Shades of Blood (32 page)

Eden nodded, stepping into the room, glancing around. “Where
’
s Cameron?”

Tobe grimaced. “Councilman McLeish wanted to have a word with him before we fly back home. I think about his mum and… well… the whole him being psychic thing.”

“And your parents?”

At the thought of her parents, Tobe relaxed, the tension that kept creeping back up on her dissipating when she remembered that they were safe and here with her. “Getting as much sleep as possible. We talked last night. They
’
re… getting there.”

“They went through a lot. It
’
ll take time.”

That was an understatement. Not only were they reeling from having been taken, and at having not been able to protect their own daughter, but also from having played their part in setting up Adam Lincoln. Tobe
’
s parents were honest, genuinely nice people… it didn
’
t sit well with them to lie about anything, especially not something so huge. But… they had done it for Cyrus. For the relationship between the Ankh and Neith. “Yeah.” She nodded and then smirked, remembering last night
’
s conversation. “On the plus side, they
’
re going to let me start patrolling.”

Eden grinned back at her, understanding how exciting it was for her. “About time.”

“Yup. I
’
m a big girl now.”

They sniggered and Eden drew closer. “I can
’
t believe you
’
re leaving already.”

“I know… but… it
’
s only a few months until Christmas. Maybe you could visit?”

“I
’
d really like that.”

“Good.” Tobe saw a flash of melancholy in Eden
’
s eyes and frowned at her. “Come on, it won
’
t be for that long.”

“I know.” She nodded. “I
’
m just… gonna miss you. You were, like, the only person who had my back even when I was being a crazy bitch.”

“That is true… you
were
a crazy bitch.”

Eden punched her in the arm. Hard.

Tobe was still rubbing the bruised flesh and whining when Eden sat casually down on the bed and grinned wickedly up at her. “So… you and Cameron huh? That all back on track?”

“Is it true Noah spent the night in your bed last night?”

“Hey, don
’
t change the subject. And yes. Now you answer.”

Feeling a pang in her chest, Tobe tried to ignore her own feeling of sadness that she and Eden wouldn
’
t be able to see each other every day, that they wouldn
’
t be able to hang out and mock and support the other. She sighed and flopped down beside her. Her friends back home didn
’
t understand her like Eden did. Although… she did have Cameron. “He
’
s going to be OK.” She nodded. Eden and Noah weren
’
t the only ones who
’
d spent the night together, although Tobe and Cameron had spent it talking and just being happy to lie next to one another. “He
’
s a bit freaked out, naturally. It
’
s not every day you find out you
’
re an effin
’
psychic but despite everything… I think he knows his Uncle Neil will protect him. We
’
re kind of intrigued to see what it all means though. It
’
s really cool.” She cocked her head, thinking about all the things they might discover with Cameron
’
s new found abilities. Now that he was reassured she still cared about him. “You know I think he was more scared that I was mad at him about the whole soulless thing. Which is completely idiotic. You
’
d think I was prone to holding a grudge or something.”

Eden snorted.

“Shut up.”

“I didn
’
t say anything.” Eden held up her hands, her mouth quirked up in the corner as if she were desperate to laugh.

Tobe rolled her eyes. “Like I
’
d hold a grudge against Cameron for something he couldn
’
t control. He was trying to save my life at the time.”

“I know, I know. So you
’
re all cool?”

“We
’
re getting there. Now it
’
s just returning home to bitchy Neith like Shona, who no doubt will have something to say about me and Cameron dating.”

At the mention of Shona, Eden curled her lip. Her cousin really hadn
’
t liked her fellow Neith. Not that she did either, but Eden particularly despised her for the way she talked to Tobe. She huffed, “Shona
’
s a shrew. Anyway…when
’
s your flight?”

“A few hours.”

“Do you feel like sparring?”

Tobe bounced up off the bed at the notion. “Do you feel like getting your ass kicked?”

“OK, down Lassie. Just because you saved Timmy from the well that one time doesn
’
t mean you
’
re going to again.”

Confused, having no idea who Lassie or Timmy was, Tobe made a face, following Eden out of the room. “Pardon?”

Eden sighed. “Just don
’
t expect to get another lucky punch in, OK.”

“Lucky?” Tobe scoffed. “That wasn
’
t lucky. It was awesome. I
’
m awesome.”

“Yeah, we
’
ll see how awesome you are when I take you down in five seconds flat.”

“You feel like putting a bet on that?”

“How much?”

“I
’
ll bet you my limited edition
Arcade Fire
Cold Wind Vinyl for your
Killers
t-shirt.”

Eden glowered up at her as they descended the staircase. “No way. Noah gave me that shirt.”

Tobe arched an eyebrow. “Chicken?”

Her cousin
’
s eyes narrowed in determination. “Oh you got yourself a bet, lady.”

Five minutes later Tobe wheezed, waiting for the air to rush back into her lungs, her back throbbing from hard impact with the mat. Eden stood over her, arms crossed over her chest in triumph.

“I
’
ll be expecting that vinyl within twenty eight days.”

Lungs finally opening up, Tobe found the strength to flip her off.

Somewhere to Remember

“What are we doing out here?” Eden asked, following Cyrus deeper into the woods. It had been a week since… everything. The emotional exhaustion had just begun to leave her after a few wonderful nights of sleeping curled up next to Noah. Romany had left, returned to her Neith. Tobe and Cameron, the Douglas
’
and McLeish had returned to Scotland, battered and bruised but together, and full of promises to return. Eden planned to head out to Scotland in December to spend some of the holidays with Tobe. They hadn
’
t exactly had a normal visit with each other so they were both looking forward to hanging out without any plans for rescue or vengeance on their minds. And of course they were back to emailing affectionate insults back and forth every day. As for Adam Lincoln… he hadn
’
t gotten away with his crimes against the Ankh. The Neith were furious that he
’
d used two of his own to further his
‘
stupid
’
rebellion as the hypocrites were now calling it, and for all the hurt and chaos he
’
d caused they had decided to hand him over to the Ankh for punishment. The Circle had convened for the first time in months at Cyrus
’
home. The place had been buzzing with all that energy and Eden had been half-excited, half-wary of their presence. Some of them were friendly to her, some were just downright standoffish (*cough* Cassandra *cough*), but Noah had assured her they were always like that. Still… she hadn
’
t minded when they
’
d left.

She
had
been a little thrown by
why
they
’
d left.

More than a little thrown.

Downright freaked out.

The Circle departed because they came to their decision.

Adam Lincoln was promptly handed over to Darius to do with as he pleased. And in true Darius fashion, swatting whatever bug proved most threatening, he
’
d meted out a fatal punishment. Eden wasn
’
t going to lie… his methods frightened her. She understood them
–
Val had drummed his reasoning into her head again and again
–
and Eden understood he was protecting the Ankh and the Neith, but it would never sit right with her that a man they had set up in order to prevent a war was killed for a crime he technically didn
’
t commit. It was then Eden realized that no matter what side she was on, good or bad, in their line of business
–
war
–
there was always going to be shady grey areas that would prick at her conscience. It was the politics. And Eden didn
’
t want anything to do with the politics. She decided to keep her nose (and soul) clean and stick to what she was good at. Hunting monsters. And chasing their ghosts out of her heart.

“We are nearly there,” Cyrus promised.

A few minutes later he followed the footpath in the woods down into a clearing. Eden gazed around wide-eyed.

“What is this?” the small building before her was beautiful. It resembled a small Corinthian style museum with four columns with decorative features top and bottom bracing the doorway, two either side.

Cyrus didn
’
t reply. Instead he strode inside the small building and she followed, her gaze widening. The whole place was lit up with soft lighting and a beautiful skylight above them flooded the altar-like interior with angelic light. The floors and walls were white marble, broken up into rectangles by thick lines carved into the stone and painted in real gold. In the middle of the rectangles were names, and dates of births and deaths. A strange, peaceful hush filled the air.