Night World : Daughters of Darkness Chapter 17

Well, she wasnt carnal knowledge kinds everything- tho she did defy the empowerment of the dark World, Ash said inhis most lazy, careless voice.Quinn said succinctly, How?It was late Monday afternoon and the lie was streaming through the western windows of the Burdockfarmhouse. Ash was wearing a brand-new shirt bought at the Briar Creek general store, a turtleneckwithlong sleeves that coered the almost-healedscars on his throat and arms. His jeans werebleached white,his hair was comb over the scabon the bear of his head, and he was playing the scene of his life.She knew active a rogue werewolf and didnt tell.anybody ab ejaculate in him.So she was a traitor. And what did you do?Ash shrugged. Staked her.Quinn laughed out loud. zero(prenominal) very, Ash said earnestly, looking intoQuinns face with what he knew were wide, guilelesseye-probably blue. See?Without taking his eyes from Quinns he whipped a pinkish-and-green country quilt off the carry on thecouch.Quinns eyebrows fl ew upward.He stared for a moment at Aunt Opal, who had been cleaned so that youd n invariably k instantaneously shed ever beenburied, and who had the picket stake carefully replaced in her chest.Quinn actu every(prenominal)y swallowed. It was the first clock time Ash had ever suffern him falter.You really did it, he said. There was reluctant respect in his voice-and definite shock.You know, Quinn, I dont opine youre quite as tough as you pretend. After all, no matter how you try toact interchangeable an Elder, youre nevertheless eighteen. And youll eternally be eighteen, and next year maybe Ill be older.Well, Quinn said, blinking rapidly. Well. Well___ I cave in to hand it to you.Yeah, I just decided the best thing to do was cleanup the building block situation. She was swallowting on,you know.Quinns dark eyes widened fractionally. I confirm toadmit -I didnt think you were that ruthless.Youve gotta do what youve gotta do. For the family honor, of course.Quinn cleared his throat. So-what just about thewerewolf?Oh, I took care of that, too. Ash meandered over and whipped a brown-and-white quilt offExhibit B. The wolf was a charred and contorted corpse. It had given Mary-Lynnette hysterics when Ashinsisted on pulling it out of the car, and Quinns nostrils quivered when he looked at it.Sorry, it does smell like burnt hair, doesnt it? Igot a little resiny myself, keeping him in the fire.You burned himalive?Well, it is bingle of the traditional methods.Just put the blanket digest, all right? Ash put theblanket back.So, you see, everythings taken care of. No humans involved, no extermination necessary.Yes, all right Quinns eyes were still on the quilt. Ash decided the moment was right.And by the way, it turns out the girls had aperfectly legitimate reason for coming. They justwanted to learn to hunt. Nothing illegal about that,is on that point?What? Oh. No. Quinn glanced at Aunt Opal, then finally looked back at Ash. So theyrecoming back now that the yve learned it.Well, eventually. They havent quite learned it yet so theyre staying.Theyrestaying?..Right. Look, Im the head of the familyon the West Coast, arent I? And I verify theyrestaying.Ash. Its about time on that point was a Night World outpost in this area, dont you think? You see whats happenedwithout one. You get families of outlaw werewolves wandering around. Somebodys got to stay here andhold deal the fort.Ash you couldnt payNight populate to strand themselves out here. Nothing but animals to feedon, nobody but humans to associate with Yeah, its a dirty job, but close toones got to do it.Be billets, wasnt it you who said its not goodliving your whole life unaffectionate on an island?Quinn stared at him, then said, Well, I dont thinkthis is much better.Then it serves my sisters right. Maybe in a a few(prenominal) years theyll appreciate the island more. Thentheycan hand the job over to someone else.Ash no one else is going to comehere.Well. With the battle won, and Quinn simplylooking dazed and as if he wanted to get back toLosAngeles as disruptive as possible, Ash allowed himself asmall mea sure of truth.I might come visit them someday, he said. He did a beautiful job, rowan said that evening.We heard it all from the kitchen. You would have loved it.Mary-Lynnette smiled.Quinn cant take care to get away, chew said, intertwining her fingers with specialises.Kestrel said to Ash, Id just like to be around when you excuse all this to Dad.Thats funny, Ash said. I feel just the opposite. Everyone laughed-except Mary-Lynnette. Thebig farm kitchen was warm and bright, but the windowswere darkening. She couldnt see anything in thegathering duskiness-in the last two days the effects of her blood exchange had faded. Her senses wereordinary human senses again.Youre sure you wont get in trouble? sheasked Ash.No. Ill tell our dad the truth-mostly. That anoutlaw werewolf killed Aunt Opal and that I killedthe werewolf. And that the girls are better o ff here,hunting quietly and watching out for other rogues.Theres sure to be some record of the Lovett fam ily. Dad can check out the history all he wants.A whole family of outlaw werewolves, Kestrel said musingly.Ofcrazy werewolves, Ash said. They were as dangerous to the Night World as any vampirehunters could be. God knows how long theyve beenhere-long enough for their land to get named MadDog Creek.And for people to erroneous belief them for Sasquatch, Mark said.Rowans brown eyes were troubled. And it wasmy fault that you didnt know, she said toMaryLynnette. I told you-he couldnt be the killer. Im sorry.Mary-Lynnette captured her gaze and held it. Rowan, you arenotgoing to feel censurable for this. Youcouldnt have realized. He wasnt killing for food like a normal werewolf. He was killing to nourish histerritory-and to scare us.And it might have worked, Mark said. Exceptthat you guys didnt have anywhere else to go.Ash looked at Mark, then at his sisters. I have a question. Is t he territory around here going to beenough foryou?Of course, Rowan said, with gentle surprise.We dont always extremity tokill the animals, Jade said. Were getting it down pat now. We cantake a little here and a little there. Heck, we can even trythe goat. Id rather try Tiggy, Kestrel said, and for a moment her golden eyes glimmered. Mary-Lynnette didnt differentiate it, but she wondered sometimes about Kestrel. If maybe, someday, Kestrel might need a biggerterritory of her own. She was a lot like Jeremy in some ways.Beautiful, ruthless, single-minded. A authoritative Night Person.And what about you? Ash said, looking at mark.Me? Uh Well, when you get down to it, Im kind of a beefburger guy.I tried to take him hunting last night, Jade interpreted. You know, just to show him. exactly he threw up.I didnt actually-Yes, you did, Jade said calmly and cheerfully.Mark looked away. Mary-Lynnette keyd they didnt stop holding hands.So I take it youre not going to become a vampire, Ash said to Mark.Uh, lets just say not any time soon.Ash turned to Mary-Lynnette. And what about the human end of things? Do we have that taken care of?Well, I know everything thats going on intown-by which I mean that I talked with BunnyMartenthis morning. Im so glad shes not a vampire, incidentallyMark said, I always knew itAnyway, heres the quick version. MaryLynnette held up a finger. One, everybody knowsthat Jeremyis gone-his boss at the gas station commanded him yesterday and went up to check the trailer. They found a lotof uncanny stuff there. tho all they know is that hes disappeared.Good, Rowan said.Mary-Lynnette held up another finger. Two,Dad is sorry but not surprised that the stationwagon blewup. Claudine has been predicting itwould for a year.Another finger. Three, Mr. Kimble doesnt have any ideawhatkilled his horse-but now he thinks it wasan animal instead of a person. Vic Kimble thinks it was maybe Sasquatch. He and Todd are veryspooked and want to get out of Briar Creek f orgoodAnd lets have a moment of silence to show howwell miss them, Mark said solemnly, and blew a raspberry.Four, Mary-Lynnette said, holding up a fourthfinger, you girls are eventually going to have tomention that your aunt hasnt come back from her vacation. just I thinkyou can wait awhile. Nobodycomes out here so nobody will notice shes gone. And I think we can bury her and Jeremy safely. Even ifsomebody finds them, what have they got? A mummy that looks about a thousand years old and a wolf.They wont be able to connect them to the missing people. shortsighted old Aunt Opal, Jade said, still cheerful.But she helped us in the end, didnt she?Mary-Lynnette looked at her. Yes, there it is, shethought. The bullion in the eyes when you laugh aboutdeath. Jade is a true Night Person, too.She did help. And Im going to miss her, she said out loud.Kestrel said, So everything is taken care of.Seems like it. Ash hesitated. And Quinn is waiting down the road. I_ told him it would onlytakea co uple hours to finish making arrangements and say goodbye.There was a silence.Ill see you off, Mary-Lynnette said at last.They went together to the front door. When theywere outside in the twilight Ash shut the door be hinder(prenominal)them.You still can come with me, you know.With you and Quinn?Ill send him away. Or Ill go and come back tomorrow and get you. Or Ill come back and stay.You need to go tell your father about this. engage everything right with him, so its safe for yoursisters. You knowthat.Well, Ill come back afterthat,Ash said, with an edge of desperation to his voice.Mary-Lynnette looked away. The sun was gone. spirit east, the sky was al desexualize the darkest purpleimaginable. Almost black. Even as she watched, a starcame out. Or-not a star. Jupiter.Im not ready yet. I wish I were.No, you dont, Ash said, and he was right, of course. Shed known ever since she sat there bytheroad, crying while her car burned. And althoughshed thought and thought about it since the n, sitting inher darkened room, there was nothing she coulddo to change her own mind.She would never be a vampire. She just wasnt cutout for it. She couldnt do the things vampires hadtodo-and stay sane. She wasnt like Jade or Kestrelor even Rowan with her pale sinewy feet and herinstinctive love of the hunt. Shed looked into the heart of the Night World . . .and she couldnt join it.I dont want you to be like that, Ash said. Iwant you to be likeyou. Without looking at him, Mary-Lynnette said, Butwere not kids. We cant be like Jade and Mark, andjust hold hands and giggle and never think about the future.No, were only soulmates, thats all. Were onlydestined to be together forever.If weve got forever, then you can give me time, Mary-Lynnette said. Go back and wander alittle. Take a look at the Night World and sacrifice sure youwant to give it up I know that already.Take a look at humans and make sure you wantto be tied to one of them.And think about the things Ive done to humans, maybe ?Mary-Lynnette looked at him directly. Yes.He looked away. All right. I admit it. Ive got a lot to make up for.Mary-Lynnette knew it. Hed thought of humansas vermin-and food. The things shed seen in hismind do her not want to picture more.Then make up for what you can, she said, although she didnt dare really hope that he would.Take time to do that. And giveme time to finish growing up. Im still in high school, Ash.Youll be out in a year. Ill come back then.It may be too soon.I know. Ill come back anyway. He smiled ironically. And in the meantime Ill fight dragons,just like any knight for his lady. Ill see myself. Youll be proud of me.Mary-Lynnettes throat hurt. Ashs smile disappeared. They just stood looking at each other.It was the obvious time for a kiss. Instead, they just stood staring like hurt kids, and then one ofthemmoved and they were holding on to each other. Mary-Lynnette held on tighter and tighter, her faceburied in Ashs shoulder. Ash, who seemed to have lost it altog ether, was raining kisses on the back ofher neck, saying, I wish I were a human. I wishI were.No, you dont, Mary-Lynnette said, seriously unsteady because of the kisses.I do. I do.But it wouldnt help, and Mary-Lynnette knew he knew it. The problem wasnt simply what he was, itwas what hed done-and what he was going to do. Hed seen too much of the dark side of life to be anormal person. His nature was already formed, and she wasnt sure he could fight it. accept in me, he said, as if he could hear her.Mary-Lynnette couldnt say yes or no. So she did the only thing she could do-she lifted her head. Hislipswere in the right place to meet hers. The electric sparks werent painful anymore, she discovered? and thepink haze could be quite wonderful. For a time everything was warm and sweet and strangelypeaceful.And then, behind them, somebody knocked on thedoor. Mary-Lynnette and Ash jumped andseparated.They looked at each other, startled, emotions still tooraw, and then Mary-Lynnette realized where she was. She laughed and so did Ash.Come out, they said simultaneously.Mark and Jade came out. Rowan and Kestrel werebehind them. They all stood on the porch-avoidingthe hole. They all smiled at Ash and Mary-Lynnette in a way that made Mary-Lynnette blush.Goodbye, she said firmly to Ash.He looked at her for a long moment, then looked at the road behind him. Then he turned to go.Mary-Lynnette watched him, blinking away tears.She still couldnt let herself cerebrate in him. But therewas no harm in hoping, was there? In wishing. Evenif wishes almost never came true.Jade gasped. LookThey all saw it, and Mary-Lynnette felt her heartjump violently. A bolt of light was streaking acrossthedarkness in the northeast. Not a little wimpyshooting star-a brilliant green meteor that crossedhalf thesky, showering sparks. It was right above Ashs path, as if lighting his way.A late Perseid. The last of the summer meteors. But it seemed like a blessing.Quick, quick, wish, Mark was telling Jade e agerly. A wish on that star you gotta get.Mary-Lynnette glanced at his excited face, at theway his eyes shone with excitement. Beside him, Jadewas clapping, her own eyes wide with delight.Im so glad youre happy, Mary-Lynnette thought. My wish for you came true. So now maybe I can wish for myself.I wish I wish Ash turned around and smiled at her. See you next year, he said. With slain dragonsHe started down the weed-strewn path to the road. For a moment, in the belatedly violet twilight, he didlookto Mary-Lynnette like a knight walking off ona quest. A knight-errant with shining flaxen hair and noweapons, going off into a very dark and dangerous wilderness. Then he turned around and walkedbackward, waving, which ruined the effect.Everyone shouted goodbyes.Mary-Lynnette could feel them around her, her brother and her three blood-sisters, all give out warmthand support. Playful Jade. Fierce Kestrel. Wise and gentle Rowan. And Mark, who wasnt sullen andsolitary anymore. Tiggy wound himselfaround her ankles, purring amiably.Even when were apart, well be looking at the same sky Ash yelled.What a line, Mary-Lynnette called back. But hewas right. The sky would be there for both ofthem.Shed alwaysknow hewas out there somewhere,looking up at it in wonder. Just knowing that wasimportant. And she was clear on who she was at last. Shewas Mary-Lynnette, and someday shed discover asupernova or a comet or a black hole, but shed doit as a human. And Ash would come back next year.And she would always love the night.The End