likes me.’
April hadn’t even been aware it was bothering her until she had said it out loud.
Miss Holden smiled.
‘That, I can’t help you with. But from what I know about him, he doesn’t enter any relationship lightly. But I will add: he is a vampire, and vampires are not in control of themselves. You saw what that catnip can do to them.’
April knew Miss Holden was trying to warn her, telling her that Gabriel was only one step away from becoming like Marcus – that a vampire could turn on you at any moment. In fact, Gabriel had said the same thing. She knew she should be scared, but instead she simply felt a huge surge of relief. Her mind had latched onto one vital piece of information: Gabriel didn’t play the field and therefore he must be serious about her.
‘And this Fury thing, it’s starting to worry me. Last night …’
‘What? What happened last night?’
What did happen? What could she say? I went a bit mental? And then April realised Miss Holden would be angry if she thought she’d exposed her abilities to the Suckers.
‘Nothing, it’s just when I get angry, I don’t feel I can control it, it’s like I’ve … it’s like I’ve turned into my mother.’
Miss Holden gave a half-smile.
‘I can see why you might say that. But the truth is, you’re not in control of it right now, and especially not if you get emotional. It’s like anything, learning the piano or learning to drive: it takes practice to perfect.’
‘I wish I was just learning to drive. Then I could get away from all this.’
The older woman nodded sympathetically.
‘I wish I could tell you not to worry, that you can run away from it, but I can’t.’
‘Oh.’
‘There’s no point pretending, April, as much as we all might want to. We are surrounded by vampires and they’re on the move. They’ve killed at least three people in Highgate and they’ve tried to kill you – if they find out what you are, they’ll try again. Which is why it’s vital you learn to control your abilities.’
‘And how am I supposed to do that?’
‘Well, that’s where I come in. I can help you understand what’s happening to you and learn how to use it effectively, but that’s going to take time and that’s why we can’t allow the vampires to discover you’re a Fury.’
April felt a little bad, remembering how she’d reacted when Gabriel said the same thing.
‘And do you really think they’re everywhere? I thought maybe I was paranoid to think they were watching me.’
‘Not paranoid, no. Even if they don’t know you’re a Fury, the vampires will still be drawn to you. And anyway, you were there when Isabelle was killed, your father was murdered and you’ve been attacked by some sort of rogue vampire; it would be strange if they weren’t watching you already.’
April took a deep breath, struggling not to panic. Here was a woman who seemed to understand the vampires telling her that she was being followed, she was being watched – that the shadowy figures in the cemetery and the square the other night probably were vampires. When will it all end , she thought miserably, don’t I have enough to deal with already? Master some sort of ‘abilities’, hide them from the vampires, find and kill the Vampire Regent, save her dying boyfriend and avenge her father. Tears began to roll down her face.
‘Sorry, April. I wish I could give you more good news, but you have to understand that the stakes are about as high as they can get. If we don’t stop the vampires, if we don’t bring down Ravenwood, there’s a good chance our cosy world could turn into a living hell overnight – and I’m afraid it has fallen to you to fight back. But you’re not on your own. I’m here to help you. So are the rest of the Guardians – we will do our best to stop them together.’
‘What do you want to stop, and who are the Guardians? How many of you are there? What do you do?’
Miss Holden glanced at the clock.
‘I’m
April hadn’t even been aware it was bothering her until she had said it out loud.
Miss Holden smiled.
‘That, I can’t help you with. But from what I know about him, he doesn’t enter any relationship lightly. But I will add: he is a vampire, and vampires are not in control of themselves. You saw what that catnip can do to them.’
April knew Miss Holden was trying to warn her, telling her that Gabriel was only one step away from becoming like Marcus – that a vampire could turn on you at any moment. In fact, Gabriel had said the same thing. She knew she should be scared, but instead she simply felt a huge surge of relief. Her mind had latched onto one vital piece of information: Gabriel didn’t play the field and therefore he must be serious about her.
‘And this Fury thing, it’s starting to worry me. Last night …’
‘What? What happened last night?’
What did happen? What could she say? I went a bit mental? And then April realised Miss Holden would be angry if she thought she’d exposed her abilities to the Suckers.
‘Nothing, it’s just when I get angry, I don’t feel I can control it, it’s like I’ve … it’s like I’ve turned into my mother.’
Miss Holden gave a half-smile.
‘I can see why you might say that. But the truth is, you’re not in control of it right now, and especially not if you get emotional. It’s like anything, learning the piano or learning to drive: it takes practice to perfect.’
‘I wish I was just learning to drive. Then I could get away from all this.’
The older woman nodded sympathetically.
‘I wish I could tell you not to worry, that you can run away from it, but I can’t.’
‘Oh.’
‘There’s no point pretending, April, as much as we all might want to. We are surrounded by vampires and they’re on the move. They’ve killed at least three people in Highgate and they’ve tried to kill you – if they find out what you are, they’ll try again. Which is why it’s vital you learn to control your abilities.’
‘And how am I supposed to do that?’
‘Well, that’s where I come in. I can help you understand what’s happening to you and learn how to use it effectively, but that’s going to take time and that’s why we can’t allow the vampires to discover you’re a Fury.’
April felt a little bad, remembering how she’d reacted when Gabriel said the same thing.
‘And do you really think they’re everywhere? I thought maybe I was paranoid to think they were watching me.’
‘Not paranoid, no. Even if they don’t know you’re a Fury, the vampires will still be drawn to you. And anyway, you were there when Isabelle was killed, your father was murdered and you’ve been attacked by some sort of rogue vampire; it would be strange if they weren’t watching you already.’
April took a deep breath, struggling not to panic. Here was a woman who seemed to understand the vampires telling her that she was being followed, she was being watched – that the shadowy figures in the cemetery and the square the other night probably were vampires. When will it all end , she thought miserably, don’t I have enough to deal with already? Master some sort of ‘abilities’, hide them from the vampires, find and kill the Vampire Regent, save her dying boyfriend and avenge her father. Tears began to roll down her face.
‘Sorry, April. I wish I could give you more good news, but you have to understand that the stakes are about as high as they can get. If we don’t stop the vampires, if we don’t bring down Ravenwood, there’s a good chance our cosy world could turn into a living hell overnight – and I’m afraid it has fallen to you to fight back. But you’re not on your own. I’m here to help you. So are the rest of the Guardians – we will do our best to stop them together.’
‘What do you want to stop, and who are the Guardians? How many of you are there? What do you do?’
Miss Holden glanced at the clock.
‘I’m
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