“Our things packed yet?” Eden asked in a raspy voice as Val entered the sitting room.
Her mentor nodded. “Tobe's awake if you want to say goodbye.” After she'd come down from the swearing and the caterwauling, Tobe had collapsed in exhaustion. Cameron had hovered over her worriedly before his mother insisted he get home to get some sleep. Eden had shared a quick distracted embrace with him; glad he was OK, sad to be saying goodbye.
She didn't even know how she was supposed to say goodbye to Tobe.
“Hey,” October said softly as Eden slid into her room. “You're leaving.” Eden nodded, her jaw clenched tight. “He has Mhairi and Noah” Tobe's eyes flashed before she blinked back tears. “I know. Mum and dad say Cyrus won't let them go with you to get her back.” She choked on a sob. “Bring her back, Eden. Please.” Holding burning tears prisoner in her throat, Eden nodded. “I'm going to.” Tobe nodded, slumping back against her pillows, weary and scared. “Noah tried to fight, Eden,” she assured her. “He wasn't going to let him do this to you but the bugger had help and he stuck Noah before he knew what was what. After that he just took Mhairi and there was nothing we could do. Mum tried to fight but they would have killed her.”
“Noah got one of them though,” Eden whispered, thinking about the body they'd recovered from the backyard. She wouldn't be surprised if a neighbour had seen something. McLeish would have to scramble to cover it up if that were true. McLeish. She still hadn't figured out what was going on with him.
It didn't matter.
Nothing mattered but getting Noah and Mhairi back. A red haze clouded over her vision.
Tobe frowned. “Eden, I've never seen you like this, it's scary.”
“I feel scary.”
Her insides felt raw, her bones brittle, her blood was so enflamed with wrath it seemed to be rushing at super speed around her body as if trying to put itself out. There was an ugliness inside her again, an ugliness she'd thought had disappeared after her transition.
“You'll get him back, Eden.”
She nodded tightly. “And then I'm going take Teagan's head off with my bare hands.”
“I think you mean that.”
Eden suddenly strode towards her, her anger pushing her. “Did he touch you?” Tobe swallowed. “It wasn't anything I couldn't handle.”
“Tobe?”
“He beat me up, but there was no funny stuff so you can rest easy.” She hadn't realised how much the thought had been bothering her until the air escaped out of her lungs with relief. “I'm still going to kill him.”
“Get in a stab for me, will you?”
Eden smiled sadly and leaned down to hug her. “Of course.” Tobe held on fiercely. “Cam and I kept each other safe, Eden. We're fine. You just concentrate on getting my Nana and Noah back.”
“I hate leaving you like this.”
Pushing her back Tobe responded with a no-nonsense look. “Go. If I could I would.”
***
The jet was too small for Eden's emotions. She paced up and down, concentrating on the anger trying not to let the fear in. But that little voice kept creeping in, telling her Teagan would probably kill Noah just for being Ankh, so the fact that he meant something to Eden pretty much assured his demise. As for Mhairi… what did Teagan want with her?!
Her nerves were screaming at her.
“Eden, please sit down,” Cyrus sighed, looking pained by how upset she was.
Val just sat staring ahead, locked inside herself. Like Eden.
Finally the Ankh asked softly, “Did you call Alain and Emmaline?” Eden winced as Cyrus nodded. “They know.”
Oh God, she had Noah's parents to face. They were totally going to blame her and they would be right to. It was her fault. Teagan was her messed up family and she should have known to deal with him before hurrying off to explore her new life as an Ankh.
“How did he discover where we were?” she spat, throwing herself back into her seat. Her hands trembled as she picked up the glass of water Cyrus had pressed on her. “Was it McLeish? I'll kill the rat.”
“It was not McLeish,” Cyrus replied patiently. “Christopher and I discovered who the traitor was.
Unbeknownst to us so did McLeish. He is dealing with it. But that particular traitor has nothing to do with Teagan finding you. I have yet to discover who that is.” The news momentarily shocked her and she sat stunned for a minute. She had been so positive McLeish was the one out to get her. “Who was it?”
Cyrus and Val shared an uneasy look before he returned his eyes to Eden's face. “His sister.
Mary.”
Surprisingly, that news hurt. “Mary? Cameron's mom?” She shook her head disbelieving. “She was so nice to me.”
“She was pretending. She has not recovered from her husband's death and is abhorred by the fact that the Neith had to entertain you; had to facilitate your transition. When McLeish confided in her about Cosmina, Mary decided to try and contact her. McLeish had his suspicions so he had someone watching her. He had a few false trails set up so that the person she ended up making contact with was one of his own people. With that proof… well… he has promised to deal with her.”
“That's it?” Eden snapped. “She tried to have me killed and he's ‘dealing' with it.” Val shrugged. “We can only deal with one thing at a time. Right now we're concentrating on Noah and Mhairi; we'll deal with McLeish and his sister later.” Eden sank back into the chair and felt a growl burrowing its way out from the back of her throat.
“I'm going to kill Teagan.”
“Someone has to,” Cyrus murmured. “His obsession with you is not something that will rest. I am afraid your second hunt may be your hardest, Eden.”
“Yeah,” she agreed hoarsely. “But not like you think.”
She could hear Val shift, as if she were uncomfortable with Eden's tone. “What do you mean?” Rolling her head to look at them, she saw the concern flash across their features as they took in her expression. They deserved to know the truth about her. “I'm going to kill him. And I'm going to enjoy it.”
Chapter Twenty-five
Hell, Sweet, Hell
Ever since he'd met the little creep, Teagan had fantasised about having him in this position. He gazed across the room until his eyes fell on Noah handcuffed to the wall. It wasn't enough to hold him, so Teagan had injected him with another high concentration of potassium chloride. The Ankh's head hung limply, his wrists dangling over the iron mounts locking him against the blood red wall.
“Be glad I've eaten, Valois, because you are looking awful tasty right now,” Teagan taunted, crossing his legs, fondling a decorative silver dagger Ryan had bought him for his eighteenth birthday. “Your boss killed my uncle. He was like a father to me.” Noah coughed weakly and Teagan wasn't so sure there wasn't a snort hidden in that noise. “Boo for you.”
Fury shot through him at the sound of a throaty chuckle from the other set of handcuffs. The old Neith woman smiled at him sinisterly. Teagan immediately moved to launch the dagger at Noah but at the last minute he checked himself. He needed to keep the s.o.b alive. “I'd watch it. I already hate you just for being you but the fact that your slimy little hands have been all over what's mine makes me want to cut off certain things I know you'd miss.”
With satisfaction, Teagan looked on as Noah forced his head up, those strange violet eyes of his glittering at him darkly against the glaze of the toxin. “You might as well kill me because I'll die before I let you anywhere near her.”
His anger soothed Teagan, making him laugh. “Have you met my cousin? Tall, dark hair, lush lips, death stare.” He chuckled. “She's as stubborn as a mule and once she makes her mind up about something she pretty much sticks to it. She's coming to trade her life for yours and there's nothing that will stop her. It's the only thing that's keeping you alive right now.” Without a doubt Noah was laughing at him and Teagan had to slam the dagger down on the table next to him to stop himself from doing something he'd regret. “She hates you, you sick douchebag.
She might come for me, but she'll kill you before she ever lets you lay a hand on her.” Shifting uncomfortably, Teagan bit back an uncool retort. He knew he was in for a fight with Eden, he wasn't a complete idiot, but he had something they didn't know about. A reverse cure. He wasn't there to drag the new Eden into a relationship with him. No he was there to get her back, to watch her eyes turn grey. And it wasn't as if he hadn't brought reinforcements to help make sure the job got done. He threw Noah an arrogant, snarly smirk. “She'll do what she's told or I bring hell down on all of you.”
***
Eden,
Glad to see you made it to Boston and so quickly. If I didn't know any better I'd say you had feelings for this little jerk. It hurts, Eden. Can't help myself. I'm the jealous type. Not to worry, I also know how to get what I want so I haven't hurt your little warrior boy or the old lady… yet. Come home, Eden, before I decide to check out Noah – see what all the fuss is about. Oh… and bring Cyrus and Valeria. But just you three. You bring anyone else and pull a fast one on me and I'll know. You trick me, babe, and I'm not going to just to kill your boy and the Neith. I'm going to do them over Ryan Winslow style, and I think we both know you don't want that.
Come quickly. I'm getting hungry.
Teagan x
After she finished reading it out loud, Eden forced herself to meet Noah's parents' gaze. Emma was trying not to cry. Alain on the other hand looked as if he was trying to restrain himself from flying at her. With one last look of unadulterated fury and blame, he shot off the couch in one of Cyrus' many sitting rooms and stormed out, slamming the door so hard they heard the panelling splinter.
Eden flinched and shot a look at Cyrus. Her guardian shook his head gently, telling her not to worry. But she was worried. Teagan had Noah and Mhairi at the Winslow mansion.
She was going to have to return to the one place she'd promised she never would.
***
Staring at Noah and Mhairi was getting boring, so Teagan had sauntered back upstairs, making sure everything was in place. He nodded at a soul eater as he passed him in the hallway and wandered through to the back sitting room where French doors opened out onto the balcony and the sprawling gardens beyond. At the very north of the property sat a helicopter and its pilot, waiting for Teagan's plans to come to fruition.
Right at this moment Eden must be on her way to him. He brushed the bump on his inner arm where the tracking device had been shot into him and thought of the needles each of his men carried.
Enough to load up Cyrus and Valeria with the toxin and get them on a helicopter to the Tribunal. The Tribunal would have the leverage they needed to lure in Darius of Mesopotamia and Teagan would have Eden. The old Eden.
He was just sorry the little asshat downstairs would get to make it out of all of this alive.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Biggest Fear
It seemed only fitting that the sky opened up to lash hard rain down on the car as they arrived in Salton. It pelted off the bonnet like gunfire, seeming to emphasise the tense silence among Eden and her two companions. She tried not to tremble as the gates to her parent's mansion swung open allowing them entrance. Teagan would be watching her from inside. The gravel kicked under their wheels familiarly and Eden squeezed her eyes shut, drawing in her breath, preparing herself to return to the scene of her nightmares. Stepping out into the humid night air that stung the nose with a threatening metallic scent that warned of electricity, Eden shared one last questioning look with Cyrus. He nodded, telling her to trust him.