“I make no claims to greatness. Like you, I am just an average man, but I refuse to allow the devil to win. I refuse to allow him to take away my right as a human being to a life free of constant threat. So, what I ask of you is this. If you are with me, take a piece of white chalk and draw a circle on your front door. The houses with circles will show where humans are living. If there is no circle, we will know there are vampires within. I have it on good authority that they all sleep during the day, so they will be unaware of this broadcast. They will not know why there are circles on your doors.
“At first light tomorrow morning when the vampires are asleep, I ask that you all gather on Campion Row with whatever incendiary devices you can find. Together, we will set the vampires alight, and they will burn in their dark slumbers. Please, do not be afraid to leave your homes. In just one day’s time, we will all be able to live safely again. Stand with me. Believe in this, my people, believe.”
As the last word left his mouth, the broadcast immediately cut off, and the channel went back to normal.
“Well,” Gabriel said, his eyes wide in shock. “That was …”
“Quite ingenious,” I finished. “If I didn’t know he was such a psychopath, I might actually be impressed.”
“He intends to murder my people while they sleep in their beds,” Cristescu said, his face etched in fury. “I won’t stand by and let it happen.”
8.
Tegan
Once Theodore’s broadcast shut off, it was like everyone started talking at once, and I couldn’t think straight. I put my hands over my ears to try and block them out, so I could think of a plan.
Theodore wanted the humans to set fire to the homes of vampires, but surely he must know that burning didn’t kill a vampire. They either needed to be staked or decapitated. So, if he was aware of this, then why on earth had he set this mad plan into action? The words he used and the tone of voice he employed were very cleverly thought out. He wanted to incite a mob even as he came across as a humble, concerned citizen.
He even referred to himself as an average man. What a joke.
“Vampires can’t be killed by burning,” I said, but no one heard me over the din of voices.
“I said,” I repeated, shouting now. “Vampires can’t be killed by burning, so why is he getting the humans to burn them?”
Everybody’s attention fell on me.
“Perhaps he doesn’t mean to kill the vampires,” Delilah suggested. “Perhaps he simply means to frighten them enough so that they’ll leave. They’re all vulnerable during the day, and Theodore wants to play on that vulnerability. Show them that even though they might be stronger than humans at night, they are far weaker when the sun is up.”
“No, I don’t think that’s it,” Ethan said. “We might not die from the fire, but it will certainly cause us severe pain. I think that’s what Theodore wants. He wants to make us angry so that we’ll attack the humans once night falls. He wants chaos again, only I’m not sure why.”
“You’re going to have to get the word out to your people about the chalk circles,” Gabriel said. “Get them to put them on their doors, too. If every door has a white circle, it’ll cause confusion, and the humans won’t know which houses to burn.”
“I have every intention of informing them,” Ethan replied evenly. “But what then? If the humans cannot find anything to burn, then they’ll know we’re onto them. They’ll have a lot of pent-up energy with nowhere to put it.”
“That’s Theodore’s problem,” Delilah interjected. “Let him deal with them. All we need to do is ensure that the vampires know what’s happening and that they don’t under any circumstances try to lash out against the humans.”
After another half hour of discussing things back and forth, we finally decided that inaction was the best action to take. Well, for the most part. Theodore was looking to stir up trouble because a city in turmoil was easier to take over than a city under control. Ethan would spread the word among the vampires about the chalk circles, and Finn was going to go along to Campion Row tomorrow morning to suss out what exactly Theodore was up to.
I didn’t mention it to Ethan, but I planned on going, too. If Theodore was there, then it was likely that Rita would be as well. I had no idea what I’d do once I saw her. All I knew was I had to try something. The longer she stayed with her madman of a father, the more lost she was to us.
I said my goodbyes to my friends and drove back with Ethan and Rebecca to his place. After the crash Emilia caused, Ethan had replaced his car with an SUV almost identical to the previous one. As he drove, he also typed out messages on his phone, and it astounded me how he could focus perfectly on both activities.
“What are you doing?” I asked, eyeing his phone. He typed so rapidly that I couldn’t make out the words. His thumb made speedy, barely perceptible movements over the touch screen.
“I’m organising a little gathering of my own,” he replied, slipping the phone into his pocket and putting his hand on my knee. His fingers brushed back and forth, causing tingles to shoot between my thighs. Yeah, I wasn’t letting him distract me.
I gave him a steely look. “Elaborate.”
“I have to ensure that my people know about Theodore’s plan. The only way to do that is to gather them in one place and make an announcement.”
“And what place would that be?”
“They call it the Market Below. It’s an underground trading area for vampires and one of the few places I know Theodore will never step foot. Magical folks dislike it underground. I think it plays havoc with their powers somehow.”
Hmm, that was food for thought. “There’s an underground vampire market in Tribane?”
“There is. Would you like to see it?”
“Hell yeah.”
“Can I come, too?” Rebecca asked from the back seat.
Ethan turned his head to look at her briefly and reached out to ruffle her hair affectionately. “I’m afraid not, my sweet. It’s not a place for little girls.”
“You can stay with my friend Amanda while we’re gone. You’ll like her. She’s very nice.”
Rebecca’s eyes immediately lit up at the prospect of meeting someone new, instantly forgetting all thoughts concerning the vampire market.
“By the way,” Ethan said, eyes flicking momentarily to mine. “I noted something interesting about Alora, the half-elf.”
“Oh?” I replied, intrigued.
“She smells very similar to your young friend, Florence.”
My eyebrows shot up. “She does? Do you think Florence has elf blood, too?” I asked with interest.
“It’s possible. Her talent for reading emotions is certainly the type of ability found in elves. They’re a very old race, and very rare nowadays. It could be that she’s the distant relation of an elf who passed the empath gene down to her.”
“If we ever get rid of the barrier around the city I’ll contact her and let her know your theory,” I said, hoping Florence was still doing okay with her new boyfriend.
Later that evening, I left Rebecca in Amanda’s care while I headed out with Ethan and Lucas. I took Ethan’s hand into mine, and in a bold move, I wrapped my other arm around his neck and pulled him down to me for a kiss. What I had initially meant to be a quick peck turned into a full-blown snog as he slipped his tongue into my mouth.