“Because shoppe sounds funnier.”
She grinned and followed him down the garden towards his car. “It does, doesn’t it.”
“So we’re sticking with shoppe?”
“Linguistically or physically?”
“Both.”
Eden nodded, glad they could breeze past that earlier “blip” in the kitchen so easily. “Sounds like my kind of Saturday night.”
Noah glanced back up at the house and frowned. Eden followed his gaze and saw the sophomore hanging out of the doorway, waving him back in. His eyes widened as he turned back to Eden. “I think we better hurry.”
Eden laughed. “What, not interested in the vodka-wielding sophomore, Mr. Teetotal?”
“No mocking. Who knew a smile and a sip of vodka constituted wedlock around here.” He dived into the driver’s seat, gesturing at Eden to hurry up and get in.
To annoy him, she took her time. Before she slid into the passenger seat, she waved at the sophomore who stood up at the house, and threw her a smug smile. The sophomore narrowed her eyes on her evilly. Eden grinned, her possessiveness enjoying this win. She slid in beside him and relaxed.
“To The Coffee Shoppe, Jeeves.”
Eden blinked, coming back to the present. She gazed up at Noah, feeling warm at the memory, feeling warm at his nearness. OK. So maybe she did… you know…
I don’t know. She shivered at the thought.
But she was more than tempted to find out… even if caring about him that way was dangerous.
“Meet me?”
Noah waited with bated breath for Eden’s answer. He took comfort in the fact that she’d relaxed against him. He took comfort in the fact that (even though she was in pain because of it) there was a war going on behind her eyes. A war with herself and the soul eater. There was still time. And tonight… tonight it would end. It had to. Word had reached them about the rebel faction of Neith warriors who had attacked Eden. He didn’t know exactly what had happened, only that Eden had survived (thank the gods) and now she was acting… different. He had a horrible feeling she might have had a hand in the deaths of some of those warriors. He wished they were open enough for him to reassure her that it was self-defense. Cyrus was furious. He was ripping through the Neith Councils trying to find the leader of the faction. But no one wanted to admit that they had a rebel among them, that they couldn’t control their own bloody warriors.
“OK.” Eden nodded, drawing him back to her. He felt his heart begin to slow at her agreement. “I’ll meet you. Somehow. Where?”
“Get your brother to take you to the movies.” He told her the movie and time. “Fifteen minutes in, tell him you’re going to the bathroom. Instead, meet me at the back entrance in the alleyway.”
She nodded again, silent, and he squeezed her wrist to reassure her. “We just… we really need to talk.”
“Yeah.” Eden smirked humorlessly. “I guess we do.”
Noah stood aside to let her out of the classroom and he had this stupid urge to grab her hand and stop her; like something bad was going to happen and this was the last time they’d ever talk like friends. He shook it off but watched her walk away. Ten minutes ago she’d been striding down the hallway, daring people to meet her eyes, looking for a fight. Now she huddled into herself, brushing past the other kids like they didn’t exist.
Noah exhaled and leaned his head against the doorframe. She was in so much pain. He was surprised by how much that hurt him.
He barely moved at the feel of his cell vibrating. He reached into his back pocket and flipped it open.
I am here. Are we prepared for this evening? C.
He snorted. Even in his texts, Cyrus sounded like an old guy. And then reality set in and his heart started thudding, his skin tingling. Noah felt the buzz of coming war.
This was what he was born to do.
Chapter Twelve
Who are You, Again?
Getting Stellan to take her to the movies was pretty easy. He’d been haunting Eden’s steps for the last few weeks, worried as all hell that something was going to happen to her. That only made her feel extra guilty about tricking him.
Begging for a break from the house, Stellan had managed to convince Ryan to let him take her out. He promised the goons could follow them and wait for them outside the cinema. Ryan wanted the goons to accompany them into the cinema but Stellan got around him by pretending to be affronted that his father didn’t think he was strong enough to protect his sister. If there was one thing Ryan understood it was wounded masculine pride.
Also, Eden had been behaving particularly sullen and bitter lately. He liked it. So he rewarded it.
Sick fu-
Now, now Eden, she admonished herself. He’s not worth it.
And he wasn’t.
“I’m really glad you asked me to do this.” Stellan grinned at her as they pulled into the parking lot of the cinema. “I’ve been worried about you.”
Eden frowned, getting out of the car. “I’m fine.”
Her brother shook his head, locking the door. His remained focused entirely on her as he strode towards her, their stride finding time with one another. “You’ve been different. Crabbier.”
“I’m always crabby.”
“Yeah, but not with me. Not with coffee shop assistants.”
He was referring to the fact that she’d gone a little ballistic at Sally at The Coffee Shoppe on the weekend, when she and Stellan had stopped in for a latte and sandwich. Sally 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 prickle of frustrated fury. “What the hell do you want from me, Stellan?”
A wincing pain flared up her arm and she found herself being burled to a stop by him. They both ignored the ticket seller, 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 will take away all 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?”
Stellan 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 playfully. “You like me all 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’ll fight your nature.”
“I will.” Eden frowned. “You’re being weird.”
Quietly they bought their tickets and headed towards the screen room. Her brother stopped her before they went inside. “You saw me that night… when Teagan left the basement 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 pulled him into a hug, holding him as tight as she could. All of a sudden he was just like a normal college 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 pulled back, not really meeting her eyes. They walked quietly into the cinema, a new weight on her shoulders threatening to buckle her knees.
Since her talk with Stellan had cut into Noah’s schedule she excused herself ten minutes after they sat down. Stellan tried to anxiously follow, but she promised him she just needed to use the bathroom.
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 billboard 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 hallway 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 wall of the alley.
He nodded at her. His expression so serious. “Come on.” He held out his hand.
Still 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 Stellan back in the cinema. God he would be so worried when he realized 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 alley, 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 well 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 stilled, 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 all 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 god,” 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 all 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.