Shades of Blood (21 page)

His dark blue eyes studied her face for a moment and then seeming to come to some sort of conclusion he nodded and picked up a headset, speaking sharply into it. “Mullins, take over for me in the CCTV room.”

Eden didn
’
t hear what Mullins reply was. Instead she waited impatiently until the door opened two minutes later and a tall, older Neith strode into the room. He flicked her a wary look as he passed her.

“I
’
ll be back in an hour to take over.” Jack nodded at him militantly and then gestured for Eden to lead the way. Silently he followed her out and along the corridors, down into the basement level to the training rooms. Thankfully it was empty. Eden really didn
’
t want to face anyone right then. Especially not Noah.

“Sparring?” Jack asked, shrugging out of his jacket, kicking off his boots.

Eden nodded, kicking her Converse off. “Sparring.”

She knew Jack really wanted to know what was going on, that he was biting back the question, and Eden appreciated that. All she wanted right now was… this. She nodded at him and they began to circle one another.  She faked a punch and as he pulled his right shoulder back to dodge it, Eden followed it up with a roundhouse quick he would never have been quick enough to execute. It caught his left shoulder and he stumbled, wincing at the brutal force of it.

Eden bounced back on the balls of her feet, adrenaline shooting through her.

Come on. Come on, Jack. Hit me.

When his physical retort came it was in a side sweep that knocked her on her ass. The shock of the oxygen rushing out of her lungs as her back slammed against the floor was satisfying. She took a minute and then pulled up her knees before using the momentum of strength of her lower body to flip her back onto her feet. They circled a while, each dodging one another
’
s blows. Eden got in a punch here and there and waited for more satisfaction.

The first punch that connected stunned her and for those delicious few seconds there was nothing in her life but this.

The second punch caught her in the same place, her lower jaw on the right side of her face throbbing.

The kick that landed on her solar plexus and slammed her back on the mat roused Jack
’
s suspicions.

The second kick infuriated him.

“OK, I
’
m out of here,” Jack cursed in disgust and Eden scrambled up, ignoring the bruised hurt radiating heat from her stomach.

“Wait, why?!” she called, watching in despair as he stuffed his feet angrily back into his boots.

“Why?” he threw over his shoulder. “Because I
’
m not going to stand here while you let me pummel you into the ground.”

“I wasn
’
t,” she scoffed, although that wasn
’
t completely true.

Rolling his eyes, Jack turned back to her. “Right. I really believe you
’
re that slow. I
’
m not stupid, Eden. What the hell is going on?”

Without any warning, no frustrating build up, no tingling in the eyes, Eden burst into loud, heartbreaking sobs. She fell to her knees, curling in on herself. She didn
’
t even know what Jack
’
s response was and she didn
’
t care. She was too busy trying to control the shudders wracking her body. They were uncontrollable. Feeling a tentative touch on her shoulder, Eden glanced up through her blur of tears and saw Jack
’
s smeary face. He was kneeling in front of her, his eyes wide and unsure.

Through the hiccupping mess that no longer resembled her, the hiccupping mess she was sure to be mortified about as soon as she calmed down, Eden told Jack everything. About whom Romany was, about Noah, about how much she wanted to kill Romany, about Darius testing her.

Finally, with Jack
’
s warm hand rubbing soothing circles on her back, Eden quieted. She was exhausted.

“I know the guy doesn
’
t like me very much but I have to stick up for Noah here,” Jack told her softly when she
’
d finished.

Eden blinked, thinking she
’
d heard wrong. The last thing she would have expected was that. If there was one person who understood her old life it was Jack. “Why?”

His grin was wry. “Because anyone can see the guy is head over heels for you. He and Cyrus really are trying to protect you. I believe that.”

“I don
’
t need protecting, Jack. You get it right?” she pleaded. “You killed your father for what he did to those people. You got revenge.”

Jack
’
s eyes grew sad as he understood why she
’
d come to him and Eden felt despairing. No! She needed him to understand. “Eden, it wasn
’
t revenge. It was justice. There is a huge difference and if you cross the line, if you… kill Romany for what she did… you won
’
t come back from that. That
’
s what Noah is trying to protect you from. He
’
s not protecting Romany, or Cyrus, or trying to keep Darius off your back… he
’
s trying to make sure that you don
’
t do irreparable damage to your soul.”

It hadn
’
t been what Eden wanted to hear. A traitorous part of her heart asked if it was perhaps what she
needed
to hear… but she pushed it down and felt another tear spill down her cheek. Jack sighed heavily and pulled her to him, tucking her head into his chest, his strong arms holding her close.

“Well this is cozy.”

The voice was so cold Eden barely recognized it. She snapped back from Jack
’
s embrace and jerked her head around. Noah stood in the doorway, his furious eyes blasting her into hell.

“Noah.” Eden felt a surprising amount of panic as she realized what he thought he was seeing. No. No!

“What was it you said to me?” he cocked his head, the bitterness in his voice killing her. “Oh right, yeah. Screw you. The both of you.”

His words sliced through her, ripping her open, momentarily dazing her. When she was able to catch her breath again he was gone. “Noah.” She scrambled to her feet, jamming them into her Converse before she hurried after him.

She caught up with him in the grand foyer and grabbed his arm, utilizing all her strength to drag the obstinate ass into the smaller of the sitting rooms. She slammed the door shut behind her, her chest heaving with the exertion of forcing him into the room.

“That
’
s not what you think.”

Noah
’
s face was stone cold and Eden
’
s chest ached. Even worse she could see the ripple of hurt underneath his stoic façade. “Oh really?” he asked in a determinedly bored voice. “What was it then?”

She shrugged. “We were training and I just broke down, OK.”

“To him,” he spat, the pretense of indifference fading pretty fast. “With him you break down?! You let him in?!”

Feeling the situation slip through her fingers, Eden hurried to reassure him. Whatever their difference of opinion, however much pain she was in over the Romany situation, however much she was still conflicted over the two paths in front of her, Jack was right. Noah cared about her. This couldn
’
t tear them apart. He was… everything. “I thought he
’
d understand.”

Wrong words.

Shit.

Noah jerked back as if she
’
d slapped him. “Oh, I see. So you and I are pretty much over because I don
’
t get you but the Neith does. He gets you. I don
’
t. Is that it?”

“Noah, no!” Eden hurried towards him but he slid past her towards to door. “He
’
s my friend. And you and I are not over!”

“You promised,” he said quietly over his shoulder as he opened the door to escape. “You promised you
’
d remember and you just…” he looked at her now. “You won
’
t let me care. You can
’
t see past your own pain. You can
’
t see that all we care about is you. It makes me wonder if you care enough about us back. When you
’
re like this… I don
’
t even know why I try...”

The shocking pain of those words momentarily froze her and when she finally came to, Noah was gone.

“Noah!” she called, rushing out of the room. There was no sight of him. A door clanged shut. The door to the garage. He was taking a car. “Jack!” she spun around and nearly collided with him.

“I just wanted to see if you were OK.”

She shook her head, feeling disorientated. “Let me take a car.”

Jack
’
s eyes widened. “What? No way. Cyrus would kill me.”

“Jack!” Eden grabbed a hold of his shirt, forcing him forward. Her eyes bore into his with desperation. “I can
’
t let him go like this. If I don
’
t go after him, he
’
ll think I don
’
t care. And I do care. OK. I don
’
t know what I
’
m doing about Romany, I don
’
t know what I
’
ll do in the future, I don
’
t know. But I do know that the only person that means anything to me might never want me again unless I prove to him that right now nothing else matters but him.”

Her passionate outburst, so unlike her, seemed to shock Jack to the core. Eventually he pulled out of her grip, eyeing her carefully. Then he shook his head, muttering, “I
’
m so going to lose my job.”

Relief rushed through her as Jack led her down to the garage and keyed in a code to the key box. He pulled out the keys to Cyrus
’
Ford SUV and handed them to her. “You better be so careful,” he warned. “You don
’
t get out of the car unless you find Noah. You hear me.”

“I hear you.” She nodded.

With another uncertain look, Jack sighed and turned to a phone attached to the wall by the key box. “Hey, Reeves,” Jack said to whoever picked up. “Eden has permission to leave the grounds. She
’
s coming out in the SUV. Call down to checkpoint one and two to inform them.”

Eden exhaled shakily. “Thank you, Jack.”

“Just go.”

Through the Half-Light