At least she wouldn’t have to endure school runs with Celine.

The front door blew open and the familiar footsteps pounding across the foyer to the sitting room made her feel a little better. Stellan burst into the room, his eyes blazing with fury. And then they settled on her and his whole body slumped towards her.

“Jesus!” he cried, reaching for her, his hands cupping her face. “What the hell?” His eyes roamed over her features, a glower darkening his complexion.

Eden blinked. “What?”

“It will heal.” Ryan shrugged

“What will heal?” she asked frowning.

Stellan looked so worried. “Paradise, have you looked in the mirror?”

She shook her head.

Stellan threw Ryan a disgusted look. “You could have at least helped clean her up.”

Their father’s mouth twisted into a look of mockery. “Why would I bother when I knew her knight in shining armor was only minutes away?”

Ignoring him, Stellan slid his hands under her, heaving her up easily into his arms. Eden didn’t argue as he strode out of the room, carrying her up the stairs and into her bedroom, straight through into her en-suite. Gently, he settled her on the edge of her bath and her image reflected back at her from the mirror on the opposite wall.

“Wh-” She reached for her face. It was covered in lots of tiny nicks from the glass from the windscreen, some still bleeding, some already healing over. There was a larger slash across her left cheekbone, however, gross and disgusting as it slowly healed over.

“It will heal,” Stellan promised, catching her horrified expression. “You just take a little longer because you haven’t fed yet.”

“I can’t go to school looking like this.”

Stellan shook his head. “You should be all healed up by tomorrow morning.”

Eden watched him carefully as he set about running her a hot bath, pouring in oils and girly stuff she didn’t normally bother with. “It doesn’t even hurt,” she told him quietly.

He grinned at her. “It probably should a little because you’re not completely Blessed yet but…” His smile dropped. “You’re probably still in shock.”

Her eyes suddenly filled with tears. “I killed two people, Stel.” She’d killed two people and although she felt sick with it now, in the moment… she’d enjoyed the fight. She’d felt… alive… in a way she had never felt before.

Her brother’s face hardened and he crossed the room to close the door. Quickly, he returned to her, bending down to take her hands in his. Gently he took a wash cloth and began cleaning the blood off her knuckles. “You listen to me, OK. It was self-defense, Paradise. Self-defense. Those Neith were there to kill you, and you did what you had to do.”

“It’s not that simple.”

He tugged hard on her hands, drawing her gaze so that their eyes locked. “You’re the gentlest one of our kind I’ve ever known, Eden. You’re the last Blessed on this earth those bastards should have come after. They deserved what they got.”

They deserved what they got.

Did Lana? Did the red-headed woman in the basement, or those blonde twins from Ohio?

Where was the line?

“There’s no line, Stel,” she whispered.

Chapter Eleven

Love or Something like it

Over the next few weeks it felt like she gave up a little. Gave in, maybe. It wasn’t like it mattered here anyway. Ryan had decided they were moving after Eden’s Awakening Ceremony. The Neith knew where they were now and it was just too risky. So they were leaving. Leaving home. Leaving Salton. Leaving… leaving Noah. But she didn’t care… right?

Eden walked the halls of SSH delivering death looks at anybody who bumped into her or dared to meet her gaze.

Didn’t they know she was a killer now?

“Oh look, it’s freak show without her freak mate.” Lucy Stevens smirked at her as she past her in the hall. That was the one drawback from the compulsion. The idiot no longer remembered to fear her. Eden curled her lip up in a snarl just as Lucy’s friend, Shawna Beaumont swatted at Lucy, a little frown furrowing her perfect eyebrows.

“Don’t be mean, Luce,” Shawna admonished, her lip-glossed mouth quirking up into a smile of apology to Eden. “Sorry.”

Eden looked her up and down, cataloguing the cheerleading uniform and the Gucci bag. “Did I ask for an apology?” she snipped. “Go suffocate yourself inside your Gucci, Barbie.”

Shawna flinched back like she’d been slapped and had to hold Lucy back from attacking Eden. Eden chuckled, feeling mean and bitter.

She turned and walked smack bang into a solid chest. His familiar citrusy scent teased the hunger.

“You’re being a bitch to nice girls like Shawna Beaumont now?” Noah asked, pushing her back a little.

Eden let her eyes slowly crawl up his face to his eyes. They were narrowed in concentration. His lips pinched tight. His expression warred between disapproval and concern.

“News flash, Valois. I am a bitch.” She tried to walk around him but his arm closed around her fast, strong. She frowned and tried to break free. What the hell… Eden glared up at him suspiciously. “Been injecting steroids, Valois?”

He glared at her. “Is there any reason why I shouldn’t be stronger than you, Winslow?”

What…?

Her heart started racing. “What are you talking about?”

Noah sighed and gripped her arm, tugging her down the hallway and into an empty classroom. He shut the door and leaned back against it, blocking the exit.

“We need to talk, Eden.”

Oh Jesus, don’t let him know, please no no no no no…

“What about?” She shifted uneasily.

“Well among other stuff uh the fact that you’ve been acting like a psycho bitch for the past two weeks, talking to me one minute, dodging me the next. It’s giving me headache.” He shrugged casually. “So… you’re meeting me after school tonight. If you don’t, I’m hunting you down.”

Eden snorted and strode towards him. “You can’t make me do anything.”

“Eden.” He took hold of her arm again. “I’ll come to your house.”

It was like he knew, she thought gazing up at him wide-eyed, like he knew she would do anything to stop him coming to her house. What does he know?

Noah’s eyes softened and his grip eased. But he didn’t let go. That familiar warmth exploded across her chest and she found herself relaxing into him.

“I miss you, Eden,” he said softly and for a minute she could have sworn his eyes flickered to her lips and back up to her eyes. At her indrawn breath, his hand tightened again and then relaxed, his thumb caressing her skin unconsciously.

Did Noah…?

No. She shook her head inwardly. He couldn’t…

Then again... someone that hot being single for months…? And there was that night at Doug’s party two months ago…

“I can’t believe you dragged me here,” she muttered, hugging Noah’s side as they made their way through the crowds of teenagers. Doug’s dad’s house was almost as big as Eden’s. Plenty of space to pack in a couple hundred drunk and horny teens.

Noah grinned down at her. “I thought it would be a nice change of pace.”

“Uh, who invited her?” Lucy Stevens’ voice curled around Eden’s ears as Noah headed towards the ‘bar’ that had been set up in Doug’s back sitting room. The seniors were crowded around the sofas across from it, playing drunken Guitar Hero.

“Ignore her,” Noah murmured and handed her a red plastic cup full of liquid.

Eden stared down into it, uncertain. “What is this?”

“Lemonade.”

“Are you kidding?”

“You’re underage, Eden. I’m not giving you-” he stopped to take a sip and then rolled his eyes, pulling the cup back from her. “It’s spiked.”

She kept a hold of it. “Let me try. You’re only a year older, Noah. Get off the parental guidance train.”

Not really caring whether she drank or not, Eden let him pry the drink from her. He set the cups down and sighed. “Should have known there wouldn’t be anything alcohol free.”

She laughed. “What is up with the teetotal?”

He shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. He leaned casually back against the ‘bar’, way cooler looking than any of the guys around him who thought they were cool with their beer, pong, and designer wallets. “I don’t get drunk easily. Anyway I’m with you and I don’t want to get you wasted, so we’ll abstain.”

She mirrored his movements, crossing her arms over her chest and eyeing him incredulously. “So, why did we come here if not to get wasted?”

Noah’s light eyes swept the room. “Thought it might be nice to just hang out. Like normal teens.”

“Huh. I like that we don’t hang out with these cretins.”

He shrugged again. “You might change your mind. Some of this looks… fun.”

Frowning, Eden looked around her. Lucy Stevens had been persuaded to ignore them by her friends and it looked like she had turned her attention to berating one of her minions for something. To Eden’s surprise she caught Lucy’s boyfriend Doug staring at her over the rim of his beer cup. He looked swiftly away when he realized she’d caught him. Not everyone in the room was drunk, but there was a lot of public fondling and tripping over one’s own feet going on. In general, everyone did look like they were having fun. And they didn’t seem to mind that Eden and Noah had crashed. “So what do we do?” She turned back to her best friend.

Before he could answer, a sophomore – Eden couldn’t remember her name – sidled over, her eyes bright with alcohol, a flirtatious smirk on her lips. The girl grazed Noah’s arm, as she greeted him softly.

“Hey.” He gave her a small smile in return. “What’s up?”