by Cameo Renae
Kimi’s real name was Kimiko Takahashi. Her parents were originally from Japan, but immigrated to America and opened the best Japanese restaurant in Seattle.
The restaurant was around a three-hour drive from Brindle Hollow, which we would travel at least once every few weeks, per my begging. Sebastian had the only car, so we pitched in for gas.
Trissa pivoted toward me, raising one of her perfectly manicured eyebrows while shaking her head. “Well, well. We must be dreaming because our girl Eden sure doesn’t look like the walking dead on this early Monday morning.”
Kimi nudged me as I reached them. “So, how was the party last night?”
“It wasn’t a party,” I groaned. “It was me, escorting Megan to Nico’s house so they could make out all night, while I ate most of their food.”
“I warned you,” Trissa said, exasperated. “I told you Megan was gonna use you. But I heard Nico is a pretty good cook. Is it true?”
I shrugged “We had frozen pizza and bagged salad.”
“Are you kidding?” Trissa’s jaw hung open. “That’s messed up.”
“You’re telling me.”
I wanted to tell them about my encounter last night, but a line was beginning to form. The servers were bringing out the breakfast food and setting it up on the buffet line. There were the usual things like fruit, yogurt, and cereal, but today’s freshly cooked food was pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs. My stomach rumbled as I caught a whiff of the pleasant aromas.
I followed Kimi and Trissa through the line. They opted for yogurt and fruit, while I ended up with a full plate of pancakes and extra bacon. No eggs—I didn’t care for them.
“Eden, are you on your period?” Kimi asked.
“Nope.” I shoved a piece of pancake into my mouth. Sucking the butter and syrup off my fingers, I moaned. “So damn good.”
“You know how many calories you’re putting into your body, right?” Trissa rolled her eyes and sighed. Trissa Moore was the fashionista of our small circle. She was tall, thin, and had creamy cocoa skin, with long curly, blue-black hair.
“I do. And I don’t give a damn. Just let me live,” I belly laughed, then shoved a savory piece of bacon into my mouth while they watched in horror.
Sebastian Perez ambled in just as we were finishing up. I likened him to a Columbian Ken doll, perfect in every way, and not a hair out of place. He was about six-foot tall with flawless, tanned skin, brown eyes, and dark-brown hair.
“How are my bitches this beautiful morning?” he asked, sitting at the table with his coffee and muffin. I caught a whiff of his cologne, and it was too strong.
Kimi coughed. “Sebastian, did you bathe in your cologne again?”
“Damn right. I like to fill the entire room with my presence.”
“Mission accomplished,” Trissa griped. “Now my grapes taste like you.”
Sebastian winked. “You’re welcome.” He turned and looked at me, his eyes narrowed. “Eden East. You look stunning this morning.”
“Thanks,” I smiled.
He grabbed a napkin and wiped some stray syrup from under my chin. “But it looks like you have an eating disorder.”
I offered him a cheesy smile. “And that’s why I have you as a bestie. To wipe stray food off my face and make sure I’m not a complete train wreck.”
Sebastian sighed, taking hold of my hand, gently stroking the top. “Sadly, there is only so much magic one can do.”
“Well, you’ll only have a few more weeks to deal with me.”
“Oh my God. I can’t believe we’re graduating,” Trissa squealed, leaning in to give each of us a high-five.
Sebastian looked past me and leaned to the right to get a better look at something.
“Hell-o,” he sang.
“What?” I asked.
“Eye candy. Eleven o’clock,” he whispered, nudging me in the side.
As I turned, I literally gasped, watching a guy enter the cafeteria. He was tall, with clean-cut raven hair and deep-green eyes. He was ridiculously fit, and his shirt was almost too small, showing the definition of the muscles underneath.
He looked lost and out of place.
The room suddenly fell silent, then whispers filled the air as he stepped in further.
“Welcome,” one of the servers greeted. “Please, grab a tray and take whatever you want.”
“Thank you,” he replied, his deep voice melting my insides.
I didn’t realize I was squeezing Sebastian’s arm when he released himself from my grip and stood.
“Where are you going?” I whispered.
“To make friends with the Hollister model.”
“Sebastian,” Kimi barked.
“You all better be nice. If you don’t want him, I’ll take him.”
“What if he’s straight?” Trissa asked.
Sebastian shrugged. “His loss. I come NSA.”
“What the hell is NSA?” Kimi asked.
“Girl.” He rolled his eyes. “No strings attached.”
Before we could say another word, Sebastian walked up to the new guy. The entire room watched in wait as he mumbled a few words to him, then pointed to our table. As soon as the guy’s green eyes connected with mine, I froze.
Holy hell. From now on, every hero and swoony male character I read about would look like him.
Chapter 5
Alex
I knew walking into the cafeteria would be a terrible idea, but the enticing aromas of the breakfast food lured me in, like a fish to bait.
As soon as I stepped inside the room, it quieted, and I stood there looking like a complete idiot. Thank the creator for the serving lady who addressed me, or I would have still been standing there, awkward as hell.
After getting a tray and filling my plate with pancakes, eggs, and bacon, a tall guy approached me, holding his hand out in greeting.
“Hey. You must be new here,” he said.
“I am. I just arrived last night.”
“My name’s Sebastian. You’re more than welcome to join my friends and me. We’re sitting at that table over there.” He pointed, and as my eyes followed his finger, they landed on her. I knew it was her the minute I saw her. My assignment. Eden East.
He cleared his throat. “If you want. If not, that’s totally cool too.”
“Yes,” I answered. “Thank you. I’ll be right over.”
I couldn’t believe how perfectly this was set up. Out of all the people in the room, a guy—who appeared to be Eden’s friend—invited me over to have breakfast with them. I wondered if he was her boyfriend. He was decent-looking for a mortal.
As I grabbed a bottle of water, I made my way over. All eyes were following my every move. This was why I hated these visible assignments. I could feel their heavy stares.
Sebastian stood and pulled out a chair between him and Eden. “You can sit here.”
“Thank you.” I placed my tray on the table and sat, right as a hand jetted out toward me.
“Hi, my name is Trissa,” the girl said, batting her lashes.
I took hold of her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Trissa. My name is Alexander, but I go by Alex,” I replied, and literally heard her sigh.
“Hi, Alex. My name is Kimi,” the next girl replied. She also extended her hand, so I took it and smiled.
“Kimi, it’s nice to meet you.”
I turned to Eden and smiled. “Are you going to tell me your name?”
Stunned, she opened her mouth, and nothing came out.
“Please forgive her rudeness,” Sebastian butted in. “Her name is Eden, and she just ate a butt-load of carbs and sugar. It’s obviously affecting her brain.”
I laughed, extending my hand out to her. “It’s nice to meet you, Ede
n.”
Her scent assaulted me. And as soon as I took in a breath, I knew she was part angel. I thought I’d smelled it last night. No wonder the Darkling was after her. She was Nephilim—a half-breed of human and angel.
I had to tell Ephraim because this fact could pose a huge problem, especially if the Fallen were involved. They hated Nephilim, as these half-breeds would transform on their eighteenth birthday and be given a gift of power. Some of the gifts were greater than those possessed by the angels or Fallen—those who’d been banished from Heaven—out of the Creator’s grace.
Either way, Eden was now a greater priority. If the Darkling went back and told the Fallen of her existence, she would be in grave danger. Hopefully, the stinker hadn’t made contact yet. They would do anything for free handouts from the Fallen, including giving away locations of Nephilim.
Eden placed her hand in mine, and it was warm and soft. For a split second, I was hoping for a connection, a sign from the heavens that she was my mate—the immortal bond. But it didn’t happen. I felt no zap, no invisible string connecting us, nothing but physical attraction.
For the next few weeks, I would be getting close to her, protecting her, all while knowing I would have to leave and never see her again. But that was the life of a Guardian. Who knew when the immortal bond would connect me with my mate? There were still many angels, much older than I, who hadn’t connected with their mates yet either.
“It’s nice to meet you, Alex.” The way my name rolled from her lips brought a smile to my face. “What brings you to Brindle Hollow?”
“My parents travel abroad for business, so they thought putting me in a boarding school would ease some of their worries. My mother thinks I’ll starve to death if I’m alone. The buffets were a top priority when she chose this school.” I chuckled, trying to make light of my lie.
She laughed and tossed her hair, and I confirmed she was Nephilim. I could smell the angel essence whirling around her.
“Are you a senior?” Kimi asked, her chin resting on her fisted hands, staring at me.
“I am.” I took a bite of the eggs. They needed salt.
“What classes do you have?” Trissa asked next.
I pulled the folded schedule out from my pocket and placed it on the table. Trissa smoothed it out, while all four of them leaned in to take a look.
“Holy crapola! Your last name is West?” Kimi gasped.
Sebastian swiped the paper from the table and held it up in front of him. “Shit. It is West. Do you know what Eden’s last name is?”
Yes. “No,” I replied.
“East! You guys are like polar opposites on the map,” Kimi said, laughing.
Sebastian butted in. “They do say opposites attract.”
Kimi snagged the paper back from Sebastian and placed it back in the middle of the table.
“Eden, you have English with Miss Pine first period, Science with Mr. Malcom in second, and my dad in third, right?” Trissa noted.
Obviously, her father taught at the school. I’d file that information away for later.
“Yeah.” Eden looked down at the schedule, then up at me. Her expression was hard to read. “If you want, I can take you to your first three classes.”
“Thanks. It’ll be great not to get lost on my first day.”
“And look,” Kimi pointed at a line on the schedule. “You have a class with him for fifth period too.”
“I guess I do,” Eden replied, with a slight grin on her full lips.
“Lucky,” Kimi whined. Trissa nudged her and they started laughing.
“Why do you have breaks during fourth and sixth?” Sebastian asked.
“I have all my credits in math and physical education.”
“Color me impressed.” He looked me up and down, biting his lip. Awkward.
While I finished my food, they discussed a planned weekend trip to Seattle, to a Japanese restaurant Kimi’s parents owned.
“You should come with us,” Sebastian offered. “We can squeeze another body in the car.”
“Not if Eden keeps eating pancakes and bacon.” Trissa giggled.
“Ha-ha.” Eden snickered. “That food will be burned off by second period.”
“Yeah, girlfriend can eat anything and not gain an ounce.”
It’s because she’s part angel, is what I wanted to say, but kept quiet.
At that moment, I realized I was the only one who knew the truth about Eden. Even she didn’t have a clue she was a half-breed, or that she would transform on her birthday, coming into her gift.
I had to get word to Midway. To do that, I had to either find Isaac, or get to the portal. But first, I had to attend English, science, and history with Eden.
Chapter 6
Eden
“Earth to Eden,” Trissa huffed, causing me to blink several times, coming back from my momentary trance. “Girl, did you even hear a word we said?”
My eyes shifted to each of them. I hadn’t. Not a single word.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Sebastian laughed. “Girlfriend was in a major zone.”
More like mesmerized. “I’m sorry.” I plopped my face into my hands. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me this morning. I had a rough night last night.”
“I guess we can cut you some slack,” Kimi said. “I hope you give Megan a piece of your mind when you see her in class.”
The bell rang, and when I looked across the table, Alex had cleaned his entire plate. We all rose from the table with our trays.
“Eden, see you in P.E.,” Trissa smiled, then winked. What was that wink for?
She linked her arm in Kimi’s, and they took off to their first class.
After Alex had set his tray down, he waited for me. As I approached him, I noticed how tall he was. At six feet, he easily towered over my five-six frame. I swallowed hard as he raked his fingers through his hair, watching the strands fall perfectly out of place.
He motioned for me to walk ahead of him. “After you.” I couldn’t help but smile. He was so different. “Thanks for escorting the new guy. It would have been pretty embarassing walking into the wrong classroom.” He picked up the pace, walking with me side by side.
“I can guarantee you won’t be lost for your first three classes.” My insides tightened as we bumped elbows.
He smiled. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“I don’t think you’ll have any problem making friends here,” I said honestly. “Just be careful. There are a few girls who are like rabid wolves when fresh meat is near.”
“Good to know. Any tips to keep them at bay?”
I shrugged and chuckled softly. “I have a feeling you’ll have trouble no matter how hard you try. Unless you’re gay?” I looked at him, wondering. My gaydar had been way off with Sebastian. Maybe it was off for Alex too.
“Gay?” His face twisted. “No, I’m not gay.” A crooked grin lifted on his lips, making me swallow hard. He was so handsome it was almost illegal not to stare. “You know, to be gay once had a much different meaning; it meant cheerful or lively. You know, happy…or gay.”
I nodded, giggling. He was funny.
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
“No.” His grin rose slightly. “In fact, I was hoping I could use you as a scapegoat.”
“Me, a scapegoat? How?”
“Since you warned me about the wolves, I thought that if things get too uncomfortable, you could be an ex-girlfriend from years past, broken by a long-distance relationship. It would only be words. Just to keep them away.” His smile widened, showing the whitest, straightest teeth imaginable.
This guy hit the genetic jackpot, and it made me wonder what his parents looked like.
“It wouldn’t work. Everyone knows I haven’t had a real b
oyfriend.”
“Have you ever? Had a boyfriend, that is.”
“Not a real one. Sebastian is the longest relationship I’ve had with a guy. But he doesn’t count.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s gay. And not in the cheerful sense. Although, he can be most of the time.”
“Oh.” He looked a bit surprised, running his fingers through his thick, dark hair.
“Another possibility is you could tell them you have a girlfriend waiting for you back home. It still might not work, but it’s something they can’t prove.”
He shrugged. “I’ll think about it.”
It was kind of sweet he wanted to use me as a shield against the wolves. Why was he gravitating toward me anyway? Most guys, when given a choice, went for Trissa. Kimi also had a few guys knocking on her door, but her parents were so strict, she rarely even bothered.
It didn’t matter anyway. By the end of the week, Alex would have his own friends and would probably forget I even existed, like the rest of the boys.
As we made our way down the halls, I felt uncomfortable as wide eyes watched us walk to first period. I wanted to be invisible and was usually pretty good at it.
Don’t get me wrong. I liked boys. And many of them tried to date me. But most were shallow, wanting nothing more than a conquest—a notch on their belt. I wasn’t like that. I wasn’t going to be a horny dude’s one-night stand. My Pawpaw had drilled into my head that I was so much better than that.
I had a few failed dates at Brindle Hall, especially one with the football captain, Billy Jones. He’d taken me on a date to the movies, and everything seemed to be going great. He was tall, handsome, and charming the entire night. Until, he drove me to a secluded spot, overlooking the ocean.
Then, his entire demeanor changed. He went from sweet and charming to demanding and handsy. His kiss had been rough, and when he’d shoved his tongue down my throat, it hadn’t been enjoyable. But when he attempted to lift my shirt and unbutton my shorts, I’d had enough.
