"It could either be a powerful being or a group of humans? That doesn't narrow it down much," I said.
"No, it doesn't." Macgrath seemed more grim than usual.
"Think it's too late to ask Dumont?" Callum asked.
Ava's answering laugh was dry. "Yes, I do. I gave him twelve hours to leave the city. And, honestly, his entire approach to this situation makes him a wild card. If we do have a common enemy, I can't say that makes us allies. He's reactive instead of proactive and, in a situation where we are in danger, that's something that could get us all killed. If he'd come to me and been honest and open, I would have helped him. Instead, he played games, tried to use a human woman as a pawn, and then tried to force her to leave our protection. I doubt very much he would answer any questions I had if I called him up and told him that I was willing to help now."
"Then we need to retrace his steps," Macgrath said. "We need to look at where he came from and what he's been doing. Once we know that, we might be able to figure out who may be after him."
"Even if that puts us in their crosshairs as well?" Marcus asked.
I drank more soda because this entire conversation was making all the spit in my mouth dry up.
"I think that we're already on the fringes of their knowledge," Ava said. "Otherwise, why would Dumont come specifically to us?"
I didn't want to interrupt the conversation, but Ava's question had an answer.
"Because he knows what you are," I said.
They all turned to me as though they'd forgotten I was in the room. I guess they'd taken my directive to ignore me literally.
"What do you mean?" Ava asked.
"Let's say that whoever is after him doesn't know about you, but he does. He knows that you're the daughter of the Goddess and the witch who created vampires." I glanced at Macgrath. "And he knows you're the first and probably the most powerful in this world."
They continued to stare so I knew I needed to give them more information.
"When I ran into big trouble as a kid, I always went to my parents. They knew everything and they could fix everything. Maybe this is the vampire version of Dumont running to his parents."
"Well, then he deserves one hell of a spanking and to get his ass grounded for a month," Callum grumbled. "Because this isn't how you ask for help from your parents."
He had a good point. "Okay, so that's accurate. But maybe he doesn't know if you'll care or not. Maybe he isn't sure he can trust you," I said. "What's one way he can find out?"
Ava understood where I was going with this before the men. "You set a trap. Not to kill, but to observe behavior. You want to see what their reaction time is like. Who and what they value."
I nodded. "I was the trap. Dumont wanted to see what you would do if he attacked a human in your territory."
"Maybe, but why wouldn't he come clean to me after that?" Ava asked. "Why would he try to get you out of this house and into his custody before he followed through?"
"The threat of harm," Macgrath said. "She would be a hostage. You've already demonstrated that you care about Merry."
"I think it's more than that. I think he needs my computer skills."
"For what?" Callum asked.
I shrugged. "He didn't divulge any details of the job so I don't know." I looked at Ava. "What do you think he will do now?" I asked.
Macgrath, Marcus, and Callum looked at each other.
"If you can't defeat your enemy," Macgrath said.
"You retreat, regroup, and plan a different angle of attack," Marcus continued.
"Or you hide," Callum finished the thought for all of them.
Ava leaned toward them. "Or you point your enemy in a different direction. You distract and attack their flank."
The men all nodded, approving expressions on their faces.
