Chapter Nine

 

I awoke to half a dozen missed calls from Peter. At first, I figured they were about Becca, but then I remembered the marks on both him and Carl. The urgency of that situation had paled in comparison to the real danger provided by Becca, and I figured Eddie had sorted it all out with the men.

When I called Peter back, he picked up on the first ring.

“Hey,” I said. “Is everything—”

“You need to meet me at Eddie’s.”

“Um, okay. I’ll be over in a while.”

“As soon as possible, Ava. It’s important.”

“Fine,” I said, barely concealing my impatient sigh. “I’ll be right there.”

Grumbling to myself, I left as soon as I had finished breakfast. I wasn’t entirely up to seeing Eddie again, but I obviously couldn’t avoid him forever, and Peter had sounded freaked out on the phone.

Peter was already at Eddie’s bookshop when I got there. Eddie greeted me warily, and I tried to find it in myself to be polite and pleasant. It wasn’t easy.

“Where’s Carl?” I asked.

“That’s part of the problem,” Eddie said.

“What do you mean?”

“He’s gone,” Peter said, looking as if he had earned a few extra grey hairs during the night. “He snuck out of the house while I slept. I’ve no idea where he is.”

“Why do I get the feeling this is the calm before the storm?” I asked, looking at the two stern faces in front of me. “What else is wrong?”

“Eddie knows what the marks are,” Peter said. “Mine’s nearly gone, but Carl’s had gotten worse last night. I wouldn’t let him leave, and the mark kept burning him. It was bizarre. Then when I woke up this morning, he was gone.”

“Right. So? Don’t keep me in suspense.”

“It looks as though a succubus has gotten her claws into Carl,” Eddie said. “It’s not too recent, either. Time’s running out for him.”

I stared at Eddie for a few minutes before glancing at Peter in disbelief. “A succubus? A… demon?”

“A sex demon,” Peter clarified. As if I needed to know that part.

“So what does this mean, then?”

“You might want to sit down,” Peter said, looking a little sheepish.

“Take a look at this.” Eddie pointed at an open book on the counter. A horrific-looking demon appeared to be sucking the life out of a glazed-eyed human. “A succubus feeds on energy, specifically sexual energy, but other kinds will do. Sometimes they taste, but to survive, they really need the occasional… overdose.” He gave me a pointed look. “You remember what Reuben said about virgins? Most species have their own version of that. The succubi mark a human, which makes him theirs, meaning no other succubus can touch that human. They’re connected to them, see through them, and call them back whenever they need a feeding. They slowly drain them, eventually sucking all life out of them.”

I had an inappropriate urge to laugh. “And you think this is happening to Carl? I think we might have noticed that.” I pointed at the picture of the demon.

Eddie tutted with frustration. “Ava, this is serious. A lot of beings hide their true face. You know this. Carl’s more susceptible to this kind of thing since you messed with his mind. Yes, we know. It was an accident. That’s all well and good, but you opened his mind, and now he’s more vulnerable to all sorts of things. The succubus makes the human become obsessed with them, forcing them to keep running back to her. Until the human dies, that is.”

“What about Peter?” I glanced at his arm, but he wasn’t scratching it anymore, and he seemed calmer.

“He’s protected. She took a small dose, that’s all. Carl has been taken over by her almost completely now.”

“Fine. I’ll just kill her, then. Just another freaking day’s work.”

“That’s the thing, Ava,” Peter said. “We don’t know who the succubus is, for one. And for another, she’s probably well within her rights.”

“We know who she is, Peter. Wait, what? What rights? How can they just go around… oh, crap. Don’t tell me. They have quotas, too.” I rubbed my temples when I saw Peter nod. How on earth did those demonic creatures have more rights than humans?

I paced for a few minutes while I let the news sink in. Carl was screwed. Again. “Carl’s been in my building lately,” I said, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. “Not to see me. To see her. I’ve seen him with her before this, before the trial. Yesterday, she brushed against Peter and me. It was only afterward that Peter started to itch.”

“Your neighbour?” Peter looked aghast.

I thought I knew why.

“I’ve been living next to a demon, and I didn’t notice.” Neither man said a word, and I guessed I had just voiced what they both had been thinking.

“If it’s been that long… Carl doesn’t have much time left.” Eddie’s voice softened and held a note of closure that I didn’t like. It wasn’t over yet.

“Okay. I can’t kill her?” I asked.

Eddie shook his head, his face solemn.

“So, what are my options?”

I hated the look in his eyes, the one that clearly said I didn’t have any options.

“Ava, I know you care about Carl, but this time you might have to let him go. If the succubus wants him, there isn’t much you can do about it,” Eddie said. “I like Carl. He’s been balancing the books here. If I could persuade the succubus to release him, I would.”

“Balancing the books? That’s the only reason you can think of to make him worth saving? Because of bookkeeping?” I couldn’t keep the tremor out of my voice. They didn’t value life enough. They never had.

“You’ve risked everything for him before. When comes the point where you say enough is enough, Ava?”

“He’s my responsibility.” I bit my cheek. What I really wanted to do was throw something at Eddie.

“No. He’s your friend. There’s a big difference, and he’s an adult. He could have walked away as soon as you let him go. He stuck around, and the consequences are his to live with.”

I glared back. “This wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for me. I have to fix it.”

He sighed wearily. “You don’t go around saving rabbits from foxes, Ava. Nature’s way, so it is. There’s a chain, and humans happen to be below quite a few things. Predators need to survive, too. Humans kill animals for food. It’s the same with demons and humans.”

“And what about Peter? He was marked, too! Would you just ditch him as well?” I shouted.

“Peter isn’t a victim. He won’t ever be. His mark had no effect on him. But maybe you should be more worried about the reason the two people closest to you were marked.”

“Why, then? Why are the humans I know being targeted all of the time?” His voicing of my deepest fears rattled me.

“Because of you,” Peter said. I gaped at him, horrified, even though he had stated exactly what I had been thinking.

“Stop looking at me like that. You made yourself known for being… soft when it comes to humans. They know you have a heart, know what affects you.”

“And Carl’s been in a position to hear things you wouldn’t want anyone else to know,” Eddie added.

“What… what do you mean?” I found it difficult to breathe all of a sudden.

“I told you, she can see through him. We don’t know how long she’s been able to spy, but that had to have something to do with her choice. I’ve been wondering how word about you spread so fast after the trial, even when Fionnuala ordered everyone to keep it quiet. This might be the answer.”

I chewed on my knuckle to keep myself from freaking out completely. Yet again, while I had been worrying about one thing, something completely different had been going on. “Fine. I’ll find out,” I snapped.

“Where are you going?” Peter asked.

“To find out what the hell is going on.”

Peter followed me outside. “Why are you so upset?”

“Are you mad? Carl’s gotten a death sentence, and we can’t even help him.” I didn’t mention the vulnerability I had shown to Carl, the things he had found out about me. The things the sex demon probably knew, too.

Peter bowed his head. “Ava. This is Carl. He’s always going to get into some kind of trouble. Bit like you really. We’ll figure something out in the end. We always do.”

“I have some time until Becca shows up again. I’m going to see if there’s anything I can do.” I turned to leave, furious with myself for being so absolutely blind.

Peter pulled at my arm to stop me.

“What?”

He searched my face before answering. “Need my help?”

“I’ll be fine. I’m going to talk to Esther. See if she can tell me anything. But Peter… I told Gabe something.”

“What do you mean?”

“Last night, after Becca disappeared, he gave me a lift home, and I told him about the shadows.”

Peter narrowed his eyes. “And what did he say?”

“Acted like he didn’t believe me. I regret saying anything now. It’s been bugging me because he didn’t act surprised. He sounded like I was a little kid making up stories or something, but it was like a story he had already heard. Think I’m making too much of it?”

His frown deepened. “I don’t know. Be careful around him. I don’t trust him.”

“He’s weird. Like, not a real person. He’s like a robot in a human mask or something. I can’t explain it really.”

“He still needs you. When he doesn’t anymore, then worry.”

I tried to smile. “That’s very reassuring, thanks. If this succubus, what’s her name, Alannah? If she’s been spying, then she knows about the shadows, about what I can do. Think she has anything to do with Coyle?”

“It’s possible. Doesn’t mean much until we find out more, though.”

I nodded, trying to digest everything. “I had better go. If you see Carl… kidnap him for me, okay?”

His eyes twinkled with amusement. “Not a problem.”

I turned to leave, but he called me back again. “Listen. I’m sorry about before. Back at my place, I mean. Blame the succubus.”

My cheeks flushed. “Um, it’s not… never mind. See you.”

I felt his eyes watching me as I broke into a run. I was so full of thoughts of Carl, Peter, and succubi that I made it to the clinic quicker than I expected. I hoped Esther was still there, because I didn’t fancy knocking on Aiden’s door to find her.

Luckily, the receptionist with purple-toned skin remembered me. She walked me to Esther’s room, let me know she was alone, and congratulated me on a job well done with Becca. Good news spread fast. Funny how everyone but me seemed to think it was a result.

Esther looked extremely bored, but brightened when I walked in.

“Hey, I heard about last night,” she said before I made it to her bedside. “Great news! It’s such a relief to know she isn’t out there.” She gave a little shudder, but the grin on her face belied her fear.

“She could show up again tonight,” I said, confused. “I didn’t kill her or anything.”

“She ran away, though. She isn’t willing to face you, and who cares why? It means she’s gone. People are celebrating today. I mean, nobody died last night. Any night she doesn’t feed is amazing. It’s great news, Ava.”

I realised how much people had been living under the cloud of Becca’s blood-draining spree. Before, it hadn’t quite hit home. If only I had drank the blood sooner. If only I had been more determined earlier.

“I’m not just here on a social call,” I said. “I have a problem.”

She perked up immediately, as if anything was better than the boredom of sitting in that room. “Anything I can do to help?”

“Are you getting out of here soon?”

“They don’t want to chance it yet. So come on, tell me what’s going on.”

I hesitated. “The thing is… it’s Carl. Again. He’s been acting pretty strange lately. Yesterday, I saw a mark on his chest. Peter had a smaller version of it. Like a hickey, but all raised and infected-looking.”

Her jaw dropped. “Oh, no. I’m so sorry, Ava.”

“Hold on, it’s not that bad, surely.” But her expression made me doubt.

“You’re talking about the mark of a succubus, right?” she asked.

I nodded. “Peter’s has gone, but Carl’s got worse, and now he’s gone missing. Eddie’s the one who told us about the succubus. He’s pretty sure she has Carl for good now.”

“That sucks,” she whispered.

“We figured out she lives in my building, and that she’s been messing with Carl since before the trial. So I thought I’d come to you. See what I can do.”

She looked sorry for me. That filled me with more dread than anything else.

“There’s not a whole lot you can do. Unless she’s exceeded her quota. And if she had, it would be on record. The succubi rarely get into trouble. They keep it low key, so it’s strange she’s starting trouble with you.”

“This really has something to do with me?”

She bit her lip. “Why else would she go for people you know? It’s pretty rude, actually.”

“I didn’t have a clue about her, Esther.”

“I wondered why you had no problem living next to her. Have you spoken to her? Maybe she’d do you a favour.”

I rubbed my eyes with my knuckles. “I never thought about the people who actually lived in the building,” I muttered, thinking about the talismans scattered around it. “Besides, I doubt asking her would help. We aren’t friends.”

“It’s still worth having a chat with her. Perhaps she’ll trade.”

“For another human?” I couldn’t believe Esther’s suggestion.

“Not necessarily. Money, work, protection, lots of things have value.”

I stared up at the ceiling, feeling even sicker than before. “I think she hates me, Esther. Can’t I just threaten her or something?”

“Oh, no. Don’t even think about that! She might not get into trouble very often, but those succubi are the moaniest bitches I’ve ever come across. I do not want to deal with the lodged complaints afterward. Threatening her won’t work. She’s a stickler for her quota. She makes sure she gets every bit of what’s hers. Sucking up to her is literally your only option right now.”

“I’m not good at sucking up. What about Peter? Is he in any danger?”

“Nah, not if the mark faded. A temporary mark is usually to get other people going, a little extra something when she’s reached her draining quota.”

I was sure my face turned purple with embarrassment. “What would happen if she let Carl go?”

Esther shook her head. “She’ll choose someone else, and Carl may never be the same again. She’s sucking the goodness out of him, his hopes and dreams, as well as the sexual energy. She’ll drain him of everything that makes him Carl, and if this has been going on for a while, his time is running out. I’m really sorry, Ava. This might be a ‘say goodbye’ mission rather than a rescue mission.”

“No way.” I jumped to my feet, feeling my panic rise. “I’d rather kill her than let her kill Carl.”

“You’ll be arrested, and Carl will die anyway. And this time, there won’t be a trial. Even if you make it that far. Those succubi are all connected. They all know you by sight because she does. If you kill her, they’ll all come after you. That’s how it is. Keep out of it if you want to live, Ava. I’m telling you this as a friend.”

“And what about Carl?”

“Like I said. Talk to her, try and persuade her, make a deal with her. That’s how this world works. You’ve obviously seen how allegiances are built and repaid. You’ve been working for Daimhín long enough now. Be sensible about this. I know you’re hot-headed, but all of this acting without thinking can only lead to trouble. Trust me this one time. You can only plead for him.”

“I hate this world sometimes.”

She shrugged. Losses didn’t seem to affect her the way they did me. “You should probably get out of here. Aiden’s coming to visit me at some stage. He’s not your biggest fan at the moment. He’ll get over it, though, especially if Becca’s gone for good.”

If.