Taunt (19 page)

“
What
happened?” Peter asked, sounding as confused as I felt.

“
Bring
him into the back room,” Eddie said. “I’ll close up and get
something for his wounds.”

“
Don’t
get mad,” Carl said, and my stomach sank. Not a good statement when
it came from Carl.

I narrowed my
eyes as he settled in a chair in the back room. “What did you
do?”

“
I
went to see the volunteers. At Gideon’s place. I told them Becca
had convinced me that volunteering was a valid lifestyle
choice.”

Peter whistled,
but hot rage burned in my ears, silencing the growing thirst. Why
on earth did I bother trying to keep him safe when he insisted on
running headfirst into trouble?

“
What
happened?” Peter asked, moving aside to let Eddie into the tiny
room.

“
They
welcomed me with open arms, and we had a nice little chat about
volunteering and the possibility of being turned into a vampire, at
least, until one of them recognised me and got suspicious. Then,
they kicked me out…
after
they taught me a lesson.” He tried
to wink, but his eye was already half-closed.

Esther gasped.
“You poor thing.”

I gave a little
snort. Poor thing, my arse.

Carl laughed,
although the smile turned into a wince when Esther dabbed at his
face with something Eddie handed her. I hoped it stung.
Bad.

“
Anyway,” he said hurriedly, seeing my expression darken. “They
told me it’s possible to become a vampire, but you have to take a
lot of tests first. Most people don’t make it past that point.
Besides Becca, there have only been two other possible candidates.
One lives with the coven, the other doesn’t. The formula arrives a
couple of times a week, one of the volunteers usually collects it
so they can feed the vampire who delivers it.”

“
Pretty good, Carl,” Peter said, giving him a nod.

“
Wait,
there’s more. Becca needs the formula more often than the others
now. She’s been picking it up from the delivery vamp so he can
inject her and bite her straight off. The deliveries have been
bumped up over the last fortnight—just for her.” He relaxed in his
chair, looking satisfied.

“
Is
that enough for you?” Peter asked Esther.

“
I can
work with that.” She lifted Carl’s shirt to tend to a wound that
was still bleeding. His scent filled the air, deliciously citrusy.
My throat ached. As my anger lessened, my thirst grew. I panicked,
unable to remember how to control the sensation.

“
I
have to get out of here,” I said, sweat rolling down my
forehead.

Eddie took one
look at me and shouted at Peter to get me outside. The
disappointment on Peter’s face was like a jab to the gut, but I let
him drag me out of the room. As soon as I was away from Carl, my
heart stopped racing so fast. Peter kept pulling me until we got
outside, and I was able to suck in deep gulps of fresh
air.

“
I’m
sorry,” I said, little more than a whimper.

“
Get
in the car,” was all he said.

Peter led the way
in silence. I cursed my overt reaction to Carl’s blood. I had been
completely unprepared for the sudden need.

“
You
feeling okay now?” he asked, after a few minutes of us sitting in
the car.

I shrugged. “I
was fine once we got outside.” I hesitated. “I wouldn’t have hurt
him.”

He looked over at
me for a few seconds, but I couldn’t face him. “I know,” he
responded.

“
I
don’t know why I…” I heaved a sigh. “I just panicked.”

“
It’s
a small room,” he said. “Too many people. Too much stress and
nervous excitement. He’s not scared of you. He’ll be
fine.”

“
Too
bad he isn’t scared of me.” I remembered how stupid Carl had been.
Even if they weren’t vampires, the volunteers were supporters of
creatures who didn’t value human life. It had been an idiotic move
on his part.

“
Don’t
be so hard on him,” Peter said. “He did good. Now we know we have
to keep a close eye on Becca. It’s all working out.”

I stared out the
window. “We gonna talk about earlier?”

“
Probably not.”

I glared at him.
“We have to find out what it was.”

He rubbed the
tattoo on his wrist. “And we will. When all of this is
over.”

“
I
think I’m scared.” I didn’t even mean the trial, although that was
a weight on my shoulders. I meant of black shadows and dodgy
Guardians, of Eddie with his trapped souls, of my thirst, and even
of Peter. I was terrified.

Peter’s hand
found mine and squeezed. I wrapped my fingers around his and
watched people go by, feeling comfort from his solid warmth. I knew
he would be around until the trouble ended.

“
Becca
cared about Maximus,” I said, letting go of his hand. He pulled it
back to his body as if nothing had happened.

“
So?”

“
She
cried about his death. He really meant something to her. Gideon
took over by fooling Maximus, probably by working with Daimhín to
help me kill him. Becca’s the only one who acted loyal.” I frowned,
wondering how she could care about such a creature.

“
If
she cared about him that much then she should hate Gideon, so why
is she his pet now?” Peter said.

“
Maybe
she doesn’t know the full story. Maybe we need to make sure she
knows it.”

He started the
car.

“
What
are you doing?” I asked.

“
We’re
going to your place so you can pick up some of your stuff. Valid
reason for you to leave Eddie’s place, right? On the way back, we
might as well pay another visit to Becca. Let’s test out your
theory.”

I felt like
hugging him. I had hated being away from my small flat for so
long.

Peter was pretty
quiet on the drive over, but it wasn’t as awkward as things had
once been between us. Still, I tried to make
conversation.

“
What’s with the tattoos?” I asked, as his sleeve bunched up to
reveal the cross on his inner wrist.

“
Protection,” he said gruffly.

“
Tattooed crosses work?”

“
Yep.
As long as the ink is blessed. Mostly, it psyches out the vampires
when they see it.”

“
I can
imagine,” I said, thinking of how I always reacted to it. “What
about the other tattoos?”

He cleared his
throat. “Which ones?”

“
How
many you got?”

“
A
few.” His lips curved upward.

“
Okay,
what’s the one on your arm mean?”

“
It’s
an old Celtic inscription. It’s supposed to protect your
soul.”

I thought about
the shadow that had clung to Peter’s soul. Although stuck fast, it
hadn’t sunk in; I wondered if the tattoo could have really
protected him from harm.

There were no
vampire followers outside my home when we got there. My landlord
wasn’t around, and my neighbour wasn’t peeking out of her door.
Bliss. I got inside and almost squealed with joy. I sank into my
favourite chair and made a happy sound. Home.

I opened my eyes
to see Peter smirking at me, but I didn’t care. “I’m going to
shower,” I told him. “Make yourself at home. Make sure that
kettle’s full,” I added as I headed to my bedroom.

For the first
time, I was glad of the communal hot water because there actually
was some in the taps. I removed my bandage carefully. I felt glad I
wasn’t human when I saw how well it had healed, despite everything.
Feeling ecstatically happy, I washed my hair with
my
shampoo
and soaped my body with
my
shower gel so I smelled like
myself again. I dressed, then towel-dried my hair as I joined Peter
in the living room. I turned on the kettle and combed my hair,
still finding joy in the most mundane of actions.

“
You’re looking very chirpy,” Peter said, his eyebrows
rising.

“
I
hate staying with Eddie. I love being home. Plus, no more bandages
for me.” I headed back into the bathroom. I found my moisturiser
and spent a whole minute rubbing some onto my face. My skin loved
me for it, and every familiar action brought me peace. The aching
thirst vanished completely.

When I returned,
Peter was hovering by the counter, standing by some
cups.

“
It’s
okay. I’ll do that.” I moved past him in the kitchenette, the
sudden proximity setting my skin on fire. I chanced a look at his
eyes and saw they were flaring with the same intensity I felt. He
wasn’t looking at me like Ava, the would-be vampire or Ava, the
daywalker. He was staring at Ava, the woman, and that sent a shiver
down my spine.

“
I
take sugar,” he said, and I gulped. I wasn’t even sure why. I moved
toward him again, expecting him to step aside. He stood his ground,
and I had to reach over his shoulder to grab the sugar from the
press. As I leaned away from him, I caught his scent. Instead of my
mouth watering, my whole body suddenly heated up with longing. My
cheeks flushed red as his body followed mine, closing the space
between us.

Scared I might
drop it, I rested the sugar on the counter. I looked up at Peter,
not recognising what I saw in his eyes. Still he moved, his body
finally touching mine. I let myself lean against him, not even
thinking about it.

He slid one hand
across my waist, then looped his finger through my waistband and
pulled me close with ease. I gripped the counter to steady myself
as his other palm cupped my cheek, his thumb resting on my
lips.

I froze, too
scared to move in case I broke the spell. He licked his bottom lip,
his eyes flickering from mine to my mouth. I barely covered the
deep sigh my body couldn’t contain. He moved his face closer,
leaning his forehead against mine, our noses barely
touching.

My heart raced
even as his did. I realised I was holding on to him just as his
heart began to skid rapidly along in his chest. I relished the
effect I had on him and felt my stomach flutter at the notion. His
eyes were heartbreakingly soft and young, the way he would have
been if life hadn’t screwed him over.

Holding his gaze,
I lifted my chin. Braver now, I felt ready to take a risk, but a
bang on the door interrupted everything. Just like that, the mood
snapped; Peter moved away, avoiding my eyes. Frustrated beyond
belief, I answered the door without checking and regretted it
instantly when I saw my landlord standing there, his piggy eyes
squinting with anger.

“
Where’s the money, Delaney?” he demanded.

“
You
said I had some time,” I said as quietly as I could. At least I
hadn’t screwed up his mind for all time.

“
Yeah,
well, I changed my mind. Hand it over,” he roared. I backed up
slightly and could tell by the gleam in his eye that he saw that as
a victory.

“
I
don’t have it,” I muttered, mortified that Peter was witnessing the
scene. “You said I had time. Why would I have it now?”

“
Don’t
be a cheeky bitch. I need that money! Now!”

“
Whoa,
back the fuck up there,” Peter said, stepping between us. His jaw
was tight, his tone low and scary. “There’s no need for that
crap.”

McGreavy paled
and stepped back, his hands in the air. “I don’t want no trouble, I
just want my money.”

“
Come
back in a couple of weeks. If she doesn’t have it, I will,” Peter
said firmly, then slammed the door in my landlord’s face. I peered
through the peephole and saw him muttering to himself, as if
debating whether to let it go or not. With a sigh of relief, I saw
him head down the stairs. I leaned my forehead against the door and
covered my cheeks with my hands, wanting the ground to swallow me
up.

“
Ava?”

I turned, but
Peter was too close, blocking my way.

“
What
was that about?” he asked, reaching out for me. I blocked his
touch, feeling too exposed and little. He flinched visibly, but I
ignored it and sat down.

“
I’m
behind on my rent is all. He said he would give me a few more weeks
to pay.” I didn’t tell him I had made McGreavy say it.

“
I
thought you were doing okay,” Peter said, sitting as far away from
me as possible. Even then, I felt a chill emanating from
him.

“
I
was. Until the whole thing with Maximus. It screwed up a lot of
deals because I wasn’t around to work or delay anything or even get
in contact with anyone. I’m behind on everything, but I’m catching
up,” I lied.

“
You
need a lend? Something to tide you over?”

My stomach
turned. I definitely did not want to take money from Peter. Things
were messy enough. When I declined, he looked as if he had taken it
as a personal insult. I couldn’t win.

“
We
should head on to Becca’s place,” he said, standing abruptly. “Get
whatever you need to bring to Eddie’s and come out to the car.” He
left without looking back. I felt like crying. Every time we
started getting comfortable around each other, we’d either have a
tense and sexy moment, or a tense and misunderstood one.