaned as a piece of metal jabbed my shoulder blade. I lost sight of Seth in my attempt to roll out of the way of the beasts’ grasp. I got to my feet and swung out at one of the beasts. I missed and attempted a kick. One creature seized my leg in mid-air, and the second snatched my other leg out from under me. I twisted my upper body and wrapped my arms around a seat back. Holding on for dear life, I struggled as the beasts tried to rip me apart.

  Finally, I let go and let momentum do its business. The beasts fell back against a row of broken seats, pulling me with them. One let go of my leg, but the other held on tight. With my free leg, I kicked hard to keep the second beast off me. I bent my other knee to get closer to the clutching beast, gripped the back of a chair that seemed to still be secure, and pulled myself forward until I was kneeling on top of the beast. I stabbed it in the face.

  The second yanked my hair and pulled me away. I yelled and grabbed the beast’s arm. I forced it backward until I heard a crack. I let go and shifted positions, but the beast was just as fast at recovering. It snarled and snapped, its fangs barely missing my neck. I leapt to my feet and swung my elbow around, connecting with the beast’s throat.

  I ran to the broken seats then abruptly came to a stop. I braced myself as the beast collided with me. I spun and wrestled the beast to the floor. Gripping its ears, I whacked its head against the broken metal posts sticking up from the floor. After four tries, its skull finally cracked open, and the metal sank into its brain.

  When I glanced up, Seth was gone, so I ran toward Lorcan. I jumped over a row of seats to sink my dagger into the back of the neck of the beast he was fighting. Lorcan finished the creature off. We helped the others with the rest of the beasts before joining the last of the fight on the stage.

  “Seth was here,” I sa
id, panting. “There’s a hole in the roof. He was watching everything.”

  Thinking I saw golden hair out of the corner of my eye, I pushed through the crowd. I knew he was there somewhere. He had to be. An odd smell filled the air, something familiar I couldn’t quite place.

  “Ava!” Shay called.

  “He’s here,” I cried. “He’s in here.” I ran backstage, keeping an eye on the rafters.

  Shay’s unit had barricaded the fire escape. The door rattled as something outside hit hard, trapping us inside. Something was wrong. Then, I smelled smoke.

  “Fuck!” I shouted for what seemed like the millionth time.

  I ran back onto the stage in time to see the middle seats burst into flames. People brushed past me, knocking me back in their hurry to get away from the fire.

  I found Shay and grabbed his arm. “Your people blocked the fire escape. Something’s trying to get in.”

  “The fire’s out of control,” he said, but he sounded calm. “We’ll have to face what’s out there.”

  “Keep the humans back until we can—”

  An unholy scream rose from backstage. Shay and I dashed toward the sound. Feeling a gust of wind, I realised the fire escape was open. I turned to say something to Shay, but he had gotten lost in the crowd. People were screaming, and I wasn’t even sure why.

  I made my way to the front and found the shifters and Shay’s units fighting beasts at the door. Then, a scream came from inside. I followed the sound, but I couldn’t see a thing. Black smoke hung heavy in the air. I was barely able to breathe.

  Something caught my attention near the ceiling. A woman dangled from a rafter. Before I could react, she dropped, screaming, right into the flames. I ran for her, but an arm wrapped around my chest and held me back.

  “That’s what he wants,” Phoenix said. “We have to get out of here.”

  The woman’s screams had stopped. I felt nauseated. I smelled burning flesh and saw beasts attempt to climb to safety only to slip and fall into the fire with sickening howls. The roof began to collapse. If Seth was up there, I hoped he fell in, too. No such luck.

  Phoenix forced me back away from the flames and toward the fire door. The beasts had gone. People were squeezing through the small opening, desperate to get away. Once everyone was out, the shifters barricaded the exit against the remaining beasts inside.

  “I don’t get it,” I muttered, looking back at the building even as Phoenix led me firmly away. “What the fuck was the point?”

  “To see what we can do,” Phoenix said. “More importantly, to see what you can do. What you’re willing to do.”

  “I have to find him.”

  “We’ll scope the area, but first, we need to get these people out of here,” he said.

  Some had been injured, but most were frightened. Phoenix let me check out the area, insisting on coming with me, but Seth was long gone.

  “I hate that vampire,” I said as we made our way back to the crowd. Reinforcements had arrived but far too late.

  “Okay,” Shay said, approaching us with Lorcan by his side. “There are a few missing.”

  “What? How?” I asked.

  “Some of the first ones out through the fire escape vanished. No sign of their bodies yet.”

  “Anybody know who the woman was?” I asked.

  “No. When the fire is extinguished, we’ll have a chance to learn more,” Shay said.

  “For a vampire, he likes to play with fire,” I said, sounding grouchier the more upset I felt.

  Daimhín stormed over, dried blood creasing in the lines of her face. “He’s never going to stop. You have to end him, Ms. Delaney.”

  “Oh, why didn’t anyone tell me it was that simple?” I asked sarcastically.

  She glared at me, but I could see she was spooked.

  “We can’t let this affect us,” Shay said. “The funerals are tomorrow.”

  I had forgotten. “Maybe it isn’t a good time,” I said.

  Shay shook his head. “We aren’t letting him stop us. He can’t hurt us during the day.”

  But other people could. I stepped away from the group and called Peter. Everything was all right at the cul-de-sac, so I briefly updated him on the situation.

  “Is everyone okay?” he asked.

  “One woman died in front of me. Some others are missing. I don’t know what happened to them. They could have fled, or they might have been taken. Seth seems to enjoy messing with us. If he had gotten involved in the fight, things might have been worse. I don’t understand why he didn’t.”

  “You’ll have to be extra careful,” he said. “The first part of the press conference was aired, then it cut off. They said it was technical difficulties.”

  “They should have shown it,” I said. “Let people see exactly what Seth is prepared to do. He’s going to cause mayhem. More beasts, and these ones were controlled. Mostly. They weren’t falling apart like the others. Think maybe there are different versions of this formula? Or did he keep the best specimens for himself?”

  “Who knows? You coming back here?”

  “Yeah, eventually. I need to make sure everyone gets away safely. I don’t feel right. I bet he’s watching us right now.” I turned in a circle and checked out the nearby rooftops. Nothing. I sent out my other senses.

  In the centre of the humans was a life force I had never seen before. It swirled red and white. No heartbeat, but no absence of life either.

  “I’ll call you back,” I said slowly.

  I slid the phone in my pocket, careful not to make any sudden movements. I walked back into the chattering crowd, still sending out my feelers. My heart raced as I approached. Seth. It had to be. And he was surrounded by humans and everyone else. I moved faster when I sensed a ripple of horror running through the crowd.

  Suddenly, people started running and screaming, stampeding away from something. They pushed against me, and I barely stayed on my feet.

  I saw a man jump onto an ambulance. Blood dripped from something in his hand. A woman screamed hysterically.

  I gritted my teeth and ran. He crouched on the roof, waiting for me. As I neared, he threw whatever he’d been holding and jumped up onto the nearest building. He raced across the rooftop, leaped, and landed on the next. He was out of sight within seconds.

  A tall, muscular body lay on the ground where the crowd had been milling. The head Seth had tossed away landed with a thud and rolled to a stop near the body of Zion, the Irish vampire queen’s bodyguard.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  I held up a pair of jeans. Lucia shook her head firmly.

  I huffed. “Ugh! I have no clothes suitable for anything other than getting bloody in. Help me.”

  She only shrugged. I delved deeper into my wardrobe, into places I hadn’t seen since the day I’d moved in.

  I scowled. “I really need to go shopping. Everything’s ripped and ragged and stupid.”

  And it was far easier to fake-worry about clothes than it was to relive the previous night’s events. The vampire queen was about to lose her mind, the Irish public were about to lose their faith in the Senate, and everyone in the cul-de-sac had pretty much lost their freedom. Again.

  Lucia shoved me out of the way and stepped inside the wardrobe, disappearing behind the clothes.

  “You know you won’t find Narnia in there.” I walked over to lie on my bed.

  She shoved her face through the clothes to stick her tongue out at me before disappearing again. I stared at the ceiling. I had promised myself I would go to the funeral to support Shay, but I hated the idea of laying more people to rest. I abhorred funerals. We were too young to keep losing so many peers.

  Lucia came out, holding a pair of feminine black tuxedo trousers. A triumphant smile was plastered across her face.

  I sat up. “Where did those even come from? Oh…” I stood and grabbed the trousers. I had worn them once, a very long time ago, on a night out with my ex-boyfriend. I had been wearing them when I ran away.
I hadn’t been able to dump them. I gave Lucia a doubtful look. “I don’t even know if they’ll fit.”

  She pushed me toward the bathroom.

  The trousers fit. Barely. For once, the boyish figure didn’t play against me. When I returned to Lucia, she had found a dark green shirt for me to wear. With a black jacket, the outfit would probably be suitable for a funeral.

  I changed and made an effort with my hair, with Lucia’s help. Then, we headed over to Anka’s. Lorcan greeted us at the door. He was wearing suit trousers, and his hair was neater than usual.

  “Are you coming with me?” I asked.

  “No, I just felt like dressing up.” He rolled his eyes. “Of course I’m going. I think Shay could use our support.”

  But I had noticed that Lorcan seemed bored lately. He and Lucia had been drifting apart, and although that was healthy, it probably felt strange to him.

  Lucia held up her hand.

  “You, too?” I asked.

  She nodded vigorously and ran off.

  I looked at Lorcan. “I didn’t think she would want to.”

  He shook his head. “Me, either.”

  “Should we stop her?”

  He scowled. “She’s a grown-up. It’s up to her if she stays or goes.”

  “You okay? You seem down lately.”

  He shrugged. “I’ve been thinking about Kate. I hope she’s safe with Cam.”

  “She’ll come back someday,” I said. “I bet she will.”

  I wasn’t sure that was all that weighed on his mind, but if he was anything like his father, he would talk in his own time. We strolled down to the gate.

  “I feel bad for Shay.” Lorcan squinted against the spring sunshine. “He’s trying so hard to patch everything up.”

  “It’ll come together eventually. It has to.”

  When he looked at me, his age was plainly written in his dark green eyes. He wasn’t so confident any longer.

  “Do you want to leave?” I blurted. “Is that what’s wrong?”

  He licked his lips. “Sometimes, I feel like I should travel. You know what I mean? I’ve been around this long, and I haven’t seen anything yet. I mean, I’ve been trapped my entire life—first in the slave market, then with the vampires, and the sanctuary, and now here. Sometimes, I want a little freedom. But I can’t leave her, even though…”