“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.
“Hey,” I finally managed to say when I came up for air.