Siren's Mark

Chapter 49

ℤ𝕒𝕟𝕖

"Alright then," I say, turning to Ava. "You guys wanna head to dinner then?"

I do my best to keep a calm demeanor and expression, even as I feel my blood pressure rise. It's one thing to bring Ava into a situation with one might-be-rogue demon, it's another entirely to bring her into a bar full of demons.

Ava's eyes are wide and questioning, but she nods silently.

"Well, then, mate," Finn says with a surprisingly convincing air of calm. "I guess this is where we leave you, Kieran. Enjoy the rest of your night!"

Kieran says his goodbyes and I loop an arm around Ava, guiding her out.

"That phone thing is still on, right?" I ask.

"Yep," she says.

"Good."

If we have to be surrounded by demons, then I'm glad I at least have a way of keeping track of Ava in case we're separated. Just the thought of someone taking her anywhere away from me makes me sick.

We get to my car and I invite Finn to follow us to our place.

"Oh my god," Ava says after a few minutes of driving in silence. "Why were there so many demons at Pike's? Are they always there?"

"I have no idea," I say. "It's not always easy to tell if someone's Immortal, demon, or human. There are some tricks, some are better than others at detecting things like that, but Finn's gifts are the only ones that could hone in on that sort of thing so easily."

"So is it safe to say one of our new demon friends is behind these mysterious killings?" Finn's voice asks in my head.

"Okay, that's really freaky," Ava says. "You're driving another car for Christ sakes!"

Based on her reaction I take it he's talking to the both of us telepathically.

"Yeah," I say. "I think that's a safe assumption. Though I have no idea what kind of demons they are. But if there were that many, odds are at least one is an Incubus or Succubus."

"There are other kinds?" Ava asks.

"Oh sure... Ale, Shayatin, the Furies..."

Ava's eyes widen and her heart rate quickens.

Finn, God damn it, stop scaring her.

"Demons aren't all bad," Finn says. "It's just... that many in one room without any logic or reason... it's not a good sign."

"Can't be too careful," I add.

"Yeah..." she says softly.

****

Twenty minutes later we reach the penthouse and we bring Finn up in the elevator.

"Well, that was interesting," he says as we head inside the apartment. "Got to admit, that's not how I saw this expedition panning out. We come in with Kieran being our only lead, Ava gets an answer from Kieran out of the gate, and we find ourselves up to our feckin' eyeballs in demons. I don't know about you lot but I've got more questions now than when we started."

"Same," I say, tugging at my hair. "I don't know what to make of it. What the hell are so many demons doing in Port Charlotte?"

"I'm pretty sure they didn't come for the quality theater," Finn jokes.

I look to Ava, who has been suspiciously quiet for the last ten minutes or so.

"Are you alright, love?" I ask. Normally I would try to ask privately, but we all know there's no privacy when it comes to Finn.