Artemis was the goddess of the hunt; a protector. It fits my sister perfectly. Athena was the goddess of wisdom and war. It’s never escaped my notice that everyone thought Nina fit me better than my real name.
Everyone except Leo.
“If we have twins someday,” Rhys says, “we’ll give them matching names.”
Cillian nods in agreement, then claps his hands together. “Little Sonny and Cher will be so adorable.”
“Jane and Austen,” Rhys says.
“Meryl and Streep,” Leo offers without looking back.
“That’s the one!” Rhys shouts.
“You can be their godfather.” Cillian beams. Artemis rolls her eyes so hard I can almost hear it. Cillian refocuses. “Right, then. Looking for vampire evidence. Perhaps one of them left a business card? Or a punch card. ‘Drain ten humans and the eleventh goes free’ or something.”
I appreciate his attempts at humor, but I can’t manage a smile. Does every Slayer feel like this when they start out? I know so much more than most new Slayers would. I can’t tell if that makes it better or worse.
Buffy’s first threat was in Los Angeles, pre-Sunnydale. An ancient, powerful vampire named Lothos was hunting her specifically. I’ve never thought how terrifying that must have been for her. A whole new life dropped onto her, complete with instant mortal peril. I’ve only thought about how her calling devastated me. How would I feel if my first days as a Slayer were spent being stalked by unspeakable evil?
At least I’m doing this on purpose. I’m helping, not being hunted. We might not know what, exactly, we’re heading into, but my dream showed only one vampire, and there are five of us. We can handle a vampire. Hell, we can probably scare her off.
I remember the snap of the hellhound’s neck and flinch. Just one vampire, I think to myself. Just one. They’re already dead. Killing them shouldn’t bother me.
I know it still will.
We enter a district where the charm of Dublin has been consumed by the cement monotony of industry. Leo stops the car in front of a block of buildings. The outsides are dingy, in the utterly soulless way of everything built in the eighties. What happened during that decade that caused architects to hate themselves and the rest of the world so very, very much?
“My sleuthing says we’re in the right place.” But Cillian looks as dubious as I feel. We all sit, unmoving, staring out at the twilight. There’s not a soul in sight. “Kind of . . . dead around here, innit? You could almost say it was undead.”
“No,” Rhys says. “You could not. We are done punning tonight.”
“Fine. But aren’t you a wee bit bothered?” Cillian gestures around. There are no lights. No people. Only a couple of cars parked, but they look like they haven’t been moved in months.
“It’s an industrial district,” Leo says. “Everyone is probably home for the night.”
“So how come we haven’t gotten out of the car yet?”
My finger is pressed against the lock button so hard it’s gone bloodless and white. I slowly release it. “Just assessing the situation.” I unlock the car, and the click sounds far louder and more ominous than it should have. That’s when I realize I have no weapons. What kind of Slayer goes into potential battle without weapons?
Oh, right. The dead kind. Or the dud kind. Probably both, in my case.
Artemis slings her bag over her shoulder, and it clinks. She remembered weapons. Of course she did. I open my mouth to ask for one, but her comment about me being a loaded weapon in a child’s hand comes roaring back. I’m proving her right already.
Leo pops the trunk and removes a duffel bag filled with supplies. He holds out a stake to me, catches my relieved expression, and grins. A pang I thought I had long since smothered catches me by surprise. Suddenly he’s the guy who passed me an extra cookie just because he knew it would make me happy. And back are those dimples I had hoped to never see again. The one on the left is deeper than the one on the right. I hate that I still notice that.
“I’m a Watcher,” he says. “It’s my job to prepare you. It’s your job to slay.”
Ah, right. He’s not thinking of me me. He’s thinking of Slayer me. And we’re all about to be disappointed, because I know I’m not prepared for this. Artemis has straight up told me as much, and soon Leo and Rhys will know it too. They probably