Slayer (Slayer 1)

Now I find I want my friends to look at me the same. Cillian’s first instinct was to call me when a creature needed help. If he had seen this, he wouldn’t have. I’ve lost so much in the last couple of days. So much of who I thought I was, who I thought I was going to be. I want to hold on to what I can.

Cosmina finishes gathering what she can of the scattered bank notes. “You want to help those things, you’re on your own.”

“Excuse me?” Artemis says. “My sister saved your sorry ass, and you didn’t so much as turn around to help her. What kind of a Slayer are you?”

Cosmina whirls, her eyes narrowed sharper than my sword. “What kind of Slayer am I? I’m a living one, that’s what kind.”

“Well, today you’re alive because of us!”

The Slayer closes the distance to Artemis, leaning close to my sister’s face. Artemis doesn’t flinch. Cosmina pulls her long blue hair aside, revealing a mangled ear and scarring that goes down her neck.

“Werewolf?” I wonder if that’s where her animosity comes from.

“No, idiot. Another Slayer. So pardon me if I’m not interested in making friends. There’s a reason there was only supposed to be a Chosen One. We’re hunters. Killers. And we don’t work well in packs.” She pauses, studying me. “I know you. Dreams of a fire—purple flames—Mommy choosing to save someone else?” Cosmina smiles cruelly at the horror written on my face. “Dreams go both ways. I hope you get killed soon. I’m tired of reliving your fire.” She flips her hair back into place and stalks out.

The shock of the evening and everything that’s happened—everything I’ve done—catches up to me. I came here to help because I saw her, because I thought we had a connection. That she needed me. But she’s seen me too, and all she feels toward me is derision.

“You should have let her die,” Artemis says after a beat.

I blink. “What?”

“She wasn’t worth risking your life for. If you had waited a few minutes, Leo and I would have been here with weapons. We would have handled it. You can’t jump into fights.”

My heart starts pounding again and I struggle to stay calm. “Artemis, look at that pit. I did that. That was me.” However much it bothers me, it’s the truth. “I can handle myself.”

“No, you can’t! You would have been dead without the two of us here to help you.”

I open my mouth to argue, but then stop. There’s no point. I know she’s trying to take care of me, but she’s wrong. I shouldn’t have waited. I chose to wait upstairs and it made everything a hundred times worse. No matter how much of a jerk Cosmina is, I had to help. She didn’t ask me to rescue her, and she doesn’t have to thank me. Helping was the right thing to do. And I’m going to do the right thing again.

I jump over the side of the pit, ignoring Artemis’s shout. I can’t leave the werewolf I hurt. The arm is cut almost down to the bone, but the bleeding is slow. Maybe a werewolf thing?

“Athena.” Leo tosses me a first aid kit. I nod in gratitude, then patch up the werewolf’s arm as best I can. It won’t bleed to death, at least.

There’s a flash of movement on the upper floor. I tense for attack, instantly ready. But it’s Artemis. Walking away. My stomach sinks. We’re moving further and further from each other, and I don’t know how to stop it. I want my sister back. But maybe we’ve been playing roles for so long, we don’t know how to be sisters now that things have changed.

“Come on,” Leo says. “They’ll be okay until morning. We’ll leave the barriers here so they can climb up when they’re back to human form.”

I nod, numb. I’ll worry about Artemis later. As for the werewolves, this is all we can do. I briefly consider hauling them each up myself, but then we run the risk of them waking up. And what would I do with them once I got them up? Put them back in the cages? Then I’d have to stay until morning to let them out again. And we—

Oh no. No no no.

“Oh my gods.” I scramble up the makeshift ladders. “We’re dead. We’re so late.”

Leo laughs, the surprise of my statement getting past his concern. My breath catches as his whole face changes. His eyes crinkle up until they’re almost closed, his throat moves, his head tips back, and his mouth stretches wide in such a delighted expression I can’t help but smile back. Leo is the only bright thing in this terrible room.

“You fought a pit full of monsters and protected the innocent while you were at it. And the most scared I’ve seen you all night is when you realized you’re going to get in trouble with your mum. Athena Jamison-Smythe, you are a wonder.”

Leo thinks I did a good job. He didn’t criticize or question my choices, and he approved of what I was trying to do with the werewolves. He even helped by sedating them instead of killing them. He gets it. The smile still hasn’t left my own lips. I bite them, trying to get it off, but it won’t budge. Oh gods, Nina.

Not again.

• • •

Artemis checks the room for clues but comes up with nothing. Cillian and Rhys are outside without protection. Rhys can handle himself, but after what I’ve seen tonight, I’m more worried about the people than the monsters that might be out there with them. The werewolves will have to be okay until morning.

Relief washes over me to see Rhys and Cillian waiting at the car for us. Sarah had been safely transferred to the paramedics, who assured Cillian and Rhys she’d be fine. Artemis doesn’t say anything. I want her to acknowledge that I did a good thing. But she’s watching the night, tensed for attack.

Cillian eyes me in mute horror. My favorite marigold peacoat is splattered with gore. Shuddering, I tear it off and leave it on the sidewalk.