“Never listened to ‘em.”
“Oh, well I've got their albums. You should have a listen.”
“Sure, I'll check them out.”
“Cool. You're sharing my room anyway, so… cool.”
“Cool.”
Christopher cleared his throat, “I think we've established that everything is cool. October, let your nana meet Eden.”
October stood back and Eden turned as an older Neith stepped forward. She held herself regally, her hand clasped around an elegant cane. Her white hair was cut fashionably short, and her ocean-coloured eyes were amazingly bright and alert. Eden knew who this was. This was Mhairi Douglas -
not Mary like Eden had thought when she saw her name written down on Cyrus' notes. It was pronounced Vari - the Celts really liked to complicate life when it came to spelling and pronunciation. Mhairi was the eldest living member of the Douglas' and the one who would be donating her blood to Eden's cause. Unbelievably, Eden had been informed that Mhairi was eighty-eight years old. She didn't look a day over sixty. But her age explained the cane. Neith were very resilient and healthful people. You had to be hitting the really elderly age bracket to be walking with a cane.
“Well let's have a look at you.” Mhairi peered at her, those incredibly lively eyes running the length of her. She huffed as if disbelieving and turned to Cyrus. “You're right, Princeps. This has to be one o' mine. The hair, the skin, the shape o' the eyes. Definitely one o' mine. The surname fits.
Do you know I rather envy you it. Our family dropped the prefix Mac a few centuries ago when one o' my great-great grandfathers married a Sassenach and she convinced him Douglas was more civilised sounding than MacDouglas. ”
What was a Sassenach?
“An Englishman,” Noah murmured in her ear, and she ignored the shiver that cascaded down her spine at the feel of his breath on her neck. She twisted around to frown at him. OK, she knew he was good at reading her, but how could he possibly read her when her back was to him?
“I could have changed it I suppose but I was too busy hunting, unlike my lazy ancestor.
Fortunately his son was a magnificent hunter and got our family legacy back on track. He had your colouring. Yes, aye,” she turned to Cyrus, “This one is definitely one o' mine.” He nodded. “Thank you for doing this Ms Douglas.”
“Please call me Mhairi.” She shooed away his formality. “And I'm happy to do it. It's a nice change o' pace in fact.” Mhairi grinned at Eden. “The first time in this long life o' mine that I'll be getting rid o' a soul eater without killing the bugger.”
Eden frowned. “Am I the bugger in that sentence?”
The old woman chuckled. “Only for the next twenty four hours.” She turned back to Cyrus. “Shall we begin?”
“Already?” Eden squeaked. She started to lose control of her heart rate. She hadn't realised this would be happening so soon.
Cyrus nodded and she felt Val squeeze her hand. “We should get it over with, Eden.” She gulped and glanced back up into Mhairi's eyes. “Are you sure you're OK to do this?”
“I can get by without a pint o' blood, don't you be worrying about that.” Suddenly the room felt very warm as the hunger realised death was imminent. It burst into flames inside of her and began screaming at all those souls so close.
So close. Take. Need. Want. No! Take. Need. Need. NEED!
She shuddered and clutched harder to Val's hand. “OK. Then let's do this.” Chapter Three
Leaving Your Ass
in the Dust
The Douglas' bathroom was a good size but it felt seriously diminished by the number of people inside of it.
Eden looked around at them with narrowed eyes, her teeth grinding together. She couldn't believe she was going to have to do this in front of them. Was it really necessary? They were asking her to put someone else's blood into her. Actual human blood?! And there was to be witnesses to this weirdness?
Valeria knelt beside Mhairi Douglas, a needle, tube and blood bag in hand. “Are you ready?” she asked the older woman quietly.
Mhairi gazed at Eden and her eyes sharpened. She tutted and turned to look up at the gathering.
“No one needs to see the girl do this.”
There was grumbling as Eden nodded gratefully, still too anxious to offer a smile of gratitude.
“Mhairi is correct. We will leave them in Valeria's capable hands.” Cyrus began ushering them out. Noah was the last to leave. He stared down at Eden stonily, her skin prickling under his gaze.
Unwillingly, she lifted her chin to meet his suddenly expressive eyes. I can stay if you need me, they said.
A few weeks ago Eden would have jumped on the unspoken offer. She would have tugged on his hand and brought him down on the cold tile beside her and shimmied into his side to collect the warmth of his comforting nearness. But now, despite his continued attempts to ‘be there for her', she was unsure of him. Was he just following orders still? She hated him for that, because not too long ago he had been the one thing in her life she was utterly sure about. Losing something like that was almost as bad as death taking it from you.
The pain of Noah's betrayal sliced through her as it always did when she allowed herself time to dwell on it.
I'll never need you again.
Noah flinched at the message in her eyes and allowed Cyrus to guide him from the room. The sight of her guardian leaving caused a knot of panic in her chest. “Cyrus!” She called out.
He stopped abruptly, his brow furrowing. “Yes?”
Eden felt silly all of a sudden. Would he laugh at her? Think her a child?
“Eden?”
She bit her lip and caught Valeria's look. It was kind and understanding. Val nodded as if telling Eden to ask for what she wanted. With a heavy sigh, Eden shrugged. “Will you stay?” His eyes softened, something they hardly ever did, although they certainly did around Eden, which was in itself a small, special comfort to her. “Of course, if you would like me to.”
“Yes.”
The door shut quietly and Cyrus slid down it to sit on the floor, his eyes on Mhairi and Eden as he relaxed against the door.
“Well, is someone going to stick that needle in me before my arse falls asleep?” Mhairi grunted.
Cyrus sighed. “Definitely Merrit's family.”
Eden grinned at that, suddenly feeling a sharp pang of longing for the mother she had never known. If she were anything like Mhairi she must have been quite the character.
It took a few minutes for Valeria to draw the pint of blood from the older woman. Once she was done, she wiped at the needle puncture gently and helped Mhairi rest against the bath, handing her some sweet lemonade.
Eden eyed the bag of blood and her stomach turned.
Oh god, I can't do this. I can't do this.
Don't! The hunger growled . Don't. Just smell that soul. So much better than the blood. Take.
Want. Need.
One of Mhairi's eyes popped open. “I can get up and leave if you don't want me watching your transition.”
Mhairi was looking a little pale and shaky. It would be selfish to ask her to leave. “No, it's fine.
It's not so much you watching, it's the actual… transition.” The four of them were silent as Eden's eyes bored into the bag. Her legs began to grow numb, so she shifted, her palm taking her weight on the tiles. She slanted her gaze, staring at Cyrus out of the corner of her eye. “How does this work again?”
“Valeria will give you the transfusion. You will convulse. You will pass out. You will awaken in approximately twenty four hours completely free of the soul eater.” That, she liked the sound of. The transfusion and convulsing part, not so much. Eden looked to Valeria now for answers. She couldn't ask her outright if it would hurt or not because Mhairi couldn't know what Valeria was. Damn it, why didn't I ask her this sooner?? She cleared her throat. “I wonder if it'll hurt.”
The Ankh immediately understood and nodded. “I imagine it will.” Valeria exhaled and leaned back against the bath beside Mhairi, her eyes pleading with Eden not to be afraid. “I imagine that changing the mechanics of your body will be painful. Perhaps a burning sensation. Muscle pain.
Sharp, needle-like qualities in your bones. I imagine also your heart will feel as if it is going to burst out of your chest as it pumps the new blood into your system.”
“Good imagination,” Mhairi mumbled. “Are you trying to frighten the girl?”
“I am trying to prepare her.”
Everything Val had described sounded awful. But hadn't she been through much worse? Was the physical pain really as bad as the emotional crap she had been through? As bad as the hunger??
Somehow, I don't think so.
“OK.” Eden shrugged back her shoulders and stuck out an arm. “Let's do this.”
*
The prick of the needle had been nothing. A sting. The sitting, waiting for the convulsions had been somewhat excruciating.
But this…
The actual convulsions…
Eden wasn't even aware of where she was anymore. She didn't know what she was doing, how she'd gotten there, who the murmuring voices around her belonged to. All she saw was pure blinding white. All she felt was pure, burning pain. A white heat. Ice cold in its intensity. It ripped and clawed and gripped her muscles, twisting this way and that. It gnawed, scratched and stuck needles into her bones. It taunted her heart, which raced faster and harder, galloping against her chest as if desperate to be anywhere but inside her.
I'm desperate to be anywhere but inside me.
Pain thudded, thud thud thud, against the back of her head and her teeth rattled in her mouth. She couldn't even scream. She could only exist as her body took over and…
… died…
Chapter Four
The Dead Look
Noah stared at Eden in disbelief. There was a sick churning in his stomach and tightness in his chest that he refused to believe was panic. Trying not to tremble, Noah dropped Eden's limp wrist.
Her pulseless limp wrist.
Staggering back from the bed he attempted to drag his eyes from the sight of her deathly pale face.
It no longer looked human. There was no expression in her features. No life.
Feeling an overwhelming rush of anger Noah whirled around to glare at Valeria, even though Cyrus stood right next to her. They were alone in October's bedroom. The walls were painted a ridiculous lemon yellow, the mass of it broken up with delicate paintings of flowers that had been stencilled to simulate a border along the walls. Plastering the walls were posters of rock bands and vampires, and (Noah had barely refrained from rolling his eyes when he first saw them) fan pics of Robert Pattinson, the poster child for vampire romanticism. When Noah had first seen the room he'd thought it funny that the owner, with all her attitude and warrior blood, was a fan of supernatural lore.
You'd think living it would be enough to cure you of any fascination or need for paranormal escapism.
But right now his unease wasn't over the nauseatingly girly bedroom. It was brought on by the truth that had been withheld from him.
Eden was dead.
“Why the hell didn't you tell me she was going to die?!” he seethed, careful to keep his anger directed at Valeria and not his Princeps.
Cyrus answered anyway and in that infuriatingly calm way of his. “We did not want to upset Eden and frighten her. We know she is coming back from this but she might not have trusted us. And you… you are too close. You would have fought us on this and made the situation worse.” Noah's blood boiled, his lungs working overtime to unknot the tension in his chest. “Of course I would have. If she doesn't come back from this…” he trailed off, unable to even think of a world without Eden in it. Even when she was being pissy and angry at him, it was OK. As long as he knew she was alright, he could handle the pissy, furious Eden. Because as long as she was alright there was always hope that one day she'd forgive him and they would be able to start over again. “What if she doesn't come back from this?”