Crabbier."
"I"m always crabby."
"Yeah, but not with me. Not with coffee shop a.s.sistants." He was referring to the fact that she"d gone a little bal istic at Sal y at The Coffee Shoppe on the weekend, when she and Stel an had stopped in for a latte and sandwich. Sal y was easily the friendliest person on the planet and had in no way meant to put tomatoes on Eden"s egg salad sandwich when she had pointedly asked for no tomatoes.
"I"m just being me."
"No, you"re not."
She felt the familiar p.r.i.c.kle of frustrated fury. "What the hel do you want from me, Stel an?"
A wincing pain flared up her arm and she found herself being burled to a stop by him. They both ignored the ticket sel er, who watched them curiously, clearly desperate to hear their obviously brewing disagreement. "I want my little sister back," he hissed under his breath, his pale eyes wide. "The Awakening Ceremony wil take away al the pain and the guilt you feel, Paradise, but don"t let it take away you." He slumped, his grip easing.
Eden scoffed, but not meanly. It was more a desperate sound. "That pain and guilt, that"s what makes me me. I thought you wanted me to do this?" Stel an gulped and looked away, jamming his hands into his jeans. "I do. I want you to be like me but... I kind of don"t too."
She smirked affectionately at him and batted his arm playful y. "You like me al gooey and human-like? Who"s the freak now, Stel?" She cracked, trying to ease the tension.
He gave a half-hearted laugh and took her arm, leading her towards the box office.
"Just promise me... when you"re like me... you"l fight your nature."
"I wil ." Eden frowned. "You"re being weird."
Quietly they bought their tickets and headed towards cinema 2. Her brother stopped her before they went inside.
"You saw me that night... when Teagan left the bas.e.m.e.nt door open and we heard..."
Yeah, she"d seen him alright. That look of envy on his face over Teagan"s free depravity had made her skin crawl.
"I don"t want to be that person... I don"t want to be that person because of you." His eyes were shining now as he looked anywhere but at her. "And if you change... I won"t have anything stopping me. I need you not to change." At his anguished plea, Eden felt her chest squeeze with unbearable pain, like grief.
She reached out and pul ed him into a hug, holding him as tight as she could. Al of a sudden he felt just like a normal col ege guy, struggling with who he was. "I promise, Stel. I promise."
It was the least she could do.
After a while, he laughed a little awkwardly and pul ed back, not real y meeting her eyes. They walked quietly into the cinema, a new weight on her shoulders threatening to buckle her knees.
Since her talk with Stel an had cut into Noah"s schedule, she excused herself ten minutes after they sat down. Stel an tried to anxiously fol ow, but she promised him she just needed to use the bathroom. She"d be back.
Stealthily, Eden crept out of the cinema, looking towards the exit for signs of the goons. She caught a flash of one, pacing in front of the doors and shot across the corridor to hide behind a bil board for the final Harry Potter movie. She could feel a cold sweat begin to build on her skin already, as she glanced behind her. The hal way was empty.
Eden took off down it, turning right at the end and then another left, like Noah had text her. She pushed on the bar of the emergency exit and breathed in the night air. Ugh.
Night air mixed with garbage, she wrinkled her nose. The door swung shut and she jumped at the sight of Noah behind it, leaning against the brick wal of the al ey.
He nodded at her. His expression so serious. "Come on." He held out his hand.
Stil suspicious, but trusting him, Eden gripped a hold of his large, warm hand, her skin tingling at the comparison of his rough, hard palms against her soft ones. Her hand seemed so tiny in his.
Guilt crashed over her, remembering Stel an back in the cinema. G.o.d he would be so worried when he realised she"d disappeared. And she would be in so much trouble.
Noah tugged on her, his eyebrow raised.
This better be worth it.
Sighing, and casting one last look over her shoulder, Eden let Noah hurry down into the dark of the al ey, taking corners and side streets without thought. He seemed to know this place like the back of his hand. Worry started creeping in pretty quickly, this indecipherable feeling... like maybe she didn"t know Noah nearly as wel as she should.
She stopped, clutching her chest in panic at the thought.
"Where are we going?" She demanded.
Noah looked at her impatiently. "I"m just trying to make sure we"ve lost the goons." Suddenly he stil ed, his whole body growing tense. "Eden..." he breathed quietly and she watched with utter confusion as a blade slipped down from his sleeve into his hand.
"Eden, get behind me."
"What?" She squeaked, her eyes trained on the knife in his hand. Her heart was pounding so hard it was nearly al she could hear.
"Now!" He hissed and grabbed a hold of her, tugging her behind him.
Noise erupted around them as six men slithered out of the darkness to surround them.
"Oh G.o.d," she breathed, catching the glint of blades in the dark. More Neith.
Noah! She had to get Noah out of there. But...
Wait. Noah knew. Noah knew! He"s got a dagger!
There was no more time to think as the men attacked.
Like before, Eden"s senses and reflexes took over, jumping back from the swishing arc of a sword targeting her stomach, her fist flying and hitting a face with a crunch.
Strong arms encircled her, the bite of a dagger nicking her neck before she dug her fingers into the guy"s privates, twisting out of his hold as he howled in pain. Her leg snapped out like a bolt of lightning connecting with the guy"s face. And al the time she was aware of Noah, fighting as she did. With ease. With grace. With utter finesse. As if he had been born to it.
Noah is Neith.
Noah. Is. Neith.
Betrayal hit her with the impact of a truck going at 100mph. The hunger, the monster within, roared with vengeance at the hurt that ripped through her. She turned from him as he fought off the last two Neith standing. Her eyes found the first man she"d fel ed.
He was barely conscious, his mouth hanging open in pain. The hunger raked its claws down her insides and Eden dropped to the ground, the sounds of blade hissing against blade, of groan fol owed by flesh being pounded, was drowned out as the hunger laughed in victory.
Just take him.
No.
Yes. He tried to kill you. Just take him.
I won"t.
But you"ll feel better. All the pain will go away.
Eden reached out, her fingers brushing the Neith"s lips like a lover reaching for a kiss.
Take him!
With one last groan, Eden tugged at the man"s hair, jerking his head back. She leaned in, the rush of need and excitement making her tremble. It was al going to go away...
"Eden, no!"
She was wrenched back on to the cold of the al ey ground, Noah standing over her with horror inscribed in his features.
Her upper arms tingled from where he had grabbed hold of her and thrown her...
thrown her like a rag dol with his preternatural strength. Eden shook her head, her chest crying inside. She"d been such a fool. Al those time she"d wondered at how strong he was, how fast, how cool. He was a warrior. A warrior sent to kil her.
"You piece of s.h.i.t," Eden hissed, fighting back tears as she froze him with a look of pure hatred.
Noah flinched, panic flaring briefly in his eyes before he stood up straight. His expression smoothed out. "It"s not what you think."
"You"re Neith. You"re one of them," she spat out, jerking her head in the direction of the unconscious bodies.
Noah shook his head, reaching a hand out to her careful y. "I"m not Neith. I"m Ankh. Now get up."
She skittered back from him, her heart thudding. "Ankh?
What the hel is Ankh?"
A bitter smirk curved his lip. "I"m not surprised he hasn"t told you about us. Of course he wouldn"t. Then you"d know."
Eden scowled, sure he was trying to mess with her somehow. Confuse her. Trap her.
"Know what?"
"Look, I"l explain, but right now we gotta go before more of these a.s.sholes turn up."
Eden watched his hand reach for her, letting her body relax as she calculated her next move. With an affected sigh, she clasped her hand in his and let him pul her up.
Her free hand flew at his face. A blur of movement. He jerked back, faster than she could ever have expected, but she"d took him off guard and she felt her knuckles graze his cheekbone. It was enough. Eden grasped a hold of his arm for balance and shot her leg out, her foot connecting with his solar plexus with enough power to send him col iding in amongst garbage cans.
She didn"t stick around.
She was only three quarters way down the al ey when she heard his running footsteps behind her. Eden pushed her speed, sliding around corners and jumping over boxes and G.o.d knows what other c.r.a.p was out there. She eyed a huge dumpster up ahead and swung around behind it, pushing it as if it weighed nothing, so that it glided up and across the al ey, cutting Noah off. She spun on her heel and ran, hearing him grunt. When she turned the corner, to her disbelief Stel an was at the back entrance of the cinema, his face pale, his hands shaking as he looked in the opposite direction for her. Eden heard the running steps behind her.
"Stel an!" She screamed, and he turned around wide-eyed as she ran at him. "Run, run, run!" She pushed at him as she col ided with him and graceful y they regained their balance, speeding off into the car park. As soon as they hit open s.p.a.ce, the footsteps faded behind her. But she and Stel an didn"t stop. They hit the car and dived in, seeing the blur of the goons as they fol owed suit, careening out of the car park as if the place had just gone up in flames.
Chapter Thirteen.
I"m Me. Who are You?
On the drive correction, speed race home, Eden fil ed Stel an in. He hadn"t said anything back to her, just gripped the wheel tighter. She could tel he was mad at her for using him in the first place, but he hadn"t accused her or spewed recriminations at her. In fact, when they got out of the car, he squeezed her shoulder and told her he was just glad she was alright.
Stel an had a beautiful way of making her feel two inches tal .
The goons wanted to know what the hel happened but Stel an refused to say anything until they had spoken with Ryan.
Celine was fl.u.s.tered by their harried entrance. "Ryan is in his office," Celine hissed at them, her eyes flicking pointedly to the goons. In other words Ryan was in the bas.e.m.e.nt.
Stel an glared at her. "Then get him. We were just attacked, mother, I think he might want to be updated on that."
Her eyes widened, her elegant hand fluttering up to her hairline to brush back an imaginary stray hair. "Attacked?"
"Attacked. Warriors."
She was silent a moment, her eyes flaring almost white with fury. She jerked a brittle nod in their direction and then turned on her heel, heading towards the curving stairs that led down to the bas.e.m.e.nt. "Gentleman, take a seat in the parlour," she threw over her shoulder, and the goons immediately fol owed her order.
Eden clasped Stel an"s hand and turned him to face her.
"I am so sorry, Stel. So sorry." She bit down on her lip, trying to hold back the tears.
"I thought I could trust him."
He betrayed me. He betrayed me. The words echoed in her head over and over, the pain seizing her body not lessening any the more she tried to come to grips with Noah"s treachery. "Six months," she whispered in disbelief.
"How sick do you have to be...?"
"Don"t think about him, Paradise. He"s not worth it." Eden flinched at the look in her brother"s eye. Hel fire and brimstone. Noah better watch his back, she thought bitterly, the rush of fury biting into the pain.
Reluctantly, they fol owed the goons into the parlour to wait for Ryan. Five minutes later he was striding into the parlour, not a hair out of place, with Teagan and Celine at his back.
"What happened?" He barked.
Stel an twisted his lips into a grimace. "Eden"s friend, Noah, was at the movies. He said he needed to talk to Eden for a minute, I didn"t think it was a problem. They were out back and Neith attacked. Noah told Eden he was Ankh." Eden watched her brother in amazement as he lied for her, covering for her as usual.
She was so grateful she didn"t even hear his emphasis on the word Ankh.
didn"t even hear his emphasis on the word Ankh.
"Ankh?" Ryan looked discomfited.
Eden frowned. "What"s Ankh."
"Just another word for Neith." Ryan shook his head, his face turning dark with anger. "I knew there was something wrong with that little s.h.i.t. I can"t believe this."