All around me, Pamphrock and his remaining slayers are tending to one another’s injuries. It’s only at this moment that I remember the wound on my neck from where Eliza bit me, and the fact that not only am I covered in vampire blood, but I’m also covered in my own blood. Ethan is still standing behind me; I can sense his gaze on my neck almost as soon as he notices the blood.
My heart hammers when I turn around to see his crimson eyes bearing down on me and his fangs extending from his mouth.
Chapter Thirteen
Killing Things Is Not So Hard, It’s Hurting That’s The Hardest Part
I step away from him quickly. “Hey now, keep your distance,” I say, making sure I’ve got my razor handy.
His eyes are so red that they’re practically glowing. His sharp fangs glisten under the shine of the street lamp, and I’m torn between enchantment and terror. This is the first time that I’ve ever thought about being bitten and found the idea appealing. I’m not in my right mind. Ethan helping me to kill Eliza has caused my brain to go loopy. Surely that’s it.
I shake myself out of the trance seeing his fangs has put me in, holding out the blade to keep him at bay. Thankfully, Delilah yanks him back by the arm and gives him an almighty whack across the face. That certainly does the trick.
Broken out of his blood-lust, Ethan puts a hand to his cheek in surprise, glaring at Delilah. “What did you do that for?”
“You were about to bite her, you idiot!” she bellows at him. “Have you lost your mind? Who knows what would happen if you drank from her.” At this she seems to register that I’ve already been bitten tonight, as she stands there gaping at the marks on my neck.
“It was Eliza,” I explain. “But don’t worry, I’ve already killed her.”
“Yeah, I gathered as much from what Whitfield said. I didn’t know she bit you though. What happened?”
I suddenly notice that almost everybody’s gathered around me now, with the exception of Pamphrock and his remaining slayers. Alvie is still sitting just outside of Rita’s cocoon of fire, weeping. In my heart I want to join him, but there’s no time for me to be sad. I need to stay strong.
“Um, it was kind of weird. Her eyes and skin turned silver and she started to shake as though she was transforming.”
“Are you okay?” Finn asks, coming to my side and putting his hand to the small of my back in a concerned gesture. I think Delilah and I are the only ones who hear Ethan’s barely audible growl. He stops as soon as Delilah’s reproaching green eyes land on him in silent warning.
“I’ll live,” I answer, turning to look at him. He’s got a small cut on his jaw and there’s blood on his clothing, but it’s too dark to be human.
Nobody says anything then. It’s like we’re all in this state of quiet distress. Ethan, Lucas and Delilah have just fought and killed people they used to consider their friends. Finn, Gabriel and I have just seen a woman we’ve all come to love die in front of our eyes. Not to mention I’ve killed for the very first time in my life.
Before I discovered this new world I never even considered murder to be something that I would have to commit in my life. Now it’s like this necessary evil that I must embrace if I want to survive.
Gabriel goes and picks up Alvie, carrying him into the house. He comes back out and I assist him in a small spell to clean up the remaining evidence of the fighting. Ethan, Lucas and Delilah retire to their own house for the night, an atmosphere of muted trauma in the air.
I’d all but forgotten about Emilia taking Rebecca. Pamphrock, Finn and the slayers leave immediately to go and retrieve her from the Petrovsky manor, though I have no clue how easy a task that’s going to be.
Soon the street is empty, with just Gabriel and I sitting on the wall at the front of Finn’s house, keeping a watch over Rita. Ira is sitting by our feet, still in his animal form. I guess he’s not ready to change back yet.
We sit there in silence, both of us with tears streaming down our faces now that we’ve finally got the chance to embrace our sadness over losing Noreen. She’d been a maternal presence in our little group, always there to give guidance and advice. I really don’t know what we’re going to do without her. We’re going to be so lost.
It isn’t until hours later that Rita finally lets down the wall of flames she’d surrounded herself with. We had to put a glamour on the entire street for fear of anyone seeing her magic. Gabriel organises for Noreen’s body to be taken away. I bring Rita into her motor home and put her to bed. She doesn’t breathe a word the whole time, and although the purple has receded from her eyes, they’re still disconcertingly black. Her body feels cold and her face is an empty canvas. She waits until I leave to start crying. Just as I close over the door to her tiny room I hear her weeping into her pillow.
I sit in the kitchen and drink cup after cup of tea, too afraid to leave her on her own. It’s about two in the morning when someone steps inside the RV. I glance up to see Finn standing there, looking exhausted.
“Gabe said you were out here. Come inside, you need to sleep.”
He motions me out of the vehicle, but I stare apprehensively at Rita’s bedroom door.
“I’m not sure if I should leave her. She seems…well, not herself.”
“The girl’s mother just died. What do you expect her to be like? Swinging from the rafters?” Finn tries to make a joke, but it falls flat. His voice is full of sadness.
“No, I just…I feel like she might do something dangerous, like go over to the south side to try and kill Whitfield.”
“Gabriel and I will watch her then. We’ll take it in turns. You’ve been with her for hours.”
I run my hand through my hair and rise from my seat. “Okay,” I whisper, feeling the need to sleep forever. As Finn leads me inside the house, I ask, “So what happened with Emilia?”