‘No. They’re not invincible. They can die. We got four of them already.’ He twisted to Ash and Vero: ‘Thanks to you guys.’
They stared at him blankly. ‘It wasn’t us. We weren’t even there.’
‘What?’
‘You told us to create a diversion, then get the hell out, so we did.’ Ash pulled a sorry face.
‘But Flic and I only killed one. Someone else took out the other two in the garden. I turned around and they were on fire.’ Cyrus cast around the room, looking for an explanation, but Ash and Vero were just shaking their heads at him, looking just as confused as he was.
Victor frowned. ‘What are you saying?’
‘They spontaneously combusted?’ Vero suggested.
Cyrus shook his head, ‘No. I saw one of you – I saw someone – fighting them …’ He paused, trying to recall what exactly he’d seen but he couldn’t seem to dredge the image from his memory.
Story of his life.
Chapter 45
Evie felt a little more together after showering and eating the food Flic had forced on her. She’d carefully removed the gauze covering the two puncture wounds on her neck. The stitched-up holes had scabbed over already, but there was a livid purple bruise running up her throat, yellowing at the edges, making it look as if someone had tried to strangle her. She had washed her hair and then left it down, to cover both the bruise and her ripped ear.
Flic had lent her some clothes – a sweater dress to be precise, which on Flic was probably just a sweater. As it was, it fell to mid-thigh on Evie and she kept having to hitch it down as she walked to stop it riding up over her underwear, which, silver lining, was no longer the paper kind.
A headache was threatening to break like a storm cloud over her but she’d refused the drugs Flic had offered, not wanting her instincts any more dulled than they were. The sugar and caffeine high from the coffee and the food was spinning her out enough as it was. When they hit the street she felt a rush of light-headedness, and almost ran smack into Flic’s back.
She heard Flic exclaim and her hand went straight for her weapon before she realised she was weaponless.
‘Issa!’ Flic shrieked.
Evie stepped out from behind Flic. Issa was standing there on the sidewalk, wearing a hooded sweater and panting hard, as if she’d just run several blocks.
‘Is he here? Am I in time?’ she gasped.
‘Jamieson’s upstairs,’ Flic said in an overly loud voice, squeezing Issa’s arm in a vicious-looking grip. ‘And no, you’re not in time, he’s got a fractured rib and a broken arm.’
Issa shook her head, barely even glancing in Evie’s direction. ‘Come on, we need to go!’ she shouted, and started pulling at Flic’s arm.
‘What? Why?’ Flic started to ask, but Issa was already striding ahead.
‘We need to get to Victor’s. Now!’ she shouted over her shoulder.
‘Why?’ Evie asked, the sluggishness in her veins swept away instantly.
Issa didn’t even glance at her. She spoke to Flic, ‘They’re in trouble.’
She didn’t have time to finish her sentence. Flic was already running towards a beaten-up Ford Cortina parked up the street.
‘Come on!’ she yelled at them both.
Evie threw open the passenger door and slid in beside Flic as she revved the engine and swerved out into oncoming traffic.
‘What did you see?’ Evie asked, leaning over the seat to look at Issa, who was still catching her breath in the back.
‘Mixen and Scorpio – attacking the house – he’s walking right into it.’
‘Who?’ Evie asked. Was she talking about Cyrus?
‘Are we going to make it?’ Flic demanded, cutting Evie off.
Issa’s eyes clouded over. ‘I don’t know. It’s happening too fast. Too many variables.’
Evie almost kicked the dash in frustration. What use were the damn Sybll? She turned to Flic instead. ‘We don’t have any weapons. I don’t have my blade.’
‘I’ve got mine,’ Flic answered, patting her side. ‘Try the glove compartment.’
Evie leant forward and opened it. A gun tumbled straight into her lap.
‘Who keeps a gun in their glove box?’ she asked, staring at Flic in amazement.
Flic shrugged, spinning the wheel and tearing around a corner. ‘Me. I got held up six months ago. By a human. Next time it happens I plan to blow their head off.’
Evie checked the chamber. ‘Eight rounds.’
Flic glanced at her. ‘Well, you’d better make them all count, then.’
Chapter 46
Vero felt them first. She spun away from Ash, her hand moving straight