Sleeping Angel (Ravenwood Series) (31 page)

‘To the King, April. The King did this to me. And I know who he is.’

‘Who? Who is he?’

Gabriel just shook his head sadly, stepping away from her.

‘Please, Gabriel!’ shouted April, feeling almost hysterical. Gabriel was walking straight into the jaws of the lion and she couldn’t stop him. ‘Tell me, let me help!’

‘Not this time, Fury,’ he smiled, retreating from her up the path. ‘This I have to do on my own.’

‘Why?’ she cried.

‘You must trust me. Just one more time?’

He pressed two fingers to his lips and kissed them, throwing the kiss to her as he turned and began to run.

‘Gabriel! Please!’ she shouted, sprinting after him, her feet pounding up the path, watching in despair as the man she loved moved further and further away.

By the time she had reached the gate, he was out of sight.

April burst through the front door.

‘Davina!’ she shouted , ‘Are you here?’

She heard a noise in the kitchen and rushed through. Davina was slumped at the breakfast bar, her head on the counter, an empty glass by her ear.

‘Wake up!’ snapped April, shaking her shoulder. ‘I need to speak to you.’

‘Wurr?’ said Davina, raising her head and opening one eye. ‘Why are you making all that noise?’ She clutched her forehead. ‘What time is it?’

‘Here,’ said April, grabbing a bottle from the counter and pouring wine into Davina’s glass. ‘Drink up. We need to talk, right now.’

Davina tipped back her head and emptied the glass, then set it down for April to refill.

‘All right,’ she said, ‘Now, what’s so important you have to interrupt a dream about Bear Grylls and a waterbed?’

April pulled up the stool next to Davina. ‘I need you to tell me who the King is,’ she said.

Davina began a laugh, which turned into a cough as the wine caught in her throat. ‘What makes you think I know?’ she said. ‘I’m out of the gang, remember?’

‘I’ve just seen Gabriel and he says he knows.’

Davina looked up, her eyes suddenly focused and sharp. ‘What did he say?’

‘Nothing, as usual. He wouldn’t give me a name, wouldn’t tell me where he was going either.’

Davina nodded. ‘I’m not surprised,’ said Davina distractedly, as if she was thinking of something else.

‘What’s that mean?’ said April, putting her hands on the counter and leaning towards her. ‘Tell me! Who is the King? Where has Gabriel gone?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Please Davina,’ said April, softening her tone. ‘I’m terrified Gabe’s gone off on one of his mad hero missions, trying to take on the King single-handedly.’

‘Yes, that sounds like Gabriel,’ said Davina bitterly. ‘Always thought he was something special.’

‘Dammit, Davina!’ shouted April, slamming her hand down on the table. ‘I’m sick of all these bloody riddles – just tell me what you know.’

‘You don’t want to know,’ said Davina, lifting her glass. ‘Believe me, you
don’t
.’

April backhanded Davina’s glass across the kitchen, shattering it against the fridge.

‘YES!’ she yelled. ‘Yes, I
do
. Now are you going to tell me or do I have to drag it out of you?’

             
Davina looked at April, her smile changing to something more unpleasant. ‘Gabriel’s a killer, April.’

‘I know that.’

‘No, you don’t,’ said Davina. ‘Because you don’t want to believe it. You want him to be your version of a vampire, some neutered, scrubbed-clean version who never gets his hands dirty. But look at the facts: your precious lover-boy has been drinking human blood for a hundred years. Do you seriously believe he’s never killed anyone in that time?’

April began to protest, but the words stuck in her throat.
Did
she really believe it? After all those dreams, all those visions of the past plaguing Gabriel? What if he really had been stalking those women? What then? Could she really live with that, could she look at him the same way?

‘He made a promise ...’ said April and Davina laughed.

‘That promise he made to Lily, his poor, dead, pox-ridden girlfriend? How he’d never, ever take another life? You really bought that crap? Jesus, think about it. Put yourself in Gabriel’s size twelves. He’s become a vampire for the sake of his one true love, but his master refuses to save her, so Gabriel’s forced to watch Lily die. How do you think he would react? Do you really think he shrugged his shoulders, then went into hiding for fifty years?
Rubbish,
April. He went on a killing spree and he didn’t stop until he was knee-deep in bodies.’

April tried to take a breath, but found she couldn’t. Davina was vicious and spiteful, but her logic was persuasive. Would he really have taken it lying down? No, he would have wanted revenge – bloody, violent revenge.
Had
he killed before? More importantly, once he had, did he ever stop? April turned to Davina, looking straight into her eyes.  ‘Did Gabriel kill Isabelle?’

She tried to remember all the things Gabriel had said about that night, what he said he had seen, how he had struggled to protect Isabelle from a powerful vampire seized with a terrible blood-lust. Could he have been talking about himself?

‘No,’ said Davina finally.

‘But how do you know for sure? How do you know Gabriel didn’t kill Isabelle?’

‘Because
I
killed her.’

April’s eyes opened wide. ‘What? No! How could you?’

‘How could I?’ snapped Davina. ‘I was doing the world a favour! It was like putting down a rabid dog. Do you know what she was? A
Fury
.’ Her voice dripped with disgust, as if she was describing a revolting breed of snake. ‘She was diseased. You heard what happened to Milo? His skin rotted off the bone and he bled from his eyes. That was who Isabelle Davis was and she
had
to be destroyed.’

April’s heart was in her mouth now, her head pounding. How could she have allowed Davina to suck her in, make her believe that she was half-human, that she was capable of pain and remorse? All vampires were the same, nothing more than killing machines. She realised just as suddenly how much danger Gabriel was in. He had gone to take on the most powerful, most ruthless of all the vampires stalking the city. April’s eyes searched Davina’s. ‘Who else have you killed, Davina? How many?’

The girl’s face twisted with spite. ‘You mean did I kill your father? I wouldn’t have dirtied my hands.’

April’s fingers were around Davina’s throat before she knew what she was doing. She squeezed as hard as she could, seized by a terrible desire to kill this girl – this disgusting creature from the darkest pit. She wasn’t human, she was unnatural – she didn’t deserve to live. Everything in April’s vision reduced to a single point, where her thumbs were pressing on Davina’s windpipe – all the rest was a red haze. Then she felt herself yanked backwards. Losing her footing, she crashed into the fridge and she felt hands grabbing her, holding her in place.

‘April, stop!’

She could hear the voice, but she couldn’t recognise it. She struggled to get back to Davina, every nerve and sinew desperate to hurt her, to sink her nails into the girl’s eyes.

‘April, it’s Caro,’ said the voice, frightened but firm. ‘Look at me.’

Finally, April tore her gaze away from the vampire across the room and looked at her friend. Caro’s face was white, her brow furrowed with concern.

‘That’s it, now take a deep breath. Good. Here, sit down,’ she said, scooping up the stool April had knocked over.

Davina was still squashed up against the kitchen counter where April had pushed her. For a moment, April thought she was choking, but she was laughing.

‘Damn girl,’ said Davina, rubbing her throat. ‘That’s some grip you’ve got. Was it something I said?’

April lunged at her, but Caro jumped between them again.

‘STOP IT! Come on, what the hell is going on here?’ she said, looking from April to Davina. ‘Will someone explain to me why I found the front door open and you two in the middle of a catfight?’

Davina sneered, waving a hand at April. ‘Your little friend can’t take a joke.’

‘A joke?’ spat April. ‘You call that a joke?’

‘What joke?’ said Caro.

‘Oh, I’ll explain the hilarity, shall I?’ said April. ‘Davina here is a vampire, a killer, a cold-blooded murderer.’

Caro didn’t even blink. ‘Yes, and?’

Davina began a slow hand-clap. ‘At least someone gets it. Well done, Caro Jackson. You win the “staring you in the face” prize.’

‘Oh shut up,’ said April, turning back to Caro. ‘On top of being a vampire, she freely admits that she killed Isabelle Davis and who knows how many other innocent people.’

‘Isabelle Davis was no innocent,’ said Davina. ‘She was greedy and stupid. She was quite happy to sell her people out – all of you Bleeders – in order to get herself a position in the Regent’s cabinet. When that didn’t work, she tried blackmailing us – thought the fact that she had some foul disease meant that she should be treated like a superhero.’ Davina made a mocking sad face. ‘She got that one wrong.’

‘All right,’ said Caro, raising her eyebrows meaningfully towards April at the mention of the Fury. ‘So Davina’s a horrible murderer, I get that. But why were you trying to throttle her when I came in?’

‘She’s worried about poor little Gabe,’ said Davina. ‘Thinks I know where he’s run off to. Which I don’t. I mean, if he was
my
boyfriend, there’s no way he would have left me all alone.’

Caro put up her hands to stop April launching at Davina again. ‘Okay, let’s start at the beginning, tell me everything – both of you. Then I’ll decide who needs strangling.’

Glaring at Davina, April told Caro about Gabriel’s revelation in the park and then what Davina had said about Gabriel and a killing spree. When April had finished, Caro looked over at Davina, her face serious.

‘Oh bugger,’ she said.

Davina nodded. ‘See? Caro gets it.’

‘Gets what?’ said April impatiently. ‘Gets
what
?’

‘Look A, I know you’re worried that Gabe’s going to run off after the King and get his neck snapped,’ said Caro.

‘I could have done without the detail, but yes.’

‘Well ...’ she pulled a face. ‘Don’t you see? We might have more of a problem than that.’

April looked from one to the other. ‘What? Tell me!’

‘It’s not just the danger he’s in from the King, is it? If Gabriel has remembered who the King is, then there’s a good chance he will remember
everything
. Gabe’s a sensitive guy, isn’t he? He’s certainly spent the last hundred years convinced he’s kept his hands clean because of that promise he made on Lily’s deathbed. Now, all of a sudden, he starts to think he’s Jack the Ripper? What do you think that’s going to do to him?’

Oh no,
thought April.
It’s going to tear him apart
. She remembered the terror and remorse on his face when he had admitted to her about having turned Jessica. He’d worn that regret like a crown of thorns for decades – what would the sudden realisation that he was a repeat killer do to him? April made another grab for Davina, but she dodged out of the way.

‘You knew about this! Why didn’t you help him?’

‘Oh, yes,’ said Davina, tutting. ‘Blame the vampire. People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, April Dunne. Haven’t you ever heard that one?’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Do I have to paint you a picture, April? What has caused this change in Gabriel? He’s been blissfully unaware of his true nature for a hundred years. Then you waltz into his life and the sky falls in.’

‘This is
my
fault?’

‘I think what Davina is trying to say,’ said Caro, glaring at Davina, ‘Is that you have unlocked him emotionally. Your love has made him want to live again.’

This is all my fault
thought April.

‘If he wants to live, he’s gone to the wrong place,’ said Davina. ‘The King is a
true
vampire, ten times as strong as a turned vamp like Gabriel.’

‘Not helping,’ said Caro. ‘Do you know where he is?’

‘No,’ said Davina.

‘She does!’ cried April, ‘She must do.’

Davina put up a hand. ‘If you’d just let me finish,’ she said, standing up and smoothing her creased shirt. ‘I was going to say that no, I don’t know where he is, but I know someone who might. Get your coats.’

‘Where are we going?’

‘We’re going to a party.’

They could hear it all the way up Swain’s Lane. The thudding “boom, boom” of the bass coming from a powerful sound system – it was like walking past the back of a music venue when a band were on stage. As the three girls approached the gates of the cemetery, they could see two burly security guys dressed in standard issue black, one holding a clipboard – there was even a little velvet rope stretched between two silver poles.