Cosmina shook her head, her eyes round, and her cheeks drawn. “I would never have believed it unless I had seen it with my own eyes.”
“So what now?” Eden shrugged, cutting right to the chase. “Are you still going to kill me?”
The Neith eyed her, her expression warring between hate and awe. “You should not exist, Eden. How can we ever trust something that was once a soul eater? But this…” she eyed the ground and then she shook her head. “If I were to let you live… I cannot just let you roam free.”
“What happened to your family?” Eden asked quietly, trying to distract her, ‘befriend’ her.
Cosmina glanced up, startled. “How did you know?”
“Because I know a need for vengeance when I see it. I’m kind of the poster child for it these days.”
“They were killed by soul eaters. My mother, my brother. My twin sister’s soul was almost devoured and they set her loose on me. She tortured me.”
The horror of that punched Eden in the gut and she shook her head, unable to find the right words. “I’m so sorry.”
Arcos narrowed her eyes in thought. “Perhaps I do not kill you? Perhaps you work for me, where I can keep an eye on you. And you do this.” She pointed at the girl. “You free them?”
It was a step in the right direction but Eden had no intention of going anywhere with this woman. Still… perhaps if she convinced her she would, she could get away somehow.
Blood splattered across Eden’s face, the stench of dirty copper flooding her nose and she gagged, blinking in utter confusion.
Darius was in front of her, his energy pulsing into her shocked body. At his feet was a headless Cosmina Arcos, the pulp and gore from her decapitation bespattered his uncovered arms and face.
And Eden’s face.
She hadn’t heard him come in, hadn’t seen him move.
One minute she had been talking to Arcos, the next the woman was… beheaded. A rush of vomit, brought on by the suddenness and violence of what had happened, burned up Eden’s throat and she dropped to the ground, emptying the contents of her stomach on the hardwood floors.
Distantly she heard footsteps in the background and then a warm hand pulling her hair back from her face. The scent of Valeria’s Chanel perfume filtered into Eden’s awareness.
She wiped her mouth and shuddered in a breath, her cheeks blooming with humiliation. She was a warrior and she had just thrown up. It was unbelievable. Embarrassing… what an understatement. But…
… Darius terrified her.
Afraid to look at him, Eden let Val help her to her feet.
Although Cyrus, Alain and Noah had crowded her, desperate for answers, desperate for Eden to acknowledge them, she couldn’t quite make her mouth form words. As if she understood, Val had brushed by them and helped Eden into the passenger side of the SUV. With just the two of them in the car, Val pulled away, knowing the others would follow. Back in the apartment, Darius and Cyrus would be dealing with the girl Eden had turned, with the unconscious soul eaters. With the obliterated Cosmina Arcos.
He’d just executed her. No warning, no questions, nothing.
“He scares you?” Val asked softly. She had been driving for ten minutes.
“Darius?” Eden croaked, shivering at the thought of him. “Yeah.”
When Val didn’t reply Eden looked over at her, her mouth still open in horror. “He just killed her, Val. He just ripped her apart. She might have been talked around.”
Val threw her an astonished look. “Eden, that woman has been trying to kill you for months.”
“But…”
“No buts. You let her see your gift! You let your enemy see your vulnerability!” Val hit the wheel with the palm of her hand.
“It changed her mind about killing me,” Eden argued. “And believe me, she was going to kill me and succeed, Val.”
“And that is exactly why she needed to be dispatched. She was too powerful. And too bloody crazy.”
“The way he did it though…”
Her mentor’s sigh was huge and weary, full of a thousand years of history. “You have to understand, Eden, Darius is not like us.”
“Yeah, Cyrus tried to explain that one over too.”
“No. Eden, he’s… he sees a threat and he takes it out, no fluffy emotions to cloud his very good judgment. You might think that it is harsh, inhuman, immoveable, but Darius has kept our race and the human race safe for a long time because of his ability to make the kinds of awful decisions others cannot.”
“And Cosmina was one of those decisions?”
Val cleared her throat, seeming embarrassed. “Darius has one weakness. Although I’m sure he wouldn’t be thrilled I called it that. His weakness is me.”
Eyebrows raised in surprise at that admission, Eden waited, suddenly extremely curious.
Val gave her a rueful look and then shrugged. “I pursued him a long time ago. He eventually gave in. We were in love.”
Eden gaped. Back in Edinburgh, Val had talked about being in love with someone she couldn’t be with and Eden had assumed it was Darius. She’d also assumed that that love hadn’t been reciprocated. She had assumed wrong.
“He realized it was causing him to make bad decisions. We parted ways. But our love didn’t just disappear, Eden. And… Cosmina knew about our gift. If more people found out, the Neith might start to dig into our history and Darius is always concerned that we left a trail somewhere, that somehow someone will find out I am also Unforeseen.”
Comprehension dawned. “He killed Cosmina to protect you.”
“Yes.”
As Eden stewed on that, Val sighed again. “You were just shocked by the confusion of it all. How quick. How bloody. But you know deep down that Cosmina needed to be taken out. Eden, she was an obsessed, bigoted woman with only revenge in her heart.”
Eden nodded, not sure if she was agreeing or not. She was too preoccupied.
Was that what she was? A crazy-ass weirdo like Cosmina Arcos. Obsessed with revenge? Is that what she’d turn into?
And would that be her end?
Her head ripped off by a ghost called Darius of Mesopotamia?
She didn’t want that. She didn’t want to be consumed by revenge. She didn’t want to be hunted by the man that was supposed to protect her as he did Valeria.
Could she let Romany go? Could she forgive?
Stellan’s laughing face flashed across her mind.
“You might not have Ireland, Paradise… but you’ve always got me.”
A tear slipped down Eden’s cheek. It burned with remembrance.
Forgive the girl who killed her brother? A sharp ache tore through her. No. She guessed she just wasn’t strong enough for that.
Chapter Seventeen
Family
Tobe watched Terrence usher the clean-up crew out of the mansion. He assured her that Cyrus had said Eden was OK. Cosmina Arcos had finally tracked her down at the same time a couple of Rice’s soul eaters had. Cyrus and the others had tracked down Eden’s SUV at the bookshop and from there Darius had followed her energy. The ancient warrior had killed Arcos and the soul eaters were taken care of too. Tobe was just glad Eden was unscathed. The last thing she needed right now was another missing family member.
Finally the men and women were gone and Terrence gave McLeish a brisk nod before disappearing out of the foyer. The silence that rang in his wake was deafening – Tobe felt the pressure of it on her chest and sucked in a deep gulp of air. She glanced behind her, her butt growing numb on the marble step of the grand staircase. Cameron was a few steps up, leaning against the wrought-iron railing. He looked bored.
He always looked bored.
They hadn’t had a proper conversation in days… since it happened. They’d been successfully avoiding each other and Tobe would continue to avoid her boyfriend until he had his bloody soul back. He just freaked her out otherwise. It shouldn’t be long now, she reminded herself, trying to calm her racing heart. As soon as Cyrus and t
he others returned they’d all be heading out again to rescue her mum and dad.
Mum and dad.
She worried her lip in an effort to stem her tears. The memory of her mum’s arms around her and her dad’s deep, rich voice constricted around her heart and Tobe glanced at her watch. Where were Cyrus and Eden?
Hurry up.
McLeish cleared his throat, drawing Tobe’s eyes up to him. He was leaning against an antique side table, his eyebrows drawn together. If Tobe hadn’t known any better she’d say her Councilman looked… concerned? “I um… I just wanted to say, Cameron, that I understand why you’re mad at me. I know you blame me for your mother’s crimes and subsequently her punishment, but I’m just trying to protect you.”
The apology seemed to come out of nowhere and Tobe glanced back to check Cam’s reaction. He looked confused and a little panicked, as if he was trying to think how he should respond rather than feel. Tobe sighed and looked back at McLeish. “Wrong time to apologize, Councilman.” Tobe jerked a thumb over her shoulder at Cam. “He could care less right now and you’re just making him feel uncomfortable trying to think up the right words in response. Wait until he gets his soul back eh?”
McLeish frowned and eyed Cameron carefully. He did that weird throat clearing thing again before nodding hesitantly. “Of course.”
“Cheers,” Cam’s whispered appreciation made her long for her boyfriend to get back to normal. She waved her fingers in acknowledgement but didn’t look back at him. She didn’t want to. It was his eyes. They bothered her. Cam’s eyes had always sparked with mischief and flirtatiousness. Tobe had fallen in love with those eyes. She couldn’t bear to look into the blank ones they’d been replaced with.
“You know, October,” McLeish said quietly, contemplatively. “You’ve handled all of these hardships over the last few months with aplomb. I’m very proud of your strength, young lady.”
Tobe gazed back at him wide-eyed and then whacked her ear. When McLeish frowned at her, she stuck a finger in it and then shook her head, as if trying to shake something out.
“What are you doing?”
“Checking my hearing. I could have sworn you gave me a compliment, but that can’t be right.”
The Councilman glowered at her wide-eyed, innocent mocking. “Questionable maturity notwithstanding, I did offer you a compliment. You’ve done well. That is… despite dragging my nephew across an ocean for help rather than walking two doors down the street and knocking on mine.”
“Trust has to be earned, Councilman McLeish.” She smiled sweetly.
“I think I’ve done enough to earn it now.”
Tobe thought of his efforts. He’d turned to Cyrus when he thought Romany was trying to hurt Eden. He’d then aided Romany in helping the rebel. He’d flown across country to be with Tobe and Cameron and to help get her parents back. And now he’d given Tobe permission to help rescue her parents, her first ever assignment. She nodded. “I suppose you have.”
The sound of voices filtering towards them from the hall that led into the garage had Tobe springing up from her seat on the stairs. Eden was the first one into the foyer, Val walking protectively at her side. At the sight of Eden’s hollow eyes, Tobe felt a rush of feelings pour over her. Relief that Eden was here in front of her, a sudden awareness of how much she’d come to mean to Tobe, and concern… at the depth of emotion roiling in Eden’s gaze.
“Eden.” Tobe stopped in front of her, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder, her eyes searching her for signs of injury, physical or otherwise. “You OK?”
Eden blinked up at her, her tip-tilted blue-green eyes softening when she realized it was Tobe in front of her. “I’m just a li – oof!” She stumbled towards Tobe as Darius slapped Eden hard on the back.
“Eden’s just traumatized and terrified by me.” Darius winked at Tobe before striding determinedly towards the weapons’ closet.
Tobe stared after him. She could practically hear her Nana asking her if she planned on catching flies with her mouth hanging open like that. This was the second time she’d been in a room with Darius and it was no less unnerving than the first. This strange pulsing energy throbbed in his vicinity and those eyes of his were the darkest, shuttered windows Tobe had ever gazed into. No wonder Eden was terrified of him. She whipped back around to question Eden and found her looking a little green.
“You sure you’re OK?”
Eden shivered but nodded determinedly. “Rough night.” She lifted her hands, gesturing to her swollen wrists. “Had my wrists broken. They’re healing but I feel a little sick with it.”
Tobe sucked in a breath. “That crazy bitch do that?”
Frowning, Eden shook her head. “No. This was a soul eater. Cosmina… I don’t think in the end she was going to kill me.”
“Eden,” Val admonished. “She would have killed you. Make no mistake.”
Utterly confused, Tobe watched the interaction between mentor and mentee and promised to get the details of that little mysterious exchange from Eden as soon as she had her parents back. Speaking of…
The sounds of everyone else murmuring and bustling about drew Tobe’s gaze. Alain and Emma were strapping up, as were Cyrus, Darius, McLeish and Cameron. Noah stood waiting, his eyes trained on Eden. Cyrus tapped him on the shoulder and he absentmindedly reached for the kaskara the Princeps was holding out to him, his gaze never wavering from his girlfriend. Tobe smirked. The guy was a total goner. Tobe nudged Eden as Val walked away to ready herself. When Eden glanced up, Tobe grinned and nodded at Noah. She turned to follow Tobe’s gaze and stiffened slightly at the sight of him. They shared such a long and intense look that Tobe began to squirm, feeling as if she were intruding upon something private. Whatever the two Ankh had going on it was epic and passionate and completely exhausting. Tobe was suddenly glad for the easiness between her and Cam - you know when they weren’t misunderstanding one another and of course when Cameron was soul-full.
“I take it you’re not coming?” Tobe asked Eden quietly, smiling as dead-eyes Cameron handed her a katana like Eden’s. She felt the power of the blade in her hand as she belted it on, all heavy and exciting in its red lacquered scabbard.
“Hmm?” Eden frowned, finally breaking her gaze from Noah’s. “What?”
“We’re heading out. To get Mum and Dad back. To kill Rice and free Cam’s soul.”
“Oh.” Eden shook her head. “I didn’t realize. Let me just get my katana.”
“No.”
Everyone turned at that deep, unyielding ‘no’. Cyrus. He had two kopis swords strapped criss-cross over his back. Tobe wouldn’t want to argue with him right then. OK, who was she kidding? Ever.
“No?” Eden arched an eyebrow, somehow still appearing cool and untouchable despite the dark circles under her eyes.
“You have just been through hell and your wrists are still healing. You will stay at the mansion.”
Eden huffed. “Yeah, right. You actually expect me to stay at home while you’re all out there doing something to bring the Douglas’ back. I don’t think so.”
“Eden.” They all turned to Noah now. His expression was carefully blank. “If you come with us I’ll just worry about you and that’ll distract me.” His unspoken words, I could get hurt, were heard by everyone. Including Eden.
After a few tense seconds she gave him a brittle nod. “OK. Be safe.”
Noah seemed to exhale in relief, as did the room, and Eden rolled her eyes at them, turning back to Tobe.
“You ready for this?” she asked, eyeing the katana Tobe now wore. “You’ll be OK?”
Tobe grunted at the concern. “Hey, I kicked your ass.”
Eden chuckled wearily. “Yeah, you did.”
When her eyes shifted over Tobe’s head and her smile slipped into a frozen, ugly sneer, Tobe didn’t even have to turn around to know who’d entered the foyer. She did anyway. Romany nodded at her, avoiding Eden’s gaze. She had her own katana belted around her hips, her scabbard in a black lacquer
.
Fitting.
Tobe curled her lip in a semi-growl, hating the girl for everything she represented, all the crap she was putting Eden through. Turning back to her cousin, Tobe smacked her playfully on the upper arm. “Don’t worry. I’ll take over making her feel uncomfortable while we’re gone.”
That almost got a smile out of Eden and quite unexpectedly Tobe was yanked into a tight, quick hug. “Be careful,” she whispered. When she pulled back, she glanced around at them all, before letting her gaze fall on Noah. Tobe felt a little envious at the piercing hotness of his returned look. “All of you.” He nodded at Eden and Tobe got the feeling he wanted to say more. Tobe shook her head. Those two would be fine once they got their heads out of their asses.
With a militant nod, Eden left without saying another word.
Everyone turned to Cyrus, and Tobe felt the butterflies explode to life in her belly. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Eighteen
Life/Death
They had been warned that entrance into the building her parents were being kept in would be fast, no time to stop and take in the scenery or anything. Not that Tobe wanted to. Cyrus had explained that the building seemed to be some kind of old rec center, that it was situated in its own clearing of woodland off one of the main roads in Stow. Because the land was private the soul eaters would detect their arrival almost immediately, so they had to get out of the cars fast and into the building.
That’s exactly how it went down.
Tobe had only a vague impression of an off-white, square-edged building with boarded up windows and ugly stone chipping - the dark of the woods encroaching on it from every side - before she was following in the rest of her companions’ wake, weapon drawn. Battle cries and the sound of steel hitting steel, grunt echoing grunt, flesh pounding flesh, met Tobe’s ears before she was even inside. Her stomach flipped at the thought of battle. She’d faced off more soul eaters these last ten days than she ever had. Her eyes widened at the sight of Ankh and Neith battling soul eaters in trim black suits, so much blood already painting the cold, grey surroundings with violence and chaos and life/death.