Stellan frowned as they strolled down into the gardens. “Jeff?”
“You know, tall dude, black suit, sunglasses,” she replied wryly.
Stellan snorted at her joke – all the goons looked the same. He gripped her arm, pulling through the center of the gardens rather than taking a left to the outskirts. That would mean passing the hedge that hid the steps down to the basement where Ryan kept his victims. Just the thought of it made Eden’s stomach clench and Stellan must have felt her tense beneath his hand because he shot her a worried glance. Eden shrugged gently out of his hold and kept walking.
“I’m fine.”
He was quiet a moment as they wound their way through the carefully designed gardens her mother employed an overly expensive gardener to upkeep. Finally they made it out into the acres of green estate behind them that eventually seeped into woodland, some of which her father owned. Lights lit up the entire estate, making the place look more magical than terrifying. She guessed what people said was right - looks could be deceiving.
They walked towards it, moving further from the house, just two dots on the landscape. “You know maybe you and I could just leave?”
Eden’s heart stumbled at the thought and then increased in beat. God, all she wanted was to get out of there. “Yeah?” she asked hopefully.
“Yup. After what Dad said about Teagan, about… giving you to him… well… I started to think about it, you know.”
Eden frowned. “How could we? What would we do? Where would we go?”
“Well, I have access to my trust. Maybe I could start siphoning a little out each month into a bank account Dad can’t trace.”
“You could do that?”
“Maybe.”
She grinned, a contentment spreading through her at the thought. “So where would we go?”
Catching her mood, Stellan grinned down at her, a goofy, happy smile, his eyes brimming with affection. “Where would you want to go?”
“Bora Bora.”
He laughed. “Maybe somewhere a little less conspicuous.”
“OK smartass, where would you want to go?”
“Ireland.”
She quirked an eyebrow. “Ireland could work. I do like the idea of being on a completely different continent from our twisted family.”
“Dublin. The pubs look good.”
Rolling her eyes, Eden sighed. “Beer, Stellan? Really, you’re basing your choice on beer?”
“It’s called Lager or ale over there.”
“One: I think they also call it beer, Mr. Know-it-all. Two: Despite the reason behind the choice, I like it. I think Ireland would like us.”
He snorted. “Sure.”
“So… what would we do there? No wait… I know what you’d do.” They grinned at each and then said in unison, “Bartender.”
They burst out laughing, the sound seeming alien to the Winslow estate. Finally Eden shook her head. “OK, OK, what would I do?”
“Insult the locals?”
“Oh har-de-har-har.”
“Introduce sarcasm?”
“Even funnier. Anyway, I think the Irish have that one down pat.”
He shrugged, still grinning. “Well, I don’t know then. You can do anything you want.”
“Maybe I could be like a tourist guide or something.” She shrugged.
“You’re kidding right? That would actually mean interacting with people.”
“Hmm… strike that off the list then.”
“What about a mime? You can get paid to ignore people.”
She punched his arm.
Stellan laughed, rubbing the spot where she’d hit him. “What? I thought that was a good one.”
Smirking Eden turned her eyes towards the approaching woods, trying to search the shadows between the black trunks and leaves for the answer. After a few moments of silence Stellan spoke again, “You know you could be a photographer. Remember when you wanted to do that?”
Eden did remember. Two years ago she’d decided after her art teacher did a class on the photographer James Porto that that was what Eden was going to do with her life. Celine and Ryan had bought her a camera and everything… but the passion for it fizzled out when she realized she didn’t find anything beautiful about her life in Salton. But in Ireland? God that would be amazing.
“I could open a gallery.” She nodded.
“And I could serve beer at it.”
They chuckled at that, laughter that was cut off when Stellan’s cell rang. His smile slipped as he pulled the cell out and saw the caller ID. “Mom?” he answered. After a few seconds of talk he clicked the call end button and sighed. “We’ve to get back in the house.”
“Donmes qt you mean the prison?”
“Yeah, that.”
With twin sighs they turned around and started heading back to the house, the contentment they’d shared as they dreamed of running away to Ireland dying into something cold and hopeless.
They could never run away.
They knew that.
Ryan would find them wherever they ran.
As they stopped at the bottom of the stone steps that led back up onto the balcony and into the sitting room, Stellan smiled sadly down at her. “You might not have Ireland, Paradise… but you’ve always got me.”
And thank god for that, Eden thought, smiling back up at her big brother…
“Eden?”
She blinked, coming back to the present, a deep ache gnawing in her chest. It took her a moment to realize Jack was standing in the doorway of her room, his dark blue eyes narrowed on her. “Hey,” she croaked, pulling herself up from the floor near her bed.
“You OK?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder before stepping further into the room. “I heard about…”
“Romany.”
“Yeah.”
“Not really.”
His eyebrows drew together. “Anything I can do?”
All I really want is to get out of here. Eden crossed her arms over her chest, her own eyes narrowing thoughtfully. “You deal with the schedule right? The patrol schedule?”
Jack nodded, mirroring her stance. “Yeah?”
“You think you could change it tonight? Put me on it?”
“Alone?” he grunted, shaking his head. “No way.”
“Come on, Jack,” she snapped. “I need to get out of here.”
“Yeah and I need this job. Cyrus would kill me if I let you patrol alone.”
“I’ll go with her,” a flat, accented voice offered and Jack stepped aside to reveal Cameron standing in the doorway. He nodded, his eyes almost dead. “I can go with Eden on patrol.”
Jack’s eyes washed up and down Cameron. Finally he raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”
Eden didn’t know why Cameron was offering to patrol with her and honestly she didn’t care. Right now she could kiss his almost soulless cheek. “Come on. We’ll be fine.”
She saw Jack crumbling under her pleading gaze. Finally he rolled his eyes and pulled out his cell. That’s not what Eden wanted to see. He pressed a button and held the phone to his ear. “Cyrus, it’s Jack.” OK, that’s not what she wanted to hear. “Can I put Eden on patrol with Cameron tonight? Just the two of them?” he nodded and after a moment hit the call end button. He heaved a sigh. “You and Cameron… plus Val. Or nothing at all.”
Well, considering Val always hunted alone, that didn’t sound like a bad deal. If Eden’s cheek muscles could find the will to pull her lips into a smile they would have. Instead she slapped him affectionately on the shoulder as she passed. “Thanks, Dude.”
Chapter Twelve
I am Ankh
Noah wiped the sweat off his forehead with a towel, glancing back at the weights. He’d been down here for over an hour and still training hadn’t beaten the anxiousness out of him. Eden had left with Val and Cameron to go on patrol. For the first time since she’d arrived at the mansion she’d left without him telling him she was going out. A bite of panic took h
is breath away and he shook his head. He needed some sleep. Heading out and upstairs, stepping out onto the foyer, Noah was lost. The panic wouldn’t leave. He needed something to do. Something to fix. But the Adam situation was in the early stages. Cyrus had called in Darius to get him to help with the investigation. That Darius was going to be here while Romany was around Eden just… freaked him out. But Darius was the only Ankh who could move in and out of locations like a ghost, and they needed him to plant bugs in Adam’s offices and his phones. They needed proof that he was the rebel Neith before they could make their move. And their move was a good one. Their move was Romany’s brilliant idea.
Proving Adam was the rebel Neith did nothing for the Ankh if more and more Neith were coming around to Adam’s considerable influence. But as Romany had pointed out, the Neith would punish Adam if he ever crossed the line and hurt Neith in his war to bring down the Ankh. Romany had suggested that if Adam was the perpetrator then they needed to frame him. If they could rescue Alison and Christopher Douglas from The Tribunal they could ask them if they’d be willing to play along. And by play along she meant putting them in a location owned by Adam Lincoln and asking them to swear he was the one who had kidnapped them. She said they could lead a paper trail to him and, even better, somehow convince a few of his people to confess to kidnapping the Douglas’ in an attempt to trap Cyrus. Romany had shrugged, explaining she hadn’t thought through how they would do that yet. But Cyrus hadn’t been worried and Noah knew why. Eden still had powers of compulsion. They’d kept it secret, but if she’d agree to it, Eden would be able to compel Adam’s lackeys to confess to kidnapping Alison and Christopher on Adam’s behalf. They’d then pass the information onto Jake Lelander, the Councilman of New York and good friend to Romany’s Councilman, Sandy Meikles. Together they’d investigate and uncover ‘the truth’ about Adam. Evidence of him abusing Neith in his efforts to destroy the Ankh would result in his imprisonment.
It was underhand, sure. Immoral, yes. But in the interest of the peaceful future between the Ankh and Neith, Noah had to admit it was a pretty good plan… but telling Eden that Romany was the one that had come up with it? He sighed, just thinking about it, his legs like dead weight as he began to climb the stairs. The way she’d looked at Cyrus. The way she’d looked at him. Like she’d never forgive him.
“Screw you. The both of you.”
He winced. How could she not see that they loved her? That they were trying to protect her from making an irrevocable mistake?
“Noah, wait up!” Romany rushed up the stairs behind him, pulling him out of his thoughts, his worries. He gave her a blank look and she shrugged uncertainly, her brown eyes soft on his. “Look, I just wanted to thank you for being cool about me being here.”
“I have nothing against you.” He shrugged it off, like it didn’t matter.
Romany’s eyes narrowed in thought. “Yeah but your girlfriend does. I know you’re in a bit of situation and I just… well… thanks.”
Noah sighed heavily, running a frustrated hand through his hair. “I don’t want to see you hurt, Romany. But more than that I don’t want to see Eden hurt.”
She smiled wryly. “You Ankh. Always sticking together.”
His jaw clenched. “That sounds suspiciously bitter.”
Her eyes widened. “I’m not.” She laughed and shook her head. “You need to check your ego at the door, Noah. Whatever you might think, I didn’t kill Eden’s brother because of some jealousy I had over you guys – although I might add I was absolutely right about that or was that not a lover’s tiff I witnessed tonight?” She eyed him pointedly. And then her features slackened, eyes glazing over. “I don’t just hate soul eaters and want to rid the world of the danger of them. I loathe soul eaters. Killing them is all I want to do. All the time. And that night I was on auto pilot. It just happened. But I get her anger, Noah. I really do understand her fury.”
Curious, Noah tilted his head in thought. “You’ve gone all Zen on me, Rom. Why the change of heart towards Eden?”
She gave him a look, a look that suggested he should understand this part. “Don’t get me wrong, it burned getting dumped by Noah Valois. But if you Ankh could get over your arrogance for once second you would have realized that what I did had nothing to do with you. I was caught in the moment. And afterwards I was angry and confused why people were angry and confused with me. But when I walked away I began to realize that no matter what I might think… I did steal him from her. She loved him… and I killed him. I realized that Eden and I have a lot in common now. You helped me kill my father’s murderer Noah, but that’s only half of the vengeance I’m putting together. I still have a lot of rage, a thirst for revenge. You know that.” She shook her head, her eyes haunted by memories she had trusted him enough to share. “I understand why she wants me dead more than she’ll know. That’s why I have to tell her that I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry I took him from her. I’d give anything to change it.”
Noah sighed again, reaching out to clasp a comforting hand on her familiar shoulder. “I don’t blame you for what you did, Rom. None of us do except Eden. Thing is… I may not agree with her but I also understand why she feels the way she feels. I’m stuck in a shitty place right now.”
She smiled sympathetically at him. “I never thought I’d see the day when Noah Valois fell in love.”
He winced, a prickle of guilt flaring up the back of his neck in a white heat. He’d been so casual about his relationship with Romany. He didn’t want to flaunt how he felt about Eden around her.
She seemed to understand and she snorted. “Don’t look as if you just tortured my puppy. I cared about you and I like to think you cared about me a little. But we were never in love.”
He shrugged sheepishly. “I just… get her… you know.”
Another snort. “Somehow I doubt that.”
Noah’s expression changed instantly, hardened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means Eden MacDouglas is one of the most unique beings in our world. She’s been raised by monsters, witnessed things little kids should never have witnessed, fought with moral issues no child should ever have to battle, and now she’s this mega Ankh with a huge target painted on her back. I doubt even you can begin to understand the depths of her.”
“Is this all you do?” Cameron asked blandly, keeping stride with Eden. They were walking down a quiet Berkley Street in the Back Bay area, Val a few blocks over on the other side of Statler Park. “You seem to patrol…a lot.”
Eden shrugged. “From what I’ve been told this is unusual. We’re getting a lot of tips about soul eaters in Central Boston. Problem is, with this rebel Neith possibly pulling the strings of the people we think we can trust we’re having a hard time figuring out if the tips are real or just an attempt to lure us out. According to ‘he who will not be named’-”
She grimaced just at the thought of her boyfriend.
“-the mansion is just like the base of operations. Usually they spend half their time travelling around the states and sometimes the world, getting called in to deal with particularly nasty soul eaters. The Princeps has had a call or two these last few weeks but he’s had to ask other members of The Circle to deal with the requests for aid.”
“Because of what’s going on with you?”
“Not just me. This idiotic plan these rebel Neith have to bury the Ankh under their control. They seem to have forgotten we’re immortal… and they’re not. I detect a flaw in their plan.”
They were silent a moment, Eden glancing this way and that, pretending she wasn’t at all curious about Cameron’s motives for coming on patrol with her. When she’d asked warily what the story was on Adam Lincoln, the Texas Councilman, Cameron had filled her in with all the details and with no commentary on what had gone down with Romany. He even managed to explain Romany’s idea for bringing Adam down without flinching at her name. Eden begrudgingly thought it was a good plan. Sneaky, underhand, completely immoral and wrong and exa
ctly what she’d expect from a grade-A bitch like Romany. However, it was a good plan if it meant keeping the peace between the Neith and the Ankh. Eden also guessed she should probably offer up her services for the part where they somehow convinced Adam’s own people to confess to the Douglas’ kidnapping. That would be a pretty difficult task unless Eden compelled the Neith to do it. Cyrus probably had that in mind already. The decent thing to do would be to broach the subject first, tell him she’d do it. But still pissed as all hell, Eden would leave it until the last minute, let him anxiously wonder how on earth he could ask a favor of her when he was letting Darius ruin her life! She took a deep breath, reining in her temper.
“Eden?”
“Mmhmm?”
“I need to tell you something.”
Interesting. “Why me?”
“Because you’re the only person I feel comfortable around at the moment.” He was watching her out of the corner of his eyes. A little unnerved Eden picked up her stride, taking a right down the tree-lined walkway on Commonwealth. Her eyes narrowed at Cameron and she pulled him aside as a young girl walked haltingly towards them, her eyes wide on them. The canopy of trees cast everything into shadow here, the quiet broken by the whisper of leaves on the wind. The girl looked about eighteen. She was dressed in jeans and heels, the jacket she held shut with trembling hands was so thin you could have spat peas through it. Idiot, Eden thought, angry at her. Here they were trying to protect humans from soul eaters and this pretty young thing was flapping around in the dark like a seal taunting a polar bear. Bearing her teeth at the girl in frustration, she watched in satisfaction as the girl whimpered and rushed by them out into the light of Berkeley Street, turning left instead of crossing the road into the next section of tree-lined, dark walkway.
“See that’s exactly why you’re the only person I feel I can talk to without being stared at,” Cameron said softly, his voice still devoid of his…Cameron-ness.