The Hunt (21 page)

‘Would you explain that to us?’ Callum asked. ‘If you know about the Order, you know why I ask. Anything you can tell us might help save more lives.’

I already told them I’m a demon fighter
, Eve thought.
What can it hurt for them to know more?
Besides, she had a lot of questions, and giving them information was probably a good way to get them to tell her what she wanted to know.

She started at the beginning, or almost at the beginning, with the day her fingers had given off sparks and melted her lipstick. She told them about Malphas, about Helena and the wargs, and about the portal and the web she had managed to create across it.

There was something about Callum, something in his face, that made her know there was nothing she could say that would shock him. It was a relief to spill out everything that had happened to an actual adult who might be able to give her some advice.

‘I’m sorry we didn’t know about the demon infestations in your town earlier,’ Callum told Eve when she finally finished, ‘and that we weren’t here to
protect you when your powers were so untried and you were so inexperienced.’

‘We did all right,’ Luke said.

‘You did,’ Callum agreed. ‘You three did more than could reasonably have been expected of you.’

‘And I kept Eve’s hair mostly frizz-free,’ Jess added.

‘Ask them about the sword,’ Alanna urged.

‘That’s a big reason why we’ve come. We wanted to claim Payne’s body, and we really need to find his sword. It’s very rare and powerful,’ Callum said.

‘Payne gave it to Luke,’ Jess volunteered.

‘Not possible,’ Alanna snapped.

‘Not lying,’ Jess told her.

‘It was really clear that it was Payne’s dying wish for Luke to have it,’ Eve added. ‘It was like he wouldn’t let himself die until he saw it strapped onto Luke’s back.’

‘He would have wanted me to have it,’ Alanna said to Callum. ‘You know that. I was his best student.’

‘May I see it?’ Callum asked Luke.

Luke pulled the sword out of the sheath he wore under his jacket and held the weapon out to Callum with both hands. ‘It’s yours,’ Callum said. ‘I can tell that by seeing it in your hands.’

Alanna uttered a little sound of protest. Callum shook his head at her.‘Keep it, Luke,’ he said. ‘You may
have need of it again. I hope not, but it’s possible.’

Alanna gave Luke a smile. ‘It does look good on you. But, like I said, I think pretty much anything would.’

‘We have to leave. We’re expected back tonight,’ Callum said.

‘No! I have so much to ask you,’ Eve protested.

‘And there’s much we would like to learn from you,’ Callum answered. ‘This won’t be our last meeting. Before we go, would you be willing to give us a sample of your blood? It would be hugely valuable, and I think it would enable the Order to discover information about your powers that you would be interested in.’

Eve hesitated. She glanced from Jess to Luke, trying to decide from their expressions what they thought.

‘I think it’s a good idea,’ Luke said. ‘You have this amazing gift. Maybe the Order could even figure out how to replicate it.’

‘It’s possible,’ Callum agreed. ‘Imagine how much that would increase our abilities to fight the demons. Payne mentioned you also have the ability to smell them. He told me about you – though not your name – when he checked in.’

‘They smell like wood-smoke,’ Eve answered. She
could smell the odour now.
Just the sword
, she reassured herself. ‘I guess it would be OK if you took some blood. Especially after what Payne did for us.’

‘Thank you.’ Callum pulled a small leather pouch from his pocket. He removed a syringe. Quickly and efficiently he used it to take a sample of Eve’s blood. ‘Thank you,’ he said again. ‘We must leave now, but keep in touch with us about any demon activity here or anything else you need. We’ll help as much as we’re able.’ He handed Eve an embossed business card with a phone number and email address on it. That was it. No name even.

‘I might have some questions, if that’s OK,’ Luke said. ‘I want to put together a database of all the demon information we can use.’

‘Of course,’ Callum said. He gave a half-bow and then walked away, Alanna at his side.

Eve lightly rubbed the spot on her arm where the syringe had pierced her skin. It made sense to give the Order her blood. But it felt weird somehow to know that they would be examining it, drawing conclusions about her. It was almost too personal.

They’re going to use it to find more ways to fight demons
, Eve reassured herself.
That’s a good thing, a really good thing
.

* * *

That Friday Eve and Jess sat side by side in the school auditorium. Huge blown-up pictures of Kyle, Ms Taylor and Helena were arranged on easels at the front of the room. ‘Psycho girl,’ Jess whispered, looking at Helena’s smiling face as the principal talked about how wonderful she was, what an athlete, what an example of school spirit, what a good friend.

Eve couldn’t stop staring at the pictures of Kyle and Ms Taylor. Their deaths had been so horrible, their lives stolen on the whim of a selfish girl who had access to astounding power. She looked over at Luke, sitting a few rows ahead with Briony. Was he thinking the same thing?

She returned her eyes to the front of the auditorium. Through the huge window she could see the autumn leaves whirling, caught in a gust of wind.
It’ll be Thanksgiving soon
, she thought.
Then Christmas. The year is almost over
.

As the memorial service came to a close Principal Allison asked for a moment of silence. Eve closed her eyes and images of mangled bodies appeared. She took a breath and replaced them with the image of golden strands criss-crossing the portal. It brought her some peace. There’d been no new killings in the
days since she put up what Luke called the force field, and Eve was hopeful that the web was strong enough to keep the hellhounds and everything else on the other side of the portal where they belonged.

Let the new year be wonderful
, she thought.
Peaceful and happy and everything that’s good
.

Jess put her hand on Eve’s arm. ‘Time to go.’

Eve opened her eyes and realized the auditorium had already started to clear. Luke and Briony had gone. Without even intending to, Eve found herself looking over at the places where they’d been sitting.

‘Want to go to Ola’s?’ Jess asked as they walked out. They’d been given the rest of the day off again.

‘Mmm … I don’t know,’ Eve said. Almost everyone would be over there, including Luke and Briony.

‘We could ask Luke,’ Jess said.

Eve looked up and spotted Luke waiting for them just outside the doors, and a weight she hadn’t known she’d been carrying lightened.

‘You OK?’ he asked Eve. ‘That was pretty intense.’ He touched her arm, and it was almost like he had the same powers she did. His fingers sent what felt like glowing light into her.

‘Yeah. I couldn’t help thinking “what if” though.
What if I’d found out about the
wild animal
sooner—’

‘You did everything you could possibly do,’ Luke told her.

‘Absolutely,’ Jess agreed.

‘So ice cream, coffee or shopping? What’s it going to be for you two?’ Luke asked.

‘Undecided as yet,’ Jess told him. ‘What’s your pleasure?’

Seth Schneider, Jess’s long-time crush, who’d recently seemed to realize she was actually a girl and not an annoying little kid who was three years younger, stopped next to them. ‘Are you guys going to Ola’s?’ he asked.

Jess gave Eve an oh-please-please look. ‘Marcus is coming too,’ Seth told Eve. ‘The four of us can hang.’

Eve hesitated and glanced at Luke. He was looking over his shoulder. Halfway down the hall she saw Briony, clearly waiting for him. ‘Sure,’ she said to Seth. ‘Sounds fun.’

Luke turned back to them with a jerk. Did he think he was the only one who had dating opportunities? She smiled at him. ‘Looks like your girlfriend’s ready to go.’

‘She’s not my girlfriend exactly,’ Luke said, meeting her eyes.

‘Why not?’ Seth asked. ‘She’s hot.’

‘Luke’s not a one-girl kind of guy,’ Eve answered for him.

‘Depends on the girl,’ he said, then started down the hall towards Briony. He paused after he’d taken a couple of steps and looked back at Eve. ‘Some girls are more special than others.’

Some angels are destined to fall
.

Instant. Intense. Weirdly familiar …
The moment Luce looks at Daniel she knows she
has never felt like this before. Except that she can’t
shake the feeling that she has. And with
him –
a boy she
doesn’t ever remember setting eyes on. Will her attempt
to find out why enlighten her – or destroy her?

“This thriller is dark and romantic, an absolute
blinder of a book. Every teenage girl (and her mum)
is going to want to read it.”
Sun

ISBN: 978 0 552 56173 0

A heroine who will steal your heart.
A house that will haunt you.
A love story that will leave you breathless
.

Sylvie
is broken.
Her father’s death broke her heart.
Her mother’s remarriage broke her spirit.
And a broken leg ended her career as a ballerina.

She’s lost so much … is she losing her mind as well?

Shawn
is the resident golden boy, the one everyone thinks
Sylvie should be with, the obvious choice.

Rhys
is handsome and mysterious and has a hold on Sylvie
that she doesn’t quite understand.

ISBN: 978 0 552 56135 8