Her eyes flicked over to me, only for a second. “I know it’s not safe for my son.”
“No, Mara’s right,” Gabe realized. “You know exactly what’s going on here, and I won’t leave until you tell us.”
“This isn’t how I wanted to tell you,” Della Jane admitted before taking a deep breath. “Before we moved back here, I told you that we needed to come to take care of the Brawley legacy. You thought I just meant the curse and the house, but it’s much more than that. We’re the keepers of the Kirpka.”
Gabe shook his head, not understanding. “The Kirpka?”
“The Kirpka are demons,” Della Jane explained. “Every thirteen years, a Kirpka will rise from the Nukoabok Swamp to feed, growing more powerful on the days leading up to the vernal equinox.”
“What do they eat?” Gabe asked, but I already knew the answer.
Roxie had actually been the first to figure it out, that whatever was stalking the campsite wasn’t just seeking out a meaty snack to munch on. They wanted to feast on our flesh and our powers.
“They feed on the paranormal beings that coexist with humans,” Della Jane said, attempting to gloss over the fact that the demons wanted to eat us. “The Kirpka help maintain a balance on the earth, so humans aren’t overpowered by those with superior abilities.”
“Holy shit.” Gabe put a hand to his mouth and took a step back from his mother. “You brought the carnival here to feed them.”
Della Jane tried to step toward him, but he moved back in revulsion. For a moment, she let her hand hang in the air, but as she let it fall to her side, she looked utterly heartbroken.
“It’s not like that, Gabe,” Della Jane pleaded with her son. “They exist whether we help them or not, but now we have some say, some control, so they don’t hurt us.”
“We’re paranormal too!” He motioned between himself and his mom. “How can you possibly be working for them?”
“God is good, but the devil is not so bad to those he likes,” I whispered, repeating the line I’d heard from Luka.
“I’m not working for them!” Della Jane insisted.
“You feed them innocent people!” Gabe countered with a low growl.
“No, Gabe, you’re twisting it. This is our legacy, to protect our family—”
“That’s what all the parties were about with Uncle Beau, weren’t they?” Gabe cut her off, his lip curling back in disgust. “He was traveling all over looking for people like us. And those big parties he had, that’s when he sacrificed them to the Kirpka?”
“We don’t sacrifice them,” Della Jane tried again. “It’s the Kirpka that—”
“You bring them here like lambs to the slaughter in exchange for your safety!” Gabe shouted. “How is that anything other than a sacrificial offering?”
“Gabe, you don’t understand,” Della Jane said, trying to explain. “This isn’t how I wanted to tell you. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Beau was supposed to help explain to you and teach you, so you could take over for him. But then last year he said he couldn’t handle it anymore, and I tried to reason with him.”
“And he killed himself because he grew a conscience,” Gabe realized.
Gideon cleared his throat. He’d been standing beside us, but now he came up closer, trying to catch Della Jane’s attention.
“This is all well and good, and you can sort out your family dynamics later,” Gideon said. “Right now I need to know what we can do to stop them.”
Della Jane rubbed her temple. “You’re not listening to me. The Kirpka cannot be stopped! That’s why we made this pact with them centuries ago.”
“She’s lying,” Selena said, appearing from the shadows at the edge of camp. She walked toward us, barefoot in a sundress, with her black hair flowing wildly.
“Selena!” Della Jane gasped. “What are you doing here?”
Selena glared at her mother. “Dad told me what’s really going on and about the Kirpka.”
“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Della Jane tried futilely to reason with her. “You shouldn’t be here.”
Selena continued walking toward us, giving her mother a wide berth until she stood beside Gabe.
“He told me that the Kirpka accepted the deal because werewolves are hard to kill and they don’t like fighting us,” Selena explained. “So I’m here to help Gabe and Mara.”
Then I felt it. My stomach soured, creating a painful burning pit inside me, and a gust of wind came up—strong and cold. Even the campers began to tremble. The powder I had so carefully sprinkled around the campsite filled the air, and when the moonlight hit it, it sparkled like glitter.
I shook my head. “It’s too late. The Kirpka is coming.”
56. vortex
I bolted across the campsite and practically dove into my Winnebago. I grabbed the crossbow off the counter, but when I went for the satchel, I accidentally knocked it to the ground, sending the arrows flying to the floor.
As I scrambled around to gather them, the screen door slammed shut behind me.