Hoping Father Patrick could give me some advice on how to handle Toby, I headed toward his room and paused outside the door to the sound of arguing.
"I will have no part in their plan. It is slaughter!" Alaric, who'd never sounded so impassioned, stormed out of the room nearly crashing into me.
Father Patrick, Hunter and Mr. White all crowded into the small room, standing and talking quietly with serious expressions on their faces.
I nodded to Hunter and ignored Mr. White. The big black man gave me bad vibes and I didn't trust him, but Hunter I trusted. He and Lucy had been dating awhile and he and his team at IPI—International Paranormal Investigations—had been instrumental in helping us bring down Rent-A-Kid and save a lot of kids. He'd always have my respect. "What's IPI doing here?" I asked.
Mr. White walked out, and Father Patrick excused himself. "I must speak with Alaric. Hunter can fill you in, but only our core members should know the details."
I turned to Hunter, now alone. He ran a hand through his black hair streaked with silver, his strange eyes nearly glowing green. "We're having a party at the mansion, to gather as many paranormals in one place as possible. IPI will be waiting in hiding."
"You're going to use our kids as bait to capture the Beast?"
"Basically. Yes. It's the only way. We control the scene, we control the outcome. No one will get hurt."
"You can't promise that."
"It's one against our entire team, I can promise that."
"And what if things go wrong? We have little kids here. Children too young to even run for help."
"None of the young kids will be here. They'll be in a safe place with Alaric. Just the older teens and adults who have some control of their power. I'm hoping we can count on you to fight, if it comes to it."
My mind flashed back to the fight with Ryder and I shook my head. If I couldn't defeat Ryder three to one, how could I defeat the Beast? "Sam and Ana will need me to protect them. I can't help you with this, I'm sorry."
Hunter sighed, but didn't argue. "If you change your mind, let me know. But I understand. Even without you, we've got this. There's no way this Beast can take us all on."
SIX
Of Peace And War
DRAKE
A moth of peace, and he go to the war,
— William Shakespeare, Othello
I HAD MY doubts about the party, but the weather accommodated. A bright warm day made the perfect outdoor party scene. The older kids set out tables as Greta brought food out with the assistance of her kitchen helpers. Tables with chairs flew through the air and landed in place as those with telekinesis made quick work of decorating. A fire starter lit lanterns around the perimeter and an ice maker created an elaborate life sized sculpture of a Greek god, in honor of Elysium. When the music started the kids and even some adults were down to party. Only those of us who knew what was really going on kept our guard, nervous but hopeful that this plan would work and the threat to our lives would end today.
We'd talked Father Patrick into staying with Alaric and the younger kids. He'd not been a fan of the idea, but he didn't have powers and we couldn't risk someone hurting him. Besides, there were a lot of kids. Alaric looked sick to his stomach when he realized he'd be alone with all of them. I personally begged him to stay and keep an eye on Ana. We hated leaving her, but this was the best way to protect her.
Sam stood at a makeshift podium covered in white Christmas lights. As she cleared her throat, the music quieted and so did the crowd. "Thanks for coming, everyone." She smiled and my heart skipped, remembering the other night, the passion and intensity of our lovemaking.
"We are here to celebrate life. To celebrate the special gifts we've all been given and to remind ourselves that no matter how dark times get, there is always hope. Always a reason to smile and laugh and dance and enjoy our lives."
Suddenly, someone screamed and Sam turned, looking behind her, toward the woods. I followed her gaze and saw the red glowing eyes a fraction of a moment before the Beast leaped at her, growling.
She stumbled to the side and ran, just in time. The Beast tore through the podium, breaking the tiny white lights and biting a chunk out of the wood as it sought Sam, caught her in its sights, and lunged toward her.
From the perimeter, men in black and armed with guns jumped out of the woods, surrounding the beast. A few trainees from our group were with them, including Luke, Lucy and Ocean. The adults who had been brought into our plan ushered the kids to a safe place as IPI took over the attack.
They shot at the Beast with darts, and it paused, stunned for only a moment before charging again.