Night World : Daughters of Darkness Chapter 14

They walked hold up to the gas billet quickly, their shoulders almost touching. Mary-Lynnette foundcomfort in Rowans nearness, in her levelheadedness.Shed never had a booster station before who wascompletelyher equal, who found it as easy to take care of people as to be taken care of.As they r apieceed the gas station, they could see thatthe sm solely-minded group was now clustered around MaryLynnettes car. Jeremy was peering under the hood.Mark and Jade were back, hand in hand, but therewas no sign of Tiggy. Kestrel was inclination against a gas pump, and ash was talking to Jeremy.So the werewolf walks into the second doctors scoreice and he says, Doc, I think I hand everyplace rabies.And the doctor says So much for bluffing him, Mary-Lynnette thought.Rowan, eyes shut and shoulders tensed, tell, Ash,that isnt funny. She clear her eyes. Im sorry,she said to Jeremy. He doesnt mean it.He does, but it doesnt matter. Ive testd worse. Jeremy bent over the engine again. Herepla ced a cap with careful, even twists. Then he olfactory modalityed up at Mary-Lynnette.Mary-Lynnette didnt know what to say. Whats the etiquette when youve entirely discovered thatsomebodys a werewolf? And that it may be their duty to finish you?Her eyes filled. She was completely come in of control today.Jeremy looked away. He shook his head repulsely. His mouth was bitter. Thats what I calculate. I thoughtyoud react this way. Or Id contribute told you myself a long time ago.You would? Mary-Lynnettes vision cleared. scarce-then you would have gotten in trouble.Right?Jeremy smiled faintly. Well, were not re on the wholey sticklers for Night World law around here.He said it in a normal t atomic number 53 of voice. Ash and the sisters looked around reflexively.Mary-Lynnette said, We?My family. They first settled here because it was so far out of the way. A place where theywouldnt b separate anybody, and nada would bother them. Of course, theyre in all told gone now. in that l ocations justme left.He said it without self-pity, but Mary-Lynnette moved closer. Im sorry.Jade moved in on the other side, silvery-green eyeswide. But thats wherefore we came here, too So nobodywould bother us. We dont like the Night World,either.Jeremy gave another faint smile-that smile thatshowed mostly in his eyes. I know, he said to Jade.Youre colligate to Mrs. Burdock, arent you?She was our aunt, Kestrel said, her golden gaze fixed unwaveringly on him.Jeremys expression changed slightly. He turned around to look at Kestrel directly. Was?Yes, shemet with a slight accident involving astake, Ash said. Funny how that happens sometimes.Jeremys expression changed again. He looked as if he were leaning against the car for support. Whodid it? Then he glanced back at Ash, and Mary-Lynnette saw a gleam of teething. Wait you think I did.Dont you?It did cross our minds at one point, Ash said. Actually, it seemed to keep crossing them. Backand forth. Maybe we should dress in a cross walk.Mary-Lynnette said, Ash, stop it.So youre saying you didnt do it, Mark said to Jeremy, at the same time as Rowan said,Actually, Kestrel thinks it was a vampire hunter.Her voice was soft, but once again, everybody looked around. The street was still deserted. at that places no vampire hunter around here, Jeremy said flatly.Then theres a vampire, Jade said in an excited whisper. There has to be, because of the wayAunt Opal was killed. And the goat.The goat . . . ? No, dont even tell me. I dont wanttoknow. Jeremy swung Mary-Lynnetteshood shut. He looked at her and said quickly, Everythings fine in there. You should get the oilchangedsometime. Then he turned to Rowan. Im sorry close to(predicate) your aunt. But if thereis a vampirearound here, itssomebody staying hush-hush. Really hidden. Same if its a vampire hunter.We already figured that out, Kestrel said. MaryLynnette expected Ash to chime in, but Ashwas staring across the street broodingly, his hands in hispockets, apparent ly having pissn up on the intercourse for the moment.You havent seen anything that could give you a due? Mary-Lynnette said. We were going tolookaround town.He met her eyes directly. If I knew, Id tell you. There was retributive the slightest emphasis on the remainder word.If I could befriend you, I would.Well, come along for the ride. You can put your head out of the window, Ash said, returning to life-time.That did it. Mary-Lynnette marched over, grabbedhim by the arm, and said to the others, Excuse us.She hauled him in a series of tugs to the back of the gas station. You jerkOh, look.Shut uplShe jabbed a finger at his throat. It didnt matter that touching him set off electrical explosions.It just gave her another reason to want to kill him. She found that the pink haze was a lot like anger whenyou kept shouting through it.You have to be the center of every drama, dont you? You have to be the center of attention,and act smart, and mouth off lOw, Ash said.Even if it means hurti ng other people. Even if itmeans hurting somebody whos only had rottenbreaks all his life. Well, not this time.OwRowan said you guys think all werewolves are low class. And you know what that is? Where I comefrom, they call that prejudice. And humans have it, too, andit is not a pretty picture. Its about the mosthateful thing in the world. Im ashamed to even rack there while you spout it off. Mary-Lynnette realizedshe was crying. She also realized that Mark and Jade were peering around the edge of the gas station.Ash was flat against the boarded-up window, armsup in a gesture of surrender. He looked at a loss forwords and ashamed. Good, Mary-Lynnette thought.Should you keep poking him that way? Mark said tentatively. Mary-Lynnette could see RowanandKestrel behind him and Jade. They all looked alarmed.I cant be friends with anybody whos a bigot,she said to all of them. She gave Ash a jab foremphasis.Were not, Jade said virtuously.Wedont be lieve that stupid stuff.We really dont, Row an said. And Mary-Lynnette-our puzzle is alwaysyellingat Ash for visitingthe wrong kind of people on the Outside. Belonging to a dub that admits werewolves, havingwerewolvesfor friends. The Elders all say hes too liberal about that.Oh. Well, hes got a funny way of showing it, Mary-Lynnette said, deflating slightly.I just thought Id mention that, Rowan said.Now well leave you alone. She herded the othersback toward the front of the station.When they were gone, Ash said, Can I move now, please? He looked as if he was in a very badmood.Mary-Lynnette gave up. She felt tired, suddenlytired and emotionally drained. Too much had happenedin the last few days. And it kept happening, it never let up, and well, she was tired, thats all.If youd go away soon, it would be easier, shesaid, moving away from Ash. She could feel herheadsag slightly.Mary-Lynnette . . . There was something inAshs voice that shed never heard before. realizeits not exactly a matter of me wanting to go away.Theres some body else from the Night World comingon Monday. His name is Quinn. And if my sistersand I dont go back with him, the entire town is introuble. If he thinks anything irregular is going onhere You dont know what the Night Peoplecan do.Mary-Lynnette could hear her heart beating distinctly. She didnt turn back to look at Ash.They could wipe Briar Creek out. I mean it. Theyve done things like that, to preserve the secret.Its the only protection they have from your kind.Mary-Lynnette said-not defiantly, but with simpleconviction, Your sisters arent going to leave.Then the whole towns in trouble. Theres a roguewerewolf, three renegade lamia, and a secretvampirekiller wandering around somewhere-not to mention twohumans who know about the NightWorld. This is a paranormal accident area.A long silence. Mary-Lynnette was trying very hard not to see things from Ashs point of view. Atlastshe said, So what do you want me to do?Oh, I dont know, why dont we all have a pizza party and watch TV? As h sounded savage. Ihaveno idea what to do, he added in more normal tones.And youd develop count Ive been thinkingabout it. The only thing I can come up with is that the girlshave to go back with me, and we all have to liethrough our teeth to Quinn.Mary-Lynnette tried to think, but her head was throbbing.There is one other possibility, Ash said. He saidit under his breath, as if he wouldnt mind if shepretended not to hear him.Mary-Lynnette eased a crick in her neck, watchingblue-and-yellow images of the sun on her shuteyelids. What?I know you and the girls did a blood-tie ceremony. It was illegal, but thats beside the point.Youre part of the reason they dont want to leavehere.Mary-Lynnette opened her mouth to point out thatthey didnt want to leave because life had beenunbearable for them in the Night World, but Ash hurried on. But maybe if you were-like us, we could process something out. I could take the girls back to the island, and then in a few months I could get themout again. Wed go someplace where nobodywould know us. nobody would defendant there was anythingirregular about you. The girls would be free,and youd be there, so theres no reason they shouldnt behappy. Your brother could come, too.Mary-Lynnette turned around slowly. She examined Ash. The sun brought out hidden warm tonesin hishair, making it a shimmering blond somewherebetween Jades and Kestrels. His eyes were shadowed,some dark color. He stood lanky and elegantas ever, but with one hand in his pocket and a painedexpression on his face.Dont frown youll spoil your looks, she said. For Gods sake, dont patronize mel he yelled.Mary-Lynnette was startle. Well. Okay.I think, she said, more cautiously but with emphasis to let him know that she was the one with aright to be upset, that you are suggesting changing me into a vampire.The corner of Ashs mouth jerked. He put his other hand in his pocket and looked away. That was the customary idea, yes.So that your sisters can be happy.So that you dont get killed by some vigilante like Quinn.But arent the Night People going to kill me just the same if you change me?Only if they discernyou, Ash said savagely. And if we can get away from here clean, theywouldnt.Anyway, as a vampire youd have a better chance of fighting them.So Im supposed to become a vampire and leave everything I love here so your sisters can behappy.Ash just stared angrily at the roof of the building across the street. Forget it.Believe me, I wasnt even thinking about it in the first place.Fine. He continued to stare. All at once Mary-Lynnette had the horrible feeling that his eyeswere wet.And Ive cried I dont know how many times inthe last two days-and I only used to cry when thestarswere so beautiful it hurt. Theres somethingwrongwith me now. I dont even know who I am anymore.There seemed to be something wrong with Ash, too.Ash He didnt look at her. His jaw was tight.The problem is that there isnt any tidy answer, Mary-Lynnette thought. Im sorry, she said huski ly,trying to shake off the queer feelings that hadsuddenly descended on her. Its just that everythingsturned out so weird.I never asked for any of this. She swallowed. I guess you never askedfor it,either. First your sisters running away and then me. Some joke, yeah?Yeah. He wasnt staring off into the distance anymore. Look I might as well tell you.I didntask for this, and if somebody had said last week that Id be in gnarled with a,human, Id haveknocked his head off. I mean, after howls of derisive laughter. But.He stopped. That seemed to be the end of his confessionbut.Of course, he didnt really need to saymore. Mary-Lynnette, arms folded over her chest, stared at a curved piece of glassful on the ground andtried to think of other phrases that started with in.Besides the obvious. She couldnt come up with any.She resisted the impulse to nudge the glass with her foot. Im a bad influence on your sisters.I said that to protect you. To try and protect you.I can protect myself.So Ive noticed, -he said dryly. Does that help?You noticing? No, because you dont really believe it. Youll always think Im weaker thanyou, softer even if you didnt say it, Id know you were thinking it.Ash suddenly looked crafty. His eyes were as greenas hellebore flowers. If you were a vampire, youwouldnt be weaker, he said. Also, youd know what I was really thinking. He held out his hand.Want a sample?Mary-Lynnette said abruptly, Wed better get back. Theyre going to think weve killed each other.Let them, Ash said, his hand still held out, but Mary-Lynnette just shook her head and walkedaway.She was scared. Wherever shed been going with Ash, shed been getting in too deep. And she oddmented how much of their conversation had been audible around front.When she rounded the corner, her eyes immediately went to Jeremy. He was standing with Kestrel bythe gas pump. They were dose together, and forjust an instant Mary-Lynnette felt something like startleddismay.Then her inner voice asked, Are you insane? You cant be jealous over him while youre worryingwhether hes jealous over you, and meanwhile worrying about what to do with your soulmate. Its goodif he and Kestrel like each other.I dont care I cant wait anymore, Jade was saying to Rowan on the sidewalk. Ive got to findhim.She thinks Tiggys gone home, Rowan said, seeing Mary-Lynnette. Ash went toward Rowan.Kestrel did, too. Somehow Mary-Lynnette was left beside Jeremy.Once again, she didnt know the etiquette. Sheglanced at him-and stopped feeling awkward. He waswatching her in his quiet, level way.But then he startled her. He threw a look at thesidewalk and said, Mary-Lynnette, be careful.What? Be careful. It was the same tone hed used whenwarning her about Todd and Vic.Mary-Lynnette followed his gaze to Ash.Its all right, Mary-Lynnette said. She didnt know how to explain. Even his own sisters hadntbelieved Ash wouldnt hurt her.Jeremy looked bleak. I know guys like that.Sometimes they bring human girls to their clubsan d youdont want to know why. So just just watch yourself, all right?It was a nasty shock. Rowan and the girls had saidsimilar things, but coming from Jeremy it sank in,somehow. Ash had undoubtedly done things in his life that well, that would make her want to kill him ifshe knew. Things you couldnt just forget about.Ill be careful, she said. She realized her fists were clenched, and she said with a glimmer ofhumor, I can handle him.Jeremy still looked bleak. His browned eyes weredark and his jaw was tight as he looked at Ash. Underhis quietness, Mary-Lynnette could sense leashedpower. Cold anger. Protectiveness. And the fact that he didnt like Ash at all .The others were coming back. Ill be all right, Mary-Lynnette whispered quickly.Aloud, Jeremy said, Ill keep thinking about the people around town. Ill tell you if I come up withsomething.Mary-Lynnette nodded. Thanks, Jeremy. She tried to give him a reassuring look as everybody got intothe car.He stood watching as she pulled out of the gas station. He didnt wave.Okay, so we go home, Mark said. And then what?Nobody answered. Mary-Lynnette realized that she had no idea what.I guess wed better figure out if we still have anysuspects, she said at last.Theres something else weve got to do, first, Rowan said softly. We vampires, I mean.Mary-Lynnette could tell just by the way she said it. But Mark asked, What?We need to feed, Kestrel said with her most radiant smile.They got back to Burdock Farm. There was no sign of the cat. The four vampires headed for thewoods, Jadecalling for Tiggy, and Mary-Lynnette headed for Mrs. B.s rolltop desk. She got engravedstationery only slightly mildewed at the edges-and a silver pen with a fussy Victorian posture on it. Now,she said to Mark as she sat at the kitchen table. Were going to play List the Suspects.Theres nothing in this house to eat, you know, Mark said. He had all the cupboards open. Justthings like instant coffee and green Jujyfruits. The ones everybody leaves.What c an I say, your girlfriend is undead. Come on. Sit down and concentrate. Mark sat downand sighed. Who have we got?We should have gone to find out what the dealwas with that horse, Mark said.Mary-Lynnette stopped with her pen poised overthe stationery. Youre right, that must be connected. Iforgot about it. Which just goes to show you, emissary work doesnt mix with 1-with idle dawdling.All right, she said grimly. So lets assume that whoever killed the horse was the same personwho killed Aunt Opal and the goat. And maybe the sameperson who skint the gas station window-thathap pened last night, too. Where does that get us?I think it was Todd and Vic, Mark said.Youre not being helpful.Im serious. You know how Todd is always chewing on that toothpick. And there weretoothpicks stuck in the goat.Toothpicks now, what did that remind her of? No, not toothpicks, the bigger stakes. Why couldntshe remember ?She rubbed her forehead, giving up. OkayIllput Todd and Vic, vampire hunters, with a ques tionmark. Unless you think theyre vampires themselves.Nope, Mark said, undeterred by her sarcasm. I think Jade wouldve noticed that when shedrank their blood. He eyed her thoughtfully. Youre the smart one. Who doyou think did it?I have no idea. Mark made a face at her, andshe doodled a stake on the stationery. The doodlechanged into a very small stake, more like a pencil,held by a feminine hand. She never could upchuckhands.Oh, my God. Bunny.Bunny did it? Mark asked ingenuously, preparedto be straight man for a joke.But Mary-Lynnette said,Yes.I mean-no, I dont know. But those stakes in the goat-the big ones Iveseen herusingthem. She uses them on her nails. Theyre carapace sticks.Well Mark looked dismayed. But I mean Bunny . Cmon. She cant kill a mosquito.Mary-Lynnette shook her head, agitated. Rowan said she had a lamia name. And she said somethingstrange to me-Bunny-the day I was looking for Todd and Vic. It was all coming back now, a flood ofmemories that she didnt particularl y want. She said, Good hunting.Mare, its from The Jungle Book .I know. It was still weird for her to say. And shes almosttoosweet and scared-what if its all anact? When Mark didnt answer, she said, Is it any more unlikelythan Todd and Vic being vampirehunters?So put her down, too.Mary-Lynnette did. Then she said, You know, theres something I keep meaning to ask Rowanabouthow they wrote to Mrs. B. from thatisland- She broke off and tensed as the back door banged.Am I the first one back?It was Rowan, windblown and glowing, slightlybreathless. Her hair was a tumbling chestnut loud aroundher.Wheres everybody else? Mary-Lynnette asked.We separated early on. Its the only way, you know, with four of us in this small of an area.Small Mark looked offended. If Briar Creekhas one good thing-and Im not saying it does itsspace.Rowan smiled. For a hunting range, it is small,she said. No offense. Its fine for us-we never got tohunt at -all on the island. They brought our mealsto us, tranquilized and completely passive.Mary-Lynnette pushed away the image this evoked. Urn, you want to testify a guess on Whodunit?0Rowan sat down in a kitchen chair, smoothing a wisp of brown hair off her forehead. I dont know. Iwonder if its somebody we havent even thought of yet.Mary-Lynnette remembered what shed been talking about when the door banged. Rowan, I alwaysmeant to ask you-you said that only Ash could havefigured out where you were going when you ranaway. But what about the guy who helped yousmuggle letters off the island? He would know where youraunt lived, right? He could see the address on the letters.Crane Linden. Rowan smiled, a sad little smile. No, he wouldnt know. Hes She touchedher temple lightly. I dont know what you call it. His mind never developed completely. He cant read.But hes very kind.There were illiterate vampires? Well, why not?Aloud Mary-Lynnette said, Oh. Well, I guess its onemore person we can eliminate.Look, can we just brainstorm a heartbeat? Mark said. This is probably crazy, but what ifJeremysuncle isnt really dead? And what if- At that moment, there was a crash from the front porch.No, a tap-tap-crash, Mary-Lynnette thought. Then she thought, Oh, God . . . Tiggy.