“Eden,” Cyrus called to her and she picked up her pace, reminding herself she wasn’t a coward and that this was her only shot. As soon as she reached the top of the stairs Eden’s eyes met McLeish’s. She knew instantly that this wasn’t going to be easy. His blue eyes were dark with scepticism and wariness, and the clench of his jaw gave away his unhappiness with the ‘situation’ presented before him.
“Neil, this is my daughter, Eden,” Cyrus introduced her. Eden nearly fell off the steps but, knowing Cyrus approved of poise, she quickly schooled her features, trying to master her surprise over his announcement. Cyrus was introducing her as his daughter??
His daughter?
That little girl inside of her who had dreamed of a father who read bedtime stories, and sheltered her from the evil deeds of the world, wanted to reach out and grab hold of the connection he had declared and never, ever let go. But the little girl who had grown up with a father who murdered people in their basement shuddered with fear and shooed the hope away with a scowl.
McLeish didn’t seem surprised by Cyrus’ claim which made Eden wonder if Cyrus had already proclaimed her his kin prior to their arrival. “Miss Winslow.” He nodded.
“MacDouglas.”
“Sorry?” McLeish frowned at Cyrus’ interruption.
“Miss MacDouglas. I have had her name changed to Merrit’s surname.” Well that was the first she had heard about it. To hell with poise! Eden threw him a disbelieving look, ignoring Noah’s huff of disguised laughter behind her. He knew her too well, knew she was not amused at having been manhandled out of her surname. It wasn’t like she had any great attachment to it or anything but still… he could have told her before he told this guy! She crossed her arms over her chest defensively. “Thanks for the heads up.”
Clearly well into his post-ironic phase, Cyrus ignored her sarcasm. “You are welcome.” When Noah coughed to cover another laugh, Eden threw her elbow out, catching him in the gut and winding him. At his ‘oof’, McLeish frowned at the byplay.
Cyrus sighed. “Children.”
“Hmm.”
“Well, Neil, are you going to leave the Princeps standing on your doorstep all day?” Valeria snapped, and that wicked part of Eden enjoyed the flush across the crest of McLeish’s cheeks at Val’s admonishment. So far she didn’t like this guy, mostly because he clearly had a problem with her.
McLeish stepped aside and held his hand out for them to enter. “I beg your pardon.” OK. So maybe she liked his cool accent.
There was a strong floral scent in the open hallway of the house and as her eyes took in the coats on the coat rack, the jumble of shoes below, the blue bicycle in the corner, a dirty soccer ball, she surmised that McLeish had a family. Hushed whispering from her left drew her attention, as well as Cyrus’, and she followed her guardian into the room, Noah, Valeria and McLeish at their backs.
The sitting room was a good size, but all the people in it made it seem tiny. Their souls filled the space, their essence beguiling and warm, causing saliva to build up under Eden’s tongue. Thankfully, Cyrus distracted her by spinning around to glare at McLeish. The Neith straightened his shoulders at the look, trying to appear un-intimidated. Eden waited, holding her breath, wondering what on earth had set Cyrus off.
“I believe I told you that Eden’s existence and presence in Scotland was to be kept quiet.”
“You told me to tell only those I trust. This is my family, Princeps, and Eden’s. I trust everyone in this room.” His eyes flicked to Eden and she read in them the words he hadn’t said out loud, ‘Except this one’.
Cyrus caught the look and bristled, turning to face the group of fifteen, sixteen people staring at them. The strength and power that emanated from Cyrus pulsed more vibrantly and she knew he was doing it deliberately. The faces before them grew awed. “I greatly dislike beginning introductions with a warning, but unfortunately for the safety of my daughter and the warriors protecting her, I must. If any of you breathe word of Eden’s true presence here, indeed of her true existence, I will hunt you down and you will pay the ultimate price for your treachery. Do you understand me?” The rumbled warning was received with hurried ‘Yes, Princeps,’ while their eyes sought Eden, desperate to determine what all the fuss was about. She felt her cheeks flush and tried not to squirm.
She suddenly wished she’d had time to change into a clean shirt or something.
“Good.” Cyrus nodded, satisfied he had put the fear of the gods into them. “Now on to the pleasantries. I am pleased to meet all of you and I thank you for graciously opening your homes to us, and for giving us your time. This,” he turned now to Eden, “is my daughter, Eden MacDouglas. As you are aware, Eden is here to become Ankh, and to seek aid from her mother’s mortal family. We thank you in advance for that aid.” He looked beyond Eden now. “With me is Valeria of Corsica-Well that’s a new one, Eden gave her a bemused questioning smile that Valeria returned with a wink. Suddenly Eden wondered what Cyrus was? Cyrus of…
“Who, I’m sure you know, is of The Circle, and Noah Valois, Alain Valois’ son and Eden’s escort.”
What?? Noah was her what? She scowled at him and he winked at her too. I’m gonna punch you, Valois. She tried to telepath the threat, and he seemed to get it because his mouth widened into a mischievous grin.
McLeish strode past them to stand before the group. “Princeps, I’d like to introduce you to my wife, Carol, and my two sons, James and Ryan.” Eden tried not to flinch at the name. Instead she watched as Cyrus graciously shook the hands of McLeish’s short but strong-looking wife and their two teenage sons. As Eden’s eyes wandered, she felt the potent strength of this collective. They were all athletic-looking, capable, their eyes intelligent, from young to old. “This is my sister, Mary.” McLeish pulled an attractive looking woman forward from the group, as well as a young man perhaps a little older than Eden. “And my nephew, Cameron.” Mary smiled brightly at Cyrus, blushing a little as she took his hand. Eden smirked. Since she saw him as a father figure she tended to see Cyrus’ attractiveness as a fact rather than an affect. The Neith woman did not. To Eden’s surprise, Mary also reached for Eden’s hand. “Pleased to meet you, Eden,” she greeted her, all friendly and smiles. Bemused, Eden shook her hand.
Taking his mother’s cue, Cameron first shook Cyrus’ hand and then smiled warmly at Eden, taking her hand rather than waiting for her to extend it. He grinned down at her. “Nice to meet you, Eden.”
His lilting accent made her smile. “And you.”
“Uncle Neil tells me you’ll be training here. I’d be happy to assist.” His grin turned wicked and his green eyes sparkled playfully.
Eden laughed inwardly, grateful to this boy, whose flirtatiousness made her feel less of a freak.
“I’d like that.”
Cyrus nodded approvingly at Mary and Cameron as they backed away after greeting Val and Noah, pleased with their more than friendly response, especially in contrast to the Councilman’s. Neil frowned at his sister, who shot him a look. Eden decided right there and then that she liked Mary immensely. There was something defiant in her body language when faced with her big brother that appealed to Eden.
Clearing his throat, McLeish introduced more of his family, cousins and two men from his council he considered brothers: John MacDonald and Richard Liddle. Both men appraised Eden in the exact same manner McLeish had. Their obvious contention was making Eden more than a little uneasy. As if sensing it, a throb of energy hummed out into the room from Cyrus’ direction and the group grew more hushed and reverent. Liddle dropped his gaze, the gaze that had been boring into Eden with suspicion. Understanding dawned on the group and from then on their greetings were warmer, like Mary’s and Cameron’s.
And then finally… what Eden had been waiting for.
She was introduced to Merrit’s bloodline. As a group, it was a small one. Only four of them remaining.
Before McLeish could do the introductions, a broad-shouldered dark-haired man of aver
age height strode forward to grasp Cyrus’ hand. He looked somewhere in his forties and had a strong face and body; his eyes were sharp and intelligent, and there was an aura of safety and calm about him.
“Princeps, it is an honour to meet you. I’m Christopher Douglas, and we’re pleased to be of any help that we can be with your daughter’s situation.”
She knew by the relaxing of Cyrus’ body that her guardian liked this man immediately. Eden understood. Call it intuition but there was something innately honourable about him.
Why couldn’t he have been the damn Councilman?
“Miss MacDouglas.” Christopher was reaching a hand out to her now. “‘Tis a pleasure.”
“Good to meet you, too.” And for once she actually meant it.
Once he was done shaking Val and Noah’s hand, Christopher turned and gestured to a willowy woman with blonde hair. “This is my wife, Alison.”
Alison was very pretty with golden blonde hair and wide amber eyes. She shook all of their hands, smiling brightly the whole time. Like Christopher, Eden found her presence very soothing.
“And this is our daughter, October,” Christopher said softly, nudging a teenage girl forward.
October had her father’s colouring. In fact… she looked a little like Eden with her midnight hair and tip-tilted eyes. When she grinned, it was a sharp smile with attitude and confidence.
When she grinned she and Eden looked like family. There was no questioning it.
October blushed when Cyrus shook her hand and it diminished her bravado a little. However, it came back in full force as soon as she turned in Eden’s direction. October walked over to her, eyeing her, a pleased quirk on her lips. Unlike Eden, October’s hair was cut sleek and short to suit her delicate features. She was dressed in tight black jeans with a neon pink belt and neon pink Converse.
Her tight black t-shirt had the words ‘ Born This Way’ scrawled across the chest. Eden smirked back at October as she drew to a stop in front of her. They were almost the same height.
“Hi.” October nodded casually, appraising Eden. “I like your shirt. Didn’t know they were big in the US.”
Eden glanced down at it. It was the Biffy Clyro shirt she’d bought off eBay. “Uh, well they are with me.”
The girl nodded again. “Cool. You like The Kooks?”
“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?”
&n
bsp; 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.”
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