Night World 1 (30 page)

“Well.” Rowan smiled. “Lamia are traditionally named after natural things—gems and animals and flowers and trees. So ‘Bunny' would be a lamia name—and isn't a marten a kind of weasel?”

Something was tugging at the edges of Mary-Lynnette's consciousness again. Something about Bunny…about Bunny and…wood…

It was gone. She couldn't remember. To Rowan she said, “But—can you sense something suspicious about her or anything? I mean, does she
seem
like one of you? Because otherwise I just can't see Bunny as a vampire. I'm sorry; I just
can't.
”

Rowan smiled. “No, I don't sense anything. And I'm sure you're right—humans can have names like ours, too. Sometimes it gets confusing.”

For some bizarre reason Mary-Lynnette's mind was still on wood. “You know, I don't see why you name yourselves after trees. I thought wood was dangerous for you.”

“It is—and that makes it powerful. Tree names are supposed to be some of the most powerful names we have.”

Ash was coming out of the general store. Immediately Mary-Lynnette turned around and looked for Jeremy.

She didn't see him in the empty gas station, but she heard something—something she realized she'd been hearing for several minutes. Hammering.

“Come on, let's go around back,” she said, already walking, not waiting for Ash to reach them. Kestrel and Rowan went with her.

Jeremy was around back. He was hammering a long board across a broken window. There were shards of thick, greenish-tinted glass all over the ground. Light brown hair was falling in his eyes as he struggled to hold the board steady.

“What happened?”
Mary-Lynnette said. She moved automatically to hold the right end of the board in place for him.

He glanced up at her, making a grimace of relief as he let go of the board. “Mary-Lynnette—thanks. Hang on a sec.”

He reached into his pocket for nails and began driving them in with quick, sure blows of the hammer. Then he said, “I don't know what happened. Somebody broke it last night. Made a real mess.”

“Last night seems to have been a busy night,” Kestrel said dryly.

Jeremy glanced back at the voice. And then…his hands went still, poised with the hammer and nail. He was looking at Kestrel, and at Rowan beside her, looking a long time. At last he turned to Mary-Lynnette and said slowly, “You need more gas already?”

“Oh—no. No.” I should have siphoned some out, Mary-Lynnette thought. Nancy Drew would definitely have thought of that. “I just—it's been knocking a lot—the engine—and I thought you could look at it—under the hood—since you didn't last time.”

Incoherent and pathetic, she decided in the silence that followed. And Jeremy's clear brown eyes were still searching her face.

“Sure, Mary-Lynnette,” he said—not sarcastically, but gently. “As soon as I get finished.”

Oh, he
can't
be a vampire. And so what am I doing here, lying to him, suspecting him, when he's only ever been nice to me? He's the type to
help
old ladies, not kill them.

Sssssss.

She started as the feral hiss tore through the silence. It came from behind her, and for one horrible instant she thought it was Kestrel. Then she saw that Jade and Mark had rounded the corner, and that Tiggy was fighting like a baby leopard in Jade's arms. The kitten was spitting and clawing, black fur standing on end. Before Jade could get a better grip, he climbed up her shoulder and leaped, hitting the ground running.

“Tiggy!”
Jade shrieked. She took off after him, silvery blond hair flying, agile as a kitten herself. Mark followed, ricocheting off Ash who was just coming around the corner himself. Ash was knocked into the gas station wall.

“Well, that was fun,” Kestrel said.

But Mary-Lynnette wasn't really listening. Jeremy was staring at Ash—and his expression gave Mary-Lynnette cold chills.

And Ash was staring back with eyes as green as glacier ice. Their gazes were locked in something like instantaneous, instinctive hatred. Mary-Lynnette felt a quiver of fear for Jeremy—but Jeremy didn't seem afraid for himself. His muscles were tight and he looked ready to defend himself.

Then, deliberately, he turned away. Turned his back on Ash. He readjusted the board—and Mary-Lynnette did what she should have done in the beginning. She looked at his hand. The ring on his index finger glinted gold, and she could just make out the black design on the seal.

A tall cluster of bell-shaped flowers. Not an iris, not a dahlia, not a rose. No—there was only one flower Rowan had mentioned that this could possibly be. It grew wild around here and it was deadly poison.

Foxglove.

So now she knew.

Mary-Lynnette felt hot and sick. Her hand began to tremble on the board she was holding. She didn't want to move, but she couldn't stay here.

“I'm sorry—I have to get something—” The words came out in a painful gasp. She knew everyone was staring at her. She didn't care. She let go of the board and almost ran away.

She kept going until she was behind the boarded-up windows of the Gold Creek Hotel. Then she leaned against the wall and stared at the place where town ended and the wilderness began. Motes of dust danced in the sunlight, bright against a dark background of Douglas fir.

I'm so
stupid.
All the signs were there, right in front of my face. Why didn't I see before? I guess because I didn't
want
to….

“Mary-Lynnette.”

Mary-Lynnette turned toward the soft voice. She resisted the impulse to throw herself into Rowan's arms and bawl.

“I'll be okay in just a few minutes. Really. It's just a shock.”

“Mary-Lynnette…”

“It's just—it's just that I've known him so long. It's not easy to picture him—you know. But I guess it just goes to show you. People are never what they seem.”

“Mary-Lynnette—” Rowan stopped and shook her head. “Just what are you talking about?”

“
Him.
Jeremy. Of course.” Mary-Lynnette took a breath. The air felt hot and chokingly dusty. “He did it. He really did it.”

“Why do you think so?”

“
Why?
Because he's a
werewolf.
”

There was a pause and Mary-Lynnette suddenly felt embarrassed. She looked around to make sure nobody was in earshot and then said more quietly, “Isn't he?”

Rowan was looking at her curiously. “How did you know?”

“Well—you said black foxglove is for werewolves. And that's foxglove on his ring. How did
you
know?”

“I just sensed it. Vampire powers are weaker in sunlight, but Jeremy isn't trying to hide anything. He's right out there.”

“He sure is,” Mary-Lynnette said bitterly. “
I
should have sensed it. I mean…he's the only person in town who was interested in the lunar eclipse. And the way he moves, and his eyes…and he lives at Mad Dog Creek, for God's sake. I mean, that land's been in his family for generations.
And
”—Mary-Lynnette gave a sudden convulsive sniffle—“people say they've seen the Sasquatch around there. A big hairy monster, half person and half beast. Now, what does
that
sound like?”

Rowan was standing quietly, her expression grave—but her lips were twitching. Mary-Lynnette's vision blurred and wetness spilled onto her cheeks.

“I'm sorry.” Rowan put a hand on her arm. “I'm not laughing.”

“I thought he was a nice guy,” Mary-Lynnette said, turning away.

“I still think he is,” Rowan said. “And actually, really, you know, it means he
didn't
do it.”

“The fact that he's a nice guy?”

“The fact that he's a werewolf.”

Mary-Lynnette turned back.
“What?”

“You see,” Rowan said, “werewolves are different. They're not like vampires. They can't drink a little blood from people and then stop without doing any real harm. They kill every time they hunt—because they have to
eat.
” Mary-Lynnette gulped, but Rowan went on serenely. “Sometimes they eat the whole animal, but they
always
eat the internal organs, the heart and liver. They have to do it, the same way that vampires need to drink blood.”

“And that means…”

“He didn't kill Aunt Opal. Or the goat. They were both intact.” Rowan sighed. “Look. Werewolves and vampires traditionally hate each other. They've been rivals forever, and lamia think of werewolves as sort of—lower class. But actually a lot of them are gentle. They only hunt to eat.”

“Oh,” Mary-Lynnette said hollowly. Shouldn't she be happier about this? “So the guy I thought was nice just has to eat the odd liver occasionally.”

“Mary-Lynnette, you can't blame him. How can I explain? It's like this: Werewolves aren't people who sometimes turn into wolves. They're wolves who sometimes look like people.”

“But they still kill,” Mary-Lynnette said flatly.

“Yes, but only animals. The law is
very
strict about that. Otherwise humans catch on in no time. Vampires can disguise their work by making it look like a cut throat, but werewolf kills are unmistakable.”

“Okay. Great.” I should be more enthusiastic, Mary-Lynnette thought. But how could you ever really trust someone who was a wolf behind their eyes? You might admire them the way you admire a sleek and handsome predator, but trust them…no.

“Before we go back—we may have a problem,” Rowan said. “If he realizes that you recognized his ring, he may know we've told you about—you know.” She glanced around and lowered her voice. “The Night World.”

Mary-Lynnette understood. “Oh, God.”

“Yes. That means it's his duty to turn us all in. Or kill us himself.”

“Oh, God.”

“The thing is, I don't think he will. He likes you, Mary-Lynnette. A lot. I don't think he could bring himself to turn you in.”

Mary-Lynnette felt herself flushing. “But then, that would get
him
in trouble, too, wouldn't it?”

“It could, if anybody ever finds out. We'd better go back and see what's going on. Maybe he
doesn't
realize you know. Maybe Kestrel and Ash have managed to bluff him.”

T
hey walked back to the gas station quickly, their shoulders almost touching. Mary-Lynnette found comfort in Rowan's nearness, in her levelheadedness. She'd never had a friend before who was completely her equal, who found it as easy to take care of people as to be taken care of.

As they reached the gas station, they could see that the little group was now clustered around Mary-Lynnette's car. Jeremy was peering under the hood. Mark and Jade were back, hand in hand, but there was no sign of Tiggy. Kestrel was leaning against a gas pump, and Ash was talking to Jeremy.

“So the werewolf walks into the second doctor's office and he says, ‘Doc, I think I have rabies.' And the doctor says…”

So much for bluffing him, Mary-Lynnette thought.

Rowan, eyes shut and shoulders tensed, said, “Ash, that isn't funny.” She opened her eyes. “I'm sorry,” she said to Jeremy. “He doesn't mean it.”

“He does, but it doesn't matter. I've heard worse.” Jeremy bent over the engine again. He replaced a cap with careful, even twists. Then he looked up at Mary-Lynnette.

Mary-Lynnette didn't know what to say. What's the etiquette when you've just discovered that somebody's a werewolf? And that it may be their duty to eat you?

Her eyes filled. She was completely out of control today.

Jeremy looked away. He shook his head slightly. His mouth was bitter. “That's what I figured. I thought you'd react this way. Or I'd have told you myself a long time ago.”

“You would?” Mary-Lynnette's vision cleared. “But—then
you
would have gotten in trouble. Right?”

Jeremy smiled faintly. “Well, we're not really sticklers for Night World law around here.”

He said it in a normal tone 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 they wouldn't bother anybody, and nobody would bother them. Of course, they're all gone now. There's only me left.”

He said it without self-pity, but Mary-Lynnette moved closer. “I'm sorry.”

Jade moved in on the other side, silvery-green eyes wide. “But that's why we came here, too! So nobody would bother us. We don't like the Night World, either.”

Jeremy gave another faint smile—that smile that showed mostly in his eyes. “I know,” he said to Jade. “You're related to Mrs. Burdock, aren't you?”

“She was our aunt,” Kestrel said, her golden gaze fixed unwaveringly on him.

Jeremy's expression changed slightly. He turned around to look at Kestrel directly. “‘Was'?”

“Yes, she met with a slight accident involving a stake,” Ash said. “Funny how that happens sometimes….”

Jeremy's expression changed again. He looked as if he were leaning against the car for support. “Who did it?” Then he glanced back at Ash, and Mary-Lynnette saw a gleam of teeth. “Wait—you think
I
did. Don't you?”

“It did cross our minds at one point,” Ash said. “Actually, it seemed to keep crossing them. Back and forth. Maybe we should put in a crosswalk.”

Mary-Lynnette said, “Ash, stop it.”

“So you're saying you
didn't
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.

“There's no vampire hunter around here,” Jeremy said flatly.

“Then there's a vampire,” Jade said in an excited whisper. “There
has
to be, because of the way Aunt Opal was killed. And the goat.”

“The goat…? No, don't even tell me. I don't want to know.” Jeremy swung Mary-Lynnette's hood shut. He looked at her and said quickly, “Everything's fine in there. You should get the oil changed sometime.” Then he turned to Rowan. “I'm sorry about your aunt. But if there
is
a vampire around here, it's somebody staying hidden.
Really
hidden. Same if it's a vampire hunter.”

“We already figured that out,” Kestrel said. Mary-Lynnette expected Ash to chime in, but Ash was staring across the street broodingly, his hands in his pockets, apparently having given up on the conversation for the moment.

“You haven't seen anything that could give you a clue?” Mary-Lynnette said. “We were going to look around town.”

He met her eyes directly. “If I knew, I'd tell you.” There was just the slightest emphasis on the last word. “If I could help you, I would.”

“Well, come along for the ride. You can put your head out of the window,” Ash said, returning to life.

That did it. Mary-Lynnette marched over, grabbed him 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 jerk!”

“Oh, look…”

“Shut up!”
She jabbed a finger at his throat. It didn't 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 when you kept shouting through it.

“You have to be the center of every drama, don't you? You have to be the center of attention, and act smart, and mouth off!”

“Ow,” Ash said.

“Even if it means hurting other people. Even if it means hurting somebody who's only had rotten breaks all his life. Well,
not this time.
”

“Ow…”

“Rowan said you guys think all werewolves are low class. And you know what that is? Where I come from, they call that prejudice. And humans have it, too, and
it is not a pretty picture.
It's about the most hateful thing in the world. I'm
ashamed
to even stand there while you spout it off.” Mary-Lynnette realized she 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, arms up in a gesture of surrender. He looked at a loss for words—and ashamed. Good, Mary-Lynnette thought.

“Should you keep poking him that way?” Mark said tentatively. Mary-Lynnette could see Rowan and Kestrel behind him and Jade. They all looked alarmed.

“I can't be friends with anybody who's a bigot,” she said to all of them. She gave Ash a jab for emphasis.

“
We're
not,” Jade said virtuously. “
We
don't believe that stupid stuff.”

“We really don't,” Rowan said. “And Mary-Lynnette—our father is always yelling at Ash for visiting the wrong kind of people on the Outside. Belonging to a club that admits werewolves, having werewolves for friends. The Elders all say he's
too
liberal about that.”

Oh. “Well, he's got a funny way of showing it,” Mary-Lynnette said, deflating slightly.

“I just thought I'd mention that,” Rowan said. “Now we'll leave you alone.” She herded the others back 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 bad mood.

Mary-Lynnette gave up. She felt tired, suddenly—tired and emotionally drained. Too much had happened in the last few days. And it
kept
happening, it never let up, and…well, she was tired, that's all.

“If you'd go away soon, it would be easier,” she said, moving away from Ash. She could feel her head sag slightly.

“Mary-Lynnette…” There was something in Ash's voice that she'd never heard before. “Look—it's not exactly a matter of me
wanting
to go away. There's somebody else from the Night World coming on Monday. His name is Quinn. And if my sisters and I don't go back with him, the whole
town
is in trouble. If he thinks anything irregular is going on here…You don't know what the Night People can do.”

Mary-Lynnette could hear her heart beating distinctly. She didn't turn back to look at Ash.

“They could wipe Briar Creek out. I mean it. They've
done
things like that, to preserve the secret. It's the only protection they have from your kind.”

Mary-Lynnette said—not defiantly, but with simple conviction, “Your sisters aren't going to leave.”

“Then the whole town's in trouble. There's a rogue werewolf, three renegade lamia, and a secret vampire killer wandering around somewhere—not to mention two humans who know about the Night World. This is a paranormal disaster area.”

A long silence. Mary-Lynnette was trying very hard not to see things from Ash's point of view. At last she said, “So what do you want me to do?”

“Oh, I don't know, why don't we all have a pizza party and watch TV?” Ash sounded savage. “I have no idea what to do,” he added in more normal tones. “And you'd better believe I've been thinking about it. The only thing I can come up with is that the girls have to go back with me, and we all have to lie through our teeth to Quinn.”

Mary-Lynnette tried to think, but her head was throbbing.

“There is one other possibility,” Ash said. He said it under his breath, as if he wouldn't mind if she pretended not to hear him.

Mary-Lynnette eased a crick in her neck, watching blue-and-yellow images of the sun on her shut eyelids. “What?”

“I know you and the girls did a blood-tie ceremony. It was illegal, but that's beside the point.
You're
part of the reason they don't want to leave here.”

Mary-Lynnette opened her mouth to point out that they didn't want to leave because life had been unbearable for them in the Night World, but Ash hurried on. “But maybe if you were—like us, we could work something out. I could take the girls back to the island, and then in a few months I could get them out again. We'd go someplace where nobody would know us. Nobody would suspect there was anything irregular about you. The girls would be free, and you'd be there, so there's no reason they shouldn't be happy. Your brother could come, too.”

Mary-Lynnette turned around slowly. She examined Ash. The sun brought out hidden warm tones in his hair, making it a shimmering blond somewhere between Jade's and Kestrel's. His eyes were shadowed, some dark color. He stood lanky and elegant as ever, but with one hand in his pocket and a pained expression on his face.

“Don't frown; you'll spoil your looks,” she said.

“For God's sake, don't patronize me!” he yelled.

Mary-Lynnette was startled. Well. Okay.

“I
think,
” she said, more cautiously but with emphasis to let him know that she was the one with a right to be upset, “that you are suggesting changing me into a vampire.”

The corner of Ash's mouth jerked. He put his other hand in his pocket and looked away. “That was the general idea, yes.”

“So that your sisters can be happy.”

“So that you don't get killed by some vigilante like Quinn.”

“But aren't the Night People going to kill me just the same if you change me?”

“Only if they
find
you,” Ash said savagely. “And if we can get away from here clean, they wouldn't. Anyway, as a vampire you'd have a better chance of fighting them.”

“So I'm supposed to become a vampire and leave everything I love here so your sisters can be happy.”

Ash just stared angrily at the roof of the building across the street. “Forget it.”

“Believe me, I wasn't even thinking about it in the first place.”

“Fine.” He continued to stare. All at once Mary-Lynnette had the horrible feeling that his eyes were wet.

And I've cried I don't know how many times in the last two days—and I only used to cry when the stars were so beautiful it hurt. There's something
wrong
with me now. I don't even know who I am anymore.

There seemed to be something wrong with Ash, too.

“Ash…”

He didn't look at her. His jaw was tight.

The problem is that there isn't any tidy answer, Mary-Lynnette thought. “I'm sorry,” she said huskily, trying to shake off the strange feelings that had suddenly descended on her. “It's just that everything's turned out so…
weird.
I never asked for any of this.” She swallowed. “I guess you never asked for it, either. First your sisters running away…and then me. Some joke, yeah?”

“Yeah.” He wasn't staring off into the distance anymore. “Look…I might as well tell you. I
didn't
ask for this, and if somebody had said last week that I'd be in…involved…with a human, I'd have knocked his head off. I mean, after howls of derisive laughter. But.”