“It’s fine. We know who she is. What else can you see?”
“She stabs her with a knife. In the stomach. In a room with tile floors. White. Can we be done now?”
“Tell me about her arms.”
“Her arms?” Her arms are normal arms. Jesus.
“Are they covered?”
I wanted to wrap the Death Flames around Violet’s neck. Instead, I figured the best shot at never hearing those words again was to just answer her. Mistress Pain wasn’t going to get over herself any faster than the killer was letting Cat Girl off the floor.
“No. I mean, she’s wearing a shirt but it’s short sleeved.”
“Any markings?”
Markings? What the hell? Still, I focused hard on the woman’s arms. On her left, a few drops of blood stained her forearm. Other than that, there was nothing I could think to report to Violet or her shifty and apparently doomed friend. Moving to her right, I spotted what Violet was after.
“Yep. Moon tattoo. Shape of a crescent.”
“Thank you. We are done,” Violet said. “Ethel. Don’t worry about this. I have a plan. Death Flames, release.”
And with that, the Death Flame leash came off.
I lurched forward, almost landing on Ethel – back in cat form. It felt like a shove at first but must have been the sheer change in gravity as the invisible suspension rod that had bound us released.
“Can I leave?”
“Do you want to?”
I moved toward the door. Why on earth Violet would think I had any intentions of hanging out longer than I needed to with her and her freakish friend was beyond me. It wasn’t like I’d sent mixed messages. Club play or not, we weren’t exactly compatible. I needed to get back to Ray’s. Fuck, the guy had just survived an ordeal of his own and there was no way in hell probation wasn’t looking for me.
I knew what she was asking. I could hear it in the way she asked the question. It was as if she was asking me if the relationship that had never really started between us meant anything to me at all. She would not like my answer. And, so, out of common decency, I figured the best I could do was what Granddad always said – say nothing at all. I pulled the door open and walked straight out of that hotel, finally free.
FIVE HOURS LATER
“You just let her go?”
“Dude, she was a freak. Trust me.”
I scanned Ray’s place. It was hard to believe what I saw. He’d cleaned it up alright.
“How many dumpsters did this take?”
Ray smiled. “I told her I would clean it up.”
I felt sorry for the guy. Even if he had a shot at Mistress Pain, he had no clue what kind of nut she was. Between her and Cat Girl, there was no way Ray would ever keep up. For his sake, I hoped he’d keep the place clean and forget about the chick he believed to be some sort of hero. Violet or not, Ray’s death was the same. It told me she wasn’t that good at changing anyone’s destiny - weirdo.
“Did probation come by?”
Ray shook his head. “Nope.”
“Strange.”
“Yep.”
“What day is this?”
“Tuesday.”
I counted the days back, trying to figure out if what he was saying was right. Somewhere, I’d lost forty-eight hours. Still, it was better than the week it had felt like and if probation really wasn’t on my ass I guessed I could write the whole Death Flame experience off to a bad few days with an idiot. It could have been worse for sure. Hell, I’d done crazier things for Jenn.
I hated that I kept comparing Violet to her. I hated more that I hadn’t thought to look again. Now, with control over the curse, I should have seen Violet’s death. I wasn’t sure why it mattered other than she was the first whose final fate I could not see. And for a reason I did not understand, that was the thing that bothered me. Nope. Don’t think about it. No women. Besides, she’s a freak. Job. Apartment. New life. New dreams. Turn off the curse for good. Death? No longer a thing. ...Blank slate waiting for me.
Chapter Ten
Violet
“You don’t have to be the Stag.” Ethel, in her human form, hasn’t dropped this subject. She has tried to change my mind the entire way to Central Park.
“Nobody got pregnant this go around. That leaves only the two of us to try. You can’t try, so that leaves me. Besides, between your spell of infertility and Arun, there is no way I can get pregnant this hunt.”
I felt her stare on me, but ignored her while walking. She wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “Why’d you let James go so easily?”
I shook her arm off my shoulder. I had too much on my mind to have this conversation right now, like get through this hunt with Arun. I could do this. “He had no business being a part of the hunt. You know this.”
“Well, slap yo’ grandma. You have feelings for him.” I smiled and stopped walking. She actually got the saying right.
As soon as the smile popped on my face, I frowned thinking about the implications of her words. There was no way I could have feelings for him. “No, I don’t, and shut up. We don’t have time for this. You can’t die, so keep your head in the game. Got it?”
She grabbed my hand and pulled me towards Central Park. “Got it.”
I LOVED HOW THE DRESS flowed around my legs, but I hated how tight the white corset was around my ribs. I was given freedom to run and hide, yet allowed no flexibility in the lungs to breathe.
“A lot of creatures answered the call of the Sealg Fiadhaich.” I said goodbye to my breath as Ethel tightened the last leather string of the corset.
“Yeah,” I managed to get out as I acclimated myself to the corset. Father was here, talking to Arun. Arun never once stopped staring at me. There weren’t too many other members of the coven I recognized. I felt the powers radiating off the many men in attendance, men who were strangers to me. Arun better hold up his end of the deal.
“What the fuck is this?” I turned around, and sure enough, James stood behind me.
“You answered the call.” I was shocked he was here on his own free will.
He looked me up and down. “No, Honey. I was leaving the city and Central Park cuts straight through the direction I was heading.”
“Oh.” I turned back around and walked toward the entrance of the maze.
“Now that you are...” I heard Ethel talk to James, but I couldn’t hear exactly what she was saying. As it was, any moment wasted killed my head start.
To any human at the park, every single one of us looked as if we were just gathered around talking. But I knew a portal was created. I could feel the pull in between the bushes. I took a deep breath and stepped into the maze.
I ran as soon as I entered the portal. I had two choices in the hunt. The first, and what has never happened in the history of all the Sealg Fiadhaich, was to find the trophy at the center of the maze. If I found the trophy, I won and every creature could leave the maze. The second, and most likely route for me, was to get caught. If they caught me, then they win and have their choice in mates until the next Winter Solstice. I rigged this hunt for Arun. I put a scent on me so Arun could identify and find me easily. The minute we finished the mating ritual, the minute we left the hunt.